Undocumented: Red Hand Part 1
Log Info
- Title: Undocumented - Red Hand Part 1
- Emitter: Subduction
- Characters: Aryia, Munch, Seyardu
- Place: Alexandria Lower Markets
- Time: December 2nd, 2021
- Summary: A recent posting about a red-headed Stormgardian woman toting an impressively enormous axe came through the Exploerer's Guild, Aryia having seen it and pointed it out to Seyardu. Munch, a dreadlocked warforged, says his axe is bigger and has to make sure his is the better one. They go investigate a cobbler's estate, the location of the reports where this woman has been seen, and find that the cobbler is an older gnome that is hard of hearing and of sight. They report they think the noises are rats, which the party suspects is not. They head into the alleyway and check the cellar, finding a set of double doors. Munch tries it, only to find it's barred with a plank of wood. Which means, something might be here after all...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Players =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Aryia 0s 4'8" 110 Lb Shadow Elf Female A heavily scarred mul with a resolved look about her. Munch 8m 6'5" 225 Lb War Golem Male Dreadlocked golem with metal scales. Seyardu 2m 5'6" 150 Lb Sith-Makar Female A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Subduction -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
Some moons ago, a job came through for a group of adventurers to recover a number of stolen documents- documents which pertained to the ritual undertaken in ancient history to form a pact with the god, Animus. While the group were able to recover a number of these documents, two remain at large- supposedly in the hands of a member of the shadowy organization, the Ebon Syndicate- what, exactly, they intend to do with them is unknown, but it is known that the Syndicate consort with Illotha and her demons. As such, it is almost certain to be nothing good.
Which brings us to today. After the adventurers found their hideout at the docks, the guard conducted a thorough search of the area in the weeks following. This seems to have spooked the Syndicate, who have not been seen at the docks since. However, unconfirmed reports of a certain red-headed Stormgardian woman toting an impressively enormous axe have filtered their way back to the guild of explorers. Apparently, she has been sighted entering the cellar of a cobblers shop in the lower trades district.
There is a flier up on the noticeboard with a rough sketch of the woman in question, as well as the warning that she is assumed to be dangerous. The sketch looks very familiar to Aryia.
Aryia had figured that job, her very, very first job, would have fizzled away once they ran from a crazy axe wielding woman. And when the rumors came around that she was back, the shadow elf couldn't help but go pale.
If that crazy woman was strong then, and now Aryia was strong? Who knows how much that insane lass had improved since then? She shudders at the thought.
Not wanting to face this task alone, she asks Seyardu for help, and fills her in on the things she had to got though all those moons ago. Because if there one one person that could fix someone being nearly bisected, it'd be the silverscale.
At the guild, Aryia is pointing to the report, worry on her face as she finishing telling Seyardu about the job. "And she threw an axe, the whole greataxe, at someone on the roof, and crumbled the roof side down with just one throw!" <Handspeech>
Munch buzzes quietly, his attention, short as it may be, currently captured by a picture with an axe. "Huh. Mine's bigger. That somebody important?" The golem nods casually to the Mul and SilverScale, as if they hung out yesterday, rather than weeks on end sine last spoke.
Seyardu was less than keen on the thought of the job, but she listened, and listened, frowning just a touch at the explanation. "And you say this person is almost guaranteed to be unhinged, they are a danger to the city being around as they are." She finally states. "Not to mention concerns about fiend summonings in Alexansria potentially. There are enough of those already."
She looks to Munch, blinks, and shrugs. "They are dangerous, important, I do not know. But they may have toes with a criminal organization."
Aryia looks overs the golem, her tilting their head for a moment before shrugging. She pulls out a journal, scribbles a few words down, then presents it to them.
"The Syndicate, ties with them. Probably need to go deal with this. you want in?"
The mute reaches up and takes the notice, seeing if there was anyone to talk to about it.
Munch considers a moment and shrugs. "Sure, I'm in. Came to see if were any jobs suited for me, that looks like a yes. Just point me towards who needs punched." It's the simple things in life that matter, and the metal barbarian is simple in his outlook.
As usual, the tireless receptionists at the guild are the place to go- they are the ones with details on the jobs, when the client isn't there in person, and Aryia is soon able to track one down. "Let's see what I have here..." the young half-sil man behind the counter says, leafing through a large binder and pushing up his glasses. "Ah, right. Stormgardian, tall, red hair. Seen in the company of a Veyshanti gent, bald, slim. Both are suspected to have ties to organized crime. The man hasn't been sighted again, the woman was last seen entering the cellar of Bodkins- street side access to a storage cellar. I've a map." he says, and then retrieves it offering it over.
"This one's just a lead- there's no client, so no guarenteed payday. But if they turn out to be who we think they are, the guard's posted a bounty. Alive preferred, but not required." he finally says as he hands the map over.
"I do not see why I would not wish to join in, if only to keep you safe." Seyardu sighs. "Along with others. It may be dangerous, but you are welcome to join us. My name is Seyardu, and the mul'niessa is my friend Aryia. She has encountered the person before, and knows much more than I do, though she speaks with hand signa."
Aryia looks over the golem one more time before smirking faintly and nodding. Punch it. She could get behind that easily. The mute felt like they were going to get along just fine, her waving in greeting as she's introduced, thankful for it.
The pugilist scribbles some notes down in her journal as the receptionist fills them in, a scowl forming on her features. She takes the map and gives it a looksie before its passed around. "Take a look, poke around, if we see her, knock her out and bring her in for questioning. Got it," she signs. Easier said than done, she tells herself as a bead of sweat rolls down her back. "We ready?" she asks with a hand, and a gesture towards the door to leave. <Handspeech>
Munch nods to Seyardu. Pretty sure they've met, but it's been a while. "Munch. I break things and hurt people. Alive is harder, but can try for it." The golem doesn't speak finger wiggles, but is savy enough to catch the gist of the gestures. "Sounds like tight spaces are likely. Things get rough, let me in. I can take it."
"I will do what I can to help take them in alive." Seyardu agrees. "I may be a cleric, but I am not frail. That being said, I know at times I am best served looking out for others. And it seems we have a course of action. Find their last known location and investigate, question those who saw her perhaps? But if she has ties, we need to be careful about asking too many questions."
And so the group file out, towards their destination- the cobblers shop in question, Bodkins. It's not too far a walk from the guild to the lower trades, and the map does a fair job of representing the streets- although no job of representing the traffic, random piles of debris, and other obstacles of city life. Nevertheless, the group are soon enough able to find the shop. The frontage is basic, a little worn. A faded wooden sign hanging over the door. No glass windows, but the smell of leather and polish wafts out through gaps in the door.
There is an alleyway besides the shop, and the cellar access lays that way- a double trap door, concealing a flight of stairs according to the map. Beyond that, the guild didn't have a map to offer. Underground works aren't mapped as often as adventurers would like, but cartographers are in high demand and so command high prices.
GAME: Aryia rolls knowledge/local: (12)+2: 14 GAME: Munch rolls knowledge/local: Trained Use Only: 0
Aryia motions as they take an outside look. "Only thing I can think of with this place is it might hold an entrance to the sewers," she signa, wrinkling her nose. <Handspeech>
Munch nods, and shrugs. "Open the doors, enter boldly. If it's a trap, know is something important past it."
"Which means that they may be long gone if they passed through here." Seyardu adds once she stops near the alley. "Should we speak to the owner of the shop, or go straight down? Perhaps they have heard noises from below while working, or nothing since reports of them being through here?"
Aryia gestures to Seyardu, pointing to the shop. "Ask questions, make it seem like we're rooting out demon shit, covering points of entry. See if they heard anything weird like you said." <Handspeech>
Munch lets the Sith take over. Public relations is very much not his strength.
Pushing open the door to the shop causes a bell to ring, but the keeper doesn't seem to notice. He's an elderly gnome, very elderly- he has a hearing horn on the desk next to him, but he isn't using it for the time being. He has on a pair of enormous goggles with magnifying lenses, and his tongue pinched between his lips as he works on sewing the leather of a new pair of dress boots into shape around a mold.
"That is not untrue, yes." She agrees a
"That is not untrue, yes." She agrees with Aryia, leaving the cellar for now, and turning to the store front. She knocks once before opening the door and stepping inside. She takes a moment to look around before waving to the owner. "Peace on your nest, shopkeeper, I hope the day finds you well." She greets. "I am a cleric of Althea, and was hoping that I could ask you a few questions, if you are willing."
Aryia enters, hands in her pockets, eyeing the store as Seyardu handles talking.
Munch looms. He doesn;t mean to, not in a leather shop, but when you're big and bulky, loom happens.
The gnome at the counter doesn't immediately react as folks make their way into the room, continuing his work. Even when Seyardu speaks to him, he doesn't immediately react. It's only once the group draws a little nearer he suddenly starts. "Wayadoinsneakinuponanolman?" he says, speaking too quickly and not clearly enough all at once, so it all comes out as one extremely drawn out word, looking at them with comically huge eyes from behind the magnifying lenses. He shuffles over, grabbing the hearing horn and pushing the small end into his ear, the other, trumpet like end of it facing the group, as he looks on expectantly.
Seyardu was not too close to the owner, and she just offers another wave as she tries to parse what was being said to her rapid fire. The silver makari shakes her head. "We are not sneaking up on you, sir, but we wished to stop by your shop on account of reports of activity beneath it." She begins to explain. "There is concern of possible dangers we are investigating, and we were wondering if you have seen or heard anything out of the ordinary of late?"
Munch doubts the gnome has seen or heard much of anything, but keeps his silence for now.
"Oh, that? Just rats, I reckon." the old Gnome says then to Seyardu. He's talking slower now, at least. Maybe the rapidfire speech is a startle reaction. "Always got rats hangin around. They're after my scraps." he grumbles.
Aryia glances to sey, her nodding towards the exit and signing, "Probably doesn't know much," she says. <Handspeech>
"Just rats?" Seyardu asks, before she nods. If he could hear them with his hearing, things were likely much larger than a few rats. "Well, regardless, due to the reports, we will be taking a look, and I promise that none of your goods will be damaged. I hope that business will do well here, and wish you a good day. May Althea bless your day."
"Ey?" The man asks then, even with the horn apparently unable to hear correctly. "A pear less than hay?" he wonders, looking genuinely puzzled.
Munch nods in agreement, waving politely to the owner before moving to head back to the alley.
"May the gods bless your day." She repeats with both word and hand movements, before she departs. <handspeech>
Once back outside, she looks to the others, and frowns just a bit. "It may seem like a little, but given the shopkeeper being hard of hearing, any noise at all could be concerning. What sounds like rats to them, could be a small group of people moving around." Seyardu suggests.
"I had a similar experience before. An older man who was hard of hearing, living alone in their home. A fiend had set up in their attic, and they weren't aware that anything was going on for the most part."
Aryia gives a thumbs up, and follows with the others. She sighs, looking at the alley and nodding slowly. "Yes... that seems entirely possible," she signs. <Handspeech>
Examination of the trap door leads to one immediate conclusion- the lock is broken, that much is obvious right off the bat. It seems to have been struck out with a hammer, not the most subtle method of entry, though how long ago this was is hard to say. Either way, gaining access won't be much trouble.
Munch wasn't likly to slow for a mere lock anyway, but finding a lack, the golem glances to the others and hauls open the doors. Not really expecting anything but steps and darkness on the other side.
Indeed, there are steps- no sudden explosions or alarm bells, which is good. It's dark down there, but the light from street level goes a ways towards illuminating the way down. The cellar itself looks like it's rarely used- a few small barrels of dyes, some scraps of leather, boxes of cobbler's nails, but nothing really worth stealing. The room is oddly shaped, likely to the countours of whatever other underground works lay nearby, club shaped with a long passage leading away from the stairs.
"Well, we should investigate now then, it seems." Seyardu chuckles when the trap door is unceremoniously thrown open, and she too follows the golem downwards. "Keep our voices down now, though. They may still be present, and they may have set up traps or ambushes to deter people looking into this, such as us."
Aryia pans her glowing gaze around as they enter, her squinting and slightly tense. She nods in agreement with Seyardu, though the only noise that comes from her is her cracking her neck. Might as well be ready if this woman shows up. She peers down the hall.
Munch glances around a moment, the leathery 'dreadlocks' on his head twitching as the light dims. Having little caution, the golem heads towards the hall, giving the others plenty of time to keep up.
At the end of the hall, there is a double door- Aryia can make it out clearly with her darkvision, and Munch is able to pick their way along with blindsense. Seyardu, likewise, is capable of seeing well enough in the dark- so it should not present a challenge for them, provided nothing else hinders their vision.
Aryia glances to Munch, her buckling her jacket together, and rolling her shoulders. She gestures to the doors, holding up a thumb like she was ready to go on through.
Seyardu takes a moment to pull her billhook out of her bag and sling it over her back as they take in the area, before she nods to the others, and moves closer to the door.
"Should we go in together?" She asks with hand movements, not wishing to speak up unnecessarily.
Munch moves up to the doors directly, and pauses. The golem doesn't have proper ears, but his senses are quite sharp regardless. Perhaps some noise from the far side will offer insight?
GAME: Munch rolls perception: (7)+21: 28 GAME: Subduction rolls 17: (14)+17: 31
Munch waits a few moments of near silence, shrugs, and tries the door.
These doors do not open so easily. Giving them a shove causes them to open partway, and then stop. Through the sliver of a crack produced, it can be discerned that a length of wood has been shoved through the handles on the other side, acting as a makeshift lock.
Aryia blinks in surprise as the door was barred by wood. Then she scowls. That meant there was something to hide. She takes a stance, readying herself.
-End Scene-
OOC
Vision notes:
- <OOC> Munch quick notes has Blindsense 60ft, as is solid chance may become importent.
- Aryia: Darkvision 120ft
- Seyardu: Darkvision 60ft