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The Rise of Felskein [Completed]
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<blockquote data-quote="Iron Sky" data-source="post: 4556807" data-attributes="member: 60965"><p>Session 14, Part 2</p><p> </p><p>-Note: Couldn't get it up last night(this post I mean) since the database was down when I was trying to post it. This is the first opportunity I've had to post it today. Enjoy.-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kezzek growled in thought as he stared at the disarray of the cabin. “He was murdered,” he finally said.</p><p> </p><p>“By his crew?” Suniel said from outside, glancing landwards at the hundreds of gnomes swimming or paddling their way out to the ship on whatever they could find that floated, then seawards towards the two packed rowboats that headed out in opposite directions, presumably holding the ship's crew.</p><p> </p><p>“Mm, no,” Kezzek said, walking over to a window with broken shutters. “Look at the hinges, this window was forced open by someone on the outside. Why wouldn't a crew member just come through the door?”</p><p> </p><p>He glanced out the window at the wet smoothness of the ship's hull. “Whoever did it was skilled too, if he did it without bringing the crew down on him and if he was able to climb this. Strange too, he managed to kill Elorn without stabbing him, no blood, bruises on his temple, crushed wind-pipe even after Elorn had drawn his weapon...”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe it was a thief and Elorn just got in the way?” Suniel said, pointing to small chests that lay strewn about the floor of the cabin, silver and gold glinting here and there in the light of the orb of brilliance that floated on Suniel's palm.</p><p> </p><p>Kezzek shook his head. “Why wouldn't the thief just take the chests? They're small enough to slip into a pouch. It looks like these were smashed open, but that would make too much noise.” He picked one of them up and tossed it to Suniel.</p><p> </p><p>He squatted near the bed where Elorn's body lay looking about the scene for a moment, then at the dozen gnomish, goblinoid, and dwarven crews' bodies that lay sprawled out on the deck. <em>They killed each other. Mutiny after the captain died?</em> </p><p> </p><p>He was about to make a comment on it when Suniel <em>hissed</em>. Kezzek spun, hand going to his quor'rel.</p><p> </p><p>The wizard stood shining his light on the small chest, staring at the broken lock. After taking a deep breath, Suniel turned it towards Kezzek. “Do you recognize this symbol?”</p><p> </p><p>After looking at it for a long moment, Kezzek nodded. “Wasn't this on the chests that Annandor had? The ones from-”</p><p> </p><p>“The Ashen Tower,” they said together.</p><p> </p><p>“I found something,” Keeper said, standing next to a dark alcove in the corner of the cabin. He walked over with a weathered, leather-bound journal.</p><p> </p><p>Kezzek took it and stepped outside the cabin, taking in the gnome flotilla that was just reaching the ship. A handful of half-drowned gnomes were already pulling themselves up the netting on the side of the ship.</p><p> </p><p>“Lets look this over later,” Kezzek said, motioning to the cabin with the hand that held the journal. He turned to Keeper and pointed at the escaping rowboats. “Keeper, can we catch one of the rowboats with the ship that you commandeered?”</p><p> </p><p>Keeper replied without even looking at the rowboats. “It would take us approximately eight minutes to pursue and acquire the the smaller vessel with the current wind velocity and their rate of traversal. Chances of locational synchronization with the more massive transport are of questionable predictability.”</p><p> </p><p>Kezzek and Suniel stared at Keeper for a few seconds before Kezzek spoke. “So that's a yes on the small one, right? Good, let's go.” </p><p> </p><p>Kezzek walked over to the first gnomes that were pulling themselves gasping over the rail and onto the deck. He loomed over one and pointed at the captain's cabin. “The ship's current ownership is unknown, but I'm authorizing you to take as much food as you can carry. Oh, and if anyone touches anything in the cabin, I'll consider it a crime against the Greywardens and come seeking justice. Let the others know that too. Got it?”</p><p> </p><p>The gnomes nodded quickly.</p><p> </p><p>Kezzek, Keeper, and Suniel climbed down to their fishing boat, setting out after one of the rowboats.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Kormak dropped to a crouch and froze, staring out to the sea as a rowboat full of dwarves and gnomes emerged from around the blackened trunks of a once-forested promontory, followed close behind by what looked like a crude fishing boat manned by an orc, an elf, and a rusted construct.</p><p> </p><p>Wanting no part of it, he started to move off quickly down the beach when he saw something that stopped him cold.</p><p> </p><p>It was probably sixty feet long, the deep green-black of its skin glistening as if it were coated with slime. It had forty or fifty insect-like legs, seemingly none of them symmetrically paired and, even more bizarrely, some of them had bits of colorful cloth wrapped about them and a what looked like a backpack strapped on the back of its many-mandibled, many-eyed head.</p><p> </p><p>Kormak stared at it for a moment in shock, even as the rowboat crushed into gravel of the bank behind him. It wasn't until a rough hand planted on his shoulder and spun him around that he snapped out of it, grabbing the hand and breaking it's owner's arm out of reflex.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“What is that thing?” Suniel shouted, pointing to the monstrosity that reared it's body like a snake or centipede, head swiveling towards the skirmish that had broken out on the beach.</p><p> </p><p>Kezzek stared at it, quor'rel drawn, as its legs churned it closer. Without a word, he leapt into the still knee-deep water and started wading towards shore, on an intercept course.</p><p> </p><p>Suniel sighed and turned see a stocky, bearded figure ringed by cutlasses and clubs by the rowboat. Two of the crew members already lay still in the gravel.</p><p> </p><p>“Keeper, this is one of those times when we try not to kill anyone. Take them alive if you cane,” Suniel said before muttering an incantation.</p><p> </p><p>Keeper splashed into the water, eyes flaring, as Suniel unleashed a spell.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Angelo swore as the Bent creature's head shot up, antennae swiveling down the beach. <em>It's spotted prey again</em>, he thought. <em>No choice but to attack it now. Damn.</em></p><p> </p><p>He sprinted after it, drawing and firing his brace of pistols at point-blank range before leaping on its back. It twisted and thrashed as he did so, gouts of greenish fluid spurting from the bullet wounds as he landed, but it didn't stop its charge.</p><p> </p><p>Gripping tightly with one hand, he used the other to draw his rapier and drive it into the thing's back. It screamed in an oddly human voice and flipped over, sending Angelo flying from its back. He hit the burnt grass and rolled, coming to his feet as it stopped its motion and turned on him.</p><p> </p><p>“Come get me, Bent One,” he snarled, crouching and waiting for its charge.</p><p> </p><p>Instead, a hulking gray figure lept from the side, slamming a strange double-bladed sword into the thing. It twisted and curled back, flicking the figure off with a dozen bristling legs.</p><p> </p><p>Angelo didn't waste the opening, rushing in and and severing the first two legs that shot out to pierce him and ducking underneath, slicing up and leaping out before it could drop its weight and crush him.</p><p> </p><p>When he climbed to his feet again and turned, the gray figure – what seemed to be an orc with a strange, massive metal gauntlet – was beside him. They stood, weapons ready as it reared back on it's last dozen legs, its main bulk rising forty feet above them. It made a sound then, half between an insect chitter and a human laugh as one of its mandibles hooked back and slid something from its pack and ate it.</p><p> </p><p>“Was that a <em>potion </em>it just ate? What in the hells is this thing?” the orc said, his accent almost indecipherable foreign.</p><p> </p><p>“A Fae Bent,” Angelo said, reloading his pistols quickly as he did so. “I'll circle right, you go left. Whoever it doesn't go for kills it before it can kill the other, ok?”</p><p> </p><p>“A fey what?” the orc said over his shoulder as he circled left.</p><p> </p><p>Angelo didn't respond, instead focusing his attention entirely on the creature, waiting for it to make its move. When it did, it was almost blindingly fast, one moment risen high and swaying back and forth like a snake, the next on the orc in a blur of slender piercing legs and chitinous bulk.</p><p> </p><p>The orc was trapped in a forest of barbed and thrashing limbs, slashing desperately with his weapon, his dark blood flowing freely.</p><p> </p><p>“For the Black City!” Angelo screamed as he charged. <em>May I live to see it again.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Iron Sky, post: 4556807, member: 60965"] Session 14, Part 2 -Note: Couldn't get it up last night(this post I mean) since the database was down when I was trying to post it. This is the first opportunity I've had to post it today. Enjoy.- Kezzek growled in thought as he stared at the disarray of the cabin. “He was murdered,” he finally said. “By his crew?” Suniel said from outside, glancing landwards at the hundreds of gnomes swimming or paddling their way out to the ship on whatever they could find that floated, then seawards towards the two packed rowboats that headed out in opposite directions, presumably holding the ship's crew. “Mm, no,” Kezzek said, walking over to a window with broken shutters. “Look at the hinges, this window was forced open by someone on the outside. Why wouldn't a crew member just come through the door?” He glanced out the window at the wet smoothness of the ship's hull. “Whoever did it was skilled too, if he did it without bringing the crew down on him and if he was able to climb this. Strange too, he managed to kill Elorn without stabbing him, no blood, bruises on his temple, crushed wind-pipe even after Elorn had drawn his weapon...” “Maybe it was a thief and Elorn just got in the way?” Suniel said, pointing to small chests that lay strewn about the floor of the cabin, silver and gold glinting here and there in the light of the orb of brilliance that floated on Suniel's palm. Kezzek shook his head. “Why wouldn't the thief just take the chests? They're small enough to slip into a pouch. It looks like these were smashed open, but that would make too much noise.” He picked one of them up and tossed it to Suniel. He squatted near the bed where Elorn's body lay looking about the scene for a moment, then at the dozen gnomish, goblinoid, and dwarven crews' bodies that lay sprawled out on the deck. [I]They killed each other. Mutiny after the captain died?[/I] He was about to make a comment on it when Suniel [I]hissed[/I]. Kezzek spun, hand going to his quor'rel. The wizard stood shining his light on the small chest, staring at the broken lock. After taking a deep breath, Suniel turned it towards Kezzek. “Do you recognize this symbol?” After looking at it for a long moment, Kezzek nodded. “Wasn't this on the chests that Annandor had? The ones from-” “The Ashen Tower,” they said together. “I found something,” Keeper said, standing next to a dark alcove in the corner of the cabin. He walked over with a weathered, leather-bound journal. Kezzek took it and stepped outside the cabin, taking in the gnome flotilla that was just reaching the ship. A handful of half-drowned gnomes were already pulling themselves up the netting on the side of the ship. “Lets look this over later,” Kezzek said, motioning to the cabin with the hand that held the journal. He turned to Keeper and pointed at the escaping rowboats. “Keeper, can we catch one of the rowboats with the ship that you commandeered?” Keeper replied without even looking at the rowboats. “It would take us approximately eight minutes to pursue and acquire the the smaller vessel with the current wind velocity and their rate of traversal. Chances of locational synchronization with the more massive transport are of questionable predictability.” Kezzek and Suniel stared at Keeper for a few seconds before Kezzek spoke. “So that's a yes on the small one, right? Good, let's go.” Kezzek walked over to the first gnomes that were pulling themselves gasping over the rail and onto the deck. He loomed over one and pointed at the captain's cabin. “The ship's current ownership is unknown, but I'm authorizing you to take as much food as you can carry. Oh, and if anyone touches anything in the cabin, I'll consider it a crime against the Greywardens and come seeking justice. Let the others know that too. Got it?” The gnomes nodded quickly. Kezzek, Keeper, and Suniel climbed down to their fishing boat, setting out after one of the rowboats. *** Kormak dropped to a crouch and froze, staring out to the sea as a rowboat full of dwarves and gnomes emerged from around the blackened trunks of a once-forested promontory, followed close behind by what looked like a crude fishing boat manned by an orc, an elf, and a rusted construct. Wanting no part of it, he started to move off quickly down the beach when he saw something that stopped him cold. It was probably sixty feet long, the deep green-black of its skin glistening as if it were coated with slime. It had forty or fifty insect-like legs, seemingly none of them symmetrically paired and, even more bizarrely, some of them had bits of colorful cloth wrapped about them and a what looked like a backpack strapped on the back of its many-mandibled, many-eyed head. Kormak stared at it for a moment in shock, even as the rowboat crushed into gravel of the bank behind him. It wasn't until a rough hand planted on his shoulder and spun him around that he snapped out of it, grabbing the hand and breaking it's owner's arm out of reflex. *** “What is that thing?” Suniel shouted, pointing to the monstrosity that reared it's body like a snake or centipede, head swiveling towards the skirmish that had broken out on the beach. Kezzek stared at it, quor'rel drawn, as its legs churned it closer. Without a word, he leapt into the still knee-deep water and started wading towards shore, on an intercept course. Suniel sighed and turned see a stocky, bearded figure ringed by cutlasses and clubs by the rowboat. Two of the crew members already lay still in the gravel. “Keeper, this is one of those times when we try not to kill anyone. Take them alive if you cane,” Suniel said before muttering an incantation. Keeper splashed into the water, eyes flaring, as Suniel unleashed a spell. *** Angelo swore as the Bent creature's head shot up, antennae swiveling down the beach. [I]It's spotted prey again[/I], he thought. [I]No choice but to attack it now. Damn.[/I] He sprinted after it, drawing and firing his brace of pistols at point-blank range before leaping on its back. It twisted and thrashed as he did so, gouts of greenish fluid spurting from the bullet wounds as he landed, but it didn't stop its charge. Gripping tightly with one hand, he used the other to draw his rapier and drive it into the thing's back. It screamed in an oddly human voice and flipped over, sending Angelo flying from its back. He hit the burnt grass and rolled, coming to his feet as it stopped its motion and turned on him. “Come get me, Bent One,” he snarled, crouching and waiting for its charge. Instead, a hulking gray figure lept from the side, slamming a strange double-bladed sword into the thing. It twisted and curled back, flicking the figure off with a dozen bristling legs. Angelo didn't waste the opening, rushing in and and severing the first two legs that shot out to pierce him and ducking underneath, slicing up and leaping out before it could drop its weight and crush him. When he climbed to his feet again and turned, the gray figure – what seemed to be an orc with a strange, massive metal gauntlet – was beside him. They stood, weapons ready as it reared back on it's last dozen legs, its main bulk rising forty feet above them. It made a sound then, half between an insect chitter and a human laugh as one of its mandibles hooked back and slid something from its pack and ate it. “Was that a [I]potion [/I]it just ate? What in the hells is this thing?” the orc said, his accent almost indecipherable foreign. “A Fae Bent,” Angelo said, reloading his pistols quickly as he did so. “I'll circle right, you go left. Whoever it doesn't go for kills it before it can kill the other, ok?” “A fey what?” the orc said over his shoulder as he circled left. Angelo didn't respond, instead focusing his attention entirely on the creature, waiting for it to make its move. When it did, it was almost blindingly fast, one moment risen high and swaying back and forth like a snake, the next on the orc in a blur of slender piercing legs and chitinous bulk. The orc was trapped in a forest of barbed and thrashing limbs, slashing desperately with his weapon, his dark blood flowing freely. “For the Black City!” Angelo screamed as he charged. [I]May I live to see it again.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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