Blood and Bewitchment Logs

[Steerpike]

[ic=The Grove]Back in Macellaria...

The Watchdog at the Eel's Gate idly licks at itself, its enormous purple tongue dripping formalin and slaver.  Its shameless ablutions complete, the unnatural beast sluggishly blinks its curiously small, dark eyes and yawns, exhaling a great malodorous miasma on passing travellers; its breath reeks of carrion and alchemical preservatives.

The ragged shanty-town beyond the gate consist of rude shacks and huts fashioned from oddments of hide, mud, adobe, and oddments of ancient machinery dug up from the desert - here the skeletal bulkhead of some derelict vehicle, there a pane of nacreous glass shimmering strangely in the reddish sunlight.  The half-dilapidated saloon and brothel known as The Pickled Serpent squats by the gate across from the tethered Watchdog; various hard-bitten mercenaries, scavengers, and vagabonds stagger in and out of its doors.

Kaius, Tarim, Wispy, and Mr. Carver meet by the gate.  The Watchdog sniffs the air and howls...

* Kaius Alexander sits atop Conveyance placidly.

* Wispy now has a parasol that has the image of a gaping maw on its top. On its sides are bat-like, leathery wings that are equipped with barbed talons; its back has a sinuous tail terminating in a sucker-like orifice with a radula within, lined with tiny, saw-like teeth.

Mr. Carver - Ah, it has only been two months and I already have to mount one of those thrice-damned beasts again.

The Gash Arroyo is an ugly wound in the earth, a barren cleft whose bottom is littered with bleached bones and water-mellowed stone.  Four figures stand over the narrow gully.  One is a tall, spindly-limbed man in dusty white garments with an eyepatch, a walking stick made from the bone of some gigantic creature, a pair of hide bongo drums at his waist, and a heavy rifle slung across his back.  Two others are zerda, one of them a badly scarred creature with a long bone knife, the other a vicious-looking armoured warrior with a grafted hand culled from some clawed, indigo-scaled reptile.  The fourth looks to be a mantid, though he is wingless.  He wears a strange suit of scaled armour and carries a curious scythe-like weapon.

The lean human greets you: "Ah, you must be the lot the fleshcrafter sent down.  Name's Hallowcrust; I'm the Treeherd.  These three are Kol, Vetter, and Kryz, hired blades like yourselves.  Kol can't speak but he's handy with Flicker; Vetter can translate in case none of you lot are conversant in the finger-speech."

* Vetter casts his gaze over the newcomers. His indifference may or may not be an affectation.

* Kryzbytn twitches his mandibles.

* Kaius Alexander recognizes Kryzbytn but remains silent.

* Kryzbytn inclines his head towards Kaius.

* Kaius Alexander offers Kryz a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement.

Tarim '" Greetings.

* Kryzbytn permits a forceful, short bow.

* Tarim bows briefly, flashing a slight grin of his jewel-inset teeth.

Kryzbytn - Hello, others.

* Vetter nods and grunts out a terse greeting.

* Kaius Alexander stares pointedly at Vetter.

* Koldobika watches the new arrivals curiously.

Koldobika - (Flicker) The Koldobika Nthanda greets you. The Koldobika Nthanda is Koldobika Nthanda. The Koldobika Nthanda will know your names.

Kaius Alexander - It seems to be attempting to communicate.

Wispy - Maybe it's speaking, but it's just too soft so we can't hear what it's saying?

* Wispy walks over to the zerda and talks very loud.

Wispy - Can you hear me?

Tarim - As always, we can count on the damn bird to give the best kind of first impression...

Mr. Carver - I did say he wasted his best one on that slavering thing that is following him around.

* Vetter translates accurately into Shambles, but his delivery is perhaps somewhat gruffer than Kol may have wanted.

Wispy - Ah, very good, see - it can talk.  It does know language.

* Koldobika looks at the bird-thing.

Koldobika - (Flicker) The Koldobika Nthanda hears you. The Koldobika Nthanda believes you are too loud.

Vetter - He hears you just fine, Jatayi. He just ain't so good at speakin.'

Wispy - Not capable of speaking??? How does such a creature live?

* Wispy does however get a little more quiet.

Koldobika (Flicker - directed to Vetter) - Bird-thing is loud. Loud things quickly found and eaten. The Koldobika Nthanda suggests the the Vetter and the Koldobika Nthanda stay away from Bird-thing.

Vetter (Flicker, at Kol) - Good idea.

* Mr. Carver nods his head at the other mercenaries.

Mr. Carver - I'm Mr. Carver. Carver amongst friends.

* Kryzbytn returns the greeting with a stilted nod.

Kryzbytn - Please, call me Kryz.

Kaius Alexander - I am Kaius Alexander. We will be working together. I expect professionalism and competence.

Tarim - I am known as Tarim.

Kaius Alexander - Hallowcrust. When will we be moving the livestock?

"As soon as possible, Mr. Alexander.  The grove are down in the Arroyo where the damn goreflies can't find them.  Once we're ready to move, I'll start drumming to lure them out.  They'll follow the beat of the drums out of the Gash and up here."

Kaius Alexander - And will we be with you?

"I'll be leading the pack, ahead of the flehstrees," Hallowcrust says.  "We should be fine during the day - which is why we're moving out so early - but once it gets darker any gorefly swarms nearby are going to smell the grove and start moving in to feed.  You lot need to destroy the flies before they reach the fleshtrees.  Make sure you stay away from the grove itself - unless they're pacified fleshtrees can be mighty ornery, and won't think twice before ripping you limb from limb and munching on your steaming guts.  I'll stay ahead of them till I reach a machine called a drubber out a ways to the north and west of here."

* Vetter checks his pistol and powder.

* Kryzbytn sharpens his scythe hands upon each other.

Mr. Carver - I thought there would be more than one of you.

He turns to Carver.  "Lost fourteen of my fellows to the damn bugs recently.  I'm the last left in this region."

Mr. Carver - Can you handle them alone?

"Shouldn't be a problem - you lot just take care of the flies.  Make sure you stay away from the grove itself - unless they're pacified fleshtrees can be mighty ornery, and won't think twice before ripping you limb from limb and munching on your steaming guts."

Mr. Carver - I'd rather not end up as fertiliser. Thanks for the warning.

"I'll stay ahead of them till I reach a machine called a drubber out a ways to the north and west of here.  Once that's activated the grove will cluster up round the drubber and stay still.  With any luck we'll be far enough away from the sand-rays that they'll pass us by without any more damage being done."

Tarim - Just what do we get out of this, anyway?

"I shear the limbs from the fleshtrees, sell 'em to graft-peddlars," the man says.  "I'll pay each of you a hundred and fifty bones for the job, but each tree we lose I'll have to dock you ten obeloi apiece  - I can't afford to lose any more trees.  Sound fair?"

Kaius Alexander - Acceptable.

Kryzbytn - Fair.

Vetter - Fair by me.

Tarim - Good enough.

Mr. Carver - I'm fine with those arrangements.  What is our destination?

"We're headed north, past the city and up into the plains.  I suggest you spread out around the grove and form a mobile perimeter.  Fleshtrees move very slowly - it's going to take all day for us to get them where we want them  - but they won't linger, so be prepared to fight on the run.  

"One more thing: I have a few packets of sand-ray blood, bought dearly in the Skin Markets.  It's not enough to coat even a single fleshtree but in a pinch it could be used to ward off any goreflies if they start to overwhelm you.  If the little buggers start to get the better of you, puncture the bag and slather the blood all over yourself, and the goreflies'll retreat.  If you have to use the bags, though, it'll come out of your paycheque - each bag cost me fifty bones."

Wispy (Squawks) - Ten apiece?

* Wispy then realizes that everyone else accepted, so he pouts to himself.

Kaius Alexander - I will take the van. I suggest the rest of you split into teams of two, but disperse as you see fit. I will reinforce any position that seems in danger of falling, if possible.

* Kryzbytn eyes Wispy, admiring his wings.

* Kaius Alexander shades his eyes against the rising sun and surveys the terrain

Kryzbytn - Rest assured, the flies will be shredded.

Wispy (at Vetter) - It's been my experience, friendly and articulate zerda, that we should expect failure.

* Koldobika nods, understanding to the plan.

* Tarim takes one of the bags and secures it so that it hangs off his belt.

* Mr. Carver snaps up a bag as well.

* Kryzbytn mandibles twitch eagerly.

Kryzbytn - (to Kaius) I'm eager to see how that armour of yours fares in battle, Kaius one.

Kaius Alexander - It has performed to specifications. You are a fine machinist.  Perhaps we will have opportunity to co-operate again in the future.

* Kryzbytn gives a twitchy bow.

Kryzbytn - I indeed hope so.

Hallowcrust, having distributed the bags, readies his drums.

Vetter (Flicker, at Kol) - Teams of two, he says. We will be a two?

Tarim (to Carver) '" We'll make a good team, no?

Mr. Carver - I was thinking the same thing Tarim.  It all depends on how much we have to move around to keep up the perimeter, but let us stay close to each other.

* Tarim nods.

"You ready then?  Shall we begin?"

* Kryzbytn nods.

Koldobika (Flicker) - Yes.

Mr. Carver - Sound your drums, Treeherd.

Hallowcrust moves ahead some distance and begins beating his drums.

* Wispy titters?

Wispy - Who's with me?  Or will it just be me and the Oneroi here.

Kryzbytn '" I'm willing to go with anyone.

Wispy - Ah, mantid man, many meticulous good wishings to you.

Kryzbytn - Hello, bird one.  I admire your wings.

* Wispy affixes Kryzbytn with an evaluating glance.

Wispy - You remind me of a fighter I once knew, you look a lot like him--competent--but whereas he was short and round; you are tall and handsome.  And whereas you are a mantid made, he was a leechkin stout...and that's the semblance, just about.

Mr. Carver - He seems like a sizeable companion, Wispy, you'll be well off.

Kryzbytn - I am a toymaker, though my toys...

* Kryzbytn glances at his scythe.

Kryzbtybn '" ...tend to hurt the children.

Kaius Alexander - Be wary of him, Kryz, he will abandon you at his convenience for his own gain. Seek me out if your position becomes precarious.

Kryzbytn - I will do so, Kaius friend.  I enjoy this bird-man thus far.

Mr. Carver - (yells over the din of the drums) Don't you worry about Wispy, Kryz. He hasn't betrayed us yet.

Shortly, a pallid, writhing mass emerges from the Gash, gushing out in a great clump.  As the grove moves inexorably forward  - drawn by the rhythmic percussion of the Treeherd  - you get a better look at the fleshtrees themselves: grasping, softly moaning things crowned by brachiating clusters of humanoid arms and propelled slowly forward by tentacular roots.

* Kryzbytn admires them, strangely fascinated, perhaps taking mental note for a fleshtree toy in the future

* Kaius Alexander stands in his stirrups, observing the herd.

Vetter - Me and Kol'll take the left side.

Tarim - We'll get the right side, then.

* Vetter begins to spread out as the fleshtrees start to move.

* Koldobika observes the tree-things warily.  Though they have many limbs, they too lack voices. But, unlike Kol, they probably never had any to begin with.

* Kaius Alexander rides off to the van atop Conveyance.

Wispy - See Kryzbytn, also meet my chitinous friend.

* Wispy points out the hellhound.

Kryzbytn - Greetings, creature of the bird.

Wispy - Perhaps you two shared a noble ancestor?

* The thought of such ancestry gives Kryzbytn pause.

Kryzbytn - Mayhaps, mayhaps not.

Mr. Carver (at Tarim) - You shoot down those who approach, I get the ones who get close.

Tarim - Sounds a good plan.

* Vetter takes up a position about 30-40 feet to the left of the grove, and takes out and loads his pistol, even though there is no immediate danger.

The reddish sun beats down upon you all.  Even as the days grow shorter its depredations are still intense.

* Tarim feels the beginnings of heat-stroke.

* Kaius Alexander takes a long drink from his canteen

Kryzbytn - Heat... my body does not like it.

* Kryzbytn gives a nervous tick.

* Wispy twirls his parasol.

The day is mostly uneventful and quickly becomes incredibly tedious.  Your meals are by necessity taken on the move.

Kryzbytn '" Bird-man, you spoke of leechkin... I have a thing for some leechkin who took something precious to me.

Wispy - Tarim, you don't look so alive today. What happened to your parasol?

* Tarim glares at the bird-man.

* Vetter tries his best to remain vigilant throughout the tedium of the journey.

* Kaius Alexander continually scans the horizon.

* Kryzbytn mutters to himself under the burden of heat.

* Vetter 's pistol is always in his hand.

* Kryzbytn glances over at Vetter's pistol.

Kryzbytn - A fine pistol, Vetter one.

* Koldobika endures, as he has so far.

The afternoon is no better than the morning - the sun beats down on you all cruelly.

* Kryzbytn soldiers on.

* Wispy passes the day talking to Kryz about stories, such as those of the dread Red Rain of the Slaughter-lands.

Wispy - It's a good thing that you don't need much water to drink, mantid man, for when it rains in the Slaughter-lands it rains Red Rain, and those that drink the Red Rain devolve into dark-eyed murderfolk, the grinning, malignant fetch.

Kryzbytn - I know well of this, bird man, such rain led to the gruesome slaughter of my comrades.

* Kryzbytn recounts his tales of having his wings eaten by Baubo followers, mercenary groups, toy-making, and Red Rain as well.

Wispy - How terrible that your wings were eaten!  How barbaric!

Kryzbytn - They seemed to think it a delicacy.

Wispy - I can only hope that you were able to avenge yourself on them.

Kryzbytn '" I was not.[/ic]

[LD]

1 omitted thing from the logs:

[ic]
OOC:
Wispy: !roll 1d2 (2)
Kaius: What was that for?
Wispy: Oh, I was seeing how offensive Wispy was going to be in this situation.
Tarim: Don't we always just assume that Wispy will do whatever's the most offensive thing possible?[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=Bloodsuckers]The sun at least begins to sink, and the sky turns a deep red, as of drying blood.

Mr. Carver - and so it begins

Tarim - I welcome the dark, even if it means flies.

Mr. Carver - One should think heat and cold stopped being so troublesome after you die, eh? Guess not.

A droning sound can be heard to the south and east.

Kryzbytn - They come...

Mr. Carver - They are coming now, Tarim. I hear them.

Tarim - I am ready.

* Tarim loads his repeating rifle.

* Kryzbytn raises his two scythe arms above his head and his scythe weapon at his chest.

A dark cloud appears on the bloodshot horizon.

* Koldobika alerts Vetter to the incoming sounds, taking a moment to prepare his shortbow as he does so.

* Tarim invokes the Harden the Skin hex.

* Vetter cocks his pistol and glances out across the grove, seeing if he can spot any movement on the far side.

* Kaius Alexander hears the droning and spurs Conveyance towards Tarim and Carver's position.

* Mr. Carver draws the Agony Knife and readies a throwing knife.

Four swarms descend on those on the right, two on those in the rear, one at the front.  The bugs swirl around Kaius and attempt to penetrate his armour, but are deterred.  Others descend on Kryzbytn and Wispy; while mantid's armour protects him, two of the foot-long insects latch onto the jatayi, thrusting their proboscises into his exposed flesh and slurping his blood.  The creatures ignore Wispy's hellhound, Oney, completely.  Other goreflies assail Tarim and Mr. Carver.

* Wispy disregards the vampiric insects and flings a ball of black hellfire towards one, but the shot goes wide.

Seeing Wispy attempt to roast the insects, Oney vomits up a great burst of caustic bile.  Half a dozen goreflies are caught in the acidic blast and are instantly melted.

* Mr. Carver slices madly at the insects but they buzz around his blades.

* Tarim ducks and waves wildly, dashing about in the middle of the droning swarm. His pallid tongue barks eldritch words as he struggles to unleash a hex.

* Koldobika dashes towards the mantid and jatayi and skewers one of the goreflies with an arrow.

* Vetter hold the line on the left flank, pistol ready in both hands, prepared to fire on the first swarm to come within 20 feet of him.

* Kaius Alexander grunts and rips a clinging gorefly from his helmet, crushing it in his armoured fist.

* Kaius Alexander extends his right arm towards the swarm and depresses an internal mechanism. A panel flies open above his gauntlet; there is an audible hiss and a noxious scent fills the air. *click* A shrieking gout of flame flies towards the goreflies, roasting many!

* Kryzbytn attacks the swarm around him with both his mantid arms and scythe, but the flourish is ineffectual.

* Kryzbytn curses in Bugspeech.

The swarm around Kaius, unable to penetrate his armour, head for the fleshtrees, flying around and over the Insomnolent.

* Kaius Alexander purses his lips and begins to turn Conveyance about.

* Tarim blows one of the goreflies out of the sky with his rifle.

* Mr. Carver swats one of the goreflies with the Agony Knife.

* Wispy tries to cast Honeyslick on the swarm!

The gorefly swarm. hit by the eldritch substance, fall to the ground, buzzing angrily and trying to extricate themselves from the sticky goo!

* Kryzbytn slashes through the swarm, destroying several goreflies simultaneously with his scythe.

 * Mr. Carver slashes at the swarm with precision, destroying several goreflies with swift, accurate swipes.

* Tarim swipes with his rifle's stock at a repugnant figure of a gorefly darting at his head, even as eldritch syllables of a complicated hex cascade from his lips. He ducks another assault and hastily draws a ritual circle on the sand with his left hand. The gemstones set in his eye-sockets suddenly flash as he utters an echoing command: "Come forth Torrim-Pazzun, Wielder of Black Lightning!"

A crackling fiend coalesces out of the air: it looks like a humanoid figure sheathed in eerie black electricity.  "What is your will, Tarim?"  The demon asks in Hellspeak, in a voice like a storm.

Tarim - Destroy these damn flies! Begin with those swarming nearest me, then turn your attention upon those nearing the trees of flesh!

The demon roars thunderously, and electricity bursts from its body.  Some of the goreflies investigating the demon are electrocuted, falling to the ground twitching, reduced to blackened husks.

Mr. Carver - Glad to have some help on our side, Tarim. How long will he stay around and enjoy our company?

Tarim - Should be long enough for this wave of flies.

* Koldobika keeps on the move, skirting wildly across the ground in hopes of keeping any of the swarms from keeping with him. Currently, his only means of combating the flies lies in his ability to stay away from them-- even if a bow is only a paltry weapon against the buzzing swarm, it is certainly better than nothing as he fires at one of the swarms hanging above.

You let off a volley of arrows while on the run from the swarms, and the goreflies drop like... well, like flies.

* Vetter glancing around, spots the swarm breaking past Kaius for the fleshtrees, and decides to take a shot at them, in the hopes of reducing any damage they can do to the Grove. He raises his pistol, and with a sharp crack, smoke bursts forth. One of the goreflies explodes, blood from its swollen corpse splattering the ground.

* Kaius Alexander clanks forth and butchers the flies drinking at the pool of blood before they reach the grove.

* Using his scything claws Kryzbytn dices those flies caught in Wispy's hex.  Only a few lone flies remain at the rear of the grove, buzzing idiotically in the sticky mess.

The goreflies near Tarim and Mr. Carver continue their vampiric depredations.  The unarmoured ghul witch must contend with several of the monstrous insects, while the graftpunk Carver barely fends off their proboscises, though not after they have tasted his blood.  Other goreflies cluster round the summoned demon, investigating its crackling body: they are electrocuted for their trouble.

Torrim-Pazzun utters a Hellspeak word and black lightning shoots from its fingertips, destroying half a dozen flies.  Oney is chewing on a gorefly corpse.  He seems to like the honeyslick.

* Vicebite, the Clockwork IdBird familiar, detaches itself from Wispy's shoulder and begins a slow dive toward the south, where there are spent metal shell casings and a pool of goreflies eviscerated at Kaius' feet.  Vicebite's clock-dial eyes rotate backwards and it peers up at Kaius, while its hammer-key teeth set to work devouring Tarim's spent bullet-shell.

* Wispy glides over toward the right side, skating on the honey.  Calling upon the demoniac spirit bound within his own flesh Wispy summons another ball of netherflame.  The black fire incinerates those goreflies that remain feebly struggling in the arcane honey.

* Kaius Alexander flicks the blood from his blade and sheathes it.

* Mr. Carver, with preternaturally quickened movements, readies a torch and swats at the flies, but they are only attracted to the flame's red light.  Frustrated he slashes at the flies in anger, trying to keep them away.

* Tarim continues to dodge and turn frantically, trying to avoid the bloodsuckers still buzzing around him. His repeating rifle reverberates with a deafening blast, aimed at the thickest part of the swarm.  The flies disperse madly at the blast, but none seem to have been killed.

* Vetter calmly reloads his pistol while keeping pace with the grove, and keeping half an eye on the movement of the remaining swarms, to see if any more start to break through or if any approach the left flank.

* Kaius Alexander turns his back dismissively on the clockwork bird and dashes back to Conveyance.

* Kryzbytn puts away his scythe and draws his pistol, taking a shot at the swarms along the right flank, but it goes wide.

The swarm Tarim's shot disoriented regroups and makes for the fleshtree grove.  The goreflies Carver attracted with his torch cluster round him, gleefully penetrating his flesh and slurping his vital fluids.

* Seeing a swarm approach the grove, Vetter takes a shot, blowing another gorefly out of the sky.

Torrim-Pazzun angrily swats at the insects, but the bloodsuckers evade its crackling arms.

Wispy - Flying overgrown fleas! You shall not eat our moneytrees!

* Wispy aims his bolts at the swarm and lets loose, impaling three of the vermin.

* In a murderous whirlwind Mr. Carver slashes the remaning goreflies around him, spattering himself with his own drained blood as the insects burst about him.

* Tarim levels his rifle at the last remaining swarm; let the barrel sing.  His bullet blows another gorefly into pieces.

The remaining flies buzz angrily about and disperse, heading back to their sand-ray as fast as they can fly.

* Kaius Alexander slows Conveyance as he sees the goreflies retreating.

* Kaius Alexander canters up to Tarim and Carver atop Conveyance.

Kaius Alexander - It seems you had this side handled.

Mr. Carver - I think it went fairly well.

* Mr. Carver wipes his bloody knife on his sleeve.

* ViceBite devours what metal casing bullet shells it is able to gobble.

* Vicebite lets off a metallic ding, like a cash-register, after being satiated.

* Koldobika watches the goreflies flee. Once he is certain they are not returning shortly, he begins scouring the scene, arrows in hand. He begins to skewer groups of the more intact flies on his arrows, collecting them as the herd continues its slow journey.

* Tarim seeing the threat gone for now, dismisses Torrim-Pazzun with an arcane gesture.

Tarim '" You fought well. Should I require your services again, I shall make sure your are honored with a proper offering.

The demon bows, then melts back into the aether.

The goreflies killed or dispersed, you continue on until the fleshtrees reach the drubber, clustering round the crude mechanical device like moths round a lamp. Hallowcrust heads towards you.

"Good job," the scraggly cyclops commends you.  "The grove should be safer here - I hope.  Now for your payment: if you'll follow me, I'll get your money for you."

* Mr. Carver follows Hallowcrust at a leisurely pace.

The lean man leads back to the shanties round the Eel's Gate, where you set out at dawn.  He enters a large but ramshackle building and returns with a large sack that jingles with coinage.

* Kaius Alexander raises his visor and stares up at the night sky.

* Vetter approaches Kol and silently gives him a pat on the shoulder, the job successfully done.

"Here you are," he says, dropping the bag.  "It should all be there."

Kaius Alexander - I would hope.

* Kaius Alexander picks up the bag and distributes the obeloi.

Vetter - thanks, Kaius.

* Tarim collects his share graciously.

"I'll have those packets of sand-ray blood back now, if you please."

* Kaius Alexander tosses his over.

* Mr. Carver hands over the bag carefully.

* Wispy bites an obelus.

Wispy '" Doesn't taste good, but it seems real; I like this job, little woe, lots of weal.

* Koldobika follows for his promise of payment. Idly, he begins to chew on some of the goreflies he collected in the aftermath of the battle. He nods at Vetter's approach, and offers him an arrow with numerous flies skewered on it. Nearly all of the flies are intact and bloated, obviously haven recently fed on something or someone.

* Vetter takes the flies on the arrow with as much gratitude as he received the coin.

Hallowcrust nods.  "You lot did a good job.  I'll pass on my recommendations to the Splicing Consortium."  He heads back into his shack.

* Kaius Alexander spits.

Kaius Alexander - Splicing Consortium.

* Kaius Alexander gauges the hour by the passage of the moon.

It's probably just shortly before midnight.

Vetter - (Flicker, to Kol) So. What now?

* Vetter translates for Kol.

Koldobika (Flicker) - The payment is received by the Koldobika. The receiving is thankful.  The Koldobika did not plan. The eventuality is expected. The eventuality is unknown.

Kaius Alexander - As I had mentioned earlier to my more established companions...

* Kaius Alexander speaks as he scrapes bloody mud off Conveyance.

The lizard's tongue flickers as you scrape its scales and it hisses with pleasure.

Kaius Alexander - A business opportunity has been made to myself, and to anyone I care to include in such matters.

Mr. Carver - I'm intrigued.

Kaius Alexander - I now know that you are all competent at what you do, and so I invite you to join me as I proceed to Sarcous Square.  Our... employer... keeps late hours, I am told.

Wispy - He should invest in an umbrella.

* Wispy twirls his parasol.

Wispy - Then it's always night.

* Kaius Alexander glares at Wispy.

Kaius Alexander - I am sure the pay will be satisfactory.

Vetter - I wouldn't be turning down more pay, if you'd be including me. Or us?

* Vetter with the last he glances questioningly at Kol.

Koldobika (Flicker) - The Vetter has an idea.

Vetter (Flicker) - We should see what this job Kaius mentions is, don't you think?

* Koldobika nods in agreement. Wordlessly, he walks over to the large armored man and stares up at him. He begins to listen closely.

Kaius Alexander - The work, violent, I would assume.  Perhaps not. It remains to be seen.

Vetter - Violent suits me.

Kryzbytn - I would welcome the opportunity.

* Kaius Alexander scratches Conveyance's head and feeds her a shrivelled apple.

Kaius Alexander - Then shall we proceed?

Vetter - Surely we shall.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=A Voice in Darkness]The City of Bodysnatchers looms before you, huge and ancient and fetid, the lights, sounds, and smells it exudes seeping over the weathered walls.  Music rises from Pulsetown and Velveteen Circus; the Skin Markets bustle with grave-spawn shoppers; from Resurrection Row the moans of the sick in the quarantine zone can faintly be heard.  The Watchdog at the Eels' Gate barks at something unseen, straining against its tether while the Kennel Masters attempt to mollify it with a huge bowl of raw meat.

A wind blows in from the east, from over the Slaughter-lands, bearing with it a sudden chill, and a strange sour smell.  It seems to moan with an inhuman voice, but the sound is soon lost amidst the hubbub of Macellaria, absorbed by the urban cacophony.

You pass beneath the huge arch of the Eel's Gate and into Slimesquallor, ghetto of the slithering hagmen.  The streets here, as in the rest of the City of Bodysnatchers, are paved with setts, each bearing a distorted face.  Most these visages seem to be screaming or grimacing, as if the footfalls of pedestrians caused them pain; others leer lewdly, as if peering up the skirts of passing women.  As most of those here are hagmen the streets are covered in a slightly sticky mucosal film, excreted constantly by hagmen tails; it glistens in the moonlight.  This viscid, glutinous coating smells musky, though not wholly unpleasant.  The air here is moister than that in the rest of Macellaria.

* Koldobika rips one of the goreflies off of his arrow, the bloody contents dribbling out and over his hand. He offer sit up to Kaius. His expression is completely neutral.

* Kaius Alexander stares blankly at the fly and nonchalantly pops it into his mouth.

Kaius Alexander - The flavour does not offend me as perhaps it once would.

* Kaius Alexander lowers his visor.

* Koldobika nods politely and appreciatively. He falls in at Kaius' side without further incident.

Koldobika (Flicker, to Vetter) - The Koldobika and the Vetter go with the Kaius. The Kaius works.

Vetter (Flicker, to Kol) - I agree.

Slimesquallor is, of course, distinguished by its peculiar architecture: idols carved out of jade peer down from the roofs of hagmen temples, bathhouses with coiled columns of green granite and marble release plumes of perfumed steam into air, and the great hatchery-towers loom over everything, their walls carved with prayers to the fertility-deity.

Apart from the few hagmen out and about at this time of night various travelers from the south walk the curving streets.  Cestoids pull rickshaws and a few daring leechkin beg for blood, risking the wrath of their racial enemies.

* Vetter looks out for somewhere to buy a bottle of something alcoholic along the way.

Vetter, a street-seller is hawking madwine from his stall.

Vetter - How much, mate?

"Five bones.  Quality vintage."

Vetter - Five? Quality? Piss off...

* Wispy wanders over, trying to "help."

Wispy - Ooh... But what quality? Are you trying to take advantage of foreigners?

"No sir!  Look, for you, four obeloi."

Vetter - I'll give you three, mate, and you'll count yourself lucky.

"Fine, fine, you drive a hard bargain.'  He hands you a small bottle of the sallow-golden liqueur.

* Vetter hands over the bones and unstops the bottle, taking a long pull before continuing along with the others.

Apart from a healthy buzz and a few harmless hallucinations the madwine doesn't unhinge you excessively.

* Wispy smiles cruelly, distorting his smeared ghoul paint; then he wanders back toward the rest of the group, parasol twirling.

Tarim - I sure hope this won't turn out to be another hagman shootout leading to messy escapes through the sewers...

Koldobika (Flicker, directed at Tarim) - The events of the Tarim ends as the Tarim says often.

* Tarim notices the mute zerda waving at him, but is left wondering what all those gestures might mean.

* Koldobika seems slightly annoyed that Tarim does not understand. However, he seems resigned to understanding the lack of knowing. Either way, he still remains close to the big man with heavy armour who seems to be the leader.

* Vetter catches up with Kol and offers him some madwine with a slightly distant expression.

* Koldobika declines with a shake of his head.

* Vetter shrugs and takes another swallow himself.

Velveteen Circus is thronged with revelers this time of year.  Though Reaper's Feast itself honours grave-spawn, that doesn't prevent the quick from rigorously carousing in the days leading up to the event.  Buskers and conjurors perform on the street.  One man, a skinchanger, assumes new forms before a crowd: now a great bird with a serrated, crimson bill, now a grinning, crocodilian thing with too many eyes, now a two-headed hyena.  A short distance on a troupe of hagmen perform on the drums, zither, and accordion, while a ghul acrobat turns flips and stands.

The party attempt to navigate the labyrinth of streets, trying to find Sarcous Square.

Wispy - Oooh Kaius, I think it's this way... or was it that way.  Hmm...

* Kaius Alexander sighs nearly silently.

Wispy - I recall a story about the Velveteen Circus... It said it was a hopscotch from Murderer's Manor, and a twist from Viviscectors' Square...

* Mr. Carver, a native of the city, tries to recall the location of the obscure Square. He remembers that the mansion in the Square is inhabited by a mysterious foreign noblewoman who moved in three years ago; no one knows exactly where she's from, but she's reclusive and very, very rich.  Her name is Lady Fuligina.  Wispy, with his magpie-like store of random knowledge, gossip, legend, and rumour, has likewise heard of this mysterious individual.

* Wispy is very pleased to know that.

Between the jatayi and the human the party eventually finds Graze Street.

Wispy - Near to the Zeitgeist Rock... ah,ha- here we are!

Amidst the raucous carousal of Velveteen Circus, Sarcous Square seems strangely quiet.  Accessible only via a narrow arch off Graze Street, the quadrangle is dimly lit; the buildings seem to be deserted, without lights in the windows.  Opposite the entrance to the Square is a large, opulent structure of black marble.

 A single gas lamp burns an eerie blue at the entrance, where two guardsmen wearing half masks and garments of satin stand sentinel.  One man has long, raven-dark hair and wields a murderous-looking ranseur; the other has a shaven head and leans against a massive sword.

* Kaius Alexander rides up to them quietly.

The guards eye you without any trace of emotion.

* Vetter rubs idly at the point at which his grafted claw meets his natural flesh, blearily eyeing the two guards.

* Kaius Alexander raises his visor and stares at the guards.

Kaius, you notice something slightly strange about the guards '" their pupils are dilated hugely, or else their irises are tinted black...

* Tarim does his best to wipe dust and blood off his clothes, and checks that his turban is properly tied.

Mr. Carver - Where did you meet this woman Kaius?

* Mr. Carver takes care not to speak too loudly.

* Kaius Alexander half turns to Mr. Carver.

Kaius Alexander - I have not. I am acquainted with one of her servants. So are you.

Mr. Carver - What did he tell you?

Kaius Alexander - He told me that he owes me his life, and his mistress wishes to secure our services.

Vetter - Mistress, eh? Services, eh?

* Vetter chuckles.

* Koldobika ignores the obvious joke in favour of wondering why a group of this size is needed at all.

* Kryzbytn chitters.

* Kaius Alexander turns his head slightly to examine the guards from a different perspective.

Mr. Carver - Anything wrong?

* Kaius Alexander does not respond.

Kaius Alexander - I am here to see your employer.

"Welcome, honoured guests," the long-haired guard greets you.  "Milady waits for you inside.  While she does not insist on your disarmament, I would ask as a courtesy for you to please relinquish your weapons while under her roof."

Vetter - can I keep my drink?

"Of course, little one."

Vetter - Then we have an accord.

* Vetter hands over his pistol.

* Koldobika reluctantly passes over his swords and his bow.

* Kaius Alexander hands over his sword and pistol.

* Kryzbytn reluctantly hands over his weapons

Kryzbytn - Take good care of them... They mean much to me.

* Tarim lays down his repeating rifle and blunderbuss pistol, his dagger and various grenade-like contraptions.

* Wispy carefully conceals his jatayi bolts, but hands over his sword.

Wispy - Now, be careful with that- it's a holy longsword, used to kill gravespawn... like myself. I've been keeping it in safekeeping.

"Your beasts must wait outside, the shaven-headed guard says, gesturing to Oney and Conveyance.

Wispy '" Can he wait in the foyer? Someone might steal him! If he's out on the street! And grind him into meat!

"Very well.  So long as is well behaved."

Wispy - Oney, stay! Good boy!

* Wispy hands the vaguely crustacean "hellhound" something to eat.

Kryzbytn - I'd be more fearful, bird man, if someone were to eat him.

* Kaius Alexander dismounts from Conveyance and ties the lizard to a post.

Mr. Carver - Hmm, you are sure I can't keep a knife on me?  Small one, won't be any trouble.  Just hate to leave it behind. You can have my other knives of course

"As I said, you may keep your weapons if you wish - we merely prefer if you leave them here, as a token of gentility."

Mr. Carver - Well, I'd hate to offend our kind host, I guess.

Kryzbytn - Me as well.

* Mr. Carver reluctantly hands over the Agony Knife, as well as 10 daggers.

* Kryzbytn hands over his Perforator.

Tarim - Please overlook his reluctance. He really likes his knives, you see.

The guards looks slightly bemused as the party deposits a small armoury with them.

* Vetter shakes his head slightly at the amount of weaponry some of the others have.

* Vetter tips his bottle to the guard in mock-salute as he passes.

You find yourselves in an expansive foyer; the walls, floor, and ceiling are all of the same dark stone as the exterior.  The scarred man some of you remember from the Pits greets you.

* Tarim bows politely to the man.

"I am glad that you decided to come," he says.  "Please, follow me.  Milady awaits you downstairs."  He turns and leads you on into the house.

* Kryzbytn clicks his mandibles.

Raakhir leads you through dark corridors veined with white, lit sparingly.  There are few ornaments save occasional potted plants with strange purple flowers.  You arrive after some time at a central staircase that winds downwards into darkness.

Raakhir picks up an ornate lamp and leads you down these stairs.  You pass many levels and dozens of doorways, descending deep into the earth.  Down here the air is surprisingly sweet: a heady smell as of incense lingers in the air, perhaps the scent of the violaceous blooms present here or there.  How these beautiful flowers survive in the darkness, you cannot say.  After many long minutes of walking, you arrive at the bottom of the staircase at a large door.

Kryzbytn '" Curious.

Tarim - Fascinating.

* Vetter peers closely at the flowers, as if unable to make them out properly, but moves on after a second or two, knocking back more madwine as if to say "never mind."

"Milady awaits you beyond this door," Raakhir indicates.  "Her ways are her own: you will never see her face or form, for she prefers to remain shrouded in darkness at all times.  No flame or eldritch light will penetrate the blackness you find within, but please, do not be alarmed.  I shall await you here."

* Kaius Alexander nods

The door opens.  The pale glow of Raakhir's lamp is utterly swallowed by the total blackness of the room beyond.  Even those of you whose eyes can normally pierce the most complete lightlessness can discern nothing of the chamber's occupants, furnishings, or dimensions.

* Kaius Alexander proceeds swiftly into the darkness.

* Kryzbytn follows in suit behind Kaius.

* Tarim proceeds at a dignified gait.

* Mr. Carver lets his tentacle grope at the floor, feeling for any potential pitfalls.

* Koldobika finds this very, very questionable. But if these other people are willing to display that level of trust, then Kol would shame himself by not following that example.

Wispy - So Kol, how do you talk when it's dark at night? Always wondered why that Flicker thing you flick and flit was a sign language and not a feel language.

* Kaius Alexander stops after taking a dozen paces into the room.

* Tarim stops as soon as he notices that Kaius has done so.

The door closes and you are all plunged into complete darkness.  The room is very cold.  A sweet, female voice addresses you out of the black.

"Welcome to my home, brave warriors," the mellifluous voice says.  "You may call me Lady Fuligina."

Kaius Alexander - I greet you, Lady Fuligina.

* Vetter freezes as soon as the darkness became complete, bottle halfway to his lips.

* Kaius Alexander bows at the waist, though no one can see him.

Kaius Alexander - Allow me to express my appreciation of the elegance of your home.

"Thank you, Kaius Alexander.  I am very proud of it."

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head to Lady Fuligina.

Mr. Carver - Pleased to meet you, at last.  I can understand that it is quite an honour to have a private audience.
 
Tarim - It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

Kryzbytn - Well met, Lady one.

"I know most of your names already - I keep a rather close watch on current events - but three of you I do not know."

* Kryzbytn wonders if she means him.

"The mantid and the two foxfolk.  What may I call you?"

Kryzbytn - I am Kryzbytn; you may call me Kryz if you so desire.

* Kryzbytn, unaware if she can fully see him, gives a stilted bow.

Vetter - Lady, I am Vetter; a flesh-ripper, a gore-spiller, a killer of things. My companion is Koldobika Nthanda, and has no voice of his own.

Mr. Carver '" One of the foxfolk is mute, as Vetter says, and doubly silenced by the ambient lighting of your chamber. He calls himself Kol.

* Koldobika homes in on the sound of the jatayi. He produces an arrow and makes to attempt to jam the pointy end into the loud bird's rump.

Wispy - Gleeting Gleet Mother of Gleet! The walls are filled with spikes!

* Wispy takes off into the air.

* Koldobika skitters away.

* Wispy may run into someone.

"Calm yourself Cacaphanous-Whisper-of-the-Desert," Lady Fuligina laughs. "The little fox is playing a trick on you.  No traps await you." Her laughter is cold but sensuous.

* Kaius Alexander exhales sharply and turns toward the sounds.

* Tarim frowns at Wispy, though his expression is lost in the darkness.

Wispy - Wha? Is that true? Kol- tell me why would you do something like that? Or was it Vetter?

Vetter - No, Jatayi. Not I. I'm all the way over here... wherever here is.

Wispy - Oh, I see.

* Wispy alights to the ground.

Wispy (mumbling) - It's always the quiet ones, isn't it.

* Kryzbytn is somewhat confused.

* Koldobika grins to himself. Silly loud bird. Loud bird draws all kinds of attention. Loud often draws the wrong attention.

* Vetter almost joins in laughing at Kol and Wispy's antics, but something in the Lady's voice prevents him from feeling quite comfortable enough to. Instead, he nervously sips his madwine.

* Kaius Alexander clears his throat.

"Thus far, I must say,those of you I know of have proved yourselves highly capable.  I was particularly impressed by the way you handled that affair with those troublesome Iridescent Angles."[/b]

Kaius Alexander - And how do you know of that, if I may ask, Lady?

"As I said - I keep a close eye on current events."

Kaius Alexander - I recall impressing very seriously to my companions to never speak of that... particular occurrence. No matter. I do not presume to accuse you of any malicious espionage. I believe we have business to discuss.

* Kryzbytn mandibles twitch excitedly for a moment.

Kryzbytn - Lady one, I am missing something.  Would you have the knowledge of where it has gone?

"Possibly.  I am capable of many things.  First, allow me to tell you what I wish you to do; then we can discuss compensation."

Kryzbytn - Of course.

* Koldobika wonders... this lady seems very smart, and well-informed if not very attentive on her own. Maybe... she would know...?

Tarim (whispering, mostly to himself) - Such command of knowledge... impressive.

Mr. Carver - Well, I take it you didn't invite us here just to flatter us, my lady.

"Indeed, Mr. Carver.

"I am a collector of certain very rare antiquities," Lady Fuligina tells you.  "Artefacts created during what is now called the Forgotten Epoch, or the Aeon of Shadows, long before the Aeon of Dust or even the Aeon of Immolation '" before the cestoid Imperium, before the Red Ravishing and the Pallid Decimation, before the Membrane Wars and the coming of the Revenants, before the Suppuration and the Conflagration of Moroi, before Abysm gaped like a hungry maw across the desolate south, before the Hecatomb Cities burned in the distant east...  Even the jatayi tell no tales of this time, for there are no histories of the Aeon, only legends: of elder magi and cities that covered continents, of mysterious powers and strange heroes, of pathways through space and time and ships that sailed the endless oceans of night between the stars.  Some say it was a golden age, others that it contained miseries and horrors which put all later cataclysms to shame; perhaps both are true in their own way.  Even the greatest of the Twilight Cities were naught but hovels, if they existed at all.

"Almost nothing of this period survives, of course.  But I have a great interest in obscurities and things others believe lost to the oblivion of time.  I am something of an expert on the era, to the extent that anyone can be, anymore: certainly I know more of the Aeon of Shadows than any other living scholar.  But my collection is far from complete.

"It is my hope that you will aid me in the retrieval of those few relics that remain of the Aeon of Shadows not already in my possession.  I command a great fortune: the rewards for your assistance would be generous.  But the items I desire can be found only in dangerous places, likely guarded by foes more terrible than any you have faced.  Obtaining them would be exceedingly difficult.  Some may be far from the city, in distant and perilous lands.  

"For every item that you bring to me, I am prepared to pay each of you the princely sum of five thousand obeloi.  You will find no better price: not even the most prosperous scrap-dealer could offer such a reward, particularly as the items in question possess little to no practical use, the methods of their operation being long lost.  If they were ever ensorcelled I would imagine the wards upon them have long since ebbed, for even the strongest spells fade with time, and the items are incredibly ancient.  If they still retain some spark of power they would likely be dangerous to use, as the hexes woven into them would have become unstable.

"If there is some other reward you covet more than coin and it is in my power to give it, I will of course be happy to negotiate.

"I understand you may need time to consider my request.  If you wish some time to talk the matter over in private, that is of course your prerogative."

* Kryzbytn reflects upon this.

* Tarim ponders the matter intensely.

Koldobika (Flicker, to the Lady) '" The Koldobika desires the voice back. The Voice is equivalent value. The value to coin is equivalent.

"I will try my best to grant your request, Koldobika."

* Wispy wonders how the lady could communicate with Koldobika in this dark, but says nothing; Wispy is too busy planning an appropriate punishment for Kol.

Tarim - The offer of gold alone is more than lucrative enough, my lady. But I wonder, would it be within your power to lift, even slightly, the veil of amnesia which sets upon all those who become ghilan?

"Hmm.  I have never heard of such a thing being done, but I shall research the matter.  If it is possible, and within my capabilities, I would certainly grant you such a request, Tarim."

Tarim - In either case, I am interested in your offer, my lady.

Mr. Carver - What I desire can be bought with money, so unless you harbour secrets of ancient fleshweaving I will take the obeloi.

Kaius Alexander - There is nothing for me to consider. A generous sum is offered for the use of my particular talents. I request only transparency in our dealings together.

"In what sense, Kaius?"

Kaius Alexander - In the sense that I do not appreciate being kept in the dark. Figuratively, of course.

"I assure you, I will not conceal anything from you, Kaius.  Figuratively speaking, as you say."

* Kaius Alexander smirks slightly and inclines his head.

Kryzbytn - I do have something I desire, but I fear I can bring no justice to my past without having retrieved it myself. I believe I will stick with the coin.... unless such coin can be spared in favour of knowledge as to where my desire lies.

 Vetter '" Lady, for five thousand, I'm all yours! I mean... well, that is unless Kol needs me for... well... erm...

Mr. Carver '" Do you know of the locations of any of these ancient devices you seek?

"My researches have uncovered the possible locations of several, Mr. Carver.  The first items I wish to acquire are a pair of ancient gauntlets, known as the Hand of Mercy and the Hand of Cruelty," Lady Fuligina tells you.  "They are made of adamantine and so will never corrode, and cannot be marred by flame or steel: thus it stands to reason that they may well have survived the otherwise voracious march of time.  One Hand is said to give life, the other to take it away: whatever spells were woven into them are likely unstable, however.  The gauntlets were separated long ago, and their locations thought lost - but I have recovered clues as to their whereabouts."

Kryzbytn - And you say you could point us in the direction of these gauntlets?

"Yes. The Hand of Mercy is the right-hand gauntlet.  The last record pertaining to the gauntlet places it on the hand of a warrior-queen known as the Evisceratress of Dracheen, also called the Mistress of Wounds.  She led an army against the demoniac horde during the Membrane Wars, fighting for nearly three centuries, her body sustained by ancient sorceries and certain arcane drugs, slaying fiends by the dozen with her retinue of Bladebrides, noblewomen who took swords as their husbands and the battlefield for their marriage beds.  She was eventually slain in battle by a nameless arch-demon, some infernal lieutenant of the fell powers, and was buried alongside her fallen Bladebrides in the royal sepulchre somewhere outside Dracheen, the City of Weeping Stones.  The city itself later fell after a lengthy siege, and nothing remains of it now but a few deformed statues and shattered columns in the waste, but the tomb was built underground in a secret location and sealed with ingenious eldritch locks, and may thus have escaped the depredations of looters.  I do not know the exact location of the royal sepulchre, but I have managed to obtain the key to the tomb.  If you were to travel to what little is left of Dracheen - its ruins lie at the southernmost tip of Etiolation, in the desert of Dour Erg - you could search for the sepulchre's entrance.  Unless extremely skilful thieves have since penetrated its halls, the Hand of Mercy should be found within, entombed with its last wearer.

"The Hand of Cruelty is the left-hand gauntlet.  Its final owner lived comparatively more recently than the Evisceratress - he was one of the Sorcerer Lords of the last aeon, a man called Xheen the Profanomancer.  He ruled a kingdom in the west which was swallowed by the Fevered Ocean, but his headquarters, the Citadel of Maledictions, is said to still stand on the island of Blaspheme in the dread Midnight Isles.  Even the corsairs who have strongholds on the Isles fear Blaspheme, a crag of dark rock crowned by the sinister Citadel, for it is said that the Profanomancer's horrific creations still linger on the barren beaches: obscenities-made-flesh, called Anathemites, eldritch manifestations of hatred and castigation somehow given unhallowed physical form, with bodies of filth and mouths which spew vile curses the likes of which have not been uttered by mortal tongues for many centuries.  To reach Blaspheme you would need to travel to Lophius, the City of the Lamprey, and hire a ship - and a courageous, or suicidally mad, crew.  Hopefully, the Hand remains somewhere in Xheen's Citadel of Maledictions: the Sorcerer Lord is said to have perished there, consumed by a metamorphic curse or sickness he contracted during a sojourn into unknown realms, perhaps beyond the bounds of this reality.

"It does not matter to me which Hand you choose to retrieve first.  In either case, a difficult journey lies between you and the gauntlets.  I will, of course, provide you with funds to help accomplish either mission.  The matter is not urgent: neither gauntlet is likely to go anywhere soon.  I recommend you plan each trip carefully; if any other business keeps you in the city for awhile, don't feel you need to leave immediately.  In fact, I urge you to take some time to gather your strength and make all necessary preparations before setting out.

"I must warn you that putting on either gauntlet may be extremely dangerous.  If spells infused in the Hands have indeed begun to unravel, there may be residual eldritch energies pent up inside the gauntlets.  Putting them on would release this energy; the results would be unpredictable, but quite possibly fatal."


Kaius Alexander - And are these the only artefacts you currently have knowledge of?

"There are others, but I have not yet discerned their locations, or whether they still survive."

Kaius Alexander - I see.  I can assure you that I will obtain these items for you at the agreed upon price. Though, as you say, it may take time.

Kryzbytn - If these two gauntlets are to be our first choices, which do we prefer?

Vetter - I used to live in Lophius. Just sayin', if we do take ourselves that way...

Kryzbytn - I've traveled through Dour Erg before...

Vetter - I ain't too preferential, either way.

Kryzbytn - One might think creation the safer choice...

Vetter - Yeah but destruction's more... y'know...

Kryzbytn - ...destructive?

Vetter - Yeah!

Mr. Carver - We are facing either too little water or too much of it, the way I see it. Do you prefer to drown or thirst?

* Vetter shudders at Carver's hypothetical question.

Vetter '" Drown.

* Vetter takes another long drink to reinforce his response.

Wispy - Thirst! It's difficult to fly in water.

Kryzbytn - Drown. I've thirsted for too long. I hope you will not thirst when the red rains come.

Kaius Alexander - We will research these locations and decide appropriately before we depart.

Mr. Carver - How much time do we, my lady?

"You have as long as you require, Mr. Carver.  I am a patient woman."

Kaius Alexander - You mentioned preparatory funds, Lady Fuligina.

"Indeed.  What do you require?"

Kaius Alexander - As of yet, I could not honestly say. Merely confirming the offer.

Kryzbytn - It would depend on where we wish to venture first, I assume.

Kaius Alexander - You have the right of it, Kryz.

Tarim - We ought to plan this carefully. It is no task to be undertaken lightly.

Wispy - I fully agree with Tarim! The best, for a grand quest, is to rest, and invest; prudently, lest, our lives-end--distressed.

Kaius Alexander - I presume we are welcome to return when we have properly considered our funding requirements.

"Of course."

Kryzbytn - I would like to have my wings back, Lady one.

That can be arranged, Kryzbytn.  I have contacts with the fleshcrafters of the city, and could procure you new wings."

Kaius Alexander - Then, if there is no more to say, we will leave you with our thanks for this... opportunity.

"Thank you for agreeing to assist me.  I anticipate your return.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the days leading up to the Feast."  The doors open.

Tarim - It was a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I bid you farewell.

* Tarim bows, not caring that no one can see it.

Kryzbytn - Farewell indeed.

Vetter - Yeah, we'll just go get them gloves for you!

Koldobika (Flicker) - The Koldobika wishes well.

Mr. Carver - Good evening to you, and thank you for your most gracious offer. We look forward to fulfilling our part

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head and proceeds through the doors last of all.

Vetter (as they ascend from the room) '" Well, I like her.

Tarim - She certainly seems more likeable an employer than the jatayi.

* Koldobika thinks Tarim must be right. Especially if Wispy is any indication of the rest of his people.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=The Grey Twins]The party has just departed the mansion of Lady Fuligina.  You have retrieved your weapons from the guards outside and stand now in Sarcous Square, amidst the hedonistic hubub of Velveteen Circus.

* Kaius Alexander sheathes his sword and holsters his revolver after inspecting both carefully.

* Vetter, having finished his madwine, looks around for somewhere to dispose of the empty bottle.

The bats burst into bright purple flame.

* Mr. Carver carefully sheathes his knives, making sure everything is in place.

Kaius Alexander - It seems now that a great opportunity lies before us, though the retrieval of these artefacts will not be easy.

Mr. Carver - Indeed not.  If something stays hidden for a few millennia I'm pretty certain nothing can get to it easily.

Kaius Alexander - I find myself in agreement, Mr. Carver.

Mr. Carver - I need to see Needlefingers. Should we meet and discuss our employment in the morning?

Tarim - We are in no rush; let us take our time and discuss things through in some suitably pleasant surroundings.

Koldobika (Flicker) - The time is agreed.

Vetter - Kol agrees too.

Vetter, a sewer-drain is evident nearby.  In your current slightly madwine-addled state it flickers into the semblance of a gaping maw with many teeth and a lolling tongue.

* Vetter after gazing a while at the drain, suddenly hurls the bottle into it, then turns swiftly back to the others.

The grotesque "mouth" swallows and burps.  Its belching exhaltion takes the form of a swarm of cyclopean bats.

* Vetter points a finger and "shoots" at the bats as they depart, closing one eye and mouthing "bang."

* Kaius Alexander unties Conveyance and seats himself in the saddle.

Kaius Alexander - Then let us meet at the Blood of Saints upon the morrow.

Vetter - Blood of Saints? Don't know it, whereabouts is it?

Kaius Alexander - In Hexwarren.

Vetter (still squinting against the light of the hallucinatory flame) '" Hexwarren. Got it.

Mr. Carver - Can't we go somewhere where blood isn't the main beverage for once?

Kaius Alexander - I have never faced difficulty obtaining alternate sustenance at the Blood of Saints.

Fangs - And the barkeep is easy on the eyes, as well.

Mr. Carver - Well, we can't always cater to the ghilan.

Tarim - If you have a better place in mind, do tell us all about it.

Kaius Alexander '" Indeed '" if you would suggest an alternate location, Mr. Carver, perhaps it could be brought into consideration.

Mr. Carver - We could meet in the Skin Markets? Plenty of places to eat there.

Wispy - I suggest 'The Rotting Carcass'... It's a good Jatayi Joint!  You can order congealed liver stew.

Mr. Carver - ... you have Jatayi joints in the city? Thought most of your kind preferred the outskirts.

Wispy - Well, it's not RUN by Jatayi.

* Koldobika wonders if the place Wispy is talking about happen to serve Jatayi. As food. That could very well be worth investigating.

Wispy - Basically, the way the place works, is that people who lose in the Arena are ground up and turned into something useful. And it's all fresh meat! Perfect for Jatayi to feast on!  

Tarim - So, if we had lost our little fight against the waxborn, we would have been there that very day?

Wispy '" It makes you think though... Could we be eating Gorethirst? But thankfully he died weeks ago.

Vetter - Gorethirst?

Wispy - My old best friend. Now all I have is Kryzbytn... who's fun and all, but Gorethrist came first, chronologically.

Mr. Carver - I'd rather not take my chances my feathery friend.  Not only was I fond of the poor leech, I'm also quite sure he is utterly unpalatable.

Kaius Alexander - I find the prospect entirely objectionable. And no, Gorethirst was cremated with the respect he deserved. Perhaps you would know if you had bothered to attend, Bird.

Wispy - I was tied up at the time.

Tarim - Better that he wasn't there. Damn bird would have wanted a bite.

Kaius Alexander - Well, Mr. Carver?

Mr. Carevr '" How about  the Ribcage? Decent place, good food.

Kaius Alexander - We will meet at The Ribcage, then. If I recall, it is in the Skin Markets.

Mr. Carver - Good memory Kaius. After all, I said the very same thing not half a minute ago

Vetter - The Ribcage, now? Are our minds made up this time?

Tarim - The Ribcage it will be then.

Mr. Carver - The Ribcage. Later.

* Kaius Alexander narrows his eyes at Mr. Carver as he departs.

* Mr. Carver meets his gaze behind darkened optics.

Kaius Alexander - Come, Tarim. We have important business to attend to.

* Kaius Alexander flicks Conveyance's reins.

* Tarim nods to Kaius and departs after him.

Koldobika (Flicker) - The Ribcage is decided.

Vetter - Kol is happy go to the Ribcage.

Wispy - The Ribcage. Has it yet been picked clean?

* Wispy notices everyone is departing. If that is the case, when everyone else heads off, Wispy will grasp his Hellhound in claw and set off with his menagerie to go squat somewhere high.

* Kryzbytn follows the jatayi, amused by the creature's antics.

Vetter (Flicker) - The Koldobika Nthanda knows a sleeping place. The Vetter desires rest.

Koldobika (Flicker) - The Meeting is the Ribcage. The Ribcage is the tavern. The tavern has rooms.

Vetter - (Flicker) The Koldobika Nthanda speaks wisdom.

...

Kaius and Tarim are heading back to Worm-Hive following the meeting with Lady Fuligina.

* Kaius Alexander looks for a scroll vendor, searching for a spell to decipher the magister Orlando Petrifax's arcana.

You stop by a shade scroll-vendor.  The wizened, mummified creature gladly sells you a scroll to decipher eldritch texts.

* Kaius Alexander nods silently and hands over the requisite obeloi.

Tarim - An interesting purchase. If you don't mind my curiosity, I didn't take you for one to meddle in the eldritch crafts.

Kaius Alexander - Ah. I have developed a... recent interest.

The pair enter Worm-Hive.  The streets of the grave-spawn district are unusually busy, especially after nightfall.  Black and red festival banners flutter in the dry, muttering winds.

Kaius Alexander - Will you be participating in the upcoming... festivities, Tarim?

Tarim - The festival does not interest me much.

Kaius Alexander - No? I suppose you are not a native of this city, after all.

* Tarim nods.

Tarim - I have only been here for a few years so far.

You enter a deserted street.  Kaius, you hear what sounds like a female scream coming from down a side alley some distance ahead.

* Kaius Alexander cocks his head at the noise.

Tarim - Is something the matter?

As you both draw nearer another shriek cuts through the night. "Help!  Help!"

Kaius Alexander - That.

Kaius Alexander - I suppose we should investigate.

* Tarim grabs his rifle and loads it.

Kaius Alexander - If it is a trick, the trickster will rue this day.

* Kaius Alexander dismounts from Conveyence and ties the giant lizard to a lamp-post.

Tarim - I would rather not get mixed up in random street fights. But I'll watch your back if you must investigate.

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head and proceeds down the alleyway.

* Tarim follows a few paces behind Kaius.

A thuggish human with a flintlock pistol menaces a slender ghul woman here.  The grave-spawn is backed up against a dead end.

Tarim - A mugging in action. How charming.

Kaius Alexander - Why are you threatening this woman?

* Kaius Alexander says as he draws his blade.

The thug turns.  "This ain't yer business."

Kaius Alexander - Isn't it?  It appears to have become my business, now that I am here.

Tarim - I'm afraind my armoured friend has a habit of making things his business.

The man turns his flintlock towards you.  "Back off or I'll put a bullet tween yer eyes."

* Kaius Alexander snorts derisively and lowers his visor.

* Tarim takes cover behind Kaius, leveling his rifle at the thug.

Kaius Alexander - I will ask you to leave. But this is your final chance.

The thug grunts and fires, but his bullet goes wide.  He hastily begins reloading.

* Kaius Alexander charges at the man, blade sweeping wide.
The thug abruptly vanishes, turning into wisps of pale smoke as your blade touches him.  The ghul woman stops screaming and gives you a sharp-toothed grin.

* Kaius Alexander stops abruptly.

Kaius Alexander - Not unanticipated.  Foolish of you, to lure your own death, witch.

Tarim, you hear a footstep behind you.

* Tarim spins around and ducks, firing his rifle blindly at the direction of the sounds.

Another ghul with identical features to the grave-spawn woman in front of you bears down on you from the mouth of the alley with a pair of wicked-looking katara.  Unlike her twin this ghul is garbed in tight-fitting manskin-leather armour.  Tarim's bullet whines over her head.

The woman at the dead end speaks a word of numinous power and a disembodied, phantasmal hand, clawed and tinted crimson, manifests before her, floating above the ground.  Meanwhile her twin launches herself at Tarim, her weapons flickering.  Tarim pulls backwards, and the assassin's blade slashes his thigh.

* Kaius Alexander leaps towards the balde-wielding assassin, dodging around Tarim, his sword raised.  

Your blade is parried, but you parry her riposte and counter-attack, slashing the ghul's torso!  The grave-spawn woman grunts.

The spectral hand claws at Kaius as the witch chants an incantation, but the warrior's sudden leap means that it only grasps air.

* Tarim hisses at the ghul woman and carefully unleashes a hex.  Four Tarim duplicates suddenly crowd the alleyway.

The katara-wielding assassin launches a frenzied counterattack, but her weapons bounce off Kaius' armour.

* Kaius slashes viciously, trying to end the fight quickly.

The ghul warrior leaps backwards, avoiding your blow.

* Tarim backs away from the assassin and turns his attention on the witch. With a echoing command word he unleashes a crackling stream of black puissance, shooting forth from his clawed fingers at the ghul.

The witch stumbles backwards, shrieking as the black energy courses along her body.  She chants another hex, and the claw makes to strike Tarim, but he fends it off with the butt of his rifle.

Her twin considers Kaius carefully and makes a sudden, precise jab.

* Kaius Alexander manages to block the blow just in time using his heavy shield.

Kaius Alexander - It seems you have chosen your prey carelessly.

* Kaius Alexander continues to attack, lunging and slashing.

Once again she ducks under your blade.

* Tarim ignores the claw and points his rifle at the witch, releasing a shot.

Your bullet hits the witch in the kneecap and she falls to the gruond, cursing.  Her claw makes yet another swipe at you, but it is wavering '" perhaps disoriented by its controller's wound.

* Tarim easily avoids it.

Tarim - You should only prey on those who are weaker than you.

* Kaius Alexander skillfully parries one of the ghul's swift blows and hammers through the assassin's defenses with a vicious overhead chop, half-decapitating her.

Her corpse slumps to the ground.  The witch-twin screams hideously.

* Kaius Alexander flicks the blood from his blade and turns.

* Tarim steps closer to his target and aims, his decorated stare devoid of mercy.

* Tarim pulls the trigger, and the smokign barrel of his rifle roars again.

Your bullet takes the woman through the chest, and she collapses, blood sluggishly trickling from her lips.  She slides down the wall, leaving a bloody trail.  The red claw shimmers and vanishes into the aether.

* Kaius Alexander sheathes his sword.

Kaius Alexander - These two were of some skill.

Tarim - A simple plan to ambush foolish would-be heroes.  Should have predicted that.

Kaius Alexander - I have been caught in similar circumstances before.

Tarim - In that case, all the more reason you should have seen this coming.

Kaius Alexander - If you will recall, I did raise the possibility. You did not have to enter the alley, though I appreciate that you did. We were never in any true danger.

Tarim - Sometimes the only difference between true danger and no danger at all is but the slightest stroke of luck.

* Kaius Alexander begins searching the corpse of the katar wielder.

* Tarim likewise inspects the corpse of the fallen witch.

Apart from the two masterfully made katar you find a small dagger round the woman's neck, very distinctive - damacsened in a reddish colour, serrated, and inscribed with curious glyphs.  You also find twenty five obeloi.  The woman wore a suit of leather armour.  As for the witch, Tarim, you find an identical dagger round her neck, as well as a grimoire, thirty four obeloi, and a syringe of golden liquid.

* Kaius Alexander examines the dagger curiously.

* Kaius Alexander holds it up.

Kaius Alexander - Do you know what this is, Tarim?

* Tarim examines the blade.

The blades are not demoniac in nature.  The glyphs on the blade seem to a prayer to the Bloodletter, patron of murderers and assassins.

Tarim - A sacred blade, it appears. Refers to the Cult of the Bloodletter.

Kaius Alexander - The Bloodletter? Perhaps this was no happenstance.

Tarim - Assassins, then. Not common muggers.

Kaius Alexander - It seems not.

Tarim - Could it be they were after us?

Kaius Alexander - I suspect that is a strong possibility.

Tarim - Well, we better ask them.

Kaius Alexander - Hah. So we shall.

* Tarim digs into his bag and produces the Collar of Cadaverous Communication.

* Kaius Alexander raises his visor and leans up against the alley wall

* Tarim places the collar on the neck of the dead executioner.

Tarim - Speak, corpse!

The collar activates, and the corpse reanimates.  Blood gushes from the woman's half-severed neck stump.

"Bloodletter dine on your soul!"  She rasps, her speech partially impaired by her wound.

Tarim - You sought our death but we had the better of you. What enticed you to attack us?

"You were our target.  One of the Cult patrons wishes you dead: we were following our sacred orders."

Tarim - Do you know the name of the patron?

"Only the high priests know such secrets."

Tarim - Were the two of us the only targets? Or were there others?

"The one called Gorethirst - but it has been slain already, by the accursed Servius Izar..."

Kaius Alexander - How did you track us, assassin?

"You make a lot of noise, warmbody.  It was an easy matter.  A few hexes to conceal us were all that was necessary.  We have been tracking you for some while."

Kaius Alexander - Interesting. Specifically what length of time?

You hear footsteps distantly.  It sounds like someone is coming round the street-corner.

* Tarim quickly removes the collar.

* Kaius Alexander exhales in frustration.

A militia patrol rounds the corner - they have been stepped up in the days leading up to the Feast.  This patrol consists of four quick humans with a shade Captain in full armour, the little visible flesh of its host-body stained with preservatives.  Behind the squad follows a scuttling corpse-thing, an exotic grave-spawn servitor created by fleshcraft.  A grisly patchwork, the sigil-covered thrall possesses the body of a horse but has the upper body of a leechkin sutured to its neck.  A pair of additional arms terminating in flails sprout from the creature's chest.

Kaius Alexander - I suppose we should go.

Tarim '" Indeed.

* Tarim grabs the items from the witch and makes off.

* Kaius Alexander takes the katars and obeloi of the assassin.

* Kaius Alexander remounts Conveyance.

* Tarim also hops on the lizard's back.

The patrol slowly heads down the street while you hurriedly make your escape.  With any luck they won't notice the bodies in the alley.

The Watchdog at the Witch's Gate howls in the night.

Tarim - There will be more assassins. We'll better get to the bottom of this, but I think we have won a bit of time for now.

* Kaius Alexander grunts.

Kaius Alexander - And now we can return to the business at hand. It was at least an enlightening detour.

You're well out of danger now - the patrol is long lost.  You come to a fork in the streets - Tarim's dwelling is nearby, and the Tower of Moans is in the other direction.

Kaius Alexander - Do you require anything from your residence, Tarim?

Tarim - I should sort my hexes.

Kaius Alexander - Very well.

Tarim - This will take a while. You may come inside if you wish to wait, or we could meet later.

Kaius Alexander '" Then make your way to the Tower of Moans come the morning. I will await you there. There are preperations I can make in the meantime.

* Tarim nods.

Tarim - I will meet you at the Tower then.

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head to Tarim as they part ways.

* Tarim enters his dwelling to go through his scrolls and grimoires, as well as to catch some much needed rest.

* Kaius Alexander returns to the Tower of Moans and sleeps for the requisite three hours.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ooc]Wispy and Kryzbytn discuss their macabre culinary tastes...[/ooc] [ic=Enter Two Clowns]Meanwhile, Wispy and Kryz find an abandoned temple in the southern part of Hexwarren.  They ascend the half-ruinous shrine's central spire and prepare to sleep in the belfry.  From here the city spreads out below them in all its scintillating grotesquery '" the lights of Pulsetown, the grim spires of Worm-Hive, the pestilential slums to the east, the glistening ghetto of the hagmen to the south.

Wispy - Best to enjoy for the moment Kryz - feel free to take the chance to piss on any buildings you think are particularly ugly... or people you don't like.

Kryzbytn - Thank you, bird one, but I'm content to enjoy this experience without the need for excrement.

Wispy - Ah well, different cultures; different pleasures.

Kryzbytn - What is your culture like, bird one? I am curious.  I have seen few of your kind before.

Wispy - What aspect of the culture do you wish to know? There are many great facets of my people!  If you stacked them up, they'd be higher than this steeple!

* Kryzbytn ponders.

Kryzbytn - Indeed? This very steeple? That does seem high.

Wispy - Truth, this steeple, from which we can see many people.

Kryzbytn - Hmm'¦ Do your people like meat?

Wispy - Meat is what we eat; the rotting carrion off the street.

Kryzbytn - We mantid enjoy tearing into fresher meats... carrion, you say? Surely the taste has soured by then!

Wispy - It takes a good chef to get things right '" to prepare the indentations, to preserve the meat, yet repel disease-filled maggots... some maggots are acceptable, and indeed they add texture; but not the disease-carrying ones. Several jatayi have been felled due to improperly preserved uncooked carrion. The taste certainly can sour; but not with fresh-killed uncooked meat! If aged well, it tastes like wine to the connoseiur; but sadly, most meat does not age properly.  When you say 'fresher meals'... do you mean cooked or uncooked, my friend?

Kryzbytn - Either or.  I prefer uncooked, myself, but I usually eat it right when it's fresh.

Wispy - Ah, then I think you will be pleased with our productions. I would be more than glad to introduce you to a fine jatayi dish, when the opportunity presents.

Kryzbytn - Intriguing, bird one... I my be willing to try such a dish. Bring it to me alive and kill it in front of me so I may savor the life-giving juices.

Wispy - Hm. Kryz, for the best meats that may be difficult to do in a place of civilization; while we do enjoy to gobble all manner of creatures, the best-tasting bits '" human, leech, and even the fine flesh of the zerda '" are often difficult to dispose of in a legal fashion; we usually await their normal expiration.

Kryzbytn - Fascinating. I'll admit I have never tasted the flesh of a zerda... coming from the Firesong Marches I have tasted sandray, however.

Wispy - Ah, the shaik-toruch; but they cannot have tasted that fine; if you did not partake of any after we defeated them in battle, no?

Kryzbytn - I was not hungry at the time, bird one. I only eat when is necessary; to overindulge would be to spoil myself when true hunger arrives.

Wispy - How would you rate the shaik-toruch, compared to other meats?

Kryzbytn - Hmm, I would say they are good to dine upon every once in a while, but they have a stringy consistency...

Wispy - I once ate one of those creatures, my mother preserved it for me '" nasty things and nasty taste; but the gorefly husks were a bit of a delicacy when aged thirty days and buried in sand. I would never consider eating certain meats if they are preserved longer than several days; but goreflies - goreflies and several delicacies can be aged.

Kryzbytn - I have savored the fine flesh of a human right as I slew him... I had not had human before... I admit it was quite savory.  He was taken by the Red Rains, so I slew him with my Perforator. Nearly starved, I opted to feast upon his remains. It turns out he was of more use dead than alive.

* Kryzbytn chitters a humorous chitter.

* Wispy salivates.

Wispy - Only zerda-flesh and a few other delicacies are better than humanmeat.

Kryzbytn - You must wait for the Red Rains to dry out of the body, though, lest you become blood-crazed yourself.

Wispy - Ah, then I am surprised that you found it tasty - since you mentioned you only enjoyed fresh kills?

Kryzbytn - Again, I was starving, so my options were limited. No meat or old meat '" I elected to take the latter.

Wispy - I suppose then that I should not be surprised that you enjoyed human meat; given its quality '" and the Red Rains must have lovingly dessicated it '" like a drymeat locker.

Kryzbytn - It was... one might say... to die for.

* Kryzbytn chitters again.

As the pair turn in for sleep, the Watchdogs begin to howl.  Up in the exposed belfry the pair barely gets a wink of sleep: the gigantic grave-spawn dogs' barks echo off the black bell, keeping the jatayi and the mantid from sound slumber.  They awake fatigued and groggily make for the Ribcage.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=Deal with a Devil]As for Kol and Vetter, the two zerda head to the Skin Markets and enter the Court-of-Bone.  This ward of the Skin Markets smells the least of the four.  Bone weapons and armour are sold here in abundance, some even of the rare ur-fossil mined from the northern Slouching-devil Mountains.  Other merchants sell trinkets of carved bone, talismans and fetishes to cure ailments or provide other effects - though some of these may actually work many are just as likely to be charlatan's fabrications.  Scattered about the sides of the Court are dice halls and taverns, including The Ribcage, Death's Gambit, and The Reaper's Luck.

The Ribcage stands to one side of the Court-of-Bones.  Inside is a low, rather dim room; one half is dominated by long eating tables, the other by dicing tables.  The proprietor is a rather bony shade in a grease-spattered apron.  A couple of human and ghilan serving-girls bring round drinks and food - predominantly, ribs.  A stairway leads to the rooms upstairs.

Vetter (to the proprietor) - Evenin' squire. How much for a room?

"Two obeloi a night, for a single room, three for a double. That doesn't include food."

* Koldobika observes the interior of the place with wary, at first. However, depsite everything, the food seems to smell quite good. While he is too short to easily see the food passing by, his keen nose is not going to let him be oblivious to it.

Vetter (Flicker) - The Koldobika Nthanda desires the double room.

Koldobika (Flicker) - The Koldobika agrees to the Vetter.

Vetter - Alright, we'll take a double room for the night. How much would breakfast be, then?

Koldobika (Flicker, to the Bartender) - The Koldobika desires the food. The cost is unknown.

The shade's fingers move rapidly.  "The shade Illister will give the zerda lodgers the double room.  Breakfast is one obelus apiece for paying guests."

Vetter - Very reasonable. What about a quick bite before bed, how much might that be?

"Two bones for dinner," the shade says, returning to Shambles.

By the way, Vetter, the madwine is beginning to wear off, but you're pretty sure the imps hanging from the chandeleier and recitig mock-epic nonesense poetry probably aren't real.

Koldobika (Flicker) - The cost is agreed. The Koldobika wishes the dinner.

Vetter (Flicker, to Kol) - The Koldobika Nthanda buys the dinner. The Vetter buys the room. The Vetter buys the breakfast.

* Koldobika produces the bones from one of his numerous pouches '" at least the rural fox-folk seems wise enough to not keep his money all in one place.

Koldobika (Flicker, to Vetter) - The division is equal. The share is agreed.

You sit down and order food and drink - a rich black stout and spice-slathered ribs.

* Vetter carefully inspects the ribs when they arrive, to make sure they are what they appear to be.

* Vetter, when he is satisfied, begins to eat with great enthusiasm, pausing only to knock back long gulps of the beer.

* Koldobika does not even pause to examine the food - his nose tells him it is good, and so he digs in immediately.

* After their meal the two zerda turn in for the night.

...

While the foxfolk feast, Kaius and Tarim fight for their lives, and Wispy and Kryzbytn debate the culinary merits of rancid meat, Mr. Carver makes for the Emporium of Metamorphoses in Hexwarren.

Needlefingers greets you, wringing his decliate hands.

"So, Mr. Carver?  Are the fleshtrees safe?"

Mr. Carver - Oh yes, last time I saw them. You haven't heard from our common friend Hallowcrust?

"He probably sent word to the Consortium directly: I am sure they'll notify me."

Mr. Carver - Ah, but I do hope my word will suffice for now. After all, we did have a little agreement, no?

"Of course!  Would you like your augmentation now?"  The fleshcrafter gestures to the glass display case with its organic wares, carefully preserved.

Mr. Carver - Anything new on display I should know about? I have been thinking of getting rid of some of all these pesky human senses. They really aren't what they could be.

"A few bits and pieces.  A naghini's tongue: it would allow you to taste the very air; the scales of a saurian beast from the Shadowglass Steppes, resistant to flame.  Or perhaps the ears of a gigantic bat from the Gloom Coast?"

Mr. Carver - Hmm, those sound very interesting. Tasting the air sounds like an experience no one should be without, really. Will it impede my speech?

"It may take some getting-used-to, and for awhile your s's may be a bit hissed, but in time that should disappear."

Mr. Carver - That does sound like something I could live with.  Do you have anything on stock for twenty-five hundred bones?

"Several items.  These talons might do," Needlefingers says, gesturing to a set of long, black claws currently placed atop the fingers of a mannequin.  "Or perhaps you would like a reptile's fangs to go with your new tongue?"

Mr. Carver - Hah, let's take the transformation one step at the time. How much for the talons?

"For you - twenty-five hundred will be quite sufficient.  Alternatively, I have a lovely selection of very shapely limbs."

Mr. Carver - Do you sell functional arms for twenty-five hundred?

"With your frequent-customer discount I certainly do!  Less than that in fact."

Mr. Carver - What about legs?

"Hmm, I have a pair of mantid legs you might be intrigued by..."

Mr. Carver - I think I will take the claws and the naghini tongue.  Pray tell, what manner of creature did you take the claws from?

"The claws originally belonged to some strange species of ape-like beast found in the Slouching-devil Mountains, I believe - or that's what my supplier told me.  Now, shall we proceed to the grafting-table?"

* Mr. Carver makes a flourish with his hand.

Mr. Carver - Show the way, dear Doctor.

Needlefingers conveys you to his work-room and sets to work.  You slip into a deep, drugged sleep.  By morning, you are newly equipped with a forked, serpentine tongue and a set of long, cruved claws that could dig into rock.  Your sense of smell is now augmented with a profusion of subtle new tangs and acridities.  The tissue-shop room now reeks of formalin, rubbing alchohol, and the distinctive ozone smell of numina.

* Mr. Carver laughs and revels in the new experience.

"Everything looks to be in working order!  Thank you again for your assistance, Mr. Carver."

Mr. Carver - It was no trouble. I must say Doctor, good work. This is quite astonishing. My profound thanks for your expeditious surgery.

"You are a pleasure to work on.  Please, don't hesitate to stop by again."

Mr. Carver - Trust me, I won't. Just have to secure the funds.

* Mr. Carver smirks at Needlefingers.

* Mr. Carver then puts on his hat and optics and leaves the Emporium.

...

Early next morning, Kaius Alexander attempts to make sense of the notes he found in the Tower of Moans, but being unskilled in the arcane arts he finds himself struggling to decode their more esoteric passages, and makes little progress.  As he puzzles over this morass of occult lore, he hears a knock at the door.

* Kaius Alexander grits his teeth and goes to unlock the door.

Kaius Alexander - Tarim.

Tarim - Greetings Kaius.

Tarim, inside the Tower is a large foyer, sparely decorated.  A spiral staircase of wrought iron leads both up and down into the earth. A clockwork drone scuttles down the stairs and begins picking up bits of detritus.

Tarim - Quite a nice place you've acquired.

Kaius Alexander - I am hopeful that this will not consume too much of your time. Welcome to my home, such as it is. The previous occupants were not putting it to much use. Come. This way.

Tarim - Lead the way.

* Kaius Alexander shows Tarim to the texts of Orlando Petrifax.

The texts are incredibly old, but some ward as well as alchemical preservatives are preventing them from disintegrating. The notes are very extensive and somewhat rambling, and appear to mostly relate to fleshcraft, though some sections also discuss demonology.

Kaius Alexander - A demon resides in my basement, bound by the magicks of the Magister Petrifax. I wish to harness his power. I have puzzled over these works for many hours, but have not found the key.

Tarim - Impressive. The previous dweller was a witch of repute?

Kaius Alexander - The creator of the Watchdogs of Macellaria, I am told.

Tarim - Indeed? That is quite reamarkable, to say the least

Kaius Alexander - Yes.

* Tari carefully reads through some of the notes.

Tarim - How curious. Do you have any idea what these passages contain, Kaius?

Kaius Alexander - Most of what I managed to decipher related to the Magister's works of fleshcraft. Impressive, but not what I sought.

Tarim - Oh, but there's much more than just fleshcraft herein.

* Kaius Alexander places the collar and chain on the table.

Kaius Alexander - I located this method of binding. But without the key word of power, it is useless for my purposes.

Tarim - Hm, looks like a Skein demon-collar.

Kaius Alexander - Yes. I have seen the like myself in years past.

Tarim - Anyway. Hidden within the cryptic phrases of the text is a True Name of a demon - a most valuable resource.

Kaius Alexander - Oh? Elaborate.

Tarim - There is power to true names; the power to bind and command.

Kaius Alexander - Hmm.

Tarim - Armed with such knowledge, a witch might capture the demon with far greater ease than would be normally required.

Kaius Alexander - Do not think I ask you to reveal this name to me for no gain to yourself. I would of course make the services of this demon available to yourself upon request.

* Kaius Alexander produces the key.

* Kaius Alexander lays his hand on the demon collar on the table.

Kaius Alexander - Are you not amenable to such an arrangement, Tarim?

Tarim - It is a tempting offer. But there are risks involved. Should thedemon be released for any reason, it may decide to take revenge.

Kaius Alexander - Possible. It has assured me to the contrary, though demons are known to be treacherous creatures. It is my assessment that the benefits outweigh the potential risks.

Tarim - Perhaps I should see this creature for myself before I make my decision.

Fangs - Speaking for us demons - we're not as unreasonable as most mortals suppose.  Can you offer the creature anything in return for its service?

* Kaius Alexander turns to the familiar.

Kaius Alexander - It has only asked me to allow it to exit the chamber it is currently bound within.

Fangs - Seems a reasonable request.  How long has this thing been trapped down there?

Kaius Alexander - Several hundred years at the least.

Tarim - Interesting. It desires freedom, and you would offer it servitude?

Kaius Alexander - You mistake my words, Tarim. Freedom from the chamber, be that in my service, or not.

Tarim - It could be a reasonable deal, then. The demon should think that it would be free by your death, if not given or sold to another master.

Fangs - Perhaps if you offered it complete freedom after a period of service, or upon completion of a certain task?

Kaius Alexander - I had such an arrangement in mind already. I do not wish to enslave such a creature for the length of my life. Let us proceed below; little more will be gained by our discussion.

* Tarim nods.

* Kaius Alexander picks up the collar and chain, and his bullseye lantern.

You descend the Tower of Moans' spiralling steps to the glyph-graven door underground.  Using the key you found you open this door; inside, the demon Pellucid, translucent-fleshed and tentacle-haired, awaits within.  It turns the pages of an ancient tome with its long, delicate claws. Tarim, you recognize the sigils carved on the floor of this chamber as potent wards of binding.

* Tarim eyes the demon curiously, slowly moving across the chamber.

Kaius Alexander - I have returned as promised, Pellucid. I trust you found your reading material satisfactory?

"Indeed.  You have my gratitude, Kaius Alexander.  I see you have brought guests with you."

Kaius Alexander - I have. Tarim is an associate of mine, here to consult with me on the matter of your binding.

"You may call me Pellucid, Tarim; a pleasure to make your acquaintance."  The demon bows with exquisite courtesy.

Tarim - You have my greetings. Tell me, Pellucid, what service were you of to the previous master of this tower?

"My services were manifold.  I functioned as his bodyguard, confidant, advisor, and occasional mentor in certain obscure demoniac sorceries.  I helped him design some of his more unique creations, when diabolism was involved.'

Tarim - These creations interest me. I would hear more about them, and of your aid in it.

"The arcane sciences involved are quite complex, but judging from the marks on your flesh you are a witch of some skill yourself.  Perhaps I could teach you."  The demon pauses and looks towards Kaius Alexander.  'So, Kaius.  Have you come to a decision regarding my emancipation?"

Kaius Alexander - Yes, Pellucid. I have. The value presented by your talent is simply too great to discard, when I consider my present circumstances.

"I quite understand: it would be naive of me to expect my freedom.'

Kaius Alexander '" I am no slavemaster. I propose to bind you to my service for the duration of one year less one day. I suspect by such a time, my position will be more secure, and your services will not be required. You will be free.

"I see.  And if you violate this covenant, what recourse would I have?  Will you swear a blood oath on it?"

Kaius Alexander - I will, if that is necessary. So too would I ask you to swear to refrain from any and all forms of treachery, so long as I shall uphold my oath.

"Of course.  Shall we do this the old fashioned way, with a written contract signed in crimson, or are you of a more modernist persuasion - shall an oral covenant suffice?"

Kaius Alexander - I trust that you will uphold your end, if you so too trust me, I will not require your blood.

Pellucid bows again.  "Sensible, but some vital essence must be shed as collateral, or else the contract will not be binding, even if it is an oral one."

Kaius Alexander - And what essence do you propose?

"Blood is the most convenient vehicle for such essence: medium of life, of the soul.  One might put up one's sanity, or one's memories, as alternative collateral.

Kaius Alexander - It seems then, that it must be blood after all.

Tarim - It appears that an agreement between you has been reached? My own interest lies in the acquisition of knowledge. If that shall be sated, then I shall render any assistance necessary to enable this pact.

* Kaius Alexander nods to Tarim.

Kaius Alexander - Render unto me the necessary words, Tarim. And let us be done with this.

Tarim - Let us exit the chamber.

Kaius Alexander - Very well. We will return, Pellucid.

* Kaius Alexander leaves and closes the door behind them.

* Tarim follows Kaius.

* Tarim draws near to the Insomnolent-become-Revenant and carefully recites Pellucid's True Name.

The intricate Hellspeak syllables uncoil within your mind, searing themselves into your consciousness.

* Kaius Alexander nods to himself.

Tarim - Guard that name carefully, Kaius. It is not one to be uttered lightly

Kaius Alexander - I thank you for this knowledge, Tarim. Wait without for me.

Tarim - I would assist in the binding.  I am, after all, a practiced demonologist: I can ensure that the covenant is sound.

* Kaius Alexander once again enters the binding chamber.

Kaius Alexander - If you insist.

Tarim - The decision is yours, but I advice carefulness in such dealings.

* Kaius Alexander draws a dagger as he enters the binding-room.

* Tarim enters the chamber after Kaius.

Kaius Alexander - Pellucid. In return for a period of service no less and no more than one year and one day, I pledge to release you from the wards that bind you, and accept you into my service. Service you will render unto me without question or complaint, with utter conviction.

* Tarim, standing back, observes the ceremony keenly.

The demon speaks in its native tongue: "I, Pellucid, agree to aforesaid terms and conditions, and swear to abstain from any treacherous dealings, on the condition of my emancipation at the agreed-upon time, on penalty of contracting the Wasting Curse of Rghoir."

The demon sheds a drop of its blood; the black fluid drips into the sigils on the floor, filling the grooves and channels.

Kaius Alexander - And if I should violate the terms of this agreement, may my blood boil within my own veins, may the very breath be stolen from my lungs, and may my flesh be rent unto my death.

* Kaius Alexander runs the dagger swiftly down his palm; a trail of crimson dripping onto the floor.

Your blood mingles with the demon's.

* Kaius Alexander approaches Pellucid and unlocks the collar, preparing to place it upon the demon's neck.

Kaius Alexander - And so I speak your True Name, and accept you into my service.

* Kaius Alexander speaks the True Name.

* Tarim too whispers the demon's True Name, echoing Kaius' words.  He channels numina, imbuing the covenant with binding arcane power, and so seals the contract.

The creature bows its neck, its eyes glittering.  As you speak it's true name it's eyes widen briefly - it had not antipicated this.  The collar closes round Pellucid's neck.  The demon instantly regains its composure.

* Kaius Alexander leaves the Tower of Moans with Pellucid in tow.

* Tarim follows the strange pair.[/ic]

[LD]

"Enter Two Clowns" :D

[TheMeanestGuest]

A slight monkeywrench in your plans, Steerpike. Kaius actually can speak Hellspeak, as he took it as a language from the languages skill last level. But you didn't know that! So I can forgive you.

[Steerpike]

Ah, whoops.  I'll change things back.

I guess Fangs or Tarim probably taught Kaius the language, then?  Or perhaps did he study it while working on his armour?

[Steerpike]

[ic=The Ribcage]The party meets at the Ribcage, in the Court-of-Bone.  The two zerda are already present, eating a breakfast of ostrich eggs and bacon.

Vetter - Mornin' all.

Kryzbytn - Good morning.

* Kaius Alexander's armour clanks and ticks, but he remains silent. Pellucid stands at his side, collar secured about his neck.

* Kryzbytn subtly admires his craftsmanship.

The demon Pellucid is a strange, elegant creature, neither masculine nor feminine.  Its limbs are slender but powerful, its body lithe, its head long, its fingers and toes bearing many digits.  The creature posseses huge curving horns, long claws, and sharp fangs; also, its scalp bristles with hair-like tendrils which wave faintly as if with a life of their own.  Perhaps the most unsettling feature of the being is its flesh, which is translucent, revealing muscles and unfamiliar organs beneath.

* Kaius Alexander seats himself at the table.

* Tarim enters wearing a new set of clothes on him, Fangs riding on his left shoulder.

Tarim '" Greetings.

Kaius Alexander - To you as well, Tarim.

* Tarim takes a seat and casually waves summon a waitress to the table.

Kaius Alexander - And Mr. Carver, it seems you grow more grotesque each time we meet.

Mr. Carver - Kaius, we can't all be pale and hide behind steel. Besides, grotesque suits me.

Kryzbytn - Is that a new tongue?

Mr. Carver - Oh it is, my chitinous colleague. And a great one at that. A recommendable experience all in all.

Vetter (between mouthfuls) - What... is that?

* Vetter points to Pellucid.

The demon Pellucid has been very observant on the way to the eatery, taking in every sight it can, though it remains silent unless spoken to.

Kaius Alexander - This is Pellucid, a new associate of mine.

The demon bows low.

* Kryzbytn cocks his head, curious.

* Koldobika stares at the demon. It is not the first peculiar creature he has seen, but he is somewhat surprised to see it suddenly in their company.

Vetter - You have interesting taste in, er, "associates," Kaius.

Kaius Alexander - I judge a being by its efficacy and merit.

Kryzbytn - Its inner workings are astounding.

Oney sniffs at Pellucid curiously, then begins to mount the demon's leg.  The chained familiar steps away in disgust, its chain rattling.

Vetter - Do you now? Ain't that just lovely.

Kaius Alexander - Bird, control your beast.

Wispy - I don't hear any objection from the demon?  And if no one says anything, then that's a yes!  Isn't that how it is for humans?

Kaius Alexander - I will tell you once more to control your beast, Bird. Lest I do so myself.

"You should get that creature fixed, bird-man," Pellucid advises, shooting the hellhound a dark look.

Wispy - Oh, well, gleet. That's a no then. Oney, the lady said no.

* Wispy sadly shakes his head.

* Kaius Alexander places his hand on the hilt of his sword and glares at the hellhound.

* Koldobika wonders why the bird is still present, in that case...

* Vetter ignores the commotion and finishes the last of his breakfast.

* Koldobika continues munching happily on breakfast, watching the antics continue around him.

Wispy - Really? You've got an eye on it it already, Kaius.

* Kryzbytn spears a piece of food on his scythe arm, examines it, then rapidly gobbles it up in his mandibular mouth.

* Vetter shoots Kryz a dark look as he filches the food, but decides to say nothing and simply finish what he has left.

* Koldobika really doesn't mind sharing a small portion of his food. Being a small creature-- and with plenty of food in the city '" he would suffer no harm by sharing a small bit. If asked.

* Kryzbytn feeling guilty looks at Koldobika, but finds himself at a loss as to what to say to ask for another bite.

Koldobika (Flicker, aimed at Kryz) '" The hungry order food.

* Kryzbytn cocks his head at Koldobika.

* Vetter translates for Kryz.

* Kryzbytn makes a mental note to pick up some basic Flicker signs, then turns to order some food.

* Wispy also orders a dish- a recently killed rat - if possible.

* Wispy also orders something for Oney.

The shade wanders over.  "If that beast causes trouble, it'll have to wait outside," he says to Wispy.  The grave-spawn takes care not to step into the light streaming in through the windows.

Mr. Carver - Illister! A serving of ribs over here if you will.  If you sserve them thiss early.

"Coming right up, Carver!  Looks like you've made some new additions to the 'ol carcass, eh?"

Mr. Carver - Well, the old parts weren't doing me much good, pal.

Tarim - Make that some of your better stuff. And a cup of blood-wine to go with it.

Kaius Alexander - Pellucid, feel free to join us and sit. Do you wish any sustenance?

"I do not require mortal foodstuffs.  My tastes are a bit more particular. If it is all the same to you, I shall stand."

Kaius Alexander - Very well.

* Kaius Alexander orders a loaf of bread.

Mr. Carver - What does he eat. Souls?

Pellucid looks at Mr. Carver.  "In layman's terms - something like that."

Mr. Carver - And here I thought you were a prude, Kaius. Now I find you are a diabolist! A surprising turn of events.

Kaius Alexander - I do not see it as such.

Mr. Carver - You have a bound demon; how does that not make you a diabolist?

Kaius Alexander - I do not see it as surprising, was my meaning.

A server arrives with food and drink.

* Kaius Alexander tears hunks off his loaf of bread and eats them.

Vetter (leaning back in his seat after licking his plate clean) - Pellucid, are you a demon?

"That is correct, beastling, although I dislike that term.  I am native to a dimension neighbouring this shabby excuse fore a reality, what your kind would call one of the 'Hells.'"

Vetter - Well, I dislike the term "beastling," but that's besides the point. Can you tell me about this?

* Vetter raises his grafted claw.

Vetter '" Is it demonic?

Pellucid inspects it.  "If it is, it is not indigenous to my particular plane."

* Tarim picks a bit off his rib and offers it to Fangs.

* Mr. Carver shifts his attention to Vetter.

Mr. Carver - I thought the claw was a graft, Vetter?

Vetter - It is, but the creature it came from... I heard it referred to as a demon. May just have been a turn of phrase, though, rather than truly... dimensional or whatever it was Pellucid said.

Tarim - Quite interesting. Perhaps I could take a look at it as well?

* Tarim leans forward on his chair to observe the claw.

It is difficult to say whether this claw was culled from a demoniac beast, but it is very possible.  Now that the zerda's blood is pumping through its veins it may have changed in colour and hue.  However, the appearance of the scales does not suggest a terrestrial creature.  Possibly, the claw may have belonged to an oneiroi or some other being rather than a demon.

Tarim - If I had to guess, I would say that the original bearer of this claw was not a spawn of this world.

Vetter - Not spawn of this world? That means demon, does it?

Tarim - Not necessarily.

Vetter - So... what then?

Tarim - There are beings other than those which we should proprely name demoniac, that exist int he myriad spheres outside this world.

* Koldobika is trying to follow Tarim's explanation, but he is obviously failing by quite a large degree.

Tarim - Not that laymen would be very aware of such distinctions. All too often people label all outside entities under simple names.

Vetter - Well... (pausing to gaze at the claw)... It's strong. It kills things well.

* Mr. Carver savours the new sensations of his inhuman tongue.

Kryzbytn - Tell me, Mr. Carver one, does the tongue alter your taste at all?

Mr. Carver - That's what I mean to find out. Haven't had much to eat since last evening. A solid breakfast should fix that.

Kryzbytn - Also, Mr. Carver one, this vendor from which you receive your grafts... would you recommend him?

Mr. Carver - Yes, very much so. Solid work. A peculiar man, but I don't think you can enter that business without a little eccentricity.

* Kryzbytn pauses.

Kryzbytn - And he does all sorts of modifications?

Mr. Carver - Oh yes. If it can be grafted, I'm quite sure he will try '" and succeed, that is.

Kryzbytn - I may seek his assistance in the future.

Mr. Carver - What modifications do you desire?

Kryzbytn - Wings. I wish to have them back. The Lady one has given me the potential promise of affording such an endeavor.

Mr. Carver - Hmm, wings. Difficult. Of course, you have the necessary physiology in place already. What happened to yours?

Kryzbytn - They were torn off and eaten, before my very eyes.

"I can see this reality has hardly become more civilized in my absence," Pellucid comments.

Wispy - Tragic, like a tale.

Mr. Carver - ... by what?

Kryzbytn '" Leechkin. Followers of Baubo

Mr. Carver - Hmm, and it did not endeavour to have a taste of the rest of you?

Kryzbytn - I'm afraid not. They sought to shame me, and shame me they did.

* Kaius Alexander finishes his bread and exhales slowly.
 
Kaius Alexander - All curiousities aside, we have met to discuss our pursuit of certain artifacts. Not our interests in demons or grafts or missing limbs.  Both gauntlets are roughly equidistant from our present location. And both necessitate travel through hostile environments.

Kryzbytn - You are correct.

Mr. Carver - There was one in the Erg and one in the Sea, right?

Kryzbytn '" Right.

Kaius Alexander - Yes.

* Koldobika nods affirmation to Carver.

Kryzbytn - I'm not too eager to revisit Erg.

Tarim - I am not familiar with the Dour Erg, and I have never even gazed upon the western sea.

Mr. Carver - Whatever happened to Eareg? We could use his assistance. But I guess we will have to make do.

* Koldobika , being unfamiliar with both regions, sees no reason to interject himself into the conversation just yet.

Kaius Alexander - Both the Sepulchre of the Mistress of Wounds and the Citadel of Xheen the Profanomancer will likely be incredibly difficult to penetrate, and it will likely be even more difficult to locate the artifacts within. To me, it does not matter which we pursue first. The end goal is the same.

Wispy - End goal is the same; end result in Dour Erg is to be eaten by an oneroi even more fearsome than Oney here.

Kryzbytn - I vote the seas.

* Kryzbytn looks around for other votes.

* Mr. Carver holds up a hand.

Mr. Carver - Hmm, I think I will vote for the desert. No reason to set foot on a floating death trap if we can stay on firm solid ground.

Vetter - The Midnight Isles are not a very pleasant place, from my understanding, should we seek one of these gloves there. Even reaching them would be dangerous, from what I've heard of seafaring.

Mr. Carver - No? No others?

* Koldobika makes to agree with Carver. He is Zerda, after all. Deserts worry him much less than water.

Tarim - I have seen something of the Slaughter-lands, at least. I would think going south would be less outlandish of a journey then.

Kaius Alexander - I propose that we decide this issue fairly and impartially. The toss of a single coin.

Vetter - How's that fairer than a vote, Kaius?

Kaius Alexander - As then none of our environmental predilictions, justified or not, are taken into account.

Mr. Carver - Both parties come away equally dissatisfied

Kaius Alexander - This is a pursuit of profit, not comfort.

Wispy - All the dead in Dour Erg are murderfolk- inedible; body flowing with murderyolk.

* Kryzbytn's thoughts of Dour Erg bring visions of his fallen comrades... and the Man-in-Armor...

Wispy - Wispy prefers the seas; new experiences and compared to Dour Erg... more living trees.

* Kryzbytn shudders.

Mr. Carver - Both places sound like terrible sites of death and worse.

* Kaius Alexander narrows his eyes.

Kryzbytn - Shall we count Pellucid one as an additional vote?

* Kryzbytn chitters.

"I'm not sure it'd be appropriate.  However, if I was afforded a voice, I would vote with my master."

Kaius Alexander - No, I think not. But that does raise a question within my mind. Pellucid, do you know anything of Xheen the Profanomancer or the Mistress of Blades?

"The Mistress I certainly know: she slew thousands of my kindred during the Wars.  I am surprised her name is still remembered.  She and her ilk passed out of recorded history several millenia ago. As for this... Profanomancer... I recall the name vaguely.  One of the Sorcerer-Kings, was he?"

Kaius Alexander - So I am told.

"A particularly foolish group.  They tended to play with powers they didn't fully understand.  The results were frequently... messy."

Kaius Alexander - I see.

* Koldobika most certainly does not like the sound of that.

Kaius Alexander - I suppose it is then decided, we will pursue the Hand of Mercy. Though I judge any decision by popular vote foolish.

Mr. Carver - The Hand of Mercy and the sweltering heat of the desert it is.

Koldobika (Flicker, at Kaius) - The Kaius has reason. The reason is unknown. The Koldobika desires the reason.

* Vetter translates for Kaius.

Kaius Alexander - My reasons are my own, derived from my experiences in life, and we will speak no more of them.

Vetter - If the heat's your only worry, Carver... Well, I think you may find yourself surprised along the way.

Kryzbytn - If it is settled, then, so be it.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=Debt]Having decided to first attempt the journey to the tomb of the Evisceratress to retrieve the Gauntlet of Mercy for the Lady Fuligina, the party departs the Ribcage, an eatery in the Court-of-Bone in the Skin Markets.

* Kryzbytn turns to Kaius.

Kryzbytn - ...I got foul sleep last night. The hounds.

* Kryzbytn grumbles.

Kryzbytn - I was foolish to sleep where I did.

Kaius Alexander - Yes. They are loud. It does not trouble me. The walls of my tower are thick, and I sleep deeply.

Kryzbytn - You own a tower? That is quite prestigious

Kaius Alexander - Yes.

"It's not exactly as if you bought the place," Pellucid interjects.

Kaius Alexander - Irrelevant, Pellucid.

"Perhaps, at least to you mortals.  We Hellkind prefer to have things in writing."

Kryzbytn - I have no place to call my own, save for the hovel in the Firesong Marshes...

* Kryzbytn gives a curious click of his mandibles, but doesn't pursue.

Kaius Alexander - I see. If you wish, you may sleep in my tower. There is much space. Perhaps it will give us opportunity to collaborate on our projects.

Kryzbytn - I am most grateful for the offer. So, Kaius one, what business is it you have today?

Kaius Alexander - Today, I pursue the commission of components that will increase my efficiency in combat.

Kryzbytn - You are like a machine, Kaius one. Always seeking to improve.

* Kryzbytn pauses.

Kryzbytn - Have you ever considered the career of a toymaker?

* Kryzbytn jests.

Kaius Alexander - I have not.

Kryzbytn - What exactly do you seek to purchase?

Kaius Alexander - An injection system for chemical compounds, and, an underlayer for my armour.

Kryzbytn - You must let me have a look at this system, if possible... I'd like to see its inner workings if I could.

* As Kryz walks with Kaius, he turns to Kol.

Kryzbytn - Kol one, I must ask: why is it you cannot speak? I have heard of the anthropophagoi and their lack of voice, but not of a zerda lacking one.

* Koldobika shakes his head. The gesture is vague and ambiguous in its meaning.

Koldobika (Flicker, to Kryz) - The Voice was removed. A claw enacted the wounding.

* Koldobika lifts his chin and points to the mass of scar tissue around his neck for the mantid to see as an answer.

Kryzbytn - You have my sympathies, Koldobika one; we have both lost something dear, but I fear the voice is greater than mine.

You head towards Hexwarren, the western district, where grave-spawn servitors trudge through the streets and graft-peddlers hawk their wares.  As you're departing the Court-of-Bone, a zerda emerges from Death's Gambit, one of the dice-halls in the Court-of-Bone, looking despondent and tired.  Spotting Vetter he makes his way through the crowd to the party.  Vetter, you recognize the fox-man as Ekwanesu Ndi, a former associate of yours and one of the few zerda traders who do business exclusively in the city.  You have known him as something of a dabbler: one week he will be selling herbal medicines, while the week after he'll be hawking baubles from Erebh, and the week after that asherat, or silks, or fetishes made from mummified cat's heads, or whatever product he's convinced himself will make him rich.

"Vetrajhicogojha Shi!" Ekwanesu greets you, his gloomy expression instantly banished.  "Warmest greetings, good friend!" He turns to Kol. "And to you, Kol, as well."

Vetter - Ekwanesu. Hello there.

"How has fortune treated you, good friend?"

* Kryzbytn watches the exchange.

Vetter - Fortune has treated me extremely... extremely bloody well. And your fine-furred self? Any throats need squeezing? Or potentially squeezing?

"At the moment, the only throat I worry for is my own. After my last venture soured - you may recall I was selling maps and gazetteers of the Twilight Cities, some of which proved to be somewhat outdated - well, I found myself in debt, with creditors howling at my door.  Such is the will of Nehmett." He spreads his paws, as if to say 'what could I have done?' Nehmett is the zerda deity of fortune.

"Lacking sufficient funds to purchase new goods, and already deep in debt to the moneylenders, I took what few bones I had and came here, in hopes that my bad luck had been exhausted, and that I might win enough to keep the moneylenders from sending their enforcers."  He shudders.  "I have heard they will remove one's fingers, or even one's ears, if one cannot pay them in time.

"Others they simply sell into servitude.  Desperate to avoid such a fate I wagered my obeloi on certain games of chance played here in the Markets.  Unfortunately, Nehmett seems to have cursed me with especially stubborn bad luck.  Not only have I lost the rest of my money, I am in now badly in debt to the casino as well."  He spits.  "A nest of vultures, that place is."

Kaius Alexander - To me, it seems that you have brought these 'misfortunes' upon yourself.

He looks up at Kaius.  "Who can fathom the winds of Fortune, human?  Not I."

Vetter - That sounds like quite the pickle, mate. Quite the pickle.

"If I do not find a way to pay soon, I face torture or slavery.  I have considered fleeing the city, perhaps returning to the Marches, or perhaps traveling to Lophius or Crepuscle.  But now, running into you, I have had an idea that can only be a gift from Lsii, showing me the path to my salvation!"

Vetter - What idea would that be, Ekwanesu?

Koldobika (Flicker, to the othe zerda) - The Koldobika is well. The Ekwanesu is well. The Ekwanesu bears an idea.

"I still possess most of the maps I had previously tried to sell.  The reason no one bought these maps was, as I said, because they were too old: the city had changed too much since the maps were drawn.  But some of the maps showed not only the city as it is above, but also the city as it is below - and while buildings on the surface can be torn down or rebuilt with relative ease, it is far less likely that the tunnels beneath have altered significantly.

"Now you ask: but Ekwanesu, you silly creature, how will maps of the Catacombs bring you money and reverse your fortunes?  I will tell you!  One of the maps in my possession shows a certain vault on a lower level - the burial chamber of a merchant prince.  Of course, scavengers have picked the vast majority of such vaults clean long ago.  What the map reveals is that the obvious vault is actually a false crypt: the real crypt is concealed behind it.

"I dare not venture into the Catacombs alone, for fear of the beasts and disreputable folk that lurk in the darkness.  But you, Vetrajhicogojha, are known to be a stout warrior with a heart that knows no fear!  Together, we could seek out the hidden tomb and seize its treasures!  I would split the treasures with you, and pay back my debts with my own share."

Vetter - These old maps... are they only of this city?

"I have maps of all of the Twilight Cities, from Erebh to Somnambulon."

Vetter - But none of the wastelands? Nothing to the south, or of the Midnight Isles?

"I do not think so, but I can check my inventory.  I certainly have maps of Lophius."

* Koldobika doubts this is anything useful. But Nehmett has been known to do many... very odd things.

* Kryzbytn glances at Kaius.

* Kryzbytn mutters.

* Kaius Alexander raises an eyebrow.

Kryzbytn - what do you make of this exchange, Kaius one? Does his claim hold promise, you think? It sounds somewhat dubious to me, if asked.

Kaius Alexander - Potentially profitable. Ekwanesu seems to have a head full of shit, though.

Vetter - What of Dour Erg and the surrounds?

"A few maps of the region, though the deset has not been mapped fully - and those maps I have show cities where none now stand.  As I said, they are somewhat out of date."

Vetter - Right. Well then. This crypt job, tell me more about it. Seems you wouldn't be able to do it alone, eh?

"Certainly, I would need your help and protection if I were to descend into the city's bowels!  But, once we find the crypt, it should be a simple matter of finding the secret door and taking the riches within."

Kryzbytn - Do we know of what creatures lie in wait for us there?

Ekwanesu shrugs.  "Many horrors are said to dwell within the Catacombs - though none are a match for Vetter, I am sure."

Vetter - Well, if I'm so necessary, fifty-fifty hardly seems a fair split, does it old pal? I mean, you'd not be getting anything if I weren't to clear the path, as it were...

"Hmm.  You make a good point.  On the other hand, I possess the map.  Perhaps if I offered you some of my other maps, as a form of additional payment?  Or perhaps some mindwrack, or thrum - I still have a cache in my chambers."

Vetter - I don't... need... thrum anymore, Ekwanesu. Maps, though, I might need.

"Shall we say, a map of each of the cities, and any maps I can find of Dour Erg, and the Midngh Isles?"

Vetter - That doesn't sound too unreasonable, eh? How much are you expecting to find in this crypt anyway?

"I believe the crypt to be well-plied with grave goods and the like.  My debts are considerable, but if we find what I hope, the proceeds should be sufficient to pay them off.  Hopefully several thousand obeloi at least can be gleaned..."

* Vetter turns to the others.

Vetter - What say you all?

Kryzbytn - Seems the maps and the obeloi would make it worth it. I am not opposed.

Ekwanesu's fingers form the signs of Flicker: "This human and his bug friend.  The Koldobika trusts them."

Koldobika (Flicker, to Ekwanesu) - The Kaius and the Mantid are trustworthy.

Vetter (Flicker, to Ekwanesu) - The Vetter is not sure. The greed can be trusted.

* Koldobika hopes that is the case...

* Kaius Alexander watches the hand-signals silently.

Kaius Alexander - If you think yourself needful of my presence, Vetter, I will accompany you.

Vetter - Kaius old chum, you are always needed!

* Vetter grins.

Vetter - No, seriously mate, you are needed... and I'm just saying that. Not, that is.

Kaius Alexander - Very well, Vetter. I will come with you.

* Kryzbytn draws his scythe arms against each other.

* Koldobika nods. It sounds promising, especially as a group, wher eit may not be as difficult where it down to only one or two combatants.

"Excellent!  Shall we meet tonight then?"

Kryzbytn - Certainly.

* Kaius Alexander nods slightly.

Vetter - Right, When exactly? And where?

" Meet me on Spleen Street at sunset.  It's in Pulsetown, not far from the Sanguine Church."

Vetter - Got it. See you tonight, Ekwanesu.

"Ah, you are my savior, Vetter! Until tonight!"

Kryzbytn - So, that settled, shall we carry on, Kaius one?

Kaius Alexander - Yes.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=Preparations]You press on into Hexwarren, the arcane district, in search of an alchemist.

* Kaius Alexander observes the shops keenly.
One of the larger alchemist's shops on Chrysalis Street is "Nigredo" - a somewhat crazed-looking establishment which, like many of the buildings in Hexwarren, is heavily adorned with all manner of apotropaic gargoyles, statuettes, and sigils.

Kaius Alexander - This establishment seems of means. Perhaps they will be able to procure what I seek.

* Kaius Alexander walks in.

Inside, the room is hot and smelly: curious fumes, some of them luridly colourful, waft up from a number of sources, while low fires smoulder, heating several concoctions.  A hagman slithers to and fro, tending to various alembics, crucibles, and cauldrons; it is currently in what looks to be a neuter form, without prominent secondary sexual characteristics. A pair of small, round spectacles are perched on the creature's nose, and its long hair is held back in a long, braided ponytail.  Half a dozen homunculi scurry about the shop, shelving bottles or fetching reagents: curious protoplasmic beings with plastic, ever-morphing faces.  Their lithe little bodies seem to sprout additional appendages whenever they need them.

* Kaius Alexander raises his visor.

Kaius Alexander - Are you the proprietor of this establishment?

"Hmm?  Yes of course, what do I look like, an assistant?  Who are you and what do you want?"

Kaius Alexander - I am Kaius Alexander. I seek to commission you to obtain certain items for me. I trust you are a capable alchemist.

The hagman eyes Pellucid.  "Diabolist, are you?  What you looking for?  Hellcream?  Black candlewax?  Wards of binding?"

Vetter (to Pellucid) - Your master is the very embodiment of charm, isn't he?

"He does seem a trifle brusque," Pellucid observes.  "It's actually a bit refreshing.  My last master often ranted and raved for days at a time.  It grew most tiresome."

Vetter - No, no, quiet is just fine. Just fine, isn't it?

Kaius Alexander - My interest in demonologies is not what has brought me here. I seek the commission of items that will increase my efficiency in physical combat. Shall I detail my request?

"Hmm.  Very well, go on."

Kryzbytn (to Koldobika) - So, Koldobika one, might I ask what manner of beast gave you that scar?

Kryzbytn wanders over to a homunculus as he speaks with Koldobika.

Koldobika (Flicker, to Kryz) - The wound was a claw. The claw bore an owner. The owner is not remembered. The owner fought. Many fought the owner. Many fought with the owner. Many zerda fought against the owner.

The homunculus begin making horrible if comic faces at you, Kryzbytn.

* Kryzbytn looks taken aback for a moment.

* Kryzbytn waves his mandibles at it in a fearful display, after making sure no one is watching.

The homunculus scrambles madly away, whether in mock fear or genuine terror you cannot tell.

* Koldobika grins as he watches the thing scuttle about. Had he not already been subjected to worse, he too might find the mantid quite the scary creature.

Kaius Alexander - I have given considerable thought to this matter. I seek a material that has both the properties of a liquid and a solid, altering its viscosity when subjected to force. Such a material should be easily packaged. I intend to place these packages beneath my armour.

* Kaius Alexander produces a folded piece of paper.

Kaius Alexander '" Secondly, I wish to commission a biological device that can synthesize and administer the following compound in controlled doses. Through the bloodstream, of course.

The hagman's beady eyes light up.

* Kaius Alexander hands the hagman the paper.

The alchemist examines the designs carefully.

Kryzbytn - (to Koldobika) I seek to have my wings sewn back to my body... they were taken.

Koldobika (Flicker, to Kryz) - The Koldobika does not know. The Koldobika seeks a way. The way is unknown.

"Hmm!  Both are actually an interesting notion.  You envision a series of gel-packs, I expect, to cushion blows?  And as for the injector... yes I see.  This could all be put together, I imagine.  You would need to procure the gland for me, for the latter experiment, but the rest I think I can devise.  Of course, none of this would be cheap."

Kaius Alexander - I will pay you sixteen hundred obeloi for the both of them.

"Sixteen hundred!  I hope you're joking.  I am running a business here.  Three thousand, minimum, and half in advance."

* Kryzbytn perks up when he hears the hagman yell about the price.

* Kryzbytn watches on with some degree of amusement.

* Koldobika turns to watch the display. He is interested in how the Kaius negotiates. With that much armour, the answer is probably: He does not.

* Kaius Alexander seems to loom over the shopkeeper.

Kaius Alexander - I will pay you sixteen hundred and fifty obeloi.

Wispy - Better take it while he's got it. Yesterday he didn't have anything- who knows how long the deal will last!

* Wispy twitters.

The alchemist anxiously strokes his whiskers.  "Umm.  Yes.  I was being unreasonable before.  Sixteen hundred and fifty, but I do not possess the gland.  That you'll have to get from a graft peddler or someone.  I don't have time to go trudging through the streets looking for organs."

Kaius Alexander - I will obtain the gland. Will you be able to work with the adrenal glands of a suitable creature?

"Perhaps I could modify them.  Yes, it would be feasible."

* Kaius Alexander nods

"My name, by the way, is Melchior."

Kaius Alexander - I will leave with you an advance of two hundred obeloi. Melchior.

* Kaius Alexander places the advance funds on a nearby table   .

"Ah, yes.  That will do, for now.  I can have these ready in perhaps two and a half weeks, three tops; in any event, some time shortly after the Reaper's Feast.  Return then and I'll inform you of my progress."

Kaius Alexander - I will have the gland to you within the next twenty-four hours. It is agreed.

* Vetter finds something interesting-looking to prod at.

You find a large green crystal.  The stone gives you a light zap as you prod it.
Vetter (muttering, rubbing the digit that received the shock) - Gah! Whoreson gleetbag demonrutting gleeter junkscrap...

The hagman's head snaps round as the zerda begins fiddling with a sizzling green stone.  "That's extremely volatile!  Don't touch it!"

* Vetter carefully replaces it, muttering "your mother is extremely volatile..."

Kaius Alexander - Two weeks, then.

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head to Melchior and exits the shop.

* Kaius Alexander is waiting outside, probably impatiently, though you cannot tell.

* Vetter follows Kaius out of the shop.

* Koldobika isn't one to keep a heavily-armed tank waiting.

* Kryzbytn heads outside with Kaius.

Vetter - (Flicker, to Kol) The Vetter has hunger. The Koldobika Nthanda has hunger. The question is asked.

Wispy - How much for that stone, Melchior?

"It needs to be stabilized.  But I have one that's already prepared.  They go for thirty-five obeloi."

Wispy - Hm... what are the risks when they are not stabilized... to the user, that is?

"You'd walk out of the shop extra-crispy, birdman."

Wispy - Ah, more than a little shock?

"Indeed.  You don't want to handle one in a state like that."

Wispy - Actually, how much for it then?

"Well, if you want to fry your feathers, I'll sell it for the same price."

Wispy - Bah, same price- I'm doing you a favour. I'll take it for four obeloi.

"Ha!  When with a little recalibration I could sell it for thirty-five?  I think not."

Wispy - A little recalibration... I doubt that... otherwise it would be working presently. Six!

Koldobika (Flicker, to Vetter) - The Koldobika hungers. The meeting is tonight.

Vetter - (Flicker, to Kol) the food will be consumed.

* Kaius Alexander calls out.

Kaius Alexander - Bird. We will be leaving you if you do not hurry.

Vetter - Speaking of hurries, Kaius, do you have anywhere you need to be soon?

Kaius Alexander - I will be visiting the Guildhall of the Crimson Shadows to arrange a meeting. Or perhaps to meet, if circumstances do so conspire.

Vetter - And you, too, Kryz?

Kryzbytn - Negative.

"You're stubborn, vulture.  I'll tell you what.  I'll part with it for twenty-five.  That's my final offer."

Wispy - Bah. Twenty-five. Keep bargaining like that and you'll be a poor man.

* Wispy leaves.

Wispy - Well Vetter, I tried to buy that stone you like so much.

* Kaius Alexander starts towards the Guildhall of the Crimson Shadows.

...

* Having arranged to meet Kaius at the Guildhall later, Tarim heads to the Beast Market in the Court-of-Flesh.

A variegated herd of creatures mills around the pens: riding birds, horses, lizards, and various other beasts of burden.  Merchants hawk prices for the beasts.

* Tarim casually wanders around, hoping that something might catch his interest.

You see a zerda haggling with a human.  He seems to be trying to sell the man some kind of giant egg, but the man is disinterested.  He shakes his head and shoos the foxfolk away.

Tarim (to Fangs) '"One rarely sees eggs that large. Have you any idea what sort of beast might have laid that one?

Fangs - Given that it's a zerda trying to sell it, I'd guess one of their giant turtles.  Usually the foxfolk keep the eggs and raise the beasts themselves.  This guy must've fallen on some hard times.

Tarim - Interesting. Maybe I'll have word with him.

* Tarim approaches the foxfolk merchant

"You!  You want egg?  Tasty for eating!"  The zerda's Shambles is broken and thickly accented.  "Only ten bones!"

Tarim - What sort of egg is this? From a tortoise beast-of-burden perhaps?

"Yes, yes, Big Tortoise, Mother-Tortoise, Onacha."

Tarim - I have little use for eggs, but such beasts interest me. They are most useful for long journeys across the deserts, are they not?

The zerda nods vigorously.  "Yes, yes!  You buy?"

Tarim - If you could aid me in purchasing a grown tortoise, I would pay you well. Fifty obeloi.

The zerda's eyes gleam.  "You make a joke.  Tortoise worth many bones.  Four hundred obeloi."

Tarim - I might pay that much for the beast itself. Not merely for leading me to a willing seller.

The zerda barks.  "Come with Zhajiin.  He takes you to Onacha!"

Wispy - Great Tarim; buy a tortoise and we can sell many, many tortoise eggs - or eat them.

* Wispy smiles.

Wispy '" Like, put them in an incubator.

* Wispy is wandering in the Markets after making his side comment, eventually drifting back to Kaius, Kryzbytn, Vetter, and Kol.

Tarim - We have a deal then? Take me to a seller, and it's fifty bones for you... if I then manage to buy one, that is.

Zhajin nods and gestures for you to follow him.

* Tarim walks after the foxfolk, keeping a respectable distance '" and keeping his eyes out for any signs of foul play.

The zerda leads you from the Markets, down Resurrection Row to the Butcher's Gate, and out into the shanties.  He hastens through the ramshackle, dusty streets to a rough cluster of tents where vagabonds of various races share a meagre cooking fire.  Behind the tents looms a great shape - one of the prodigious tortoises of the desert.  Its shell is inscribed with dozens of glyphs, and carved with handholds; on its back is a small howdah.  It dozes in the sun.  An older zerda stands by the creature, feeding it dry grasses.  You notice that the tortoise seems especially sluggish or torpid, disinterested in eating.

"Onacha!"  The zerda says, gesturing to the languorous tortoise.  "You buy."

Tarim - Doesn't look very healthy. How old is this one?

"Only a century! Years left!  She just sleepy."

* Tarim examines the glyphs on the shell curiously.

The glyphs seem to be tribal markings and the personal symbols of past owners.  While you're examining them you smell something foul - not healthy animal musk but a gangrenous reek.

* Tarim frowns.

Tarim - I doubt this beast could survive the journey I have in mind.

The beast shifts.  As it moves you see that it bears a wound on its belly.  The wound has festered and has not been properly cleaned and bandaged.

* Tarim examines the wound.

If the wound were properly treated, there is a good chance that the tortoise could recover.

Tarim - Hm, you didn't mention anything about the tortoise having been attacked recently.

Zhajin looks nervous.  "Ah, yes... how foolish of me.  Bandits attack, kill many of us, take many slaves.  But is just a scratch.  Will heal."

Tarim - Perhaps. I will definitely not be paying as much as I would for a healthy specimen - if I should decide to buy this one. But first, prove to me that it is at least able to move. Let us have a little test drive.

Zhajin gulps and barks something rapid to the older zerda.  The foxfolk prods the huge tortoise till it lumbers to its feet. Onacha stares at you blearily.

* Tarim notes how the zerda driver is controlling the beast.

Tarim - Come, Onacha. Walk along.

Using hooks and a short pole you goad the tortoise into walking.  It staggers a bit and groans in protest but does manage to slowly move where you direct it.

Tarim - The beast is clearly not in good shape. But perhaps it still has some hope. Let us talk prices.  I offer you two hundred obeloi for the Onacha. The howdah and assorted equipment included.

Zhajin perks up again after exchanging more hushed speech with the older zerda.  "Yes.  You are right.  Perhaps four hundred is too much.  Perhaps three-fifty?"

* Tarim strokes his bearded chin idly, his cold jewelled stare regarding the zerda.

Tarim - Two hundred and fifty.

The zerda nods, intimidated by your stare.  "Alright.  You are good customer.  Two fifty."

Tarim - So be it!

* Tarim eyes the foxfolk, making sure no one is attempting anything stupid, while he produces a hefty sack of coin.

The old zerda takes your coin.  The tortoise is now yours.

* Tarim approaches the beast, inspecting the wound closely.

Tarim - You must be strong now, Onacha. I must get into the city, and look for a capable healer to get you patched up.

The tortoise groans.  Its wound seeps pus; it needs to be cleaned and bathed, then treated with a medicinal salve.  With a few supplies you can at least prevent it from deteriorating further.

Tarim - It's a good thing that departure won't be soon...

* Tarim tries to get the tortoise to follow him to the city gates.

Onacha reluctantly follows behind you.  Various stables are evident near the Butcher's Gate, in case you need a place to keep the beast.

* Tarim leads Onacha through the gates and toward the nearest stables he can spot.

You leave the giant tortoise with the attendants at the stable.  They will charge you an obelus a day for feed and stabling.

* Tarim heads to the Guildhall of the Crimson Shadows.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=The Spirit is Weak]Kaius, following now-familiar streets through Macellaria, you make your way to the Curio Bazaars.  The Bazaars bustle with their usual frenzy of activity.  Mercenaries stand beside merchant stalls looking menacing, deterring would-be thieves. You arrive at the Guidhall of the Crimson Shadows, its decapitated statues casting long shadows in the noon-day sun.  The guards eye you nervously.

"Oi.  What you doing here, demonist?  You're not a Guild member."

* Kaius Alexander proceeds up the steps.

* Kryzbytn follows.

* Koldobika hops along behind.

Kaius Alexander - I am here to arrange a meeting with Mr. Rasp. I have done business with the Guild in the past.

"Hmm.  That thing better not cause any trouble."  The guard gestures to Pellucid.

"I assure you, sir, my manners are exemplary," Pellucid says, smiling '" and so revealing his long needle-like teeth.  The guard's face goes white.

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head to the guards and proceeds inside.

* Kryzbytn follows.

You enter the main hall.  Here clerks and scrap-dealers do business with the scavengers.  Kaius, you recognize Yagg, a man Eareg spoke with before.

Kaius Alexander - Yagg. You seem well.

"Well enough.  What can I do for you today?  Here to see the Witch again?"

Kaius Alexander - No, I do not think so. I seek to arrange a meeting with Mr. Rasp.

"Ah, I see.  I'll go check with the Guildmaster myself.  Please, wait here."

He disappears down the hall and returns momentarily.  "Mr. Rasp regrets that he is currently indisposed, but perhaps you could return tomorrow, at the same time?"[/b]

Kaius Alexander - Yes. That would be fine.

"Very well.  I'll make a note of it."

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head to Yagg.

* Kaius Alexander sits on the second last step before the Crimson Shadows Guildhall. He rests his chin on an armoured fist; Pellucid stands next to him, affecting disinterest in the goings on of the city.

* Kryzbytn departs.

* Koldobika likewise leaves.

* Tarim appears out of the market crowds and approaches Kaius.

Tarim - Greetings, Kaius.

Kaius Alexander - Tarim. I was successful in obtaining a meeting with Mr. Rasp. But, it is tomorrow. There may be other options we can pursue in the meantime, however.

Tarim - I see. I look forward to that meeting. What have you in mind?

Kaius Alexander - As I see it, there are two courses open to us. We can attempt to locate Chaa-Ibl herself. Or we can pay a visit to one Immanuel Starborn, who I suspect may be involved.

Tarim - Immanuel... he is that fleshcrafter whose abominations were raiding the graveyard, is he not?

Kaius Alexander - He is. He intimated his intent to bring harm to myself upon our parting.

Tarim - I think he would be easy to deal with. We did manage to intimidate him the last time.

Kaius Alexander - And, it is you, the Gorethirst, and I who were the targets of the assassins. And it is only we who dealt with Immanuel. However, of Chaa-Ibl will likely be in attendance with Mr. Rasp on the morrow.

Tarim - Let us pay a visit to Immanuel, then.

* Kaius Alexander stands up.

Kaius Alexander - Come, Pellucid. There is work to be done.

Having resolved to interrogate the short-statured grave-spawn fleshcrafter you make your way west, towards Hexwarren and the ghul's tissue-shop.

You come to the entrance of "The Flesh Is Willing," close to the Fane of Dust. The shop is open.

Tarim - Before you attempt you admittedly impressive charms on the man, allow me to have a try with my hexcraft first.

* Kaius Alexander nods.

* Kaius Alexander shoulders into the building heavily.

* Tarim follows closely behind.

You enter the dim interior of "The Flesh is Willing."  A pair of servitors with axes in place of hands stand guard while Immanuel Starborn - a pug-nosed ghul under five feet tall - waddles about the chamber.  Bits and pieces of half-assembled servitors lie on slabs about the room.

"The meddlesome do-gooders return.  Come to destroy more of my valuable property?"

Kaius Alexander - Immanuel Starborn.

"What is it you want?  I have kept my promise, and not disturbed the cemetery further."

Tarim - We must have a word with you. But please, there is no need for such hostility, even if your last meeting ended so ... sour.

* Tarim speaks suavely, weaving a hex of Adoration into his words.

"Hmph.  I suppose you're right.  Now, what does this concern?"

Tarim - We have reason to believe that the Splicing Consortium is involved in some kind of operation that, let's just say, does not involve our continued well-being. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?

* Kaius Alexander shifts in place ominously.

"I do not control the Consortium.  If they have some issue with you, I suggest you take it up with them directly.  I am merely a member of their organization, along with most of the fleshcrafters in Macellaria."

Tarim, Immanuel is clearly very nervous.  His clawed fingers drum on a table.  He is definitely hiding something.

* Kaius Alexander raises his visor and an eyebrow and looks at Tarim.

Tarim - Oh, but you don't sound very convinced, yourself. Got something one your conscious perhaps?

"How dare you bandy around such outrageous accusations?!"  Immanuel blusters, flushing.

Tarim - I did not accuse you you anything. But now it certainly seems that I hit a sore spot...

Kaius Alexander - The evidence mounts.

"Your insinuations are grotesque and unfounded.  I have no idea what you are talking about."  He is now extremely agitated; his words ring increasingly false.

Kaius Alexander - What are you hiding from us, Immanuel?

* Kaius Alexander takes a half-step forward.

* Tarim fingers the blunderbuss pistol on his belt.

"I will not be questioned in this manner!"  Immanuel shrieks, stepping backwards.  "Please leave, or I will be forced to have you removed from the shop!"

Kaius Alexander - This could go very poorly for you. Choose your words carefully.

Kaius, you see that Immanuel has placed one hand on a completed servitor on one of the slabs.

Kaius Alexander - Step away from your materials, Immanuel. We only want to hear the truth.

Immanuel snarls.  "Look.  I reported the incident you caused here to my superiors.  That is standard Consortium protocol.  Perhaps they have chosen to take certain measures to ensure you don't go around bullying more of their members."

Kaius Alexander - I see.

"Now, if there is nothing more, get out of my shop!"

* Kaius Alexander looks at Tarim.

Tarim - I am not convinced of your sincerity, Immanuel. But I do think that the consortium would be more likely to pay for any assassins than you, personally. You would like to keep your hands cleaner, I wager

Kaius Alexander - And how do you suggest we deal with this situation which you have precipitated, Immanuel?

"Which I have precipitated!?!  You and that leechkin thug are responsible for any measures the Consortium have taken, not me!  I see that it is not with you now.  Did its temper finally get it into trouble it couldn't extricate itself from?"

Kaius Alexander - The whereabouts of the Gorethirst are an irrelevancy to your present situation. It is your behaviour that led to our intervention. You have been suitably chastened. We do not wish to end this with more violence. Retract your complaint. Ensure the Consortium leaves us be.

"The matter is beyond my control.  The Consortium makes its own decisions."

Tarim - Surely you heold some degree of influence there!

"True.  But once wheels have been set in motion, there is little I can do. Besides, it would be intensely humiliating for me to come to them with this story, of having been brow-beaten into retracting any harsh words I said.  If anything, it would make the matter worse."

Kaius Alexander - Perhaps you could arrange a meeting between ourselves and those who could, then. I am sure we could make it clear that this is all a simple misunderstanding.

"Hmm.  An interesting proposition.  I suppose such a meeting might not be entirely out of the question, if you were willing to make a formal apology for your behaviour."

* Kaius Alexander grits his teeth.

"Perhaps if you agreed to reimburse me for the losses your actions caused me."

Kaius Alexander - You had no legitimate losses. Your servitors were engaged in trespass and theft.

Tarim - Or perhaps we should inform the consortium of just what kind of events led to the damages? For I doubt that they have quite the full story on that.

"You think they would trust your word over mine?"  Immanuel sighs.  "I will not be intimidated by you again."

Kaius Alexander - This is tiresome. I think perhaps the Consortium needs to be sent a more direct message. What do you think, Tarim?

"The Consortium won't listen to you riffraff!" Veins bulge on his temple.

Tarim - Perhaps we should indeed seek them out on our own. Could be that we find someone there who understand the value of our goodwill... and of your good money, compared to entertaining an incompetent client.

Kaius Alexander - I find myself in agreement.

The little ghul is apoplectic with rage. His eyes bulge out of his head.

* Kaius Alexander cocks his head to one side.

*Fangs makes a parodic impression, mimicking Immanuel.

Kaius Alexander - Goodbye, Immanuel. Let us hope we never have cause to meet again.

Tarim - Yes. The next time would likely be even less pleasant. For you.

* Kaius Alexander turns to exit the shop.

* Tarim follows.

At a word from Immanuel, the servitors block your exit.

* Kaius Alexander instantly drops his hand to the hilt of his sword.

* Tarim stops, his hand on the handle of his blunderbuss.

Kaius Alexander - Immanuel. Don't be stupid.

"I will not have my name besmirched by your slanderous lies!"  Immanuel screams.  He speaks a word of necromantic power, and the servitor he is touching reanimates.

* Kaius Alexander slowly draws his blade.

Kaius Alexander - You throw your life away too casually, Immanuel.
Tarim, the servitor Immanuel reanimated is moving towards you: a sallow corpse, flesh discoloured by glyphs and chemical preservatives.  Its hands have been replaced with wicked blades.

* Tarim draws his gun from the holster and utters a powerful, echoing word. Several duplicates of him appear.

Pellucid's tentacles whip out from behind its head and wrap round the servitor's limbs, entangling it.  It thrashes but the tentacles grasp it tightly.

Immanuel shrieks madly and a beam of nigromantic power shoots from his fingertips.  The ray misses, harmlessly dissipating.

* Kaius Alexander moves forward and hacks savagely at the servitor, hewing off large chunks of its necrotic flesh, taking care not to sever any of Pellucid's tentacles.

* Tarim backs away from the pair of servitors blocking the door. Turning his attention to Immanuel, he gestures and chants, directing the hex of Hideous Laughter on the fleshcrafter.\

Immanuel begins giggling obscenely.  He falls prone, overwhelmed by the hex!  Pellucid, seeing that Immanuel is incapacitated turns its attention to the servitor.  The demon speaks a word of power, and a bolt of dark energy curdles the air as its streaks towards the creature, but it flails madly and somehow dodges aside.  The energy hits some of the glass jars on the walls, shattering them and spilling preservatives everywhere, not to mention the organs suspended within them.

*Fangs flutters to the ceiling where he hangs upside down like a bat, cackling gleefully and spewing rhymes insulting Immanuel.

The servitor hacks at the tentacles and severs some of them, but several still encircle its wrists.

* Kaius Alexander hacks off one of the thing's limbs.  It remains standing, however.

* Tarim sneers at the pitiful state of Immanuel but concentrates on the fight going on. He almost casually unleashes Haste, speeding up himself, Kaius and Pellucid.

Pellucid sneers and steps forward, claws flickering with preternatural speed.  He slashes at the servitor, raking its dead flesh.

Immanuel, still laughing manically, begins slowly trying to crawl towards a door at the back of the shop.  He makes little progress, all but immobilized by the eldritch laughter, and cannot seem to stand up.  The servitor slashes at Kaius with its remaining arm, delivering a flesh-wound.

* Kaius Alexander blinks and renews his attack.  He dispatches the servitor, brutally dismembering it; tt falls into gory fragments.

* Kaius Alexander spits on the servitor's remains.

Pellucid's tentacles whip back to the demon's head.

* Kaius Alexander strides over to Immanuel and attempts to pin him to the floor.

Immanuel flails madly, but your gauntleted hands secure him.  As you lay your hands on him, the servitors at the door lurch into motion.

Kaius Alexander - Stop your servitors or die, wretch.

Immanuel is laughing too hard to issue any orders.

* Kaius Alexander exhales slightly in frustration

* Tarim rushes over to where Kaius is holding Immanuel, turns round and aims his blunderbuss pistol on one of the servitors. A loud gunshot resonates in the shop as he fires a bullet at the shambling monstrosity.

The shot goes wide and hits one of the shop windows.  Glass is blown out into the street.

Pellucid moves towards Kaius and readies an action to attack any servitors who draw near.  Immanuel continues to laugh madly.

The servitors shamble closer, slowly.

* Kaius Alexander glares at one of the servitors and winces; a trickle of blood runs from his nose.

The servitor hesitates, but your command of it slips at the last moment.

* Tarim puts away his pistol and extends his clawed arms in an eldritch gesture. He speaks necromantic words, unleashing black tendrils at a servitor.

The servitor seems to shrivel.  It lurches to and fro, weakened severely, its muscles atrophied.  It slashes feebly at Pellucid, to little effect; the demon's counterattack leaves deep wounds in its flesh.  The other servitor straight for Kaius, ignoring Tarim completely.

The servitor pulls Kaius off the fleshcrafter and hurls him into a table. Immanuel slips to the floor.

Kaius Alexander - Pellucid! Make sure Immanuel doesn't escape!

* Kaius Alexander get to his feet and attacks the servitor that threw him. He impales the servitor with his blade, which it ignores.  It lurches forward, stepping into his sword.

* Tarim dashes at Immanuel, attempting to grab a hold of his arms.

Immanuel squirms in your grasp, slipping away.  Pellucid's tentacles shoot out, but the small fleshcrafter rolls, avoiding them.

The servitor fighting Kaius brandishes its vicious axe-limbs and batters the warrior with brutal chops, still impaled on Kaius' blade.

* Kaius Alexander pulls his sword free and continues to slash at the grave-spawn, parrying some of its blows and delivering ripostes.

* Tarim curses and makes another try at restraining Immanuel.

You manage to pin the struggling grave-spawn.

* Tarim ties the fleshcrafter's hands behind his back, and connects the rope around his ankles.

Pellucid slashes the shrivelled servitor, nearly felling it, while Immanuel attempts to wriggle free of the ropes.

* Kaius Alexander finishes the servitor he is fighting off, decapitating it savagely.  He attacks the remaining servitor fighting Pellucid but it feebly manages to parry his attack.

You hear voices outside, shouting.

* Tarim seeing the fleshcrafter securely bound, stand up and grabs his repeating rifle. Without further ado he lets loose a shot at the last servitor.

The servitor's pallid brain-matter is blown across the shop as your bullet hits it right between its dead, unblinking eyes.  It falls to the floor.

* Kaius Alexander sheathes his blade.

Tarim '" So much for those corpse-patchworks.

Kaius Alexander - Now, Immanuel, the question is, what do we do with you?

Immanuel curses in frustration and speaks a hex, the Hideous Laughter no longer overwhelming him.  An eldritch blade covered with gnashing mouths materializes.  The blade floats before him, then slashes his bonds!

* Kaius Alexander narrows his eyes and redraws his blade.  He attacks the ghul, and Immanuel shrieks and tries to roll aside, but Kaius' blade is too swift: he severs one of the fleshcrafter's hands at the wrist.

Kaius Alexander - Too many chances, Immanuel. This is your last one.

* Tarim turns toward Immanuel, his grafted eyes gleaming with fury. He levels the barrel of his rifle at the ghul and fires.

Immanuel rolls again, and the bullet hits the floor.  Pellucid's tentacles trip Immanuel as he tries to get up.  The fleshcrafter snarls and strikes Kaius with his remaining hand, speaking a terrible hex.

Kaius, your chest is suddenly filled with excruciating, shooting pain, as if a hand were squeezing your heart!  Only through an intense effort do you shrug off this agony.

Immanuel gets to his feet, struggling with Pellucid's tentacles.

* Kaius Aleaxnder slashes the ghul with his blade and Immanuel dances back, bleeding badly.

You can now hear footsteps approaching the shop.

* Tarim curses and lets his rifle roar yet again.

The bullet hits one of Pellucid's tentacles.  The demon grunts in pain.

* As Immauel begins another hex Kaius Alexander bashes the grave-spawn's face with a gauntleted fist.

He still somehow manages to spit out his curse.

* Kaius Alexander resists its effects.  As Immanuel opens his mouth to spit another hex, Kaius' blade thrusts between his teeth and out the back of his skull.  fleshcrafter finally dies.

Kaius Alexander - Mongrel wretch!

* Tarim spits on Immanuel's corpse.

* Kaius Alexander twists his blade before ripping it out of Immanuel's skull.

You hear a voice outside shout "This is the militia!  Come out with your hands above your heads!"

Tarim (whispering to Kaius) '" I can make us both disappear, but Pellucid must flee on his own.

* Kaius Alexander signals towards the rear entrance.

* Tarim also goes for the back exit.

You're in a short corridor.  A stairway leads to the second floor; there's also a door to your left.

* Kaius Alexander throws open the leftward door.

The door buckles but stays intact.  There are now footsteps in the work-room.

* Tarim puts a hex of darkness on the main room they just left.

Suddenly engulfed in darkness, sounds of panic fill the room.  Shots are fired, hitting walls or shelves.

* Kaius Alexander slams against the door once again.

The door splinters open on the second attempt.  A flight of steps lead down into darkness.

* Kaius Alexander looks at Tarim.

Tarim - A basement? doesn't look like a good route of escape.

Kaius Alexander - Upwards, then? We don't have much time.

* Kaius Alexander speaks quietly.

Tarim - Upwards. We might find a window.

* Tarim hurries upstairs.

* Kaius Alexander moves up the stairs.

You ascend the staircase.  A window indeed looks out on the alley behind the shop.  Opposite the window are several doors.

Tarim - I wasted my rope. You have any?

* Kaius Alexander uncoils a length.

* Tarim opens the window.

* Kaius Alexander stares at Tarim.

Kaius Alexander - After you.

Tarim '" Alright.

* Tarim descends the rope.

Kaius, you hear footsteps in the corridor downstairs.

Pellucid drops down gracefully, without using the rope.

* Kaius Alexander jumps, landing as gently as he can.

You manage to land without breaking anything.

* Tarim, Kaius Alexander, and Pellucid dash off into the grimy distance.[/ic]

[Steerpike]

[ic=The Smell of Death Surrounds You]The party heads towards Spleen Street, led by Vetter, to meet his associate, Ekwanesu.  Kaius Alexander has informed Tarim, while Wispy spoke to Mr. Carver concerning the venture.

The gaudy bulk of Striga's Sanguine Church towers over Pulsetown, its dome glinting crimson in the sullen red sunlight, statues of vampiric seraphim brooding about its steeple and its smoldering chimneys.

* Kaius Alexander glares at the church from beneath his visor.

* Kryzbytn has his scythe drawn.

As you pass near the church a group of burly, red-robed humans emerge out of an alleyway.  They carry heavy cudgels, maces, and staves.

"You lot.  Tithe, ten bones apiece.  This is holy ground.  Don't want to offend the Goddess, do you?"

Kaius Alexander - I will pay you nothing. This is common property of the city.

Wispy - I see you take tithes in weapons, too.  Do you also take rain checks?

They glare at Wispy.

* Wispy turns around, letting the sorrow mask face them.

* Wispy then turns back.

Wispy - You make me sad.

* Koldobika was about to say something witty, only to realize that no one else was likely to understand it. Thankfully, the big, heavily armed man seems cranky enough to not pay.

Kryzbytn - I do not look favorably upon your kind, zealots, leave us be.

"You're lucky we don't crack your skull and spill your brains on the street right here, filth.  You pollute this sacred ground with your inhuman presence, as do the rest of your scum companions."  Another of the men steps towards Kaius, hefting his mace.

* Koldobika finds they make him kind of hungry. Not sure why, though.

* Kaius Alexander places his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Wispy - Pollute the ground? I haven't shat on it yet- though now I might.

* Wispy readies his weapons.

Kaius Alexander - I suggest you leave us be.

* Kryzbytn pounds his scythe against the ground to emphasize Kaius' point.

"This is hallowed ground.  Your blasphemous insinuations defile this place.  You'll pay now, or suffer the Goddess' wrath."

* Koldobika draws his bone shortsword, if only because it appears the prudent thing to do. He then promptly hides behind Kaius.

Kaius Alexander - I will repeat myself one final time. Step. Aside.

The thuggish worshipper blinks stupidly.  For a moment it looks like he'll attack the Insomnolent, but then he backs down.

* Kaius Alexander tightens his grip on his sword, pistons hiss.

"We won't forget this, heretic!"  He snarls, as he and his band head back to the Sanguine Church.

Kaius Alexander - And neither will I.

* Koldobika is beginning to think that he really does not want to meet anything that is capable of stopping Kaius.

Kryzbytn - Good riddance

Wispy - Wispy leaves a "blessing" on the ground when the thugs are out of view.

You proceed to Spleen Street.  Ekwanesu greets you outside of a small shadowmilk cafe.

* Kryzbytn gives a stilted bow.

"Ah, good friends!  Greetings, greetings!"

* Kaius Alexander nods slightly in greeting.

The zerda carries an ancient-looking map.  The map is poorly drawn and crude, but very detailed.  He also bears a hand-axe.

* Koldobika nods, if only because Flicker is lost on the uncultured barbarians he travels with...

"So, shall we begin our descent?"  The little zerda indicates the stones on the street. "The entrance should be here: we must dislodge a sett to uncover it."

* Kaius Alexander inspects the blade of his sword.

Mr. Carver - I hope there are none of those pesky piranha rats down there...

Vetter - Should be or is?

"We must search for a hidden seam, or join.  Come."  Ekwanesu gets on his hands and knees and begins groping around for the edges of the hidden entrance.

* Mr. Carver makes a small flourish with his clawed hand, gesturing for the zerda to lead the way.

* Kryzbytn has his Scythe out.

* Koldobika double checks his vast assortment of weapons, making sure to be keenly aware where everything is. Underground means closed in spaces. He will need his sword and daggers ready for this, not his bow. Everything else is merely a matter of waiting and following.

* Tarim idly loads his rifle.

* Vetter stands close to Ekwanesu and watches.

The zerda tsks in frustration.

* Mr. Carver inspects the walls and floors in search of the secret entrance.

Vetter - This better not be a sign of things to come, Ekwanesu me old mucker. I don't want you getting us lost down there.

* Kaius Alexander raises his visor and scans the stonework.

Between Kaius and Mr. Carver you locate the entrance.  You must lift up a sett with an agonized face carved into it.

* Koldobika gets out a crowbar and proceeds to begin dislodging the stone.

* Kaius Alexander gets out his own crowbar and assists the zerda.

Using the crowbars you easily remove the loose block of stone.  A vertical shaft with metal rungs descends into the gloom.

Kaius Alexander - I will proceed first. Descend when I have signalled it is clear.

Tarim - If the rungs can support his weight the rest of us should have no fear.

* Kaius Alexander climbs down the rungs.

You descend through the vertical passage into the moist, foul-smelling darkness below, dropping down into a broad tunnel lined with alcoves, each containing a mouldering skeleton.

* Kaius Alexander calls back up the shaft.

Kaius Alexander - Clear.

* Vetter glances meaningfully at Ekwanesu, then descends after Kaius.

* Kryzbytn descends and takes note of the architecture, carefully observing the structural integrity,

The tunnel is well built, and does not look in immediate danger of collapse.

* Mr. Carver gracefully scampers down the shaft.

* Koldobika proceeds along after the signal for the all-clear has been given.

* Wispy drops down, folding his wings to enter the narrow shaft.

Ekwanesu descends as well.

* Tarim climbs down after the others.

"This way," Ekwanesu says, pointing to the north.  He sets out hurriedly, paws pattering through the dust, his nose in his map.

* Koldobika follows silently as best he can. While he is also wary and observant for whatever things could dwell in the shadows, he is also pleased enough that he would potentially be able to use them as well.

* Kryzbytn takes the rear watch, occasionally glancing behind him for any signs of danger.

* Kaius Alexander keeps his sword in hand as he follows Ekwanesu, lighting his bullseye lantern.

Your lantern casts sickly shadows on the dusty walls of the crypt.  Ekwanseu leads you down a passage and into a broad hall of some kind.  A trio of chubby cestoid larvae '" the semi-intelligent infant-forms of the cestoids '" feast on a mound of garbage here.  One of their parents, a fully-grown cestoid carrying a crude spear in one of its hairy, many-jointed arms, watches over the brood.  Upon seeing you the creature makes a throaty ululation and gnashes its teeth.  There are two exits: one to the north, the other to the east.

Mr. Carver - Hmm, we best not agitate the thing too much.

* Vetter nods a cautious greeting to the cestoid.

Kaius Alexander - Which way do we go, Ekwanesu?

Ekwanesu points to the east, near to where the cestoid and its young are located.

Kaius Alexander - Cestoid. We intend no harm to your young. We are passing through.

The cestoid seems to relax.  It makes some guttural sound and gestures with several of its hairy, many-jointed arms.

* Kaius Alexander inclines his head to the cestoid as he passes by.

* Kryzbytn clicks and nods.

* Tarim passes the cestoids calmly, his hands folded in his sleeves.

* Koldobika cannot help but see the big bug as little more than a big walking dinner, but he at least has enough respect to reign in his instincts and follow the lead of the others without incident.

Vetter (to the cestoid, as he passes) - Joy of the evenin' to ya.

Ekwanesu continues to press on ahead.  He leads you down another long passage, ignoring side-tunnels, until you reach a cave-in. "Oh dear," he says, scratching behind his ears.  "The path ahead is blocked..."

Kryzbytn '" Hmm.

Vetter - Oh very dear. What says your map?

Kaius Alexander - Do you know an alternate route?

"We should be able to go round if we take the north side-passage, but that will lead us into the sewers."

Vetter - That the only way?

"That the map shows..."

* Kryzbytn examines the walls and the rubble, curious as to what caused the cave-in.

Structural weaknesses here precipitated a cave in.  Possibly this tunnel is older than where you entered.

* Koldobika cranes his head as he examines the cave-in. This is inconvenient. And likely a good reason as to why the 'hidden' crypt has not been found and plundered by now.

Mr. Carver - Let me see that map...

Mr. Carver, you observe the map.  Ekwanesu is correct: a northern side-passage will lead the party into a network of sewer-tunnels, which can be followed for some distance to the east.  These reconnect to the main passage further along.

Kaius Alexander - Then it seems the sewers are our only recourse.

Kryzbytn - Careful, ones, this place may not be as structurally sound as I first thought.

Vetter - What do you mean by that, Kryz?

Kryzbytn - It seems, Vetter one, this tunnel is much older than the one we entered by, which may have been more recently made.

* Koldobika does not like Kryz's estimation of this place '" but at the very least, his small size, and Vetter's, could potentially be useful in such tight confines, compared to Kaius' hulking form, anyway.

Mr. Carver - Ah, gleet, let's just take the sewers.  We have dealt with worse.

Vetter - Fine. Let's go. A bit of dung never hurt anybody.

* Tarim frowns.

* Kaius Alexander nods and reforms at the rear of the column with his lantern.

The closest northern side-passage leads down a flight of steps and terminates in a barred grill overlooking a circular tunnel running east-west beyond.  The grate is very rusty.

Kryzbytn - I could try kicking it or something.

Tarim - Be careful if you must break it. We don't want to risk triggering another cave-in.

* Kaius Alexander kicks the grate.

The bars groan and bend but do not break.

* Kaius Alexander depresses a button on the inside of his gauntlet, a metallic pyramidal shape drops to the ground with a clank and deploys six spindly legs.  It sets to work cutting the bars using a tool on one of its limbs.

* Kryzbytn looks fondly upon the creation.

Vetter - You and your associates, Kaius.

* Koldobika finds the little contraption terribly interesting.

The process takes several minutes, but eventually the bars fall away.  It's a short drop down into the tunnel below.

* Mr. Carver applauds mockingly.

Mr. Carver - The poor grate never stood a chance.

* Kaius Alexander retrieves his automaton and drops down.

Kaius Alexander - I recognize that I am not suitable for every task, so I find, or build, those who are.

Mr. Carver - How humble of you.

* Vetter jumps down after Kaius without waiting for a response.[/ic]