Divided by a Common Language
Log Info
- Title: Divided by a Common Language
- Emitter: Jinks
- Characters: Aelwyn, Eztli, Khepri, Nemori, Slixvah
- Place: Lower Market Districts
- Time: July 3nd, 2022
- Summary: A job comes through the Guild of Explorers to search a supposed-cultist's abode. The providence of the job is a bit questionable but all the boxes seemed to be ticked to make it legit. The mercenaries are led a short distance through the city into a back alley running between two row of shops. Their guide's behavior and certain situational cues re-raise eyebrows and some doubts are offered. Still, it all seems to check out.
With the owner in custody, the store and residence seems to be suffering from spoilage, giving the root cellar a foul smell. A secret door to a lower-level subbasement is found but the contract liaison wants a look upstairs. After a brief split and another warning about burlary and theft, the group reassembles and ventures into the lowest floor. They find a lab of sorts-- and undead! The mockeries of life are destroyed, information is gathered, and the contract is fulfilled.
It's another hot , hazy Alexandrian Eliday best kept indoors. With the curtains drawn. A cold drink would be nice, too. White clouds struggle across the sky as thin, pulled-apart wisps. The sheer brightness of it all makes the whole place seemed like a bleached skeleton lounging half-buried in heavy, desert sands.
It takes some time for most eyes to adjust to the gloom of the adventuring guild's foyer. Which is fine as the guild admin seems to be running slowly today.
The jobs were slim pickings: things outside the walls are getting dire. Things inside the walls are getting tight; so, so many refugees. But this retrieval seemed like a Thing. Local enough: the lower markets (practically around the corner!). Client-liaison included.
In-and-out. Fifteen minutes, probably.
Simple job. Basic pay. One of the more modest meeting rooms. The sole occupant inside leans back on two legs of her chair, her dirty, faded, and patched soft-leather boots kicked up onto the small table. Her fingers are laced behind her head, pushing her sloppy, rough-cut hair further in front of her face. She smiles wide in spite of the fading bruise taking up almost half of her face.
"'eeeeeeeey," she greets as people begin filtering in.
GAME: Nemori casts Endure Elements. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14
Khepri looks a little different, to those who see it. It's been tidied up a bit -- minor scratches buffed out, dents straightened. Its breastplate and shield are different, too -- the imbedded emblem of Vardama is still in its breastplate, but it's a finer grade of steel, etched with small angular markings around it in a circular pattern. Its shield shows similar markings, inscribed along the edge.
The war golem stalks in with its careful stride, yellow eyes turning to regard the woman sitting in the chair. Regarding her with that blank, impassive study, head tilting a bit to the side before the golem intones, "Interesting. I trust you are staying out of trouble."
Never fear, Slix is here! Showed right up with a keg of beer! Ever present and always near!
In walks a rust red and white egalrin with one hand in the pocket of her robe, and another massaging the small of her back. There was no beer. That was a lie.
"-eeeeey," her voice comes in from the distance as she strolls on up, looking positively 'it's way too hot to have all these feathers and to be generally existing' today. "What's good."
Aelwyn walks into the room with a mug on his hand, and a lot of extra red cloth over his head. His ruddy scales seemed to have a certain, 'shimmering' quality to them. "Stranger," He greets the woman with a bow, then turns to look up towards Khepri. "... Scales." He greets, after a moment of tilting his head this way and that.
Turning to look at not-beer-carrying egalrin, Aelwyn lifts his mug and flatly pours its contents over his head. "Sugar." The draconian nods, as the fluidy contents gets soaked into the red cloth and just spills over his exposed chest. Heat is serious business.
Eztli didn't have work today, but was also one of the few who didn't particularly have any qualms about working through the heat. It didn't really do much, anyways.
The small makari entered the room, and found a spot to rest against the wall. "Short, easy job? I'll believe it when I see it." Eztli sighs. "Hey Slix, Aelwyn, peace on your nests. Sorry I don't have anything to help anyone else with the weather."
Nemori doesn't look all that uncomfortable in the heat. Probably because she's cheating. But hey, if you can't enjoy the benefits of divine service, then whatevertheheck is the point? The shadow elf stops when she sees who is behind the table, and her eyes narrow. Whatever the conversation she'd last heard with the young woman, Nemori hadn't expected to find her here.
But Nemori reminds herself of her own strange circumstance and steps more fully into the room. Faces she all recognizes... "I feel as though I see the lot of you more often than I ever saw my own family," she comments. "And it had best be short. I promised I would cover the afternoon hours at the smithy today."
"Yor mistaken, tinny, I don't cop into rubble," the young woman chirps back, giving a sniff and winking over her button nose. "Yor finkin' of someone else." She kicks her legs up and falls forward, stomping her two feet down roughly in time with the front two legs of her chairs.
"'ello lizards," she grins at Aelwyn and Eztli, adding a 'hah!' when the latter offers her doubts.
"Coo-birdy," she raises a hand to greet Slixvah, laughing in bewilderment when she notices Nemori, too. "An' the lady missin' a bottle of beer," she greets, tugging at an earlobe. A moment is taken to glance between Slixvah and Nemori, curiously, and a wide eyebrow quirks when the mul'niessa mentions frequent meetings. This may not be the docks but she might be 'shipping, none the less.
"Right. T'day. Piece'a piss," a hand comes across dismissively. "Traitors in tahn, see? Guards told Mama, inn't? Mama told me. We get out the spoons." She snaps her fingers. "Fact-findin'."
GAME: Nemori rolls linguistics: (15)+6: 21
Khepri just stares blankly at the girl, its eyes glimmering with that cold, inhuman regard. Then the golem turns to look at Slixvah and Nemori. "The influx of refugees has unfortunately been a boon for any unproductive element to enter the city. The only surprise is that this is not coming up more often."
The stare turns back to the girl, and Khepri intones, "Where? Alexandria is not a small city, and there are many places to hide... both above and below."
Slixvah snaps a finger gun towards the trio. "G'day, darlin's," she coos inclusively. Her head tilts towards Nemori. "Sure hope we're at least less of a handful than fam.
The bird gives an up nod towards the lone human, her squinting for a moment as she tries to parse their employer's lingo. "... r... ight," she murmurs, slowly piecing it together off of Scales.
Aelwyn stares blankly towards the lady with the words. A moment later, he prods at his chest. "Dragoon, not a lizard, Spoons." He takes in deep breath, correcting the spot of his headgear. "A lot of explorers to go shaking people up."
The draconian leans his glaive against his shoulder, tilting his head. "... what are these kitchen utensils to the stranger anyway?"
GAME: Eztli rolls intimidate: (4)+10: 14
Nemori looks almost pained as she listens to the moppy-haired girl speak. The common tongue is already not her first language. Nor her preferred. But.. people are full of surprises. And the journey from her old home to her new one was a long one. (Keep an eye out for the prequel.) A hand goes to the right side of her head, touching the hair there, and her scowl... well, it takes effort to wipe it away. "You are certainly less predictable than my family, Slixvah," is her non-answer to the egalrin. But perhaps the fact that she is here, and not there, is the real answer.
"I imagine this has something to do with the list we recovered for the outsider. Agents of Heth. We are being recruited to find them. Fact finding." She looks at Aelwyn. "There are no spoons."
"That's not a bad thing, is it?" Eztli chuckles. "At least, I hope it's not a bad thing."
Eztli sighs, and stretches out, looking over at the their contact in the room. The moment their brow raised, the small makari was glaring back at her, as if to police their thoughts. But it certainly wasn't helped by how small they were.
"Well, sounds like business, though what are you trying to accomplish here?" She asks. "These people might have questionable business in town?"
"Guards nicked them." The woman explains, obviously amused at the general confusion running through the upright citizens brigade. The chair gives a little squeaky-squeal as she pops up, hooking her thumbs into her belt. "Gonna put the screws ter fem," she rocks on her heels.
The look from Eztli pulls her up short for a moment-- but just a moment. Nemori mentions the List and Tamzin puts a finger to her nose, pointing at the elf with her other hand. "We 'ave a winner!" Then Eztli follows the thought and the young woman is nodding again.
"Weeeee're--" she lifts a pinky and waves it around-- "gonna 'ave a butcher's hook fer innerestin' fings in their 'ome." She starts to worm her way through the crowd towards the door into the hall. "Evvy-dence. Conspira'or's notes. Juicy stuff.
"Spoons are easy," Aelwyn is answered with amused laughter. "Don't worry spoons..."
The mention of Heth gets more of Khepri's attention. "Ah. Now things become clear. Exactly how... vigorous should the apprehension of these agents, be? I was informed there is an implied size and condition involved when someone asks, 'bring them back in one piece'." The golem steps aside for Tamzin to amble past, though the yellow eyes follow her with that stony stare.
"Spoons are inefficient for what will be happening in any case. I recommend shovels." Khepri's eyes glow softly. "Because chances are good someone will be getting buried."
Slixvah snickers at Nemori. "Gotta keep ya on yer toes, girlie. I'll take that as a compliment~!"
The bird woman is doing her best to follow along. "... so a little breaking and entering. We do a little crime. Justified tho'. Sownds goood to mee."
She bobs her head along with the golem. "Ye ye ye. Someone's gonna! 'specially if its them jerks." She adjusts her rainbow ribbon-hairband and cracks her knuckles. "Readies whenevs."
"I imagine this can only end well," Nemori says, also stepping aside for Tamzin. Though it's possible it's more because she doesn't want to touch the street kid. Then she reaches up to adjust her hat.
Aelwyn turns towards Nemori. "The lack of spoons always confuses me in these discussions, Rapier." The Dragoon responds, then picks up his spear. He begins to walk after the rest of the group, but pauses to quietly say to Eztli, "It helps if she makes sure they see her first, and then plays murder with them with those eyes." With that he straightens, and continues to walk outside. One hand keeps adjusting the cloth atop his head.
"So we're breaking into the house of someone suspected of working against the city with ties to Heth?" Eztli asks, then sighs. "Well, they knew what they're getting into. They might have information, but I'm not going to lose any sleep if anything happens to them. Explains why we're just breaking into the place I guess."
Eztli sighs, and turns to leave. "I don't really know, it's alright." She sighs to the other sith-makar. "Got the point across, anyways."
"Yor best judgement, yeah?" Tamzin tells Khepri as she passes, taking the lead. "Hopefully, the bleedin' place is empty." She bumps her butt back to kick out her pack, hiking it up higher on her shoulders and cinching the straps tighter.
She pauses for a moment, surprised, and looks back at Slixvah. "Huh," is all she says before going 'muah' with puckered lips at Nemori's skepticism, continuing back on, shaking out a dark skullcap, and pulling it on. Shouldering through the door, she reaches down into her collar and pulls a scarf up over the lower half of her face.
"How abou this 'eat, eh? Fuckin' miserable." The words are a groaned complaint as she looks one way and then the other, squinting under her cap. "Least it's close. Just an 'op, right, skip, right, and a jump."
And she's right. Just five-or-six unpleasantly bright and oppressively hot blocks later has you ducking into an alleyway running between two row of botiques, garages, shops, shoppes, and stores. It's cooler in the shade but the warmth of the day has inspired the refuse and waste left rotting to stink profoundly.
"Ech. Loverly," complains your guide.
"Rapier. Hmm." Nemori doesn't seem entirely displeaed with the appellation. But she doesn't comment further as she follows their guide.
The shadow elf remains the picture of comfort, though the glare of the sun bothers her until she repositions her hat again. And that smell. There's no hiding the disgust for that. It may not truly compare to the recent soujourn into the sewers, but something doesn't have to be the worst smell for it to still be terrible. She finds herself holding her sleeve up to her nose as she follows.
Khepri follows along, uncomplaining. Unflinching. Unhesitating. Its gait, its appearance, make Khepri stand out even on the streets of Alexandria, at least until they duck into the alleyway. "Be on guard," the golem intones. "It appears this area does not see much in the way of city services. It may not be patrolled as extensively by the watch."
Deliberately, the golem loosens its khopesh in its sheath, the tiny bells tied to the pommel jingling softly, a tinny sound to match the charms around its neck. Regarding Tamzin, the golem comments, "You might be cooler without your cap and scarf. But then, you are trying to avoid recognition."
Slix crinkles her eyes at Tamzin in a cheeky smile. "What? Didn't expect lil' ol' Slix ta get 'er 'ands dirty?"
They step outside, and she groans at the heat. Really, out of all of them, she and their guide were the only ones suffering. It's not like someone's cheating in the group or anything. She brushes past Khepri: "Keep it cool," she chirps, and a little wind provides fresh air.
She rubs her hands together just as they set off. "And now for the fun bit," she coos, tightening the band on her skull. Slixvah quickly shakes her head, her face becoming a blur from the motion before she ceases and a tanned, human woman's face is there instead, black hair framing her eyes. Wings? What wings? There was no bird here at all.
Unlike before, this visage belies expression, and her face is scrunched up. "Bleh. Why is it always the smelly places we go. Why can't we break into like a floral house or somethin', ya dig?"
Aelwyn's makeshift turban serves him only so far in the heat, and soon all the cool liquid is gone from his scales. The ruddy scales just shimmered with the evaporating moisture. He could already smell the alleway from far enough - and without a word, he's already wrapping flowers from his satchel and that red cloth around his face.
Speaking of faces, he momentarily gets confused and reaches for his glaive, when the stranger appears in their midst. It's just the way of speaking that makes him calm down. Seems like there is a lot of going on in this city the sith is not familiar with. "And it is empty?" The draconian asks. "Take everything and leave?"
Eztli joined the others outside, and the lack of any concern about the heat was even more obvious. The small sith-makar had their baggy robes on as the followed the rest of the group down to where the supposed hideout was. Unfortunately, she was not immune to smell.
"If they don't want people around, this works well." Eztli huffs. "They're probably not stupid though. If they're not here, hells, even if they are here, it'll probably be trapped."
"I'd also like to know why our guide is hiding their face." Eztli notes, before looking back to find Slixvah looking quite different. "Huh. You'll have to tell me how you did that sometime."
The alley is long and dim and muggy. Some buildings have back doors and cleared paths. Others are solid walls decorated with piles of garbage or disused furniture. The shapes and makes are wonderfully varied from wood to stone to brick, single-storeys, floors stacked up two or three on top of each other, or a grand warehouse with a high ceiling.
Tamzin pauses once she's all the way in the alley and pulls down her mask only to immediately regret it. She gags and buries her nose in the crook of her leather coatsleeve. It takes her a couple moments to recover from the violent coughing fit. She's so distracted she doesn't have time to answer any concerns about her disguise.
"... eh up. Yer 'ave a look right nice," she tells Slixvah, surprised again. Her head tilts to one side and she ammends: "Like a ickle extra rumpwise, though." A shrug and she's counting her way further down into the alley, fingertip bouncing between the back of the shops.
"Did yer brin' a loot sack?" wonders the young woman over her shoulder at Aelwyn. Her pace slows as she stops to look down at a cellar door at the base of a whitewashed, two-storey building. "... boom."
GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness: aliased to perception+2: (3)+11+2: 16 GAME: Khepri rolls perception: (9)+9: 18 GAME: Aelwyn rolls perception: (2)+1: 3 GAME: Nemori rolls perception: (11)+9: 20 GAME: Eztli rolls perception: (8)+5: 13
"You all probably have thought of this already.. but in the event you have not, I suggest remaining discreet about this. If the Watch is going through..." Nemori trails off, gesturing.. vaguely. "They probably plan to maintain a degree of separation from this." She falls silent as they reach their destination, seeing the chained cellar door. That it is locked is unsurprising. However, the shadow elf continues to look at it. Stare at it even. She gets closer.. kneeling, even, though she is careful to avoid resting in anything undesireable. Then she rises. "Correct me if I am wrong," she finally says, gesturing somewhat lazily at the lock, her wrist held somewhat askew. "Is that not the emblem of the city watch upon that lock?"
Khepri stands impassive. At the mention of the watch's emblem on the lock, though, it snaps its head to stare at Nemori, then at Tamzin. "If that is the case it raises certain -questions- about where we are exactly entering. I was informed this was a sanctioned action."
The golem stares hard at Tamzin. "Perhaps you would like to offer further details regarding this... situation."
Slix shoots a wry grin and a wink towards Tamzin. She holds up a hand to talk behind it in a stage whisper. "I didn't change that at all, thanks for noticing," she snickers. She nods once towards Eztli and rolls a shoulder. "Sure, sugar, can show ya how it do be done at a later time."
She puts her hands in her pockets, face screwed shut to try and breathe as little as she spies a thing or two. Her mouth opens, then closes as Nemori delivers her report.
Sky blues rest on Tamzin, brows raised high.
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+13: (10)+13: 23 <OOC> Slixvah rolls for nemori as she had to step away GAME: Slixvah rolls 1d20+3: (3)+3: 6 GAME: Slixvah rolls sense motive+2: (9)+3+2: 14 GAME: Khepri rolls sense motive: (7)+6: 13 GAME: Khepri rolls intimidate: (9)+8: 17 GAME: Aelwyn rolls intimidate: (5)+8: 13 GAME: Eztli rolls sense motive: (12)+1: 13
"Well, locks are a good place to start with security." Eztli sighs. "Not good for us, though. Shouldn't be too hard to open them, though. Another time sounds good though, Slixvah."
She stops at the new information offered, and turns to Tamzin. "The city locked this place up? And what was that about a loot bag? We're supposed to be finding evidence, not looting things." The small makari huffs.
The young woman-- Tamzin-- looks up from shaking out a burlap sack that'd been folded, rolled, and stuffed into a pouch on her hip. Her uneven hair sticks out from under the tight skullcap and she blows out the corner of her mouth to clear a few strands back. The look she offers Khepri and Nemori is a dumb one. She's confused.
"It's like she said, inn't?" A nod is given towards Nemori. "'pposable finability, eh?" She takes a step back when Aelwyn and Khepri glower, holding up her hands and pushing at the air between them, urging them back. "Right now. Right. Don't do owt barmy now, eh?"
Her eyes dart past the bigger figures towards Slixvah. "C'mon, Coo-birdy. Tiny," she smiles sheepishly down at Eztli. "Loot. Evvy-dence. Pota'er, potah'er, yeah?" She steps back again and her heel finds something that squelches. She groans.
"OH!" She snaps. "I 'ave a bloomin' key." She reaches under her coat and produces a key. "See. Key." Her head tilts repeatedly towards the lock. "Locks fer other blokes, yeah? We got a key. Bobbies, Mama, us:" she lifts two fingers and crosses them. "Fick as fieves."
Meanwhile, Aelwyn is trying to walk straight with all the pollen in his eyes. There's lot of grunting and heaving as he tries to avoid stepping into too many unmentionables. Stepping closer towards Tamzin, he leans in with flowers poking out from his face and cloth over his eyes. Mostly staring at the nearby wall past Tamzin, the draconian asks, "... so what is it that is to be stolen?"
Khepri keeps staring at Tamzin for long, uncomfortable moments, before the beaked face bobs once in acknowledgement. "Proceed," it intones. Its yellow eyes drift to the others, though, and the Executor gestures for them to move a little away from the cellar doors.
Perhaps Khepri is hedging its bets, but it's still deeply suspicious of the whole thing, especially with Tamzin involved. At Aelwyn's comment, the golem remarks, "It is not stealing. It is confiscation of assets obtained through illegal conduct. The wages of sin shall not benefit those who commit such acts."
Unable to discern dishonesty from the young street woman, Nemori still shakes her head. "The key lends credibility." Unless it was stolen. A situation where the child's boss managed to get herself a key to a Watch locked house. A story to involve outsiders. But why? An investigator Nemori is not. "In Vandalheim everything is legal as long as you do not get caught," she mutters. "Perhaps," she says louder, "Seeing inside will clear things."
Slixvah grinds her beak, which on the illusory human is her chewing her cheek. Trying to follow along...
She ends up perking up, shrugging her shoulders up to jaw. "Sus as hell, but eh, what the fuck ever. Luck'll tell."
She steps aside too.
Eztli huffs, and the small makari takes a step back. "It's possible that they locked the entrance to make sure no one disturbed the scene. But still, if that was the case, they'd probably have guards near it, too, or send someone in an official capacity. The fact that they made it clear they locked up makes me unsure of their desire to distance themselves, as well. I trust Nemori's judgement on the matter."
"And who are you delivering the evidence to after this is done?" Eztli asks.
The girl deflates with a heavy sigh, shoulders slumping when everyone seems to make their way onto the same page. Her eyes go especially wide as she considers the larger sith-makar and wargolem.
"Are yer tryin' ter give us a horse-an'-cart attack?" She's nonplussed as she holds the key over her heart, cautiously stepping back towards the cellar door. The sack is tossed over a shoulder and she crouches. Her head cocks to one side and she leans over the lock, pulling it up towards her body to work the key in.
"Woss a 'sus?'" She asks distractedly. "... foreigners not speakin' bleedin' trade proper..."
"... mm?" A glance is offered to Eztli. "Mama gets it, 'course," she grunts as the lock fights her. "Yer can't 'ave a knees-up wivout a Joanna. She gives it ter the chuffin' wotch."
Finally, a *clack* and the lock pops open. The chain rattles loose.
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+11: (16)+11: 27 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+8+2: (18)+8+2: 28 GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness: aliased to perception+2: (10)+11+2: 23 GAME: Khepri rolls perception: (10)+9: 19 GAME: Aelwyn rolls perception: (8)+1: 9 <OOC> Slixvah unsure if nemori has returned, will roll for her GAME: Slixvah rolls 1d20+9: (6)+9: 15 GAME: Eztli rolls perception: (14)+5: 19
Khepri just keeps -staring- at Tamzin. It's really not much fun. But finally, when the chain is removed, the golem nods. "Let us continue then. We will need to work swiftly. I for one do not wish to be here if the inhabitants return -- even with the imprimatur of the Watch this sits poorly with me."
Once the cellar doors are unlocked, the golem reaches out to open one, peering down into the darkness with its glowing eyes.
Slixvah raises a brow. "... bird term for situations that make ya squint yer eyes reaaaaaal tight."
She squints in demonstration. And holds it. "Lotta work for a state sanctioned lock..." she coos, rocking on the balls of her feet. "Man it smells horrible here. And it's hot."
Aelwyn wasn't in the sewers, but he was getting the feeling this was going to be a pretty shit job again. Grunting, he lets more of the people pass through him, before he follows on after with his glaive pointed at the ceiling. "The less one reminds of it, the less the smell stays." He hisses quietly with a low rumbling sound.
The good news is that you're getting out of the alley that stinks. The bad news is that the cellar seems to smell worse than the alley as the cool air gusts out from behind the opened hatch. The entryway is low and the stairs narrow, requiring one to duck their head on the dark space.
Conjured light reveals cramped space to be a root cellar filled with crates, stoppered earthenware, stocked shelves, and hanging sprigs and bulbs. Something hasn't kept particularly well and those with especially strong noses will not enjoy their time here.
To your left is a tight, spiral staircase heading up.
"Everyfink's a mess wen yer forget the grease," Tamzin grins at Slixvah as she sorts out the key, puts it away, and takes her sack back in hand. All her pouches and the backpack and she doesn't seem to have any sort of weapon. Maybe that's why she's brought the mercenaries along. "... can't spot well in the chuffin' dark, so's..."
She clicks her tongue and lets others pass.
"Or perhaps it will reveal nothing," Nemori continues her previous thought once everyone is down in the cellar and she's had a moment to look around the immediate area. "I suppose this is where we must start thinking like we believe an agent of Heth might think." Or think like a couple of criminals trying to use honest adventurers, like herself, as patsies.
Slixvah raises a lit hand, shining with a pale white light as they descend with the others. Her nose scrunches up before its hidden away in the crook of an arm. "Ugh...- huh?"
She steps on over towards one of the shelves, her holding her hand up high to see things easier. "... some poor wiz kid gonna be right pissed they stuff rotted. Damn... so much good stuff in here too..." she narrates.
GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/nature: (1)+8: 9 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness: aliased to perception+2: (11)+11+2: 24 GAME: Nemori rolls survival: (8)+3: 11 GAME: Nemori rolls perception: (8)+9: 17 GAME: Khepri rolls perception: (6)+9: 15 GAME: Khepri rolls knowledge/nature: (2)+6: 8 GAME: Eztli rolls perception: (17)+5: 22 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+10: (6)+10: 16
Aelwyn takes a step back from the cellar doorway and rubs his throat. "... shall stay on a lookout. In case the Watch arrives." And not at all because he was making quiet gagging sounds. Bowing his head to the others, "Scream if a spear is needed." The draconian says, moving to stand aside the hatch.
Eztli gags at the entrance to the cellar, peering in and hoping someone else would go in first. "I didn't think this place would smell even worse than outside." She huffs. "Looks like someone was storing spell components here, and things for making magic scrolls."
"We'll let you know if anything happens. Hopefully, we'll be alright." She sighs, before stepping further down into the gloom.
Slixvah's human visage oddly quirks to the side, a mannerism that'd befit her true form much better. "Weeeeird..." she intones, slipping past the tight confines to inspect a shelf. A finger runs along the wall before she squints, grabs the base of the shelf, and shoves it aside in an attempt to jostle the wall connected to it.
Khepri holds up one of its charms, using a light cantrip to cast illumination for those lacking darkvision. "Hm," the golem intones. "Unpleasant. Something did not last. Not food, I think. Some arcane components are fragile and can turn bad easily."
The beaked face turns to the others. "Upstairs? Shall I go first?" It doesn't seem averse to the prospect, simply asking out of politeness.
Nemori shakes her head slowly. "Tell me.. what is the purpose of a root cellar?" It was one of the first questions she asked on her first walk outside the smithy. "It is for storing items that do not spoil easily, and to assist in preserving them even longer. It is odd to find these... in this state down here."
"God... that smells orful." Tamzin chokes, pulling her mask back up just in time to cough into it. "... I'm gonna 'ave a look up the apples and pears," she chokes out, pointing a finger up with her bag hand.
"... hairy knees let there be fresh air," she mutters as she sneaks past Khepri to take the stairs two at a time. Her gait catches near the top and she looks down at Slixvah near the wall, then cranes her neck over the lip into the ground floor.
"Hmmmm..." Tamzin thinks, looking down at Slixvah and weighing her options. "Yer lads take care of that." And then she's out of sight.
Sliding the broken tool down the seam finds a crack wide enough to easily accept the short, curved blade. With the shelves moved aside the door opens towards the disguised egalrin easily. The air beyond is thicker and somehow worse-smelling. The earthen walls are lined with a dull, matte metal that looks fresh from the forge. A wooden pole runs from the ceiling with spiraling planks descending in a sort of slapdash stairwell.
"Root cellars still require maintenance." Eztli explains. "It's not perfect, and if one thing starts to go off, it can spread to everything else quickly. So, if no one is around to clear out what is going bad, it leads to horrible stenches like this."
Eztli is torn between looking at the door that was being worked open, and the client heading upstairs. "We aren't going to leave them unsupervised, are we?" She huffs. I guess I'll go up with uh, not sure I ever got the war golem's name. I'll go up with them, in case they try anything funny with only one person with them."
GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/arcana: (7)+11: 18 GAME: Khepri rolls knowledge/arcana: (13)+7: 20 GAME: Eztli rolls knowledge/arcana: (8)+4: 12
Khepri reflexively starts as Tamzin scrambles past up the stairs, and begins to say something, but then she's gone. At Eztli's remark, the golem lets out a mechanical sigh. "I was named Khepri." Yellow eyes glare at where Tamzin ran off to. "I am not comfortable with letting her wander around unsupervised, either. But..." The golem gestures to the now-not-so-hidden door. "It is not tactically sound to split forces."
Slixvah drops the shears as she steps back away from the worse smell. She looks over her shoulder and scowls. "Yeah, she's robbing the place. And I betcha we're gonna get framed. Please keep after her, Trinket."
She stares into the downward wooden spiral. "... lined with lead. Meant ta not be seen by the far-eyes voodoo." She groans, and shuts the door. "We'll tackle it later. Smells even worse down there, prolly like a dead body or somethin' gnarly."
Nemori schools her expression away from sour. Tries to. As bad as it smells, the tunnel draws her. "Who cares what the human whelp gets herself into? This is actually beginning to look promising and the more time we spend fooling around upstairs, the more chance we have of being discovered. So what if the girl leaves with a bag full of trinkets? It is not what we are here for."
Khepri follows the sketchy youth up the staircase, quitting the cellar in favor of the shoproom floor. The spiral continues further up to a second storey. The shop itself seems to be empty save for the usual shop-type stuff: displays, a trio of podiums with open books listing inventory and items available to-order, one wall of repurposed wine racks holding a scattered array of scrolls.
There's a set of fogged windows near the sales counter. The back of an armored watchman can be seen through the fuzzy panes. His (or her) cloak makes their affiliation obvious.
A large flag is draped against the back wall with the Society of Progressive Arcanaist's colors. A plaque describes the owner's name, commencement date, his field of study, and a short list of awards.
It might not be the most-important thing to the construct but the smell of incense and distance from the basement (and apparent sub-basement) does wonders for the air quality.
There's no sign of Tamzin.
GAME: Khepri rolls perception: (7)+9: 16
Eztli stops mid way to the stairs, and sighs. "Because, you mentioned that this place may have something to do with the people who are working with the undead in the city. So if they run off with actually important things relevant to this work, then that's a set back for everyone. Or worse, it gets sold back to them from some unscrupulous black market, and we accomplish nothing."
"Besides, everyone has a story. You should know that I try to see the good in people Nemori, and maybe I don't want them getting in shit with the guard. Or finding a way to pin this all on us, but that's less hopeful."
Khepri slows as it comes up to the shoproom floor. If anyone follows, the golem gestures for them to stay back, pointing to the outside. Tilting its head quizzically, Khepri looks upward, before pacing up the stairs further. Absently, its hand rests on the khopesh pommel, rubbing a thumb there without being aware of it.
As the golem ascends, it speaks in a low tone, "You had better be collecting -evidence-, or I will be -most- disappointed..."
Slixvah gives a sigh and gestures towards Eztli. "That, and also I don' wanna go down with jus' you an' me incase things get bad. Remember what happened on the boat?"
She ambles over to the bottom of stairs and waits for things to clear up.
Nemori lets out a small, but disgusted sigh. She stops short of rolling her eyes, however, opting to nod instead at Eztli. Besides, it looks as though the group has decided. She looks at the passage one last time before she turns to follow the others up the stairs.
Khepri's warning points out the posted guard outside, and she doesn't need to be told to remain quiet.. alerting him is not on the list of things she would like to do. She doesn't follow up to the next level, however, opting instead to find a cabinet or a shelf to hide behind in case the Law decides to glance over their shoulder and inside the shop.
The top floor is clearly living quarters for the man Tamzin claims to have been arrested under suspicion of conspiracy and sedition. A busy writing desk sits under one of the room's many windows. There's a rack for robes and coats, a closed armoire, a sturdy, darkwood footlocker, and a large bed sans mattress. A folding wall half-hides tub and chamber pot.
A large staff leans against one corner with an elaborate tome on a pedestal right next to it. A small stand with a perch for a bird is in its own corner in direct sunlight from the room's last two windows.
It smells even nicer up here but the air is choked with down. There's the sound of tearing cloth. At the center of it all is Tamzin, rending the bed's missing mattress and shoving her arms deep into the fluff.
"Right me won'erful prize. Where are yer?" She stops when she hears Khepri's voice, tossing aside the bedding and squinting at him. "Wot, eh, mate? Did yer cop lost?" Her sack is on the ground, crumpled by her feet and half-buried under loose feathers.
GAME: Nemori rolls perception: (14)+9: 23
Khepri doesn't shout, but its body language just screams, 'Are you kidding me?!' It crosses the distance between itself and Tamzin, glaring down at her. "We are here to collect evidence, not steal anything we can find." Pause. "I realize the concept may be somewhat alien to you, as when we first met you were unconscious after participating in an attempted theft of donated goods for charity." There's a faint edge of contempt in its voice.
"Explain yourself, or I will happily derail this entire endeavor by calling to the guard outside."
"I, yeah, sorry. Maybe I don't have the right of things."
Eztli sighs and heads upstairs, only stopping just as she saw the guard waiting outside. "That explains a bit, they are still guarding this place." She grumbles to herself before heading upstairs. "Khepri's right." She adds, catching the tail end of the conversation. "I think we need an explanation for a lot of things around this."
"Hmm." Nemori says to herself. Whether she hears the exchange upstairs or not (It's not like the two up there WANT to be discovered. But then. She does have good ears. Ear, rather) she pays it no mind, gaze resting upon the counter where, she supposes, transactions would have taken place. "Hmm." She glances again at the window, through it at the watchman's back, then settles back out of side again. Out comes her knife again, her thumb running along the blade's flat side beside its edge. Then she closes her eyes, silently mouthing words to herself.
This continues for a few moments before her eyes open abruptly and shine a little with determination. Quietly, she eases out of her hiding place to start climbing the stairs after the others. When she gets close enough to see the mess Tamzin has made, and gets a moment to interrupt, "If she is looking for something specific, it is possibly gone. The shop's till is gone. The watch may have took it, but if they did.. then they have already been through this place. More likely it has been abandoned."
Slix goes up the steps some, assess the situation, then hangs out in the stairwell. It was getting a bit crowded up there.
"... weren't me." Tamzin tells Khepri lamely only to sigh and cant her chin around the room. "Evry wizard 'as a spellbook an' I don't speak magic." She points then at the messy desk. "I'm bloody well pretty sure the wotch went frough them papers already."
"The mattress were fresh-sewn so I wanted a 'ave a look inside," the young woman explains, lifting up the half-deflated bedding. More down cascades out as well as a dull, black disc that bounces off the piled fluff. "Hm." She looks down at it and then across at the newly-arrived Eztli. Then blinks at Nemori. "Why do rich blokes keep plates in their beddin'?
"An' I 'ave ter bo peep on a floor..." She sighs.
"There's a chest, right, too, and a cabinet but I 'aven't gotten there yet... I fought yer were gonna check the underground, do wot guvnor!"
GAME: Khepri rolls sense motive: (20)+6: 26 GAME: Eztli rolls sense motive: (12)+1: 13 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+13: (4)+13: 17 GAME: Nemori rolls sense motive: (14)+3: 17 GAME: Slixvah rolls sense motive+2: (4)+3+2: 9
Khepri reaches down to pick up the disk, holding it. "They keep such in their bedding," the golem says in an ominous tone, "when the very possession could be their downfall." He turns it so all can see the unholy symbol embossed on it. "This is the same symbol the dwarf at the donation drive bore. The same dwarf, I might add, that almost killed you with his reckless channeling of negative energy." This directed at Tamzin.
"We need to inspect where that underground staircase goes. I appreciate your desire to fill your purse, but this is now very, very serious indeed."
Nemori's eyes narrow a little bit at Tamzin, very deliberately not straying from the young criminal. At the revelation of the disc, its meaning, and its link to Tamzin's past, she lets her scowl settle back into place. "Are we finished here, at least? We have found evidence, yes? And perhaps more down the secret tunnel? Leave the girl to find the spell book. It seems the resident is no ally of the city and the watch will hardly need it."
Slixvah gives a long sigh as she shakes her head. "Damn undead..." she mutters. "Hurry and let us be downstairs. I wanna quit this place sooner than later." She slips back down, face cringing as the smell grows worse.
GAME: Khepri rolls perception: (6)+9: 15
"So the person living here did have some questionable business." Eztli sighs. "That's, good, or rather, it's not good, but better than attempting to rob someone innocent?"
"Doesn't change the fact that I don't think you're here for evidence. You're also way in over your head, if someone with that symbol hurt you before. You should leave this be, nothing good is going to come of it."
"Yeah, lets go I guess. I don't want to stay here much longer either, not at the moment."
The sub-basement is a recent addition if the state of the floors and walls are any indicator. It is entirely possible that the cultist was an especially fastidious insurgent, however. Dark earth and carved stone are bolted with more of the fresh metal plating. The brick of the floor is unmistakably that of the sewers-- only far cleaner than any sewer floor you've ever seen.
The smell is one-hundred percent, bonafide Alexandrian-brand eau de faeces.
Khepri finds the bottom of the stairwell and its light spills into an open floorplan that slopes towards the center and a hinged grate about burbling, murky water. Stepping in, it observes a workshop of sorts to its right: stacked boilers, pots, tubes, and piping next to high operating table.
So interested in the immediately-observable details, it misses the pressure plate on the floor. The wargolem's foot lands and sinks a good inch, conjuring up ratcheting sounds and the spinning of gears. The room's four doors slam open and yellow-brown clouds spill out along with the moaning of the unquiet dead.
GAME: Eztli casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
Eztli was following down the path, and the noise of some doors opening downstairs was certainly unexpected. they immediately throw up one hand in a warding motion, causing the air around them to shimmer for a moment, before vanishing.
"That doesn't sound good. It isn't, is it?" Eztli says, peering down the tunnel.
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+8+2: (6)+8+2: 16
The first of the shambling corpses surges out of the darkness of its cell at an awkward, shambling run. Its skin is rotten and yellowed and a cloud of choking miasma clings to it and pours out of the torn holes in its decayed form.
Its eyes are milky and shrunken and its lips have long since sloughed away from its jaw.
GAME: Slixvah used a Wand of Mage Armor. GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/religion: (9)+5: 14 GAME: Khepri rolls knowledge/religion: (17)+7: 24 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+8+2: (17)+8+2: 27 GAME: Slixvah rolls fortitude: (16)+2: 18 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d6+8: (3)+8: 11
Slixvah ambles down the stairs, wand out as she wafts it around to gird herself. "Aight, these guys looks plague zombiES OW, FUCK!" she yells before, skittering back up the stairs, clutching her side.
GAME: Nemori rolls knowledge/religion: (18)+6: 24 GAME: Nemori rolls 3d6: (10): 10 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (4)+7: 11 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (12)+7: 19 GAME: Nemori spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY.
Nemori's hears the moaning. She hesitates, listening first to for warnings called from below while Eztli girds herself in her magic. The warning comes in the form of "OW FUCK!" from the bird woman. Nemori curses quietly to herself, then squeezes by Eztli and skims down the stairs. A quick glance shows her Slixvah is still safely behind Khepri, so she slips past them both and into the room. It is her first look at the place... and it clearly doesn't make her happy. Still, this is no time for hesitation. One hand produces her rapier, the closes over her holy token... and she channels. It's yet to become a pleasant thing for her; almost as if there is some measure of discordance between her and the energies she is channeling. But the blast she releases is as effective as ever.. and if it leaves her catching her breath, then that's a price she'll have to pay.
"Watch... yourselves. Diseased.. and they explode..." Nemori manages to gasp out.
GAME: Khepri rolls weapon1: (1)+5: 6 (EPIC FAIL)
Khepri's eyes flare. "The walking dead! Truly, this man was accursed!" It raises its hand, "Vardama, give me the power to lay these shells to rest!" With that, it sweeps past Nemori, smoothly shunting her behind him. "Take care! I cannot be fazed by the disease, but you can!" Its khopesh comes whistling out, bells jingling, and slices past the undead horror. "Clear a path if you can, but do not tarry too close!"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+8: (17)+8: 25 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d6+8: (3)+8: 11
The next zombie stumbles out of its cell, pushing back against Khepri. It raises both arms and slams them down against the constructures shoulders. Porfane energies power the creature's form and metal plates dent. When the thing pulls its limbs back it leaves smeared flesh and brackish oils behind on the inquisitor. It coughs and its tongue falls out amid a thick cloud of spores.
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+8: (8)+8: 16
The beast that had charged Khepri doesn't seem to take any notice of the mul'niessa and war golem trading spaces. It just swings, stumbling, and loses two fingers when they snap and tumble away against Nemori's armor.
"Uhhhhhh..." it exhales, eyeless and noseless.
<OOC> Slixvah says, "slix will use hex:healing on khepri" GAME: Slixvah rolls 1d8+4: (8)+4: 12
It's odd seeing those ribbon-like spools of feathers break through the illusion, as white soft light glitters across a strand. It breaks apart as it nears Khepri, and it turns into dozens of little razer thin threads as they stitch and fix and mend what can be sutured together. "Agh... fuck, my ribs..." she complains.
GAME: Nemori spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY. GAME: Nemori rolls 3d6: (6): 6 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (14)+7: 21 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (12)+7: 19 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)
Nemori didn't resist Khepri's pull, though it caught her off guard a bit. His warning registers, too.. but a glance at the stairs tells the shadow elf that she needs to make room. "Get down here and help!" she snaps as she keeps her rapier between her and the zombie in the center of the room, slowly circling him before channelling once more. Still not getting easier.
GAME: Eztli rolls 1d20+3+4: (10)+3+4: 17 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+4: (13)+4: 17 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+4: (4)+4: 8 GAME: Eztli casts Burning Hands. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15 GAME: Eztli rolls 3d4+3: (7)+3: 10 GAME: Eztli rolls fortitude: (5)+4: 9
Eztli is stuck on the stairs, not really able to see well. The small makari huffs. "You want me to run _into_ the zombies you just said explode?" The small makari asks back, before just sighing and attempting to squeeze past the egalrin to get into the room with the two undead. She raises up her hand, and sends out a spray of flames that clung to the undead where they connected, dissipating after a split second. And they get a horrible retching cough for their troubles.
GAME: Khepri rolls weapon1: (12)+5: 17 GAME: Khepri rolls 1d8+4: (3)+4: 7 GAME: Nemori rolls fortitude: (17)+5: 22
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+8: (10)+8: 18
Khepri bunches its shield arm, keeping one of the horrid walking corpses in place. As flame washes over the other two, the golem calls out, "Take care, they carry all manner of disgusting disease!" His khopesh flicks out, jingling, and hooks under the chin of the other zombie. The war golem reels it in like a gaffed fish, and hacks it down, uncaring of the gout of spores that splatter across its feet and shinplates.
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+4: (7)+4: 11 GAME: Slixvah casts Ear-Piercing Scream. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15 GAME: Slixvah rolls 2d6: (9): 9 GAME: Jinks rolls 1d4: (4): 4
Slixvah grumbles, following in after Eztli as he clutches her side. She reaches behind herself, touching something under the illusion as a wing breaks free, then beats once into the acrid air as Slix's mouth opens in a wordless, soundless howl.
The air around the zombie quavers. Ripples. Then turns supersonic as it rips it to shreds.
She gasps. "I. Hate. Sewage."
Unfortunately, Khepri is standing there when the zombie bursts. Fortunately, the mess all lands on it and war golems don't really give a crap about that sort of thing. Idly, it flicks a shred of rotted flesh off its chestplate. "Untidy. But success is an excellent argument."
Sweeping its gaze across the workshop, Khepri intones, "It appears the resident of this place has been violating the Alexandrian strictures on 'playing with dead things'. It will be a terminal error on his part." A flick of its khopesh to sling away any lingering slime.
GAME: Nemori casts Calm Emotions. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15 <OOC> Nemori converts to a heal GAME: Nemori rolls 2d8+5: (12)+5: 17
There isn't even a corpse left to stab anymore. Nemori, looking disgusted as ever, puts her unused weapon away, then turns to the others. Post battle clean up. She gathers power from one of her spells, touching Slixvah on the shoulder and healing the worst of the hit she took... then steps back. "There may be more here for your evidence.. but I suggest we be swift. The noise of battle may very well have carried upstairs to the watchman outside."
Eztli snaps her fingers and vanishes the horrible grime away from their clothes. But then they're free to retch quietly in a corner. "That was a horrible idea. At least they're dead now, though. Well, dead again." She grumbles. "Yeah, idiots or evil folk keeping undead in the city. Glad they're gone though. Let's see if there is any evidence about, and get out of here. Magic cleaning or not, I need a bath. And something to drink."
-End Scene-
Combatty
Map: https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=meefzx331vu
OOC
<OOC> Khepri says, "Epilogue: Khepri will take evidence to the guild (and the temples) regarding this, as well as getting everyone there to be checked over."