Hekazu

Grug & Slammy

Character Sheet for Grug the Oracle and Slammy the Beast

Name: Grug Bloodshot
Title: The Oracle of Gruumsian

Height: 164cm
Weight: 87kg
Age: Grug is old at the age of 57, the age of Slammy remains undefined.
Race/Species: Grug is an Orc of Forgotten Realms (nothing too special about it), Slammy is an unidentified Eldritch abomination living in his left arm.

Tier/Influence: 3 (Low); Grug can peer into the future, but the fact he sees multiple realities at once does not exactly let him tell how a certain course of action would dictate outcomes. Thus he does not possess the ability to actually foretell, but rather see things that will happen inevitably and possibly steer others clear of oncoming disastrous choices. Slammy on the other hand is a beast that only cares about killing and possesses no cognitive abilities beyond attempting to reach that goal, making it a rather predictable enemy when faced.
Group(s): None, so far.

Appearance: While it is normal for Orcs to stand slightly hunched, Grug stands exaggeratedly so. He wears ragged robes, not because he wouldn't have the money for better, but he does so to remind him of his past. That may be part of the truth, but it also gives him some credibility as an oracle, to be honest. Who would trust an oracle that dressed in fine clothes? The man itself, apart from his left arm, is quite muscular compared to your average human, but since Orcs are usually built heavily this actually makes him the equivalent of a skinny man. His sparse hair extends to his jawline and is grey in colour.

As for Slammy, Grug's shrivelled left arm is something one usually notices once they come closer. This is what houses the Eldritch abomination. When it is awake, the arm itself vanishes as the tentacle like monster breaks free. The tentacle is of the same colour as Grug's skin, that being dark green, but it is covered in gibbering mouths and bulging eyes. There is a rumour that tells one of the many mouths speaks a real language and tells a secret message, but the cacophony of sounds the appendage produces had driven many that try to discern this into madness.

Personality: Grug himself rejects the usual Orc mentality of raiding, instead preferring to live on his own without much conflict. His home at the outskirts of a bustling city reflects this: Close, but not too close. When someone comes to him for knowledge, he expects them to pay for his insights if there are any he can provide. If not now, then later. He has a long memory when it comes to debt.

As for Slammy, it does not really possess a personality. It exists to kill, seemingly ignoring its host.

Abilities, Talents, Traits, Powers:

• ^{( 3 )} Future Sight -- Grug is able to peer beyond the veil of time and see what future might bring. Due to different choices by different people leading to different end results, he is mostly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of potential futures and cannot really tell how specific choices would affect the world. He is able to tell if something is inevitably going to happen since it is present in all of the futures and this partially extends to bigger choices: The bigger an impact something has, the more likely it is that Grug can tell something about it.
• ^{( 2 )} Minor Illusion magic -- Grug is capable of conjuring forth simple images and sounds. It is rather easy to tell that they are not real.
• ^{( 0 )} Frail body -- Grug is a cripple who requires his cane to be able to move about. In addition to needing it for support, he also needs it to 'see', since he is half-blind to the corporeal realm. He can see well in the dark, but is very sensitive towards light. He is also highly vulnerable to physical assault, being much less sturdy than the usual Orc.

------

• ^{( 3 )} Existence beyond understanding -- Now to be fair, even Grug does not know where Slammy, as he calls it, actually came from, but the creature that resides within his left arm is quite powerful when released. Its ramblings can drive a man insane with prolonged exposure (hours), but that does not usually happen due to the usually brief moments when the Beast is released. The main form of attack of the tentacle is to slam itself at things, which coined its name from Grug.
• ^{( 4 )} Regeneration -- Slammy is (almost) never truly slain. If defeated in combat, it will retreat back into Grug's arm to recover and will be ready to be called upon again in a few (2-3) weeks or so. The only way to permanently slay it is to get rid of the Orc acting as its host.
• ^{( 1 )} Regulated existence -- Slammy does not pop out on its own. Only by reciting the words that awaken it can it be summoned to this realm, but once awakened Slammy cannot be controlled by anyone but itself until it has scored a kill. Any kill. Once that happens, Grug is capable of coaxing it back into his arm.

The words of awakening

These words are pretty much common knowledge to anyone from Grug's current home town. Very few of the locals would dare use them themselves for obvious reasons.

Klargthos,
Artixia,
Blibdoolp!

Items:

• ^{( 2 )} Gruumsian crystal -- A crystal Grug uses to aid him focus, usually coupled with incense. It is clear and valuable, but there is nothing inherently special about it.
• ^{( 2 )} Potion of Cure Minor Wounds, four (4) of. Magical potions that can mend, as the name would suggest, minor wounds both inside and outside of one's body. The magic in the potion is divided evenly amongst the wounds one has sustained if ingested, but they can also be made into a salve for a more directed approach. At best, a single potion might be able to close an open wound 2cm in length and some depth.
• ^{( 1 )} Caravan home -- Grug lives in an old caravan wagon, parked outside the city of Wesville. It is nothing special, if only he had an animal to pull the wagon it would be well roadworthy. Grug makes sure of that.
• ^{( 1 )} Trinkets, odds and ends, that sort of thing -- In addition to his abilities as an Oracle, Grug also dabbles in selling different kinds of talismans. He also has a few spare decks of Tarot cards around. Very few of these items are magical in nature, and even those that are are so worn down there is effectively no other value than knowing that it is, in fact, enchanted.

History: Grug was never a strong Orc and that naturally led to him being not very liked in the society. The life of an Orc man is supposed to be spent pillaging and raiding, not standing around in the camp. The thing was, Grug couldn't exactly do much in the camp either, leading to his eventual exile.

The Orc rather quickly encountered a few Dwarven merchants who, after the initial distrust, allowed the Orc to travel with them. To reach the nearest city and all that. It was during this time that Grug learned of his prediction ability as he could foresee an attack on the caravan, which was avoided by moving the people to the back of the attack. The fight had to happen: There was no way out of the canyon otherwise. The caravan eventually arrived in Wesville, where Grug decided to stay as life on the road was too much for his body.

As for the introduction of Slammy in his life, it happened one night as he was peering to his crystal, trying to make sense of what he saw. He spent too long beyond the veil, ignoring the warning signs of dimming vision, unknown voices in his ears and all that. The Eldritch being attacked him, burrowing into his arm and... setting itself to rest. That was the only time Grug has heard it speak, and the words of it were as follows: "Gaze too long beyond the veil and the veil will make you its own. Klargthos, Artixia, Bilbdoolp!" And that was how he learnt of the words that would momentarily make him but a vessel of destruction.

General Creft

Character Sheet for General Creft

Name: Ogni Emethel Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Creft
Title: General, representative of ground based military operations on Ragnarov Fleet.

Height: 177cm without exoframe, 202cm with exoframe.
Weight: 51kg without exoframe, 367kg with exoframe.
Age: Adult, no longer a young one at the age of 78.
Race: Scrounger.

Scroungers are a species that by the will of nature should well and truly be dead. Once back in the day, before they invented cloning, they were lanky humanoids with big heads and eyes, their bodies comparatively rather small. However, nobody will ever see a scrounger like that with the exception of searching deep into the fleet's archives, for things have gone far south. While cloning was a technological miracle in own right, the species as a whole did not exactly see eye to eye and continuous wars needed to be fed somehow. This was done by cloning en masse, but in the end the process turned out to not be as perfect as had been thought it was. Their genetic code deteriorated, leaving each generation progressively weaker than the other. By the time they noticed this, it was already too late. White flags were risen in unison as, for once, the species began to work together to save themselves.
Nowadays when one speaks of a scrounger, the first thing that comes to mind is the exoframe. There are many different kinds of them, something that can be used to differentiate them from each other in addition to their sickly bodies that can sometimes be seen from outside the frame. While a scrounger could technically live without one, it would be a life of pain, suffering and stillness. Their bodies just are no longer cut for the job. In general, a Scrounger can live to around 200 years old with their frame and it has been hypothesised that without one they could maybe survive to 70. A new upcoming generation of exoframes might support life all the way to 500 years.

Tier/Influence: 4 (Medium)
Creft is not too threatening of an opponent in single combat, but when faced as the military general he is, things go up a notch. With the arsenal of Ragnarov Fleet behind his back as well as one of the sharpest wits one has seen on a military commander, his strategical awareness coupled with resources makes him a deadly enemy.
Group(s): Ragnarov Fleet

Appearance: The General's body itself is well hidden within his exoframe, to see it will more than likely spell death to him so it will not be described in detail. The frame, on the other hand, is quite remarkable. One of the newer line combat models in testing, the bulky frame which is metallic green in colour has many sharp ends to it. While the shoulders and head are free of spikes, each of his fingers ends in a sharp point as well as the toes of it, accentuating his at times aggressive behaviour nicely. The suit has a built on cybernetic face to for discussions, allowing other species to feel at least somehow at ease around him, but even that face is of a serious man with a jagged chin. All of the frame is clearly artificial, since Scroungers do not mind hiding the fact.

Personality: Many would call General Creft a headstrong man and he himself would agree with them. There are not many who can sway this particular Scrounger once he has his mind set on a course of action, but that is only because he makes decisions based on thorough thought. On the ground it is much harder to get the numbers advantage, so every move has got to be well planned. This attitude has made its way into his civil life as well. Beyond all his cold logic, Creft is a merciful man. But if it is for the best, he will not hesitate to make the hard decisions.

Abilities, Talents, Traits, Powers:

• ^{( 2 )} Superhuman strength and stamina, as supplied by his exoframe --Capable of toppling cars, but not even close to throwing over a lorry. As for stamina, as long as the frame does not run out of charge, the General will not run out of breath.
• ^{( 2 )} Advanced exoframe manipulation skills -- Creft is somewhat more capable in using his frame when compared to your regular Scrounger soldier, allowing him to draw just a bit more power and precision from it.
• ^{( 4 )} Military tactics -- When it comes to tactics on the surface of a planet, Creft's expertise has yet to be matched. The tactics of the Scrounger have won them a few battles they had no business in winning, but ever since he has moved higher on the ladder, this principle has advanced to the war in general. For now, he stands undefeated. The greatest strength to be noted in his strategies is his adaptability. It would not be the first time a potential setback had been used as a springboard to further victories by turning it into an effective diversion.
• ^{( 1 )} Ground based combat -- When his exoframe's two mechanical feet touch solid ground, Creft is quite the fighter. Nothing beyond what a normal Scrounger soldier could be, but he takes care to maintain these skills in their peak condition, affecting things such as fire accuracy, ability to lead a squad personally and judge situations on the field.

Items:

• ^{( 3 )} Experimental ground combat exoframe -- Creft's personal frame is a model built specifically for him by his sister, who is in the lead of ground weaponry R&D, as well as military applications for exoframes. The bulky plating of it can withstand most standard issue handgun fire, as well as endure handheld assault weaponry for a good while. Anything beyond that quickly starts punching through the plating, but by sacrificing mobility he has the possibility to add more blast shielding onto himself. As for the proactive capabilities of the suit, it can run, climb, dig and perform other athletic feats among the best of them, although not much faster than an Olympics level human athlete. The frame also houses several more specialised functions, which are on this sheet treated as different items for the sake of organising. Apart some of those modules, the frame is EMP proof as all exoframes are.
• ^{( 2 )} Advanced Camouflage system -- As is the case with most of the soldier frames, Creft's is capable of masking most light, making them effectively impossible to see with naked eye and even making advanced tracking tools less useful. This system is prone to electromagnetic interference as it relies mostly on the masking system on the surface plating.
• ^{( 2 )} Shoulder weapon mounts -- If Creft was ever to end up in a fight himself, likely in a boarding situation, this is where his most effective line of defence would be. On his shoulders. The twin mounts, one on each side, allow for attachment for a variety of weapons, his most common choice being either linear cavitation cannon and it's extra battery or twin plasma chainguns. The former has yet to fail to punch through troop armour as it can penetrate up five metres of solid steel, whereas the twin chainguns are much more useful for just flinging more dakka at an approaching horde of lightly armoured units since their penetrating power is rather low. These shoulder mounts link into his combat visor, letting him see and control exactly where the barrel is pointed.
• ^{( 3 )} The "Swiss army knife" exchangeable module -- At the back of his frame, Creft has a standard issue "backpack" port, to which many different modules depending on need can be attached. His most common option is the nanocloud module, but few other options are also detailed here.
  
  • Flypack: A simple thruster+wing system for short distance flying, able to reach speeds up to 75km/h and reach heights up to 300m.
  • Nanocloud: A cloud of flight capable nanobots, both for distraction and attack purposes. Individually are only capable of making wounds resembling papercuts, but in a swarm they could get some more serious damage done due to sheer numbers. The pack contains and releases about 20.000 of these bots at once, appearing in a buzzing black cloud.
  • Nanofoam: A supportive option to nanocloud, these bots are not capable of flight, so they form a travel group that resembles foam, the colour of which being white. These bots attempt to stay out of harms way and perform on scene repairs on downed units.
• ^{( 3 )}Self-detonation device -- If ever comes the time when Creft would be captured and there was a real risk of him divulging information to the enemy, he would activate this module. Standard to all frames to protect the Scrounger ingenuity from getting into wrong hands, this device, in Creft's case, causes a detonation strong enough to level a small town. This, of course, is gross overkill, but capture of someone of his status has to be punished.

History: The General, like many other Scroungers, was born on Universal Nova, the giant spaceship that took the place of their original home planet. For all intents and purposes, Universal Nova was as much of a planet as a real one ever was, only that it started artificial from the ground up. His childhood is not really that important, give how all Scroungers go through the same education, but as his career brought him to military, he began to turn heads. With the help of his sister, Vropda, he got more out of his exoframe than others and thus excelled in many ways, leading him to be chosen for a leadership role. Slowly but surely he climbed the ranks over many a planet conquest, nowadays standing on the council of Ragnarov Fleet as the General of ground based operations, the military being too afraid to lose his tactical genius otherwise.

A fair amount of medals sit in a display case within his office, but usually he won't bother to talk about them. It is not a secret that more than a few of those come from strategies that involved sending troops to their deaths in the name of greater good. A spot in the ground forces is not a death sentence, but Creft has never veered away from ordering a suicide mission if it is the most secure path to success. And the troops follow his orders for they know such an order was not made lightly.

D&D 5e - High Seas and Tall Tales

Dyn grit his teeth as was typical of him when there was nothing to do. Eliza, Koan and Jill were busy talking at this creature with words and not really getting much done. The creature was released from its invisible containment and they had a chat, they being the mentioned members of the crew and the wolf thing. Eventually this exchange seemed to near its end as the gnome reached forward with the encouragement of the shapechanger and... well, it ended about as well as one might have thought. The frost that was enough to freeze their ship cared little of her little Fire Shield and froze the gnome's arm solid. Well, to be fair the wolf had warned her, but Dyn still felt a sting of anger in him as the creature bellowed more about wanting their help.

"Right, right, let me introduce myself to you as well, Bleeding!" Dyn bellowed, not even bothering to attempt pronouncing the name of the creature correctly. "My name is Dyn'yer'zhead and I am most appalled by your gall to threaten us with death, only to demand our help mere moments after. Not to mention you have failed to share what you need the help with. And know this, I will not be roped to any contract with the other side hiding the obligations of it, no way. Bark up the details or consider your request dismissed!" Dyn was amazed with his ability to keep things mostly professional.

The Beholder slowly floated towards his injured crewmate and laid his many eyes on the frostbite. "You are no use to us with a hand like that. Get yourself to the caboose to warm up", he instructed the other wizard. The fact his voice lacked any hint of sympathy was nothing new. Turning to the wolf again, Dyn bared his teeth but said not a word to accompany it. Maybe, just maybe, the wolf would bother giving them the details they'd need for the decision.

The escape from Wolfwing's lair

@Dusksong@Lord of Evil

It's been some time. You both still there?

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

Theodore had been slightly absorbed in his thoughts, but Thea's words of agreement knocked him out of it. "Yes, I wondered something of the sort too", he in turn agreed to what she had said, the potential for resurrection could hide in these stones. Or perhaps in this realm even lesser forms of healing could restore one to being? There was no way of knowing without testing it out, but he wasn't one to rush awakening birds four times his size from their death. That could very well end all sorts of badly.

Thea bumped his hip with hers, commenting on the fact he hadn't a mask on him now. Theodore turned his head slightly, more of the gesture being in his eyes and replied: "I am wrestling with the most intriguing problem right now. It's a fight, even if merely on the intellectual scale. But you might well be correct." As he wrapped it up, he dropped the gem into his bolt case and snapped the lid shut, releasing his mask into his hand which he moved to his face, a smirk aimed at Thea being the last thing visible prior to being hidden again.

He wanted to also return the hip bump, but that was beyond what he dared do. Even with the mask on, he couldn't quite focus on things other than the Paladin. However, he had to say something out loud to the whole group, so he tore his gaze away from her and spoke out in a louder volume: "Yes, if we could rest for a moment, I would very much appreciate it. That was quite the fight..." That being over and done with, his eyes slowly drifted back towards Thea.

@Zverda - Spoke with Thea

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

The prisoner listened to Brannor and Parum talk on top of each other, each having their own opinion of her words. "Do you listen to yourselves talk, whoever you are? You cannot even agree with yourselves!" She fully expected a blade into her stomach at this point, given how they seemed to be mostly done with her, but if they waited she would still answer with what knowledge she had. First she would have to have a word with the female voice: "I don't think you quite understand. I do not speak with the dragons, for I am not worthy of their majesty. I follow the orders of those who are, and that's that."

Now turning her attention towards the direction of the rougher voice, she gave her answer regarding their camp. "As for the camp you ask of, it would be a small miracle if you didn't find it once we are done with this town. Moving armies the size of ours doesn't exactly happen inconspicuously. As for where we are going, probably just staying back there. Would not want the dragon eggs to hatch without a parent..." A grin appeared on her face as she spoke of the eggs. The interrogators could not stop the entire cult, that was for sure. They might as well know their doom would be coming.

Nighthill tilted his head to the side at the mention of dragon eggs, unsure whether to believe it himself. The prisoner was but a lowly pawn as far as could be understood from her speech, but as a devoted member of her cult she might know more than her status would suggest. The governor tapped his chin with his healthy hand's fingers, wondering what to think of this revelation.

@The Harbinger of Ferocity@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Norschtalen@Lucius Cypher

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Will post tomorrow. If anyone has anything to add, throw it in within 16 hours or so.

The Hub Planet - Vasishka - Open

@ChickenTeriyaki

The mentioned OOC would be this specific RP-wide OOC thread roleplayerguild.com/topics/163667-cha…
EH is a persistent world RP so it does a few things differently, including this one.

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

Theodore watched after the giant bird as he flung the crossbow back onto his back. He was distraught with the discrepancy between how weak he felt but how his body remained as able as ever. Even if it sounded quite on the contrary to how most would think, Theodore would have welcomed pain and spilled blood over this hollow emptiness. Yet this very feeling gave him an idea about the true nature of the gems. He'd have to think whether it was actually plausible, but this train of thought was momentarily stalled by Katia approaching and relaying her apologies.

Theodore took a deep breath, as if to ascertain his ribs were all in order, which they obviously were due to the injuries being of the nature they were and gave her his answer: "Better for me to take a fall than to be flown far away. We all know none of us could have fought them off alone. Thanks." With that said and Katia already moving her attention to other things as was typical of the hyperactive tabaxi, he turned back to pondering the nature of the gem. Without him even noticing it, Wick's familiar descended on his shoulder, a wave of warm energy rushing along him, bringing some comforting content to the void he felt within himself.

The avian creature on his shoulder provided him with another magical effect, as it led his thoughts along. His idea was incomplete, but he could be certain of a few things: Whatever these were, they housed certain divine energy. And none of what he had thought of broke the teachings of the templar, so there were no foul demons in play here. "I do think... this is the raven's soul. Think about it: Do we not feel their very being as we touch these gems?" He let the thought settle in with the others before he went on: "We have already noticed how this realm does not exactly work like we'd expect... were it not for the unmoving sun, the fact our bodies need no sustenance and how pain itself is gone, only to be replaced by this hollow feeling... friends, I propose our bodies in this strange place are but manifestations of our pure willpower... and if we were to 'die' as these birds did, we would leave behind a gem much like this."

He raised his eyes from the gem, looking around him. "So, yeah, there is some divine nature in this phenomenon like Wick said." Now Theodore hoped to hear what others thought of this, him believing his explanation to be in line with Wick's but more detailed.

Mechanics&Rolls

Theodore receives the Cure Wounds and Guidance from Wick, using the latter to help himself think about his theory in more detail with a Religion check (5). Has not yet donned his mask again.

HP: 12/28 AC: 16 Concentrating: Not
Radiant Consumption: Available
Slayer's Eye: Inactive

Spells expended:
0/3 1st

@JBRam2002 - Replied to concerns
@Gordian Nought - Shared thoughts on the nature of the gems the ravens left behind

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

PMs sent. Expecting replies soon.