Talien's Tower

Dawn Biozyme: Part 7 – "Power Plant"

2009-11-06T07:09:00.001-05:00

The agents kicked open iron doors stenciled with the words “Power Plant.”

Inside, an ominous cylindrical metal device was mounted on iron clamps in the center of the chamber. The vaguely bullet-shaped apparatus sprouted a jumble of wires that snake into a hole in the floor.

Hammer looked at it curiously. "Weird. It's not running."

Jim-Bean frowned. "That's because it's not a power plant." He pointed to a curious-looking chamber at the center. "This is a firebomb."

"Is it armed?" asked Hammer.

Jim-Bean shook his head. "Not yet." more

Isles of the Damned: Part 1d – The Isle of Undeath

2009-11-06T07:03:00.001-05:00

Beldin kicked open the door with a giant-sized foot, thanks to the growth effects of several potions. He almost seemed like a titan of old.

The room was filled with barrels, dripping with a blackish-red substance that could only be blood. In the northeastern corner of the room was a small copse of tree-like stone formations. Four hairless, rotting apes swung from the branches to block their path.

On the other side of the room stood Daen. He wore a cowl that concealed his features, leaving a bleached skull to glare at them with tiny red fires for eyes. His jaw clacked as he spoke, connected only by magic.

Beldin engaged two of the apes, who wielded spears. Vlad took on the other two, trying to keep them at bay. Sebastian hovered behind them.

Daen strode confidently toward the fray. Blood, crackling with vile energy, covered him from head to toe.

“You are powerful to have come this far.” His voice was a nasal, high-pitched rasp. “You will make a formidable addition to my legions. Answer me true, and your death will be quick and almost painless. Who sent you?”

“You should worry less about who sent us,” said Sebastian, crackling with magical defenses. “And more about saving yourself. Incendiares—“

Daen laughed and pointed at Sebastian. “Oh, that’ll be enough of that: resolvo veneficus!”

Sebastian blinked as the fireball poofed out of existence in front of him. He slowly flapped to the ground, his defenses fading. more

Dawn Biozyme: Part 6 – Cnidocyte Containment

2009-11-05T06:43:00.002-05:00

Hammer slipped past two steel doors. The prominent magnetic card reader and the “airlock” between the exterior and interior chambers demonstrated the scientists’ desire to secure the interior chamber. However, both doors stood wide open.

Inside, stainless steel plates lined the large room. Six-foot tall metal and glass containment vessels lined the walls, while at least twice as many three-foot tall vessels marched in long rows down the center. The vessels all resembled incubators for premature newborns, except for their varying size.

Flashing lights lined the bases of many of the vessels, apparently displaying interior temperature, humidity, and more obscure data. The glass fronts of many vessels were fogged by humidity, but despite the translucency, it seemed that some of the largest containers may contain people. About half of the vessels, both large and small, were smashed open, dark, and empty. The floor near these vessels was slick with clear, gelatin-like smears.

Hammer tapped on the glass of one of the nearest small vessel. It jerked suddenly from the struggles of a tertiary cnidocyte trying to get out. Tentacles probed the glass looking for a way to get at Hammer.

Besides the incubator vessels, a small countertop in the room’s center held several sealed liquid nitrogen vats. Each vat was labeled “PRIMARY SOURCE.”

Hammer rolled the vat to the doorway. Jim-Bean nearly tripped over it.

"What's that?"

"Liquid nitrogen," said Hammer. "Thought we could use it."

Jim-Bean stuck a few blocks of C-4 to it. "Maybe to stop those tentacle things."

"The tertiary cnidocytes?"

Jim-Bean shook his head. "Bigger. And angrier."

"That'd be the secondary cnidocytes." Hammer gazed ruefully on the larger smashed containers. "What about the security team?"

More explosions echoed from further down the hallway. "What security team?" asked Jim-Bean with a straight face. more

Isles of the Damned: Part 1c – The Isle of Undeath

2009-11-05T06:40:00.001-05:00

A very peculiar tableau unfolded before them: in the southwestern corner of the room, the lower half of a pallid corpse was sticking out of a hole in the floor. A zombie was slowly jumping up and down on the corpse, assisted by two brethren, who were attempting to force down the lifeless form by prodding it with their swords. Three more zombies stood before them, patiently waiting for their turn with a body of their own.

The zombies whipped their heads around with looks of what could almost be mistaken for shame passing over their twisted miens. But the look faded to their customary grimace, and the grunts of effort changed to low moans of menace.

“I don’t have time for this,” said Sebastian. “Incendiaries globus!”

The room was ablaze with flames.

“I’m not sure,” said Beldin, “but I think one of the zombies fell down the hole.”

A door on the other side of the room burst open as a patrol of ghouls came charging in.

“More ghouls,” sighed Vlad. He held Grungronazharr before him as if to ward off the ghouls by its mere sight alone.

The lead ghoul, wearing chain mail, smiled a wicked, toothsome grin…

That was promptly blasted off its skull by another of Sebastian’s fireballs.

Beldin was busy with his back to the door, heels dug in. “I can’t keep this up all day you know!” more

Dawn Biozyme: Part 5 – Red Dots

2009-11-04T06:34:00.001-05:00

Hammer edged out into the hall, his ears assaulted by a cacophony of alarms and the soft country rock of WTHQ 101.7. Two bodies littered the hallway, both missing their heads.

Jim-Bean noticed a red dot on the wall. It was joined by another. And another. "Uh…"

"Down!" shouted Hammer.

Short bursts of automatic fire peppered the wall above their heads.

The agents ducked through a door that opened into an adjoining hallway. Hammer closed the door halfway. Jim-Bean knelt down on one knee and rifled through his satchel.

"That must be security," said Jim-Bean.

Hammer returned fire through the opening. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving a little present for our new friends." He attached blocks of C-4 around the door. "I'll set this off when they come through."

"Great." Hammer looked over his shoulder at the dark corridor. "No way to go but deeper in." He ran down to the only door at the end of the hallway, kicked it open, and then ducked inside. more
d

Isles of the Damned: Part 1b – The Isle of Undeath

2009-11-04T06:29:00.001-05:00

“Go, go, go!” shouted Sebastian. He flapped overhead, barely navigating the ten-foot wide corridor with his huge wings.

“More ghouls?” asked Vlad fearfully. They had encountered a room full of armed and armored ghouls, unlike the ones who skulked the drug dens of Freeport.

“Worse,” shouted Sebastian over his shoulder. “Skeletons.”

“Bah!” Beldin turned, Windcutter at the ready. “I’m not going to run from a bag of bones.”

Vlad bounced on his heels, torn between running after Sebastian or staying to help his friend. “How many?”

“More than I can count!” shouted Sebastian as he turned the corner out of sight.

A bleached mass of roiling bones came into view around the corner. They skeletons crawled and scrabbled over each other like ants, filling the entire hallway up with their mass.

“On second thought…” the dwarf took a few steps backwards. more

Dawn Biozyme: Part 4 – Wolf at the Door

2009-11-03T06:23:00.001-05:00

There was a commotion at the far end of the hall. Jim-Bean peeked out around the corner.

"Another one. He's running hard this way."

Hammer drew a bead on him, then lowered his pistol. "What's that behind him?"

A dark, clanking shape loped behind the scientist. The scientist's features were concealed in the shadows of the hallway. As he passed through the flickering lamplight from above, red stains were visible on his lab coat.

A second later something huge and hairy flashed through the shaft of light after him.

He never made it. The thing landed on the scientist's back, smashing him to the ground with one paw. There was an odd whirring sound as its shining jaws, visible even in silhouette, clamped down on the struggle skull of its prey.

"What the hell is THAT?" asked Jim-Bean.

The bear-sized canine-like form ripped upwards, tearing the head from the scientist's neck. Tentacles dangled from the head, tendrils leftover from the cnidocyte's infestation.

With a crunch, the head was pulped in the jaws of the monstrosity. It looked up at the agents at the other end of the hall, eyes flashing red.

A second later an alarm began to sound.

"I don't think it's with the cnidocytes," said Hammer. He took aim with both pistols.

Jim-Bean aimed his pistol at the thing as it broke into a run. "But does it know WE'RE not cnidocytes?" more

Islands of the Damned: Part 1a – The Isle of Undeath

2009-11-03T06:21:00.000-05:00

As they navigated along the northern side of the island, Sebastian spied an inlet in the distance. When the Naoke sailed close enough for a better look, they saw a cove that extended inward for almost a quarter mile.

After a blessing from Father Peg-Leg, Beldin steered a rowboat past the rocky reef and landed on the island. The slope leading to the island proper became steeper as Beldin climbed, and the rocks and dirt were moist from sea spray. By the time the dwarf reached the top lip, he was wet and covered in a lot of mud.

Sebastian landed next to him. Beldin tried not to glare at the dark-kin with envy.

“From what I can see, there’s a forest over there.” Sebastian pointed to the right. “It appears to have been left undisturbed for hundreds of years. To our left,” he pointed to the left, “is an expanse of grasslands that follows the gradual slope of the eastern half of the island. The highest point that I can see is a large tower on the far eastern end of the island that rises about fifty feet.”

“So the tower it is.” Beldin was struggling to get some of the water and mud out of his armor. It was working its way into some uncomfortable areas.

“There’s also, closer to the middle of the island, some sort of stone table.”

Beldin stopped wringing out one of his boots and remembered Cho Sun’s ring. He concentrated and the mud sloughed off of him. “Sounds like an altar. Which means trouble.”

“Which means that’s our next stop.” Sebastian flapped into the air again.

Beldin stumped along when he suddenly paused. His footsteps sounded different. more

Dawn Biozyme: Part 3 – Getting Ahead

2009-11-02T06:22:00.001-05:00

Hammer and Jim-Bean caught sight of a figure ducking around a corner.

"Stop!" shouted Hammer.

They sped around the corner to see a technician in a lab coat fleeing down the length of the corridor.

"I said stop!" commanded Hammer again, jogging after the technician.

Coming to the end of the hallway, the man stopped running.

Jim-Bean and Hammer both had him covered with their pistols. "Put your hands on your head."

The figure did as he was told.

"Get down on the ground."

He slowly lowered himself to the ground, face down. His nametag was partially visible: WILLIAM.

Hammer zip-tied his wrists together. "Who are you and why were you running…"

He stopped talking as the man's head exploded. Bits of brain and an eyeball burst in a red spray as what looked like a bloody jellyfish lunged for Hammer's face. more

Islands of the Damned: Prologue

2009-11-02T06:16:00.001-05:00

Someone yanked the blindfold off of Vald’s face.

“Remove his gag,” said a familiar feminine voice.

Vlad blinked his eyes. They had caught him at a weak moment. He had stayed the night at the Marquis Moon in Patricia’s company, only to wake up in the darkness, stripped of his armor and weapons.

Rough hands undid the gag.

Vlad focused on the woman in front of him. She wore black studded leather and knee-high boots. Her waist-length flame-red hair was tightly woven into dreadlocks, and a wicked scar crossed from the top of her forehead to the middle of her right cheek.

“Baumann,” he croaked.

“That’s right,” said Captain Morgan Baumann with a smirk. “Looks like the rumors are true. She wasn’t exactly a serving maid, but yer tastes run a little callow, don’t ye think?”

Vlad swallowed a few times, trying to generate saliva again in his mouth.

“I’m goin’ to ask ye some questions,” said Baumann. “I want answers.”

Vlad tried to shrug nonchalantly, but his head just lolled in her direction. “Go ahead.”

“Where were yer friends going?”

“Going?” Vlad blinked. “Hell’s Triangle. After R’lyeh. Leviathan.”

Baumann nodded. “Right. I know all about that.”

“How?”

“Because we’re trapped in Hell’s Triangle along with ‘em, idiot!” snapped Baumann. “I want t’ know how we get out!”

Vlad tried to peer around him. He was in a small cabin. Another pirate stood with a cutlass out. They feared Vlad even when he was tied up.

“I don’t know,” he said after a moment. “I was along for the ride.”

“Bah,” said Baumann. “They must have told you something.”

“I can find them for you.” Vlad licked his lips. “Give me my sword and my armor and I’ll lead you to them.”

Baumann barked a vicious laugh. “I’m no fool. I know what that sword o’ yers can do. I’ve seen it in action. Ye’ll not be seein’ yer sword again until you get us out o’ here. But in the mean time,” she nodded at the pirate, who leaned forward to put the blindfold over Vlad’s eyes again, “I’ll let ye think on it. Call if ye change yer mind.” more

The Adventures of Lil Cthulhu

2009-10-31T10:19:00.001-04:00

The best summary of the Call of Cthulhu universe, ever.

Dawn Biozyme: Part 2 – Compromised Environment

2009-10-30T07:01:00.001-04:00

Sparse night lights provided just enough light to see by, but little more—a few seemed to be out, while others flickered intermittently. All the visible doors were wholly or slightly ajar.

The wavering light revealed clean tile floors and antiseptically bare walls, although strange designs—hard to make out in the darkness—painted the floor and walls at random. The PA system was routed into the local country radio station, WTHQ 101.7. Unfortunately, the PA system was tinny and hollow and the country music eerily played in the darkened rooms and halls.

Hammer pointed at the door closest to the stairwell. It was slightly ajar.

Hammer and Jim-Bean took up positions on either side of the door, pistols out. Covering all angles, they pushed their way in.

Ventilation hoods competed with lab benches for wall and floor space. Every flat surface was covered with bottles filled with myriad chemicals, petri plates, slides, notebooks, and equipment ranging from easy-to-recognize microscopes to rotoevaporators, gel electrophoresis plates, and chromatography columns.

After confirming the room was empty, Hammer took a look at the microscope. "Take a look."

Jim-Bean examined the microscope. The slide showed two cells. They appeared to be much different from each other. They were joined at the ends but were completing the process of breaking off from each other.

"What in the world kind of cell structure is that?" asked Hammer.

"That's the point," said Jim-Bean, shaking his head. "I'm not sure it is any kind of cell structure. Biologically speaking."

There was a muffled thump from a door on the other side of the lab. more

Chapter 62: Islands of the Damned - Introduction

2009-10-30T06:55:00.002-04:00

This scenario is from the Black Sails Over Freeport adventure “Red Skies at Morning” by Green Ronin, adapted to the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at http://www.onaraonline.org. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter/dwarven defender) played by Joe Lalumia
Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (jeremyrobertortiz.blogspot.com)
Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster
Vlad Martell (human fighter) played by Matt Hammer

With the pending birth of my son, I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time to game in the near future. So I had to wrap up a bunch of Black Sails Over Freeport adventures quickly. Five islands in just twelve hours...it seems impossible. What the time pressure did for me as a DM was really condense all the cool parts of Black Sails Over Freeport, allowing me to discard the stupid parts.

The adventure actually inserts a vampire mcguffin, whom I transplanted from the Arcanis game (the only friendly vampire who could possibly be interested in working with the PCs, I might add). Haron von Grebel wasn’t thrilled to be working with Kham, but it’s better than slaving away for all eternity under Daen Danud. I was particularly proud of the makeover I gave Daenud, whose Blood Magus powers came in…uh, handy. It also was the absolute longest battle in my twenty years of gaming; long enough that spell durations finally just ran out. The fact that I role-played Daen as a foul-mouthed Skeletor from the He-Man cartoons probably didn’t help his image.

Zalton Zaska’s creepy machinations remained, but the endless warring by his clones was glossed over. I also skipped the majority of the stupid Skull Dugger Drawler/Mauler/Trawler/Bawlers. Speaking of Zaska, Kham’s player wanted to remake his character, and Zaska allowed me to basically inject Antonio Banderas directly into his skull.

Upon defeating Zaska, the PCs are effectively in control of a floating fortress. Von Grebel helps them plot their attack on Sycorax (aka Black Jenny Ramsey), but things don’t go as planned. Thus we have a nail-biting race against time before the skull fortress smashes into Sycorax’s pyramid. There wasn’t too much monkeying around either, if you know what I mean.

That leaves one last bad guy, Moab Cys’varion. He’s no dummy. The PCs have three of the four artifacts, and the artifact Cys’varion controls allows him to gate anyone to anywhere. For once, the bad guy goes on the offensive!

Overall, the biggest challenge wasn’t escaping the islands. It was Kham and Sebastian’s frustration with getting lots of gold but no resolution. While Beldin and Vlad were rolling in riches, the two tortured souls wondered what the hell they were fighting for. In the next chapter, they’re about to find out. more

Dawn Biozyme: Part 1 – Dawn Biozyme Pharmaceuticals

2009-10-29T06:42:00.001-04:00

Located on a five-acre plot on the northeast outskirts of Samson, Dawn Biozyme occupied a large new mirror-windowed building and warehouses at the end of a short dead-end street.

Three black SUVs rumbled past a twelve-foot high brick wall that surrounded the facility.

Hammer pointed behind the dark glass of the lead SUV. "See that? Heavy security for a simple lab."

Inconspicuous beneath the ivy toping was an additional two feet of projecting barbed wire, supporting arms, and various passive sensors to deter and detect intruders.

The SUVs rumbled on. The back of the facility opened on two acres of short, dry grass, not yet fully developed. On the other side were equally well-protected offices and facilities of other companies.

The main building was three stories high; the isolated production facility was one story topped by a maze of ventilators, scrubbers, alarms, and gaseous containment devices. The two warehouses were externally identical concrete structures, both three stories tall, both with narrow fixed windows near the roof.

Hammer, Jim-Bean, three lawyers and three accountants stepped of the vehicles. The lawyers and accountants were all identically dressed in gray suits and blue ties. The six office drones were more terrifying than the two agents.

Hammer smirked at the sign taped to the front door.

“Due to the recent tragedy, Dawn Biozyme Pharmaceuticals has temporarily closed its doors to the public. The company is confident the investigation will clear Dawn Biozyme Pharmaceuticals from any connection with the actions of its former employee. At that time, normal business hours will ensue.”

They entered the spacious reception area through wide glass doors. Two receptionists manned a large curving desk situated at the center of the room. At an inconspicuous desk near the only entrance to the rest of the building sat a security guard. Before the reception desk were couches, low tables, and magazines.

"Hello gentlemen," said a young, clean-cut man who smiled a little too much. He approached Hammer with hand extended. "I'm Brad Geary, and I'll be your guide during your review—"

"Who's in charge here?" asked Hammer, pushing past him to the entrance proper.

"Uh, I'm your liaison," said Geary. "Agent…?"

Jim-Bean patted Geary on the back. "That's Agent Hammer. I'm Agent Jim-Bean. These guys…" he turned to encompass them with a sweep of his arm. "Well it doesn't matter who they are, just what they do."

Geary nodded, focused on Hammer, who brushed past the security guards. "Uh, Agent Hammer, you need a visitor badge!" He rushed after Hammer, saying over his shoulder to Jim-Bean. "Please be sure to sign in!"

"Don't worry I'll sign him in," said Jim-Bean cheerfully. more

Red Skies: Conclusion

2009-10-29T06:39:00.001-04:00

The ship sank beneath the waves within the sextant’s protection. As it sank, Carthy began to change. His flesh took on a deathly pallor.

”I die now, but not with regret,” said Carthy. “You have given me a chance to pay for my past crimes, and I thank you for it. I was one of the Full-Fathom Five! I sailed with those vile brutes nearly two centuries ago. We were once the finest captains who ever sailed the seas, and we served proudly in Freeport’s navy. But Drac betrayed us and left us for dead; and to save our lives we traded our souls to Leviathan. The crimes we committed upon the oceans, I dare not speak. They grew too great for me to bear, and I knew the Five must be stopped.”

Beldin stood with Baldric in the pitching storm. “So that’s what’s been excised from Freeport’s history all this time?”

Carthy nodded. “Leviathan had five artifacts on his person. I stole the artifact that gave him command of the seas, the sextant. The captains of Freeport drove the Five into Hell’s Triangle, where the vortex swallowed them. But I fear they live still, those bloodthirsty brutes. And I fear they have collected the rest of Leviathan’s artifacts, which would make them unspeakably powerful.”

“Th’ same sextant that ended up in Drak Scarbelly’s gut,” said Baldric sadly. “And look where it has brought ye.”

“Beware the Full-Fathom Five, my courageous friends! They are cunning and vicious beyond my power to describe! But you must battle them all if you hope to return. For the artifacts unlock R’lyeh’s treasures. You need them all to find what you seek. But they hold secrets you can’t imagine…the dark powers of Leviathan…and his Son…”

“Son?” asked Beldin. “What son?” more

Dawn Biozyme: Prologue

2009-10-28T06:36:00.001-04:00

"That's all Sprague said?" asked Jim-Bean, looking bored as he sipped the special protein drink formulated especially for his hyperactive metabolism. He flavored it occasionally with different powders to try to improve the taste, but it never helped.

Hammer nodded. "Take down Dawn Biozyme." He tapped some keys. "The pharmaceutical company's not hard to find. They even have a public web site."

Dawn Biozyme was established in 1985 by Matthew Lewis, a graduate of the Harvard Business School and eldest son of a family long connected to Washington politics. One share was worth $23 the day Hammer looked it up, with two million shares outstanding. Dawn Biozyme was worth about $46 million.

"Looks like Walter Morrow's suicide really screwed up Tiger Transit's plans," said Hammer.

"Who?"

"Walter Morrow. Morrow killed himself because he was trapped by a Hound of Tindalos, remember? Tiger Transit was trying to get him to fork over his shares, but instead they transitioned to his ex-wife, Michelle. Tiger Transit owns twenty percent. Michelle owns twenty five percent and she's not selling."

"Who owns the rest?" asked Jim-Bean.

"MegaCosmos."

Jim-Bean sipped his drink. "Now that name rings a bell." more

Red Skies: Part 11 – The Malestrom

2009-10-28T06:34:00.001-04:00

The skies began to look dark and ominous and the winds picked up tremendously. Thunder rattled the decks and lightning lit up the skies. Then the seas turned rough and the rains came, bringing the storm in earnest. And still there was no sign of Kham.

Sebastian lifted the Moonsilver Orb over his head and the storm parted. The stars and the moon hung brightly in the sky. A swirling wind drove the Nǎoké toward the Triangle’s center. A massive, swirling patch of water opened up.

Lightning rose from its depths toward the cloudless sky. An ear-shattering thunder boomed occasionally, causing the hull to vibrate.

“Is it supposed to do that?” Beldin asked, staring dubiously at the huge whirlpool in the center.

“I have no idea!” shouted Sebastian over the thunder.

“It’ll tear us apart!” shouted Baldric.

As the ship closed in on the whirlpool, Carthy stood on the forecastle and raised the sextant above his head. He spoke a word in a strange tongue.

In an instant, a golden sphere of force surrounded the ship in a protective bubble. The lightning and water raged around them, but the sphere kept all within safe.

“Will that help any other ships nearby?” asked Beldin. “Just in case Kham’s still out there, I mean.”

Carthy blinked. “Perhaps. If he’s close enough…”

Suddenly, a dreadful presence overcame them. It was barely humanoid, with insectoid like legs and a skull for a head. Covered in bone and with a long, whipping tail behind it, the devil advanced on Carthy.

“An Osyluth!” shouted Sebastian. He handed the Orb to Baldric. “Beldin, get back!” more

Chapter 47: Dawn Biozyme - Introduction

2009-10-27T06:48:00.000-04:00

Joe L. couldn't play, so we were back to the buddy cop genre wherein one misstep could kill off our heroes. What starts out as a simple raid on a laboratory quickly spirals into chaos as the spawn of the "Source" prove to be much more resourceful and dangerous than the agents thought.

As always, the players surprised me. I didn't have a plan as to how things would play out, including the appearance of an Outer God. I kept my bag of tricks ready and at the appropriate stress points, introduced them. This kept the agents on their toes throughout the entire scenario. It helped that I had disgusting-looking miniatures and some cool sound effects. Specifically, a country music radio station plays in the background throughout the entire Dawn Biozyme facility, so I streamed country western music.

Early in the scenario, a disgusting opportunity presented itself that was almost as good as the "what's in the box" freak-out from a few sessions back. It was completely inspired and off the cuff, and an important lesson in scaring players by torturing non-player characters in front of them. more

Red Skies: Part 10 – Death Fog

2009-10-27T06:42:00.000-04:00

Eventually, the Nǎoké entered a patch of thick fog. The water was very still and there was only a slight breeze. Every sound was magnified in the stillness. The ropes rubbed against the mast, the ship’s boards creaked, and the lapping of the water on the ship’s hull combined to become both annoying and creepy.

“We’re at the center of Hell’s Triangle,” said Carthy. “We’re almost there.”

Suddenly, two sailors were yanked out of the fog. Beldin ran over to the edge, axe at the ready, only to be suddenly snatched into the mists by a huge tentacle.

“I can’t see it!” shouted Sebastian. He was afraid to fly too far away from the ship, lest he lose it completely. “Incendiares globus!”

The fog was burned away by a blast of flames in the sky. There, suction-cupped to the side of the Nǎoké, was a horrible green monstrosity. It had four tentacles, a single eyestalk, and a huge, lamprey-like maw.

Sebastian caught a glimpse of Beldin being tossed through the air like a seal at the mercy of a shark’s maw. Then he disappeared into the beast’s mouth. more

Red Skies: Part 9 – The Islands of the Damned

2009-10-26T06:42:00.001-04:00

Kham plunged into the water. He struggled for breath, trying to think of a way out of his predicament. He always managed to find one.

And yet, he had been tripped up again. Acts of derring-do that came so easily to him had suddenly become more difficult. He felt clumsy and slow. Perhaps Sebastian was right…maybe he had relied on the King in Yellow far more than he realized.

Then Kham remembered the box. It turned itself into a boat! He uttered the command word as he plummeted down, down, down…

And once again he experienced the world from Zoltan’s point of view, plummeting for days.

One moment they had been closing with the Freeport fleet, inflicting punishing losses on them, and the next…well, it was hard to say. A storm struck, and then a wave big enough to drown the entire world crashed into them.

When the four undead pirates regained their senses, they were clinging to the wreckage of their respective ships, floating through a chain of small islands.

Daen pleaded for Leviathan’s intercession. “Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!”

A charming young man with a roguish smile and icy eyes appeared in their minds eyes instead.

“Cadic!” wailed Moab.

“So dogs,” roared the towering apparition, “what capital mischief ye been making! But now, I’m calling an end to yer gamboling. I leave ye here, on these Islands of the Damned, to live out the dogs’ lives ye have chosen for yourselves, forever removed from the company of Freeport’s mortals—and their blood, which ye crave, and their trinkets, for which ye kill them.

Daen renewed his chant for Leviathan, but Cadic’s laughter nearly split their eardrums. “As for the whelp ye worship, he may be crafty, but he ain’t as clever as he claims. And now he’ll pay.”

With that, Cadic revealed Leviathan, hanging thirty feet above the water, surrounded by a whirling globe of chains. He still bore his avatar form, and the artifacts (minus the sextant) that focused his power circled around him.

“It’s come to this,” said Cadic. “One last chance I give ye; renounce yer ways and swear fealty to me.”

“You will die at my hands!” came Leviathan’s response.

Cadic gave out a great sigh. Then he ripped Leviathan to pieces.

There was a bursting as of an exploding bladder, a slushy nastiness as of a cloven sunfish, and a stench as of a thousand opened graves. For an instant an acrid and blinding green cloud befouled the four pirates. Then bloody chunks of their master plummeted into the ocean, sending up great gusts of steam as they struck. But Cadic wasn’t done.

“So much fer yer flesh, whelp,” he spat. “Yer spirit I condemn to the Abyss.”

With that, he hurled the divine energy of Leviathan towards the island of R’lyeh where they had first met the squaminous being; it struck with the force of a meteor, plowing a mile-long furrow into the sod. The force propelled the artifacts from his body sending each flying toward a nearby island.

“And so ye won’t get lonesome,” jeered Cadic, “here’s the trinkets ye craved so greedily.” The god opened his palm, and thousands of pounds of gold and jewels and other valuables rained from the sky, burying what was left of Leviathan. Then Cadic blew across the face of the water, and the island vanished with a whisper of wind.

The pirates cringed, waiting for Cadic’s next attack, but the god had departed, leaving them to their fate. more

Owlshead Mountain: Conclusion

2009-10-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

The agents stepped out of the mound. As soon as Hammer left the mound entrance, his cistron crackled.

"—forget it, leave them! Wherever they are they must have cleared the area—Wait! Sprague’s team is still down there!”

Hammer looked around. He could make out two agents standing at the base of a quietly whirring matte black Bell Helicopter 206B JetRanger III. Another sat in the center of the helicopter manning a heavy machinegun, while a fourth was in the pilot seat.

"This is Agent Hammer, who the hell—"

“This is Agent Bremmer to team leader! Get the hell out of there!”

"Oh great," said Jim-Bean. "It's the BLACK FLAG team to the rescue."

Agent Walach waved them towards the helicopter. “The thing seems drawn to that mound you came out of, so we’re using it as a lure! This place is set to blow a minute after it trips the motion sensors along the perimeter…”

Suddenly a series of high pitch tweets lit up on Walach's cistron. "Ah $#!T." more

Red Skies: Part 8 – There’s a War Going On, You Know

2009-10-25T07:25:00.001-04:00

The Triangle’s waters varied greatly. Most often, the seas surrounding it were rough, sporting whitecaps and making sailing difficult. Sometimes the Pale Sea’s wrath was terrible, with swells of up to twenty feet.

“All hands t’ battle stations!” shouted Baldric. “Enemy craft sighted!”

A small, fast galley with two masts was visible. A Kolter Titan GG swivel gun was mounted on the port and starboard sides, and its figurehead was carved in the shape of a snarling wolf.

“That’s Red Wolf’s ship,” said Kham. “A skohir tribesman.”

“Th’ must be hired by th’ Emperor,” said Baldric. “Already, th’ war has come t’ Freeport. Well then, let’s bring Freeport t’ th’ war!” He drew a cutlass and pointed at the ship. “Fire at will!”

Sebastian flew up into the air and unleashed a blast of flames. The heat washed over the ship to no effect.

There was a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning blasted into Sebastian. He spiraled down to the Nǎoké’s deck, trailing smoke as he went.

“They’ve got powerful magic defenses,” Baldric said quietly.

The two ships pulled alongside each other. “Time to get up close and personal in that case!” shouted Kham. He grabbed some of the ship’s rigging and drew Talon.

Baldric stepped off the deck of the ship, using the power of Cho Sun’s ring to form a bridge made of water between the two ships. A dwarf stood on the other side. “Come, ye Illirite dog!” snarled the dwarf. “Stumpy Hookhand be waitin’ fer ye!”

More lightning arced between the ships as a one-eyed Altherian caster wearing a tall black top hat and a dress coat, but little else, gestured and chanted.

Sebastian got to his feet. “That’s it. Now he’s made me angry.”

Kham slashed the rope and swung through the air. As he was at the apex of the swing, the rope snapped.

“Son of a…”

Kham dropped like a rock into the water. more

Owlshead Mountain: Part 9 – Cooter

2009-10-23T06:36:00.001-04:00

A cool blue radiance leaked from several fist-sized hollows in the chamber’s walls ahead. Though dim, the light was strong enough to reveal a pit in the chamber’s foreground. Within the pit, skeletal fragments suggested the form of two bodies, one adult and one child. Both forms were dressed in the remnants of rotting ceremonial dress. Beyond the pit, dry grass was piled in an irregular circle four feet in diameter and two feet high.

"This is Chief Cornstalk's tomb." Waban leaned down on his knees to peer into the pit. "His son is interred here too."

Time had rendered both sets of remains into so many skeletal fragments posed in the hard soil. A small, ornately painted drum lay near the hand of the smaller form, while a strange wooden mask lay upon the fragments suggesting the head of the other.

"The talisman!" said Archive, pointing at the mask.

"Kawkiutl," said Waban.

Hammer inspected the grass beyond the pit. "That's odd."

"What isn't odd around here?" asked Jim-Bean.

"The grass is only a week or so old." Hammer picked something up. "This is Harold Gall's photo ID—"

With an awful shriek, a naked, crazed man lunged out of the grass with a woodsman's ax. more

Red Skies: Part 7 – Hell’s Triangle

2009-10-23T06:27:00.001-04:00

Captain Baldric, Peg-Leg Peligro, Sebastian, Beldin, and Carthy were all huddled on deck in front of the Nǎoké.

“Kham!” shouted Beldin. “You’re alive!”

Kham smiled and waved. “Great to see me too.” He was stinking drunk.

“We were just discussing which ship to take into Hell’s Triangle.” Sebastian indicated Captain Baldric and the Nǎoké. “But it seems that problem has been solved.”

“Aye, I’ll be takin’ ye into th’ Triangle mesself.”

Kham scratched the back of his head. “This wouldn’t have to do with the publicity coup that a victory would bring you in snaring that seat on the Captain’s Council, would it?”

Baldric shot a glare at Peligro with his good eye. “Ye sure he’s been dead all this time?” more

Owlshead Mountain: Part 8 – The Mound

2009-10-22T07:01:00.001-04:00

The opening exuded the strong odor of new-turned earth. The orifice was only about three feet wide by five feet tall. Loose earth made up the floor, walls, and even ceiling, though countless tiny rootlets were visible in the dirt. The low ceiling and narrow tunnel made single file the only option.

Hammer entered, with Archive soon after. Waban stood uncertainly outside.

Jim-Bean paused at the entrance. "You're not coming?"

"I shouldn't. I'm an old man."

Jim-Bean chuckled. "Oh come on. Your knowledge will be critical."

"Why do you care so much?" asked Waban, suspicious.

Jim-Bean's gaze was momentarily distant. "You remind me of an old friend."

Waban stepped inside. Jim-Bean followed him. more