Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="shilsen" data-source="post: 3963888" data-attributes="member: 198">Most of the funny material is actually stuff which happens at the table, though sometimes I take out-of-character dialogue and make it work for the PC(s). I think the laughing helps them deal with the insanity.And here's the next bit (in two parts, since the forum won't let me post it in one):* * * * * * * * * *The next morning, when the Angels gather in their living room, Gareth brings in a copy of the Korranberg Chronicle. “My advertisement asking for adventurers to contact us is out,” he says, flipping it open to the page. “Let’s see how many responses we get. But there’s something else that’s interesting. Look at this.” On the opposite page to their advertisement is an article discussing the situation in Q’barra, where rumors say the lizardfolk threat is not yet over. A large contingent of Riedran troops have arrived in the country and are providing support to the local military. “Hmm – I wonder if we should visit and take out another army for them,” muses Nameless. “That was good exercise.”“For you,” says Gareth. “Six and I almost got killed. Speaking of which, where’s Six?”“Downstairs,” says Korm. “He said he’ll be here shortly. There’s another warforged here to meet him.” Korm grins. “A very … pretty warforged.”At that moment, the warforged Korm mentioned is sitting across from Six, and if not pretty, he is certainly colorful. His form is almost completely covered in gaudy clothing which seems more appropriate to the theaters and restaurants of Menthis Plateau. He even wears gloves and large boots, so only his metal face shows that he’s a warforged, and even that is partly hidden beneath a plumed hat. Even the backpack which sits by his side and the lute resting against it are on the garish side. It is impossible to deny that he lives up to his name. “Well, Dandy,” says Six, “It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard of you before, and I had wondered if I’d see you at the Tain Gala. You have played there, right?”“Yes. Twice. Being the only warforged bard in Sharn and a member of the Circle of Song has some significant advantages. Not that I’m the most famous warforged in Sharn, of course.” He laughs, emphasizing the almost-human quality of his voice, even though it retains some of the original metallic timbre. “So Smith sent you here?”“Yes. He said you wished to talk to one of the reforged. There are only a few of us here, but I fancy more will take up the philosophy. Time will tell.”Six spends a little time discussing things with the bard, who he quickly finds to be very garrulous. Especially on the subject of warforged manufacture. When Six brings it up, Dandy’s voice drops and he looks around suspiciously, before whispering, “Can you keep a secret?”“Of course.”“Don’t tell anyone, but I’m quite convinced that House Cannith is making warforged in the Cogs.”Just as I thought. “Really? Can you prove it?”Dandy is still warforged enough to be unable to crack an expression, but his shoulders droop slightly. “Unfortunately, not yet. And nobody will believe me, not even Smith. But I have seen warforged at the Red Hammer whom I have never seen in Sharn before, and who seem,” Dandy waves in a vague manner, “Somehow ‘new.’ Personally, I think Blue and Crucible are in cahoots with Cannith.”“Interesting. Tell me, have any of these new warforged, or any of the reforged, ever developed a dragonmark?”The question seems to catch Dandy off-guard. “Huh? A warforged with a dragonmark? Now that’s something I’ve never heard of! But it would certainly be very exciting if it happened! Do you know of one?”“No. I was simply interested in whether it has ever happened or could happen.”Six spends a little more time talking to Dandy and then bids the talkative bard goodbye, promising to speak to him again at some point later. Having seen him out, Six heads upstairs to rejoin his companions.Once he is there, Nameless uses an antimagic field to nullify Mordain’s programmed amnesia. The changes, though temporary, are drastic. When in the field, all the emotional responses to Mordain as a kindly, benevolent figure instantly disappear, and the memories of what really happened during the visit return. The moment when Gareth had refused to let Mordain take a sample from him is the point from which the fake memories took over. In reality, Mordain attacked instantly. He was incredibly fast, and though expecting trouble, all of the Angels except Six were too slow to respond. Six attempted to trip him but missed. Mordain’s opening attack was a burst of energy from his body, which Nameless identifies as a greater fireburst, but modified to do cold damage, exceedingly strong and designed to knock out rather than kill. Korm, Gareth and Nameless went down immediately, leaving only Six – who had barely dodged the effect – and Luna, who had managed to absorb the damage and remain on her feet. Mordain promptly struck Luna with a quickened orb of sonic energy and took her out. Six was able to make a series of attacks and actually wounded him slightly, though he seemed resistant to the material of the warforged’s chain, before Mordain used a power word to stun him and blasted him into unconsciousness before he could recover.The following memories are even more disquieting, consisting mostly of myriad periods of anywhere from a few moments to over an hour when some of the Angels were awake while Mordain was working on them. They remember the Fleshweaver talking politely and dispassionately while slicing their bodies apart and putting them back together. During most of these times, the four spellcasters had their tongues and hands missing so that they should be unable to cast spells, and there were certain objects implanted in them which apparently further prevented any use of individual powers. Each of the Angels also has a specific memory of Mordain extracting what seemed to be part of their brain and brain stem (even Six, who doesn’t really have those things) and placing it in a small vat for what he called incubation purposes. At the time, each of them was in a larger vat, the fluid in which evidently had powerful regenerative properties, since it regrew parts of them (even of Six’s metal and wood superstructure) even as Mordain removed them. Expectedly, some of the memories of these events are significantly blurry, due to the amount of pain the subject was in at the time. Each of the Angels does, however, remember that during the course of the various procedures Mordain explained that all this was not just for his own research, though they had helped immensely there and were also providing an opportunity to field-test certain ideas of his. The changes were to ensure that they were going to be strong enough to survive and deal with the various things they would surely encounter in the future due to the seed in Nameless’ chest. He also made sure to explain to every one of them that when their memories return, as he’s certain they will at some point, they think long and hard before doing something as foolish as to seek revenge. “Remember,” Mordain said, “I gave you these enhancements. I know how to dispel them – instantly and permanently.”One more interesting thing that the recurrence of the real memories indicates is that Mordain did a certain amount of emotional/personality manipulation too. The most obvious aspect is that he made all of the Angels significantly more amenable to accepting drastic changes to them, such as the kind he performed, than they would have been otherwise. Korm, for example, recalls a time when he would have been absolutely horrified at the idea of embodying aspects of different aberrations. But even with the memories temporarily restored, each of them finds that it is difficult to lose the effect, since it has become almost second nature by now. The same applies to the modifications he apparently performed on them individually, usually raising some sort of emotional quality in them – pride in Gareth, curiosity in Nameless, recklessness in Korm, caution in Six, and anger in Luna. And why he did so is unknown, since none of them recalls Mordain explaining the reason.Nameless’ spell eventually ends less than a minute and a half later, though it feels much longer to the Angels, and as the programmed amnesia snaps back into place, they have the strange situation of knowing exactly what Mordain did to them but no longer possessing the actual memories of him doing so. And despite the knowledge of the physical and mental manipulation, the emotional response to the Fleshweaver still remains.“Excellent!” says Nameless dryly. “I know what the bastard did to us and I still feel like he’s our ‘nicest, bestest friend in all the world.’”“Yeah,” snarls Luna, “But that doesn’t change the fact that we know what he did. Or that I’m going to visit him and drop an earthquake on his bloody lab, as soon as I learn how!”Gareth looks at the others, the same anger as in Luna’s voice in his eyes, “We return to him, in an antimagic field, and then we kill him. No questions – just kill him. He is a mage, and without his spells he is weaker then that lich Emrena was.”“I’m not that sure,” says Korm pessimistically, “But yeah – I’d like to deal with him at some point too.”Six points out, “We do have more important things to deal with right now. Revenge can always wait. And…”At this point, there’s a knock on the door. Nameless walks over to it, saying, “That better not be another ‘end of the world’ scenario. What is the plural of apocalypse, anyway?”When he opens it, Fett is waiting outside, a small frown on his face. The sound of multiple voices floats up the stairs behind him. “You guys need to come down. I think you’re being evicted.”“WHAT?!”Nameless puts a hand to his head. “Luna, don’t kill anybody. Please. At least not yet. Let’s find out what’s going on.”The Angels follow Fett down the stairs, while the changeling explains that a large number of people have arrived to speak with them. This group is waiting in the meeting hall, led by Balan and a dour-looking dwarf carrying a shield which is actually taller than him. His heavy armor bears the symbols of Breland and Sharn, and the Angels recognize him as Kestran Dal, second in command in the Guardians of the Gate, who had been very insistent that Nameless be arrested when the alienist had been framed for Arrok’s murder. With them are four individuals wearing uniforms that match Kestran’s, and six soldiers in Deneith livery. All are well armed and armored, except for Balan. As the Angels descend the stairs and can see the house’s entrance, they realize more visitors are present. Lounging in the doorway and speaking to the warforged guards is a tall shifter carrying a longbow. Five more people stand behind her, four in breastplates and one without armor. All six of them wear hooded crimson cloaks – all magical, Nameless notes – bearing two badges, the seal of the Brelish crown on the left collar and an image of a snarling displacer beast surrounded by the words “First in Battle, Last to Fall.” The emblem, as some of the Angels know, is that of the Redcloaks, one of the most famous and elite of Brelish battalions to have fought in the Last War, half of which is now assigned to Sharn. And with that information, it seems clear that the woman in the doorway is Meira the Huntress, about whose wartime exploits bards still sing songs, second in command to the battalion head, Khandan the Hammer.Looks like someone’s expecting trouble. “Hello, Balan,” says Nameless, as pleasantly as he can, “Nice to see you again.” Kestran scowls at the alienist’s harsh tone and says loudly, “We are here on behalf of the city to…,” but Balan smoothly cuts him off. “Hello, Nameless. Sadly, I come with bad news. In view of recent events, specifically the attack on your home and your subsequent attack on the House of Hazal, there is going to be an investigation. During that time, for the safety of the neighborhood, you have been asked to leave Upper Tavick’s Landing.” Kestran adds loudly, “And you’ll get out quietly, if you know what’s good for you!”Balan continues to speak as if the dwarf had never opened his mouth. “Unfortunately, you’re required to leave the district forthwith.” Kestran again adds, “Or be arrested. Your choice!” The dwarf looks around belligerently, as if expecting a fight. The men with him, both the members of the Guardians of the Gate and the Deneith warriors, look much less enthused about the prospect of violence. Least of all Balan, who sighs and says, “This isn’t strictly my affair, but since the events involved magic it falls somewhat under my jurisdiction, and I came along to make sure nothing goes wrong.” His eyes flicker for a second to Luna and back again.Nameless, who’s been half focusing on her too, nods. “I understand.” At which point, Luna, who has quickly grown too incandescent with rage to speak thus far, snarls, “Oh yeah! You bastards want to take our house? I’m going to ki…,” at which point Korm claps a hand over her mouth and starts whispering violently into her ear. Kestran promptly starts saying, “She threatened us! I demand tha…,” before Balan rounds on him. “I’ll handle this!” snaps the Warden. “Now I’m going to talk to the Angels separately. And you can all wait here. Understood?” His expression brooks no argument and Kestran sulkily acquiesces.Balan hurriedly leads the Angels into the nearest room, shuts the door and starts speaking hurriedly. “Listen – I know this is b*llshit! But you guys have to go along with it. Only temporarily, of course.”“Can you just explain what exactly is going on?” asks Gareth with a scowl. “I’m not the greatest expert on the Galifar Code, but this seems highly irregular.”Balan grimaces, “It is. But Upper Tavick’s has its own laws. There are a lot of people here – a lot of rich people – who have been unhappy about you being here. Remember, normally you’d never have got this place, since you need a petition signed by thirty local householders to buy property in Upper Tavick’s. You only got the place because it was being held by the Watch and the Citadel due to the Emerald Claw operation here and because Talleon pulled some strings. Some of the people in the area weren’t happy about that. With the attacks that just happened, a bunch of them took it to the City Council through the local representative. Bestan ir’Tonn, who’s a halfling barrister strongly connected to the Boromars. They did it last night and got permission to have you evicted and your property and its contents held as collateral in case a fine has to be assessed for the attack on the House of Hazal and the deaths that occurred there.”The Warden takes a quick look around, lingering for a second on Luna again, and continues hurriedly, “I’m absolutely sure you don’t need to worry about it, and the whole thing will be cleared up in a couple of days, but leaving quietly will be much better. Kestran managed to get himself involved since you include Gareth, who’s a non-Brelish citizen, and multiple immigrants, and the attack killed a couple of Karrnathi immigrants. The Guardians deal with the actions of foreign nationals and immigrants, including crimes involving them. He’s never liked how much attention you guys get. And he brought some of the Redcloaks along to see that you don’t cause trouble. I just found out about it and made sure I invited myself along to make sure nobody does anything silly. So … please don’t!”“We won’t,” says Six quickly. “We’re leaving!”“What?!” roars Luna. Even the others look at Six with some surprise.“Listen,” says Six, “Half the time we’re complaining about the trouble this city gives us. Luna – you’re always saying this place is too crowded. And we’re too easy to find here, as Emrena did, and we’ve got a lot of things to do for which we don’t really need to be here. So let’s just get out of here, let Balan clear this up, and come back when we need to. You can clear this up – right, Balan?”“Um, yes,” says Balan, seeming a little surprised at the speed of Six’s agreement.“All right,” says Six, heading for the door. “Let’s move!”“But, but … they’re throwing us out!” almost wails Luna. “And we’re just going to let them? Without a fight?”“No, Luna,” snaps Nameless. “No fighting! That’ll just cause more trouble. Thanks for the help, Balan. We’ll get our stuff and leave.”“Actually,” says Balan carefully, “Technically you’re not supposed to be taking any of the contents…”“Anyone touches my self-cleaning carpets they die!” snarls Luna. “I’m taking them. And the rakshasa rugs. And the stuffed mind flayer. Just try to stop me!”Balan lifts both hands and steps back. “Sure, sure – whatever you say. And don’t worry about anything you leave behind. It’s going to remain here. And Fett and your guards can keep an eye on it.”“All right. Luna, there’s a limit to how much we can carry with us. Take the minimum.”“Yeah, yeah!” Luna growls, turning and following Six, who is already heading out of the door. As she passes out of it, she transforms into a large wolf, startling Kestran, who was standing as near the door as he could without actually listening at it. Luna bares her fangs and snarls at him, causing the dwarf to grab at a weapon and yell for help. Meira, still lounging at the doorway, calls, “Is there any trouble?”Balan, who has followed Luna out of the room with the others, quickly says, “No, no trouble at all. Stop being foolish, Kestran!”The wolf turns and glares at Meira. “Something wrong? You traitor bitch! What the hell sort of shifter are you?”Meira simply flashes a wolfish grin back at her, but Six quickly intervenes. “Luna – come on! You need to help me get our stuff.” Luna stares at Six, back at Meira, and then back at Six again. “All right.” She turns away, and then, as an afterthought, suddenly, extends her prehensile tongue and licks the horrified Kestran’s face.“Gah!” Kestran staggers away, wiping at his beard, shouting, “Balan – you saw what she did!” Trying to hide his amusement, the Warden replies quickly, “She licked you. Get over it!”Nameless reaches in his pocket and produces a set of keys, which he proceeds to jingle in front of Luna. “See, Luna? Shiny! Follow the shiny!” He mimics throwing the keys up the steps.  With a half-amused half-angry-snarl, Luna sticks her tongue out at him, and then pads her way up the stairs after Six. Pausing at the top, she looks down and growls, “You’re all going to pay for this. All of you! And Sharn!”As she disappears upstairs, Nameless shakes his head. “We’re going to be hearing about this for a long time!” Then he digs in a pouch and produces one of the crystals that are part of the farspeaking amulet obtained from Emrena. “Keep this, Balan. It’ll let me contact you daily. I’ll leave another with Fett.”The Angels collect whatever they are taking with them and re-gather in Nameless’ sanctum, mostly ignoring the unhappy looking Deneith guards and watchmen whom Kestran sends to watch what they are taking with them. Korm is the last to arrive, seconds after a couple of startled screams ring through the building, grinning from ear to ear. “What happened?” asks Gareth.“Kestran found Nameless’ larder and decided to check it out. I warned him.” Nameless laughs and teleports the Angels away.</blockquote>

Verification