[IC I] The Wellspring Saga: Aurora Tenebrosa

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno and Aldric

Juno kept pace with Aldric as he descended the ladder, wings beating slowly and in a way that indicated that they weren't being used for lift as any physicist would understand it. "So were you an actor before everything went to hell?"

"Why would you think "actor"? Is there much of a call for one-eyed men?"

"Nah, but it's the little things about you. You tend to face toward crowds, even when you don't have to. You never look at your feet when going down ladders or stairs. When you raise your voice, you modulate it to keep from shouting. All the basics they teach you." Juno shrugged as she adjusted her descent path to continue down the next hole. "I'm not allowed to lie, so I got into acting a bit as an escape from temple life. It's a fun hobby, I just wondered if it was something more for you. Or maybe I'm way off. I just figured I'd take my best guess at the mystery man."

"Are you sure there's a difference between acting and lying? What if I'm not on stage, but I lie to entertain, is that acting?" Aldric slid down the last ten feet of the ladder and touched down lightly. There was a facile grace about the way he moved, even when he was slinging around the four pound cannon.

"I'm not sure at all, but Titan hasn't revoked the divine powers granted to me to combat the forces of evil for participating in community theater, so I'm assuming that there's a difference between them at some metaphysical level."

"Titan must have a sense of humor then. Somehow this feels less comforting than it ought."

"Titan once vaporized a man for asking what would happen if he refused to keep asking awkward questions. For a sun-themed demigod, his sense of humor is kinda dark. Much funnier was watching the clerics scramble to work that into the scripture. And the hymns were a riot until they got banned."

"Uncomforting. See, the whole vaporization thing -- not great for proselytizing."

"Oh, yeah, no - despite the fact that the vaporized guy was being a dick, religious discourse hit a new low there for a while. No intelligent adherent of Titan has failed to question why we worship such a being." Juno sighed and landed heavily on the ground floor. "Well, you've cleverly deflected my original line of questioning, so I'll change the subject. These shield generators, right? We've been going around smashing them. I'm starting to wonder if that's the best idea."

Aldric paused to sit for a moment to take a look at his revolver. "The cylinder's misaligned. I need to replace the pin. I could hear the damned thing rattling around in the holster. This will take a few minutes so, watch the door and talk. Why might destroying the weapon of our enemies be a bad idea?"

The paladin drifted over to the entrance and experimentally tried to shut it. Like Aldric's cylinder, one side of the double doors was misaligned from where the skeletons had kicked it in, and only splinters remained of the other half. She decided to keep the first door open. It would increase her field of vision and what was left wasn't good cover anyway.

From here, the occasional flash from the shield domes was clearly visible. "We're all just assuming that because it keeps us in, that the purpose of the domes is to keep us in. But everyone involved in this fiasco that we've been able to contact doesn't really know what's going on outside of the city, other than that the dark cloud keeping the sun out isn't omnipresent. What if the point of the shields is to keep something out? We might find out upon shutting them down that we immediately want to turn them back on." Juno gestured at the sky non-specifically. "I'm not saying we shouldn't shut down the shields and reconnect. Just that we might not want to go around smashing them. Maybe collecting them would be better."

"If there's something worse that the shields are keeping out, do I care? The city is overrun with abominations (and I'm shooting them as fast as I can), so if it's worse for the rest of the world I don't see how being trapped here is better than the alternative. Death, I guess. Horrible fanged death is the alternative in your scenario."

"If we are in some weird bubble, then that would potential mean a limit to the horrors within. Given the city resources and a little time, we might be able to marshal something to successfully fight whatever's out there. As opposed to letting it in to devour us all." Juno shook her head and returned her attention to the outside. "But I can see the appeal of your solution. Consider instead just the utility of having a city-scale shield available to us. Surely that's worth something?"

Aldric just shrugged as he worked. "If you want to capture it, be my guest. I don't have the knowledge to tinker with something like that, but I suppose we can just show up and kill anyone who objects to the change in ownership until someone smarter than me shows up."

"That was my idea. I think we should both go over there whenever you get done. If sneaky spooky skeletons are going to attack you from the rear then there's no point in trying to keep your distance from the airship dock. Plus I think I heard something really big breathing heavily through the fog." The half-celestial nodded. "I'm set when you are."

Spoiler: OOC

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Created in collusion with Nef, of course.

Juno and Aldric are going to return to the Airship dock with the goal of stealing the shield generator and the airship... and any other delicious loot lying around.

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Recovering herself from the recent battle, Henrietta composed herself with a quick breathe in, and walked towards the sacrificed man. "Sir, remain calm, you're going to be alright. Sir-sir!" she said in vain, her eyes going wide as his last dying energy was spent thrusting a small medal into her hands. She stood there, stunned, staring at the bloody medallion in her hand and contemplated what it meant. Making a mental note of it, she put it away for the time being and then radioed in for more officers to come downstairs so they could try to open this portcullis. Directing the current officers and Titanite Cleric to survey the area and see if there was a means of opening the portcullis on this side, she shook the chain of the handcuff that binded Zeppit to her and held the medallion out to him. "Zeppit. What is this?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Juno

12:00

It was an hour later when Aldric and Juno set out from the relative safety of the chapel and over to the airdock, several more groans and wails having rent the air in the meantime. Worming their way through the main lobby, the two of them noted that smashed furniture and glass, of course, were the standard order of the day. It had almost gotten to the point where the two barely even noticed it as they kept their ears open, ready to charge forward at the first sign of hostiles. Another great groan shook the building, even as, making their way toward a maintenance entrance, the two of them began to hear the great sounds of shrieking mixed with chanting. Exiting out the back of the building, the two of them emerged to a scene of horror.

Flesh covered the entirety of the scaffolding where the airship was being constructed, as and the large pit below it where the various tools and workers beneath the airship would have gone. The airship itself, though not yet covered, was beginning to see the first tendrils of biomass snaking onto it - though thankfully, it did not yet appear to have grown over anything vital. From below, it looked as if it was nearing completion, only scattered pieces of rigging and the majority of the cosmetic touches missing. The biomass, in the meantime, was pulsating an eerie mix of red and blue that merged into a sickly purple. Though rendered immune to the sight thanks to the distant images they'd seen of the Post Office on that first night, Aldric and Juno could not help but feel pangs of disgust as they looked upon the work of the Heralds.

What was of greater interest, however, was what was in the pit, which, though covered by large tendrils of biomass, still had plenty of openings large enough to see through.

Apparently, what had been causing all the groaning was a small platoon of Azure Heads and Heralds, their chests pierced by long, sharp tendrils that fed into a great cocoon. The heralds chanted and the beasts screamed, the tendrils clearly devouring the innards of its victims, until, with a last few great pulses, it sucked up its victims... and then peeled away to reveal a foul golem-like construct of flesh, which struggled to its feet as if disoriented. Two robed androgynous figures with tentacles for hands and multi-jointed legs approached it, making noises that almost sounded as if they were meant to be comforting.

After careful consideration, Aldric and Juno both realized that they were, in fact, dealing with a flesh golem and two Venedaemons. Flesh golems, the two recalled, had several rather annoying characteristics. On top of having magically reinforced flesh that could only be penetrated by adamantine weapons, they had high resistance to magic, being immune to all spells that creatures with spell resistance could block - and of the spells that remained, they tended to react in rather odd ways. Fire and cold would slow them down, but electricity would not only make them move faster, but also heal them. And, of course, as with all constructs, they were immune to disease, spells that caused death or controlled the mind, necromancy, paralysis, poison, sleep, stuns, and any spell that attacked a person's fortitude.

The Venedaemons were a greater puzzle, for, as far as Aldric and Juno had seen thus far, the Heralds did not appear to make overt use of fiendish magic, using their own proprietary flesh-warping powers and parasites. Venedaemons, they recalled, were born of souls who had been killed by magic and then warped by evil, and, if allowed to run free on the material plane, often traveled to and fro in search of arcane knowledge. Like most daemons, they were resistant to weapons not made of silver or enchanted by good, and were resistant to death spells, poison, disease, and acid, along with being resistant to cold, electricity, fire, and spells. On top of that, they had the constant ability to see magic, and the ability to cast Dispel Magic, Dimension Door, and Slow thrice per day. Most unique of all, however, was their propensity for carrying soul gems from their previous victims; by consuming these, they could regain the ability to use any magic they had previously cast that day.

Spoiler: Loot

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Per Juno's inquiry, you did not find any loot on the Azure Heads or skeletons, but you did find that the Heralds had about 1100 Sunrays (gp) between them.

Spoiler: Sanity Attack!

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Despite the Horrific sight, both Aldric and Juno remain unaffected.

Spoiler: RP Awards!

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With good roleplaying, and higher levels, come increased rewards. You gain 800 XP for everyone thanks to exemplary roleplaying. This brings the current tally to 24475 XP.

Snorri and Octavia

No sooner had Snorri spoken of the halfling than she tottered on through the door, her face falling as she examined the remains of what had been burned. She appeared to have not heard the bard's comment about her.

"Darnit. This is my fault. I should have known they'd burn the stuff once they realized they'd been found out. Although, I think I found a lockbox dropped a block or so over - Miss Octavia, was it? Would you mind giving me a hand?"

As Octavia then departed with Skuggi and the clerics began moving into the freezer to see what could be salvaged, Snorri began examining the ruins of the desk. An initial examination did not lead him to detect any traps; emboldened, he then scanned the remains for magic.

A faint aura of divination appeared, and as he scanned it for patterns, Snorri realized what he was looking at - a set of enchanted gloves, the shine being the reflection of light off the many rivets set into the dorsum. Clearing away the wood, Snorri then found two other things - a small cloth-lined box containing many Sunray's worth of small cut diamonds, and half of a map.

Upon careful examination, it appeared to be a set of directions to another of the Herald's hideouts - this one in the Western District, nearer the gatehouse into the Fifth Circle, and, if the symbol of a beam going heavenward was correct, likely the resting place of the final generator.
On part of the map, the symbol of a manhole cover was visible a few blocks south of that hideout, but due to the ripping, did not show any actual directions beyond that.

Spoiler: Loot

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(80d100+500)[4814] gp worth of small diamonds
Trapspringer's Gloves
The Location of the final active Resonance Generator in the Sixth Circlec(Western Sector)

Spoiler: OOC

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Due to prolonged inactivity, including failure to follow up on an inquiry regarding whether or not she wishes to continue, Calantha is hereby removed from the active roster of players once more. A second send-off will be given once everyone bunkers down for the day.

Octavia

Leading Azata outside, Skuggi ducked around a corner before beginning to speak.

"Okay, so, you're probably wondering why I wanted to speak to you alone." Skuggi was very clearly nervous. "The fact of the matter is... I need your help. Right before this s*** all went down, I was tasked with smuggling in something a bit unusual - for us, at least. We had a client that wanted a weapon's shipment; said he'd gotten some magic polearms and the like off of a Kurwan slave ship, along with several pounds of mithril and adamantium. Initially we were going to refuse, but then an order came from the Big Mama herself."

Spoiler: Big Mama

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Code name of Linda Cantora, head of the BAA.

"So we get the stuff, we start transporting it to the buyer. However, right before everything went down, the Custos Pacem found us out, and if not for the fact that they had to leave us to go save some... four-mouthed thing from eating up a bunch of people, we'd have been exposed for sure."

Skuggi's breath was now shaking.

"I can still hear the screams... Anyway. In a situation like this? End of the world? I'm not dumb enough that I can't recognize these guys need those weapons. I'd give 'em to the BAA if I could, but of course we're all scattered so they don't come down on us like a ton of bricks. I need your help to get back to that shipment, and more importantly, to remove any trace that we had anything to do with it."

Henrietta and Amala

"N-never seen it before, mistress. Never before in my please don't kill me!"

Zeppit curled up in a ball once more, Henrietta unable to detect any falsehood in his voice.

As the stomping of foots began to echo down the hallways, the Custos Pacem and the Titanite began scouring the room for clues and anything noteworthy. It was soon found that, in addition to the 500 gold pieces that the Raven's Eye had dropped at the foot of the magic circle, each of the fiends was carrying many small shards of rubies upon them.

"Doesn't look like there's any way to open the door from this side, ma'am - those bards are solid reinforced steel. If we had something made from adamantium, we could cut through it, but we don't, so... we can't. There is a lever right there -" the Custos Pacem pointed through the barrs at a large lever about 30 feet down the hall from the portcullis. "But unless one of us suddenly gains the ability to grow an extra-long arm, I don't see how we can pull that."

Spoiler: Henrietta and Amala

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You remember from your education that fiends, while happy to accept gold as payment for services, more often use small-cut gems amongst themselves.

Spoiler: Amala

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You notice two things - not only is the lever close enough so that you can move it with your magic, but the wall to the east of the portcullis is structurally unsound. If hit with something blunt, it would surely cave - and possibly open up another passage behind it.

Spoiler: Loot

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3750 gp in small-cut rubies.
500 gp.

[Estralita]

Octavia

Octavia bit her lip, trying to absorb all the information and process it. People in trouble... weapons needed instead of selling or stealing them. Not normal BAA work, but she hadn't been doing much of that lately. Her new companions seemed solid and helpful, and might be willing to assist.Some of them. The lieutenant... might not be so willing to assist in covering up a crime. But Snorri didn't seem like that. He knew how to disable devices like her for one.

Octavia cleared her throat. "I think I can recruit some help from my new companions to retrieve the weapons, and while we're there, I'll take care of any evidence. No need to tell everyone everything, just that there are people in trouble, and in this environment, I doubt anyone will question people needing weapons."

Octavia paused for a moment, scared of the answer to her next question, but continued in a slightly roundabout way. "So, we're scattered. How many of us are dead? And what about the management?"

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Looking at the pathetic Imp, Henrietta shook her head slowly "Don't betray me, don't die. You have my word." What little information she could extract from the Imp now revealed, Henrietta turned to Amala "Can you push that lever? Otherwise, I have an alternative." She went about collecting the loot, eyeing the gems one by one while keeping a wary eye on Zeppit.

[Mathemagics]

Amy

"Definitely."

As she nodded her affirmation and began moving closer to manipulate the lever, something seemed to catch Amy's eye. Pausing, she inspected a particular section of wall critically.

"Um... this is odd. That part of the wall there. It's not very secure. Might be something on the other side if it was knocked down?"

Spoiler

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From the context it seems like Mage Hand would be sufficient to reach the lever here? If not, Amy does have Unseen Servant, which probably could handle the job of pulling the lever. We'll assume the cantrip though unless the 1st level spell is needed.

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Nodding her head at Amy's observation, Henrietta approached the part of the wall that was indicated and sized it up, waving over for another soldier to come over to her and help her bludgeon down the wall, preferably with something that wasn't her greatsword.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Strength check?:(1d20+6)[14]

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

She hadn't expected the interior of the airship dock to be a happy place, but there was still something about a giant mound of pulsating flesh and a mass sacrifice that seemed utterly alien to Juno. The holy texts of Titan didn't have a response for this specific situation, but she was getting a strong hint from her very blood. "Aldric. So far you've mostly seen the goofy, slightly nutty, normal Juno. Just... keep her in mind for the next few minutes, okay?"

With that, she focused. It was a simple action, swift as could be, but enduring as only the wrath of heaven could endure. First was the daemon to the left. She focused on the golem and was surprised to find it tainted as well - so much for the stance of the MU students that they were morally neutral... or perhaps this one was special. Either way, she focused on it and the other daemon in turn, invoking her natural abilities. More vitality, more defenses, more power.

When she was done, she let it burst free. The halo reappeared, her eyes burned with the same light, and her wings stretched as white-blue bands of light extended from them. She took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs, carrying her rage to her new targets. "ALL OF YOUR WRONGS WILL BE AVENGED! NO MORE OF THIS BASE WRETCHEDNESS! YOUR RECKONING COMES *NOW!*" Her visions tried to cloud her mind, but she rudely brushed them aside with power of her ring, three powerful pumps from her wings carrying her up and into an arc that crashed down on the first daemon.

Spoiler: OOC

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Buffing Turns!

Prior to arrival: Refresh Protection from Evil

Turn 1: Swift Action Smite, Standard Action Targeted Detect Evil
Turn 2: Swift Action Smite, Standard Action to cast Bless
Turn 3: Swift Action Smite, Standard Action to cast Aid: (1d8+4)[9] temporary hp gained.

Shockingly, all of that is SLAs with no somatic or verbal components, so Juno doesn't put on a flashy display until her assault.

Turn 4: Move and attack the bad guys, specifically the one they call... V2.

Accounting for Aid, Smite, Elevation
Juno's current AC vs. smote opponents is 32 (Touch 22, Flat Footed 26). Her saves are one higher than usual vs. evil creatures and evil magic.

Attack: (1d20+17)[18]
Damage: (1d8+14)[19] Includes the doubled smite damage for the first successful attack vs. Evil Outsider. Bypasses DR.

And somehow missed. "Don't run." Juno snarled. "You'll just die tired."

[Nefarion Xid]

Aldric loaded Despair with his last six silver bullets. He quietly made his way around the left side of the dock, shaking his arms loose as he went. Once he was in cover, he passed his revolver experimentally from right to left and back again.

"Three ... two ... " he mouthed, thumbing back the hammer.

"ALL OF YOUR WRONGS WILL BE AVENGED! NO MORE OF THIS BASE WRETCHEDNESS! YOUR RECKONING COMES *NOW!*"

"Yeah, that'll work." Aldric stepped out from cover, lined up the first daemon's head and squeezed.

Spoiler: Surprise Round

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Archaeologist's Luck up!
(1d20+14)[33] vs V1
(1d8+9)[11]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Spoiler: OOC

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No full second update today, but Aldric and Juno did ask if they could speed things along - and speed them along I shall.

Juno and Aldric

It was Juno's battle cry, in the end, that proved to be her undoing, as the Venedaemon was easily able to sidestep her mighty smite, the incandescent flash of light instead burning away a large chunk of the biomass. Turning to her, the Venedaemon grinned wickedly.

"Your death comes now."

Roll for Initiative.

Spoiler: Which You Lost.

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They get to go first.

Immediately, he and the Flesh Golem maneuvered around Juno, with the Flesh Golem swiping at her with its huge, hammer-like fists, followed by a spell from the daemon. The other one, on the other hand, roared in pain as one of Aldric's bullets burrowed into its shoulder, inches from what on a human would have been the carotid. Snarling, it promptly cast a spell and appeared inches from the gunslinger.

Spoiler: Actions

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Flesh Golem 5-steps and conducts two slams against Juno.

Attack 1: (1d20+13)[19]
Damage 1: (2d8+5)[17]

Attack 2: (1d20+13)[28]
Damage 2: (2d8+5)[18]

Venedaemon 2 casts Hold Person.
Caster Level Check: (1d20+6)[26]
Will Attack: (1d20+8)[21]

Venedaemon 1 casts Dimension Door, reappearing at Q18.

Protected as she was by her own spells and Titan's wrath, however, both of the huge swings went wide, and though the Venedaemon managed to exert his power past her natural spell resistance, the Paladin was able to exert her mental force of will enough to shake off the attempt at paralysis.

[Nefarion Xid]

As soon as the monster vanished from sight, Aldric lurched around instinctually and blasted the first sign of motion.

Spoiler: Rapid Shot, Focused Aim

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(1d20+12)[20] vs V1
(1d8+15)[20]

(1d20+12)[17]
(1d8+15)[21]

"And for your second trick?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

The paladin, feeling like she'd made her stance on the current mortality debate quite clear, simply shifted her position in midair and tried for blood again.

Spoiler: OOC

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Same as before, really. There will come a level when Juno's tactics will become more varied, but for now...

Attack: (1d20+17)[31]
Damage: (1d8+14)[20]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno and Aldric

The daemon could only look on in horror and surprise as Aldric, now at a much closer ranger, promptly unloaded two bullets into its chest and then its neck, completely blowing its head from its body and sending the corpse staggering to the ground, crimson ichor staining the pavement before being absorbed and slurped back into the biomass.

Gritting his teeth as Juno's sword cut through him like butter, the daemon switched tactics, firing off a scorching ray of heat. The Flesh Golem, now with his "ally" between him and his target, was forced to go around before he could take another swipe at her.

Spoiler: Actions

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V1 targets Juno with Scorching Ray.

CL check: (1d20+6)[21]
Damage: (4d6)[12]

Flesh golem swings...

Attack: (1d20+13)[28]
Damage: (2d8+5)[11]

[Nefarion Xid]

"You're no fun! No one ever laughs at my jokes." Aldric spun away from the corpse at his feet and lined up the other daemon in his sights. He gripped the trigger and exhaled slowly, waiting for his target to shrug away from Juno's fury.

"Bang."

Spoiler: See you, Space Daemon

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(1d20+13)[33] vs V2, range accounted for
(1d8+15)[17]

(1d20+13)[23] IF, by a miracle, V2 drops, then he loads his regular bullets and fires on the Golem
(1d8+15)[18]

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

The half-celestial shifted her course as the daemon disintegrated under Aldric's fire, turning her attention to the golem - they would all fall, one by one. "I don't know what all you were in life, but it's time to lay all these bodies to rest."

Spoiler: In which a tactic is continued.

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Attack: (1d20+16)[29]
Damage: (1d8+10)[18] No more extra +4, just the normal +4 smite damage now.

[Nefarion Xid]

Juno hacked away at the flesh golem's torso, grumpily taking a shot to the gut that drained some of her magically-boosted health (always an odd sensation, feeling the hit but feeling nothing give way) but she wasn't clear on how much damage she was doing. Suddenly, the golem stopped its mechanical flailing and began to sag forward. The surprised half-celestial scooted backward to avoid being crushed underneath the mass of stitching and dead flesh, and when it landed face down before her, she could at last see the numerous holes blown into its back. Her halo and other glowing effects flickered and died, her streaming wings burning away to their large, but normal size.

She set down in the muck gently. The most likely explanation for her power shorting out was that her opponents were all dead, and if that were true, then... "Aldric! Are you alright? Did you get the other daemon? I kinda lost track of him."

Aldric was already walking down the ramp with his revolver holstered and a cigarette in his lips before the golem hit the floor. "One's up there. The other's ..." he trailed off, gesturing to the daemon nearest her with a deflated red sack where its head should be.

"Hey, you want one of these? I don't want to be rude," he said lighting his cigarette with a snap of his fingers.

"You know, I think I do. Disease immunity is amazing." Juno looked around. "So much pointless death and sacrifice, and right now all I feel is something weirdly like job satisfaction and something else I can't quite describe." She poked at the flesh golem. It burbled up a bit of mana and expired blood in different colors "Nice shooting. I didn't know heads could do, uh, that. I thought they were a bit more solid."

"Fifteen grams of lead traveling at four hundred meters per second. You'd think it would just leave a hole and pop out clean, barely slowed down." He fished one of the dozen remaining cigarettes from his silver case and offered it over already lit. "Not when it hits bone. Nah, when it hits something as hard as a skull, the bullet goes to pieces and each finds a different way out."

"It's the worst thing we ever do to each other. But this gun isn't for people." Smoke poured out of his nostrils. "You wanted to know what I did before this? Heh. I can't stand to see innocent people get hurt. So ... I kill monsters."

"You do, inarguably, kill monsters." The paladin nodded. "I don't proselytize, but you wouldn't do as badly under Titanic Order as you pretend. Can't stand seeing innocent people hurt? That's like half of what we are. Or at least what we should be. What everyone should be."

Juno brightened. "So! We have what I'm assuming is a treasure chest full of ill-gotten gains to repurpose for the fight of justice over there. Or loot, if you prefer that term. And an airship! You'd think a winged girl would find that stuff boring, but I've always wanted to fly one, and now we have one... sort of. I vote we see if we can get her out of dock. Maybe set fire to this nasty biomass on the way out. Help me find one of those big flat carts with the wheels on it and we can move the resonance generator and the goods onto the ship... once we know it won't explode on us."

[Othniel]

Snorri

The Bard's face lit up with a smile when he discovered the enchanted gloves. He slipped them on one at a time, and then flexed them, testing the built-in tools. Next he pocketed the diamonds, wrapping them up and tucking them into his bag of holding. Lastly, he examined the map, or what was left of it. The smile broadened into a grin, and he turned to Akira. "We have the location of another resonance generator, Akira." He paused, regarding the woman for a moment, "Say, what do I call you, anyway? Miss, Ma'am, your rank?"

"Oh, and we should probably check the freezer, hey?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Juno

As he turned from attacking the Venedaemon up on the ridge and turned to the one down below, Aldric, through a combination of both luck and skill, leveled Despair at the head of the daemon attacking Juno... and hit, promptly blowing it to pieces and killing the fiend. The golem, now on its own, flailed wildly at the paladin, managing to land one particularly heavy punch in the half-celestial's chest... but, through a combination of sword swings and several rounds aimed directly at its back, fell to the ground, inanimate and unmoving.

Now undistracted by the the rigors of battle, Juno and Aldric turned their attention to the contents of the pit - in particular, the pulsating biomass that covered a large chunk of it. In the center of it all, already being absorbed by the larger spread but still visible, was the remnants of the large cocoon that had been piercing the Heralds and Azure heads, split apart like a budding flower. An eldritch womb, for the creation of the flesh golem.

Spoiler: Aldric

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Looking around, you notice a few things. Though smaller in size, you are able to spot that several similiar-looking buds are beginning to grow from the walls. They are as of yet small - no more than about half a foot in diameter - and, if you had not seen the larger one, you are almost certain you would have passed it off as just a decorative curiosity.

Finally, underneath the Flesh Golem and in the center of the 'flower', you are able to spot a small hole that is leading downwards - no more than a few inches in diameter.

Moving away from the flower, their attention was then turned to a section of the biomass that had been stripped away, right where Juno's initial attack had critically missed the Venedaemon and slammed into the floor. The floor, while technically still intact, was beginning to show pockmarks and spiderweb-like cracks, and looked as if it had been washed with acid.

Both Aldric and Juno recalled old pulp tales about biomass of this sort, which had been said to be vulnerable to fire.

Then, looking away from the biomass, Juno and Aldric's attention was drawn to the back of the room. The Heralds, apparently, had cleared most of the previous items out, simple cots and scraps of raw flesh scattered around in the back. There were a few items left of civilized make - some chairs, a trolley that would ostensibly be used for carting construction materials - and a very heavy metal chest.

The resonance generator continued to hum from its own spot in the middle of the biomass, apparently unbothered by the creepy-looking substance.

Making their way over to the chest, Aldric and Juno identified it as a crate ordinarily used to handle potions - repurposed, it seemed, by the Heralds for their own use. Surprisingly, it was unlocked, and heaving it open, the two of them gazed upon their latest find.

The Heralds, it seemed, had been hard at work looting and pillaging, for the chest was filled with gold pieces, along with an assortment of potions, ammunition, an enchanted tunic, and a set of magical gauntlets.

Spoiler: Loot

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You find:
4 Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds.
2 Potions of Rage.
1 Potion of Greater Magic Weapon +1.
1 Potion of Neutralize Poison.

21 5.56 mm Rifle Rounds
27 .45 Pistol Rounds
11 .45 Silver Pistol Rounds
17 .45 Cold Iron Pistol Rounds

4500 Sunrays (gp).

1 Set of Bracers of Falcon's Aim
1 Sipping Jacket

You also found 2,300 Sunrays worth of small-cut rubies on the Venedaemons.

Spoiler: You Win!

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You gain 3200 XP for everyone, bringing them up to ____ XP.

Snorri

"Panja, Mister Hákonsson." Akira smiled, then clapped her hands together as Snorri's news registered. "This is wonderful news! We could very well have the shield disabled and get through to the Fifth Circle before noon! ...or what would be noon, anyway." The viera drooped slightly before perking up again. "We've already got people canvassing the freezer, so we should be getting news back..."

At that moment, one of the Leviathanites came up and snapped a salute, teeth chattering. "N-nothing in there but racks of pig and beef, Panja. And chickens. Lots of chickens. And... what we think is left of the owner."

Akira bowed her head briefly in grief, then looked upon the Leviathanite. "Those Leviathanites back at the inn should be finished tending to the wounded by now. Run back and tell them to take everything of use, then escort the civilians back to the Temples."

"On it."

And duly, the cleric ran off. Akira then looked around. "I would have thought your friend would bee back by now..."

Octavia

At Octavia/Azata's acceptance of the request, Skuggi visibly relaxed. "Thanks a million. This means a lot to me." At her question, the halfling scratched her chin. "Given how spread out we are? Hard to say. Then again, you're the first of us I've run into, and it's not too hard to find each other if you really go looking. As widespread as the destruction is, at least some of us have to have fallen. As far as the management, well, The Screaming Pheonix is one of the best-protected buldings in the third circle, so as far as I've heard, they've been able to make it out okay. Actually..."

Skuggi reached into her pack, and pulled out two objects - a small piece of clockwork with runes inscribed into it, and a scrap of paper with some numbers on it.

"This is an encryption modulator - lets you pick up secure channels on the radio. It was my spare, but I think you need it more than I do at this point. Just dial into the frequency on that note, and you'll be able to get a direct line to the management. They come on from time to time, so I know they're at least alive. It's fairly easy to install, as long as you have a little engineering or arcana know-how."

Spoiler: You Have Obtained A New Radio Channel!

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Bastion Artist's Association - 91.3 Theta.

Originally used by the top agents of BAA to coordinate high-profile smuggling runs, this channel has, for the moment, fallen into disuse as the agents of the organization scramble to survive in the wake of the attack on Gottenburg.

Benefits: Obtain missions and information from BAA
Obtain reinforcements from any Sheep in the area
Penaltiies: Caution required when using this power in the presence of lawful cohorts and NPCs.

Spoiler: Current Known Radio Stations

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91.3 Theta - BAA Communications Channel (Requires Encryption Modulator to be inserted into Radio)
84.5 - Warning Static (Henrietta's Personal Radio Only)

Amala and Henrietta

Even as Amala's magic sent the lever down, and the portcullis clicked upwards before settling into place with a metallic clunk, Henrietta and the greatsword-wielding Custos Pacem officer (now bandaged up and healed of some of his wounds) put a boot to the wall in tandem. With the crumbling and slamming of broken stone, an empy space was revealed. Peering into the darkness, a second passageway lay 10 feet below the improvised entryway, leading west.

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Peering down the darkness, Henrietta took out the magical light bottle she had found back at the Myrkvi University incident, and flashed it down the second passageway. "Divide, Conquer. Might lead somewhere useful. Take some soldiers with you. Going in. Radio in if you find Beak Face." And with that she departed down the newly made hole.

[Othniel]

Snorri

Snorri's brow wrinkled in thought at Akira's mention of Octavia. Where was she, anyway? "Excuse me, Panja Akira, and I'll go find her." Leaving the rest of the work to Akira and her troops, Snorri went in search of Octavia.

[Estralita]

Octavia

Octavia took the radio gizmos cautiously. Her eyes misted up with gratitude and relief. It wasn't a guarantee her family was safe, but it was something. All she needed was to find someone trustworthy to install it. "Thank you. I'll get on retrieving those weapons as soon as I can." She turned, and headed back to Snorri.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno and Aldric

Turning away from the contents of the crate for a minute, Aldric aimed at one of the sections of biomass and performed a quick kata, channeling the positive energy of a Cure Light Wounds spell into it. A hissing sound emanated from the biomass as it withered away and shrank back from the spell, clearing away a good 5 square feet.

Spoiler: Clearing Biomass - As Far As You Know For Now

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For every dice of positive energy damage an attack, spell, or special ability does, up to 1d10, you can clear 1 5x5 foot square of biomass. Exception to a positive effect can and will be made for appropriate roleplaying or good dice rolls.

Snorri and Octavia

Spoiler: Octavia

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"The weapons were deposited at one of our safehouses near the wharfs - a perfume and cosmetics store, the Pink Puff. I'll mark it on your map."

Octavia and Skuggi, as it turned out, had not strayed very far, and Snorri had only to walk about a block or so before he found them talking in an alleyway. Strangely, there appeared to be no lockbox with them.

Amala and Henrietta

Making the leap down into the pit, Henrietta bent her knees as she landed in the standard three-point landing and looked to the west.

She smelled it before she saw it - the reek of sewage, the splattering of water, all flowing through a grate carved into the walls themselves. The room was not overlarge, with a small, rickety plank leading to a small embankment on the other side with no immediately apparent door or entrance. To the south, the sewer continued, stretching on into the dark.

[Othniel]

Snorri

As he rounded the corner into the alley, Snorri appraised the situation, distinctly noting the absence of any lockbox. "So, what's in the box?"

[Estralita]

Octavia

Octavia shrugged it off. "Oh, pocket change. Waste of work. But while I was there, Skaggi brought up something interesting."

Spoiler: OOC

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Octavia explains what Skaggi told her, only without BAA involvement.

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

After taking inventory, the paladin shot up and into the airship, looking specifically for the cockpit, or helm. She found it and took a look, trying to decide whether or not the ship could power up and fly...

[Othniel]

Snorri

"So there are weapons...in a perfume store?" The bard asked, somewhat skeptical. "How do you..." he paused. "You know what, I don't even want to know." He shook his head and looked between Octavia and Skuggi. "The important thing is getting them into the hands of our friends here. I'll let the Panja know." He then turned to head back to Akira, but paused. "Oh, I found a map that gives the location of another device. I'll see where the Leviathanites want to head next."

He walked the short distance back to Akira and explained what he'd found out. "I don't know how or why, but apparently there are some supplies - weapons - in or near a perfume store over near the wharfs. Do we have enough troops to split up, or should we head either there or to the location of the next device next?"

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Calling back to the rest of her soldiers and Amy, Henrietta cupped her hand near her mouth "Nothing of immediate note down here. Sewers and a shoddy plank bridge. Continue after him, I'll do a thorough check and catch up." And with that she walked over to the grate, flashed her light through it to peer further down, and then walked over to the plank. Staring at it with a hesitant look, she looked at Zeppit and said "I own you now. No corner of this world is safe from me, no crevasse too deep, no fortress too fortified. If you ever cross me, I will find you and-" She grabbed his thin neck with her meaty hand, placing her armored thumb against his chin and pressing rather harshly against it "Snap. Understand? Ride my coattails, cling to my shadow, and you'll live longer and better than every beast I've slaughtered so far. I like you, you're smart, and a flying invisible magical creature is a good asset. I've seen its uses frequently recently. So if you go above and beyond the call of duty or show good behavior, I'll give you some of these." And with that she flashed one of the uncut rubies she collected earlier. "Your first mission, little Imp, will be to help me scout these sewers out. Starting with that wall over there."

Staring at it with dead set eyes, she began to go about the process of taking the handcuff off of her and then off of Zeppit. Looking at the rickety plank, she sidestepped it and looked down in the water, flashing her light into the sewage below, and trying to see if there was some bog monster or crawling zombie waiting to grab her ankles should she fall through the plank. Afterwards she flashed her light down the darkness that the sewer continued through and tried to discern anything of note.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Juno

Having finished examining the situation on the ground, Aldric and Juno next turned their eyes to the sky. Icani-Hellas, of course, had not built this station for mere decorative purposes, but rather for a singular purpose - the creation of a new form of shipping and transportation. Promised to be the newest and greatest form of mass transportation ever conceived, it sat floating in the sky above the dock, tethered to its mooring and scaffolding via a series of cables. A masterpiece of bound elemental energy, wood, and steel, expertly assembled, even in its only mostly-complete state. A crowning achievement of the arcane sciences of Myrkvi and the engineering brilliance of the Divine Army who had funded its production.

The world's first elemental-powered airship.

The Comet.

In contrast to Juno's effortless flight up to the Comet's bridge, Aldric spent several minutes in a rather careful jaunt up the series of ladders leading to the platform - for all the cargo elevators, as it turned out, were up, as was the docking bridge. But nonetheless, at long last, they made it up to the main deck, and, oh-so-carefully, looked around.

It was a mess.

Thankfully, as it happened, the mess was one of civilized people - the Heralds, it seemed, had been rather busy concerning themselves with matters on the ground as opposed to celestial ones. Nonetheless, it was clear to both aasimar and tiefling totally normal human that, even if the news was correct and the engineers at Icani-Hellas had been ready to put the blimp through its first stress test, decorating the interior had not been anywhere near the top of the "to-do" list.

Making their way to the cockpit (which, while initially locked, was initially defeated with a rather solid kick from Juno), Aldric and Juno were greeted by one thing. Or rather, a lot of one thing.

Levers. Oceans of levers, with spatterings of gauges, meters, and wheels. And, in a lone concession to appearances (although it had to be said that the instrument consoles were rather lovely in their own right, being forged of oak and brass), a rather ornate table in the middle of the cockpit with a series of maps on it.

Nonetheless, Juno and Aldric, after a rather quick look around the cockpit, were able to find a blueprint of the various controls. With it, coupled with their combined knowledge of engineering, the two of them were able to figure out the bare minimum of how to get the ship to move - as well as locating the levers that were necessary to release the cables that held the Comet in place.

Spoiler: Perk Gained!

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You now no longer need to roll Profession (Pilot) when navigating the Comet outside of combat.

Henrietta

Zeppit whimpered as Henrietta made her threat clear, pressing her armored thumb over his trachea - then, looking at the small-cut rubies she held in her hand, fully realized the implications of what she was saying, and goggled at her.

"You... would have Zeppit as your servant?"

Unable to fully hold back a rather pleased (and moderately evil-sounding) giggle, Zeppit snapped off a salute.

"Zeppit will do his best for the mistress! What should Zeppit call his new mistress?"

Zipping on over to the wall, Zeppit then examined it carefully. Almost immediately, he returned to Henrietta to show his findings.

"Small seam in wall, and a draft beyond. A secret door, Zeppit thinks, likely to where former master was holed up - it looks like there is small switch third brick over to left. His hidey hole was this way down the sewers. Not sure where south hall leads."

He said this even as Henrietta oriented her flashlight down the sewer. Though the light soon ran out, she could tell that it went on for a ways before eventually turning west and beginning to slope downwards. She also detected no monsters hiding in the sewer water, and judged that the plank would be able to hold reasonably well as long as she crossed it in a timely fashion.

Spoiler: NPC Recruited!

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You have procured the services of Zeppit the Imp!.. for now. For one must be careful when dealing with devils, even cowardly and puny ones.

Henrietta, now having calmed down from the adrenaline of battle, is able to remember all about the various capabilities of Imps.

[Estralita]

Octavia

Octavia's heart was beating fast enough to burst. It was enough of a risk telling someone outside of BAA. But to get soldiers involved. No way she could cover up with that many law-abiding citizens around. She hurried after Snorri, and tugged on his sleeve. "Oh, we don't need to bother them with this. I was thinking a smaller group, like the ones we've been in. Hey, maybe there'd be a weapon for you in there."

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Taking out the medallion thrusted on her earlier, Henrietta examined it once more as Zeppit went about his work. "I am a servant of Order, of the people, and the strong arm of Bastion Law. Lieutenant is all I am." Deciding that it was safe enough to cross over the planks, she set aside the notion of going down the sewers for exploration later, and instead opted to go investigate the secret door. Moving quickly, she rubbed the contours of the flames on the tiny piece of metal, and was reminded of her adoptive father. He had a medallion very similar to this one, though she didn't notice any flames, and never got a good look at it whenever he clutched it between his fingers. His home, her home, in the fifth circle was only a short walk away before all this madness, and now it felt like the other side of the world. It felt like such a long time since she had seen him, yet it was only two days ago right before the festival, and memories began to resurface in the Lioness' mindscape as she felt for the brick.

Spoiler: Paranoia

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Henrietta sat in a plain wooden chair, opposite an empty one that both flanked the fire place in Adam Jokson's home. Clenched tightly in her calloused hand was a whetstone which she diligently used to sharpen her black steel great sword. Try as she might over the years, she could never rub out the ashen flecks that covered it from cross-guard to tip. As a result she had given up on cleaning it beyond superficial appearances and instead made sure it was constantly sharp. Her furrowed brow was wet with sweat from the constant work and heat of the flames, her hair a mess and strands of it stuck to her forehead and cheeks. Muttering prayers of strength, skill, and fearlessness in service of Order to bless the blade. Her words carried no magical power, but tradition dictated such, and her father was strict on maintaining them. Normally he would mutter them alongside her while performing his own maintenance, but today instead he stood off to the far side of the room and peered out the window into the street.

Despite entering retirement he had never fully given up the life of the Custos Pacem, visiting precincts from time to time, and doing work as a private investigator when duty or personal hunches called him. The latter had driven him to start up a new case on their neighbor. Normally these cases were small, his skill and work ethic leading to a quick compilation of evidence, and a prompt deposit of them to the local precinct. But this new one had Henrietta worried, his office was slightly sloppier than its usual pristine state, and the case had been brewing with piles of theories and notes building up over weeks. Quill in hand, Adam looked out the window and wrote a few notes down here and there, all the while muttering to himself.

"What's he building in there? What the hell is he building in there? He has subscriptions to those newspapers. He never waves when he goes by."

Henrietta raised an eyebrow as her adoptive father began to muse to himself. She had helped him with the case a few times when she wasn't working her own or busy with something else. Shaking it off, she returned to her work.

"And he's hiding something from the rest of us. He's all to himself, I think I know why. He took down the swing from the pepper tree. He has no children of his own, you see. He has no dog, he has no friends, and his garden is dying. And what about those packages he sends? What's he building in there."

Finished with her weapon, Henrietta raised it to eye level and gave it an appraising look, biting her tongue as she squinted and examined the heavy blade in great detail. Placing it down over the mantle of the fire place, she turned to walk over alongside her father.

"With that hook light on the stairs. What's he building in there? I'll tell you one thing, he's not building a playhouse for the children....What's he building in there?"
"Maybe it's a secret passageway? A smuggling tunnel for those scum in the BAA?"
"Now what's that sound from underneath the door? He's pounding nails into a hardwood floor. And I swear to Order I heard someone moaning low. And I keep seeing the blue light of a candle."

Looking out the window alongside him, Henrietta did vaguely see a blue flickering light emanating from behind the neighbor's window.

"That is odd but..."
"He has a spell book and a table saw. And you won't believe what Mr. Sticha saw. There's poison underneath the sink, of course. There's also enough timeless unguent's to choke a horse. What's he building in there? What the hell is he building in there? I heard he has an ex-wife in some place called Mayor's Income, and he used to have a consulting business in Kastali. But what's he building in there? He has no friends but he gets a lot of mail. I bet he spent a little time in jail. I heard he was up on the roof last night, signaling with a light of some kind."

He took out his pendant, rubbing it absentmindedly, which temporarily distracted Henrietta. The memory of it was particularly strong, a bright flash of color amidst the relatively dreary and bleak recollection. Placing a hand on Adam's shoulder, she shook him softly.

"Father."
"And what's that tune he's always whistling? What's he building in there? What's he building in there? We have a right to know."
"Father!"

She shook him more violently now, snapping Adam out of his paranoid fit.

"Father this is stretching past suspicion and into paranoia. Step back, get clarity, reevaluate this........ Leave it to the authorities."

Her last words to him still echoed in her head as she pressed against the brick and put the magical light away, gripping her greatsword with both hands and awaiting any monster ambush.