Tales of the Old World 32

<Tales_GM> The year is 2512 on the Imperial Calendar...
<Tales_GM> When you arrive at the Guildmaster's townhouse, the door is opened by the young servant who delivered the message. He confirms that Magirius is expecting you, and bids you to follow him as he closes the door behind you.
<Tales_GM> The house is large, in every direction. The young man takes you to a set of wide darkened oak stairs.
<Tales_GM> The Burgomeister, you notice, is fond of the wood, with oak frames and doors lining the landing on the second floor, and the hallway you pass through.
<Tales_GM> It is at a set of these heavy oak doors that the servant pauses, and knocks. When no reply comes, he motions for you to enter, "Master Magirius will join you in the study shortly."
* Roderick nods and pushes open the door.
* Thorek follows Roderick, opting to push the other door open as well.
<Tales_GM> The study is dominated by a huge oak desk on the side opposite the doors, with tall windows generously lighting the chamber's vast flaking book collections with the afternoon sun.
* Far_Foririan follows Roderick up to the doors.
* Afrock follows behind.
* Seig follows and investigates what the windows look out onto.
<Tales_GM> The tall, narrow windows, you realize have an almost perfectly centered view of the front facade of the High Temple of Sigmar. You can see the flow of faithful entering for the afternoon service.
<Seig> "Quite the view."
<Shivva> "Aye..."
<Thorek> The dwarf walks a circuit around the room, investigating with his eyes all the shelves and things the office has within.
* Roderick moves further into the study, surveying the room and looking for anything that sticks out as a clue.
<Tales_GM> It is there, by the windows, that Roderick notices first the overturned wooden chair, and then a widening pool of blood coming from underneath the desk
<Roderick> "Well....we have a problem. It looks as if Magirius has been killed." Roderick gestures to the area behind the desk and the blood pooling on the floor.
<Tales_GM> Beneath his own desk, Magirius's corpse lays..., throat cut open.
* Roderick steps closer to take a look around the body and desk, keeping clear of the body and blood.
* Far_Foririan walks over to take a look, "Well then, whats the plan."
<Roderick> "I have a feeling that the cry of murder will begin shortly. Secure the door to the study and begins searching, we most likely have a limited window."
* Afrock sighs and puts his hand on his axe and goes to the door.
<Tales_GM> As you search, you find traces of drying blood on the side of the desk -- a last, desperate message from Magirius, scrawled in his own blood as he lay dying.
<Thorek> "Help me with the desk, Afrock."
* Afrock get's in position to push.
* Seig ties the door handles together with a length of rope.
<Tales_GM> The message consists of the letters W-H-S-E and a number: a 1, followd by a digit that trails off and might be a 3 or a 7.
* Far_Foririan begins taking notes of any evidence in the room they can find.
* Far_Foririan looks at the letters, "Looks like its for some warehouse, those are pretty commonly used by the Stevedore's."
<Tales_GM> "Help! Help! Murder!" The cries come from the front door of the house.
<Tales_GM> Looking out of the window, you see a four-man Watch patrol running towards the house.
* Roderick pinches the bridge of his nose. "I tire of being right."
<Seig> "Okay thats something to go on we need to get out."
* Afrock grunts in agreement.
<Tales_GM> At the same instant, the servant appears in the room, apparently out of thin air.
<Roderick> "We'll wait till they are inside then make our way out. We don't want them to notice us going out the window."
<Tales_GM> "You know," the boy says in a multi-toned, resonant voice that is spine-quiverlingly unnatural, "you really should have minded your own business."
<Thorek> "Grimnir's balls." Thorek goes for his axe.
* Afrock draws his axe as fast as he can.
* Far_Foririan turns to see the servant
* Roderick reaches for his sidearm and tries to draw on the servant.
<Tales_GM> It vanishes again, as quickly as it came, but its deep, many-throated, mocking laughter continues... lingering for moments after it has disappeared.
* Seig is barely able to slip his hand into his brass knuckles before he is gone.
* Seig after a moment to cool off, reaches into his bag to check the guild license and see if it matches the warehouse.
* Shivva readies his quarter staff.
* Roderick curses and moves to the windows to get them open.
<Far_Foririan> "Well then." makes sure his staff is at the ready.
<Thorek> "Shite, I guess blocking the door with the desk is useless."
<Roderick> "Time to go everyone. Anyone got some rope?
<Roderick> "
<Tales_GM> The windows are not designed to open, you quickly realize.
<Seig> "The licence doesn't affiliate him with any specific warehouse or group so thats all we got to go on." While in his bag seig gets the rest of his rope out.
<Shivva> "I got some rope."
<Roderick> "Let's secure that and bust these panes out. We'll climb down."
* Afrock get's in position to "open" the windows.
<Roderick> "Let's do it, sounds like the Watch are inside now."
* Roderick nods to Afrock.
* Afrock makes an opening.
* Seig goes to now "open" windows and clears away enough shards to tie the rope around the window frame.
<Thorek> "Time to make our exit, then alas."
* Far_Foririan turns to makes his way out and begins to climb down just as he get close to the ground his grip slips and he falls to the ground landing prone.
<Roderick> With amazing skill that belies his priestly occupation Kruger effortlessly descends the rope and lands light on his feet next to the prone elf.
* Seig used to climbing in rigging makes it down easily.
* Afrock climbs down easily.
* Shivva climbs out of the window, but is having issues.
* Far_Foririan picks himself up and begins moving to get out of the area.
<Roderick> Kruger follows suit and starts moving away from the house.
* Thorek climbs down with the ease of a dwarf who's lived in a city all his life.
* Roderick easily makes it down the rope, last out of the house to ensure everyone made it out safely.
* Afrock follows the group.
<Tales_GM> You hear further commotion inside the house, calls for further assistance are answered by calls from outside the Adel Ring as more patrols begin the search.
* Thorek dusts himself off before running after Afrock and the others.
* Seig taking the lead in the run starts heading towards the docks.
* Shivva bolts after letting go of the rope, following whoever he can.
* Roderick easily jogs and catches up to the huffing dwarves.
* Far_Foririan realizes his hat has fallen off but finds it in his hand, he quickly puts in back on and run's while keeping pace with the group.
<Roderick> Kruger will continue to keep pace and stay with the group as everyone runs towards the warehouse and avoids the guards.
* Seig not wanting to breakaway too much slows his pace slightly.
* Afrock doesn't run as fast as he could.
* Thorek finds he's gotten a little further than Afrock this time.
* Shivva starts jogging to stay in pace.
<Roderick> Roderick slows slightly to make sure he doesn't leave the dawi behind.
<Tales_GM> The Watch patrol delays too long, losing you altogether as they struggle to find out your escape route. But now townspeople take on the pursuit, hearing the plight of the guardsmen shouting for murderers to be stopped.
<Tales_GM> A terrible pursuit follows, you run through alleys, and over stalls, and yet while most of you manage to get away from the mob, Far'Forian and Sieg fall behind, and are soon grappled and manhandled by the vigilantes.
* Thorek starts cursing in Khazalid between huffs as he notices some of their group are being set upon by the citizens
* Roderick draws and fires into the crowd, trying to avoid injuring anyone, in an attempt to scatter the mob.
* Afrock tries to maintain a steady breathing pace.
<Roderick> "Let's go! Stop playing with the locals!"
<Tales_GM> The crowd goes into a panic, and begin pushing and shoving each other to escape. Come people are trampled, yet Far'Forian and Sieg are able to side-step or push their way to freedom..
<Seig> "Used all my steam too quick there, thanks!"
* Far_Foririan immediately rejoins the rest of the group, "Many thanks Roderick, freaking mobs."
* Roderick nods and starts moving back to the group.
<Tales_GM> With some quick thinking, you try to hide into a tight alley. You look around, and notice no one following.
<Tales_GM> "Sigmar forgive them. They know not what they do. Chaos confounds their minds," Kruger says looking back at where the mob was dispersed.
<Tales_GM> "We must be done with this, Roderick, soon," he says looking up... Morrslieb's light has begun to rise in the sky.
<Roderick> "I agree, let's keep moving towards the warehouses...and quickly."
<Far_Foririan> "Aye."
<Seig> "Then we can get out of this forsaken town."
<Tales_GM> You soon find yourselves in the Ostendamm, with the lines of wharfs and warehouses along the river.
<Thorek> "I...hope...we're....done....with...the....running."
* Afrock breathes heavily and nods.
<Far_Foririan> "Same, I am getting annoyed of this."
<Tales_GM> By the time you arrive, sunset has come, and Morrslieb is high in the sky. Dusk falls, and a green-lit mist begins to creep up from the river.
<Tales_GM> Across the street, you spot Warehouse 12.
<Roderick> "Alright Seig, Shivva, you two creep out and check the numbers on either side of twelve there. Find which side thirteen is on and such."
<Thorek> "Hope it's 13, faster we get this over with the better." Thorek grunts as she grips his axe but doesn't draw it.
<Seig> "Shivva just keep and eye out for me cause I'ma act all natural like."
<Shivva> "Got it."
<Far_Foririan> "Things are moving, the winds are being called here." he says to Roderick.
<Roderick> "If they intend to conduct a ritual here then that is likely what you sense Far. We need to do this quickly."
<Far_Foririan> "Agreed."
<Tales_GM> As Sieg and Shivva approach the Warehouse, they spot Warehouse 13. Several people come and go from the warehouse. Above the door hangs the rose-cross symbol of the Teugen family.
<Thorek> "Hopefully Grimnir smiles on us in that regard, dawri."
<Tales_GM> At this moment, a carriage arrives.
<Tales_GM> The passengers go into the warehouse, each carrying a small bundle.
<Tales_GM> The coach drives back into the town.
<Seig> Returning to the group. "Few people came and went but couldn't recognise them that carriage is suspicious though, you see anything else Shivva"
<Tales_GM> While you rendezvous, several more carriages roll in.
<Tales_GM> Like the first, they drop off their passengers, and return back in town.
<Tales_GM> By now, the green-tinged fog has risen, however, to make it nearly impossible to see the passengers disembark.
<Shivva> "The warehouse has the Teugen seal. The passengers from the carriage were also carrying something. Like a bundle."
<Roderick> "Lets move then, quiet if we can. We have the chance to end this before there are more of them."
* Roderick begins moving towards the warehouse.
* Far_Foririan moves forward with Roderick.
<Thorek> "Ready axes, lads." Thorek grins, glad to at last be able to bring the heretics to heel.
* Afrock smiles and draws his axe.
<Seig> "Atleast three carriages that we saw from here, could be alot of people."
<Shivva> "That is gonna be trouble."
<Tales_GM> As you sneak up on the warehouse, one of you pushes over an empty barrel. It falls, and strikes other tools and containers.
<Tales_GM> That is when you see figures begin to move through the fog. You can't be certain, but they appear to be the same men from the Stevedore's Guild who surrounded you in the Adel Ring.
* Afrock sighs heavily and prepares for combat.
<Tales_GM> Before they can find you, however, theyh react to the arrival of a cart from the north of the town.
<Tales_GM> It pulls up alongside the warehouse, and two men call at the thugs for help. They unload a heavy sack, one which appears to move at times as it is being carried into the warehouse.
* Thorek motions for Roderick and the others to keep moving.
<Tales_GM> You close in, as quietly as you can, using the thickening fog to your advantage. You close in, now able to hear rythmic chanting from within.
<Tales_GM> "Oi! We have intruders!"
<Tales_GM> The thugs are alerted, and begin to run after you.
<Roderick> "Go! Stop the ritual!"
* Shivva opening the door.
* Afrock follows roderick with his axe out.
* Far_Foririan follows his staff drawn.
<Tales_GM> The chanting goes on, as Teugen raises a dagger over a young woman. He whispers words in the air, picking up the pace as the doors open.
<Roderick> Roderick's adrenaline surges and rushes ahead of the group, reacting in an instant at the sight. He pulls his pistol from it's holster and fires at the ringleader.
<Tales_GM> As the door conitnues to swing open with momentum, a loud crack paired with the flash of white light shocks everyone. The heretic Johannes Teugen jerks his head suddenly to the side, bent over and gripping his face.
<Roderick> Roderick's adrenaline surges and rushes ahead of the group, reacting in an instant at the sight. He pulls his pistol from it's holster and fires at the ringleader.
<Tales_GM> He turns his head back, face hideously deformed, blood flushing from his face. He tries to call an order to the cultists, but a wet garbled noise comes out instead.
<Tales_GM> "Craegggf Ullduuiifdf Aeeerr!"
<Tales_GM> The nonsense words cast a pathetic, nulled magical bolt at Far'Forian.
<Thorek> "Nice shot, umgi!"
* Far_Foririan realizing what happens begins counter chanting, "NOOOOOO!"
<Tales_GM> From the corner, a child, the servant, evaporates into a plume of smoke.
* Shivva toward walks the leader, but stops to a nearby cultist and hits them in the head.
<Roderick> Kruger moves up to support Shivva, swinging his quarterstaff at the same cultist, though much less successfully.
<Tales_GM> In the servant child's place, a daemonic form emerges. With tentacles, claws, and sharp teeth formulate.
<Tales_GM> It yells with a voice from beyond, cursing the Witch Hunter, yet Roderick's resolve is greater than the daemon's will.
<Tales_GM> Frustrated, it charges instead at Afrock.
* Afrock just barely parries the creatures attack.
* Far_Foririan begins channeling magic as he prepares his spell.
<Tales_GM> Roaring from behind, a thug attempts to impale Thorek with a crude fishing spear.
<Thorek> Thorek grunts and looks back as the spear scrapes off his mail. "Oi!"
* Seig turns to aid Thorek, and throws out a clumsy swing with his sword, the strike doesn't do much damage but puts him off balance causing him to impale himself on the spear rebounding off Thorek.
<Thorek> Since Seig has freed him from avenging his scratched mail, he turns to head off the thugs outside from pincering his comrades.
<Thorek> Alas however, his first attack misses but he parries the counter.
<Tales_GM> Teugen reaches for a scroll on his belt and begins to read.
<Tales_GM> His body language, when he fails to do so through the gory mess on his face, shows desperation.
<Tales_GM> He tries again.
<Tales_GM> He falls to his knees.
<Tales_GM> The temple of Sigmar's bell striked midnight.
<Tales_GM> Teugen continues to make his attempts, ever more desperate. A cloud of thick, foul-smelling pink and blue smoke gathers around him.
<Tales_GM> Teugen screams. He begs to an entity unseen to you.
<Tales_GM> A disembodies, many-toned voice sounds. In your mind more than in your ears its deep, high, terrible voice sounds.
<Tales_GM> I claim your soul.
<Thorek> "Grimnir's beard. Steel yourselves." He says with gritted teeth.
<Tales_GM> It was always mine; but you were more useful when you believed you could save it.
<Tales_GM> Now you are needed for other matters.
<Tales_GM> Teugen screams as he bursts into multicolored fire. The cultists, appalled, awaken from their stupor and scatter, tripping over themselves, terrified beyond all rational thought.
* Far_Foririan is shocked by what happens and the magic drains from him.
<Tales_GM> As this happens, the minor daemon desperately snatches up the scroll and begins to read from it, taking up where Teugen left off. For the first time, its voice is strained, and it stumbles over phrases as it rushes to complete the invocation.
<Tales_GM> When Teugen has burned away, the giant burning eye that remains turns to the daemon.
<Tales_GM> The voice sounds again.
<Tales_GM> There is no portal. You have failed.
<Tales_GM> Return to me.
<Tales_GM> The daemon begins to burn in coruscating flames, howling and writhing in unspeakable agony, burning away in violent fashion. The great Eye then looks to Shivva, and pauses.
<Tales_GM> Shivva is frozen in place.
<Tales_GM> Then, without further warning, the eye burns away.
<Tales_GM> The eerie silence of the night that follows is chilling.
* Seig is stunned unsure what to make of what just occurred.
* Far_Foririan shakes his head a moment later to recover from the shock.
<Roderick> "EVERYONE DOWN ON THE GROUND! SURRENDER YOURSELVES TO JUSTICE AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED!" Afrock hefts his axe and glares at the nearby cultists.
* Thorek is still fighting the thugs at the door.
<Tales_GM> Teugen's cultists find themselves surrounded, unable to resist. Their illustrious leader defeated... by a hideous injury to the face. The daemonic nature of what followed has drained them of any will to resist. They fall to their knees in surrender.
<Roderick> "Secure them, Seig I want you to retrieve the Magistrate and Shivva go to the inn and retrieve the confession and Dietrich. Both of you avoid attention as they are still hunting us."
<Shivva> "Aye, Boss."
<Seig> "Will be as quick as I can."
* Thorek opens the door a crack to let the two out. "I'll keep an eye out, Roderick."
* Roderick moves towards the captive to check on her. "Thank you Thorek."
* Shivva sneaks his way towards the inn to get Dietrich and the confession letter.
* Far_Foririan keeps and eye on the cultist.
* Afrock ends his frenzy and takes a seat watching over the cultists.
* Seig heads for the town hall.
<Tales_GM> The Magistrate's clark greets Sieg with sad eyes. She explains that a quick, and terrible illness befell the Magistrate just a night ago. He was unable to speak, unable to eat. Taken in the night by the mysterious affliction. At the Journey's End, Dietrich is nowhere to be found. Odelina, to your surprise is still awake, and claims he has departed on his duty.
<Seig> "Frak... who does authority fall to?"
<Tales_GM> "Master Teugen has called for a replacement. He is due to arrive within the fortnight."
<Seig> "I see, could I get the watch captain, urgently?"
<Tales_GM> "I can only point you to the barracks. I'm sorry to be unable to assist further."
<Seig> "Alright thanks."
* Seig heads to the barracks.
* Shivva switches his clothing at the inn into common robes and head's back out.
<Thorek> "I'm glad at least that cursed fog is gone." Thorek says as he runs his thumb along the edge of his axe.
<Roderick> "At the very least we still have evidence and the confession. These plus the events that transpired should serve to clear our name."
* Shivva searches for Dietrich before returning to the warehouse.
* Far_Foririan begins channeling magic while the others are gone, he is able to cast a healing light on him and Thorek, healing them both of any damage they may have taken, even from that of chaos.
<Thorek> The dwarf thanks the elf with a nod, not glad that magic had to be used on him...but at least he doesn't feel as gross now.
<Thorek> "I certainly hope so. It would be nice to not have to watch our backs every waking moment, eh?"
<Tales_GM> At the Barracks, Captain Goertrin is unwilling to hear Sieg out. Yet at the mention of the people involved, he grants you an interview, to be conducted in the morning, after the warehouse is secured by his men. Meanwhile, Dietrich reports to Shivva that his reception with the Duke's servants was likewise a cold affair. Worse, he had to escape on threats of arrest for attempting an insurrection.
<Shivva> "This is gonna to be a problem, Dietrich. Let's head back to the Boss."