The Evil of Ravenholm - Chapter 1: The Dark City

[SporkMaster5000]

Gerash slips his orb out of the folds of his robe, cradling its cold black surface in his palm. He hadn't intended to give the haughty hobgoblin the satisfaction of a retort, but when the drow started threatening him, the wizard decided to see if all the fool needed was big talk to back down. He'd heard stories of Dregthuk harassing people in town but had until now managed to avoid it. If he couldn't continue with his current track record, he'd be happy to put the hobgoblin out of everyone else's misery.

((Ready action: cloud of daggers on Dregthuk if he doesn't open up, chop-chop. 21 vs. ref and 9 damage if it comes up.))  

[iDragow]

Grashuk just looked around him at his allies who had readied attacks and lobbed threats back at the Hobgoblin. He then eyed the 'Lord' with a coy smile.

"Even I, as puny as my brain is, would not dare to hide behind a steel gate, then throw insults at those who can kill me without even having to come close to me. The only thing this gate does is keep you away from the spellcasters here, who would gladly love to turn you inside out with but a mutter. I had hoped to convince you to join me in my tribe when my adventuring days were over. Perhaps you could still... if you licked the mud from my boots; right here, right now."  

[joe-dude667]

Still cackling madly, Cain falls onto the floor and starts to roll around. People close to him would occasionally hear the word "gate" and "lord" in between loud cackles.  

[Arc Vembris]

Seen for what she is, Hars, drops the tiefling form, assuming that of a female changeling of the same body type.

"Dregthuk, if you don't let us in right now, I'll sell myself to anybody who comes to the city. While wearing your face!"

She emphasizes this by assuming the likeness of Dregthuk and assumes a saucy and feminine pose, which is suitably ridiculous in the guide of the hobgoblin.((intimidate =23))  

[NayrVentess]

At Hars' threat, you see Dregthuks eyes open widely. You sense he hadn't thought of that...But also as the Hars/Dregthuk outside the gates poses sexily, you see one of the henchmen let out a laugh but quickly stifle it in terror.

Dregthuk hears this and his face to turns to one of horror. He turns around and with his eyes on the terrofied henchman that laughed, Dregthuk points at a gnoll henchman and says, "Skar, open the gate."
"Aw, but boss I wanna see this." pleads Skar.

"Now!"

The gnoll scampers off like a beaten puppy and goes around to the right side, you assume to go inside the gatehouse to raise the portcullis. With his eyes still on the human henchman who laughed, Dregthuk walks menacingly towards him. The human tries too late to run, and Dregthuk grabs his trailing hair with his right fist. He then grunts and tugs forcefully on his hair. He swings the screaming human toward the wall, which he then meets face first. A loud wet crunch accompanies the spraying blood that almost reaches your feet. Dregthuk then holds the back of the mans head and repeatedly slams his bloody face into the wall.

When he is finsihed, the dead man falls to the floor, his face a bloody pulp. Dregthuk looks at the rest of his cronies as if to dare any of them to laugh at him ever again. He turns to you all and says, "I'll see you later."

He then leads his group away and into the streets of Ravenholm. After a minute the portcullis slowly opens, allowing you access to the city.  

[SporkMaster5000]

"Well that was a minor inconvenience," Gerash says, stowing his orb again. He walks toward the gate, stopping to nudge the dead body with his foot, giving it a brief inspection before continuing on to the city. "I'll see the rest of you at the Bloodstone later to discuss that elf," he says with a dismissive wave over his shoulder before heading to the temple of Vecna and leaving the others to their own devices.  

[Vorastrix]

"Just as i thought, all bark and no bite." Pelloth said as he strolled inside. He paused at what once resembled a person, "At least not to those with real power anyway. I say our first order of business after checking into this stalker thing would be to get rid of that idiot." He didn't verbalize a farewell, instead just turned and gave a wave as he walked into town and headed to the last remaining temple of Zehir to pay his respects.  

[iDragow]

Grashuk sighed to himself. How someone like that achieves a position of any kind of power was beyond the bugbear. Evil was one thing. Incompetance was something else.

Holding his chin with his right hand, he marched into the city distractedly. He was pondering the reasons the elf might have appeared to the Kenku back in Paolun, and what the consequences would be for either joining them or refusing to be used.  

[Arc Vembris]

Hars in the guise of Dregthuk blows a kiss to his retreating facesake. He slips into the form of a comely female hobgoblin and heads into town with her allies.

Having no real devotions to give but to herself, Hars heads to the Bloodstone. Assuming the square isn't too packed, Hars draws her blades and begins drilling her strikes openly. She doesn't care who watches, in fact the crowd pleases her, but she won't tolerate interruptions. Her mind is with her blades.  

[joe-dude667]

After noticing the portcullis had been risen, the Kenku stood up wiping his eyes. Still chuckling to himself he walks towards the bloody mess that used to be a human.

"Mmmm, still fresh!" He mutters to himself before getting on all fours above the body and chewing on the body's face. The walk had left him hungry.

After getting his fill he found his allies had all walked away, so he decided to get to the point and head straight to the Temple of Darkness. Kicking the body with the skull now showing away, he walked through the town, ignoring the looks people gave him at the blood trailing down his face.  

[NayrVentess]

@Gerash - You head west into the heart of the city. As before, the streets are in a state of disrepair, and occasional bloodstains dot the cracked cobblestones. The building are primarily made out of wood, imported years ago from Valleta you believe. It isn't too long before you are on the street where your destination lies. During your journey you saw some of Ravenholms residents, but they seemed to keep their distance from you. When you and your group first arrived here, you were hassled all the time, as most people in the city are. But now, you have earned almost as much respect, or fear, as someone such as Lord Dregthuk.

You come to stand in front of the Temple of Forbidden Knowledge. It is not very wide, but very tall. It was stylised to resemble an arcane tower, more than a temple. As you enter the one door, you are welcomed by a human wearing a long cloak. "May you walk in the Maimed Gods footsteps, seeker of knowledge." He says with a nod, as you walk past him. It is a large circular room, with many arcane runes on the floor; they may be just for show though. No one else except for the 'greeter' appears to be in here, but there are two teleportation circles at the far side of the room.

@Pelloth - You walk straight down the centre of the city's main street. You head past houses, weapon shops, poison shops, and a few boarded up buildings. You go straight over the large square, which is where the Bloodstone Tavern is located. Many of Ravenholms occupants, be they, human, elf, tiefling or some sort of monstrous race, give you only looks as you walk. You see a goblin thief, pick pocketing a dwarf. The goblin snatches the dwarf's coin purse and scurries off into an alleyway.

Eventually you reach the Temple of Darkness. The large building made out of obsidian is a formidable sight indeed. Two temple guards stand outside, daggers at their belts. As you walk past them, they don't even acknowledge you. You enter the temple; the main room is huge; six pillars stand tall, keeping the building together, each of them has a large stylised snake etched into them. You see quite a diverse bunch of people in the room. Some are kneeling in front of a statue to Zehir, some are cutting their wrists and letting their blood fall into an altar as sacrifice to their dark god. But the one who stands out most is a man with dark oily hair, standing and observing the worshippers. A small snake writhes around his neck and shoulders, and he constantly twirls a dagger in his right hand.

@Grashuk - You wonder aimlessly into the city, heading past many types of buildings and shops. Eventually you arrive at the square, which is almost the centre of Ravenholm. A large water fountain sits in the middle of it, but it has not had water flowing in there for decades apparently. As you walk up to it, you see that a hand lies at the bottom of it, blood stains around it. Almost directly to your left lies the Bloodstone Tavern and Inn. A large building that you have frequented many times before, and is the place you have been staying while in Ravenholm.

@Hars - You head through the city, almost following Grashuk, and eventually you arrive at the square, next to the Bloodstone Tavern. Your swordsmanship draws a bit of a crowd, and soon maybe a dozen or so people are watching you swipe, sidestep and stab into the air. Behind you, Grashuk is at the empty fountain of Ravenholm.

@Cain - After spending a few minutes sating your appetite, you head off in the same direction that Pelloth went. You go down the main street, going past the square on the way. You see Hars practising fighting, seemingly in front of a crowd, and you see Grashuk at the empty fountain. You head past all that, and eventually find yourself at the Temple of Darkness. Walking past the stone faced guards, you enter the large main room. You see worshippers 'praying', sacrificing and chanting in some cases. You also see Pelloth, who is looking at a man with a snake around his neck.  

[iDragow]

The Bugbear also watched the Changeling/Teifling's exhibition for a few moments. He even considered sparring him/her, to pass the time. Deciding against it, Grashuk turned back toward the fountain and the bloody hand. Reaching in, he took the hand by the middle finger, grasping it between his thumb and index.

He lifted it out of the empty fountain, and examined it for a few moments. Looked like someone had gotten on the wrong side of someone else.  

[Vorastrix]

Upon entering the temple he spoke softly a short sentence of what passes for prayer to the diety of darkness. Pelloth makes his way over to the man with the greasy hair. Before he reaches the man, while eying the snake, and not wanting to be out-done, he telepathically commands Dindle to to become visible again, and the imp appears perched contentedly on Pelloth's should, it's tail wrapped behind his neck and onto his other shoulder, swaying with Pelloth's strides.

He stood next to the man a few moments, watching the worshipers with him before saying, "I have just returned on a raid to Paulin. Many men women women and children were sacrificed to our dark lord." He said the last words while looking to the statue of their god. He wasn't bragging, merely reporting. Explaining why he wasn't joining in with the others in prostrating themselves and self mutilation.  

[SporkMaster5000]

"I am," the corpse-wizard replies to the vecnite as he enters, needing no encouragement to follow the example of a lich that would become a god. He strides forward to the teleportation circles. As he walks he gazes at the runes around the floor and the two portals, before deciding where to continue.

((15 arcana to figure what the runes are for, 30 to figure where the portals go))