projectdaedalus
First Post
More Material?
If you don't mind, Dan, I might write some "supplemental" material for this thread.
If you don't mind, Dan, I might write some "supplemental" material for this thread.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Project Daedalus- d20 Modern
- Thread starter DanMcS
- Start date
Rae performed ad hoc surgery one Wolfgang in the bathtub of the hotel room, pulling out a couple of slugs and sewing him up as best she could. He'd need to rest a day or so before he'd be particularly mobile. He was left to recuperate in the hotel while we went to case the library.
It was much easier to get into now that it was open. Isaac went to talk to the librarian, Rae and Mason checked out the area the antiques were stolen from.
That room was police-taped off, but Mason slipped inside and wandered around, spotting a slip of paper on the ground with the phrase 'hidden door?' written on it. He pocketed that for later.
The librarian tolds Isaac that the police hadn't mentioned any leads, the auction hasn't been rescheduled yet, and that's about it.
A brief discussion sent us to the city offices, to get blueprints for the library.
***
The library was built in the late 1800s; remodeled in 1979. Inspection of both sets (original and post-remodelling) revealed two voids which might contain hidden rooms; both adjoin the space the artifacts were being held in. No entries were apparent to either void, in either set of blueprints. We returned to the hotel room to plot.
Rae spoke up. "We need to get in there and check for hidden doors."
"We could hide in the bathrooms until the place closes, and then snoop around," Mason suggests. This is roundly denounced as a stupid idea.
"We could hide in the basement."
"That was locked."
"We could break in through the loading dock."
"Security cameras."
"We can sneak in through the sewers."
"Good luck with that, let us know how it goes."
"We go to the library, find the janitor's address, go to his house, tie him up, steal his keys, come back to the library, and hide in the basement."
"..."
***
At 6:00, the library closed. The upstairs librarian left almost immediately, turning off the lights to the second floor as she went.
Isaac peeked out of the closet he was hiding in; no one around. He tiptoed out, and whispered into Mason's, Rae's, and Wolfgang's hiding spots in turn. They carefully snuck out of the bathrooms and regrouped by the stairs.
Three guards were hanging around in the downstairs lobby. We could hear them from the balcony overhead. They were distracting each other, we could sneak by and get to the crime scene before they started patrolling.
Rae went down the stairs first. She walked softly across the carpet, but one of the guards heard her, and shone a light back that way. She laughed. "I was up in the bathroom, and they turned out all the lights. Is the library closed?" Two of the guards show her the way to the door, leaving one looking back at the open space.
Isaac follows a bit too closely, and gets caught by the third guard. "Hey, buddy, did you see where my girlfriend went?" The guard shakes his head, grabs Isaac by the arm, and heads him towards the door as well.
Mason creeps quietly down the stairs, catches his toe on the step, and falls down the last few stairs with a CLATTER, BANG, WHACK. All three guards are busy out in the entryway with Isaac and Rae, who pester them with irrelevant questions about the library's hours of operation, and Mason's fumble goes unnoticed. He scrambles across the lobby and through the door.
Wolfgang, injured and gimping, is the quietest of the four, and wonders what he did to deserve these nimrods.
Rae and Isaac find a deli across the street to sit in, order some food, and monitor the walkie-talkie. Of course, Isaac had the team's copy of the blueprints.
Wolfgang and Mason searched the employee-only rooms that abutted the void on the map. Nothing to be found. They snuck out of that area and around the corner into the crime scene, over where the note had been found originally. Inspection revealed what could be a door shape in the wall, but no opening mechanism.
A call to Isaac, and we found that they were near where a wall had been removed in '79. The opening mechanism must have been on that wall, then run either through the floor or the joining wall to open the door. Wolfgang ripped up the carpet, found nothing. Probing with a knife, Mason found a soft spot in the wall which revealed a rod. Taking a guess, he pulled on it, and with a click, the door opened.
It was much easier to get into now that it was open. Isaac went to talk to the librarian, Rae and Mason checked out the area the antiques were stolen from.
That room was police-taped off, but Mason slipped inside and wandered around, spotting a slip of paper on the ground with the phrase 'hidden door?' written on it. He pocketed that for later.
The librarian tolds Isaac that the police hadn't mentioned any leads, the auction hasn't been rescheduled yet, and that's about it.
A brief discussion sent us to the city offices, to get blueprints for the library.
***
The library was built in the late 1800s; remodeled in 1979. Inspection of both sets (original and post-remodelling) revealed two voids which might contain hidden rooms; both adjoin the space the artifacts were being held in. No entries were apparent to either void, in either set of blueprints. We returned to the hotel room to plot.
Rae spoke up. "We need to get in there and check for hidden doors."
"We could hide in the bathrooms until the place closes, and then snoop around," Mason suggests. This is roundly denounced as a stupid idea.
"We could hide in the basement."
"That was locked."
"We could break in through the loading dock."
"Security cameras."
"We can sneak in through the sewers."
"Good luck with that, let us know how it goes."
"We go to the library, find the janitor's address, go to his house, tie him up, steal his keys, come back to the library, and hide in the basement."
"..."
***
At 6:00, the library closed. The upstairs librarian left almost immediately, turning off the lights to the second floor as she went.
Isaac peeked out of the closet he was hiding in; no one around. He tiptoed out, and whispered into Mason's, Rae's, and Wolfgang's hiding spots in turn. They carefully snuck out of the bathrooms and regrouped by the stairs.
Three guards were hanging around in the downstairs lobby. We could hear them from the balcony overhead. They were distracting each other, we could sneak by and get to the crime scene before they started patrolling.
Rae went down the stairs first. She walked softly across the carpet, but one of the guards heard her, and shone a light back that way. She laughed. "I was up in the bathroom, and they turned out all the lights. Is the library closed?" Two of the guards show her the way to the door, leaving one looking back at the open space.
Isaac follows a bit too closely, and gets caught by the third guard. "Hey, buddy, did you see where my girlfriend went?" The guard shakes his head, grabs Isaac by the arm, and heads him towards the door as well.
Mason creeps quietly down the stairs, catches his toe on the step, and falls down the last few stairs with a CLATTER, BANG, WHACK. All three guards are busy out in the entryway with Isaac and Rae, who pester them with irrelevant questions about the library's hours of operation, and Mason's fumble goes unnoticed. He scrambles across the lobby and through the door.
Wolfgang, injured and gimping, is the quietest of the four, and wonders what he did to deserve these nimrods.
Rae and Isaac find a deli across the street to sit in, order some food, and monitor the walkie-talkie. Of course, Isaac had the team's copy of the blueprints.
Wolfgang and Mason searched the employee-only rooms that abutted the void on the map. Nothing to be found. They snuck out of that area and around the corner into the crime scene, over where the note had been found originally. Inspection revealed what could be a door shape in the wall, but no opening mechanism.
A call to Isaac, and we found that they were near where a wall had been removed in '79. The opening mechanism must have been on that wall, then run either through the floor or the joining wall to open the door. Wolfgang ripped up the carpet, found nothing. Probing with a knife, Mason found a soft spot in the wall which revealed a rod. Taking a guess, he pulled on it, and with a click, the door opened.
projectdaedalus
First Post
Newspaper Article
Eric Daedalus discovered this article in the January 7th edition of the New York Post and thought he would pass it along...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FIREFIGHT AT BROOKLYN MARINE DOCKS
by Annabelle Redding
Sunday afternoon, Port Authority Police responded to reports of shots being fired at the Brooklyn Port Authority Marine Terminal. According to Max McClaskey of the Port Authority Police, several reports came from the area of Pier 8, near the Port Authority offices.
"We received at least three individual reports of shots being fired, one that indicated an explosion aboard a ship moored at Pier 8," said McClaskey at a press conference Monday morning.
According to Robin Saeger of the Port Authority, there was only one ship moored at Pier 8 over the weekend. This ship, the Turkamen Star, of Cypriot registry, was due to leave port on Sunday, but had been delayed for unknown reasons. Saeger confirmed that the Turkamen Star had arrived in New York from Cyprus on January 2, 2003.
William Portley, lead detective investigating the incident, described other strange events reported over the weekend at Pier 8, perhaps indicating that more investigation would be forthcoming.
"We have had other reports of shots fired over the weekend," Portley confirmed, "including a few explosions and possibly the theft and/or vandalism of a forklift."
"The Turkamen Star has not left the Brooklyn PA Marine Terminal pending the outcome of our investigation. We have requested that the captain remain in the U.S. for further questioning," Det. Portley said at a press conference on Monday morning.
When asked about a possible hijacking attempt, Det. Portley replied, "We have no reason to believe that any attempt was made to overpower the ship for hijacking purposes. The evidence we have collected thus far does not support a hijacking motive."
The ship's captain, Ibrahim al-Hakim, of Turkey, was not available for questioning. Police reports indicate al-Hakim was found locked inside a storage cabin aboard the Turkamen Star, his hands bound with police-style zip handcuffs. Port Authority Police had no comment about al-Hakim or his crew.
Melissa Ryberg, of the Port Authority Police Information Center, allowed journalists access to the Turkamen Star's manifest. According to the documents filed with the Port Authority, the ship left Cyprus, sailed the Mediterranean, across the Atlantic, landing first in Baltimore, and then onto New York City. The only cargo listed on the manifest is "passengers".
Another ship, the Beulah Marks, a container ship, was moored at Pier 8 on Friday and Saturday. The captain of the Beulah Marks, Denny Stout, reported that vandals or thieves may have boarded his ship Friday night. Several dock workers reported seeing people board the Beulah Marks, but that those people were there for a very short time. Capt. Stout indicated that he was not under investigation.
While it is not entirely unusual for a passenger ship to dock at Pier 8, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is mostly used for cargo container ships since the opening of more modern passenger facilities in the 1970s.
Eric Daedalus discovered this article in the January 7th edition of the New York Post and thought he would pass it along...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FIREFIGHT AT BROOKLYN MARINE DOCKS
by Annabelle Redding
Sunday afternoon, Port Authority Police responded to reports of shots being fired at the Brooklyn Port Authority Marine Terminal. According to Max McClaskey of the Port Authority Police, several reports came from the area of Pier 8, near the Port Authority offices.
"We received at least three individual reports of shots being fired, one that indicated an explosion aboard a ship moored at Pier 8," said McClaskey at a press conference Monday morning.
According to Robin Saeger of the Port Authority, there was only one ship moored at Pier 8 over the weekend. This ship, the Turkamen Star, of Cypriot registry, was due to leave port on Sunday, but had been delayed for unknown reasons. Saeger confirmed that the Turkamen Star had arrived in New York from Cyprus on January 2, 2003.
William Portley, lead detective investigating the incident, described other strange events reported over the weekend at Pier 8, perhaps indicating that more investigation would be forthcoming.
"We have had other reports of shots fired over the weekend," Portley confirmed, "including a few explosions and possibly the theft and/or vandalism of a forklift."
"The Turkamen Star has not left the Brooklyn PA Marine Terminal pending the outcome of our investigation. We have requested that the captain remain in the U.S. for further questioning," Det. Portley said at a press conference on Monday morning.
When asked about a possible hijacking attempt, Det. Portley replied, "We have no reason to believe that any attempt was made to overpower the ship for hijacking purposes. The evidence we have collected thus far does not support a hijacking motive."
The ship's captain, Ibrahim al-Hakim, of Turkey, was not available for questioning. Police reports indicate al-Hakim was found locked inside a storage cabin aboard the Turkamen Star, his hands bound with police-style zip handcuffs. Port Authority Police had no comment about al-Hakim or his crew.
Melissa Ryberg, of the Port Authority Police Information Center, allowed journalists access to the Turkamen Star's manifest. According to the documents filed with the Port Authority, the ship left Cyprus, sailed the Mediterranean, across the Atlantic, landing first in Baltimore, and then onto New York City. The only cargo listed on the manifest is "passengers".
Another ship, the Beulah Marks, a container ship, was moored at Pier 8 on Friday and Saturday. The captain of the Beulah Marks, Denny Stout, reported that vandals or thieves may have boarded his ship Friday night. Several dock workers reported seeing people board the Beulah Marks, but that those people were there for a very short time. Capt. Stout indicated that he was not under investigation.
While it is not entirely unusual for a passenger ship to dock at Pier 8, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is mostly used for cargo container ships since the opening of more modern passenger facilities in the 1970s.
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projectdaedalus
First Post
Dan, are we ever going to see part two of the previous adventure, or have you given up on the diary? 
Mason and Wolfgang hustled into the secret room before the guards came by again, and let it shut behind them with a soft click. The dust of decades stirred with their approach. Crates and boxes littered the room, stacked haphazardly.
Peering around with flashlights, they saw footprints in the dust, and the outlines of missing crates. One had measured about seven feet by three and a half- very disturbing. And how had all these crates been carried out without being noticed?
A clipboard hung on the wall, and was taken for later perusal.
"Isaac, Rae, there's not much here, but some crates were taken. We're coming out." The walkie-talkie was turned off.
"Hey, Wolfgang, how we getting out?"
"Um, there's a back door..."
"It's alarmed."
"So? We'll be out."
Mason and Wolfgang opened the secret door, looked out, saw no guards, and took off. Cries of "Hey, who's there?" followed them, and they burst out the back door, which started wailing it's electronic warble. Mason and Wolf ignored it and ran, to a side street where Isaac and Rae waited with a cab.
***
The clipboard revealed a couple of Ancient Egyptian period relics which might have been taken, including the Sobek Scrolls, scripture of an ancient Egyptian god, and the Eliphantine Casket, which was probably the 7x3.5 box.
"You know what was in there? A mummy. I hate mummies."
***
Later that night, about the hour of three, another armed reconnaissance was undertaken toward the Turkeman Star. The arabic gunmen were still present, but a cleverly detonated propane fuel tank from a forklift provided distraction, and we think we managed to get a couple of them before being forced to retreat again. Whatever was on that ship, they were guarding it for keeps, and we NEEDED to get to it before they raised that mummy.
Peering around with flashlights, they saw footprints in the dust, and the outlines of missing crates. One had measured about seven feet by three and a half- very disturbing. And how had all these crates been carried out without being noticed?
A clipboard hung on the wall, and was taken for later perusal.
"Isaac, Rae, there's not much here, but some crates were taken. We're coming out." The walkie-talkie was turned off.
"Hey, Wolfgang, how we getting out?"
"Um, there's a back door..."
"It's alarmed."
"So? We'll be out."
Mason and Wolfgang opened the secret door, looked out, saw no guards, and took off. Cries of "Hey, who's there?" followed them, and they burst out the back door, which started wailing it's electronic warble. Mason and Wolf ignored it and ran, to a side street where Isaac and Rae waited with a cab.
***
The clipboard revealed a couple of Ancient Egyptian period relics which might have been taken, including the Sobek Scrolls, scripture of an ancient Egyptian god, and the Eliphantine Casket, which was probably the 7x3.5 box.
"You know what was in there? A mummy. I hate mummies."
***
Later that night, about the hour of three, another armed reconnaissance was undertaken toward the Turkeman Star. The arabic gunmen were still present, but a cleverly detonated propane fuel tank from a forklift provided distraction, and we think we managed to get a couple of them before being forced to retreat again. Whatever was on that ship, they were guarding it for keeps, and we NEEDED to get to it before they raised that mummy.
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12/21/2002
Session 4
We reported in to Daedalus. He hooked us up with a contact in Chinatown who could provide magical aid. We bought a number of potions, mostly healing, a couple of miscellaneous others. The ship was headed out of port today, so we went back, in daylight this time, to make a last effort.
In the daytime, the port hummed with activity. No guards were evident at the bottom of the gang plank this time, at least. Figuring they had to be concealed on board, we loosened our guns in their holsters and headed up the ramp.
It was a very odd feeling. We just walked right on board. "Well, that was too easy. Where is everybody?" Inside the deck structure, most of the cabins and rooms were empty, and we felt like the ship was deserted as we wandered the halls, rediculously unopposed.
We found the stairs up to the bridge, and were checking a last couple rooms when one of the doors to the deck opened. It was unexpected for both sides, and we looked at each other stupidly for a beat before everyone dove for cover and drew weapons.
The corridors we were checking had two exits to the deck. Mason covered one, while Wolfgang, Rae and Isaac shot it out with the cultists at the far door. They had enough and retreated, dropping a grenade as a parting gift and slamming the door shut. Isaac was out of range, Rae and Wolfgang ran as the fuse on the grenade ran down and it BANGED in a now empty hallway.
One gunman looked back in, and saw the hallway deserted. Isaac shot at him from his corner, and the response was another grenade down towards Isaac this time. In an act of unadulterated stupidity, Isaac scrambled around, found it, and threw it back. The cultist had shut the door again, and the second exploded as ineffectually as the first.
No time was wasted by the opposing side, who had sent their other men around the building to the door Mason was guarding. Wolfgang wes here by now too. The door opened, and a man leaned in to shoot at Mason, completely missing Wolf lurking behind the door. Mason got missed, and the cultist got a sudden impact to the brainstem. Wolfgang picked up the dropped Uzi with a smirk.
We re-ambushed the last two as they came in the doors, and the ship was quiet again. We took the grenades they didn't get to use.
***
The ship's captain was unable to tell us anything useful about his passengers, so we locked him in a closet and searched the cult leader's room. We found a list of adresses and a couple of notebooks and vacated the ship for the last time.
Session 4
We reported in to Daedalus. He hooked us up with a contact in Chinatown who could provide magical aid. We bought a number of potions, mostly healing, a couple of miscellaneous others. The ship was headed out of port today, so we went back, in daylight this time, to make a last effort.
In the daytime, the port hummed with activity. No guards were evident at the bottom of the gang plank this time, at least. Figuring they had to be concealed on board, we loosened our guns in their holsters and headed up the ramp.
It was a very odd feeling. We just walked right on board. "Well, that was too easy. Where is everybody?" Inside the deck structure, most of the cabins and rooms were empty, and we felt like the ship was deserted as we wandered the halls, rediculously unopposed.
We found the stairs up to the bridge, and were checking a last couple rooms when one of the doors to the deck opened. It was unexpected for both sides, and we looked at each other stupidly for a beat before everyone dove for cover and drew weapons.
The corridors we were checking had two exits to the deck. Mason covered one, while Wolfgang, Rae and Isaac shot it out with the cultists at the far door. They had enough and retreated, dropping a grenade as a parting gift and slamming the door shut. Isaac was out of range, Rae and Wolfgang ran as the fuse on the grenade ran down and it BANGED in a now empty hallway.
One gunman looked back in, and saw the hallway deserted. Isaac shot at him from his corner, and the response was another grenade down towards Isaac this time. In an act of unadulterated stupidity, Isaac scrambled around, found it, and threw it back. The cultist had shut the door again, and the second exploded as ineffectually as the first.
No time was wasted by the opposing side, who had sent their other men around the building to the door Mason was guarding. Wolfgang wes here by now too. The door opened, and a man leaned in to shoot at Mason, completely missing Wolf lurking behind the door. Mason got missed, and the cultist got a sudden impact to the brainstem. Wolfgang picked up the dropped Uzi with a smirk.
We re-ambushed the last two as they came in the doors, and the ship was quiet again. We took the grenades they didn't get to use.
***
The ship's captain was unable to tell us anything useful about his passengers, so we locked him in a closet and searched the cult leader's room. We found a list of adresses and a couple of notebooks and vacated the ship for the last time.
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The list of addresses proved to be subway stations. Most were crossed off, three were not. A subway map told us that one of those did not even exist any more. We surmised that the crossed off ones had been visited; the three uncrossed stations had not when the list was last looked at. So whatever they were looking for was probably in one of those three. Or it was in one of the 8 or 9 crossed off ones, but three was fewer to check than 8 so we started with the three first.
One of those was a perfectly ordinary subway station. We walked in, gawked, talked to some on-duty cops there, and realized we weren't getting anywhere.
The next one we checked was the closed station. There was a gate, but we just stepped over and descended the stairs.
***
The underground station was fairly decrepit, not in use for several years probably. We shone our flashlights around, and started to fan out from the stairs to search. The gunmen at the far end of the station opened up on us with their machine guns.
Rae dove behind the station-worker booth, crouched down low hoping it might stop bullets. She shot at the gunmen. Isaac ran toward the track, concrete pillars there might provide some cover. He tossed a grenade as he ran, which at least stopped them firing for a couple of seconds as they maneuvered to avoid it. Wolfgang and Mason rolled for what cover there was in the bare area, and opened up.
A couple more grenades and much ammunition flew this way and that. Remarkably, none of us were killed, and we got all three of the gunmen. Raw luck, that. This must be the place. We took their guns and remaining grenades, and looked for what they were guarding.
It took a couple of minutes, but we found a door built into the back wall, descending down into the gloom.
***
At the bottom of the stairs, a short corridor. Big double doors at the end, with light leaking under them. We nominated Wolfgang to go check it out, the rest of us having been less than stealthy in the past.
At the door, Wolfgang listened. Was that chanting? No, more like one guy... reciting... something. Wolfgang didn't recognize the language. He beckoned us down the corridor.
The plan: Wolfgang opens the door a crack, we toss in grenades, and shut the door. Wait for the boom, and then bust back in and hit them with everything we've got. Unfortunately, we didn't hear them hear us, and
their guns.
1 Rae opens door.
2 Isaac and Wolfgang toss grenades.
3 Rae shuts door.
4 BOOM.
5 Open door.
6 Shoot the survivors.
Except that we got interrupted at about five and a half, by two of them who were able to react and hose us with their machine guns. Everyone got minor wounds from that. A couple more grenades went in the door and then we went through as the last gunmen crumpled before our stolen artillery.
On either side of the door lay bodies, cut and ragged from the fragmentation grenades. Dead ahead was a large stone box, the Elephantine Casket we presume. On the other side of that stands Jamjad Abari, reading from a papyrus scroll which crumbles to dust as we watch, horrified. We're too late.
The coffin stirs. Cracks. Breaks open. A huge snout pokes from the rubble. Great scaled hands brush away stone fragments none of us could lift. The very image of Sobek, the crocodile-headed Egyptian god, stands before us.
He shakes his head, squints, and sniffs. He turns on Abari, who shrieks a command at it, and it rapidly rends him with claw and snapping jaw. We look at each other. This thing can't be released on the unsuspecting city. Guns and grenades ready, we fire at the monstrosity now feasting on the priest.
The bullets get its attention. It turns and rushes across the room, slamming into Rae, who falls. Isaac pulls out his second pistol and shoots wildly at it, trying to lure it away from Rae, which works for a minute until it turns on him and bites a huge chunk out of him. Well, it felt huge at the time. Isaac passed out and lay bleeding on the floor.
Wolfgang had revived Rae with one of the potions we got from the herbalist. She circled widely around Isaac and got one to him, while it sniffed and hunted for Mason, who was hidden behind the door into the corridor. Up and mobile again (those potions were good stuff), Isaac limped towards the other side of the room, where another corridor led out. Maybe there was something down here to use against it, or trick it into a trap. None of us were shooting at it now. It didn't seem that bright, and might just leave if not provoked.
Bored now, the nine foot crocodile man pawed at the corpse of the priest, then started down the corridor Isaac was checking out. He scrunched to one side and held his breath as it passed him in the dark, and then it was gone. We followed it at a long distance, this tunnel connected to a storm sewer, and eventually the sea. Where it went from there, we don't know. We caught the next flight out to Columbus.
***
Rae decided this life wasn't for her, and returned to the comfortable normalness of her job in the national parks.
One of those was a perfectly ordinary subway station. We walked in, gawked, talked to some on-duty cops there, and realized we weren't getting anywhere.
The next one we checked was the closed station. There was a gate, but we just stepped over and descended the stairs.
***
The underground station was fairly decrepit, not in use for several years probably. We shone our flashlights around, and started to fan out from the stairs to search. The gunmen at the far end of the station opened up on us with their machine guns.
Rae dove behind the station-worker booth, crouched down low hoping it might stop bullets. She shot at the gunmen. Isaac ran toward the track, concrete pillars there might provide some cover. He tossed a grenade as he ran, which at least stopped them firing for a couple of seconds as they maneuvered to avoid it. Wolfgang and Mason rolled for what cover there was in the bare area, and opened up.
A couple more grenades and much ammunition flew this way and that. Remarkably, none of us were killed, and we got all three of the gunmen. Raw luck, that. This must be the place. We took their guns and remaining grenades, and looked for what they were guarding.
It took a couple of minutes, but we found a door built into the back wall, descending down into the gloom.
***
At the bottom of the stairs, a short corridor. Big double doors at the end, with light leaking under them. We nominated Wolfgang to go check it out, the rest of us having been less than stealthy in the past.
At the door, Wolfgang listened. Was that chanting? No, more like one guy... reciting... something. Wolfgang didn't recognize the language. He beckoned us down the corridor.
The plan: Wolfgang opens the door a crack, we toss in grenades, and shut the door. Wait for the boom, and then bust back in and hit them with everything we've got. Unfortunately, we didn't hear them hear us, and
their guns.1 Rae opens door.
2 Isaac and Wolfgang toss grenades.
3 Rae shuts door.
4 BOOM.
5 Open door.
6 Shoot the survivors.
Except that we got interrupted at about five and a half, by two of them who were able to react and hose us with their machine guns. Everyone got minor wounds from that. A couple more grenades went in the door and then we went through as the last gunmen crumpled before our stolen artillery.
On either side of the door lay bodies, cut and ragged from the fragmentation grenades. Dead ahead was a large stone box, the Elephantine Casket we presume. On the other side of that stands Jamjad Abari, reading from a papyrus scroll which crumbles to dust as we watch, horrified. We're too late.
The coffin stirs. Cracks. Breaks open. A huge snout pokes from the rubble. Great scaled hands brush away stone fragments none of us could lift. The very image of Sobek, the crocodile-headed Egyptian god, stands before us.
He shakes his head, squints, and sniffs. He turns on Abari, who shrieks a command at it, and it rapidly rends him with claw and snapping jaw. We look at each other. This thing can't be released on the unsuspecting city. Guns and grenades ready, we fire at the monstrosity now feasting on the priest.
The bullets get its attention. It turns and rushes across the room, slamming into Rae, who falls. Isaac pulls out his second pistol and shoots wildly at it, trying to lure it away from Rae, which works for a minute until it turns on him and bites a huge chunk out of him. Well, it felt huge at the time. Isaac passed out and lay bleeding on the floor.
Wolfgang had revived Rae with one of the potions we got from the herbalist. She circled widely around Isaac and got one to him, while it sniffed and hunted for Mason, who was hidden behind the door into the corridor. Up and mobile again (those potions were good stuff), Isaac limped towards the other side of the room, where another corridor led out. Maybe there was something down here to use against it, or trick it into a trap. None of us were shooting at it now. It didn't seem that bright, and might just leave if not provoked.
Bored now, the nine foot crocodile man pawed at the corpse of the priest, then started down the corridor Isaac was checking out. He scrunched to one side and held his breath as it passed him in the dark, and then it was gone. We followed it at a long distance, this tunnel connected to a storm sewer, and eventually the sea. Where it went from there, we don't know. We caught the next flight out to Columbus.
***
Rae decided this life wasn't for her, and returned to the comfortable normalness of her job in the national parks.
projectdaedalus
First Post
Rae Winters walked out of Hemmener Hall, and got all the way to the front step before someone caught her. It was Eric Daedalus, on horseback, riding through the fields in front of the manor house.
Daedalus rode up to the front of the house, with a somewhat puzzled look. "Going somewhere?" he asked.
Rae, still shaken from her experience in New York, was almost afraid to respond. "I... I have to go," she said, fidgeting on the spot where she stood.
Eric Daedalus dismounted and patted his steed on the side of its neck. "What is this about, Rae?" he asked.
She looked down at her suitcases, and then back to Daedalus. Her erstwhile mentor had a concerned look on his face, a look that Rae had seen many times in the training room. But something about this look was different.
"We need you, Rae," he said, filling the awkward space. "You are a valuable member of the team."
"I know," she conceded, "But I just don't feel at home here. You all have been great - don't get me wrong, but..."
Daedalus moved closer. "This isn't the life you imagined for yourself, is it?"
A tear slowly descended down Rae's cheek. "I just want to go home," she sobbed.
Winters sat down on the front step, her head in her hands. After a moment, she looked up at Daedalus, her face now flush. "Do you know how many times I've been shot?" She almost laughed at this question as it came out.
The look on Daedalus' face changed from concern to understanding. "This is a dangerous world we live in. Some of us can go about our lives with abandon, living as if we were in a vacuum. Others of us are chosen to defend the innocent against the threats that come from Arcadia."
"I know all that," Rae barked. "I don't know that I'm cut out for this."
"Maybe you're not," Daedalus said, resigning himself that Rae was probably a lost cause. His conscience could not just let her leave, however. "My calling is to stop the Arcadian threat. This is not a calling that many people can understand. Normal people cannot even perceive that this threat exists. You are special, Rae, because you know what's going on. You are one of the very few that do."
Rae smiled, feeling that Eric's confidence was not as shaken in her as she was with herself. It was nice to know that someone felt she was worth the trouble. "Still, I can't do this anymore. I have people back home who worry about me, and I don't want to send them any more postcards from the hospital. Do you see where I'm coming from?"
Daedalus helped Rae to her feet. "You can leave whenever you like. I wish you wouldn't, but it's your decision alone to make. When all is said and done, you always control your own destiny, if such a thing really exists anyway..."
Rae dried her eyes on her sleeves. "I have learned a lot in the past few months, and I will always treasure this time we all spent together. I wish things could be different, but... this life isn't for me. I'm a healer, not a fighter, and I can't continue hurting people, even if they're evil Arcadians bent on world destruction."
Daedalus laughed. "Are you sure you can't make an exception on that account?" he joked. "Seriously, I understand. But know this. You are indeed special, because you can see through the Arcadian's veil. You know what they really look like, and this is not something you can just put away in a drawer somewhere."
"I know," Rae replied. "I just - "
"No, this is important," Eric said, interrupting. "You need to know this. I believe that this ability to see the truth could one day put you in danger, so like it or not, you may one day be forced to defend your family or friends again from the Arcadian threat. I want you to be prepared."
Rae couldn't say much. This was not something she had considered. She had hoped she could just go back home and forget all of this. Maybe that was wishful thinking.
"Look, I'm not trying to scare you, Rae," Daedalus continued. "I want you to draw on this whole experience, and on your own innate survival instincts, should you one day find yourself in another situation like the ones we've faced. And don't be afraid to ask for our help. We're only a phone call away, OK?"
Rae felt better, but still a little uncertain about her future. Just then, her cab pulled up to the driveway circle and honked.
"I'd better be going now," she said, and she picked up her suitcases and took them to the cab, where the drive was now waiting beside an open trunk.
Daedalus could only watch the cab drive away, knowing that Rae Winters' medical skills would be hard to replace, and her presence even harder to forget.
Daedalus rode up to the front of the house, with a somewhat puzzled look. "Going somewhere?" he asked.
Rae, still shaken from her experience in New York, was almost afraid to respond. "I... I have to go," she said, fidgeting on the spot where she stood.
Eric Daedalus dismounted and patted his steed on the side of its neck. "What is this about, Rae?" he asked.
She looked down at her suitcases, and then back to Daedalus. Her erstwhile mentor had a concerned look on his face, a look that Rae had seen many times in the training room. But something about this look was different.
"We need you, Rae," he said, filling the awkward space. "You are a valuable member of the team."
"I know," she conceded, "But I just don't feel at home here. You all have been great - don't get me wrong, but..."
Daedalus moved closer. "This isn't the life you imagined for yourself, is it?"
A tear slowly descended down Rae's cheek. "I just want to go home," she sobbed.
Winters sat down on the front step, her head in her hands. After a moment, she looked up at Daedalus, her face now flush. "Do you know how many times I've been shot?" She almost laughed at this question as it came out.
The look on Daedalus' face changed from concern to understanding. "This is a dangerous world we live in. Some of us can go about our lives with abandon, living as if we were in a vacuum. Others of us are chosen to defend the innocent against the threats that come from Arcadia."
"I know all that," Rae barked. "I don't know that I'm cut out for this."
"Maybe you're not," Daedalus said, resigning himself that Rae was probably a lost cause. His conscience could not just let her leave, however. "My calling is to stop the Arcadian threat. This is not a calling that many people can understand. Normal people cannot even perceive that this threat exists. You are special, Rae, because you know what's going on. You are one of the very few that do."
Rae smiled, feeling that Eric's confidence was not as shaken in her as she was with herself. It was nice to know that someone felt she was worth the trouble. "Still, I can't do this anymore. I have people back home who worry about me, and I don't want to send them any more postcards from the hospital. Do you see where I'm coming from?"
Daedalus helped Rae to her feet. "You can leave whenever you like. I wish you wouldn't, but it's your decision alone to make. When all is said and done, you always control your own destiny, if such a thing really exists anyway..."
Rae dried her eyes on her sleeves. "I have learned a lot in the past few months, and I will always treasure this time we all spent together. I wish things could be different, but... this life isn't for me. I'm a healer, not a fighter, and I can't continue hurting people, even if they're evil Arcadians bent on world destruction."
Daedalus laughed. "Are you sure you can't make an exception on that account?" he joked. "Seriously, I understand. But know this. You are indeed special, because you can see through the Arcadian's veil. You know what they really look like, and this is not something you can just put away in a drawer somewhere."
"I know," Rae replied. "I just - "
"No, this is important," Eric said, interrupting. "You need to know this. I believe that this ability to see the truth could one day put you in danger, so like it or not, you may one day be forced to defend your family or friends again from the Arcadian threat. I want you to be prepared."
Rae couldn't say much. This was not something she had considered. She had hoped she could just go back home and forget all of this. Maybe that was wishful thinking.
"Look, I'm not trying to scare you, Rae," Daedalus continued. "I want you to draw on this whole experience, and on your own innate survival instincts, should you one day find yourself in another situation like the ones we've faced. And don't be afraid to ask for our help. We're only a phone call away, OK?"
Rae felt better, but still a little uncertain about her future. Just then, her cab pulled up to the driveway circle and honked.
"I'd better be going now," she said, and she picked up her suitcases and took them to the cab, where the drive was now waiting beside an open trunk.
Daedalus could only watch the cab drive away, knowing that Rae Winters' medical skills would be hard to replace, and her presence even harder to forget.
1/4/2003
Session 5
Rumor had it that Bubba the ogre, Big Johnny, and their gang of merry orcs were consolidating criminal activity downtown. Gang activity isn't really our purview, but they are Arcadians, so we're taking an interest.
Bronagh Flannery is the new addition to our team. She's Irish, and has some sort of sordid criminal past. And apparently some history with some zombies, though we didn't get all the details of that. Definitely an asset. She, Mason, Wolfgang and I went downtown in our unmarked, bleeding obvious white van. We have to get a new van. We look like the FBI. Yep, inconspicuous, that's us.
Daedalus told us where they were headquartered, last he knew. An abandoned warehouse. Orcs don't go for condos, apparently. We drove by the park they used to hang out at, and the liquor store, but they weren't in evidence, so we headed down Broad into the neighborhood of the wearhouse.
We left the blindingly white van parked behind a row of abandoned apartments. Bronagh picked open the back door lock on one, and we went inside. Talented lady.
Through the shuttered front windows, we could see Bubba and Johnny's warehouse. There was a truck parked on the front lawn. Scratch that, more 'crumpled into the wall' than parked. Looks like a beer truck. Crack! Was that a gunshot? We didn't hear any more, immediately. Wierd.
No movement in evidence inside the warehouse. Crack! Another shot! Where are those coming from?
Isaac stayed put to watch the warehouse. Mason and Wolfgang climbed up through the attic to the roof of the apartment, Bronagh went out the back to scale the fire escape.
Crack! Definitely close. Something is moving on the roof, a couple of apartments down. Isaac, get up here!
Wolfgang, Mason, and Isaac headed down the roof, nimbly jumping the gap between buildings. Everyone managed to grab ahold of the ledge when we fell, too, so nobody got hurt.
Someone was hiding on the next roof. Behind a big air conditioning unit. Wolfgang pulled out his gun and covered us, as Isaac and Mason lept to the third roof, and even made it this time. A puff of smoke rapidly expanded, the guy had dropped a smoke grenade.
Isaac charged into it, trying to cut him off. Mason swept through the near side, and from behind us, we heard 'Drop your veapons." We are sooo not the swat team we think we are.
The guy covering us, dressed in a city-grey ghillie suit and holding a pistol, was very slight of build, and had pointed ears. "Are you an elf?"
He was. Ivan had translated to this world in Russia, picking up the native language there when he came. He'd come to America hunting orcs. Turns out Wolfgang had run into him a few weeks back at a gun show, buying a sniper rifle, which sat in a nearby corner aimed at the warehouse. "I've killed three or four. There are perhaps ten left in building. Have not seen ogre."
Ivan wouldn't come in, but he agreed to cover the windows and south and west sides if we went in to flush them out. We split into two teams, Bronagh and Isaac in the south door, and Wolfgang and Mason went to the west, where the truck door was a few feet open at the bottom. We communicated by radio, and went in the two doors simultaneously.
Session 5
Rumor had it that Bubba the ogre, Big Johnny, and their gang of merry orcs were consolidating criminal activity downtown. Gang activity isn't really our purview, but they are Arcadians, so we're taking an interest.
Bronagh Flannery is the new addition to our team. She's Irish, and has some sort of sordid criminal past. And apparently some history with some zombies, though we didn't get all the details of that. Definitely an asset. She, Mason, Wolfgang and I went downtown in our unmarked, bleeding obvious white van. We have to get a new van. We look like the FBI. Yep, inconspicuous, that's us.
Daedalus told us where they were headquartered, last he knew. An abandoned warehouse. Orcs don't go for condos, apparently. We drove by the park they used to hang out at, and the liquor store, but they weren't in evidence, so we headed down Broad into the neighborhood of the wearhouse.
We left the blindingly white van parked behind a row of abandoned apartments. Bronagh picked open the back door lock on one, and we went inside. Talented lady.
Through the shuttered front windows, we could see Bubba and Johnny's warehouse. There was a truck parked on the front lawn. Scratch that, more 'crumpled into the wall' than parked. Looks like a beer truck. Crack! Was that a gunshot? We didn't hear any more, immediately. Wierd.
No movement in evidence inside the warehouse. Crack! Another shot! Where are those coming from?
Isaac stayed put to watch the warehouse. Mason and Wolfgang climbed up through the attic to the roof of the apartment, Bronagh went out the back to scale the fire escape.
Crack! Definitely close. Something is moving on the roof, a couple of apartments down. Isaac, get up here!
Wolfgang, Mason, and Isaac headed down the roof, nimbly jumping the gap between buildings. Everyone managed to grab ahold of the ledge when we fell, too, so nobody got hurt.
Someone was hiding on the next roof. Behind a big air conditioning unit. Wolfgang pulled out his gun and covered us, as Isaac and Mason lept to the third roof, and even made it this time. A puff of smoke rapidly expanded, the guy had dropped a smoke grenade.
Isaac charged into it, trying to cut him off. Mason swept through the near side, and from behind us, we heard 'Drop your veapons." We are sooo not the swat team we think we are.
The guy covering us, dressed in a city-grey ghillie suit and holding a pistol, was very slight of build, and had pointed ears. "Are you an elf?"
He was. Ivan had translated to this world in Russia, picking up the native language there when he came. He'd come to America hunting orcs. Turns out Wolfgang had run into him a few weeks back at a gun show, buying a sniper rifle, which sat in a nearby corner aimed at the warehouse. "I've killed three or four. There are perhaps ten left in building. Have not seen ogre."
Ivan wouldn't come in, but he agreed to cover the windows and south and west sides if we went in to flush them out. We split into two teams, Bronagh and Isaac in the south door, and Wolfgang and Mason went to the west, where the truck door was a few feet open at the bottom. We communicated by radio, and went in the two doors simultaneously.
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