Lucius Cypher

Forsaken

Today was the day. Rokkit had received the letter from Garrick about a job. Says that Rokkit was "a person of some repute", which made the orc suspicious. Sure he's done some good work in town but nothing no other smith couldn't have accomplished. Either Garrick was talking hot air or he was referring to something else about Rokkit that he hasn't told anyone else. And Garrick's a rich man: he would surely have the resources to know what he wants, as any information could come at the right price. Not to mention the job almost sounded too good to be true. Taking a herd of horses from Forsaken to Sasarka wasn't that difficult, even if they were magical ones. Sure, the job would be dangerous, but it's not as if that in itself is unusual. The phoenix was more of a concern, not just because that's their primary job, but because a phoenix is worth more than a hundred hippogriffs. Was this creature alive? Was it in an egg? Was it a bunch of ash in an urn?

So many questions, Rokkit was still having second thoughts about the job. But he also knew he needed it. Frankly, business has been bad. Running a shop by himself wasn't easy especially when he rarely gets any work. Turns out most people don't care for orc made guns, and even the few firearms he made that are of dwarven or elven design don't sell as well as ones made and sold by actual dwarves and elves. It certainly doesn't help that Rokkit's shiny personality makes most customers shy away from him, and even the few braver ones don't care for his gruff attitude and failure to acquiesce to a customer's request. He really should've known better: Rokkit already tried his hand as a merchant before and more or less ended up just like this. He just thought the folks in Forsaken would be more accepting of his attitude.

Thus, Rokkit was hard up on money. He's had to stop supply shipments in order to save up on living expanses, not to mention he hasn't cleared out his current inventory yet. It doesn't help that he has personal projects which haven't amounted to much of anything. His research into miniaturized steam engines have so far gone no where, nor has he stumbled upon any revolutionary armor ideas. The only reason he has business is because of ammo sales, because everyone needed bullets and Rokkit was selling them cheap. But that also meant he was barely into the black: his business simply wasn't making profit. Anger and frustration swelled in Rokkit's head, and he vented his anger by picking up a stone and throwing it into the distance where it smashed against another, larger rock.

"Shrakh. Uruk han. Grub Pub hap."

Letting out a tired breath Rokkit left his humble abode to head to town. A short walk took Rokkit to his favorite eatery: The Grub Pub. A place that sold cheap food and booze. As long as you didn't care too much what part of the beast you were eating, they always had meat on the menu, and it was one of the few places here that served cold drinks. Went Rokkit walked in the waitress, a large and rotund dwarven woman, looked at him. "Morning Rokkit. The usual?" The orc sat himself down at the counter and gave the waitress a nod. She turned towards the kitchen and shouted loudly to the chef there. "Got one Beef's Breakfast on the hoof buried in rocks, mountain men starched and ripped, and a frosted sin neat. We going to have a cube today too?" Rokkit gives a silent nod and adds it to the order. A few more customers come in and the woman goes to attend to them, but not before handing Rokkit a complimentary newspaper. He hasn't read this week's paper so he gave it a look while his food was cooking.

As more people came t the Grub Pub for their morning meal, Rokkit was deep into the paper. It was good to stay up to date about world news, even if it's all filtered through lies and politics. Rokkit knew better than to believe anything at face value, but it's still important that he knows about it in the first place. Soon his food would arrive: a rare beef patty wrapped in lettuce and well seasoned with black pepper, with a side of mushrooms fries coated in potato starch, and a cold glass of apple juice without ice. A working man's meal. Rokkit picks up his green leafy patty, eating it in two big bites before taking a large gulp of apple juice. Then he idly ate his mushroom fries while he finished reading the paper. Once he finished his meal his dessert was served: glimmering red strawberry flavored gelatin, with a small dollop of whipped cream. Rokkit flipped the bowl over his mouth and ate the sweet in one whole bite.

After paying for his meal Rokkit went back to his home to gather his things. As much as he doesn't trust the job, he couldn't turn down the offer, and so he had already made preparations for the journey ahead. He's renting out his store to another smith, liquidated his assets, and made sure to buy supplies for the journey ahead. Once back at home Rokkit would begin donning his armor. He'll likely have to join the caravan as soon as he arrived, or at least that's how his past experiences has been, so he wanted to go there prepared. He kept his helmet off though, knowing that people like Garrick would want to speak to Rokkit face-to-face. His pack was ready as was his bandolier and weapons. His axe on his hip, shotgun slung across the shoulder, and shield strapped to his arm. He balled his hands into fists and punched the air a few times, each strike crackling with thunderous energy from his gauntlets. As he turned to leave he picked up a small glass cage. Inside was a large black and red spider: Flyswatter. It was thanks to this arachnid monstrosity that Rokkit never had to worry about insects in his home. And as he was leaving Rokkit felt something land on his shoulder: a chunky brown cat, Potato.

"Urukrim majatan. Flas zil'nok."

Locking the door behind him, Rokkit heads to the Garrick estate, occasionally looking over his shoulder. It was hard to miss, and pretty much the only notable thing in Forsaken aside from the town itself. By now the city was already awake and people were leaving to work or working. There was the occasional scuffle and shouting, familiar concepts in this town, but Rokkit didn't care to get involved in that. He was an orc on a mission and he was going to see it through. Upon arriving to the manor, Potato hopped off to wander. Rokkit wasn't too concerned: despite being fat that cat was a better hunter and survivalist than Rokkit was. Ranch hands were already hard at work corralling and tending to the various beasts Garrick keeps on the estate. It just reminded Rokkit about his doubts in this job, why he wonders what the catch is that they'll be paid so handsomely, and what exactly Garrick was expecting that he could afford to drop so much money on someone like Rokkit.

But this doubting was starting to grate on the orc's nerves. He's already gone this far. Even if he wanted to back away now it's not like he had contingency plan and frankly speaking, even if this was more than meet's the eye, it's not as if Rokkit couldn't profit either way. Ever since the mines started running dry on ores it was harder for Rokkit to get raw materials for his projects. But if they happened to stumble upon any threats along the roads, Rokkit could take their equipment and repurposes it for his own ends. He in fact prefers it this way: looting was an ingrained part of orc culture and crafts. Crafting from the ground up might've been fine for the Great Four, but for someone like Rokkit maybe this adventure was what he needed.

With a renewed sense of purpose Rokkit would enter the manor. He showed one of the ranch hands the letter Garrick sent to him, and so Rokkit was escorted to a large hall. It looked like someone was already here. A dark skinned woman with literally fiery red hair. The way she carried herself told Rokkit she was a hired gun, likely someone else Garrick sent a letter to. Rokkit was certain that they'd all be formally introduced to each other soon enough, so the orc elected to keep to himself and found a couch wide enough to fit him. Taking off his backpack he sat onto the couch with such force that one could hear the wood creak, but it managed to hold his weight. And now all he had to do was wait.

Forsaken

Rokkit Redsun

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Rokkit Redsun

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ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪

ℕ𝕒𝕞𝕖: Rokkit Redsun
𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕤: Hatchetman
𝔸𝕘𝕖: 26
𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕤: Orc
𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣: Male
𝕆𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: Gunsmith
𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥: Chaotic Neutral

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𝔸𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖

ℍ𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥: 6’7
𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕: Stout
𝔼𝕪𝕖𝕤: Red
ℍ𝕒𝕚𝕣: Bald
𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕠𝕟𝕖: Green
𝕋𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕤/𝕊𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕤/ℙ𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: Single scar across the forehead ending over his left eye.
ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖: Prefers sleeveless shirts or even shirtless but tends to wear dark pants that are often well worn and questionably washed. Rokkit’s typical attire could be called “patchwork”, lacking the sort of uniformity and neatness other people might have for their clothes. However a lot of what Rokkit wears is meant to take a beating and more so much that by the time it needs to be repaired, it’s likely already destroyed. He also favors dark colors with smatterings of red.

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ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪:

Gluttonous * Paranoid * Discreet * Stoic * Inquisitive * Conniving

ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕤: Single

ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖:

What first impression do you make? Big, broody, yet somehow reserved. Like an elephant in the room he commands a certain presence everyone notices, but at the same time he doesn’t always participate in discussion. Can often leave you wondering why he’s there as he will often find himself in places that don't suit him or wouldn’t be where you’d expect a man of his girth to be. At best he seems polite and careful. At worst he’s intrusive yet noncommittal.

What are you like in a high stress situation? Has a tendency to give out orders during chaotic moments either expecting others to follow his lead or forcing them to do as he says. Should no one follow his leadership or his actions fail to bring results, his craven side will begin to show as Rokkit is unlikely to stay to deal with the consequences of his own actions. These things of course can sometimes be a good thing: Rokkit is willing to take up command and rally others during chaos and he tends to keep a steady head during such moments to figure out the most optimal way to make use of himself and everyone else around him. And if a situation is truly lost, Rokkit is not so foolish as to throw away his life needlessly and would always ensure to have an escape plan.

What are your best and worst qualities? Rokkit’s best qualities are his willingness to constantly be learning, adapting, and evolving to new and strange situations. While he may have certain standbys he’ll rely on Rokkit is always willing to do unconventional things if he believes they are a viable solution, even if they’re not ones he’s familiar with.

But Rokkit’s worse qualities is that he ultimately looks out for his own self-interests and does not care to honor promises or give anyone dignity if it means losing out on something he wants. Rokkit is willing to cooperate with others, even gaining their trust, largely so he can use them for his own ends and expects everyone to be operating on that premise in some fashion. Altruism baffles him but he’s more than willing to take advantage of others' kindness at no cost of his own.

What is something about yourself that you would never admit to anyone? Rokkit wishes that he was richer and more powerful so that he could afford to be kinder to others. He wants to have the kind of wealth where he doesn’t need to care if people are taking advantage of him and the kind of power where he could do things like sacrifice himself and still come out on top. Deep down, and Rokkit often goes out of his way to disprove it to himself, he wants to be a generous person that others would speak only kind things about. But he denies this from himself because he has seen what happens to people who only give and as admirable as it is he does not want to share their forgotten fates.

What are your dreams? Rokkit wants power and wealth to secure his comforts and the comforts of others who he deems worthy. He also wants to create a giant suit of mechanical armor large enough to dwarf giants and battle storms, but those are more childish dreams that he simply works slowly towards making a reality.

How do you want to be seen by others? Rokkit wants to be feared by others for his strength but at the same time sought after for the same strength. If they ever need someone with a plan or solution they can seek him out and purchase his services. He wants them to think he is professional and thus do not seek him out expecting him to help them for free, so ideally if you do come to him for a problem it’s something worth his time and effort. But most of all he wants people to know he’s reliable and someone they can trust to get the job done.

How do you see yourself? Rokkit sees himself as someone who has failed to live up to the expectation of his people and at the same time fails to stand as an equal to others outside of his own kind. He suspects others are always trying and scheming to use and steal from him, because that’s exactly what he’s doing to others. Rokkit has a strange complex where he always belittles himself but at the same time, that constant idea that he is less than others forces him to constantly be thinking how to subvert his enemies or obstacles without brute force, as he cannot guarantee he is actually strong enough to accomplish that no matter how obvious it might seem. The weak need to be cunning and Rokkit is not a strong ork.

Do you tend to make snap judgements, or stop and think about things? Rokkit tends to think a lot quickly. He questions everything and does not believe all that he hears at face value, so something is always on his mind. If a lot of new things happen all at once he will usually try to piece them together with ideas and theories he already had, but once given time he’ll try to figure out what may be the truth and what is merely coincidence. He does have a bad tendency to overthink things however, trying to find meaning in things that had no meaning, and his tendency to over analyze can lead him to have hilariously inaccurate images of what’s going on. Though sometimes this same level of overthinking can lead him to finding the right answer despite having a very flawed idea of how it happened: coming to the correct conclusion but by the wrong path.

What haunts you? Rokkit is haunted by the memories of people he considered his friends and equals abandoning him, surpassing him, and leaving him to fend for himself against a cold and uncaring world. He fears abandonment which is why despite his reclusive nature he still seeks out company even if they don’t always appreciate or care for him. Rokkit would prefer to have enemies that drive him forward than to be alone and forgotten.

What is your philosophy on life? Life has no meaning unless you make it meaningful. Pursuing your own interests and survival is not a flaw, even if the methods you use to do so harm others. Nothing in life comes for free so either pay the price or be willing to have something exchanged for it. Ultimately, those who are victorious are justice, so don’t expect to be able to have what you want without willing to fight or even kill for it.

ℍ𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕤:

• Tends to hoard metal and other materials. Notable shell casings, small mechanical objects, and coins.
• Tends to look over his shoulder a lot at almost random intervals. Sometimes he actually finds someone or something watching him.

ℍ𝕠𝕓𝕓𝕚𝕖𝕤:

• Cooks for himself a lot. Usually his food is decent, but if they aren’t he’ll eat it anyways just as to not waste it.
• Rokkit tinkers a lot as he's not one to be idle so whenever he’s not actively doing something he’s fiddling with either a weapon, object, or even writing something down, just to occupy his mind. He finds it soothing and hates having to sit still without something to occupy his attention. He’s even fidgety in his sleep.

𝔽𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤:

• Dislikes being alone and will often try to find company even with strangers.
• Has a particular aversion towards reflective objects, as he sometimes fears seeing things within them that he could not have otherwise noticed. A lot of his things tend to have a dull sheen instead of a mirror finish for that reason.

𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕤:

• Winning. As much as he claims to avoid conflicts, Rokkit does enjoy defeating his opponents, especially ones he was able to overpower completely instead of competitively.
• Cheating. Related to winning Rokkit enjoys making the most use out of his cunning and brutality alike, often doing things to subvert people’s expectations or even just the rules themselves. As far as he cares all that matters is winning. Naturally he doesn’t like it if others cheat, but that’s just because it gets in the way of him winning.
• Baths. Despite his preference for dirty and rough looking clothes Rokkit himself actually enjoys the act of being washed either in a tub, a river, or even just a wet cloth to the nethers.

𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕤:

• Generosity. He hates being the recipient as well as expected to be generous to others. He thinks it’s all just lies meant to bolster one image and there’s always that unspoken assumption that one must pay back a gift despite it being called a gift. He makes it very clear whenever given something for free that he has no intentions of returning the favor unless a favor is what was wanted in the first place. Anyone who tries to bring up an act of generosity as justifications for getting something out of him will only receive violence.
• Thieves. While he is certainly a thief himself Rokkit has no respect for others who steal, especially from him. He cares not for the reason or methods, anyone who is a guilty thief deserves a broken skull. Naturally he can understand if others share his sentiment and try to kill him for his own thefts: that’s just the price of thievery.
• Long-Lived Races. Be they elves, dwarves, demons, fey, or anything in between, Rokkit tends to dislike the long-lived on the fact that those like orcs and other short lived races must always be adapting to the times, but the long-lived ones are almost always living in the past and tend to be the root cause for whatever issue the shorter lived ones are dealing with. Worse are the ones who use their longevity as proof of wisdom, despite their actions proving nothing or worse, that same wisdom being the cause of problem in the first place.
• Secrets. Rokkit doesn’t like being left out of knowledge and will doggedly pursue that which mortals are not meant to know and often questioning others and trying to find holes in their ideals and theories.
• Birds. The only thing they’re good for is eating. He hates how they poop on his things, make a lot of noise, and build nests in places where they don’t belong. The only birds he doesn’t hate are chickens and that’s because they’re bred for the purpose of being eaten, them and their children. Birds that aren’t meant to be eaten should be eaten to extinction. He doesn’t consider Arakocra and Tengu birds but he isn’t adverse to eating them either.

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𝕀𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟:

𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕤:

• Fighting. It should come to no surprise that an orc can fight. Rokkit leans more towards close-quarters fighting, be it brawling or short-range shooting. He can fight from longer ranges if he has to, he's not good at leading targets and prefers volume to accuracy beyond short range. He’s also good at throwing stuff, be it bottles, rocks, knives, or bombs.
• Perception. Rokkit’s massive bulk hides his sharp mind and keen senses. Like many orcs he has innate darkvision enabling him to see in total darkness, albeit only in greyscale. He has a very keen nose like a dog and can pick up scents that others may never notice, and often don’t. His hearing isn’t bad either and actually quite sensitive, which is why he needs hearing protection when he works and often keeps his ears padded when he’s expecting to get into a firefight.
• Endurance. Rokkit’s tough, simply enough. Whether it’s taking a blow to the face, drinking gallons of booze, or getting bitten by a venomous snake, you can rely on Rokkit shrugging it off. While not immortal, he can still survive things that kill most people. He also had a lot of stamina and can work long and hard.

𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝/𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕪 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕤:

• Gunsmithing. The main skill that gets Rokkit work. His clan created guns and other weapons comparable to dwarves in quality, and Rokkit is no slouch in this department either. In particular he is trained to make guns suitable for orcs, who’s greater than average strength enables them to handle weapons with heavier loads that would harm weaker, smaller races. He also knows how to make complex heavy weapons that aren’t meant to be carried, such as cannons. Rokkit’s special talent lies in his bullets: he favors shotgun shells as he can make an assortment of ammunition types, from the basic buck to solid slugs, and has even made more esoteric ones such as shells that fire coins or have a chemical load to blast fire instead of bullets.
• Smithing. Every orc from Rokkit’s clan starts learning the basic of smithing before they learn gunsmithing, and Rokkit’s not different. He’s actually quite a skilled smith and has an interest in engineering as well, despite the lack of a formal education. Rokkit’s smithing isn’t limited only to metal either: he has a functional knowledge of how to work leather, wood, and even bone, though not enough that he would consider a career as a tanner, carpenter, or in schrimshaw.
• Spellcasting. Rokkit first began with a rudimentary education in magic through his clan’s shaman and further honed his skills when he stayed among elves. While technically proficient a lot of Rokkit’s spells lack the same level of refinement a proper mage would have. Thus Rokkit mostly learned spells with good utility, plus a few combat spells. Nearly all of his magic is used through Rokkit’s gear and gadgets though he can use conventional arcane foci as well.
  
  
  Notable Spells

  Cantrips
  Guidance. A very basic spell simply meant to sharpen one’s mind to help them focus on their tasks. Makes you very focused, so it’s not great in a fight where you need to be aware of your surroundings, but good when working or doing monotonous tasks so you don’t do something careless.
  Mage Hand. Rokkit can produce a short-range telekinetic force for a minute. He can use it like he could his own hand to manipulate and interact with things within 30 feet, however it’s too weak to use meaningfully in combat aside from maybe poking or stealing something, nor can it operate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds.
  Mending. Or as Rokkit calls it, glue. More specifically this spell enables Rokkit to put two objects together. While usually meant to attach parts that are broken off, cracked, or chipped, Rokkit can use this spell to meld objects together, though larger objects take longer to affect, and it doesn’t work on living beings, so it’s useless as a healing spell.
  Prestidigitation. The tool for both novice and archmages alike. This spell can do a bunch of minor magical tricks and tasks, such as:
  

  • Creating a harmless sensory effect (Shower of sparks, faint musical noises, fart)
  • Light or snuff out a candle, torch, or a small campfire
  • Clean or soil something within a 1 cubic foot
  • Chill, warm, or flavor nonliving material for 1 hour
  • Color or mark an object or surface for 1 hour
  • Create a nonmagical object small enough to fit in Rokkit’s hand for a few seconds

  
  
  Spells.
  Comprehend Language. Rokkit can cast this spell on himself to enable him to learn the literal meaning of any spoken language he hears. He also can understand any written language he sees. However this spell doesn’t enable him to speak or write any language he doesn’t already himself know, nor does it decipher codes, cyphers, or translate slang.
  Cure Wounds. People glue. A bread-and-butter healing spell meant to help patch up the wounded and accelerate healing, though it’s useless when dealing with things like poison, diseases, or more critical wounds like dismemberment. Can help the healing process for broken bones, but won’t instantly mend them.
  Feather Fall. An emergency spell that enables Rokkit and up to five other creatures to fall slowly, allowing them to land on their feet and avoid harm that would have occurred if they had fallen. The spell lasts for one minute.
  Identify. This spell imbues Rokkit with arcane knowledge, enabling him to look at an object to learn its properties and how to use them, the requirements to use it, and how many charges it has, if any. It’ll also help him identify if there’s any spells affecting it and what those spells are. If the item is created by magic, he’ll also be aware of it. Rokkit can instead touch a living creature and learn if there’s any specific magics being used on them.
  Longstrider. This spell enables Rokkit to jump further and run farther than he normally can. Alternatively can instead use this spell on someone else for the same benefits. This spell lasts an hour.
  Magic Missile. Rokkit creates up to three magic bullets that will always hit whoever or whatever he’s aiming for within 120 feet, and the bullets themselves are made of magic. However individually these bullets are very weak, weaker than even a small caliber pistol.
  Shield. As long as Rokkit sees it coming, he can create a magic barrier of force that lasts for a few seconds that can help deflect attacks.
• Influsions. Where Rokkit’s true magical talents lie. Combining his natural talent with crafting with arcane knowledge Rokkit is effectively able to enchant objects, often making them more efficient but also capable of granting them unique magic effects. It’s a skill Rokkit is still honing but he knows how to do a few basic ones. In particular he knows the following:
  
  Infusions

  • Enhanced Defenses. A basic infusion to make armor and clothing tougher. This infusion works as the basis of Rokkit’s Arcane Armor.
  • Extra-Dimensional Space. Or in simpler terms, he can make a bag of holding. There are limited applications but it’s main one, being able to put more stuff into an object that it can physically hold, is what this infusion does best.
  • Repeating Shot. A basic infusion that works best with guns. Not only does it make the guns perform better, it magically makes its own ammunition inside of the gun if you don’t load your own bullets into it. However while these bullets are magical, they’re otherwise normal bullets for the gun and can’t otherwise be changed or tinkered with. Rokkit is working on changing this.
  • Homunculus. Rokkit can infuse small objects with artificial life and sentience, creating a tiny servant who is telepathically connected to him. While mostly meant to help Rokkit with his work, it also has some combat abilities, though it’s not the most sturdy fighter so Rokkit has to be careful how it helps. Additionally Rokkit needs an expensive gemstone in order to make the Homunculus core, colloquially known as a Soul Gem.

𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪:

• Explorer’s Pack. A heavy duty pack meant to hold Rokkit’s stuff. Contains and carries things like his bedroll, eating and cooking utensils, firestarter kit, rations, water, rope, and other important supplies for the road.
• Tools. Rokkit’s assortment of tools for gunsmithing, blacksmithing, locksmithing, and tinkering. However, without a portable anvil or forge, Rokkit’s tools are only good for maintenance or making small things.
• Survival Axe. Whereas most people rely on a knife, the orcs of Rokkit’s clan have a specialized survival axe meant not only for hunting and fighting, but surviving the wild. Can also be used as a shovel, pick, or hammer.
• Flakopak Coach Gun. A double-barrel shotgun designed and used by orcs. It’s robust design enables it to not only withstand harsh conditions but also harsh treatment, and is commonly called “a club that shoots bullets”. Rokkit’s gun is a bit more refined with a narrow choke to reduce spread and without a stock for less weight.
• Shotgun Shells. A variety of large gauge shotgun shells. The most basic is Rokkit’s 4/0 buck, which shoots large pellets for more punch instead of a spread of smaller pellets. He also carries solid slugs which enables his shotgun to work as a mid-range rifle, Coin Shot that fires silver coins in the event a normal bullet for some reason won’t work, and Dragon’s Breath which instead of shooting bullets blasts a short-range gout of fire, good for burning creatures up close or hitting a large swarm.
• Arcane Armor. What helps Rokkit survive out here, and what most of his skill is focused on improving. Rokkit’s armor looks deceptively crude and mundane, but it hides both magical enchantments and technological marvels that make it far more advanced than it’s barbaric appearance would imply. One of the base functions is that it is his spell focus to channel his magics. In addition to those abilities, Rokkit is specifically using what he calls the Rogtar model, which is designed for front-line fighting. Specifically it’s gauntlets are magically enchanted to inflict sonic damage that distracts and distress those struck by them, making it harder for Rokkit’s opponents to hit others. On the technology side, it’s mechanics and engineering helps Rokkit carry heavy loads and thus distributing weight more evenly.
• Gun Shield. A special piece of armor often seen on orc gunslingers. Thanks to orcs greater-than-average strength many are able to carry these metal shields while using a gun, and using the shield themselves as mounts for rifles or handguns. Rokkit’s Gun Shield is on the smaller side meant to be more useful on the move than standing ground, but still provides him protection from small-arms fire while he can return fire with his shotgun.
• Bag of Holding. Rokkit has enchanted his jockstrap to serve as his bag of holding and his pants are designed for him to have easy access to them to take out and put away anything he stores in there, usually coins. It also serves as a means to protect his valuables from pickpockets, as people wouldn’t expect him to keep his money so close to his jewels and those who are aware would need to be able to get into his pants first.
• Journal. A leather bound book that Rokkit uses to hold any thoughts or words he couldn’t be bothered to remember. Nearly everything here is written in orcish using graphite. The inscriptions on the cover makes it look like a spellbook, but it’s entirely mundane.

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ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪:

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: Rokkit comes from the Redsun Clan, a group of orcs known for their gunsmithy. But even further than that, all the way back to the 100 Year War, the Redsun clan has always been known as the go-to clan for weapons and armor. No war could be fought without weapons and the Redsun profited off of war. If you weren’t buying their weapons, you were hiring their warriors to protect your people. Or paying them off so they didn’t just attack you anyways. The Redsun made their fortune off of war and were one of the bigger orc clans to rise from the 100 Year War, so much that when peace was starting to settle the Redsuns were one of the major clans who wanted to continue fighting, if only for profits sake.

Alas, all things must come to an end, and after much tension and negotiations even the Redsun clan had to settle down. But their wars were never truly over. Though the orcs no longer had too much of a reason to fight, they still sought out conflicts, and many of the longer lived races still had scores to settle and the Redsuns were more than happy to settle them for the right price. And so the clan continue to grow, trading their axes for guns and changing their enemies to friends and back again. Indeed, war and violence was what fueled the Redsuns, and why they still exist. Without it they would’ve been forgotten a long time ago.

Rokkit was one of the many orcs born into the clan. His father was one of its many warriors, and his mother a warbride. Which was just a nice way of saying that his father raided another orc clan for women, and took his mother back to bear his children. Such was the way of life for an orc. Rokkit was the youngest son of the litter, fortunately not the runtiest, and so his early life was decent. He and his brothers would often compete for their father’s attention but once they were eight years old, they were big enough to start fighting for themselves. As orcs grew bigger and faster than other short-lived creatures, Rokkit was already training to fight in battles by the time he was ten years of age.

Of course while there weren’t many wars to fight, there were plenty of conflicts that needed orcs to battle. Usually between clans: Redsuns always had enemies with other clans due to their methodology, in particular the ever conservative Blacklaw clan, the premier mercenary clan. Rokkit lost a few of his brothers in the fighting, but in the process also found kinship with other orcs who he fought alongside with, creating bonds through battle and earning himself Blood Brothers. While Rokkit was no weakling in a fight he found his truly calling when, after plundering a battlefield for loot, Rokkit was inspired to craft his own weapons and armor from the loot instead of the usual method of selling them off to the quartermaster and buying equipment.

Rokkit was only twelve when he started showing his skills as a smithy, which got the attention of the clan’s forgemaster. Always looking for new apprentices to shove his work off to, Rokkit was taken as an apprentice to quickly learn the orc methods of forging weapons. His attention to detail enabled Rokkit to truly shine above his kin, and within three years Rokkit graduated from merely metal smithing to gunsmithing, a new business that the Redsun clan was investing in order to finally eliminate the traditional Blacklaw clan.

For a while, Rokkit thought he had it made. He was considered the best apprentice and was starting to learn how to make guns, which was the hot new business the Redsun clan was putting all their attention towards. Rokkit of course had his own ambitions that were being supported by his master and other vetrean smiths. He thought nothing could go wrong. Which, of course, is when things did go wrong.

Peace between the Redsuns and Blacklaw tribe was achieved when both clans had their leadership violently usurped, and the usurpers married one another for unity, merging the two clans together. Those who refused were eliminated by force. Among those were some of Rokkit’s teachers, who were replaced by Blacklaw forgemasters who didn’t care at all for Rokkit’s talents. He tried to appeal to them, show them what he was capable of, but they practically enslaved Rokkit instead. His friends who did not die in the merger instead embraced the change, rapidly rising up in ranks via their politicking. All the while Rokkit was forced to slave away in the forges, some of his best work taken away from him by those who consider him little more than a thrall barely worthy of his own two hands.

This bitter betrayal made Rokkit hate his clan, the people who he thought had his back. His new masters were terribly sure, but his old friends and family knew what was happening to him and did nothing to save him. So Rokkit stewed, in his own anger, biding his time. He began to work on his arcane armor using magic that he had learned from the new clan shaman, knowing that his work were being eyed upon by greedy masters. When it seemed like Rokkit’s armor was near in completion they took it from him as their own. They changed it to suit their needs but little did they know Rokkit had created enchantments that would leave those same masters helpless as Rokkit took his revenge, took back what was his, and fled the clan.

Now a pirah and likely wanted for his crimes, Rokkit left the Redsun and tried to find a place among others. However he has only ever known Orc society, a place where violence was the norm. He had a hard time adapting to other civilizations and more often than not, fled to escape crimes he didn’t know he committed. He tried to find those with a similar skill set as his hoping to bond over their profession, however it was then that Rokkit realized that for all of his talent in the clan for metalworking and gunsmithing, the orcs were considered primitive to the Great Four. No one took his crafts seriously and it only made Rokkit resent these people even more.

Wandering long and far, Rokkit found himself in elven lands. He's never met an elf before, but his clan had many tales of their meetings in the past. It usually wasn't pleasant. Orcs never got along with elves due to the orcs destructive natures going against the typical harmony of elves, and their clashes were violent and brutal. Rokkit wasn't sure what he expected to do here and frankly he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up getting shot down simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what happened surprised him more. After spending a few days without food or clean water, at his wit's end, Rokkit collapsed out of exhaustion. An ignoble death... But he was soon awakened. He found himself in a wizard's cottage, his clothes cleaned and repaired, and his belly oddly full.

It was here that Rokkit was saved by an elven mage who had found him collapsed on the road and nursed him back to health. Naturally, Rokkit was suspicious of the mage and intended to leave without even saying thanks. But almost as if the elf had read his mind (and considering the elf's power they could have), they spoke to Rokkit about an apprenticeship. With just a few words and a show of magic the elf was able to take advantage of Rokkit's vulnerable emotional state to convince the orc to be the mage's apprentice. Rokkit learned magic from the elf, refining what he had learned from the clan shaman into more practical applications. And for a short while, life was good. It took time for Rokkit to adapt but eventually he was able to be comfortable about the elf, even if he still maintained a healthy distance from them. In turn Rokkit helped the elf with their own experiments, either as a test subject or just bouncing ideas off. The elf seemed to truly appreciate Rokkit's insight as the elf doesn't seem to keep much company for one reason or another.

But Rokkit would soon learn why. After many years of apprenticeship, where Rokkit also made sure to keep his skills as a smith sharp, his teacher had guests. A large group of elves, fancy wizard types, who came and spoke to his teacher. Rokkit stayed out of the way but was at the beck and call, serving drinks, helping with luggage, and generally being hospitable. Indeed if Rokkit was a dumber orc he could've just lived a life of comfort as the elf's apprentice. But Rokkit had learned elvish in his magical studies, learned it's prose, learned it's history. As Rokkit was dutifully serving his teacher he heard how they spoke about him. Rokkit had thought and hoped they were saying good things. But no. They were speaking quite blatantly how Rokkit had been "civilized", how he and his kind could be made to serve. How education and discipline would allow them to rule the orcs with none the wiser.

Hearing this broke something in Rokkit. He couldn't even muster up the energy to be furious. Once more, Rokkit had put his trust into others to help him, to care for him, only to learn how they never cared at all. After the wizards left Rokkit gathered his things and simply left his teacher's isolated home. He wandered through the night well into day, lost in his own thoughts. He was practically glad when he got attacked by some wild animals to take his mind off the feeling of betrayal from his teacher. And the fact that despite their vast magical powers, they never bothered to seek out or contact Rokkit, simply confirmed his thoughts that they cared nothing for him. It wasn't as if Rokkit would've been hard to track down. He knew his teacher had the means to communicate with others at a long distance. So the orc continued to stew in these negative feelings, almost resenting the magic he had learned, as he continued to try and find a place where he belonged.

Rokkit was left to wander the world trying to find his place in it. He was a bandit for a little while, a regular blacksmith sometimes, and even tried his hand at being a traveling merchant, but all of these jobs left him unfulfilled. Not to mention occasionally there was a bounty hunter who found out about some of his past crimes, and while those kept Rokkit on his toes he still felt lost and uncertain about his life. Eventually he found himself at the bottom of the barrel: Forsaken. A town that Rokkit already knew was where everyone who couldn’t get along with their own washed up. One would think a town so diverse somehow lived in harmony, but Rokkit knew better. The only reason it was able to stay in one piece was simply because there wasn’t a single side large enough to push everyone else out. Everyone was looking out for themselves in the town of Forsaken. Just like Rokkit was.

Rokkit opened up a chop shop there where he identified magic objects, repairs them, or breaks them down depending on what his client needed. It was honest work that got Rokkit enough money to survive but nothing that particularly made him rich. He still had his dreams, his ambitions, but he was starting to waver. Town life had been so monotonous that Rokkit was at his wits end, almost desperate enough to try something crazy. Fortunately something crazy found him first. He received a mysterious letter from Abraham Garrick, a rich man in town. Rokkit has never met him but he knew Garrick was one of the richer folks. A job that paid well. Rokkit was going to need to talk about the details of their deal but he wasn’t going to pass this opportunity up.

---

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𝔼𝕩𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕤

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣 ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖: ”There's no such thing as a fair game, only winners and losers.”
𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔼𝕝𝕤𝕖:
Rokkit has a pet cat named Potato, named such because he’s fat and brown like a potato. He sticks with Rokkit for company. Rokkit also has a pet spider he calls Flyswatter, because the spider’s main purpose is to kill insects wherever Rokkit happens to be at the time. Both of them tend to do their own thing but Rokkit will often find them whenever he’s out and about so he takes care of them whenever needed.

Unbeknownst to him, Rokkit actually has a few children from women he has met in the past and only a few of them fully orcish. While aware that half-orcs are a thing, he never cared to think about possibly having any on the assumption no woman actually wants half-orc children. The oldest who is full orcish would be five right now.

Rokkit has a conversational grasp of Elven though he tends to keep this to himself to listen in on elves when they speak, operating on the assumption they wouldn’t know what they’re saying due to their flowery prose. To further add onto the deception, Rokkit will often speak only in orcish in order to make people assume he cannot even speak common, which he’s actually much more proficient in than orcish (which isn’t a language known for its rich etymology).

Is a wanted outlaw in dwarven lands for thievery and banditry under the name "Hatchetman", as Rokkit committed most of these robberies while brandishing his axe. Last Rokkit checked his bounty was 220 gold.

Forsaken (fantasy western D&D setting)

Noted. I'll be working on a CS then. Shouldn't take me too long. Hopefully.

Forsaken (fantasy western D&D setting)

I'll throw my lot into this. Give me some time and I'll even have a character up.

Question though: How hard are we going to go on mechanics like magic and such? I imagine it won't be 1-to-1 D&D, but I'm sure it'll get a bit exhausting having to deal with someone who has an infinite amount of fireballs, or who shuts down an epic battle against a boss because they're spamming Hold Person. Additionally, what would be the rough "level" of our characters as far as what we're able to do and/or experience?

Another question: What's the tech level we're operating at? Because when I hear western I think stuff like guns and trains, which opens up to a lot more technology than most fantasies are willing to explore. Tangibly related is there any limitation/importance to what sort of equipment we bring? I have it in mind to create an orc artificer who's basically on this job to get money to upgrade his armor, but I'll be a might disappointed if my armor fails to stand up against wooden arrows because of plot.

Frozen Darkness

Werner shook his head grimly when asked if he knew anything about his daughter's whereabouts. "I've tried to look for her when I'm out but... Like I said they've done a good job covering their tracks. Only way I'd find them is if I give up everything I have here to do that and..." The old man simple sighs and shrugs his shoulders. He was still holding out on the hopes that his daughter may just end up coming back on her own, as unlikely as it was. "And beg pardon ma'am, but the chances of finding a place good enough to compete with Underhaven as a settlement seems unlikely. It's not like no one's tried to find a place to settle before they got here. But between the Cold Waves and the mutants still roaming these halls, it ain't exactly easy for settlers to find a place to call home. There's just a lot of logistics and such that goes into it that we simply can't get outside of Underhaven. But who knows... Maybe you'll find something out." Werner seems to think about what you said before standing up and walking away, mumbling to himself.

The camp was fairly quiet right now. People were throwing some new fuel to the fire and seemed to be getting ready to make a meal. Water and rations were being brought out. There was a new shift in guard too, though it just consisted of two from the wall being exchanged with two people from within Underhaven. Their equipment looked more or less the same. The only difference was that these guards looked visibly older: as in elderly men. This world was too dangerous to enable the old to rest, but even so it could be a cause for concern if your protectors are old enough to remember the old world. Or perhaps these were the type of people who could survive these harsh conditions despite their greater age. Fear old men in professions who die young, and all of that.

---

Donny tried not to think too much about what Ellie had said about herself and what she does here. On one hand, he gets it. You gotta do what you gotta do to survive, and there's some real freaks in this world. Even Donny has had... Strange urges from time to time. But he's managed to keep himself in check, if only because it was more practical for him to focus on his job than his base desires. Too many young men back at his colony practically devolve into beasts when they lack the sort of focus Donny can muster. When she left Donny looked at the mutant dog. He hasn't seen an animal that wasn't mutated and trying to kill him. Even some of the dogs back at his colony were so feral they're chained up anytime they're not suppose to tear someone apart. Made Donny wonder why anyone bothered to keep them given how uncontrollable they were.

Soon Ellie came back with a small barrel. She wanted two knives for it, one for the person who she got it from and one for herself. Donny scoffed, but produced two of his rebar knives. It wasn't really that bad of a deal, but he notes that next time he ought to just go look himself if he wanted the best price to himself. "Aight, fine you little brat. Just don't cut yourself on them. They're sharp, but I never made a sheath for them." Donny handed Ellie the two knives, handle first. Despite being made entirely of metal they were quite light, easy enough for even a child like her to handle. They lacked a proper hilt but the grove right underneath the blade was dull, to prevent accidents while cutting, and the threaded shape of the rebar that made up the handle gave it some extra grip. "Now then, I got work to do. Now that I got some heat and time, I can work my magic." Donny carefully stood up to gather up his equipment and prepare the area he had to turn it into a makeshift forge. He'll need to be careful as the small keg wouldn't burn nearly as hot as he'd like, but he could use what heat it does produce to make some of the scrap metal he has malleable, which would give him the precious opportunity to shape them into parts he needs to make the rifle operational.

"Hope the others won't mind the noise, because it's about to get busy here."

Monster Hunter World: Starfall

The smell of herbs and moisture was strong this morning. This was one of the few times Domic was lucky enough to be alone at the communal baths while his tub was smaller than most, and lacked a heater, the quiet was something he could only find in his dreams. It was hard for him to connect with his fellow hunters. They seemed so… Jolly. So eager. Most were aces as well. It made Domic feel lesser. Weaker. He couldn’t drag them down to his level.

As he dunked his head into the ice cold water Domic felt his body engulfed once more, and his skin felt like it was burning despite bathing. When he got out his stomach growled and as usual, Domic began chewing on his tongue. The metallic taste teased his hunger. ”Lets eat.” after drying off Domic donned his clothes, followed by his armor, and head to the cantina.

It was loud and bustling. Hunters, handlers, researchers, and Palicos were out and about doing their business. Domic did his best to stay out of the way as he made his way to his table. But as he did, he saw that there were no seats. From all the noise and hubbub, it seemed like everyone was at the gathering hall. All good and seats were there due to the comet. ”Right. Forgot about that.” Domic never much liked the gathering hall. Too far from his gardens. Too many people. But he’ll deal with it. He had to.

Sure enough there were large crowds at the Gathering Hall. So many people coursing, singing, and feasting. Domic ordered some food and went to find a table, though he had to eat with a group of strangers. He minded his business as he ate his meal; a big hunk of roasted wyvern tail, with buttered bread, served with a side of rice with Mosswine brain curry, and a large mug of wyverian brandy. Domic ate heartily as he passively listened to others chat and talk. Apparently there was some big mission going to happen soon. Domic was considering it.

Money’s been a bit tight since Domic commissioned his Super Scattergun. He’s been able to pay his living expanses easy enough via gathering and his garden, but he wouldn’t be able to pay for any equipment upgrades unless he can find a real good bounty. This could be his lucky break. Of course, he might end up having to work with others but… He’ll just have to deal with it. He had to.

At the notice board Domic simply wrote his name in the biggest, newest request. Hearing that something fell from the meteor does sound interesting, though Domic doubts it’s anything too big. Otherwise the older hunters would’ve already been sent out. Domic knew how this usually goes down: eager boobies go out thinking they’ve found a big haul, and fueled by youth they lay down the ground works for a new settlement or research base, but it’ll be years before it yields any results. In the mean time the youth will just clear out the local threats and await further orders. That’s how it usually goes.

”And if it doesn’t… That’s when things get messy.”

After signing up for the job Domic turned to head back to his room. He’ll need to stick up on supplies. Potions, rations, bombs, ammo. They’re heading north so that could also mean cold weather. Fortunately his armor was quite adapt at dealing with the cold, but some hot drinks would be helpful nonetheless. There was also the possibility that once he’s up there, he won’t be coming back to Astera for a while. He’ll need to make arrangements for someone to tend to hos garden and ferry supplies to wherever he’ll be going. A bunch of logistical stuff.

”Work’s never done.”

Monster Hunter World: Starfall

Been a busy week for me! Will try to make a post within a day!

Blades of the Blood Coast

Finally finished editing my profile, commentary and all.

I see that everyone only has sparkling reviews for each other. Really, this group will come together through mutual love, admiration, and honest trust. I can feel it.

That or the fact that we're all pretty good at murdering things and not letting each other get murdered by said things. One of the two.

@DrRtron

Give it time. Either we find mutual respect for each other through the blood of the covenant, or we literally sell each other out as soon as the opportunity presents itself. It could go either way!

Blades of the Blood Coast

Oh okay I see it now. About two weeks ago. Tis what happens when you take a while to post, I only did my spear roll.

Also I’ll be taking the 3 points. I’m putting 1 point into Spear, Agility, and Stealth.

Blades of the Blood Coast

Wait were we suppose to rol perception for something? I don’t recalled being asked to roll perception for anything.