Zyph Greneller eyed the strange traveler warily. Today had been a day of more-foreign-than-usual travelers passing by his booth in the Mercantile District of the Falling Star Homeforge. Of course he had been all eyes all day, everyone in the district was abuzz with the news that Aori Steelsmile had unconvered a plot by outsiders to map the Homeforge. Some K’iou whispered that the Olgogs were behind it, that it would be like the days of the Great Tunnel Wars, except instead of Sea Kings slaves it would be freed Olgogs marching on their lands. Zyph Greneller didn’t buy the hype. So far the “infiltraitors” had been pretty easy to spot. The Homeforge Greslarion had been clear, keep an eye on the foreigners, but don’t interfer. Let them think they were successful in their plot.
The strange traveler spoke of mine carts that floated above the ground, and could speed up transit in the mines. It was an interesting concept, Zyph Greneller thought. He couldn’t figure an answer to the obvious challenge of Leyas backlash when the levitating mine-cart was being used to carry all the artificed Earth-moving tools the K’iou relied upon. No matter. The stranger seemed more than easy to entertain as long as Zyph Greneller kept the subject of trade deals open.
Zyph Greneller had served in the Greslarion (Homeforge Guard) in his youth, and was excited to be back in the action. Even if “the action” was really just talking barter with a stranger. He was enjoying the whitty banter when he noticed his commcrystal blinking on the stall. He couldn’t very well take the call while the stranger was here, but if there was a security breech. He decided to risk the delay, so as not to alert the stranger.
The delay ended up costing merchant his life. He never got the warning that was spreading through the lower levels of the Falling Star Homeforge. That a thick green liquid was now seeping up through the soil, up from the Forbidden Armory. Zyph Greneller noticed the liquid when it soaked his heavy boots, and began creeping up his leg.
He looked down in shock and horror, watching flesh melt away, leaving raw painful muscles. His feet began to spasm as the bones and muscles warped and twisted until the Zyph could see long claws now extending from his feet. The claws had sliced through the metal plates of the boots like rubber.
Zyph Greneller fell to his knees reaching out towards the nearby stranger, who looked equally shocked and surprised. Zyph’s hands twisted painfully into long claws, and all he could hear was animalistic howling. It was only when his lower jaw extended into large poisonous tusks that he realized the howling was coming from himself.
Deep within the Forbidden Armory of the Falling Star Homeforge, Scout the Bastard and Grim the Bastard were in a situation neither of them had experienced since the K’ias Wars, aeons before. They were surrounded by Broken Reavers, created by a Nightmare Lord’s fell fleshweaving, and there were no reinforcements coming.
Each of the shapeshifted Reavers had once been innocent K’iou citizens. Now the K’iou were warped and twisted by the effects of one of the weapons stored in the Forbidden Armory. That weapon was the Teardrop Hammer, with the bulb of the teardrop cut piece of Nightmare Lord Bone as the hammer-head and the point at the other side was its spike-head. The shaft was twisted metal, and wrapped in nightmare hide leather. And it had caused a third arm to grow from the side of Glog of Or’Lur, the Olgog who had filched the Teardrop Hammer from its protected alcove. Glog tried again to cut off the third arm, to drop the hammer, or get rid of the hammer in any way. The hammer holding extra arm refused all these commands, even fighting back parrying attacks that might cut off the arm. Seeing the extreme intellegence the Teardrop Hammer’s arm showed, Glog worried what this arm might do if severed and on its own.
Glog was equally distracted fighting off the mutated K’iou Reavers. He had already snuck past the Guards of the Armory, but found his path blocked off by the Reavers. Adjusting his gear to hide the extra arm and its stolen living weapon, Glog climbed up the wall, and up an emergency airshaft.
As he cut his way free and rose up into the cool mountain air, Glog could not help but wonder if stealing a weapon from a forbidden armory might be a mistake…
Rewards
Or’Lur Tribe gains Glog and the Cursed Teardrop. The Teardrop Hammer is a living weapon of Nightmare Lord creation. Once each month, the Teardrop Hammer will weep a self-replicating slime mold that can turn anyone who touches it into a Slavebeast or Reaver. The Teardrop Hammer does 2d10 Melee dmg, all damage done by this weapon that surpasses target A.R., will restore User H.P.
It does No A.R. Dmg to Demons, Ancient Evils and Fiendish creatures.
It casts shadow walk, become shadow, and shadow shroud at 8 successes. Its wielder will grow a third arm that always holds the hammer close. The hammer is a cursed item, and will not leave its holder until it finds a “better host” to convince to kill its original wielder. It can never be lost, stolen, or gotten rid of in any other way.
Krodnok gains 1 Crayon Colored Map of what might be the Falling Star Homeforge (or might be a spider web that a bird flew through), and a perfect distraction among the Homeforge’s defenders to sneak in.
Lalder gains a trade deal with the Freedom Homeforge, but only if he can help reverse the Reaver slime’s effects on the K’iou Merchant Zyph Greneller. And of course find the now monstrous Greneller Reaver before it is killed and destroyed by the K’iou defenders or other players in GL 2 Week 2: How Bright the Star
Gang of Uf Mag’og gets Dreggs in Over his head! He had copied the map but before he could find Ferrou they were seperated by K’iou Reavers. He scavenged a fine metal two handed axe during the fight. (Strength x 2) Melee dmg, Requires 2 hands. Axe Lowers S.A.R. By 5 against Wood, Bone and Hide structures. Unluckily he is also surrounded by Reavers… is that a pair of bastards over there??
Grim gains a List of Operators. He now has contact details for Lurtor of Auf lal’al, Dreggs of Uf Mag’og, Zh Hob’rhug and Zh’gul Took of Yagogi, Scout of the Tsogari, and a pair of free rooms and board, above Glinta Hammerfall’s tavern for as long as he’s helping with the Reaver situation.
Yagogi’al, Zh Hob’rhug and Zh’gul Took are trapped in the Homeforge fighting Reavers, and you get no reward for posting late.
Derlur the Nomad gains A backdoor into the Land of the Sylvan. This Energy Bridge is hidden in the temple of falos in Falling Star Homeforge.
Zh Hob’rhug and Zh’gul Took, Grim, Scout, Lurtor, Dreggs can now plan inFalling Star Homeforge: Glinta Hammerfall’s Feast Hall.