The Book Of Water/Rika's Raiders
Rika's Raiders
Rika's Raiders is an outfit of Scavenger Lords, operating out of Cantek, the Guild Border Station just outside of Lookshy. While Relic Hunter operations are plentiful in the River Province, the Raiders are noteworthy for the number of supernatural elements that make up its core membership. They are led by Rika, a former officer in the Lookshy military who gave up her career for fortune and glory. She has slowly gathered around her a team whose diverse abilities and natures make them surprisingly effective in their chosen trade.
On any given expedition, the Raiders are accompanied by 5-15 mercenaries hired from the general dietrus of Cantek. These day labourers are well-paid for serving as bodyguards, moving muscle and generally being Extras.
While Rika has done well selling rare and dangerous Artifacts to the Guild, Lookshy and Nexus, there are a number of items she reserved for her own use. At the Storyteller's discretion, she and her people may have access to virtually any Level 1-4 Artifact (often with the "Damaged Artifact" Flaw).
The core membership of the Raiders consists of:
Rika: Born to a minor House in Lookshy, Rika endured the quiet disappointment of never exalting, unlike her highly successful brother. Doubling her efforts, she excelled as a Sorcerer-Engineer, but lost her will to go on when her rapidly aging lover, a Gunzosha warrior, went missing in battle. Resigning her commission, she left the city to drown her sorrows in vice. Needing jade to continue her downward spiral, she took several jobs fixing up broken bits of tech, eventually coming to the attention of one of the few elderly Scavenger Lords, who took her under his wing and helped her to break her bad habits before finally passing on his trade to her. Now, Rika is making a name for herself among the disparate lands of the Rivers, both as a successful Relic Hunter, and as a spectacularly unlucky gambler...
Rika looks like most Easterners from Lookshy, although she's a little on the short side; her most distinctive features are her defiantly-long blond hair (which she usually tosses out of the way in a ponytail), large & inquisitive eyes (often subdued behind round spectacles or goggles), an X-shaped scar on her right cheek, and what some charitably call her "crazed" grin. She normally wears practical work clothing and light armor on the job, and tends to avoid the flashier style that Relic Hunters are famed for. She really doesn't care much for her appearance, and rarely bothers to hide some scar or injury she got on the field or in the lab, but when the occasion calls for it, she does clean up nicely, and has no lack of suitors...
Josa: Josa, or Furious Claw as he was to be called, was barely a cub when his Beastman tribe and their Lunar parent were wiped out. Found trying to hunt small game by Rika, he was rescued ("tamed" might be how other Beastmen would see it) and rapidly grew under her care. Now that he towers over her, the Leopardman considers himself her prime bodyguard, though she's quick to put him in his place when he gets overprotective. Though she sees him as sort of a kid brother, he sees her as a mother-figure, which embarrasses her no end. He has trained to become quite an accomplished martial artist, the better to take care of his adopter. Still, he wonders how he will react when their adventures run afoul of other Beastpeople...
Emerald Frond: Rika was once responsible for helping a hidden enclave of Dragon Kings she had discovered out of dire straits. In gratitude, and eager to learn more of the outside world, they sent with her a young scholar to both aid her and to learn from her. Emerald Frond, though potentially the most powerful of the Raiders, is really more of a shy introvert who feels most comfortable in a lab or sorting Rika's armory. Rika has grudgingly accepted the help of her new saurian secretary, and considers it a challenge getting him to be more assertive. For his part, Emerald Frond has begun developing strong feelings for Rika, though he's terrified of what she and the Dragon King elders would say if they knew...
Emerald Frond is of the Raptok Breed, and is fairly consistent with the rest of his persuasion. He wears a necklace of Solar Charisma, enabling him to be publicly seen in Cantek without uproar. He is currently mastering the Paths of Yielding Earth and Shaping Wood, which respectively allow him to heal his teammates, repair the rare items they find, and find his way around collapsed and dangerous ruins. He really wants to master Transformation of the New Form, which will enable him to face Rika in a human guise. Perhaps then...
Iron Rain: The most recent addition to the Raiders, Iron Rain is a Bronze Legionaire that Rika discovered and restored. Though she doesn't have Iron Rain's command key, the automaton has decided to stay on and guard her as an act of duty and gratitude. This has caused some friction with Josa, who sees his territory being infringed upon, but Iron Rain appears not to notice this...
Iron Rain is one of the 1st Age automaton warriors who was actually crafted into a human likeness, although the brass and ivory-like materials of her construction leave no doubt about her artificial nature. She appears as a statuesque female warrior, girded in first age battle armor. She carries a short sword and round shield, and also is equipped with a long throwing spear and a blunt mace.
Allies & Enemies
Lookshy Major-Terrestrial brother
Mentor (Sidereal?)
Merchant Prince
Rival SL (Lunar?) Haltan ata beast
Professor Nexus
Renegade Abyssal Hawkrider "Fell Swoop"
Raksha Prince Hundred Kingdoms
Unit-0011
