Metropolis (The World in Waiting) - Chapter One

[Bront]

Taran nods "You're the expert on investigating. I'm just a simple druid from the sewers. I'll follow your lead. If you think heading back is best, then we best do that. No time to waste."

Taran tries to relate where he was in the sewers to where he was above ground, wondering if there is any corelation to where he was with the bodies and the girl in the well compaired to where he was investigating topside.

"On the other hand, I found Stephanie only an hour away, so it might be a good place to sneak a quick peak in before we head back to the surface."

 

[Phoenix]

Ba'aktar nodded at Yu'olan's words, and stood up in order to follow upstairs.

"Well, if you want to test your luck, I ain't arguin'," Ba'aktar conceded, and clipped his khora back onto his belt, ready to do his share of the work.

Yu'olan was the first into the temple proper upstairs, followed by the inseperable halflings that followed with a keeness that sometimes unnerved Ba'aktar. The children had all fled into the chamber, obviously searching for the priest that now lay in a pool of his own blood on the floor. The children wept over the body of the man, making it easier to find them for the group.

Hentre was the first to approach the kids. He was also the first to fall.

The small halfling approached the children from behind after pulling a small billy* from his belt, intent on rapping one into an early slumber. He paused for a moment, his eyes widening as if he could see something that no-one else could, before falling to the ground, his stomach bleeding heavily.

Yu'olan stepped forward next, looking to help the sticken halfling, his eyes darting about the room looking for the assailant that had struck his comrade down. He too froze, then fell to the ground clutching his leg in agony.

Ulam, though as psychotic as his companion, wise smarter in some respects. He did not look around the room, but simply drew a dagger in each hand and lined up the closest of the group...

 

[D20Dazza]

Ghost Hound Elf Bard

"On the other hand, I found Stephanie only an hour away, so it might be a good place to sneak a quick peak in before we head back to the surface."

"I am not adverse to your line of thinking my friend. I may turn something up that you've missed, after all, as you yourself pointed out, I AM the 'Expert' on investigating. It's a wise man that is aware of his own short comings. Come my friend, lead the way." Ghost says as he slaps Taran on the back and bows low to the Elder with a wink, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and his eyes twinkling in mirth.

 

[Phoenix]

"I am not adverse to your line of thinking my friend. I may turn something up that you've missed, after all, as you yourself pointed out, I AM the 'Expert' on investigating. It's a wise man that is aware of his own short comings. Come my friend, lead the way." Ghost says as he slaps Taran on the back and bows low to the Elder with a wink, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and his eyes twinkling in mirth.

With Twitchy leading the way, crawling faster up beside the ladder than the two companions could on it, Ghost and Taran slowly made their way out of the village and into the sewers once more.

Trudging through the filth and sludge that flows freely, albiet slowly, beneath the city streets, the three companions follow bending and winding tunnels for the better part of an hour.

Eventually the sight of the dangling elderly corpse that has one end of a length of ropetied around his ankle, the other stuck into something on the ceiling, show the halfling that he had found the chamber that they seek. Most of his body has decompsed and maggots use his flesh as a playground, pouring forth from his orifices lazily.

The chamber they stand within is an old domed construction where several sewer lines meet, then plunge into a well that drops further into the depthes of the earth. The walls and ceiling are in poor condition, worse than the rest of the sewer system.

From the ceiling, walls, and even scattered on the floor, dozens of elderly men and women (all at least eighty years old) are scattered in various positions of body shattering poses. Shards of bones protrude from ancient wounds, liquidized organs have long drifted away to leave empty husks, and vacant glares seem to look straight through the viewer's eyes into something else, like a dead universe only they can see.

The well in the centre of the room gives access to the area where Taran discovered Stephanie, the fetid water pouring into it like a miniture waterfall, taking chunks of human waste down into the murky depths below.

 

[Bront]

With Twitchy leading the way, crawling faster up beside the ladder than the two companions could on it, Ghost and Taran slowly made their way out of the village and into the sewers once more.

Trudging through the filth and sludge that flows freely, albiet slowly, beneath the city streets, the three companions follow bending and winding tunnels for the better part of an hour.

Eventually the sight of the dangling elderly corpse that has one end of a length of ropetied around his ankle, the other stuck into something on the ceiling, show the halfling that he had found the chamber that they seek. Most of his body has decompsed and maggots use his flesh as a playground, pouring forth from his orifices lazily.

The chamber they stand within is an old domed construction where several sewer lines meet, then plunge into a well that drops further into the depthes of the earth. The walls and ceiling are in poor condition, worse than the rest of the sewer system.

From the ceiling, walls, and even scattered on the floor, dozens of elderly men and women (all at least eighty years old) are scattered in various positions of body shattering poses. Shards of bones protrude from ancient wounds, liquidized organs have long drifted away to leave empty husks, and vacant glares seem to look straight through the viewer's eyes into something else, like a dead universe only they can see.

The well in the centre of the room gives access to the area where Taran discovered Stephanie, the fetid water pouring into it like a miniture waterfall, taking chunks of human waste down into the murky depths below.

"This is it. When I was last down here, we were attacked by some sort of animated man thing. Twitchy held it off till I could call a crocodile to assist us, and then we grabbed the little girl and ran. I don't know who finished off who, but I would be weary of either that thing, or another like it."

"I don't know if you think you can learn anything from up here, or we need to go further below. If we must decend, I will try to light our way."

OOC: [sblock]If Ghost intends on decending, Taran will cast light on one of his short spears, much like the last time.[/sblock]

 

[D20Dazza]

Ghost Hound Elf Bard

"This is it. When I was last down here, we were attacked by some sort of animated man thing. Twitchy held it off till I could call a crocodile to assist us, and then we grabbed the little girl and ran. I don't know who finished off who, but I would be weary of either that thing, or another like it."

"I don't know if you think you can learn anything from up here, or we need to go further below. If we must decend, I will try to light our way."

Ghost kneels down and pulls his bullseye lantern from its hook at his belt. "Keep a steady eye out for any sign of these meat sacks you speak of" Ghost says to Taran as he lights the lantern. Once it is lit he stands and directs the beam down into the thick waste soup. He spends several minutes slowly playing the lantern light over the walls and floor of the chamber looking for anything of interest.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Hentre was the first to approach the kids. He was also the first to fall.

The small halfling approached the children from behind after pulling a small billy* from his belt, intent on rapping one into an early slumber. He paused for a moment, his eyes widening as if he could see something that no-one else could, before falling to the ground, his stomach bleeding heavily.

Yu'olan stepped forward next, looking to help the sticken halfling, his eyes darting about the room looking for the assailant that had struck his comrade down. He too froze, then fell to the ground clutching his leg in agony.

Ulam, though as psychotic as his companion, wise smarter in some respects. He did not look around the room, but simply drew a dagger in each hand and lined up the closest of the group...

Ba'aktar frowned, Ulam did after all seem to be the more skilled of the two, which was all the more reason to not allow him to get a chance to hurt the children... assuming they actually were children. Better not to take the risk. Ba'aktar was an rsehle, and he knew it, but like Yu'olan there were lines he would not cross. His own limitations were somewhat different to the ex-guard's though, he was firmly against such ideas as selling children like pieces of meat. He strode up behind the halfling and unclipped his khora as he went.

"I'll not have no child cut in my presence, Ulam. Back down, or go through me," Ba'aktar said in plain Common.

He took up a combat stance, shield and blade raised, and gazed down at the halfling with the cold eyes of his warrior race. He readied himself to attack Ulam should he actually make a move against the children.

 

[Phoenix]

Ghost kneels down and pulls his bullseye lantern from its hook at his belt. "Keep a steady eye out for any sign of these meat sacks you speak of" Ghost says to Taran as he lights the lantern. Once it is lit he stands and directs the beam down into the thick waste soup. He spends several minutes slowly playing the lantern light over the walls and floor of the chamber looking for anything of interest.

[sblock]Search check (DC hidden) +18 - Success
Heal check (DC 12) +4 - Failure
[/sblock]

Wandering around the well carefully, Ghost's lantern plays upon the dozens of decayed corpses that 'decorate' the chamber in a macabre fashion. There seems to be nothing to give the elf an insight into whatever had done this, but there was something in the back of his mind that was nagging him, something about the bodies...

 

[Bront]

[sblock]Search check (DC hidden) +18 - Success
Heal check (DC 12) +4 - Failure
[/sblock]

Wandering around the well carefully, Ghost's lantern plays upon the dozens of decayed corpses that 'decorate' the chamber in a macabre fashion. There seems to be nothing to give the elf an insight into whatever had done this, but there was something in the back of his mind that was nagging him, something about the bodies...

OOC: Does Taran get a chance to notice anything durring this search?

 

[Phoenix]

Ba'aktar frowned, Ulam did after all seem to be the more skilled of the two, which was all the more reason to not allow him to get a chance to hurt the children... assuming they actually were children. Better not to take the risk. Ba'aktar was an rsehle, and he knew it, but like Yu'olan there were lines he would not cross. His own limitations were somewhat different to the ex-guard's though, he was firmly against such ideas as selling children like pieces of meat. He strode up behind the halfling and unclipped his khora as he went.

"I'll not have no child cut in my presence, Ulam. Back down, or go through me," Ba'aktar said in plain Common.

He took up a combat stance, shield and blade raised, and gazed down at the halfling with the cold eyes of his warrior race. He readied himself to attack Ulam should he actually make a move against the children.

[sblock]Intimidate check (DC 14) +10 - Failure
Ulam's Bluff check (DC 16) +16 - Success
Ulam's Attack roll (AC 17 - Flatfooted) +24 - Hit
Ulam's Damage roll - 16pts damage
Ulam's Initiative roll - 14
Ba'aktar's Initiative roll - 9
Ulam's Attack roll (AC 19) +19 - Hit
Ulam's Attack roll (AC 19) +12 - Miss
Ulam's Damage roll - 3pts damage
Ba'aktar's Attack roll (AC hidden) +27 - Hit
Ba'aktar's Damage roll - 12pts damage
[/sblock]

Ulam's eyes burned with fire for only a moment before his eyes drifted across Ba'aktar's massive form and his knives lowered. "Fine den, but a'least let me git Hennie ou' o' there, 'e's beedin to death!" The halfling gestures behind Ba'aktar towards his fallen companion and, foolishly, the great half-orc takes his eyes off the psychotic halfling to look.

The stabbing pain was almost overwhelming as Ulam's dagger plunged neatly into the centre of Ba'aktar's back, the blade cleanly slipping between the chain links of his shirt. His eyes misted for a moment, his knees buckling beneath him, but the training and experiance from years of living in Ashstone told his body to move!

Ulam was still faster than Ba'aktar, for the half-orc had only taken a few steps before two more blades struck him. The first sliced him across upper leg, causing a firey pain to shoot up the left side of his body, the second struck him in the abdomen, but luckily his armour proved to be superior to the task of deflecting the blow this time.

"I sed to 'im yoo was 'opeless, y'd go an' fold on us ya dumb bastard!"

Ba'aktar's khora swung wide and hard, slicing through the air like an elephant through butter. His eyes mostly closed and his arms burning with pain, the half-orc was rewarded with a meaty thunking sound and a sharp gasp of surprise and pain.

Turning completely and regaining his composure, Ba'aktar's eyes begged him to lay down and sleep, but the form of Ulam against the wall, slowly getting to his feet with new knives in his hand, brought an immediate danger that allowed the mighty half-orc to ignore his urges, at least for the moment.