A5G

Into the Land of Twilight

Engelbert was outside for the moment, helping the caravan hands settling the horses at the back. He always had a soft spot for the creatures, despite these ones being draft animals instead of the prized warhorses he once had. Patting one of them at the passing, the armored knight dragged and tilted over the old trough filled with stagnant water at the whinnying protest of the horses. He chuckled, muffled by the heavy rain, walking out with the now emptied trough in hand.

"Patience now, I'll be right back."

Off to the river he went, the raindrop drumming against his armor like a thousand arrows. A few rough scrub brushed off the worst of the moss, the bits of dirt sliding off his gauntlets like water off a duck's back. Rinse a few times and it's as good as new... well, mostly. Humming a marching tune, Engelbert refilled and carefully balanced the now sizeably weighty baggage on his shoulder. He ignored the gaping helpers as he marched back, carefully depositing the fresh water before the horses.

"I believe that is all. You can handle the rest, yes?"

He was answered with muted nods, satisfactory enough. Stomping back to the front, he let the rain wash over his greaves before finally stepping into the house. The entrance was tall enough, but he had to tilt sideways to accomodate for his bulk. Once inside, his gaze fell upon the room and the state of abandonment it was in. Not surprising, considering the similar state of the stable out back. Perhaps the others had figured something out.

"So! What did I missed?"

Into the Land of Twilight

He had initially thought that Vesemir's overly idealistic recruitment ad was a failure, but turns out most of the prospective hires are cutting it close. Within an hour of the stipulated departure time the prospective hires appeared one by one, turning the rather sad display of three escorts into a respectable squad well over thrice the number. Engelbert had to admit that he was almost worried for a moment.

He knew Tillius who had arrived earlier, currently napping. There's the other elf that goes by Roxas, who disappeared to the side after the introduction. Quite the introvert, that one. Next up was a man with a grinning mask seemingly welded to his face, followed by a foreigner that didn't even say anything but seems to be sticking around regardless. And then there's the two noble ladies that looked similar enough to be related, though they didn't act like it. And finally, a huge mass of muscle and metal that somehow moved in near-total silence.

It's certainly novel to have to look up to meet someone face to face.

Rezello gave a nod as the elf tapped his mask. "A pleasure to meet you both, Gray Flame. Engelbert. Always good to be working with veteran adventurers."

@Valkon

"Well met, mister Rezello! Likewise, looking forward to working with you." He offered a nod, though his attention was immediately taken up by the little performance between what must be the oldest and youngest of the group. Engelbert nodded appreciatively at the swordplay, the transition flowing smoothly from one move to another. Very much a textbook duelist, but admirable for one so young. It ends with the rapier stopping a hair's breadth away from the elf, eliciting a rumbling laughter from the knight.

"A fine display, Lady Evelyn!" He clapped rather enthusiastically, gaze falling upon the rightfully exasperated elf. Another bout of laughter echoed through the clearing, the heavy baritone less human and more like an imminent landslide, a gauntlet-clad hand firmly patting the Gray Flame in the back. "She certainly showed you who's the boss, old friend."

Behind that white mask came a soft groan. "I think one boss is enough already." he said, indicating at Vesemir who were now talking with his quartermaster Stepen and someone else. Another stray adventurer joining in? No... certainly not, it was a Varenheim official who arrived with him at some point of the time. The conversation seemed quite argumentative, but resolved rather quickly afterwards.

Not even bothered to bid the leaving official a farewell, the midle-aged Vesemir strode toward them. The archeologist's lips twitched, his gloved hand ballled. He didn't look very happy, but was quick to regain his composure.

"Is there something wrong?" Gray Flame asked. The archeologist waved his hand in the general direction of the departing official, clearly disgruntled about the short chat.

"Just those pesky officials whining about our little campsite having more people than what it allowed to. Hurting local lodging business and blah-blah. They demanded us to leave for causing public inconvinence. Can't you believe it? Home doesn't feel like home anymore."

"Policing public gathering now? I'll never understand elven laws. But home is not just a place, aye? It is the memory, the state of mind you associate with the physical location." Engelbert quipped with a shrug, craning his neck to glance at the sun's position. "Regardless, I believe we are scheduled to depart soon enough so we'll be out of his hair soon enough... unless we're still waiting for someone, Ser Vesemir?"

"Come to think of it, you are right." he turned, placing his hands behind his back and breathed the fresh air audibly. "Perhaps the true home lies beyond the dense forest and old ruins. Very well, there is no point for us to dally any longer."

With a renewed spring in his steps, the eccentric elf strode to the middle of the camp and loudly clapped until the din of conversation faded and all attention focused on him. His eyes swiveled around, letting the silence build up for a few seconds before breaking into the speech.

"Everyone, may I have your undivided attention for a moment?! First I want to say thank you for coming. It is an honor to see this much enthusiasm, and I say we are off to a good start already. This expedition will be dangerous true, and some say we are delving into a bleak road of no return. But dangers and comforts are less important than the truth that awaits to be uncovered. Let the fools remain stagnant, idly descend as history drags them. Lifeless, eroded, like pebbles become sand. We choose to be different. Forerunners we are, aglitter are our deeds. Whatever happen, soon the latecomers will seek our vestiges! That will be all, let us depart this place." The archaeologist's fiery spirits was in full view now, each words uttered with the conviction of someone that truly believed in it. Engelbert clapped from his corner as the camp truly came to life, the caravan hands dismantling the camp and loading it into the carts at a speed that belied years of experience.

Within a short moment, none remained in the clearings as the expedition party ponderously trundled through an increasingly overgrown road. Whether they'll emerge back from the expedition or forever lay in the depth of the wilderness, only time will tell.

But for now, Nuria awaits.

Into the Land of Twilight

The Definitely Not Suspicious Knight-Errant

Name: Sir Engelbert the Fearless (allegedly)

Species: Human (probably)

Age: 60 (at least)

Gender: Male (self-proclaimed)

Appearance: Clad in a set of metal armor that he never seems to remove, the knight-errant nevertheless evoke the image of a well-built man of above average height from the way he stomps around in all that steel without any issue.

Image

Bio: A wandering knight of relatively stellar repute, the few that personally interact with Engelbert find him a jolly pleasant companion to have around - odd quirks notwithstanding, like never parting with his armor. Whether the habit is an eccentric quirk, an unavoidable circumstances, or something more sinister, it is hard to tell. Engelbert himself isn't shedding any light in that matter. While his presence is sporadic and no one quite knows where did he come from or where did he go, he often finds himself embroiled in adventures worthy of at least a few months of increasingly embellished retelling in the local community.

Finding himself within the border of Varenheim, it doesn't take long for Engelbert to find the best source of adventure. An exploratory trip to the ancient elven capital from the previous age! There is no way he could say no to that now, could he?

...or at least, that's what he told the archaeologist Vesemir, which sees no issue with the statement. He do have some reputation, after all.

Passives:
Juggernaut: A physically stellar speciment, Engelbert's strength is quite a bit higher than what is estimated of his size and built while having seemingly boundless stamina to works with. Certainly beyond a regular human's limit.

Mental Fortress: Effects that misdirect the mind have trouble getting hold onto Engelbert, whether it is mundane or magical.

Spells:
Sixth Sense: Turns Engelbert hyper-aware of his immediate surrounding, making it near impossible to sneak up on him. This senses seems to be more atttuned toward living creatures and things that contain mana, and consequently can be blinded in a mana-dense environment (or inside the belly of a giant beast, dont ask how he knows).

Titanic Bulwark: Massive set of alloyed armor that, by itself, is quite a significant barrier against harm. That is before the creator starts layering enchantment after enchantment on it, to deteriorate external spells that brushes against the surface while also boosting the natural durability to an entirely new level while keeping itself in pristine state at all times. The side effect of obsfucating against most investigative spell is definitely a happy little coincidence.

Scharfrichter: A masterpiece of a greatsword with a decently flexible yet extremely durable blade, possessing unnaturally high density that made it effective tool for both slashing and bludgeoning. A simple enchantment keeps the blade keen and the rust and dirt away. The namesake comes from the executioner swords, who share some similar characteristic to this one.

[Redated]: I wonder what could this be?

Mundane Skills: Sword mastery, weapon expert, hand to hand combat, household chores, horsemanship.

Equipment: Daily necessities (preserved rations, tin pot, medical supply, knapping, change of clothes, tent etc.), a belt of potions, full set of armor, a snazzy coat, zweihander, a dagger.

Into the Land of Twilight --- A story-focused fantasy adventure RP

@Mas Bagus Here is my character, i hope i included enough and it all makes sense. If any of it needs to change, i'd be happy to fix it.

CS

Name: Kokia
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 22

appearance: Deep red hair and large black eyes, many consider her face rather pretty. Wears a long leather coat and tall boots. Prefers to wear a black hat with a long blue scarf.

Hider

the art is mine

Abilities:

-Passive. An amulet that completely changes her appearance into another person. She's reluctant to use to as she believes it may be haunted and it creeps her out.
-Passive? A pair of earrings that grant her perfect night vision. Using their ability for too long makes her tired. Usually takes an hour or so for any exhaustion to be noticeable.
-Active. A pair of bracelets that wrap her hands in flames. The flames do not harm the user but it does drain her energy rather quickly.
-Active. A ring that can teleport her up to 50 feet in any direction. Can quickly exhaust her if used too many times in a row.

Mundane abilities:

-Has a large amount of knowledge on artifacts
-Relatively decent thief even without her artifacts
-Wit, A quick and clever thinker.

Bio:
As a young child with no formal schooling, Kokia spent a large amount of time in the library with a particular interest in artifacts. She spent many hours of each day gathering the knowledge she grew to crave. One day a travelling trading came into their small town with an item of interest to her. With the help of a few friends, she committed her first theft and things only escalated from there. She hunts down and collects any and all artifacts she can get her hands on. Some she tracked down and uncovered on her own, many she has stolen, but all for the sake of knowledge by the end of the day, kinda. Now she is interested in Twilight and all the mystical treasures that may be hidden within, eager to add to her collection, but also perhaps to find materials for 'the ultimate weapon' she's been attempting to create. Though, the project is still in its very early stages.

Equipment:
-Her artifacts, the amulet, earrings, bracelets and ring.
-A satchel containing a journal and survival goods such as rations and water.
-A dagger she doesn't know how to properly use for combat
-Long leather coat with empty pockets.

@SunMoth

GM's still asleep I believe, but it looks fine on my end. Just a side note: she can have 4 actives, so there's the option to make two more artifacts if you want to.

Oh, do join the discord server please.

Into the Land of Twilight --- A story-focused fantasy adventure RP

<Snipped quote by Mas Bagus>

The latter, it's a fancy term to describe "magical blacksmith". Two popular franchises that feature them regularly are Dungeons & Dragons and Final Fantasy, perhaps under different terms but the core principle remains the same

For your convenience, here's a link to the D&D version: Link.

@Izurich

Hello there! The IC world doesn't quite have any solid rules on artifacts and whatnot, but I'm sure we can build something up from what's already there. You can join the discord channel to discuss it in depth, and/or make the CS draft and we can go from there. Glad to have you on board.

Into the Land of Twilight --- A story-focused fantasy adventure RP

Greetings fellas, I'm the sub-manager of this nifty little project. Pleased to meet you all. Looking forward to the trip, I'm sure it will be fun.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

A couple welll-placed blows put the two escapee on the ground and knocked some senses back into their noggin. See? Percussive maintenance worked! Yvonne flashed a toothy, feral grin promising further pain as she took half a step back, the promise of further pain hanging like storm cloud over the two. The message was clear enough - comply or get fucked. And to that end, she'll loom over them as much as necessary.

Didn't even need to start breaking something. These two sure learned fast, eh?

"They're all yours." Said the mercenary, gaze falling onto the mansion where someone (or something) was breaking both furniture and people in equal measure judging from the noise. "We'll probably got to go in half blind regardless, but do try squeeze our guests for intel."

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"Let me guess, it all went to shit somehow." They're close by, and Sparky wasn't trying to be discreet. Whatever's going on the other end sounds chaotic, one didn't need to be a genius to reach the conclusion. Clicking her tongue, Yvonne stretched and prepared herself for what comes next.

It's as inevitable as the crack of dawn.

"Whatever they're running from, they fear it more than you." The mercenary remarked, walking past the elf toward the fleeing pair. "Words ain't gonna get through, yeah? Just beat them up."

She'd punch the first man in the guts, and if the other was still close enough trip the bastard as he went past. A bit of abuse should help them see some sense, nothing like pain for wake-up call.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Yvonne helped Sparky sit up, following some more instructions about the stuff... huh, sticky gauze. That's so convenient. Even without help, it's probably feasible for self-care with this kit. Well, feasible. Definitely would feel so messy.

They got rather close for her to wrap the bandage around, enough to feel each other's breath. Yvonne didn't think too much of it, instead idly noticing that the sky's somewhat brighter than when she had started, a very dark blue instead of pitch-black. An idle musing broken by a soft sensation at her cheek.

"Whuh??"

It's always the unexpected that gets you. The surprise lasted long enough for Sparky to steal the bandage from her hands, the mercenary blinking rather dumbly a few times before inching away to give the elf some room to work. That's just so bloody confusing, she thought that Sparky's not interested in her? Way to send a mixed signal.

Or maybe she's just overthinking. But then again, no one knows what an elf may think at any given time.

"Oh you. You really shouldn't be moving." That said, Yvonne did nothing beyond an exasperated sigh as she scooted back and started cleaning the tools. Well, as clean as it could get. There's only so much liquor in that flask, and it's probably mixed with blood at this point. She need to find the time to properly boil it later...

...come to think of it, what took the infiltration team so long?

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"Yeah, that's pretty standard." Repeated the mercenary, flippant as always. "Just lay there and let me take care of you."

Hmm, so even the elf didn't have everything. Food for thought. Yvonne wordlessly took out her own supply, by itself rather meager - a slightly warped tongs, scissor, and plier made out of bronze, a pair of curved needle with silken thread, and two rolls of linen bandage. All compact enough to easily fit in a belt pouch. It was laid beside Jazdia's own kit, minimalist yet complementary toward each other.

Dipping and thoroughly rinsing her hands in the whiskey, Yvonne listened and nodded at the explanation of the mysterious stuff. Come to think of it... she's pretty sure she had saw something similar in the alchemist's workshop. Bigger and gaudier, sure, but the shape matched. So that's what they're used for.

"Got it. Lay on your side and try to relax, yeah?"

Administering the anasthetic was definitely many levels up from drowning the patient in hard liquor and hoping for the best, so off to a good start. Next, clean up the site with the alcohol gauze. While waiting the numbness to kick in, dip the tongs, then plier, then scissor into the alcohol and run it over the fire to sterilize the thing. Now... a few pokes confirmed that her patient was as numb as it could get.

Clip a fresh gauze on the tongs and gently clean up inside the wound, draining the blood pooling up inside while she's at it. She could feel Jazdia tensing through the process, but then the elf stubbornly stayed still. Good girl. After a few repeat, the gauze eventually came out not entirely drenched in blood. Squinting, she took out her dagger to carefully reflect the firelight into the gaping wound to investigate the condition.

...yeah, Delving clipped the liver alright. Minor, thankfully, but even a minor one will take a while to heal. Honestly, could've been worse. Two inch closer to the center and the elf probably would've just died then and there.

"Yeah, your liver took a glancing hit there. Normally people needs half a year to heal from this." Yvonne commented with a rather chipper tone, returning her dagger to the sheath and dipping the hand into the tankard. Flick the excess alcohol away a few times, run the hand through the fire, and flick a few times to extinguish the blaze. Clean again now. "But you'll live. Let's close you up, then you can catch a nap."

Looking at the silver linings, the wound was so ridiculously smooth that even Yvonne would have little trouble fixing it up. The muscles first, deeply crimson layer that now flapped impotently after the severance. Edges, center, inbetween, inbetween, as many times as needed until it's neatly sewn back in place. Next was the abdominal wall, same method. Edges, center, inbetween, repeat. The flesh under the skin, same deal. Edges, center, inbetween, repeat. Finally, the skin itself. Edges, center, inbetween, repeat...

...and done.

Yvonne blinked, breaking out of the hyperfocused state as she behold her work. She can already hear the company surgeon nagging about wasted threads with how they're so closely spaced, but honestly who give a shit about the threads? The suture will hold and as long as she didn't run out midway, all's good.

"Phew! All done. Sparky, you still awake? Sit up a bit, gotta bandage you. Then we're finished for real."