Continuing Character Report

[Red]

Ilmuk, the Yeek Archer

"Tell me, Ilmuk-how did you come to be here?"
"All of it? The whole story?"
"The whole story, Ilmuk. And tell no lies."
"I would never-"
"You would very well lie were it to protect your precious way! Now speak before I remove your tongue from your skull!"
"Y-yes sir! Of course sir!"
"'Sir'. It will do for now. Begin, Ilmuk."

Level 1: +2 Dexterity, -1 Sling Mastery, +1 Steady Shot, +1 Flare, +1 Disengage
"A point to spare, eh? Risky."
"I'm sorry, but I have not even begun to tell-"
"Then speak. I will not ask again."
"Murgol. It began with Murgol. I was tasked with slaying him, the beast of the depths."
Murgol Lair 1
"It was dark, and cold underwater, there. The shores of Rek... There is nothing more beautiful. But Murgol's Lair was not full of the pure water of the sea, only the brackish, fetid wastes of the putrid creatures that live within. Even the animals within are despicable, horrid creatures under the sway of his power. So the first thing I did when entering? The eel that menaced me had his mind crushed, sworn to give his body for the Way in my defense.
"It was weak. Meant to serve."
"Exactly! Its mind was feeb-"
"You are weak, Ilmuk."
"Yes... Yes sir."
"The story, Ilmuk."
"I fled. The eel was of no use as an ally, being slain by a dragon turtle, and one of the yaechs ambushed me the moment I rounded a corner. But they are cowardly, refusing to leave the waters they call home, so I was able to rest, recover my strength, and return with the force of the Way bringing them to serve me. His mind was mine, his body a weapon against the creatures that had menaced me before. I slew more, and scavenged their equipment, but it was tainted. Psionically grotesque, so I destroyed it."
"With the chest."
"Of course with the chest. How else should I? How else would I?"
"How do your brethren dispose of the refuse they find?"
"..."
"The story, Ilmuk."
"I found the way down soon. There was more of Murgol's Lair to explore, but the less time I spent in that damned place the better. I went down."
Murgol Lair 2
"It was darker here, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. More Yaechs, of course, but the light was a relief all the same. There were two, though soon it one was with me."
"You enjoy it."
"What?"
"Taking them as your own. Ripping the will from their body and forcing your own into it."
"The will of the Way."
"Ha. Believe what you will. Now the story, Ilmuk."
"Three more Yaechs awaited me, but I could feel my skill with the bow growing ever greater as I shot at them."
Level 2: +2 Dexterity, +1 Willpower, +1 Steady Shot, +1 Flare
"The missing point returns."
"I don't understand."
"The story, Ilmuk."
"But what-"
"The story, Ilmuk."
"I... I carried on, finding and slaying yet more Yaechs. And then I... Then I..."
"Then you what? The story, Ilmuk."
"I died."

[Red]

"Useless," it said. "Utterly useless. Of all the wastes of life, of animus, the sheer waste of effort!" it gestured in pained frustration.

It then relaxed, emitting a sigh of defeat. "My own fault. Useless because of that fragile body, and the hordes of foes. I knew this would be a challenge, I knew I had been given an animus so... defective as to have never breached beyond the Daikara, and yet I gave that spark to a Yeek. A damn fool, I was."

"A new body, then. A more sturdy one, something that will not fail so easily. A body that may yet be my salvation."

[Red]

Ondon, the Dwarven Stone Warden

"Ondon. You are here."
"Of course I'm bloody well here. Where the hell is here?"
"Unimportant. Now-tell me the story of how you came here."
"No. You can go and-"
"Tell me or you will suffer."
"..."
"The story, Ondon."
"Fine."

Level 1: +3 Magic, +1 Stoneshield, +1 Stone Vines, +1 Meditation
"Thank god for prudence."
"If you want my damn story, shut up and listen."
"Do not think to order me, Ondon. But I will stay quiet for now."
Escape From Reknor 1
"Right. So I was in a squad going to clear those green-skinned bastards out from beneath the Iron Council, when we were ambushed. THe squad took down damn near all of them, but paid dearly for that."
"The story, Ondon."
"Give the dead a damn moment for peace, would you!"
"..."
"So after that, just me and Norgan left. We had to leave the bodies, but I knew those men. They'd've wanted us to live more than they cared about looking after some corpses. I put out my vines-had to hold them in the whole time with the squad, too slow otherwise, and could feel them writhing in my skin the whole time-but Norgan and I agreed better to be slow and alive than sprint to our deaths."
"They took out your whole squad to start."
"Those bloody bastards were the main force. Stragglers Norgan and I could kill well enough, but that wasn't enough. Seems like the damn green-skins decided to turn the animals against us too, though I'll be - if I could tell you how. The vines work well on that kind of thing, though. Unnerving, really-feeling an extension of yourself throttling the life out of some big mouse before you even really realize it was there."
"But it did you well."
"Course it did me well! Grabbing me friends running around isn't half the training rel battle is! Before I even left the first damn floor we were stranded on, I felt myself getting better with the magic, with the gifts."
Level 2: +2 Magic, +1 Willpower, +1 Stone Vines
"By the time I did get up the stairs, I had found a few odds and ends. A good cloak, from some other unlucky squad, and an old leather cap. I had me own helm going in, but one of those orcs tore it right off with a greataxe before the captain bashed his skull open."
"And what else?"
"Some knives, a staff, some other things-why does it matter? Me and Norgan sure as hell didn't use any, so we got rid of it."
"How?"
"The chest. How else, you idiot?"
"And nothing odd about that."
"Can I carry on, you fat bastard?"
"Of course. The story, Ondon."
Escape From Reknor 2
"Well not much more to it, least in Reknor. The next floor was nothing more than the first. Hell, it was safer-less damn orcs, more animals, and no animal is as cruel and dangerous as an intelligent and vicious orc."
Escape From Reknor 3
"Dunno why, but somehow as soon as I stepped to that last floor, I felt power. Not just the power the monster at the end had-I felt that, sure enough-but in me too."
Level 3: +1 Magic, +2 Willpower, +1 Stone Vines
"I know why."
"Then by all means, tell me."
"I chose you."
"Chose me? For what?"
"Destiny."
"Give me a damn clear answer, you slime spitting, goat -, shit eating-
"Silence. The story, Ondon."
"If you're why those men died-"
"The story, Ondon."
"Brotoq the Reaver. Bloody orc bastard who got it into his head to take a weapon in each hand, then decided it'd be fun to send the worst, most foul magic I've ever felt right through them too. But I'll be damned if I let some rotten bastard like that beat me. I know magic! I know nature! I am a Stone Warden and I'll die a thousand times before some corrupted son of a bitch takes me home away from me and my kin!"
"Noble."
"Yeah. Worthless in the end."
"Worthless?"
"I'm damned right now, aren't I?"
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps nothing. To finish up getting out of that hellhole Reknor, found two good things on the bastards corpse that weren't so rotten with corruption as to be useless. A spiked set of mail and a rod."
"The rod and the chest. Destiny."
"One more word about destiny and I do my damndest to kill you right here, right now."
"It wouldn't matter."
"I don't care."
"So you left Reknor?"
"Spent a moment controlling myself before I left, but yeah. Don't want any wild gifts actually running wild."
Level 3 +2 Magic, +1 Willpower, +1 Eldritch Vines, +1 Combat Accuracy
"And then home. The Iron Council."
Iron Council