Abstinence, 95 Letum 1999 [continued]
Morday, 41 Autumn
Colours 204 LE
Revda and Jirokichi head into the maze of fetid alleyways that
border the eastern side of the Gravegrind Poorhouse. They observe
frantic activity around the front of the building as a second squad
of Black Watchmen arrives. The pair quickly come across Gazahi.
Their lycanthropic companion is rubbing his paws and hands as if
he is trying to remove a stain.
On closer inspection, Revda and Jirokichi discover that Gazahi's
face and hands are indelibly stained with blood splashes. When asked
what happened, Gazahi shrugs and tells the truth. He presents the
heads of the three roofers for Jirokichi to put in his increasingly
grim bag of holding. Evidently the dark malevolence that permeates
the Great Dark reached out and touched Gazahi in his moment of evil
abandon. However, the assassin doesn't seem too bothered, and considers
it a bit of an occupational hazard.
In the meantime, Lycaon is prowling the boy's yard looking for
a way to escape. He doesn't want to cause a scene with the Black
Watch if he can avoid it. After weighing his options, he scrambles
over one of the locked gates and heads into the gloomy alleyways.
Using his heightened senses he soon tracks down Revda, Jirokichi
and Gazahi. Lycaon's suspicions over Gazahi are proved to be true.
Quite what the barghest thinks of this wanton violence is unclear.
Giving up any attempt to reunite with the rest of the party, Revda
proposes going to the Temple of Karatath. The creature leapt from
the top of that temple, and it is the death knight's belief that
the clerics there have summoned something that it responsible for
all these killings. As they are in want of a better idea, the four
navigate their way through the streets to the temple.
By now it is dusk. From their vantage point high on the roof of
the temple to Karatath, Alarius and the Scribe of Tam survey the
scene below them. Alarius can see numerous armoured figures moving
around. The Scribe's vision is not as keen at this distance, and
he can only pick out indistinct blobs of light.
Alarius suggests that they investigate the inside of the temple.
There is an open bell tower above them. He can fly them both up
and they can enter the temple that way. The presence of a temple
to Karatath this close to the scene is suspicious, and the Scribe
agrees. Alarius flies up and enters the tower.
Inside the bell tower is hollow, directly at the bottom is an altar.
The interior of the tower is covered with black vines and creepers.
Leaving the Scribe hanging on a branch, Alarius descends to the
floor of the temple. It is completely empty and looks rather ill-kept.
Back the in the tower, the Scribe discovers (on closer examination)
that he is hanging in the middle of a roost for scores of tainted
draconic creatures each about the size of a human child. With the
coming of night they are awakening.
Alarius returns and the pair leave the tower, just as the swarm
begins to leave. Alarius out-paces it, and then rather worryingly,
hovers in the air waiting to get a good look at it leave in to the
open air. As the bell tower spews forth the swarm he heads upwards
to the tall steeple, and looking down he sees the swarm circle around
and around the tower like bats. It is at this point, that Clara
reappears from the necklace to take in the spectacle. The swarm
circles once more and then heads out over Tharkis, hunting the night.
Once they have departed Alarius descends back into the temple with
the Scribe; Clara follows.
In the streets Revda and his companions also see the swarm. They
reach the rear entrance of the temple. The large wooden doors are
in a very narrow and inauspicious side street. Revda turns the handle
and pushes the doors open. Inside, the space is immense and it is
filled with tight rows of pews. There are a number of clerics in
here, lighting candles and preparing for some sort of ritual. A
large stone altar (that looks more like a sacrificial stone) sits
at the far end of the chamber beneath the large tower. The aisle
has a slight incline so parishioners would have to walk up hill
to greet the clergy.
Revda wants to make an ally of this church and speaks with one
of the clerics. The knight says he wants information about the killer
that is stalking the streets of Tharkis. The cleric suggests they
speak to Oblate Father Blassadin (a dwarf). However, he is busy
at the moment, speaking to an important visitor.
There is one door on each side of the temple, each parallel with
the altar - although fifty feet distant from it. They evidently
lead to other rooms and chambers. Jirokichi is listening to the
one on the left and can hear a man and a woman talking, although
he cannot make out the words.
Meanwhile, Alarius, Clara and the Scribe descend into the temple
to find it completely empty and derelict. Clara is disquieted. Her
access to the ethereal plane is limited here, and she cannot phase
through the doors and the walls. Alarius looks at the blood stained
altar and then moves to the door on the far left of the chamber.
They open it and look out.
They are looking down from a mountainous escarpment onto an enormous
plain of black dust. On this plain thousands of petitioners prostrate
themselves, bending in supplication to the distant horizon. Overseers,
huge giants seemingly made of shadow, stride between the rows whip
and sword in hand. On the horizon, silhouetted against a sky that
is orange with flame is a massive black structure. The Scribe knows
where they are: these are the great plains before the Aegis. The
structure in the distance is the prison of Karatath! When they entered
the temple, they must have been transported to this place! Alarius
steps back and quietly closes the door.
A pretty pickle. What to now except try the other door? This one
opens out into a clearing with shear rock walls on all sides. In
the middle of this clearing, about thirty yards form the door is
a tomb. The wind here is very strong, and its whistling hurts Alarius's
keen ears. Clara looks at the tomb. She seems peculiarly drawn to
it.
The ghost of the elven girl floats out and passes into the tomb.
Curious, the Scribe follows. Inside Clara is agitated. She knows
this place, but she cannot quite remember how and why. She is seeing
an enormous temple with a black marble floor and vast columns reaching
to a vaulted ceiling. The Scribe is only seeing a dark tomb. Suddenly
he sees some force take control of Clara and lift her from the ground.
She screams. Some unseen hand forces her arms and legs apart, and
Clara is suspended on her back, struggling as if bound to an invisible
object.
There is a presence in the tomb, the Scribe can feel it but he
cannot identify it. Clara knows it however. Tarkash the Betrayer,
better known as Eligos of the Thirty! Ruler of Tharkis! He did this
to her, he made her who she is. Memories come unbidden into Clara's
mind. She may not remember everything, but she remembers this: she
remembers her death.
In the real temple back in Tharkis, the four other party members
speak to Blassadin. He is in a very good mood, which immediately
sets them on their guard. The dwarf intimates that his church is
not responsible for the killing of Galazar or any of the others,
but he also shows no pity for the deaths. It is evident that he
doesn't like Grelka or her Black Watch, and refers to her as the
"stewardess" of Tharkis. There is obviously more than
this Blassadin can say, but the dwarf is canny. He suggests that
the party return at midnight and attend mass. He is expecting a
large crowd. After the ceremony they can talk more.
Thousands of miles away, Clara breaks free of her tormenter and
screams from the tomb, back to the temple of Karatath. She is shocked,
and her mind is burning at her experiences. However, she does not
have time to tell her companions what has happened when a woman
strides across the temple toward them. The Scribe recognises the
regalia of a Prefect to Karatath. Before they can explain themselves,
she raises her hand and instantly bends the three of them to her
will.
As she holds them motionless, a dwarf in the colours of an Oblate
Father (it is Blassadin) emerges. He seems shocked by the presence
of the party. The prefect questions them to find out why they were
present in the temple. The party give a fair account of their actions,
spilling some of the truths that Revda was trying to hide. "Who
are you working for?" the prefect asks. The Scribe answers
truthfully (as he understands it) and repeats the name given to
him by the subjects of his Legend Lore spell: "Tam". Blassadin
is shocked: "They're working for you?!" he demands of
the prefect.
At midnight, Revda, Lycaon, Jirokichi and Gazahi return to the
temple. It is now packed with citizens of Irongate. The worship
of Karatath is common here, probably because of the temple, but
by the looks on their faces none of the parishioners actually want
to be here. Blassadin has saved the four some seats at the front.
The party notice grooves in the floor that are designed to take
the flow of blood from the sacrificial altar and let it run around
the chamber. Jirokichi, who used to be a member of the Church of
Karatath, tries to remember the significance of this, but he can't.
He never really paid attention.
As they sit down the group are joined by Alarius, Clara and the
Scribe - no longer under dominion. Reunited and slightly puzzled,
the group of seven watch Blassadin walk to the front of the congregation
and enter into a long and complicated diatribe on the faith and
the power of his dark master. He speaks of prophecies and doom,
of domination and war. And he intimates that Tharkis may well not
be in Grelka's hands for very much longer.
Then he calls for a sacrifice to be placed upon the altar to appease
the will of Karatath. It is apparent that the temple of Karatath
only enjoys these large congregations so that parishioners can hide
in the crowd. Now the party can feel them stiffen with fear, and
hope that the victim chosen is not them.
A young woman is selected by Blassadin. She does not put up a struggle,
she merely passes her child to a companion sitting next to her and
is led calmly to the front. She is laid on the altar and Blassadin
begins to chant. Revda looks on politely, but not all the members
of the party are willing to sit down for this. Alarius is not a
evil man, and he won't see a young woman sacrificed. He prepares
to act. But he does not act first.
Clara rises up and unleashes her hideous visage on the clergy and
the congregation. There is much screaming and many of the common
folk start to run for the door. She demands that the priests release
the woman. "Sit down Clara, you're embarrassing us," says
Jirokichi under his breath.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Alarius runs forward, grabs
the girl and flies up and out through the bell tower. Blassadin
gestures and sends a trio of fiendish creatures after him, but Alarius
is too fast for that. He goes straight up for some considerable
distance, and then shoots off into the night, leaving Irongate far
behind.
Revda is incensed. This is exactly the sort of shenanigans that
will compromise any alliance he was trying to make with Blassadin.
He draws his sword and attacks Clara, hoping to force her back into
the necklace. Meanwhile the clerics of Karatath turn their attention
on her as well: one of them unleashes a spiritual weapon against
her. The Scribe summons an undead servant (an allip) to grab Clara
and take her to safety. At this point the world goes mad as Lycaon
lunges forward and attacks one of the priests of Karatath. He strikes
with such force that the priest is ripped in two… and his blood
splatters the altar…
The Ripper Strikes
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