He's a Chain-Smoking Detective. He's a Robot on the Lam. Together, They Fight Crime!

[Pell-Mell]

[H1]THE CASE FILES OF CHANCE AND NINE[/H1]​

[H2]- Session 9 (Part 1): The Gangs All Here -[/H2]​

[H2]- Updated March 23, 2008 -[/H2]​

INTRODUCTION

I have recently begun to run a homebrew D&D 3.5 campaign for two of my friends. Both are fairly new to D&D 3.5, but have played AD&D 2nd edition in the past. As time goes on, I hope to fill in some of the details of the setting, but there should be enough detail to get the story rolling. I do use published modules, so I have marked which ones I have used in the CASE FILES section. Comments and questions regarding the campaign or storyhour are welcome.

 

[Pell-Mell]

CHARACTERS

Dirk Chance
Human Rogue

Dirk is a smooth-talking, chain-smoking, perpetually unshaven man in his late twenties. Born in the city of Asheril, a sprawling metropolis and the largest trading hub on the Continent, he has a rather checkered past. However, he has always been plagued by a conscience unusual for a native son of a city whose only concern is money and power. Growing tired of living with the injustices routinely ignored by the corrupt police forces of Asheril, he started a small private investigation office.

The agency floundered for several years as Dirk was unable to secure a dependable partner. All this changed following a chance encounter with the Lud-Man known as Case Nine.

Case Nine
Warforged Fighter

Pulled from the strangeness that surrounds the ruins of Old Lud, Case Nine was one of several Lud-Men (also known as warforged or robots) retrieved in an expedition conducted by the Xummax Group. Old Lud had once been a grand civilization, filled with technological marvels far beyond anything available in the current day. However, a devastating war with the ancient Eastern Empire destroyed Lud and plunged a huge swath of the Continent into an unending maelstrom.

The Xammux Group, one of the many companies that have their headquarters in the factory city of New Lud, conducted all manner of experiments on the reactivated warforged in an attempt to divine the secrets of the eldritch technologies that gifted these wondrous machines with true consciousness. The fact that each of the machine-men was inevitably driven insane by the group's tinkering was considered an acceptable cost of the project.

Case Nine, who was the ninth warforged to be retrieved by the project, managed to escape before he was experimented on. Wandering south through an unfamiliar world, he eventually made way to the city of Asheril. Unaware of the city's Non-Traditional Sentient Hosting and Registration (No-TraSH) Act of '17, which among other things requires all non-exempt undead and constructs to have a registered owner, he was almost scrapped by the city. It was only the timely intervention of Dirk, who calmly talked the bewildered robot out of the situation, which saved him from this fate.

Case Nine first became Dirk's bodyguard than graduated to partner in their agency.

 

[Pell-Mell]

CASE FILES

• FILE 001: THE CASE OF THE MISSING HOLYMAN [or THE SUNLESS CITADEL]
• FILE 002: THE CASE OF THE STOLEN KEY [or MAD GOD'S KEY]

 

[Pell-Mell]

CASE FILE 001: THE CASE OF THE MISSING HOLYMAN
Session 1: Out of the City, Into the Desert

The Orion '23, the pride of the autocart industry of New Lud some 20 years past, roared across the desert.¹ The unshaven man at the wheel fiddled with the radio, switching between rebel radio stations broadcasting out of the Protectorate² and the screams of ghosts in the ethereal, the dead finding voice in forgotten frequencies. The robot beside him sat silently and stared out the window.

They were seven days out of the city of Asheril and almost out of fuel and money. But they weren't out of luck. The day before they caught a break at a nameless crossroad town and found a woman who remembered seeing their quarry several months prior. The woman had pointed them toward Oakford, a little nothing town on the edge of the Vast Waste, and the duo had spared no time in making their way there.

The unshaven man lit a cigarette off the end of another, throwing the smoldering butt out the window, and let out a long stream of smoke. Pointing at a rapidly approaching bullet-pocked sign that read "Oakford - 5 Miles: Last Food and Fuel Before Wastes" in sun-faded paint, Dirk said, "Looks like we are almost there. Let's go over what we know one more time, Case." The warforged to his right took out a grimy, dog-eared manila folder from the glove compartment and began sorting through the file. Finding what he wanted, the robot began to rattle off the details of the case file:

• Name of Target: Braford, Isaiah.
• Designation: Warrior Priest of the Cult of the Seven Lords of Light.
• Last Seen: Three standard months ago. Was supposed to return a month ago.
• Reason Given for Leaving: Religious pilgrimage.
• Destination: Unknown.
• Mission: Track down and retrieve Braford.
• Requester: Brother Lusin, Head Priest of the Cult of the Seven Lords of Light.
• Reward: 500 gp.

In his thick metal fingers, Case Nine held a creased photograph of a smiling young man with tussled hair in heavy armor. In the background was some kind of celebration. Beneath the picture, in scrawled cursive, was "Isaiah -- Graduation". The warforged looked at the photo for a few moments before sliding it beneath the rusty paperclip that held it to the file.

* * *​

Less than ten minutes after seeing the sign, the Orion pulled into the small town of Oakhurst. It was late afternoon as the duo cruised down the main street, looking for someone to ask about the lost holy man. Though there were some townsfolk out on the streets, no one raised their eyes to the strangers and those they passed quickly disappeared into buildings.

The reason for the reaction of the townsfolk quickly became clear. Almost all of the buildings bore some form of damage from recent battle. Bullet holes stood out on the sides of buildings. The unmistakable circular scorch marks of fireballs marred the main drag. Seeing that no one would talk to them, they drove out of town and circled back, Dirk soon finding what he was looking for: a saloon.

Dirk pulled the car up to the front of the saloon, which was called the "Ol' Boar Saloon", and startled a tired looking horse that was tied to the railing. Getting out, Dirk stretched and looked up and down the now deserted street, "Must have got caught in the dust-up between the Protectorate and New Lud a couple of years ago." Suppressing a shiver, he continued, "Hope they didn't have to deal with the fallout from the ghoul-bombing."³ Case Nine said nothing as he exited the vehicle and pulled a tattered poncho over his metallic form, his face now lost in the deep shadows of the hood.

Nonchalantly adjusting the pistol beneath his leather jacket, Dirk made his way up the creaking wooden stairs and through the batwing doors of the saloon, Case Nine looming behind him. The inside of the saloon was dimly lit by several kerosene lanterns and its few denizens stared from the deep shadows, sizing up the outsiders. An ancient piano hulked in one corner, a small man at the keys ineptly plunking out a tune. The duo made their way across the sawdust covered floor, Dirk sidling up to the bar while Case Nine stood behind him, keeping an eye out for trouble.

Lighting a cigarette and ordering a beer, Dirk made small talk with the bartender, an older fellow whose name was Garon. Taking the photograph of Braford from the pocket of his jacket, he slid it across the bar toward Garon, saying "Have you seen this guy? Maybe a couple of months ago? Maybe sooner." The bartender picked up the picture and squinted in the poor light, "Sure did. Came in here fresh from the road maybe a month or so ago. Can't tell you rightly when exactly."

The bartender paused for a moment, than continued, "Seemed real interested in some ruins outside of town. Nothing out there but goblins though. And well, the magic apple." Dirk arched an eyebrow, "A magic apple, huh?" Ganon nodded, "Sounds crazy, I know. Every year the goblins from the ruins come out with this apple that is supposed to cure whatever ails you. I don't buy it, but we got a few in town that swear that it cured this or that. Me? I don't trust anything those gobbo's bring up. Just where are they getting an apple in the wastes anyway? It is bad magic, I tell you."

Ganon shook the photo of Braford and handed it back to Dirk, "Anyway, this fellah here gets all excited when I mention this apple. He practically runs out of the Boar. I see him talking to a couple of his buddies outside and they take off. I found out later he went to the ruins. No one has seen him since." He paused for a moment and smiled, "Now, I am guessing you are going to want to know where these ruins are?" Dirk smirked at the old man, "You got me." Ganon gave directions to the ruins, which were several miles outside of town and deep within a great rent in the earth. Snuffing out his cigarette in an ashtray, Dirk said his thanks to Ganon and slipped the last of the duo's gold coins across the bar. The bartender snatched the coin with eerily quickness and they vanished just as swiftly into his pockets.

* * *​

Returning to their car, Dirk and Case rode out of town and followed the old man's directions to the ruins. The road there was little more that an overgrown path and progress was slow. Several times they passed the crumbling shells of old buildings and it was more than an hour before they reached the great rift that was their destination. Around this rent stood many leaning stone pillars, aged smooth by weather and time.

Dirk parked the Orion and Case got out and opened the trunk. Case Nine pushed aside several dirty blankets and took out a heavy duffel bag. Unzipping it, he began to unload a veritable armory, including Dirk's short sword and his Murlynd's Chainshirt.⁴ Case Nine took out his own Dragon Rifle and quickly checked it over.⁵ He then slung it over his shoulder and took his primary weapon out of the trunk, his greathammer.⁶ Gathering some other miscellaneous supplies, such as food, alchemic items, and ammunition, the two went over to the side of the ravine to determine their decent.

Around one of the pillars the duo found a rope tied, but they could not see how far it went down. Dirk activated a sunrod and dropped into the pit, the bright light illuminated a stony outcrop where the rope ended and a crude set of stairs that lead deeper into the earth could be seen. In addition, several huge rats seemed to be lingering near the end of the rope, looking up with beady eyes. Startled by the bright light, the rats bolted into the shadows. Case Nine made his way down the rope, having little to fear from the vermin. As the warforged made his way to the outcrop, the rats surged from their hiding places and attempted to attack the robot. However, the duo made quick work of them as Case Nine slaughtered them with his greathammer and Dirk picked one off with his pistol. He then climbed down to join his friend.

Working their way down the stairs, they found several more outcrops in the wall. At the second of these, Dirk called a halt as he noticed something in the dim light filtering down from the surface. After a few moments, he made out something in the vast darkness in front of them. A huge fortress, seemingly sunken whole into the earth, could be seen and it appeared the stairs they were working their way down emptied into a large courtyard in front of the ruin. Descending safety, the duo made their way across the shattered courtyard, scanning either side for any more of the giant rats, and made their way to a massive door that was the entrance to the fortress.

After declaring the door free of any traps, Dirk stood aside and Case Nine pushed the great door open. Even before the door was fully open, it became clear that there was something dead in the room beyond, for a great stench issued from the darkness. Dirk, pistol in one hand and sunrod in the other, entered the room, the harsh light of the alchemic rod revealing a grisly scene. Four dead goblins lay strewn about a circular room with two doors, each of the corpses in an advanced state of decay. One still lay pinned to the far wall by the spear that had killed it.

Dirk gave a sign to Case Nine to wait for a moment and the warforged did, his greathammer at the ready. When the bodies failed to animate, the duo quickly searched the room and rolled them, finding a few silver coins of unfamiliar mint. However, when Dirk pulled the spear out of the goblin that was pinned to the wall, he found a single word inscribed in the stone beneath. Recognizing the elaborative script to be the tongue of dragons, he read the word to be "Ashardalon". However, the word meant nothing to either Dirk or Case, so they continued further into the ruin.

* * *​

Choosing the door to their right, Dirk put his ear to the door and carefully listened. He was surprised when he heard a muffled sound that seemed to be someone weeping. After checking the door for traps and finding none, he carefully opened it and saw a short hallway that had two doors along its length and one at its end. Listening intently, he found that the weeping appeared to be coming from the door at the end of the hallway. Moving as quietly as they could, the duo crept forward toward the sound.

Motioning to Case Nine to stand still, Dirk tucked his sunrod beneath his chain shirt and quietly cracked the door. The embers of a dying fire feebly lit a large chamber and Dirk waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. Soon he was able to make out a small form huddled next to a fire pit, as well as a nearby iron cage, its bars bent and mangled. Slowing his breathing, he carefully listened as well, only hearing the sleepy mutterings of the cloaked figure and the distant squeal and rustle of what sounded like small animals. His short sword out, the rogue slipped into the room and silently padded his way to the creature sleeping fitfully by the fire.

Using the point of his sword to move aside the tattered blanket, Dirk carefully revealed the slumbering creature. In the dim light, he could make out a scrawny kobold, its scaly hide stitched with jagged scars. Giving a signal to Case Nine, the warforged made his way into the room, the clanking of the heavily armored warforged startling the kobold awake. Dirk, who had shifted his sword to the kobold's throat, whispered to the creature, "Do you understand Pell-Mell?"⁷

The kobold nodded and looked at the human and warforged, its eyes filled with surprise and fear. Dirk continued, "We want to ask you a couple questions. Just answer quietly and you won't make us hurt you. We are looking for a human who may have passed through here. He looks like this." He fished the photograph of Braford from beneath his armored shirt and showed it to the kobold, "Seen him?" The kobold nodded and began, "Yes! Yes! The humans came from Above World! But you must speak to the queen!" Dirk turned to the Case Nine, who shrugged, and then back to the kobold, "Get up and take us to her. No funny business, we have no problems with your people. By the way, got a name?" Getting to his feet, the kobold said, "Meepo! Come with me."

As he said this, there was a snap from the deeper shadows and then the skittering of dozens of claws on stone. A swarm of squealing rats suddenly appeared and leapt with mad fury onto the duo as the kobold scrambled back in terror. Using his great hammer, Case Nine effortlessly smashed the creatures and sent corpses flying in all directions. Dirk was more deliberate with his blade, skewering the creatures with his short sword. Soon all the rats were dead and the air was filled with stink of blood and death.

The kobold looked at the scattered corpses of the rats and then looked back to duo with wide eyes, "You are strong! You can get Calcryx! We go now, we must talk to the queen!"


Notes:

¹ The Orion '23 looks suspiciously like a 1959 Cadillac Series 62, except it is a hard-top.
² The Protectorate is a collective of city-states to the west of Asheril known for their strict government and tyrant leaders.
³ A recent war between the city-states of the Protectorate and New Lud was brought to an end when New Lud deployed a hitherto unknown weapon: the ghoul-bomb. The weapon spread a virulent, communicable, air-born form of ghoul fever, causing a massive outbreak of ghouls in a major civilian area.
⁴ A brand of armor. Murlynd Industries produces a number of high-quality armors made of proprietary alloys. In game mechanics, it is mithral.
⁵ We use Monte Cook's Firearms Rules
⁶ The greathammer is a custom weapon for the setting and is essentially a massive sledge hammer. In game mechanics, it uses the same statistics as a greataxe, except it is a bludgeoning weapon.
⁷ Pell-Mell in the most commonly spoken language in the region and the equivalent of Common in the setting.

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

Definately an interesting and fun read, looking forward to more. Always keen to see how people mix Fantasy and Technology, not to mention I liked the orignal Adventure Path series.

 

[Hammerhead]

Fun. By the way, great title.

 

[Dr Simon]

I love the setting details, gives me a frisson of Jack Vance and Alfred Bester. It's where they should have gone with Eberron, IMO, but wimped out. Looking forwards to more.

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

I lovethe setting details, gives me a frisson of Jack Vance and Alfred Bester. It's where they should have gone with Eberron, IMO, but wimped out. Looking forwards to more.

This came close to what I was thinking when I first read it. I took the mention of a war with the Eastern Empire to mean Sarlona, and the references to a great ancient civilization (Old Lud), all combined to mean that this is the future and there was a war with Sarlona that was so brutal it knocked people back a few notches on the Civilization meter.

Upon further thought it's much less likely this is how things truely are. On the other hand history's fun in that you can simply change whatever you want and put it down as a recent revelation of the 'true history'. You could even have everyone else insist that the old version is the truth and refuse to believe anything to the contrary.

So, when's the next installment going to be?

 

[Dr Simon]

I'd like to just say that I prefer the background details doled out in footnotes, as you've done here, rather than a huge post of exposition. It's a lot easier to read, IMO.

 

[Pell-Mell]

CASE FILE 001: THE CASE OF THE MISSING HOLYMAN
Session 2: Attack of the Big F'ing Spiders

Dirk fished a crushed box of Belkers¹ from the inner pocket of his leather jacket, frowning at the state of affairs as he flipped the lid open. Half full and all mangled. Picking the best of a poor lot, he lit the cigarette with a practiced motion of his lighter. Exhaling a plume of smoke, he nodded at the kobold, "Lead away, kiddo. By the way, the name is Dirk." Gesturing to the Lud-Man, he said, "This here is Case Nine." The kobold bobbed his head rapidly in confirmation as he frantically scrambled for his meager possessions. Grabbing a crude spear and a rusty knife, he headed off for a shadowy corner of the room, gesturing for the duo. Dirk took out his sunrod and followed, Case Nine close behind him.

They were led through darkened chambers and halls, the splendor of the ruins still evident after untold eons. Elaborate dragons wound around pillars that supported ceilings that vaulted into darkness and fading frescos of wyrms lording over races of antiquity, some familiar and some forgotten, still clung to the walls. From the shadows, kobold warriors swarmed at the sight of the interlopers, sharp spears at the ready, despite the urgings of Meepo.

At the end of a long hall, Dirk and Case were brought to a great room that was dominated by a massive throne. Upon the throne, which was carved in the shape of a dragon, sat a kobold garbed in rich but faded robes and a thin silver crown. Splayed around the ruler were six kobold warriors dressed in leather armor and wielding spears.

The kobold upon the throne raised her hand to the outsiders and spoke in surprising good Pell-Mell, "Above-Worlders! I am Yusdrayl, Queen of the Children of the Dragon and Scion of Ashardalon, King of All Dragons and Destroyer of Worlds!" At the invocation of the name of the ancient dragon, all the kobolds bowed their head in reverence. The queen then turned her unblinking gaze to Meepo, "Lowly Meepo, why have you brought the Above-Worlders into the most sacred lair of our people."

Meepo's voice trembled as he spoke, "They have come for the other Above-Worlders who sought the magic apple. They are mighty warriors and can hel ... " The queen of the kobolds silenced Meepo with a gesture, the scrawny kobold cowering and covering his face with his spindly arms. Yusdrayl sunk back into her throne, "That is for me to decide!" Turning to Case and Dirk, "The Above-Worlders you seek have gone deep into this mighty fortress. The area they have entered is controlled by goblins ..." she turned an spat in disgust before continuing, " ... who infest this holy place. If they live, they are with them."

"My people seek to slay these goblins and regain our rightful place in the House of Ashardalon." Once more, heads were bowed. "But they are a strong and devious lot. One of their greatest warriors has recently raided our area and kidnapped an ice dragon wyrmling in our care." She stared at Dirk and Case, her head cocked to one side and her eyes narrowing. Her long mouth quirked into a fanged grin as an idea formed in her clever mind, "Perhaps we can help each other."

"If you enter the goblin territories and retrieve the ice dragon Calcryx, we will allow you to pass through our area unharmed and rest in safety among my people." Case and Dirk looked at each other and shrugged. Dirk spoke, "Good enough." He then smiled and turned on the old Chance charm, "Queen Yusdrayl, we are strangers in this land and we will need a guide." The queen nodded, "Take Meepo. He is worthless to us. He has failed in keeping his ward, the ice dragon, safe from harm and has so failed his people." At the declaration, the scrawny kobold hung his head in shame.

* * *​

Meepo led Dirk and Case Nine out of the kobold lair and into the contested zone between the warring tribes of humanoids. Slipping into an area known to be infrequently visited by either side, the duo hoped to sneak into the goblin territories by the backdoor. Moving down twisting halls and long abandoned chambers, they soon came upon a room with a strange stone door, a dusty fountain adorned with swooping dragons and a large archway that led into darkness.

Despite the urgings of the kobold to continue, the duo decided to have a look around. Ignoring the fountain, Dirk quickly examined the stone door, which was graven with diving dragons and soaring drakes, and found that it had neither handle nor knob. Holding his sunrod close, he found a passage carved into the door in Draconic. He read it out loud as "Tana Aman Heka Men", which translated into Pell-Mell as "Channel good, open the way". Looking back to Case and Meepo, he said, "Mean anything to either of you?" The robot and kobold shook their heads. "Me either." Turning around, he jerked his thumb to the door and nodded to Case Nine, "You know what to do."

The Lud-Man gripped his greathammer and began to batter down the stone door, each thunderous blow echoing up and down the empty halls. Dirk lit a fresh cigarette and ventured to the large archway, Meepo by his side. As he flipped his lighter closed and looked up, the smoldering cigarette fell from his slackening mouth and all color drained from his face. Meepo gripped his leg and whimpered as he caught sight of the monstrosities lurching toward them.

The things were clearly of spider stock, but each was the size of a large dog, and warped either by long inbreeding or the weirdness of distant Lud.² One had a head clustered with ill-formed black eyes; one was thick with weeping tumors; one had twice as many legs as it needed and dragged the useless quivering appendages along. All had dripping fangs that twitched in anticipation.

In-between swings of his hammer, the sensors of Case Nine noted certain anomalies in the breathing patterns of Dirk and Meepo and peculiar new sounds. Given prior experience, current environment, and results of complex risk algorithms, there was a 96.387% probability of an untoward event occurring in the immediate time-frame. Turning about, the warforged caught sight of the chittering abominations and his fear-frozen comrades. Sensing no threat to him in the spider-things, Case charged forth and pushed past the ashen Dirk and weeping Meepo, who had burrowed his face into the leg of Dirk's jeans.

Swinging his hammer in wide devastating arcs, the robot laid into the monstrous vermin. The creatures tried to surge past the Lud-Man to feed upon the living prey beyond, but Case Nine's assault smashed and killed before they could advance. Splattered in gore, Case turned to Dirk, who had recovered somewhat, saying, "More webs ahead. I will take point." Shaking the clinging kobold off his leg, Dirk readjusted his leather jacket and pulled out his pistol. Moving behind the robot, he peered into the gloom from which the mutant spiders had emerged, "Appreciate it, Case." Blanching as he passed the rent corpses, Dirk muttered, "God-damned spiders."

* * *​

The three of them moved down what must have been a series of stables in days long past. Now each of the booths was the domain of the spiders and was thick with webs and the remains of past meals. Desiccated corpses of great rats and small humanoids hung in grotesque cocoons in many of the webs and bones littered the floor. Case Nine pulled down the webbing with his hammer and in some of the debris they found ancient coins and other baubles.

The hall of stables eventually terminated in a large room strewn with ragged strands of webbing. In the flat light of the sunrod, the group could make out two large pits in the floor, each with trapdoors lodged open with iron spikes, and a single doorway that was half-shrouded with sheets of filthy cobwebs. Against the far wall, another fountain adorned with dragons stood, the shattered bones of past prey littering its dry basin. Dirk instantly recognized what had transpired in the room, "Looks like someone beat us here. They spiked the traps." Case Nine cautiously advanced into the room, his scanners sweeping the area for signs of danger. Dirk crept in as well, knelling beside one of the disabled traps to inspect the work.

As Dirk got up from his crouch, his knees popping loudly in the quiet, he groaned as he caught sight of movement from the room partially concealed by webbing. Two more of the monstrous spiders skittered forth; one heading for Case, the other lurching toward Dirk. However, what emerged next nearly sent Dirk screaming from the ruins. A truly huge spider, its abdomen swollen with cancerous growths, struggled to squeeze through the door and enter the chamber. Meepo wheeled back, pointing at the horse-sized spider, and managed to squeal out "Guthash" before darting away.³

Dirk raised his pistol, his hands trembling and took several shots at the advancing spider-thing, but in his blind panic missed each time. The creature dove at the rogue, driving its fangs deep into Drik's arm. Dirk screamed as his arm seemed to catch flame, the poison streaming through his blood, and dropped his gun. With a mighty act of will, he managed to tear the creature off and send it crashing to the ground. Experience and instinct overcoming thought and terror, he pulled out his short sword and skewered the spider-thing as it tried to right itself.

After mashing the head of the monster with his boot to make sure it was dead, Dirk flipped his blade and looked up to see his reflection eight times in the glittering eyes of Guthash. Scrambling back in dread, Dirk weaved and wove, avoiding the darting strikes of Guthash, whose fangs were the size of a human hand. As he dove back, he suddenly hit something hard and unyielding. Realizing in horror that he had backed himself into a corner, the rogue held out his blade and watched as the great spider rose up to deliver his doom.

Meanwhile, Case Nine slaughtered the mutant spider charging him, crushing the monster flat with a single vicious overhead blow with his greathammer. However, even this brief encounter cost the robot time, as Guthash strode past him and went straight for Dirk. Case's friend was not thinking clearly and appeared to be unaware of the great monster approaching him. The Lud-Man was too slow to intercept, but as Dirk was pressed into the corner by Guthash, the robot surged forward. Swinging his hammer in a wide arc, he slammed into the massive spider-thing, sending foul smelling ichor splattering in all directions.

Wheeling around, Guthash lashed out at the source of its pain. While the poison was of no concern to the warforged, the fangs of the monstrosity were strong and it rent and tore the armor of the Lud-Man. Distracted by the assault of Case Nine, Guthash momentarily ignored Dirk and thus sealed its fate. Fighting though the horror, the rogue slid to one side and using both hands drove his short sword hilt-deep into the thorax of the monster. Squealing in pain, Guthash listed to the side and staggered about before finally falling to the ground, its many legs jerking wildly for quite sometime after its death.

* * *​

Dirk rummaged through his pack until he found what he wanted: Bertik's Patented No. 34 Antitoxin Elixir.⁴ Hastily unscrewing the cap, he gulped down the noxious tasting liquid. Minutes crawled by as he waited to see if the poison of the spiders would have any effect. When he felt no worse, he knew the alchemic had worked. Meanwhile, Case Nine applied some enchanted unguents and oils to his battered armor plating, the magic mending the damage he had sustained. The danger abated, Meepo sheepishly crept back into the room from his hiding place in the hall.

Once ready, Case Nine entered the lair of Guthash, his hammer held high. Inside was a stinking nest of web, debris, and bones. As the robot looked around, he caught sight of a human-sized body strung in the webs. Putting away his hammer and taking out a knife, he cut the corpse down and brought it out into the room, as Dirk would have no part in entering Guthash's nest. The body, although mummified, appeared somewhat fresh and dressed in studded leather armor, a well-worn pack, and good boots. Meepo stared for a moment then jumped up in excitement, "I know this Above-Worlder! He was with the one you are looking for." Dirk nodded and quietly searched the body, finding the pack full of various supplies and a gold ring upon his finger. On the inside of the ring was engraved a single word: Karakas.

Case Nine, who had left Dirk to his work and returned to Guthash's lair, continued to pick through the nest. Eventually he found a Dragon rifle, which based on the ammunition they found in Karakas' pack had probably belonged to him, as well as a number of other trinkets. Giving the rifle to Dirk, the duo took what they could use and left the rest behind.

* * *​

Nerves still on edge, the group backtracked to where Case Nine had slaughtered the first of the spider-things. Here, Meepo noted another path that he assured Dirk and Case would lead them into the goblin territories. Forgoing the stone door that Case had started to break down, the group followed the path pointed out by Meepo. Passing through several empty chambers, they eventually came to an ancient wooden door with a rusty knob.

Kneeling before it, Dirk carefully inspected the door for signs of subterfuge. As he examined the door, he noted that a key hole had only been partially filled in, allowing a glimpse of what was beyond. A flickering light could be dimly made out at the end of a long hall. Of far more interest, the rogue could see a string on the other side of the door that draped past the keyhole. Figuring this was an alarm bell, Dirk made preparations and began his work.

Using a set of long metal implements, Dirk carefully picked the mechanism that held the door fast. Next, he asked Case Nine and Meepo to stand back and handed off the sunrod to Meepo, who then wrapped it in a rag to dampen the light. Controlling his breathing and steadying his hand, he carefully opened the door slightly, noting that he was correct and a banged up cowbell had been rigged to the door. Quietly disabling this alarm, he then slipped into the room, giving himself a moment to adjust to the darkness.

Looking ahead, he could see a long hallway and what appeared to be a barricade almost at the end. This makeshift barrier was silhouetted by dim, flickering firelight. Listening carefully, Dirk could make out what sounded like slurred Goblin and drunken laughter from behind the barricade. Crouching, he padded his way forward, noting that the floor was covered with a carpet of caltrops and he picked each step with care.

However, about halfway up the hall, he overlooked a caltrop and it shout out from the edge of his boot, pinging and bouncing down the hall. The laughter suddenly stopped and small heads shot up over the top of the barricade, cries of alarm rose as the goblin lookouts spotted Dirk. Cursing, the rogue drew his blade, but before he could act, he was pushed aside by Case Nine, who came roaring up the hall. The caltrops crushed beneath his thick tread, the robot burst through the barrier and sent the goblin sentinels scattering in all directions.

There were four goblins in total and one immediately fled in terror through a doorway. The others stood their ground, attacking the robot with crude maces. Case Nine swung his heavy hammer, smashing the goblins and sending them flying. As swiftly as it began, the battle was over, and Dirk closed the door the one goblin had fled through. The duo quickly looted the defeated goblins, but found only a few coins, and Dirk also scooped up what few of the caltrops remained serviceable after the Lud-Man's charge.

Weapons at the ready, Case Nine kicked open the door the goblin had fled through and the group charged down a twisting pathway into a huge room. This room, as the hallway before, had been separated by a low barricade of debris. Behind this wall stood at least nine goblins and this time the humanoids were ready for attack. They let loose a hail of javelins and Dirk was hit badly. Even Case Nine, whose thick armor turned most blows, was damaged in the merciless barrage. Dirk managed to fire a few shots, but the goblins used the cover of the barricade to their benefit and none were harmed. Case attempted to burst through the wall in hopes of getting into melee range, but was repulsed by another barrage of javelins.

Bleeding and sparking, Dirk and Case Nine fled the battle, chased by javelins and taunts. Meepo was not far behind.


Notes:

¹ Belkers are a popular brand of cigarettes in Asheril. Widely known for their slogan "A New Dimension of Flavor" and their ubiquitous advertising mascot, Belky the Belker.
² The area around Old Lud is filled with strange energies that can mutate living creatures. At times, it has been known to affect even inanimate objects or non-living creatures, giving them odd new qualities. These energies have not yet been successfully quantified by modern technologies or sorceries, making them difficult to detect and extremely dangerous. Advanced Arcanics, a research consortium with divisions in both Asheril and New Lud, is thought to be close to creating a device that will detect this energy, but working prototypes have not yet been publicly demonstrated.
³ A goblin word. Translated into Pell-Mell it roughly means "Bloated One".
⁴ Another fine product from Bertik & Company Alchemics and Chemicals.