A single sound is heard despite the freezing of everything in the temple. It is the sound of bells tolling. You all realize that it’s the clock tower bells tolling for midnight. It seems so like your horrible tea vision earlier that day that your heart seizes in terror.
Tongues of roiling pink and blue fire lick from the octagram. From its depths, an enormous unblinking Eye, fringed with scintillating feathers, coiled through with every conceivable colour, forms.
Despite his body being headless, you all still somehow hear Teugen’s screams and him begging for more time, but a disembodied, many-toned voice sounds — more in people’s minds than in the air — deep and high, terrible and mellifluous, and so very cold. ”I claim your soul. It was always mine; but you were more useful when you believed you could save it. Now you are needed for other matters.”
Teugen’s soul howls as his body bursts into multicoloured fire.The remaining cultists, appalled, scatter, tripping over themselves, terrified beyond rational thought. As this happens, the half-formed blue Daemon desperately snatches up the scroll and begins to read from it, taking up where Teugen left off. For the first time, its voice is strained, and it stumbles over phrases as it rushes to complete the invocation. When Teugen’s body has burned away, the giant burning eye turns to the Daemon. The disembodied voice sounds again. ”There is no portal. You have failed. Return to me.”
The daemon begins to burn in coruscating flames. It howls and writhes in unspeakable agony, then burns away.The great Eye in the octogram then looks at you all, pausing for a moment on each. It finally settles on Landolf and appraises him for a long moment. Then the eye burns away along with the remnants of the octagram, the candles, the salt, the cultist who had killed herself, even the markings on the wall, leaving nothing behind but an empty warehouse
Time begins to flow forward again...if you have managed to keep count you realize that the clock tower bells pealed exactly 12 times.
From outside comes the smell of smoke.
Valghaz kept his cool. Standing tall he held his pick in both hands, ready to attack anything that came. As far as he cared, everything they had fought had been killable, which meant that he didn’t see a reason to panic. Whatever came would meet his pick! When the voice died away and the foes either scattered or vanished, he slowly lowered his weapon. Looking down at the corpse of the magister he bent down and began rummaging, looking for a coin purse. It was hard to process everything that happened, and the only thing he could think about was how comforting the gleam of gold would be. With the immediate danger passed he desperately wanted something comforting, and as there was no alcohol, he figured that gold was the next best thing.
”Time to skip town?” He asked. ”I don’t trust the Witch Hunters. This man was influential, aye? They’re just as likely to turn on us as they are to offer a reward if our past experience is anything to go by.”
Maybe Adelaida was too scared, too rattled, to fully understand the terror how the last events in the warehouse.
It happens, sometimes, in times of war, to the stoutest warriors as to the spineless cowards
Ruprecht drops his sword to clatter on the ground, his heroic blow to the Demon forgotten in hi terror. Clutching his head he murmurs, "The Eye...It talked....But...it's all gone! "
He ends up in a crouch, his eyes wide as he tries to comprehend what just happened...
[dice=Cool 63 - 20]1d100
Valghaz kept his cool. Standing tall he held his pick in both hands, ready to attack anything that came. As far as he cared, everything they had fought had been killable, which meant that he didn’t see a reason to panic. Whatever came would meet his pick! When the voice died away and the foes either scattered or vanished, he slowly lowered his weapon. Looking down at the corpse of the magister he bent down and began rummaging, looking for a coin purse. It was hard to process everything that happened, and the only thing he could think about was how comforting the gleam of gold would be. With the immediate danger passed he desperately wanted something comforting, and as there was no alcohol, he figured that gold was the next best thing.
”Time to skip town?” He asked. ”I don’t trust the Witch Hunters. This man was influential, aye? They’re just as likely to turn on us as they are to offer a reward if our past experience is anything to go by.”
Unfortunately, Teugen’s body including his belongings were destroyed by the daemonic fire.
[dice=Cool 45 -20]1d100
The disturbing pink and blue light has faded leaving the warehouse in semidarkness, but it’s not nearly as dark as it should be at midnight. The high windows at the front of the warehouse are lit by fire(s) outside the warehouse. Occasionally the fire light flares brighter and then you hear huge crashing sounds that sounds like it comes from several blocks away.
Landolf is all too eager to leave the terrifying warehouse behind. "To the river!" he cries, uncaring for the moment if his friends hear the panic in his voice. He races back toward the boat they sailed in on.
...Cultist 7 first claws at her own eyes and face and then with blood streaming she runs headlong into a wall of the warehouse rendering herself unconscious....
Seeing the terrified expressions and voices of his companions, Valghaz sighed, wondering if this was what Black Fire Pass had been like. Though, perhaps, he was just too unimaginative to have fully grasped the full horror of what they had witnessed. Regardless, keeping a cool head he checked the fallen cultists and found that one was still alive. "Aye, aye. Let's head to the river and bring this one with us to the Temple of Sigmar. If we don't get this all cleared up when we might have Witch Hunters coming after us. At least turnin' this fooker in means that we might yet get out of this with some kind of reward, or at the very least, without gettin' burnt alive." As he did this, he noted the throwing knife that had been launched. He quickly pocketed it, figuring that he'd check later to see if it was still serviceable.
Out the back entrance of Warehouse 13 you go. There’s been great changes happen while you were occupied inside. The fog has dissipated and except for some random tendrils of smoke the air is clear. Morrslieb looks much smaller than it did a few hours ago as if it is receding. The face that you realize you must have imagined on Morrslieb has essentially disappeared except for maybe a frown but that’s no doubt nothing but shadows, For the first time in days Mannslieb has risen in the night sky and it’s warm silver glow fills the evening. Lastly, the sense of someone watching him that Ruprecht has experienced is gone. In fact, if it wasn’t for smell of smoke and the sound of a large fire you all would describe the night as delightful.
Piling into your little rowboat you pulls against the current to return the borrowed boat. As you clear the wall of the warehouse and have an unobstructed view of the city a truly terrible sight fills you eyes. Blocks of tenement buildings near the docks are burning out of control in a vast conflagration.
For a moment, just a brief moment as you stare at the massive fire, you feel as if leering eyes have turned on you and hear a quietly whispered ”ha”
The trembling in Ruprecht's hands slowly subsides as he pulls on the oars, sliding the rowboat away from that dreadful warehouse.
Ruprecht grunts , looking at the conflagration, "Ha, indeed..." then allows the rowboat to gently rock up to the dock, "Friends, I think our deeds today will again go unrewarded...the tricks that Demon played on us...well we're wanted. Sorry, Valghaz no glory or gold this night I'm afraid. "
As our reward might have been to get hanged for crimes we didn't commit, maybe it's better that we remain unrewarded... It seems it's traditionnal for the Black Thorns company anyway.
says Adelaida with a grim smile
”So, what do we do with the cultist? Drop ‘em off at the Temple of Sigmar, or just kill the idiot and dump the body?” Valghaz said, poking the unconscious cultist.
Wisely deciding discretion is indeed the better part of valor, the Black Thorns (and their unconscious prisoner) let the current and their own efforts at the oars carry them away from the city of Bogenhafen. Your last sight of the city shows the entirety of the dock area being consumed by the out of control fires.
The question of what to do with your prisoner is solved for you when the bound man begins to scream in terror, shouting ”Please no, anything but that!” before with one last shriek the man throws himself out of the rowboat into the river. He disappears under the dark waters of the river and you don’t see him again as the current takes you away.
As the rising sun ends drives away the darkness of the long night, your eyes fall on a most pleasing sight. Anchored in the river is your home away from home, the Berebeli. Josef, Yvonne and the Gratz’s wave at you with joy. Little Elsa is particularly thrilled to see her new best friend and immediately crawls into Unky Val’s lap and after a couple of yanks on his beard soon falls asleep, her head against his chest.
The adults listen with rapt attention as you relate what has occurred since you were last together. Josef pales as you relate your tales and excuses himself for a moment before he returns with an armload of wine bottles which he passes out. ”Trouble seems to follow you lot. Luckily you’re handy in a fight and you’ve got some boat skills too. I’m taking this old girl back to Altdorf and offer you the same deal. Two silver shillings a day if you’re willing to work as a boatman. For everyone that doesn’t work, you can ride along with your friends for free. What do you think?”
Not sparing the cultist's death a second thought, Valghaz nodded eagerly. "To Altdorf." He said, as if though merely saying it would steal his breath away. His body felt tense as he wondered what would await them there. For the first time in a very long while he felt something similar to hope. It was an odd feeling, mixed as it was with anxiety. He knew then that the trip would be a truly long one.
Landolf noddied wearily. After all he'd been through, doing something as mundane as sailing sounded fantastic. "You're a good man, Josef. Thank you for taking care of Yvonne through that. I'm glad none of you were in the city. I'll gladly sail for you again."
He gave a weak salute. "With your permission, Captain, I've had a long day."
As tired as he was, he didn't mind at all the ridiculousness of saluting a barge captain in his noble's outfit while agreeing to work a pole.
Anything to get away from this town for a while. Glad to see the whole lot of you. Mundane, backbreaking tasks will be better than to face some memories of Bogenhafen. And that wine is definitively most welcome. A toast to the Black Thorns, and to the Berebeli crew and captain! To Altdorf! To the Emperor! To Sigmar Heldenhammer!! Hail!
Stepping foot on the Berebeli felt like walking into paradise, the simple pleasures of a solid boat, decent wine and good friends allowed the horrors of the night to recede.
"I've got to work on my piloting, but aye , I like the work, Josef!" Ruprecht declares, raising his own wine glass in response to Adelaida's toast.
He looks around at Josef and his wife bustling about, and wonders if his life will ever allow such love...his thoughts drift to beautiful Ossana back in Ubersreik...and wonders.
Josef abruptly calls out, ”Oi! What’s that??” He points out what his keen eyes has spotted, a human corpse floating in the river, face down, with several crossbow bolts sticking out of its back. As the Berebeli draws closer, other terrible wounds can be seen. Then, just ahead on the river you see another river barge adrift and being slowly carried along with the current.
”Drop them sails Ruprecht! Wilmer stand by with a grappling hook! It’s a riverman’s duty to come to the aid of a boat in need.” With a deft touch on the tiller, Josef steers the Berebeli closer to the other barge.
The closer you come to the other barge the more disturbing the scene. There are a number of bodies on deck or floating in the water, all bearing wounds of some sort. Some of the bodies are human, some not so much. There’s no sign of activity aboard the other barge. Wilmer casts the grappling hook over onto the other barge and with your help pulls the two barges close. There’s no sign of activity on the barge.
”Looks like some work for you Black Thorns,” Josef says.
Landolf hurriedly straps on his armor and gets his weapons from Yvonne as the boarding effort continues. ”What happened here?” he asks to no one in particular as the boats draw closer. While he works, he tries to get a better look at the bodies floating in the river.
”Mayhaps we won’t get to paid, but it seems like we’re gonna get some salvage in.” Valghaz said as he prepared to board the vessel. It seemed to him that there was nothing here to do but strip everything of value.
Landolf hurriedly straps on his armor and gets his weapons from Yvonne as the boarding effort continues. ”What happened here?” he asks to no one in particular as the boats draw closer. While he works, he tries to get a better look at the bodies floating in the river.
If Landolf did not know that the Emperor has decreed that there are no mutants in the Empire, he’d probably have described the not so much humans as mutants.
Adelaida finishes putting on her armor, and seizes her warhammer, keeping her sword sheated by her side for the moment.
She keeps her eyes on the boat and the floating corpses, expecting an attack, and gets ready to jump onto the other ship
As the other barge approaches, Ruprecht begins to pull his mailshirt over his head, "I feel like someone is watching us..." he says, buckling on his sword belt.
He waits until the barges bump together, then steps across with his friends...checking the bodies of man and other for movement...
Landolf's sleep on the Berebeli was rough and uneven. Not even the roll of the Bogen was soothing. He eventually got some much-needed rest, though.
"The lot of you don't take nearly good enough care of yourselves," the young woman grumbles as she hands over Landolf's weapons. "Take this, just in case."
She gives Landolf a healing draught she purchased earlier.
As Adelaida and Valghaz step onto the stricken barge several things happen more or less simultaneously.
You all hear a surprising loud screeching from what sounds like a screech owl.
You hear thumping sounds from the main cabin of the barge which stop abruptly as the screeching ends.
From somewhere high above, a crossbow bolt shoots downward aimed for Adelaida.
The crossbow bolt embeds itself in the decking of the troubled barge. Looking up you see a small human with large wings flying around above you holding a crossbow which they frantically are reloading.
”Well...fook.” Valghaz muttered. ”Think he’d be willing to fly into me pick?”
Despite the welcome comfort of Josef's vessel, Ruprecht is unable to sleep well, dreams of massive eyes and shifting demons plaguing his dreams.
At the beginning of the second round, the four of you stand exposed on deck.
The flying completely unmutated human attempts to reload its crossbow. . The flying non-mutant reloads the crossbow with no problem and will be ready to fire again in Round 3.
Two large tentacles that disturbingly end in very human hands suddenly erupt from the water and try to grab one of you. It acts before Ruprecht, Adelaida and Valghaz but after Landolf.
The two hands at the end of the tentacles grab ahold of Adelaida’s ankle and begin pulling her towards the river.
Moving quickly, Landolf rushes to slash at the tentacles gripping Adelaida. They would have to do something about the flying mutant, but for now he had no ideas.
SL 8 + 1 relentless + 1 strike mighty blow + 6 weapon + 5 strength + 3 Crit = 24 wounds
The problem with grappling Valghaz’s friend was that it meant leaving oneself exposed to Valghaz. ”Out of me way!” Valghaz roared as he charged the mutant. ”Ruprecht, grab the lass!” He exclaimed as he came to the opposite side of Adelaida and swung his pick.
[dice=Smash the mutant 65 + 10 charge + 20 outnumber]1d100
[dice=Crit!]1d100
SL 8 + 1 relentless + 1 strike mighty blow + 6 weapon + 5 strength + 3 Crit = 24 woundsThe problem with grappling Valghaz’s friend was that it meant leaving oneself exposed to Valghaz. ”Out of me way!” Valghaz roared as he charged the mutant. ”Ruprecht, grab the lass!” He exclaimed as he came to the opposite side of Adelaida and swung his pick.
With a roar, Valghaz charges the mutant holding onto Adelaida and with a might swing smashes one of the mutant's tentacles in two. The wounded tentacle flails about for a moment spewing black vitae in all directions, soaking you all in the stinking gore, before it, along with it the creature's other tentacle disappear back into the water leaving only a black pool of blood on the surface. No more sign was ever seen again of that particular mutant. The weird fish that live on the bottom of the Bogen no doubt fed well that night.
Landolf is able to pry away the remains of the severed tentacle with its freakish human hand away from Adelaida's ankle.
From above, you hear a scream of rage.
And suddenly from behind, two more mutants come charging at you from the cabin screaming with rage.
Valghaz expected more to come, so when further mutants came out of hiding all he did was strengthen his grip on his trust pick.
Ready for the continued assault, Landolf positioned himself between the mutants and the rest of the Thorns.
Ruprecht takes a step to help Adelaida, but Valghaz and his pick thankfully get there first.
Wiping the tentacle gore from his face, Ruprecht looks up with an eloquent, "Wha??" when the not-really-mutants burst from the cabin.
Adalaida was still trying to shake the snesation of the tentacled hands on her body when more troubles came in running.
She steadies herself for the impact
”You killed my husband, you nasty stumpy!” shrieks the figure circling around above your head as she looses a bolt at Valghaz.
No doubt shaking with rage which interferes with her aim, the flying mutant misses the stationary target.
One of the charging men looks completely normal except for the fact that he is covered in yellowish, brown fur. He carries a massive wooden club in one hand. You notice that he is covered in blood and gore, some of it coming from a large wound in his left shoulder.
The other charging man appears much further from the norm. Instead of a human head, atop his neck is a giant raven’s head, beak snapping at you as it charges. In one hand it holds a sword. This raven headed man is also covered in blood, some it seems his and some belonging to others.
SL 8 + Weapon 5 + SB 5 + Relentless 1 + Strike Mighty Blow 1 = 20
Moving more on instinct than anything else, Valghaz pivoted and lunged straight into the fray. With a wordless bellow he drove his pick into the nearest mutant. The familiar feeling of flesh and bone breaking beneath his pick was a clear sign that the battle was going in their favor.
Landolf's plan to focus the enemy on himself had worked. Now he just had to survive it!
Having luckily weathered the mutant assault, Landolf turned his attention on the raven-headed aggressor. Hopefully the rest of the Thorns would rally in time.
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dice=Charge Furryman or Birdman, whomever Landolf doesn’t attack 65 + 10 charge + 10 advantage]1d100
SL 8 + Weapon 5 + SB 5 + Relentless 1 + Strike Mighty Blow 1 = 20
dice=Is a 1 a crit?]1d100Moving more on instinct than anything else, Valghaz pivoted and lunged straight into the fray. With a wordless bellow he drove his pick into the nearest mutant. The familiar feeling of flesh and bone breaking beneath his pick was a clear sign that the battle was going in their favor.
dice=Defense?]1d100
Valghaz has become an unstoppable force, a death dealing dwarf who plows through foes like he used to smash big rocks into little rocks.
With a wordless cry of rage, Valghaz gave a mighty swing with his pick, smashing into the shoulder of one of mutants attacking his friend. The fur provided almost no protection and the pick blasted thru the mutant’s front and protruded out its back cutting through several arteries which pulsed red with the beat of the furman’s heart like a fountain for a few seconds before slowing and then stopping. With a flick of his pick, Valghaz discarded the body and readied himself for more foes.
Landolf's plan to focus the enemy on himself had worked. Now he just had to survive it!
dice=Melee (Fencing) Defense vs Furry Man 50 +20 defensive]1d100
dice=Melee (Fencing) Defense vs Furry Man 50 +20 defensive (Reroll #1)]1d100
dice=Melee (Fencing) Defense vs Furry Man 50 +20 defensive (Reroll #2)]1d100dice=Melee (Fencing) Defense vs Birdman 50 +20 defensive]1d100
Having luckily weathered the mutant assault, Landolf turned his attention on the raven-headed aggressor. Hopefully the rest of the Thorns would rally in time.
dice=Melee (Fencing) Attack vs Birdman 50 +10 (or +20) Advantage]1d100
With a slick parry turn his instructors had drilled him on, Landolf knocked the attacking sword off line and let it slip past him leaving him untouched and in position to counter strike.
The bird faced man uses the superior weight of his sword to deflect aside Landolf’s flashing rapier.
The two opponents glare at each other, trying to take the measure of their opposite, looking for something to give themselves the edge.
Round 4 Mutants’ Rolls
Birdface has Skill of 45 and starts the round with Advantage +1[/ooc]
From above you the flying mutant screams, ”YOU’RE A DEAD DWARF STUMPY! YOU’LL NEVER SEE ME COMING BUT I’LL GET YOU ONE DAY!!!” With that, the flying mutant makes an obscene gesture towards Valghaz then turns and flies off.