[Warhammer Fantasy] The Thousand Thrones

[cn3wton]

It is rare for Ziegel to find a place where he is not looked at in disgust, even scarcer a place to eat. After taking his cue from his companion he enters and takes his place at the bar. No one gives him, or his dog, a second glance. Not that Ziegel would have noticed either way.

 

As he sits the dog jumps and paws at him, landing precisely where the man stored their meager sum of coin. He nodded and drew it forth, paying out most of what he had. Once the food arrived Dusty jumped into his lap, and together they ate from upon the bar. 

 

The man with the glass eye catches Ziegels attention for a moment. The man stares at him with his one good eye and Ziegel returns it with a toothy grin before returning to his meal, stopping only to pour a bit of drink for his friend.

 

Once again Dusty leads the man back to the group, and they take up their vigil once again beneath the arch. They rest easy that night with full stomachs. The following day they stay near the group, when suddenly some kind of commotion draws Ziegels attention. Numerous men have appeared before them, and they do not seem to be friendly. Dusty steps forward, tail raised, and growls. Ziegel quickly scoops him up into his arms and steps back. The dog attempts to wiggle free and nips at the mans hands. But he would not be swayed. He quickly began looking for an escape.

 

So I don't mind either way really what happens. Ziegel would prefer to stay out of the fight, though he has no interest in talking either. I will leave it to fate (aka DR) to see what happens. The dog seems ready to throw down though. 

[Wild Wolf]

Hey, DR, real quick sir. I did dips this morning in my workout, can I count that towards my 150 total?

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[DarK_RaideR]

Nope. Also, I should improve my phrasing on the mini quest, the pushups are required to be done in a single take. Sure, you can take a few minutes between reps for a breather, but spreading them throughout the entire day doesn't count.

 

Nobody said it's a fair fight

[Balthazar]

you beast

[Balthazar]

seeing as we are wanting to beat up most of the goons and then ask the ring leader questions I suggest we do both challenges.

 

push ups to beat up the goons and get in touch with someone for the persuasion of the ring leader

[Wild Wolf]

I'm down with both- smart thinking Daniel! Ok well I went ahead and did a total of 162 push-ups. It took me about 10 min for it all with breathers but I did it! I embodied the spirit of Lanric and went beastmode.. Now my chesticles are sore!

Onto finding a long lost friend.. I think I know JUST who to reach out too

Wolf

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[Balthazar]

I'm down with both- smart thinking Daniel! Ok well I went ahead and did a total of 162 push-ups. It took me about 10 min for it all with breathers but I did it! I embodied the spirit of Lanric and went beastmode.. Now my chesticles are sore!

Onto finding a long lost friend.. I think I know JUST who to reach out too

Wolf

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nice

[shaar]

Nope. Also, I should improve my phrasing on the mini quest, the pushups are required to be done in a single take. Sure, you can take a few minutes between reps for a breather, but spreading them throughout the entire day doesn't count.

 

Nobody said it's a fair fight

 

hahahahahahaaha

 

*takes a break to sob*

 

ahahahahahahhahhhaahhaha

 

Ok, ok, I am a CHAMPION, or something, I'm setting aside Friday morning for this task.  IT WILL BE DONE.  I CAN DO IT.  (And not lose feeling in my arms.)

[cn3wton]

I'm doing Murph this Saturday so if that doesn't count i probably won't be doing the whole push up challenge thing.

[DarK_RaideR]

I'm doing Murph this Saturday so if that doesn't count i probably won't be doing the whole push up challenge thing.

Definately counts, you beast. Out of curiosity, will any weight/armor jackers be involved?

[Buff Brogan]

sorry i've been a bit inactive(been a hectic week already). i'm down for the fight and will be doing these either tonight or tomorrow. will update RP and totals then.

[Wild Wolf]

Hey DR, do I get bonus points for handstand push-ups lol?

*secretly wishing I had strapped on my 20lb weight vest during challenge pushups*

Wolf

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[cn3wton]

Definately counts, you beast. Out of curiosity, will any weight/armor jackers be involved?

Not for me but others surely will.

[DarK_RaideR]

Hey DR, do I get bonus points for handstand push-ups lol?

*secretly wishing I had strapped on my 20lb weight vest during challenge pushups*

Nope. But thanks for letting me know where you stand. I'll make sure next challenges are harder #nevergiveideastotheDM

[Wild Wolf]

Nope. But thanks for letting me know where you stand. I'll make sure next challenges are harder #nevergiveideastotheDM

NO problemo, sir! I welcome a hearty challenge DR [emoji123]ðŸ»[emoji34][emoji123]ðŸ»

Wolf

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[cn3wton]

ziegel throes a dead rat at lanric...

Stop encouraging him, do you want to die!

[Balthazar]

150 press ups scraped out this morning - perhaps shouldn't have done them on the same day I did bench press?

[Wild Wolf]

Lanric realized quickly that things could get out of hand. He was all for making someone talk with his fist, but he was not the only one in this fight. He knew the elf could handle himself in a fight, hoping to use his ranged skills to keep some of the men at bay. The Arab wasn't a very big guy but Lanric had a sneaky suspicion the man could sling blades nonetheless. Then there was little Yussie. She was merely a girl, a scribe who has yet to experience the true horrors that the world.

 

Lanric made sure to step closer to Yussie, letting her know he was there to protect her. The large claymore strapped to Lanric's back begin to itch at Lanric...he wanted to draw the monster blade out. The look on men's faces when the large blade sung out into the open always gave Lanric a sense of pleasure.

 

The wind at the doc's begin to pick up and here Lanric set with his new companions, licking his lips at the chance to spill some blood. Should he make the 1st move?

[Buff Brogan]

Kalomikai never shied away from a confrontation. Whether this was from his disdain of society or jealousy from having lived on the fringe of it, he himself didn't know. He could sense his comrades knew he was a bit eager to instigate a situation. The stench of the widow's perfume still fresh in his mind only exacerbated this for the elf.

When the fifteen or so men revealed themselves he could only smile.

Speaking aloud

*gonna get us all killed, stupid elf*

"Not if we kill them first. Did I ever tell you guys the one about the man with a shiny heavy purse?"

Logged 250 pushups tonight between 6:30 and 7:00

[Wild Wolf]

And DR thought I was trying to overachieve with the handstand push-ups lol- way to go kzacher! Get that pump in big dawg!

Wolf

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[DarK_RaideR]

I am simply learning what you are capable of, in order to scale things appropriately. This is a fight against thugs. Imagine what you'll have to do in fights against chaos followers, orks and other wonderful residents of the Warhammer universe...

[shaar]

Only 60 pushups logged today, I tweaked my back yesterday doing squats and am being super careful not to injure myself further... especially since I'm going to be sitting in a car a lot for the next two days.

I will be out of town until Monday, if the plot needs to progress no biggie, just assume Yussie is hiding behind Lan and keeping a watchful eye out for assailants. See y'all in a few days!!

[Balthazar]

And for the second part of the challenge, infrequently spoken to relative contacted!

[DarK_RaideR]

The two groups size each other up, a standoff that comes down to whose nerves will give in first. Eventually, it is one of the thugs that cannot hold back his adrenaline that charges, a crude club raised over his head. His battlecry gives Lanric more than enough of a warning and the big man meets the charge with a meaty fist, planted straight into his attacker's jaw. The thug takes a few steps back, wiping blood and bits of teeth in surprise. His fellows take the cue and join the fray. The pit fighter takes wide swings in an attempt to keep everyone away from Yussie, while Kalomikai covers his back using some well placed kicks to keep their enemies staggering at a distance. Sahar'a'Saif weaves in and out of fights, leaving a crimson trail of nasty small cuts behind him as he's never too shy to shiv somebody with one of the many concealed blades he carries onto his person. Dusty adds his bark to the chaos and even bites the ankle of a thug that tries to beat Ziegel. In defense of his companion above everything else, Ziegel headbutts the man in the mid-section and brings him to the ground, where Dusty ferociously gets in his face. After a few minutes of kicking and screaming, the circle around the group opens again in hesitation. Most of the thugs are bleeding to one extent or another and some of them are laying on the ground. Lanric has added several new scars and bruises on the canvas of his flesh while Ziegel's left eyebrow sports a cut sending blood down half his face. Kalomikai has been beaten too, bruised more than cut so nothing is too obvious so far. The thugs back down, having met solid resistance. Sahar'a'Saif reads their eyes; they are not that well paid or fanatic to risk their lives for this.

 

The group turns their eyes towards the leader of the gang, a gaze that won't take no for an answer. "Alright, alright" the man says as he raises his palms protectively, signifying that he doesn't want none of this. "There's not much time before the Black Hats arrive, the noise must have alerted a patrol. You want Osric, fine. I don't know your business with him, but even if you mean him harm, might as well put him out of his misery. He's in the Golden Lotus - at least his body is. This part of town, at the end of Three Penny Bridge. Tell 'em Breuer sent 'ya". With that, he tosses something that looks like a coin towards the party to catch. Kalomikai grabs it and takes a closer look to see a wooden token, painted on both sides with a golden flower. Once he raises his sights again, the man is gone. He must have used the distraction to make his escape. That, or he traded the token and information in exchange for sparing him.

 

The team leaves the scene before the Black Hats arrive but pause a litte further down the road to quickly tend to their wounds. As they continue to the part of the Suiddock they were directed to, they spot a stained building at the end of Three Penny Bridge that looks as if an errant breeze might send it tumbling into the canal. The place is easily identified by the acrid scent of Black Lotus fumes and the peeling signboard hanging over the alley door, painted with the image of a golden lotus similar to that on the wooden token handed to them. The alley door is barred from the other side and unremarkable except for a narrow, shuttered panel at eye height that slides as the door is tested. A pair of dark, suspicious eyes in a ruddy exotic face come behind the slit, sizing the visitors up. The man to whome they belong speaks only a handful of words in broken Reikspiel, barely enough to tell whoever is out there to bugger off. Sahar'a'Saif immediately identifies the accent and steps forward to request entry, in Arabic. Much like a magician, he presents the wooden token in his palm, once again sporting the all too familiar smile. Yussie understands the response behind the door as well, the Arab bouncer warning them that they will be allowed in, but should not cause any trouble.

 

Entering the alley door reveals a creaking staircase leading down to a large, dimly lit room. Another narrow staircase at the far end of the room leads up to the second floor. Men with dazed, moronic expressions slump in the three-high bunks filling this area, occasionally bursting into shouts or tittering laughter. A single attendant, with a cloth wrapped over his mouth and nose, takes money and refills pipes the patrons hold. Clouds of thick, acrid smoke waft through the room and stain the rafters overhead a blueblack colour. The sudden smoke makes everybody cough to varying degrees and their eyes feel a stinging burn. The attendant introduces himself as Kroeller and asks how he might be of assistance. "We're here to see Herr Osric Falkenheim" Yussie steps forward and says in the nicest way she can muster inside such a dilapidated drug den. "Breuer told us he would be here". Kroeller nods obediently and turns around to walk towards the stairs up.

 

The group is led to a private room on the second floor. The man laid on a narrow cot and clutching a still-smouldering pipe containing the ashy dregs of Black Lotus resin is in his late fifties, scarred and badly crippled. Both legs have been shattered and crudely set, and his left arm has curled into a useless claw from torn ligaments. His leathery face shows the scars of ancient burns, with one of his ears only a grizzled stub and his white hair and beard growing in odd clumps. His icy blue eyes are uncompromising under a creased brow, and his mouth is tight and grim. His pupils are dilated, his unshaven jaw hangs slack, and filthy bandages covered his left arm and both legs. Any attempt made to talk to him doesn't result in a response; the man is lost in a drug-induced haze. Shaking him around a bit doesn't work either; you doubt the pain even registers behind the veil of fumes clouding his mind. It all looks like a lost cause, until a good amount of water splashes onto the man's face. Ziegel stands a while back, tosses the bucket aside and shrugs his shoulders, but attention is quickly brought back to the Witch Hunter. The cold water did the trick and now he's roused in a foul mood. Osric screams like a madman as the pain of his limbs hits him all at once, amplified by the shock of the cold water and the aftereffects of the Black Lotus. Who knows what nightmare had been going on in his mind or if reality is any better for him. He has trouble focusing, sounds and lights frequently seem uncomfortably intense, and his throat is caked with the residue of the smoke causing him to hack and spit. Once he's able to talk words that make some kind of sense, he curses and swerves between demands to be left alone and orders for the group to explain themselves. Yussie turns around, unable to hold back a tear for the tragedy of a broken man she is witnessing. Lanric resists the urge to hold the man down, thinking it would only anger him more, not to mention that Osric is barely able to move. It would all feel very awkward. Instead, he muses "Once a Witch Hunter, always a Witch Hunter" as he hears Osric shout orders and demands around even in this state. Sahar'a'Saif goes down to one knee and puts a hand on the man's shoulder, trying to calm him down. He is the man that's spent most time with Roderick, an experience that comes in handy right now. Sahar'a'Saif carefully produces the document certifying that its bearers are in the service of the Inquisition, a move that finally calms down the Witch Hunter who settles into position with a sigh.

 

“It was mostly the same as all the other times I killed filthy Mutants worshipping their dark gods" he begins, once he's asked to speak of his experience with the Child. "A witch hunter’s work doesn’t change much. Some years back we’d learned from the Swampers— those folk who gather herbs in the Marsh—that they saw lights and heard strange noises from an old ruin deep in the mire." *cough* "Well, me and some fellows paid one of them to take us out there and it was just as they said. It was night when we got to the ruin and had a peek inside. I’d guess there was some two dozen cultists, two in fancy dress who must have been priests. Most of them had" *cough* "the mark of Chaos upon them, sure enough. But what caught our eye was one of the priests had a babe in his arms and looked about to drown the poor thing in a pool of water they were gathered around. We didn’t waste" *cough* "time in offering them merciful deaths; just fired and cut into them, trying to save the baby. Now, when most of these scum see a witch hunter, they know to run. But this" *cough* "this lot was different. You could see in their faces, like they were all mesmerized. They went mad trying to keep us from the boy. By the end of it, only a handful escaped into the night. The rest died on our blades rather than surrender the babe. But the boy" *cough* "wasn’t hurt a bit, the cheeky thing, just smiling and cooing in his swaddling rags. Well, we considered it a good night’s work, ‘cept the place was too wet to burn so we had to leave it intact. We brought the boy to the Shallyan orphanage and I gave him to the Abbess—but it was a curious thing. Hard like, to give the boy up. Almost as if…" *cough* "as if I wanted to keep him for myself. Well I didn’t pay the thought no mind. Didn’t even think of the boy from that day on—until I saw him again! We heard about this crowd gathering, making trouble, so we went to have a look. They all had this wild look in their eyes like a lovesick calf. I saw the boy and I knew it was him! ‘Cause those devils I killed in the swamp had the same expression when they died. I tried to save them from the boy’s power but they didn’t want no saving. They near to killed me for my trouble." *cough* "Please... You have to stop this. There's a swamper called Jekil" *cough* "Jekil Sumpfmund. He can take you to the temple. Perhaps you might find something we missed. Now go, and show no mercy to Chaos, no matter how innocent it may appear!" Osric breaks into a hacking cough and when he manages to draw a few breaths, he asks to be left alone. The group obliges and eventually makes its way back to the street.

 

Alright, a bit of railroading there, but the plot had to move on. It's night and the city's gates are closed, so going to the swamp has to wait until morning. Let's take this opportunity to interject any RP you'd like to the scenes up to now, something your character might have done, said or thought at some point, if you want. You have a chance to also interact with each other before setting out to the swamp, discuss what happened, what's next, maybe get some equipment in the morning, conduct any private business, that kind of stuff. Spotlight's on your characters for some flavour, then we can get on with the swamp expedition

[shaar]

D_R, you are the bomb. That was written great!! I'm back home today so I'll get my response done likely tomorrow when I'm back at the ol' work computer.