vietmyke

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

I'll try to get something up tonight!

SPIRITUM

Gerard Biserus

"Guess I'm on princess duty- what?" Gerard chirped happily, as the princess shot him a frustrated glance, the WARDEN seemingly more than content to sit in the truck while the others did the- in some cases literal- heavy lifting. Gerard watched with mild disinterest as Morden quite easily snapped the hitch between the fallen truck and the fuel tank and began to drag it away, stopping most of the current spill- though some Etherium still leaked out of the a hole in the side. With almost a modicum of effort, Gerard grabbed one of the empty jerry cans from the side of the truck and pulled it open, floated the thing over to beneath the current leak, even as Morden dragged it away. "Might as well fill up- better in our tanks than on the ground."

Nearby the front of the truck itself, Valerie found that the engine was still functioning- and in fact still running, the low putter implying that the truck's tank itself still had Etherium fuel within it. The cab itself was a bit harder to access- at least for a normal human, the side of the vehicle was warped from the impact and steel frame of the door had folded halfway in on itself. The hinges were bent and twisted, but it was little difficulty for the smaller WARDEN to merely rip the door off its hinges. The truck lay on its side, and as Val peered down into the truck itself, she found the hand that stuck of the empty windshield attached to an arm and a torso, though said torso was missing one of its legs. Vicious marks around the wound suggested that it was a less than clean separation, more likely being ripped or torn off rather than cut. The owner's face held a terrified look, though his face was slack and eyes glazed over, half of his trachea missing. The body was still warm to the touch, though had obviously been cooling for a little while now.

The RV wasn't in much better shape as the other diminutive WARDEN checked it out. The side facing the road had some dents on it, the color of the metal scrapes matching that of the truck on the other side of the road. The side facing the treeline however had a huge dent in it, as if a Morden sized football player had tackled it. The inside at least proved to be a veritable treasure trove as Silje opened its top and stole a glance inside. She was looking into what must've been the RV's living area, its contents strewn about almost as if the RV had flown off the road or something. There were a few open packages of food and snacks, though there were also what appeared to be several packaged MREs laying about inside as well- the type that the military would eat while travelling. Perhaps because of the impact of the vehicle, Silje also noticed, a few drab green hardcases had been flung from presumably the trunk or other storage spaces, into center view as well, one of them cracked open to reveal the suppressed barrel of a combat rifle.

"Is someone out there?" A panicked, strained voice squeaked out from inside the darkness. It wasn't a typical Rassvetian accent, though it wasn't a Vangarian accent either, "I- I need help! My legs are pinned!" Though her senses weren't as keen as Justice's, Silje couldn't detect any manipulation of Mist from within the RV, so at the very least no one was currently preparing a from spell within.

As the fuel truck was cleared out of the way, Kalina's job became increasingly easier, sightlines were clear, and there were no obvious signs of life immediately around them. Ahead of her, perhaps a dozen meters ahead, she could see tire skid marks on the road, probably from where the two vehicles made impact before ending up where they were. More curiously, she could see that the ground and asphalt had been disturbed another few dozen meters ahead of that- though the side of the roads were hard to notice with all the debris, it was hard to miss the rather large hole torn through the asphalt.

Her perception opening up around them like an invisible dome, outside of her own squadmembers manipulating the mist to power their bodies or abilities, though trying to 'sense' through the puddle of Etherium fuel was like trying to look through fog- doable, but a pain. Justice found little disturbances in the mist around them- at least above ground. Below ground, Justice felt something small, nagging at the edges of her perception. The sense grew closer, alarmingly quickly, growing in size as it rapidly approached them. A second one appeared- from a different direction, followed by a third and fourth, one much larger than the others.

Kalina saw pavement warp and shift, a blur bursting out of the asphalt a moment later. Only natural reflex allowed Kali to narrowly avoid getting her head taken off as the mass slammed into the truck behind her. There was the sound of metal crunching against metal as the mass, slowed to a stop, circling around to face the WARDEN. Tanned, leathery hide protected by a carapace smooth like steel, a pair of beady eyes and a toothy maw stared at the young WARDEN before it dove back into the ground, powerful claws tearing open the asphalt as though it were as little more than mud and dirt. From the dirt along the road, a second bullet shark burst out of the ground, flying towards Val, standing over the truck cab, and beneath Morden's, the asphalt shifted as the maw of a shark roughly four times his size began to rapidly appear around his feet.

The Envenomed: Military Science Fiction Deniable Operations

ECHO DOMAIN - PLATFORM #2884

Something within the Echo platform hissed with what could vaguely be analogous to displeasure, the idea of leaving any part of the colony behind for an extended period of time was not ideal, but the situation deemed it so. Either way, the warform was left with the slightest of skeleton crews, more or less rendering it a semi-autonomous weapons platform to be used by the Intransigence. That way, the vast majority of the smart coral could remain embedded within the main unit, with just enough smart and dumb coral inside of the Warform to keep it as 'Echo'. If the main unit was lost, Echo would remain- albeit at a vastly, almost cripplingly reduced efficacy, and if the Warform was to be lost, the Main unit would retain the vast majority of its intelligence.

As always, any audio and visual data regarding their mission and possible foes were quickly stored to purge-ready infobanks, ready for Echo to access should the need arise. It had little need for a visit to the armory, save for restocking on ammunition for its various weapons, perhaps for the rest of its squad as well. A remote command was sent to the armory master, to prepare vrexul sized, and dog sized carry packs, filled with the necessities: Ammo, grenades, sustenance, tools, and the like. Lacking the ability to grow 'tired' from carrying weight, the Endo and Microforms could huck the team's supplies as needed.

Echo's musings were disrupted by what was a small argument happening in the corner. Not that it was trying to eavesdrop, but when one had eyes and ears commanded to follow and support its squad members, it was hard not to. The Microforms at Salvator and Kleo's heels picked up both sides of the conversation, and one of them opened its maw to chime in, even as the Endoform itself began to stomp towards the armory.

"Analysis. Aggression response suggests Operative Alves may still be concussed from prior injuries." Echo reported, perhaps unhelpfully. "Alternative. Operative Alves may be suffering from Earth based-disease: Napoleon Complex."

The Microforms stood still for a moment, as Echo's collective ran through possible ways to mitigate conflict between and within the Envenomed teams. "Suggestion. Limit interactions with others. Elaboration. Control of communication networks allows this platform to remotely turn off communication as necessary." Seemingly the only one satisfied with its response, the Microforms pointed themselves towards the armory, but didn't leave without their respective squad members. "Conclusion. Conflict resolved. Proceed to staging area."

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Galahad Caradoc

---

Becoming a headhunter wasn't exactly how Galahad envisioned his career going after being disowned by his father. Nor was dealing with pirates in order to obtain passage on their ships- but it wasn't too abnormal a task for the adventuring sort, apparently. At least this head wasn't exactly a well liked one. Tane was a crime boss, and one that wasn't liked too well by other criminals for that matter. So perhaps at least karmically they were somewhere around neutral.

"It would've been nice if Ciradyl told us where she was going." Galahad grumbled, "Then we could've had some people go in with her again, like before."

Galahad's eyes glared at the looming structure as the team discussed their potential game plan. Like Izayoi said, they had no blueprints, no clue where Tane might be in there other than perhaps an office.

"Scaling that building wouldn't be the biggest issue." Galahad commented idly, "Worst comes to worst I could ferry people up and down. We can attach a rope- or a few, for when we need to get down in a hurry. If getting to Tane alive is the goal, it's better to stick together, clearing guards as we go. If we split the party, we have no easy eay of letting the external group that the internal team is done- unless we're okay with making a big bang like we did with Hein."

Galahad was curious to know what sort of relationship Ciradyl had with Tane. They were certainly not friends, as Izayoi had stated, and Ciradyl expressed no seeming resistance to the task. Even if she didn't trust the party altogether, Galahad would've hoped that she'd at least have trusted Izayoi enough to tell her about her plan, but it seemed that was not the case. More than likely, a fight was about to break out, which means they needed to be in there, now.

Eve and Izayoi are right. We need get a move on now. As soon as Tane's people realize they're under attack, they're going to be all over Cir. It'd be better for all of us if we were close by, and if we can get to Tane before Cir, we'll be able to interrogate her."

Looking over at Rudolf, Galahad took hold of his rope, and wrapped it around his hand. "I'll take one other and go up. With Eve, the two of them will cover the landing until everyone else makes their way up. Then we can sweep through and work our way down until we find her. If you're not a fan of heights and would like vastly prefer taking a side route, please make it known now."

"Keep eyes out for Tane and Ciradyl, don't stab the first thing that moves."

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

Shall we put our characters in the sameish areas?

The Things We Fight For

Mostly done, need to wait until I get back in front of a pc to make sure everything is the way I want it, but here she is:

Pilot Dossier: Delacroix, Sabine

Full Profile xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx B A S I C I N F O [Name] Sabine Dassault-Delacroix [Callsign] Rabbit [Gender] Female [Age] 24 [Rank and Designation] E-5 - Petty Officer second class [Place of Birth] Atrebois [Official Statement] <Miss Delacroix! Miss Delacroix! Please don't do aileron rolls while we have the recor- ksshk pffffffffffffff> C O M B A T A B I L I T Y [Mech Model] DTX-103 Wyverne Custom 'White Hare' [Type] High-Mobility Assault, Armored Cavalry [Size] 45 ft tall, 70 tons [Core] Epsilon [Armaments] DPW-12 Beam Rifle - Primary, Right- Dassault's DPW-12 is a 1.9 MW, semi-automatic beam rifle. The DPW-12 is designed to be a priemer beam weapon option for next-gen mecha troopers, combining both high accuracy and high punching power, limited mainly by sustained rate of fire and the cost of production. Charging directly from its own Beta core, the weapon's battery 'banks' up to 20 shots, allowing for effectively limitless ammunition- provided the pilot is conservative with their rate of fire. The weapon is designed to combat well armored foes, such as Rooks or Knights, or particularly well armored Pawns, though the power of its beam allows it to penetrate through multiple lightly armored or smaller targets. A second pre-charged battery 'magazine' is kept in a compartment underneath the rifle's stock in case the primary overheats or is damaged in some way. A 'bayonet lug' on underneath the main barrel allows a beam sabre to be mounted. A magnetic clamp mount is located behind the shoulder when the rifle needs to be stowed. DKWx-31 45mm Smartcannon - Primary, Left- Fresh from the forges or Artebois and in the final stages of development, the brand new DKWx-41 Smartcannon uses specialized 'Smart' ammunition, bridging the gap between micro missiles and autocannon shell used by conventional forces. Using the agile and precise micro-missile as a base, the rocket propelled 45mm 'Smart' shells have built-in guidance systems and can self correct mid-course, allowing it to effectively shoot around cover, chase down targets, or even differentiate between targets. The Smartcannon is capable of multi-locking, and in a pinch can be fired in unguided mode. The weapon has a 60 shell external box magazine, with reloads stored in the ammunition compartments across the body. Due to its smaller size, it can be stored on the small of the back when not in use. Dassault Estoc-15 Missile Launcher - Shoulder, Left, Right - Mounted on each shoulder of the Wyverne is a Estoc-15 missile launcher, capable of loosing a flurry of high powered airburst explosives. These missiles pack a decent punch and effect a larger area than their size would suggest, making them effective against numerous and tightly packed, or lightly armored targets, but suffer against more heavily armored foes. E-21 Plasma Beam Saber - Secondary, Left - A standard pattern plasma beam saber used by the Wyverne in close combat. The blade length can be adjusted, and its high energy output allows it to be a deadly close ranged weapon. The weapon comes pre-charged prior to launch, though can be charged from the mech core if needed during long sorties. One is carried on a hip case on the side of the Wyverne. DPW-02 Particle-Pulse Vulcan - Secondary, Right - A low powered energy weapon imitating the shape of a rotary cannon, the DPW-02 PB Vulcan was designed to utilize the efficiency of Aberrant core energy production to combat ammunition limitations in drawn out battles, and is slowly being phased in, in place of traditional aircraft based rotary cannons. Mounted on the forearm of the Wyverne, this weapon dispenses a high volume of plasma bolts with power comparable to that of standard 20mm autocannons and is rated for dealing with Pawn class Aberrants, but in a pinch can be used to harass stronger foes. A battery banking system stores around 2000 charges at a time, for about a full minute of firing before needing to recharge. The PB Vulcan's charge system can be manually disabled when needing to shunt power to other systems. Wyverne High-Mobility Mode - The default 'mode' of the Wyverne in its bipedal mech form. While in this form, large directional thrusters give it incredible lateral movement, and substantial- though not groundbreaking top speeds. Meant for close-in fighting, the High-Mobility mode can change directions practically on a whim, built in G-force absorbing fields preventing its pilot from blacking out in its extremely acrobatic maneuvers. Wyverne Flight Mode - When speed is required over mobility, the Wyverne can fold its legs and arms to transform into a more compact 'Flight' mode. While in flight mode, the Wyverne both acts and is visually more like an aerospace fighter, and can reach considerably top speeds- often higher than most other mechs thanks to its more aerodynamic shape. While in Flight mode however, the Wyverne loses its ability to turn on a dime or drastically adjust its angle of fire. Used for covering long distances, strafing enemy targets, or quickly maneuvering to a new position. Emergency Countermeasures - A holdover from aerospace craft designs. A small combination of chaff, flares and smoke for defensive purposes. Constellation Carry Handle- Affectionately referred to as 'the strap' , the standard issue CCH is included on all Dassault Aerospace mechs. What more or less amounts to a harness, straps and grab bars mounted on a cutout embedded in the back of the Wyverne. Provides minimal protection from G-forces during flight, but a small shroud of armor plating protects the rider from thruster backwash. A quick release function allows a rider to detach at will. Note from the user manual: 'It ishighlyrecommended that a Constellation notify their pilot before release, so the pilot can momentarily cut thrusters to prevent severe plasma burns.'

Profile [Surface-level Impression] Psyche Eval: S.Delacroix Energetic and snarky, Sabine is for the most part fairly easygoing and playful. Despite being casually flirtatious with practically everyone she meets, Sabine shows little interest in actual romantic relationships. Regarded by many as an adrenaline junky, Sabine seems to love the thrill of flying and fighting, and has a reputation for being a bit of a thrillseeker and capable- if reckless, pilot. She trends towards sarcasm when faced with serious situations, and will regularly tease friends, coworkers and foes alike. Though not a stereotypical 'rich girl', Sabine has absolutely no issue throwing money around, especially if it can solve immediate problems. Sabine seems to have a soft spot for those displaced by the war- particularly children, and reacts aggressively in their defense. On the rare, chance encounter with Sabine's more 'serious' side, it can be assumed that a lot of Sabine's more casual, devil-may-care attitude can be attributed as a way of dealing with the stresses of combat and warfare. Those particularly close to Sabine note that while she's still friendly, she tends to be far more reserved when in the presence of those she's comfortable around. She avoids being 'mopey' when possible, often hiding behind vices or vaguely related stories when pressed. [Personal History] Service Record: S.Delacroix Born to a pair of unknown parents, Sabine Delacroix and her sister Sera's earliest memories were of an orphanage in the Capitol city of Artebois. Soon after, Sabine and Sera were adopted by Lucien Dassault, a widower, a veteran of the ongoing conflict and the current head of the Dassault Aerospace Core Worlds branch. As newly minted heirs, Sabine was afforded practically any and every luxury she could want for. The best things, tutors, schools and education available in the Core Worlds. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a young Sabine- like many a youth in these trying times, spent much of her formative years inundated by news and stories of the war, the heroic tales of larger-than-life Constellations fending off the Aberrants and the brave soldiers who supported them. Countless holo feeds of real-to-life superheroes riding into battle on the backs of the machines her father made, and the exciting and death defying feats they accomplished. From a young age, she was hooked. While possessing no otherworldly powers of her own, Sabine, like most Artebois natives, took great interest and pride in their burgeoning mech industry. She learned how to move a mech before she learned how to drive a car, and even among Artebois youths, she was a natural at it. By the age of 13, she was a test pilot on Dassault's production lines, and by 15- along with a the hefty backing of her father, was put into the Artebois Military Academy. The Academy was a hard adjustment for Sabine- while a gifted pilot and a decent academic, her instructors always found her a little difficult to control, a little too foolhardy and eager for a fight. Despite these setbacks, Sabine graduated from the Academy with high marks and was assigned her desired role: Pilot. The next several years would see Sabine deployed to various fronts along the Frontier Worlds, holding back the inexorable tide of Aberrants. She'd discover that, unlike the holos, the war against the Aberrants was not nearly as glamorous and exciting as she'd originally thought it to be. On her first sortie, half of her unit was destroyed, and she'd barely made it through her second sortie alive. The horrors of war broke the spirits of many rookies, but somehow Sabine managed to keep her sanity in spite of what she'd witnessed. She proved to be a natural, regarded as a top performing apprentice by her peers by the end of her first tour, and an ace by the end of her second. During her third tour of duty, Sabine would earn some noteriety for both her recklessness and her daring prowess. During the Siege of Cerol, a garden world in the frontier region, the planet came under surprise attack by a massive number of Aberrant forces. The sheer speed of the assault caught the MHA Fleet in orbit around the planet with their pants down, and a vicious fight ensued. During the opening stages of the battle, Sabine's squadron leader was shot down, along with their Constellation as they were overwhelmed by large numbers of Aberrant forces. Managing to rally the remains of her squadron, Sabine would regroup with another depleted squadron and their surviving Constellation and go on a counter offensive. Running out of ammunition in most of their weapons, the remaining pilots would scavenge the destroyed bodies of their comrades, using the cores within the mech husks as impromptu bombs to hurl into groups of Knights, managing to clear a path for the Constellation to assault the Bishop. Against the warnings of her squadmates, Sabine flew in the direction of the dying Bishop to extract the Constellation from the collapsing Aberrant and the remaining Knights around it. Though finishing the battle heavily injured, Sabine would earn a commendation of valor for her efforts. Now on her fourth tour of duty, Sabine brings her skills and devil-may-care attitude to the next front, kitted out with the latest in next-gen mech technology- courtesy of Dassault Aerospace. Home World [Planet Description] Arbetois is a boreal planet in the Serpent's Eye system in the heart of the Core Worlds. Artebois has overall cool temperatures, its warmest regions near the equator about on par to Earth's more temperate climates, with the vast majority of the planet featuring boreal or subartic climates. Depending on who is asked, Artebois is either 'blessed' or 'plagued' by both megafauna and megaflora in vast quantities, the forests of its northern and southern hemispheres filled with trees the size of buildings, with creatures and animals often reaching the size of vehicles or larger. Vast mountain ranges and gorges in the central areas of the planet allow for easier access to the planet's considerable natural resources. The vast majority of the planet's population centers are built within or nearby the equator belt, with more remote settlements hidden deep within the cold forests. The twin moons that orbit the planet are covered with all manner of factories and production plants, with only small amounts of industry still found on the planet proper these days. [Culture] Artebois holds history as one of the earlier Core Worlds to be settled when humanity began expanding beyond the Milky Way. Steeped in an old tradition of hunters and gatherers, from it's earliest days the people of Artebois utilized mechs to both clear the land of dense and titanic foliage and to hunt and defend themselves from massive beasts. As a result, it is not uncommon for denizens of the planet to be proficient- or at least familiar with the use of mechs. Unsurprisingly, Artebois attracted the interests of corporations and companies capable of building and maintaining these machines, eager to exploit the bounty of raw materials the planet held. Artebois- or more specifically it's moons are now one of the largest manufacturers of mechs and mech parts in the Core Systems. While the people nowadays put an emphasis on industry and manufacturing as opposed to their old hunter/gatherer ways, they still maintain a somewhat cautious respect for nature. Notable Contacts [Name] Sera Dassault-Delacroix [Relation to Subject] Sister [Analysis] The current Chief Engineer of the Dassault Aerospace R&D Division, for the Core Systems branch, and local company representative. Like her sister, Sera has always had an interest in mechs, though unlike Sabine who likes to fly them, Sera's interest lie more in the creation of them, and is a talented inventor and mechanic. She's constantly tinkering on equipment and is knowledgeable enough about even the most obscure models of mech to perform maintenance and repairs on them, though obviously she prefers to work with Dassault models. A large producer for the war effort, Dassault mechs make up almost 20% of all of the mechs seen on the frontlines, and have a reputation for reliability and performance. The current flagship design of Dassault is the versatile DTX-101 Chevalier, and its variants. Directly improving upon the Chevalier, Sera spearheaded the development and creation of the DTX-103 Wyverne, a next generation mech trooper and a marked improvement over the original frame, emphasizing mobility and striking power. Unfortunately, the Wyverne has been slow to mass adoption and currently only sees use with elite units, squadron leaders, and those with special privileges, on account of its rather high production costs. Sera was quite disappointed when Sabine 'took her baby' and promptly damaged it on its first sortie. Though she prefers solid land, Sera can make do with most available workspaces if given the time or resources. Though not military herself, she is currently attached to the same unit as her sister as a representative engineer from Dassault to maintain and gather combat performance data on Sabine's Wyverne.

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

we in here

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

Riley Everett | Rathello

Riley Everett /// Rathello

O V E R V I E W

_{N A M E}

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Riley Everett

_{A V A T A R}

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Rathello

_{A G E}

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24

_{G E N D E R}

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Male

_{A P P E A R A N C E}

---

Wiry and lithe, Riley had the build someone might have expected from an athlete, though it's clear that in the recent years his physique hasn't been nearly as well taken care of. While never particularly tall, Riley often appears deceptively shorter due to being more or less confined to his wheelchair. His left leg has been amputated below the knee, and while he wears a prosthetic most of the time, walking has still proved a challenge to him. Riley's dark brown hair has been dyed blonde, is regularly in an unkempt mess, and a scowl adorns his face near permanently. His skin is pale and the lack of sunshine has resulted in a rather dire vitamin D deficiency. He generally wears baggy clothes to hide his figure, but his fashion sense can be regarded as 'vaguely techwear'.

Rathello

In Tales of Endorath Riley chose the Firbolg race, regarded as both the smallest of the Giant-kin, and the largest of the available races in the game for players. Rathello stands in at about ten feet in height, with blued skin and hair. In a single word, Rathello is brawny. Large and imposing, Rathello very much plays to the idea of a giant turned adventurer. Rathello is dressed in much a typical fantasy adventurer, well maintained but patchwork pieces of leather, linen and steel. Riley is not particularly attached to any one piece of Rathello's appearance, and changes out gear and style as his tastes- and the equipment's stats, change.

_{P E R S O N A L I T Y}

---

According to friends and family, before the accident, Riley was a veritable ball of sunshine, gregarious, friendly, social and personable. Following the accident however, Riley has gotten considerably more sullen and irritable. Borderline antisocial, Riley is extremely quiet, and spends the bulk of his days indoors, avoiding communication with all but a few. Conversations he does have are widely regarded to be short, curt and argumentative. Due in part to his injury, Riley is insecure and avoids physical interactions when possible.

In stark contrast, Rathello acts very much like Riley did before his accident. Brave and bold, Rathello, while not part of a guild at current, is well reputed among raiding guilds as a reliable team player. Selfless and stalwart, Rathello will regularly throw himself into harms way for both party members and strangers in need. While generally more than happy to help when asked, Rathello has a habit of not exactly thinking things through and occasionally be a bit headstrong and stubborn. He's fairly competitive, and understands most of the games mechanics, but isn't quite as deep in as the no-lifers- though it's debatable how much of a life he has irl anyway. As a part of his own personal enjoyment, Rathello roleplays his character when interacting with NPCs, but generally talks like a gamer when dealing with other players.

_{B A C K G R O U N D}

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Riley grew up generally removed from the digital world. Born in Los Angeles before moving to the Chicago suburbs when he was 5. He was born the oldest of two, to an upper middle class family with plenty of access to resources. Riley took naturally to sports from a young age, joining various school teams as he was growing up. Well regarded as the prime example of a scholar-athlete, Riley did well in sports and school alike, earning himself a full ride to UChicago on a sports scholarship for soccer. While not destined for a career in professional sports, with no student debts to worry about, Riley was all but guaranteed a bright future.

The summer after his first year in college, Riley was struck on his way home by a drunk driver.

Riley woke up in the hospital to find himself with a broken leg, and a missing one. Due to complications with the injury, and the state he was found in, his left leg had gone septic and needed to be removed in order to save his life. He survived but spent the next several months in and out of the hospital.

While the accident itself didn't cause Riley to lose his scholarship, it did effect how he interacted with the world around him. He more or less closed himself off from everything. His friendships broke, his grades began to fall, his scholarship going away with it. Close to dropping out of school, it was only through a miracle that Riley managed to graduate, though not in his original field.

Now a graduate, stuck in a thankless, soulless job to pay off his student debts and medical bills, Riley found Tales of Endorath while trawling the internet and ended up buying himself a VR kit and copy of the game on impulse. The game quickly took over what parts of his life were available, and he immersed himself in the world so much different than his own, bleaker one. Riley spends more or less all of his free time when not at work or physical therapy in the game- though he does work from home, so sometimes he also spends his work hours in game as well.

A T T R I B U T E S

_{R O L E}

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Tank, secondary melee DPS

_{P R O F E S S I O N}

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Barbarian/Druid

_{W E A P O N O F C H O I C E}

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Gauntlets of the Storm Bear (Legendary) - Technically not a weapon, the Gauntlets of the Storm Bear are 1 of a 6 part 'Primal Guardians' druid set that Riley spent the better part of 3 months grinding for. While the gauntlets themselves can be used as unarmed weapons, infusing melee strikes with additional lightning damage, their primary ability allows druids to access the Storm Bear wildshape form.

In his Storm Bear form, Rathello has increased strength and defense, and massively increased health stats. The Storm Bear itself takes the shape of a giant bear with motifs of thunderbolts on its claws and a thundercloud like 'mane' of sorts around the neck. Its claw strikes are infused with lightning element and it can do thunder damage with a short ranged roar. While in this form, the Storm Bear is resistant to lightning damage, and while he can use class abilities, he cannot cast spells.

_{O T H E R E Q U I P M E N T}

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Belt of the Blade Wolf (Rare) - The Belt of the Blade Wolf is 1 of a 6 part 'Primal Guardians' set for druids. The belt itself passively boosts the user's movement speed by a small amount, but it's primary function is to unlock the Blade Wolf wildshape form for druids.

While in the Blade Wolf form, Rathello has increased speed and strength stats, and minorly increased health stats. The form itself takes the shape of a grey Dire Wolf gripping a greatsword in its jaws. The attack boost granted by this form is directly influenced by the user's currently equipped weapon, which is required to be a bladed weapon.

Orcsteel Greatsword - An uncommonly found drop from the Green Tide theme dungeon. Its attack stat is only marginally higher than that of a standard steel sword, but has considerably better durability stats.

Druidic Tattoo - Divine tattoos inscribed onto the arms to allow for Druidic spellcasting in place of a traditional focus like a staff or wand.

Traveller's Pack - A set of useful tools for those in the wild. Waterskin, climbing rope, pitons, and dried rations along with a small knife and bedroll.

Basic Health and Magic Potions - Small potions to restore health and MP respectively. Any good player never leaves town with at least a few.

_{M A G I C}

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Wildshape - Rathello's primary focus with his Druidic magic revolves around wildshaping. Rathello can transform into any beast-type creatures that he's defeated. While primarily used for combat, he can also use other forms for scouting, traveling, or even pranks. Rathello currently has access to 2 of the 6 Primal Guardian forms, though uses them sparingly due to their high MP cost and his comparatively low MP pool.

Basic Druidic Spellcasting - While not his primary focus, Rathello is capable of low level druidic magic. He can promote the growth of plants, create acid claws and conjure thorn traps, as well as create small sparks of fire or shift small amounts of earth.

_{O T H E R S K I L L S}

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Frenzied Rage - Rathello's primary combat skill allows him to enter a Barbarian Rage. While in his Rage state, Rathello's attack, defense, and speed stats drastically increase and he is immune to status effects such as fear, charm or exhaustion, but he cannot cast spells. While Rathello can tell the difference between friend and foe, while in this state he cannot prioritize enemies and must target the nearest foe within sight.

Power Strike - As simple as it sounds. Use a small amount of MP to make an attack with increased damage.

Unarmed Expertise - While his class is capable of wielding weapons of all types, Rathello has specialized with unarmed and natural weapons.

Keen Perception - A must for frontliners and raid leaders, Rathello is well practiced in spotting traps and ambushes, and has a natural sense attuned to incoming danger

Outdoor Survivalist - As an adventurer style player who often journeys far from towns, being able to navigate and survive in the wilderness is a must. Rathello knows how to hunt and forage as necessary to help keep himself and his party alive

Natural Bulk - In TOE there are two main ways to tank- Soak and Dodge. Rathello subscribes to the former. As his combination of classes limit the amount and types of armor he's allowed to wear, Rathello instead focuses on having a massive HP pool to tank incoming damage.

Intimidating Pressence - While not nearly as useful in PvP combat, in PvE Rathello is able to draw rather large amounts of enemy aggro, often forcing enemies to focus on him instead of his party members. When interacting with NPCs, when necessary Rathello can use the force of threat to influence them.

Wildspeak - Rathello can communicate with most Beast Type creatures, though his low charisma stats often relegate his communication and requests to simple or basic questions or commands.

Permanent Lockpicking - A literally brute force method of opening locked things. Rathello can usually smash open doors, chests, or any other method of preventing someone from accessing something. Usually with mixed results, and ineffective against magic.

_{R O U G H V I R T U A L H I S T O R Y}

---

Rathello has been in Tales of Endorath for almost two years now. Initially Riley spent almost no time at all in character creation, picking Firbolg 'because it was the biggest' and Barbarian 'because it was the biggest'. With little care for any of the backstory or world building portions of the game, Riley threw himself into the game because he was bored and had nothing else to do. He spent the first couple hours of the game walking around. 6 hours later, he realized he loved he game. He spent some money on a character appearance change token and tried began to replay the game in earnest.

Since then he's run the gamut: solo dungeons, party raids, field bosses, even the occasional RP session in towns, quickly jumping up in levels and the global ranking. Often questing, Rathello finds little joy in any of the 'professions' people can do with their downtime in town. More often than not Rathello is often seen spending his downtime just, walking. Always a pretty good guy with numbers, Rathello balances the number crunching and optimization with the desire to keep a 'theme' to his character.

To the TOE community, Rathello has earned a reputation for a bold, yet reliable tank, readily jumping into party dungeons and raids with whomever wants to go. He's been scouted by a number of the main raiding guilds, but for the moment seems to enjoy the freedom as a 'free agent'. Nevertheless, he's formed many connections with members of these guilds and has a stellar reputation as the goto sub/backup when a guild's main tank is busy for some reason or another.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Galahad Caradoc

&

Rudolf Sagramore

---

The next few days had been a whirlwind of activity- most of it struggling to get back to Kugane in one piece, but they’d managed to make it back, beaten but not broken. It was a bit embarrassing really, to have left with such cavalier bravado, only to return with little to nothing to show for it, save for their injuries. The knowledge the High Caretaker granted them at the very least let them know they were generally on the right track, and as Hein had noted, of the three remaining stones, Drana Asnaeu’s was the most at risk.

For the moment they were given the chance to rest and recuperate, though for Galahad the days had been anything but restful. Organizing supplies, requesting repairs for their equipment- without getting caught by Valheim, heated discussions regarding next steps and policies, training, restless pacing, if anything Galahad felt more on edge than usual.

In the evening, Galahad found himself with a surprising amount of free time for once, and didn’t know what to do with himself. He’d resigned himself to another evening of restless pacing, and had only just started when he noticed he’d passed by Rudolf’s room, they’d all been spread out around the building, so finding each other’s rooms often felt like navigating a maze. Right. In all the movement and chaos, Galahad had almost forgotten that he had much to ask the young warrior about.

There were a quick three raps on the wooden frame of Rudolf’s door. ”Rudolf. It’s Galahad. May we speak?”

Not fully hidden by the thin walls of Osprean interior architecture came the sound of a heavy, likely full-bodied exhalation— possibly mixed with a groan. The young man had evidently been expecting this, reasonably enough, but far from looking forward to it. Whether or not he’d realized the reaction was audible, the muffled footsteps a moment later proved he knew better than to try and feign his absence.

With a faint creak, the door was pulled open, revealing the scrawny swordsman the dragoon had summoned, roll of parchment in one hand, with inkwell and quill carefully tucked off into a corner of the room behind him, watched over stalwartly by an ascending procession of seven blades in total. Nearby, the more familiar acids, oil, whestones, and the like sat in a less pointedly organized sprawl, ubiquitously Edreni examples of each, but the project clearly being abandoned. The pair of swords they had set upon, his main armaments, were still visibly in rough shape after trading blows with the Revenant.

On his face, his dismay had been carefully shoved down to concern, only a slight pull at the edges of his attentive expression. Whatever the truth was, he clearly intended to present it all politely, and approach at an even keel, not straying far from what he’d been like before they’d left on that ill-fated expedition.

“I’m here. What’s up?”

Perhaps unintentionally, or as a result of his natural perception, Galahad couldn’t help but shift his head slightly as he noticed the small mess within the room. The red wax of the Demet family seal wasn’t quite nearly as well hidden as Rudolf had perhaps intended. Galahad’s eyebrow raised as he glanced back at Rudolf, a mixture of surprise and curiosity on his face, nearing on suspicion, but not quite, at least not outright.

”Walk with me for a moment.” Galahad said plainly. Though his voice wasn’t unkind, it was also obviously not a request, as he gestured for Rudolf to follow him, turning lightly on his heel as he headed towards the house’s inner courtyard, his eyes glancing up towards the skies as they moved towards the open air.

”Are you familiar with the Demets as well?” Galahad remarked offhandedly, ”It’s been years at this point, but I’d met Earl Cadmon, and his eldest- Wulfric, some years ago. A tournament of some sort, when we were younger, about your age if I remember correctly. Are they well?”

”The Demets?” Rudolf asked, parroted really, as he loosed a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding since dutifully following the finest dragoon of the generation out. Following his gaze up, he noted clear skies. ”Ah, the seal on the missive. They sound well enough.”

The finest dragoon of the generation, looking skyward. While he didn’t sense any threatening intent the way Eve’d quickly displayed on the dunes from the Caradoc scion, nor any weapons on his person, that wasn’t a detail he was just going to ignore.

Luckily, this was nowhere near the same line of questioning, nor worst-case scenario. Even in the light of what the head of the mentioned house had told him regarding his identity, this was still nestled within the realm of safety. Immediately, he could apply a lesson embedded in the text.

”I’ve been instructed to keep the Earl in the loop regarding what we’ve discovered, once I linked up with Kirin. Sagramore does technically fall under his jurisdiction, even if he prefers to keep things hands-off that close to the heartland. With the gravity of the Blight and Valheim, I imagine my being here close enough to his responsibility to change that, somewhat— plus, he’s keen on consulting that big ol’ archive of his.”

Lies worked best, after all, when couched within the broader truth.

He nodded, before offering the older man a crooked smirk.

”I hadn’t known you’d met, they’re real far from Midgar. Would have expected Eliane, maybe, out of any of us. A tournament, huh…”

A shame he’d have been so young at that point in time. Wulf and Galahad must have been a real barnburner of a match— and even if they hadn’t, the fiery, brawny redhead ought to have made for a hell of a counterpart to the coolheaded, crisp gallantry the dragoon wore like a cloak just in conversation. Really, seeing them in the same room sounded like a hell of a time.

”Should I append your well-wishes to the end of my report before I send it off?”

That would definitely earn him a pageful from the scholar lord.

Galahad was quiet for a moment, glancing intently at the young swordsman, as if he were waiting for Rudolf to amend his statement- or just regarding the young man. Galahad was curious as to why Demet might have had one of Sagramore ride out to meet with the Kirins- or who instructed Rudolf to begin writing communiques to the Demets, but nothing screamed dangerous to Galahad, at least not compared to why he’d originally brought Rudolf out.

”Balmung is about in the middle of us. I saw them maybe once a year or so- at least before the war.” the dragoon gave a small snort, ”Ah, why not. I’d bet Wulf would enjoy hearing of my woes. Though the last thing I need is the braggart sending smug letters to me next.”

”‘Galahad says hi’, then.”

Galahad couldn’t help but chuckle mirthlessly to himself for a while, but the laughter faded as he turned back to Rudolf. The casually calm demeanor slowly replaced with a more serious look as he turned to fully face the young swordsman in the dim courtyard.

Well, it was hopeful of me.

”Onto more serious matters.” He sighed. ”Firstly, I owe you an apology. I’d meant to check up on you earlier, but with the chaos and how hectic our last few days have been, I’ve been unable to.”

“I’m sure more than one of the others have already asked you about it, but I need to hear it from you. During the fight with Izayoi’s old master. The shadows, the blackfire, something about it felt wrong. In the end, it saved us, so I thank you for that. If we were just another group of mercenaries, I’d leave well enough alone. But for better or worse, I find myself at the head of a party expected to save our world. The responsibility for the others’ safety ultimately falls to me. So I’ll ask you frankly. What was that?”

Rudolf inclined his head deferentially, studying the ground between them. He couldn’t protest any of these points, just as he couldn’t when Eve had taken him to task a few nights ago. If anything, these were even worse for him, driving home the responsibility he was running from, forcing others to take on.
His eyes still low, he opened a pouch on the belt, reaching inside. His movements weren’t slow, but they weren’t sudden either— the last thing he needed now was to even remotely look like he was drawing a hidden dagger when his counterpart had the courtesy to leave his Wyrmfang at home.

From it, he produced a green-black orb, seemingly made from glass, and held it aloft. A fellow warrior from Edren, Galahad was doubtlessly familiar with the low, thrumming undertone of compressed mana in the palm, feeding vibration back into his skin like being near live current.

He said the specific elements felt wrong. Rudolf wondered. Had he not bet properly on the arcane sense or education of his more martial compatriots? Or… had Eve decided she couldn’t abide the secrecy he’d asked of her? She seemed to have a budding friendship with the dragoon beneath her stoicism, for all the irony of it. If Sir Galahad thought she knew something and asked about it, who would sway her more between the two of them?

”I carry Shield Materia with me, for when things get worse than my ability can pull me out of. I’ve never learned any specifics of the creation process compared to other types, but I understand it’s pretty rare to come across. You won’t see it cast terribly often, in any instance. Even the naturalborn spell has a pretty terrible cost.”

Galahad was no fool. He couldn’t just throw smoke over the field and say everything within was as good as gone, the man would have gotten them killed thrice over if he wasn’t too perceptive for it.

Even so.

He looked him in the eyes, finally, his courage shored up by the framing to the point where he didn’t think he’d wilt.

”Have you seen it in action before?”

”Yes.” came the near instant reply.

Thought so.

The dragoon's arms crossed, his eyes narrowed, regarding Rudolf with a stare hard enough to pierce dragon scales. While certainly a rare materia, Galahad had spent the last 3 years of the war hunting officers, mages and other targets of value. The shield spell looked different from person to person, but he'd never seen it form like that. To be fair, he couldn't be certain that what Rudolf had cast wasn't the shield spell- but he certainly had his suspicions. It didn't feel like regular magic, what Rudolf had done. The way the skies darkened as though the light around them was being sucked away and into him.

Rudolf stiffened, a jolt through the spine as Galahad’s gaze skewered him, like so many dragons. His breath seemed to hitch. Only perceptible to the keen warrior’s eyes, the orb in his hand seemed to waver.

”I'll only ask this once.” Galahad sighed, oddly feeling a bit older than he’d liked to admit. ”Would you like to amend your answer?”

”Only in that you can consider it similarly. Right down to the limits. A last resort. If you forced my hand with it now, put me in the same situation, I’d be as good as dead, alongside Izayoi.” He replied, pocketing the materia once more. He wasn’t so stubborn, or disrespectful, as to try and sell that lie to someone that had seen the real thing, but Galahad’s primary concern was the safety of the party, as he’d said prior. Certain truths were off-limits. Certain others were bad, but… survivable, framed this way.

If he could guarantee that much, he might be able to avoid revealing the real nature of his great mistake. Of admitting that he’d made a deal with something so similar, possibly even of a kind, with their existential enemy.

”I can tell you that, and that the toll it exacts is directly on me. Nobody else.” he stressed, an opaque conviction in his voice. Perhaps he wasn’t appealing solely to Galahad. ”Those are the important mechanics of it.”

The dragoon shut his eyes for a moment, pondering what possible outcomes there could be in his head. In some ways, these past few days felt more like military service than an adventuring party- threat assessments and risk management. Galahad was not much a fan of the unknown, but they weren’t exactly flush with assets, and Rudolf was of more use with the party. He let out a tired sigh, a pair of fingers massaging his temple, and nodded.

”Very well. We’ll leave it at that then.” Galahad agreed quietly. ”Though, the moment it is no longer within your control, or when it starts to become a problem, I expect you to inform me. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it then. Preferably, before it blows up in our faces. Understand?”

A relieved sigh saw the boy almost go slack before him. He had his head down again, as if he could dig into the grass with his gaze alone.

”Of course. Of course. Thank you. I won’t undercut your good faith. I won’t let you down for keeping me on.”

As Galahad took his leave, Rudolf remained in the courtyard for a time, letting everything that had transpired stew.

He took a seat, slowly letting himself down so as to not slump— he didn’t know why. Appearances seemed like the last thing he ought to have been concerned with. His heart had been hammering since Galahad’s eyes had met his. There was a pit in his stomach, something like a lead ball. And this was the second time he’d been under the lens, so much calmer than Eve’s— there, he’d felt like he’d run a marathon by the end.

Eve… was a creation of Valheim. Open with what she was from the jump, and still accepted readily into their ranks. She’d proven her intent time and time again, and hadn’t been questioned once. He certainly didn’t question it. Or Esben! Esben was bluntly saying he was a foreign agent, serving Skael’s needs first, and had still just gotten by because he was useful, helpful, and his goals at least aligned. Again, even he liked the guy, in the middle of saying all this! Did he need to go through the fear of being uncovered, time and again? Was he digging his own grave with his secrecy, seeing what was accepted?

”Hhhhhhhgh.” he sighed, breathing thick with a swirling emotion. No. He knew what happened. The two of them might have earned some caution by scrutinous eyes, but he had made a deal with the devil. He had chosen something that damn well might have been blight. “Survivable truths”, his ass. Once one thread frayed, you could keep pulling at it and it’d all unravel in time.

The very first thing his father taught him.

God dammit.

…All just to soothe his bruised ego. He couldn’t admit that. He couldn’t tell them he was such a petty, tiny, cowardly thing.

God dammit. Stupid fucking kid.

If he could turn his back on the light they sought for that little, what were they supposed to think?

…

Whether Galahad’s concerns were founded or not, he couldn’t say for sure. He had reason to believe they were safe on those specific fronts, given how long he’d lived with this…

But one thing was certain, as he brought a hand up to his brow, and tried to push his brain into the palm.

I’m not gonna be able to keep this charade up much longer.

The Things We Fight For, A Science Fantasy Space Opera

Lurking