Aapo
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"Fell deeds await... Now for Wrath... Now for Ruin... and the Red Dawn..." - the Rohirrim at The Battle of Helm's Deep
Hi. My name is Aapo and I'm an alcoholic and a murderer. So drink up, there's lots of people that need killin, so we best not waste more time gabbin.
My ma was a wealthy merchants daughter from Crystal in the North. My da was a slave from Paragon in the South that belonged to ma's dad. Well, from what I understand they got it on with each other and ma got me planted in her belly. The two of them fled south to Great Forks where I was born and spent most of my youth. Great Forks is great and all, always an excuse to party and beat some heads in late at night, but it's not the most lucrative place. So I said see ya to the parents and relocated to Nexus where I got a job as a Guild goon. Did that for a few years and they moved me up in the world and put me on caravan guard duty. Sweet job, good pay. Life was good.
Then all this crap happened...
Well...where to begin. It was a pretty routine job that I was doing for some moron who had been newly raised in the Guild. His name was Radiant Topaz something-or-other. I was assigned a relatively small sized caravan of who knows what; we're usually unaware of what we're moving so as to avoid the potential of whetting our greedy appetites to what we're guarding. I hit the pub and gathered up some mercs that I've worked with a few times. They had a new guy amongst them. Tall, thin, long nose so that you can't help feel he's staring down it at you. I didn't like him, but he was part of the mercenary party I'd hired and I was already pretty damn drunk. Didn't look like he'd last very long anyway.
The next morning I met up with the mercenary group I'd hired and was surprised to find that Radiant Topaz himself was traveling with us. Interesting...
We gathered, geared up, prepped the caravan and left Nexus to begin the journey to Port Calin. It was going relatively well. The caravan was small and fast moving enough that I chose to take a faster route through a less populated area, though maybe a little bit more dangerous. We had fortunate weather and no encounters for most of the trip.
Then one morning I noticed that Big Nose, I never cared enough to remember the bastards name, was no longer with us. This worried me. The other mercenaries claimed not to know where he'd gone and none of the sentries had seen him disappear in the night. Not a good sign at all. Several days travel and no signs of trouble. We were nearly there.
Then we were attacked. Bandits. And of course here comes Big Nose amongst them. Fuck... Me and the mercs, good guys, big, burly, know how to handle their weapons...hot. Well, we were holding the attackers off pretty well. But then more came. And then more. We were totally screwed at this point. All my guys were killed or subdued and I was eventually taken down & tied up as well.
Big Nose and his goons pop open the caravan. But instead of hearing Radiant Topaz's screams for mercy I heard laughter. He emerged with Big Nose, both of them fucking laughing it up...they both had wine and were talking to each other like good old chums. This whole thing was a setup. I got it then. Topaz gets a promotion and is given authority to charter a caravan, loads it up with Guild crap, not too much to draw too much attention to his plans, but enough to fetch him a cozy life. Then he plots with Big Nose to have the caravan attacked and robbed. Whether he would "survive" the attack to return home or just vanish I had no clue, nor did I care. But he duped me. I was the pawn in this plan and this just didn't settle well with me at all. No fucking way!
I struggled against my bonds. Received a kick in the head from a nameless thug. Screw you. Kept trying to get free, this drew Topaz and the Nose's attention. "What do we do with the brute and his men?" asked Big Nose. Radiant Topaz shrugged, sipped his wine and said, "Kill them."
I could see and hear the bandits as they began to dispatch my men. And then I was kicked in the face and fell backwards, landing on my back as two leering brigands approached me with drawn swords. I lay there facing the sky, staring up at the sun as it stared back at me. I was going to die. This fucking sucked....
...then...the Sun.
I heard the voice of my Father. The voice of the Unconquered Sun and he lifted me up & exalted me above mortal men so that I could fulfill my destiny.
War. Blood. Death. I saw these things. I saw my past. I saw who I was before. Visions of the Creation of old flooded my mind and consumed me…though a part of who I was escaped this scourge of my old being as I would soon come to know.
And I, the Red Dawn awoke and rose to look upon all those around me and they were judged unworthy in my eyes. Unworthy to serve in the coming war that would usher forth a new Creation. Unworthy to stand and breathe in my world.
They tried to flee. Some were even brave enough to attempt to strike at me to no avail. They were nothing and so they perished.
…then I was back. Different, changed, but I was me, Aapo. I could think clearly once again, no longer consumed by that other self. I could still hear my Father’s voice clearly. I knew I had a destiny now. And that I was no longer just Aapo. That part of me was lost.
Or not…
An extension of who I was had escaped the Red Dawn and sat before me, staring defiantly up at me; a small goofy looking long eared fox thing. I knew who he was, he knew who I was, because until less than an hour ago, he was part of me…just now existing on the outside rather than the inside. I knew he wished to be called Kanji. And so he scrambled up onto my shoulder and nipped at my ear in a way of saying, “Hey you, stupid, pay attention. We’re in deep shit & need to recover the situation.”
I looked around. Everyone was dead. Even the damn horses were dead save for my Tempest.
Happy that the Guild caravan was small, between myself and Tempest we managed to haul the stupid thing to a village where I shelled out money to get new horses. Sad pathetic things, but they would do for my purposes. I also hired on two young lads as guards. Yeah, that’ll do me a lot of good, but one was kinda cute and the other knew enough about a sword not to hold it by the blade.
We managed to get the caravan to Port Calin. I reported to the Guild and informed them of the betrayal and the attack, though I obviously failed to mention a few details. They were not overly concerned with anything save that their possessions had been returned in its entirety.
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I left the boys at a tavern with some other mercs and I left Port Calin.
And now here I am. I’m not sure where I’m going. I’d go home…but something…this…
I need…
I don’t know. I’m confused. I’m…afraid.
And I really don’t fucking like that feeling.
...
Heh. To think that this was me less than a year ago. Much has happened & much has changed, including myself. I'm not the man I used to be. The Exaltation, the creation of Kanji, meeting Ginger, Thorn, Potrimpos, the Black Phalanx & their massacre of Mahanaga, my past & present companions & the many things we've all been through. It's forged me into a much different man than the one who started out on this journey.
But one things remains an unchanged & inevitable fact: War is coming. And it shall be mine. And it shall be glorious!!
Contents
Testament
The Words of the Unconquered Sun to Aapo, upon his Exaltation:
Rise, my child, and look upon the blood-drenched horizon. As the sun rises, its flames steep the land in red. You must become this dawn. Rise up, and lay hands on ancient weapons - take up the Sword of War, and the Banner of Ages. The world is vile and unclean in my sight. I charge you with this task, then: Go forth, and with steel and fire remake it anew. With the new dawn comes hope and purification, and you must be that dawn. Henceforth, you shall carry a piece of that dawn in your soul, and on your brow, and when its radiance drenches mortal men in blood-red, let them fall to their knees in my name. In the name of the Unconquered Sun!
Aapo the Red Dawn of Nexus
Caste/Aspect: Dawn; Concept: Amiable Borderline Sociopath Battlerager Thug; Anima: The Red Dawn (glowing red nine tailed fox); Motivation: First, just start building an army. Eventually the foundations of the future Armies of the Red Dawn in anticipation for the storm that is coming (and wipe out every trace of the Immaculate Philosophy crap & anyone else who would stop a Solar from waltzing down the street in peace).;
- Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5; Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3; Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4
- Abilities: Martial Arts 2, Melee 5, Thrown 3, War 4, Athletics 5, Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 3, Resistance 4, Survival 1, Linguistics 2 ([Riverspeak], [Guild Cant], [Old Realm]), Lore 1, Occult 1, Ride 1, Medicine 1, Melee Specialty (great axe) 3
- Backgrounds: Backing (Guild) 1, Familiar 3 (Kanji), Resources 4, Followers 1 (Winds & River)
- Excellencies
- Essence Overwhelming: 1m/die; Instant; Reflexive; adds +1 die to Ability dice pool, to a max. of Attribute + Ability; Applies to: Thrown, Presence, Dodge, and Bureaucracy
- Melee Charms:
- Call the Blade;
- Hungry Tiger Technique;
- First Melee Excellency;
- Summoning the Loyal Steel;
- Iron Raptor Technique;
- Dipping Swallow Defense;
- Resistance Charms:
- Ox-Body Technique; #1
- Ox-Body Technique; #2
- Durability of Oak Meditation;
- Iron Skin Concentration;
- Body-Mending Meditation;
- War Charms:
- Mob Dispersing Rebuke;
- First War Excellency;
- Infinite War Excellency;
- Tiger Warrior Training Technique;
- Fury-Inciting Presence;
- Athletics Charms:
- Increasing Strength Exercise;
- Monkey Leap Technique;
- Soaring Crane Leap;
- Survival Charms:
- Friendship with Animals Approach;
- Combos:
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- Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 4; Virtue Flaw: Berserk Anger
- Willpower: 7; Essence: 3; Personal Essence: 16; Peripheral Essence: 37 (14 committed +1 when weapon in Elsewhere); Anima Power: PH3AR ME!!!
- DVs: Evade 5, Parry 8, Mental 7; Soak: 16B/13L/11A (orihalcum bp; Mob -1, Fat +1, Hard 9); Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Inc.
- Attacks
- Slaughterous Prelude: Speed 6, Rate 3, Accuracy +1, Damage +13L/4, Parry DV 5
- Grim Cleaver of Massacres: Speed 6, Rate 3, Accuracy +1, Damage +13L/5, Defense -1, 2h overwhelming reach, 3 hearthstone sockets, 10m to commit (instantaneous for Aapo), only Dawn caste, when attuned limit track reduced by 2, may enter Battle Fury Focus at only cost of 3m, Blood Thirsty Sword Dancer Spirit cost reduced to 7m & no willpower. While in battle rages add essence to weapon damage. Extra action charms add 1 extra action with no additional cost. Wielder is treated as a unit with a magnitude = to their essence. Any units led are treated as their magnitude or the essence of the wielder whichever is greater. A massive orihalcum grand grimcleaver, & one of five weapons created in the same line as the Daiklaive of Conquest. Scarlet Morning, Aapo's previous life, had wielded this axe & it's dark mirror is wielded by his wraith in the Labyrinth.
- Possessions:
- Artifacts: Grim Cleaver of Massacres, Slaughterous Prelude (currently with Winds), orihalcum breastplate
- Hearthstones: N/A
- Intimacies: Kanji (5; established), Ginger (3; established), Thorn (1), Crimson Slate (2), Alabaster Mountain (2), Swifty (1), Ebon Midwife (2), Savage Lands (1)
- Athletic Measurements
- Horizontal Jump: 20 (19 w/ penalty)
- Vertical Jump: 10 (9 w/ penalty)
- Move: 4 (3 w/ penalty)
- Dash: 10 (9 w/ penalty)
- Lift: X lbs.
Kanji the Mighty, Fire of the Desert, Scourge of All Who Oppose Him & Herder of Solars
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Squeak squeak squeakum! Squeak!!
/translation/ "Fear me! Oh, do you have any fish?"
OMG I want three tails!!
One snake. Fine. Two...okay. Eighty bajillion? Hell no!! Snake god? Herald shmerald we're outta here! Aapo...Aapo come. Now! ... *sigh* Why does nobody listen to me?
The correct way of shooting tournament marbles is to place all of the knuckles (save the thumb) on the ground, place the shooting marble inside the first finger between the tip and the first joint, and secure it there tightly with the tip and nail of the thumb. The marble is propelled by the thumb forcibly ejecting it from its nesting place.
Ginger is my bitch!
I don't think teleportation is supposed to take this long... I think the little godblood child screwed up. Wonder how Aapo is doing without me. Probably dead. Hope I don't turn stupid as soon as we appear in Nexus. Or maybe I already am & this is the limbo where my higher intellect has gone to. Ugh. Horrible thought. I think walking may have been faster... /little fox sigh/
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- Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2; Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3; Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
- Abilities: Martial Arts 2; Integrity 2, Presence 3, Resistance 2 (Heat +2), Survival 2; Investigation 1; Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Dodge 4, Stealth 4, Lore 1
- Willpower: 4; Essence: 1
- DVs: Evade 4, Parry -, Mental 3; Soak: 2B/0L/0A; Health Levels: -0/-2/-4/Inc.
- Attacks
- Bite: Speed 4, Rate 2, Accuracy +1 (6), Damage 1L
- Athletic Measurements
- Horizontal Jump: 10 ft
- Vertical Jump: 5 ft
- Move: 5 yds
- Dash: 11 yds
Other Important Individuals
Experience Points
Prelude: Training of the Solars
Book One: The Black Phalanx
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Spent: 160 (+6 Combo only & +2 Melee only); Unspent: 0 (+3 Combo only)
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