Metropolis (Slaves to the City) - Chapter Two

Phoenix · Sep 16, 2005

hafrogman said:
Knowing his time is precious, he starts off down the street as fast as his age and wounds will let him. Somewhere crowded, he needs to lose himself in the city. Bleary eyed, breathless and faint from blood loss the elderly gnome hobbles down the street leaning heavily on his cane. . .

Nikolai's escape was complete, though not as fast as he would probably like. The crowds were thick enough to blend into easily and the old gnome was away with his prize. Few people would stop to help an old bleeding gnome in the streets of Metropolis...few except for Sir Raynard.

Ahead in the street Nikolai spotted a man in gleaming plate armour, definately a rarity in the city, mounted upon a horse draiped in a thick chain mesh. The man's blond hair wavered in the dirty sunlight, his eyes scanned the crowd as if looking for something.

He would have been eighteen summers, maybe, and his youthfulness was still visable on his clean face. Spotting Nikolai in the crowd, his face lit up and his horse gently nudged its way through the crowd to get closer.

"Ho there! Old man! It seems that you hath befallen injury on the streets of this foul city. Pray tell, what can I, Sir Raynard of the Order of the Purple Rose, Paladin of Metropolis, Defender of the Weak and Helpless, Smiter of Evils, do to assist you?"

Phoenix · Sep 16, 2005

Fenris said:
A puny man with a sword couldn't scare a god.' But Zsath's eyes haunted Jovik, those eyes that were unafraid, unconcerned until the blow fell. And all around him, the people, they looked different. The Jackal tried to put his finger on it, but despite his years of reading people, he couldn't pick up on it. He needed to talk to a priest, find out more about Zsath. And there was still his boys. So much to do, but first, he needed to finish this beer and maybe three more.

Jovik drank heavily and Baeval followed a close second. A few hours may have passed as the liquid soothed his addled mind, allowing him to be easily distracted by Baeval's banter. There was something happening on the other side of the bar, something that Jovik knew he should be taking notice of.

After draining his tankard, the Jackal went to the bar for another, where he saw the beginning of the problem.

"Nah, nah. I'm tellin' ya Suth, he jus' grabbed me, dragged me inna tha alley, and stabbed me. He was afta me purse ya see, but 'e thought I was dead y'see, thas when I grabbed him and stabbed him with 'is own knife."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, he looked at me all funny for a minute, his knife was sticken' out of his guts. Then we fought, stabbed each other a few more times, and eventually got tired and gave up. Look!"

The man lifted his shirt to show a dozen chest wounds, at least six of them should've eventually killed him. But the man simply laughed it off and took another drink from his cup and toasted the crowd.

Phoenix · Sep 16, 2005

jkason said:
"Before we start grilling the one we've got, I need to know if you've heard anything about this, or have we stumbled on a whole new set of problems?"[/color]

[sblock]Diplomacy check (DC 12) +11 - Failure[/sblock]

Constantine looks down at Ru, "No. Nothing that's any of your buisness anyway. Let's get this over with. Tell me what you want me to ask him, then I'll get the answers."

Fenris · Sep 17, 2005

Phoenix said:
Jovik drank heavily and Baeval followed a close second. A few hours may have passed as the liquid soothed his addled mind, allowing him to be easily distracted by Baeval's banter. There was something happening on the other side of the bar, something that Jovik knew he should be taking notice of.

After draining his tankard, the Jackal went to the bar for another, where he saw the beginning of the problem.

"Nah, nah. I'm tellin' ya Suth, he jus' grabbed me, dragged me inna tha alley, and stabbed me. He was afta me purse ya see, but 'e thought I was dead y'see, thas when I grabbed him and stabbed him with 'is own knife."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, he looked at me all funny for a minute, his knife was sticken' out of his guts. Then we fought, stabbed each other a few more times, and eventually got tired and gave up. Look!"

The man lifted his shirt to show a dozen chest wounds, at least six of them should've eventually killed him. But the man simply laughed it off and took another drink from his cup and toasted the crowd.

Jovik broke out in a cold sweat hearing this. "Gods" he thought, "I really did kill Death. This guy should be dead from any one of those stabs." But then, the bravado that had always guided him through life, began to re-assert itself. "Hey" he thought, "I killed Death. Jovik Death-Destroyer, no Jovik the Jackal of Death, yeah that's it. Why I'll be famous, everyone will be scared of the man who killed Death. I can make a lot of money off of this. Of course if no one dies, it will be hard to take care of troublesome marks, like this poor clod next to me" The Jackal had a huge grin on his face, partly from the beer, but mostly the self-satisfaction of is action, the ego boost it was. The Jackal stood up on the bar and shouted for attention. "Might as well claim what is mine" he thought smuggly. He called for attention, and the bar staggered to a silence in belches and sloshes.

"Tonight, I Jovick the Jackal have freed you all. The Jackal is king tonight! For tonight, I defeated....." the name 'Zsath' stuck in his throat. Through his buzz, that little voice in the back of his head, that always watched out for him, was screaming at him. Caution it cried. Thieves do not call attention to themselves EVER. But worse it said a horrible thing. Death was irresolute. Jovik had been hunted by death since the day he was born. Death was his constant companion growing up. Death was the only thing he could count on. Death was the only thing he could fight. Death hasn't gone away he thought, it can't. Even if this Zsath guy was DEATH, well why can't some other person takes his place? By the nine hells, if Zsath himself couldn't come back- and pissed off. So play it safe, just like you have killed a rival. A rival often has friends, so you don't advertise that you did it, and you don't say where to find you. "I defeated this entire keg!" he finally shouts to the waiting crowd to much cheers and confusion. Oh his head hurt. One problem at a time. Next beer he'd ask Baeval abou that damn yellow-robed guy.

Phoenix · Sep 17, 2005

Fenris said:
"I defeated this entire keg!" he finally shouts to the waiting crowd to much cheers and confusion. Oh his head hurt. One problem at a time. Next beer he'd ask Baeval abou that damn yellow-robed guy.

"Yoo are muhch more d-runk than me Jovik..." Baeval laughed at Jovik's display, pushing the rogue another tankard that he had acquired for him. "...'specially 'bout them yella fellas, dun ya reed tha papers?" Baeval reaches for something and stops, burps loudly enough that moisture sprays from his mouth across the back of a patron's head sitting nearby. Finally he picks something up off the floor and throws it at him.

The Metropolis Herald

Evil Lurkes Beneath Your City!

The Ghost Hound

Tonight as you lay in your beds, warm and confortable, safe in the knowledge that your locks are strong, your valuables are hidden, and your payments to the local heavies are up to date, there is something dark, something evil, preparing itself to strike into the hearts of the citizens of Metropolis that are the most vulnerable.

Perhaps you will simply read this and say, "It's not my problem, I couldn't really care about it." It is your problem, it's our problem, and it's time that something in this city was dealt with in a manner that shows a sense of pride for our way of life.

Deep beneath the city of Metropolis, beneath the sewers that harvest our food and our waste, lies an ancient complex where cultists gather. They come to the surface to steal our children, taking them down into their sacrifical pits to worship their forbidden god, sacrificing the lives of innocence so that they may reap the reward of their gifts.

If we don't stop them, will it be your children next?

Should you see these Yellow Devils, and they are easy enough to spot on the street as their religious robes stand out quite obviously, take action. Do not sit their a moment longer, do not pretend that these things happen to other people, put down this growing evil!

If you wish to do something more, take the fight into your own hands, then there will be a reckoning tonight. Simply find Therobon Avenue and the storm gate that lies therin, people will be waiting to delve into the heart of the city, and stab at the belly of this unholy beast.

Pray for our souls...

jkason · Sep 17, 2005

Phoenix said:
[sblock]Diplomacy check (DC 12) +11 - Failure[/sblock]

Constantine looks down at Ru, "No. Nothing that's any of your buisness anyway. Let's get this over with. Tell me what you want me to ask him, then I'll get the answers."

Ru grimaces, but gestures for Constantine to follow over to the dwarf. He jabs his chin in the direction of the unconscious prisoner, and Daan--having filled the bucket with water after removing it from the hob's head, dumps the cold liquid on him to wake him.

Ru lists his first round of questions for Constantine. Might as well start with direct:

"Why have the Killi-kelli-hek left their area of the Apartments after all this time? Why are they expanding in the direction of the Red Lamp? Are they searching for something? Running from something?"

Fenris · Sep 18, 2005

Phoenix said:
"Yoo are muhch more d-runk than me Jovik..." Baeval laughed at Jovik's display, pushing the rogue another tankard that he had acquired for him. "...'specially 'bout them yella fellas, dun ya reed tha papers?" Baeval reaches for something and stops, burps loudly enough that moisture sprays from his mouth across the back of a patron's head sitting nearby. Finally he picks something up off the floor and throws it at him.

The Metropolis Herald

Evil Lurkes Beneath Your City!
The Ghost Hound

Tonight as you lay in your beds, warm and confortable, safe in the knowledge that your locks are strong, your valuables are hidden, and your payments to the local heavies are up to date, there is something dark, something evil, preparing itself to strike into the hearts of the citizens of Metropolis that are the most vulnerable.

Perhaps you will simply read this and say, "It's not my problem, I couldn't really care about it." It is your problem, it's our problem, and it's time that something in this city was dealt with in a manner that shows a sense of pride for our way of life.

Deep beneath the city of Metropolis, beneath the sewers that harvest our food and our waste, lies an ancient complex where cultists gather. They come to the surface to steal our children, taking them down into their sacrifical pits to worship their forbidden god, sacrificing the lives of innocence so that they may reap the reward of their gifts.

If we don't stop them, will it be your children next?

Should you see these Yellow Devils, and they are easy enough to spot on the street as their religious robes stand out quite obviously, take action. Do not sit their a moment longer, do not pretend that these things happen to other people, put down this growing evil!

If you wish to do something more, take the fight into your own hands, then there will be a reckoning tonight. Simply find Therobon Avenue and the storm gate that lies therin, people will be waiting to delve into the heart of the city, and stab at the belly of this unholy beast.

Pray for our souls...

Aha, thought Jovik thickly. At least here I can do something. Maybe this will take my mind of this Zsath thing. Heck what do I have to lose, I mean I can't die right now can I? and he laughs out loud at his jest. "Be, Ba. Baeval, one for the road here my friend, and where the hell is Therobon Avenue? Hey bubby, do you know where this Therobon Avenue is?" waving the paper in front of the stab victims face.

[sblock] as I wave the paper in front of his face and accost him I will try to "supplement" my nights take [/sblock]

Phoenix · Sep 18, 2005

jkason said:
Ru grimaces, but gestures for Constantine to follow over to the dwarf. He jabs his chin in the direction of the unconscious prisoner, and Daan--having filled the bucket with water after removing it from the hob's head, dumps the cold liquid on him to wake him.

Ru lists his first round of questions for Constantine. Might as well start with direct:

"Why have the Killi-kelli-hek left their area of the Apartments after all this time? Why are they expanding in the direction of the Red Lamp? Are they searching for something? Running from something?"

[sblock]Constantine Intimidate Check (DC 26) +35 - Success[/sblock]

Constantine begins to go to work on the saveage dwarf, beating him quite badly while shouting at him at the same time. An hour passes swiftly and the dwarf is badly beaten, his face smashed and broken badly, but his savage nature holds on and refuses to talk. It is not until Constantine has broken all of the man's fingers that the dwarf screams something, then Constantine seems to get somewhere with his questioning, turning to Ru once more.

"Ok then, seems as though these guys are looking for something, something that was stolen from them, a key I think. And they are not 'expanding' apparently, just searching systematically through various suburbs, it's just our turn at the moment. As soon as these Killi-kelli-hek have found the 'key' they are looking for, they'll return to their homes."

"As for the key, he says that it's for the Heart of Metropolis. That mean anything to you?"

Phoenix · Sep 18, 2005

Fenris said:
Aha, thought Jovik thickly. At least here I can do something. Maybe this will take my mind of this Zsath thing. Heck what do I have to lose, I mean I can't die right now can I? and he laughs out loud at his jest. "Be, Ba. Baeval, one for the road here my friend, and where the hell is Therobon Avenue? Hey bubby, do you know where this Therobon Avenue is?" waving the paper in front of the stab victims face.

[sblock] as I wave the paper in front of his face and accost him I will try to "supplement" my nights take [/sblock]

[sblock]Slieght of Hand check (DC 20/5) +21 - Success
Diplomacy check (DC 8) +10 - Success[/sblock]

Slipping the few remaining silvers from the drunk's pocket into his own, Ru chats drunkenly for a while with the gentleman. Seems that Therobon Avenue isn't too far from here, a few minutes walk at least, and soon Jovik has directions easy enough to follow, even in his drunken state.

The storm water gate is located down a side street and stands wide open. If there was a large group gathering here, they are gone now. One man stands nearby though, a small halfling dressed in a leather smock with a dagger at his side.

"You the las' of them, eh?'

Fenris · Sep 18, 2005

Phoenix The storm water gate is located down a side street and stands wide open. If there was a large group gathering here said:
"Yesth, That's me Mr. Las'. Sorry I'm late, I had a brewer to defeat. Now how far ahead are they?" says the Jackal peering down the hole "Phewww, if that don't sober me up, I'll puke all me beer up!"

Metropolis (Slaves to the City) - Chapter Two

Phoenix

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