Darkest Corners volume 2

Game Master Harakani

"It might simply seek to stall for time?" Ophelia replies. Now that the bat swarm was stirred, there was no need to be quiet anymore. With a tiny bit of disregard for its well-being, Ophelia merely dropped the chest on the floor. With her now free hand she grabed an Alchemist's Fire and tossed it at the swarm, joining Castor's effort to scare or burn it away.

To Hit, touch: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Damage, fire: 1d6 ⇒ 5

"Yes, but why? We have to keep our eyes open for possible deception." Castor responds.

"Restore the damage dealt, wait while our protection wears off ... Hope that the bats kill us?"

The bats are on fire.
They shriek as they flutter, drops of alchemist's fire spreading like a fine, fiery mist over the hardwood floor. The darker parts of the room still swirl with the winged vermin, but around the guards a clear space opens.

Through the door steps the Sergeant. Another burst of positive energy elicits no screeches or screams - but Sefu stirs, and rises weakly to his feet, guarded by a newly alert Laurestine.
Sefu and Laurestine are readying actions to attack. Sergeant is next to Ophelia

"Waiting for the sun to set, so it can run." the Sergeant adds to Ophelia's guesses.
"Need to bring the little bloodsucker to us."

How does the room/area look like? Are there any more obvious exits?

Is there some way to open the room to the setting sun?

The building is 60x55ft.
You are currently about 20ft in from the east wall
map
Swirling bats and darkness make it harder to see, and the walls are not visible from the centre of the room. Still, there are things you can deduce and see from where you are.
It looks like something (or things) with incredible strength have ripped out all the walls in the middle of the room, leaving only supports and occasional beams and studs.
No light comes in from any wall, but you know that your initial scouting did reveal windows. You also know from your initial scouting that this was a flat roofed building, and was unusual in being made almost entirely of wood.
The sun was starting to set when you entered. If it is waiting for darkness, you have only minutes.

Castor waves his hand and mumbles some arcane words. Four light spheres materialize near the western wall and move slowly from north to south.

"Unless you have a better idea, we might try to open the western wall so that the setting sun will shine in here." he says.

Ooh - good thinking. But I'm not sure we are quite destructive enough to manage to tear up enough of the wall in time. But it can't hurt to try!

"Wall or just windows?" Ophelia replies already dashing towards the wall, intent on ripping out the planks covering the windows.

We could also try and bargain using our 'hostage' :P

Other then that, I'm not sure how to attract his attention. Buy looking tasty and blood-filled ?

We could try some diplomacy perhaps ...

The bats go mad as the dancing lights move through them, but the light allows something to be seen.
The western wall has been piled with... everything. Shattered pieces of wall, furniture, mattresses, even piles of clothes. Piles lie against the wall haphazardly - or more likely against the windows.
Ophelia. You can attack the wooden wall (plus some minor plastering) or make a break check to start ripping apart one of the piles.
If you can make a DC 15 Engineering check you gain a +2 to damage or break check

Know(Engineering): 1d20 + 7 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 7 - 1 + (3) = 12

Ophelia takes a moment to try and figure out where to most efficiently attack the piles. But there was simply too many things - all just scattered around! She couldn't make heads or tails out of it and even started to feel a little bit dizzy. It reminded her of the Shinles. She didn't like them. So instead of an calculated effort, she made an quick attempt at dislodging a small part of the piles.

Str-check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

While a few items are cleared away quickly, the remainder simply continue to slump against the wall. There are simply too many smaller items. Given sufficient time this technique might work: but there is more to do.
did not make DC

Sarge nods in approval. He, Sefu and Laurenstine slowly start to move over: but are held at bay by the bats that swirl outside the cleared zone: bats that swirl like mad things as they ram into Ophelia.

bat damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Sefu draws his enormous gun and shoots into the darkness: but there is no discernable effect
"Thought I saw it" he explains gruffly

Unseen, out in the darkness the Master Vampire manoeuvres.

Player's turn

"Everybody, let's move to clear the window. Do not get distracted by bats or shadows. Time is of the essence." Castor shouts, moves next to Ophelia and starts clearing the windows.

Strength: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1

Err, not really helping...

God! I knew something slipped my mind, but I couldn't remember what it was. Sorry ...!

With the clockwork equivalent of a hard swallow, Ophelia refocused and gave it another go. Perhaps they pile would yield this time?

Know(Engineering: 1d20 + 7 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 7 - 1 + (6) = 14

Str check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Sefu, the Sergeant and Laurestine accept Castor's exhortation and pile in to help unblock a window.
Debris is strewn over the floor. The bats in that area go mad, biting, scratching and defecating with abandon. The pungent stench, and pain, is a sensation those present will not forget.
bats: 1d6 ⇒ 5 everyone takes 5 damage, and (apart from Ophelia) need to make a DC 14 Fort save or be Distracted (Nauseated). Casting while being attacked requires a concentration check.
After long moments enough debris is moved for streaks of blood-red sunset to flash against the opposite wall.
As one of the last large pieces - a credenza - is moved, the shadow strikes! A small dart flashes out of the darkness and into Ophelia's neck joint in an eerily smooth movement.

*Pling*!

Ophelia jerks away as the dart strikes her neck. The sharp object pierces her metal shell and jams itself a part of the mechanism that controls the orientation of her head. Her eyes flashes from annoyance to fear and then annoyance again. She had some trouble straightening up, but not overly so. With a mechanical snarl her free hand went up and tore the invading chunk of metal away from her.

Perception: 1d20 + 13 + 1d6 ⇒ (17) + 13 + (4) = 34

She sweeps her eyes in the direction of the shot and her ordered mind quickly spots a change from just a moments ago. Something moved! Without hesitation she crashed across the room and swung her mace against ..., well hopefully the vampire!

To Hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Damage? (silver): 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Move to Move 30', standard to attack

Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Castor shakes off the effects of the swarm.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

He notices the undead and shouts "Over there!" as he takes out a scroll and starts reading.

Concentration: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18 I guess DC should be 17=10+5 (damage) + 2 (spell level)?

He looks at the figure and shouts "Fuega intuere!" casting Burning Gaze, DC 17 Fort (initial damage) and Reflex (catching on fire - see bellow), duration - 3 rounds

Initial Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1 if Fort save is failed

can't find it...
fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
The little vampire screeches and dodges as Castor's gaze flicks over him - dodges into Ophelia's mace, which bounces off with a sound like hitting wood.
Natural armour made the difference

Not quite sure where his target is, the Sergeant brandishes his holy symbol and calls upon divine retribution!
channel: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 1) = 10
will save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
The vampire screeches again, this time momentarily catching fire.

Sefu and Laurestine move on to the next window
combined strength: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Debris and detrituts is quickly strewn, but the bats prove too much for wounded Sefu and he collapses again, leaning heavily on Laurestine.

The vampire shrieks at Ophelia, but does not advance. Seemingly driven away by the Sergeant's holy symbol, it flees back into the darkness and hides
Ophelia, make an AoO please

The bats part as the vampire walks through, then close upon the brave guards
damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3 new saves, please

Players are up

To Hit, AoO: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12 Eeeh no :P

Damage, Silver: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
________________________

I assume we didn't see where the vampire went ?

didn't I ... damn, was under the spoiler

This time, the shadows were not deep enough for the vampire to slip away in. At the back of her psyche, she felt an unfamiliar feeling - the fear of destruction. But it was too late for that - if the vampire got to hide again, his well placed darts could end her. With a mechanical swallow, she made her decision. The sound of loose metal rattling accompanied Ophelia as she dashed after it.

Perception: 1d20 + 13 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (18) + 13 - 1 + (4) = 34

To Hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

Damage, Silver: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Boink : )?

no boink :(

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29

"The bats are really starting to iritate me..."

Castor notices the retreating vampire and continues to use his gaze at him.

fire damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4 same saves as before

"There he is!" he says and points to show the flame erupting on the vampire.

fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
The vampire ignites!

The Sergeant channels again heal: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 4) = 6 and Sefu and Laurestine find the strength to stand again.
"I'm nearly spent!" shouts the Sergeant "What's the plan?"

Sefu and Laurestine are holding
The vampire steps back and shoots Ophelia
hit: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
fire damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Unable to line up his shot properly, and distracted with smothering the fire in bats, the Master's shot hits Ophelia in her knee-plate: an inch from penetrating the inner workings of her leg.

*Pling* The dark ricochets off her outer metal shell and the clockwork remains on her feet. But it didn't really make her feel any better. The nimble little creature was defiantly avoiding her swings - it felt like she was moving trough syrup. Need ... another ... way... The sun? The sun!

To Hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

Damage, Silver: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

She lashes out with another futile strike, nearly unbalancing herself and falling over she cries out to her companions.

"The sun! Let it in, cut the room in half with sunlight again!"

Sefu breathes deeply as he stumbles to his feet. He reaches into his vest and pulls out his powder horn, then jams it between the wall and a pile of debris.
"You mind?" he asks Laurestine, as he backs away.
Laurestine concentrates for a moment, then snaps her fingers and a single spark lances out to the powder horn.

BOOM!!
Debris flies everywhere in a cloud of gunsmoke. As it clears beautiful red beams shine through the now broken window, illuminating the whirling mess of bats, then penetrating to the far wall.

The vampire leaps backwards, now confined by Sarenrae's fire to a ten foot stretch of shadow against the far wall.

Castor, you're up

Castor uses his gaze for the last time.
Fire: 1d6 ⇒ 6

saves as before

fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15ref: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
The vampire shrieks as it catches fire again. Backed into a corner against the now illuminated Ophelia it loads and shoots once more attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17 and, distracted by the sunlight, misses.
bat damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

saves: 3d20 ⇒ (14, 19, 4) = 37
The Sergeant and Sefu charge against the last section of wall. This leaves them in the darkness for a moment as they simultaneously slam into the debris near the last window.
strength: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9strength: 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 - 1 = 19
The sergeant makes little difference, removing a few light boxes. Sefu bolts directly into a hardwood bookcase. With a thunderous grinding the bookshelf topples over. Sunlight streams in.
Sadly, with the bats, this last exertion puts paid to Sefu. He lies, helpless, ten feet from the vampire.
Laurestine shrieks as a bat flies directly into her face, tangling in her and blinding her.

Players are up. Castor: fort save please. Vampire is completely in sunlight this round, pressed against the back wall, ten feet from Ophelia, Sefu and the Sergeant.

Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Concentration: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

Castor ignores the bats as he takes out a scroll and activates the magic.

Magic Missile: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

better than nothing

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 6 + (2) = 14

"Surrender! We have your casket, there will be no escape now ..."

Ophelia shuffles around to cut off any escape routes - or paths to her comrades. Her mace was still, for now. But she kept her eyes on the vampire, judging his stance and readied herself for a renewed battle should he fail to comply.

Move action to position, move action to Study the vampire (unless diplomacy takes one, then ignore this one : ) )

The vampire, cut off by Ophelia, nods, drops down and scampers into the shadow cast by a small, overturned coffee table. His gait stiffens as he runs, and he only just makes it to cover.

Dilemma time: this could be a trick. And do you want a prisoner? If either of you were to smash or remove that table right now, you're pretty sure it'd be dead.

in the interest of dramatic tension I'm going to have all the NPCs, including the bats, forego their turn

players are up!

@Castor - what do you think?

Ophelia is up for simply demanding to stake the vampire so that he can be taken prisoner and given a trial, but she isn't really in the shape to fight him over it. So if he refuses she'd probably go for the table...

Thoughts : )?

Know(religion): 1d20 + 7 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (18) + 7 - 1 + (2) = 26

Where he is from, vampires are a menace. As he stated before, he is very comfortable with killing them. And he has no real knowledge of them, so the spawn issue is not an issue for him.

Castor looks at Ophelia. "Let us remove the table from the equasion. Barbecue time is a-coming."

The spawn issue isn't an issue for her either. In fact, it is more of a pro-argument to kill the vampire. If it dies, the spawn gets its free will back, nevermind that it might infect more ...

But being non-human herself (and not really seeing how the vampirism curse is a big deal), she doesn't want to kill it for just being.

On the other hand, this master vampire probably killed plenty and drove some of its own spawns to die fighting us (I doubt they had coffins already). So he may deserve Castor's judgement : )

"But he surrendered!" Chimed the clockwork, alarmed and confused. But if he dies, the spawn goes free ... Torn between duty, practicallity and her concious she was frozen in place. Assuming Castor does not take this ample opportunity to destroy the vampire, she has one last offer for it.

Castor quickly moves next to the table and turns it upside down. "I would like to introduce you to our friend... the sun" he smiles at the vampire.

Then he looks at Ophelia. "Oh, did he? I must have been distracted by the bats, I have not noticed" he says lightly not even attempting to sound truthfully.

Victory is yours!

The vampire screams, then freezes in a horrid rictus, mouth open in pain. Cracks start to appear in the exposed flesh, spreading and growing. An orange glow emanates from them, as if the surface below was on fire. Terribly the eyes continue to track between Ophelia and Castor as the cracks meet, join and chunks of vampire start falling off, igniting as they fall.
Soon, all that is left is a neat little smear of ash over the vampire's clothes.

The bats whirl through the broken windows into the night sky.

There is still some clean up to do, but there is little doubt now that the guardsmen can handle it.

Anything people particularly want to do before the debriefing?

"You... missed it?" Ophelia remarked as the vampire crumbled to ash before her eyes. Maybe it was for the best anyhow. With no way of changing the past, the clockwork shrugged and turned away from the former vampire. "How damaged is Sefu?"

We should look for coffins belonging to the spawns we killed. They probably doesn't have any yet, but it doesn't hurt to check : )

"Seems that way, does it not?" Castor smiles. "Anyway, this was the safest solution."

He moves to check on the fellow guards.

Other than taking care of our companions and checking for coffins (and I do not believe there are any), there is nothing that I think we should do before the debrief.

Diplomats and lawyers from Nex and Geb sent frantic messages to each other. Nex claimed this was part of a Geb plot, an old Geb chest with a hidden lead-lined compartment and a small vampire packed away. Geb maintained there was no evidence to link them to the chest beyond circumstantial. Nex demanded full resurrection for all the affected citizens. Geb denied all compensation.

Three weeks later the claim was resolved - haggled by those in power. No-one was particularly happy with the result. Geb donated a sum of money to the estate of those killed, an apology to the dominated, and offered citizenship to the newly turned. All but one of the new vampires took the offer - the choice of living somewhere you were welcomed, and somewhere that would never fully trust you again was an easy one. The lone holdout was determined to stay with his family.

A week after that Dunn Palovar, chief Fleshforger of Ecanus, hosted the Blood Lord Kemnebi of Geb at a social dinner in the lower Bandeshar palace. All, it seemed, was forgiven.

Lieutenant Spooky looks out of his window as he sips his coffee. It's quiet. Not truly quiet of course, not in a Guard house - you can still here the bustle of activity in the other rooms, and the screams of someone resisting arrest - but still quiet.

He sighs in resignation as a knock on his door signals the end of his peace, but slips his mask back over his face and turns around.

"Enter" he calls out

Sergeant Valdemar enters. The grizzled guard looks briefly apologetic at the otherwise empty office. The Lieutenant is well known for his love of his morning coffee - and he never drinks with anyone around.

"Sorry to bother you sir, but they're all here now."

"Better bring them in Abel. How many did Headquarters send this time to fill three positions?"