S5E10 tHR- Chasing Bhar Beneath the City

From the Beginning: https://rigglewwh.blogspot.com/2021/06/s0e1-introductions.html

PCs: Agnes (Duane), Katja (Geoff), Venegral (Tony), Mor (Bill), Gary (Matt), Ymath (absent)

ReCap: They gained permission from The Big Cheese to search the suspected warehouse where mutated pigeons roosted. And found zombies inside the yard stacking the barrels of ale. Time and ammunition to cut thru their ranks to gain access to the building itself rented by a Theodore who owned mastiff guard dogs. More time and ammo to finally stand over the trapdoor where Vizier Bhar surely hid. The Ordo Terribilis within their grasp.

Into the Frey: Mor sensed the ‘Winds-of-Dahr’ and the evil portent beneath the trapdoor. Ignoring the rope descent, he did not hesitate to jump… and fall. From his prone position and with the aid of torches in sconces around the large room, he witnessed a robed man run thru a far door. At the far end of the room: a sacrificed offering lay dead in the middle of an octagram-star symbol carved into the floor. Gary wisely climbed down and to the side so others could follow. 

Agnes climbed down in time to witness 2 Blue Horrors emerge from the human sacrifice! Katja followed then Venegral who arrived just as a closer side opened as a horde of zombies emerged to charge Gary!

[crit] Leg armor fell as Gary withstood the attack and swung back. Agnes moved beside him as the swarm grew in numbers! Meanwhile, Mor fired 2 swift-arrows at the distant Blue Horrors than advanced from their summoning gate. Only weakened, they cast magical darts at Gary. But Venegral was able to counter-spell some of the inbound. Maybe the wizard distracted when he witnessed another Blue Horror claw its way out of the sacrifice’s chest! “We need to close that gate!” Easier said than done as they all were a little busy dealing with facial confrontations. By now, zombies outnumbered those in melee, finding gaps in defense that let claws scratch away at the heroes. Katja loosed a bolt that destroyed a Blue Horror, only to witness another (#4) emerge from the summoning gate. “Wizard. Any time now! Focus your energy and close the damn thing!”

Mor notched 2 more arrows and lined up his shot (critical) that dropped 2 of the magical creations. Gary cleaved one zombie and followed through at another that also dropped. And that’s when everyone felt their neck hairs stand on end as energy erupted from Venegral’s fingertips. The gate closed! Now only undead foe after Katja charged and killed the last Blue Horror. And soon Agnes was stacking the undead for a funeral pyre, after she healed her allies. “What’s that noise?” Turned out there was another zombie left in the room where the others emerged. It strapped on a table as if the subject of experimentations. It could wait. “We need to find Bhar!”

Bedchamber: The far room proved to be the wizard’s bedchamber: a large, opulent canopy bed, desk, bookcase, niches in the wall with various bottles of spell components and chemicals. But first, they searched for secret doors and trapdoors under the rugs and bed. Nothing. Soon, Venegral thumbed thru the books, noting demonology titles. Forbidden tombs of dark magic which Agnes added to the funeral pyre in the main room. Fortune a message fell from the books before she tossed the books into the inferno. Venegral decoded the message, “The tunnel dwellers perform well. Soon after word of the death of the prince they presented to me and captured the girl. But why these other abductions? Please advise. BK”

Agnes scratched her head, “BK. Could that be the green-eyed woman, Brunhilde Klaglich, who stole Ar-Ulric’s love letters? She’s dead. If so, this is an old message.” Agnes stood at the desk, flipping pages of an accounting ledger. “Almost a hundred names listed. Some crossed out, others circled. As if a hit-list. Could these be the abductions BK mentioned?”

The Ledge: While the learned allies read, Katja continued to search. And found a loose stone beside the bookcase. Which opened unto a tunnel carved by claws that descended down and away. While Gary led the way, Mor pointed the direction as he sensed the lingering aura of magic. (Venegral still weakened by his earlier miscast could not sense anything.) Soon, they had to squeeze thru a narrow sewer culvert. [Stay tuned for Mor’s injuries that may fester.] They came upon a cavern with a ledge dropping off into darkness. Gary kicked a rock over the side but any echoes were lost. Unknown depth. But old ropes hung from outstretched bars with pulleys at their end. A few ropes gently swayed. They began to pull one of the still ropes. Laborious! Almost 300 ft of rope before they sighted the empty gibbet at the end. 

Which implied those slightly swaying still had a body inside. Venegral cast light into the darkness which brought forth moans from below. They raised the other gibbets.

Indeed, two men still breathed. Till Venegral killed the one mad with rabies: foaming mouth, clawing at his cage. Agnes tended to the other as they questioned him. “I was captured in the Freeberg district just days ago. Skaven I say! Call me mad, but they were skaven I saw! Stuck in these cages we was. Those who lasted 2 weeks earned their release… lead away, by the ratmen to do Ulric only knows what, those who perished were collected by a man from Araby. That man recently descended by ropes or, however. He talked with the captors below. Worked with them. He went thru a far door marked with that queer shield. When they opened the door, I saw a beast of a creature. I swear it had a green arm that glowed!”

Down into Darkness: They pulled on gloves as the wrapped the rope around their calves and descended into the darkness. Where they found a triangular door marked with the skaven shield symbol. Close enough to hear sounds inside. Katja pressed her ear to the door and heard, “It’s that group again. Deal with them now! You Tzeentch followers’ time has run out.” She easily discerned the human voice from the skaven squeaking in reply.

Gary couldn’t wait as he combat-kicked the doors open. 

And stood aghast at the sight of an Ogre wielding an iron claw for its right hand and pure warpstone blade that replaced its left arm. Being ordered about by a skaven perched in a chair on his shoulder, wielding a warpstone pistol. The elf quick-fired 2 swift-arrows at skaven he could see. The dark wizard Bhar cast darts at Gary before he turned and ran. Venegral counter-spelled to reduce the hits. Skaven swarmed forward to engage the cavalier and war priestess. One skaven [crit] knocked Gary’s shield from his hand. The Ogre’s rat commander fired his pistol down at Agnes, splintering her shield that absorbed most of the corrupting warpstone bullet.

Gary raised his Griffonfoot pistol and blasted 2 skaven before him which gave him freedom to pick up his shield. Agnes smashed one with her warhammer as Katja moved into melee to kill another. 

Which cleared the path for Mor to twang an arrow at the departing wizard. [4 advantage for 2^nd attack] The elf quickly notched another and dropped the wizard. Skaven quickly filled the gap and attacked the elf. The skaven relentless, the Ogre overpowering. Till Venegral cast a fireball that both blinded and thinned the foe. While a few skaven retreated (broken by gunfire), others continued to fight blindly. And the Ogre used it smell to target Katja: she parried the claw but was hit by the green blade. A penetrating hit that cleaved away her leg armor while cutting deep (major muscle tear). It took awhile, but the heroes finally silenced the tunnel. Except for Katja’s labored breaking as Agnes tried her best to temporarily heal her. “You need hospital care and bedrest.”

The wizard Bhar was dressed in his night cloths. Roused from sleep. Nothing of value on him; no notes. They took the time to behead the rogue wizard as evidence (and for reward). And in their searching, they found a familiar backpack strapped on the back of the rat who commanded the Ogre: Dumpling Hayfoot’s! “Ymath will go berserk when we show him this! There won’t be tunnels narrow enough to hold him back!”

Rest and Recovery: They spent 4 days in the city after reporting to Schutzmann. Time to shop for replacement armor and to tend to Katja’s wound. Concern her wounded leg might be shorter, sending her in circles on long treks. But they were rich and could afford the best of doctors… and leeches. Meanwhile, Mor exited the city in search of wood and feathers to make more arrows. He returned with a present for Agnes, “Elf arrows to honor you coming to my aid.”

Double-Secrecy! But rest was short-lived as Schutzmann called them into his office for wine. And secrecy. “Double-secret. Only the Graf and his Knight Panthers know of the theft of the Helm of Mandred.” [The legendary Helm of the Skavenslayer, worn by Emperor Mandred Skavenslayer, was crafted from the skull of the Skaven Warlord Vrrmik of Clan Mors who fell at the Battle of the Howling Hills which ended the Skaven Wars.] “Jarmund told us the helm represents the alliance between the skaven and Purple-Hands. He doesn’t know who or how it was stolen. Just that it was targeted. We learned too late to take precautions.”

The Vault: They climbed into the carriage that whisked them to the palace. Escorted by a Knight Panther who led them thru a maze of hallways, down steps, thru locked after locked doors, till they stood before the castle vault deep underground, used as a private chapel. Gary was the first to question, “When will you learn?! Skaven roam beneath the city. You might as well put your treasure on a silver platter and hand it all to the foul things.” They interrogated the guards who discovered the theft. “Routine patrol. We entered to check on the helm and found everything in order. But after locking up, I swear I heard a clatter and then roll of dice from within. We quickly unlocked the door to look inside but only found the helm missing. No tracks, prints, anything.”

Agnes’ Orphans conducted their own search. Behind banners, rapping on the floor stones and walls for any hollow echo. Nothing. Till Agnes found a silver shilling near an armory rack. An ‘X’ gouged across the face of the coin. Then Gary found dust disturbed around one of the candelabras. As if it moved; maybe wobbled. “Did either of you guards bump into this?” And that’s when they noticed Katja’s hunting dog circling one particular stone between the vault door and the helm pedestal. They wasted an hour of bewildered puzzling and more search, till they decided to take their sleuthing outside. To the library for blueprints of the vault. Dead-end. “Perhaps we should visit the Temple of Ranald to ask the thieves’ guild how such theft might be accomplished. Discretion.”

After dropping coins into the offertory (statue’s outstretched palm), the priest offered potential solutions. “The coin is the thief’s calling card. I cannot divulge his/her name. As for the sound of dice… like you sister Agnes, we too have prayers to our god. Such as the ability to move without being seen.” Gary immediately interrupted, “I KNEW IT! Just like I mentioned. Someone snuck in with the guards then waited for them to leave. Then simply walked out with them with the item in his possession.” Venegral and Mor nodded in reason, “Our second sight is more for the aura of magic or evil. Prayers would not register.”

Next Session: https://rigglewwh.blogspot.com/2022/10/s5e11-thr-festering-wounds.html