Episode 23 – Backlash
| The Assassins |
Azareth - Wizard 1st Level LE (PC) Creighton - Fighter 1st Level LE (PC) Craven - Fighter / Rogue 1st/2nd LE (PC) Keldirk - Rogue 2nd level NE (PC) |
| Locale | The streets of the River Quarter - Del Mord. |
| Date | 8th Coldeven 582 CY (Common Year) |
| Time | Early Morning. |
Azareth woke early, dressed and left his room in search of breakfast. It had rained during the night making the cobbled streets slick and dotted with puddles. The air was crisp and it smelled like rain but the sky was thankfully clear.
Azareth wrapped his thick robe around his body and smiled. He felt alert and self assured, confident he had confronted, and overcome, some of his fears. The more he thought about how he handled the otherworldly creature, who called itself Lor, the better he thought things went. Sure, he was nervous and more than a little frightened, but he had retained his wits and remained on top of the situation. He had confronted a creature from the lower planes and forced it into servitude. While that was no mean achievement, Azareth was sure that once Lor returned with information on the mysterious Ambassador Shade, the others would recognize his foresight and he would finally be accepted as an equal and useful member of the party.
The young mage's quest for breakfast led him to the bakery next door to The Whistler; the smell of freshly baked bread called to him and he took a deep, savouring breath before placing his order.
| Azareth | Two fresh rolls. |
| Serving Girl | (taking the buns out from under the counter) That will be one copper, sir. Anyfink else? |
| Azareth | Is the owner of this establishment here? |
| Serving Girl | Yep, sir, he is. Would ya like for me to fetch 'im? |
| Azareth | Yes, thankyou. (rips a small piece of bread from one of the warm rolls) |
The young girl disappeared through a curtain into the rear of the shop. Azareth caught a glimpse of a large stone oven and several sacks of wheat before the curtain swung back to obscure his view. He had almost finished the first bread roll before she returned, a large man behind her.
| Baker | (wipes his flour-covered hands on his apron) Whatcha want? |
| Azareth | I was hoping you might be able to answer some questions. |
| Baker | Aw, yeah. Whatcha wanna know, young fella? |
| Azareth | (reaches into his pouch and withdraws a silver noble, twirling it in his dexterous fingers) The building next door... ? (indicates in the direction of The Whistler) |
| Baker | (looks at the coin dancing on Azareth's knuckles) The Whistler - what about it? |
| Azareth | Anything you can tell me. (places the coin on the counter) |
| Baker | (takes the coin) It was once a thriving tavern. (shrugs) It closed a couple of years ago when the owner moved away. There's not much more to tell. |
| Azareth | (smiles) What about the stories of a ghost? |
| Baker | (scratches his forehead, leaving a thin line of flour on his sweaty brow) I've owned this bakery for almost twenty years. If there is a ghost, it stays in The Whistler. (thinks for a moment) Come to think of it, I remember being there one night not long before the place closed down when I saw something weird. I'm not saying it was a ghost, mind you, but whatever it was scared the pants off me and most of the other patrons. We got out of there pretty fast and I never went back after that. I even thought about selling this place, in fact I tried but no-one was interested in buying. (shrugs) That was a few years back and whatever it was I haven't it seen since. It took a while before business picked up around here, but it's all fine now. I can tell you that a lot of traders would be pretty angry if people started spreading ghost stories. Anyone doing that would not be well received. |
| Azareth | I can assure you, that was not my intention. I have recently purchased The Whistler and plan to refurbish it and re-open it to the public. Spreading rumours of ghosts would indeed be bad for both your business and mine. |
| Baker | (smiles) Re-opening the Whistler, huh? That is good news. That place was attracting all sorts of unsavoury characters, and the building is an eyesore. None of us traders will be sad to hear that it'll be fixed up. |
| Azareth | My name is Azareth. Since we are going to be neighbours, of sorts, I feel I should introduce myself. (extends his hand) |
| Baker | (cleans his hand on his apron and shakes Azareth's hand) Slaker, Dan Slaker. This (indicates the young girl) is my daughter, Beth. |
| Azareth | (nods) It has been good, talking to you Dan. Once the renovations are complete I will invite you and your daughter to a free meal in my tavern. |
| Baker | That sounds nice. (looks to his daughter and combs her hair with his fingers) Would you like that Beth? |
| Beth | (nods) |
| Azareth | (smiles and leaves) |
Azareth made his way back to The River Snag hostel. When he arrived he found the others awake and discussing the events of the previous night.
| Craven | ... and we now know what it was that infected Argos' body. |
| Creighton | A trill. |
| Keldirk | Yeah, but we're no closer to finding the new host, but at least we know what we're looking for. |
| Azareth | (enters the room) Hi guys. What did you discover last night? |
Craven spent the better part of half an hour going over what Otto had told them and what conclusions he and Keldirk had made. Azareth asked a few questions and surprised them all by saying that he had heard of Otto, a poweful mage who belonged to a conclave of mages known as the Circle of Eight. Creighton was thankful Craven reiterated what they had learned, all the mess about trills and hosts and previous lives had the burly fighter confused.
| Azareth | It sounds like the visit to Sage Mulkynd was well worth the effort. Now, before we go about our daily activities I also have some news. (pauses for dramatic effect) I know what the orb can do. |
| Craven | (surprised) How did you find out? |
| Azareth | Some research and a bit of experimentation was all it took. I made the final discovery last night while you were out. |
| Keldirk | So what does it do, mage? |
| Azareth | It is a portal of sorts. The orb allows the user to summon a creature from the lower planes to perform a task. |
| Craven | (whistles) That sounds impressive but what is a creature from the lower planes? |
| Azareth | Baatezu, Yugoloth and Tanar'ri. |
| Creighton | What? |
| Azareth | Devils, Daemons and Demons. (sees the blank expression on the assassin's faces) Powerful entities native to alternate planes of existence. |
| Creighton | Alternate planes? (rubs his head wearily) |
| Azareth | The world in which live is but one of many, Creighton. Heaven and Hell are, essentially, other worlds where strange and mystical creatures reside - such as the gods themselves. My meta-physics is scratchy so let's just leave it at that. |
| Craven | This orb lets you summon gods? |
| Azareth | (laughs) No, not at all - at least I hope not. (smiles) |
| Keldirk | The orb lets you summon devils, right? |
| Azareth | (nods) |
| Keldirk | Sounds dangerous. |
| Azareth | You can reduce the risks if you summon the least powerful of their kind. |
| Craven | Is there any possibility that the creature you summon turns on you? |
| Azareth | It appears that the creature is bound to perform whatever task is set by the user of the orb as long as the appropriate payment is made. |
| Keldirk | What kind of payment? |
| Azareth | I expect that the payment will depend on the nature of the task. |
| Craven | Is there any limit on the kind of tasks the creature will perform. |
| Azareth | I am not sure, the only task I have set is information gathering. |
| Keldirk | What? You've used the orb already? |
| Azareth | Of course, that is the only way I could find out what it really does. Studying books is one thing but there can be no substitute for- |
| Keldirk | (growing angry) What happened, Mage? What did you summon? |
| Azareth | A small creature, perhaps a foot tall with grey skin, wings, needle-like teeth, a nasty disposition and smelling like brimstone. |
| Keldirk | What task did you set the creature? |
| Azareth | (smiles) I initially asked the summoned creature to find out what it could about the ghost in the Whistler. It climbed the wall but returned several minutes later claiming it was unable to complete its duty. To tell you the truth it looked as though it was scared witless. Since it would not carry out my first instruction, I set it another. I sent it to find out information on Ambassador Shade. |
| Keldirk | You did what!?! |
| Azareth | Settle down, Keldirk. If you think for a minute you will see there is very little danger. The creature cannot be tracked back to us and any information it finds might prove useful someday. |
| Keldirk | How can you be sure it can't be tracked back to us? |
| Azareth | I just don't think it can. It has the power of invisibility and seemed quite cunning. |
| Keldirk | And what was the price for this information? |
| Azareth | The orb must be bathed in the blood of a priest of light by dawn tomorrow. |
| Keldirk | What!?! Let me get this straight. You summoned a creature from the lower planes and sent it to the home of the Ambassador to The Great Kingdom - a man who arrived riding a dragon - to find out information? The price for this is that you have to kill a priest of Pelor or St Cuthbert and bathe the orb in their blood by dawn tomorrow. |
| Azareth | Correct. |
| Keldirk | Have you completely taken leave of your senses? You're barely able to light a lantern under pressure and now you expect to be able to kill a priest? Not content with that, you risk us all in sending your creature up against a powerful representative of a foreign government. You are completely on your own with this mage. I refuse to risk myself on this stupid venture. |
| Azareth | My actions were done with only the best intentions for this group. I have no doubt that the information gained from this - so called - stupid venture will prove valuable enough for the price. |
| Craven | It will not be easy, Azareth. I feel that Keldirk is correct in this. You should have at least consulted us before agreeing to this price. Unless you believe you can handle it yourself. |
| Creighton | I'll help him. Every now and then, you have to get a little bloody. It's good for the soul. |
| Azareth | (smiles) Thankyou Creighton. No, I never thought I might be required to make the payment alone. I know that the four of us- |
| Keldirk | Three! I wouldn't piss on you if you were burning to death, Azareth. You made this bed, now lie in it! |
| Azareth | (glares at Keldirk) Three of us can succeed if we agree to work together. |
| Craven | (smiles) Now there's the key, Azareth. We agree to work together. This little escapade of yours may prove very costly should things go badly. You did overstep your right here Azareth. We are not here to service your personal needs. |
| Creighton | (rubs his head) Can we talk about something else. I'm getting a killer of a headache. |
| Azareth | (looks at Creighton with concern, happy to shift the focus) You seem to be having these bad headaches a lot lately Creighton. Are you sure there is nothing wrong? |
| Keldirk | (stands) They come from spending time with you mage! I don't care what you three do. I am not going anywhere near a priest tonight. I'll leave you to get yourselves out of this mess. (leaves) |
| Craven | (watches as Keldirk leaves the room) I'll go and talk to him. You had better think about what happened here today Azareth. (leaves) |
Craven, followed Keldirk into the streets of the River Quarter. In some ways he agreed with the hot tempered young assassin, but they were all part of the same team - for better or worse - and this is exactly the time when they needed to pull together. Craven doubted he could convince Keldirk to come around, but he felt obliged to make the attempt.
| Keldirk | Don't try and talk me into coming tonight. I can't believe that you are even considering helping that fuckup. |
| Craven | (smiles) Listen Keldirk, we all make mistakes. Sometimes it's the only way we learn. I don't expect you to understand, but you can't abandon a member of The Family like this. One the fundamental reasons why The Family has survived is because of the loyalty that each member has for another. This is clearly your first test of that loyalty. Mine came with the death of Argos. Don't turn your back on Azareth, especially now. Sure, he has contributed exactly zero to our group up to now but that, I hope, will change. Who knows, you may get into a circumstance which requires him to help you, it would be good for him to be in your debt, rather than the other way around. |
| Keldirk | (smiles evilly) True, but what makes you think he would be capable of helping me do anything more complex than comb my hair? I doubt I will ever be in a position where I'll need his help. |
| Craven | Don't be so sure of that. None of us know what the future will bring. |
| Keldirk | I'll take my chances. Now fuck off and leave me alone. Go back to that moron and get him out of his hole - if you can. Personally I hope you fail. |
| Craven | Alright, I'll leave you alone. But before I go I want you to tell me where you'll be tonight? |
| Keldirk | I don't know... The Warhorse maybe. Why? |
| Craven | In case we need to find you - to give you the "good news." |
| Keldirk | (laughs) In that case I'll definitely be there. |
Craven returned to The River Snag Hostel and they spent the remainder of the day planning the attack on a priest and decided that the best place to strike would be the poor quarter. The area was littered with small chapels and there was less chance they would be interrupted by the city watch.
After dinner, Craven went to meet with Slick to arrange a guide into the poor quarter. He arrived outside The Warhorse in time to see Slick come sauntering up the street. His gaze following one particular woman in an almost predatory fashion. His attention was such that when Craven approached, the greasy information merchant leapt back, a knife instantly in his hand.
| Craven | (holds up his hands) Hey, calm down. |
| Slick | (runs his hand through his hair and hides the weapon within the folds of his cloak) Don't sneak up on me like that. You're liable to get hurt. |
| Craven | (smiles) I'll remember that. |
| Slick | Good. Now what can I do for ya... Craven? |
| Craven | (nods) I need you to organise a guide for me and some friends to the poor quarter, tonight. |
| Slick | Poor quarter, eh? (rubs his chin) Been some trouble down that part of town lately, some deaths. Could be tricky finding anyone willing to take you 'round. |
| Craven | What's unusual about that? |
| Slick | (smiles) Now that information's gonna cost you. |
| Craven | (withdraws a silver coin) That should cover it. (hands the coin to Slick) |
| Slick | (takes the silver) Word is, that there's this giant zombie down in the poor quarter that's been killing priests. It started causing trouble a couple of days back and it has got the population in a right panic. |
| Craven | That is strange. |
| Slick | It gets stranger. You see, this zombie has no face. |
| Craven | (gasps) What did you say? |
| Slick | (eyes narrow) I said that the zombie's face has been cut off. |
| Craven | Damn! I look too interested (forces a smile) Well a giant, faceless zombie shouldn't be too hard to avoid. About the guide? |
| Slick | I might be able to organise Jock for tonight. I assume there's a degree of urgency? |
| Craven | No, not really, as long as we can get in and out before daylight, anytime tonight would be fine. |
| Slick | (thinks) Two more silver and I'll have him here within the hour. |
| Craven | Your prices are getting higher, Slick. How about I give you one silver and you can take two hours. |
| Slick | (smiles) Done. (holds out his hand) |
| Craven | (removes another silver and hands it to Slick) |
| Slick | One more thing. There's people asking questions about you and that friend of yours Val Rorn. |
| Craven | What kind of questions? |
| Slick | (holds out his hand) |
| Craven | (removes a gold piece) That will get me my answer and any other information you find out about the one who's asking questions. |
| Slick | (takes the coin, staring at it as he tucks it away) Nothing specific, just things like, where can you be contacted. What do you do, that kind of thing. I'll keep my ears open if I hear anything I'll let you know. (leaves) |
Craven, went directly to The Warhorse, hoping that he could find Keldirk there. A faceless zombie after Argos' body was stolen, that was too much of a coincidence. This is something that Keldirk should know about and it might be just the thing to convince him to come with them tonight.
Craven found Keldirk sitting alone in the corner of the tavern, his collar pulled tightly around his chin and the hood of his robe covering most of his face. Craven crossed the room to his companions table.
| Craven | This seat taken? |
| Keldirk | What are you doing here? Surely the mage hasn't screwed up already? |
| Craven | (smiles despite himself) No, not yet. I just arranged for a guide to take us into the Old City and I heard something that you might be of interest. |
| Keldirk | Heard something from who? |
| Craven | From Slick. |
| Keldirk | And? |
| Craven | He said that there is a faceless zombie running around down there killing priests and making a public nuisance of himself. |
| Keldirk | (rubs his chin) A faceless zombie, you say. |
| Craven | (nods) |
| Keldirk | Do you think this zombie could be a friend of ours? |
| Craven | (nods) I doubt faceless zombies grow on trees. Are you interested in coming down to the Old City. |
| Keldirk | (downs his drink, then wipes his chin with his sleeve) Yes, I think I will. |
| Craven | That will make Azareth very happy. It'll be like we're one big happy family. |
| Keldirk | I killed my grandmother for burning my toast. |
| Craven | Okay then, we'll be just like someone else's happy family. (smiles) |
| Keldirk | (sweeps his cloak around him and leaves The Warhorse) |
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| Italic Text | Character's thoughts or actions if surrounded by parenthesis |
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