Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
Shorty went out during what was left of the daylight hours-- the guard gate had warned them in advance that the sun fell at precisely 6 PM every evening-- to gather more information from the inhabitants of the city. It was a crucial bit of investigation by the halfling, as the party really had no leads on Imperagon other than a half-assed divination to seek their path in Rigus.
Before long Shorty had gathered a little more information about Acheron, Rigus, and Imperagon specifically. The nearest gate to Acheron opened onto a huge metal planetoid called the Battlecube. Wulf was probably the only one who looked forward to a place called the Battlecube, but nobody had any better suggestion for entering Acheron with any sense of their bearings.
As for Imperagon, Shorty got a hot tip that an arms merchant by the name of Verachus had some dealings with Imperagon.
Without delay, they set out to find Verachus.
The party walked calmly but resolutely through the impeccable streets. It was not long before Wulf noticed that they were being shadowed. Down a featureless alley between the equally bland square buildings, Wulf got a glimpse of two silvery lions, heading in the same general direction as the group. At each intersection of street and alley Wulf could see them, keeping pace right alongside them.
“Screw this,” said Wulf. “Follow me. If we’re gonna play cat and mouse, I’m gonna be the goddam cat.”
Wulf veered off down the alley, directly towards the two lions. As they got closer, Wulf could see that they were made of some kind of metal, like the skin of a gorgon, a golem, or some kind of clockwork. But as to what they really were, Wulf knew bugger all.
If there was an intelligence behind them, it was amazingly casual. The lions stalked right past Wulf and company and did not so much as look around as the dwarf swung into the street behind them. They just kept right on walking, wherever they were headed.
“Well, what now?” asked Keldas.
Wulf briefly considered the possibility that these steel lions might be some sort of local patrol, a kind of clockwork watchdog on the lookout for troublemakers.
Briefly, he considered that. But his instincts knew better. “Ferkit, let’s follow ‘em. See how long they wanna play.”
Now the party stalked along behind the lions, following through twists and turns, though the lions never tried to lose them—indeed, they hardly seemed to notice them at all. Just as the party was about to give up, just as Wulf was about to second-guess himself, the lions glided to a stop outside a blacksmith’s shop.
“Uh oh…” said Shorty, though before the utterance had even crossed his lips the lions had turned towards the shop, leaping through the door in a shower of splinters.
Wulf was surprised to find axe and dagger in his hands, and his boots rang on the pavement as he sprinted to close the distance between himself and the shop. He was dimly aware of Karak shouting behind them, “The laws strictly forbid vigilantism!”
Wulf skidded to a stop in front of the shattered doorway. The lions were already scattering the remains of the smith around his small shop. There wasn’t much left of the poor fellow-- though it was plain to Wulf the victim was a dwarf.
Wulf’s face flushed red with anger and yet somehow he heard the paladin shouting behind him, “You cannot draw steel except to defend yourself!”
Wulf snarled and stepped into the doorway. Fine, yer want out, yer comin’ through me, he thought. He yelled to Karak who’d finally reached his side, “Block the door!”
The lions didn’t seem concerned in the least. The one closest to the door opened its mouth and an ear-splitting roar washed over them. It wasn’t something Wulf could dodge, and he took the full brunt of it. His ears were still ringing when the second lion leaped over its partner and dragged Wulf into the smithy with both paws. Wulf thanked the gods for his long coat of mail as he felt the thing’s rear legs scrabbling across his guts.
Oh gods, that hurts, he thought. Can’t take even one more hit like that.
Wulf tumbled out of its grasp and took a swipe at it with Taranak. The blade bounced off harmlessly and Wulf switched his stance, now advancing sinister with the bone dagger in his other hand. “Somebody kill this prick before it kills me…”
Shorty pelted the area with an ice storm. “Crap,” yelled Wulf. “Can’t dodge that, you know!”
Karak still stood at the door, clearly torn among several difficult decisions. His hand hovered briefly over the hilt of his sword before he swung it out and stepped up to flank the first lion with Wulf-- but still he wasn’t sure. Wulf slammed his dagger into the ass-end of the creature and that, too, slid harmlessly off its metal flanks.
“Should I use my scroll of Holy Sword?” asked Karak.
Wulf brandished the two apparently useless weapons in his own hands. “YES!”
The lions roared again, this time in tandem, catching everyone but Wulf in dual cones of sound. Shorty was completely deafened by the blast and obviously having trouble spellcasting. Keldas, clearly a little more practiced, called up a crackling green bolt from his fingertip and managed to disintegrate one of the lions.
Shorty and Alliane were whimpering and limping away, and Karak, who was in no great shape himself, finally acted. One more roar would probably kill two or three of them. He read his scroll and his sword burst forth with brilliant holy energy. Karak stood to his full height in the doorway, challenging the lion to get past. The creature advanced on Karak, who smited it across the chops. The blow should have cleft the thing in two but it merely shook its sleek head and kept coming. It pounced, dragging the paladin to his knees.
As if he’d been waiting for the opportunity, Keldas used another of his tricks that was proving more and more successful: Hold Monster. Wulf thought the lion creatures were still firmly in the “golem” column, and didn’t have high hopes for Keldas’ spell-- but it worked! The creature stiffened up and fell over with a ponderous crunch.
Wulf sheathed his weapons with lightning speed and yanked a length of sturdy rope from his haversack. In no time flat he had the thing expertly trussed-- though it had been some time since Wulf had practiced with his knots, and he was less than sure that mere silk rope would hold the thing for long.
Shorty, Alliane, and Keldas joined them in the room, and the town watch was hot on their heels, drawn by the sound of battle. The assmar from the front gate was with them. “WHAT IN THE SEVEN HEAVENS IS GOING ON HERE?”
Wulf looked around-- at the gore-spattered remains of the blacksmith, at Shorty, Keldas, and Alliane sitting quietly and nursing their wounds, and at Karak, standing in the center of the room brandishing a holy sword that still shone like the north star.
“Ahhh…” he expertly lied, “the paladin here went crazy, see....”
Before long Shorty had gathered a little more information about Acheron, Rigus, and Imperagon specifically. The nearest gate to Acheron opened onto a huge metal planetoid called the Battlecube. Wulf was probably the only one who looked forward to a place called the Battlecube, but nobody had any better suggestion for entering Acheron with any sense of their bearings.
As for Imperagon, Shorty got a hot tip that an arms merchant by the name of Verachus had some dealings with Imperagon.
Without delay, they set out to find Verachus.
The party walked calmly but resolutely through the impeccable streets. It was not long before Wulf noticed that they were being shadowed. Down a featureless alley between the equally bland square buildings, Wulf got a glimpse of two silvery lions, heading in the same general direction as the group. At each intersection of street and alley Wulf could see them, keeping pace right alongside them.
“Screw this,” said Wulf. “Follow me. If we’re gonna play cat and mouse, I’m gonna be the goddam cat.”
Wulf veered off down the alley, directly towards the two lions. As they got closer, Wulf could see that they were made of some kind of metal, like the skin of a gorgon, a golem, or some kind of clockwork. But as to what they really were, Wulf knew bugger all.
If there was an intelligence behind them, it was amazingly casual. The lions stalked right past Wulf and company and did not so much as look around as the dwarf swung into the street behind them. They just kept right on walking, wherever they were headed.
“Well, what now?” asked Keldas.
Wulf briefly considered the possibility that these steel lions might be some sort of local patrol, a kind of clockwork watchdog on the lookout for troublemakers.
Briefly, he considered that. But his instincts knew better. “Ferkit, let’s follow ‘em. See how long they wanna play.”
Now the party stalked along behind the lions, following through twists and turns, though the lions never tried to lose them—indeed, they hardly seemed to notice them at all. Just as the party was about to give up, just as Wulf was about to second-guess himself, the lions glided to a stop outside a blacksmith’s shop.
“Uh oh…” said Shorty, though before the utterance had even crossed his lips the lions had turned towards the shop, leaping through the door in a shower of splinters.
Wulf was surprised to find axe and dagger in his hands, and his boots rang on the pavement as he sprinted to close the distance between himself and the shop. He was dimly aware of Karak shouting behind them, “The laws strictly forbid vigilantism!”
Wulf skidded to a stop in front of the shattered doorway. The lions were already scattering the remains of the smith around his small shop. There wasn’t much left of the poor fellow-- though it was plain to Wulf the victim was a dwarf.
Wulf’s face flushed red with anger and yet somehow he heard the paladin shouting behind him, “You cannot draw steel except to defend yourself!”
Wulf snarled and stepped into the doorway. Fine, yer want out, yer comin’ through me, he thought. He yelled to Karak who’d finally reached his side, “Block the door!”
The lions didn’t seem concerned in the least. The one closest to the door opened its mouth and an ear-splitting roar washed over them. It wasn’t something Wulf could dodge, and he took the full brunt of it. His ears were still ringing when the second lion leaped over its partner and dragged Wulf into the smithy with both paws. Wulf thanked the gods for his long coat of mail as he felt the thing’s rear legs scrabbling across his guts.
Oh gods, that hurts, he thought. Can’t take even one more hit like that.
Wulf tumbled out of its grasp and took a swipe at it with Taranak. The blade bounced off harmlessly and Wulf switched his stance, now advancing sinister with the bone dagger in his other hand. “Somebody kill this prick before it kills me…”
Shorty pelted the area with an ice storm. “Crap,” yelled Wulf. “Can’t dodge that, you know!”
Karak still stood at the door, clearly torn among several difficult decisions. His hand hovered briefly over the hilt of his sword before he swung it out and stepped up to flank the first lion with Wulf-- but still he wasn’t sure. Wulf slammed his dagger into the ass-end of the creature and that, too, slid harmlessly off its metal flanks.
“Should I use my scroll of Holy Sword?” asked Karak.
Wulf brandished the two apparently useless weapons in his own hands. “YES!”
The lions roared again, this time in tandem, catching everyone but Wulf in dual cones of sound. Shorty was completely deafened by the blast and obviously having trouble spellcasting. Keldas, clearly a little more practiced, called up a crackling green bolt from his fingertip and managed to disintegrate one of the lions.
Shorty and Alliane were whimpering and limping away, and Karak, who was in no great shape himself, finally acted. One more roar would probably kill two or three of them. He read his scroll and his sword burst forth with brilliant holy energy. Karak stood to his full height in the doorway, challenging the lion to get past. The creature advanced on Karak, who smited it across the chops. The blow should have cleft the thing in two but it merely shook its sleek head and kept coming. It pounced, dragging the paladin to his knees.
As if he’d been waiting for the opportunity, Keldas used another of his tricks that was proving more and more successful: Hold Monster. Wulf thought the lion creatures were still firmly in the “golem” column, and didn’t have high hopes for Keldas’ spell-- but it worked! The creature stiffened up and fell over with a ponderous crunch.
Wulf sheathed his weapons with lightning speed and yanked a length of sturdy rope from his haversack. In no time flat he had the thing expertly trussed-- though it had been some time since Wulf had practiced with his knots, and he was less than sure that mere silk rope would hold the thing for long.
Shorty, Alliane, and Keldas joined them in the room, and the town watch was hot on their heels, drawn by the sound of battle. The assmar from the front gate was with them. “WHAT IN THE SEVEN HEAVENS IS GOING ON HERE?”
Wulf looked around-- at the gore-spattered remains of the blacksmith, at Shorty, Keldas, and Alliane sitting quietly and nursing their wounds, and at Karak, standing in the center of the room brandishing a holy sword that still shone like the north star.
“Ahhh…” he expertly lied, “the paladin here went crazy, see....”
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