Session 4: Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes
Activity Log - Prevent the Contagion From Sport Zombie Trafficking
General Summary
It has been two days since returning with Fink’s lockbox; Horick is still in the hospital recuperating from his possession by the Bent Neck Lady and the wounds inflicted on him. He awakens and we meet with him as our night shift at the hospital is ending. He is forthcoming in his account of a nightmare he had right before recovering consciousness about being in the MacMurdaugh Hotel, in the room of the Bent Neck Lady, steam coming from the bathroom as it continues to haunt his mind. Fortunately he is physically well and is discharged; it takes mere moments for him to seemingly return to his reckless self, though we all agree to watch for signs that the haunting is behind him. We have breakfast at the Egg Cart and discover, true to his word, that we have all received letters from Dayne to meet at his office for a job posting.
We stop by Trevor’s shop on our way to the meeting. He says that there were wagers on if we would survive the hotel but is glad to see we made it. I am curious as to who else knew of our coming and going and who is placing what bets. Trevor continues that his courier, a man named Ridiglio, is missing. He asks that we keep an eye out. With Becker still unaccounted for, that makes two. We show him the large tooth we discovered in Fink’s belongings. He identifies it as a dragon tooth; something from an extinct species which still has power. He offers 100gp, which we decline. It may come in handy.
As we arrive at Dayne’s house, we see a trio of women, probably prostitutes judging by their…appearance and demeanor, leave through the front. In his apartment, emptied bottles of booze strewn about, was Dayne. He is disheveled and looked worse than usual. He tells us Ian Becker’s tasks needed to be taken up by one of us as he handled all the administrative work, scouting and verifying of jobs, and upkeep of the office and apartment. Maybe he just doesn’t want to come back, I thought to myself. He is willing to pay 5gp a week for his property to be cleaned, the facilitation of which was also amongst Becker’s duties. I reluctantly save my companions the trouble and take on the responsibility. He then hands us two letters that are job offers and tells us to choose one and just let him know when it’s been completed, before wandering back to drink some more.
We then settle in the office and go over the letters. One is a job from the Grand Temple in the city, from a cleric of Wynte, god of the The Pale Eye. Tea Kettle regales us with facts about the history of the temple, which it now has been purchased by a think tank of sorts researching the old religions with few actual adherents to the gods remaining. Wynte also is a duplicitous and antagonistic deity, if the stories are to be believed. The priest wants us to hunt a lycanthrope and bring back its entrails for a ceremony he is performing. The offer is 250gp upon completion.
The second job letter is from an anonymous constable, saying that secrecy has to be maintained and that the job will be revealed if we come to the Lawbringer tavern in East Anvil district and order a drink called the Steel Bars with a twist of minga melon that will send a signal to the job giver. The reward is a generous 400 gp.
We decide to go to the East Anvil District, intrigued by this job and its higher pay, as well as calculating that the full moon would be visible for some time yet. As we leave, a human and a Tengu calling themselves Razzle and Dazzle respectively arrive and go upstairs, but not before offering their dubious services to us. Declining, we leave quickly. I make a stop to the tavern across the street and post a notice for someone to be a cleaner one day in the week for 2gp a pop.
We arrive at the Lawbringer around noon where the constabulary frequent and order the drink as instructed. The bartender tells us to sit at a bench nearby and wait. We do so. A gnome in a uniform comes by and sits as well, introducing himself as Lt. Diagwen Freeleaf. He mentions that the minga melon additive to the drink is a recent fad that is not well known. He was also expecting the old Blackhearts. After telling him we have replaced the old crew, he reveals that he had heard the team had experience in Lakewatch Vale. We assured him that this was the case with us.
Accepting this explanation, he reveals the reason for his secrecy; he has had reports of a fighting ring operating illegally out of an unknown location in that area, which is being frequented by many in the constabulary, particularly the rookies. So popular is this fighting ring, that it would be dangerous for him to openly investigate it. The Lt. is concerned by who might be involved. On top of all of this activity, the fighting ring is trafficking zombies into the area for use in the contests, but unlike most zombies, they have been able to transfer their curse of undeath to those damaged by them, similar to Dakar at the hospital recently. Not believing in coincidence, this detail piqued our interest in the job further.
The objective is to destroy the fighting ring and if possible find out where the zombies are being brought in from or how they’re made. He has uniforms and badges brought for us to help us go undercover as new constable recruits. We take some time during the afternoon to prepare for the job, and I return to the office briefly to find that there is one applicant for the cleaning job, a half elf named Jerel, willing to take the offer. I train him and tell him to be back in a day to do the cleaning. That bit of mundanity out of the way, we dress in the uniforms and head to Lakewatch Vale by foot to begin our “patrol”.
Once there, we meet with a group of constables lead by an elf Sgt named Felar. After giving us some basic patrol instructions we meet two other newly made constables named Elore, an elf, and Walton, a young human. They seem enthused by more new blood. We begin patrolling the market place, an area that is not as well regulated as the city center but still better than the lawless zone further into Lakewatch Vale near the MacMurdaugh.
The four of us concoct a plan to draw attention to ourselves to entrap the pickpockets plaguing this area. It is a simple task for me to play the role of the bewildered and foolish market goer while the rest hide in wait observing nearby. Two dwarves approach me quietly, though not enough for us not to notice. They pull weapons and threaten me for money. Horick and TK barrel in, with Horick brutally beating and breaking the nose of one of the thieves. The other surrenders and I play the part of loudly proclaiming the constables as heroes. It doesn’t take much to impress this point on the crowd; violence is a universal language. The market is quite shocked by how quickly and brutally we have dealt with the pickpockets, and Sgt. Felar, upon arrival, congratulates us and hauls them away. The others invite us to the Lawbringer after patrol for drinks.
Later, at the tavern, we meet up with Elore and Walton again. Impressed by Horick, they tell us about the fighting ring and where it is, inviting us to join in on the contests. Particularly, they mention Horick would be quite the combatant if he was looking to make extra money. Horick is enthusiastic about the chance to go to the arena, no acting on his part necessary. They then reveal the location; the arena is under the floor of a fish sauce plant in Lakeview, and is run by the enigmatic Mr. Noble. They tell us to go there later this evening, and that the zombies are the opponents in a maze. Healthcare is provided to all combatants. Walton, however, confides to TK and Cojitron later that lately some of the zombies seem to resemble past fighters. They obviously don’t think too hard on that potential revelation.
After dealing with some business, we travel to the fish sauce plant; the plan is to set the facility on fire using TK and Cojitron’s expertise in spells against the copious amount of oil being used in the manufacturing process, and to collect as much info as possible. The stench is overpowering once we arrive near to the plant. There is a sizable crowd waiting to get inside when we arrive. A couple large men acting as bouncers allow entrance; several seem to be influential citizens within the city. Several show their constable badges and are let in. We do so as well.
Inside, Tea Kettle and Cojitron run off to start looking for the vats of oil to use as a catalyst. I sneak off to find the cells where they kept the zombies. Horick mixes around with the other police, and, tired of waiting for me to make proper introductions to become a combatant goes directly to Mr. Noble’s office himself. Registration for the night’s fights apparently has ended, but Horick manages to get inside the office to plead his case. Mr. Noble turns out to be a large, portly clanker, with a cigar and glass of port in his holders. There is a story here that we did not have time to unravel.
There is an area overlooking the arena beneath the floor from the office, where some important and famous people have gathered, including some from the local government. Horick introduces himself as Mr. BlarkChark, and through sheer gusto and promising to go into the maze without armor or weapons, Mr. Noble allows his entry. Horick catches up to me before I wander to the lower level, and he hands me Balls Out Mauls Out, explaining his situation. I do not envy his position.
I manage to sneak below the maze floor and discover four zombie wranglers talking about a new order that came through for a new fighter. In addition to the twenty zombies being used in the maze, they were to use the special assets, four zombies made from ogres from the Butcher Yards. Two leave to deal with other business. The cells are quite massive for the ogres. I sneak around to take stock of the area.
TK and Cojitron find the huge vats of oil, and instead of rigging a device to cause the fire, simply fire a bolt into one of the vats as it’s discovered it is highly, HIGHLY flammable, but will not ignite violently for several minutes. They leave to head back to the arena.
The announcer introduces Mr. BlarkChark and, showboating, runs into the maze, trying to get through as much as possible. He throws aside several zombies and avoids getting bit for some time, though he does have the coin on his person to protect against infection.
In the cell area, I cause a distraction, yelling fire, and one of the wranglers leave on my order to “help”. The other I incapacitate with a blow to the face and steal his keys and lock him in a cell; from his conversation to the other wrangler earlier, I discover he’s been bit. I wander to the larger cells and deftly break the keys inside the locks, preventing three of the four ogres from coming out into the maze. I run back upstairs, and manage to get Horick’s attention and drop his weapon to him, eliciting some boos from the bloodthirsty crowd. I toss in a healing potion as well, as he has sustained some injuries in his time down there.
I sneak up to the office and get inside without being noticed. Mr. Noble and the others, including famed halfling actor Corret Proudpot, are intent on the match and disappointed it hasn’t gone the way they thought it would; their disappointment is nothing compared to seeing such a celebrated actor take in such a violent past time. I make my way to the desk and lift a ledger with detailed accounting and names as to who has bet what and who is involved in the moneyed interests of the fighting pit. The potion cabinet has no remove curses but some other useful bottles. I search the desk again and find another tome hidden a little more securely containing detailed notes and correspondence on where the zombies are coming from. They come from someone listed only as the masked necromancer. Both he and Mr. Noble are aware of the infectious nature of these undead. There is a contract written down; in exchange for the zombies serving as fodder and soldiers, Mr. Noble is to help search for four lockboxes. One we found in the MacMurdaugh, one in a safety deposit box in the counting house, one in a warehouse in Muldrak, west of Ghal Pelor, and one is in possession of the Black Thorns. Obviously Hencil Spash now has the one from the hotel. The tome does not detail what is in the boxes or why the Necromancer wants them.
After a short while, a large explosion is felt and the fire begins spreading quickly through the plant. Mr. Noble and his guests in the office escape outside using a tunnel built into this sizable space. TK and Cojitron return and misdirect the man I sent up earlier to the other end of the plant. Horick successfully escapes the maze before this happens, fortunately. They all meet up except me and they escape out of the plant, pushing past the panicked crowd. Elore makes it out but says Walton was caught in the fire and perished. I manage to get to the cell in time and wake the wrangler to escape out the exit connected to the lower level. I meet up with the others and we convince the man that he will zombify unless we take his hand off. Horick, confident in his abilities by this point hacks it off and we treat the wound. He looks like he’ll make it. We tell him that there was no ready cure and that Mr. Noble is to blame for his situation in keeping the nature of these zombies a secret.
The constables arrive and Lt. Freeleaf tells his men he wants to question us personally. We speak to him out of the way in a nearby corner and we hand him the accounting ledger, but keep the book detailing the necromancer’s dealings with Mr. Noble to ourselves for now. He pays us and tells us to ditch the equipment so it doesn’t trace back to him.
We make out way back to the office to sort through the information we have received. Maybe we will need to talk to Spash about the lockboxes, as it might connect the dots as to what caused the deaths of the Blackhearts and what is behind Becker’s disappearance. Then again, maybe it is none of our business and we should just continue making our own way. The back of my mind warns that this was trouble down the road, trouble that Dayne was in no fit state to deal with. Working for him has become more complicated as his men have a reputation and we have already potentially crossed some dangerous people. The End for now, ~Bayour S.
Rewards Granted
- 400 gp, the reward from Lt. Diagwen Freeleaf for completion of the destruction of the fighting arena
- Several potions lifted from the healthcare cabinet of Mr. Noble
- A tome detailing the business relationship between Mr. Noble and the Masked Necromancer in his bid to take over the underworld of Ghal Pelor
Missions/Quests Completed
- The destruction of the fish sauce plant that housed the fighting arena
- Temporary halt of the zombie trafficking coming into the former fighting arena
- Ledger of figures around the city involved with dealings/gambling with Mr. Noble delivered to Freeleaf
- Discovery of connections between the necromancer searching for the lock boxes and the zombie plague
- A new office cleaner hired
Character(s) interacted with
- Dayne Reed
- Trevor DeWitt
- Mr. Noble, clanker turned would be Mob Boss
- Lt. Diagwen Freeleaf, honest constable
Related Reports
Notes
- Do we follow this lockbox quest the mysterious undead dealing necromancer is engaged in, or do we leave well enough alone?
