Chapter 8
The Beast at the Blacksmith’s
The reddish mud of the wide street which bisected the neighborhood splashed against Maggie and Star's feet as they darted across. Quickly ducking in between two wooden houses, and through the shared hedge that bisected the front yards from the backyards. They ducked down, breathing heavily, as Da'La, who had shifted into a green camouflage came to view.
They had decided against just taking the street to the Blacksmith. The New Clade had its officers patrolling, and while they were drunk, they presented a problem. Stopping and dealing with the officers in any way meant time wasted traveling to the Blacksmith. That time was in short supply.
The Nyrian man, whose name apparently was Rizzik, had informed them breathlessly of some sort of beast that had broken into the blacksmith. According to his story, he was picking up nails, an order for his workers, when a man, or a beast broke the door into the blacksmith’s. It had latched on to him, but the Blacksmith Jonathon, thinking quickly plunged a red-hot poker in its chest. The beast let go of Rizzik, and Rizzik immediately ran, only getting halfway to Mema's before realizing that Jonathon was not with him.
A quick agreement was met, Da'La would run point using her camouflage ability, Star and Maggie would wait for her signal, and they would make their way through the streets. Lodak, who had not been very communicative since Kunjao's death, it was decided he would stay behind. As for Roddick… Maggie made it clear that his assistance wasn't needed, much to Star's chagrin.
So, there they were, in the back yard of a stranger’s house, ducking under windows and behind shrubbery as to not be spotted. They moved silently through the yards, and came out between two wooden buildings, one was a barn-like structure, with a roof taller than its body, no chimney, with barrels dotted around it. The other a small rectangular house, with a jutted-out addition covered in paneled windows, that when they looked in, looked like a kitchen.
Across the way from the two houses a rectangular building, in which half the roof covered a large open air area, under which was scattered tools, anvils, barrels of finished product, and a small stone bloomery, that started from the ground as a brick cylinder, and tapered to a smaller pipe, that poked through the roof like a chimney. Behind it, a much larger chimney, seemingly built to not just let out smoke and vapors, but possibly even heat. Thick black smoke churned from the bigger chimney.
"Zhat's zhe place." Da'La said, in a hush tone as she crouched behind a barrel.
"Don't see a beast…" Star said, his back leaned against the barn.
"Must be inside." Maggie whispered, moving up beside Da'La. "Da'La, you should do that… color changing thing--"
"Camouvlage." Da'La said, keeping her eye on the Blacksmiths.
"Yeah, that." Maggie nodded, "And look in the window."
"Wait a minute, isn't that dangerous?" Star asked.
"No," Da'La returned, as she shimmered her skin an clothes to match her surrounding, "Not iv done properly." Da'La moved forward.
Da'La creeped toward the Smithery, carefully moving across the street and under open air canopy, nimbling around nails and toppled swords. Da'La first noticed the door, which scratched and cracked, and its handle missing along with a good chunk of wood around it. She shimmied against the wall and moved against the window. Inside was dark, no immediate bodies on the ground, which was a relief, but it was torn apart. Rocks and ore scattered amongst the ground along with tongs, nails, full bars, and even swords. Shelves, tables, and cabinet face down, all knocked on the ground. In the center of the room was a large circular forge, which glowed dully in the darkened room a faint orange. It resembled the base of a fountain, or looking pool, only filled with fire, that was pushed through a wall in the back, with a large V shaped cut, and metal valley in the front of it. The forge itself was surrounded by a black steel encloser with a large door that lay open, and the vaguely human looking shadow standing in front of it.
It was naked, with pale skin, and its spine, visible through its emaciated body. Its hands were small claws, but beside that, it looked… human. Da'La couldn't make out its face, only its long black hair, as it stared and reached its hand near the forge. Da'La turned to her companions, she let down her camouflage to signal that she saw it, and for them to wait for her signal. She turned back and was returned with a black-eyed bloodied face of the thing. It's eyes, pools of pitch black, it's teeth with sharp incisors, and its mouth caked in blood, it stared at her through the window. It was Nosfasia, but with a mad, almost gaumless, look on its face.
Da'La quickly grabbed for her swords, as the sound of shattered glass filled the air and its clawed hand reached through the window with seemingly no resistance. Da'La swept her leg, and made a brief ballet cartwheel, simultaneously pulling her swords with the spin, and landing, her swords ready in a dancer’s pose.
It leaped through the window, its form blurring as it moved at incredible speed, Da'La barely pulled her katana up to block as a claw flit toward her, it clanging against the steel of her blade with a spark. It flurried, claw after claw, as Da'La brought her blades to block each blow, being pushed back into the middle of the street by the snarling animal-like man.
CRACK!
The sound of the Messenger echoed through the air as the pale blood faced Nosfasia's arm swung back, and he stumbled, turning toward Star, who had perched the long silver barrel of the Messenger against a wooden barrel. Da'La took this opportunity for an upward strike, in which she launched into the air, following with her other blade, but the pale skinned man was gone, her blades had never made purchase. It blurred toward Star, who leaped back just in time for its clawed hand to swipe the barrel, splitting it in two as water streamed out. Maggie scattered to the house, as the man stared at Star, snarling and showing its fanged teeth.
Star dropped the Messenger, reaching for his pepperbox, but the man closed the distance in a blur and swiped his claw, cutting it across Stars chest, leaving a trail of blood in his white shirt. It reached its other hand for another swipe, its incredible speed leaving a blurry trail behind it, but it crashed against a golden barrier, that flung its arm back. It whipped its head, its hair trailing behind it, to Maggie, who grasping her sigil was saying a prayer and gesturing her hand toward Star, who now had a golden translucent shield floating in front of him.
It moved toward Maggie with its incredible speed, but Da'La just managed to catch it at the pass, sliding between it and Maggie, with two rhythmic chops of her swords at its midsection. Black blood oozed from the cuts, as Da'La returned to her feet. It let out an inhuman shriek, it lunged at Da'La, flurrying its claws, Da'La barely managing to swing her blades up to catch the claws, and backing up again and again as it stepped forward in its vicious, relentless attack. Its speed was incredible, Da'La harnessing all of her battle hardened instincts to barely keep up with it, until it grabbed her sword hand, it's grasp uncomfortably hot, and it spun in a blur and threw Da'La into the street.
It leaped, following Da'La through the air and plunging its claw into her clavicle, Da'La let out a cry as its searing hot claws dug into her.
BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG
The pepperbox sang through the air, as Star fanned the hammer of the pepperbox, stepping forward into the street with each successive shot, the man stumbling backwards as each made purchase against its skin and it fell to the ground.
"Woo! Star!" Maggie screamed triumphantly, as the man blurred to its feet. Maggie's heart dropped. Da'La kiyupped to her feat to face it, but its eyes were on Star. It crouched and leapt with impossible speed toward the Xericoz Gunslinger.
CH-CH-CRACK-BOOM!
A bolt of electricity careened through the air and homing in on its target sideswiped the rogue Nosfasia, sending it twitching toward the ground, where it lay steaming in the mud.
Maggie turned, and standing with one hand in his pocket, and the other pointed toward the pale beastial man, with the gem on his hand glowing a bright purple, was Roddick, his eyes steeling on the air where the man stood.
"We had it!" Maggie yelled, stamping toward Roddick, "We didn't need your help."
"A simple 'thank you, Roddick,' will do." Roddick said, calmly, keeping his eye on the twitching, steaming mound on the ground.
"Thank you?" Maggie said, not noticing Roddick's face dropping as he stared, "What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"
"Shit…" Roddick elongated the sh sound, as his face went agape.
Maggie turned, as a sickening popping sound came from the man. It stood on its knees and let out a yell, as its back arched and its muscled bulged. Its neck enlarged, as its face elongated, and teeth grew from its mouth.
"It's a Stryzaga." Roddick said. He turned to Maggie, his glowing eyes showing a bit of panic, "Do any of your miracles cool the air, or produce ice?" He asked in a rushed tone.
"Why?" Maggie asked, not able to take her eyes off the beast, whose claws elongated, and legs cracked backwards.
"No time," Roddick said, quickly, as he started drawing glyphs in the air, trailing a light blue light behind his fingertips. The beast, now a hulking pale skinned monstrosity, with an elongated face that looked somewhere between a wolf and bear, and eyes that glowed orange ember, took off with impossible speed.
Frost began to form over the gem on Roddick's hand, as his words, sublimated by a deeper voice, spoke in an ancient tongue, and he seemingly grabbed a glyph out of the air, like he was pulling back a tarp for a great reveal, then like a train the beast hit him. Using its claw, which had grown to nearly the size of Roddick, it slammed into Roddick, pushing him to the ground. As it lifted the unlucky Wizard for another slam, Da'La leaped on to its back, plunging her swords and using them as handles to hold on.
The heat emanating from the beast rippled the air, as Da'La felt her scales drying, gripping on, tighter as it let go of Roddick, and thrashed. Maggie backed up, holding her Sigil and beginning a chant.
Star popped the barrel shut on in his pepperbox. He tightened his hand around the grip, focusing to power the filigree around the handle, giving it more than needed, the barrel crackled with purplish electricity, as he rose it toward the thrashing beast. Star let out two shots, which streaked like lightning across the air, leaving trails of electricity as they embedded into the chest of the Beast, and black blood sprayed from behind it.
The Beast stopped flailing, and turned to Star, who aimed another shot. The beast opened its mouth, an orange incandescence formed within it, and a bead of orangish red light flamed across the mostly empty road, as Star tried and failed to jump out of its way. It made purchase on his shoulder, and arm smoking he spun in the air and landed on the ground.
The Beast reached its enormous claw over its head, and plucked Da'La from its back, and in rapid succession, it slammed her twice against the ground, then dragged her along and pushed her against the corner support of the Blacksmiths canopy, and using her body, broke it in two, and threw her through it, skidding across the ground. It then turned its head to Maggie, who was glowing gold chanting as fast as she could.
A whiteish blue fog, that sparkled ice crystals swarmed around Maggie, and she extended her hand toward the beast, in which the fog followed, as if directed, and swirled around the Beast like a snake. The chilly air of the fog, directed by Maggie, struck its skin. The beast let out a roar as the hiss of steam filled the air around it, like errant water on a hot plate. Maggie kept chanting, concentrating on making the fog colder, as she could see movement within. A large foot, covered in frost stepped out of the fog, the glowing embers of its eyes lighting its brumous silhouette. Maggie backed up, redoubling her chant to pull it forward, out the corner of her eye, she saw Roddick lift himself to his feet.
Roddick continued his sublimated spell, drawing frost white glyphs in the air, as the gem on his hand radiated. He pulled at one of the glyphs, and it was as if the air was drawn to it, freezing as it pulled around his hand, he stretched it like a dough of ice, bringing the front to a single point. The Beast stepped out again, its face poking out of the hazy fog that surrounded it, as the fog turn to steam and the icicles that were forming melted into vapor.
And in an instant, it broke from the icy fog and made a leap through the air at Maggie. The icy lance forming in Roddick's arms, that had grown to about the length of his body, cracked, and split into five pieces, as he stepped forward and flung it at the beast, making purchase as its arc parabola'd toward the chanting Ypfhar, and with five thuds in rapid succession, the beast was flung to the ground, steaming with five shards of ice sticking from its body.
Sweat frosted on Roddick's temples, as he breathed heavily, as his breath fogged the air from the residual magic. Maggie stared at the body of the creature, that lay steaming in the mud, the mud drying and cracking around it. It didn't move. Da'La climbed to her feet, followed by Star, and both moved toward them. The four forming a circle around the beast, whose body slowly contracted back to the pale humanoid form.
"Is it dead?" Star asked.
"Yes," Roddick said. He looked down at his outfit, which was covered in mud. He mindlessly cast a short spell, and the mud dripped off him, leaving his suit clean.
"Vhat vas that?" Da'La asked, as she pulled her swords from its back, the swords glowing orange as they came out.
"Stryzaga…" Roddick said, wiping the frost off his head. "A kind of malady that affects some Nosfasia. Never heard of one turn during the day."
"Wait, Nosfasia can turn into that?" Maggies face turned horrified.
"Only very few of them, I've only seen one before and that was a few hosts ago." Roddick said, "It's exceptionally rare, and the Nosfasia try to keep it a secret, but occasionally one escapes and terrorizes a small town. It's probably where the old stories of werewolves came from." Roddick knelt at the body of the Stryzaga, "But why it transformed at will, I can't say…"
Star began to make his way toward the blacksmith. He pushed the door open and looked around the disheveled room. The rest followed him into the small cottage.
"Hello?" Maggie called, looking around. "We're here to help."
After a moment, a muffled voice, "H-hello?"
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Jonathon had hidden in the cabinet after Rizzik had ran. The beast had thrashed around and knocked the cabinet on its face, that was a mixed blessing as Jonathon was trapped, but the beast left him alone. Roddick had explained as they made their way back to the Witch's Rack, that Stryzaga are attracted to high heat, given how much heat the condition gave off.
They made their way through the door of the Witch's Rack, and past the clientele, who laughed and carried on in the background, and through the beaded curtains. Maggie spotted Lodak, who stood from his seat, and made his way behind the rest.
The group entered Mema's kitchen. Mema stood at the woodfire stove, brewing some sort of stew in a large cast iron cauldron. Mason stood from his chair and ran to Jonathon.
Mason touched Jonathon's face, and they touched their heads together. Mason whispered, "You're safe." he whispered, joyfully. Mason kissed Jonathon, and then turned to the group, "Thank you, you really were sent to help."
"Just doing our best." Maggie smiled.
"Give us a moment?" Mason asked.
"Take all the time you need." Maggie nodded, and Mason and Jonathon left through the back door of the cabin.
Star moved beside Maggie, "Roddick did good out there, Mags. Plus, he seems to know a lot about strange shit, and considering how often we come across--"
"Star, I'm not unreasonable." Maggie said, "He probably just saved our lives. Still don't like him, but--"
"You know I can hear you?" Roddick said, from across the room.
"Oh, I could tell you a whole lot of things you could stand to hear." Maggie muttered.
"What she means, is welcome to the team, Roddick." Star said, standing to full height.
Mason walked back in the door, "Apologies." Mason smiled. "I think you all wanted to know what is going on."
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Mason explained the situation to them. Apparently, Xinor had not come alone, but with 4 lieutenants. Wasing Tendaff, who had taken over the town hall, and converted it into a training yard for the army; Alfonse Pennywater, who had taken South Watch and ran the town police; Dr. Pitor Tilbur, who ran a alchemist lab at the Pfharplace; and Tailus Grund, the old apprentice to old man Heartylaugh (the old Wizard) stood watch over the town from Iqrotarus Tower. Xinor himself had taken over Autumnburn Estate, which stood behind the Obsidian Rise, on top of the cliff that overlooked the town.
"What happened to Lady Moon?" Star asked.
"Don't really know. One day six months ago, she was just… gone." Mason returned. "Few months later, this band comes in and takes the town with no resistance."
"How did you get zhis invormation?" Da'La asked.
"Some of it was through helping the New Clade with trade in the early weeks," Mason admitted. "Didn't have much of a choice. I was the man who had networks, they wanted to exploit that." Mason grabbed a cup of the sweet peach alcohol, that Mema had in abundance. "The rest came from an old member of the New Clade, who I befriended a few months back. Before Xinor figured out he was planning a coup, that is…" Mason's voice trailed.
"How did you walk away from that unscathed?" Roddick inquired, pointedly.
"Still don't exactly know…" Mason answered, listlessly. "All I know is I have been allowed to continue normal business since."
"So, you decided before they clean up the rest of the mess, you'd start a revolution…" The cynicism in Star's statement sounded more like an accusation.
"I don't know what I'm doing." Mason returned, "I just am glad somebody is here to help, because we're beaten."
"I still say we go and cut off the head." Star said.
"No, zhat vould be a mistake." Da'La returned, "He is building army down here, all he vould have to do is send zhem behind us."
"Which is why we need a base to start from." Maggie agreed, "We need to take the Pfharplace.
"What would that serve?" Star asked, "So long as Xinor has control over the city, reopening your temple will be meaningless."
"It will give people hope Star. Rally them to our side to fight." Maggie defended her position.
"Rally them to die." Star corrected, "We're not leaders, Xinor evidently is."
"Iqrotarus Tower." Roddick interjected.
"Of course, the Wizard wants the tower." Maggie mocked.
"And the Ypfhar wants the Pfharplace," Roddick fired back, "but I have a sound tactical reason to want the tower." Roddick turned to Mason, "You said he keeps an eye on the city, how literal were you being?"
"Very." Mason explained, "Apparently, the tower has a large scrying crystal, in which Maester Grund uses to watch over the town. Heartylaugh used it to keep an eye out for waywards coming from the Bod or the Wood."
"Yeah, sounds like him." Roddick nodded.
"If we're going to do anything against an army, we need the citizenry." Maggie leaded in, "We need their faith restored."
"When you fight a big guy, first thing you do is go for their eyes." Roddick explained, "If they can't see you, they're flailing around. We leave the tower be, and take the Pfharplace, we'll have their army at the door before any citizens."
"He's right," Star said. "So long as they can track us, they can interfere."
"But zhat vould mean, zhey already know ve're here." Da'La pointed out, "Unless zhe fight in zhe street against a giant monster didn't register."
"But they don't know we're a threat to them, yet." Roddick argued.
Star turned his head to Maggie, who looked deep in thought. "What do you, think?"
"… I think we should rest up." Maggie said, conceding, "We strike Iqrotarus as soon as we're able."
GM's Notes: I find establishment to be one of the hardest parts of creating a story. Whether writing these chapters or preparing a game. I think it's a common thing, really. Probably why so many stories start with characters meeting in bars. It's hard to make the first pitch of the adventure as interesting as the adventure itself. It's one of the reasons I tend to do a few wind-up sessions, allowing the players to get to know their characters, before establishing the first proper adventure.
The establishment itself I usually find some clever way to introduce it, an event the characters are going to, a situation they find themselves thrown into, a lead dropped in a previous adventure that sticks in their craw. The trick, I think, is to find something that motivates all the characters, a stake that is in it for them. Twilight Run has a personal goal for all the characters that the New Clade's presence interfered with.
Of course, players are players, and they tend to ignore all of that, so an alternative is to just throw them into a battle and immediately engage with them, communicating that there is a threat, and that moving unwisely might not end well. This one was particularly nasty, especially coming off of the Faerie. Being down to 4 characters and fighting the Stryzaga nearly resulted in a TPK. It was only quick thinking by the players running Roddick's Mechanics (Roddick's player at the time was still stuck at work on game nights) and using a mechanic that overextended abilities at risk to the caster, that pulled them through it.
This is why I have a reputation for wanting to kill my players.
Written by: Jack Shawhan
Proofread and Editied by: Alhana Escher
Original Characters played by:
Maggie - Donovan Hill
Star - Stephen Kirk
Roddick-Tem - Joshua Horton
Schancier, Whispers of Ja Reyil, and all associated copyright Jack Shawhan, 2020.
