Metropolis (The World in Waiting) - Chapter One

[Phoenix]

His steps drew him closer and closer to the Dyllathan Buildings. His heart hammered in his chest. “I wish I had of thought to hire some muscle before venturing down here” he thought to himself as the crowds thinned and he saw for the first time the imposing ‘muscle’ that stood nonchalantly around the courtyard. He stopped, stretched languidly and took the opportunity to assess the ‘lay-of-the-land’. His eyes skimmed the shadows, trying to identify any hidden dangers.

[sblock]While walking towards the buildings he does a Bardic Knowledge check (level+ Int mod) to try and learn more about the Dyllathan Buildings, Thylon and the practice of ‘family trading’.

Once he stops in the courtyard he spends a minute doing a spot check around the perimeter before cautiously making his way towards the entrance to the buildings.[/sblock]

[sblock]Bardic Knowledge check (Dyllathan Buidlings DC Variable) +20
Bardic Knowledge check (Thylon DC Variable) +23
Bardic Knowledge check (Family Trading DC Variable) +15
Spot check +12
[/sblock]

The Dyllathan buildings is a collection of small spires attached to a central tower that is located on the more hospitable sides of the Apartments, closest to the docks to allow outsiders to trade for whatever the ward chooses to export at that moment. It is rumoured that the Dyllathan building was once home to a Dwarven Warlord by the name of Iobold that attempted to force the Apartments to fall under his rule by 'Right of Might'. Iobold went missing several weeks into his campaign, some say he got lost in the network of tunnels and corridors, others say that the buildings chose to swallow him up rather than conform to this method of Law.
Thylon himself is a ruthless trader, willing to take advantage of any situation to sell what the desperate or needy require. He sold his own mother to organ farmers years ago, then purchased several of her body parts back under a third party, then sold them a second time for a substantial profit.
Currently his specialty is Family Trading, a fashionable pastime that has picked up in the last year. Due to the chaotic breeding patterns of the poorer areas of town, as well as the recent craze of nobility slumming that ended under a decade ago (Lord Brant found himself up to his ears in visitors when his peasant 'pals' discovered who his was and where he lived) it was found that several children were being born to illegitimate fathers that could be traced back to nobility.
Seeing a possible commodity, certain merchant princes purchased a group of children, then paid minor clergymen and wizards to authenticate the birthright, and finally formally adopted them to stake claim to another man's legacy. Showing off such children, and trading them for vast amounts of money, has now become a craze that has blown out of control, and even to own the third son of a merchant prince's cousin is worth something in the world of politics, if you know how to use it of course.

****​

Ghost casually walked across the courtyards of the first few scattered spyres of the Apartments, even here shanty homes leaned against anything stable to provide homes for those reduced to eating anything that their shattered teeth could chew. Apart from the scared eyes that peered from these homes, staring in hunger at his possessions but too frightened to act upon it, there seemed to be none that watched him or hid in the shadows for means nefarious.
The entrance to the Dyllathan buildings stood ahead where two large Ogres dressed in armour that looked like chunks of worked masonry tied together with old rope, stood guard grasping large clubs that may have been once somebody's furniture. A smattering of people come and go, each with a look of desperation on their face, but in this city who wasn't desperate?

 

[RobotRobotI]

[sblock]
Turn Undead +11 (4 HD)
Turning Effects = 8 HD (Success)
[/sblock]

Alexis walks across the grand marble floor of the main temple where censers create a thick smoke that drifts into the arched ceiling above. Even the senior priests show respect for the Patriach's daughter as she drifts towards the main doors that lead to the outside world.
Already guards await the priestess, six muscle bound warriors clad in loose fitting steel plates that protect their vital areas, holding great crossbows with wicked axes across their back. From the top of the 87 Steps of Kyron* Alexis can easily see the magnificent carriage being led by skeletal horses approaching from the church's compund nearby.
Several steps down the manifestation of Vrisse took several seconds, causing some peasants nearby to point and stare.
"There my dear, we are nearly ready. You will be able to see and learn much from the safety of the carriage. Is there anything else you would like before you leave, after all I cannot leave the grounds of the Temple as you know."

[sblock]
*The 87 Steps of Kyron represent the 87 Steps into Heaven or Hell, depending on what end of the staircase you are standing on at the time.
[/sblock]

Alexis would smile happily at Vrisse, and run her hands into one of her pockets, feeling the many golden coins within. "I believe," she began,"that I am ready to go." She would look the carriage over, content with it's majestic beauty. She knew, of course, that she would not spend this entire trip within the carriage ; fortunately, Vrisse and the others did not. She would have the skeletons that she had commanded enter the carriage with her, and would lean back in the expensive seat. Most people would be uncomfortable seated between two corpses, but Alexis was at home amongst the dead. She didn't know where the Carriage was to take her, but she looked forward to seeing the city. She could't *wait* to see what the rest of the people lived like.

 

[Phoenix]

Alexis would smile happily at Vrisse, and run her hands into one of her pockets, feeling the many golden coins within. "I believe," she began,"that I am ready to go." She would look the carriage over, content with it's majestic beauty. She knew, of course, that she would not spend this entire trip within the carriage ; fortunately, Vrisse and the others did not. She would have the skeletons that she had commanded enter the carriage with her, and would lean back in the expensive seat. Most people would be uncomfortable seated between two corpses, but Alexis was at home amongst the dead. She didn't know where the Carriage was to take her, but she looked forward to seeing the city. She could't *wait* to see what the rest of the people lived like.

From the 87 Steps Vrisse watched the elegant priestess enter her carriage, the protective shell that he had personally made sure would offer the resistance that she would need in the city. As the dead horses slowly pulled away, flanked by the jogging bodyguards that would keep pace through the short trip, he couldn't help but wonder.
With a wave of his hand and a short muttering he dismissed the spell that he had activated as soon as Alexis had raised her need to enter the city, and smiled for the first time in years. If she was to be the next Heirophant of the Church, she would need the time away to herself, not to learn how other people lived, but to learn how she should live.

The carriage lurched a little and rolled through the streets that passed between tall middle-class houses that belonged to citizens that had managed to create their own oasis where they could escape from the reality of the city, at least for a little while. Rain poured down on the carriage, drenching the Herder that lead the carriage through the streets as well as the multitude of peasants that stopped to see who was so important to force their way through the crowds.
For several hours Alexis is lead through the middle to upper-class streets surrounding the temple's district, allowing her to see the clean streets of the city, the well-built houses and successful businesses. Though much of the people lived in some moderate wealth, the buildings were old and needed repair, the nobles' coats were frayed, some of the merchant's goods were muddy, and the people as a whole trudged through their daily lives.
Then, up ahead, the mighty obsidean building that Alexis has called home for decades, came into view once more. The carriage slowly but surely began to make its way back home.

 

[RobotRobotI]

From the 87 Steps Vrisse watched the elegant priestess enter her carriage, the protective shell that he had personally made sure would offer the resistance that she would need in the city. As the dead horses slowly pulled away, flanked by the jogging bodyguards that would keep pace through the short trip, he couldn't help but wonder.
With a wave of his hand and a short muttering he dismissed the spell that he had activated as soon as Alexis had raised her need to enter the city, and smiled for the first time in years. If she was to be the next Heirophant of the Church, she would need the time away to herself, not to learn how other people lived, but to learn how she should live.

The carriage lurched a little and rolled through the streets that passed between tall middle-class houses that belonged to citizens that had managed to create their own oasis where they could escape from the reality of the city, at least for a little while. Rain poured down on the carriage, drenching the Herder that lead the carriage through the streets as well as the multitude of peasants that stopped to see who was so important to force their way through the crowds.
For several hours Alexis is lead through the middle to upper-class streets surrounding the temple's district, allowing her to see the clean streets of the city, the well-built houses and successful businesses. Though much of the people lived in some moderate wealth, the buildings were old and needed repair, the nobles' coats were frayed, some of the merchant's goods were muddy, and the people as a whole trudged through their daily lives.
Then, up ahead, the mighty obsidean building that Alexis has called home for decades, came into view once more. The carriage slowly but surely began to make its way back home.

Alexis finds herself a bit disappointed by this tour. And she realizes that Vrisse wouldn't take the chance that some kind of harm would befall her on the streets - and she knows that all kinds of violence occurs on these streets, she's seen the aftereffects. She decides that the only way to make this work is to take control of the situation. "Stop the carriage," she commands. "I'm coming out."

[sblock]OOC: If she gets any trouble, or the undead horses decide not to stop, she'll do what she can to Command them to.[/sblock]

 

[D20Dazza]

The entrance to the Dyllathan buildings stood ahead where two large Ogres dressed in armour that looked like chunks of worked masonry tied together with old rope, stood guard grasping large clubs that may have been once somebody's furniture. A smattering of people come and go, each with a look of desperation on their face, but in this city who wasn't desperate?

Ghost walks slowly towards the Ogres, his arms hanging loosely at his side, away from his body. He is being as non-threatening as possible on his approach. He stops 10 meters from the Ogres and quickly surveys them.

"You boys work for Thylon?" he asks, his voice strong and clear, with a slight melodic trill to the words, rises above the hammering of the rain.

[sblock]Sense motive check[/sblock]
"I'm looking to do a little business with the man, can you tell me where I might find him?"

[sblock]While Ghost is trying to portray a study of bored indifference he is actually very tense, he doesn't like Ogres (Bluff check to cover his nervousness). He is on his toes and prepared to move away from danger if he becomes aware of a threat to his life; if the Ogres get out of hand he will use his fascinate ability. While he is waiting for a reply he quickly scans the area looking for places where he might find some cover if necessary[/sblock]

 

[Bront]

Taran's have wave across his spear and with a few muttered incantations it bursts into light, forcing the darkness to flee from the small druid. Sometimes it is better to be left in the dark though...
The chamber that Taran stands near the centre of is an old domed construction where several sewer lines meet, then plunge into a well that drops further into the depthes of the earth. The walls and ceiling are in poor condition, worse than the rest of the sewer system, and there is a realization that the small druid has not seen this area before, even though it is located so close to his home.
From the ceiling, walls, and even scattered on the floor, dozens of elderly men and women (all at least eighty years old) are scattered in various positions of body shattering poses. Shards of bones protrude from ancient wounds, liquidized organs have long drifted away to leave empty husks, and vacant glares seem to look straight through Taran's eyes into something else, like a dead universe only they can see.

[sblock]Knowledge (nature) check +17 - Success
Other body related checks postponed at the moment due to new information, if you still want to check it out OCC again to make sure
[/sblock]

The well in the centre of the room begins to wail softly, a wailing that is not caused by any wind current or change in atmosperic conditions within the sewers, it is definately something, or someone, else. The fetid water still pours down the well like a miniture waterfall, taking chunks of human waste down into the murky depths below.

Taran looks down the well, holding his spear ahead of him hoping to illuminate what's down below. "Hello down there" he calls. He looks for a way to decend down the well if needed, preferably without riding the fall of filty water.

 

[Phoenix]

Alexis finds herself a bit disappointed by this tour. And she realizes that Vrisse wouldn't take the chance that some kind of harm would befall her on the streets - and she knows that all kinds of violence occurs on these streets, she's seen the aftereffects. She decides that the only way to make this work is to take control of the situation. "Stop the carriage," she commands. "I'm coming out."

[sblock]OOC: If she gets any trouble, or the undead horses decide not to stop, she'll do what she can to Command them to.[/sblock]

The carriage slows to a gentle stop at Alexis' command before the Herder steps down to open the carriage door for her, placing his own cloak on the cobblestones and helping her to the ground.
"Ma'am, this is very unusual, I was told not to stop for anything or anyone, your safety is my concern."
For as far as the eye can see the street is filled in shops, stalls, street artists, beggars, and crowds of citizens. Over all of this the massive temple casts a long shadow, a permenant reminder of the power that the clergy holds in this region.

 

[Phoenix]

Ghost walks slowly towards the Ogres, his arms hanging loosely at his side, away from his body. He is being as non-threatening as possible on his approach. He stops 10 meters from the Ogres and quickly surveys them.

"You boys work for Thylon?" he asks, his voice strong and clear, with a slight melodic trill to the words, rises above the hammering of the rain.

[sblock]Sense motive check[/sblock]
"I'm looking to do a little business with the man, can you tell me where I might find him?"

With a vague sleepy looking glance the Ogres peer down at the small form of Ghost, their eyes passing over him as if surveying the danger that he poses. For a moment it seems like they are about to stop him, but apathy wins this day and they gesture through the doorway with a grunt.
Inside a small collection of people gather around a circular table on the far side of the room. Two more Ogres lean lazily against the far wall inside, behind a partially hunched man that seems to be measuring out small portions of ground moss to a customer. A small amount of coins change hands and the blond haired gnomish boy runs from the chamber with his purchase. The hunched man, obviously Thylon, simply looks at them and yells:
"Ged owt! I tol' yas thad there be nun mor' for ya till nes' week. Plus ya still aven't paid ya las' lot off yet, so bugga orf tha lod of yas!"
The Ogres stand alert at this and the small group withdraw outside quickly, unwilling to anger the trader any further.

[sblock]Sense Motive check (hunch DC 25) +19 - failure
[/sblock]

 

[Phoenix]

Taran looks down the well, holding his spear ahead of him hoping to illuminate what's down below. "Hello down there" he calls. He looks for a way to decend down the well if needed, preferably without riding the fall of filty water.

"Hello down there!"

In the light Taran can easily see an old maintenance ladder, on that looks like it hasn't been used for years. It is covered in slime and moisure from the recent...incident...but still looks servicable.

"Hello down there!"

Obviously a long way down.

 

[D20Dazza]

The Ogres stand alert at this and the small group withdraw outside quickly, unwilling to anger the trader any further.

Hound steps aside to let the crowd through, he pauses at the door his eyes scanning the room, drinking in the details
[sblock]Spot check[/sblock]
He carefully steps into the room, wiping his wet, muddy boots on the door step before entering. His every movement is fluid, smooth and non-threatening. An easy grin spreads across his face, his eyes seem to twinkle in the wane, dirty light that seems to almost ooze through the thick, smoky air.

"Thylon I presume?" Ghost says touching his brow and then his chest before sweeping his hand before him in the traditional greeting of the 'parties. "It has been a long time since I have been back here, I see the old place is just as pleasant as ever. Busy? Looks like business is treating you a'right good sah"
[sblock] sense motive followed by diplomacy and gather information over the next couple of minutes while engaging in small talk. As soon as Thylon gets impatient I cut to the chase[/sblock]
"Look Thylon, I'm after some information. I'm looking for the daughter of Zimmerman"
[sblock] sense motive check to gauge his reaction to the name Zimmerman. If it seems he doesn't like Zimmerman or is indifferent to him I will use tact 1 below, if he seems friendly I'll go tact 2; Either way we'll need a bluff[/sblock]
Tact 1
"Yeah the bastard has upset some of the heavies up top and they've set him up for a fall from grace. They're intending on seeing his business crumble and, having connections in the media, I'm too do some public discrediting. But, there's a problem. His daughter was going to go crown witness against him, she's seen some of his private dealings and is an important cog in the prosecutions case. And wouldn't ya know the little cow has done a runner. Word on the street is she was last seen somewhere here near the Apartments, you being a man with his finger on the pulse it seemed only natural that I should have a word."

Tact 2
"He's in trouble. The big boys up top are looking to knock Zimmerman down a peg or two. They're trying to use his daughter against him. He hired me to find her and make sure she can't talk against him. She got wind though and did a runner, so now I'm reduced to huntin' her. All because I owe that fat bastard some gamblin' debts. I don't like having to hurt the girl but what can I do, if that's what Zimmerman wants it's what he'll get."