Lucius Cypher

Conquest of Caldaria

Ta ta da, and a post from me. Next few posts might be a bit short since most of them are going to be a bit of back-to-back dialog stuff, so don't feel pressured to write a lot.

Conquest of Caldaria

The man barely manages to pull his blade out before you strike him down. He grunts, trying to grip his head but ends up just dropping to the ground in pain. Eventually he passes out, leaving you alone in the alleyway. For now. As you moved out from the alleyway two figures approached. One was a dark-haired man, he looked like a Kherjit. Strange, considering you were far from Kherjit lands. And with him was an orc. Only a little bit taller than you, but better armed and armor. He wore banded iron and had a large polearm on his back. Looked well kept. "Whoa there! Are you all right? Well.... I guess you're alive, at any rate. I'm not sure that we can say the same for the other fellow. That's one less thief to trouble the streets at night, although Heaven knows he won't be the last.... Anyway, maybe you can help me with something. Let's talk more inside. Out here, we don't know who's listening." The man motions you to a nearby inn. The orc stays silent, but he doesn't seem to be paying too much attention to you, but rather to the others around you. It was like he was on the look out for something.

Conquest of Caldaria

Your words seem to fall on deaf ears, an experience you know all too well. The man continued his charge, raising his blade above his head to strike. At the very least you could tell this man was no soldier: the raiders who took you had better form than this thug. No doubt he simply expected his size and ferocity to make up for any deficiencies in his technique. Were you a peasant this would've been enough to end you, but at the last moment before he brought down his blade you were able to dodge him and tried to cut his arm. Instinctively, he raised his hand to block, getting cut across the forearm. He had a thick layer of cloth as a makeshift form of armor, but even that didn't prevent him from getting cut by your blade. He grunted in pain, having to switch to his less dominant but uninjured arm and began to swing wildly at you in close-quarters. It was hard to tell if this man was trying to take you alive or not: he certainly wasn't trying to be careful.

Fortunately the man's wild swings, as scary as they are, were predictable since he treated his sword more like a club than a blade, making exaggerated movements to try to get the most force out of each swing, which would give you more than enough time to dodge him. It doesn't seem like he was trying too hard to defend himself despite your ability to fight back, presumably he expects you to go down easily. As you dodge his blows, he lunges and stabs his sword, missing you shoulder and his blade plunges into a wooden pillar. For a second, he is stuck, giving you a chance to act.

Blades of the Blood Coast

I'll try to post some point this weak. Been one hell of a month, Christmas season and all.

Conquest of Caldaria

No problem, been hell at work for me too. I come home, check my socials, and then just KO into bed. Really gotta work up the energy to post. Just keep me up to date.

Conquest of Caldaria

Name:
Threat:
Description:

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Generic Enemies

Name: Brigand
Threat: Low
Description: Your standard thug and outlaw. Poorly armed and armored, most are simply brutes armed with whatever weapon they can forage or steal, though some are former soldiers who have deserted the army. While capable of cowering the typical peasant, they're not much of a threat against a true warrior, though they have a tendency to mass in large bands to threaten most garrisons through sheer numbers alone. Most are armed with simple weapons like clubs, staves, and hatchets, though some could scourge a sword or spear.

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Name: Mercenary
Threat: Moderate
Description: Not all soldiers fight for an nation. Many simply fight for coin, and instead of becoming outlaws, they'll sell their swords to a lord. Mercenaries come from all walks of life but for the most part deviate towards whatever is most practical, and can often find themselves either fighting within an established army or working as guards for traveling caravans. Typically armed with strong shields, stout spears, and sharp swords, though richer mercenaries can afford better armor or even horses. These men and women are able to hold their own against most threats and many are willing to fight against anything for the right price.

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Name: Raider
Threat: Low-Moderate
Description: Professional sellswords aren't always hired to guard just caravans or be part of a proper army. Sometimes they're hired by brigands or even lords to raid their enemies, or menace the local rebellion population. Either way these warriors are a step above your typical rabble and are actually trained fighters, and are often armed with proper armor and better weapons. Still they're more used to being used against a weaker or less numerous foe, or as auxiliary to a proper army. Keep you wits about you and your sword-arm strong and you can stand up against these foes.

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Name: Marauder
Threat: Moderate-High
Description: For most bandits the goal is simply profit, and once a bandit has amassed the wealth he needs he may retire from his life of crime and try to make an honest living elsewhere. But Marauders commit to their job out of a love for violence and mayhem, and this passion has honed their skills to a dangerous edge. Most Marauders are former soldiers, often high ranking ones, who have forsaken their oaths and taken up the blade to fulfill their own desires, whether it be in the pursuit of more wealth or simply bloodshed. Often adorned with heavy armor from their foes or former life they come to battle with skill that you could only earn through experience, making them a dangerous enemy even to a professional soldier. Often these Marauders lead bandit clans as they are strongest among them, and united marauders are a threat even to standing armies.

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Name: Black Knights
Threat: High
Description: A mighty threat even outside of chivalric tales, Black Knights are some of the most fearsome foes regardless of who you fight for. Mysterious in both origins and abilities, many of these Knights operate alone but their discipline and skill make them an unstoppable force when they form an army. These men are rarely ever seen but their sighting is often an omen of calamity, and their arrival heralds great suffering for the lands they'll rampage through.

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Name: Devil Knights
Threat: High
Description: Twisted abominations of metal filled with rage and corrupted flesh. Devil Knights are the fate of the fallen whose bodies have been failed to be properly buried, the corpses fused with the weapons and armor they once wielded. Arisen due to the dark magics that plague the land these Devil Knights not only retain the skills they had when they lived, but now a monstrous strength far greater than what any man could match, making a lone Devil Knight a fearsome foe even against a company of harden soldiers. Such strength is often uncontrollable, though many nations have tried to harness the ferocity of these god-forsaken creatures before. And their failures roam the countryside, often lurking in dark and abandoned places, only to come out when they smell blood and fear.

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Name: Warlock
Threat: High
Description: The art of magic is a tightly controlled secret by all nations, and those who pursue magic outside of their watch are branded heretics. Most of these hedge mages are killed, either due to inquisitors or their own failed experiments, but some manage to claw their way from the bottom and become mages capable of drawing forth magic. These warlocks not only have the grit to survive the harsh wilderness they must live in, but their grasp of magic enables them to be a threat in ways a trained warrior cannot, be it summoning arcane elements, strengthening the body through eldritch means, or even the heretical art of necromancy to raise the dead and call forth spirits to do battle.

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Notable Characters

Armored Form

Name: Sanya Laspada
Threat: Medium
Description: A young woman who aspires to be a Merchant Lord. The daughter of prominent merchant family, she's made many clever investments and her willingness to travel with her caravan enabled her to earn quite a fortune at a young age, though she's still a small name in the grand scheme of things. Thanks to her wealth she's able to afford an education and training typically reserved for noblemen, and is quite capable despite being a woman. That being said she managed to make it this far because she's not a fool who feels the need to do every thing herself, instead relying and investing on people she can trust to make the most of her resources. While she wants to get a better foothold in the silk trade, a very lucrative market, most of her fortune was earned through the slave trade. She knows many ransom brokers for whom she can sell most prisoners off to, making a tidy sum off the lives of anyone who would stand in her way.

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Name: Grymleaf
Threat: High
Description: A mute dwarf who nonetheless serves as Sanya primary guardsman. Despite being a dwarf he is about as tall as a man, and still being very stout thanks to his dwarven blood, making him practically giant. Wielding an axe far too heavy for any mortal man to use effectively, his strength and quiet observant personality has made Sanya's caravan safe, and subsequently her business successful. Grymleaf often expresses himself through his music, either his flute or lute, and has brought as many people to tears through his songs as he's brought men down with his axe.

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Name: Bagai and Esur
Threat: Low
Description: A pair of Khergit brothers who have recently become a part of Sanya's caravan as both guards and repairmen. While capable in a fight, their true purpose is to procure plunder off the battlefield, refurbishing weapons and armor to sell whenever they stop by the cities, or to anyone who's willing to pay for their time and labor. Bagai is the elder brother and the better smith between the two, while Esur is the younger brother but a better fighter. Both are trained in traditional Khergit horsemanship and archery, but only Esur has trained with a sword. The two are often seen together though Bagai has a tendency to read books and stay near his workshop while Esur enjoys exploring new places or fighting at the arenas.

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Name: Yoh
Threat: Low
Description: A very mysterious man. No one but Sanya knows much about him, and even Sanya only knows enough to have earned his trust. What is known is that he seems to be very familiar with the ways of magic despite not being a mage himself, and his job is to care for the horses and guide the caravan on the road. He keeps to himself a lot, typically busy with his work taking care of the horses, yet at the same time he never seems to sleep. Often seen with a strange staff topped with a crystal. Despite how often it's stolen, it's always in his hands by the time he starts traveling.

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Name: Licia Laspada
Threat: Low
Description: The younger half-sister sister of Sanya, Licia travels with her elder sister in hopes of earning a name for herself as a warrior. Thanks to the time and money her sister afforded her, Licia is a skilled archer and swordsman, and knows how to ride horses well. However she lacks true experience: while she excels in competitions and tournaments she has never killed a man, and has never seen serious battle before despite her desire to prove herself. More often than not she uses her skills to hunt and provide game and forage for the caravan, and occasionally ward off the wayward thief.

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Name: Levin Forrosan
Threat: Medium
Description: A rather infamous bandit lord that plagues the Swadian forests and some parts of the Vaegir tundra. Unlike most bandits who steal to fulfill their own greed, Levin steals specifically to rob corrupt nobility and return stolen wealth to less fortunate folks. This has made him a hero to the common folk, and an enemy to the aristocracy. Levin also fights off other bandits who prey on people in his territory, though he's just as willing to accept them into his ranks if they're willing to turn their swords against more dangerous foes instead of the helpless. No one actually knows why he opposes the nobility, or what his definition of corrupt is, and the fact he seems so enigmatic is precisely why he's so dangerous: no one truly knows who he is, and for all that is known he could very well just be multiple people using his name to amass followers.

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Name: Saint Sephiria Darnys
Threat: High
Description: Leader of the Tower Order, a powerful faction of knights who oversee mages and magic, acting as the de-facto mage guild. In order to prevent the various nations from using magic to wreck havoc across the land and potentially bring about an apocalypse to try and destroy one another, the Tower Order was established to train mages and act as a mediator between the nations when it comes to how magic is used in their nations and in war. Sephiria was born under the previous leader, her father, and was blessed with a profound amount of magical talent which was discovered at a young age. So potent was her ability that before she was a woman her mage craft surpassed her father's in raw magic power, to the point that it threatened his own authority. He attempted to control her and even kill her, but her own magics saved her from her father's machinations, ultimately killing him and others who conspired against her. After spending much of her young adult life trying to settle the disputes within the Tower Order, she was able to take leadership and focus her efforts in combating the mages who sought to use magic to reign over others, just as her father tried to do to her.

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Name: Sheol Of Night
Threat: Extreme
Description: While every nation has their own boogeyman and fairy tales about witches who kidnap naughty children, none quite so represent the very real threat of these cautionary tales than Sheol Of Night. A monstrous moth woman who wields profane magic powers and an unnatural charm that can twist the minds of even the strongest of wills, many nations know better than to try and fight her directly. Even though it's said that she is the patron of all of the heretics, witches, and warlocks who seek magic power, she has never overtly opposed anyone, but she has utterly crushed those who have sought her out to defeat her. Only the Tower Order seems to have any chance against her, and even then they have yet to actually face her full wrath, they've simply been able to take on the various cults and tribes who pay homage to her. It is said that Sheol is the reason why the undead haunt the lands of Caldaria, and is the Queen of all the dead in the land.

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Name: Emperor Caldaria The Fourth
Threat: Extreme
Description: The last Emperor of the great nation of Caldaria, said to be one of the mightiest Emperors of his time. His strength protected the empire and lead to the unification of the land, having married the elf queen to broker lasting prosperity to his lands so long as he was faithful. Alas, such peace did not last forever. Though Caldaria prospered in his youth, during his twilight the Emperor saw the decline of his lands. A combination of plague, famine, and rebellion forced the Emperor to make a deal with forces he should've never had sought out. And it not known what exactly had happened, but it believed that he had consorted with Sheol Of Night to save his nation from suffering, but in doing so he has fractured his empire, weakening it enough for foreign invaders to invade his land and cause his once powerful nation to crumble. Worse still, his drive to protect his homelands from these invaders was twisted, turning him into a giant undead abomination that destroyed anyone, friend or foe, and subsequently raised the dead from all sides to join his rampage. Now known as the Undying Lord, it took the combined efforts of all the nations to destroy him and his armies, but the threat of his return lingers and feeds the feuds that perpetuate the wars that last to this day.

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Name: Hellknight
Threat: High
Description: A mysterious warrior who travels the land, yet at the same time seems to have been spotted in multiple locations, all of them very far from one another. A wanted criminal as he is often seen leading attacks on various villages, caravans, or even armies, and the men he leads are often strong warriors, sometimes even Devil Knights. No one really knows who he is or why he fights as anyone who has tried to face him has died, and most who flee never get anywhere close to him. He wields both his sword and magic with a master's ability, making him a dangerous foe alone.

Conquest of Caldaria

It has been many years since Amelia's capture at the hands of steppe raiders. An unfortunately common fate of many women, and hers was no different. Not too long after her initial capture she was sold off to many different men and women, many of them cruel and barbaric. Others who were captured alongside you were either taken by other buyers or perished on the journey, and it wasn't until you reached the frozen tundras of the Vaegirs you found an opportunity to escape.

Your previous master was an aspiring lord, a wandering knight who had taken you and many other women as part of his harem, after slaying the previous bandits who had brought you already. Far from noble, he expected you to serve him faithfully for his "rescue", and despite his arrogance he was indeed very skilled with a sword. Fortunately for you, one of the other slave women was willing to distract him, smuggling you and the others the key to escape while she spent the night with him. During that time you were able to carry off some equipment, mostly loot from previous battles. You escaped alone, the others having gone their separate ways to flee from the knight should he realize what had happened and gives chase. However for better or for worse, a blizzard had struck that night, hiding your trail but threatening your life.

After a sleepless night of running you manage to reach the village of Sumbuja, where you took refuge in a farm house. The place looked well enough but there wasn't much in the way of livestock or crops: it must've been winter now, and with it everyone was housed inside just trying to survive. At the very least, it wasn't snowy down here, so you were able to find a dirt road leading south, taking you to the city of Reyvadin. All sorts of folks were coming and going, farmers coming to market, merchants to trade with townsfolk, mercenaries looking to sell their blades, or soldiers awaiting their next orders. However by the time you arrive it was already nightfall, and you barely managed to get inside before the gates were closed. Honest folks were already heading indoors, and the city was big enough for you to get lost in without people to give direction.

Tired, hungry, and cold, you would wander the streets looking for an inn when you could hear the rasp of a blade being drawn. Behind you was a lone man, wearing a masked helm that hide his identity. He cursed under his breath: you had spotted him before he could've ambushed you. There was no guard in sight, and you could hear nary a whisper from the buildings around you. You seemed to be alone, and this man knew it as he came charging right at you, blade in hand, looking to take either your money or your life. He must've been following you because you could see that you had walked right into a dead-end alley as well: the only way to escape was pass him. Now you must act, less you suffer the fate you had already worked so hard to escape.

Conquest of Caldaria

Awesome. Post your character sheet in the CS tab, I'll have a post for us as soon as I'm off work.

The Vanishing Kingdom

Tyrael looks at Lyn. For a moment, there was a certain... Warmth within him. But he shut this thought away quickly. "Do not. You need to focus on the task at hand. Not base desires." Kneeling at the water's edge, Tyrael took off his gauntlets and washed them. Then he moved his hands underneath his helmet and turban, wiping his face with the cool water. It would be some time before he'll get another wash like this, so he would savor the feeling while he could. Once he was satisfied her looked over to Lyn. "Yes, we should try and make the most preparation we can. I have already upgraded my equipment as best as I can with what the village had, so I am good on that front. Let us go and get something to eat, and see if anyone else here knows anything about the artifact you're looking for. The chances are slim, but not zero." Standing back up, Tyrael offered a hand to Lyn before he would put his gauntlet back one. His hands were rough and calloused, like sandstone. After she stands Tyrael puts his gauntlets back on and turns around. "The tavern is over there. A good place to start as any."

Burning Bright (D&D 5e)

It's only if Yin herself does something, similar to how invisibility would work in a normal party comp. As long as she doesn't attack or cast spells she'll remain invisible.