Abstinence, 95 Letum 1999 [continued]
Morday, 41 Autumn
Colours 204 LE
Around dawn, the party of seven meet at the Foundling Fountain in
Northgate. The Fountain depicts a small baby being ripped apart by
fiendish creatures. Nice. They need a one-horned taciturn minotaur
who has been enduring Jirokichi's cheerful questions for some time
(the nezumi got there early, especially).
The group is led through the grotty Northgate streets and then
down a side alley and to a set of steps leading downwards. They
go into the Undercity - an area that Jirokichi knows quite intimately.
Here is the first underlayer of Tharkis and it is filled with beggars
and even more disreputable and pathetic individuals than the streets
above. Alarius tries to give alms to the poor but the minotaur warns
him against it. They don't want to attract attention, and handing
out a kor down here is an invitation to get your throat slit.
The journey through the undercity is not far until the party are
led to a large free standing house. It is three stories high, the
roof just a few inches below the ceiling of the cavern. Much of
the detritus (beggars, rubbish etc) has been cleared away in front
of it. All the shutters are closed. Inside the place is a derelict
mess. The floorboards in the hall are filthy and rotten. The Minotaur
beckons them into one of the front rooms overlooking the street.
It is very different in here. It has been decked out in wood panelling.
The floor is a soft red carpet. Chairs have been arranged for the
party. There is a large elegant desk, behind which sits Cornelius.
It is uncomfortably warm in here. Very warm. Braziers hang from
the ceiling and there is a fire raging in the grate.
Cornelius welcomes the party. He explains again that his employer
is someone of considerable influence, who can offer the party pretty
much anything - financial rewards, or other less tangible benefits.
All of the party have something they want. Of course, the level
of the benefit will be dependent upon the job, and this job is just
to test the waters. It is difficult and dangerous, and it will test
the party's stealth, their subtlety as well as their brute force.
Cornelius won't go into any further details because he will not
reveal the nature of the mission until they all agree. They have
to agree as a group because it was acting as a group that they came
to the notice of his employer. He leaves the room (taking a heavy
coat) while they decide. In the end all the party members agree,
and Cornelius returns to reveal the nature of the mission.
Cornelius says that there have been a number of deaths in the Irongate
Ward. Not very unusual, and seeing as all the deaths were paupers,
not very important either. This all changed two days ago with the
death of Major Radigan Galazar of the Black Watch was killed. Now
Galazar was an extremely experienced member of the Watch. He fought
in the demon wars ten years ago, and was promoted to the Order of
Grelka. That anyone could kill him is something of an accomplishment
- that he could be killed as swiftly as is being reported is extremely
alarming.
This is a great embarrassment to the Black Watch, who have descended
on Irongate en masse to try and get to the bottom of this. However,
in the last two days they have had no success. Reports of what is
going on over there are quite sketchy, however, it looks as though
the killer has been taking one life per day for the last couple
of weeks. All the killings seem to be in or around the Gravegrind
Poorhouse area of the city.
The mission is this: Cornelius doesn't care about justice for the
paupers. His employer wants the killer. The party are instructed
to go to Irongate, find the killer before the Black Watch and offer
it employment. If it refuses they are to subdue it and bring it
back any way. If that isn't possible then they must kill it. The
matter is extremely time sensitive. An attack on the Black Watch
is an attack on Grelka. If they don't sort this our soon (probably
within the next three days) then Grelka will send The Legion after
them. At this point the party's mission will be impossible.
Alarius and Jirokichi conclude that in order for this to work,
they have to fit someone else up for the killings. They then quickly
take their leave of Cornelius.
It is about ten miles to Irongate through the city. Alarius takes
to the air and flies with the Scribe (and by default, Clara). He
intends to get there first and put his ear to the ground to find
out what has been going on.
Lord Revda summons his steed and rides the distance with Jirokichi,
Gazahi and Lycaon following behind. They cross Tharkis and then
head up the cliff into the Upper Town. They discover that the gates
to Irongate are closed. They are interviewed by a member of the
Black Watch, and Revda bluffs that he has come to Irongate to talk
to a weapons merchant. They are eventually let into the city, and
Revda finds his way to Gravegrind.
The Ripper Strikes
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