The Road to Lichdom: The Streets of Grimborough

[Chirp]

The Road to Lichdom
The Streets of Grimborough

For the past week there has been trouble developing in Grimborough's South Canal Ward, an area of the city populated mostly by slums. The ward has been experiencing a problem with its sewers flooding and overflowing into the city streets. The spread of disease is becoming a concern, and the smell coming from the sewage is terrible. Even worse, the flooding has begun to affect the city's building's, causing many to sag as their foundations are eroded away.

The city guard has evacuated the worst section of the ward and organized a makeshift damn to hold back the flooding from the rest of the city, but it is a temporary solution. Short on man-power, they have contracted a local mercenary to investigate the cause of the flooding. In addition, the epicenter of the flooding seems to be the abandoned guildhall of the now defunct Black Newt Society, a low end sorcerer's guild that once held a bit of power in Grimborough's underground. Because of this, the city guard have asked Osweald Sige for assistance, and he has sent his apprentice to assist in the investigation.

Anastra and Mordred meet just outside the flooded Ward, standing at the edge of the barricade of sandbags that is keeping the ankle deep sewer water from spreading through the city streets. The smell is terrible, and the sight of the muddy brown water is sickening. A small group of city guards stand watch at the barricade, turning away disheveled looking people who are trying to get past, yelling about their homes and belongings. High above, the sun has just passed its zenith and has begun its westerly decent.

[J-H]

Mordred

Clad in black-dyed armor, Mordred stands tall on the damp wall of canvas sandbags. Every step squishes small amounts of water out on the dry side, but even the imperfect barrier does well enough holding back the murky, rank tide on the flooded side. The warmth of the sun isn't helping the smell any.

His high boots are cinched extra tight, with leather gaiters overlapping them up to his knees. A cloth is tied over the lower part of his face, but his tattoo is still visible - enough for Anastra to identify it as she walks up.

Mordred straightens, coming to attention, then bows slightly. "Lady Wyndale, it has been some time. I'm glad to get to serve directly again." He holds out a cloth, greyish in color and of no great quality. "An apothecary nearby has been using these cloths to store crushed mint leaves; I suggest you do as I have, and tie this over your face to help cover this stench before we proceed. It can only get worse from here."

"Will we be simply going to the Black Newt guildhouse and looking for anything suspicious, or do you have a more specific aim in mind?"

Spoiler

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K: History (1d20+4)[8]
K: Local (1d20+4)[20]
For info on the Black Newt society, their guildhouse, and anything else of interest nearby

[Darklady2831]

Anastra

The Apprentice's red-trimmed grey robes fluttered in the midday breeze, the hood concealing her shoulder-length raven hair. She smiled as Mordred spoke, recognizing his tattoo and voice from her years in Legacia. "Mordred, it's been too long." She said, taking the cloth he offered and lowering and setting her quarterstaff against the wall of sandbags. Tying the cloth around her face, she inhaled and then exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mordred. I could smell this mess from halfway across the city." She paused, thinking to herself, trying to remember anything Osweald had taught her about the City, or about the Black Newt Society.

Anastra put her hood back up and stared out across the murky water of the flooded streets. She tried not to breathe too deeply, even with the cloth on. "I think that the guildhouse should be the first place we look, but the Black Newt Society might not have anything to do with this, it could just be a coincidence." She said, picking up her quarterstaff and prodding the muddy black water. "Plus, it doesn't matter where we look, it's all going to be unpleasant."

Spoiler: Knowledge Checks

Show

Likewise making a Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (Local) check for anything about the South Canal Ward or the Black Newt Society. I'm also going to make a Lore check from my Cloistered Cleric ability.

Knowledge (History):	(1d20+8)[25]
Knowledge (Local):	(1d20+5)[16]
Lore:	(1d20+6)[17]

[Chirp]

Combined, the two of you know that the South Canal Ward is a district of the city known for its high population and low income. It is largely dominated by slums and contains some of the city's oldest buildings. Through the center of the Ward runs the canal, a narrow river that bisects the southern areas of Grimborough on its way to the ocean. The canal is used by many to ferry goods through the lower wards of the city, and is also a swift means of travel.

The Black Newt Society was a branch of a much larger sorcerer's guild that migrated to Grimborough from the Legacian Empire back when the city was founded. Its ranks were filled with cut rate sorcerers and wizards, none of them of any real merit or note, who sold their alchemical services to the people of the city. At the height of their meager influence roughly fifty years ago, they were notorious for supplying the local black market with a variety of narcotics and poisons, and they were suspected of selling their services to local thieve's guilds. The Society was disbanded after their guildhall was raided by the city guard, who had discovered the guild was taking urchins off the street for magical experimentation. The guild's members were arrested, and the contents of the guild hall were either destroyed or turned over to Osweald Sige for proper disposal.

Since the Black Newt Society was disbanded, no one has ever taken up residence in the old guildhall. The building has remained abandoned for the past forty five years.

[Darklady2831]

Anastra

Anastra draws her staff out of the water, frowning at the wet end. She gestures forward with her staff, looking to Mordred. "Besides, maybe the Guard forgot something there when they cleaned it out all those years ago." She said, smirking to Mordred as she stepped onto the wall of sandbags and then into the murky water beyond. She frowned at the feeling of flood-water in her boots, but pressed on none the less. She just hoped that Mordred would be up to following her.

[J-H]

Mordred
Mordred follows behind her. "I hope it's that easy. I think we're both assuming that this won't be something natural."

Spoiler

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Following just behind and on her right (1 square over & 1 back).

[Chirp]

Sloshing through the flooded streets the pair make their way into the South Canal Ward. Everywhere they look the sewer water laps at the walls of buildings and flows through alleyways, washing out even more filth and debris. Here and there some of the older buildings sag slightly as their foundations are eroded by the water, a couple showing obvious signs of structural stress. Occasionally a large, fat sewer rat swims past the pair's feet in the ankle deep water, apparently very pleased with its life as it cruises along in search of food in the murk.

After about fifteen minutes of walking the pair find themselves standing outside the abandoned building that was once the guildhall of the Black Newt Society. It is a wide, two story building that squats between a pair of shops like a dark toad. Its windows have been boarded up, and a crossed pair of chains with a heavy padlock seal the front door shut. The street outside the guildhall is flooded worse than the rest of the ward, with the water rising to nearly knee height, with an obvious slow current flowing out from the building.

[Darklady2831]

Anastra

Anastra sloshes forward, approaching the abandoned guild hall. As she approaches the door, she prods the chains with her staff. "Did the guard think to give you a key, Mordred? Or are we going to have to break in?" She says, scanning the front of the building for any windows with fewer boards, or any walls that seem to be weaker than the others. "Maybe you can break those chains, or perhaps one of these windows is easier to open than the others?"

Spoiler: Skill Checks

Show

Making a spot check to try to see any places that'd be easier to break in to.

Spot Check:

(1d20+3)[22]

[J-H]

Mordred

Mordred walks up to the doors, a slight smile on his face as he hefts his warmace. "I have a master key right here."

He plants his feet firmly on the ground, and makes a couple of powerful strikes, breaking enough links that the chains fall limply to the ground.

Spoiler

Show

Chains have Hardness 10 and HP 5. A Mountain Hammer strike does 1d12+2d6+4, and bypasses the hardness. Strike/refresh/strike/refresh and in a few rounds the chains are broken. Will refresh Mountain Hammer again once the chains clatter to the ground.

Mordred then pushes on the doors with his warmace to open them.

[Chirp]

The lock shatters and the chains fall away. As the big lock falls there is a subtle shift in the air around the pair, like a great breath being pulled in, and then a pulse of force ripples out from the broken lock and washes over them, tugging at their minds and bodies. For a moment, the two of them fight against the magic, but they fail and suddenly find their feet rooted to the spot, frozen by some magical force. At the same time a loud, high pitched alarm pierces the air in a long, unbroken tone.

"Hey! You there! What are you about?!" comes a call from behind the two enspelled adventurers, and a moment later a young man, no more than eighteen and wearing the uniform robe of a Watch Wizard that mark him as a member of the city guard, comes running through the flooded street, "This building is off limits!" he has to shout to be heard over the alarm spell still sounding from the broken lock, "Only members of the city guard or those with special commission are allowed...," he trails off as though something has just occurred to him and his face blushes. Quickly he goes through the motions of a spell and the alarm stops. A second spell releases the pair from the magical force that holds them, "I'm so sorry. You must be Osweald's apprentice and the bloke the guard hired," he says and reaches out to grab both their hands and shake them, "My name is Henry. I'm a Watch Wizard. They sent me to dispell the wards on the lock but I got lost and I guess you beat me here," he looks apologetic.

[Darklady2831]

Anastra

Anastra stretches her foot out to the side as she shakes Henry's hand, ridding herself of the residual sensation of magical holding. She looks sourly at Henry, then sighs, her face softening. "Well, that'll teach me to charge head first into the fray. At least nobody was injured." She looks to Mordred, then back to Henry. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Henry. Do you know anything about the building, or its former inhabitants? I mean, aside from why they were shut down."

[Chirp]

Henry shakes his head, "No. Sorry Ma'am, I'm pretty new to the Watch. I'm just supposed to dispell the wards and offer you support in your investigation," the boy looks sheepish and seem truly sorry he can't offer more information.

[Darklady2831]

Anastra

Anastra nods. "Well, if the wards have all been triggered, then I suppose your first job is already done. If you'd like you can accompany us inside, three sets of eyes are more likely to find something than two." She says, smirking. "Mordred, shall we?" She asks, turning to her companion.

[J-H]

Mordred

"Indeed. You may want to step to the side first, in case anything comes through the door."
Once she's out of the immediate path of any surge of sludge, Mordred reaches out with his warmace, pushing one door open.