S5E18 tHR- Bad Moon Arising

PCs: Sister Agnes (Duane), elf Mor (Bill), Cavalryman Gary (Matt), wizard Venegral (Tony)

ReCap: They survived witnessing the failed skaven assault on the Brass Keep. Took out the Screaming Bell before running from the appearance of Blight Kings. They then journeyed south to investigate the corkscrew lightning bolt weapon presumed fired from the dwarven Karak Skygg, overrun and commandeered by goblins. But the goblins driven out by skaven and the mountain top sheered off and now a flat plateau.

Enter At Risk: From a distance, they gazed at the headless dwarven statues flanking the grand entrance. A horn from another mountain was answered from the Karak. Soon a throng of 40+ ratmen marched 200+ blinded captives up the pass and thru the huge gate before it slowly closed with a “THUD” that echoed thru the valley. There was a brief moment Agnes’ Orphans thought about joining the slaves to slip into the old dwarven stronghold. But Gary and Agnes thought otherwise, “Hard to disguise our armor and weapons. Besides, we already know about the secret entrance.”

They gazed upon the waste-water flowing out of the mountain base. Ice chunks made them shiver at the thought of swimming inside. Thankfully they spotted the tunnel entrance 50 yards away. Mor led the way but stopped them 40 yards inside as glint reflected ahead from Gary’s magical light. “Silky strands. Spider webs!” Venegral cast ‘flare’ that melted the strands and revealed holes in the ceiling. His flare also illuminated the desiccated remains of skaven underneath the holes. Gary and Mor provided cover (pistol and bow) to allow the others to run past, but silky strands shot forth JUST missing Agnes and the wizard. Venegral cast a stronger fireball to discourage further attacks.

To the south was a dwarven staircase that led to an old dwarven Armory (items long rusted or decayed) and a Larder room (long forgotten rotten food). But east was passage with bridge over the waste-water river below. 

That passage opened unto a large chamber where skaven grew black mushrooms and corn in their version of a garden. Slave-masters herded blind humans toiling the garden. Agnes’ Orphans easily dispatched the skaven but then had to handle the blind frightened slaves who had no idea they’d been rescued. Agnes did what she could to comfort them as Gary asked, “Where are the stairs?” As if they knew in their blindness. He continued, “Stay here; we’ll come back for you.”

And that’s when they heard a bell toll. Agnes instinctively readied her Warhammer to deal with the humans transforming into skaven. But this was a different bell. The slaves explained, “The skaven gleefully said the bell signals the rise of Morrslieb. They await its 13^th chime.”

They continued exploring for stairs that led up. Mor balked with fright when a dwarven ghost appeared in one room, “A pointy-ear intruder in MY Karak?! Be gone! Is not my home already infested with Raki scum. Humans too? Might any be followers of Sigmar?” Gary proudly showed his shield. Grimbrin Flintbeard huffed, “I knew him in life. Although he was not called a god back then.” Gary pondered just how old the ghost was, but decided to enlist his help, “Dwarfs of Middenhiem speak of reclaiming their mountain home. We were sent here by one of your kind… Degni Rulsson… in search of a weapon those foul Raki threaten mankind with. Perhaps with your help…” Grimbrin pondered, “I’ve not wandered much from this room. But chance for my kin to reclaim the mountain and bestow great homage to me deservedly… Lead the way. Just be sure that pointy-ear doesn’t stay behind.”

Help he was not. “Quit sneaking off elf. You run from the Raki. I told you I can smell their kind that way toward the Great Hall yet you sneak the other way.” Agnes tried to explain, “Frontal attack now is not appropriate. We seek stairs to get to the mountain top.” How do you silence a ghost? Not with reason. Such as when they heard a skaven driving slaves forward, “Keep moving you grungy skaven slaves. Lowest of the low scum.” 

Agnes’ Orphans hid in the shadows to ambush. Till Grimbrin bellowed, “Why hid? Attack now.” The slave driver cracked his whip, “Check out that noise.” But as soon as they entered the room and saw the ghost, they ran back to their master who pulled a pistol on them, “Cowards!” Mor was right behind the slaves and fired an arrow to take down the master. Maybe Venegral understood the queekish sound of the slaves who probably realized “Freedom.” Till they were decimated by weapon fire.

Agnes scolded the ghost, “There is a greater purpose than your Karak. Be quiet and let us complete our mission!” And that’s when they heard the bell toll again. Twice. Reluctantly they backtracked to the Grand Hall where there were stairs that led up. Grimbrin chirped, “I told you this way to begin with.” Agnes pressed her finger to her lips to silence him. 

As they peered around the corner into the hall, they saw the 40+ skaven that had marched the 200+ prisoners inside. The Great Door just behind them. All stood before a dais where a skaven ruler sat on his throne, deciding the individual fate of each slave, “Kill him, keep him, kill, kill, keep. Warp sets you free.” Agnes tasked Grimbrin, “Go in and frighten them. Keep them busy and distracted so we can sneak up the stairs.” Finally, the ghost did something useful even thou all cringed at the noise Gary and Agnes’ armor made as they climbed the stairs.

More rooms to wander and explore. Such as the original dwarven throne room where a large/burly/scarred-snouted skaven was chained, seated on the throne. Venegral conversed in queekish to learn he once a leader. “I voted against Mallis and his crazed plan to assault the Keep. And for that, me arrested while my troops sent to slaughter against the Blightkings. Mallis’ means of removing opposition. He is upstairs now with that blasphemous weapon of his.” And the bell toll for the third time. 

“The 13^th chime signals Morrslieb overhead and for the weapon to fire and bring it down. Imagine, Mallis wanting to destroy that which we worship. Blasphemous I say! Let me free… and I will lead my troops on a proper conquest of man. Soon, I will conquer the world! I would do the Great Horned-One proud.”

Meanwhile, while the wizard talked that squeaky talk, Gary and Katja searched for treasure and secret passages. And found one! Disappointment, “What the fuck? No gems?! Just stacks and stacks of gunpowder barrels. Enough to bring down the Karak but not enough fuse to escape.” They each grabbed a barrel and fuse, “In case we need it.”

They all left the throne room, up a flight of stairs where they had heard and felt the rumbling of machinery. On the landing, to the left, they heard queekish. Venegral translated “2 degrees left.” Must be gears to aim the weapon. 

But voices (“Best gun yet.”) to their right needed addressing first. They entered the gunsmith shop and surprised 5 skaven being overseen by… an Imperial human?! (monocle and thick moustache). Mor and Gary got off their shots before the first skaven raised his own pistol… that exploded in his face. But 2 more skaven fired at the elf. His tree-bark armor no match for their warpstone bullets. Mor crumpled to the floor with a broken rib, painfully gasping for breath. Another skaven’s weapon blew up, vaporizing the rat’s hands. The heroes made quick work eliminating the remaining foe.

Agnes tightened the bandage around Mor’s waist and helped him to his feet. With Venegral’s healing touch, at least the elf could breathe easier. [But he would need a week’s worth of bed rest to fully recover.] Meanwhile, Gary inspected the drawing recovered from the human’s pocket. “Some kind of geared machine.”

They peered into the machinery room: a green mist. Masked figures moved about various tubes of green liquid. Gary realized this the machine of the drawing. They could just make out the silhouette of stairs across the room. “Hold your breath as we run across.” But first, Venegral cast magic missiles that punctured the hydraulic lines. Queekish reaction, “Oh my! We busted another seal. Quick, fix it.” Gary lit the fuse on his barrel he rolled into the room as all ran past the commotion. They were up the stairs when it exploded. Metal on metal grating echoed from below. Another bell sounded. But this one different: an alarm.

They rounded a corner into another room filled with vats with hydraulic lines leading out. Green mists hovered over the vats that were no longer pumping. More skaven in gasmasks frantically tried to figure out the problem. Enough distraction for the heroes to run past (holding their breath) and up a spiral staircase. Except for Mor who got too close to one vat that burped warp fuel on his breastplate. Which he ripped off when a warp mouth grew from the contact point! [The elf equated it to the wound on the one-winged griffon they had to kill.]

At the top of the stairs, they found Janna Eberhauer sitting at a desk. First thought the Deputy High Wizard another traitor. Till they saw the chain and her reaction at their presence. Barely able to speak with half her tongue removed. Forever lost chance to cast spells, she was defenseless. She mumbled best she could, “Mallis. He’s insane! Plans to fire his weapon at Morrslieb to bring it crashing down and infecting the entire Empire! Stop him or destroy the trigger.” As Venegral cast to unlock her chains, Gary was drawn to a golden hand mirror upon the desk. Janna too slow to warn in time, “Mallis would squeak into it.” Gary looked in the mirror and saw a pair of human eyes looking back at him. Surprise on the man’s face before the mirror shattered on its own.

One last flight of stairs led to the rooftop. Well, the sheered off top of the mountain where Mallis had constructed his weapon. A HUGE barrel tipped with the elusive warpstone meteorite! A catwalk from the stair landing stretched around the weapon toward its rear and probable trigger. 

But the catwalk was blocked by a huge 3-eyed Ogre with Mallis behind him with a backpack of 2 cylinders filled with green fuel. And Mallis held some kind of hose from which he fired around the Ogre at Gary and Agnes. Warp-gas flame enveloped Agnes’ shield which protected her. Although the shield did grow a mouth that snapped at her. She threw it over the side of the catwalk.

Meanwhile, Gary quick-shot blasted the Ogre who barely flinched. But he did move enough for Mor to take aim at Mallis and impale with an arrow. The Ogre charged Agnes and slammed a fist where she once stood. [Fortune spent to avoid the deadly hit.] Gary blocked the Ogre’s follow-thru and kept his balance else being knocked over the side of the catwalk. Katja bolted the Ogre direct in the face, but the now 2-eyed Ogre didn’t slow. [Must have missed its pea-sized brain.] Venegral cast a fireball that wounded and blinded the foe. And also melted Mallis’ weapon hose making it inoperable. But that did not deter Mallis from reaching into the Ogre’s backpack and pulling out a swarm of rats he threw amongst his attackers.

The Ogre completely blocked Mor’s line of sight. Which is why the elf jumped off the side of the catwalk, and in his freefall, twanged an arrow at Mallis, killing him. And like a cat [catfall], Mor landed below on his feet. [Only a 15-foot (5 yard) drop: 1d10+3 damage per yard of fall could have been on average 8 x 5 = 40 damage! +20 bonus for jumping on purpose, Athletic success of +7. Phew, I survived!] Mor landed with a grunt as he jarred his broken ribcage. Then… “THUD!!!” as the Ogre’s dead body came crashing down oh so near. But Mor wasn’t out-of-the-woods yet. Agnes’ shield came snapping at him. “Quick, throw me a rope!”

Moorslieb crossed overhead without the weapon firing. Chaos may have been on the rise during its crossing, but at least the moon stayed in the sky. Although a shadow did envelope them. A dirigible! Natissa leaned over the railing, “There you are. Been looking for you.” The Graf’s illegitimate son, Baron Henrich, stood beside her, “Climb aboard.” Before Venegral flew up to the dirigible as the others climbed, Gary planted a cinderblast bomb on the cannon and lit the fuse.  As the bomb exploded the cannon collapsed into the vats of warp fuel and set off a volcanic eruption of warp fuel surely dooming the human slaves to a horrible fate in the lower tunnels.

All were in the flying-ship when the mountain behind them shook from the explosion. Its concussive wave rocked the airship and knocked a few off their feet. Their bombs must have activated a hidden volcano beneath Karak Skygg, as it kept erupting with explosions.

As they flew back towards Middenhiem, Mor winced in pain as he tried to console the others, “So much for your promise to rescue those blind slaves. Or to the ghost in restoring his kingdom.”

Next Session: https://rigglewwh.blogspot.com/2023/01/s5e19-thr-who-invited-you-aboard.html