Red mist and bone chips: vs the robot ninja pirate lesbians (sept 10)

[jollyninja]

it was raining in sharn, if you can believe it. hmph, always seems to rain in the tower city, like some long dead druid particularly fond of the stuff decided to take it upon himself to give the goblins a bath, heh..my home though and let someone complain 'bout it to vehemently and i'll give em an earful........ of steel friend. 'nuff 'bout me though, you weren't askin 'bout me now were ya? good answer friend, let me tell you 'bout the ones you were askin after. Archibald Feather? some call him a swashbuckler, some a dirty thief, truth lies, in the middle somewhere i guess, i'd say mister Feather is whatever he needs to be not to end up in the obituaries of the local rags and has a great time doin it.Baz? strange one that, didn't join the group until after an untimely death, advantageous for whoever he's workin for though. like i said he comes in later and i'm startin at the beginning. tracy? oh, you mean the cleaner, don't pinch that one pal unless you want to feel what it's like having the dust kicked off your head slowly. 1? well it's either the only warforged with a clue how the world works, or the war did something bad to it, real bad. others have drifted in and out of the story pal but these are the ones you asked me 'bout so i'll start with the dirt on them.

story starts with 1. yeah i know don't it allways? another joke like that and i'll end the danger to my patience that you are becoming. anyway, fresh off the forge 15 years ago, 1 finds itself in the breland millitary serving as a grunt. it is the only warforged in the unit and it's somethin keen to look at pal, shiniest damned warforged ya ever saw, but heavy and slow. built to last, it was. if it can get through the trial by fire that is wartime field training. it's unit is traveling through a mountian pass somewhere and the whole unit gets wiped out by an avalanche. thing is it doesn't die, not even knocked unconsious, bent near to the point of breaking and in pain the likes of which you and i probably can't fathom but not dead.

fifteen years later, tracy and a friend of her's spot a leg sticking out of some rubble at the bottom of a chasm. being a kind sort and some kinda priest or somethin, she heads down to help out. they dig it out and find that it aint dead, or even unconsious. it's a bit of a loudmouth and it keeps spoutin off bout some kinda machine god constantly. wierdest thing 'bout it though pal is the symbol on it's forehead, kinda like a one in a circle, all platinum from who knows where that by records i've heard of wouldn't o' been there afore he went under the rock. then 'e starts castin spells, healin' i mean reparin 'imself up rightly. tracy and her bud are on their way to sharn and since their newfound companion seems kinda confused and the like, they take it with. now, tracy's a looker but i'm told this bud weren't close with 'er that way. pretty sure she aint real fond o' men for some reason. mighta been growin up in a monastery full of 'em but i aint the sort to go askin straight out like.

they make their way to the tower city and of course, bein' adventurin types, stink up my favorite watterin hole. you're in it pal, if you can't remember the name, your problems are, i'm just guessin' 'ere, more extensive then i thought. tracy's an odd one pal, she's got a bit o' the touch o' the gods. i'm talkin the whole host loves this one. problem, she aint just 'bout cleanin up problems with 'er fists, she's bout usin a broom, mop, cloth or whatever's available. she cleans whenever she's not busy. was 'er job back at the monastery i'm told and she takes it seriouslike. if you feel like gettin hurt, go grab the mop outta 'er hands. heh.. thinks by cleanin the physical atmosphere, she can clean the spiritual one at the same time. clean up sharn hon? to many dead or empty souls here for one little lady to handle. still, nice to see someone like that come through here once in awhile, someone who still cares.

same time, goeffry the paladin o' the silver flame shows up here for the first time. decked out in 'is shiny armor, lookin like the silver flame took a dump and it started walkin 'round callin itself "geoffry" and actin like it too. bein adventurin types, the tracy crew hooks up with geoffry and calls it an evening. next day their allready lookin for somethin to do. they check the local rag and find some possible prospects, they set out to find a job. i heard a rumor that they approached a marked house for a direct contract second day in the big city, need some big helms these folks i'll tell ya. Thing is archibald's lookin for work in all the same places these folks have been and havin not much more luck findin honest work that pays in the city and doesn't ask for a reffrence. funny thing is they get it in their heads that he's followin 'em and nearly get into a bladed encounter with 'im 'fore they sort it out and join up.

they decide to check out one that don't pay but has it's heart in the right place. a kidnapping, to low for the watch to take care of or contract out even. desperate woman just wants her kid found, dead or alive like, just to know. no cash to pay for it. they go talk to the lady and find out that it's goblins that took the kid. she gets up in the middle o' the night to get a drink and nearly gets killed 'erself. they knock 'er over and run out with the kid, less then 4 months old. they check out the area and 1 looks for magic. it finds that there is magic on the woman. it shares the info with the group and they get suspicious of 'er real quick like. start grillin 'er 'fore they realise 'gain that she's the victim. they head for some o' archie's contacts. one of whom is sittin behind ya pal, DON'T LOOK! Reggie don't like people lookin at 'im since some recent events put 'im a bit on edge. they get put onto a half orc bar owner a bit further down more likely to have the knowin o' what they want. also owes Reggie some cash so they come in first as a reminder that reggie wants 'is cash and second to ask the questions they have. they begin their descent into the lower levels, not under mind, not yet but low, like on the ground. where's that ale you was talkin' 'bout earlier, need to wet my whistle 'fore i can continue.

 

[jollyninja]

huh? where was i? oh right, they were goin' low to the bugbear's place.see now some of these folks knew what was goin' on but ones like goeffry were new to the lower levels. bein' of dragonmarked stock kinda helps keep ya out o' dark places till ya decide to go into 'em. so he bursts in lookin like the silver flame itself, walks up to the bartender and just straight up with an impatient scowl of 'is face asks for gertie. now gertie's no spring chicken and while she's no saint pal, she aint no psycho either but someone dressed like that bargin' in and askin for 'er usually maens trouble so she signals 'er boys to get ready for a brawl. bartender musta been new cuz he just points over at gertie like he don't know what's probably comin'. geoffry heads straight for the corner with the rest of 'em in tow like good little pawns. to a table of bugbears in a bar just above the ground in sharn he says "i'm looking for some goblin kidnappers and i'm told you might have some information, it's in your best interest to help me." luckily archibald and 1 step in before 'e get's 'em all killed and smooth things over with gertie as much as can be done from that point. long story short pal, gertie gives 'em the name of a place in a goblin heavy area that she says might bethe place where someone in the know lives. they file outta the bar and walk half way across sharn on the ground to get to this place.

now, it's rainin' somethin' fierce so as they travel, they just keep gettin' dirtier. as they get close, a hobgoblin steps out in front of 'em and pally, if you was from the area you would know that when a single individual steps out onto a walkway and asks you to stop for a moment, stoppin and bein rude aint the way to not die. stop and be real pleasant like or run, that's free advice pal. but geoffry, bein' an uneducated in the ways of the world sort just has to open his trap. plays the you have no right to accost us like this, angle. "leave us alone or i shall call the watch!" he says. of course the hob is halfway between anger and amusement now cuz like it or not pal when you get that low and you aint right near the docks, the watch might as well not exist. now the hob aint just some random punk, he's got quality equipment and moves as graceful as anything you ever saw right into geoffry's face and tells 'im to go ahead. that the folks five levels up might actually hear 'im but that just means they'll find a fresh corpse not an old one. asks 'em all what they're doin there, like not answerin' aint the best option. archie pipes up to cut the tension and tells 'im. quick as a blink, the hob switches gears and lets 'em pass.

so they get to the spot an' knock on the door, a voice on the other side says in not so nice terms that 'e don't feel like answerin' the door an' whoever's bangin' on it needs to leave. tracy's pal pulls out a crystal an' speaks to it. it grows legs an' slips under the door. can geoffry wait to se what's bein done? nope. 'e just keeps bangin on the door and shoutin' meanwhile, the crystal is gettin freaked cuz o' all the shoutin and the place is packed with weapons finally it sees a naked bugbear come outta a back room naked with a sword in hand. the door swings open an' the bugbear expresses his displeasure with the treatment of 'is door an' professes to be otherwise occupied if you get me pal. a less deep or gruff voice calls for 'im to get rid o' whoever's at the door and come back to bed. 'e glares at the group and goes to slam the door but goeffry stops it with 'is foot and starts askin' 'bout the kidnappin. now pal, this guy don't know nothin bout no kidnappin' 'e's just one o' gertie's boys who didn't show up cuz it was 'is old lady's birthday an 'es in the middle of showin' 'er a good time. 'e's kinda pissed an' prone to violence anyway but 'e aint for needin the watch lookin' for 'im so 'e hauls off an sock's geoff right in 'is highborn face bustin 'is lip open wide, blood all over the place. geoff swings back but forget's 'e's wearin gauntlets and gives the poor guy a face full o' steel. tracy's pal swipes at the guy with 'is claws an misses. what? 'e's a shifter'd be my guess, aint you ever left the house before today pal? some folks kids. anyway, the guy stabs geoffry in the leg with 'is sword and geoff's not doin' real well, e's covered in blood but does 'e leave or even back off? nope. 'e pulls 'is sword and swings away with a clumsy chunk into the door jam. it's a two hander pal, in a hallway. tracy's pal tries to get the guy's weapon but it don't take cuz the hob's pretty strong. the hob stabbs geoff again and 'e goes down. tracy grabs geoff and yanks 'im outta there while 1 shoves tracy's pal away from the door. the guy slams the door and goes back to 'is buisiness while tracy uses a bit o' magic to keep geoff from dyin' and gets 'im feelin better but tells 'im 'e aint gettin it twice unless it's not 'is fault the second time.

so they start headin for gertie's place to give 'er what for. by the way pal, if gertie throws you foor a loop like that and you ain't dead, just walk away. same spot as last time, the hob jumps out, this time 'es sweatin a bit an' he says, "follow me" and shoots onto a walkway and up outta the muck. they debate it for a sec till the hob shouts at 'em to hurry if they want to find the kid alive. 'e takes 'em to a door an tells em the kids a few levels underground and they ain't got much time. says 'e'll keep anyone from comin' in behind 'em. geoff runs in and quickly realises that there ain't no light down here. 'e lights up 'is sword and continues as quick as 'e can without the rest of 'em. now geoffry's got the only torch, right, so the rest of the group is a bit slow commin' while they take care of light an' geoffry get's out ahead of 'em. now a guy in heavy armor movin through what ammounts to a tunnel ain't quiet, so as he's clompin through the halls, the goblin's hear 'im comin and get ready. he comes onto a landing with a staircase headin' down into what looks like a large room but geoffry can't see the bottom to tell for sure. what he can see is about ten crossbow bolts streakin for 'is head. he manages not to get pincussioned but takes a couple in the arm. does 'e take cover pal? does 'e? nope! not geoffry, he barrels down the staircase into the goblins sword at the ready and manages not to fall while 'e does it. 'e cuts the first one 'e comes to in half. the rest open up on 'im again and 'e takes a couple more nicks. by this time the rest of the group have made their way to the room cuz, they heard the battle. archie's carrying the light and 'e heaves it into the room over geoffry's head just in time to see a robed figure head down a hallway with something in it's arms. seein this, the group goes into a frenzy. tracy leaps down, usin' a really old curtian to get to a goblin and half caves in it's 'ead with 'er broom. 'er pal gets out 'is claws and goes straight for one o' the little guys. the gob's got more targets now so they ain't so effective no more, can't hit nothin with the next frantic volley. with a viscious two handed chop, geoffry cuts down another and moves toward the hall. Archibald heads 'round the outside o' the room and gets nearly to the hall before on of the gobs gets in 'is way. tracy cleans the life right out of another two o' the bastards while archie an' geoff try to get to the hall an' tracy's pal corner's four of 'em on the other side o' the room an' grows a nice set o' teeth. geoffry's the first outta the room into the hall and Archie's right after. tracy an 'er pal mop up the mess left in the room an' follow quick as wind.

geoffry comes into a smaller room and finds the robed gob' standin' over a kid with a knife in the plungin position an chantin'. he steps up and swats the knife outta the gob's hands with 'is two hander. Archie botls up after 'im an' grabs the kid. the robed guy pulls another knife and stabbs at archie, cuttin' 'im deep in the arm. Geoffry uses 'is mark on the kid just in case an archie starts goin for the door. the gob swipes Archie as 'e turns and hit's 'im full force in the back. archie can only manage a stumbling lurch toward the door cuz e's been hit bad, havin' trouble breathin like. the gob heads around the table after 'im and get's swiped at by geoffry but 'e must be wearin bracers or somethin cuz he deflects it high with 'is hand. 'e makes it to archie only this time 'e stabbs at the kid and archie's in no condition to stop 'im, though believe me pla 'e tried, and the kid goes limp an stops cryin'. now geoffry's mark is the one that let's 'im take other's pains so 'e knows exactly what happened an' 'e goes a bit nuts. 'e lets 'is sword fly with all 'es got in 'im an' connects. the gob hits the wall hard but stays on 'is feet an flails weakly at archie as he still keeps plodin' at the door as best 'e can. tracy finally get's there and tackles the gob to try an' take 'im in alive for questions but 'e's still strigglin an gets the dagger in 'er a coupla times 'fore geoffry dicides 'es seen 'nough to get it by the watch an seperates the bastard's head clean from his twisted green shoulders. geoff comes outta the battle lust an remembers the kid got hit so he runs after archie who's still stumblin down the hall tryin' to get the kid outta harm's way. when geoff grabs 'im by the shoulder to stop im, archie nearly takes a swing at 'im 'fore 'e notices who it is. geoff lays 'ands on the kid and pal let me tell ya. ain't nobody been so happy to hear cryin' as the four folks in that hallway. the same dust what's got my eyes watterin up's dryin my mouth pal, how bout another o' the same.