CASE FILE 002: THE CASE OF THE STOLEN KEY
Session 9, Part 1: The Gangs All Here
Dirk grabbed another bottle of Moradin's Best from the antique refrigerator and shut the door, returning to his meal on the pocked Formica table.
1 The ceiling fan churned the thick, summer air, as the rogue ate, drank, smoked and thought in the cramped kitchen.
The duo had a bit of good luck with finding out some details about this Green Dagger Gang. When they had arrived home from roughing up Irontusk, the phone had been ringing. When Dirk picked up, he heard a distinguished male voice with a queer accent that the rogue could not quite place. But Dirk recognized the voice immediately: it was one of the business voices of the kenku Tayko-Swift.
2 Tayko-Swift was primarily a dealer in information and Dirk had contacted him earlier to find out about Irontusk. The two spoke in code and innuendo, for the phone lines of Asheril were thought to be under surveillance, Dirk telling the kenku what he needed had changed and the bird agreeing to a live meeting at the usual place.
The usual place was a nameless bar on a gloomy side street not far from the office of Chance and Nine. At this hour, the bar was mostly deserted, a single tired looking serving girl on duty. Dirk, who had come alone, found Tayko-Swift lurking in a corner booth, his form lost in the ill-fitted, colorless robe he habitually wore. Under the buzzing neon signs of extinct brands of beer and cigarettes, Dirk approached the kenku, who pulled back his hood and greeted the rogue in a lilting, feminine voice. Dirk gritted his teeth and his eyes narrowed in anger, spitting out, "Use that voice again and we are done." The kenku gave a laugh in its true voice, an inhuman cawing. Then his voice was Dirk's, "So sensitive. Still! Sit Dirk. You have questions. Maybe I have answers."
And the bird did have answers to Dirk's queries about the Green Dagger Gang. The rogue found out the gang was a recent start-up founded by a mutant named Cyrathas. Although still passable as human, Cyrathas was an albino, was skeletally thin, and rumored to be a sorcerer of some skill. Cyrathas was not local and judging from his accent, was a native of the Protectorate. How he had evaded the gene-purges of those city-states was unknown, much to the chagrin of Tayko-Swift.
3 The kenku also knew that the gang was still small and in process of establishing itself: they had pulled a few minor jobs and had torched a place, but nothing of significance. They had no alliances with the true gangs of the city, although the bird had heard the Green Dagger Gang had made overtures to them. So far they had been ignored. What was most curious was that over the last week or so, the Green Dagger Gang had retreated to their holdout and had effectively stopped working. The reasons for this were unknown, but Tayko-Swift was interested in finding out.
Having got what he needed, he tossed Tayko-Swift a wad of grimy g-notes and left the little nothing bar. From behind him, he heard a girl's voice calling a farewell, followed by the mocking caw-caw laughter of the kenku. Dirk paused for a second, a murderous intent overcoming him. But then it passed and he wiped the sweat off his brow. He jammed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and walked away before he changed his mind.
* * *
**BOOM**
Dirk was startled out of his thoughts when the front door of the office slammed shut.
Mere stalked into the kitchen and slammed her bag onto the table in anger, Meepo scampering in behind her. The priestess of Boccob looked to Dirk and unloaded on him, "Do you know where I have been all day?" She did not wait for a response. "Detained! I thought New Lud was bad! But in Asheril, you don't even get to defend yourself!" She glared at Dirk, "Well, give me a cigarette!" The bewildered rogue did so, as Meepo avoided eye contact and went to the fridge without a word and got them all a cold beer. As the cleric lit up and inhaled, Dirk rested his head on his hand, "So, tell me about your day. It's been pretty quiet around here." Mere shot him a look that could kill and gave him the finger.
After she calmed down, Mere did tell Dirk what had happened to her that morning. She had gone to the Temple of Boccob early, as today was a holy day commemorating the Accession of the Arch-Wizard Zagyg. Meepo had gone with her, as he was still acclimating to city life and the three of them took the kobold out whenever they could. When she had arrived at the University, where the main Temple of Boccob was located, Mere and Meepo had been rounded up by a squad of police.
4
The job was made easy for the police, as she was in her formal purple and gold robes, as were her colleagues, in veneration of the holy day. The reasons for why they were being detained came in fragments, but the bright minds of the Acolytes of the All-Seeing Eye quickly put it together: A rare tome had been stolen from the Great Library of the University early that morning and the thief was identified a follower of Boccob. The university administrators had been particularly angry, as the book was apparently very valuable to them, despite it having a mystical lock that was unable to be opened. Dirk, who had been only half-listening up to this point, suddenly became very interested in the priestess' story.
Mere made a circular motion with her hand, a gesture betraying her New Lud heritage, and finished her tale, "Anyway, they finally let us go. Someone made some calls, I guess." She looked at Dirk, who was staring at her intently, "What?" The rogue crushed his smoke into the ashtray and exhaled, "I think we may have a lead on who stole that book." He then told them of what he and Case Nine had been up to that morning: the thugs, the missing key, the job, the chase on the docks, and finally the Green Dagger Gang. Dirk concluded, "A jeweled key and a book with a lock that can't be opened both stolen at the same time? That can't be a coincidence." He looked at the priestess and the kobold, "Will you help us with the Green Dagger Gang? They may have this book, as well as the key. We can try and talk with them, but I doubt this is going to go well." Without hesitation, both of them nodded.
"Good, get changed then. I already have your gear." Case Nine stood behind them, having come out of the cellar a little earlier. In one hand was a large, nondescript duffel bag and over his shoulder was his massive greathammer. "I will pack the car."
* * *
They made only one stop on the way to the gang's hideout and that was to pick up the gargoyle Ma-Gog. Dirk knew the neighborhood the gang had set up in was dangerous and the car would be stripped as soon as they left it, so he petitioned the Watcher's Guild for a short-term arrangement. As Dirk and Case Nine were in good standing with the guild, their request was granted. At the appointed spot, Ma-Gog descended from a building and wedged itself into the backseat of the Orion '23, his bulk squeezing Meepo and Mere into the doors of the car.
The ride was long, particularly for those in the backseat, as Dirk made his way down half-familiar streets. As they came closer to the Green Dagger's hideout, the neighborhood rapidly deteriorated. By the time they found the street the hideout was on, the neighborhood had given way to row upon row of gutted and boarded up buildings. Although no one could be seen on the sweltering street, everyone in the car felt that they were being watched.
Dirk parked the car in an alley and the group disembarked, Ma-Gog taking a position nearby and freezing, becoming a weathered statue. Case Nine unloaded the trunk, unzipping the duffel bag and handing out battle gear. Meepo looked particularly pleased when the robot handed him his newly bought gun, a Haagenti Munitions S-Type Dragon Rifle.
5 With practiced precision, the kobold slid the bolt of the small rifle back, slipped a cartridge into the chamber, and slammed the bolt home. Case Nine patted the kobold on the head, "Well done." After a few other preparations, they left the alley and made their way down the cracked asphalt, the warforged in lead.
* * *
The group halted at a low broken wall, the ground sparkling with shattered glass, and took in the house that was now the den of the Green Dagger Gang. The place had once been beautiful and even its terminal state of decay, some of its grandeur still lingered. The broad windows and large front door had been boarded up long ago and the front lawn was choked with weeds and trash. On one side of the house, the remains of a covered stable could be seen, although its interior was lost to shadow. They waited here, listening and looking. But in the punishing afternoon heat, nothing stirred and the only sounds were that of the city and the drone of summer insects.
Case Nine turned around, "Let us take a look at the stable. Then we try the front door." The group agreed and with the Lud-Man in lead, they made their way to the stables. They stopped well short of the shadowy interior and shielding their eyes from the glaring sun, peered into the darkness. All but Meepo could see little from their vantage point. The kobold saw more, for his people had long ago acquired the ability see in pitch darkness, and described the interior: vacant with a wrecked truck on cinderblocks in the corner and a few warped plywood shelves on the far wall. Case Nine turned to the others, "I will go in and take a quick look."
Bringing his greathammer to a ready position, Case Nine entered the shadowy interior of the stable, his scanners sweeping multiple spectrums for danger. As the robot entered, his scanners suddenly registered movement and sound from above. He had time to see them dropping from the rafters, free-falling for a moment before they twisted aright. Then their four bat-like wings suddenly unfolded and they were hovering and buzzing about angrily. Case Nine heard Meepo cry out, his voice high with fear, "Stirges!" For a moment, the creatures flapped about Case Nine in seeming confusion, then they shot out into the street, finding in Dirk, Mere, and Meepo what they really wanted: blood.
The hideous amalgams of insect and mammal dived for the living among the group, their terrible proboscis out and ready to steal lifeblood. But Dirk was ready for one coming for him, skewering it on his short sword. Meepo danced about, jabbing his spear out at one of the creatures that menacing him, doing it no harm but managing to keep it at bay. Mere was less fortunate as two sought her out, one of which she warded off with her blade, but the other managed to grab onto her with its many legs and reared its head to drive its proboscis into her. Mere recoiled in horror but suddenly the head of the thing was encased in steel and there was a terrible crunching sound as Case Nine, who had come running to assist, crushed the life out the little monster. Several other stirges that flapped about were just as quickly dispatched.
The battle over, Dirk mopped his sweaty brow, "God-damn it, I thought the papers said the stirges were all gone."
6 Mere shrugged and Meepo poked at one with his spear saying, "These were weak ones. Their color is very pale ... I think they were starving." The group looked at Meepo, who shrugged this time, "One of the tasks the Queen gave me was to clear out a stirge nest. That time was much harder." Unconsciously, his clawed hand rubbed his shoulder, where the others knew a scar lay, "We should check to see if they had eggs. Stirges do no one good." And indeed, when they checked the stable they found a cluster of milky-white eggs lodged in the rafters. The eggs were quickly crushed.
Finding nothing of value in the stables, they crept up to the front door of the house. Dirk gave the massive door a once over and put his ear to it, whispering back to the others, "The door and lock are new. They messed it up so it looks old. Doesn't sound like anybody is home." Taking a second look at the door, he continued, "Looks like they have rigged it with some kind of alarm." Taking a set of picks from the inner pocket of his leather jacket, the rogue set to work. With the group hovering about him, Dirk disabled both the lock and the alarm. Drawing his pistol, he looked back at the others, "I'm going to have a look around. Be ready if you hear something."
With his free hand, he pushed the door open slightly, recoiling immediately as a wave of heat and stench hit him. The smell was ungodly; a mixture of sweat, excrement, urine, rotting meat, mildew, and other unidentifiable but unwholesome things. Dirk stumbled back and almost puked, but managed to keep his lunch down by moving to the side to get some fresh air. Thinking quickly, Mere took a strip of cloth meant to be used as a bandage from her first-aid kit, dabbed it with water from her canteen, and handed it to Dirk. The rogue tied the makeshift filter over his lower face as Mere prepared two more masks for Meepo and herself. Ready this time, and over the protests of Case Nine, the rogue slipped into the den of the Green Dagger Gang.
* * *
The room Dirk entered was lit by a single, naked light bulb hung from the ceiling. The room was large, obviously meant to impress long dead guests of its previous owners, and had three sets of doors. Immediately across from the front door was a large set of double doors upon which someone had spray painted a crude dagger in shock green. On the walls to the right and left, were smaller doors. As he stepped into the center of the room, the rogue froze as he heard something: a metallic squeak. He waited, his heart beating wildly in his chest, but the sound did not repeat. Avoiding the large double doors, the rogue crept to right, deciding to try that door first.
Suddenly, he heard the squeak again and the door he was heading toward burst open. Filling the doorway was a warforged in an ancient wheelchair, an automatic rifle in its hands. The warforged was a different make and model than Case Nine, with a coppery metal hide, block-shaped head, and emerald green eyes that flickered slightly. The robot needed the wheelchair, for its legs had been severed above the knees, the stumps crudely sealed with a black, alchemic epoxy. Despite its infirmities, the machine man was lightening quick and leveled the gun directly at Dirk's chest. The warforged was about to pull the trigger and end the rogue's life when it malfunctioned and slumped in its chair, its green eyes flickering once before going dark.
7
The rogue wasted no time, leveling his pistol at the warforged and putting a hole in the robot's chest. Case Nine, who had been lingering near the entrance, was already in motion, charging across the room and bringing his greathammer down in a killing arc. The wheelchair bound robot's eyes suddenly flashed with emerald light and it came back online, drawing a sword from the back of the chair and parrying Case Nine's greathammer. Mere and Meepo entered as well, the kobold closing the door behind him. The cleric lined up a shot, but it went wide and drilled into the wall.
Dirked backed up, reloading his pistol for another shot at the warforged, when the double doors with the graffiti began to shake and bulge outward, as if something was trying to get out. The rogue had just enough time to shout a warning when the doors exploded open. Charging from another room came a strange creature. The thing was cat-like and big as a wolf, but as it swung into the room, its face suddenly began to peel back, revealing a horrific mask of muscle and skull. It gave a terrible screech and a wave of fear and panic swept across the room, but the four resisted the abrupt urge to run and stood their ground.
Robot fought robot as Case Nine battled with the copper warforged. The thing was incredibly tough and battered at Case Nine, plunging the sword through his armor and doing great damage. But Case Nine was not to be outdone and rained down savage blow after savage blow on the already damaged Lud-Man. With a crushing final blow, Case Nine smashed the enemy robot and sent it crashing from its chair, its arms and what-remained of its legs suddenly jerking randomly as the systems of the warforged failed.
In the meanwhile, the cat-thing leapt toward Dirk, but the rogue rolled back and brought up his pistol and took a shot. In addition, both Mere and Meepo leveled their own rifles at the beast and the room was filled with thunder. The strange creature, caught in the crossfire, screamed in pain as it was riddled with bullets and collapsed to ground in a bloody heap. Dirk finished it off with a shot to the head, the thing's weird face writhing and spasming even after death.
The battle over, they stood in the sudden silence and listened for sign that the skirmish had aroused the defenses of the gang. For a moment, there was nothing. Then, whisper quiet, they heard something.
A moan and a gasping, "Oh god. Help me."
NEXT UPDATE: Sniper attacks! Dancing goblins! Mutant sorcerers!
Notes:
1 Moradin's Best is a popular brand of beer in the city of Asheril. Named for the chief god of the mythic dwarves.
2 All kenku can mimic voices and accents with great ease. The game mechanics and a picture of the kenku can be found
here.
3 In the Protectorate, the prevailing view is that humanity is the rightful heir to the Continent and the world. Other races are considered second-class citizens at best. Below the non-humans are the mutants, who deviate from the state ideal and dilute the purity of humanity. Obvious mutants are usually eliminated at birth. However, some mutations only become evident later and the populace is routinely subjected to surveillance and purges.
4 Although the University is often identified and thought of as a single entity, it is actually a loose confederation of various independent schools, laboratories, libraries, corporate interests, and temples.
5 The Haagenti Munitions S-Type Dragon Rifle is specifically designed for smaller humanoid creatures, usually goblins. It follows the same rules as a normal Dragon rifle, except the damage is 2d6. It also uses a different caliber of ammunition than normal-sized Dragon rifles. In the campaign, Meepo's rifle is commonly referred to as the "Lil' Bastard".
6 Stirges have been hunted almost to extinction in the city of Asheril by the alien creatures known as "eyeballs". An illustration can be found
here. The eyeball is the small creature in the lower right corner. Believed to be distantly related to the dread beholders, the first eyeballs appeared in the city only twenty years ago and have quickly become its dominate small predator. They are thought to have stowed away on one the trading starships that still infrequently visit Asheril and unintentionally released upon landing. Periodic attempts by the city to eradicate the eyeballs have been unsuccessful.
7 A life saving use of the "Wrong Lever, Kronk" Swashbuckling Card.
