Reacting to Dasolis' questions, Bjorn raises his head again. His voice, while not light, isn't as deep as one may expect of the grim looking fellow. "This helmet..." he speaks, pointing at it with his guantleted hand. "Is the best one. A helmet signifies you as a knight. Without it, you are a person with flaws and weaknesses. With a helmet, you are a knight. Nothing more, nothing less. But the Armet is the best helmet, as it's visor conceals the most of your face, leaving no gaps for swords or arrows, unlike the Barbute. Not to mention how light it is. Furthermore, it extends to the throat, covering weaknesses. One may argue that the Hounskull, Great Helm, and Frog-Mouth are similar enough, but that is not the case. Unlike the other helmets, the Armet-" His voice drones on, until interrupted or the Commander arrives. He makes occasional hand gestures as well, to accompany whatever point he is making.
A small kid at the table directly across from Noelle says “Commander Edgar isn’t necessary known for his punctuality, he probably looked over his line he wrote down and had to recite it over and over again to settle his ne—“
A loud voice booms from directly behind your table and the lights flicker on and off
”Welcome, one and all here to our camp. It is a pleasure to see all of your faces here and to see your patience for our commander. So—now after having slept in and stalled, Edgar should be giving you a summary of our mission.”
The voice came from a tall and sharp featured woman holding what looks to be files in her off-hand, standing directly behind the table you all sit at. She seems to be paying special attention to Dasolis and Jasmine.
“If I was fond of betting I’d bet 20 platinum that he’d wait even longer if I hadn’t done that to force him to show his face” you can hear her mutter to herself as she twitches in annoyance at the delay.
The door nearest to the podium opens and then a bald man walks up to the podium and quickly sets down some papers on the podium, trying to hide them before others see them. Which earned a few laughs from your fellow members at his expense. The man isn't tall in height but his presence is overbearing, with his hard set features, the nasty scar trailing from his forehead down to his left cheek and his mildly dirty tunic that seems to be his best attempt at looking nice. "Jade was that really necessary?"
The man continues on, looking down for a moment before taking a breath and then speaking. "I can assure you my lack of a early rising is hardly the only thing that kept me from joining you all here earlier." The podium seems to grow higher off of the ground as he starts speaking and the crowd goes silent now, every eye is on him. " Let's start now shall we? I've kept everyone waiting long enough."
"The most simultaneously interesting and terrifying aspect of the Abyss is the fact that it's nonlinear in its formation, so theoretically there are unexplored layers to the sides and between the broken paths leading downwards throughout its layers.
Even then its "heart" or core or brain is still forming new layers, slowly, producing new mythologies and concepts to satisfy its twisted dreams of enjoyment.
And yet did that stop us?
(Pause to wait for the crowd to get fired up)
Those fleeting few years ago, the first true blow was struck. We sealed the plains of infinite portals, fought back the demons and even now we purify this land by our mere existence.
Even then the abyss opened up the great chasm, demons still attempt to climb up and reclaim this land for themselves, we won’t let them. Now that it has shown part of its hand we must force it to show the rest. But still–
What was once a barren desert full of endless portals now is stable, overworld-like and in some places beautiful even.
That act of triumph, of order is what brought us here today. It has given us a foothold on an endless mountain.
But all a man needs to climb is a foothold, to organize his forces and plan.
To build these bases. Make our descents. And fight back.
I ask: Are you with me?
Most of the crowd bursts out into applause or a mix of support and fearful shouts of agreement as to their futures.
Those of you gathered here today:
Researchers from the heart of Tepizae,
Scholars of the weave and its fibres,
Outcasts from society seeking a purpose,
Bastard children of magic blessed with gifts of the arcane,
Those who connect with nature's very being to protect and in some cases destroy,
Those of you who have trained their whole life with a blade--or fist--and broken the normal limits of human strength seeking to test just how far you've come,
Those whose soul is claimed by another more powerful being who in return were gifted with magic,
Faithful whose devotion runs so deep that you have gained blessing in return for following your god’s word,
Tuners of the soul that can channel and control souls, perhaps seeking to put to rest the agitated souls left by the abyss's dark paths,
And finally those of you that I haven't heard the stories of or discovered the talents of. I don’t know you–but the abyss will…
And to those of you enlisted to join, perhaps not by choice–I see you. Fret not my friends, you aren’t fodder, you won’t be forced onto the frontlines after being thrust into this world. Everyone here knew, at least in some deep down place in their soul, exactly what was coming and still chose to join. You didn’t. But should you find yourself with something to prove–to others or one’s self–I won’t give you a chance… the demons you face will.
You all have come here, for one reason or another, but now I give you one uniting purpose: you will be the ones who will learn of the abyss's extent, and return whether dead or alive it be. Fight towards the abyss's dark heart for all who crusade against the evil at it's core before it's too late and the abyss swallows all inside--and eventually outside--its maw.
My name is Edgar Glassknife. And while happy for your presence, It saddens me that in just a few days I may have to send some of you off to your deaths. I won’t put up false pretenses. Death is a part of what we must do, and there’s no avoiding that. That’s going to change. And it’s because of all of you in front of me.
Assuming that there is a huge crowd of people answering, Bjorn will stand up and nod to signify that he is ready, hoping to not stand out among the crowd.
Dasolis had listened for a bit as Bjorn spoken on and on about helms, and specifically the armet help. "Ah" she would say. Or "Mmhmm," even as she started to tune out the information. Finally, the sharp featured woman started to speak, and she quickly focused in on her. And then switched to focus on the man that appeared - Edgar Glassknife.
The tiefling was not quite as wildly enthusiastic as others. She had subtly nodded her head as Glassknife mentioned the dangers. Still, she was eager to get going. She rose to her feet as others did, clapping her hands in approval.
Jasmine remains seated, watching Glassknife and listening. She is a bit skeptical of him but does not say anything. At the end of the day, she is here to find out more about the Abyss and how to stop the demons from coming out of it. She has no desire for glory or grandeur. She simply wishes to keep people safe from the demons and her goals line nicely with that of the Corps.
"That's all I got," Edgar continues. "For the actual intel and brains of the operation that goes to my vice commanders and head researchers. Each of you has their own division. Mapping unit," He calls out 3 tables before continuing, "you're with Skarn." a man walks up to the podium with angry marks seemingly from burn scars all over his body wearing an eye patch. The mapping units follow him out of the room. Edgar calling out the units continues for a while. Strike units, Genald. Documentation unit, Luthe Carrow. LIE unit, Sylvia Varn. Training unit, Edgar Glassknife. Research unit, Damien, for the time being he's the replacement cause Sylvie's covering for Bedget. Preparation unit, also Damien--somehow.
"Finally the dive unit," he points to your table and a few others. "Vice commander Jade Carrow. Now that everyone is done go with your officers. Thank you for waiting and not doing what Skarn did, he has a lot on his hands though so I'll forgive him for it. Who knows maybe he even started giving them actual detailed advice for specific layers. Now that'd be a surprise."
Do you choose to look around at those in your unit? Do you talk to anyone there while walking away outside of the building with Carrow?
Edit: I forgot to say that Skarn immediately walked out after. My bad.
Jasmine would like to be a bit more familiar with those in the same unit as her. If they are going to be working together, it is good to know her allies.
The same seemingly little kid as before, while walking besides your group asks you all: “What are your guy’s names? Mine’s Ceth—with a c for some reason—nice to meet you guys.”
"I'm Dasolis," the tiefling says. "Really, I am mostly a scholar, but also a bard." She looks over at Bjorn. "And this man is obviously an expert in helms."
“Yeah our group leader was too, apparently, before he got injured. Says that they irritate his scars too much so he just wears his cloak instead now.” Ceth points to another person in his group, “That’s Arazrel. She’s typically the one in charge of the decisions.” The person in question is a tall elven lady with what appears to be a folded glaive on her back.
She turns back to look at Ceth and your group with mild surprise in her eyes. “Oh—sorry I wasn’t paying attention. My name’s Arazel and it’s very nice to meet fellow members of the suicide unit, shame we’re very unlikely to meet more than twice throughout these layers.”
Another voice interjects before Arazel gets the chance to finish “Don’t worry it’s not that bad, at least if you get severely injured you know that you’ll die rather than live as a cripple.” The voice booms from behind you as a behemoth of a man stands behind you all. “Sorry didn’t mean to scare you, the name’s Bran. Wanna go to the market after the briefing? I hear there’s some food there that was made by using magic to contain elements and make them edible.”
(Out of Character DM: y’all can continue conversation for a bit and I’ll try to keep up)
Noelle stands to greet everyone. "I'm Noelle, and despite the way I look, I'm an aasimar. You can just skip the cat jokes, I've heard them all anyways. I'm also a sorceress and know some healing magic."
Bjorn feels like he is properly introduced via Dasolis' statement and trudges along while the group walks. He is slightly hunched over, focused on the path ahead of him rather than the final destination, chainmail rattling.
"Will you be with us Ceth?" Dasolis asks, looking at the seeming child. "And then we have Jasmine, Arazrel, Bran, Noelle, and this guy here." With each name, she glances towards the person, ending with Bjorn. "Is that all of us?"
When Bran mentions the market, she nods. "I suppose we could go check that out. How much time do we have? Are we supposed to be somewhere at any particular time?"
"Yes I would hate to dally if we were expected to report for a task." Jasmine agrees. She then adds, "But if not and we do have time, it would not hurt to walk among the people of this place. We are, after all, here to help people are we not?"
Also FYI Jasmine's voice sounds like the Oblivion Female Argonian voice.
As you continue walking behind Carrow with your group she points to one of the tents and says, “The time for thrifting can be after this meeting, after all you only have four days before your unit goes for its first dive. So you can afford to enjoy those luxuries—after the briefing.”
”Come on in the tent, it can likely fit you all. If you got any questions for me then I can probably answer them after we’re done with the briefing. Probably.”
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Reacting to Dasolis' questions, Bjorn raises his head again. His voice, while not light, isn't as deep as one may expect of the grim looking fellow. "This helmet..." he speaks, pointing at it with his guantleted hand. "Is the best one. A helmet signifies you as a knight. Without it, you are a person with flaws and weaknesses. With a helmet, you are a knight. Nothing more, nothing less. But the Armet is the best helmet, as it's visor conceals the most of your face, leaving no gaps for swords or arrows, unlike the Barbute. Not to mention how light it is. Furthermore, it extends to the throat, covering weaknesses. One may argue that the Hounskull, Great Helm, and Frog-Mouth are similar enough, but that is not the case. Unlike the other helmets, the Armet-" His voice drones on, until interrupted or the Commander arrives. He makes occasional hand gestures as well, to accompany whatever point he is making.
Noelle looks at the podium "I wonder how long we'll have to wait. I just want to get out there and start exploring the abyss."
A small kid at the table directly across from Noelle says “Commander Edgar isn’t necessary known for his punctuality, he probably looked over his line he wrote down and had to recite it over and over again to settle his ne—“
A loud voice booms from directly behind your table and the lights flicker on and off
”Welcome, one and all here to our camp. It is a pleasure to see all of your faces here and to see your patience for our commander. So—now after having slept in and stalled, Edgar should be giving you a summary of our mission.”
The voice came from a tall and sharp featured woman holding what looks to be files in her off-hand, standing directly behind the table you all sit at. She seems to be paying special attention to Dasolis and Jasmine.
“If I was fond of betting I’d bet 20 platinum that he’d wait even longer if I hadn’t done that to force him to show his face” you can hear her mutter to herself as she twitches in annoyance at the delay.
(Out of character DM) this is going to take forever to write so give me a bit, sorry.
The door nearest to the podium opens and then a bald man walks up to the podium and quickly sets down some papers on the podium, trying to hide them before others see them. Which earned a few laughs from your fellow members at his expense. The man isn't tall in height but his presence is overbearing, with his hard set features, the nasty scar trailing from his forehead down to his left cheek and his mildly dirty tunic that seems to be his best attempt at looking nice. "Jade was that really necessary?"
The man continues on, looking down for a moment before taking a breath and then speaking. "I can assure you my lack of a early rising is hardly the only thing that kept me from joining you all here earlier." The podium seems to grow higher off of the ground as he starts speaking and the crowd goes silent now, every eye is on him. " Let's start now shall we? I've kept everyone waiting long enough."
"The most simultaneously interesting and terrifying aspect of the Abyss is the fact that it's nonlinear in its formation, so theoretically there are unexplored layers to the sides and between the broken paths leading downwards throughout its layers.
Even then its "heart" or core or brain is still forming new layers, slowly, producing new mythologies and concepts to satisfy its twisted dreams of enjoyment.
And yet did that stop us?
(Pause to wait for the crowd to get fired up)
Those fleeting few years ago, the first true blow was struck. We sealed the plains of infinite portals, fought back the demons and even now we purify this land by our mere existence.
Even then the abyss opened up the great chasm, demons still attempt to climb up and reclaim this land for themselves, we won’t let them. Now that it has shown part of its hand we must force it to show the rest. But still–
What was once a barren desert full of endless portals now is stable, overworld-like and in some places beautiful even.
That act of triumph, of order is what brought us here today. It has given us a foothold on an endless mountain.
But all a man needs to climb is a foothold, to organize his forces and plan.
To build these bases. Make our descents. And fight back.
I ask: Are you with me?
Most of the crowd bursts out into applause or a mix of support and fearful shouts of agreement as to their futures.
Those of you gathered here today:
Researchers from the heart of Tepizae,
Scholars of the weave and its fibres,
Outcasts from society seeking a purpose,
Bastard children of magic blessed with gifts of the arcane,
Those who connect with nature's very being to protect and in some cases destroy,
Those of you who have trained their whole life with a blade--or fist--and broken the normal limits of human strength seeking to test just how far you've come,
Those whose soul is claimed by another more powerful being who in return were gifted with magic,
Faithful whose devotion runs so deep that you have gained blessing in return for following your god’s word,
Tuners of the soul that can channel and control souls, perhaps seeking to put to rest the agitated souls left by the abyss's dark paths,
And finally those of you that I haven't heard the stories of or discovered the talents of. I don’t know you–but the abyss will…
And to those of you enlisted to join, perhaps not by choice–I see you. Fret not my friends, you aren’t fodder, you won’t be forced onto the frontlines after being thrust into this world. Everyone here knew, at least in some deep down place in their soul, exactly what was coming and still chose to join. You didn’t. But should you find yourself with something to prove–to others or one’s self–I won’t give you a chance… the demons you face will.
You all have come here, for one reason or another, but now I give you one uniting purpose: you will be the ones who will learn of the abyss's extent, and return whether dead or alive it be. Fight towards the abyss's dark heart for all who crusade against the evil at it's core before it's too late and the abyss swallows all inside--and eventually outside--its maw.
My name is Edgar Glassknife. And while happy for your presence, It saddens me that in just a few days I may have to send some of you off to your deaths. I won’t put up false pretenses. Death is a part of what we must do, and there’s no avoiding that. That’s going to change. And it’s because of all of you in front of me.
So what say you? Are you in?"
Assuming that there is a huge crowd of people answering, Bjorn will stand up and nod to signify that he is ready, hoping to not stand out among the crowd.
Bjorn you notice that the ash from earlier seemed to have moved away now and you don't see it any longer.
Dasolis had listened for a bit as Bjorn spoken on and on about helms, and specifically the armet help. "Ah" she would say. Or "Mmhmm," even as she started to tune out the information. Finally, the sharp featured woman started to speak, and she quickly focused in on her. And then switched to focus on the man that appeared - Edgar Glassknife.
The tiefling was not quite as wildly enthusiastic as others. She had subtly nodded her head as Glassknife mentioned the dangers. Still, she was eager to get going. She rose to her feet as others did, clapping her hands in approval.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Jasmine remains seated, watching Glassknife and listening. She is a bit skeptical of him but does not say anything. At the end of the day, she is here to find out more about the Abyss and how to stop the demons from coming out of it. She has no desire for glory or grandeur. She simply wishes to keep people safe from the demons and her goals line nicely with that of the Corps.
"That's all I got," Edgar continues. "For the actual intel and brains of the operation that goes to my vice commanders and head researchers. Each of you has their own division. Mapping unit," He calls out 3 tables before continuing, "you're with Skarn." a man walks up to the podium with angry marks seemingly from burn scars all over his body wearing an eye patch. The mapping units follow him out of the room. Edgar calling out the units continues for a while. Strike units, Genald. Documentation unit, Luthe Carrow. LIE unit, Sylvia Varn. Training unit, Edgar Glassknife. Research unit, Damien, for the time being he's the replacement cause Sylvie's covering for Bedget. Preparation unit, also Damien--somehow.
"Finally the dive unit," he points to your table and a few others. "Vice commander Jade Carrow. Now that everyone is done go with your officers. Thank you for waiting and not doing what Skarn did, he has a lot on his hands though so I'll forgive him for it. Who knows maybe he even started giving them actual detailed advice for specific layers. Now that'd be a surprise."
Do you choose to look around at those in your unit? Do you talk to anyone there while walking away outside of the building with Carrow?
Edit: I forgot to say that Skarn immediately walked out after. My bad.
Jasmine would like to be a bit more familiar with those in the same unit as her. If they are going to be working together, it is good to know her allies.
The same seemingly little kid as before, while walking besides your group asks you all: “What are your guy’s names? Mine’s Ceth—with a c for some reason—nice to meet you guys.”
Jasmine kneels down to be closer to the kid's level responds, "Nice to meet you too, Ceth. I am Jasmine.... a wandering Paladin of sorts."
"I'm Dasolis," the tiefling says. "Really, I am mostly a scholar, but also a bard." She looks over at Bjorn. "And this man is obviously an expert in helms."
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
“Yeah our group leader was too, apparently, before he got injured. Says that they irritate his scars too much so he just wears his cloak instead now.” Ceth points to another person in his group, “That’s Arazrel. She’s typically the one in charge of the decisions.” The person in question is a tall elven lady with what appears to be a folded glaive on her back.
She turns back to look at Ceth and your group with mild surprise in her eyes. “Oh—sorry I wasn’t paying attention. My name’s Arazel and it’s very nice to meet fellow members of the suicide unit, shame we’re very unlikely to meet more than twice throughout these layers.”
Another voice interjects before Arazel gets the chance to finish “Don’t worry it’s not that bad, at least if you get severely injured you know that you’ll die rather than live as a cripple.” The voice booms from behind you as a behemoth of a man stands behind you all. “Sorry didn’t mean to scare you, the name’s Bran. Wanna go to the market after the briefing? I hear there’s some food there that was made by using magic to contain elements and make them edible.”
(Out of Character DM: y’all can continue conversation for a bit and I’ll try to keep up)
Noelle stands to greet everyone. "I'm Noelle, and despite the way I look, I'm an aasimar. You can just skip the cat jokes, I've heard them all anyways. I'm also a sorceress and know some healing magic."
Bjorn feels like he is properly introduced via Dasolis' statement and trudges along while the group walks. He is slightly hunched over, focused on the path ahead of him rather than the final destination, chainmail rattling.
"Will you be with us Ceth?" Dasolis asks, looking at the seeming child. "And then we have Jasmine, Arazrel, Bran, Noelle, and this guy here." With each name, she glances towards the person, ending with Bjorn. "Is that all of us?"
When Bran mentions the market, she nods. "I suppose we could go check that out. How much time do we have? Are we supposed to be somewhere at any particular time?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
"Yes I would hate to dally if we were expected to report for a task." Jasmine agrees. She then adds, "But if not and we do have time, it would not hurt to walk among the people of this place. We are, after all, here to help people are we not?"
Also FYI Jasmine's voice sounds like the Oblivion Female Argonian voice.
As you continue walking behind Carrow with your group she points to one of the tents and says, “The time for thrifting can be after this meeting, after all you only have four days before your unit goes for its first dive. So you can afford to enjoy those luxuries—after the briefing.”
”Come on in the tent, it can likely fit you all. If you got any questions for me then I can probably answer them after we’re done with the briefing. Probably.”