SHADOW WAR
SEGMENT 002
“THE DEATH OF SHITTAKER”
09 / 29 / 18
DRAVAGO 5, 1003 20TH BELL SHARN, BRELAND
A very large warforged looks out over the City of Towers. It is cloudy and damp. It has been raining most of the afternoon. The summer rains have returned. C-667 doesn’t feel the rain on his adamantine shell. He is aware of it just the same. It is the life of a living construct. Dorque is the name he was given by the young Cannith artificer named Zinter (see John Play SH). He can not understand why.
Xargrolst, a bounty hunter from the mountains of northern Zilargo, pats the shoulders of his animal companion and best friend- a dire Weasel. The kobold is watchful of the space his new friend takes up. He met the warforged and cleric higher up the tower earlier this damp day. A rain burst forced them to take cover in the entrance of a merchant tower. Dorque was already here staring and watching people coming in and out of the tower. When the cleric asked him a question, Dorque answered. Instead of being mocked, the cleric thanked him. For this, the warforged has decided to stay with them for now.
Tabask has come to the City of Shadows in hopes of finding either a job or at least purpose in life. Instead he has found rain. He took cover from a downpour in a small roofed entrance to a merchant area. He asked the dim witted warforged where he came from. He answered Cyre- the cleric liked this answer. Feeling a kinship to the warforged, he laughed and offered friendship.
Now, late in the evening, between storms, the three climb higher up the tower. The cleric suggested the view would be better if they ascended above the clouds. As they climbed Tabask asked if the others could hear a sound. The kobold answers no and the warforged listens and listens- turning and twisting his head. Flapping. Clearly it is flapping. The outside stairs exit from under a Bridgeway and they climb up to see.
A dire bat is flying as quickly as it can with limited swaying maneuvers as if trying to avoid or throw off something. Looking closer as the large flies close to the building and over a bridge, the cleric spots a small goblin riding it. It looks back as if being chased, It is.
Seven figures holding cross-bows ride individualized sized sky sleds. One figure appears to be the leader as the figure is robed and calls out holding something in its hand. A Cleric! If he could growl, Dorque would. He does not like what he sees- Emerald Claw! Several bolts strike the bat and rider forcing it to come down hard on an open courtyard to a tower on the other side of the bridge. The goblin rides the skidding dire animal and hops off using it as cover.
“Emerald Claw are bad.” States the warforged as he tries to hurry up the stairway and across the open bridge.
“Wartime Terrorists. I thought they were all dead or disbanded.” Adds Tabask as he pulls out his holy symbol- a dark metal blazing sun encased within a rectangle. This symbol was given to him by his human father on his deathbed. A double-bladed scimitar made of pure energy appears behind the hooded leader.
The kobold and his animal friend (Sarfuold) follow behind him. He watches as the Emerald Claw members create a semi-circle around the downed bat and goblin. More bolts strike the goblin driving him to the gravel. With a shaky hand, the goblin holds up his own symbol- a black burned wooden image of the Shadow. Even as Xar pegs a bolt into the nearest Claw member, the goblin disappears….then his bat….then two separate soldiers of the claw. Gone.
Waving his magical Great Sword over his head, Dorque rushes up to the leader and strikes him down even as a magical flail appears….and disappears. The Claw members on sky sleds begin to move away quickly after a female member takes command with the death of the robed leader.
One of the disappeared soldiers reappears as he rises straight up. Tabask castes Fly onto himself and charges this man. He leans forward and holds onto the edge of the skysled as they collide. He stays on but now flies away.
The darkness spell has worn off. A claw member, holding the side of his exposed and bleeding face flees. The goblin below, has the soldier’s blood on his green slimy lips. The goblin and Dire Bat both limp away leaving a blood trail. Xar hopes to find a means to use the sky sleds but does not find any of the control rings as most of the Claw members have already fled.
Xar looks to the injured dire bat next. One bolt (nat 20) struck the wing joint. Three other bolts are on its side and neck. As he nears it the dying bat snarls. It doesn’t deter the kobold at all. A shimmer appears next to the kobold. A flaming sphere?!? The kobold fires his drawn crossbow and begins to circle the dying and magical beast while being chased by the magic effect.
Nearby, the now flying cleric of travel leaves the fleeing Claw members including the woman leader and goes to the goblin. Dorque is stalking the goblin whom calls on his dark gods for power. “Stay” states the warforged. The goblin snarls and hisses as he motions to shield himself. Dorque places a very heavy foot on the goblins chest and pins the unholy symbol into his chest drawing blood as the dagger shaped symbol pushes through the cloth and strips of rotting leather. Instinctively, the goblin grabs the warforge’s foot and releases his contagion spell into it. The evil spell swirls around the (living) construct’s foot with seemly no effect.
“Bad” and the foot depresses slightly bringing out a high squeak. The goblin begins to punch and strike the foot. Then he claws onto it and spits at Dorque.
“Don’t kill him.” Calls out the cleric. Landing next to the pinned goblin , the cleric calmly kneels next to him, just out of the goblin’s reach. “What is this about?”. Between the bolt piercing a major artery and being squeezed like a grape, the goblin makes a barking and squeaking sound.
Then nothing as blood stops squirting out.
Tabask frowns. A missed opportunity. Xar joins them after killing the magical bat. After the warforged removes his foot and the cleric checks for dangerous effects on the body they begin to look to clues. Intact are a few potions with goblin writing and smiley faces on them. With some disgust, the cleric of good removes symbols of evil, the Shadow. Then he finds a crushed scroll case. Checking it out carefully, he opens it.
“Ugh!”
“What is it?” asks the kobold.