Once upon a time a great city stood at the center of a tropical island. Its leader was unkind, but effective, and life there was simple. But one day an army of zombies approached the city. Its walls were mighty, but eventually the city fell to the undead horde. The coastal city of Innsmouth soon met a similar fate.
But why? Where did the undead come from and what did they want? The only lead was a massive diamond, rumored to have incredible potential for ritual magic: The Eye of the Beholder.
A group of adventurers was tracking its movements across the land. They had come close to the gem several times, but in each instance it narrowly escaped their grasp. However, they knew that it had passed into the hands of a local oligarch, Melinda Escalante. What’s more, they learned it would be changing hands again, this time to a mysterious buyer. The deal was scheduled to occur in Clifton, their current location. And it would be soon.
Time was racing. The group of heroes needed to find more information and they needed it now! It was a big city, but with careful planning and cunning they would surely be able to intercept the gem.
“We’ll check out the whorehouse!” said the Bard, Boss, and monk.
“We’ll go pester an old guy until he teleports us to a library far away!” said the archer and metal man.
“We’ll go put up shelves!” said the warlock and druid.
Slutty Secrets
The Bard, the Boss, and the monk approached the gentlemen’s club, located on the fourth floor of the Tippy Top, early in the morning. The Boss foolishly reminded the group that their main mission was to find information on who would be buying the gem and when and where it would be. This was foolish because neither companion was paying any attention to him. The Bard was only thinking of the ladies waiting for him, and the monk had noticed that his belly button almost looked like a little face when he flexed.
The trio entered the establishment and were greeted by the mistress who asked each person what their interests were. The Boss wasted no time in selecting a large minotaur. The lady was imposing but the firbolg had a silver tongue (giggity) and quickly got the madam talking. She had learned in her services that the gem was indeed in town and already had a buyer. The exchange would happen in this very house of pleasure inside the Tippy Top! And it would be tomorrow! When asked about the buyer, the minotaur only shrugged. She hadn’t seen them and knew nothing about them. No one had.
The Bard was also asked for his preference in companion. Perhaps a nice halfling?
“More,” he replied.
“Ah,” smiled the hostess, “something more exotic perhaps. How about a fiery tiefling?”
The Bard breathed heavily. “More!”
“Oh my,” gulped the hostess, “perhaps we’ll include a trident. Our own watery siren is unparalleled.”
The Bard raised himself up as high as he could. His bulging eyes locked with the hostess as sweat began to pour down his brow. Leaning forward until he was inches from her face, in a voice that was barely a whisper, the Bard rasped, “M..o..r..e…”
Finally she turned to the monk. “And you, turtle man?”
“Coffee’s fine.”
The Lost Legend
After sufficiently bothering an old man, the archer and metal man found themselves traveling through space and time. They landed in a library far from the city of Clifton that boasted resources on every subject available. From Alchemy to Zoology, all information one pursued could be found here.
It was tempting to explore every corner of the academy. Rumor had it that wizards were studying on a druid-made plateau while others were on an expedition researching the occult. Unfortunately, time was of the essence and these projects would have to wait. For now, the duo pursued information on the undead presence plaguing the island chain. The two poured over large and heavy tomes, and what they found was disturbing. This was not the first time the multiverse had seen this evil! The legends were incomplete, but long lost sources had claimed that the undead had risen many times on countless worlds over the eons, only to be fought back each time by another malicious force led by a “Mad Tyrant”.
The undead were not the ultimate threat, however, but the minions of a great “Devouring Eye” that had roamed the cosmos since its beginning, consuming all in its path. What being could stand in the face of such a creature!? Sadly, no more would be discovered about this Mad Tyrant. After a few more notes detailing runes and wars, the pair found their way back to a transportation circle and returned to Clifton.
The Sturdy Shelves
The warlock and the druid met with their good friend, shopkeep and hoarder, Pilst. They then made him some quality shelves. They were very nice.
At the end of the day each adventurer found their way back home and were once again reunited. After discussing knowledge gained, they agreed to leave for the Tippy Top to perform additional reconnaissance. Each could feel in their heart that they would likely need the secrets of the gem in the coming battles.
Like a well oiled machine, they took positions at various spots in the Tippy Top. There would be no surprises this day!
The Boss was escorted by his friend Xan to the fifth level to meet with other heads of house.
The Bard, archer, monk, and druid would wait two floors below in the casino, ready to spring into action if needed (and certainly not to gamble away their most prized possessions).
And the warlock, who had befriended Xan’s butler, met with his waitstaff companions on the lowest floor. They worked for the Escalantes, and he hoped they might reveal some of their secrets.
The board was set and everything was ready. For once they had everything under control and would not need the dealmaker Devin to bail them out in exchange for more back tattoos.
Fortune smiled upon them, as Melinda Escalante was in attendance among the elite. Xan was able to introduce the Boss to her rival, a likely participant in the scheduled exchange of the precious gem.
“My apologies for missing your gala, I had unavoidable business to attend to,” said the Boss. “I hear you have a profitable transaction in your future. It’s a shame I didn’t get to marvel at this spectacle while you had it on display. Any chance I could see it while it’s still in your possession?”
“You’ll have to ask the other party to our deal,” replied Melinda. “Ah, how lucky, here he is now!”
The boss turned around just in time to see the dealmaker Devin stride into the room…
As described by Martin the Warforged
2018-12-10