Dr Jack "Sawbones" Maturin's page

Dr Maturin was never one who desired fame or fortune. Sufficient funds to pursue the life-style of reasonable comfort he preferred was quite enough, as long as he could continue to work. Thus the Doctor soon retires into obscurity, withdrawing from frontline policework.

He is not idle however, and many a case over the next several decades, hinges on the painstaking forensic work which he carries out on all sorts of strange crimes. Over time his value is recognised and Captain Asilia institutes a permanent forensic team, based in a wing of Star Watch keep. It takes a number of years and two high profile cases, but gradually Dr Maturin's team becomes a specialised, and even somewhat sought-after, division of Absalom's Law Enforcement. The Doctor even takes up lecturing at a number of the cities higher education establishments, both on forensics and more conventional medicine.

As for his private life Jack, more so than most people, is able to keep it exactly that - private. However a connoisseur of Absalom's underworld would find that the person known as Morgorth remains a staple figure, one apparently content to enjoy the pleasures available in the shadows and, somehow, commanding enough respect to remain aloof from the territorial wars that erupt over and over again. Eventually Morgorth buys the House of Planes outright and establishes it as the neutral meeting ground of the city, where anyone (even Lawmen!) can come to enjoy themselves and all sort of legal, or at least not illegal, pleasures. After an over-ambitious Edgewatch Captain mounts a raid against the House Morgorth emerges from the shadows long enough to fight the Edgewatch through the courts and successfully invalidates the raid, thereby securing the House of Planes neutrality for another thirty years.

Morgorth eventually vanishes from public view, and not long afterwards Dr Maturin finally retires from the 'Cutting Edge-Watch' as some wits named his department, his legacy secure and memorialised by a brass plaque commemorating the founding of the Absalom Forensic Laboratory. All in all, as tidy, neat and clean an ending as the Doctor could possibly have wanted.

"Indeed." Jack agrees. "That creature has admitted to forming cults and attempting to undermine the city. It can definitely wait a while longer, although I will recommend to Command that it be killed rather than set free to assail the city again."

In a moment of uncharacteristic compassion he puts a hand on Dora's shoulder and squeezes comfortingly. "You're right, you did not hurt Reginald. You did your duty and protected Absalom from the Rumormonger. Remember that."

Jack waits just long enough to thrust his sword-cane into the Rumormonger once more and then flees with the rest!

"Well... that went well." He says, managing to get his breath back enough that it sounds realistic rather than dangerously winded.

Ref: 1d20 + 31 ⇒ (14) + 31 = 45
Reaction: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (12) + 28 = 407d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 4, 6, 2, 5, 1, 4) + 11 = 37

Jack dodges under the steam and lands yet another blow as the Rumormonger's overdrive makes him careless. With the advantage on his side and his foe faltering the Doctor circles behind Vancaskerkin and unleashes powerful magic of his own!

Vampiric Exsanguination: 14d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 2, 6, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4, 2, 2) = 51
Negative energy damage to Reggie and the demon, hopefully I can keep the cone off Devon, but if not... apologies! Staying next to Reggie so I will take an AOO if he has them.

Reaction Strike: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (12) + 28 = 407d6 + 11 ⇒ (6, 2, 4, 6, 3, 2, 1) + 11 = 35

Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (12) + 28 = 401d20 + 24 ⇒ (3) + 24 = 277d6 + 11 ⇒ (1, 4, 4, 3, 6, 3, 1) + 11 = 337d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 6, 4, 3, 3, 6, 6) + 11 = 43

Jack continues to ignore the demon and keeps striking at Reggie.

Reaction Attack: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (18) + 28 = 467d6 + 11 ⇒ (6, 5, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5) + 11 = 48

Jack continues to ignore the demon in favour of landing blows of Reginald as fast as he can.

Stab!: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (4) + 28 = 321d20 + 24 ⇒ (9) + 24 = 337d6 + 11 ⇒ (1, 3, 3, 1, 4, 1, 4) + 11 = 287d6 + 11 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 4, 2, 5, 5) + 11 = 35

Will: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (17) + 25 = 42

Jack throws off the confusion spell after a moments babling and heads for Vancaskerkin - as the only one who can slay him that's where he needs to be.

Stabbity: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (14) + 28 = 427d6 + 11 ⇒ (2, 5, 3, 6, 1, 6, 4) + 11 = 38

Just one reaction this turn if Devon hits him.

The dhampir retreats from the pool as quickly as he can with teeth clenched.

"Dora, in my pack, white bottle." He grits out and then proceeds to pour the entire contents of the bottle over the worst affected areas. Whatever is inside neutralises the worst of the burning and some clean bandages deal with the rest.

Treat Wounds, DC30: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (20) + 29 = 494d8 + 30 + 5 ⇒ (7, 8, 8, 3) + 30 + 5 = 61

Once fully dressed and his usual dapper self the Doctor nods in satisfaction. "The pain was worthwhile. I know how to kill Vancaskerkin now, but mine will have to be the final blow." He looks around his fellow agents. "Let us finish the Twilight Four for good."

Jack shrugs off his overcoat and divests himself down to shirt and breeches.

"It makes sense that I go in." He says, forestalling protests. "I am more resilient than the rest of you and with some assistance from Dani we can ensure that Vancaskerkin will never see me coming. Additionally you will all have far more resources to get me out than I would in your place."

With that said he marches into the pool.

Thankful that his companions are aware of the probability of betrayal Jack follows along quietly.

Jack smirks and continues to examine the mechanisms, although he now does so with a rather different viewpoint on the whole thing. This creature is, by its own admission, a danger to the city. If it should expire down here that might be best for all concerned.

Since the creature just revealed, however inadvertently, that it is the source of the Rumormonger's ink, Jack leaves the talking to others and sets to work doing what he can to disconnect and disable the machinery on this end - without getting within reach of the squid-like creature.

DD: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (6) + 28 = 34

"We're actually here to take him in." Jack replies, pulling out his badge. "We are agents of the Starwatch. If you can aid us in apprehending him and swear not to damage the city we will do everything we can to free you."

"Well he has a secret lair to protect." Jack points out. "As to why he became the Rumormonger... well people do strange things sometimes. There's probably someone out there who's made a deal with a god to become Primarch of Absalom for no other reason than that the position exists. It's ridiculous really. They'd probably take over, proclaim their evil intentions and then sit in some sort of magical tower and simply wait to be defeated. It's the plot of every penny dreadful adventure novel out there."

Medicine, DC 30 Devon: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (4) + 29 = 332d8 + 30 ⇒ (6, 3) + 30 = 39
Medicine, DC 30 Self: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (14) + 29 = 434d8 + 30 ⇒ (3, 5, 3, 5) + 30 = 46

Jack sets to work with his medical training before letting the others apply their own methods.

"Because he's a paranoid ego-maniac with a fetish for clocks?" He suggests in answer to Dora's question as the group works.

There's not much Jack can do to the massive construct so he keeps hammering away, looking for weak spots.

Stabs: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (1) + 28 = 291d20 + 24 ⇒ (18) + 24 = 42
Damage: 7d6 + 11 ⇒ (5, 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1) + 11 = 377d6 + 11 ⇒ (5, 1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 1) + 11 = 30

Reaction Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (12) + 28 = 401d20 + 24 ⇒ (13) + 24 = 377d6 + 11 ⇒ (2, 4, 5, 4, 2, 5, 5) + 11 = 387d6 + 11 ⇒ (1, 4, 1, 4, 4, 3, 2) + 11 = 30

Devon provides plenty of openings and Jack does his best to make use of them as the champion protects him once again from a bad case of tanning. With a swift nod of thanks he fights on.

Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (5) + 28 = 331d20 + 24 ⇒ (14) + 24 = 387d6 + 11 ⇒ (3, 1, 4, 2, 2, 2, 5) + 11 = 307d6 + 11 ⇒ (3, 2, 1, 6, 4, 5, 5) + 11 = 37

Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (19) + 28 = 471d20 + 24 ⇒ (8) + 24 = 327d6 + 11 ⇒ (2, 5, 2, 3, 5, 4, 5) + 11 = 377d6 + 11 ⇒ (3, 2, 2, 6, 5, 1, 5) + 11 = 35

This time Jack lands a blow under a large plate and something cracks.

Reaction to Devon's Strike: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (3) + 28 = 317d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 2, 6, 5, 1, 6, 1) + 11 = 36

Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (9) + 28 = 371d20 + 24 ⇒ (9) + 24 = 33
Damage: 7d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 4, 5, 6, 2, 6, 4) + 11 = 427d6 + 11 ⇒ (1, 4, 1, 4, 6, 3, 4) + 11 = 34

Jack strikes repeatedly but has trouble piercing anything important.

Jack waits for Devon and follows the champion in.

Strike: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (16) + 28 = 443d6 + 11 + 4d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 4) + 11 + (4, 5, 2, 1) = 36

Acro: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (12) + 28 = 40

"Nothing." Jack replies, stepping down the corridor with deliberate and impeccable timing as he dodges gears and springs as though it were nothing more than a walk in the park.

Jack sets to work fixing up injuries in focused silence. Once the job is done he examines what remains of Vancaskerskins body with pursed lips. "I might be able to interfere with his clockwork toys, given time." He muses.

Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (18) + 28 = 461d20 + 24 ⇒ (12) + 24 = 367d6 + 11 ⇒ (2, 4, 2, 3, 4, 4, 1) + 11 = 317d6 + 11 ⇒ (1, 6, 2, 4, 3, 5, 5) + 11 = 37

Jack ignores the clockwork arm and continues to focus on putting Vancaskerskin down as fast as possible.

Battle Med DC30: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (2) + 29 = 312d8 + 30 ⇒ (6, 1) + 30 = 37

Reaction Strike: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (14) + 28 = 423d6 + 11 + 4d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 2) + 11 + (2, 6, 2, 4) = 33

Jack takes advantage of Devon distracting the Rumormonger to land a blow and follows up with more attacks, pressing the advantage!

Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (4) + 28 = 321d20 + 24 ⇒ (9) + 24 = 337d6 + 11 ⇒ (6, 3, 3, 3, 6, 2, 1) + 11 = 357d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 3, 2, 6, 3, 1, 2) + 11 = 32

Saving an action to get an extra reaction instead.

Jack circles around behind Vancaskerkin and strikes at Reginald's head with the cane before stabbing at the stunned man with his blade.

Stride, flat-foot him, strike

Strike: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (1) + 28 = 293d6 + 11 + 4d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 1) + 11 + (2, 1, 5, 2) = 33

Jack examines the room carefully, looking for more normally sized means of egress.

Assuming he doesn't find any
"Let's come back later if we don't find anything else." He suggests, "This seems automated rather than anything else."

"Definitely a villain." Jack says with a sigh."Only villains go to such ridiculous lengths creating a lair like this."

Seeing nothing in particular to distinguish the doors Jack points to the furthest one. "Best to risk the greatest danger first." He suggests.

Jack declines a drink - now is not the time and he's been getting less and less pleasure from human beverages as time goes on.

"So, go to the Eyes - during business hours so he has witnesses and less ability to do anything unexpected. We'll ask him to help with our inquiries and see how badly he reacts from here."

"Well there's one place we've found him before." Jack points out, disengaging from Wakeiwa.

"Well that was stupid." Jack says bluntly. "Of all the outsiders you might have been foolish enough to bind you chose beings of utter chaos? Where do we find Bandersworth? He's the root of the problem and we need to fix this before something worse happens."

"What exactly is this power source?" Jack asks. "The more you do to help us find it, the better it'll be for you."

He's definitely the bad cop in this routine.

"Lets get this back to Starwatch Keep." Jack proposes, "This should be enough to bring the full weight of the law behind Vancaskerkin and that will make finding him much easier. If we take him out then everything else will grind to a halt."

The robe is a little odd so he puts it on beneath his coat and is pleased to find that it still works.

Jack keeps striking at vulnerable eyes with a cool and lethal precision.

Strikes: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (2) + 28 = 301d20 + 24 ⇒ (12) + 24 = 366d6 + 11 ⇒ (6, 6, 1, 1, 1, 3) + 11 = 296d6 + 11 ⇒ (6, 2, 6, 6, 4, 5) + 11 = 40

Will: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (13) + 25 = 38

Jack shakes off the effects of Ixusoth's strike and unleashes another fistful of unpleasant powders to blind her.

Strikes: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (15) + 29 = 441d20 + 25 ⇒ (3) + 25 = 283d6 + 11 + 3d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 1) + 11 + (2, 3, 4) = 293d6 + 11 + 3d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 6) + 11 + (3, 4, 4) = 32

Visible is annoying, but Jack still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Quite literally in this case! A packet of highly irritating dried vegetable extract flies at the many eyed creature causing immediate eye watering and considerable discomfort!

Using Instant Opening.

The Doctor attacks in the confusion!

Strikes: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (4) + 29 = 331d20 + 25 ⇒ (12) + 25 = 376d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 2, 1, 4, 4, 2) + 11 = 286d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 3, 5, 4, 5, 4) + 11 = 36

Jack stabs repeatedly and then dances around the creature to confuse it as to his location.

Strikes: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (3) + 29 = 321d20 + 25 ⇒ (2) + 25 = 271d20 + 21 ⇒ (14) + 21 = 35
Damage: 2d6 + 11 + 3d6 ⇒ (2, 2) + 11 + (6, 6, 1) = 282d6 + 11 + 3d6 ⇒ (1, 1) + 11 + (1, 1, 4) = 192d6 + 11 + 3d6 ⇒ (1, 5) + 11 + (2, 3, 5) = 27

Freakin useless!

Haste Attack: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (3) + 25 = 285d6 + 11 ⇒ (5, 3, 6, 3, 3) + 11 = 31

The doctor takes advantage of his invisibility and hops down to the lower level to deal with the eyeball creature.

Strike: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (9) + 29 = 382d6 + 11 + 3d6 ⇒ (4, 1) + 11 + (3, 2, 6) = 27
Jack is invisible and can't be detected by any divination short of level 10 so this should be fun!

Jack agrees with Dora when he reappears.

"It is difficult to locate me with divinations these days." He opinions, "So I will probably be the one that she does not expect. Dani, could you do the lasting invisibility spell for me? I will be much more effective that way."

It's a trap! Jack thinks immediately. He isn't worried about his companions, they are more than capable of looking after themselves, but he does fade into the background - specifically so that if reinforcements try and come through the shop, he can intercept them.

Once the proprietor has gone through to the back he slips over to the front door and locks it. Just in case.

Jack appears at the end of the aisle and points under his spectacles.

The eyes. He mouths to Dora and Dani. Look at his eyes.

Jack peels away immediately and starts examining the shop rather than the proprietor, although he notices the dwarf's green eyes and begins to wonder...

Perception: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (4) + 27 = 31

Seeing that the witness is hostile, Jack lets one of the more charming people lead the conversation. Staying quiet gives him a better chance to examine the woman and her mannerisms anyway.

SM: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (7) + 27 = 34

Jack, who is not the most personable of people, spends the day buying drinks and generally attempting to be helpful to the more socially adept members of the group.

Dip Aid: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27

"We should also warn this Atikak." Jack continues. "If she is aware of the threat she'll already be taking precautions but if not we might be able to save her life, or at least buy ourselves some time. Still, I think we need to clear our names first, that will give us that much more leverage when it comes to the rest."

"Witnesses first." Jack proposes. "If I were a villain seeking to tie up loose ends I would eliminate the largest group first, especially since they are the least likely to take precautions."

Jack says some unrepeatable things in Necril when it becomes clear that simply breaking the circle is not going to do the job. Although the flasks of acid in his backpack might work in extremis.

"I will return shortly." He whispers to the Primarch, before returning to the upper deck, where he explains the situation.

"The power sources seem to be elsewhere." He says with an invisible frown. "Are there any other ways of getting him out?"

Jack turns his attention to the floor boards, looking to see if he can remove a board and thus disrupt the circle.

"What exactly does it bind?" Jack asks. "Are you unable to move? Or does it prevent the passage of all objects?"

Arcana re. circle on floor: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (3) + 22 = 25

Thievery: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (12) + 27 = 39
Thievery: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (14) + 27 = 41

Jack works the door locks for a short while and then slips through the door as quickly and quietly as possible.

"Primarch Starborn." He says softly once inside. "My apologies for not being visible at the moment, but infiltraiting a renowned prison doesn't allow for good conversation. Do you wish to leave here? We have been sent to rescue you."