Well, we managed to survive. Lets see what is inside letter number three.
I open the letter before anyone can stop me.
Candy enters wearing a far less prestigious uniform. Her clouded eyes and heavy lidded, and she leans heavily on the table, appearing a few seconds away from falling asleep sitting up.
She stares at the letter with some apprehension for a time, then casts and attempts to focus her concentration on the parcel as a precaution.
Silence arrives, far more dour than thought possible.
Having arrived early, Gethric awaits impassively as the others arrive and Squid moves to open the letter.
Felgrael made his way into the room and watched the others quietly as he took a seat. As Squid opened the letter, 'Smoke' braced himself for what was to come. He had taken the job knowing it would be dangerous and yet hopefully rewarding. Looking around the room, he hadn't realized how much of the danger would be a direct result of who he had to work with.
The letter opens without any special ceremony or event. No magic Mouth comes to life. On it is simply an address in dice end and a time. Midnight.
Reading the address and knowing of the location "It's isolated and quiet, best we be off later so we arrive just on the hour."
Psyana glances at the note.
Once Spawn announces where the meeting spot is, she quietly asks him - Did you find a sap or something less lethal than your chain? If there is a next time, we may not be able to hide if you are covered in blood and gore.
Shrugging Gethric responds "You want them to live on after, you take care of it." leaning in to add "The ones that kissed my chain didn't live to tell tales"
Candy rises stiffly. "If you will excuse me, it has been several years since I peddled for copper in the streets," she says and fails to stifle a yawn. "Rest assured, it is exceedingly difficult to lose myself after dark."
Shrugging: If they are not the mark, I don't really care whether they live. What I care about is whether I am able to enjoy the fruits of my success the next day. Being tracked down because ten bodies were left behind is not my idea of success.
Rounding on and standing over Squid, Gethric barely restrains himself from shoving the tiefling violently against the wall. Growling in a deep and gravelly voice "You would do well to quiet yourself demon. I left behind bodies robbed of sight and voice... you left behind a breathing witness to your face. Don't seek to lecture me on your own failings"
Felgrael rises soundlessly from his chair and heads for the door as Gethric confronts Psyana. I can see this conversation is heading towards a repeat of the other night. Assuming you two aren't hanging from the gallows or tangled in the sheets by then, I'll see you at the location at midnight. With a smirk he closes the door behind him and heads off into the city.
Silence looks nearly disappointed at the lack of fanfare. Gauging the others' reactions, she shrugs and stands.
She heads straight out the door with Smoke, with a smirk and playful curtsey.
You may recall, I had my face covered the entire time I spoke with the guard. You had yours covered in blood. If your choice is to die at the hands of the hell knights, so be it. Just don't include me.
I also head out and find a place to hide until midnight.
Before Psyana has a chance to walk away, Gethric snarls and lets fly with a right hook.
Fist: for
Still standing, barely. The flying fist was not unexpected.
Slumber Hex on Spawn. --> He is down for 1 round.
I leave the tavern, not planning on fighting here and now. If necessary, I will jump into the nearest body of water to rest and heal until midnight.
Gethric awakens alone and with fire still ascendant within his gut. Looking around he sees that the others have left him and stands slowly as his mind turns events over. The anger slowly ebbs away and Gethric finds himself growling sub-vocally. His gaze somehow alights upon the palm of his left hand seeing that which cannot be seen. Realizing with cold thought that he is slave to a higher power Gethric moves into the night, moving directly to where the meeting has been ordained for.
As the hour approaches midnight, Squid moves out of her aquatic resting place, shaking the water from her clothing. She then heads toward the meeting spot. When she sees Spawn, she slows and then approaches him and offers her hand.
A truce. It is clear that we do not use the same methods to accomplish our goals. But, as long as we are beholden to this employer, we need to work together.
And, actually, I do believe that you and I were pretty much the entirety of the mission last night, except for the vampirish sneak who disappeared and killed the mark for his own personal glory. It may not have gone as I expected, but we eliminated the majority of the compounds guards without taking a single blow.
As the day progresses whatever panic you were expecting the city to be under due to your actions fails to come to pass. The day of bleak oppression goes unabated. At midnight you crawl out fo your respective hidey holes and do your best to dodge the dottari in whatever ways you deem fit.
You stand before the abandoned building, which you've determined to be some abandoned crematorium. It's tall smokestacks once billowed the acrid stench of burning flesh and the sounds mourning , but now its windows are boarded up, and its furnaces have long since cooled. In front is a statue depicting Pharasma as a hooded elven figure holding an urn before her.
No light comes from within and the surrounding businesses are closed and locked for the night. Other than a delapidated iron bar fence surrounding the crematorium there does not seem to be anything keeping you from entering.
At the approach of Squid, Gethric growls and eyes her warily... knowing that she has the power to twist a man's mind. He refuses the handshake, instead holding up his left palm where the spider's mark once was visible "My hand is his... and we will see his bidding" before turning from her and moving into the crematorium proper. He casts his eyes around...
...seeing if there is something that needs be seen.
Silence looks at the statue warily, as if it just delivered a veiled insult. She grimaces and closes her eyes a moment, shifting her sight.
Not knowing what may lie within, Psyana casts Mage Armor on herself.
After seeing her attempt at a truce rebuffed by the orc, she steps back and then follows him inside, carefully scanning the area for any threats.
Perception:
Candy gives an exaggerated sigh of frustration upon seeing the gate. Yet another wall to scale, she observes, and frowns.
"Do none of you appreciate the similarity?" she inquires as the others step closer to the fence.
"Have any of you the ability to determine if this fence will support our weight, or collapse?" she reaches and touches a bar with a certain amount of incredulity, as though it could turn to dust by simply displacing a fair amount. "It scarcely appears to me wholly reliable," she jests lightly and frowns.
Quietly - If we do not try, we will never find out. Although we could always just go in through the front door.
Noticing an opening in the rusty fence. Psyana heads over and goes through, fading into the shadows once within.
Stealth:
Gethric follows through the rent in the fence, though he shows no attempt to hide his passage. They were bid to be here, so there was no need in his thoughts to hide.
As the group makes its various different ways into the crematorium you find yourselves gathering in the largest room inside, the oven room. Six large ovens dominate this windowless room. There is no furniture to speak of and only two doors lead out from it. One towards the back where no doubt the bodies were carried in, and the front where the offices, and other necessary rooms for the function of the building lie. There is no decoration, or any sort of pomp to mark this as anything but a practical place to burn the deceased. It is pitch black and only the blessing of your various forms of darkvision allow for any kind of proper sight. As you wait impatiently for your benefactor to show himself one of the oven doors creaks open ever so slightly. The sound would be indiscernible if not for the absolute silence within the room.
I turn toward the sound prepared to hex anyone that appears.
Perception:
Silence looks at the statue warily, as if it just delivered a veiled insult. She grimaces and closes her eyes a moment, shifting her sight.
** spoiler omitted **
Gethric turns at the noise and approaches the oven, putting his arm to the door and attempting to draw it open.
Candy, dressed in wrinkled peasant rags sighs and grips the handle of her quarterstaff tighter. Of course, among her party, not a one would believe that she'd need of it, and if there should be movement in the dark, it would be useless to swing the weapon.
Recognizing that it would be crude to sing, Candy allows her mind to wander over a few bars of the latest Thrune propoganda appearing at the theater. Would that my talents lay elsewhere, she muses, her body subtly swaying with the melody, or that I could distinguish between colors, she chides herself and releases a sigh.
Felgrael watched quietly as the large half-orc pulled the door open. All of these elaborate guises and tricks were becoming tiresome and he hoped they might finally get some real insight into what was going on. With a shake of his head, he felt it more likely that it would be more smoke and mirrors like before.
As gethric cautiously opens the door he stands slightly off to the side to ensure that whatever trap springs leaves him unharmed. Nothing happens and so he gives in to curiosity and glances inside.
Gethric will Save
Gethric gets a glassy look in his eye and screams in shock and terror as soemthign seems to drag him into the oven and slams the door. Within you hear him struggle and scream as you feel the room start to warm up.
Oh sh*t, much as I dislike him, this is not right.
I move over and attempt to open the door.
Perception:
Smoke cringes as he sees Gethric get sucked into the oven. Rushing forward he grabs the handle and attempts to pry the thing open, popping any locks or mechanisms as he finds them.
Would lilith and csiza like to do anything or are they looking forward to half orc barbecue?
Candy spends what seems to be several moments pondering the situation. One moment she was weary as a common copper peddler, clinging to her staff and awaiting death from every edifice of the darkened room, and the next the savage was seemingly consumed by the building. Her sightless eyes blink several times, registering that others are attempting to free him from his dire situation.
Odd that he would simply climb in... she muses, and the screams register finally.
Candy casts and concentrates on the oven.
"Something is obviously amiss here," she states flatly.
Grrrr I had a post but my internet is being a dick right now so pardon me if I shatter the fourth wall with all of my hate.
Felgrael works the latch and manages to get it to where he can open it but it'll be a nasty tug to get the rusted door off.
Lilith detects magic but can't determine source yet.
Csiza stares at an interesting bit of wall unable to hear your screams.
Psyana does not spot anything immediately helpful that Felgrael is not already doing.
Gehtirc comes to his senses to tiny flames flickering about him.
It will take a strength check to wretch open the door.
Gethric's thoughts were manic and only of escape... he struggled within the grasp of the charred bodies and attempted to kick open the door of the furnace....
Strength:
I run over and attempt to help Falgrael open the door.
Strength:
Is there anything in this room that could be used to pry the door?
Perception:
Smoke continues to tug on the door. He's encouraged by the loud bangs he feels coming from within. Apparently Gethric is trying to help from the other side.
Psyana feels the door wretch and screech as she throws all her weight into it. However the door stubbornly refuses to budge as Felgrael and Gethric feebly attempt to dislodge it.
Csiza continues staring at the wall while lilith growls in frustration as she discovers that there is no real magic going on here other than the casters in front of her.
Gethric's manic kicking intensifies as his claustrophobia mounts and his skin chars...
Strength:
This much.
The flames flicker and kick in Gethric's struggle as they grow hotter and the smell of burning flesh and clothing starts to waft into his nostrils.
I continue to yank on the door.
Strength:
Round 3: Strength:
Round 4: Strength:
Round 3:
Round 4 --> Gethric gets out on his own.
Candy watched as the others attempted to pull the orc-kin free, and was surprised that the offending door had not opened again to pull any others inside. Assuming that their betters had scouted the location... and it was clear from the notes that they had received and the brands in the hands that the organization had highly skilled magicians in their employ. Was it simply Spawn's terrible luck that he had reached for the door first?
After the second round? Candy approaches the group and attempts to help open the door as well.