The Fatal Syzygy - Sinners

[KingRexII]

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...

"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, I was telling you about how the Five would bring about the end of this world..."

A beak underneath a hood caws out, "No wait -- who in the Nine Hells are you?"

"Like the announcer said -- I am Professor Irook Dimble Inglebert Oppenheimer Turen," he says proudly. After the unimpressed silence, he mutters, "Like any of these louts would recognize a true scholar..."

"I mean where's Beedle? We can here to see The Immortal Bard himself!"

"Oh... him... Well, I just saw him before coming on here -- I think he had a previous engagement..." he sees the disappointment in the crowd and cleverly segues, "...and he wanted me to tell you this very story." The unwashed (literally) masses grumble slightly before turning their attention back to the Professor.

With the bravest voice he could muster, he starts again, "You see this prophecy tells of five emprisoned souls, taken by some unknown force. They were collecting these people, these sinners and saints, for their own terrible goals --"

"And what terrible thing was that?" the kenku interrupts.

The Professor stumbles a little, "Well... that's interesting that you should ask. Y-you see... um... we don't really know." The fickle crowd groans in disapproval. He tries to recover, "Prophecies are tricky that way -- they-they never tell the whole story. On purpose, I think. It's up to those telling and to those listening to-to fill in the gaps." He nods to himself thinking that his explanation is quite sufficient. He wipes beads of sweat on his face.

The bird-man sighs. "Then fill in the gaps already! I'm already halfway through my meal."

"Right! Right! Um... So these uh... dark, cloaked beings were... uh... using these people for uh... um... experiments. Yes -- awful painful experiments to -- uh, make them super strong. Yes, they were making an army of super strong warriors." The bargoers look mildly interested. "So from whatever prisons they were in before, the uh... Dark Cloaks -- yes that's a good name -- the Dark Cloaks gathered them together into a stark, white cell and dressed them all in simple clothing. Dresses for the women; shirt and slacks for the men. Each one was one solid color -- like they were dressed up for one big... uh... evil ritual. Although there were five present, a sixth was missing, and uh... all six were needed for this ritual. They were drugged in their sleep -- or, y'know, for those elves and whatnot out there, in their meditative state -- and taken away surreptitiously so that no one would know where they were. They were just rousing and were still groggy when there was this great rumbling noise and a subsequent explosion not far from their room. There was screaming and fighting and a wailing siren. Just then, the door magically opens..."

Two constructs sit at the bar, next to the silenced man who continues to swear wordlessly. One turns to the other and exasperatedly says "I hate Open Mike Night."

The five of you wake in a stupor in a room that you weren't in before. You lie on bedrolls all lined in a row. The room itself is just four featureless white walls, an equally featureless ceiling (~15' tall), and a flat white floor. The room is 30' x 15' and holds nothing else. You see no door, but you hear the explosion and commotion from the side where your feet were pointing.

((OOC: All right folks, just a fair warning as time is supposed to move fairly quickly here. You've got one post to give a general description of your character and maybe do or say something witty before fate starts throwing crap at you. Just so it's clear -- we're right before the 'door magically opens' part (though your characters don't know that). Once everyone has checked in, we'll get this party going.))

[AmberVael]

Aisha, the Jackal

Aisha's vivid blue eyes flick open, the haze of sleep and dream being pulled away like curtains being drawn apart. With a lithe, fluid motion she draws herself up into a sitting position, feet flat on the floor as she draws her knees up towards her chin, dropping her arms around her legs. She looks over everything, then grins a wide, almost delirious grin as she jumps up to her feet and stretches out her arms and body rhythmically, going through motions she had practiced hundreds of times. As she works herself out, limbering up for the day, she chants and sings a little song under her breath, timing it with the motions she uses in her exercise.

"What a to-do to die today at a minute or two to two,
A thing distinctly hard to say but harder still to do.
For they'll beat a tattoo at a quarter to two:
A rat-ta tat-tat ta tat-tat ta to-to.
And the dragon will come when he hears the drum
At a minute or two to two today, at a minute or two to two."

As she finishes her song for a third time in a row, she completes her workout and drops back instantly to relax against the wall of the cell, watching everyone else, still smiling cheerily and insanely. It's hard to tell if she just puts that much enthusiasm into smiling, or if she is demented and it is just a sign of her madness.

"Rise and shine, my lovely little birds. Seems we're getting entertainment today. Hear that outside?"

She tilts her head, eyes going distant, mouth opening just a little as she listens intently to the sound, taking it in with a vacant smile. Letting a little time pass, she gives a shiny, tooth filled smile at them all, refocusing her attention on them.

"Sounds beautiful, doesn't it?"

[ColdSepp]

Gilium Resh

Gilium's slitted eyes snap open at the sound of someone singing, though he does not move. He lies still, studying the ceiling, then rising to see the whole room. It is clear that this isn't where he went to sleep the night before, but the only other person awake doesn't seem to be aware, much less informative.

He moves to the end of the bed, and sits, looking over his simple outfit. It was clean, at least, much cleaner then the cell he had been in. He runs a hand through his think black hair, then brushes the light scales on his chest, before looking over the other three occupants of the room.

An orc, an elf, a human, and a catfolk. "Quite the odd collection." He thinks to himself. "And none from the same jail as I was in." He narrows his eyes, thinking, when the first sounds come through the blank wall in front of him. "Sounds like trouble. And that is assuredly not beautiful."

He rises, settling into a ready position at the food of his bed, the nails on his hands suddenly noticeable as being rather sharp, for a human.

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Currently in Martial Spirit Stance

[Duke of URL]

M'llanana

The limber, supple catfolk female rouses herself from the stupor she found herself in. "Gods, I hate it when I wake up and don't remember how I got there... what was I drinking last night? Wait... no, I was in prison, wasn't I. So what..." Her speech drifts off as she examines her surroundings, adopting an aggressive posture.

She suddenly wheels and looks at the others. "Who are all of you? Do any of you know what's been going on here?"

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Adopting (and will always adopt by default until further notice) Blood In The Water stance.

[ColdSepp]

Gilium Resh

Gilium doesn't take his eyes of the wall from which the noises come. "I could ask you the same things." He says to Ana. "I have no idea where we are, or what is going on. Or who you are, for that matter."

[Meshakhad]

Anna awakens from a dream of fire. The athletic young woman gets up, groggily at first, then she remembers what has happened.

A blade seemingly made of pure energy extends from her hand. The blade flares reddish-orange before settling around purple. Anna takes a deep breath, focusing and calming herself, before asking the question:

"Who are you people?"

[ColdSepp]

"Gillium Resh"

Gillium gives a snort. "That seems to be the most popular question around here."

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Search: (1d20)[14]

[AmberVael]

Aisha/Jackal

"...and a question no one seems to want to answer, I notice."

Aisha says, a look of amusement spread across her face. She seems a little smug as she points it out, almost standing outside of the group , watching them all react similarly, while she points and laughs at them. She raises her hands, palms up, as if to shrug and say 'don't ask me what's up with them.'

"My name's Aisha, but most everyone calls me Jackal. As for what is going on, we seem to be imprisoned somewhere. And something is happening outside."

She casually raps the wall with her knuckles, nodding towards the sound they hear.

[ColdSepp]

Gillium Resh

"And now you know as much as we do."

[Duke of URL]

M'llanana

"Yes, thank you for that blinding flash of the obvious," she quips as she continues to look around for any sign of where they are. Offhandedly, she adds, "the name is M'llanana. You may call me M'llanana."

[KingRexII]

A second, even larger explosion rattles your world. Almost simultaneously, a body comes barreling through the door to your cell. The charred flesh splinters open the door and parts of the frame with it, spraying the cell with projectile debris¹. Except for the yet-to-speak fifth person in your cell, the four of you somehow avoid taking a hit by the chunks of bricks and shards of wood.

Outside the cell, you can see two or three other body parts and one whole body trying to get up despite being engulfed in flames. The air is smokey and full of airborne debris, which is quickly filling up your room². It smells like a mixture of earth, fire and a tinge of something else³.

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¹I treated this like a trap doing 1d10 damage at a +5 AB versus everyone. Damage and attack rolls were made. And let me just say that the dice love you guys today. The fifth person takes 8 damage. He is knocked prone.
²Any senses that depend on sight, smell or taste have a -4 penalty to checks.
³Know(Dungeon) DC 15 to identify the smell:

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The smell is a gas (Suspension of belief moment -- yes, I know natural gas is odorless. Let's just say that fantasy gas smells worse.) and is extremely explosive when there is a spark and highly flammable.

[AmberVael]

Aisha/Jackal

"You get what you ask for."

Aisha replies cheerily as the explosion rips open their room. It's strange how relaxed she seems, completely calm despite the obvious danger and complete mystery of their situation. Either she knows more than she lets on, or... or who knows what. More evidence for that 'crazy' theory, one might guess.

"Time to go, I think. Unless people want to stick around for more explosions."

She gives a grin and a wink to the others and nips out of the door, raising her voice to carry to them as she quickly exits, moving gracefully across the newly created rubble. Jackal keeps an observant eye on the entire situation, trying to determine exactly what was going on, and where would be best to go.

"Come along then!"

[Duke of URL]

M'llanana

The catlike humanoid looks briefly at the body that came through the door. A pity, I suppose, but nothing than can be helped anymore. Looking up at the now-open doorway, she says, "well, we now have a way out. It's probably dangerous, but I don't think staying here will be any safer."

[ColdSepp]

Gillium Resh

Gillium checks the body, and the body parts, for any useful items, or identification, in hopes of figuring out where he is. "See if you can get that one that's trying to stand put out, we may be able to get some answers from him." He calls, still searching.

[KingRexII]

M'llanana and the Jackal step through the opening. The burning woman (who is on her hands and knees) screams at them, "Help me!" Looking around, this is what they can see:

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Some of the walls and parts of the ceiling are on fire. To their left, they see some fires being extinguished by some yet unseen magical forces. The hallway goes about 40' before bending to the right. To their right, there aren't any fires, but the walls are charred, dented, or destroyed. The ground is covered in wood and stone chunks. This side of the hallway goes for about another 40' before bending left. Besides the other chunks of flesh, they see nothing else interesting through the smoke and debris.

Gillium frantically searches the body, but the smoke in his eyes and the commotion seem to be distracting him. He finds...

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Sorry, CS -- natural one.
Mitral Chain Shirt (Anna)(though it'll take a bit of time to take it off the corpse)

As he touches the items, his brain somehow knows what their magical properties are.

[ColdSepp]

Gillium Resh

Gillium tosses the shirt down, and follows the others into the hall.

[Duke of URL]

M'llanana

M'llanana searches around to see if anything can be used to put out the flames. In the meantime, she shouts at the woman, "drop to the floor and roll -- it's your best hope!"

[ColdSepp]

Gillium Resh

Gillium joins the others in the hallway, looking around. "There was some armor on that body if anyone wants it."

[KingRexII]

The burning woman feebly drops to the floor and begins to roll around. She continues to scream in pain. She doesn't seem to be able to stop the fire. To your left, you see beetle-like creatures come into view¹. They click and skitter into position before turning their attention toward you.

Down the hallway to your left, you all hear a booming voice, "Where's Argos?" You cannot hear the answers to his question nor anything else above the commotion.

Aisha and Gilium see something pop out of the burning woman's hands as she's rolling around on the ground. It looks a blue marble, and it rolls to your right into the debris.

The fifth member of your group comes running out with a few items in his hands. He says, "I... uh... got a few things from the bodies back there."

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¹To recognize the beetles - Knowledge: Arcana DC 11:

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The beetles look like 'Clockwork Horrors', which you know to be intelligent constructs who want all the world's metal in order to replicate themselves. They can be found in metal mines where they methodically, efficiently, and unwaveringly strip everything for raw materials.

Knowledge: Arcana DC 16 (use the same roll):

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They communicate in their own language of mechanical sounds. They have a linked mind that allows for instant communication with all others within 10 miles of each other. They will ignore nonmechanical creatures unless those beings pose a threat or possess metal.

Knowledge: Arcana DC 21 (use the same roll):

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Clockwork Horrors have gems that sit on top of their heads, and their base metal shell is overlaid with a thin patina of precious or semiprecious metal. That's how you know that these aren't Clockwork Horrors -- the gem looks more like a crystal of some sort, and their chassis isn't adorned with anything. They also are acting strangely, casting spells from their maws instead of the usual buzz saw or knife that resides where their mouths ought to be. More than likely, these are modified versions of Clockwork Horrors.

[AmberVael]

Aisha/Jackal

"How strange."

Aisha murmurs to herself, ignoring the screams and yells as she focuses on the beetles for a moment. She points out the beetles to her companions.

"Watch out for those. They look like Clockwork horrors, but there is something peculiar going on with them. They might be coming after us..."

Aisha swiftly starts going down the hallway, trying to get away from the strange beetles, and perhaps, if she's lucky, locating a way out of this place.

[Duke of URL]

M'llanana

"Get anything useful?" She directs this to the previously-untalkative fifth member of their "special" group. "Like weapons?"

[ColdSepp]

"Gillium Resh"

Gillium eyes the two Clockwork Beetles, shifting position slightly. "Anyone here named Argos?" He calls above the crackle of flames, before glancing at the fifth, and so far silent member. "What did you find? Anything we can use?"

Just then, he sees the woman drop the marble, but ignores it. He sprints toward her, leaping on top of her, and tries to smother the flames.

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No idea what to roll for fire dowsing.

[Meshakhad]

Anna sees the horrors approaching. She claps her hands together, and reshapes her blade into one far longer. Her blade shifts color to deep blue.

[KingRexII]

Aisha turns the corner to find the source of one of the explosions. There is a large gaping hole in the wall on her right hand side. In the hallway directly outside of the hole is a large pile of rubble consisting of wood, metal and stone. She can see a few limbs sticking out from under the pile -- all charred. The pile is waist high for the gray elf and looking inside, she sees a small room completely blackened. Its walls are concave from the blast, and there is a lot of debris everywhere. At the back end of the room, a part of the wall has been blown away revealing a small tunnel¹ whose end you cannot see. At the end of the hallway through the smoke and debris, she sees that there are more signs of people fighting about 70' away. They seem oblivious to your presence.

The fifth person says, "Just a couple of kukris, a big blade on a stick and a couple of rings. I think one's for defense; the other one keeps your belly full.²"

Gilium rushes to the aid of the burning women, but unfortunately his altruism is rewarded with catching on fire himself³. Anna's blade isn't tested for the time being as the beetles ignore her and instead start spraying water on Gilium and the burning woman, eventually extinguishing both fires. They then turn their attention to the burning walls.

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¹A small creature can walk through it just fine, but a medium creature will more than likely need to crawl through.
²2 MWK Kukris (M'llanana)
Ring of Protection +1 (Aisha)
Ring of Sustenance (Gilium)
MWK Guisarme (Gilium)
³Gilium takes 6 damage from being on fire temporarily.

[ColdSepp]

"Gillium Resh"
HP: 37/43

Gillium lets out an oath as the flames sear him, but does his best to smother the flames anyway. "I don't suppose any of you can heal her?" He calls back. "Oh, hey... you found my guisarme!"

He tries to help the woman to her, feet, ready to grab her if she tries to run or attack.

[AmberVael]

Aisha/Jackal

Aisha dances back away from the exploded area and flicks the protective ring out of their nameless companion's hands and into her own, catching it neatly before spinning it in around flashily on a finger.
"That'll come in handy, no doubt."
She grins at everyone else and jerks a finger towards where she was looking.
"Seems an explosion came from that way, not to mention some people fighting."

[Meshakhad]

Anna withdraws from the clockwork horrors, picks up the chain shirt, and puts it on.

[ColdSepp]

"Gillium Resh"

Once the woman is standing, he'll return to collect his ring and weapon.

[KingRexII]

The woman, though no longer on fire, is still badly burnt. As you stand her up, she just slumps in Gillium's arms.

One of the beetles stands at the corner left of your former cell, attempting to douse the flames in water. An arrow caroms against its shell, prompting both of the beetles to stop what they are doing, pause, and then skitter back in the direction from which they originally came.

[Meshakhad]

Anna

Anna lets her blade shrink back so it can be held in one hand. She rushes over to Gillium.

"Here, I'll take her."

She throws the woman over her shoulder (the one without the mind-blade).