The Sealed City: Imperial Mission

[The Third Triumverate]

"Helen, I need you to do something you really won't want to do."

Raleigh knew from the start that something was up with the damned place. She did not want to find out what might happen if these three bested her in a fight... Raleigh analyzed the camp to the best of her ability, and formulated a strategy.

She told Helen that once one of the three found whatever they were looking for, Helen would bolt past them and head straight for the tunnel. The bishop would let the other two run ahead, giving Raleigh a few moments to fire one, or hopefully two if she reloaded quickly enough, rounds at the bishop. From there, all hell would break loose: a three on two fight was not fair, but Raleigh doubted Helen could do much of anything; she was best used as a distraction.

"I could defeat the boar because there was only just the one, and it was not a human. Now I doubt that these men are men at all, but they will certainly be smarter than the beast. To even the odds, I need you to run as fast as you can into that tunnel, but only once we know they've found what they're looking for. It'll save us the trouble of finding it later." Raleigh desperately hoped that the bishop would engage her outside of the tunnel, and not scurry away into the darkness. She doubted she'd summon the courage to follow him in, especially now that the sun was going down.

[Firehead]

"Consumed everything in its path? Like the way this thing is consuming all of its..brothers, I guess. So any idea how much longer until I wind up giving birth to this thing or what that's going to be like?" Alane wondered if they might have time to sneak into the Scholar's District and find some more information but considering her mother had been trapped there it was probably dangerous though there probably weren't many places in the city that were. "I'd like to try looking into some of that research, but I doubt it would be good to go into labor while traversing the City."

[lilbooth]

Keira's posture was rather sunken following the battle. The rest of the team had arrows and bullets, or even magic to get the job done. Keira had her spear and her axe. One was more elegant than the other but they were both brutal weapons that demanded lots of energy to wield. She turned to Minerva as gestured back the way they came from. "If you would please lead the way back, I'd like somewhere safe to sleep tonight, the day has weighed heavily upon me." She said as she hefted the sword up over her shoulder.

[mrblah]

With the team back together and ready to go, Ertha moved from her leaning position to stand patiently, waiting for someone to take the lead. She already knew where they were probably going and knew how to get there, but she wasn't the type of fighter who took point. More of a "in the back" kinda archer. "Something tells me being out at night is bad, so we should probably hurry." Ertha gave her two cents, though she didn't really need to.

[Mark3000]

Keira, Ertha & Alane

It doesn't take long for Minerva to lead Keira and Ertha back to the safety of the Hideout. "I'll prepare a place for all of you to sleep. We've all had a long day. Maybe we can discuss your plans once I'm done." Minerva suggested as she moved to the next room.

The Keira, Ertha and Alane finally reunited, though without their Lieutenant. Without their leader, the three are left to discuss what their next move will be.

Rebecca

Rebecca wades deeper into the military district. The fort at the centre of the district helped to support all the businesses surrounding it. From blacksmiths and tailors who provided weapons and clothing, to farmers who provided food. The area was filled with a sense of national pride. But in it's current state it felt like that pride had been twisted into something more sinister. She could hear the clanking of iron behind boarded close doors. The streets were empty, except for the cries of some infernal beast ... and something else.

Rebecca turned the corner to find a clearing with a set of pillories in the centre. Normally their would be some criminal lock in these devices as punishment for some wrongdoing. But instead they housed three woman. All three were naked with bellies almost as big as Alane's. The pillory caused them to bend over, leaving their hefty chests to hang down like a pair of udders. Soon Rebecca sees why.

While the woman in the middle is fucked by another so called knight, the other two are approached by some sort of spiked creature. It was twice the size of a hunting hound and prowled around like one on all fours. But the creature had no eyes. Instead, it's face had two nostril shaped holes as it's back was lined with many sharp red quills. Each of these creatures got up on their hind legs and began to suckle from the woman's teat. For their part, none of the captured woman seemed to resist, let alone react. They gave the odd moan here and their. But for the most part they seemed checked out.

As the knight finished inside the woman, he turned to Rebecca with a hesitant look. "Oi! Who might you be?" He asked crossing his arms.

Raleigh

Raleigh and Helen wait for what feels like an hour. Finally, as the sun drops the Bishop lets out a proud cry.

"Finally! We have it." He says raising a small box from one of the crates. "To think those adventurers would try and hide it here. Let's go you cretins"

With that, your plan goes into action. Helen makes a beeline for the tunnel as she tries to draw their attention. Only one of the strange knights actually chases her. The other stays by the Bishop's side. That's when Raleigh makes her move.

Raleigh

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Rifle Attack->Bishop
Accuracy: 13 + 10 - 8 = 15, Accuracy Roll: 8, Hit!
Damage: 1(1d10) + 10 - 9 = 2 Damage

Quick Reload (Feat of Speed)
Raleigh: 14 + 6(Skills) + 12 = 32
Bishop: 8 + 5 =13

Rifle Attack 2->Bishop
Accuracy: 13 + 10 - 8 = 15, Accuracy Roll: 9, Hit!
Damage: 2(1d10) + 10 - 9 = 3 Damage

From the bushes, the huntress takes two shots. Each merely grazes the Bishop but you wouldn't know it if you heard him cry out. "AHHHHHHH! What are you doing you stupid beast!" he says as the strange knight moves towards you.

Turn Order:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Raleigh
??? Knight

The Bishop remains on the scene though it doesn't appear like he's going to fight.

[exalted]

Rebecca was thankful that the full face helm covered her shock and disgust at the sight of the square, avoiding looking as much as she could.

Her heart froze and skipped a beat as she heard the Knight at the pillories challenge her. Swallowing hard she kept walking towards the Fortress, giving him the two finger salute.

"Is that meant to be some kind of stupid joke!" she growled as deeply as she could, "Maybe you should be locked up with the sows if you're going to be as vapid as they are"

[Firehead]

Alane was feeling a bit down considering the things she was learning. Hearing footsteps coming down to the shelter, she turned wondering who was coming down. A wave of relief came over her as she saw the others coming down. Rushing over, she put her arms around Keira. "Oh thank goodness you brought the others back." After what had happened to her, it seemed a bad idea to be separating anymore. Pulling away from the hug, she noticed someone was missing a look of disappointment crossing her face. "Oh, you didn't manage to find Robert too? Any idea where he could have gone?"

[The Third Triumverate]

Raleigh gaped open-mouthed when the bishop did not retaliate. Still confused, she pointed her rifle at the knight, back to the bishop, to the knight again...

Her throat tightened with guilt as Helen ran naïvely into the abyss. She would rescue her soon; her momentary sacrifice was necessary for the good of bringing the city to light. Suddenly, another idea flashed into her mind. Raleigh lowered her rifle and turned directly to the bishop.

"His Excellency has asked me to retrieve that item, and to bring him the girl. The one you just let escape, into that tunnel! Call off your knight before I crush him."

Raleigh attempted to determine the knight's strengths and weaknesses, appraising him for two stamina, and as he approached she prepared to stun lock him.

[Mark3000]

Rebecca

Deception Roll:(Feat of Insight)
Schwarzberg Knight: 8 -3 (Flaws) + 3 = 8
Rebecca: 5 + 8 = 13

Intimidation Roll: (Feat of Strength)
Schwarzberg Knight: 16 + 3 (Skills) + 3 = 22
Rebecca: 10 + 19 = 29

The solider suddenly stands straight as he salutes in return. "I'm sorry sir! I was just doing my nightly rounds" he said as the two beasts followed their master's stead. "Are you heading to the Fortress? Then you'd best watch out for the Abyss Slayer. That monster is still at large.

Raleigh

Raleigh
Appraisal:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

??? Knight
Strength 18
Skill 13
Speed 14
Vitality 13
Endurance 13
Insight 10

HP: 36
Stamina 9

Skills:
Eldrich Pull; Accuracy: 12, Damage: 1d6, Pull enemy to Vanguard
Double Attack; Strike with two weapons at once. Lose 2 accuracy and 2 damage

Deception Roll (Feat of Insight)
Raleigh: 5 + 4 = 9
Bishop: 15 + 12 = 27

The Bishop scuffs at your story. "If you were after the girl, you would have shot her and not ME!" He yelled with a sense of indignation. "And His Excellency would certainly not let a woman like you out of his sight" The Bishop then motioned for his knight to continue.

Tentacle Knight
Double Attack
Battle Axe Attack
Accuracy: 10 + 13 - 16(Leather Armor) = 7, Accuracy Roll: 8, Miss!

Silver-Tipped Spear Attack
Accuracy: 13 + 13 - 16(Leather Armor) = 10, Accuracy Roll: 15, Miss!

Suddenly the knight's arms stretched out swing the two weapons at Raleigh. The spear comes in high while the axe swing comes in low. With a quick acrobatic maneuver, you evade the attack. But upon closer inspection, the enemy's true form is revealed. The armor segmented to reveal a fleshy underbelly. The armor segments were held together by various tendrils.

Turning to the tunnel, you could still hear Helen's faint footsteps.

[exalted]

Rebecca sighed inside her her helm, of course there was some other big gribbly running around that even these cretins were afraid.

Stealing her resolve, she grunted noncommittally at the other Knight and kept striding. She thought about asking for assistance but thought better of it, what with the two monsters patrolling with him. She didn't want them getting too close and smelling that she was wrong.

[mrblah]

When they arrived at Minerva's hideout, she had a look around to judge the place. Didn't seem like there were many traps or guards... so the full stealth route? No rebellious plans on the walls or weapons laying around so that's good, but if a guard walked in, it doesn't seem like they'd have much opposition in blowing this place. Then again, they survived as long as they have there. It must be working well for them.

She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the civilian hugging the knight, mostly curious of how exactly they got so close, but also not really caring. "We found her." Ertha decided to answer for them, since she had found the lieutenant first. "She left without a word again on some suicide mission that'll no doubt end terribly for her." She scowled at that. Apparently whatever she had to do was enough that she'd risk life and limb and even abandon her team to do it. Ertha would have tried to stop her, but it was almost a certainty she couldn't, and she had bigger problems to fix. Hopefully that woman would stay alive long enough for them to find her later, and also hopefully she's thinking rationally then. She turned to Minerva. "So what have you got so far on putting an end to this? I'm assuming you haven't been hiding here, twiddling your thumbs and not planning on fighting back or at the very least escaping."

[The Third Triumverate]

Time did not slow down like Raleigh would have wished as the incoming attacks threatened to cut her to pieces. Instinctively, she pulled a move more impressive than she ever had: the axe swung low and the spear came right for her face, so she jumped and leaned backwards, spinning in the air parallel to the ground while the two attacks sailed by harmlessly. The axe, though, was frightfully close, enough to cut off a few stray hairs. If her neck had been just a bit lower, she might have lost her head- this was a true life or death battle, and the bishop would pay.

No more talk. Time to die.

Raleigh grimaced in rage as she regained her footing, then fired a shot at the bishop. She reloaded before firing another; she found it odd that the bishop was clearly her enemy but did not participate in the fight. Perhaps he was some kind of healer, or mind-controller? Regardless, he held something of value that would potentially tell her more about the city's fate, so he had to die. Raleigh hardly even noticed Helen's footsteps, too entranced in a battle-rage to pay any attention.

[Mark3000]

Rebecca

Chance of encountering the Abyss Slayer 10% (1d100): 67

Rebecca passes the knight as he continues to salute. It's not long until she hears the women in the pillory being violated. They're voices filled the night sky.

As Rebecca moved ever closer to the entrance of Fort Nightward, she could here the sound of shifting armor. There were about five or six soldiers heading towards you. Oddly enough, you couldn't hear the sound marching. It sounded more like the slithering of a hundred snakes.

Raleigh
Rifle Attack->Bishop
Accuracy: 13 + 10 - 8 = 15, Accuracy Roll: 13, Hit!
Damage: 3(1d10) + 10 - 9 = 4 Damage

Quick Reload (Feat of Speed)
Raleigh: 14 + 6(Skills) + 14 = 34
Bishop: 8 + 8 =16

Rifle Attack 2->Bishop
Accuracy: 13 + 10 - 8 = 15, Accuracy Roll: 1, Hit!
Damage: 6(1d10) + 10 - 9 = 7 Damage

Tentacle Knight
Rampaging Tackle
Accuracy: 11 + 13 - 14 = 10, Accuracy Roll: 5, Hit!
Damage: 18 - 16 = 2 Damage
Raleigh is grappled!

Raleigh continues to fire upon the bishop. This time she manages to pierce his leg and shoulder. Just as the bishop is about to make a getaway, the Tentacle knight makes a run directly at the huntress. His long limbs wrap around Raleigh keeping her from moving. With your body bound, the Bishop lets out a hearty laugh. "Not so tough now are you" the Bishop says.

Keira, Ertha & Alane

Once Minerva finishes setting up a place for you to sleep, she brings the three of you the last room in the hideout. In there is a small desk with various notes and drawings. "I'm sorry to disappoint but this is all I have. While I've been trying to scout out an escape route, I've been noticing a lot of movement in the Highgarden District." She said pointing to the northern section of the map. "It use to be that these monsters would just wonder the streets looking for prey. But now, they seem to be getting organized from something serious. As for escape, I've found a few options. My only worry is that by the time you inform the army of what's really going on it will be too late."

[lilbooth]

Keira was a bit surprised when Alane rushed over and gave her a hug. It didn't seem totally appropriate but at least someone was giving her some praise. Keira ruffled the young mage's hair as she pulled away. Ertha answered Alane's questions before she could but that didn't bother her at all.

"The lieutenant dawned Schwarzberg Knight Armor and took off into the streets. She said nothing to any of us. I could care less if we cross paths again, she hasn't done us much good thus far." Said Keira as she followed the rest of her company through the safe house. She listened to Minerva as they made their way to the last room and examined what small plans the women had written up. "I've got a handful of questions, and I'd like to get some rest so I'll ask them quickly. One: How long do we have before Alane becomes the proud mother of one of these weird monsters? Two: Do we have enough food down here to wait until that happens? That being Alane giving birth? I'm not going to tell you to stay down here again Alane but I'd rather not have you injured or captured because you are pregnant. Three: How intelligent are these creatures at birth? Could we train it or control it? Having one of these bastards on our side would be a major advantage. Four: If the monsters or creatures or whatever they are called are all gathering in this one district I'd like to know how big the district is and how many entrances are there to it? If we could get some oil and pitch together and Burn the whole fucker down. It's a garden right, lots of vegetation I'm sure it will burn real well. And the last question is for your blacksmith, but it can wait till morning.

[The Third Triumverate]

"Fuck! H- HELP!"

Raleigh panicked as the tentacles grabbed hold and held tight; she flailed wildly, but her weak limbs were no match for the thick, strong tentacled monster. Her nightmares were coming true and there was nothing she could to to stop it, except pray that it was over soon. Almost immidiately her phobia kicked in, and she started spewing nonsense and bucking in desperation, like an enraged captive animal.

"Gah, AAHGH! Wha- HE-... Mmm, noooOOO!"

[exalted]

Rebecca tried to put the sound of the women out of her mind as she kept walking, eyes straight ahead to keep her from looking back. That wasn't her job anymore.... that wasn't the mission.

Seeing her next obstacle approaching, she doubted she could bluff or intimidate herself past so many, that and the sound they made caused her back to shiver. Stepping to the side, she hoped the group would just pass by, leaving her to continue on unmolested.

[Firehead]

Alane frowned as she heard that Robert had abandoned them for whatever goal she currently had in mind. Wait, she? She quirked her head when the thought finally crossed her mind. "Why are you calling Robert a she? Robert's a guy." Then it hit her, that woman that had been with the others had looked so much like Robert that she thought it could be his sister, but could it have been Robert himself? "That woman that ran off, that you chased, th-that was Robert wasn't it? W-what happened to him?"

She followed once Minerva set themselves up a place to stay then led them to what appeared to be an office or planning room. Apparently having been keeping track of the movements of the monsters. "W-wait, could we actually escape even if we tried? I thought there was something out there hunting down those who flee."

[lilbooth]

"Yes Robert is a woman, fond of cross-dressing and pretending to be a man. Likely how she became a lieutenant in the army. Well that a considerable amount of hard work. What happened to her is that she was molested by a mistress named Annabelle, fled into the streets. Chased by Ertha, and found. Ertha blew her horn and I went to aid them. I found them engaged with two knights. One was barely clinging to life when I arrived and I killed the other. Then Robert ran off, again. I let her leave this time. And even if the city is being guarded by the beasts in the woods I already killed one, and could kill another." Said Keira with urgency.

[mrblah]

Ertha kept silent as she listened to the conversation, mostly considering Keira's proposals and ideas. Using Alane's... children as their weapons sounded quite dangerous, but possibly profitable if it were possible. Blowing the garden where the monsters were was another idea she'd agree with. It'd deal a big blow to the enemy and reduce a sizable chunk of their forces. There might be collateral damage with the fire and explosives... but she didn't care. As far as she was concerned; Schwarzberg was already lost. All that could be done now was burn the damned place down with the monsters in it, and save the sane ones. When the topic drifted to the lieutenant, Ertha didn't bother listening. Inwardly, she was still hoping the lieutenant wouldn't do anything stupid and get herself in Alane's position. But at the same time, it was her choice to leave them, and it's not her place to stop anyone on a dangerous mission.

"I don't think this other beast, if there is another, would be as easy as the wolf. Odds are there'd be more too, so escaping wouldn't be so easy." She finally spoke up to offer her two cents. "I agree that we should bomb that Highgarden district. If there's a large amount of those monsters there, then that'd be a crippling blow to their forces." Ertha turned to Minerva. "You don't know anything about whose making these things or where they could be found? I don't doubt that they'd make more if we destroyed Highgarden, so we also need to put a stop to whatever is making more of them."

[Mark3000]

Keira, Ertha & Alane

Minerva listened to Keira's questions intently and called Athena into help answer some of them.

"I'll start first" Athena said as she cleared her throat. "I would say Alane has 5 days before she gives birth as long as she stays out of these monster's grasp."

"As for food" Minerva interjected. "This use to be a storage house used by farmers when transporting their goods. Along with what I'm able to salvage around the town. We should be able to wait for Alane to give birth."

When it came to the creature's Intelligence, Athena chimed back in. "These creatures seem to act purely on instinct when birthed" Athena paused for a moment before continuing to answer. "Before the invasion, I used to be a professor at the university. There was a department who were focused on finding a way to train these creatures. What they found was that these newborns have a way of triggering the maternal instincts of the woman they ... interact with. Every time they thought they were taming the beast, it turned out it was the other way around and it was the trainer being conditioned."

Finally, when the topic of Highgarden comes up, Minerva goes back to the map. "Highgarden refers to the entire upper district. From Saint Cathedral to the Golden Palace. Most of the vegetation is concentrated in the Schwarz's family personal garden in the middle of the district. But most of the land is made up of private estates nobles and wealthy merchants. What I'm getting at is that it's an extremely large district and you would need a lot of firepower to set it ablaze. As for entry points, there are three main ones. Most people use either the Highgarden Lifts near the centre of town or the Grand Steeple north of the university. Pilgrims will also use the Black Cliffs of Providence to reach the cathedral. What I'm worried about is a fourth entrance only these creatures know about."

Once Alane and Ertha chimed in, Minerva continued to do her best to answer them. "I'd much rather fight beasts then what ever it was that's guarding the forest around the city. First a thick fog fell over the forest. It took me a while to realize that I was walking in circles. That's when I started to hear the whispers" Minerva said as her body began to quiver. "They tried to convince me to give in, return to the city walls. I tried to ignore them. But by the time I had regained my footing, I was in front of the militia's guard tower and was captured."

As Minerva sits down to breath, Athena takes over to answer Ertha's final question. " There are those being summoned from another realm and those that have been birthed here. From what I've seen, every institution in Schwarzberg has some hand in making these monsters. But it's the Schwarz Family that pushed for the expedition under the city."

____________________________________________________________

Raleigh

Raleigh
Escape Roll (Feat of Strength)
Raleigh: 5 - 9 (Flaws) + 8 = 4
Tentacle Knight: 18 + 11 = 29
Still Grappled!

Tendril Grab:Disrobe (Feat of Skill vs Strength)
Tentacle Knight: 13 + 20 = 33
Raleigh: 16 - 9 (Flaw) + 19 =26

(Raleigh is nude, Lose Stat bonus from Armor and 3 Endurance.)

Raleigh's desperate struggling does little to help her escape. As she does, tendrils worm their way into her armor. In a single stroke, Raleigh was stripped of her armor. As armor covered tentacles continues to wrap around you, the Bishop approached.

"I must say, you have a lovely body" He says as he gropes your bare breasts. "If you surrender, I might just keep you as my personal ... assistant. If not, then I'll throw you to the rest of these monsters" The Bishop said with a lustful grin.

_____________________________________________________

Rebecca

Stealth Roll: (Feat of Skill)
Rebecca: 22 + 2 + 7 = 31
Tentacle Knight: 13 + 8 = 21

Keeping her head down, the tentacle knights pass without harassing you. They all seem to be heading to the city gates. When they pass, the way into the fort becomes clear. The fort seemed to consist of brick ramparts surrounding a pair of fortified towers. The front gate was currently open as soldiers moved in and out even at this time of night. They all seemed to vary in size from large and bulky to small and skinny. There were even more of those spiked beasts from before.

Chance of encountering the Abyss Slayer 15% (1d100): 41