A Lonely Path: a Shackled City Story Hour (the old version, see last post)
hbarsquared
Quantum Chronomancer
Thanks for the comment: I really appreciate it.
Everyone in the story hour (besides the adventurers and their background characters) is in the adventure path, and I'm attempting to flesh out the NPCs a bit more (as I did with Ruphus, as well), which hopefully makes the story hour more engaging. It's taking me longer than expected, though, to get through the adventure. I'm not even to the dungeon yet! The plan is to speed up combat a bit, so hopefully Abrina will skip through the dungeon rooms pretty easily. We'll see.
Thanks again, I always enjoy seeing comments!
Everyone in the story hour (besides the adventurers and their background characters) is in the adventure path, and I'm attempting to flesh out the NPCs a bit more (as I did with Ruphus, as well), which hopefully makes the story hour more engaging. It's taking me longer than expected, though, to get through the adventure. I'm not even to the dungeon yet! The plan is to speed up combat a bit, so hopefully Abrina will skip through the dungeon rooms pretty easily. We'll see.
Thanks again, I always enjoy seeing comments!
hbarsquared
Quantum Chronomancer
Chapter One, Part Ten
Abrina walked aimlessly down Lava Avenue in the opposite direction of the church, dodging the merchants leading their wagons up the slanted streets and children running across the sometimes gravelly ground of volcanic rock in every direction. She did not want to return to the church empty-handed, and she still had no more idea about the identity or whereabouts of this Last Laugh, despite the extra puzzle piece Patch had provided. She fingered her symbol of Ninurta as she glanced upward at the cramped buildings lining the road, some seemed to be hewn directly from the volcano’s core. Veins of malachite were every, bringing a small bit of color to an otherwise gray and dreary city.
As she turned down an alley a motion from the shadows caught her eye, a pale, fleeting figure in her peripheral vision that disappeared despite her keen sight. Her eyes narrowed and Abrina tightened her cloak around her body. The wind had picked up in the afternoon, and the overcast clouds had begun to take on a darker tone. With a shrug, she continued but remained alert. Abrina was determined that those from the Last Laugh not catch her unawares again.
Abrina raised her head at the sound of a wooden sign creaking in the wind, swinging back and forth on rusty hinges. She paused in her walk and stepped back, examining the two-story black stone building that loomed in front of her. A small turret dominated the façade, with iron bars embedded in the thick window frames. Beyond the turret’s ground-floor windows, Abrina could see a lovely display of locks, from large to small, simple to complex, plain to intricate. To the left of the turret, above a heavy oak door, swung the sign, and upon the wooden sign, below a picture of a stylized key, read GHELVE’S LOCKS.
The locks are key to finding them, she repeated to herself. Perhaps he might have some clue as to how someone might have gotten past his locks.
Abrina knocked on the sturdy wooden door of the town locksmith.
Abrina walked aimlessly down Lava Avenue in the opposite direction of the church, dodging the merchants leading their wagons up the slanted streets and children running across the sometimes gravelly ground of volcanic rock in every direction. She did not want to return to the church empty-handed, and she still had no more idea about the identity or whereabouts of this Last Laugh, despite the extra puzzle piece Patch had provided. She fingered her symbol of Ninurta as she glanced upward at the cramped buildings lining the road, some seemed to be hewn directly from the volcano’s core. Veins of malachite were every, bringing a small bit of color to an otherwise gray and dreary city.
As she turned down an alley a motion from the shadows caught her eye, a pale, fleeting figure in her peripheral vision that disappeared despite her keen sight. Her eyes narrowed and Abrina tightened her cloak around her body. The wind had picked up in the afternoon, and the overcast clouds had begun to take on a darker tone. With a shrug, she continued but remained alert. Abrina was determined that those from the Last Laugh not catch her unawares again.
Abrina raised her head at the sound of a wooden sign creaking in the wind, swinging back and forth on rusty hinges. She paused in her walk and stepped back, examining the two-story black stone building that loomed in front of her. A small turret dominated the façade, with iron bars embedded in the thick window frames. Beyond the turret’s ground-floor windows, Abrina could see a lovely display of locks, from large to small, simple to complex, plain to intricate. To the left of the turret, above a heavy oak door, swung the sign, and upon the wooden sign, below a picture of a stylized key, read GHELVE’S LOCKS.
The locks are key to finding them, she repeated to herself. Perhaps he might have some clue as to how someone might have gotten past his locks.
Abrina knocked on the sturdy wooden door of the town locksmith.
Last edited:
hbarsquared
Quantum Chronomancer
Chapter Two, Part One
First, silence. Abrina waited a few moments before raising her hand to knock on the oaken door again, but a muffled voice finally called from inside. “It’s open!” it said. “Please, come on in!”
Abrina pushed open the door and stepped into the small shop. The store front smelled of wood and pipe smoke, tickling her nose with a spicy aroma. Two burgundy padded chairs flanked a hearth containing a small yet lively fire. The fireplace’s carved mantle bore a tinderbox, a small vase of dried smoking leaves, and a finely wrought collection of pipes.
A burgundy stretch of carpet, a shade darker than the chairs, led from the entrance to the wall across from it, where Abrina could see dozens—perhaps hundreds—of keys hanging from tiny hooks. A handsomely engraved mahogany counter stretched along one wall, and behind it hung a red curtain neatly hiding the rest of the store. From around the corner of the counter came a dour man with bushy eyebrows, creased face, and graven frown. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut short and he sported a well-trimmed moustache and goatee, in a fashion that Abrina had only seen among gnomes. He wore long pants with a flowing shirt and walked stiff-legged as he came to greet her.
“Welcome, welcome,” he said. Abrina quirked an eyebrow, for he looked like a gnome, but he was nearly as tall as she. “I am Ghelve of Ghelve’s Locks. What can I interest you in, today? A lock for your door? Something fancy?”
“You’re a gnome.” Abrina said, almost accusingly.
The man took an awkward step back and chuckled. “Why yes, I am,” he replied. “And you’re a half-elf.”
Ghelve bent over slightly and lifted the edge of his pants to reveal the stilts underneath. “It’s easier to speak with customers when you see them eye to eye.”
Abrina nodded, blushing. “Why yes, yes, of course.” She turned away and tried to casually glance around the room. “Well,” she replied, “I am looking for a set of locks for my home. A pair for the front and back doors.”
“Oh yes, yes,” he said with a disarming smile, moving back behind the counter. “I have just what you are looking for. Wait but a moment?”
Abrina nodded and watched him disappear behind the red curtain. She walked around the store, tracing her fingers along the intricate carvings of the main counter, continuing along to the wall with the uncountable number of keys. She noticed that more than one key hung on each tiny hook. Reaching up, she took three from a single hook and examined their notched edges. She was no locksmith, but even she could see that each key was unique, each pattern different from the rest.
“What are you doing?”
Abrina whirled around, surprised, with keys clenched in one hand. “Oh, um, noth . . . Nothing,” she stumbled, scrambling to place the keys back on their hook. The gnome approached the end of the counter, two simple locks in hand and a sly smile.
“You need to match the key to the lock, my lady. Not the other way around.”
“Oh, yes, yes. I understand.” Abrina reached out for the locks and examined the keyholes. They looked normal enough, as had the ones at the orphanage. Just like any other keyhole.
“I noticed that you have quite a number of keys already made,” she said, gesturing to the wall. “If I were to purchase these locks, would I have to worry about a duplicate key?”
“No, no need to worry,” he said, as if recounting a rehearsed speech. “You see, each key is made expressly for the lock, and I make only one set at a time. One key, one lock.”
“Can you guarantee me that?” she asked pointedly.
“Why, yes.” He replied, though with a short hesitation. “Uh, sure.”
Abrina raised an eyebrow. “And what about the kidnappings that I have been hearing about? And the orphanage? They all had your locks and there was no sign of forced entry.” Ghelve’s eyes widened as he began to shake his head. Abrina took a step forward. “Someone found their way inside, and that someone had a key. Tell me how they got a key?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he choked, stepping back around the counter, taking the two locks with him. “I don't appreciate being accused of kidnapping in my own shop. I think you had better leave.”
Abrina came to the counter, putting her hands on the mahogany. “I have not accused you of anything, Ghelve. Should I? I am not going to leave. Did you kidnap those children?”
“No!” he said emphatically. “Of course not! I would never do such a thing?”
“And the other kidnappings? What happened to them? Where are you hiding them?”
Ghelve lowered his head, shaking it furiously from side to side. “Nothing,” he mumbled over and over to himself, “I didn’t do anything.”
Abrina sighed and stepped back from the counter. Ghelve knew something, but she didn’t think he would kidnap three children. The kidnapped victims were all human children, probably nearly his size. How could he have managed to do it? No, someone else was involved. She turned to face Ghelve once again.
“I know you did not take the children,” she whispered. Ghelve looked up at her and nodded silently.
“But you do know who did.”
“No, I don’t” he replied stoically. Then, he nodded, and arched an eyebrow.
Abrina tilted her head. Was someone else here? “Then how do you explain the kidnappings?”
“How should I know?” he said, still arching an eyebrow and jerking his head toward the curtain. “Perhaps someone picked the locks. I make good locks, but maybe an expert got to them.”
Abrina forced herself to relax and changed the direction of her questioning. “Well, how can I know I’d be kept safe if I purchased one of your locks?”
Relieved to have the conversation return to purchases, he smiled. “How about I show you. I have quite a selection back here.” He nodded toward the curtain and invited her to follow him.
Abrina reached behind her shoulder to touch the shaft of the spear still slung over her back. Prepared, she stepped behind Ghelve’s counter and lifted the curtain to the room beyond.
First, silence. Abrina waited a few moments before raising her hand to knock on the oaken door again, but a muffled voice finally called from inside. “It’s open!” it said. “Please, come on in!”
Abrina pushed open the door and stepped into the small shop. The store front smelled of wood and pipe smoke, tickling her nose with a spicy aroma. Two burgundy padded chairs flanked a hearth containing a small yet lively fire. The fireplace’s carved mantle bore a tinderbox, a small vase of dried smoking leaves, and a finely wrought collection of pipes.
A burgundy stretch of carpet, a shade darker than the chairs, led from the entrance to the wall across from it, where Abrina could see dozens—perhaps hundreds—of keys hanging from tiny hooks. A handsomely engraved mahogany counter stretched along one wall, and behind it hung a red curtain neatly hiding the rest of the store. From around the corner of the counter came a dour man with bushy eyebrows, creased face, and graven frown. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut short and he sported a well-trimmed moustache and goatee, in a fashion that Abrina had only seen among gnomes. He wore long pants with a flowing shirt and walked stiff-legged as he came to greet her.
“Welcome, welcome,” he said. Abrina quirked an eyebrow, for he looked like a gnome, but he was nearly as tall as she. “I am Ghelve of Ghelve’s Locks. What can I interest you in, today? A lock for your door? Something fancy?”
“You’re a gnome.” Abrina said, almost accusingly.
The man took an awkward step back and chuckled. “Why yes, I am,” he replied. “And you’re a half-elf.”
Ghelve bent over slightly and lifted the edge of his pants to reveal the stilts underneath. “It’s easier to speak with customers when you see them eye to eye.”
Abrina nodded, blushing. “Why yes, yes, of course.” She turned away and tried to casually glance around the room. “Well,” she replied, “I am looking for a set of locks for my home. A pair for the front and back doors.”
“Oh yes, yes,” he said with a disarming smile, moving back behind the counter. “I have just what you are looking for. Wait but a moment?”
Abrina nodded and watched him disappear behind the red curtain. She walked around the store, tracing her fingers along the intricate carvings of the main counter, continuing along to the wall with the uncountable number of keys. She noticed that more than one key hung on each tiny hook. Reaching up, she took three from a single hook and examined their notched edges. She was no locksmith, but even she could see that each key was unique, each pattern different from the rest.
“What are you doing?”
Abrina whirled around, surprised, with keys clenched in one hand. “Oh, um, noth . . . Nothing,” she stumbled, scrambling to place the keys back on their hook. The gnome approached the end of the counter, two simple locks in hand and a sly smile.
“You need to match the key to the lock, my lady. Not the other way around.”
“Oh, yes, yes. I understand.” Abrina reached out for the locks and examined the keyholes. They looked normal enough, as had the ones at the orphanage. Just like any other keyhole.
“I noticed that you have quite a number of keys already made,” she said, gesturing to the wall. “If I were to purchase these locks, would I have to worry about a duplicate key?”
“No, no need to worry,” he said, as if recounting a rehearsed speech. “You see, each key is made expressly for the lock, and I make only one set at a time. One key, one lock.”
“Can you guarantee me that?” she asked pointedly.
“Why, yes.” He replied, though with a short hesitation. “Uh, sure.”
Abrina raised an eyebrow. “And what about the kidnappings that I have been hearing about? And the orphanage? They all had your locks and there was no sign of forced entry.” Ghelve’s eyes widened as he began to shake his head. Abrina took a step forward. “Someone found their way inside, and that someone had a key. Tell me how they got a key?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he choked, stepping back around the counter, taking the two locks with him. “I don't appreciate being accused of kidnapping in my own shop. I think you had better leave.”
Abrina came to the counter, putting her hands on the mahogany. “I have not accused you of anything, Ghelve. Should I? I am not going to leave. Did you kidnap those children?”
“No!” he said emphatically. “Of course not! I would never do such a thing?”
“And the other kidnappings? What happened to them? Where are you hiding them?”
Ghelve lowered his head, shaking it furiously from side to side. “Nothing,” he mumbled over and over to himself, “I didn’t do anything.”
Abrina sighed and stepped back from the counter. Ghelve knew something, but she didn’t think he would kidnap three children. The kidnapped victims were all human children, probably nearly his size. How could he have managed to do it? No, someone else was involved. She turned to face Ghelve once again.
“I know you did not take the children,” she whispered. Ghelve looked up at her and nodded silently.
“But you do know who did.”
“No, I don’t” he replied stoically. Then, he nodded, and arched an eyebrow.
Abrina tilted her head. Was someone else here? “Then how do you explain the kidnappings?”
“How should I know?” he said, still arching an eyebrow and jerking his head toward the curtain. “Perhaps someone picked the locks. I make good locks, but maybe an expert got to them.”
Abrina forced herself to relax and changed the direction of her questioning. “Well, how can I know I’d be kept safe if I purchased one of your locks?”
Relieved to have the conversation return to purchases, he smiled. “How about I show you. I have quite a selection back here.” He nodded toward the curtain and invited her to follow him.
Abrina reached behind her shoulder to touch the shaft of the spear still slung over her back. Prepared, she stepped behind Ghelve’s counter and lifted the curtain to the room beyond.
Last edited:
hbarsquared
Quantum Chronomancer
Chapter Two, Part Two
Abrina had half-expected to find a bandit, complete with scarf covering his face and a deadly sharp knife already drawn, waiting for her on the other side of the curtain. No such bandit existed, however. Only a plain anteroom of the lockshop.
Black curtains partially obscured a window niche that faced the street. Ornate locks and complex locking mechanisms were neatly displayed in the niche.
The room itself looked tidy, but lived in. Carpets covered the stone floor, and a broom leaned against the railing of a wooden staircase leading up to a second floor balcony. Three wooden chests rested in the middle of the floor, their lids bound shut with sturdy iron padlocks. Small tables, shelves, and benches held various knick-knacks, and a framed portrait of a silver-haired gnome hung next to a tall wooden box with a glass pane revealing its innards at the base of the stairs. The wooden box contained an intricate array of ticking gears, counterweights, and cylindrical chimes, surmounted by a circular face that bore the numerals 1 through 12 on its circumference.
"Let me just show you how some of these function," Ghelve said, hurrying to one of his wooden chests and removing a large, heavy key from a hidden pocket.
Abrina paused and surveyed the room. Nothing seemed out of place or out of the ordinary, and she wondered why the gnome had led her to this room. He ignored her, now, instead fiddling with the padlock on the far chest. She looked at the staircase, following the stairs up to the landing above, and saw only darkness.
"What's up there?" she asked, motioning to the staircase and stepping toward it.
A sudden whoosh of air, the flapping of a tattered closk, and a figure coalesced from darkness tumbed over her head and landed at her side. Abrina tried to reach over her shoulder and draw her spear, but the figurehad caught her unawares, was too fast. The glint of steel flashed, and she felt a piercing pain in her shoulder.
She stumbled backward, but somehow managed to retrieve her weapon. She held it out in a defensive position that had become second nature after her years of training, and managed to divert the strike from her attacker that followed.
Abrina had half-expected to find a bandit, complete with scarf covering his face and a deadly sharp knife already drawn, waiting for her on the other side of the curtain. No such bandit existed, however. Only a plain anteroom of the lockshop.
Black curtains partially obscured a window niche that faced the street. Ornate locks and complex locking mechanisms were neatly displayed in the niche.
The room itself looked tidy, but lived in. Carpets covered the stone floor, and a broom leaned against the railing of a wooden staircase leading up to a second floor balcony. Three wooden chests rested in the middle of the floor, their lids bound shut with sturdy iron padlocks. Small tables, shelves, and benches held various knick-knacks, and a framed portrait of a silver-haired gnome hung next to a tall wooden box with a glass pane revealing its innards at the base of the stairs. The wooden box contained an intricate array of ticking gears, counterweights, and cylindrical chimes, surmounted by a circular face that bore the numerals 1 through 12 on its circumference.
"Let me just show you how some of these function," Ghelve said, hurrying to one of his wooden chests and removing a large, heavy key from a hidden pocket.
Abrina paused and surveyed the room. Nothing seemed out of place or out of the ordinary, and she wondered why the gnome had led her to this room. He ignored her, now, instead fiddling with the padlock on the far chest. She looked at the staircase, following the stairs up to the landing above, and saw only darkness.
"What's up there?" she asked, motioning to the staircase and stepping toward it.
A sudden whoosh of air, the flapping of a tattered closk, and a figure coalesced from darkness tumbed over her head and landed at her side. Abrina tried to reach over her shoulder and draw her spear, but the figurehad caught her unawares, was too fast. The glint of steel flashed, and she felt a piercing pain in her shoulder.
She stumbled backward, but somehow managed to retrieve her weapon. She held it out in a defensive position that had become second nature after her years of training, and managed to divert the strike from her attacker that followed.
A short update, more to come soon, as well as regularly!
hbarsquared
Quantum Chronomancer
Chapter Two, Part Three
In the corner of her eye, Abrina saw Ghelve dive behind one of the chests. Obviously, the gnome would not be of any help. Regaining her composure, Abrina brought her spear to bear striking at the strange creature.
It seemed human, but was completely hairless, with skin that was thick and leathery. It's skin was a deep, dark brown, but even as Abrina watched it seemed to slowly shift in color, growing lighter even as she thrust with her spear time and again. The two moved toward the center of the room, where gray light from the window shone through. The creature's skin seemed to change, as the light fell upon it, to match in color.
The creature did not flinch as she hit it with her spear, snarling only once as she finally embedded her weapon in its abdomen. Its eyes rolled back, and the creature fell to the floor, sickly gray blood oozing from its wound.
Breathing heavy, she called out to Ghelve. "It's over," she said, but still unsure of what, exactly, had begun. "You can come out now."
Ghelve crawled out from behind the chest, eyes fastened on the dead form of the humanoid creature splayed across the floor. As the two watched, its skin color slowly shifted to match the wood floor beneath it. Within moments neither could tell the creature was there unless they looked directly at its spot.
"What is that thing?" Abrina asked, hefting her spear in one hand.
Ghelve brought his gaze to the spear, still bloodied. "I... I don't know. These tall ones, and some short ones, too, burst into the shop a little over three months ago and threatened me and my... pet."
"You mean there are more?"
Ghelve nodded, and gulped. "Yes. Many, many more. And they have keys to nearly every lock in the city."
Abrina stared at the gnome, aghast. Every lock in the city? Her wound forgotten, for the moment, Abrina leaned against the staircase. The children were not likely an isolated incident, then. There could be more kidnappings, many more, and for what purpose Abrina could not fathom.
"Close your shop," she said, weakly. "We have some things to discuss."
"But, the business day is not over, yet!"
Abrina raised her spear. "Close your shop."
"Yes, all right." Ghelve hurried behind the curtain and from the other room Abrina could hear the series of locks slide and click. Ghelve returned and motioned her up the stairs.
"I have something to show you," he said. "Another tall one will show up soon, and we don't have much time. I don't have much time."
Abrina closed her eyes, whispering a prayer to Ninurta and took a deep breath as her patron repatched her shoulder. Now on guard for what might be hidden in the shadows, Abrina took the stairs up.
In the corner of her eye, Abrina saw Ghelve dive behind one of the chests. Obviously, the gnome would not be of any help. Regaining her composure, Abrina brought her spear to bear striking at the strange creature.
It seemed human, but was completely hairless, with skin that was thick and leathery. It's skin was a deep, dark brown, but even as Abrina watched it seemed to slowly shift in color, growing lighter even as she thrust with her spear time and again. The two moved toward the center of the room, where gray light from the window shone through. The creature's skin seemed to change, as the light fell upon it, to match in color.
The creature did not flinch as she hit it with her spear, snarling only once as she finally embedded her weapon in its abdomen. Its eyes rolled back, and the creature fell to the floor, sickly gray blood oozing from its wound.
Breathing heavy, she called out to Ghelve. "It's over," she said, but still unsure of what, exactly, had begun. "You can come out now."
Ghelve crawled out from behind the chest, eyes fastened on the dead form of the humanoid creature splayed across the floor. As the two watched, its skin color slowly shifted to match the wood floor beneath it. Within moments neither could tell the creature was there unless they looked directly at its spot.
"What is that thing?" Abrina asked, hefting her spear in one hand.
Ghelve brought his gaze to the spear, still bloodied. "I... I don't know. These tall ones, and some short ones, too, burst into the shop a little over three months ago and threatened me and my... pet."
"You mean there are more?"
Ghelve nodded, and gulped. "Yes. Many, many more. And they have keys to nearly every lock in the city."
Abrina stared at the gnome, aghast. Every lock in the city? Her wound forgotten, for the moment, Abrina leaned against the staircase. The children were not likely an isolated incident, then. There could be more kidnappings, many more, and for what purpose Abrina could not fathom.
"Close your shop," she said, weakly. "We have some things to discuss."
"But, the business day is not over, yet!"
Abrina raised her spear. "Close your shop."
"Yes, all right." Ghelve hurried behind the curtain and from the other room Abrina could hear the series of locks slide and click. Ghelve returned and motioned her up the stairs.
"I have something to show you," he said. "Another tall one will show up soon, and we don't have much time. I don't have much time."
Abrina closed her eyes, whispering a prayer to Ninurta and took a deep breath as her patron repatched her shoulder. Now on guard for what might be hidden in the shadows, Abrina took the stairs up.
hbarsquared
Quantum Chronomancer
Chapter Two, Part Four
Abrina followed the nervous gnome to the second floor. He motioned for her to hurry, sporadically glancing into every corner of his home, as if expecting another strange creature to leap from the shadows, or even the woodwork itself. He ignored the door at the far end of the landing, instead retrieving a key from a pocket and unlocked the closest door. She followed him inside.
The richly appointed bedroom held furniture sized for Ghelve's small stature. Abrina spotted a coat rack by the door, a cozy bed with a hand-sewn comforter, a clean bedpan, a chest of drawers at the foot of the bed, a wooden screen with birds painted on its panels, a wardrobe, and a small bookcase with some books and trinkets on it. An unlit lantern sat atop a small end table by the bed.
Ghelve scurried to the foot of the bed where he pulled another key from his vest and opened the chest of drawers there. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure Abrina, and no one else, occupied the room, and removed a tattered piece of coarse leather from beneath a stack of papers. Shutting the drawers closed, and locking them with the same key, Ghelve rose and approached Abrina, handing her the piece of leather.
"It's a map," the gnome said in a hoarse whisper. "To the enclave below, where the short ones and tall ones came from."
"A whole enclave?" Abrina said incredulously, pulling the map from Ghelve's shaking hands. On the old, nearly crumbling, piece of leather a huge complex had been drawn, detailing numerous chambers and stairs. She had not thought about the origins of the camouflaging creature, but definitely did not expect it to have come from below, in the depths beneath the city itself. And in a tremendous enclave, no less.
"How could such a place go unnoticed? Surely others know of this huge structure beneath the city?"
The gnome shrugged. "Some do, but it was abandoned long ago, and many have simply forgotten it exists. The last time I visited was when I was just a boy, and the only entrance left is here, downstairs.
"It's called Jzaridune, and it was an old gnome enclave of spellcasters. They would research and develop all sorts of magical items, until one day a strange, magical plague began taking them, one by one, called the Vanishing. No one's been back since, and that was seventy five years ago."
"Until now," Abrina responded.
"Yes, until now" Ghelve said, hanging his head. "They surprised me, threatened my life, and took my familiar. He's somewhere close, he's hungry and frightened, poor thing. They forced me to make those keys, told me to keep quiet, otherwise they would kill Starbrow, then me next..."
Abrina dismissed Ghelve's excuses. He had put the lives of everyone in the city in danger to save his own hide and that of his... pet.
"I'm going down there," she said.
"What?"
"I'm going to find those children, and anyone else that may have been kidnapped, thanks to you."
"But, I... I didn't kidnap anybody..."
Abrina wheeled on the gnome, who flinched and cowered by his bed. "You gave them the keys to the city! You are just as responsible for their disappearences, and maybe their deaths, as the monsters who did this."
"D-d-deaths?" Ghelve wrung his hands as his face suddenly lost all of its color.
"I hope not." Abrina replied, heading for the door. "You said they have the keys?"
"Yes, one of the tall ones has the entire set on a silver ring."
"And the children?"
Ghelve shook his head emphatically. "I don't know, I really don't. I hide when they come through the door from below at night. I don't see them come and I don't see them leave."
Abrina gave an exasperated sigh. "What about Jzaridune? This plague you mentioned, what is it?"
"It was some magical plague that swept through the enclave. I don't know what caused it. The disease caused several of them to slowly fade away into nothingness. I don't know whether the plague still poses a threat."
Abrina sighed in exasperation, holding her head in one hand. "Anything else I should know?" she asked, waving the map in one hand.
"Well, the doors are hard to miss in Jzaridune. They are gear-shaped and designed to roll to one side or the other. But, many of them bore traps that only the gnomes could safely bypass."
Abrina closed her eyes in resignation. "Of course."
"There might be a way past them, though. I remember my father telling me about secret pasages in Jzaridune, but I don't know where any of them are. None are shown on the map, at least."
"Oh, well then. Great. Very helpful." Abrina rolled her eyes and stepped out of the room. "Show me where your secret door is this Jzaridune."
Ghelve nodded and quickly ran past her and down the stairs.
"It's here," he said as she arrived at his side, motioning by the curtain, "in the wall of the staircase." With one more nervous glance around the room, he pushed against the wall. A secret door separated from the surrounding wood paneling with a loud squeal, revealing a square landing at the top of a stone staircase that descended into darkness.
Almost triumphant, Ghelve gestured to the dark landing.
A loud chime rung through the home as the grandfather clock reached the half-hour. Ghelve's eyes grew wide and he frantically grasped at Abrina's cloak.
"You must go, now. Another tall one will be here soon, to replace the other. If they find the one you killed, I'll be next."
Abrina none-too-gently removed Ghelves clawing hands from her clothing. "I will go," she said harshly. "I am not one who will knowingly place anyone in danger, including you."
Turning, she stepped through door. The stone staircase, its steps shrouded with cobwebs and dust, descended twenty feet to another square landing, then bent to the right and plunged further into the darkness. Abrina glanced around and removed an unlit torch from an iron sconce mounted to the wall on the landing. She lit the torch with one of her tindertwigs and swiftly followed the steps. Above her, she heard the parting words of the gnome locksmith.
"If you find and bring back my Starbrow, I can give you a reward! Discount on any locks you want!"
Abrina scowled, ignored the gnome, and continued down the flight of stairs.
Abrina followed the nervous gnome to the second floor. He motioned for her to hurry, sporadically glancing into every corner of his home, as if expecting another strange creature to leap from the shadows, or even the woodwork itself. He ignored the door at the far end of the landing, instead retrieving a key from a pocket and unlocked the closest door. She followed him inside.
The richly appointed bedroom held furniture sized for Ghelve's small stature. Abrina spotted a coat rack by the door, a cozy bed with a hand-sewn comforter, a clean bedpan, a chest of drawers at the foot of the bed, a wooden screen with birds painted on its panels, a wardrobe, and a small bookcase with some books and trinkets on it. An unlit lantern sat atop a small end table by the bed.
Ghelve scurried to the foot of the bed where he pulled another key from his vest and opened the chest of drawers there. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure Abrina, and no one else, occupied the room, and removed a tattered piece of coarse leather from beneath a stack of papers. Shutting the drawers closed, and locking them with the same key, Ghelve rose and approached Abrina, handing her the piece of leather.
"It's a map," the gnome said in a hoarse whisper. "To the enclave below, where the short ones and tall ones came from."
"A whole enclave?" Abrina said incredulously, pulling the map from Ghelve's shaking hands. On the old, nearly crumbling, piece of leather a huge complex had been drawn, detailing numerous chambers and stairs. She had not thought about the origins of the camouflaging creature, but definitely did not expect it to have come from below, in the depths beneath the city itself. And in a tremendous enclave, no less.
"How could such a place go unnoticed? Surely others know of this huge structure beneath the city?"
The gnome shrugged. "Some do, but it was abandoned long ago, and many have simply forgotten it exists. The last time I visited was when I was just a boy, and the only entrance left is here, downstairs.
"It's called Jzaridune, and it was an old gnome enclave of spellcasters. They would research and develop all sorts of magical items, until one day a strange, magical plague began taking them, one by one, called the Vanishing. No one's been back since, and that was seventy five years ago."
"Until now," Abrina responded.
"Yes, until now" Ghelve said, hanging his head. "They surprised me, threatened my life, and took my familiar. He's somewhere close, he's hungry and frightened, poor thing. They forced me to make those keys, told me to keep quiet, otherwise they would kill Starbrow, then me next..."
Abrina dismissed Ghelve's excuses. He had put the lives of everyone in the city in danger to save his own hide and that of his... pet.
"I'm going down there," she said.
"What?"
"I'm going to find those children, and anyone else that may have been kidnapped, thanks to you."
"But, I... I didn't kidnap anybody..."
Abrina wheeled on the gnome, who flinched and cowered by his bed. "You gave them the keys to the city! You are just as responsible for their disappearences, and maybe their deaths, as the monsters who did this."
"D-d-deaths?" Ghelve wrung his hands as his face suddenly lost all of its color.
"I hope not." Abrina replied, heading for the door. "You said they have the keys?"
"Yes, one of the tall ones has the entire set on a silver ring."
"And the children?"
Ghelve shook his head emphatically. "I don't know, I really don't. I hide when they come through the door from below at night. I don't see them come and I don't see them leave."
Abrina gave an exasperated sigh. "What about Jzaridune? This plague you mentioned, what is it?"
"It was some magical plague that swept through the enclave. I don't know what caused it. The disease caused several of them to slowly fade away into nothingness. I don't know whether the plague still poses a threat."
Abrina sighed in exasperation, holding her head in one hand. "Anything else I should know?" she asked, waving the map in one hand.
"Well, the doors are hard to miss in Jzaridune. They are gear-shaped and designed to roll to one side or the other. But, many of them bore traps that only the gnomes could safely bypass."
Abrina closed her eyes in resignation. "Of course."
"There might be a way past them, though. I remember my father telling me about secret pasages in Jzaridune, but I don't know where any of them are. None are shown on the map, at least."
"Oh, well then. Great. Very helpful." Abrina rolled her eyes and stepped out of the room. "Show me where your secret door is this Jzaridune."
Ghelve nodded and quickly ran past her and down the stairs.
"It's here," he said as she arrived at his side, motioning by the curtain, "in the wall of the staircase." With one more nervous glance around the room, he pushed against the wall. A secret door separated from the surrounding wood paneling with a loud squeal, revealing a square landing at the top of a stone staircase that descended into darkness.
Almost triumphant, Ghelve gestured to the dark landing.
A loud chime rung through the home as the grandfather clock reached the half-hour. Ghelve's eyes grew wide and he frantically grasped at Abrina's cloak.
"You must go, now. Another tall one will be here soon, to replace the other. If they find the one you killed, I'll be next."
Abrina none-too-gently removed Ghelves clawing hands from her clothing. "I will go," she said harshly. "I am not one who will knowingly place anyone in danger, including you."
Turning, she stepped through door. The stone staircase, its steps shrouded with cobwebs and dust, descended twenty feet to another square landing, then bent to the right and plunged further into the darkness. Abrina glanced around and removed an unlit torch from an iron sconce mounted to the wall on the landing. She lit the torch with one of her tindertwigs and swiftly followed the steps. Above her, she heard the parting words of the gnome locksmith.
"If you find and bring back my Starbrow, I can give you a reward! Discount on any locks you want!"
Abrina scowled, ignored the gnome, and continued down the flight of stairs.
hbarsquared
Quantum Chronomancer
Due to the great ENWorld crash of '06, I have lost all posts between December and May. I'm afraid I didn't have any of it backed up. Did anyone happen to have subscribed to the thread and still has the posts?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Solarious
Explorer
Chapter Three, Part One
Abrina reached the first landing, bare save for another empty iron torch sconce mounted on the south wall, grumbling to herself as she held the lit torch over her head. The staircase descended another twenty feet before opening into a room. From this landing, Abrina could hear strange sounds emanating from the chamber below, specifically chirping birds, rustling leaves, and cheery giggles. Confused, Abrina hesitantly followed the stairs.
She emerged into an ordinary forty-foot square room with a ten-foot high ceiling. Abrina glanced at her map, recognizing the ten-foot wide open passage in the far wall, directly across from the stairs. A slight draft blew into the room from the passage, and there was no sign of birds, trees, or laughing children.
Two four-foot diameter circular doors were set into the middle of the left wall, each made of wood and framed with a ring of mortared stones. The closest door was closed and inscribed with a strange glyph. The farther door bore a different glyph but rested half-open. The half-open door she recognized from Ghelve's description. It revealed an iron rim of gearlike teeth, and dim light spilled from the chamber beyond.
She stepped into the large room, unnerved by the happy sounds of a summer afternoon contrasting with the dark and foreboding pressure of stone walls. Mounted to the walls of the room were twelve tarnished copper masks, each depicting a smiling gnome's visage, almost two feet tall and clinging four feet above the floor. The soft giggling, chirping, and rustling nosies seemed to pour from the very walls.
Gnomes, Abrina though, shaking her head and forcing a smile to her lips. They had an intrinsic ability to deceive, and even after several decades of neglect the illusions of accomplished gnome spellcasters remained. Understanding the origins of the strange sounds, Abrina felt a large, unnamed weight lift from her shoulders. Perhaps an exploration of the abandoned enclave would not be so bad, after all.
Abrina walked along the edge of the room, examining each mask. Her fingers gently tugged at one, and she discovered they were fastened to the wall as if with some strong glue. They remained stuck to the bare stone and would not be removed except by some strong use of force. Lowering her hand, her curiousity satisfied, she slowly circled the rest of the room.
"Welcome to Jzaridune!" rung out a voice from the mask next to the far passage. Abrina gasped, nearly dropping her torch. The copper mask had animated and continued to speak as Abrina attempted to catch her breath.
Behold the wonder!
But beware, ye who seek to plunder.
Traps abound and guardians peer
Beyond every portal, behind every gear.
"And if we don't seek to plunder?" she asked the mask, exasperated. Abrina did not want to steal anything, so why should she need to worry about traps? "What if I came just to find some kidnapped children?"
The mask refused to respond.
With a shrug, Abrina approached the half-open gear door, holding her torch and peering through the roughly crescent-shaped gap into the room beyond. Several small cots and chests lined the walls of the dusty room, cobwebs blanketing many of the cots and chests with tiny spiders scurrying about.
A one-foot long iron rod lay in the middle of the floor, its golden tip shedding enough light to cast lurid shadows on the walls and illuminating two rough-hewn tunnels, five feet in diameter, breaching two walls.
Abrina eyed the rod quizzically. It looked like a sunrod, an expensive alchemical item that lit areas far better than a simple torch. Sunrods had a limited lifespan, however, of only a few hours.
And it was still lit.
OOC - Wisdom check +3 against DC 10: rolled 19, success.
Backing away from the door she pocketed the map and carefully set her torch into an iron sconce in a nearby wall next to one of the masks. She drew her spear and quietly prayed to Ninurta for his divine favor.
OOC - Casts divine favor.
Prepared, Abrina stepped forward and squeezed into the narrow opening, careful not to jostle the chunk of stone that had been wedged between the teeth of the gear and the floor to keep the door open. Not yet within the next room, she jabbed her spear into the empty space beyond the door.
Two rapiers flashed in the flickering light, knocking her spear.
Dashing through the doorway, she discovered two of the same skulking creatures she had seen in Ghelve's workshop, above, their skin nearly the same color as the dark gray walls of the room. Without thinking, she clenched her spear and thrust it into the gut of one of the creatures. A tall one, she remembered Ghelve saying. It's eyes glazed as it stumbled back, gray blood spilling from its wound.
The second tall one snarled, its rapier deflected by her shield, as the injured creature hobbled toward the tunnel through the far wall. Abrina swiped the attacking tall one, grazing its arm, and dodged another thrust of its rapier.
Glancing over her shoulder at the retreating tall one, Abrina sidestepped the rapier and reached the creature as it stuggled to clamber into the tunnel. She caught it in the back, and the creature shuddered and collapsed with a groan.
Behind her, the second tall one attacked again, its weapon scraping against the stone wall as she shifted out of the way. With teeth clenched, she thrust her spear into the creature's shoulder and wrenched it. The tall one jerked once before its rapier fell from its hand and clattered to the stone floor.
OOC - Abrina's initiative +1: rolled 9. Skulk's initiative +2: rolled 8.
Abrina attacks skulk #1 +5 against AC 12: rolled 15, hit, 12 damage. Skulk #1 at 0 hp. Skulk #2 attacks +3 against AC 18: rolled 14, miss. Skulk #1 retreats.
Abrina attacks skulk #2: rolled 17, hit, 6 damage. Skulk #2 at 6 hp. Skulk #2 attacks: rolled 6, miss. Skulk #1 retreats.
Abrina follows skulk #1, provokes an attack of opportunity. Skulk #2 attacks: rolled 11, miss. Abrina attacks skulk #1: rolled 18, hit, 7 damage. Skulk #1 at -7 hp. Skulk #2 follows Abrina. Skulk #2 attacks: rolled 6, miss. Skulk #1 at -8 hp.
Abrina's attacks skulk #2: rolled 13, hit, 7 damage. Skulk #2 at -1 hp. Skulk #1 at -9 hp. Skulk #2 at -2 hp.
Abrina turned in a full circle, amazed at her success. "Thank you, Ninurta," she said, watching the gray blood of both tall ones pool around their bodies, slowly changing color to match the stone. Her enemies defeated, she began to examine the room.
The cots not not been slept in for years, and the chests had been opened and picked clean. The room contained no information besides the fact that the creatures used this room before heading to the surface.
Abrina brought her torch from the other room and doused it, picking up the sunrod to use instead. She peered around the body of the tall one in the tunnel to find that it split in a T intersection only a few feet away. The other tunnel extended twenty feet to an otherwise empty room on the other side. Not wanting to risk the cramped quarters of the tunnel, and being caught unawares, Abrina retreated back into the large chamber with giggling voices and rustling leave.
For a moment, she contemplated removing the chunk of stone, allowing the door to shut and possibly seal any remaining creatures behind. But, the complex was too big, with too many routes to predict how the creatures would travel. If she closed the door, she may seal off a possible escape route, and leave herself vulnerable to whatever gnomish traps guarded it. Leaving the stone behind, she instead ignored the second gear door and took the open passage.
Abrina discovered herself at the center of a long hallway, its ends barely discernable in the shadows of her elvish vision, with more gear doors embedded along its length. She glanced up and down the hallway, trying to determine from where the slight breeze originated. It seemed somewhat stronger from the left, though she was unsure if it was her imagination, and turned in that direction.
OOC - Flip coin to determine right/left. Tails, south.
Slowly, she made her way down the hall by the light of the sunrod. Dust and debris covered the floor, with no sight or sound of more strange creatures, tall ones or short ones. Abrina saw only sealed circular doors, each with a different, unrecognizable glyph in the center.
Seeing no open passages, mundane doors, or partially opened gear portals, she readied herself to turn back as she approached the far end of the hallway. She would find nothing down this hall, that was obvious--
Without warning, the floor dropped out from beneath her.
OOC - Reflex save +1 against DC 15: rolled 12, failure.
Abrina reached the first landing, bare save for another empty iron torch sconce mounted on the south wall, grumbling to herself as she held the lit torch over her head. The staircase descended another twenty feet before opening into a room. From this landing, Abrina could hear strange sounds emanating from the chamber below, specifically chirping birds, rustling leaves, and cheery giggles. Confused, Abrina hesitantly followed the stairs.
She emerged into an ordinary forty-foot square room with a ten-foot high ceiling. Abrina glanced at her map, recognizing the ten-foot wide open passage in the far wall, directly across from the stairs. A slight draft blew into the room from the passage, and there was no sign of birds, trees, or laughing children.
Two four-foot diameter circular doors were set into the middle of the left wall, each made of wood and framed with a ring of mortared stones. The closest door was closed and inscribed with a strange glyph. The farther door bore a different glyph but rested half-open. The half-open door she recognized from Ghelve's description. It revealed an iron rim of gearlike teeth, and dim light spilled from the chamber beyond.
She stepped into the large room, unnerved by the happy sounds of a summer afternoon contrasting with the dark and foreboding pressure of stone walls. Mounted to the walls of the room were twelve tarnished copper masks, each depicting a smiling gnome's visage, almost two feet tall and clinging four feet above the floor. The soft giggling, chirping, and rustling nosies seemed to pour from the very walls.
Gnomes, Abrina though, shaking her head and forcing a smile to her lips. They had an intrinsic ability to deceive, and even after several decades of neglect the illusions of accomplished gnome spellcasters remained. Understanding the origins of the strange sounds, Abrina felt a large, unnamed weight lift from her shoulders. Perhaps an exploration of the abandoned enclave would not be so bad, after all.
Abrina walked along the edge of the room, examining each mask. Her fingers gently tugged at one, and she discovered they were fastened to the wall as if with some strong glue. They remained stuck to the bare stone and would not be removed except by some strong use of force. Lowering her hand, her curiousity satisfied, she slowly circled the rest of the room.
"Welcome to Jzaridune!" rung out a voice from the mask next to the far passage. Abrina gasped, nearly dropping her torch. The copper mask had animated and continued to speak as Abrina attempted to catch her breath.
Behold the wonder!
But beware, ye who seek to plunder.
Traps abound and guardians peer
Beyond every portal, behind every gear.
"And if we don't seek to plunder?" she asked the mask, exasperated. Abrina did not want to steal anything, so why should she need to worry about traps? "What if I came just to find some kidnapped children?"
The mask refused to respond.
With a shrug, Abrina approached the half-open gear door, holding her torch and peering through the roughly crescent-shaped gap into the room beyond. Several small cots and chests lined the walls of the dusty room, cobwebs blanketing many of the cots and chests with tiny spiders scurrying about.
A one-foot long iron rod lay in the middle of the floor, its golden tip shedding enough light to cast lurid shadows on the walls and illuminating two rough-hewn tunnels, five feet in diameter, breaching two walls.
Abrina eyed the rod quizzically. It looked like a sunrod, an expensive alchemical item that lit areas far better than a simple torch. Sunrods had a limited lifespan, however, of only a few hours.
And it was still lit.
OOC - Wisdom check +3 against DC 10: rolled 19, success.
Backing away from the door she pocketed the map and carefully set her torch into an iron sconce in a nearby wall next to one of the masks. She drew her spear and quietly prayed to Ninurta for his divine favor.
OOC - Casts divine favor.
Prepared, Abrina stepped forward and squeezed into the narrow opening, careful not to jostle the chunk of stone that had been wedged between the teeth of the gear and the floor to keep the door open. Not yet within the next room, she jabbed her spear into the empty space beyond the door.
Two rapiers flashed in the flickering light, knocking her spear.
Dashing through the doorway, she discovered two of the same skulking creatures she had seen in Ghelve's workshop, above, their skin nearly the same color as the dark gray walls of the room. Without thinking, she clenched her spear and thrust it into the gut of one of the creatures. A tall one, she remembered Ghelve saying. It's eyes glazed as it stumbled back, gray blood spilling from its wound.
The second tall one snarled, its rapier deflected by her shield, as the injured creature hobbled toward the tunnel through the far wall. Abrina swiped the attacking tall one, grazing its arm, and dodged another thrust of its rapier.
Glancing over her shoulder at the retreating tall one, Abrina sidestepped the rapier and reached the creature as it stuggled to clamber into the tunnel. She caught it in the back, and the creature shuddered and collapsed with a groan.
Behind her, the second tall one attacked again, its weapon scraping against the stone wall as she shifted out of the way. With teeth clenched, she thrust her spear into the creature's shoulder and wrenched it. The tall one jerked once before its rapier fell from its hand and clattered to the stone floor.
OOC - Abrina's initiative +1: rolled 9. Skulk's initiative +2: rolled 8.
Abrina attacks skulk #1 +5 against AC 12: rolled 15, hit, 12 damage. Skulk #1 at 0 hp. Skulk #2 attacks +3 against AC 18: rolled 14, miss. Skulk #1 retreats.
Abrina attacks skulk #2: rolled 17, hit, 6 damage. Skulk #2 at 6 hp. Skulk #2 attacks: rolled 6, miss. Skulk #1 retreats.
Abrina follows skulk #1, provokes an attack of opportunity. Skulk #2 attacks: rolled 11, miss. Abrina attacks skulk #1: rolled 18, hit, 7 damage. Skulk #1 at -7 hp. Skulk #2 follows Abrina. Skulk #2 attacks: rolled 6, miss. Skulk #1 at -8 hp.
Abrina's attacks skulk #2: rolled 13, hit, 7 damage. Skulk #2 at -1 hp. Skulk #1 at -9 hp. Skulk #2 at -2 hp.
Abrina turned in a full circle, amazed at her success. "Thank you, Ninurta," she said, watching the gray blood of both tall ones pool around their bodies, slowly changing color to match the stone. Her enemies defeated, she began to examine the room.
The cots not not been slept in for years, and the chests had been opened and picked clean. The room contained no information besides the fact that the creatures used this room before heading to the surface.
Abrina brought her torch from the other room and doused it, picking up the sunrod to use instead. She peered around the body of the tall one in the tunnel to find that it split in a T intersection only a few feet away. The other tunnel extended twenty feet to an otherwise empty room on the other side. Not wanting to risk the cramped quarters of the tunnel, and being caught unawares, Abrina retreated back into the large chamber with giggling voices and rustling leave.
For a moment, she contemplated removing the chunk of stone, allowing the door to shut and possibly seal any remaining creatures behind. But, the complex was too big, with too many routes to predict how the creatures would travel. If she closed the door, she may seal off a possible escape route, and leave herself vulnerable to whatever gnomish traps guarded it. Leaving the stone behind, she instead ignored the second gear door and took the open passage.
Abrina discovered herself at the center of a long hallway, its ends barely discernable in the shadows of her elvish vision, with more gear doors embedded along its length. She glanced up and down the hallway, trying to determine from where the slight breeze originated. It seemed somewhat stronger from the left, though she was unsure if it was her imagination, and turned in that direction.
OOC - Flip coin to determine right/left. Tails, south.
Slowly, she made her way down the hall by the light of the sunrod. Dust and debris covered the floor, with no sight or sound of more strange creatures, tall ones or short ones. Abrina saw only sealed circular doors, each with a different, unrecognizable glyph in the center.
Seeing no open passages, mundane doors, or partially opened gear portals, she readied herself to turn back as she approached the far end of the hallway. She would find nothing down this hall, that was obvious--
Without warning, the floor dropped out from beneath her.
OOC - Reflex save +1 against DC 15: rolled 12, failure.
Similar Threads
