Brother Thomas von Mandelbrot's page

Gods' Blood! A sale!
Where did I put my coin-purse?

As the group huddled at the entrance, debating their plans, Thomas took the opportunity to remind them all of the weaknesses shared by the zombies; though resistant to blunt trauma and impalement, they were just as susceptible to slicing weapons as any living man, and their attention could be diverted by simple sidesteps and feints, to reveal their neck tendons.

As the chanting rose higher, he could see the others shuffling nervously, fearful that the ceremony would be completed, or their prescence detected.

"Let us delay no longer. Each of us must clear a path for Riven, to allow him to use that holy sword on the leader and his bodyguard. They are most likely to have wardings that the blade will ignore."

"This blessing will prevent him subverting your mind."

With that, they could wait no longer, and erupted into the main chamber. Thomas called forth an ectoplasmic hammer, to harass the cult leader, then joined the others to beat a path through the horde, with his sickle. Though not as competent a warrior as the others, he could at least try to keep pace with them, prevent them from being surrounded, and restore the fallen.

Actions taken: Dark Knowledge(undead). (Roll 13+13=26).
Attack bonus +2 vs undead to all party.

Spells cast: Spiritual Weapon (4 rounds at +6/1d8+1)
Protection from Evil (Riven +2 deflection AC, +2 saves and suppresses mental control).

Sorry for the delay; I've been negotiating a remortgage, too. What a time to do it!

"I think I'd best take that lantern; you'll all need your weapon arms free."

"From their speech, I suspect diabolism is afoot. Maybe they are subhumans, of bestial aspect."

"We do not know how far they are through their ritual; I think I had best even our odds by way of a consecrated blade."

Bless Weapon on Riven's Greatsword - counts as magic & good, confirms all critical threats.
Unless it's already good or keen, in which case, cast on someone else.

"A good forty minutes. Plenty of time to get where we're going...I hope..."

Thomas also squeezes himself flat against the wall, so as to avoid treading on either of the two repellent coprophages, as he passes.

"Uh..ahem...we do still have some...err ...'food'...Upstairs, wrapped in a carpet...and we were going to have to dispose of it, soon."

"It's long past its best, and it would be extremely difficult to transport it through the streets..."

"...If that's not too callous for you all...?"

"What do these things eat?"

he asks, fearing the answer...

"Maybe we can keep it busy?"

....a higher pitched "Mnaaaa!" from somewhere nearby.

It's Richard Pett! Flee!

"Be careful! There may be a youngster around!
She?...it?...may lash out to protect it."

Thomas casts Light on his holy symbol, that can be easily concealed if necessary, and starts down the rungs, aiming the beam toward the noise.

"Riven, I think you may need both hands on that weapon of yours..."

Should have posted that last night but my connection conked out. Don't want people thining I'm a lollygagger...

"What, no alligators?"

"Well, it's open now. "

Looks out for witnesses, then if there are none...

"No sense putting it off."

He lowers himself into the darkness, thinking 'No way am I taking the rear...'.

"We believe the creator of the undead has a much more sinister agenda than merely assaulting a few market traders. A magical orb has been stolen, that could break the barriers between this world and the next.

We suspect the source of the bodies, and the route they take, is the old catacombs"

"We believe we may need your services, as a guide through the Undercity."

"There you go."

"If we wish to track it, maybe."

WhooHoo!

We got our stinker back, just in time to go down the sewers!

You first.

"Can we get into the sewers from inside the Watchpost? There is a grate in the basement. And it would be more discreet than prying up a manhole in the street."

"Probably not. I believe some stretches of the earliest sewer system took over the existing catacombs built by the first settlers. As such, there are tunnels down there, which expand into larger chambers, some of which are large enough to require support pillars and buttressing. Or that could all be an old fishwives' tale. If Hague were here, he could tell us the truth of it."

"Any remains were relocated, and reburied with full dignity, or at least, they were reported to be...?"

(Tells the story so far).

Well, you are a little ray of sunshine, aren't you?

"That is true. I am afraid we would not have come to you if it were not important, as some agency appears to want our investigation thwarted. My associates here are Riven, and Hellard, both of the Hell Squad, so we may speak freely. We need information on the place, person, group or thing known as 'Chanarax'"

<ominous lightning flash and thunder>

"Unfortunately, despite my pleasure at seeing you, this is not a social call. We three have need of your...um...skills."

Thomas bags a sample of the blood, in case it proves not to be human.

"Well, off to see Matthias, I guess."

"I agree. However, before we go, we should maybe collect any mundane clues, like the blood on the doorknob."

"And a quick visit down below might be wise. For all we know, they may be hiding down there. That would be ironic, wouldn't it?"

"Hmmmm"

"I agree, we need more experienced minds on this. This is about more than some mere necromancer, interfering with a few graves. The rapid decomposition you saw was not natural, and implies a fiend has recently left the body."

"I think a trip to my old tutor and mentor is in order. That is, my other tutor and mentor, Matthias..."

"That is a good point."

Time to hit Witchipedia!

"I am assuming it was not supposed to transpire in a such a manner?"

"No, it certainly was not!"

"Time to consult the books, for mention of this 'Chanarax'."

"So someone sabotaged our chance to commune with the deceased? In which case...was the term 'Chanarax' a warning? Or a threat?"

"For men of lesser courage, maybe. For those with resolve, it could be a clue."

Concentration 16+6=22

"Gladius Igneous!"

A jet of flame, three feet long, extrudes forth from his clenched fist, to skewer the the corpse's wrists.

"Must...keep...head...intact..."

"Gaaaahhh!"

Grapple check 12+3=15

"Helll...arrd..."

If that doesn't break free, hopefully my oak-like companion can hold it down...

We've still got the body of the other sage, so I suppose we'd better think of some questions to ask.

"Who took the Orb from your study?"

That will do for a start.

And before I forget, as I reach for the book...

"Klaatu, Barada, <cough>Nectarine<cough>"

I'm happy to continue if anyone else is.

Sorry for not posting as often as I should. I changed job last Autumn, which means a commute instead of the 10-minute journey I had before. And I started running my real-life game at the same time, so when I have got to the boards, I've been scouring the AoW archives. Then Kirth and I had to grab the chance to 'Save the Paladin'! That's the nature of the Beta test, if we don't resolve all the problems in 3.5, we'll be stuck with them for another 5 years.

I think another problem is that we're all far too polite! If you check out the longer PbPs, like Heathy's Saltmarsh campaign, it's full of the biggest egotists on the boards (and I mean that in the nicest possible way!). They know they have to post or be left behind, so it's a case of 'Match my posts or EAT MY DUST!'.

We're all 'After you!'
"No, after yooouuu.."
'No, I insist, after you!'
"I couldn't possibly, I've posted alrerady this week!"...etc.

If we want to make it as PbPers, we have to forget that idea of 'only needing to post once a day', grow a pair and hammer the thread whenever we can. And not worry about being rude, or barging in, or talking out of turn.

I'm happy to continue if everyone else is; if not, then I've 'met' some good people here. See you on the other threads.
Kirth, give Derek's lizard a worm from me!

Thomas stretched out his hand toward the vile tome, attempting to hide his involuntary tremble fro the others. Whether their associates had been abducted by physical agents, or destroyed themselves in their ritual, he could not tell, but he owed it to them to find out.

For the first time in a long while, he felt he had a purpose. This went beyond internecine ecclesiastical disputes, or petty noble vendettas. Good men had laid their lives on the line, for the safety of the city, the welfare of her citizens, and possibly the soul of mankind, and he had to rescue them, avenge them, or die trying.

He grasped the book, and inwardly flinched, in expectation of its evil prescence awakening...

Apologies for the delay; no real excuse, except getting caught up in the Beta threads.

"Vici Arcanum!"

<cast Detect Magic>

Are there any lingering traces of magic, as if they'd disintegrated themselves, or got sucked into The Bagworld(TM)?

Was the book, or the bag, the centre of attention, maybe set inside a ring of candles to form a summoning circle?

Hmmm; an albino assassin, sent by the Vatican, has infiltrated the offices of my associate, and killed him in a bizarre ritual slaying, to cover up the existence of a secret bloodline descended from Our Lord and Saviour, during which he (rather stupidly, in my opinion) scrawled my name in his own blood on the floor, thus implicating me in the eyes of the police, and ensuring that, if I cannot clear my name, by solving the mystery of this code-breaking cypher device, that I shall be strung up by the neck until I am dead.

Oh, if only there were some way I could operate this device...

"Then you will have Maiden Error..."

"Maybe I should have brought a unicorn, to tell us?"

"Hmmm; I don't recall the penalty for graverobbing, maybe it would be wise for me to provide an illusory veneer of authority to your search?"

"I assumed that his was the one he meant."

"Dust from a maiden's grave?"

"Given the morals of this city, I would guess finding that to be the most difficult of the tasks..."

"If it ditresses you to deal with your old friend, then if need be, I would perform the ritual, if it were in my power."

"Though I may need advice on any detailed questions to ask, regarding the Orb itself."

"Maybe the cells would be a good place for him?
For discretion's sake, if not the smell?"

"STOP THAT MISERABLE CREATURE!"

<puff>

<pant>

It glances back and bares its teeth in a snarl as it bounds away (like the zombies in I Am Legend), pausing to grab a shocked onlooker and tear his arm off at the shoulder. The man lets out a terrible scream, his blood gushing away, and collapses on the street, face rapidly whitening. With magical help, he might stand a chance of survival, but left alone, he will surely perish within moments.

If I can reach the zombie immediately, I'll charge it, otherwise, if it's too fast, I'll stabilise the citizen.

What? I never claimed to be a boy scout. And taking it out will prevent further poor souls being bitten...

A sentient zombie?

This has to be dealt with!

Thomas charges into the street, to hack its brains in.

"I SMITE AT THEE!"

Whoops, been on those Beta-discussion boards too long...

Hmm, haven't been able to edit my profile for a few days now.
Since we now know undead are around, my default spell list is out of date. I wanted to swap a Resist Energy for a Hide from Undead, and a Cure Mod for a Remove Paralysis.

"Sink Me!"

"Vade Retro,, Maleficarius!"

Protection from Evil

<knocks on Talvan's door>