RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Online roleplaying at the Café
User avatar
ewancummins
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 28523
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm

RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by ewancummins »

BENN, KAT, and ALAIN
Leave the Grim Bastion’s cellars and make their way through the upper ruins.
Rain splatters from the dark sky visible through gaps in the ceiling of some halls and chambers.

Outside, they find the vacant lot and streets as empty as ever in the gloaming. Fat drops of black rain splash all around, and a look up at the source shows the Black Cloud dissipating as the downpour grows heavier still.
Unless someone knows weatherproofing magic or is wearing a slicker, the three adventurers are pretty damp by the time the reach the bridge over the Musarde.

At the bridge a party of men lurking the archway step out to confront the party. One man holds up an oil lantern, screwed down to a dim glow. He increases the light.
“Halt! Curfew’s on! You lot got a pass?”

Gendarmes. Nine—no, ten-- half with hands on their sword hilts.
The faces that you can make out don’t look those of men pleased to be out tonight.
Benn’s papers and name suffice to put the patrol officer and his men at ease.

“All right then, be about your business, monsieur. You vouching for these two is good enough for me.”

A gale starts up, howling from the west and blowing the polluted rain after them, as if the Black Dog’s ghost has pursued them across the river.


By the time the three reach Benn’s house, they’re drenched and chilled.
But brandy, dry clothes (Charlotte didn’t pack everything she owns, so if Benn doesn’t mind, Kat can wear something from the closet. Alain always seems to have on hand whatever basic stuff he needs, and tonight is no exception.), and a hastily built fire soon put them all right.
Benn finds the ornate silver key in his collection, right next to Maytr’s knife, safely locked away in a cabinet packed with trophies and evidence from old cases.

The little group meets not a soul on the way back to the bridge.
They don't even spot a rat in a gutter or a stray cat lurking under an awning.

The bridge guards make only the most cursory inspection before going back to their riverside huddle under the arch. Anyone glancing down there sees the men dicing by lantern light on a flat board. One is tuning a squeezebox.
As the party hastens to the Grim Bastion, the squeals of the guard’s instrument shift to actual music.
Someone begins to sing:

“Lolly, lolly, rags and bones…”


The words fade in the patter of rain on cobbles as the party trudges on…


MEANWHILE, UNDER THE GRIM BASTION


Klokulf searches his prisoner, finding a book and a box in the man’s slim pack, which had been (crudely but effectively) concealed under his robe and over his underclothing.

Alwina huddles in her borrowed clothes, eyeing the heaps of corpses.

The grim headsman stands vigil beside the now-blocked portal, huge chopping sword held at rest, point down, both his hands on the hilt.

Klokulf’s gaunt prisoner grumbles through his gag, but doesn’t make any attempt to leave the alcove where Dorgio deposited him.

Dorgio finishes a brief, mumbled prayer and then goes among the dead. He stops by each man and closes the eyes if they remain open.
Then, one by one, he begins moving the corpses out of the portal chamber and down the hall, using his cloak as a makeshift litter.
Last edited by ewancummins on Sat Jan 13, 2018 9:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
User avatar
Wolfglide of the Fraternity
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1233
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:33 am

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

Klokulf examines his finds, then deposits the box and its contents in his pack.

He considers the warning in the front page of the book, puzzling over the possibilities. After a minute or so, a deadly smile spreads across his face.

He closes the book, but worms his fingers between some deeper pages. He strides over to the prisoner and makes a sharp kick at his gut. Before the gaunt wizard can pull his wits back about him, Klokulf has opened the book to the inner pages and held it in front of the man's face. With any luck, you will start reading before you realize what you're doing.
User avatar
ewancummins
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 28523
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by ewancummins »

The prisoner grunts, eyes flashing open.
He stares at the page.
Grumbles.
Slumps down, eyes screwed shut and breathing hard.
After a moment, he makes a strangled sound through his gags and starts kicking the wall of the alcove.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
User avatar
ewancummins
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 28523
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by ewancummins »

RAEN
can sit and rest near enough the others of his party to expect their prompt aid if something bad happens, but away from the suspicious portal girl and--now that Dorgio has made headway clearing the fallen-- away from mangled corpses.

Peace doesn't last long.

He hears a strangled cry from the hall where Dorgio was dragging dead men.

No one else seems to notice, not with the enemy wizard having a fit in his alcove, and Klokulf menacing the man.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
User avatar
Wolfglide of the Fraternity
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1233
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:33 am

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

Klokulf closes the book and smacks the Gaunt Man across the head with it. "That is not convincing in the slightest," he says.

Klokulf sits on the floor facing the arcanist and begins to silently peruse deeper into the book. Noting the complex arcane notation, he withdraws a rectangular tin from his pack. Inside are several odds and ends, as well as a crystalline prism, which he removes. After he reseals and stores the tin, he intones a short prayer and begins reading through the prism as he slides it across the page.
User avatar
ewancummins
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 28523
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by ewancummins »

Dorgio returns to the big round chamber after a brief departure, carrying a bloodied man in his arms, reeling under the weight added to the mass of his own armor and gear.

"'Raen, Klokulf, we've got a survivor! Somebody give me a hand with the poor fellow."
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
User avatar
Wolfglide of the Fraternity
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1233
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:33 am

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

Klokulf closes the book, using the prism as his bookmark, and hauls himself to his feet. "One of our fallen enemies? Do we need another?" he says, his voice conveying how much of an inconvenience he perceives this interruption to be.

He makes his way over and stands before Dorgio, right arm at one side and left arm clutching the spellbook. "Should I be drawing my wand? Ending his suffering? Grabbing his legs? What do you need, exactly?"
User avatar
ewancummins
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 28523
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by ewancummins »


''Ending his suffering? No!"
Dorgio kneels.
''He's a big guy--"the Morninglord's priest grunts as he deposits the injured man on the floor ''--for me."
Dorgio then leans over the man. "I'm going to heal you. Don't do anything stupid, see? I have allies all around me."
He looks up at Klokulf. ''Just watch him. He was playing at being dead, but he is badly hurt, and I don't know how he will react when he's suddenly well enough to do more than sham."
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
User avatar
Wolfglide of the Fraternity
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1233
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:33 am

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

"I have some special rope I could use to bind him, if you think it would make things safer," says Klokulf. "Otherwise, I can stand here and try not to set him on edge with my presence."
User avatar
ewancummins
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 28523
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by ewancummins »

"Yes, I think binding seems wise. Not too tight, eh? I'm not wanting to see him hurt worse before I can help him."
Dorgio waits for Klokulf to secure the captive-survivor.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
User avatar
Wolfglide of the Fraternity
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1233
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:33 am

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

Klokulf draws a coil of silvery silk rope from his pack, then proceeds to wind it snugly around the man's legs. After getting several good wraps, Klokulf sits the man up carefully and lashes his arms to his sides. He ties no actual knots.

After laying the man back down, Klokulf presses the heels of his hands into the man's ears and leans down near the windings. In a barely audible whisper, he mutters a single Vaasi word:

"Fossilize."

With a grinding rumble, the entire rope is petrified.

Klokulf stands up. "He is secure."
User avatar
alhoon
Invisible Menace
Invisible Menace
Posts: 8804
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:46 pm
Location: Chania or Athens // Greece

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by alhoon »

ewancummins wrote:RAEN
can sit and rest near enough the others of his party to expect their prompt aid if something bad happens, but away from the suspicious portal girl and--now that Dorgio has made headway clearing the fallen-- away from mangled corpses.

Peace doesn't last long.

He hears a strangled cry from the hall where Dorgio was dragging dead men.

No one else seems to notice, not with the enemy wizard having a fit in his alcove, and Klokulf menacing the man.
Raen doesn't like what is going on with the captive. Not because he believes the warlock deserves any better, but because he doesn't like men that are willing to bully villains. The cry of perhaps a Subman survivor gets his attention.
He looks at the Armored swordsman for a moment and notifies him that he is going in the hall, not wanting to alert anyone (or anything) in there that he is approaching. Carefully, he stood up and did a quick inspection of the hallway and the dead men.

At Klokuff's suggestion, Raen said to the Banite "We need to save people you know whatever shape they come in. We don't know if those guys were the evil ones or that woman is playing us. Could be both."

He is damn impressed by the magic rope though.
Last edited by alhoon on Sun Jan 14, 2018 4:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
User avatar
ewancummins
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 28523
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by ewancummins »

In the hall...


RAEN sees multiple corpses, at least a dozen, dragged into the hall and rolled against the walls.

Dorgio seems not to have moved any of the slain submen.

These bodies all belonged to true men, like him, but men who belonged to the losing side of the first of several recent fights in this dungeon. Some of the corpses show crush injuries-- it's hard to tell if these resulted from Alain's conjured rocks or the treacherous warlock's deadly hailstorm. Splintered bones protrude from ghastly wounds and staved-in faces wear lopsided death-grimaces.
The shadowy hall stinks of human waste and blood.


Something moves in the gloom down the hall a short distance, something black perched on the head of a dead man. A rough call, and the bird leaps into the air, flapping its wings and squaking.
Before Raen can act, it's gone.

So-- he sees as he draws nearer-- are the dead man's eyes, plucked out of their sockets.
Last edited by ewancummins on Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
User avatar
Wolfglide of the Fraternity
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1233
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:33 am

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

Klokulf opens his mouth, then clamps it back shut. An argument about degeneracy of form and degeneracy of soul will simply not go well.

He opens the spellbook again as he stands above the bound captive and continues scanning it through the prism.
User avatar
alhoon
Invisible Menace
Invisible Menace
Posts: 8804
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:46 pm
Location: Chania or Athens // Greece

Re: RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter Fourteen

Post by alhoon »

As the book that seems very similar to a spellbook makes the appearance again, Raen tells the cleric. "When you're done with this book, I would like a turn please. Did it have any magical protections or traps I should be aware of? My spellbook would blow up if you did that for example. And take a good part of its surroundings with it perhaps killing the intruder."
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
Post Reply