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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lars Frehse" data-source="post: 1187151" data-attributes="member: 1674">The Grateful Dead- part 1Creak...Niklas woke up, sensing that he wasn't alone. He was lying in bed in his hotel room, and even though he had been asleep just moments ago, he was now wide-awake. He concentrated and due to the psionic forces that the slarecian Virus had triggered in him, his eyes were now as sharp as those of any elf.Looking through a small slit between his lids, he turned around, scanning the room, and to his relief, he saw that it was empty. Concluding that it had been merely an echo of a dream, he sank back into his cushions, looking forward to the luxury of drifting away into the land of dreams. Just then, there was another Creak.He bolted up, sitting upright in his bed when he heard the swooshing sound of a blade cutting through air. Still, he saw no one, but he rolled to the side and from the bed nonetheless, and a sharp but invisible blade cut into his thigh while the bed was torn open by another blade.Ignoring his pain, he jumped to his feet, and as the feathers that had come out of the bed like the blood of a living being were levitating around him, his fists exploded in a flurry of blows into the direction from which the attack had come. Twice he felt his fists hitting something, and he shouted for his friends, who were sleeping in the bordering rooms.He kept on fighting his invisible enemy, who, in spite of being very silent, seemed to be much bigger than a normal human. Then, just as his arm was cut open by the blade of his invisible attacker, the door burst open and all four of his companions came streaming in.Ben reacted immediately. He cast a spell, dispelling the invisibility. Now, they could all see the attacker. It was a massive, naked humanoid of about eight feet of height, with a muscular body and powerful hands, which were wrapped around a pair of strange small scythe-like blades.  The most remarkable thing about the attacker, however, was that he had no face at all- the front of his head was completely featureless.Now all of the companions were able to fight the attacker, who kept on fighting even though he was clearly outnumbered, and after a struggle, Jan struck him with his sword in the middle of his forehead, defeating him. The faceless fell to the floor, now nothing more than a lifeless lump of heavy flesh, and the ground shook under the impact.By now, there was quite a commotion in the hallway in front of Niklas' room. Some of the residents were peeking in, and they only made way when the proprietess arrived. While she asked what had happened, the body of the faceless attacker evaporated with a loud hissing noise.She opened her eyes in shock at this, and said:" I have to apologize that this had happened in my hotel. Please, let me get you a new room, in which you will of course be free to stay for as long as you want without having to worry about the cost. I will also inform the guards, so that they can take a look at this..."This..." she pointed at the puddle at the floor that was all that was left of the attacker"... this is clearly no mundane threat you are dealing with. I bet the necromancers will be able to make more of it than I possibly could.“"All right, then", Torn said. "I think there are some questions we have to ask the necromancers, as well".Half an hour went by, in which Ben treated Niklas' wounds, and eventually, a young human in a dark cloak appeared. "My name is Jorbas", he said, shaking hands. "Now, please let me know what exactly had happened".Niklas explained how he had woken up and had been assaulted and Jorbas watched him, piercing him with eyes the colour of molten lead. When Niklas was done, Jorbas asked:" Do you have any idea why a creature like this one could want to attack you?""We might have angered some people last night.“ Jan answered, and then they all told the young necromancer about their investigations ever since they had arrived. They were as thorough as possible, but about two aspects they were silent, and that was Ben's visit to the brothel and the hooker who had lead them there. Mina had told them that she had been offered to bring along wealthy customers, but she herself was not much more than a guest- and they readily believed her.After he had heard about the strange club in the Ghost Quarters and the possible connection with the murder of Bolte, he nodded and said:" I think I would rather let you report to the leader of my guild, Numadaya. Your attacker here was a member of a race of devils, which we call "the faceless". Apparently, they are an organization of assassins which operate from somewhere in the pits of hell. As far as we know, you have to travel to their fortress in order to make a contract with them. So it looks as if whoever had ordered this assassin had to have some fiendish connections..."He shrugged:" All this, however, is too much for me. Please come with me to the Underfaust, since I think that the powers you are dealing with could be great enough to concern the council members."After getting dressed and a quick breakfast, the companions followed Jorbas to the Underfaust. All they knew about the necromantic realm below the volcano were rumours, so they all felt a little exited and vulnerable.The Underfaust was separated from the rest of Hollowfaust by a massive gate, which was guarded by living and undead guards. Upon seeing Jorbas, they were waved through and walked through a tunnel, which was big enough to allow siege machines to get towed through.They followed the corridor deep into the mountain, and every now and then, smaller corridors intersected it. Undead Servants, Constructs and members of the guilds were everywhere, busily walking to and fro, giving the serene subterranean city the hectic feeling of an anthill.Under the ceiling and along the walls, there were several pipes of different, and sometimes there would be a hissing or gurgling sound coming from those pipes. "What is the purpose of those pipes?“ Niklas asked Jorbas, who was hurrying ahead of them."Ah, all kinds of purposes actually. Some of them, like the big one there, is taking care of the sewage that is created here. The sewage is processed outside, and ultimately used as fertilizer for the fields in and around Hollowfaust. Other pipes are used to get cool air deep inside into the mountain, where it is uncomfortably hot even with Coldweave, yet others are used to transport small messages or to distribute water, and so on."After a while they turned into one of the smaller corridors, and after a few more turns, they reached a small hall with tables and chairs. "Wait here, please" Jorbas said. "I will go and speak with Numadaya, the leader of my guild. Meanwhile, you will be served a second breakfast. So, please, make yourself feel at home. I will try to be back with you as soon as possible."Jorbas left through a metal door and soon afterwards, skeletons with trays of tea and sweet bread appeared, serving them, and even though the service was ghastly, the tea and food was delicious. They ate, drank, and talked with hushed voices, the undead servants not helpful in making them feel more comfortable...</blockquote>

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