Soldiers of Darkness: Getting Your Foot In The Door
 

Crimea. The capital city.

It seems like you can't go anywhere in this city without seeing an icon of Dalton or His champion Rukama. The air is filled with the sounds of bells tolling the hours from the belfries of the many chapels scattered throughout the city, mixed with the cries of the faithful reading out scripture to all on the streets.

Perhaps a more devout person would find this exhilarating, immersed in concentrated reverence for his patron. The sheer volume of faith ascending to the heavens might uplift one's spirit, to the point where one felt as though he were rising into the sky as well.

To you, it just seems so perfectly nonsensical.

You wonder how you're supposed to find the shadowy man who said he would meet you in this place to bring revolution to the world, in this city of light and splendor and faith. But you know that this is it - and that the stronger a light is, the darker the shadow it casts...

Time to seek out the darkness.

OOC: You're supposed to descend into the sewers for the plot to advance. Feel free to make up any interactions you deem fit and so on, and remember, this is a city where the forces of good are very active. Making a scene WILL get you killed.

"Thank you goodsir" The man clasped his hands together and bowed slightly. He rose and walked away from the merchants stall after recieving the information he wanted. Striding through the streets with confident ease the man headed towards his destination.

The man looked around with derision, not that anybody would notice of course. He was well schooled in keeping his emotions in check. The freedom of it all, it weighed down on him smothering him. All these weak people do not deserve to run their own lives. Only the strong should make the decisions and all else should have their lives chosen for them. How a system like this could stand, where everyone was free to do what they want without totally collapsing, was beyond his head but he did know how many fualts it had.

Reaching his destination he went into the alley off of the main street. Lifting the cap to the sewers he jumped in closing it behind him. Using the wall to slow his descent he came down into the sewers to see what awaited him. Severin was ready to begin his quest for evil.

Kria tightened her cloak around her as she walked through the streets. The sounds, the smells of humans, elves, and worse disgusted her, and she kept her head down, trying to will it all away. She would only ever venture into the city for a good reason, and she tried to remind herself of this as she made her way through the filth of urban life. There was someone here with information she wanted, and if she had to endure some civilization to get it, so be it. But that didn't mean she had to enjoy it.

The strange figure had simply appeared at the base of her treetop home one day, standing there as if waiting for someone. When Kria attacked, he fought her to within an inch of her life without breaking a sweat. Smart enough to recognize the man's power, she listened to what he had to say, and it intrigued her. So here she was.

She had gotten lost twice before finally being sure she had found the spot she was to meet the man. Unfortunately, there was no one there. The alleyway was totally empty, save for a loose sewer grate set into the ground. Her eyes narrowed as she kicked at the grate. It came away easily, providing a hole just big enough for her to fit through. Kria scowled at the hole in the ground, the man had not mentioned this little detail. She looked to the sky and spotted the large grey hawk circling over the city. He would not enjoy it underground. Deciding to let her hawk serve lookout, she squeezed through the grate and dropped silently to the stone floor below.

A female figure, clad in an exquisite, flowing velvet robe, and gleaming mithril breastplate strode purposefully down the central street of Crimea, her long, snowy hair drifting softly in the warm afternoon breeze. Her robe's hood was wrapped around her head, concealing Katrina's demonic horns, which would doubtlessly cause her unwanted trouble.

The battlemage had been observing the city for close to an hour now, and so far as she could tell, the city of Crimea had no dark places, no slums, and no small alleyways. Even the buildings, large and small, were well-lit with everbright torches. Katrina came and sat down on a small, white bench in the middle of Crimea's main street, and pondered the riddle.

"In a city of light, where the darkness lies, you will find me." Katrina recalled the man as saying, however, the Crimieans prided themselves in their city, where "The light reaches all places, large and small"

She was beginning to think the old man had tricked her, and that this little expedition had been some stupid chase, when the thought hit her. The sewers, a place no fool, even the light-crazed Crimiens, would care to illuminate. Katrina stood, nodded to a passing citizen who bid her good day, and turned down a side street, where she removed the sewer manhole and decended into the darkness below, activating her darkvision where the light ended, the sewer below illuminated to her in a dull monochrome as Katrina's eyes glew a dull red.

((Remember, sewers are dark. You'll need some meathod to see down there. I've got darkvision, for example, but you humans or elves will need some kind of light source.))

Cursing as total darkness enveloped her, Kria knelt down and felt around the cold stone floor. Her questing hands finally found a small pebble, and she stood again, holding it tight in her fist. She whispered the words of the spell under her breath and opened her hand, revealing the glowing pebble. The light illuminated a long, narrow pathway next to a channel of the foulest liquid she had ever smelled. Listening, Kria thought she could hear footsteps down the tunnel, and she closed her fist around the pebble, letting only enough light through the cracks in her fingers to aid her elven vision. Staying as close to the wall as possible, she crept as quietly as she could toward the sound.

As he walked down the street searching, Rince played a few mournful notes on his lyre. He didn't notice any of the people eying him oddly. "If I have to stay in this place for much longer I'll go insane." He though irritably. One more circuit and I'm leaving, no amount of wealth is worth this torture. As he looked down an alley he saw something that he hadn't seen before, an open sewer cover. "I should have known." He said, as he went forward. A quick glance told him that it would be to dark to see down in the hole. He concentrated on his lyre, then he threw a firefly into the air and, after a few quick gestures and mystic words, the lyre glowed with light. Adding more light, to the city of lights, how ironic." He thought bitterly, and jumped.

A black, battered cloak obscuring his form, and the clothes he wore beneath, a tall, lean man strode down the side of the street. Inwardly, his stomach shivered at the bright, unrelenting light, the opressive weight of constant scrutiny and utter conformity. Even with everything so well-illuminated, Feloss was a bit nearsighted, and his frequent blinking (which he normally avoided doing, knowing that it didn't help him see)...along with the foolish smile he adopted as he stopped to chat with a local butcher...made him seem to be a harmless, simple-minded traveler. Of course, nothing was further from the truth.

All light casts shadows, it is the way of things. So it is fitting that this darkest of shadows be born in Crimea, the city of greatest light. Light reaches for the sky, but darkness dwells in the depths below...and it is in these depths that you shall find me. I know who you are, I know your ancestry, and I know what you desire. I will be waiting.

The enigmatic message had been delivered days earlier, unsigned. Aware that it could be a trap, Feloss Thaskryn had prepared his battle spells, left the inn in which he had been staying, and hastened here. Bidding forwell to the fat, jovial, and thoroughly idiotic butcher, the wizard went down the same side-street that the Half-Fiend had taken earlier. Removing the manhole cover with considerably more effort, he descended the ladder, and eased the cover back into place. Holding onto the ladder with one hand, Feloss withdrew a small, spherical crystal and a bit of phosphorescent moss from somewhere under his cloak, rubbing the moss against the gem as he murmured a short, basic, incantation, and snapped his fingers...causing the moss to crumble into dust, and the crystal to glow like a torch, illuminating his surroundings.

As you make your way down the passages, the filthy water starts churning in its channel. In the distance you begin to hear a strange scratching, followed by a weird, high-pitched... squeaking. The scratching intensifies into a skittering sound, and suddenly, the source looms into view - it's a swarm of feral rats!

OOC: Everyone is in a 10ft wide corridor, with one swarm of rats coming from the other direction, completely filling the passageway's width. In DB and Phoenix's case, they have two swarms to deal with. In Pyros' case, he can only hear them, because he was smart and decided to go in without a torch or lantern. No, he does not know how far they are away from him. For everyone else, you spot them 30ft away from you.

((I'm going to assume I don't know DB.))

Katrina stopped abruptly as a pinpoint of light glimmered across the sewer corridor infront and beside her, obviously the work of a light spell from behind. Soon after, the skittering, shrieking sounds of panicked rats was evident from deeper within the sewer, her darkvision eyes detecting the grey tide of furry animals bearing down on her.

"Idiot!" she thought, referring to the caster of the light spell. Her right hand shot to her katana's hilt.

*CHINK! Vwrrrr.* The sword flashed brightly at the hilt as Katrina drew it in a swift motion, the blade's corusating energy field cracking to life as it left the scabbard. With a gentle hum, she spun it into a ready stance, and waited for the rats to come.

((Ready action to attack incoming rats. 14+3=17 initiative. Holding ground.))

As Rince trudged through the sewage he noticed something at the edge of his vision, when he concentrated on it he saw that it was a huge mass of lean, and hungry looking rats. He quickly drew his rapier, and, after whispering the command word, it glowed with a cold light.

OOC: Initiative: 14+4=18. Actions: Draw Rapier (Move Action), Activate Frost ability (Standard Action). Phoenix isn't activating your Flame ability a standard action?