black rock ♔ with my sad bones and my soiled throne

[sternshield]

WHO || Erky, Maxwell, Liam, Thoster
WHAT || The Knights track down a message from a mysterious woman in trouble
WHERE || Black Rock, Utah
WHEN || April 22nd, 2015
HOW || Actionspam

It's after noon when they arrive, a bleak, dreary day, and an ominous blanket of low, gray clouds hangs over the landscape.  A recent rain has left everything damp, giving the scenery an air of decay.  It seems there is no end to the parade of empty fields and derelict farmhouses flanking this stretch of road.   As they drive towards the coordinates of Black Rock, Thoster's phone abruptly rings.

Comments

[bluffcheck]

[15 for Thoster]

[ex_boning176]

[Liam only got 12 so maybe his brain is still a lil paralyzed idk...]

[beatemup]

[Max's search check is 16. After a boss fight, checking for loot is a must, of course. Give him his loot!]

[sternshield]

[ well, before they even go looking for the people in question, max finds something hanging on a hook in the same barn they're in - it looks like a standard sledgehammer, except that it has runes carved into its wooden handle. as he approaches it, erky steps up beside him, raising a hand and closing his eyes a moment. ] My, my. It's certainly magic, at least.

[bluffcheck]

[Thoster comes over to have a look as well, peering at the runes (spellcraft 22 to see if he knows anything about the magic in the hammer maybe? either that or bardic knowledge 39 to see if he's heard any stories about a weapon like this)]

[sternshield]

[ thoster has heard of such a thing! this is the demolition hammer, which can be activated once a day on a successful melee attack. doing so means that target must succeed on a DC 20 fort save or take 10d6 dmg. if that's enough to kill them, the target gets disintegrated into a trace of fine dust. ]

[bluffcheck]

You'd do well to keep that close at hand, friend. [Thoster says to Max.] I've heard tales of something with those runes reducing men to dust with a single blow.

[That's all you, buddy! Go for it.]

[beatemup]

Really? Awesome! [Well, if they're handing it to him, he might as well take it without any arguments. He has his signature hammer, given by his dad, but maybe someone in the castle can transfer the rune to his old one.

He takes the hammer and hold it up, looking at the craftwork.] I'll take a good care of this then. [He set his hammers aside and look at the rest of the team.] You guys found anything else? Signs of our mystery caller? [He looks particularly at Liam since the kid was the one who got them here.]

[ex_boning176]

[Liam takes the hint, and sniffs at the air a few more times now that they weren't fighting for their lives (wisdom: 21).

He's getting really tired of smelling rancid dead things, but he'll do his best to pinpoint another scent.]

[sternshield]

[ as they start moving out of the barn and back through the streets, his nose strikes upon a different scent - one not quite so horrific as rotting undead, but still unpleasant, leading into one of the small farmhouses nearby. the door is unlocked, and as they step within, liam's nose leads them to a small doorway beneath the stairs. when erky tries the door, he finds it stuck. ]

[bluffcheck]

[Thoster goes for a tried and true method of opening doors...kicking it in. (Str 19) He's just a walking D&D cliche nbd.]

[sternshield]

[ the door gives way with a loud sound of something crashing on the other side - it seems to have been barricaded from within with whatever random bits and pieces were available. the smell grows strong enough for them all to enjoy it... and the source becomes quickly apparent.

in the tiny recess beneath the stairs lie two corpses, one adult-sized, the other only a child's, both reduced to nearly skeletons. the adult wears jeans and a woman's blouse, the other corpse a child's dress. ] No...

[beatemup]

...

[Max has never had a problem with dead bodies, he has seen plenty of them in the battlefields and in games, but that's the problem. Those two bodies are not gunned soldiers or some random corpses in a horror game. Seeing two innocents reduced to such stature is gruesome enough to make him at lost for words. He is so far beyond the point of anger and frustration, he just stands there without making any sound for a moment but he immediately realizes the mission is not over yet and he still has a team to lead.

He gives time to his team to collect their thoughts and proceeds to check on the corpses alone to see if he can find any information to confirm their identities or check the time and cause of death. (investigate 12)]

[bluffcheck]

[Thoster stands in shocked silence, looking at the corpses as his mind reels at the discovery.]

I spoke to hear. I heard her.

[sternshield]

[ it's difficult to discern much from their current state, but max can definitely tell that they've been dead awhile - certainly well before that call was placed and thoster spoke to her on the floor. there's no sign of injuries on either of the corpses.

erky steps forward, placing a hand gently on thoster's shoulder. ] What happened here was the product of a great evil. If we hadn't received those calls, it might have gone unchecked.

Maybe... Maybe her spirit held on, long enough to reach out.

[beatemup]

Wh...What!? [Max jumps back immediately as soon as he hears the word 'spirit'. He trembles a bit as he stands close to Erky. Ghoul and ghost might belong in the same family, but one of them has physical attribute while the other scares the hell out of him.] Then do something about it! Do your cleansing prayer or something!

[sternshield]

All I can try to do is put their spirits to rest, although I have a feeling that defeating that machine may have done as much for us. [ still, he withdraws his holy symbol, and moves forward, to say a few words of prayer over them both quietly. ]

[bluffcheck]

[Thoster may not be an overly religious man, but he bows his head in silent respect for Erky and his work, hoping that they can offer this poor family some peace.]

[beatemup]

[Max observes the rite carefully in silent, hoping to learn something about exorcising ghost. Looking at the ceremony, he can't help but wonder about his old family. He never got a cleric to perform a sending for them. Are their spirit still grudging on this earth....? Maybe he'll ask someone to do it after they wrap up their mission.

When they're done with the prayer, he breaks the solemn moment with a few words.] Let's... let's get back, there's nothing left for us to do here. I'll ask the big boss to send a team of clerics to clean up the rest of the town.

[sternshield]

Aye, I think I've had enough of this place, myself. [ he turns away from the scene, putting one hand on max's arm as he walks past him. ] We did a good thing here. We can't lose sight of that.

[bluffcheck]

[Thoster lets out a heavy exhale and nods along with Erky.]

Aye. We did what we could.

[beatemup]

Yeah... We did.... [Max takes one last look at the bodies before taking the exit. He knows that it is not their fault the woman and the child didn't make it, but he is never a fan of stories with tragic ending. He walks away towards their parking spot, ready to journey back home.] Good job, everyone! I think we deserve some treats before our flight back! On me, of course! [Nothing is better to end the day than a large serving of grilled steak and a couple glass of cold beer.]

[sternshield]

Maybe I can work up an appetite again on the way home. [ he sure doesn't have one right this moment ]

[beatemup]

We can still have a couple rounds of beer. [Max seemingly forces a smile to him as they walk toward their ride. He doesn't get down easily, but even the fiercest heart can feel bitterness. He steadily walks next to Erky, carrying both his old hammer and the recently acquired one.

It took them a while to get to this place, but their way back home will feel much longer especially after seeing what has happened to this remains of a town.]