DM POST: DENIZENS OF THE STONEYARD

PREVIEW FOR THE COMING WEEK

Quotes and Moments of Awesome

"That guy throws giant dice at people. Fuck'im." Stu, in Brooklyn voice

"Ice"+hand motions. -Elizabeth

"I defended myself with the power of music and my spiked gauntlets." -Evellyn Godrick/Gina

"You want me to do business with you and yet you're whistling while I'm fucking trying to talk to you?" -Stu/Hood/Silvus to Dano

Mike: There is crazy shit going on.
Robbie: How high's the ceiling?

Mike (as Evellyn's parent): You expect us to drink from that?
Gina (Evellyn): From that? He makes ale, we don't milk him every night.

"Butt sneeze." Stu or Robbie, can't remember who.

"Bitch, don't tell me you don't hear the voices too!" Robbie as Hernando, climbing up The Hood

"Human/halfling high five. Eladrin, you can suck it." Hernando

"I'm gonna do an intimidate check with my breasts. I get to roll twice cuz I got two of them." Robbie in "Jersey Shore" voice

"I'll hide it up my ass." Gina, in reference to Evellyn's flute

There were lots of other great quotes that I just didn't write down. I'll try better next time.

Moments of Awesome:
Hernando almost getting caught by the town guard.
Ricin entering all of our minds.
Going out and fighting together against a common enemy when the characters didn't know each other yet
Elizabeth critting on the Mage
Zorah talking smack to Silvus
Ricin paralyzing Lugo and Hernando's kill blow
Baltor proudly displaying the loot from Evellyn's kill
The little kid talking to Kirsi (the whistling...is it Dano in some disguise? is Dano more than he seems?)

Moments of Suck:
Lorthis entering the courtroom
Not knowing what the eff was going on
Lugo's ability to teleport
Lugo and his friends being in the bar

W A N T E D

Lord Orrington raised a glass, the silver contents of which might have been sparkling with some kind of barely discernible spell, and clinked it in toast with Lady Orrington. "There's something satisfying about fire," he said. "It changes, it transforms what it touches into something altogether different, on a basic, chemical level. It changes the landscape forever. Fire is the natural cleanser."

The Lady nodded, sipping her drink lightly, peering over the rim with smoldering admiration. "That's a very nice way of saying that your competition is gone."

"Well. Sometimes I'm just a nice guy." He sat his glass down and turned with a sweeping motion toward the enormous map on his wall. "Now that the Eladrin settlement has been wiped out, there is more than enough room for my new hunting reserve. It's amazing how such a powerful enemy will fall to such a primal weapon."

The Lady giggled, snapping her fingers. A blue flame leapt to life between them. "Well... the fact that it was magically uncontrollable helps."

"Indeed it did," he admitted. "You sexy thing." He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. The magical flame extinguished, forgotten as her concentration shifted elsewhere. They kissed--

--And an arrow smashed through the Lord's head, through to the Lady's. Unable to separate, they collapsed to the ground together, convulsing as their newly ruptured brains tried to process what was happening, even as those brains began to shut down.

A servant entered with fresh food and stopped cold, the tray he was carrying spilling to the floor. He looked up to see a hooded figure in the window, lowering a bow with shaky, discolored hands. Hands that looked burned. He could not see a face, but he heard a raspy voice. "Tell all the humans. The Eladrin lands should never know the untrustworthy stench of your kind again. Return there at your own risk."

And then the hooded figure was gone, tumbling deftly back through the window.

The pain was excruciating. A potion would heal it, and that wouldn't be hard to find. But for now, the feeling the flames had left imprinted on his mind hounded him, the raw nerves under his burned skin throbbing. Silvus Highblade had been lucky to be near the enchanted pool in the temple, but few had reached it in time. It was so far beneath the ground, and accessible by a single narrow staircase. The sounds of the bottleneck above were horrendous even as the flames spread down to where he was. He was speaking to his mother, a druid priestess. They tried, but the fire was hot, it moved fast and the pool was only so big. People would have the flames extinguished, but in making room for others be exposed to them again.

Silvus was finally shoved in by his mother and paralyzed by a spell. Her final act left him as the sole survivor. He hadn't immediately understood that the flames disappeared because the one controlling them with her mind had released her hold on them.

But once he did, he began searching for her. It didn't take long.

All he knew was gone. His own skin was black and bloody. Everything would be different now. That was the thing about fire. It changed whatever it touched.

DM POST: RICIN (Backstory)

WHAT CAN ONE MAN DO?

The day at the temple had been much like any other. He quietly went about his duties, trying to stay out of the way, doing his best to be ignored. He understood his role here, “Do not be noticed and keep everything tidy”. He spent his time thinking and listening to the world around him. He moved over to a table where a patron had left a pile of scrolls and parchments scattered everywhere. He sighed and began to organize the items to be shelved in their proper places. As he did so he reminisced about his life in this place.

The temple of Ioun was more an immense library than a temple proper and he had spent most of his life here. The temple was dedicated to the god Ioun, the god of the mind, truth and knowledge and as such it was the largest public collection of information in the city of Zarcharis. It was a rather easy life in the temple; the number one rule was easy enough for him to follow, “Be QUIET”. He had never spoken a word to anyone in the temple, or outside of it for that matter. In fact, he had never spoken a word in his life.

He had wandered into the temple as a young child. The priests saw him wandering around the many shelves and levels of the library and questioned him; “Who are you” “What is your name” “Who are your parents”. The boy looked at them with understanding in his eyes, but could not form the words to answer their probing. After some time, the priests discerned his ailment, the boy was a mute. Barrin, a rather eccentric priest, took a particular interest in the child. Indeed, it was Barrin who had decided to give him a home in the temple, and gave him his

name: Ricin. Barrin provided Ricin an education that far exceeded any other child’s in the city. Unlimited resources were at his disposal and Ricin proved to be an insatiable learner. So Ricin grew into a young man and spent his life there within the walls performing mundane tasks and reading anything he could.

He finished placing the scrolls and parchments in their correct places. The temple library was closing soon so he hustled about making sure everything was in its place for tomorrow’s patrons. That night, just like every night, Ricin took an armful of scrolls to his room and settled in to read them all before he went to sleep. He had done this ritual every night since Barrin had taught him to read. Recently, he began to catch Barrin staring at him intently, watching him read, and studying him and tonight he had made plans to ask what it was that Barrin was looking for. He settled into his chair, lit some candles and began to read another scroll on the history of Zarcharis-Taoul. Not long into it, he heard the door open and Barrin stepped in. He turned to greet the priest kindly and saw that Barrin was again staring at him intently. He furrowed his brow, asking with facial features what Barrin was doing. Barrin never moved, never blinked; he just stood there, eyes fixed on Ricin. In his hands, he held a small orb that Ricin had never seen before. It faintly glowed, giving off a pale blue light.

Ricin froze, unsure of how to react to this strange behavior.

“What do you want?” he thought to himself, aiming the question towards Barrin.

“Just that Ricin”, the thought came screaming into his mind, a voice not his own. Barrin’s voice!

Ricin jumped up from his seat, confusion and excitement building in his mind. He turned to Barrin, facial expressions demanding answers to the exchange. Barrin looked at him with equal excitement and motioned for him to sit back down. Pulling up a chair beside him, Barrin began to explain, “I had always though you might possess capabilities that are seldom seen in the human race, indeed, in many races on the surface world.”

“What capabilities? What do you mean” Ricin thought to himself.

Barrin looked at him sternly; his demeanor emulating the same of Ricin’s learning years, that of the insistent teacher.

“It is perfectly acceptable to aim your questioning thoughts towards me Ricin! There is no need to be impolite”

“Sorry, Master. I am just… unsure of all of this. How did you know?”

“The day you wandered into the temple I knew there was something different about you my lad. Call it an old man’s intuition, or the faint hope of an eccentric fool”, he chuckled audibly to himself.

“This”, Ricin paused, “This is amazing! I can talk to you; in a manner of speaking”. The pun was not lost on the bright young scholar or his master. His eyes beamed with joy at the thoughts of his new found abilities.

“Oh, Ricin, you can do so much more than that my lad. Come now, it is time for another series of lessons. You know about the history of this city; now I shall teach you of its current situation. Not only that, it is time we trained you to use this wonderful gift”.

3 years later…

Barrin had showed him much in the last few years. Day after day, night after night, he would take him out into the streets to see the true face of Zarcharis. He would take Ricin to the Tribunal courts to witness the injustice; they would comb the dregs in the dead of night and see the squalor and poverty of the masses. Upon returning to the temple from these forays he would demand that Ricin train and hone his new found abilities. So it went for years, until the day came when Barrin could no longer make the trips with him. The old priest had grown older, his body failing.

Ricin sat alone in his room. Scrolls lay strewn about his desk from another nights reading. His desire for knowledge, for truth, was as insatiable as ever. He sat on the floor, calmly meditating, easing his mind. He directed it out on the streets of Zarcharis, probing them, an invisible eye in the dark alleys. He passed many places his Mind’s Eye could not penetrate, shadows too deep for him pierce; no not shadows… smoke. The city was burning, smoldering in a pile of ashes of corruption, greed and malice. There was pain, so much pain, and grief; he could sense it, threatening to overwhelm him. A scream cut through the still night, the flames of the city grew hotter and Ricin was thrust back into his own mind. He took a moment to survey his room. Through the window he saw the same dark night that was present earlier. The city was not truly burning; the smoke was not real, just figments in his mind.

Ricin looked down to the orb in his hands, a gift from Barrin; it was still shining a brilliant blue, casting his entire arm in a bright blue flame. Ricin waited until the orb faded back to its normal state and lifted himself off of the floor. He made his way to Barrin’s room hoping to catch the old priest before he went to sleep for the evening. He slowly cracked open the door just to see if his master was awake. Across the room he could see Barrin lying on his bed, his back towards the door. Ricin began to slowly close the door back until he heard a familiar voice in his head, “Come in my lad. I am not yet asleep”.

Ricin walked into the room but his senses told him something was amiss. He looked to Barrin who had managed to turn over and sit up on the bed. Barrin was old, the years of service to Ioun in the temple and the relentless training and education of his protégé had taken their toll on the man’s body.

“Ricin, my boy, tell me: What did your meditations show to you this evening”?

“I saw the city aflame, smoke filling the streets and alleys, obscuring my sight. I heard a scream and then I was back here”. Barrin thought long about the response, his head nodding as he digested the information.

“Ricin, I want you to listen to me my lad. My time here is coming to an end. Soon. I have one last lesson for you”.

“What is it? I am ready”

“I wonder if you are. The lesson is simple, Ricin, but its significance will not be fully realized for some time. I want you to answer this question: After everything you have seen, experienced and learned; from your own unknown origins to the daily decay of this city. You have seen it Ricin, you have seen its flames, it burns and the flames are growing. What can one person do about it?” Barrin paused, giving his pupil time to contemplate this question. “Well? What is your answer”?

Ricin thought about his master’s question. He ran it through his mind, searching for any extra meaning, hidden riddle, anything in the context to arrive at the correct answer. His mind could draw nothing but a blank.

“I do not know, master”, he replied, embarrassed at his failure.

“Hmm. Well, Ricin, when you learn the answer to that, you will unlock a power that no force in this city or beyond can match.” Barrin slumped back to his bed, laying his head back on the pillows as his breathing became shallow. “Ricin”, the connection between their minds grew weaker, “search out the answer. Do not be afraid, do not hide. This city needs you... how long will you wait?” With this last question the connection broke off. Ricin struggled to reestablish the communication, but he watched helplessly as Barrin’s chest rose and fell for the last time.

Ricin sat in silence, holding the hand of his mentor. No tears were shed, no break of composure. His mind, though distracted from the loss of his dearest and only friend, was consumed with finding the answer to the last lesson. So it was that the other priest found him the next morning. Funeral plans were made and soon the body of Barrin was placed upon the pyre. Ricin watched as the flames consumed the body of his mentor, releasing his spirit to Ioun’s keeping. He left the site while the flames still burned hot, returning to his room to gather his things. The temple was no longer home without Barrin and Ricin knew it was time to move on. It was time to go answer the question.

Zorah Kaspar

Zorah Kaspar is the second eldest of three daughters. Her classic beauty, intelligence, and status as a daughter of Lord Kaspar ensured she would be wooed by the rich and powerful. Against her wishes, she was wedded to a political kingpin in a large, remote city. Months later, she disappeared. Friends smuggled her to another city where she is disguised as a lowly waitress in the Segrac Cellar...






...except when she's polishing her rogue skills - a natural talent for grifting has come in handy when tips just aren't paying the rent. Zorah hopes to save enough money to live comfortably doing what she loves most: Art. That vision of the future is a long ways off, however, and for now, Zorah is content with picking pockets and using whatever she can find to create beauty in her own little safe haven, even if it's just a simple charcoal sketch.

Evellyn Godrick

Evellyn, with her flute Moonbeam.

Evellyn stepped into the night, ready to go to her small apartment down the road and put a few finishing touches on a song before going to bed. The spiked gauntlets on her hands chilled in the night air and she blew through them into her hands. As she stood just at the top of the stairs outside Segrac Cellar she heard an unintelligible language. Strangers with evil intentions weren't completely unheard of in Zarcharis-Taoul, which is why she wore her gauntlets out by herself at night.

She turned her head around the corner and saw three goblins, one in chainmail armor.

Not one to run from a fight, she began to taunt them.

"Goblin breath smells like crap on a hot street," she sang. They couldn't understand what she was saying, but they picked up her intent, but before they could react her voice had dealt a serious blow against the leader.

The battle ensued, with Evellyn alternately singing or punching them in the face. The crunch of goblin noses against her bladed fist was incredibly satisfying, and Evellyn sang gleefully while being sprayed with jets of blood. They got in a few good hits, but eventually the leader fell, and the others fled. Evellyn smiled to herself, and looted the body. She found some strange, high quality gold coins, which she turned over in her hands.

She dragged the chainmail and axe back into the bar and Balthor called, "Who the hell is it? We're closed!" He looked up and saw his blood-drenched songstress, smiling proudly

"I don't just sing about heroes anymore," she said, slamming down the axe. "I am one."

DM POST: MEET BALTHOR

BALTHOR GRIMFORGE

This is the proprietor of the Segrac Cellar, a local tavern in Zarcharis-Taoul. Balthor is an older, battle-hardened, dwarf who always wanted to retire and open his own tavern where he could serve his own home brewed ales. Balthor's specialty, Segrac, is a wonderful ale and very popular throughout the city. He is constantly experimenting with his recipes, trying new ingredients in different combinations.

Always seeming to know something about anything from his many years as a barkeep, Balthor is a font of miscellaneous knowledge. Balthor is a gruff graybeard, a Dwarf among Dwarves, but is a fair business owner and loyal friend.

DM POST

THE HERALD


NEWS AND RUMOR

BARRIER BREACH?

Reports are coming in of a possible breach of security at the Stoneyard last evening. Two individuals, who chose to remain anonymous, reported to the City Guard of a terrible site. Hearing the sounds of a struggle within the eastern corner of the Stoneyard, the two witnesses slowly crept to the gate. They report seeing a large figure, clothed in a black hooded cloak exiting the graveyard. The estimate the being to be well over 7 feet tall and wielding what looked to be a large scythe. The witnesses, to scared to approach the figure as he stalked across the fields towards the city, lay on the ground.
"We just wanted it to leave. It seemed to evil to approach, the terror was to much, we could not even warn the guards. That Dark Stalker could have been none other than... than...", the interview ended with shivering and the witnesses refused to provide any more information concerning the previous nights encounter.
An investigation was launched by the Raven Temple into the matter. High Priest Sheiran declared no breaches in the barrier have been found, nor had any magical suppression been discovered.
"The containment wall is as strong as ever. We are constantly on alert and have received no indication that our efforts have been compromised. We are in the midst of a serious investigation into the matter. The perpetrator will be found, and we shall deal with it".

-Damakos

SIGHTING: LADY IN WHITE

Another sighting of the mysterious woman, deemed "The Lady in White" has been reported again, making this the 7th sighting in the past year. The cloaked figure was seen exiting the sewers just outside of the Dregs. City Guard members found the bodies of two men in the sewer tunnels where she was seen leaving. The men seemed to have acid burns and what appears to be frostbite around several of their wounds. There is, however, no evidence to link the Lady to the killings.
The victims seemed to have no family or connections in the city and careful study of the cadavers seemed to indicate they were indeed a Lycanthrope species, lending support to the rumors of a clan of Wererats in the sewers of Zarcharis. City Guards have closed the access to this sewer system, after they discovered an Otylugh in a connecting chamber, far to close to populated areas. The City Guard is now asking for volunteers to begin hunting for Otylughs, promising 100 gold for each eye stalk turned in.

Mika

CITY NEWS

GOOD MUSIC, GOOD ALE
Tavern Review by Lidda Bumbletumble

The Segrac Cellar has long been a place for a good evening for relaxation and good ale. The owner, Balthor, is a courteous Dwarf, by Dwarven standards at least. The patrons of the tavern are as varied as they come and all are welcome. On occasion, you may even get the pleasure of sharing company with journeyers of distant lands or even hear some of our own local explores spin a yarn or two. Though a rousing row is not completely out of the question, the Cellar is generally a relatively peaceful place to enjoy a good mug of grog and no tavern in the city has better than the Cellar. While named for its trademark ale, Segrac, a heavy and fulfilling ale brewed by no other than Balthor himself from a secret recipe handed down by his ancestors, the cellar also boasts an extensive ale list for all tastes and preferences.
The newest and certainly a noteworthy addition to the Cellar is their newest performer; a halfling by the name of Evellyn. Skilled with the flute and a beautiful (and strong for one of her stature) voice, Evellyn seems to spin enchantments on the patrons of the Cellar with every rousing performance. This halfling recommends strongly a visit to this most magnificent establishment, come for the ale and stay for the music!

TERRIBLE LOSSES IN OVERNIGHT BLAZE

Last night a fiery blaze in the Dregs claimed seven lives as well as five buildings. No origin of the fires could be determined and the City Guard once again have another incident to add to the list of unexplained fires that have plagued Zarcharis in the last months.

Damakos

DM POST: ZARCHARIS-TAOUL

GARDEN DISTRICT

GARDEN DISTRICT

VENTS/CHIMNEYS FROM THE DWARF MINES

UNDERCITY PRISONS

UNDERCITY PRISONS

Who is Hernando Vasquez?

When you need information on someone and you needed it yesterday, he can get you that. When you need something incriminating dug up, found or planted, he can do that. When you need someone or something to disappear in a timely manner, he can do that, and he can do that very well.

Born a bastard to a hidden lord of Waterdeep (so his mother tells him), Herenado Vasquez is a man of the city. Waterdeep is home, but really any city will do. Growing up without a father and with a mother who didn't care for him Hernando learned at a very young age that a hafling must be able to fend for himself, especially in such a large city, with such large people. With his first con starting at the age of twelve Hernando learned how to talk to people, and he also learned how to steal. Stealing anything really, money, jewls, information, hearts, it didn't matter what it was. Hernando was the one that you could call that could take a bakers apron off. But he was misguided, he had no direction, he had no class, he was sloppy. That all changed when he met Zabbas Thuul.

Zabbas Thuul took Hernando in, gave him the name "little rabbit", and taught him the ways of the theif. Six years go by and Hernando got better, alot better. Learning how not just to talk to people, but how to manipulate people. He learned how to disappear, how to vanish in the shadows, he also learned how to fight. He loved the way two blades felt in his hands, he loved how his speed increased and he became....efficent.

Coming home from a snatch and grab one night he found Zabbas dead. Killed, murdered. The clues were few but what he found lead him to Zacharis-Taoul. The search has took him 3 years, but he did what he does best, he waited for the moment, the moment when it was time to strike, the moment when the ground begged for blood.

Hernando Vasquez

Just the pic

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Grim pics and back story

Grim they call me. Here in the city it is disbelief, In the temple it was because they didn't want to remember how close I was. I made them uneasy. Some were unhappy I was there at all. Goliath's were not well respected in the temple. Not built for the priesthood.


I was chosen by the older cleric to study the old ways. To learn the things priests no longer wished to know.

I was consumed by the Raven Queen. Transformed to her will as a vessel.

The Raven Queen has endowed me with her power. I am a reliquary of her might. A channel for her wrath.

I am a holy warrior.

The mortal hand of divine wrath, come down from the mountains at her bidding. I fell her enemies as the wheat at harvest. None may stand in her presence, and many will prostrate in mine.

I am here to welcome the chaf to its rightful place.

This city is dying.

I am Death

Kirsi pictures and backstory

Before she was injured:

The night was dark and cold around her, the pain blinding, her rage growing. She heard the movements of her attackers around her, their whispers.

‘Is he dead? What about her?’

‘Who cares about her.’

‘Well we need to check him, we have to be sure or there will be nothing in it for us.’

She had felt the life force drain from her husband and knew the answer to one of their questions. As the snow fell down around her, its coldness touching her skin, she imagined forcing it into her attackers, felling them with the ice that she now felt around her heart. As she lay in the cold, she felt something else in the air around her. It reminded her of working in the temple and feeling the healing magic around her but it was different, untamed, wild. In her growing rage she imagined pushing the snow out from her body like icicles that would pierce her unknown attackers. She felt the darkness grow around her and she fell to the ground in exhaustion but she couldn’t have imagined what was happening around her.

As she fell to the ground ice exploded outward striking the men as they had moved close to check the bodies. They fell to the ground, writhing in pain, some of them never to get up again; the rest fled in panic, clutching wounds from the icy daggers that had appeared from nowhere.

In the weeks and months that passed Kirsi slowly heal from the fiery wounds that had scorched her skin but she would never be whole again. Both the scars from the loss of her husband and the scars on her face would never fully heal. She continued to work in the temple, aiding the healers as she could but at night she began to roam the city, hoping to draw attention from those who might see her as an easy target. Then she could unleash the justice they deserved.

ZARCHARIS-TAOUL

MINES UNDER THE CITY

CATACOMBS

ZARCHARIS

ZARCHARIS