Balthazar The Hardworking
Currently: In the form of an older tortle man with unimpressive features. Has a long walking staff, a handbook sized spellbook, and a backpack that looks to have very little capacity due an odd design.
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The Nobodies: After the Lost - 3
Summer of 325 AA (After Arrival)
A brief reminder of the side characters in this story: CLONK (Barbarian - Warforged), RAPP (Rogue - Tabaxi), THERAL (Wizard - Tiefling), VIC (Monk - Fire Genasi). And, BALTHAZAR the Hardworking (Wizard - "Tortle").
THERAL and BALTHAZAR spot a sketching looking person following them after leaving the magic shop. BALTHAZAR notices him to be slightly armed. The individual looks like a street thug. He had a crescent moon tattoo on him. More people appear to be tracking the wizards.
ZEL GARNADIZ (sorcerer branch director), meets with the party (while wearing a glittery bronze robe) while working through the pile of papers on her desk. She sets down 5 rough sketches of each party member in a pile taken from around the city. The guild of phantom (Most prominent assassins guild on the continent) has connections to the various bounties out on the party members. The party officially names themselves The Nobodies. ZEL offers the party a "completely legitimate contract". There is an individual who lives in a small town on the edge of the Kingdom, JOHANNES RUBIAN. He was a inventor with research in automatons, got quite wealthy for selling items to rich people. Over 20 years ago he cut himself from the world going into a self imposed isolation, many of his automatons are quite advanced compared to most others. The town of MIER just on the edge of the mountain range in the kingdom. She places two vials of liquid on the table as payment. The party is going to get there through teleportation circles, the old wizard from the magic item shop to function as the teleporting power.
The receiving teleportation room was in a storm cellar in a sparse town. There are many pine trees around. An older one eyed man manning the desk gives us rooms no questions asked. Nothing occurs during the day trek to the town of MIER. It is decently sized for a town. It is clearly busy (wood chopping, tannery). More into the town people are giving the party looks. There are a couple of town guards following from a distance. THERAL approaches the following town guards, and asks them some questions. At the center of town there are notices about missing family members asking for information to aid in finding them. There are quite a few of them, all from the last year to 6 months.
The guards come to collect us to take the party to meet the magistrate. This leads the party to the largest building in the center of town. among the office is a crude painting of a flower presumably painted by a child. The magistrate is in his early 50's and looks very tired with paperwork on his desk. He wants the party to deal with the "VANISHINGS" with gradual increasing number. Similar to the disappearances 20 years ago with JOHANNES. JOHANNES was an inventor that liked making toys and gain popularity from his inventions. He built a large manor on the outskirt on town for him, his wife, and two children. He kept building bigger and better things. He seemed to do quite well. Suddenly, the family stopped making public appearances and wealthy patrons stop showing up. Day worker here, old lady there, then multiple in a day, and then the first child had disappeared. The guards found JOHANNES as the only living member of the family filthy, bloodstained, and laughing manically. The guards, horrified, hung him from a tree on the estate. After his death the disappearances stopped. Anyone trying to loot the house for valuables have never come out causing the town to abandon it. There have never been a recurring theme other than people disappearing while out at night.
The most recent disappearance happened at the logging north of the town a little bit. The MANSION is on the Northeast side of the town. A local ranger is preparing to go into the mansion, AUGUST GRAVES. He has been paid by a third party to figure out what happened. JOHANNES didn't invite people other than the his wealthy patrons to his mansion.
A frail looking man in sheep clothing and worn leather is walking with a guard to meet with us. With a crossbow over his back, AUGUST. He was 15 when this started up before. Didn't experience much as he hunkered down in their cabin. Went to the MANSION once to burn it down. Got a general layout of the building. A lumberjack out at night was taken last about a week ago (with a rumor of meeting with another woman - married).
Three men from the town attempt to stop the party from proceeding to the MANSION after an investigation of the last disappearance location. Just outside of the house is a single dead tree with rope hanging from the tree. The first floor windows are shattered, but built so it wouldn't be easy to climb into.
The entrance to the dark room are completely open with one off its hinges, destroyed furniture, dried black blood, near the stairs are the remains of an old bedroll, there is a prominent scorch mark on the third step of stairs. At the top of the stairs there is a large portrait in oil paints showing the RUBIAN family with the adult males face burned away. Something has gone through and destroyed the area, crossbow bolts in the wall and scrapes on the floor with graffiti in a strange language. The gems on the columns give off a magic appearance giving the sign of trapped stairs. The locked door to the left of the foyer holds a study exposed to the elements for a long period of time. A small crossbow with legs then jumps out at THERAL in the study. More are identified in the kitchen area and a boy indicates that his mother and sister would like to meet us. A hole in the floor leads down into the wine cellar that is covered with more than 30 bodies and terribly gory.
The Nobodies: One Body Down - 1
Summer of 325 AA (After Arrival)
A brief reminder of the side characters in this story: CLONK (Barbarian - Warforged), RAPP (Rogue - Tabaxi), THERAL (Wizard - Tiefling), VIC (Monk - Fire Genasi). And, BALTHAZAR the Hardworking (Wizard - "Tortle").
THERAL investigates the remains of the CLOCKWORK SOLDIERS - finding a couple plates of tin and larger gears (which he keeps [2x tin gears]). Most of what remains is just slag metal after the battle and self destructions. CLOCK has multiple dents in his warforged frame with multiple pieces of shrapnel, and THERAL suggests he get a good nights rest to start feeling better. RAPP suggests we get back to camp that had the black smoke rising from it that was seen from top of the tower of wolves.
Traveling back to the camp
After an hour of traveling, the PARTY reaches the area of the camp with the sun beginning to set. THERAL stops at the tree line of the clearing to the camp in search of what caused the black smoke plume. Scorch marks are around the camp, similar to the self destruction of the CLOCKWORK SOLDIERS. The quartermaster wagon still ablaze with tents scorched, burned, and trampled to the ground. One wagon missing, and another over turned. Bodies are strune about the camp. THERAL, begins searching for survives using his knowledge of medicine. No ones injuries were ever treated and all people here are dead. There are about 8 missing caravan adventures. David, with his pan (bullet hole through it), is among the dead. Most died from slashes or from a gunshot.
The destroyed camp
As THERAL and CLONK begin disposing/burring of the bodies, BALTHZAR and RAPP look for tracks leading out of camp indicating where the SURVIVORS may have gone. It appears the lead wagon (that carries the tents and stuff) has headed toward the SOUTH (which is the direction that the other group of adventures were sent towards) and looks as though something was cutting a path for the wagon. The overturned wagon looks relatively fine, the cloth covering is damaged, it could probably still be used. BALTHZAR turns in for the night to take a rest while RAPP does a 15 minute scout SOUTH to check out the tracks. RAPP recovers some black soot stuff from his scout. and brings it back to have it looked out by others in the party. THERAL identifies it as a residue that would come from a coal burning stove, and collects the sample in a bottle. The PARTY then proceeds to take a long rest.
Traveling to the BEACH/COMPOUND
By the morning, the quartermaster wagon has been fully burnt up, and the ground is covered in dew. The PARTY decides to head down the trail after the potential survivors and hostiles. RAPP occasionally surveys the land via climbing trees with the result of getting a view of the surrounding aerial area. After 4 hours, the tree line breaks and THERAL's raven flies out to check out the area. It transfers into a small sand section up into the ocean. The wagon is identified along the beach. Built out of logs is a make shift dock that the wagon resides.
The COMPOUND
A pile of upright logs in a wall shape take forth in front of the PARTY at the end of the trail, but still inside the forest a little ways. There is a metal chain with a padlock on it. THERAL concludes it would be simple to unlock said padlock. There is a shed inside of the walls and a large central building with a tower and platform on top. The path leads straight down the to the beach where the docks are. RAPP unlocks the door of the large building. As RAPP opens the door there is resistance upon the door, more than usual. The building is set up as a lodge with cots, tables, and a cooking area. The main area is in disarray, with mundane objects scattered throughout without the appearance of any intent. On one of the walls along the log cabin is a flag that has been hung up (It does not match any of the 16). No one has seen the flag design before. BALTHAZAR acquires the flag folding it up. RAPP acquires 170 gold worth of various items stamped with the same 8 sided star as the flag.
The shed is producing smoke and it is getting thicker as VIC shoots the padlock off and kicks open the door. A pile of coal in one corner and in the farthest corner where the smoke is emanating two small flames come out of the smoke. It appears to be a large creature with four legs, two arms, a stove chest, and two massive axes. It lets out a large shriek hurting those close to it stunning those especially susceptible. VIC, carrying THERAL, start to flee the monster. RAPP and BALTHAZAR respond by heading out to join the fight. The machine lets out a shriek when it looks like it is going down after taking significant damage, and then gets back to its feet after taking down RAPP. The monster then strikes down VIC.
VIC is killed in combat, but glows white and come back to life with the aid of his life token (42). Saves versus deathray and poison saves will now always succeed for his new born body. THERAL attempts to stabilize RAPP he does not succeed. RAPP appears to have stabilized naturally, and taken to a cot by VIC
THERAL then investigate the shed that the monster was discovered in. A large pile of coal that leaves a residue similar to that of the collected sample from the leaves, there is a harness that is big enough for that downed creature with multiple spindles of wire sticking out of it that then run out of the shed. The crates have the eight sided start on the sides of them. The monster has components with the star stamped into the metal.
RAPP regains conciseness with a bandage on his axe wound and dry blood coming out of his ears.
The PARTY heads down to the BEACH
There are chains in the wagon with dried blood on them. The blood is dry, but it hasn't been more than a few days. There is a lean-tune with coal underneath it. The structure itself is made of different wood than that of the surrounding area. The monster has gone silent and the PARTY hunkers down for the night in the fort. Except for BALTAZAR, who sleeps in the sand on the beach.
THERAL finds a leather-bound book in a text he does not recognize. He uses comprehend languages to read it and it is a dated journal of a sailor in the personal sense. Specifically about the exhibition from somewhere called CALMER. It dictates a day-to-day life of the sailor with terminology that THERMAL does not recognize. THERAL has never heard of this place before. It speaks of non-interesting content without the mention of sails, but does mention spending days stoking the flames. States that they stopped on a small island to fix a stuck paddle on debris. Farther into the journal the entries get more (strange dating system) spread out as time progresses. One entry that says, "...by the EMPEROR the legends are true we have found a new land and met strange natives of TURTLE people that no nothing of technology that worship false GODS". It continues to go on describing setting up a forward base on the mainland. The final entry is, "We have spotted a large group moving this way. We have gathered attention. We have been ordered to withdrawal". Inside the journal is a navy propaganda poster about seeing new places and joining the expedition with the large star front and center on it.
The Nobodies Encounter Somebody - 0
Summer of 325 AA (After Arrival)
An expedition to investigate disappearances which was then handed off to adventures guild. Boarded the circuit express - massive Magic Tek train that circles the continent, inside a multilevel passenger section. City of Gernok.
First off the train, warforged, tall, very decked out in weapons, and green glowing eyes, made out of a humanoid rounded metal. Greataxe piano guitar (The Great Keytar of Gladiator Entertainment). CLONK (Barbarian, Zealot, lvl 1) .
Blue skinned teifling, with green eyes, a quarterstaff of crude drawings of animals from all around, a large backpack, and a raven. THERAL Animatrous(Wizard, lvl 1).
Ginger hair, green eyes, with a dark blue cloak, armed with a quiver, bow, and rapier, a tabaxi, get the impression he believes he is important. RAPP Chambeau the Cloaked One (Rouge, lvl 1).
Fire Genasi, more on the human spectrum, orange hair and eyes, with ashen skin, with a arcupous slung over his shoulder. VIC No name (Monk , lvl 1).
Tortle, average size, with a long waling stick that pops out into a beach umbrella and sticks into the ground, a backpack that folds out into a lawn chair, and a wooden shield on his back with his pack. Holding a small notebook. BALTHAZAR The Hardworking (Wizard, lvl 1).
In this massive plaza square, there is a group of individuals around four covered wagons, of which has the adventures guild logo on the side of the wagons. They are being loaded with various equipment by other adventure types. There is a very large buff orc woman (GRUGG) that is directing everyone. This orc is a senior adventure for this operation, and evidentially the adventure guilds party leader. GERICK, dwarf, second-in-charge, and quartermaster.
CLONK, helps load barrels that make shifting noises as he gets them into the wagons.
THERAL offers to help BALTHAZAR after noticing that he was carrying a lot and having trouble. BALTHAZAR asked for him to check him in with the caravan while he rests up. GRUGG details that those on the trip are "strange ones" to THERAL.
One of the wagons is setup as the quartermaster area with all of the weapons, one is full of food, one is full of camping supplies, another is random wagon parts etc.
There is a total of 25 individuals present making our way down this large boulevard of the economic area onto the road. Travel down the LIGHTNING ROAD, that is metal-like and without erosion for a couple of days. Map link:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/625142775419240459/889314320679305246/unknown.png
DAVID Thisletoe, halfling, exhibitions very skilled cook, likes to play the harmonica, claimed to be poor in a fight while still being extremely dangerous with his duel wielding pans. One of the pans has a magical symbol that lets him cook things without a fire. GERICK is military competent, but more of a numbers guys. Goblins and halflings complaining that things have been disappearing in the area of the peninsula. Both goods and people have been going missing as caravans never arrive. GERRICK suspects that those involved are dead.
Lizard man with massive amounts of beaded jewelry and painted scales that turns into a flying lizard occasionally. Was originally taught how to shapeshift. Will teach some tricks and tips to BALTHAZAR after he inquired about this ability.
RAPP and VIC meet with RAPP approaching him as somebody that would be called a hero. The Kablic Republic would supposedly sing the praises of Cloak or the Cloaked One to receive many good stories. Those that are not openly seen as villains are the target of RAPP in regards to oppression and restrictions. A similar mindset between the two (RAPP is Robin Hood + Puss in Boots).
CLONK believes himself fulfilled to the contrary to VIC.
By the time the party is most of the way through the peninsula, GERRICK asks the PCS to meet with him and GRUGG at the front. GRUGG decides it is time to send some scouting groups in the area to see what is occurring. A large hill to the North has a full goblin watch tower ruin to use as a highground viewing.
The PCS introduced themselves completely. It takes two hours to get to this crumbling tower that has semi-collapsed.
Discover DAN a talking skull. He overs a reward if we get the rest of his body back from a pack of wolves that are inside the ruin tower. RAPP mysteriously disappeared at the discovery of DAN. VIC, CLONK, and THERAL go to take on the wolf pack. There were three wolfs inside, they were all expediently killed. DAN then is able to reassemble himself. A largish tome with a bright silvery metal binding and clasp. Coated in dragon scales. DAN the deathless bard of eras. He's a passing individual in the story of famous heroes or those that change the course of the continent, and a story telling individual. Receive 3 scrolls of Danification, will temporary summon a spectral version of DAN that will provide a relevant story about an object that it is used on.
Upon the journey back a discovery of four clockwork soldiers had been discovered. These soldiers explode when destroyed. CLONK attempted to carry VIC to safety, but with VIC struggling he still picked him up and got him out of an explosion.
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