"Do we know which way they will be coming... where the nearest jail would be?" Lora asks. "Disguising is easy enough, and if it didn't work we'd at least be closer."
Royken shakes his head. "I doubt they're expecting another set of shieldmarshals, so I don't think that'll work. I think we just grab him before they get here. Wait until they get close so they're not expecting anything, and then pull him out of the chimera's jaws!"
"I still believe it is worth a try. Sure they will be on high alert, but as the approach here, I bet they will be more guarded against anyone that is not a Shieldmarshal approaching them." She says, agreeing with Lora.
"How about this, Royken, you and Bleach stay hidden while me and Lora disguise ourselves. We wait to approach them until they have past the point where you are hidden." She suggests. "We then try to trick them, but if it doesn't work, you pincer them from behind as we serve as distraction."
"You could lay explosives in the road, and we'll get them to stop where you put them, then BOOM." Lora offers to placate.
Bleach has trouble selling the idea of planting bombs to himself. What if the bridge collapses? "Such wanton violence might cause collateral damage ... but ... ok."
Lora doesn't love the idea of the bridge collapsing. While she is intelligent, sometimes details that do not pertain to people slip past her easily. "A small bomb?" she says in question, pinching her fingers together in front of her eye for effect.
You disguise yourselves and take up position along the path the shieldmarshals will take to Old Bridge. Just before noon, an armored stagecoach approaches, escorted by a trio of shieldmarshals. You notice that each of them has a broken heart tattoo on their neck, marking them as Loveless's goons.
They pull up short when they see Eva and Lora in their path. "Oi! What's all this, then?" one of them demands.
Eva raises her hand, taking her time and pretending to be a Shieldmarshal so sure of herself that she doesn't care too much about the hurry in the others voice. As she approaches the stagecoach, she pulls her sleeve to reveal them a tattoo bearing a broken heart. "We are taking the prisoner from here, while you keep on the stagecoach and head to the execution place as if nothing have changed." She says. "I know, I know, these are not your orders, but we have moles and Loveless is being extra careful, so she did not trust anyone with the whole plan."
Royken grunts. "It's not like I'm playing with f~+%ing pyronite. I can set a bomb that won't blow the bridge," he grunts.
He watches from in hiding to see if Eva and Lora will be able to get the marshals to let the prisoner go. If not, well, his scattergun is already in hand.
"Don't make a fuss, loves. And maybe once we get this fun over we might have time for a little more fun later? Maybe at the pub on fifth and bent." Lora the sheild-maiden flirts.
"First round will be on me." the pretty blonde (at the moment) shieldmarshal adds to the enticement,though somehow with the seductive tones in her voice she makes it unclear if she is meaning that she will buy or something else.
Eva's impersonation is quite convincing, and Lora's flirtatious overtones win over the suspicious shieldmarshals. "Alright, fine. I wish Loveless trusted us more, is all," the lead marshal mutters. They open the stagecoach and turn over Rhangyl Foruza to you.
Once you are a safe distance away, you reveal your true intentions to Forua. The jocular, middle-aged merchant is incredibly grateful, thanking you profusely and inviting you to dine with him at the nearest available restaurant, where he attacks the food with special gusto.
"I thought I was done for! Those murder charges against me were made up! Probably so Loveless could cover her connection to Ibrium. He's a wizard who hired me to procure chemicals, soda ash, and white salt from the Spellscar Desert a week ago. I delivered a huge quantity of these supplies to the cattle yards in Steamhaven and was arrested shortly afterward. I gave the supplies to a cattle rustler named Dash. If you're looking for her, you can probably find her at a place called the Dead Spot outside of Alkenstar. That's where she usually goes to lay low!"
The supplies are all key components for crafting pyronite.
Foruza thanks you again and rewards you with 250 gp from his personal wealth as thanks for saving his life!
After the merchant is gone, Eva turns to the others. "This aligns pretty well with what we think... well, at least I think, Loveless plan is. If Ibrium hired Forua to procure the chemicals to create pyronite, Loveless only connection to him was that she is know by few to know the formula."
"If Loveless is allied with Ibrium and wants to hide it... seems we are on the right track. If we can find this Dash before Loveless do, perhaps we can discover where these chemicals have been stashed and thus delay her plan."
The moment they manage to pilfer the merchant away and out of sight Bleach visibly de-ages by a couple of years. He even dares to smile. With the immediate threat of violent escalation gone, they can now use the merchant's information to plan their next step.
A step that most likely will involve violence. After all, how long will it take until Loveless finds out they managed to whisk away Foruza? Time, so it seems, is of the essence.
"You have our gratitude for sharing this crucial information with us, sir Foruza. Your words do instill a sense of haste and urgency, so I imagine we'll be leaving to find this Dash right away, but perhaps we can all share a drink once all of this is over."
Perhaps. Will it ever be over? One way or another, this is all going to end with a bang.
"Why the f@*$ are we eating at a restaurant?" Royken ponders. "Once they realize you're not f*&*ing hanging by your neck, they're going to be looking for you again! Go find someplace to hide, while we handle this mess."
After asking around, you easily learn the Dead Spot is roughly 25 miles outside Alkenstar, halfway between the city and the Gunworks to the west. It’s a featureless circle of black sand, roughly a mile wide, where nothing grows. The place has an ill reputation and it’s rumored that anyone who dies in the Dead Spot rises as an undead.
You make the journey out into the wasted. The dusty wasteland abruptly ends at a circle of coal black sand that stretches roughly a mile wide. The edge of the circle is stark, as if the entire spot were made by a giant drop of ink spilled from the heavens. The sun beats down on the dark soil, creating lines of wavering heat, and the area exudes an aura of hanging dread, like an executioner’s axe waiting to drop.
A small camp is set up in the exact center of the Dead Spot. A herd of 20 cattle mill about, watched over by a scrappy young woman who must be Dash. She eyes you warily as you approach. "Who are you? Whaddya want?"
Bleach gets down on his haunches and inspects the dark soil. Whatever is causing the aura of dread is beyond his comprehension. "I honestly got no clue what's going on here."
"Wait a moment ... the ground is drenched with necromantic energies. No, drench is the wrong word, for it implies the source came from above. Whatever caused this, it's coming from below." But then his arcane musings are interrupted by Dash. What made this person decide to camp in the middle of this phenomenon?
Bleach returns Dash's wariness with equal coin as he stares at her with a frown on his face. "My name is Bly'gha Sa'hir, necromancer by trade, Gebite by birth. Dash, is it not? It's a pleasure to meet you. Before I answer your question, indulge my curiosity, please. What made you set up camp in the middle of this accursed patch of ground???"
"We're friendly, we promise... despite how we look" Lora says in soft encouraging tones. Her eyes look toward Bleach and frown a little "And sound."
"It's the perfect place to hide, of course," Dash says to Bleach. "Unless they're a necromancer like yourself, nobody in their right mind would willingly come out here! I left Alkenstar a few days ago, soon as I learned the Leadsmiths were on my trail. Those mercenaries’ attentions are rarely healthy for folks like me, so I came here to lie low."
She gives Lora an appraising look, then nods. "Alright, then. What can I do for ya?"
"Couple days ago a merchant named Forua delivered you a bunch of supplies, Dash." She states, adding the rancher's name even if she had not told them. "Forua was then arrested and scheduled for being executed earlier today, but we've got him free."
"Someone is trying to cover their asses by getting rid of anyone involved in this strange deal, which includes you, and we want to find everything we can about it... so if you could tell us what you know about it, it would be easier for us to deal with who is behind and as a side bonus also help you out of this pickle."
Dash scowls. "Yeah. I run with a gang of three other rustlers. Last week, a fancy fella named Ibrium paid us to transport a bunch of supplies outside the city with our cattle—a real hush-hush type deal. We took the goods here to the Dead Spot and met a necromancer named Parsus. What a creep. I bugged outta there right quick, the whole thing felt so wrong.
"My mates went on with Parsus with the shipment and I went back to Alkenstar to collect the next herd. My crew should be back here soon though, and I can put in a good word for you if you stick around. Maybe they can tell you where the supplies ended up."
"Can you tell us anything else about this Parus? Does he have anyone else with him?" Lora asks.
Bleach takes it as a compliment that, unlike Parsus, he does not creep Dash out. Well, not too much to the point it would be noticeable, anyway. When Dash tells them her friends accompanied Parsus, he can't help but fear for the worst. Should he say something?
"We ought to prepare for the worst. If it is in Loveless' best interest to bury the details of this deal, it isn't too crazy an assumption that the same goes for Parus. Yes, it sounds paranoid, but we have every reason to be."
While they talk about all this, Bleach kneels down and collects some of the necromantic earth. For future studies.
Dash shakes her head. "It was just Parsus, but they're creepy enough on their own. Dhampir, they called themselves. They had the mannerisms and arrogance of nobility."
The cattle rustler gestures to the camp. "Well, the riders should be back soon, and they're expecting me to be alone. You oughta make yourselves scarce. Once they approach, I'll provide the necessary introductions."
"Hiding with the cows..." Lora feels to be vaguely disturbed by this. Might be her aristocratic upbringing finally showing itself a little. But she does so without any further complaint.
Eva follows Lora. "Not our best moment, right?" She asks just as one of the animals' fresh produce falls nearby them and lightly splatter their trousers.
Lora gags, casting prestidigitation as quickly and as often as she can "No... why do they smell so Bad?" Lora might not eat beef for a little while after this.
Royken grunts in annoyance. "We'll never talk about this again. Got it?!"
He finds a cow to use to hide.
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Unlike Lora, Bleach is not perturbed by the smell whatsoever. Are different life experiences to blame for Lora's extreme discomfort? Possibly. "Odd. I've never interacted with live cattle before, whether they be animals or humanoids. These live ones smell infinitely better. Trust me when I say it gets worse once the guts come out and the embalming fluids are applied, Lora ..."
The cattle moo indifferently as you hide in their midst. After about 20 minutes, you can see three riders approaching the camp on pale white horses, their faces under heavy cowls. Dash steps forward to greet them, but when they get within 30 feet, her eyes widen and she screams. "Something's wrong!" she cries as she turns to run.
The riders remove their cowls in unison, revealing that their heads have been replaced with clockwork skulls! As their horses rear, the riders draw their rifles!
Of course something's wrong! How could anything be okay, considering the circumstances?! Bleach quickly weaves a protective spell and places it on Eva before accessing the archives of his brain to see what he knows about their foes.
Bleach has no idea what these undead might be, other than trouble! He protects Eva with stoneskin. Meanwhile, Lora begins her inspiring chant. As Dash gets within range, she casts invisibility sphere, cloaking all of you from sight.
The cattle panic, mooing as they stampede away from the fearsome riders! Despite not being able to see you, the riders seem to be able to sense your presence. They open fire with their rifles, but fortunately, they do not hit you!
Critical Success: The creature is unaffected by the presence.
Success: The creature is frightened 1.
Failure: The creature is frightened 2.
Critical Failure: The creature is frightened 4.
Will:
HP 122/122
AC 26
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +13 (bravery)
Hero points: 3
Ammo: 46 rounds
Effects:
Dropping off the cow, Royken scowls invisibly at the clockwork-undead-fiendish riders, and unleashes a blast from his own gun.
Reloading, he fires again, hoping they'll close with him.
Not wishing to get close to them before completely necessary, Eva sends an electric arc at the riders. "Now, what the f+~# is that?"
Bleach calls forth a tormented soul from Urgathoa's closet and instructs it to self-immolate. The burning husk that houses the soul has no choice but to do as the necromancer commands, and explodes.
Royken scores one hit on one of the riders, while Eva lightly zaps two of them. Lora maintains her song of courage as she fires off a shot from her gun and moves away from the riders. Bleach summons a fiery undead, but the riders are largely unfazed by its burning howl.
One of the riders removes its clockwork skull and hurls it into your midst, where it explodes!
The other two reload their guns, fire at Royken, and reload once more. One bullet strikes the dwarf.
While dodging cattle, Lora sends her song to inspire all and heal Royken.
Dodging the worst of the clockwork bomb, Bleach quickly commands his minion to continue its fiery assault. The wizard then incants a spell of heat metal, hoping he can make one of the riders lose his head.
Eva gets blasted and isn't happy about it. She moves towards the riders not pleased with their ranged confrontation...
... hit by dreadful fear, Eva considers backing away, but then they'd be clumped together again and an easy target. She pushes forward and slams her fist against the cursed send to unleash a wave of electricity.
HP 122/122
AC 26
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +13 (bravery)
Hero points: 3
Ammo: 46 rounds
Effects:
Growling at the riders, Royken decides he's had enough of trading shots and rushes into the fray. Fully healed by Lora's song, he's undaunted as he charges toward the same one Eva's fighting.
The undead riders are completely unfazed by Royken's posturing. He charges in and smacks one with the stock of his rifle, though it's not a critical hit. Eva moves in and unleashes an electric explosion. The rider Royken hit is caught off-guard and badly damaged, while a second avoids some of the blast. Royken superheats the heavily damaged rider's gun, then his fiery minion finishes it off with a powerful punch! The fiendish horse it was riding vanishes in a puff of smoke as the headless body falls to the ground.
The other two riders shift their aim to Eva, firing on her with their rifles!
"The horse disappeared???" Lora exclaimed outloud, completely unsure how the demon like creature might be bound to headless clockwork horsemen.
Her words still weave to the others with as inspiration, and heal as much of Eva's wounds as possible.
HP 122/122
AC 26
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +13 (bravery)
Hero points: 3
Ammo: 46 rounds
Effects:
Royken growls. Tilts his head to one side, then the other, cracking his neck, then charges toward the next rider. He draws its attention with what he'd swear was a feint, then slamming it back in the next second, following along with it...
Eva winces as she is shot, but soon she feels Lora's soothing magic. She then punches the nearest enemy twice before raising her shield.
Bleach calls upon fire and lightning to strike their foes.
Royken moves in to menace the nearest rider, smacking it with the stock of his gun. Eva delivers two powerful punches, then Bleach electrocutes the two remaining enemies. Once more, his minion delivers the finishing blow, taking down the wounded rider and causing its mount to vanish.
The final rider reloads its rifle, then hurls its clockwork skull at the melee warriors!
HP 122/122
AC 26
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +13 (bravery)
Hero points: 3
Ammo: 46 rounds
Effects:
Royken continues to wordlessly work, taking down the last foul rider. "Gonna cut off that f$!+ing skull of yours and stuff it up the other end!"
Eva dodges some of the blast before closing at the last rider and punching it twice.
HP 122/122
AC 26
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +13 (bravery)
Hero points: 3
Ammo: 46 rounds
Effects:
Royken completely avoids the skull blast, glaring at it until it went away from him.