Week Seventeen, Day
Two
Now ready with greater skills the team begins their last stages of preparation. Lilly and Grey Eyes make candles from the materials they have gathered and bottle gleeah. Lilly purchases a list of scrolls from Kati (Tenser’s Floating Disk, Scorching Ray, Resist Energy, Fabricate, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Blindness/Deafness) and a potion of dark vision. Jeffery simply keeps Kikah busy while while the mystics go about their work.
Feeling that Dlar has not been properly fed Grey Eyes takes some time out of her day to change that. Moving out into the downs area she wanders about until she finds a likely pair. She lays charm person upon them first as she moves up to them. In as friendly a way as she can she asks them if they can tell her the way to her friends house in the area. She gives them the address of Dlar’s lair and once they tell her where she asks if they would be so good as to lead her. They agree but do not like going into that area. Once back at Dlar’s lair she invites them in for a drink which her friend said he had ready for her. They are somewhat reluctant but accept anyway. Guiding them downstairs she motions them through the door at the bottom, closing it as she enters as well. The two girls freeze in place at what they see waiting for them. A hand on their backs, Grey Eyes pushes them forward, tazering them when they give resistance.
Not in the mood for further problems she strips them both and cuffs them by the wrists and ankles. She offers them up to Dlar who cannot make up its mind which who it wants to eat first. Picking up the closest one she invites Dlar to taste her eyes tongue, something Dlar seems fond of. After allowing Dlar time to taste anything else of interest she does the same with the other doe. Dlar very simply decides to eat this one first as she is right in front, Grey Eyes quickly retrieving her cuffs as Dlar takes its prey. Once Dlar is finished with its prey she moves to rub its tummy while the two victims scream. Noticing that Dlar’s tongue is free, she asks Dlar to wrap it around her while she continues to rub. Lilly eventually makes her way down to visit Dlar as well. Finding Grey Eyes sucking up to Dlar she joins in, taking a spot in Dlar’s mouth for herself.
Start of May 20th Session
Once they feel they have lavished enough attention upon Dlar they decide to gather what information they can about their current ghoul problem. Jeffery gives Kikah ten wafers to buy candy with as a distraction while he, Lilly and Grey Eyes meet up where the ghouls are jailed. Once they get there they decide to try and question the ghouls about their condition:
“Who did this to you?” “Him.”
“Why did he do this to you?” “The vice of life, liquid.”
“Where did he do this too you?” “Heavy door bolts latches.” While scratching at their wrist bindings.
“Where is he?” “Outside.”
None of the three understand what they are talking about and so give up. They try to remember what was said and pay Anosa a visit in hopes she can help translate. They first ask about the usage of the phrase “vice of life”, to which Anosa responds “It means greed, to zelengorsk greed is a difficult notion to grasp.” They also discover from Anosa that it should be possible to create a form of compass to direct them to the source of the ghouls using basic sympathetic alchemy. Believing they have enough information to continue their task they return to the jail to obtain a bit of bone from their prisoners.
While on
route they come up with a simple idea to convince the jailer ghost to allow
them access to a ghoul to get a bone.
They hope that they can make a trade, a new prisoner in exchange for the
ability to get a bone. To this end they
sleep two doe’s on the way to the jail, one of which Lilly gives to
Once at the jail they start up dealings with the jailor who is rather surprised to see them. He flat out tells them that three other ghouls came by recently and spoke to the ones imprisoned mostly about them. Now rather worried at the prospect of being stuck between three ghouls charging into the room with another three in the jail they decide it would be a great idea to get out of there and fast. Now that their captive has become very inconvenient they simply throw her into the jail with the three ghouls who rip her apart in moments.
Jeffery
returns home to talk to Kikah about his new
situation. He asks her to help out in
mounting some form of defense for when the ghouls come hunting him. She is understandably upset about this sudden
news but agrees to help out as best she can.
Meanwhile Lilly and Grey Eyes set up a plan from the crypt.
Once Kikah and Jeffery join them at the crypt they set themselves up with weapons, adipocere candles and the most effective weapons they can muster. Keeping the candles lit, they lay in wait for the ghouls that should likely be hunting them down. Lilly is the first to see them from her vantage atop the crypt. They approach the area from the rear, from deeper within the graveyard. From this distance she can see they have come armed with hand cannons and grenades. She takes note and leaps down to warn the rest of the team what to expect.
Trying to keep their locations hidden with their candles for a moment they allow the ghouls to come into range. All at once they strike the ghouls with a simultaneous attack, causing considerable damage before a fight truly begins. They ready a second wave of attacks and rip into the ghouls once more before they can retaliate. The lone ghoul still standing throws a grenade in Lilly’s direction, which Grey Eyes intercepts with a mage hand cantrip summoned with a dragon soul. With its only attack rendered ineffective the next wave of attacks finish the ghoul off. Grey Eyes takes a moment to complement Kikah on her shooting.
Grey Eyes sets to work locking up these ghouls like they did the first three in the jail below, but Lilly takes a moment to question one. It seems the ghouls are more than a bit upset and compare the team to “Him”. As they did imprison them behind a locked door perhaps it’s not a far off comparison after all. They get the bone they need from these ghouls and make sure they are locked up.
Knowing that there could be another attack upon them eventually the team sets down to rest in Lilly’s crypt while the bone soaks in a solution of iron powder as needed for the compass. Hopefully it will be ready and working when the awake.
Week Seventeen, Day
Three
Dangling the now prepared bone at the end of a string it is found to point at “something” at the very least. As everyone expects more conflict and risk of blood poisoning they call Krystal to come help as medical aid if nothing more. They wait around the phone until they see Krystal step off a public transport not far off.
The compass eventually leads them to a house in the downs, not far from the sundered. Whatever it is the bone points too is likely in or under this house. Krystal suggests that they all just group up by the door and knock. Their numbers should prevent anyone answering from causing trouble. Since it was her idea they insist Krystal does the knocking.
Krystal’s knocking gets no answer so she opens the door and steps inside. The bone points downstairs. They all follow its lead and find the basement cluttered with old trash of limited interest. There is, however, a portion of the basement sectioned off in a room with a very heavy door, upon which are several locks and latches. Figuring they found what they were looking for they ponder a moment on how to get inside.
Jeffery just fires an armour puncher through the synthetic stone wall which gives them a peek inside. The view does not last long as the small hole made is quickly obscured by mobile blue flames. It is identified as corpsefire but it is not normal for it to move about so much. Lilly attempts to extinguish enough to let them see inside for a moment or two. The plan works, and they can all see that the room is outfitted for carpentry work. The room, however, is not being used for woodwork as it is occupied by over two-dozen corpses.
Believing the corpsefire is harmless enough they take turns widening the hole with whatever tools come to hand. Climbing inside they find the bodies are bound wrist and ankle still dressed in middle-class clothing. It appears that everything of notable value is missing from the bodies so there was some element of theft involved with this. Searching more carefully for a clue of some sort Jeffery comes across a pair of gloves which do not appear to be used for woodwork.
Having little else to work with, Lilly and Grey Eyes head back to the lair to see if the cult diviner they met is around. She is not but Dlar knows where she is. Dlar leads them to a public swimming pool where Laybraya is spending her day. Lilly puts on the suit given to her by Kati while Grey Eyes has to purchase something suitable. They enter the pool area and meet up with Lybraya who is more than just a bit surprised to see them. She says she can help them make what they need to track the gloves owner but not here and now. She asks them to meet her at home in about an hour and then can take care of things then. Happy enough with that answer they make their way to Laybraya’s residence at the agreed time.
Using a little sympathetic magic, Laybraya transforms the gloves into a means to sense not only the location of the subject but also what they are thinking. The notion of having the thoughts of what is likely a killer running through someone’s mind is risky, but Jeffery thinks he can handle it. Putting them on he takes off in the direction he is compelled, Lilly and Grey Eyes follow.
They find themselves directed to a mall clock shop where a few people pass over the displayed goods. It is not too hard to notice who they are after, a buck in fine dress who has noticed their sudden arrival. Lilly employs hypnotism while the others perform a more standard arrest. Understanding that the ghouls were looking for this person they feel perhaps if they were given what they were after they will go away.
Once back at the downs they suggest to Krystal that she may want to stay on the main floor as what might happen next might not be pleasant. She sits on an old couch and stuffs her ears solemnly with gauze. They drag their prisoner to the woodworking room in the downs and kick him in after just a few words and looting his pockets (147 wafers). The corpsefire swirls with movement as unseen forces awaken. Putting a little gleeah in their eyes, Lilly and Grey Eyes watch as the buck is lifted from the floor by many disgruntled looking spirits. As he screams the corpsefire becomes most active near the way they broke in and a tunnel that was dug down into the sewers, sealing these openings. It is not long before the object of the ghoulish affection is entombed with his victims, which seem to have little interest in killing him just now. It is with a grim realization that they know the spirits intend to have him suffer as they did, helpless and deprived of simple food and water till his death. Death will likely not be the end of his sufferings, as once life leaves his body the spirits will be there waiting for him.
Checking on the ghouls they left
locked up in the jail they find them to be inactive, dead at last. Feeling they have successfully completed Anosa’s task they return to report their work. Anosa is a bit
impressed and decides it is time that they be a
The group breaks up for the day. Lilly and Grey Eyes return to Dlar’s lair and spend what time they have with it until it is time for them to leave for work the next day.
Week Seventeen, Day
Four
Grey Eyes and Lilly rouse from sleep, cleaning the gleeah coating them and preparing to leave. Jessica comes down into the lair some moments before they make it to the stairs. She has come dressed in mismatching clothing suited for jogging perhaps. It seems she has come by to dance with Dlar a little and has come ready in something both functional and colorful for Dlar. Noting that hardly anyone comes to visit Dlar anymore, Grey Eyes entices Jessica to come more often and spend time with Dlar as it gets lonely. Jessica agrees reluctantly.
It becomes more and more clear that although Annalisa’s ways were less than kind at least she got things done. Hardly anyone brings Dlar prey anymore or even bothers to visit. Dlar is more lonely than ever when Lilly and Grey Eyes leave as now free of any obligations no one wants to be near a predator.
As instructed, everyone meets up in the sundered in order to find out where Anosa is going to put them. She decides not to go straight there but makes a stop at Deekan’s Sandwich Shop where they all first met. After a little something to eat they leave the sundered and enter the downs, eventually stopping at an average unoccupied residence. Anosa says she will be back some time later to give them their contacts but in the mean while gives them time to settle in. The place is in decent shape but needs a bit of work. More to the point it is felt that as they are so close to the sundered, they might want to set up defense from uninvited visitations. They spend a bit over three-hundred wafers on renovation materials and invite Vern along to help at least get the water running.
Week Seventeen, Day
Five
Still settling in, the team rotates between patrolling their block areas and plating their sleeping areas with mithril.
Week Seventeen, Day
Six
Still not complete, they continue to work on the plating and patrolling. Lilly and Grey Eyes get with Vern to come up with a good day to get everyone together for Dlar, sort of in a way as Annalisa once did. With a bit of help from Dlar, Grey Eyes makes visitations to some of the other girls in the cult, pleading with them to visit Dlar more often.
With
current matters in hand, the team sets up patrol rotations for the next week.