Bartimaeus

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

@XxFellsingxX True, lol. Rather surprising.

Also if I do replies too fast or anything like that, feel free to lemme know, anybody.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

Arkisz Yennen

Arkisz observed the magical energies his spell allowed him to detect, stowing the information for now, as nothing seemed outstandingly worrisome - the spell would remain active until he chose to stop focusing on it. The fading abjuration magic he sensed did, however, pique his interest, as it had a hint of.. unfamiliarity to it. Even so, it did not seem to help the two who were now lying at their feet.

He waited for a moment in which there was no speaking before relaying the information in short. He then split his attention between keeping tabs on the sounds inside - being a tad distracted at the calmness within - and his teammates making a plan of entry. His eyes remained on the door, straying up to the window every few seconds to make sure nothing happened to surprise them.

His eyes didn't leave the door as he spoke. "Seeing as they seem.. unperturbed by our presence-" He began, nodding towards the unworried sounds that passed faintly through the closed port, "-I am not sure how effective goading them would be." Arkisz paused, listening again for any irregular commotion, before he continued in his typical calm tone. "However, the door and the window do not seem to be directly magically trapped. So an engagement on our part does not seem unwise."

It was after a short pause when he finished that a strange, metallic pack of sorts that rested upon the Vedalken's back began to shift. Long, spindly spires of metal shifted and extended downwards before other parts unfolded and came to meet them - several metal plates converging and latching together as they mirrored the movements of another such collection of pieces, both of which ultimately formed a sturdy, metallic limb of sorts. This happened several times over even as a larger clump of odd circuitry and metal bits that rested more closely to his middle-back shifted and formed whatever it was they were designed to. Conclusively these mechanisms served to transform the large, odd-looking metallic satchel that rested on Arkisz's back into a surprisingly sizable, complicated-looking metallic creature which crawled off of the Artificer and planted its limbs onto the ground next to him, its several small hand-like limbs twiddling underneath it as it observed its surroundings. This was his Steel Defender.

"I would prefer to take the door, if possible."

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Mechanical Info

Rolls: None.
Conditions: None.
Active Infusions: Enhanced Weapon(Arkisz's Longsword), Enhanced Defense(Arkisz's Armor)
Known Infusions: Enhanced Weapon, Enhanced Defense, Replicate Magic Item, Mind Sharpener.
Spells Prepared: Catapult, Faerie Fire, Grease, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic.
Spell Slots Remaining: Two 1st Level Slots.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

I kinda like how the window is within normal climbing ability but everyone is just like "Naw, magic." :P

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

Arkisz Yennen

It was quickly that a plan was decided upon, and even quicker that it was executed. Arkisz was content to listen through the musings of his comrades, finding Rala's approach rather agreeable - they did indeed have the upper hand, or at least it seemed so. Taking one alive wouldn't be the worst idea. Most people, even if bandits, could usually be reasoned with if given-

The thought itself was interrupted by the swiftness of the attack. Rala had readied her shortbow and loosed an arrow in but a second or two, the projectile launching forward at one of the bandit guards. As Arkisz's eyes followed and he began to shift his focus to the components of a spell, his eyes flicked to Aura, who had already begun casting. It was a swift follow-up to the arrow as three beams of searing energy shot forth and struck one of the guards only but a second or so after the first was struck by Rala's arrow.

The Vedalken lowered his hand, seeing as though an additional attack was now unneeded. He glanced at the two of his companions in what one could only assume was the equivalent to a silent nod of admiration. "Well then. Nicely done." In other circumstances, it would've been more like him to question the outright brutality with which the guards were dispatched - but these bandits had shown previously that they were ready to kill innocent people themselves, so the thought stayed itself on its own. The stillness that followed the attack was short-lived as a figure popped its head out of the tower door before quickly disappearing inside once again.

"Unfortunate timing."

Arkisz began moving from his spot in the treeline as the figure disappeared from view, their advantage of surprise clearly no longer in place. He drew a fine-looking Bastard sword from a scabbard resting on his left hip as he increased his pace to a fast jog. His head turned, sparing a glance behind him to make sure his companions followed, even though they assuredly would. The more time they allotted these 'bandits' to prepare and/or barricade themselves in, the worse.

As he drew closer to the tower he would focus again, remembering the procedures for casting this particular spell easily. His unoccupied hand would draw a motion and the spell would activate, allowing him to Detect Magic within 30 feet, which he measured the height of the tower to be, roughly. He would then shift his hand to slip the shield from his back, gripping it readily as he approached. Although the spell may not be entirely necessary, something odd was going on, and any heads-up as to nearby magic would be welcomed in his eyes.

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Mechanical Info

Rolls: None.
Conditions: None.
Active Infusions: Enhanced Weapon(Arkisz's Longsword), Enhanced Defense(Arkisz's Armor)
Known Infusions: Enhanced Weapon, Enhanced Defense, Replicate Magic Item, Mind Sharpener.
Spells Prepared: Catapult, Faerie Fire, Grease, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic.
Spell Slots Remaining: Two 1st Level Slots.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

Arkisz Yennen

Arkisz stooped to avoid a low-hanging branch as the party approached the end of their relatively short trek, marked by the appearance of the dilapidated tower previously described to them by the town elders. His eyes, like the rest of the party, scanned the scene before him as thoroughly as they could from such a distance. It was somewhat of an odd situation they had come to face, or at least it appeared so -- had these individuals been bandits hoping to ambush mercantile wagons, they would have probably hidden themselves better - or if they had hoped to set an attack to pillage the town, one would think they'd have done so before being noticed - or at least, this was as far as Arkisz could reason. Truth be told, the whole affair had an air of concern to it, moreso than one might normally feel.

Nevertheless, the Vedalken watched on as one of his companions, Aura, sent forward her familiar to acquire a better view in nonchalant fashion. His brow furrowed as she relayed what the bird saw, the lot of them crouched in the cover beneath the trees. A worrisome scenario indeed. He listened to the thoughts of his fellow travelers as his eyes once again searched, following along any other treelines in sight to ensure there wasn't further threat lurking nearby - but it seemed they had enough on their plate as-is with the tower seemingly full of hostile individuals. His eyes turned back to the hushed planning.

"Hmm. It is indeed odd that they are expecting our approach. Perhaps a forward scout had been set up outside the town and avoided our detection. In any event...the span between us and them may be rather difficult to creep through without detection - it is quite open." He spared a look at the rest of the party, as if to measure how prepared they seemed to fight. "While it may seem a somewhat simple solution, a surprise attack could be effective. My ability to deliver at range is not the greatest, but I can manage if this is the path we choose - albeit I am not sure if there are many other options." He concluded, his steady voice simply neutral and informative as he did so. He watched the faces of his comrades to gauge their reaction to Aura's plan in the meantime.

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Mechanical Info

Rolls: None.
Conditions: None.
Active Infusions: Enhanced Weapon(Arkisz's Longsword), Enhanced Defense(Arkisz's Armor)
Known Infusions: Enhanced Weapon, Enhanced Defense, Replicate Magic Item, Mind Sharpener.
Spells Prepared: Catapult, Faerie Fire, Grease, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

Im gonna be taking a trip with the fam tomorrow and I'm not driving(poggers), so I'll be able to get my post up before noon I reckon!
Goodnight folks.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

I personally plan on linking rolls(if desired) and including mechanical information(such as prepared spells, conditions, current Artificer Infusions, etc.) at the bottom of each of my posts in a hider, for my own sake if not for the sake of overall organization.
Just thought I'd mention such to the end of preparedness<3

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

I have half a mind to detail Arkisz's sheet more in terms of his personality and overall description, but I also feel it's initially easier to do so IC.
..We shall see.

Keeping in mind that the squad would have probably known each other for varying amounts of time, the longest probably being three years or so as mentioned in the initial post, I think it could be a sensical decision on my part for Arkisz to have perhaps joined the group only a few months ago.
In regards to his feelings towards the rest of the party..

• Aura - Although he has no qualms with lying(outside of scientific disinformation), Arkisz finds it somewhat hard to fully trust an individual who's modus operandi is just.. well, dishonesty. He holds enough confidence in Aura that he does not believe she would move to hurt fellow party members - as she has shown she does have morals - but he feels it is only illogical to lay full trust in one who is so adept at deceiving others. He has also, however, probably picked up the bulk of what sparse, janky sarcasm he uses from her -- he's still learning.

• Flicker - Flicker is, in Arkisz's eyes, a kind individual at heart - even if they have a bit of a temper. Due to the nature of his profession, the Vedalken has spent a good deal of time around more gruff craftsmen and Dwarves especially - so a temper does not bother him as much as one would think. Being that he feels no need to reserve information from others when asked, it was revealed in short time that the two of them have similar circumstances of birth - something that could perhaps aid in the formation of some sort of bond between the two.

• Jørmund - Arkisz, while reserved in nature, has found most of his acquaintances in the form of those who share his love for craftsmanship. Few of them have been Men of the Cloth, but he is not unfamiliar with such individuals, and respects their devotion no less than he does his own. He has probably held, or tried to hold, more than a few conversations with Jørmund about various crafts, especially had they happened upon a particularly fastidious structure or object. Arkisz appreciates Jørmund's sincere nature.

• Plasm - Plasm is definitely of great interest to Arkisz. Having never seen a creature of their kind, and not quite being able to identify their origin through eye-balling it, Arkisz finds himself regularly drawn to discovering more about Plasm's nature over time. It is semi-often than one could find him gazing blankly in the Plasmoid's direction as his mind wanders. He sees some surface-level resemblance to himself in terms of their relative distance to outward emotions, but realizes that Plasm is much more than just a being that assimilates what it experiences, and respects that - unlike some.

• Rook/Rala - Rook is one of the rougher sorts of people that Arkisz does not involve himself with much. He has made acquaintances with a few city guards in his years - mostly thanks to his ability to craft quality weapons for them - so he is ultimately not stranger to a few more rakish personalities. He holds a similar internal monologue between Rook and Aura - though Rook is clearly a bit more.. rigid.

Alrighty, gottem all.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

I too have mostly observed group-based decision-making in my campaigns, with no real leader - more like each person who specializes in the specific task at hand would take the lead if need be.

In terms of group relations yeh it's a whole topic of conversation on it's own.

And group names are.. potentially interesting, lol.
Edit: Also yes, The Outsiders is very nerdy xD

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

Indeed. Get with the times, old man.