Whether you’ve been in town for ages or just pulled in today, there’s no way you couldn’t have heard about Alkenstar’s newest, hottest play, The First Sin of Pharasma. It’s almost all that anyone in town talks about, posters have been plastered all about the place, and fliers thrust into the hands of anyone nearby. The most recent creation of the famed Melsa Aldthistle, her traveling theatre troupe is renting out the renowned Aldivur Company Theater House for a limited run of the performance. Promising to be a“once-in-a-lifetime experience” that is “sure to go down in history!”, the play’s first showing sold out within hours.
Whether you love, hate or feel indifferent about it, there’s one thing for sure, the play has made getting a seat nearly impossible at the Powder Horn, a hidden gem of a tavern with affordable but good food and drink. Two hours before sunset on a Fireday, with the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend, this is the time where restaurants, gambling halls and taverns, especially Powder Horn, are at their busiest, but the performance just across the street has pushed even more people into the business. People push and squeeze, having to double up on tables, or just stand around and chat with food or drinks in hand. More than a few have tickets for tonight’s second performance of the play. Luckily the first showing is already underway or it’d be hard to even breath in the place.
By stroke of luck, or a bit of verbal or physical force, the four of you have found seating at a table in the corner of the tavern near the entrance, not the best spot to sit, but it beats having to stand. It’s taken the bar owner, Martelle, a burly half-elf woman, over 15 minutes just to work her way around the crowd and get your orders, and you're sure it will be that long again just for her to bring drinks around, giving you some time to chat.
What do I want? As packed as it is, it'll be time for dessert by the time the drinks arrive. Chuckling to herself, Doc Featherton orders a glass of port, then leans back with a cocky half grin. Once Martelle has managed to squeeze past the crowds away from her table, Doc leans in conspiratorially to Booker. "I don't know if it'll be better or worse when the current play lets out. Surely not all of them will come here afterwards? Oh, speaking of 'letting out', I've got that tingle again. Trouble's brewing, and I don't want to be here when it hits. What do you say we take the road out of here first thing tomorrow?"
A few moments pass before she comments to Booker again. "All these bodies almost make it like a private booth at this table. <sigh> This would be a great time to be playing cards. I really ought to buy myself a deck one of these days." She turns to the people across the table. "Would you folks happen to have a deck of cards and be willing to play? It's a great way to pass the time." She puts on her most disarming smile.
Booker looked around the place. "Darn, doc! It is crowded like on that summer picnic, you know the one where we met Charlie..." Booker was a tall, bald men. He carries dwarven scattergun that stands now leaning on the table.
"Trouble's brewing, and I don't want to be here when it hits. What do you say we take the road out of here first thing tomorrow?"
Booker nods. He learned the hard way to not underestimated Doc's intuition. The man took a drink from his bootle where he carried whisky for times like this, then he pass it to Doc Featherton
"Hey Doc, did you dealt with that thing? You know, the one that we came here to handle."
Who can eat in this crowd? The clumsy oafs will knock over our table as soon as food is set on it!!
Zindarel, the sturdy and well-trained elf is visibly irritated at feeling trapped within this crowd. She orders no drink nor food and nervously thumbs the strap that holds her mithral tree to her back.
She looks across the table incredulously at Doc.
Cards?! Do you want to lose some of those off of the table too in this crowd? All of this for a "play." I hope the first showing's crowd doesn't return here.
She is very disgruntled. Not at all gruntled, much less re-gruntled.
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Booker looked around the place. "Darn, doc! It is crowded like on that summer picnic, you know the one where we met Charlie..." Booker was a tall, bald men. He carries dwarven scattergun that stands now leaning on the table.
"Heh. Charlie. Now that's a character."
"Hey Doc, did you dealt with that thing? You know, the one that we came here to handle."
Doc makes an inscrutable face. "Eh, mostly." Why do people have to be so unreasonable? Some things just *happen.* Like *fate* or something.
Cards?! Do you want to lose some of those off of the table too in this crowd? All of this for a "play." I hope the first showing's crowd doesn't return here.
"Ehh, you're probably right. So! Since there's nothing else for us to do except shout at each other across the table, let's do just that. Conversation starters! Uhhh... Oh! If you could become a true master in one of your skills what would it be? For me, it's a toss-up. I do dearly love Problem and Solution here." At this point, she draws a dragonmouth pistol from one holster and a dueling pistol with a bayonet from the other, briefly showing them off before returning them to their places at her hips. "But my life sure would be a lot simpler if I were the most amazing surgeon that ever lived. What about you?"
Zindarel points at the metal tree on her back with both thumbs.
I think I'm on my way to mastering that. Usually I'm quiet about it. She rolls her eyes and looks around the crowded tavern. It hardly matters here though.
For a brief moment Zindarel's hard shell seems to soften at the arrival of Zakzak when she lets a warm smile escape before very quickly straightening herself up.
Hello little one. There will be no blowing things up right here, but patience.
Martelle takes your orders with a stern smile and nod. "Gotcha, I'll try make sure your things get out here... in a reasonable amount of time."
Just as soon as she gets back to the counter and starts mixing up drinks there's a loud crash outside. The chatter and anticipatory murmurs of excitement echoing off the walls of the Powder Horn slow before being completely silenced by a bloodcurdling scream.
A man stumbles through the main door, clutching at a gushing neck wound. "Help...me..." The words escape his lips, before he topples to the floor with a final sigh. Even as the man’s body collapses, a shambling horde of misshapen humanoids attempts to follow him through, accompanied by a fetid stench of blood and excrement.
“What th— ” The cry comes from inside the bar as the patrons begin a panicked rush for the upper floor. They quickly move away from the zombies that have come into the building, bumbing and flipping your table around making standing up from it more difficult. As the crowd starts to panic, the formerly living man starts to twitch and shudder, slowly standing up with glazed eyes and a moan on his now undead lips.
With patrons rushing for the possible safety of the upper story, Martelle leaps over the countertop, a heavy length of wood in her hands. “The doors!” she cries out. “Clobber those blighters and shut the door or we’re all doomed!”
As she does, the zombies scan the place and find the four of you trapped by the table in the corner and start to slowly shamble over to you.
Booker is faster than the shambling zombies, getting clear from the table as the rest of the group has to take a little more to clear the mess.
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Booker
Shamblers
Doc Featherton
Zindarel
Zakzak
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Current map
The bold man responds first. He saw the danger and get up on his feet.
Booker raises from the table pushing his chair at the wall, he grabs his gun and puts it in defensive position as he yells to Doc "It seems that you were right, here come troubles!"
He raises his dwarven scattergun and takes a shot at the closet enemy
"Warning shot!" on which Booker shots the zombie right in the torso.
Then he reloads his gun
Booker raises his gun and fires a scattering of pellets at the torso of the grey dashed zombie, but it twitches high and instead takes out the head of the creature, leaving behind a lifeless body instead.
The undead, peppered lightly with holes, shamble closer and start swinging at the tasty living creatures in front of them.
One with balckened skin moves up to Booker and tries to repay the hole in his shin.
His swing is very wide and misses the human altogether.
Next the one spewing grey bile tries to do the same to Booker.
It swings just about as well as the first one did.
The one in a nice black suit and tie tries to swing at Doc unable to reach Booker anymore.
The former man actually lands a decent punch on the doctor.
Next the zombie in a white and now red sundress shambles around the tables and chairs of the place to end up next to Doc, but unable to move fast enough to swing. The one oozing white pus also gets up to Zakzak, but is too slow to swing as well.
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Booker 38/38 Can take one more action from Round 1
Doc Featherton 25/32
Zindarel 30/30
Zakzak 39/39
~~~~~~~~Round 2~~~~~~~~~
Booker 38/38
Shamblers:
Black -1
Grey -1
White -1
Black dash -1
Grey dash HEADSHOT!
White dash -1
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Current map Table 2
Zakzak runs up to Zinadrel (before the zombie invasion) and gives her a hug around the knees Hey Toots, how youse bees?
Oh, you know Zakzak. The usual. I like having my knees warmed, but now it seems we have work to do...
The elf swings the mithral tree over her shoulder and it falls immediately into the aiming position along her primary forearm. The opposite hand palms a small metal bullet and reaches forward to deposit it into the barrel.
She takes aim at the zombie directly in front of her goblin friend.
The sniper proves just how good she is at sniping and fires a shot directly into the head of the zombie about to take a swing at Zakzak, putting it out cold on the floor.
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Booker: One more action for round 1
Doc Featherton 25/32
Zindarel 30/30
Zakzak 39/39
~~~~~~~~Round 2~~~~~~~~~
Booker 38/38
Shamblers:
Black -1
Grey -1
White HEADSHOT!
Black dash -1
White dash -1
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Current map Table 2
Zakzak tries to bite the zombie next to him, but the white oozing pus is a little off putting and he instead 'bites' the air near it. He then steps back a pace and readies his weapon.
Doc shoots a Problem into the neck of the zombie in a black suit and tie (dash) and then decides to help solve the problem by taking the zombie's head clean off instead, healing the patient of it's persistent pain.
She then takes a swing at the grey bile covered one, but misses entirely.
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Zakzak 39/39 1 more action
~~~~~~~~Round 2~~~~~~~~~
Booker 38/38
Shamblers:
Black -1
Grey -1
Black dash HEAD….off?
White dash -1
Doc Featherton 25/32
Zindarel 30/30
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Current map Table 2
Booker looks at Doc worried a bit. "Doc! Duck!" He turns his dwarven scattergun and takes a shot at the enemy the furthest from him
"Let me clear some space around you!" as he wacks another Zombie with his weapon
Booker smacks the zombie with reinforced stock, and the Zombie is thrown backward. As Booker follows after he reloads his gun yelling "Leave her alone!"
Then he takes another shot from point-blank range
Zakzak tries to take another bite but the puss is just too off putting.
Booker fires a shot at the zombie in a black suit and tie, the formerly white dress taking them out with a well placed set of pellets to the head. However the gun and bones of the zombie also sprays them all over, hitting everyone in the room but Martelle and Zindarel with a few stinging pellets as well.
He then shoves the zombie with grey bile out of the way The then fires the reloaded weapon into the guts of the zombie, spraying a litte more bile everywhere.
The bile zombie punches out at Booker, trying to hook him across the chin.
Hitting, it then latches onto him with both hands mouth opening slowly to take a bite.
The zombie with blackened skin moves up to Zindarel and tries to punch the elf.
But she proves too nimble to take a telegraphed punch like that.
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Doc Featherton 24/32
Zindarel 29/30
Zakzak 38/39
~~~~~~~~Round 2~~~~~~~~~
Booker 29/38 Grabbed
Shamblers:
Black -2
Grey -6
White dash HEADSHOT
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Current map Table 2
"Finally!" With a little room to breathe, Doc steps over the fallen zombies to get a clear shot at the one threatening to bite Booker. "Heads up Booker!" She fires Solution at it , then takes aim with Problem and fires again.
Doc headshots the enemy grabbing Booker, hitting her partner some in the process, but ultimately saving him more damage than the zombie would have dealt him.
She then fires a shot that tears out a clavical of the last remaining zombie.
++++++++++++++++
Doc Featherton 24/32
Zindarel 29/30
Zakzak 38/39
~~~~~~~~Round 2~~~~~~~~~
Booker 28/38
Shamblers:
Black -5
Grey HEADSHOT
++++++++++++++++
Current map
Zindarel frowns at the zombie that approaches her.
Eww. No.
She steps out of the corner before reloading to fire at it point-blank.
Zindarel puts another hole into the last zombie but it doesn't go down.
Booker closes his eyes when the Zombie holding him burst like a balloon "Ugh, it is so... messy"
He aims his rifle at the Zombie but decides against it, he moves forwards and swings twice
And he feels his stock rip the head of the Zombie.
Then he looks around "Something about locking the doors?"
"On it!" Doc holsters Problem and hustles to the doors to close them. "Some one get that side door! Martelle, are there any other doors in the back?"
Zindarel nods at Doc and slinks over to the side door, her mithral tree pressed against her body and pointed upward.
Booker helps barricade the doors and windows to make it harder for any Zombie to come in, at the same time he tries to peek through the windows to get a better understanding of what is happening.
As soon as the last zombie goes down to having its head bashed in, Martelle races out and slams the door shut, locking it with a locking pin, and keeping the place closed up.
"I'm going upstairs, the rest of the doors are closed and locked like I always do during business hours. But what you going to do? If you want to patch each other up first that works, but I also have some business to talk with you about upstairs too."
With the doors locked, Doc draws and chugs a healing potion.
"Ahh. That's good stuff."
Her ears prick up at Martelle's remark about business. "Well, you've piqued my curiosity, Martelle. Lead the way." Not like I particularly want to be wandering around outside right now anyway. She gives an inviting glance at the others and follows Martelle up the stairs.
Almost as an afterthought, she calls over her shoulder: "I'll patch you guys up upstairs, away from all the putrescent viscera." Once upstairs, she sets to work on Booker's wounds, as he seems to have taken the brunt of the damage.
"There! Good as new and then some!" Doc briskly clap-wipes her hands as she surveys her handywork, then turns to Zindarel and Zakzak. "So what about you two? You don't look so bad, but I can patch you up. So, Martelle, what do you want to discuss? I can listen and work at the same time."
Satisfied that nothing else is about the burst through the door, Zindarel turns back at Doc to nod in agreement.
First the wounds, then we head upstairs to talk... "business."
She approaches Doc and accepts treatment, with her mithral tree slung back over her back.
Booker allows Doc to patch him then he heads with others to the top. He keeps his gun loaded as he looks what's the situation on the top?
"Any new Zombies found?"
While Doc patches everyone up, there's the sounds of fighting in the streets and some clawing sounds at the front door, but no zombies seem to break in.
As soon as you're done patching yourselves up, Martelle comes back down from upstairs and gestures for you to come up. "Doesn't seem like those zombies will be getting in here anytime soon. Thanks for waiting while I calmed everyone else down. Now get up here, you have to see this."
The second floor proves to be a wide, open area that provides additional seating for patrons of the bar. A waist-high railing surrounds a ten-foot-by-ten foot opening to the bar below, and each of the room’s walls sport a pair of large windows overlooking the street and alleys below.
Many of the multitudes of patrons from earlier crowd around the windows looking at the alleys and streets, but more than a few are huddled against the opposite wall and slowly trying to come to grips with what is happening and might have happened to their loved ones.
Martelle has passed around some blankets and non-alcoholic drinks to try getting people calmed down but not all of them are taking it well. She calls out to clear some space around the windows and ushers you up to them. Looking out, it's clear to see that the street has been overrun with zombies, a few more leaving the theater house to the west every now and then. The half-elf lets you take in the scene for a moment before bringing you back to a table she has left clear.
“So here’s the deal,” she begins. “You all clearly have more fight and experience in you than most of the folks out this way, you’re a bit more smartly armed, and who knows what to expect of the guard. We could wait things out, see what happens, but it’s not exactly like the number of zombies out there is shrinking and new ones keep coming out of the theater..." She pauses to take a drink, clearly not enjoying the idea of that. "If we don’t put a stop to this now, the whole city could be overrun. So here’s what I’m proposing — you lot head to the theater house and see if you can’t figure out where all these zombies are coming from. Put a stop to them if you can or come back and let us know if you can’t. You put an end to this mess and you’ve got free drinks for life here at the Powder Horn. I’m pretty sure any of the rest of us that survive can probably scrape together a purse for you if the city doesn’t pay out a reward. Deal?”
She waits for nods or agreements from everyone before she pulls out a hand drawn tourist map and lays it on the table.
“Way I see it, you’ve got two paths forward. The first one is that you make a break for the house across the square here. It’s owned by Aldivur, the theater’s operator, and is also used to store costumes and props from the theater. You should be able to lock it up from the inside, keep the zombies out while you look for anything useful. The other is maybe a bit trickier, but also safer.”
Martelle gestures to the window along the west wall, and points to the building on the map next to the Powder Horn. “That clothesline is bolted in pretty good, and the Thuss’s are good folks. If you can shimmy across there without falling into the alley, they might be able to help you out some. Rickard is a gunsmith and is likely to have some extra ammo on hand, maybe even some weapons. If you fall off the line, you can still make a break for Aldivur’s house, and if you get in there, well, they’re closer to the theater than we are, so maybe they’ll have an idea on what your best next move is. Whaddaya think?”
Martelle gives the goblin a look and then a wry smile. "Certainly, but keep it limited to the zombos please. You start explosions in my place without reasons and I WILL use the 20 pound rolling pin."
Free drinks for life... that would real detract from focus and training. Never-the-less, I think we agree the task is important and not appropriate for other patrons present.
She looks down, holding her chin thoughtfully for a moment.
We should make for the Thuss home first. I like the idea of extra ammo and perhaps even extra or upgraded weapons? She looks to Martelle for some idea of how likely that is.
Martelle gives a small look of surprise at someone not jumping at the free drinks. "I've got non-alcoholic things too. Cold tea'n'the likes. But Rickard is probably more than happy to aid you with some supplies and ammo, but not sure if he'd just give you more guns, but you'd have to ask him yourself. I did hear that he'd gotten tickets to the second showing and was closing shop early because of it, but I don't think he'd have gone anywhere on his own."