Ambduscias

john ted II vimmark staunton horen pens a note with his telekinetic powers "do you sell windswept staves?"

what do you think keepers are

telekinesis except not telekinesis?

i actually hate you the formatting for this post is disgusting and your choice of colour is subpar. fix it, kid ....

Mcname(s): Pando_ Why he/she is blacklisted: Poor villainy RP, road camping - straight to PVP default RP. Conditions of blacklist: Repealed w/out appeal on 2/25/17, with good behavior. May be appealed directly to Ambduscias earlier.

Mcname(s): Dewlox Why he/she is blacklisted: Poor villainy RP, road camping - straight to PVP default RP and an earlier incident involving no RP killing. Conditions of blacklist: Repealed w/out appeal on 2/25/17, with good behavior. Can be appealed beforehand.

it just seems entirely unnecessary

Horrific evocations in this refer to horrific Straatosian horrors, which have some distinctive differences to the run of the mill beast; many from the plane of Straatos are stereotypically eldritch in appearance, than say, the Celestial "voidal horrors" which can be any variety of warped creature(?) as I understand. Many of these are sentient (w/ some variety of agenda or emotion) and need not entirely cooperate with their masters goals and plans. I don't intend (currently) for these to be playable by anyone besides ET/LT, but there is a fairly wide span of difference between the two as it stands. Wasn't the intent (on my part), but that's how it goes. Arcane works fine on their normal flesh though it's blunt force would do little to the Strellic composition that makes up most of their later-end mutations.

It would be possible, but they'd need to discuss it w/ an LT member and myself/Phil. Have a plan in mind as to how it can be introduced in roleplay via events, though I originally intended to run those myself.

Introduction: "O flora, of the moon, of the dream. O little ones, O fleeting will of the ancients... Let the hunter be safe, let him(her) find comfort. And let this dream, his(her) captor... foretell a pleasant awakening... be, one day, a fond, distant memory..." -- The Mad Harian Scarce little provided comfort to the soul, entrapped between two divides; a bifurcation in which body and mind found itself a pale subversion of what once was, left only a dire parody of what was once man, now beast. Minds churned and neurons fired, synapses screaming - yet no respite came, as the last appearances of free will found themselves burned free; this is not to imply that man were ever free. All serve as slaves, behooved to serve the intents of terribly alien creatures with intents indescribable; one may see them as monster, or as GOD almighty, yet all bent to the whims of the veil, and as fate has is so disposed, churns forwards the inevitable reunion with unreality. Such was life. Yet, ever still, a disquiet came to some; why should Man serve unknowing? Even he, the suffering Harian made martyr, plead and wept tears of putrid bile and diluted fluids; when their embrace was made upon him, his eyes laid upon the inevitable, lucid truth -- yet he would find no remorse as his want for skin and augmentation corroded his body-- twisting mind and form. He was lost, fallen to the extraterrestrials and their lulling rhetoric. The sufferer wrote tales and logics of his findings, of his journey before he ultimately vanished. Brazen man and elf, in an expedition, uncovered the lost home, and found these tomes. They took the knowledge, applying it as they too, would soon fall to the eldritch hunger. Excessive extrapolation and deep lore: "Unending death awaits those who pry into the unknown, for even death can truly die." Insurmountable woe claimed the hearts of the feeble; the realizations needed and the alien nature of such caused even those with strong stomach to turn green and shaken long before they reached their Truth. With their truth came unstable thoughts and inconstant obsessions, oft maintaining no sense of social delicacy; that portion of their mind has been turned, used for greater purposes. Idolation in its purest form brought sanctity and wholeness, forging a brink between the seen and unseen; the space between spaces, so to speak, where the looming horror of unreality and the clawing of the veil gnawed at what they Knew to be true in their hearts, and what their opened eyes saw of the world they resided within. The connection was a tumultuous one at its finest hour; when a man reached beyond his world and to the next, they found that the consistency of the barriers that maintained the veil varied greatly in constancy. Lo, however - He, the Sufferer With No Mouth, paved the way for his progeny with one fell swoop; should the world refuse to permit love between Man and the antediluvian horrors that lay beyond their eyes, they would tear it asunder. Great obelisks scarred alien Hellscapes, where there was no life but IT. Pulsating masses of flesh and unreality undulated as if breathing, spreading its’ corruption and turning what was once land to something unfamiliar. Each served not only to strengthen The Progeny, but to weaken the veil between worlds and the squirming horrors that sought their freedom. Not even He, The Watcher From Beyond The Light Of The Stars, could cease this taint, as horrific as it were; their beautiful unreality, tainted, drawn into the realm where the Young Gods ruled. Yet still, the power ebbed and waned. Where there once was walls, only debris remained; dying vestiges of an earthly atmosphere, so The Mouth That Could Not Scream provided to his own. Yet more, more, and more; the Mouth That Could Not Scream fed and produced from his own flesh a power more potent then all that came before. It was dubbed the EIDOLON, an amplifier of their own power to which the fabric of their powers was bound; if one were to paraphrase, the incalculable horrors that lay beyond perception served as a signal - the Monolith, their Tower, and the Eidolon, their amplifier. Each of it’s own accord was a beautiful act of sacrilege and vile deeds, yet together it formed something insurmountable; an intrepid amalgamation of what was, what is, and what will be - yet one could not function without the other, far from the vast reaches of their home. In hand, the power lay; their GOD, omnipotent and omnipresent, may reach across and direct his Love and Power; his children, bound and spawned anew in this once-virgin world, his arms used to seize and rend the bones and squeeze the life from living and dead. Powers with which they would use to gather the Dregs which their strength was built upon, and to further appease their Great Master. Yet with great power came greater trauma. The collected life, relinquished unto their Holy Fathers, was a measure of obeisance so devout that their loving Guardians provided them rather substantial reward. Antediluvian secrets of Uncreation and Unbirth were bestowed unto Them, and They, the chosen sons, made their own progeny; this parody of existence subsumed the Mortal Coil and made it something akin to the First. The interpretation and use of this power was varied; some made their bodies whole again, strong and made of thick bones and muscle with short-form infusions of energy. Others sought to turn others into playthings of their Kindly Masters, the First. Arcane held no bounds as unreality would soon warp and twist even the most kindred practice. The voidal use able to be tapped into, and bring about warped qualities. Evokers would find their magic wrought with eldritch malformations, wispy tendrils and ravenous maws forming ‘long gas and solid. Good alterationists found their magic fall to the Voracious Eater, festering stratum and corruption with its touch, forming mutations much like the evoker. The trickster would found that trickery leads to mania-- the illusionist’s strength is with the Eldritch Truth-- penetrating and stimulating with the Warlock’s ungodly strength. In tandem, they are to be reckoned with, although time is of the essence to all casters, and while tapping into the power of unreality, one may find themselves in harm. Abilities: Erecting a Monolith is the first of the abilities, using the strellic power to saturate and imbue a massive statue, or stone to make it appear alien and twisted, yet brimming with exotic power.This innate power allows the Warlock to form something akin to a connection with the Straatos bound horror, granting them the ability to use their eldritch boons. Once the Monolith is erected, it appears to corrode the land, but the longer the Warlock draws from it, the more corroded and alien the land will become, typically sporting tendrils and hostile creature to none warlocks. A good analogy would be like a Radio Tower, signalling the Horror’s influence to the caster, and the closer one is to their respective monoliths, the stronger in they become. The downside of this boon falls upon the length they tread from their monolith, becoming weaker and weaker to the point of uselessness, having the Warlock rely on a device to amplify the connect, an Idol. Strel: The alien energy dubbed “Strel” is a force which originates on the celestial body in Creation known as Straatos, where the Straatosians, or Strellic Voidal Horrors, reside imprisoned. Strel itself is not a form of power which had come about as a result of their imprisonment or immediate presence on the desolate “planet”, but rather something the Straatosians had formed themselves. The timeless, maddening Strellic Horrors, whom invaded the universe of Creation with the ravenous desire to dismantle it and return it to the Void, forged the essence of Strel after having sensed and “studied” the mortal-world-native quintessence known as Lifeforce, and designed it in a manner where it would become the absolute antithesis of Lifeforce, and therefore all corporeal life. Whereas Lifeforce is embodied by a peaceful, ever-cycling black mist that allows for all things to live organically, Strel is embodied as a sickly iridescent smog in its raw form, and once hinged upon Lifeforce, which it is inherently designed to devour and destroy, it becomes a terrible, unnatural flame of ill green visage. It was the vision of the Straatosians to concoct a power which stood to annihilate the very core creations of the lost Creator, and thus they shaped Strel from malice and the chaos known only in the Void in order to realize such a power. In this, one may surmise that Strel is indeed the most unholy and antithetical form of arcane power ever to be conceived in the Creator’s order-bound cosmos. The Idol: A peculiar creation used to amplify the connection with the horror. This object has the sole purpose of being the relay point for the Horror’s power, allowing the Warlock to use their advanced abilities as well as make some of the not-so advanced and innate abilities more beneficial. The Idol itself is created in a similar fashion to the monolith, though requiring something more than just embedding strellic energies, requiring a specific incantation to be heard, commanding the strell to work its eldritch powers, and by doing so it twists the idol into something ever so alien. Without the idol in close proximity, it limits the warlock to few spells, and will require them to make a new one lest they are near their monolith. Strellic Drain: The drain is one of the innate ability a Warlock has at his/her disposal, able to grasp upon life energies and convert it into Strel. This may be stored as a temporary energy or in physical dregs of life force; strel drain does not serve as a particularly potent weapon, as it requires physical nearness, however with the idol, the Warlock may find their physical prowess increase, albeit briefly as the strellic energies course through and rejuvenate them. Strellic/Strellian Fire: Derived from the reaction of Strel coming in contact with Lifeforce, Strellian Flame is a “spell” which Warlocks may conjure by sacrificing either their own Lifeforce to Strel which inhabits their body, or Lifeforce which they’ve drawn from organic matter or beings around them. This utterly tainted fire seems to mimic the nature of flame, leaving rotted blackness where it lays impact and subsisting if not extinguished; it latches onto lifeforce and continually devours till it is extinguished, but the only fuel it recognizes is life itself. Warlocks, through igniting Strellian Fire, can hurl it forth at their enemies in aesthetically varied yet generally flamelike strikes/balls which do not seem to exude a concussive force upon impact. Experienced Warlocks are capable of casting streams of this terrible power from their very hands, but this means to feed Lifeforce into the stream itself, which means it can be very taxing and damaging to their corporeal being. The nature of Strellic Fire allows it to target those even beyond the natural scope of life. Even undead beings who carry meagre sums of Lifeforce within themselves in order to exist on the very brink of life suffer the burns of Strel’s flame, for it is a fire that ravenously tears into flesh and sinew and bone, devouring all Lifeforce that it finds. This enables Warlocks to be adversaries of most beings upon the mortal world, for their terrible power knows no boundaries by morality, and seeks life in all forms out like an insatiable beast. However, unlike holy flame which gnaws upon tainted creatures without relent, Strellian Fire continues its deep mimicry of regular flame by being able to be put out with enough effort, or by applying excess of water where it rages. Healing: [this is to account for the lack of natural regeneration; this process is not useful in combat and can be interrupted with an attack, nor can it be used on others] Through draining, their strellic energy will course through them already doing incredibly minor healing to allow the temporary strength a drain procures to bring little harm to the body, should the idol be on hand. There is more this power can do, with a connection to oneself, a sacrifice of vitality will reckon a healing factor that can close up wounds. To note, the more life energy is sacrificed, the larger the effect of healing-- a life for a life as they say. Strel Projectiles: Strellian Fire itself is defined as the unbridled, “powered” form of natural Strel essence, ignited by the consumption of Lifeforce. However, that power is not honed and left to take sporadic, flamelike shape, so by condensing and focusing the violent energies, a Warlock is capable of conjuring a spell where they may cast a projectile, whether a singular “beam” or trailing missile, toward a target with moderate precision. Because these projectiles are condensed and honed, discarded of flamelike properties, the impact they create does not incite the victim catching aflame, but rather the effect of the area where struck forming a flesh-eating, decaying wound. Like Strellian Fire, these missiles do not carry a concussive force, and thus it is the agony and poison applied to the victim that lends this power it’s credibility. This spell is best used against those who not adorn heavy armor such a plate. At their peak, Strellic Projectiles can tear through chainmail shirts or leather to reach flesh, but fares very poorly against metal armaments, making it easily countered by armor or shields. Horrific Evocation: Woe for the soul who witnessed the Progenitors in their truest form. Power at its truest form, and one of the more trademarked abilities of a Warlock is able to open a pathway to the never-never, able to unleash horrific sights and beings into the world. The Idol is required for this as well as enough strellic energies. This ability allows the conjuration of lesser, ghoulish horrors, and the evocation of a Horror’s parts, it was not uncommon for a Warlock to evoke a gaping maw, slimy tendril, or a twisted claw. It is of note, these extensions can be harmed, and felled by the competent, or experienced minds. Flesh mutations/Splicing Wretched by the foul Warlocks’s mind, for they seek ways to augment themselves. Lo and behold the Horror’s power, the strellic influence which allows horrid mutations of the body that can act as boons in combat. The sights are twisted and truly maddening as they scrap their once selves to become something that is no longer descendant, rather- a monster in fleshy form. The mutations are not limited, and can range from a tendril for an arm, or using fleshy scraps to hide other mutations, giving something of a normal appearance while so. The mutations are not limited to the caster, and can be used on mortal man (requiring their OOC consent) and animals, albeit at a price. The actual process of making mutations are long, far too long to be done in combat, and on top of that-- mutations are costly, requiring a sum of strell to morph and twist bodies, mayhaps even flesh and other matter outside of the caster. Eldritch Mutations: Imbuing alien qualities onto objects. The process of incubating these qualities require the mass connection of strellic energy and trying to fill and saturate the object with it. Once incubated, the alien qualities begin to sprout. An example of an eldritch mutation would be a tendril imbued stave, used for grappling and whipping opponents. The process of making these mutations are heavily time consuming, and unlikely to be used in combat. At any tier, one can learn this ability. Rituals: These rituals are bound under lock and key, the secrets kept to the upper echelons of the Warlocks, doing most of these rituals will require the Idol, and some will even require the use of a monolith or other Warlocks. *Imbuing: Effectively granting an object Strel taking and Strel storing properties. *Strellic Corruption: Corrupting land, making it appear Alien. Communing: Speaking with the Horror Progression: “The Flesh is willing.” Geviyrk, The Mouth That Feeds To first connect one with their Horror, a ritual is required-- a communion that will have the Horror make a pact with their Warlock. Much like the unreality of the Straatos bound Horrors, the progression of this magic is odd. Instead of time, it is dictated by the more Strel they acquire, although other Warlocks can help with acquiring such. The other hand leads to one simply waiting it out, following the same time frame as most magics. Many of these available at the tier prior, but wildly untrained and ineffective. For example, a beginner may form crude and slow projectiles; a journeyman may conjure forth smaller Horror Evocations, at a rate not suitable for combat. Beginner: With the first step bridged between reality and what lay beyond, the man has the responsibility to serve; his patron educates him on the nature of the creation of the MONOLITH, and his forever scarred body gains the ability to sap the life from their surroundings. To advance from this tier, if one disregards time, they must collect lifeforce equivalent to that of twelve fresh corpses and offer the dregs to their Monolith through which it’s grasp on reality will grow more powerful. (must contact Lore-Holders with screenshots of the 20 post-conflict screenshots; alternatively, an LM provided w/ screenshots for the ritual.) Journeyman: With time comes understanding. The scarce vestiges of knowledge find themselves imbued in the minds of mortal men become more prominent within the backs of their minds, as if a once-locked truth became eminent. And with it, the manipulation and process of converting Lifeforce to Strel-force becomes possible. Manipulation of fell energies becomes possible, and the phenomenons known as Strel-flame (not to imply it must necessarily appear as if flame) and projectiles composed of the substance. On top of that, a Journeyman can now make eldritch mutations. To bypass this stage, lifeforce equivalent to twenty five entities (with accompanying OOC proof) must be sewn about the monolith. Experienced: Horrific Evo, Flesh Mutations Nigh gone is the difference between man and master by this time. He who was once a descendant takes more wholly on the features of his master, and will very frequently homogenize to their perception of the entity that lay beyond. With this level of experience and communion, the man may bend the fabric of what is real and bring material substance to the concepts of their master; such as long, spiraling tendrils or elongated mouths protruding from the earth or walls and turning the immaterial into fleshy, human substances. Further comes their ability to intentionally subvert their forms (and the forms of others), via a rather bizarre set of semi-rituals conducted beneath the feet of their Monolith. To bypass this stage, lifeforce equivalent to thirty entities (with accompanying OOC proof) must be sewn about the monolith. Adept-Master: Rituals. On Mutations: “Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.” The Voracious Eater’s reflections on the corruption of Mortals Nothing is more pervasive than change; it is change that wears away the rock face and leaves desert, it is change that makes the sun rotate in the skies above, and change which makes a boy into a man. It’s touch is entropic and universal, one of the many facets of reality that cannot be so easily avoided. And so, we speak of the horror that Man may become; through ritualistic sacrifice of Lifeforce and communion, much of the raw energy of the void may be dispersed throughout a man. It will twist and break his mind before his body, corrupting the fundamental fiber of their being in exchange for strength both literal and metaphysical. Each increases their anchor to the Unreality they so love and desire to display to all. (excessively long list of pre-approved mutations. others may be used with LH/LT permission.) Casting time: Strellic Drain is a slow process which initiates on the second emote and may slowly sap away lifeforce. In a combative sense it will require near contact and attachment for 6-8 turns; the tier of the Warlock does not effect the speed of Strellic Manipulation, but rather the heartiness of the individual with age and size taken into the equation. It will never be below 5, and that would be for the near-death and sickly. The Strel Flame takes roughly four turns to conjure and loose. At (equivalent of tier 3) strength, the amount of time required is equivalent to 3 turns. Horrific Evocation is a beast of it’s own. Without the Eidolon, the time requires (20 OOC minutes) to weaken the barrier and bring forth the limbs and weapons of their progenitors. With an Eidolon in hand, they may accomplish it between four to six turns (when at higher skill levels). Making mutations, Communions, and Rituals may not be performed in combat. Downsides: To sustain any variety of strength, they must continually subsume an excess of natural energies. The nature of which and the strength of their mutations is not afflicted with this hunger. Unless near to their Monolith, spells aside from Strellic manipulation require an Eidolon in hand. Even those require a great deal of time and preparation to properly utilise, and will rarely be easy on the body. The Warlock is ailed by all manners of impurity; all the Holy Magics serve as suitable weapons against them, able to temporarily interfere with their connection to Straatos and the Veil that lay beyond. They are afflicted with a systemic corruption that leaves them ever-further vulnerable to Diefic magic, even if they sever their binds to Straatos. Their body may rot away and break down should they fail to keep the Eidolon near; wounds will weep puss and blood, their muscles will ache, and their minds will be brought ever nearer to the hum of oblivion Anti-magic is an enemy of the Warlock, dissolving the magic which urges the strellic energies to set in motion as is the knowing alterationist. While they are able to destroy such thing as the horrific evocations, drain, and fel based attacks, their power holds no sway over the horrid mutations a strellic warlock may have. Their minds are wracked by fear, and the byproducts of their impossible union with what should not be. Many take this on in the form of ‘quirks,’ in which one man may take on a psychosis - another may grow paranoid or irate, but all are affected by mental decay. This magic takes up two magic slots. The Warlock may not connect to any deific entities; even once dropped, the taint of the Far Side remains thick in the foundations of their being. The Aengudaemons’ hatred for the Straatosian horrors is great, and so, they shall never be afforded mercy from their cold judgement. Redlines:: The mutations are mostly incurable with some exceptions, and nigh impossible to disguise without intensive flesh shaping. A Warlock may never take up a deity magic after they establish their connection to the outer realm. The taint to their magic affords them no extra power. All are equivalent and should keep to the original red lines of their magic, albeit with a dessicated and unnatural appearance. The only conditional exception to this is the flesh/living alterations that afflict whatever they warp. Without an Eidolon or proximity to the Monolith, the casting becomes exceptionally slow (with the exception of strel-abilities, which are 1-2 emotes longer than the norm.) The majority of spells may not be used in combat. Summoning may not bring higher tier Voidal Horrors into the world. Terrors & Horrors are the norm unless there is a party cooperating to do otherwise, which will require LT supervision & an OK from the current LT head. Communing with one of the Straatos locked horrors will require LT supervision as well as the LT playing the Horror. The healing may not be used in combat and may be interrupted by physical combat. Credits: a sneak peek on the inside of straatos and the content you'll be seeing

The Free Company of Caer Ostwick The Free Company are employed mercenaries and vaguely dedicated agents and guards of the Province and receive board, pay per Saints’ Week, and the equipment desired. They serve Baron Arthur Reginald Vimmark in both war and peace, as soldiers or guards. They are expected to keep up in training and be loyal regardless of birth or origin; as long as they do, they will be paid well and fully. They are armed with the best equipment the Province can provide, operating in small groups with Medesculor-Rifles and functioning as individual agents and capable skirmishers. Many of them see themselves as mercenaries rather than dedicated agents of the House Vimmark, albeit well treated and stocked with technologically advanced weaponry. A small force of soldiers stationed within the Fortress, charged with keeping the Horens' peace in the surrounding lands. Bearing the banners of Vimmark, they are a smaller force yet well equipped and well trained. They are serve both in combat and peacekeeping, serving as guards and soldiers as the needs of the Province and Kingdom arise. Adjutant-Sentinel of Caer Ostwick A role occupied by two, the company commander of the fortress, the Sentinel has overall command of the soldiers and distributes assignment, pay, and equipment. He is expected to maintain the professionalism and fitness of the standing force at all times. As part of his regalia, the Sentinel carries a thick ring of keys upon his belt which are said to unlock every door in the castle, as well as parts forgotten and in decay. -Sergeant- The Sergeant is responsible for maintaining troop formations in combat, and leading small groups of soldiers in patrols and such. Most often the Sergeants of the Free Company are granted the House banner as a means of delivering orders and maintaining their authority. Few have not seen active service under the House, but there comes time when some of the hired mercenaries will achieve such a position. -Armsman- An Armsman is the dedicated & sworn foot levy of the force. Tasked with keeping the peace, defending the castle and the Crownlands, they are fairly well equipped if not extensively trained to make up for the relatively small size of the Company. Armsman are equipped with a satchel of mana-cartridges and a medesculor affixed with a bayonet. Alternatively, arbalests and pavise-shields with a mace sidearm and an arcane bayonet on the mechanical weapon. The general funds and equipment allocated per week is 100 minas, accompanied with a full set of equipment expected to be kept in good repair. Some of them are bestowed with bonuses and gifts depending on their services. -Free Men- Free Men are independent agents who have experience in any field of battle, and serve as garrisoned mercenaries; they are not held to the same obligations regarding ‘rank’ and labor, but receive less funding and equipment. Due to the scarcity of the local population, outside contractors are often hired to train new recruits or help keep the troops in good condition. The pay of Free Men is conditional, generally ranging from seventy five to a hundred and twenty depending on the service provided. OOC MC Name: Skype Name: IC Name: Age(roughly): Race: Desired Position (Free Men or Armsman):

I'm a big fan. Well composed and reasonable points for anyone whose looking to get involved with the community!

the name is lackluster but the concept is interesting if a darkstalker with an mgs twist +1