Monday, August 28, 2006

Episode III: Chimes at Midnight - Act III

"Nadia"
17th of Sypheros - late morning

Morgan, Gerard and Esan had been given excellent accomodations at the Roost in Dragon Towers by Baron d'Medani, who wanted them well-rested so that they might have a better chance of finding his daughter Zelina alive. When they woke, they gathered their gear and made their way downstairs to the common room, eager to pick up Victor's trail before their midnight deadline. Two elves in fine clothing were waiting for them downstairs, however. Both were stunningly beautiful, and obviously kin by their appearance. Morgan noted the five-headed hydra of House Phiarlan on their cloaks, and the male elf confirmed this as he introduced himself.

"I am Dimitri d'Phiarlan of the Demesne of Music, and this is my sister, Nadia Phiarlan. We have heard of your plight, and it is my sister's wish to join you for a time to assist in the rescue of Zelina d'Medani."

Questions were asked. It was a very sudden thing, and the trio was somewhat mistrustful of outsiders at this point, but time was pressing and they did need extra help to chase down what few leads they had. The showdown with seven dangerous criminals at the end of their hunt would be easier with an extra sword, and Nadia did seem to be quite confident in the usage of the double scimitar slung over her shoulder. After discovering that Dimitri would not be accompanying them, they agreed to take her along.

"Orphans and Coin Counters"
Mid- to late-afternoon

They had two leads, both discovered the previous evening when they raided Victor's home in Cliffside. Bengen Burtuckle, the clerk who handled all of Victor's finances, would most likely be found at his residence in Upper Northedge. And the orphanage that Victor kept on sending money to was in Gate of Gold, an impoverished Lower Dura neighborhood. They realized that they didn't have time to follow both at once, especially if both turned out to be dead ends and they were forced to think on their feet, so Esan volunteered to check out the orphanage while the rest of them searched for Burtuckle.

Esan's trip to the Gate of Gold Orphanage was largely uneventful. He learned that Victor had grown up there from the absent-minded master of the orphanage, but his most useful intel was gleaned from the head boy, who was quick to talk once gold changed hands. Two very strange figures had been seen lurking around Gate of Gold - when the orphan described them, they sounded remarkably like Scrimshaw and Rrregla.

Meahnwhile, Gerard, Morgan and Nadia had little trouble tracking down Bengen Burtuckle in a quiet Northedge neighborhood. It took some convincing to get the timid dwarf to open his door for them, as he seemed worried about Wildnight looters. When he finally did let the investigators in, he invited them to a drink of tea and listened to their query. After Gerard flashed his badge and Nadia sweet-talked him, he was more than willing to take them down to his offices at the Kundarak banking district to find Victor's papers. All of the Wildnight traffic bogged them down, and by the time they had the records in hand and Esan back at their side, it was early evening. The records made it abundantly clear where Victor and his cronies were hiding, because the twenty-thousand gold piece transaction Victor had made earlier was for the purchase of an abandoned church of Aureon.

They began making their way back to Gate of Gold for the showdown with Saint-Demain.

"Gasper and the Albino Gargoyle"
Late evening

The trip back across Sharn and through the various wards of Dura was eerie, as the Wildnight celebration was now in full swing. Lanterns flickering with fire the color of blood lit their way, and revealed numerous crazed rituals taking place in the open streets. People danced around burning buildings, children beat dogs with sticks, crimes of passion could be heard taking place down every alley, and the sky was dark with smoke. The Fury would have been pleased, if he indeed watched Sharn tonight.

When the investigators finally arrived in Gate of Gold, it was late evening. There were no revelers here, for there was little to celebrate in the ruined neighborhood. They picked their path across the desolate avenues and finally arrived at the abandoned Church of Aureon, which Esan noted was very close to the Orphanage.
As they stepped through the arched doorway into the outer foyer, they were immediately attacked. Rrregla had been hiding right overhead, and Esan's touchsight field was not able to recognize her until it was too late. Meanwhile, Scrimshaw came out from behind hiding on the upper catwalk and began firing arrows at the party. Esan quickly disjoined Scrimshaw from the flow of time, but warned that he would quickly return. Meanwhile, Nadia and Morgan fired several deadly rays at the Gasper. She was forced to retreat fairly quickly, which allowed everyone to move to the last place Scrimshaw was seen. When he was rejoined with the flow of time, he was quickly dispatched.

"Masher and Cyclops"

The heroes quickly bashed through the large wooden doors into the main sanctuary of the church, where they found Durok holding a maul threateningly over Zelina d'Medani, who was bound and unconscious on the altar. He warned them to stay back, or he would kill her. They advanced anyway, and engaged Durok in melee. Meanwhile, Gerard tried to free Zelina. She turned to him and suggested that he leave, her face reforming as she spoke to reveal the disturbing visage of Vrinn, the Cyclops Changeling. Gerard resisted the enchantment however, and the ambush quickly turned against the criminals. Soon Durok was dead and Vrinn was subdued; Morgan had Skoth keep watch over their new prisoner as they advanced into the next room.

"The Chimes at Midnight"

The next room was the belltower, and they arrived just in time. The rusty metal shutters that shielded the ancient bell from the elements were opened as they began to ascend the rickety stairs to the top, allowing the heroes to see glimpses of the climactic Wildnight fireworks display far above. As they reached the top, they saw Victor staring out the now open ledge, a pocket watch in hand. He turned to them as Grimgraj and Mange closed in from the sides and smiled.

"And now we have heard the chimes at midnight."

With that, the bell began to toll. They all spotted Zelina dangling unconsciously from the bell's rusty chain by a pair of adamantine manacles, and several of them smelled the acid now burning away the same chain. She would die after a few more tolls as the bell snapped free and sent the whole mechanism into a freefall to the ground a hundred feet below. Esan and Nadia acted quickly and decisively, as if they had been working together for years - Esan enveloped the bell in the same timeless energy that had harried Scrimshaw, freeing Zelina early but sending her plummeting down the staircase to her apparent death. At the same time, Nadia folded Zelina up in a transmutation that slowed her fall tremendously. Zelina landed safely at the bottom a few seconds later, and Gerard pulled her out of the way of the soon-to-reappear bell before ascending the stairs himself.

Seeing his plans for revenge derailed so quickly by these meddlesome upstart detectives sent Victor into a rage; he attacked with full force, draining spells and psionic powers from Morgan and Esan with each successful strike. While he fought, he gloated about the many ways that he had barred their path for the last few days; he even admitted that it was he who had cleverly tricked Khelizan into sending his assassins after them. He seemed to find delicious irony in having set his enemies against his enemies. Meanwhile, Nadia engaged Grimgraj and Gerard closed in on Mange, cowing the hulking shifter with the mere threat of silver-wrought violence. He surrendered, and Grimgraj was put out of commission shortly after. Victor looked like he was about to say something quippy as his minions fell around him, but Morgan cut him short with a searing bolt of fire that burned his face away.

"Aftermath"

Apparently, Vrinn had tried to escape while they were busy rescuing Zelina, because Skoth had torn him to bloody shreds by the time they descended the staircase again. Later on, Morgan admitted that he had ordered Skoth to finish him off, which caused noble Gerard to raise an eyebrow. Morgan explained that Vrinn was the sort of criminal who was likely to escape if given time, and he knew that the incarceration system in Breland was not the most secure. Gerard was still not impressed, especially when he discovered that Esan had taken the distraction of the argument to snap unconscious Grimgraj's neck. Apparently, these criminals had used up their last chances as far as most of the investigators were concerned.

These moral debates were set aside as they watched Zelina be reunited with her astonished father, who by now feared that she and all of those he had sent to find her were dead. Their reward for her recovery was handsome indeed, and it was not long after that they found themselves on the front page of both the Sharn Inquisitive and the Korranberg Chronicle. But there were still some loose ends to tie up...and of course, the question of Nadia Phiarlan.