This journal is to act as a major hub for organizing journals which account the journey of Fortune's Vanguard! These journals may be found in the journals subsection of this entity.

Act 1

Before they were fortune's vanguard, the original group (Bird Face,Cleis Frostclaw,Fae Wight,Woodsworth) was forced to flee from Egland after being caught in a coup. They became shipwrecked, discovered a magical disease Blue Wrath emitting from a hidden Sanctum gained a new member (Xael), and found the Fragment of Creation, an artifact which can turn matter into gemstones.  After being lost at sea for a year, they returned to the mainland, Tulsa-aria in a once thought lost ship, The Discovery.

Act 2

After returning to Tulsa-aria, the adventuring group founded their organization, Fortune's Vanguard. Bird Face and Fae Wight left the party, shortly after J'ack Rameur, Milu Soma, and Ripley joined. Reintroducing themselves to society, they became contractors for The Slowcart Foundation,  found some of their members are wanted in Wodford, slain the crazed Saint Harold, Xael died then was publicly reincarnated, and made strong allies with the Vaelhrathi after Reincarnating a large amount of their dead . After nearly two months of exploring Tulsa-aria they learned of storm covered islands to the Southwest, and set sail on the open sea to discover it.

Act 3

Now, after sailing through a megastorm for days, they have landed at the Southwest Isles, and are seeking another sanctum.


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An assorted group of notable refugees. Most of its members had been invited to The Feast of Egland's Best, a celebration hosted by The Slowcart Foundation turned to a coup, of which they were forced to flee from. Having nowhere to go but the ocean, they eventually found themselves stranded on a previously unknown landmass, Rosemore Island. Shortly after landfall, they discovered Blue Wrath (disease) a rapidly expanding fog that to causes unbridled wrath to those exposed to it. Inside of the fog, they found hordes of wandering undead, some with strange parasitic clockwork beetles embedded in their skulls.

They found the wreck of The Discovery and the remaining survivors of its crew, establishing Port Skipper in the process. Exploring deep into the fog they found Sanctum Alpha (The Clouded Facility), housing a contraption that was continually spewing the blue fog. Disassembling it yielded the Fragment of Creation (Octahedral Crystallizer), an artifact of unknown power that transforms anything placed into it into gemstones. They repaired The Discovery, restoring it to it's prior seaworthy state.

They found a group of leshies led by Waking Bittercress, turned mad by exposure to Blue Wrath, and a beetle in the back of their skull. They disabled Waking Bittercress, leaving them comatose, but under the care of the surviving friendly leshies. They then set sail away from Rosemore Island, traveling back to Tulsa-aria just short of a year after the feast which forced them to flee.

They have recently become contractors for The Slowcart Foundation.

They delivered a A Goat Headed Barrel for the Slowcart Foundation, and briefly acquired Ashpa on their return trip to Rosemore Island to save Waking Bittercress. The Leshy Caretaker would be able to help their people, and heal the island over the next few years (3467-3469++).

They have publicly pledged that they are out seeking signs of the Great Dragon that fell Udrodzid, and struck down Harold and his Dawnlight Inquisition once they attacked the Vaelhrathi. Fae Wight and Ashpa would cut ties with the party, but perhaps the Vanguard would gain new allies...


They recently acquired a master crafts-shark as Ripley  formally joined after discussions with Maklus near Dustoverke. Using their gained political influence, they levied labor towards the excavation of  former Udrodzid. A notable author, Milu Soma, followed this group on their journey to new lands overseas.


They were last seen aboard The Discovery, on their way Southwest of Dubkov.

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The Discovery is a large seaworthy caravel, created by Kr'af in the docks of Egland. It is Tuvron's first known seaworthy ship.

It was formerly wrecked (The Former Wreck of The Discovery) on Rosemore Island by The Stone Golem, it has since been repaired by Woodsworth Moure, and floats upon the sea once more.

It can travel 48 miles in a day!

(Image credit: Robert Little: http://roberts-old-ships.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-privateer-in-art.html )
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The party continued forward, exploring more of the sewer system. Milu and Cleis chose to withdraw while the rest of the party took efforts to map the rest of the sewers. More traps were found, but little evidence was discovered. Eventually, the party found an escape hatch up to a house that had been set ablaze. Thinking quickly, the party suppressed the fire. They then questioned the locals and discovered a bronze scaled kobold and an extra fluffy kitsune had left the building before in a hurry. The party tried to follow the tracks, eventually leaving the city to a nearby town, only to lose them in the morning. After questioning and confirming with a local drunk that the two had been seen , but with no further evidence, the party was forced to retreat back with a teleport to town.
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Player Characters

Cleis Frostclaw works with the Custom's Office, a means to an end for gaining access to various sources of arcane knowledge given it's location within the city of Egland, alongside keeping informed of various happenings within such due to the proximity of the harbor, local market, and a pretty decent bar.


Description

Body being comprised primarily of white scales, this kobold's defining features are the wavy purple hair framing their face, their cyan eye color further cementing the attunement to ice that they have, and the noticeable burn marks taking up the majority of his right arm, alongside the burn marks around his eyes. Being of an average kobold height, Cleis is both curious about the unexperienced aspects of the world around him, and restrained in his curiosity for the sake of self preservation fueled by a dangerous incident in his past, primarily involving an irate dragon and flame magic. That incident also sparked his overwhelming intrigue in all things arcane, however, Cleis delving himself into research and practice to achieve the same level of mastery as what was witnessed...if not to surpass it.


Biography

Spending the first part of his life within Udrodzid, a system of caverns alongside kobolds of his same kind, exposure from the outside world didn't start until an incident where he met the ire of a flame Dragon, which was also Cleis' first exposure to magic once an elementally-relevant spell was used to decimate a significant portion of where he resided...alongside leaving himself interested in the sheer power witnessed while fleeing from the caves.

Integrating into the nearest city as much as he could, Cleis found that the instance of being surrounded by the brightness of those flames acclimated himself more towards being out in daylight...more or less curing his weakness to sunlight through proximity to something just as luminescent, allowing him to spend more time around humans. Even if it meant hiding his appearance in a cowl robe a fair bit too big for his body, interacting with the world in the light allowed him to research magic to his heart's content, utilizing such to perform entertainment for both common society, and eventually nobility. Using these moments as practice for the sake of expanding his capabilities, Cleis gradually progressed into actual magic instead of the sort used for entertainment, gaining prestige and social status through his efforts in assisting nobility with all things magically alchemical, combative, or just generally useful.

Now, having settled himself into the world of nobility, having proved himself to be more than a proficient sorcerer with the 13 years of experience after his departure, and still having the curiosity to progress even further than that, Cleis has been bestowed with yet another chapter of recognition: Invitation to the mysterious party of Egland's Best, the prospect of that potential adventure readily accepted for the sake of studying more of the world's secrets.


He was invited to, and had attended The Feast of Egland's Best.

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Jack is decent well known mercenary for hire, working in varying fashions in one country for a month then appearing at new country and making a name for himself there and so on. Bounties, justice, blackmailing, its all work that blends together. 

 

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Milu is a short (4'2") bright orange and white colored kitsune. His fur is more plush and bushy than your typical kitsune, often getting caught in their clothing so they often wear light garments if possible. He has a pair of large spectacles on his snout, often adjusted up when reading. Bright green eyes rest between a large pair of perky ears that adorn his head, listening curiously whenever someone talks.

Milu was born and raised in Skaraysk, living in comfort at home with the Soma family. Employed in the Hardridge Accounting firm for most of his adult life, he gained essential skills in transcription, copywriting, writing contracts, linguistics and research.

Has authored:

En Garde and Gardening - A researched article on simple steps to improve your stance, poise, and positioning in combat. References and comparisons are made in the effect of tending a garden during combat.

The Strongest Teas - A review and opinion piece of various popular (and unpopular) teas available in Skaraysk. Published in the paper.

The Long Bark - A short fanfiction novel written about a forbidden love between a druidic kitsune and their lifelong commitment to the wilds and a cloistered kitsune monk. Only one copy was written.

To Raise and to Rise - A researched documentation of a certain saint. Commissioned and published.

The Other Side - A work Milu is most known for. A story where the hero is flung into some alternate reality. Some kind of plane of existence where things are the same and yet are different. Our hero discovers how every circumstance has many sides, most of equal merit and context and must make hard decisions on his trip to get back home.


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Ripley Blackfin


Ripley is an Agent of The Slowcart Foundation. She was born to Marisha and Aldrich Blackfin in the small coastal town of Musa Point. She was an alchemical prodigy from a young age, and the presence of enchanted iceboxes at Blackfin Fisheries gave her both exposure and fascination with magic. Due to her family's connections she was accepted as an intern at the Slowcart Foundation at the age of 16, where she would learn and work in perpetuity.

After a workplace incident left Ripley demoted down to a mere agent she kept her head down for a while, hoping to mend burned bridges and get back what she'd lost. Her missions gave her combat experience, and she heard rumors of a small but very powerful group known as Fortune's Vanguard. She hoped to someday see this group in person, and bear witness to the vast magical power they were said to wield. Surprisingly her wish was eventually granted, and she was assigned a long term mission to travel with and observe the group.


Early Life


Musa Point is a small seaside town located right on the border of Wodford and Serval. While out of the way of most major ports, the town boasts a high standard of living, including cobbled streets, a variety of shops and pubs, and a social safety net for all citizens and visitors of the town. This large influx of prosperity is almost exclusively thanks to Blackfin Fisheries.

 

Blackfin Fisheries was founded two generations ago by Cyrus Blackfin, a warm-hearted idealist. Cyrus established the company as a worker's coop, unifying the local fishers under one banner. He believed that by showing what a better future could look like, he could inspire the world. The resounding success of the fishery cemented his legacy for generations to come, and the Blackfin family became well known and beloved locally, with a member of the family serving as chairman of the company to this day.

 

The company was able to export their goods to a much larger market due to a chance partnership with the Slowcart Foundation. The foundation brought magical goods, more specifically iceboxes that kept the catch cold and fresh near indefinitely. They gained near-exclusive rights to exporting Blackfin fish to landlocked cities; crates bearing the Blackfin logo becoming a common sight in Skaraysk and beyond.

Aldrich Blackfin took over as chairman after Cyrus retired, continuing his father's work and sharing his idealism. He was the one that negotiated and finalized the deal with the Foundation at the behest of the coop. A diligent worker and loving father, he balanced running and working in the fishery with taking care of his family, including his young and briliant daughter, Ripley.

Ripley's brilliance and curiosity was noted from a young age. She always wondered how various fishing equipment worked, taking it apart and putting it back together again. Her true calling wasn't found until one day a representative of the foundation was in town, they noticed Ripley, now 16, performing alchemical research in Blackfin manor's workshop. They offered her an apprenticeship in R&D Team 07, a secretive team of arcane researchers and crafters who develop various new technologies, both magical and mundane, in cutting-edge facilities.

Several years later, Ripley, now a full-fledged member of Team 07, was demonstrating a promising project involving black powder to long-time teammate Niles Eirladar. Unfortunately due to an impurity in the chemical mix there was an explosion, scarring Ripley's right arm and costing Niles his left. The accident put a few cracks in Ripley's confidence, and she vowed to continue the project without hurting anyone else. In Niles however, experiencing the explosive power of black powder firsthand unlocked a dark ambition inside him-he would monitor Ripley's work, waiting for its completion before claiming it for himself.

More years, many iterations, and several explosions later, Ripley was working on her latest prototype. Having invented many working models of single shot firearms at this point, she was working on something more... a pepperbox, capable of holding and firing several shots before needing to be reloaded. It was then that Niles sprung his plan, and confronted Ripley in her workshop. He told of his ambitions, he told of armies, armed with her inventions, marching to war, he told of the riches and power that awaited them as arms dealers. Ripley was horrified, and shot him down immediately, demanding he leave her alone.


Contemplating the moral implications of what she had created, Ripley acted rashly. Returning in the night, she put her work to the torch, manuals she had written, diagrams, notes, anything that would allow a layman to recreate her firearms was burned. She destroyed prototypes. Her life's work up in smoke to slow down one ambitious man. She knew this act of destruction wouldn't go unnoticed, and she was right.

Ripley's confidence was shattered, she was stripped of her position for such an 'act of negligence.' Niles pinned the blame on her, vowing to "continue the work she started" to their superiors. While her many years of service protected her from being thrown out of the Foundation, she was completely removed from R&D. Now she was little more than an agent with seven yards of burned good will. She felt she couldn't show her face to her family or go home. Left in self-exile, she kept her head down-quietly doing as she was told; she worked to restore her ruined reputation within the Foundation.

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Woodsworth Moure


Woodsworth Moure is the Caretaker of the Idol, Caduceus. He was born on Lashance's Ferry to parents Kizmet Harrow-Moure and Lashance Moure as their first and only child, where he spent his youngest days. The traveling duo-troupe, Kizmet and Lashance, would travel between Alia, Egland, and Dubkov on their business - the young bunny would only have fleeting memories of all the different places. In his youth, he was left with Plessius of The Patriciate by the duo, after meeting the Idol, Caduceus. Bonding with the Idol and the great Spirit of Luck and Life, he worked as a member of The Patriciate - aiding those with financial advice while providing healing services to the aristocracy. 

After Caduceus was invited to The Feast of Egland's Best, Woodsworth was caught up in the escape of several known people from the attempted coup. Bringing the Idol with him, he met up with the other members of Fortune's Vanguard, and crash-landed onto the shores of Rosemore Island. He aided in sealing Sanctum Alpha (The Clouded Facility), and resurrected The Discovery from the isle's broken shore. Now as captain of the reclaimed vessel, he guards the Fragment of Creation (Octahedral Crystallizer), ensuring that it is not used for its destructive means in the future. 

 

Early Life


Born on the ocean, Woodsworth was brought up by his parents Kizmet Harrow-Moure and Lashance Moure, getting to experience the exquisite foods and varying cultures of Tulsa-aria.  

Kizmet and Lashance landed in Egland by the time Woodsworth was about 7. Upon setting up shop in The Riverside Market, Woodsworth wandered over to the public-facing stand of the Patriciate, run by Plessius.

Sitting atop the counter was the fluffiest of bunnies around, Caduceus. Upon the two meeting, Plessius instantly noticed a connection he witnessed eons ago with Caduceus' last caretaker, Morgana Vida. Plessius immediately petitioned his parents, Kizmet and Lashance, to take the boy in and give him a stable home. Given that the two were planning to head out on a new, long voyage to uncharted territory, they let Woodsworth stay in Egland to give him somewhere safe to be.

Kizmet and Lashance never returned to Egland. It's been nearly 20 years since they were last seen or heard from. Woodsworth has accepted their loss in his teens.

As he stayed in Egland, his abilities with the Idol developed. In the mornings when holding onto the warm fluff, the spirit of life brushed over the young boy's form. In time, he learned how to accept this feeling - allowing it to enter his form. Upon entering his teens, he discovered how to open himself up for the spirit to enter when needed. He would find that the spirit heeding his call would never be too far away, but that his form could only handle so much.

Finding friends was difficult in the city. As a frail outsider, he did not venture much out of The Patriciate.

He became a High Healer of the The Patriciate, tending to patients with his limited abilities as they came in. But the abilities of a Caretaker are not infinite. In late Confusion 3466, the bunny was presented a unique patient. The old Lord, Edval Eg, was afflicted with an illness. It made him weak, though he could eat and function. Trying his abilities, and any poultice he could get, the Death of Lord Edval Eg could not be prevented.

 

The Feast of Egland's Best


After the death of Lord Edval Eg, there were invitations sent out to various members of the community. A glorious invitation, gold-ribboned, arrived for the Idol. 

He escaped the coup with Kr'af, Fae Wight, By'rd, and Cleis Frostclaw. Traveling across the ocean a few weeks, he arrived at Rosemore Island

 

The Rosemore Island Incident


WiP

 

Captain of The Discovery


WiP


Destroying the Dawnlight Inquisition


WiP


Rise to Sainthood


WiP




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Background
 
Xael hails from a tribe primarily located in a hidden glen between the mountain peaks of Eastern Kapsia. Called The Howling Jaws from the unending glacial storms that blow through, this small valley has been the ancestral home for the gigantic Vaelhrathi tribe as far back as the story teller's spin their yarns. While the details have been lost to the sands of time, tribal legend tells of hunting primordial beasts that ravaged the land in epic battles and unending glory.
 
 The stories of the elders are impressive, but have become less believable in modern times. Either the land is much safer now, or ancestors of old had an habit of exaggeration. Either way, the tribe retains the trophies of their past hunts used: twin tools of destruction handed down from generation to generation. The first, colossal weapons made of bone larger than any beast seen in modern day and the to skill to wield them. The second, an art lost to the ages of distilling magic essence from slain beasts into a potent ink, which, when inscribed to flesh in the correct patterns, bestow the wearer with fantastic arcane power.
 
Recent times have been peaceful, with more and more tribesmen content to live off the land, hunting small game and beginning to integrate into a society they once raided. The first diplomatic mission out of seclusion to establish ties with the neighboring Udrodzid, led by the Great Chief Dathrun, held promise, but upon arrival, they found only a sunken crater in the ground, and talk of the great red dragon responsible for it's destruction.
 
Upon the Chief's return, the story of the red dragon spread to the Tribe. 
 
13 Years have passed since then, and with the stories of old mingling with tales of winged tyrants, more than a few have begun to dream of conquering the beast. Heart blazing with the promise of glory and the thrill of battle, Xael has completed his training in the ancestral ways of war and hunt. Now, armed with the fresh arcane tattoos, crackling with power, and a massive slab of a sword carved fossil passed down his family line, Xael makes his own way out of the shelter of his past to claim his own story. Following a dream vision from the elders to find a mystical bunny surrounded by darkness, stranded on a forsaken island, he heads north east to track the ultimate quarry.

Current ??? Benefits
1. Adjacent allies have a +1 untyped bonus to AC
2. Unknown additional effects


Notable Paladins Sacrifices
1. Spent his hero point to save a crewmember from being grabbed by the screaming worm in the raging storm
2. Saved J'ack and Milu from being grabbed by the screaming worm in the raging storm
3. Became paralyzed by the moth's touch in place of Milu in the southwestern island
4. Took a fatal blow from the giant skeleton for Cleis at the facility
5. Sacrificed his sight to try and protect Ripley's sight from the Angry Meatball at the facility
6. Saved Milu from a skeleton swarm
7. Saved Ripley from a fatal bullet in the sniper ambush
8. Saved Milu? from getting coup de grade only for Milu? to get coup de grade again next turn

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Instigator
Ripley

My work as an agent and lack of a proper research facility has caused me to plateau in my work into black powder and firearms.

They are undeniably effective yes, but cumbersome to load and prone to misfiring. Surely I can improve upon the current pepperbox (as that idiot Niles called it) design?


It's time I stop blaming myself. I need a breakthrough. Now. Perhaps the resources of this Sanctum(Sanctum Beta?) has what i need?

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The Party's combined communal currency wealth, any gold noted here is stored in Woodsworth's Captain Quarters on The Discovery

Transactions are listed as posts to this entry. Please expand this entry for further information.

Things stored on The Discovery are located in The Discovery General Item Storage page.