Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Tower Cleaver rules all. 
JollyDoc's Savage Tide-Updated 10/8!
JollyDoc
Explorer
SERPENTS OF SCUTTLECOVE
The two week voyage to the Nelanther islands was tediously monotonous. To be sure, there was the occasional sea monster or rogue pirate ship to contend with, but these proved only minor nuisances to the puissant skills of the Legionnaires. Even the weather remained relatively calm. Tower Cleaver and Octurus were the most ill-at-ease. The minotaur had spent his entire life on land, and though he could handle the occasional coastal jaunt, the long days of endless sea made him decidedly agoraphobic. He took to secluding himself in the Sea Wyvern’s hold, where he built a miniature labyrinth out of cargo crates and would pace through it obsessively. Octurus was not afraid of the water per se, but he had never been away from his home island before, and he could not help but feel that he would never see it again. The Maztican spent much of his time alone, either inking new, more exotic tattoos onto his already heavily painted skin, or practicing his sword skills on the foc’s’le. The crew gave him a wide berth, all save Urol, who pestered him with endless questions until the demon hunter’s stoic silence wore down even the loquacious gnome’s persistence.
Mandi busied herself with constantly keeping up the magical wards she cast around the ship. These allowed her to sense other vessels within miles before they ever came in view, and would allow her to once more cocoon the Sea Wyvern in a bubble of air and submerge it if any true threat arrived. Marius aided her, and in their down time, the two Seekers pooled their knowledge of Scuttlecove. They knew that the city had been established on Ioma, the largest island in Nelanther, by three ur-priests who called themselves the Holy Triad. These blasphemers were renegades from the Ebon Triad, who had sought out the desolate island to pursue their vile rituals in peace. They knew, however, that they would need a society to support their research and decadence, and it didn’t take long for their outpost to blossom into a fat and turgid city. After all, even pirates needed a place to rest, relax and spend their loot. Then, just a few years past, the Holy Triad mysteriously vanished from their palace during a tremendous storm of green worms that reportedly left hundreds dead. Since then, the city had become, if possible, even more lawless and dangerous. The Legion would have to tread lightly once they reached port. Even they could not take on an entire city.
Only Daelric seemed truly at ease during the trek. As an adherent of Shaundekal, being on a journey, any journey, only fed his wanderlust. His enthusiasm was contagious among the crew, and they saw him as something of a lucky mascot, crediting his presence with the relative ease of their voyage. They even managed to ignore the strange rash of petty theft that had been taking place onboard since they’d left Farshore…
As for Sepoto, the goliath brooded. His sleep had not been sound since they set sail, plagued by vague dreams that he could not recall the following day. This culminated one evening, when they were still several days from Nelanther, with a dream so vivid, it could only be called a vision. In it, the crusader found himself back at Kraken’s Cove with his old companions. Once more they hewed their way through the hordes of savage creatures until at last they came upon the embattled pirate captain, Harliss Javell. This time, however, the swashbuckler was not besieged. Instead, she greeted Sepoto with a smile…and a proposition…
“’Tis me, lad,” the lady pirate said. “Though ye be dreamin’, ‘tis my voice yer hearin’. I’m in Scuttlecove, come to claim some payback from th’Kraken Society for what they put me through. Turns out, we got us a mutual acquaintance who’s payin’ a visit as well. That low-life, lint-lickin’…” The string of expletives was enough to make the goliath blush, even in his sleep. “…mother-scratchin’ Vanthus Vanderboren! Saw him meself, I did, though I have t’admit the boyo’s looked better. Looks like somethin’ dredged up from Davy Jone’s Locker, which is t’say I don’t think he’s entirely among th’livin’ anymore. Had that uppity sister o’his with’im, though I don’t reckon she came along of her own free will, if ye catch my meanin’. I figured ye’d want t’know, seein’ as how he caused you and your lot a bit’o trouble as well. I’ve hooked up with a local group called th’Protectorate. They’ve promised t’help if ye be wantin’ t’rescue your boss-lady, an’ I’ll help as well, as long as I’m able t’lay low the so-called Kraken Society in the bargain. If ye’re shipbound, I suggest ye anchor in one o’the coves around Ioma and take shank’s mare th’rest o’ th’way. If ye want me help, meet me at Red Foam Whalin’.”
The dream faded as quickly as it came and Sepoto awoke with a start. Quickly, he hurried on-deck to tell Mandi and the others what he’d seen.
“A Dream spell,” the sorceress said thoughtfully. “Powerful magic for a pirate. Seems your old acquaintance has found herself strong allies. Though we could use all the help we can get, I’m not entirely sure that I trust the word of a pirate, especially one that tried to have Lavinia killed.”
“I understand your concern,” Marius replied, “but in this case, I think I tend to believe Captain Javell. I can assure you she has no love for Vanthus, and as the saying goes, ‘the enemy of my enemy.’”
“That remains to be seen,” Mandi said, “but it seems we have few options at this point. Very well then. When we reach Ioma, we’ll scout out a safe place to leave the ship and then make for Scuttlecove by land. Then we shall see what we shall see…”
The two week voyage to the Nelanther islands was tediously monotonous. To be sure, there was the occasional sea monster or rogue pirate ship to contend with, but these proved only minor nuisances to the puissant skills of the Legionnaires. Even the weather remained relatively calm. Tower Cleaver and Octurus were the most ill-at-ease. The minotaur had spent his entire life on land, and though he could handle the occasional coastal jaunt, the long days of endless sea made him decidedly agoraphobic. He took to secluding himself in the Sea Wyvern’s hold, where he built a miniature labyrinth out of cargo crates and would pace through it obsessively. Octurus was not afraid of the water per se, but he had never been away from his home island before, and he could not help but feel that he would never see it again. The Maztican spent much of his time alone, either inking new, more exotic tattoos onto his already heavily painted skin, or practicing his sword skills on the foc’s’le. The crew gave him a wide berth, all save Urol, who pestered him with endless questions until the demon hunter’s stoic silence wore down even the loquacious gnome’s persistence.
Mandi busied herself with constantly keeping up the magical wards she cast around the ship. These allowed her to sense other vessels within miles before they ever came in view, and would allow her to once more cocoon the Sea Wyvern in a bubble of air and submerge it if any true threat arrived. Marius aided her, and in their down time, the two Seekers pooled their knowledge of Scuttlecove. They knew that the city had been established on Ioma, the largest island in Nelanther, by three ur-priests who called themselves the Holy Triad. These blasphemers were renegades from the Ebon Triad, who had sought out the desolate island to pursue their vile rituals in peace. They knew, however, that they would need a society to support their research and decadence, and it didn’t take long for their outpost to blossom into a fat and turgid city. After all, even pirates needed a place to rest, relax and spend their loot. Then, just a few years past, the Holy Triad mysteriously vanished from their palace during a tremendous storm of green worms that reportedly left hundreds dead. Since then, the city had become, if possible, even more lawless and dangerous. The Legion would have to tread lightly once they reached port. Even they could not take on an entire city.
Only Daelric seemed truly at ease during the trek. As an adherent of Shaundekal, being on a journey, any journey, only fed his wanderlust. His enthusiasm was contagious among the crew, and they saw him as something of a lucky mascot, crediting his presence with the relative ease of their voyage. They even managed to ignore the strange rash of petty theft that had been taking place onboard since they’d left Farshore…
As for Sepoto, the goliath brooded. His sleep had not been sound since they set sail, plagued by vague dreams that he could not recall the following day. This culminated one evening, when they were still several days from Nelanther, with a dream so vivid, it could only be called a vision. In it, the crusader found himself back at Kraken’s Cove with his old companions. Once more they hewed their way through the hordes of savage creatures until at last they came upon the embattled pirate captain, Harliss Javell. This time, however, the swashbuckler was not besieged. Instead, she greeted Sepoto with a smile…and a proposition…
“’Tis me, lad,” the lady pirate said. “Though ye be dreamin’, ‘tis my voice yer hearin’. I’m in Scuttlecove, come to claim some payback from th’Kraken Society for what they put me through. Turns out, we got us a mutual acquaintance who’s payin’ a visit as well. That low-life, lint-lickin’…” The string of expletives was enough to make the goliath blush, even in his sleep. “…mother-scratchin’ Vanthus Vanderboren! Saw him meself, I did, though I have t’admit the boyo’s looked better. Looks like somethin’ dredged up from Davy Jone’s Locker, which is t’say I don’t think he’s entirely among th’livin’ anymore. Had that uppity sister o’his with’im, though I don’t reckon she came along of her own free will, if ye catch my meanin’. I figured ye’d want t’know, seein’ as how he caused you and your lot a bit’o trouble as well. I’ve hooked up with a local group called th’Protectorate. They’ve promised t’help if ye be wantin’ t’rescue your boss-lady, an’ I’ll help as well, as long as I’m able t’lay low the so-called Kraken Society in the bargain. If ye’re shipbound, I suggest ye anchor in one o’the coves around Ioma and take shank’s mare th’rest o’ th’way. If ye want me help, meet me at Red Foam Whalin’.”
The dream faded as quickly as it came and Sepoto awoke with a start. Quickly, he hurried on-deck to tell Mandi and the others what he’d seen.
“A Dream spell,” the sorceress said thoughtfully. “Powerful magic for a pirate. Seems your old acquaintance has found herself strong allies. Though we could use all the help we can get, I’m not entirely sure that I trust the word of a pirate, especially one that tried to have Lavinia killed.”
“I understand your concern,” Marius replied, “but in this case, I think I tend to believe Captain Javell. I can assure you she has no love for Vanthus, and as the saying goes, ‘the enemy of my enemy.’”
“That remains to be seen,” Mandi said, “but it seems we have few options at this point. Very well then. When we reach Ioma, we’ll scout out a safe place to leave the ship and then make for Scuttlecove by land. Then we shall see what we shall see…”
JollyDoc
Explorer
Ioma turned out to have no shortage of hidden coves, and in one of the more secluded ones, the Sea Wyvern dropped anchor. As the Legionnaires disembarked, Mandi instructed Urol to remain there for no longer than one week. If they had not returned, or if the crew found themselves in imminent danger, they were to set sail for any port of their choosing. The sorceress also reminded the gnome what the price of treachery would be.
Once they reached shore, Mandi attempted another message to Lavinia. This time, she got no reply.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” she said to her anxious allies. “She may be unconscious, or being held in a place that is warded. We continue with our plan.”
It took them the better part of the day, slogging across the stinking, steaming scar of land through festering salt marshes and dripping jungles, until they finally came within sight of Scuttlecove. The landward gates stood open and unmanned. The company passed through unmolested into the city itself. What they saw when they emerged on the other side of the portals could only be described as a diseased, filthy pit of salty depression. The streets were muddy and choked with garbage, and even the odd corpse, slowly putrefying in the stagnant heat. The buildings were almost all one-story wooden affairs, with rickety walls, sagging roofs of tarred straw or cracked wood shingles, and doorways consisting of dried seaweed or cheap burlap. The lost souls that comprised the populace of the festering metropolis barely glanced their way, except in hungry avarice, sizing them up as possible victims.
Mandi knew exactly what sort of place Scuttlecove was. She’d been in similar cesspools during her long span of years, and she knew the currency of such: money and violence. Catching Tower Cleaver’s eye, she jerked her head towards an old salt who crouched in a gutter, panhandling. The minotaur snorted and leaned over the man, lifting him into the air with one massive paw.
“Don’ kill me!” the beggar squeaked. “I ain’t done nothin’! I swear!”
“Your very existence offends me, worm!” Mandi hissed. “If you care to draw one more wretched breath into your diseased lungs, you’ll tell me exactly what I want to hear!”
“Anythin’! Anythin’!” the man wailed.
“Where is Red Foam Whaling?” she began. For a moment, the leper only blinked, confused, but a stiff shake from Cleaver seemed to jog his memory.
“Near the docks! An old abandoned fac’try! Used t’be run by th’Red Foam Boys…thought they’d make a go o’robbin’ whalin’ ships and sellin’ the harvest themselves…that is till they found out they’d actually have t’work t’render the whales!” At that, the old man burst into a spasm of hysterical giggles. Another rough shaking from Tower Cleaver brought him back to his senses. “Fac’try’s been abandoned since, but rumor has it th’Protectorate’s usin’ it now!”
Mandi’s eyes narrowed. “The Protectorate?”
“Bunch o’do-gooders,” the beggar bawled. “Think they can save us all!” He began laughing again, until a look from Cleaver silenced him once more.
“Who rules this city?” Mandi demanded. The old man almost started to cackle again, but stopped himself abruptly.
“Who rules?” he asked, eyes wide. “Whoever can! If ye’re not in one o’th gangs, yer nothin’! Like me! Oh, I guess ye could say that the Dire Hunger Monks is th’law, but they work fer th’highest bidder. I’d steer clear o’em if I was you, less ye want t’end up inna stew pot!” At this, he did begin laughing, and no amount of cajoling from Cleaver could bring him out of it. At Mandi’s word, the minotaur tossed the man aside like a rag doll, where he lay in the gutter, still chortling to himself.
Once they reached shore, Mandi attempted another message to Lavinia. This time, she got no reply.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” she said to her anxious allies. “She may be unconscious, or being held in a place that is warded. We continue with our plan.”
It took them the better part of the day, slogging across the stinking, steaming scar of land through festering salt marshes and dripping jungles, until they finally came within sight of Scuttlecove. The landward gates stood open and unmanned. The company passed through unmolested into the city itself. What they saw when they emerged on the other side of the portals could only be described as a diseased, filthy pit of salty depression. The streets were muddy and choked with garbage, and even the odd corpse, slowly putrefying in the stagnant heat. The buildings were almost all one-story wooden affairs, with rickety walls, sagging roofs of tarred straw or cracked wood shingles, and doorways consisting of dried seaweed or cheap burlap. The lost souls that comprised the populace of the festering metropolis barely glanced their way, except in hungry avarice, sizing them up as possible victims.
Mandi knew exactly what sort of place Scuttlecove was. She’d been in similar cesspools during her long span of years, and she knew the currency of such: money and violence. Catching Tower Cleaver’s eye, she jerked her head towards an old salt who crouched in a gutter, panhandling. The minotaur snorted and leaned over the man, lifting him into the air with one massive paw.
“Don’ kill me!” the beggar squeaked. “I ain’t done nothin’! I swear!”
“Your very existence offends me, worm!” Mandi hissed. “If you care to draw one more wretched breath into your diseased lungs, you’ll tell me exactly what I want to hear!”
“Anythin’! Anythin’!” the man wailed.
“Where is Red Foam Whaling?” she began. For a moment, the leper only blinked, confused, but a stiff shake from Cleaver seemed to jog his memory.
“Near the docks! An old abandoned fac’try! Used t’be run by th’Red Foam Boys…thought they’d make a go o’robbin’ whalin’ ships and sellin’ the harvest themselves…that is till they found out they’d actually have t’work t’render the whales!” At that, the old man burst into a spasm of hysterical giggles. Another rough shaking from Tower Cleaver brought him back to his senses. “Fac’try’s been abandoned since, but rumor has it th’Protectorate’s usin’ it now!”
Mandi’s eyes narrowed. “The Protectorate?”
“Bunch o’do-gooders,” the beggar bawled. “Think they can save us all!” He began laughing again, until a look from Cleaver silenced him once more.
“Who rules this city?” Mandi demanded. The old man almost started to cackle again, but stopped himself abruptly.
“Who rules?” he asked, eyes wide. “Whoever can! If ye’re not in one o’th gangs, yer nothin’! Like me! Oh, I guess ye could say that the Dire Hunger Monks is th’law, but they work fer th’highest bidder. I’d steer clear o’em if I was you, less ye want t’end up inna stew pot!” At this, he did begin laughing, and no amount of cajoling from Cleaver could bring him out of it. At Mandi’s word, the minotaur tossed the man aside like a rag doll, where he lay in the gutter, still chortling to himself.
JollyDoc
Explorer
With Tower Cleaver and Sepoto in the lead, the Legionnaires began their trek across Scuttlecove, headed for the dock district on the far side of the city. With every block they traveled, they saw more and more evidence of the cut-throat, back-stabbing, live from hand-to-mouth nature of the den of iniquity. There were establishments such as Parts Is Parts, a shop constructed completely out of bones, many of them humanoid, which obviously dealt in the trading of body parts. Then there was an orphanage, whose open-air patio featured several stone plinths which looked suspiciously like auction blocks. Other businesses they passed where equally unsavory or worse, and all about them the evidence of one sentient species’ inhumanity to another were on open display. Nowhere was this more obvious than the town plaza. Here they encountered a terrifying structure which consisted of metal and wood beams arranged in a series of concentric squares. The beams were suspended twenty feet off of the ground by tall stone pillars, and each was festooned with coils of spiked chains. Numerous spiked manacles dangled from these, along with thousands of tiny chains that ended in hooks, clamps and long, thin barbed rods. Bodies hung from most of the shackles, in various stages of decay. Ravens picked at the remains amid loud caws and rustling feathers. As the company walked by the gruesome tableau, Sepoto abruptly stopped, staring upward with his mouth open.
“What?” Mandi asked, following his gaze with her own. Then she saw what had caught the goliath’s attention. Hanging amid several desiccated husks was the somewhat fresh body of a dwarf. He was naked save for a silver amulet around his neck. Even from a distance, it was obvious that the symbol engraved on the amulet was that of Moradin.
“Bombur,” Mandi whispered.
The others looked up as well, their shock at the sight of the dead Jade Raven apparent. After a moment, Mandi brusquely urged them all on again, feeling the first pangs of despair clutch at her heart.
Several blocks later, the company found themselves in a short alley between two avenues. As they picked their way through the clutter and refuse, two men stepped out of the shadows at the far end. Behind them, two more figures appeared.
“We hear you been askin’ questions,” one of the men in front said, fingering the blade of a scimitar he held. “Folks round here don’t take kindly t’those what stick their noses in business that don’t concern’em. Busy bodies’re liable to end up strung up in the plaza.”
At that, Mandi’s eyes flared, and her entire body tensed.
“And those that interfere in the affairs of the Legion don’t live long enough to regret it,” she hissed. At a jerk of her head, Tower Cleaver lumbered forward. The thugs braced themselves, but they might as well have been bracing to hold back a hurricane. The minotaur’s axe swung wide, opening bright red gashes across the chests of both men. Sepoto took off in the opposite direction, and his own swing drove one of the brigands behind them back past the mouth of the alley. Suddenly, a barrage of fiery rays streaked past the goliath, cooking the second man inside his armor, leaving nothing but a charred corpse in their wake. Sepoto took the opportunity to follow his fleeing victim, impaling the man to the cobbles as he fell.
Cleaver’s opponents quickly backpedaled away from the enraged minotaur, quaffing flasks as they went. When Cleaver closed the distance with them again, each of them spewed fiery liquid at him, scorching and singeing his flesh. As the barbarian roared and batted at the flames, Octurus darted past him, diving and tumbling to come up behind the two ruffians. A quick thrust of one of his deadly blades severed the spine of one man, and a follow-up riposte with his second neatly slit the other thug’s throat.
Several minutes later, the Legionnaires stood around one of the dead rogues as Daelric finished binding his hands behind him, and then murmured a quick prayer over the corpse. Abruptly, the man began to cough and sputter as he struggled to a sitting position, his eyes staring wildly around at his captors.
“I…I was dead!” he stammered.
“Yes, you were,” Mandi replied, calmly, “and unless you want to return to that state immediately, you’ll answer a few questions for us.”
The thief glanced around at the glowering faces above him, then nervously licked his lips.
“If I tell you, you’ll let me go?” he asked
“You have my word,” Mandi said, her eyes as cold as ice. “Now, you can start by telling us who you work for.”
The man stared at her for a moment before averting his eyes from her disturbing gaze. “We’re independents,” he said at length, “but we was hired by an agent of the Kraken’s.”
“I see,” Mandi nodded. “And do you know a man named Vanthus Vanderboren?”
The ruffian shook his head. “Never heard of him. We never know the names of our employers.”
“Then where can we find the Kraken Society?” the sorceress pressed.
The prisoner shook his head violently. “I dunno! Never been there! We was always just contacted by a messenger!”
Mandi continued to stare at him, like a bug under a magnifying glass. Finally, she nodded again.
“Very well then. As soon as we are gone, you are free to untie yourself and go about your business.”
The rogue continued to stare after the departing company until they’d vanished into the mist. Then he set about working on his bonds, flicking a dagger from inside one of his sleeves. In minutes, he was free. Not believing his good fortune, he quickly rifled through the pockets of his former companions, then stood and began walking towards the far end of the alley. He’d gone no more than a half-dozen paces when his eyes went wide with surprise. He felt pain like a fist grip his heart as it shuddered to a stop. One more pace and he fell face-first into a pile of garbage, dead once more, and this time, permanently.
Some time later, a new corpse hung from the chains in the town plaza, placed there under the watchful eyes of passersby by a large, heavily muscled minotaur bearing an axe nearly as tall as he was. As the body swung from its chains, an equally burly goliath stood beneath it and called out to the onlookers.
“Heed well this warning! This is what becomes of those who cross the Legion!”
“What?” Mandi asked, following his gaze with her own. Then she saw what had caught the goliath’s attention. Hanging amid several desiccated husks was the somewhat fresh body of a dwarf. He was naked save for a silver amulet around his neck. Even from a distance, it was obvious that the symbol engraved on the amulet was that of Moradin.
“Bombur,” Mandi whispered.
The others looked up as well, their shock at the sight of the dead Jade Raven apparent. After a moment, Mandi brusquely urged them all on again, feeling the first pangs of despair clutch at her heart.
Several blocks later, the company found themselves in a short alley between two avenues. As they picked their way through the clutter and refuse, two men stepped out of the shadows at the far end. Behind them, two more figures appeared.
“We hear you been askin’ questions,” one of the men in front said, fingering the blade of a scimitar he held. “Folks round here don’t take kindly t’those what stick their noses in business that don’t concern’em. Busy bodies’re liable to end up strung up in the plaza.”
At that, Mandi’s eyes flared, and her entire body tensed.
“And those that interfere in the affairs of the Legion don’t live long enough to regret it,” she hissed. At a jerk of her head, Tower Cleaver lumbered forward. The thugs braced themselves, but they might as well have been bracing to hold back a hurricane. The minotaur’s axe swung wide, opening bright red gashes across the chests of both men. Sepoto took off in the opposite direction, and his own swing drove one of the brigands behind them back past the mouth of the alley. Suddenly, a barrage of fiery rays streaked past the goliath, cooking the second man inside his armor, leaving nothing but a charred corpse in their wake. Sepoto took the opportunity to follow his fleeing victim, impaling the man to the cobbles as he fell.
Cleaver’s opponents quickly backpedaled away from the enraged minotaur, quaffing flasks as they went. When Cleaver closed the distance with them again, each of them spewed fiery liquid at him, scorching and singeing his flesh. As the barbarian roared and batted at the flames, Octurus darted past him, diving and tumbling to come up behind the two ruffians. A quick thrust of one of his deadly blades severed the spine of one man, and a follow-up riposte with his second neatly slit the other thug’s throat.
Several minutes later, the Legionnaires stood around one of the dead rogues as Daelric finished binding his hands behind him, and then murmured a quick prayer over the corpse. Abruptly, the man began to cough and sputter as he struggled to a sitting position, his eyes staring wildly around at his captors.
“I…I was dead!” he stammered.
“Yes, you were,” Mandi replied, calmly, “and unless you want to return to that state immediately, you’ll answer a few questions for us.”
The thief glanced around at the glowering faces above him, then nervously licked his lips.
“If I tell you, you’ll let me go?” he asked
“You have my word,” Mandi said, her eyes as cold as ice. “Now, you can start by telling us who you work for.”
The man stared at her for a moment before averting his eyes from her disturbing gaze. “We’re independents,” he said at length, “but we was hired by an agent of the Kraken’s.”
“I see,” Mandi nodded. “And do you know a man named Vanthus Vanderboren?”
The ruffian shook his head. “Never heard of him. We never know the names of our employers.”
“Then where can we find the Kraken Society?” the sorceress pressed.
The prisoner shook his head violently. “I dunno! Never been there! We was always just contacted by a messenger!”
Mandi continued to stare at him, like a bug under a magnifying glass. Finally, she nodded again.
“Very well then. As soon as we are gone, you are free to untie yourself and go about your business.”
The rogue continued to stare after the departing company until they’d vanished into the mist. Then he set about working on his bonds, flicking a dagger from inside one of his sleeves. In minutes, he was free. Not believing his good fortune, he quickly rifled through the pockets of his former companions, then stood and began walking towards the far end of the alley. He’d gone no more than a half-dozen paces when his eyes went wide with surprise. He felt pain like a fist grip his heart as it shuddered to a stop. One more pace and he fell face-first into a pile of garbage, dead once more, and this time, permanently.
Some time later, a new corpse hung from the chains in the town plaza, placed there under the watchful eyes of passersby by a large, heavily muscled minotaur bearing an axe nearly as tall as he was. As the body swung from its chains, an equally burly goliath stood beneath it and called out to the onlookers.
“Heed well this warning! This is what becomes of those who cross the Legion!”
JollyDoc
Explorer
Red Foam Whaling was just as the old beggar had described, if not worse. It was an unassuming structure, cobbled together from two buildings connected by a rickety extension. A single pair of doors led into the factory, although it was assumed there was a sea route in as well. That particular area of the wharfs was abandoned, with not even the usual panhandlers in sight. No lights illuminated the building or the docks around it. Cautiously, spreading out as they approached, the Legionnaires moved towards the entrance. Tower Cleaver reached for the door handles, but when he pulled and turned them, the doors refused to budge.
“No problem,” he muttered under his breath, “Tower Cleaver have key.”
Hoisting his axe over one shoulder, he brought it down in a swift chop which left the right-hand door in splinters. A second blow opened the left door as well.
“Tactful,” Mandi said sourly as she stepped forward to peer into the gloom beyond, her body shifting and melting into the now-familiar fiendish, barbed-skinned shape of a devil. The entry chamber was bare, save for a rotting desk and a few broken chairs. Striding across with two large steps, Cleaver moved to a second set of doors on the far side. Finding these equally stubborn, he employed his ‘key’ once again.
The company found themselves looking out over the factory piers, which extended into the bay beyond. They were partially enclosed by sagging wooden walls and protected from the elements by a long, sloping roof. Massive iron hooks attached to ropes as thick as arms hung from beams above, which in turn were attached to huge rust-covered pulleys that once would have enabled workers to maneuver whales into one of the narrow bays between the rickety-looking walkways. Rotting tools…rusting iron-spiked boots, wicked curved knives on long poles, and heavy saws…leaned against walls to the north and east, while to the west and south there were no walls at all blocking the depressing view of the city’s harbor. What immediately caught everyone’s attention, however, was the raven-haired beauty who sprawled, unconscious on the wooden deck in front of them. She moaned, as if in great pain as her head lolled from side to side.
“That’s her,” Sepoto said, stepping forward. “That’s Harliss Javell.”
Mandi looked questioningly at Marius, who nodded his agreement as Sepoto knelt over the woman. Calling on one of the few prayers that Savras granted His crusaders, the goliath attempted to heal any wounds the pirate captain might have, though he saw no visible marks upon her. Nothing changed about her condition.
“Bring her to me,” Daelric commanded, twisting his ring and fading from view. Sepoto scooped Harliss up in his arms and carried her back to the entry chamber. Though the crusader could not see the priest, he could hear him muttering his own prayers over her as she was lowered gently to the floor.
At Mandi’s suggestion, Tower Cleaver and Octurus went in opposite directions along the pier, towards doors at either end of the factory building. Octurus reached his first, yanking it open and thrusting his scimitar forward. He saw only an empty corridor beyond, with more doors opening from it. When Tower Cleaver pulled open the portal at his end, he stopped short, gazing in confusion at what he was seeing. Numerous tapestries covered the shabby walls of the room, wafting in the breeze from the open door. As Cleaver peered more closely at them, however, he realized that they were not made of cloth but of skin…some sort of reptilian skin. Worse, in the southwest corner of the room was a life-sized statue of a foully distorted, double-headed form with twin tentacles and a double-ended tail. What was most disturbing about the sculpture was that it was composed of animal and human parts stitched together by thick, black yarn. The minotaur turned to call to Mandi just as Daelric sighed in exasperation.
“It’s not use! I’ve tried my most powerful healing charms, as well as trying to dispel the effect. Whatever enchantment she’s under, it’s too powerful for me.”
Several things happened at that moment. As Mandi turned to acknowledge Tower Cleaver, she saw a lithe form drop from the rafters behind the minotaur. At first she thought it was a human, but then she noticed its snake-like head. A startled cry from behind her caused her to whirl, where she saw a second yuan-ti land nimbly next to Octurus. A third one appeared from beneath one of the piers extending out into the harbor, a horn bow gripped in one hand. This one knelt, knocked, drew the bowstring and loosed with a loud ‘thwang.’ The arrow sped unerringly towards Tower Cleaver, burying itself to the fletchings beneath the minotaur’s left arm. Cleaver howled, spinning madly as he tried to pull free the missile, but as he turned he saw one more creature emerging from beneath a set of stairs to his left. This beast was snake-like in appearance as well, but it was far larger than its companions, and the only humanoid resemblance it bore where the two muscular arms that sprouted from its torso, one of them gripping a gleaming scimitar.
Sepoto glanced away from Harliss as he heard the sounds of battle behind him. When he looked back, the woman’s eyes were open and she was staring at him in wonder.
“Sepoto?” she asked. “That be you?”
“Yes,” he said quickly, “but you need to stay down. We’ve got trouble.”
“Aye, but I’m damned glad t’see ye, boyo!” she said with a smile. As she did so, the reached up and twined her arms around the goliath’s neck, planting a very appreciative kiss on his lips. Sepoto’s eyes went wide, and not from delight. As Harliss’ lips touched his, he felt an aching cold surge through his entire body, stealing the breath from his lungs. Mandi turned at the sound of Harliss’ voice and saw the embrace, and the decidedly unhealthy shade of gray that Sepoto’s face was turning.
“Daelric!” she snapped. “I need to see…now!”
The priest understood immediately, and rushed to the sorceress’s side, passing his hands over her eyes as he cast his spell. Instantly, Mandi saw what lurked beneath the semblance of Harliss Javell. It was a succubus…a bat-winged beauty from the Abyss that could literally suck out a man’s soul with her kiss.
“Get away from him you bitch!” Mandi screamed as she first shackled the demon to the spot with a sizzling green beam that would prevent it from trying to teleport away, and then followed that by hurling a scintillating orb of force. As the sphere impacted, the succubus shrieked and vanished from sight, pulled back to the Abyss as its material form was destroyed. It was only then that Mandi realized the demon had been summoned…but summoned by whom?
The abomination’s flesh was a sickened yellow-green hue, and its face was pulled back in a ghastly rictus grin, as if horrifically scarred by acid. It reached for Tower Cleaver, though it was easily fifteen feet away. Incredibly, its arm seemed to stretch forward, as if made of rubber. As it touched Cleaver’s arm, the skin there began to rot and the minotaur felt pain like he’d never felt before. At the same time, the yuan-ti behind him struck, ramming a wicked-looking dagger into his side, while sinking its fangs into his right arm. A second later, another arrow shot home, thunking into Cleaver’s thigh, and then the yuan-ti archer did something else. It unhinged its lower jaw and spit a wad of hissing fluid at the minotaur. When it struck, it began to burn, and Cleaver’s pain was magnified exponentially.
Octurus’s cat-like reflexes allowed him to leap back from the crouching yuan-ti just as its knife passed through where his Achilles tendon had been a moment before. The assassin then reached into its belt pouch and drew forth a small, glowing bead which it flicked casually at the Maztican. The throw was wide, and the bead landed behind Octurus, but when it did, it detonated with tremendous force, throwing the warrior forward, back towards the yuan-ti. The creature feinted with a jab towards the oncoming Maztican’s mid-section, but as Octurus lowered his blades to block, the snake-man quickly reversed his thrust and instead slashed across the demon-hunter’s neck, narrowly missing his jugular.
Tower Cleaver was almost blind with agony. He reeled about drunkenly, unable to gather his wits enough to defend himself. As he blundered towards the abomination, the brute struck again, grabbing first his bicep, and then his leg. At both points, the flesh began to ooze with corruption, showing sinew and vessels beneath. The serpent then sank its fangs into the minotaur’s neck, and Cleaver felt its venom burning through his body, even as its scimitar pierced deep into his belly. Rage began to pulse through the barbarian, subsuming his pain with its fury. Savagely he swung his axe and felt it connect solidly with the abomination. Though death fluttered around him, Tower Cleaver did not heed it. He knew only his thirst for blood.
“Damn it, Daelric, do something!” Mandi shouted in fury as she watched Tower Cleaver’s futile last stand.
“Me?” the priest squeaked. “You want me to go out there against that…that thing!?”
“Let me handle that!” she snapped. “You keep Cleaver alive at all costs!”
Reluctantly, Daelric nodded, and darted out onto the pier, praying that his invisibility would shield him from the violence raging there. When he reached Tower Cleaver, he quickly locked his hands around the minotaur’s midsection, calling out to Shaundekal as he did so. Divine power surged from his body into the barbarian’s, snapping shut his wounds, regenerating his flesh, and purging the poison from his system. Suddenly, a tremendous flash of light burst in front of Daelric and Cleaver as a shimmering cage composed of pure energy formed around the abomination, trapping it inside.
Octurus parried the lightning-fast jabs from the yuan-ti as rapidly as they came. Finally, he saw an opening and his own blades blurred, slashing the assassin brutally. As the snake man momentarily dropped his guard, the Maztican lunged, his right-hand blade opening up his opponent’s abdomen and spilling its bowels out upon the planking. Incredibly, the yuan-ti still lived. Even more incredibly, it still had some fight left in it. Feinting again, it managed to catch Octurus across his neck a second time, but the demon hunter pulled his head back at the last instant. As the yuan-ti’s momentum carried it forward, Octurus raised both his blades and caught it on both points, directly through the heart. This time the assassin slumped and did not rise again.
Sepoto staggered to his feet, still somewhat weak from the demon’s embrace. Seeing the yuan-ti archer still firing at his comrades with impunity, the goliath bellowed a challenge and charged down the pier. His chain lashed out and slashed at the serpent, but the assassin was quick and managed to roll with the blow. Not so Sepoto’s second strike, however, which snapped the archer’s bow even as it fired an arrow point blank into the goliath’s shoulder. As the yuan-ti staggered backwards, Sepoto pounced like a cat, wrapping his chain around its neck and snapping it like a twig.
Mandi nodded in satisfaction. Things were going just as she wanted them. Once they’d dealt with the half-bloods, she would drop her force cage and they could all concentrate on the abomination. Her smile of triumph quickly vanished, however, as the bloated behemoth abruptly transformed into a tiny viper, which immediately began scuttling towards the bars of her cage.
“No!” the sorceress shouted as she loosed a blast of magic, intending to turn the yuan-ti to glass before it could escape. The snake was wicked fast, however, and easily avoided the attack, scuttling between the cage bars and dropping into the water below. Meanwhile, the last remaining half-blood deflected two blows from Tower Cleaver’s axe, while dodging inside the minotaur’s defenses to plant its blade in his gut again, and then deftly tumbling back out of reach. By this time, Mandi was enraged, and screamed incoherently as she sent a beam of sickly green fire at the assassin, turning it into a pile of dust and gear in the blink of an eye.
Octurus began moving back around the pier towards his companions, but suddenly the water beneath him began to churn as the abomination surfaced once more. It reached for him, trying to pull him into its embrace, but the Maztican was too fast, and somersaulted quickly out of its reach. Hissing, the behemoth turned towards Mandi, its rictus grin showing rows of needle-like fangs. It began to chant, and Mandi recognized the spell it was casting as one of her favorites. It was attempting to polymorph her.
“Not so fast,” she growled as she hurled scorching rays of fire at the beast. The abomination roared as its corpulent flesh sizzled, losing its concentration and the magic it had been summoning. As it reeled, Octurus ran towards it, the deinonychus tattoo on his right bicep flashing. At the last moment, the Maztican leaped into the air, both scimitars raised. The first came down so hard on the yuan-ti’s neck that the reverberation caused Octurus to lose his grip on the blade, dropping into the water below. He still had his second sword, however, and this one he thrust straight up through the roof of the abominations gaping mouth, piercing the evil brain above.
“No problem,” he muttered under his breath, “Tower Cleaver have key.”
Hoisting his axe over one shoulder, he brought it down in a swift chop which left the right-hand door in splinters. A second blow opened the left door as well.
“Tactful,” Mandi said sourly as she stepped forward to peer into the gloom beyond, her body shifting and melting into the now-familiar fiendish, barbed-skinned shape of a devil. The entry chamber was bare, save for a rotting desk and a few broken chairs. Striding across with two large steps, Cleaver moved to a second set of doors on the far side. Finding these equally stubborn, he employed his ‘key’ once again.
The company found themselves looking out over the factory piers, which extended into the bay beyond. They were partially enclosed by sagging wooden walls and protected from the elements by a long, sloping roof. Massive iron hooks attached to ropes as thick as arms hung from beams above, which in turn were attached to huge rust-covered pulleys that once would have enabled workers to maneuver whales into one of the narrow bays between the rickety-looking walkways. Rotting tools…rusting iron-spiked boots, wicked curved knives on long poles, and heavy saws…leaned against walls to the north and east, while to the west and south there were no walls at all blocking the depressing view of the city’s harbor. What immediately caught everyone’s attention, however, was the raven-haired beauty who sprawled, unconscious on the wooden deck in front of them. She moaned, as if in great pain as her head lolled from side to side.
“That’s her,” Sepoto said, stepping forward. “That’s Harliss Javell.”
Mandi looked questioningly at Marius, who nodded his agreement as Sepoto knelt over the woman. Calling on one of the few prayers that Savras granted His crusaders, the goliath attempted to heal any wounds the pirate captain might have, though he saw no visible marks upon her. Nothing changed about her condition.
“Bring her to me,” Daelric commanded, twisting his ring and fading from view. Sepoto scooped Harliss up in his arms and carried her back to the entry chamber. Though the crusader could not see the priest, he could hear him muttering his own prayers over her as she was lowered gently to the floor.
At Mandi’s suggestion, Tower Cleaver and Octurus went in opposite directions along the pier, towards doors at either end of the factory building. Octurus reached his first, yanking it open and thrusting his scimitar forward. He saw only an empty corridor beyond, with more doors opening from it. When Tower Cleaver pulled open the portal at his end, he stopped short, gazing in confusion at what he was seeing. Numerous tapestries covered the shabby walls of the room, wafting in the breeze from the open door. As Cleaver peered more closely at them, however, he realized that they were not made of cloth but of skin…some sort of reptilian skin. Worse, in the southwest corner of the room was a life-sized statue of a foully distorted, double-headed form with twin tentacles and a double-ended tail. What was most disturbing about the sculpture was that it was composed of animal and human parts stitched together by thick, black yarn. The minotaur turned to call to Mandi just as Daelric sighed in exasperation.
“It’s not use! I’ve tried my most powerful healing charms, as well as trying to dispel the effect. Whatever enchantment she’s under, it’s too powerful for me.”
Several things happened at that moment. As Mandi turned to acknowledge Tower Cleaver, she saw a lithe form drop from the rafters behind the minotaur. At first she thought it was a human, but then she noticed its snake-like head. A startled cry from behind her caused her to whirl, where she saw a second yuan-ti land nimbly next to Octurus. A third one appeared from beneath one of the piers extending out into the harbor, a horn bow gripped in one hand. This one knelt, knocked, drew the bowstring and loosed with a loud ‘thwang.’ The arrow sped unerringly towards Tower Cleaver, burying itself to the fletchings beneath the minotaur’s left arm. Cleaver howled, spinning madly as he tried to pull free the missile, but as he turned he saw one more creature emerging from beneath a set of stairs to his left. This beast was snake-like in appearance as well, but it was far larger than its companions, and the only humanoid resemblance it bore where the two muscular arms that sprouted from its torso, one of them gripping a gleaming scimitar.
Sepoto glanced away from Harliss as he heard the sounds of battle behind him. When he looked back, the woman’s eyes were open and she was staring at him in wonder.
“Sepoto?” she asked. “That be you?”
“Yes,” he said quickly, “but you need to stay down. We’ve got trouble.”
“Aye, but I’m damned glad t’see ye, boyo!” she said with a smile. As she did so, the reached up and twined her arms around the goliath’s neck, planting a very appreciative kiss on his lips. Sepoto’s eyes went wide, and not from delight. As Harliss’ lips touched his, he felt an aching cold surge through his entire body, stealing the breath from his lungs. Mandi turned at the sound of Harliss’ voice and saw the embrace, and the decidedly unhealthy shade of gray that Sepoto’s face was turning.
“Daelric!” she snapped. “I need to see…now!”
The priest understood immediately, and rushed to the sorceress’s side, passing his hands over her eyes as he cast his spell. Instantly, Mandi saw what lurked beneath the semblance of Harliss Javell. It was a succubus…a bat-winged beauty from the Abyss that could literally suck out a man’s soul with her kiss.
“Get away from him you bitch!” Mandi screamed as she first shackled the demon to the spot with a sizzling green beam that would prevent it from trying to teleport away, and then followed that by hurling a scintillating orb of force. As the sphere impacted, the succubus shrieked and vanished from sight, pulled back to the Abyss as its material form was destroyed. It was only then that Mandi realized the demon had been summoned…but summoned by whom?
The abomination’s flesh was a sickened yellow-green hue, and its face was pulled back in a ghastly rictus grin, as if horrifically scarred by acid. It reached for Tower Cleaver, though it was easily fifteen feet away. Incredibly, its arm seemed to stretch forward, as if made of rubber. As it touched Cleaver’s arm, the skin there began to rot and the minotaur felt pain like he’d never felt before. At the same time, the yuan-ti behind him struck, ramming a wicked-looking dagger into his side, while sinking its fangs into his right arm. A second later, another arrow shot home, thunking into Cleaver’s thigh, and then the yuan-ti archer did something else. It unhinged its lower jaw and spit a wad of hissing fluid at the minotaur. When it struck, it began to burn, and Cleaver’s pain was magnified exponentially.
Octurus’s cat-like reflexes allowed him to leap back from the crouching yuan-ti just as its knife passed through where his Achilles tendon had been a moment before. The assassin then reached into its belt pouch and drew forth a small, glowing bead which it flicked casually at the Maztican. The throw was wide, and the bead landed behind Octurus, but when it did, it detonated with tremendous force, throwing the warrior forward, back towards the yuan-ti. The creature feinted with a jab towards the oncoming Maztican’s mid-section, but as Octurus lowered his blades to block, the snake-man quickly reversed his thrust and instead slashed across the demon-hunter’s neck, narrowly missing his jugular.
Tower Cleaver was almost blind with agony. He reeled about drunkenly, unable to gather his wits enough to defend himself. As he blundered towards the abomination, the brute struck again, grabbing first his bicep, and then his leg. At both points, the flesh began to ooze with corruption, showing sinew and vessels beneath. The serpent then sank its fangs into the minotaur’s neck, and Cleaver felt its venom burning through his body, even as its scimitar pierced deep into his belly. Rage began to pulse through the barbarian, subsuming his pain with its fury. Savagely he swung his axe and felt it connect solidly with the abomination. Though death fluttered around him, Tower Cleaver did not heed it. He knew only his thirst for blood.
“Damn it, Daelric, do something!” Mandi shouted in fury as she watched Tower Cleaver’s futile last stand.
“Me?” the priest squeaked. “You want me to go out there against that…that thing!?”
“Let me handle that!” she snapped. “You keep Cleaver alive at all costs!”
Reluctantly, Daelric nodded, and darted out onto the pier, praying that his invisibility would shield him from the violence raging there. When he reached Tower Cleaver, he quickly locked his hands around the minotaur’s midsection, calling out to Shaundekal as he did so. Divine power surged from his body into the barbarian’s, snapping shut his wounds, regenerating his flesh, and purging the poison from his system. Suddenly, a tremendous flash of light burst in front of Daelric and Cleaver as a shimmering cage composed of pure energy formed around the abomination, trapping it inside.
Octurus parried the lightning-fast jabs from the yuan-ti as rapidly as they came. Finally, he saw an opening and his own blades blurred, slashing the assassin brutally. As the snake man momentarily dropped his guard, the Maztican lunged, his right-hand blade opening up his opponent’s abdomen and spilling its bowels out upon the planking. Incredibly, the yuan-ti still lived. Even more incredibly, it still had some fight left in it. Feinting again, it managed to catch Octurus across his neck a second time, but the demon hunter pulled his head back at the last instant. As the yuan-ti’s momentum carried it forward, Octurus raised both his blades and caught it on both points, directly through the heart. This time the assassin slumped and did not rise again.
Sepoto staggered to his feet, still somewhat weak from the demon’s embrace. Seeing the yuan-ti archer still firing at his comrades with impunity, the goliath bellowed a challenge and charged down the pier. His chain lashed out and slashed at the serpent, but the assassin was quick and managed to roll with the blow. Not so Sepoto’s second strike, however, which snapped the archer’s bow even as it fired an arrow point blank into the goliath’s shoulder. As the yuan-ti staggered backwards, Sepoto pounced like a cat, wrapping his chain around its neck and snapping it like a twig.
Mandi nodded in satisfaction. Things were going just as she wanted them. Once they’d dealt with the half-bloods, she would drop her force cage and they could all concentrate on the abomination. Her smile of triumph quickly vanished, however, as the bloated behemoth abruptly transformed into a tiny viper, which immediately began scuttling towards the bars of her cage.
“No!” the sorceress shouted as she loosed a blast of magic, intending to turn the yuan-ti to glass before it could escape. The snake was wicked fast, however, and easily avoided the attack, scuttling between the cage bars and dropping into the water below. Meanwhile, the last remaining half-blood deflected two blows from Tower Cleaver’s axe, while dodging inside the minotaur’s defenses to plant its blade in his gut again, and then deftly tumbling back out of reach. By this time, Mandi was enraged, and screamed incoherently as she sent a beam of sickly green fire at the assassin, turning it into a pile of dust and gear in the blink of an eye.
Octurus began moving back around the pier towards his companions, but suddenly the water beneath him began to churn as the abomination surfaced once more. It reached for him, trying to pull him into its embrace, but the Maztican was too fast, and somersaulted quickly out of its reach. Hissing, the behemoth turned towards Mandi, its rictus grin showing rows of needle-like fangs. It began to chant, and Mandi recognized the spell it was casting as one of her favorites. It was attempting to polymorph her.
“Not so fast,” she growled as she hurled scorching rays of fire at the beast. The abomination roared as its corpulent flesh sizzled, losing its concentration and the magic it had been summoning. As it reeled, Octurus ran towards it, the deinonychus tattoo on his right bicep flashing. At the last moment, the Maztican leaped into the air, both scimitars raised. The first came down so hard on the yuan-ti’s neck that the reverberation caused Octurus to lose his grip on the blade, dropping into the water below. He still had his second sword, however, and this one he thrust straight up through the roof of the abominations gaping mouth, piercing the evil brain above.
Last edited:
