Kaul continues to follow his nose to the sweet scent of death;
:
Kaul opens the other door to the deepening stink of overripe death and finds a simple bedchamber. A wardrobe against the far wall is filled with black and gray robes. One pair each of boots and sandals rest next to the wardrobes beside a pile of empty pouches. The bed is curtained.
Drawing near the canopy bed with its drawn blue curtains, you can barely discern a figure lying beyond them along with a putrid odor. The humanoid shape does not move at your approach. Drawing back the curtain reveals a human in black robes with a long twin-braided silver beard. A dried stain creeps out from beneath the man’s beard to cascade down the side of the bed. You can’t be sure which is worse—the smell or the decayed state of the body—but you can be sure that Parnass the wizard is quite dead.
Jim moves the silver curtain of the man's beard aside with the tip of his rapier, ready for the corpse to move but curious if a slit throat was his only injury. "Feck, he's been like this a while. Unless there's magic in it, he must've been dead 'fore the bombs went off. And if the ledger's to be believed, there are six more of the things out there. Let's get this to the boss after we check that last door."
The man's throat is wide open. Cut more than once. In fact, three times: two parallel slashes and a diagonal line between them.
the Groom steps forward with skull still in hand. "This dead man might have something to say yet. Maybe he can tell us a thing or two of his death."
"That looks like someone's calling card, hey? Go to it, Groom."
Kaul leans in to examine the cadaver's exposed throat further;
"Hur... Reckon you could be right Jimmer. N... Just missin' the F-I-N... Rest o' the letters are likely on his arse! Hur!"
As he japes the thug adds his own considerable brain power to the group's recognition;
:
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
the Groom holds the skull over the corpse and whispers to it, "Who cut your line and sent you into the deep now, Parnass?" A faint gleam of red passes through the skull's sockets and the mandible creaks faintly as the hollow rasping voice replies: "Zelkema"
the Groom smiles coldly. "Now that's a name I happen to recognize. Zelkema is a smuggler who runs a business called Ztorage in the Warehouse District. Capt. Roberts suspected it might be a front with ties to the Aspis Consortium."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Knowledge: Arcana
Dingus turns the book sideways, backwards and upside down. "Hmmm Don't know much about wizarding books. Seems kind of backward and weak to have to read and memorize to learn your magic".
Dingus joins the others looking at the corpse, and pulling the hem of his robes up to cover his nose and mouth against the smell.
"Take the book with, mate. Might be worth something, hey?"
Kaul casts another beady eye at the corpse;
"Hur. Z fer Zelkema. Ol' Kauly was lookin' at it off kilter hur-hur-hur!"
The thug flashes an bloodthirsty grin as he flexes his claw, then pauses and nods toward his axe;
"Aye Lopps... Looks like we've got the Ass-pissers slinkin' about again... Reckon we pay this Zelkema a visit an' put the hard word on 'em?"
The crew thread the needle back through the dark streets quietened by the curfew. Staying clear of both precinct houses and the heavily guarded walls of the Old City, the stealthy sailors head back to The Docks and then slip over to the Warehouse District. Ztorage is a indistinct warehouse near the water about 120 feet long and 40 feet high. There is only one entrance through a pair of large reinforced double doors. There are no windows visible.
Muttering "Fecker cannae spell..." Dibbs follows after the others before giving them some pause at the door to Z-torage. He muses "Lads... might be worth me waftin in fer a skivvy bout? We dinnae want tha bastards tae be alerted like an I might be able tae see tha doors open quiet like?"
Kaul mugs a grin at the plan;
"Hur. They'll never see us comin' lads..."
"Aye, mist in and open it up for us if the way is clear."
Dibbets takes a misty form and slips through the gap below the door...
As Dibbs' wafts in, Kaul eyes the others with a hard look;
"Always wary when e' goes all fart-form like... Floats too close to a candle an'..."
The thug theatrically opens his claw...
"Boom!"
... then descends into a hacking chuckle.
Seeing no sign of current occupation or opposition, Dibbets drops 'fart-form' and open the warehouse doors for his mates. Inside, they also see the following: One everburning torch by the door spreads meager light into the vast warehouse. Not much is illuminated, but from what you can see, the warehouse is fairly barren at the moment aside from a few crates and some contraption covered by a sheet off to the side. The stone floor swept clean. Kaul's nightsight sees farther, but reveals nothing else.
"Best we keep together." Jim closes the door behind the group before stepping further into the warehouse. "Kaul, you smell anything out of the ordinary?"
Kaul takes a whiff and notes a strange chymical taint to the place.
Kaul wrinkles his snout;
"Apart from the wee whiffer... Also gettin' a taint o' strange chymicals like... Ain't part o' life's usual bouquet o' blood, sweat an' p1ss... Hur..."
Taking back his crutch from Kaul he gestures with chin towards the en-sheeted contraption "Best we take off 'er garters, take a wee peek afore we plunge innard eh?"
Kaul grins and nods;
"I'll do the honours eh lads?"
The thug pads up to the sheet, claw poised to reveal which lies beneath...
:
Dingus stares about wide eyed as the others explore the room. He let's Richard down and the young viper begins to poke around as well.
Kaul yanks the sheet off to reveal what seems to be a portable alchemy lab. Then there is a racket of rattling frames, clinking glass, and the sloshing of liquid chymicals as the thing stands man-like over the short stout thug. A glass dome is perched on top holding a human brain and two eyeballs which float in a translucent green fluid!
Dibbets-
Keelhaul Kaul-
Madman Jim-
Dingus-
the Groom-
foe-
Still gripping the sheet in his claw, Kaul growls in surprise as the alchemical abomination lurches to life;
"What the feck!?"
The thug instinctively swings his trusty hatchet at the thing with brutal intent;
:
:
the Groom is befuddled by the ungainly construct. "Not sure what it is, but just keep hitting it hard, Kaul." the Groom offers as he lifts Siren and blesses it with the Queen's own spite.
Unfortunately, the long unused repeater fires the bolt end-over-end.
Lopper smashes into the strange contraption causing the brain and eyeballs to swirl around the tank. A rubber hose is cut and sprays the thug with caustic fluid. The construct raises its spindly metal arms and pounds Mecha-man in a battle of the machines.
Taken aback and hopping Dibb's crutch falls to one side and he's left momentarily dumbstruck and downfallen. But with a "Feckin bloody sh1te" he hops along and acts as band-aid for his belligerent compatriot...
Despite Dibbs' healing taking the edge off, the slamming and stinging only makes Kaul more belligerent.
With a bestial roar he brings his fell axe to bear once again;
"RAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
:
:
:
:
Dingus dusts off his old Wand of Magic Missiles... then remembers something is wrong with it, and it only makes other weapons magical, then just decides to go with old faithful
Vapor Viper (From my own personal stock)
Round 1:
Jim isn't sure whether his trusty blade will be much good against this strange collection of glassware, so he returns to his proven strategy of anvil to Kaul's hammer. Dodging and weaving, he moves to set up a flank with the half-orc. "You seem to have the thing's number, hey?"
The eyes orbit the brain in a bottle following the swashbuckler as Jim tries to spin past the walking lab. Its long reach catches him with a powerful slam. Dingus summons vapor vipers which strangely just eviperate upon hitting the magic resistance construct. the Groom tries again. This time the bolt launches, but no hard enough to damage the thing.
Dibbets hops up under cover of Kaul to give him a boost. The touch reinvigorates the ax-man who lopps straight into the heart of the thing. There is sound like a full table of china being tossed over as glass, wood, and fire erupt from the thing engulfing the adjacent attackers. The eyes orbit back around the glass dome to the front and it beats on the orc-kin again.
Round 2:
The Taldan shakes his head, buffeted by the impact and blast, then drops the dodge and attacks. "Feck! Kill this thing quick-like, mate, or we're done for!"
Tossed from his single perch by the flotsam and jetsam of the battle, Dibbs manages a final arseslap for Kaul...
CSW:
...before falling upon his own arse with a wet slap.
Frightened beyond words that his magic seems to be broken, Dingus tries again by attempting to speed up everyone else actions.
"Faster! Faster!".
Dingus is perhaps to relieved to find out that it isn't him, it's the big construct. Siren sings as the Groom moves with alacrity to rapidly squeeze off two more bolts from the heavy repeating crossbow.
This time one bolt hits hard enough to barely leave a scratch. the Groom gives a grunt of disgust wondering what he's done to offend his mercurial patron goddess.
Beaten, blasted and still belligerent, Kaul seems to revel in the mayhem.
"Hur! How ye like yer brain lads? Chopped...!"
Bolstered by Dingus he brings axe, then claw to bear on the alchemical foebot;
:
:
:
"... Or scrambled!? Hur!"
:
:
:
-Posted with Wayfinder
Kaul is still getting used to the red claw and attacking with it throws off his axe swing. Lopper whiffs through the air, but the claw hits. It doesn't have the mass or edge of the murderous boarding axe, but Kaul hammers it into the wreckage sewn by the heavier weapon and tears out a mass of tubes and splinters. The fire and acid spray fore and aft as the creature topples over with a crash!
Jim staggers back, squeezing his eyes shut and wiping corrosive fluids from his face before they can affect his vision. "What the feck was that thing? Groom? Dingus?"
Before anyone can answer Jim's query, a bolt whizzes past his head- a killing shot if it had hit. The black-clad assassin stands about 25 feet away at the door of the warehouse office. "That must be Zelkema," the Groom judges.
Kaul barely has time to shrug his no-neck at Jimmer's query on the nature of their alchemical adversary, before The Groom's warning rings out.
The thug spins round with a scowl, then imbued by Dingus' majicks the blood-drunk brute charges the mysterious shooter howling as he goes...
... bringing his fell hatchet to bear in a thundering arc;
:
: (Ignores Hardness)
:
Then swings it again with blindingly quick belligerence;
"Hur-hur-hur! Chop! Chop! LOPP!"
:
:
:
:
"Dibbets, mate, I could use a spot of indifference 'fore I go cross swords with her." Assuming healing is forthcoming, Jim advances at a rather more sedate pace than the half-orc, proceeding on guard.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Grunting an affirmation from his ignoble position on the floor, Dibbets rolls over a couple of times and gives Jimmer an ankle-tap.
CSW:
Determined to bring his Vapor Vipers to bear once again, Dingus targets the assassin, and brings forth the power of his snake ring, with a gift for the would be killer.
VV from the ring.
Jim pauses a moment for Dibbets to roll out the healing and Dingus blasts the dark figure with a heavy round of green vipers from the ancient ring. Jim starts belatedly for the assassin, but is shouldered aside by the bloodthirsty thug. Lopper swings a heavy overhead arc as Kaul charges in and hacks at Zelkema. the Groom growls at the sniper, "By the Queen, don't you move."
Stuck in place and bleeding heavily from the murderous axe, the assassin fights for her life. She shoves the crossbow into Kaul's ugly mug while instantly following with a lunge from the rapier suddenly in her hand. The feint works and Kaul is surprised as the deadly blade drives for this throat! Fortunately, the desperate thrust is low and rattles off his tightly woven chain shirt. The thug recovers quickly and with a grunt swings Lopper sideways separating head from body. Zelkema falls.
Jim finishes closing the distance, looking around for more assailants or for fleeing flunkies.
Once the echoes of battle fade from the cavernous nearly empty storehouse, a somewhat familiar languorous voice is heard from the darkness across the room. "Ah well, Zelkema was expendable. My Golem less so, but perhaps I can improve on it next time. But may I offer my compliments? You are persistent. I do admire persistence. When last we met, my brainboil was not quite ready. I told the Consortium to have some patience, but you of the Material World are in such a hurry. I suppose it is your short lives. Some shorter than others."
"I also have been persistent since last we met though and improved the strain. Yes, I suppose my work with explosives is of note as well, but truly diseases are my pride. You will let me know what you think, yes?"
Dibbets-
Keelhaul Kaul-
Madman Jim-
Dingus-
the Groom-
foe-