JollyDoc's Shackled City
JollyDoc
Explorer
THE DEMONSKAR LEGACY
CHAPTER ONE: The Cauldron Tea Party
Spring had come to Cauldron, but for the general populace of the frontier city, the climate was hardly one of rebirth. A spirit of unrest was rapidly spreading through the townsfolk. Taxes had been raised numerous times over the past months to help the city cope with damage caused by the recent emergencies, and to take precautions against further accidents during an already eventful year. Since the last fiscal decree issued by Lord Mayor Navalant, taxes in Cauldron now exceeded even those in the distant capitol. Protests and tax evasion were spreading. Visible benefits of the high taxes had yet to appear, and many Cauldronites were beginning to grumble that the levies were simply lining the pockets of the nobility. However, if anything, those of the upper classes were even more outraged, for theirs were the taxes collected first, and thus they were the first to suffer from the increases.
As spring arrived, dour tax collectors walked the city streets, invariably accompanied by patrols of heavily armed and ruthless half-orc mercenaries. Rumors circulated of special squads of the town guard that would break into private homes, workshops or stores to search for hidden goods, money, or other valuables. The captain of the guard, Terseon Skellerang, had recently announced special security measures against a sect of dangerous anarchists believed to be plotting to overthrow the city’s government. The Lord Mayor, for his part, had been largely absent from public view of late. His advisor, Lord Orbius Vhalantru, an elven wizard, handled most of his public affairs.
Finally, word spread throughout the city that a huge demonstration in protest of the new tax policies was scheduled to take place around the City Hall. It was to feature the prominent merchant Maavu Arlintal, several of whose warehouses had been damaged recently by the sudden appearance of a rampaging umberhulk. The turnout was expected to be massive…and trouble would be sure to follow.
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“Why doesn’t the church take a stand on this injustice?” Ajax demanded, pacing back and forth in agitation.
“Because no laws have been broken,” Jenya explained calmly, for perhaps the tenth time. She realized how difficult it was for the celestial to comprehend the legislations and bureaucracies of a common mortal city. He was more accustomed to fighting the good fight, standing up for the greater good. Hierarchies were more important in Celestia than politics. “The Lord Mayor is perfectly within his rights to levy taxes, especially when it serves the good of the populace, just as the people are within their rights to protest it. He is a duly elected official, and if the people don’t like it, they can vote him out, but until that time, his word is law, and as long as it is not an unjust or inhumane law, then the Church of Tyr will support it.”
“I will never understand mortals,” Ajax said, throwing up his hands. “I will attend this meeting, and I will show my support for the common folk, who have no power of their own to oppose this tyranny. You cannot forbid it!”
“I would never dream of it,” Jenya said. “You may do as you please, as long as you abide by the law. As a matter of fact, your attendance will actually help me. You see, a paladin of our Order, Alek Tercival, has been away on personal business for some time. I have heard that he will be at the rally. If you see him, could you please ask him to contact me? He has been out of touch for too long.”
Rusty sat in the library of the Cusp of Sunrise, nursing a large flagon of ale, much to the distaste of his fellow members, who were all sipping wine. He had begun frequenting the club of late, trying to obtain information from the upper crust about their views of the recent taxes, and of Maavu. Rusty didn’t trust the man. Though it was true that his buildings had been attacked by the umberhulk, it was equally true that Rusty had found the remnants of a summoning circle inside those same buildings. Something didn’t add up, and he meant to get to the bottom of it. Just then, a familiar voice came from over his shoulder, “Drinking alone? A bad habit to get into.” He turned and peered up at the lovely face of Celeste, his benefactor on the mission to recover Zenith Splintershield. “Suits me,” he grumbled, “Most of these hoity toities don’t know how to hold their liquor anyway.”
“Compared to you, my hearty friend, I’m sure that’s true,” she said, smiling and taking a seat. “It has come to my attention that you have been particularly interested in politics recently.”
“I’ve got my reasons,” he muttered.
“I’m sure, and I don’t mean to pry,” she replied, “but perhaps this interest of yours can serve both of us. I know you are aware of the coming rally, and I was wondering if you planned to attend. You see, I cannot go myself, but I, like my peers, have a stake in the outcome. If you will go on my behalf and observe, then report to me of the gist of things, I would be willing to compensate you. Say…fifty platinum crowns?”
“That’s an awfully big fee just for a play by play,” Rusty snorted, “but you know what they say about fools and their money. I’m yer man.”
“Rally? What rally?” Wathros asked, showing no real interest. He was instead concentrating on preparing his ritual circle to call his new animal companion. The loss of Onesock at the hands of that stone giant still gnawed at him. Damn those useless gnomes anyway! That was the last time he volunteered for a rescue mission. Of course, he had made that same vow numerous times before, yet he continued to find himself entangled in circumstances that didn’t concern him.
“Honestly Wathros,” Shensen scolded, “you spend too much time cooped up in this damp cave. You need to get into town more.”
“Why would I need to do that?” the druid asked absently, “I’m more than happy here in the wilds, without the noise, or stink. Besides, I rely on you to keep me apprised on the doings of the great unwashed.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Shensen said in exasperation. “There is a huge protest happening in a few days. I heard about it from guests at the Lucky Monkey. If word has reached me out in the middle of nowhere, then it must be a big event. Aren’t you even the least bit curious?”
“Not really,” Wathros said.
Shensen sighed, “Well, would you at least do me the honor of accompanying me? I want to see what all the fuss is about. It might affect business.”
Wathros glanced up from his work at the half-drow, favoring her with his most charming smile, “Of course I’ll join you. What shall we wear? Feathers or fur?”
“So what do you think?” Maple asked, almost bouncing with excitement. Tilly shook his head. “I’m not sure. It sounds risky to me.”
“Risky??” Maple shrieked. “You’re telling me about risky? After you traipse about all over creation with those no-good friends of yours? Gone for days at a time? No word, no knowing when you’re coming back?”
Tilly ducked his head. He should have known this was coming. This whole ‘relationship’ thing was more dangerous than a whole city full of erinyes. He was starting to miss the kuo-toans already.
“This will be like shooting fish in a barrel,” the petite halfling woman continued, her excitement returning. “There are going to be hundreds of people at this rally. All crammed and packed together, jostling and crowding each other. No one will even notice us. Their pockets will be a bit lighter at the end of the day, and ours will be a bit heavier. And they’ll have learned a valuable lesson about personal security.”
Tilly sighed heavily. How could he explain it to her? Since he’d met Caine and Ajax, he had been seriously considering the path his life was on. It lacked direction, meaning. The things those two spoke of sounded like just what he was looking for…a purpose. But to live that life, follow that course, would not be easy. It would require great strength of character, and dedication…and it did not include petty theft or pick pocketing. Maple wouldn’t understand. He would just have to lead by example. He would go with her to the protest, but only to keep an eye on her, and keep her out of trouble.
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The day of the protest arrived, and the streets around the City Hall were packed tight with loud citizens rallying against the tax increase. Several guards stood in a ring around the building and used the hafts of their halberds to keep people out. A small group of dignitaries, easily recognizable as tax collectors, made their way to the entrance. The crowd booed and screamed insults at them as they scuttled inside.
Ajax had positioned himself near the speakers’ platform, across the square from the City Hall. He hoped to have a good position to scan the crowd and look for Alek Tercival. He spotted a familiar figure right at the front of the mob, next to the platform. It was Caine, dressed in his usual sackcloth robes, but also wearing a sandwich board sporting the words: POWER TO THE PEOPLE! REPEAL UNFAIR TAXATION! A nimbus of gold light surrounded the sorcerer, a beacon of goodness for all to see. The deva smiled. Why didn’t that surprise him?
Across the square, Rusty stood in the shadows of a building, behind the bulk of the throng. As a dwarf, he was a bit agoraphobic and hated big crowds. He’d been hired to listen to the speaker, and he could do that just fine from where he was.
Atop the City Hall itself, two large eagles perched, gazing down intently on the mass of humanity below. Shensen and Wathros had the best seats in the house.
Finally, two blocks away from the square, near the very edge of the gathering, Tilly and Maple moved about unobtrusively. Maple had her eyes peeled for easy marks, while Tilly watched for the more attentive folk who might spot what she was up to. He had a bad feeling about this.
Suddenly the crowd became more excited, and a roaring cheer went up as a man climbed atop the speakers’ platform. It was Maavu, a man of about fifty years, yet with a strong, energetic voice. He raised his hands for silence, and the crowd hushed. “People of Cauldron!” he called, “We are gathered here today to raise our voices against the draconian edicts of our so-called government! They have ignored our protests for too long, and now they will do so no longer! I have personal knowledge that the Lord Mayor has received a letter of challenge, in which the noble Alek Tercival, a paladin of Tyr, has challenged the captain of the guard, Terseon Skellerang, to prove his valor in a duel according to the Old Law of Peers! This challenge has not been publicized by the City Council, which is itself illegal by the laws of this city, and is proof of the ill will the Lord Mayor’s advisors bear to we citizens!” As he spoke, his fervor-filled words imbued the crowd with mounting rage. Their anger culminated when Maavu pointed out the fact that a group of armed half-orcs was already harassing the town. “Skellerang is feeding a band of filthy half-orc thugs a large share of our bread!” he screamed. Just then, wading into the crowd, a human watch sergeant, escorted by several half-orc guards approached the platform. “In the name of Terseon Skellerang, Captain of the town guard,” he cried, “I place you under arrest!”
Suddenly, from the angered crowd, a youth drew forth a hidden dagger and screamed out, “Let’s kill these brigands!” As his voice was drowned out by the roar of a hundred other people, the lad lunged at the nearest half-orc. In seconds the mob erupted into a full-fledged riot.
In the moments before the carnage began, Ajax sensed the tension reach a crescendo. The crowd immediately around the guard sergeant and his escort surged forward, and in an instant the half-orcs went down under a merciless barrage, leaving the sergeant alone and surrounded. He fumbled hastily in his belt pouch, retrieving a potion flask, but as he brought it to his lips, several makeshift clubs were swung at him, smashing the bottle and opening a gash across his forehead. Ajax concentrated and turned invisible, freeing him to take to the air unnoticed.
Caine looked around him. The crowd in his immediate vicinity was still calm for the moment, thanks to the aura that surrounded him, but he knew it would not last. As they were jostled by the rest of the surging mass of humanity, the effect would be broken, and Maavu would be trapped. Caine stripped off his sandwich board, and climbed atop the platform to stand next to the merchant. “You do not know me,” he said to Maavu, “but I respect what you stand for. However, you are not safe here. I am a sorcerer of some merit. If you will allow me, I can imbue you with the ability of flight so that you may escape.” Maavu looked anxiously out over the roiling crowd, and shook his head, “Thank you friend, but no. I have my own means. Save yourself.” With that, the merchant began an incantation that Caine recognized, sheathing himself in an invisible magical cocoon that was as strong as chainmail.
Rusty shook his head in disgust. He knew something like this was going to happen. Stupid humans. If you got more than ten of them together in one place, there was bound to be a fight. He uttered a brief word of command, activating the magical boots he wore, and then began scaling the wall of the building nearby like a great spider. As he climbed above the level of the crowd, he saw the embattled sergeant struggling to defend himself against his attackers. Not that Rusty supported the town guard, but fair was fair, and the man was hopelessly outnumbered. Uttering a prayer, he directed a wave of calm to surround the man. Instantly, his assailants lowered their weapons, blinking in confusion.
From his elevated position on the platform, Caine saw the effects of Rusty’s charm, and knew that he had to act fast. Having already enabled flight upon himself, he soared out over the crowd, hovering several feet above the guardsman’s head. “Trust me if you want to live,” he shouted to the man, and then he conjured a resilient, glowing sphere of force around the sergeant, protecting him from any further attack. The soldier stared suspiciously at the flying beggar, but grudgingly nodded his thanks as he began tending to his wounds.
Wathros and Shensen watched the growing melee with deep sadness. People were smashing windows and doors of buildings at random, and surging against the handful of guards surrounding the City Hall. It was carnage. Wathros knew he could do nothing to help disperse the crowd, but perhaps he could protect the building and those within. He summoned an immense wall of roaring wind, causing it to spring up directly in front of the City Hall, holding the rioters nearest it at bay, and just in time to. Just below his perch, several archers had appeared in the upper windows of the Hall, and had loosed arrows towards the crowd, but the wind wall caught the missiles, whipping them harmlessly into the air. Shensen had other ideas. She thought she knew of just the thing to dampen the mobs’ rage. Looking towards the sky, she summoned up a blinding, localized storm of ice and sleet, filling the square directly in front of the City Hall with it. Within, the rioters found themselves unable to keep their feet on the suddenly slippery ground, and could not see more than two feet in front of them.
Ajax moved above the mob, looking for opportunities to offer assistance. Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the speakers’ dais, which was outside the effect of the sleet storm. A creature had appeared out of nowhere directly above Maavu, or rather, disappeared, for the thing was invisible. He was only able to see it thanks to his divine ability to detect such things. It seemed to be man-like, but made of some sort of vapor, which tapered off below its torso where its legs should be. It flew at Maavu, slashing at him from behind with what appeared to be a scythe made of pure wind. The merchant cried out in pain, his eyes growing wide in fear as the creature materialized before him.
Before Ajax could act, a column of fire erupted atop the platform, engulfing the translucent creature, but not Maavu. Ajax recognized the spell as one from Wathros’ repertoire, and knew the druid must be near. When the flames cleared, the creature recoiled, howling in pain and anger. The dais itself was still in flames, trapping Maavu in the center. His attacker was not so restricted. It circled around him menacingly, but then it recoiled again as a glowing, transparent sphere enveloped Maavu. Caine had saved the day once again.
Rusty had reached the rooftop of the building. Directly across the alley was City Hall. The priest had an idea. Maybe if he could find the Lord Mayor, he could make him see reason and put an end to this madness. After all, he was a local hero, a member of the noble Bright Axes. Surely the Mayor would listen to him. Rusty took a running start, and ran for the edge of the roof, intending to leap the short distance to one of the second-floor windows of the Hall. However, he mistimed his jump, and caught his boot on the edge of the roof. He found himself facedown in the alley, humiliated and covered with sludge.
Ajax closed the distance to the dais, calling forth his protective aura as he went, enveloping himself in a glowing blue field. The air-creature did not see him coming. Its attention was focused on Caine, and it was preparing to charge at the sorcerer. As it moved, however, Ajax struck. His sword seemed to pass thru the fiend, but he felt resistance, and the elemental cried out in what sounded like a roaring wind. It immediately turned on the deva, sweeping past him in a fly-by attack with its scythe, but failing to connect as Ajax deftly parried the blow. Before the creature could recover and come about for another run, it found itself trapped. A third resilient sphere had materialized, this one imprisoning the elemental. It raged and hammered at the walls of its prison, but there was no escape. “See if you can help any others,” Caine said, nodding at Ajax, “I’ll see to Maavu.”
Shensen had been forced to return to her true form in order to conjure the sleet storm, and so it was when the rooftop door opened, that she found herself facing down four half-orc guardsmen, bows drawn and aimed at her heart. They opened fire, but their prey was no easy target, for the druid had not always been a druid. She had spent her early years in a monastery, training in the martial arts with the fighting monks there. She twisted and turned her body in impossible angles, dodging the missiles, or batting them away at the last second. As the archers reloaded, she quickly shape-shifted back into an eagle and took to the sky.
Caine hovered above Maavu, and called down to the merchant, “Prepare yourself, for I will remove the sphere. Make your escape while you may.” Maavu nodded, and reached into a pouch at his belt, retrieving a flask and imbibing from it. Instantly his body was transformed into a hazy, gaseous state. When Caine dismissed the sphere, Maavu drifted into the air, and vanished into the surrounding streets.
Huffing and gasping, Rusty finally pulled himself over the lip of the City Hall roof after having made the arduous, three story climb. His relief vanished as he saw the four half-orcs glaring at him, turning their bows toward him. He bounded to his feet and dove towards the open roof door, arrows ricocheting off the wall behind him. He tumbled down a short flight of stairs and found himself in a small chamber…facing four more guards with halberds at the ready.
Ajax had gained altitude in order to take in the whole scene and to get above the sleet storm. That is when he saw Rusty’s plight atop the Hall. Knowing the current mindset of the guards, and realizing that they would not hesitate to kill the dwarf, he sped towards the rooftop. He landed behind the guards, and as they turned towards him, he slashed at the nearest one, shattering his bow in his hands. The half-orc gasped in surprise, but then growled in anger as he retrieved his halberd from his back. His fellows did the same, dropping their bows to the roof. They began closing in on the deva.
“Now, now fellers,” Rusty said, backing away and raising his hands in placation, “I ain’t here to cause no trouble.” He saw that the guards weren’t interested in explanations, so he began to pray, but not for mercy. He again summoned an aura of calm, centering on him to wash over his opponents. All four immediately lowered their weapons, but still glared at him with suspicion. “Now, like I was sayin’” he continued, “I’m here to see the Lord Mayor. He’s in danger. There’s monsters loose out there, and that crowd’s downright nasty. If ye just let me talk to’im, I’m sure I can get him to listen to reason.” The guards shook their heads, and the lead one replied, “The Lord Mayor is perfectly safe, and in no danger from that rabble…nor from you. Now, drop your weapons, and put your hands up. You’re under arrest.” Rusty started backing away again, but one of the guards circled behind him, blocking his retreat, while a second one moved to block the only other door from the room.
Back on the rooftop, Ajax took the offensive. As the first guard lunged at him, the deva slashed through the haft of his halberd. The enraged half-orc dropped the useless weapon, and rushed forward, trying to grapple with the bald warrior. Ajax sidestepped, putting himself outside the closing circle. With two quick blows to either side, he smashed two more of the guardsmen’s bows that had been dropped. Unfortunately, while his attention was momentarily diverted, a second guard managed to slip the head of his pole arm between the deva’s feet, and which a quick twist, sent him sprawling onto his back. The unarmed guard lunged again, hoping to pin his opponent to the ground, but Ajax brought his sword up defensively, slamming the flat of it into the brute’s head. In the blink of an eye, he again rendered himself invisible, then stood while the half-orcs scratched their heads in bewilderment.
Back in the square, the sleet storm finally ended, revealing a mass of moaning and bleeding humanity lying sprawled about the cobblestones. In their confusion and blindness, the crowd had trampled and beaten at each other, and the aftermath was devastating. Caine flew above the main body of the mob, and shouted over the tumult, “Citizens of Cauldron, hear me! I am Caine, of the Bright Axes and I have served our city in the past! This madness must cease! You only harm yourselves here! Your words will do far more to convince the government of their errors than this senseless violence!” As he continued to speak, he saw a sudden flurry of activity at the western side of the square, and his face grew pale at the sight, “No,” he whispered. A company of some eighty soldiers had arrived from the main garrison, and they had apparently decided that the time for diplomacy had passed. They waded into the crowd, weapons flashing lethally, hewing down citizens right and left. The stunned mob momentarily gave way, but then renewed anger replaced their fear. The grabbed bricks, bottles, sticks, whatever they could find, and began fighting back. The riot was on again, but this time it was far more brutal.
Rusty was running out of options. He began another prayer, this one designed to enthrall any listeners and force them to heed his commands, but as he completed the incantation, he saw that only one of the four seemed hypnotized. On the contrary, the other three were not only unaffected, but they were also out from under the influence of his calming spell. They rushed him, one of them slashing him savagely across the brow. Rusty stumbled up the stairs, but was struck again from behind as he made the roof.
Ajax saw Rusty emerge back onto the rooftop, closely pursued by more guardsmen. This was going from bad to worse. The guards he had been engaging now had a new opponent to focus on. All eight of them began moving towards the dwarf, backing him to the edge of the roof. Suddenly, a wave of peace and calm flowed over Ajax, and he knew that Caine had arrived. The guards were affected as well, and they all lowered their weapons to regard the sorcerer. Rusty didn’t waste the moment, and he dropped over the edge of the roof, scrambling down the wall to safety.
Caine held out his hands to show he was unarmed, “I ask to be taken into custody so that I may speak to your guard captain. I assure you I will come along peacefully.” Ajax watched in silence from his unseen vantage as Caine’s hands were bound behind his back, and he was led away.
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Chaos reigned before the City Hall over the next hour, with a pitched battle being fought between the rioters and the town guard. At one point during the battle, the protective sphere surrounding the watch sergeant dissipated, but Wathros had positioned himself directly above the man at Caine’s instructions. The druid quickly conferred the ability to walk on air on himself then grabbed the soldier by the hand and lifted him to safety. He ferried the sergeant to the City Hall rooftop and deposited him there. “My thanks,” he said, bowing then descended the stairs.
The sphere surrounding the elemental also vanished, but by that time the creature had vanished. Ajax suspected the creature had been summoned, and its time on this plane had come to an end. As the deva watched the battle helplessly, he heard a voice behind him, “This was my doing.” He turned quickly and saw Maavu standing on the roof a few feet away. “I never meant for this to happen,” the merchant continued, passing a hand over his eyes, “I only wanted the Lord Mayor and the Council to listen, and to motivate the people to open their eyes and see the truth.”
“What truth is that?” Ajax asked coldly, for in point of fact, he also thought the riot to be largely Maavu’s responsibility.
“I believe that there is evil at work within Cauldron’s government, and there are others of like mind.”
“What others?” asked Ajax.
“If you are truly interested in exposing the corruption here, then I invite you and your friends to a meeting to take place in one week’s time in Redgorge. There are allies of mine there that would like to speak with you. I suspect Alek Tercival will be there as well.”
“Redgorge?” Ajax asked, “Where is this place? What do you know of Alek Tercival?”
“It is a town two days south of Cauldron,” Maavu replied, “Go to the Redhead Miner’s Inn and answer ‘mortar’ to the appropriate question. The rest of your questions will be answered then. For now, I must go before I am threatened any further.” With that, he quaffed another potion, turning misty once again, and drifting away.
Eventually, the entire town guard arrived at the square, and the mob was beaten back. Order was restored before the City Hall, but groups of rioters began moving through the streets of the town, plaguing the city and harrying the soldiers. Finally late that afternoon, the Lord Mayor appeared on the balcony of the City Hall and issued a proclamation that taxes would not be levied for three full months. Criers carried the news throughout the town, and by evening the violence had ended. Heavy patrols of half-orc mercenaries continued to patrol the streets and tensions remained high.
Caine remained in an interrogation room until evening, until the sergeant he had rescued made an appearance. “I am Skylar Krewis,” he said, extending his hand to the sorcerer. “I owe you and your comrades my life.”
“You owe me nothing,” Caine said, “I only ask that you plead to your captain to refrain from retaliation against the townspeople. They were as much victims here as your men.”
“Rest assured,” Krewis said grimly, “I do not hold the people responsible. It is the merchant Maavu that we seek.”
Caine bowed his head, for he knew there was no point in arguing further, “I also ask for clemency for my companions whom your men battled on the roof. I assure you they meant no harm. They merely fought in self defense.”
Krewis waved the notion away, “They will not be charged,” he said, “and you are also free to go. Be assured…I will remember your kindness.”
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Later that evening, the Bright Axes gathered at Keygan’s shop to recount their experiences during the ordeal. It was generally agreed that Maavu did not intentionally start the riot, but he was still irresponsible in his actions. However, the true evil lay with the guard for their wanton slaughter of the protestors. The companions felt that Maavu’s accusations were not without merit, and his invitation warranted serious consideration.
At that moment, bells began clanging and chiming from outside. The party rushed en masse to the door. In the streets, people had all stopped going about their business and were staring south, towards the dock district. Several blocks away, an orange glow lit up the night. Something was on fire…something big.
“It looks like a very short peace,” Ajax said, glancing at Caine.
“Will these people never learn,” Caine sighed, “Come my friends. Let us see what we can do to help.”
They hurried through the streets, the crowds becoming heavier as they neared the source of the blaze. Soon, they came to a small thoroughfare and saw what appeared to be an inn in flames. Rusty recognized the place as Minuta’s Board, a cheap establishment noted for boarding many of the half-orc mercenaries in town. As the band passed through the crowd, they could overhear mutterings and shouts: “Go back to the hell you came from, mongrels!”, “Have a taste of fire, spawn of the Unwinking Eye!”, “Let’s burn away the rot from your human half, freaks!”
The half-orcs in question had started a bucket brigade to douse the flames, which already wreathed the entire building. Several of them were chopping down outlying wooden structures with their axes in an attempt to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes.
In front of the flaming inn, the innkeeper was pulling at his hair, crying and yelling at a particularly large brute, who seemed to be in command of the soldiers. “Your thugs are demolishing my inn! Stop them!” The half-orc ignored the man, turning away to tell his axe men to continue. Just then, the innkeeper grabbed his arm. With a roar, the soldier seized the human, throwing him to the ground and then grabbing him by the throat, placing his foaming mouth barely an inch from the innkeeper’s face: “You tiny idiot! You don’t get it! Flame-demons inside kill us! Fire unstoppable! Blades useless!” He then drew out his scimitar, holding it up to reveal a twisted, melted blade. From within the inn itself came faint cries for help.
Suddenly, a great gout of fire exploded through the doorway of the building, enveloping and incinerating a screaming axe man. Two huge forms emerged from the flames, seeming to be composed entirely of fire themselves. They roared a challenge, and began moving towards the nearest buildings. The crowd gathered before the inn suddenly broke into a panicked mob.
Rusty ignored the behemoths, instead grabbing Tilly by the shoulder and spinning him around, “Come on runt! There’s still folks inside there! We gotta get’em out!” Without another word, the dwarf rushed through the open door and into the raging inferno beyond. Tilly was torn. He didn’t relish either choice, but he knew that he would not be very effective against the flaming giants. Steeling his resolve, he turned and charged after Rusty.
Ajax wasted little time on his own course of action. The elementals were the immediate threat, and if they were not stopped, the entire block would be in flames. As the nearest giant approached, the deva flew at it, meeting its charge head on. His speed had been magically enhanced by Caine as they had neared the inn, and now he put it to good use. With blinding strikes, he delivered three swift blows as the flaming beast, and then three more. The elemental bellowed in pain, but in truth, it hardly seemed phased. It swung one log-sized arm at Ajax’ head, but the clumsy attack was easily avoided. However, its next move almost caught him by surprise. With both arms outstretched, it tried to grab Ajax. He saw the attack for what it was at the last minute, and quickly slashed at each extremity, then backpedalled out of reach as the second creature attempted to grapple him from his flank.
Rusty and Tilly fought their way through the intense heat and blinding smoke. Both of them could feel the metal in their armor becoming uncomfortably hot, and the ash and soot burned their lungs, causing them to periodically have to stop and cough uncontrollably. Still the cries came from further in the building, but they were becoming weaker.
Wathros circled the inferno and the battle below in eagle form. He knew he stood no chance in hand-to-hand combat, so he would have to rely on magic. His first thought was the devastating Flame Strike. Though he suspected the flames would be ineffectual, the spell was partly comprised of pure, holy power. He unleashed it upon one of the creatures, but as he feared, the effects were minimal. The monster did, however, raise its head to try and locate the source of this new assault. In doing so, it caught sight of Caine sneaking quietly towards the shadows of the flaming inn. The elemental pounced, its fists hammering down like sledgehammers. Both of them struck the sorcerer solidly. Caine collapsed as if pole-axed, his robes in flames.
Meanwhile, the second elemental continued its attack on Ajax. It scored a glancing blow, but the deva responded with three. Still, in terms of sheer damage, Ajax was on the losing end. He knew he couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with this beast for long.
Wathros gasped in horror as he saw the effects of what he had done. Caine was dead, or surely dying, and the monster was going to finish the job. Thinking quickly, and pulling a page from Shensen’s repertoire, the druid summoned a sleet storm, encompassing the entire building. The flames were too strong to be doused so easily, but the effect kept them from spreading, and more importantly, it extinguished Caine. The elemental recoiled from the freezing rain, and turned its attention back to Ajax.
Concealed from the elementals by the driving sleet, Jules slipped quietly from his master’s cloak. He gently reached out to brush Caine’s cheek, and a small jolt of electricity passed into the sorcerer. Caine’s eyes opened, blinking in the stinging sleet spray. “I owe you again, my friend,” he whispered to his familiar, and then he uttered a spell to render himself invisible, then another to do the same for Jules.
Ajax continued to duck and dodge the potentially devastating blows of the elemental, but now the other had rejoined the fray, and he was hard pressed. Suddenly, one of them grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to his side in a mighty bear hug. Immediately, the second one stepped forward, and slammed its fist into his chest.
“Jules,” Caine cried, “aid him!” The little archon responded instantly, zipping out of the storm and into the melee. Still invisible, it hovered next to Ajax as the elemental continued to squeeze the trapped deva. Repeating the tactic it had used with Caine, it fired a small jolt into Ajax, imbuing him with at least a temporary stamina boost. Unfortunately for Jules, the hearing of the elementals was especially keen. The one that was not holding Ajax tilted its head as it heard the small zap, and without hesitation, it struck at that spot. Amazingly, it connected, and Jules was hurled back several feet. In a panic, the archon darted back into the storm to Caine’s side. The elemental turned back to Ajax, slamming him twice more.
Wathros was running out of ideas. He had, unfortunately, used up most of spell armamentarium during the riot. All he could think of to do was to call the lightning, and hope the beasts were not immune. He began his chant, and then gestured as a bolt of electricity fell upon the elemental holding Ajax. It struck true, but the creature did not even acknowledge it. Be that as it may, it was all the druid had left.
Ajax could barely breathe. Struggle though he might, he could not break free from the fire elemental’s grip, and its flaming body was scorching him, though his divine form protected him somewhat from the heat. In addition, the second elemental continued to hammer at him. His vision was glowing blurry and his head was swimming. Suddenly, he felt another of the tiny electric jolts go thru him, returning some of his strength, and he knew that Jules had not abandoned him entirely.
Caine watched invisibly from just outside the radius of the storm. He had instructed Jules to aid Ajax as he could, without overly endangering himself. Caine was not willing to sacrifice his companion…even for the life of another friend. He felt helpless, unable to assist the deva. Even his calming aura seemed to have no lasting effect on the brutes. If only he could free Ajax from their grip. Then…that was it! He snapped his fingers in triumph, and then began casting, knowing full well that the elementals would be able to hear him. When he was finished, a fountain of oily liquid appeared over Ajax’ head, washing over him and coating him in a slippery layer of grease. Ajax knew this was his last chance. He twisted and writhed desperately, and finally, he slipped through the monster’s arms, landing at its feet. Immediately, its partner pummeled him again, but he was free. He soared away from the creatures, putting some distance between them and himself. He used the temporary breather to begin healing his grievous wounds.
Inside the inn, Tilly and Rusty finally found the source of the cries. A young boy lay pinned beneath a fallen beam, barely conscious. By now their armor was white hot, and burning their skin continuously. The smoke and soot made it difficult to see, and even more so to breathe. Rusty seized the beam and began to lift, grunting and straining, its flaming surface scorching his face. He was able to lift it a few inches, and then Tilly seized the youth, dragging him free. With a moan, Rusty dropped the timber, then turned and shouldered the limp boy, “Go!” he roared at Tilly, “I’m right behind ye!”
Wathros had perched on the roof of a building across the street from the inn. From there, he continued to hurl his lightning bolts, but now his actions had finally caught the attention of the elementals…attention he was not sure he wanted. One of them lumbered across the road in one stride, then reached out a massive arm to swat at the eagle/druid, bowling him off the roof. Wathros quickly righted himself, then zoomed straight up, safely out of reach.
With no other targets within sight, the two elementals began beating and tearing at the nearby buildings, setting them ablaze as well, and laughing in delight.
With a cry of pain and triumph, Rusty and Tilly burst from the inn, relishing the relatively fresh air, and the cool feel of the sleet falling on them. Tilly quickly darted around the side of the building, out of harm’s way so that he could better assess the situation while using several of his healing elixirs. Rusty, the boy still on his shoulders, was barely on his feet. He took one step, and fell hard onto his face as he slipped on the icy cobbles. At that moment, the storm abruptly ended. Rusty could now see the elementals just across the road, torching whatever they could reach. Just then, a hand touched him, unseen, on the arm. “I’m here,” came Caine’s whisper. “Save…the boy,” Rusty gasped, pushing the youth away from him. Caine was suddenly torn by indecision. He had only one of the protective spheres left in his repertoire. If the elementals suddenly decided to return, they would kill whoever was not within it. “What are ye waitin fer?” Rusty bellowed, “Are ye deaf? Save the boy, damn you!” Caine shook his head in anguish, then conjured the sphere, encasing the unconscious lad within it.
Ajax was feeling better. The worst of his wounds were mended, and Jules had come to him again and offered further healing. The deva felt he could now return to the battle, but for how long, he did not know. He soared straight up into the air, gaining altitude, then suddenly stalled and began a headlong dive, sword outstretched. As he approached, one of the elementals looked up. It swung at him, smashing its flaming fist into his chest, just as his sword went straight thru the top of its head. Ajax tumbled away, landing hard on the ground, but as he struggled to his feet, he saw the elemental collapse into a pile of smoldering ash.
Rusty levered himself onto one elbow, squinting at the melee. “I still got some fight in me,” he muttered to himself, then began a prayer, which ended with a physical wave of holy power, centered on the remaining elemental. The wave washed over the creature, but the only real effect it seemed to have was to focus its attention on Rusty. Ajax saw the creature turn, and darted towards it, slashing at it with blinding speed. Though its howls told of the pain it felt, it still turned its back on the deva, heading for the easier prey on the ground.
“Uh-oh,” Rusty said as the giant loomed over him. Its mighty hand fell full upon him, and he went limp.
Crying out in rage, Ajax charged at the beast, landing blow after blow upon it. It turned towards him, arms flailing, but the deva was just too fast. He dodged most of its blows, while continuing to score with his own.
Jules had returned to Caine’s side, and now, at his master’s command, he went to Rusty, touching the unconscious priest and jolting him awake. “Stay quiet,” Caine instructed, then he placed Rusty under his invisibility spell as well. However, his incantation betrayed him again. The elemental swung about, punching blindly, yet connecting solidly with the sorcerer. Caine felt several ribs crack as he was slammed into the wall of the inn. He fell to the ground, coughing and wheezing, blood frothing from his lips. It was a huge struggle just to draw breath, and he thought it might be easier not to even try anymore, when Jules was there. The archon’s voice sounded in his head, “You’re time is not yet come,” and then he felt the healing touch. “Go!” Caine shouted to Rusty, and then he took his own advice and headed skyward to safety. Jules was not so quick. The elemental struck again, slapping the archon and setting it on fire at the same time. Jules' light began to dim as he sank slowly to the ground.
Caine felt Jules’ cry of pain in his head, and he instantly reversed his course, diving like an arrow towards his friend, heedless of the danger. When he reached the spot where Jules lay, Caine cast one final spell, one which gave temporary life to its target. It would have to do until they could find further healing…or until they died.
Ajax continued his assault upon the elemental, trying desperately to draw its attention away from his friends. Suddenly, a blast of searing light struck the giant, and it reeled. Ajax leaped upon it, driving his sword into its chest where he hoped its heart might be. With a final roar, the beast collapsed. Glancing over towards the smoldering inn, Ajax saw Rusty leaning heavily against the wall, a grin on his burned and bruised face, his hand raised in a thumbs-up.
CHAPTER ONE: The Cauldron Tea Party
Spring had come to Cauldron, but for the general populace of the frontier city, the climate was hardly one of rebirth. A spirit of unrest was rapidly spreading through the townsfolk. Taxes had been raised numerous times over the past months to help the city cope with damage caused by the recent emergencies, and to take precautions against further accidents during an already eventful year. Since the last fiscal decree issued by Lord Mayor Navalant, taxes in Cauldron now exceeded even those in the distant capitol. Protests and tax evasion were spreading. Visible benefits of the high taxes had yet to appear, and many Cauldronites were beginning to grumble that the levies were simply lining the pockets of the nobility. However, if anything, those of the upper classes were even more outraged, for theirs were the taxes collected first, and thus they were the first to suffer from the increases.
As spring arrived, dour tax collectors walked the city streets, invariably accompanied by patrols of heavily armed and ruthless half-orc mercenaries. Rumors circulated of special squads of the town guard that would break into private homes, workshops or stores to search for hidden goods, money, or other valuables. The captain of the guard, Terseon Skellerang, had recently announced special security measures against a sect of dangerous anarchists believed to be plotting to overthrow the city’s government. The Lord Mayor, for his part, had been largely absent from public view of late. His advisor, Lord Orbius Vhalantru, an elven wizard, handled most of his public affairs.
Finally, word spread throughout the city that a huge demonstration in protest of the new tax policies was scheduled to take place around the City Hall. It was to feature the prominent merchant Maavu Arlintal, several of whose warehouses had been damaged recently by the sudden appearance of a rampaging umberhulk. The turnout was expected to be massive…and trouble would be sure to follow.
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“Why doesn’t the church take a stand on this injustice?” Ajax demanded, pacing back and forth in agitation.
“Because no laws have been broken,” Jenya explained calmly, for perhaps the tenth time. She realized how difficult it was for the celestial to comprehend the legislations and bureaucracies of a common mortal city. He was more accustomed to fighting the good fight, standing up for the greater good. Hierarchies were more important in Celestia than politics. “The Lord Mayor is perfectly within his rights to levy taxes, especially when it serves the good of the populace, just as the people are within their rights to protest it. He is a duly elected official, and if the people don’t like it, they can vote him out, but until that time, his word is law, and as long as it is not an unjust or inhumane law, then the Church of Tyr will support it.”
“I will never understand mortals,” Ajax said, throwing up his hands. “I will attend this meeting, and I will show my support for the common folk, who have no power of their own to oppose this tyranny. You cannot forbid it!”
“I would never dream of it,” Jenya said. “You may do as you please, as long as you abide by the law. As a matter of fact, your attendance will actually help me. You see, a paladin of our Order, Alek Tercival, has been away on personal business for some time. I have heard that he will be at the rally. If you see him, could you please ask him to contact me? He has been out of touch for too long.”
Rusty sat in the library of the Cusp of Sunrise, nursing a large flagon of ale, much to the distaste of his fellow members, who were all sipping wine. He had begun frequenting the club of late, trying to obtain information from the upper crust about their views of the recent taxes, and of Maavu. Rusty didn’t trust the man. Though it was true that his buildings had been attacked by the umberhulk, it was equally true that Rusty had found the remnants of a summoning circle inside those same buildings. Something didn’t add up, and he meant to get to the bottom of it. Just then, a familiar voice came from over his shoulder, “Drinking alone? A bad habit to get into.” He turned and peered up at the lovely face of Celeste, his benefactor on the mission to recover Zenith Splintershield. “Suits me,” he grumbled, “Most of these hoity toities don’t know how to hold their liquor anyway.”
“Compared to you, my hearty friend, I’m sure that’s true,” she said, smiling and taking a seat. “It has come to my attention that you have been particularly interested in politics recently.”
“I’ve got my reasons,” he muttered.
“I’m sure, and I don’t mean to pry,” she replied, “but perhaps this interest of yours can serve both of us. I know you are aware of the coming rally, and I was wondering if you planned to attend. You see, I cannot go myself, but I, like my peers, have a stake in the outcome. If you will go on my behalf and observe, then report to me of the gist of things, I would be willing to compensate you. Say…fifty platinum crowns?”
“That’s an awfully big fee just for a play by play,” Rusty snorted, “but you know what they say about fools and their money. I’m yer man.”
“Rally? What rally?” Wathros asked, showing no real interest. He was instead concentrating on preparing his ritual circle to call his new animal companion. The loss of Onesock at the hands of that stone giant still gnawed at him. Damn those useless gnomes anyway! That was the last time he volunteered for a rescue mission. Of course, he had made that same vow numerous times before, yet he continued to find himself entangled in circumstances that didn’t concern him.
“Honestly Wathros,” Shensen scolded, “you spend too much time cooped up in this damp cave. You need to get into town more.”
“Why would I need to do that?” the druid asked absently, “I’m more than happy here in the wilds, without the noise, or stink. Besides, I rely on you to keep me apprised on the doings of the great unwashed.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Shensen said in exasperation. “There is a huge protest happening in a few days. I heard about it from guests at the Lucky Monkey. If word has reached me out in the middle of nowhere, then it must be a big event. Aren’t you even the least bit curious?”
“Not really,” Wathros said.
Shensen sighed, “Well, would you at least do me the honor of accompanying me? I want to see what all the fuss is about. It might affect business.”
Wathros glanced up from his work at the half-drow, favoring her with his most charming smile, “Of course I’ll join you. What shall we wear? Feathers or fur?”
“So what do you think?” Maple asked, almost bouncing with excitement. Tilly shook his head. “I’m not sure. It sounds risky to me.”
“Risky??” Maple shrieked. “You’re telling me about risky? After you traipse about all over creation with those no-good friends of yours? Gone for days at a time? No word, no knowing when you’re coming back?”
Tilly ducked his head. He should have known this was coming. This whole ‘relationship’ thing was more dangerous than a whole city full of erinyes. He was starting to miss the kuo-toans already.
“This will be like shooting fish in a barrel,” the petite halfling woman continued, her excitement returning. “There are going to be hundreds of people at this rally. All crammed and packed together, jostling and crowding each other. No one will even notice us. Their pockets will be a bit lighter at the end of the day, and ours will be a bit heavier. And they’ll have learned a valuable lesson about personal security.”
Tilly sighed heavily. How could he explain it to her? Since he’d met Caine and Ajax, he had been seriously considering the path his life was on. It lacked direction, meaning. The things those two spoke of sounded like just what he was looking for…a purpose. But to live that life, follow that course, would not be easy. It would require great strength of character, and dedication…and it did not include petty theft or pick pocketing. Maple wouldn’t understand. He would just have to lead by example. He would go with her to the protest, but only to keep an eye on her, and keep her out of trouble.
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The day of the protest arrived, and the streets around the City Hall were packed tight with loud citizens rallying against the tax increase. Several guards stood in a ring around the building and used the hafts of their halberds to keep people out. A small group of dignitaries, easily recognizable as tax collectors, made their way to the entrance. The crowd booed and screamed insults at them as they scuttled inside.
Ajax had positioned himself near the speakers’ platform, across the square from the City Hall. He hoped to have a good position to scan the crowd and look for Alek Tercival. He spotted a familiar figure right at the front of the mob, next to the platform. It was Caine, dressed in his usual sackcloth robes, but also wearing a sandwich board sporting the words: POWER TO THE PEOPLE! REPEAL UNFAIR TAXATION! A nimbus of gold light surrounded the sorcerer, a beacon of goodness for all to see. The deva smiled. Why didn’t that surprise him?
Across the square, Rusty stood in the shadows of a building, behind the bulk of the throng. As a dwarf, he was a bit agoraphobic and hated big crowds. He’d been hired to listen to the speaker, and he could do that just fine from where he was.
Atop the City Hall itself, two large eagles perched, gazing down intently on the mass of humanity below. Shensen and Wathros had the best seats in the house.
Finally, two blocks away from the square, near the very edge of the gathering, Tilly and Maple moved about unobtrusively. Maple had her eyes peeled for easy marks, while Tilly watched for the more attentive folk who might spot what she was up to. He had a bad feeling about this.
Suddenly the crowd became more excited, and a roaring cheer went up as a man climbed atop the speakers’ platform. It was Maavu, a man of about fifty years, yet with a strong, energetic voice. He raised his hands for silence, and the crowd hushed. “People of Cauldron!” he called, “We are gathered here today to raise our voices against the draconian edicts of our so-called government! They have ignored our protests for too long, and now they will do so no longer! I have personal knowledge that the Lord Mayor has received a letter of challenge, in which the noble Alek Tercival, a paladin of Tyr, has challenged the captain of the guard, Terseon Skellerang, to prove his valor in a duel according to the Old Law of Peers! This challenge has not been publicized by the City Council, which is itself illegal by the laws of this city, and is proof of the ill will the Lord Mayor’s advisors bear to we citizens!” As he spoke, his fervor-filled words imbued the crowd with mounting rage. Their anger culminated when Maavu pointed out the fact that a group of armed half-orcs was already harassing the town. “Skellerang is feeding a band of filthy half-orc thugs a large share of our bread!” he screamed. Just then, wading into the crowd, a human watch sergeant, escorted by several half-orc guards approached the platform. “In the name of Terseon Skellerang, Captain of the town guard,” he cried, “I place you under arrest!”
Suddenly, from the angered crowd, a youth drew forth a hidden dagger and screamed out, “Let’s kill these brigands!” As his voice was drowned out by the roar of a hundred other people, the lad lunged at the nearest half-orc. In seconds the mob erupted into a full-fledged riot.
In the moments before the carnage began, Ajax sensed the tension reach a crescendo. The crowd immediately around the guard sergeant and his escort surged forward, and in an instant the half-orcs went down under a merciless barrage, leaving the sergeant alone and surrounded. He fumbled hastily in his belt pouch, retrieving a potion flask, but as he brought it to his lips, several makeshift clubs were swung at him, smashing the bottle and opening a gash across his forehead. Ajax concentrated and turned invisible, freeing him to take to the air unnoticed.
Caine looked around him. The crowd in his immediate vicinity was still calm for the moment, thanks to the aura that surrounded him, but he knew it would not last. As they were jostled by the rest of the surging mass of humanity, the effect would be broken, and Maavu would be trapped. Caine stripped off his sandwich board, and climbed atop the platform to stand next to the merchant. “You do not know me,” he said to Maavu, “but I respect what you stand for. However, you are not safe here. I am a sorcerer of some merit. If you will allow me, I can imbue you with the ability of flight so that you may escape.” Maavu looked anxiously out over the roiling crowd, and shook his head, “Thank you friend, but no. I have my own means. Save yourself.” With that, the merchant began an incantation that Caine recognized, sheathing himself in an invisible magical cocoon that was as strong as chainmail.
Rusty shook his head in disgust. He knew something like this was going to happen. Stupid humans. If you got more than ten of them together in one place, there was bound to be a fight. He uttered a brief word of command, activating the magical boots he wore, and then began scaling the wall of the building nearby like a great spider. As he climbed above the level of the crowd, he saw the embattled sergeant struggling to defend himself against his attackers. Not that Rusty supported the town guard, but fair was fair, and the man was hopelessly outnumbered. Uttering a prayer, he directed a wave of calm to surround the man. Instantly, his assailants lowered their weapons, blinking in confusion.
From his elevated position on the platform, Caine saw the effects of Rusty’s charm, and knew that he had to act fast. Having already enabled flight upon himself, he soared out over the crowd, hovering several feet above the guardsman’s head. “Trust me if you want to live,” he shouted to the man, and then he conjured a resilient, glowing sphere of force around the sergeant, protecting him from any further attack. The soldier stared suspiciously at the flying beggar, but grudgingly nodded his thanks as he began tending to his wounds.
Wathros and Shensen watched the growing melee with deep sadness. People were smashing windows and doors of buildings at random, and surging against the handful of guards surrounding the City Hall. It was carnage. Wathros knew he could do nothing to help disperse the crowd, but perhaps he could protect the building and those within. He summoned an immense wall of roaring wind, causing it to spring up directly in front of the City Hall, holding the rioters nearest it at bay, and just in time to. Just below his perch, several archers had appeared in the upper windows of the Hall, and had loosed arrows towards the crowd, but the wind wall caught the missiles, whipping them harmlessly into the air. Shensen had other ideas. She thought she knew of just the thing to dampen the mobs’ rage. Looking towards the sky, she summoned up a blinding, localized storm of ice and sleet, filling the square directly in front of the City Hall with it. Within, the rioters found themselves unable to keep their feet on the suddenly slippery ground, and could not see more than two feet in front of them.
Ajax moved above the mob, looking for opportunities to offer assistance. Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the speakers’ dais, which was outside the effect of the sleet storm. A creature had appeared out of nowhere directly above Maavu, or rather, disappeared, for the thing was invisible. He was only able to see it thanks to his divine ability to detect such things. It seemed to be man-like, but made of some sort of vapor, which tapered off below its torso where its legs should be. It flew at Maavu, slashing at him from behind with what appeared to be a scythe made of pure wind. The merchant cried out in pain, his eyes growing wide in fear as the creature materialized before him.
Before Ajax could act, a column of fire erupted atop the platform, engulfing the translucent creature, but not Maavu. Ajax recognized the spell as one from Wathros’ repertoire, and knew the druid must be near. When the flames cleared, the creature recoiled, howling in pain and anger. The dais itself was still in flames, trapping Maavu in the center. His attacker was not so restricted. It circled around him menacingly, but then it recoiled again as a glowing, transparent sphere enveloped Maavu. Caine had saved the day once again.
Rusty had reached the rooftop of the building. Directly across the alley was City Hall. The priest had an idea. Maybe if he could find the Lord Mayor, he could make him see reason and put an end to this madness. After all, he was a local hero, a member of the noble Bright Axes. Surely the Mayor would listen to him. Rusty took a running start, and ran for the edge of the roof, intending to leap the short distance to one of the second-floor windows of the Hall. However, he mistimed his jump, and caught his boot on the edge of the roof. He found himself facedown in the alley, humiliated and covered with sludge.
Ajax closed the distance to the dais, calling forth his protective aura as he went, enveloping himself in a glowing blue field. The air-creature did not see him coming. Its attention was focused on Caine, and it was preparing to charge at the sorcerer. As it moved, however, Ajax struck. His sword seemed to pass thru the fiend, but he felt resistance, and the elemental cried out in what sounded like a roaring wind. It immediately turned on the deva, sweeping past him in a fly-by attack with its scythe, but failing to connect as Ajax deftly parried the blow. Before the creature could recover and come about for another run, it found itself trapped. A third resilient sphere had materialized, this one imprisoning the elemental. It raged and hammered at the walls of its prison, but there was no escape. “See if you can help any others,” Caine said, nodding at Ajax, “I’ll see to Maavu.”
Shensen had been forced to return to her true form in order to conjure the sleet storm, and so it was when the rooftop door opened, that she found herself facing down four half-orc guardsmen, bows drawn and aimed at her heart. They opened fire, but their prey was no easy target, for the druid had not always been a druid. She had spent her early years in a monastery, training in the martial arts with the fighting monks there. She twisted and turned her body in impossible angles, dodging the missiles, or batting them away at the last second. As the archers reloaded, she quickly shape-shifted back into an eagle and took to the sky.
Caine hovered above Maavu, and called down to the merchant, “Prepare yourself, for I will remove the sphere. Make your escape while you may.” Maavu nodded, and reached into a pouch at his belt, retrieving a flask and imbibing from it. Instantly his body was transformed into a hazy, gaseous state. When Caine dismissed the sphere, Maavu drifted into the air, and vanished into the surrounding streets.
Huffing and gasping, Rusty finally pulled himself over the lip of the City Hall roof after having made the arduous, three story climb. His relief vanished as he saw the four half-orcs glaring at him, turning their bows toward him. He bounded to his feet and dove towards the open roof door, arrows ricocheting off the wall behind him. He tumbled down a short flight of stairs and found himself in a small chamber…facing four more guards with halberds at the ready.
Ajax had gained altitude in order to take in the whole scene and to get above the sleet storm. That is when he saw Rusty’s plight atop the Hall. Knowing the current mindset of the guards, and realizing that they would not hesitate to kill the dwarf, he sped towards the rooftop. He landed behind the guards, and as they turned towards him, he slashed at the nearest one, shattering his bow in his hands. The half-orc gasped in surprise, but then growled in anger as he retrieved his halberd from his back. His fellows did the same, dropping their bows to the roof. They began closing in on the deva.
“Now, now fellers,” Rusty said, backing away and raising his hands in placation, “I ain’t here to cause no trouble.” He saw that the guards weren’t interested in explanations, so he began to pray, but not for mercy. He again summoned an aura of calm, centering on him to wash over his opponents. All four immediately lowered their weapons, but still glared at him with suspicion. “Now, like I was sayin’” he continued, “I’m here to see the Lord Mayor. He’s in danger. There’s monsters loose out there, and that crowd’s downright nasty. If ye just let me talk to’im, I’m sure I can get him to listen to reason.” The guards shook their heads, and the lead one replied, “The Lord Mayor is perfectly safe, and in no danger from that rabble…nor from you. Now, drop your weapons, and put your hands up. You’re under arrest.” Rusty started backing away again, but one of the guards circled behind him, blocking his retreat, while a second one moved to block the only other door from the room.
Back on the rooftop, Ajax took the offensive. As the first guard lunged at him, the deva slashed through the haft of his halberd. The enraged half-orc dropped the useless weapon, and rushed forward, trying to grapple with the bald warrior. Ajax sidestepped, putting himself outside the closing circle. With two quick blows to either side, he smashed two more of the guardsmen’s bows that had been dropped. Unfortunately, while his attention was momentarily diverted, a second guard managed to slip the head of his pole arm between the deva’s feet, and which a quick twist, sent him sprawling onto his back. The unarmed guard lunged again, hoping to pin his opponent to the ground, but Ajax brought his sword up defensively, slamming the flat of it into the brute’s head. In the blink of an eye, he again rendered himself invisible, then stood while the half-orcs scratched their heads in bewilderment.
Back in the square, the sleet storm finally ended, revealing a mass of moaning and bleeding humanity lying sprawled about the cobblestones. In their confusion and blindness, the crowd had trampled and beaten at each other, and the aftermath was devastating. Caine flew above the main body of the mob, and shouted over the tumult, “Citizens of Cauldron, hear me! I am Caine, of the Bright Axes and I have served our city in the past! This madness must cease! You only harm yourselves here! Your words will do far more to convince the government of their errors than this senseless violence!” As he continued to speak, he saw a sudden flurry of activity at the western side of the square, and his face grew pale at the sight, “No,” he whispered. A company of some eighty soldiers had arrived from the main garrison, and they had apparently decided that the time for diplomacy had passed. They waded into the crowd, weapons flashing lethally, hewing down citizens right and left. The stunned mob momentarily gave way, but then renewed anger replaced their fear. The grabbed bricks, bottles, sticks, whatever they could find, and began fighting back. The riot was on again, but this time it was far more brutal.
Rusty was running out of options. He began another prayer, this one designed to enthrall any listeners and force them to heed his commands, but as he completed the incantation, he saw that only one of the four seemed hypnotized. On the contrary, the other three were not only unaffected, but they were also out from under the influence of his calming spell. They rushed him, one of them slashing him savagely across the brow. Rusty stumbled up the stairs, but was struck again from behind as he made the roof.
Ajax saw Rusty emerge back onto the rooftop, closely pursued by more guardsmen. This was going from bad to worse. The guards he had been engaging now had a new opponent to focus on. All eight of them began moving towards the dwarf, backing him to the edge of the roof. Suddenly, a wave of peace and calm flowed over Ajax, and he knew that Caine had arrived. The guards were affected as well, and they all lowered their weapons to regard the sorcerer. Rusty didn’t waste the moment, and he dropped over the edge of the roof, scrambling down the wall to safety.
Caine held out his hands to show he was unarmed, “I ask to be taken into custody so that I may speak to your guard captain. I assure you I will come along peacefully.” Ajax watched in silence from his unseen vantage as Caine’s hands were bound behind his back, and he was led away.
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Chaos reigned before the City Hall over the next hour, with a pitched battle being fought between the rioters and the town guard. At one point during the battle, the protective sphere surrounding the watch sergeant dissipated, but Wathros had positioned himself directly above the man at Caine’s instructions. The druid quickly conferred the ability to walk on air on himself then grabbed the soldier by the hand and lifted him to safety. He ferried the sergeant to the City Hall rooftop and deposited him there. “My thanks,” he said, bowing then descended the stairs.
The sphere surrounding the elemental also vanished, but by that time the creature had vanished. Ajax suspected the creature had been summoned, and its time on this plane had come to an end. As the deva watched the battle helplessly, he heard a voice behind him, “This was my doing.” He turned quickly and saw Maavu standing on the roof a few feet away. “I never meant for this to happen,” the merchant continued, passing a hand over his eyes, “I only wanted the Lord Mayor and the Council to listen, and to motivate the people to open their eyes and see the truth.”
“What truth is that?” Ajax asked coldly, for in point of fact, he also thought the riot to be largely Maavu’s responsibility.
“I believe that there is evil at work within Cauldron’s government, and there are others of like mind.”
“What others?” asked Ajax.
“If you are truly interested in exposing the corruption here, then I invite you and your friends to a meeting to take place in one week’s time in Redgorge. There are allies of mine there that would like to speak with you. I suspect Alek Tercival will be there as well.”
“Redgorge?” Ajax asked, “Where is this place? What do you know of Alek Tercival?”
“It is a town two days south of Cauldron,” Maavu replied, “Go to the Redhead Miner’s Inn and answer ‘mortar’ to the appropriate question. The rest of your questions will be answered then. For now, I must go before I am threatened any further.” With that, he quaffed another potion, turning misty once again, and drifting away.
Eventually, the entire town guard arrived at the square, and the mob was beaten back. Order was restored before the City Hall, but groups of rioters began moving through the streets of the town, plaguing the city and harrying the soldiers. Finally late that afternoon, the Lord Mayor appeared on the balcony of the City Hall and issued a proclamation that taxes would not be levied for three full months. Criers carried the news throughout the town, and by evening the violence had ended. Heavy patrols of half-orc mercenaries continued to patrol the streets and tensions remained high.
Caine remained in an interrogation room until evening, until the sergeant he had rescued made an appearance. “I am Skylar Krewis,” he said, extending his hand to the sorcerer. “I owe you and your comrades my life.”
“You owe me nothing,” Caine said, “I only ask that you plead to your captain to refrain from retaliation against the townspeople. They were as much victims here as your men.”
“Rest assured,” Krewis said grimly, “I do not hold the people responsible. It is the merchant Maavu that we seek.”
Caine bowed his head, for he knew there was no point in arguing further, “I also ask for clemency for my companions whom your men battled on the roof. I assure you they meant no harm. They merely fought in self defense.”
Krewis waved the notion away, “They will not be charged,” he said, “and you are also free to go. Be assured…I will remember your kindness.”
__________________________________________________________
Later that evening, the Bright Axes gathered at Keygan’s shop to recount their experiences during the ordeal. It was generally agreed that Maavu did not intentionally start the riot, but he was still irresponsible in his actions. However, the true evil lay with the guard for their wanton slaughter of the protestors. The companions felt that Maavu’s accusations were not without merit, and his invitation warranted serious consideration.
At that moment, bells began clanging and chiming from outside. The party rushed en masse to the door. In the streets, people had all stopped going about their business and were staring south, towards the dock district. Several blocks away, an orange glow lit up the night. Something was on fire…something big.
“It looks like a very short peace,” Ajax said, glancing at Caine.
“Will these people never learn,” Caine sighed, “Come my friends. Let us see what we can do to help.”
They hurried through the streets, the crowds becoming heavier as they neared the source of the blaze. Soon, they came to a small thoroughfare and saw what appeared to be an inn in flames. Rusty recognized the place as Minuta’s Board, a cheap establishment noted for boarding many of the half-orc mercenaries in town. As the band passed through the crowd, they could overhear mutterings and shouts: “Go back to the hell you came from, mongrels!”, “Have a taste of fire, spawn of the Unwinking Eye!”, “Let’s burn away the rot from your human half, freaks!”
The half-orcs in question had started a bucket brigade to douse the flames, which already wreathed the entire building. Several of them were chopping down outlying wooden structures with their axes in an attempt to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes.
In front of the flaming inn, the innkeeper was pulling at his hair, crying and yelling at a particularly large brute, who seemed to be in command of the soldiers. “Your thugs are demolishing my inn! Stop them!” The half-orc ignored the man, turning away to tell his axe men to continue. Just then, the innkeeper grabbed his arm. With a roar, the soldier seized the human, throwing him to the ground and then grabbing him by the throat, placing his foaming mouth barely an inch from the innkeeper’s face: “You tiny idiot! You don’t get it! Flame-demons inside kill us! Fire unstoppable! Blades useless!” He then drew out his scimitar, holding it up to reveal a twisted, melted blade. From within the inn itself came faint cries for help.
Suddenly, a great gout of fire exploded through the doorway of the building, enveloping and incinerating a screaming axe man. Two huge forms emerged from the flames, seeming to be composed entirely of fire themselves. They roared a challenge, and began moving towards the nearest buildings. The crowd gathered before the inn suddenly broke into a panicked mob.
Rusty ignored the behemoths, instead grabbing Tilly by the shoulder and spinning him around, “Come on runt! There’s still folks inside there! We gotta get’em out!” Without another word, the dwarf rushed through the open door and into the raging inferno beyond. Tilly was torn. He didn’t relish either choice, but he knew that he would not be very effective against the flaming giants. Steeling his resolve, he turned and charged after Rusty.
Ajax wasted little time on his own course of action. The elementals were the immediate threat, and if they were not stopped, the entire block would be in flames. As the nearest giant approached, the deva flew at it, meeting its charge head on. His speed had been magically enhanced by Caine as they had neared the inn, and now he put it to good use. With blinding strikes, he delivered three swift blows as the flaming beast, and then three more. The elemental bellowed in pain, but in truth, it hardly seemed phased. It swung one log-sized arm at Ajax’ head, but the clumsy attack was easily avoided. However, its next move almost caught him by surprise. With both arms outstretched, it tried to grab Ajax. He saw the attack for what it was at the last minute, and quickly slashed at each extremity, then backpedalled out of reach as the second creature attempted to grapple him from his flank.
Rusty and Tilly fought their way through the intense heat and blinding smoke. Both of them could feel the metal in their armor becoming uncomfortably hot, and the ash and soot burned their lungs, causing them to periodically have to stop and cough uncontrollably. Still the cries came from further in the building, but they were becoming weaker.
Wathros circled the inferno and the battle below in eagle form. He knew he stood no chance in hand-to-hand combat, so he would have to rely on magic. His first thought was the devastating Flame Strike. Though he suspected the flames would be ineffectual, the spell was partly comprised of pure, holy power. He unleashed it upon one of the creatures, but as he feared, the effects were minimal. The monster did, however, raise its head to try and locate the source of this new assault. In doing so, it caught sight of Caine sneaking quietly towards the shadows of the flaming inn. The elemental pounced, its fists hammering down like sledgehammers. Both of them struck the sorcerer solidly. Caine collapsed as if pole-axed, his robes in flames.
Meanwhile, the second elemental continued its attack on Ajax. It scored a glancing blow, but the deva responded with three. Still, in terms of sheer damage, Ajax was on the losing end. He knew he couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with this beast for long.
Wathros gasped in horror as he saw the effects of what he had done. Caine was dead, or surely dying, and the monster was going to finish the job. Thinking quickly, and pulling a page from Shensen’s repertoire, the druid summoned a sleet storm, encompassing the entire building. The flames were too strong to be doused so easily, but the effect kept them from spreading, and more importantly, it extinguished Caine. The elemental recoiled from the freezing rain, and turned its attention back to Ajax.
Concealed from the elementals by the driving sleet, Jules slipped quietly from his master’s cloak. He gently reached out to brush Caine’s cheek, and a small jolt of electricity passed into the sorcerer. Caine’s eyes opened, blinking in the stinging sleet spray. “I owe you again, my friend,” he whispered to his familiar, and then he uttered a spell to render himself invisible, then another to do the same for Jules.
Ajax continued to duck and dodge the potentially devastating blows of the elemental, but now the other had rejoined the fray, and he was hard pressed. Suddenly, one of them grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to his side in a mighty bear hug. Immediately, the second one stepped forward, and slammed its fist into his chest.
“Jules,” Caine cried, “aid him!” The little archon responded instantly, zipping out of the storm and into the melee. Still invisible, it hovered next to Ajax as the elemental continued to squeeze the trapped deva. Repeating the tactic it had used with Caine, it fired a small jolt into Ajax, imbuing him with at least a temporary stamina boost. Unfortunately for Jules, the hearing of the elementals was especially keen. The one that was not holding Ajax tilted its head as it heard the small zap, and without hesitation, it struck at that spot. Amazingly, it connected, and Jules was hurled back several feet. In a panic, the archon darted back into the storm to Caine’s side. The elemental turned back to Ajax, slamming him twice more.
Wathros was running out of ideas. He had, unfortunately, used up most of spell armamentarium during the riot. All he could think of to do was to call the lightning, and hope the beasts were not immune. He began his chant, and then gestured as a bolt of electricity fell upon the elemental holding Ajax. It struck true, but the creature did not even acknowledge it. Be that as it may, it was all the druid had left.
Ajax could barely breathe. Struggle though he might, he could not break free from the fire elemental’s grip, and its flaming body was scorching him, though his divine form protected him somewhat from the heat. In addition, the second elemental continued to hammer at him. His vision was glowing blurry and his head was swimming. Suddenly, he felt another of the tiny electric jolts go thru him, returning some of his strength, and he knew that Jules had not abandoned him entirely.
Caine watched invisibly from just outside the radius of the storm. He had instructed Jules to aid Ajax as he could, without overly endangering himself. Caine was not willing to sacrifice his companion…even for the life of another friend. He felt helpless, unable to assist the deva. Even his calming aura seemed to have no lasting effect on the brutes. If only he could free Ajax from their grip. Then…that was it! He snapped his fingers in triumph, and then began casting, knowing full well that the elementals would be able to hear him. When he was finished, a fountain of oily liquid appeared over Ajax’ head, washing over him and coating him in a slippery layer of grease. Ajax knew this was his last chance. He twisted and writhed desperately, and finally, he slipped through the monster’s arms, landing at its feet. Immediately, its partner pummeled him again, but he was free. He soared away from the creatures, putting some distance between them and himself. He used the temporary breather to begin healing his grievous wounds.
Inside the inn, Tilly and Rusty finally found the source of the cries. A young boy lay pinned beneath a fallen beam, barely conscious. By now their armor was white hot, and burning their skin continuously. The smoke and soot made it difficult to see, and even more so to breathe. Rusty seized the beam and began to lift, grunting and straining, its flaming surface scorching his face. He was able to lift it a few inches, and then Tilly seized the youth, dragging him free. With a moan, Rusty dropped the timber, then turned and shouldered the limp boy, “Go!” he roared at Tilly, “I’m right behind ye!”
Wathros had perched on the roof of a building across the street from the inn. From there, he continued to hurl his lightning bolts, but now his actions had finally caught the attention of the elementals…attention he was not sure he wanted. One of them lumbered across the road in one stride, then reached out a massive arm to swat at the eagle/druid, bowling him off the roof. Wathros quickly righted himself, then zoomed straight up, safely out of reach.
With no other targets within sight, the two elementals began beating and tearing at the nearby buildings, setting them ablaze as well, and laughing in delight.
With a cry of pain and triumph, Rusty and Tilly burst from the inn, relishing the relatively fresh air, and the cool feel of the sleet falling on them. Tilly quickly darted around the side of the building, out of harm’s way so that he could better assess the situation while using several of his healing elixirs. Rusty, the boy still on his shoulders, was barely on his feet. He took one step, and fell hard onto his face as he slipped on the icy cobbles. At that moment, the storm abruptly ended. Rusty could now see the elementals just across the road, torching whatever they could reach. Just then, a hand touched him, unseen, on the arm. “I’m here,” came Caine’s whisper. “Save…the boy,” Rusty gasped, pushing the youth away from him. Caine was suddenly torn by indecision. He had only one of the protective spheres left in his repertoire. If the elementals suddenly decided to return, they would kill whoever was not within it. “What are ye waitin fer?” Rusty bellowed, “Are ye deaf? Save the boy, damn you!” Caine shook his head in anguish, then conjured the sphere, encasing the unconscious lad within it.
Ajax was feeling better. The worst of his wounds were mended, and Jules had come to him again and offered further healing. The deva felt he could now return to the battle, but for how long, he did not know. He soared straight up into the air, gaining altitude, then suddenly stalled and began a headlong dive, sword outstretched. As he approached, one of the elementals looked up. It swung at him, smashing its flaming fist into his chest, just as his sword went straight thru the top of its head. Ajax tumbled away, landing hard on the ground, but as he struggled to his feet, he saw the elemental collapse into a pile of smoldering ash.
Rusty levered himself onto one elbow, squinting at the melee. “I still got some fight in me,” he muttered to himself, then began a prayer, which ended with a physical wave of holy power, centered on the remaining elemental. The wave washed over the creature, but the only real effect it seemed to have was to focus its attention on Rusty. Ajax saw the creature turn, and darted towards it, slashing at it with blinding speed. Though its howls told of the pain it felt, it still turned its back on the deva, heading for the easier prey on the ground.
“Uh-oh,” Rusty said as the giant loomed over him. Its mighty hand fell full upon him, and he went limp.
Crying out in rage, Ajax charged at the beast, landing blow after blow upon it. It turned towards him, arms flailing, but the deva was just too fast. He dodged most of its blows, while continuing to score with his own.
Jules had returned to Caine’s side, and now, at his master’s command, he went to Rusty, touching the unconscious priest and jolting him awake. “Stay quiet,” Caine instructed, then he placed Rusty under his invisibility spell as well. However, his incantation betrayed him again. The elemental swung about, punching blindly, yet connecting solidly with the sorcerer. Caine felt several ribs crack as he was slammed into the wall of the inn. He fell to the ground, coughing and wheezing, blood frothing from his lips. It was a huge struggle just to draw breath, and he thought it might be easier not to even try anymore, when Jules was there. The archon’s voice sounded in his head, “You’re time is not yet come,” and then he felt the healing touch. “Go!” Caine shouted to Rusty, and then he took his own advice and headed skyward to safety. Jules was not so quick. The elemental struck again, slapping the archon and setting it on fire at the same time. Jules' light began to dim as he sank slowly to the ground.
Caine felt Jules’ cry of pain in his head, and he instantly reversed his course, diving like an arrow towards his friend, heedless of the danger. When he reached the spot where Jules lay, Caine cast one final spell, one which gave temporary life to its target. It would have to do until they could find further healing…or until they died.
Ajax continued his assault upon the elemental, trying desperately to draw its attention away from his friends. Suddenly, a blast of searing light struck the giant, and it reeled. Ajax leaped upon it, driving his sword into its chest where he hoped its heart might be. With a final roar, the beast collapsed. Glancing over towards the smoldering inn, Ajax saw Rusty leaning heavily against the wall, a grin on his burned and bruised face, his hand raised in a thumbs-up.
Nightingale 7
First Post
Ouch again!Those elementals were pretty tough by the look of things,and on top of that you must have had incredible die rolls for spot and listen checks Jollydock.Invisibility didn't seem to be a factor at all!
Nightingale 7
First Post
Interesting,but even then,there is the 50% chance of missing you,even though they pinpointed the square you were in.Seems like the coin was against you that time Gfunk.Also,do you play using battlegrid and miniatures,or freeform battles(I move behind him etc)?
True, they still suffered the 50% miss but they got 2 attacks/rnd so there was only a 1 in 4 chance that both slams would miss.
Yes, we use a battlegrid with minis. A lot of our players and JollyDoc have ammased quite the mini collection. Though most of the PC minis are hand-painted by Joachim himself.
Yes, we use a battlegrid with minis. A lot of our players and JollyDoc have ammased quite the mini collection. Though most of the PC minis are hand-painted by Joachim himself.
Lela
First Post
Wow, you guys weren't kidding. Those elementials were a horrid fight. In this case I'd say that Joachim had the right idea here. Keep the AC high, even at the cost of damage dealing capability. When they can take 5 or 6 full attacks from you and deal out as much as they take, you're in trouble.
This also breings to mind the differnece a damage dealing arcanist can do. They are just so important.
Regardless, Jules really came into his own this time around. I'm glad the little guy's still active (I think).
This also breings to mind the differnece a damage dealing arcanist can do. They are just so important.
Regardless, Jules really came into his own this time around. I'm glad the little guy's still active (I think).
I always wondered what the somatic componant for a Searing Light was. Thanks Rusty!
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