ReedeThe23rd

The Emperor's Duty: A Warhammer 40K RP

EDIT: Leader Bio filled out

Joint Temple Operation Team CXXIII

Faction Name: Officio Assassinorum

Force Name: Joint Temple Operation CXXIII

Leader Name: Vindicare XXIII

Leader Bio: The life of an Officio Assassinorum Temple Assassin is shrouded in mystery, and that of XXIII is no different. Like the vast majority of the Temple's recruits XXIII was originally an orphan child raised in one of the many Schola Progenium schools dotting the Imperium. The boy he was disappeared one day, with not a word of acknowledgement from any official authority.

Taken to the Officio Assassinorum authorities on Terra, the child soon to be dubbed Vindicare XXIII underwent extensive testing to finalize which Temple he was best suited for, eventually being placed among the would-be master marksmen of the other Vindicare recruits.

While the design of the Vindicare assassin does not necessitate as many biological modifications as many of the other Assassin Temples, they substitute with extensive training in the sharpshooter's craft. Expert sniping and ranged combat ability is paramount, and even minutia such as brainwashing to rid the subjects of all vocabulary knowledge not pertaining to their duties.

Following the success of his training, Vindicare XXIII would undergo an extensive service record that would be kept utterly hidden to those outside the Vindicare Temple, his very existence a secret to all but a select few within the Imperium of Man. What is known can be seen in his actions when observing his deployment. Vindicare XXIII is a natural-born leader of covert operations.

Deployed on an extensive series of missions prior to this point, nearly half of them involved leading a team of one or more additional Officio Assassinorum operatives. All highly classified field actions, but the helped cement his reliability as a field agent for cooperative tasks, which is most certainly the reason he was chosen to lead the Officio Assassinorum response to the Inquisition's request for assistance from any and all Imperial institutions.

Direct Superior: Vindicare Temple Handler XXVIII

Troop Count: 4

Extraordinary Troops:

Callidus Assassin Muriel Argenburg - A Callidus assassin assigned to cooperate with XXIII in fulfilling the requests assigned to them by Inquisitor Hera, as well as to keep an eye on the various factions assembled. Prefers the form of an athletic young woman when not disguised.

Vindicare Temple Agent LII - Serving as a "spotter" for Vindicare XXIII, the agent is not an assassin in and of himself, but acts as field intelligence and recon for the Vindicare, an extra pair of physical eyes and ears to assist in the Assassin's intelligence gathering before he deploys to kill.

Callidus Temple Agent Halee Merrich - A Temple Serf assigned to assist Muriel in a similar fashion to how LII aides XXIII. She's an expert at more conventional disguise, and often operates in fieldwork that does not necessitate the usage of full polymorphine transformation

Extraordinary Equipment:

Vindicare XXIII - Exitus Rifle and Pistol, Gene-coded Steath Suit and Mask.

Callidus Muriel Argenburg - Callidus Phase Blade, Neural Shredder, Custom Synthskin Suit, Polymorphine supply.

Agent LII - Synthskin bodyglove, Silenced Autopistol, Assorted Recon and Intel Gear.

Agent Halee Merrich - Synthskin Bodyglove, Monoedge Sword, Contemporary disguise kit and wardrobe.

Why Were They Selected: The Officio Assassinorum's motives are a closely-guarded secret, so why a Vindicare and Callidus were assigned to assist the Inquisitor in quelling what seems to simply be an overly-heretical hive world is easily one of the biggest mysteries of this entire operation. Nonetheless, when you send an open request for aid and receive the help of the Officio Assassinorum, even the most foolish do not refuse.

Relationships:

- With Inquisitor Hera
The Inquisitor is who the Operation Team was formed to assist, and so they shall. Should any directive from the Officio Assassinorum contradict that current order of deployment, then all obligations to the Inquisitor will be dissolved.

- With the Adeptus Arbites
Imperial judicial law enforcement, currently a field asset until further notice. Potential target for disguise and infiltration, but smaller numbers and close-knit organization may cause complications. Direct lethal conflict is unlikely, though any senior field officials are a must-have target for assassination in the event of such contact, though disguised replacement is unlikely to succeed.

- With the Adepta Sororitas
Volatile militant arm of the Ecclesiarchy and Inquisition. Could easily change from being an asset to a liability and back again at a moment's notice. Zealous attitude and sororital nature make them unsuitable for infiltration, and lethal contact is almost random in potentiality.

- With the Militarum Tempestus
Elite infantry forces deployed by the Departmento Munitorum and the Inquisition. Similar to the Adeptus Arbites in most regards, though military command structure and more limited familiarity between superiors and subordinates makes infiltration more likely to succeed. Senior command structure is a crucial target for assassination and potential replacement in the event of becoming a liability.

- With the Assassins
The Operation Team in question was sent by the Officio Assassinorum to assist the Inquisitor, though why remains unseen. Its utterly unknown what the shadowy arm of the Adeptus Terra could hope to gain from helping quell the population of a lone hive world, but it is likely to be of critical value.

- With the Astra Militarum
What the Imperium's traditional field army lacks in finesse, they make up for in sheer brute force. The least likely to remain as a viable asset, and also the most susceptible to strikes to the command structure and to infiltration. Safe to consider as a non-issue, but should not be underestimated as an obstacle to any objective.

- With the Skitarii
Primary combat infantry of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Their almost drone-like nature and extensive cybernetic modifications make infiltration all but impossible, but their command structure is rife for lethal exploitation. Consider carefully as either an asset or an obstacle, as their technological prowess can be an unknown variable

WH40k: New Frontiers and Promised Lands - A Rogue Trader Adventure

Isaiah eventually found the doctor's office through his daydreaming and more or less annoying whomever he could see where he was going. Knocking on the door to wait for his 'appointment,' was it an appointment, or was it just an inspection.

The sound at the door roused Lazarus from the data entry terminal he'd been provided, and had been using to log the last patient's record. Rising to his feet and smoothing out his coat, he stepped around to the other side of the terminal's desk and called out in a stern, yet polite tone. "You may enter."

Isaiah's head popped out from the corner of doorway as someone had exited some minute or so before without his noticing. "Is this the office for a physical? I was told I was supposed to have another this cycle." he said entering as he stood a foot or so in the doorway hoping he would not have to have a physical training test as well. The young man looked more, enlisted then he did an officer, as well as high strung and empty of life and energy. His undershirt was pulled out some due to movement of trying to find office, and he also had a belief that at this moment, he needed not to wear his uniform properly.

"Ah, yes. You must be Ensign Hussian. Excellent. I am Doctor Lazarus Germael. Captain Livingstone is having me perform a part-medical examination part-interview for his 'handpicked crew' as he put it." Stepping up to the man and stepping aside to invite him into the room proper, closing the door behind him when he'd step inside. "If you have any initial questions, ask them now, otherwise I'd like to begin."

He nodded when he said handpicked and he looked at the room before stepping inside, "None really... I assume it's all the same procedures that the navy uses unless if there is some height enforcement." He stopped and he turned around once in the near center of the room, "but since I am 'hand picked' I assume I don't have to worry about it." he said putting emphasis on the handpicked.

"Right...I assure you, no different than any other medical examination. If anything it might be briefer than previous ones." stepping past the lad and rustling through assorted medicae equipment, he'd pull out a device resembling a dataslate, holding it before him with its back turned to Isaiah, tapping away at the screen as he continued. "Right, first things first: Any food or medicinal allergies?"

"None that I can think of other then the winter fruit from my home world's northern lake." Isaiah said as his head turned to follow the man, "but that's almost impossible to find off planet."

He thought for a second and shrugged, "Implants... it usually kills my family, but that hasn't been tested in about a hundred years since my family doesn't allow implants of any kind, even if we have a lacking of an appendage." It was probably superstition but he would rather not have to deal with the painful death he was told he would have.

"No implants. Understood." Continuing to type away at the dataslate, and without looking up, he'd ask "How about preexisting medicae conditions? Are there any you have that you require or would like to request treatment for? His typing on the dataslate would pause following the question, the slight shifting of his head the only indication that, behind his reflective lenses, the doctor was looking to the young man rather than the device in his hands.

Isaiah sighed softly as shook his head, "Not at all... liquor consumption if anything, aside from that I do not have any preexisting conditions or ailments. And I have no need for anything other then liquor, which I am sure I can find my own prescription for that in the cargo hold or requisition..."

Lazarus rolled his eyes underneath his eyewear. "I'm sure you can." After yet more data entry into the handheld slate, he'd set it aside and touch the tips of his fingers together in a gesture held aloft directly in front of him. "Now, we like to keep a blood sample of every crewmember aboard in the event the information is needed for a blood transfusion or genetic identification. Is there any reason this cannot be done in your case?"

"I have not intoxicated myself in months so I see no reason that it cannot be done." he said with a slight smile, "but take it from my left arm... the vein on my right arm is hard to see, the last physical where blood was drawn took about an hour as he refused to look on my left arm."

"Right then, let's get it over with, shall we?" Gathering up the necessary tools, Lazarus would step over and carefully prepare the vein on the man's left arm before drawing the needed blood sample. Once it was finished he'd carefully set it aside to be labeled in full after their meeting. "Now, do you have any other concerns you wish to bring to my attention before we finish up?"

Isaiah shook his head, "I am surprised there was no other test, just blood and a few questions... normally this would last for an hour with me standing behind a screen as you looked through me..." he thought about the last time and sighed, "well... if there is nothing else, then may I head out, I am sure I am not needed anywhere but here since the cargo bay's are well supplied with men to make my job as annoying as possible."

Gesturing to the dataslate he had been holding earlier, Lazarus said firmly "The majority of the biometrics were handled by that, essentially a smaller version of the scanning screens and such. The rest was handled by trained visual analysis." He'd lower his glasses for a brief moment, making eye contact with the man before pushing them back up. "Best of luck with the cargo crew. I'm all to familiar with some of the more...rabble-like on the crew can be."

"I've been on this ship... a day or so now maybe, those cargo haulers and servitors are fools, I don't know how they could find anything aside from their own lockers and bunks, or charging ports..." he looked at the little machine, "that is incredibly useful... and probably extremely expensive, so... just make sure it doesn't break or go haywire, I heard there are some members of the Cult Mechanicus on the ship, and well... you know how they are when things like that come out. Or I am just from some back water pleasure world, and was stationed on some backwater station in the middle of no where."

"Indeed. Well, I wish you a good day, and if anything comes up and you need my assistance, be sure to come at your earliest convenience." Lazarus would gesture to the entryway before turning back to take his place at the data terminal again, needing to enter in Isaiah's record updates.

"Well... If you too need anything, just come and find me, or send someone... but I shall come if needed." he said as he went into the office, and he turned back, "And if you find what the blue epidermal covering is on... I don't know the individual, then tell me, it would look gorgeous on some people I know back home, unless if takes away the nose and ask if the skin holster can be placed on the back of the head instead of where the bridge line of the nose should be, I am sure it can be hidden with a beautiful wig or covering."

That was all he could think of for things he needed at the moment, so he would soon leave the office as well and head out to continue his work, of doing something that he barely understood because of the previous occupants of the cargo bay and their backwards way (depending on the person) of sorting, and placing items.

Lazarus would chuckle to himself as the young officer mentioned the previous patient he had seen today. Hopefully the others coming into contact with her would make the same mistake and simply see her as an extravagant human. As Isaiah left the makeshift office, the doctor continued to enter his records, as well as personal notes on the man, into his data terminal, awaiting the next arrival on the list.

New Man's Tomorrow(Solar NRP)

WIP, updates coming as they're finished.

The Imet

Nation Name: The Imet

Government Type: The Imet is led by a council whose members are directly elected from across the entire population of the station. Nine members are elected in total, and they handle all matters affecting the station that would be deferred to a "government" in a more traditional living arrangement. A tenth non-voting member of the council acts as they equivalent of the head of state and government for the station, being elected from outside of the council of nine, from the station's population. This tenth member is referred to as the "Imet Senior Minister", with the other nine holding the titles of "Imet Minister."

Demographics: The station-colony of Imet Aark consists exclusively of natural humans. The original station population long ago was formed entirely of original human stock, and that that population's descendants has persisted to this day. Since the station is, in effect, a floating city-colony, the sustainable population is large, numbering 500,000 currently

Economy: The original colony-station was designed to be self-sustaining, with manufacturing and food production entirely on-board with minimal contact to others. In the modern age, as the converted station now cruises the stars, this means that any trade is conducted entirely via the barter system in regards to external powers, and a rationing and acquisitions system reminiscent of a military internally.

Military: In terms of foot forces, the station's original security has grown to take upon the role of protecting the station-ship from outside threats as well as policing the inside. Known as the Imet Marshals, these forces primarily keep the peace within the station, and only set foot beyond it as personal guards for residents of the station sent beyond its hull. In regards to space combat, the station's doctrin e is survival and escape, point-defense armaments and shielding keeping the station relatively defended from fighters and opposing fire, but unable to fight back. Although the station-ship has the facilities for military-grade defensive starfighters, all originally on the station have been lost in some fashion, with no replacements.

Imet Marshal Uniforms

Imet Marshal Duty Wear:


Imet Marshal Dress Wear:

Characters:

Senior Minister Gallio Victor - The current elected Senior Minister of the Imet. He's a major advocate for seeking cooperation with established bodies of government on the various celestial bodies of the Solar System, an opinion not too popular with the current minister cabinet. Debates currently range on if full recognition of the Venus remnants, or acceptance of a SolSec garrison force, should be permitted in order to ensure the station can continue to reclaim lost and required technology and information.

History: The colony-ship Imet Aark is the modern form of a centuries old Imperial spade station: Imperial Ministry of Extrasolar Travel Astronomical Archive Station One. Designed to oversee extrasolar starship travel into and out of the beating heart of the original Terran Empire, the colony station oversaw communication with other star systems, detailed star charts and travel routes as the Empire expanded across the Milky Way, and served as traffic control for the Sol Jump Gate.

When the war broke out in earnest nearly 300 years ago, the disarray of the Imperial government left the station unable to prevent mass exodus into the system via the Jump Gate, and eventually the forces acquired from the military to defend it were lost, along with the gate itself. The station and its colonial crew managed to survive by 'jettisoning' the station from Earth's orbit and into the asteroid belt. Along with the loss of the Sol Jump Gate, the war destroyed all semblance of interstellar communication, meaning the only remaining function of the station became holding onto the massive archives of star charts and extrasolar research and exploration, while attempting to reestablish contact with those beyond Earth's sun. Over the course of the next 240 years, the station would be retrofitted with technology enabling it to travel on its own merits as a starship of sorts, though it would primarily spend its time orbiting unclaimed areas of the Asteroid and Kuiper Belts for general safety.

In the near-300 years since the collapse of the Terran Empire, the remnant employee-colonists of the I.M.E.T. have steadily adapted to a degenerated version of the original I.M.E.T. bureaucracy. Since there is no one to appoint a cabinet of ministers, the crew of the station do so themselves. Since there is no influx of budget and supplies, the station issued strict supply rationing. The station's chain of command is adapted from the original government hierarchy of the Ministry, and the original security forces that oversaw the extrasolar research and communuications hubs across the galaxy, and the station itself, devolved from the I.M.E.T. Marshals, a sort of national police and security, to the Imet Marshals, a blend of bodyguard and police force. The name I.M.E.T lost all meaning as an acronym in this course of time, blending into the name of The Imet, used to refer to the people of the station, though the organization's duties are still remembered as being upheld to the "Empire" of old. The station's name fell to similar time-caused reductionism, going from I.M.E.T. Astronomical Archive Station One, to the Imet Aark, a combination of some of the letters of the original name being lost, as well as frequent referral in the early years to the station-ship as an "ark" for the knowledge contained within.

Relations:

SolSec - SolSec's systems recognize them as an official government operation, and as such has offered them military aide should they have need of such, and essentially leaves them alone otherwise. Members of Imet have pondered if the design of SolSec could allow them to manipulate it into falling under their control entirely, this giving them more leverage in acquiring the tech needed to reestablish contact with the rest of the Empire.

Venus - While the Imet recognize the Venusian claims to being the bulk of Imperial remnants, they do not recognize the claim of Imperial succession...yet. With Venus's control over the Sol system still a dream in the heart and mind of their ruler, Imet has ben reluctant to offer their full backing to the Venusian government. Taking advantage of their recognition as an arm of the former Imperial government, the Imet have successfully held onto their de facto independence by claiming their duties require the station-ship to remain away from Venus and exploring the Solar System, and that their status as a governmental body excludes them from any sort of taxation or other form of providing for the upkeep of the Venusian funding.

Others TBD

New Man's Tomorrow(Solar NRP)

@Sigma That's definitely an interesting idea. The main thing I was looking at with this concept was an organization descended from a pre-war Imperial service of some kind that was too important to let fall in the collapse, and maintains political power and independence through the importance of said service. The Communications grid was just an example that came to mind.

Keeping with the Comms Grid idea, one idea that comes to mind is a non-Venusian remnant of the pre-war grid attempting to contact extra-solar fringes for support, while struggling to maintain their portion of the grid as an independent means of communication.

Of course, if you have any other ideas that fit this general vein of "independent organization holding onto the remnants of vital pre-war infrastructure" I'd love to hear it.

New Man's Tomorrow(Solar NRP)

@Sigma
EDIT: Guess I jumped the gun too eh?

New Man's Tomorrow(Solar NRP)

@SigmaI'm interested in this, since you seem to still be looking for folk, so I wanted to ask about something and throw around a concept with you. In the opening to the OOC you mention the Jump Gates that allowed for faster-than-light interstellar travel, with their loss being significant. I wanted to ask if you had anything in mind on an equivalent system of interstellar infrastructure for faster-than-light communication, and if so, would it be possible to play an organization acting as the impartial mediators keeping that system operational in the wake of the collapse of the Empire and the years following?

Essentially I'm thinking the same core concept as ComStar from BattleTech(Click Here For More) but with a distinct setting-appropriate spin on the idea. No AI, I don't wanna step on SolSec's toes with the idea of an AI remnant of a government service, but essentially the idea of an organization holding an apolitical infrastructure service "hostage" for the ability to operate politically and independently of any other nation-state.

WH40k: New Frontiers and Promised Lands - A Rogue Trader Adventure

It was a travesty. Truly criminal. An utter insult of the highest caliber. One might as well call it heretical, if only to emphasize the utter disgust the "medical facilities" established in this 'Room 85' left in Lazarus' gut. Where was the Methuen Detector? Or the Prognostic Analyzer? Were this not onboard an Imperial Space Station, these standards would barely meet the requirements of the 2nd Millennium, let alone the 42nd! It was a fantastic thing the good captain Livingstone was only sending the other 'handpicked' members of the crew for medical examination, and not the entire capacity of the ship. This facility just might make do after all, with a good sprucing-up before anyone arrived.

After a careful rearranging of the equipment within the makeshift medicae workroom into something passably-tolerable for his standards, Lazarus had time before anyone was set to arrive to review the basic preliminary briefings he'd been given on these 'handpicked' members of the crew in order to be at least vaguely prepared for interacting with them. Some files were larger than others, and one was even from an individual Lazarus had previously examined. Oh well, no harm in the occasional checkup.

First in the file list was Gustave Boucher, a grunt Guardsman from a hive world. Lowborn types on hive worlds inherently carried some genetic deviancy due to the general pollution in the air and water at the lower levels. Luckily they were usually benign or otherwise treatable with minimal issues. No problems should arise from this one.

Next was Isiah Hussian III, a youthful nobleman and fellow naval officer. Lazarus expected no unintentional or unsanctioned deviations in this lad, and frankly looked forward to meeting someone of similar stock and career. They'd at least make for a better conversationalist than most of the other drivel inhabiting the Captain's vessel.

Following behind was one Roald Cliffbloom, the first of the 'oddities' Lazarus would discover. Immediately one thing on the man's briefing document stood out. Homo Sapiens Minimus. A Ratling abhuman. Certainly an interesting choice, and not one Lazarus was very concerned about. Ratlings tended to be genetically stable, occasionally moreso than their normal human counterparts.

Next. The one he was familiar with. Tecca Nina, the vessel's Astropathic Choir-Master. Homo Sapiens Psychicus. Prior medical examination returned no anomalies or issues beyond those associated with her conditions as a sanctioned psyker with her duties, but when dealing with psykers one can never be too safe. Not to mention that any chance to study the effects of psionics on the human mind and body was always a joy.

Hesiod. An Explorator Tech-Priest of the Adeptus Mechaniucs. After the unfortunate accident with the last AdMech liaison in the crew, this one would be a welcome addition. Finding anything actually organic on these individuals was always difficult, but Lazarus welcomed the challenge. Tech-Priests were oddly more enjoyable to the man, perhaps because their inherent reluctance of engaging in small talk coupled with their scientific drive meshed with his own. Nonetheless, he'd hoped they'd get along at least as well as the last one before their tragic accident.

Another highborn noble. Alma Fang. Her basic briefing seemed simple enough, high class adventurer-mercenary, classic rogue trader fare. He didn't expect much trouble from this one as well, and given her age figured her to be a fair bit more experienced than that boy Isiah as well. Hopefully someone with whom he could tolerate a conversation.

Interesting. The next file more resembled a barcode than any sort of document, however brief it was before someone took to it with a black auto-inker. The only thing able to be made out was the name, Kane, and part of an abhuman species. Homo Sapians [REDACTED] stared as intently at Lazarus as he did it. This was someone he'd know nothing about until he saw them with his own eyes.

If the last file had been a barcode, this one was an attempt at homemade black synth paper. The name and position of "Monty, Armsman" was the only information listed. At least he knew this 'Monty' was intended to be combat-capable, which gave him a vague bit of a baseline to work with in terms of their physical fitness requirements.

Overall, it was clear that for most of these individuals, their medical examinations would likely wind up being part interview as well. Not an ideal situation, but always an opportunity to leaarn.

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

Fayren Vance

"It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, as long as you look really good doing it!

Name(s):
Fayren Vance

Age:
25

Gender:
Male

Race:
Human

Appearance:
Fayren has an athletic, dexterous form contained in a shape standing roughly six feet tall. Black hair is kept tied back in an elegant warrior's ponytail, and light stubble coats his chin and jaw. His wardrobe routinely consists of elegant-yet-rugged outfits with protective leather and fine linen cloth, making them equally at home in a court and in battle. A silvered rapier is always found at his hip, the hilt and handguard a fine piece of craftsmanship with glimmering inlays.

Personality:
Fayren Vance is a boisterous swashbuckler of a man. Not afraid of a snappy wisecrack in battle, even a dagger held at his neck is unlikely to keep him quiet. He considers himself a ladies' man, a mans' man, a nobleman and a man of the people all in one. No challenge is too great in the eyes of this self-ascribed hero, no battle too fierce, no foe too fearsome.

Class/Skills
A true dashing, daring swordsman, Fayren Vance focuses on agile melee combat, dipping and diving around his opponent in a dazzling display of footwork while slashing and stabbing away at them from every angle he can. Outside of melee combat, Fayren is a charmer and socialite, carrying himself with gentlemanly respect and a noble politeness to anyone and everyone. His agility in combat extends far beyond the sword, as well, giving him the fitness and movement for ropework, climbing, parkour, and even the stealth of a master burglar. The seedy underbelly of adventuring is no stranger to him either, a careful selection of thieves' tools bundled among his other equipment, perfect for prying open locked doors and containers of all kinds.

Equipment:
Fayren's primary armament is a silvered rapier kept to his side at all times. A fencer's blade capable of slashing and stabbing, locking blades, and even cutting away at ropes and fabric. Alongside this, he carries the usual assortment of adventuring fair, such as a bedroll, rations, waterskin, backpack, coinpurse, thieves' tools, and torches. His outfit is a blend of fashion and armor, being made with combat-ready leather armoring.

History:
Fayren Vance has been adventuring across the Forgotten Realms for years now, since his late teens. Homed in Baldur's Gate, he's been up and down the entire Sword Coast, trekked through the jungles of Maztica, scaled the sand dunes of Kara-Tur, and nearly everywhere else in-between.

Except he hasn't. This long history of adventuring fame and fortune is actually a careful blend of actual deeds, embellished truths, and outright fabrications. Fayren is an above-average heroic soul for sure, and quite skilled at what he does, but his history is full of half-truths, lies, and elaborate misleadings surrounding his exploits. Discerning what he's actually done and what he hasn't can be an exercise in futility for those not gifted in supernatural divination.

What can be known for sure is that he's of minor noble status in the city of Baldur's Gate, and carries a reputation for being a man liked by both the aristocracy and the plebian masses, as well as holding contacts within the city's criminal elements. He's been known to work alongside other adventuring and heroic types, and is known somewhat in the other major cities of the Sword Coast as well. A consistent rumor, backed by evidence is that he carries connections to the Zhentarim and their more underground components, potentially being a member himself, something he always finds a way to skirt around admitting or denying.

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

Fayren Vance

"It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, as long as you look really good doing it!

Name(s):
Fayren Vance

Age:
25

Gender:
Male

Race:
Human

Appearance:
Fayren has an athletic, dexterous form contained in a shape standing roughly six feet tall. Black hair is kept tied back in an elegant warrior's ponytail, and light stubble coats his chin and jaw. His wardrobe routinely consists of elegant-yet-rugged outfits with protective leather and fine linen cloth, making them equally at home in a court and in battle. A silvered rapier is always found at his hip, the hilt and handguard a fine piece of craftsmanship with glimmering inlays.

Personality:
Fayren Vance is a boisterous swashbuckler of a man. Not afraid of a snappy wisecrack in battle, even a dagger held at his neck is unlikely to keep him quiet. He considers himself a ladies' man, a mans' man, a nobleman and a man of the people all in one. No challenge is too great in the eyes of this self-ascribed hero, no battle too fierce, no foe too fearsome.

Class/Skills
A true dashing, daring swordsman, Fayren Vance focuses on agile melee combat, dipping and diving around his opponent in a dazzling display of footwork while slashing and stabbing away at them from every angle he can. Outside of melee combat, Fayren is a charmer and socialite, carrying himself with gentlemanly respect and a noble politeness to anyone and everyone. His agility in combat extends far beyond the sword, as well, giving him the fitness and movement for ropework, climbing, parkour, and even the stealth of a master burglar. The seedy underbelly of adventuring is no stranger to him either, a careful selection of thieves' tools bundled among his other equipment, perfect for prying open locked doors and containers of all kinds.

Equipment:
Fayren's primary armament is a silvered rapier kept to his side at all times. A fencer's blade capable of slashing and stabbing, locking blades, and even cutting away at ropes and fabric. Alongside this, he carries the usual assortment of adventuring fair, such as a bedroll, rations, waterskin, backpack, coinpurse, thieves' tools, and torches. His outfit is a blend of fashion and armor, being made with combat-ready leather armoring.

History:
Fayren Vance has been adventuring across the Forgotten Realms for years now, since his late teens. Homed in Baldur's Gate, he's been up and down the entire Sword Coast, trekked through the jungles of Maztica, scaled the sand dunes of Kara-Tur, and nearly everywhere else in-between.

Except he hasn't. This long history of adventuring fame and fortune is actually a careful blend of actual deeds, embellished truths, and outright fabrications. Fayren is an above-average heroic soul for sure, and quite skilled at what he does, but his history is full of half-truths, lies, and elaborate misleadings surrounding his exploits. Discerning what he's actually done and what he hasn't can be an exercise in futility for those not gifted in supernatural divination.

What can be known for sure is that he's of minor noble status in the city of Baldur's Gate, and carries a reputation for being a man liked by both the aristocracy and the plebian masses, as well as holding contacts within the city's criminal elements. He's been known to work alongside other adventuring and heroic types, and is known somewhat in the other major cities of the Sword Coast as well. A consistent rumor, backed by evidence is that he carries connections to the Zhentarim and their more underground components, potentially being a member himself, something he always finds a way to skirt around admitting or denying.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Anthem - CLOSED, due to drop outs

U.C. 0089 - Ten years prior

Left foot forward, three second pause, right foot forward. Left, one, two, three, right. The land convoy formation march of the EFSF had been drilled into the unit's brain for months, and even now Ensign Hepner found himself reciting the mantra mentally, but whether it was to keep his cool or concentration was unknown even to him. The Mobile Suit he found himself in the cockpit of was a salvaged and heavily-modified RGM-79R GM II, captured by the Neo Zeon and refurbished with an assortment of Earth Federation and Zeon technology. Hepner had been given orders to lead a token force of similar suits in a last-ditch ambush operation to attempt to cripple a crucial EFSF supply point. It was painted as the 'second wind' that would save the Zeon forces from defeat and turn the tide, but the ensign knew it was merely the dying gasp of a failing resistance movement.

Perhaps this is why he had arranged for what he did. The unit he led was expecting their arrival point to be a lightly-defended setup, essentially a glorified munitions dump. What they would get was a fully-armed compliment of elite Earth Federation mobile suits expecting their arrival. The goal was for Hepner and the EF officials to order the surrender and disarmament of his unit, just as his Earth Federation Intelligence handlers had directed him, but Hepner knew these men and women well enough that they would sooner see every single one of them killed. And he was right. The command for the false flag unit to surrender was utterly disregarded, and a brutal firefight ensued. Ensign Dren Hepner was the only Zeon survivor of a day that would haunt him every time he sat within the cockpit of a mobile suit.

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U.C. 0099 - Present Day

"Black Thorn to all units, are we all ready to go? I'm standing by and ready to launch".

The voice over the comms unit shook Hepner from his introspection inside the cockpit of his mobile suit. Shaking his head and blinking his eyes a bit, he responded with a simple "Dren Hepner confirms, doing final systems checks now." Running visual confirmation over his suits instruments, another mantra from his years of mobile suit piloting came to the forefront of his mind. Reactor online. Sensors online. Weapons online. All systems nominal. Everything appeared clear, Dren gripped the controls, and the mobile suit catapult set him into the cold void of space once more. Making a careful sweep with his suit's rifle before taking up a position on the starboard side of the objective, his eyes carefully scanned both the sensors and the camera-displayed void of space for any signs of hostile activity.

Although this was a populated, Federation-tangent portion of space, that meant nothing when it came to the Zeon insurgents that had been plaguing the Federation for the last twenty years. Dren was all too familiar with the vicious tactics his kinsmen were more than willing to use against their hated foe, and his eyes, ears, and sensors were peeled for any resemblance to the tactics he was familiar with and had trained in. The attack could come from any angle, any direction, and take the form of anything spaceworthy. Even cargo ships had been used as ramming vehicles in the most desperate days of the Zeon rebellions. The thought of these crimes, one he himself had committed, made him sick to his stomach. This mission would be the first step to wiping that mistake from the annals of history.