Grey Knight

14 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

I mean, I had to change some things. The revival of the Alleyverse required new players and an easier entry point, so we did a soft reset and kept things simple.

Is there anything you miss?

Oh, don’t take me wrong— I meant it more in a positive sense. It’s always wild to me to go AFK for a long time, then come back to see this place thriving.

Goodness, the Alley has changed since I was last here. I can barely recognize the place!

On 2/6/2023 at 3:10 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

Tena rolled her eyes. "You wanted to go to a bar, didn't you? I don't own any bars around here. Stop complaining, if you want to have a more explicit conversation, we can go elsewhere." She started to get to her feet, cocking her head at the strange, small man. "I am not one for implications. I will probably tell you if I, as you say, 'own' where we are. The barman already knows not to ask for my money here, though."

Rik's eye twitched. He glanced around, only now noticing the number of people in the bar. How many of them had overheard their conversation? How many of them would he have to kill? Calamity, this place could turn into a bloodbath on barely a moment's notice.

No. He took a shuddering breath and forced back the darkness. It didn't work, not really, but it kept his panic confined to shaky hands and beading sweat on his brow. He could function with that.

"Of course, Tena," he said flatly. "I will defer to your judgement in this matter. If it is acceptable to you, I would like to get started on the work. Where do we go to from here?"

@Sherlock Holmes

On 2/1/2023 at 8:16 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

She leaned back in her seat and cocked her head at Rik. "You speak boldly in public. If someone were listening in on us and I was to say: 'Why, of course we'll illegally seize stolen assets', that would not serve us well. Instead, save your suggestions for a more private place. I appreciate that you speak your mind, though."

Rik choked on his cider.

It only took a moment's thought to extract the liquid from his throat and deposit it back into the cup. It was lucky that he could use his powers so unconsciously, because right now he was overwhelmed with sheer, bloody-minded panic.

"This place isn't safe?!" He coughed, trying to clear his throat. "Calamity, woman! When you took us to this store, I assumed you owned everyone in here. Not that we were talking business in a dangerous, unsecured location!"

@Sherlock Holmes

On 1/10/2023 at 0:10 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

Tena frowned. "We eliminate them. This is too fragile a time to allow looting of any sort. No doubt some of them are as confused as the rest of us, but others are simply greedy, and they will be dealt with. I have seen too much of rampant crime in my time, I know it is bad for everyone."

Of course, she couldn't eliminate crime-- she knew that very well-- but she'd try to limit it. She was well-versed in navigating criminal society, so at least infiltration wouldn't be difficult. She knew enough of the various cosmere magics that she doubted people could use them to hide from her, at least not well. But could she herself do that work? Was she too high-profile and recognizable now? Perhaps. Still, she didn't know if she had any employees as skilled as she.

"That's unfortunate for your finances," Rik muttered. "But I cannot fault your logic. Are we to deal with the looters violently, then? Liquidating them and seizing a portion of their assets, while publicly returning the rest, would be a boon to our public relations as well."

He took another sip of the cider and shuddered. The flavors were a terrible mix of too strong and too weak, and its aftertaste was revolting. "Of course," he said roughly,  "perhaps that would draw too many eyes to your organization. I'm open to other suggestions. I would also like to hear more about this manufacturing base you've so cleverly hidden from outside forces."

@Sherlock Holmes

On 12/21/2022 at 7:39 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

"Financial ruin isn't a problem, since our manufacturing continues," Tena said, careful to keep her words guarded. She didn't intend on saying anything untrue-- being a poor liar, despite herself-- but she didn't want to "give anything away", as she'd so often heard. "We are poorer than we were, but we were never poor. I'm working on recruitment in particular, since I think that's our best hope for recovering."

She finished her drink and set it down on the table, still keeping it close to herself. "We'll be doing some small operations in dealing with crime in the Alleycity, I think. There's a lot of looting and confusion following the shift of everyone's personalities. It's a proper mess."

"Manufacturing?" He took a sip of the cider, wincing at the flavor. "I didn't realize you had an industrial base to work off of. That... changes the calculations."

He closed his eyes and concentrated, disguising the motion by taking a long swig out of the cider. The woman's mind was guarded. There was almost no feeling emanating from it. He thought she was telling the truth, but couldn't be sure.

"We'll want to establish contact with the bands of looters, I assume?" He winced at the terrible aftertaste of the cider. "If we can get them to hand over a cut of their spoils, it should help with the finances. The ones that refuse will have to be liquidated, of course, as well as any that are too brutal in their methods. We want to control the crime scene, not let it run wild."

@Sherlock Holmes

On 12/13/2022 at 0:01 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

"I know of such places," Tena said, jumping down from the Canton of Combat and landing on the street below. Once Rik had joined her, she continued to talk. "I do appreciate science, though I know little enough of it. I am poor with math, my strength is in my body." And my bearing, she thought, hoping it was true. She needed to be a leader. "I think there is research I could have you do, but I do need a scribe firstly. I assume you are competent with record-keeping?" It was entirely possible that her people's ledgers were in poor order, given how many Ghostbloods had left in the past few weeks.

She walked into a small bar, the place full of soft cushions and much quieter than other bars tended to be. After ordering herself a cider and watching during the entirety of its making, she drank it quickly, keeping it in her hands the entire time. She held it close to her body, as if trying to protect it. She waited for Rik to join her in a far corner of the main room, catching the barkeep's eye. He nodded to her and provided Rik with whatever drink he asked for.

"I am competent in that field," Rik said. He settled down and looked suspiciously at his own cider. He had never been been fond of the drink back on Earth, but this one was far darker than what he was used to. A thick fragrance surrounded it, though not an unpleasant one.

"What is the Ghostblood's priority at this moment? Are your assets liquid enough to sustain short-term operations, or are you threatened with total insolvency and financial ruin?"

@Sherlock Holmes

On 11/28/2022 at 7:29 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

"I hope I don't, if they're as fearsome as you seem to think they are," Tena said. "I have known powerful beings before, though I can hardly claim to understand them." She started to walk, gesturing for the Epic to join her. "I find your story interesting, and your passion for science commendable. I've not got the mind for it myself, but I'm well aware of how useful it is to employ scientists. Are you adept in fighting as well? We're not the sort to make a lot of mess--" she thought of the Seven Day War and the nonsense Hellbent had caused-- "not usually. I'd prefer if you were a quiet fighter, but I'm no subtle thing myself. Still, I like to think that the only way our victims see us coming is if they're looking in a mirror." She smiled crookedly. "Though I'd have to reprimand the Ghostblood sloppy enough to not wait for a more discreet time."

"I am an excellent assassin," Rik grumbled. "To my great displeasure. It is a waste of my considerable talents to merely crush a man's head from two hundred feet away. And yet, it is what I have been used for this past year." He hopped down from the roof. "If you have need of an accountant, however, I would consider it an adequate use of my time. There are many powerful creatures who keep poor records of their finances, and I find blackmail via this method to be quite satisfying. Research and development in a proper lab would be my dream, but I'm afraid my master stipulates I must be in close contact with you." He sneers. "They do not appreciate the sciences like we do."

He rubbed his chin as he looked around the city. "You may take us to any refreshment spot of your choice. If possible, though, I would prefer somewhere dry and shaded. My constitution is not meant for this intolerable warmth."

@Sherlock Holmes

On 11/20/2022 at 11:38 AM, Sherlock Holmes said:

Tena grinned. "That's incredible." Watching something like that... It was fascinating, far beyond anything she could do, and she understood the temptation that had made her predecessors so greedy in conquering the Alleyplanet. With control of something like that, how could she avoid taking what was within her reach? Still, the power wasn't hers yet, and still wouldn't be hers if she agreed to take on Rik as a Ghostblood.

No, not a Ghostblood. Not anymore. What were they, then? She thought about it as she continued to talk. "I'll have cider. Can you tell me about yourself? The jobs you've worked, what sort of worker you are, all that." She was eager and didn't bother to keep it from her face. "You can make art with these powers, can't you? How much have you done with them?"

"It is elementary work," Rik grumbled. "Given the correct dyes and preparation, I could easily turn this crude matter into something actually useful. But my talents to not extend to creating drinks out of nothing, Tena. I'm afraid you'll have to get me off this roof and take me to a reputable bar before I can provide them."

"As for my work, I'll have you know that back on Earth I was something of a gentleman scholar. Though I initially bumbled about with petty despotism, like so many other Epics, it was never my true calling." He smiled slightly. "I spent many years after Calamity attempting to rediscover the sciences lost in the collapse of society. I wrote a whole book about it. Sent it to Knighthawk Foundry for publishing, but never heard back from the man."

"And then... it happened." He spat over the side, face twisting. "A Great Epic found me. My master, now. It had somehow found the Cosmere, and wanted someone expendable to act as its liaison. Pray you never meet it, Ghostblood."

13 hours ago, Sherlock Holmes said:

Tena raised her eyebrows at the display. She'd not seen something quite like that in some time, she seemed to recall. It surprised her more than she allowed to show on her face. "A good display. Can you remake it as it was?"

"Of... course." Rik heaved a shaky breath. "Just... a moment, please."

His head was pounding now. He felt cold, and worst of all sweaty. This was going to ruin his clothes.

"But that window... was boring." He shifted his stance and focused back on the ball of molten glass. It was less compressed now, his grasp having slipped for a moment, but it was still malleable. "Far too sentimental. I will make it better."

Shaping the glass was far simpler than melting it. He split it into streams and set it to a spin. The dyes and paints had been burned to ash, so his creation was unfortunately dull and bland. Nevertheless, in a few minutes he was able to set two freshly formed goblets onto the ground.

"Once they cool, we can use them to drink," he said. "Do you have a preference for beverage, or will it be waters all around?"

@Sherlock Holmes

2 hours ago, Sherlock Holmes said:

I'm down for this, but I'll have to drag Grey Knight's character with me or accept his application and leave him behind. We work at a much slower pace than you and Voidus, so it might take a few days.

I would be down to come along, if that works.

On 11/10/2022 at 7:04 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

Tena cocked her head at him, somewhat displeased that he'd not failed. However, if he was capable of everything he seemed to think he was... "I'll consider you, but I can't accept you just because you can fly a bit and you might explode and kill me. Can you do a more complete interview, or will I have to reject you because you have so little proof of your abilities?"

Tena had known literally dozens of people who could fly or do other magic, they were as common as street cats in this city. She looked Rik over again, taking in his diminutive frame and his ill-kempt look. Would he be capable enough to be of enough use, even if he was as magically adept as he thought himself to be? Someone under the thrall of a mysterious, supposedly dangerous stranger who looked like he didn't care much for himself wouldn't do work well, it seemed to her. Perhaps he was incapable of keeping a level head under the amount of stress he seemed to be under.

So the Rosharan wanted a test of the Grand Magister's abilities, did she? Rik doubted she would be impressed by some brutish display of force. But suspicion rolled thickly off of her mind. A too-subtle display of power would merely disappoint her, or worse convince her that he was-- horror of horrors!-- incompetent.

Rik glanced up. There was a small stained glass window above the doors, depicting some scene of battle with amateurish skill. He decided he could make something better.

"I will provide you an excellent demonstration, Tenareo." He squared his feet and braced his staff into the ground. "However, it will be taxing in the extreme. If I fall unconscious, do catch me before I fall to my death." Then, he stretched forth his hand.

Blades of precisely-directed force sheared the window from the iron bars holding it in the wall. He caught the window it before could fall, gently lowering it down to eye level.

"Pressure is one of the greatest forces in the galaxy, Ghostblood. Greater than all other magicks. For example, Pyromancy may claim mastery of heat and cold, but a proper understanding of the sciences reveals that these things come from the movement of atoms, not arcane elements. Pressure, properly applied, can create a void colder than the Stygian depths or a material hotter than the core of a planet." Rik wiped off the sweat beading on his face. "Observe."

He clenched his hand, and the pane of glass was crushed into a ball the size of a marble. His vision went black for a moment, and he struggled to keep on his feet. Moments passed, and the darkness slowly receded. And directly in front of him, the ball of glass had turned molten.

@Sherlock Holmes

Rik sighed and stamped his foot. The pavement beneath him split, and he floated upwards on a platform of rock.

He reached the top a minute later, his platform barely more than rubble from the telekinetic force he was putting on it. He stumbled onto the top of the doors and released his hold, sending the rocks clattering down.

"I do not think my master would care very much about your soldiers and assassins," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Though if I thought there was a way you could banish them, I would contract you in a heartbeat. Head explosion be damned." His face twisted in a snarl. "Unfortunately, I am... expendable. Should you reject me and I explode, I believe you would simply see a new face come to you. I have the advantage of not being a boorish twat, which the next applicant would surely be. This is why you should consider me."

@Sherlock Holmes

1 hour ago, Sherlock Holmes said:

Tena raised her eyebrows and couldn't prevent a smile from twitching onto her face. "I think you don't understand something, sorcerer. If your master wants you to join a guild, and wants what I have, then they have to avoid blowing me and everyone else here up. If they want to waste everyone's time and set a guild of unstable soldiers and assassins against them, they can blow me up. Good to know your name, though."

She didn't particularly relish the idea of having someone who appeared to be under the thrall of some kind of mass murderer in her guild, but the Ghostbloods were famously home to murderers and unstable people of all kinds. "As for a task, I don't have anything for you right now." She cocked her head. "Can you fly up to the doors of the Canton of Combat? Do your nearly limitless magic powers allow you to do that?"

Without any more ado, she Steelpushed herself up to the doors of the Canton, finding herself relieved to be distanced from the new man and his hypothetical bomb.

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How far up are the doors to the Canton?

On 11/4/2022 at 8:59 PM, Sherlock Holmes said:

"Hello, Sorcerer," Tena said, giving him a smile. She wasn't good at putting those on her face yet, even with all the time she'd spent trying to appease people throughout her life. "You say you want to join the Ghostbloods. We are a most particular organisation about who we recruit, I should have you know. I'll talk with you here to see if you meet my standards." She thought for a moment, then continued. "Answer a few questions for me. What's your name? How did you know to find me here? What are your skills?"

@Grey Knight

Rik could feel his face twitch as he fought down his sudden surge of emotions.

"Tenareo of Roshar," he said, "I do not think you understand. There is a 5 centimeter wide lead-lined cube of nuclear reaction embedded into the back of my head. If I do not join the Ghostbloods right here and now, it will detonate and kill me!" A pause. "As well as you and everyone else nearby, I suppose."

He sighed. "Don't bother calling one of your healers, it won't work. I've tried. The bones simply grow around the bomb, and any attempt to surgically remove it will result in immediate detonation. Forget about it, it won't be relevant to our professional relationship. I am Rik Poot, of the aforementioned titles. I didn't find you, my master did, and I am to act as a liason between you and them.

"As for skills, I will have you know my magical powers are nearly without limit. Set me a task, and the Witch-Lord shall accomplish it before your very eyes!"

Rik Poot-- Alleycity

The Grand Magister of Magic was beginning to long for the sweet release of death.

He picked himself up from the street and brushed the dust from his robes of station-- his long leather trench coat, in this case. He glared at the back of his assailant, who was currently crashing into another man in a violent embrace. He could hear their sobbing even above the tumult of the vigil.

Insolent fools. Not one person in this city had showed Rik Poot the respect his station deserved, and they were all giants. He had yet to pass a single person his height. This was the third time some star-crossed lovers or grief-stricken mourners had knocked him flat in their unseemly haste to reunite. If only they could show some decorum or modesty, the blatant sentimentality could be tolerated. Instead, Rik despaired for his sanity.

The sea of people parted for a moment, and he caught sight of his target. Rik grasped his staff and forced his way into the streets. He only narrowly avoided another knockdown by sending a telekinetic pulse that left sweat beading on his face. But make it he did.

He stepped up behind the woman and cleared his throat. "Tenareo of Roshar," he said loudly. "I, Sorcerer of the Mississippi and Weaver of the Arcane Arts, have come to join the Ghostbloods."

@Sherlock Holmes

Just now, ZincAboutIt said:

Awesome! I would say that I’d want a decision on just how you’d classify organic augmentation (using it as alternative tin or as a minor healing boon) as well as a range of the telekinesis power. “Long range” can mean a lot of things. Then we can do a full review and get back to you, since Voidus knows most about Epic type abilities!

For organic augmentation, I was thinking it would be an alternative pewter, so to speak. A minor strength and speed boost to himself, maybe to others? Only if he's concentrating on it, though.

As for long range, I was mostly just thinking of "within normal eyesight". And he doesn't have very good eyes

3 hours ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Telepathy: A sense of heightened empathy, skill reading another person’s emotions, something akin to tapping a low level of Connection.

Pyromancy: Snuffing/lighting candles, evading fire when it’s brandished at you, minor fireproofing of a limb or piece of clothing like a cloak.

Organic augmentation: Healing a minor wound or burn, regrowing hair/nails, possible augmentation of senses if the other options for this were not taken (basically using this ability like A-tin)

It should be obvious to you that long range head exploding is a very high level major merit so I want to make sure I understand it. I would count this as an OP powerset but that’s just me, and it doesn’t mean your character is rejected. But I do think that perhaps this specific power should come with either a set lead-up time or a very high personal cost so people can have the ability to run away or so your character can weigh pros and cons with each use. That way people won’t be too hesitant to interact with you (there is a reason people aren’t lining up to RP with IC Mac or Voidus, they can kill you so fast it’s a big risk). Thoughts?

I agree with basically everything you just said. You've perfectly captured what I was planning on having for the minor talents, and I totally agree that the head-popping is a big deal. In my mind, it would take a solid 30 seconds of very obvious concentration and channeling, that if interrupted would immediately reset the process. It's also immensely taxing-- as I said, he can only do it a couple times before needing a good deal of time to rest. It also really hurts him to do.

12 hours ago, MacThorstenson said:

Hey grey knight, the mods have been talking and given that none of the moderating team has any particular exposure to 40k we don't believe we could effectively moderate such characters or easily make sure they were accounted for in any plot discussions.

Fair enough, I'll change the character. Fortunately, I did some sleep-deprived thinking and realized that I can change Mr. Poot into an Epic with basically no significant re-writes needed. In fact, it actually works a bit better this way.

13 minutes ago, Sherlock Holmes said:

I was thinking this myself, reading Grey Knight's stuff often confuses me quite a bit, and I've been reading it for four years.

This made me chuckle a little bit, not going to lie.

Anyway, here's the new character!

My first character in something like 2, 3 years. This was an excellent nostalgia trip to go on, and I'm excited to launch my little rat madman into the chaos of this Era.

Two questions:

1. Where can I find the new character building guidelines?

2. I'm going to use some elements of Warhammer 40k lore to create my character. This isn't actually a question, I'm just claiming seniority rights to excuse my eccentricities .

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Sorry, didn't mean to break any canon. This is written from Lepidus' perspective, so not everything he says is true or correct. As for how he knows about people recovering their memories? *shrugs* I dunno, maybe he's just been watching from the shadows for a while, or something.

@kenod

Lepidus rammed his knife into the Executor's head.

The meter-long length of steel cracked the thing's face armor, cutting into the soft flesh beneath. The beast went limp, its body no longer receiving nerve signals from its pulverized brain, and Lepidus let it slide off the blade before sheathing it. His mind was already moving on.

The vermin he'd killed were small bio-forms. The Dark Alley only sent those to hunt down fugitives or non-threatening Anomalies. Which meant that the people with memories were somewhere nearby. He had to find them before the bigger, more lethal combat forms hunted them down.

Picking up his bolter from the ground, Lepidus set off through the alleys.

@kenod

On 10/13/2020 at 5:53 PM, kenod said:

The fourth Barghest died to Everest's knives, and the remaining Barghest and the Executor started running, though not towards Everest. Instead they seemed to headed towards one of the windows, a large 2 meter sword appearing in the Executor's hands.

Outside the second Executor fell to the ground, the armour still trying to repair for a few seconds before crumbling, revealing the tar-like distorted body beneath. The two Barghests jumped at the man, aiming for his neck, but it was already clear they'd fail. The warrior was clearly experienced, and it wouldn't be hard to use that armour to protect his vulnerable neck. At which point it was it would have been check mate for the Barghests.

Lepidus slams his fist into the first Barghest mid-air, pulverizing its head into mushy tar. The other one rakes its claw across his helm, actually managing to damage the ceramite casing. He grunts, warning runes flashing across his vision. Lepidus swings his blade down, but the beast dodges behind him, a scream like rattling chains coming from its maw. 

He shifts his footing, turning to face the thing, and draws his sidearm. Before the Barghest can dodge, he's put a bolt round into its head. When it collapses, he walks over and crushes its chest beneath his boot, just to be sure.

@kenod

The big one charges Lepidus, a weapon sprouting from its hands. At this point, other warriors would have dropped their gun and met the beast head on, steel against bone. Some would have done it out a misguided sense of honor, or an idiotic love of combat. Others would have given in to their bloodlust, or even darker desires.

Lepidus, battle-brother of the Dark Angels Chapter, shot the Executor in the chest. When it staggers, armor momentarily broken, he shot it again. He hammers the Executor with three-round bursts of fire, pounding away at its exposed innards. The thing drops to its knees, its chest utterly destroyed, and he finishes it off with a bolt to the head.

Unfortunately, that gives the Barghests enough cover to close the distance. Lepidus throws the bolter aside just as the first one leaps, and pulls out his knife.

@kenod