Under Into Darkness

Participants

• Tingle
• David the Gnome
• Kaladan of Norixius
• Arden Rook
• Zeek the Zapper

Recap

As the ragged maw took hold of his flank, David the Gnome gasped, teeth tearing at flesh through his soaked leathers. Coughing reflexively when the filthy flood-water rushed into his mouth, his body shook and pain shot through him, eyes wide, he saw stars. Bright flecks of yellow light drifted across the haze of his vision. The dancing lights reminded him of the lively spark in the eyes of Zeek, celebrating his triumphant brewery achievements yesterday morning. Yesterday, surrounded by the warmth and merriment of the guild, when they weren't thrashing through the pitch black halls of an abandoned underhive factory, fighting for their lives.

In fact, it was before yesterday when all of the events that led up to now truly began to unfold. It was on the Eve of Ahtos, when Zeek had decided to stay behind at Squadquarters to finalize his first batch of guild-brews. The cleric had taken a few calculated risks as he gained confidence with his new equipment and Nabomai's instructions, and the gamble paid off. With an electric neon glow of accomplishment and pride in his eyes, the tempest-cleric took various samples of each batch to share among his friends, and took off into the night.

The remainder of the primary enforcers group had been partaking in the Ahtos celebrations, ultimately ending up at the large club in northern section 6, The Embrace. When Zeek arrived, he was given somewhat unexpected preferential treatment once the bouncers and club proprietor Normaad recognized his guild colors. Whisked past the reception area and straight to the main entertainment hall, Zeek listened to the colorful commentary of the remarkably handsome undead club owner. Small-talk quickly led to business when the dwarf gave Normaad a taste of his mastercraft brew, but before any negotiations could take place, Zeek caught a glimpse of what he could only imagine was their destination.

Across the dance floor strobing with magical flares, next to the far corner bar foaming with exotic concoctions, stretched an enormous display window running nearly the length of the room. A substantial crowd had gathered before it watching something intently, but whose attention was briefly interrupted when Normaad's voice boomed across the hall over the gnomish sound-pipes announcing a member of JKS had arrived as a special guest, and they erupted in applause. The cheering created a momentary disruption in the wall of spectators, allowing Zeek a glimpse at what lay beyond the glass, and his blood ran cold.

On the other side of the thick pane, the area known as "the dread space" took a participant's fears and trauma, bringing them to life for some kind of twisted form of entertainment. Zeek saw the dread space replicate the red dusty ruins of the Goliath encampment in which their visit ended in disaster, and within, his friends in a desperate battle against an undead incarnation of their fallen comrade Nox. The cleric was aghast, the crowd was ecstatic.

The offer was simple, Normaad offered Zeek a deal which was too tempting to pass up - enter the dread space and "put on a show" against his special guest Hantu, who was the owner of the traveling dread-space exhibit, in arena-style combat with no holds barred. Entertain the crowd, Normaad explained, gesturing to the eager spectators all around them, and The Embrace will sell JKS brews at their many bars. The cleric never even missed a beat, and the battle was soon on.

Hantu was a nimble demon warrior, who entered the magically-simulated arena on the far side, as Zeek was teleported inside to reunite with his team. The fight started quickly, with Kal rushing up the middle, Zeek and Arden Rook not far behind, with Tingle and David slinging spells and arrows from the rear. As Kal neared, Hantu took to the air, streaking rays of fire across the battlefield, sending the gnomes diving for cover. Tingle evened the odds with a fantastic illusion, conjuring a eunuch angel-warrior, spinning Hantu into a hateful yet fearful rage fueled by millenia old bias and contempt for the divine. It made her sloppy, giving JKS the edge they needed.

With this advantage, the enforcers proved too much for the master of the dread-speace, and Hantu yielded. Normaad confirmed the victory, and the crowd in the main hall responded in kind, the cavernous dance-hall trembling in applause. This was a big moment for the guild, and Zeek wanted to capture the moment. In his attempt to make a flashy statement with his electrical magics, the cleric managed to instead short out the artificial lighting within the room, and plunged the group into darkness. With their victory bringing an end the night's festivities, Normaad declared the closing down of the Embrace for the night to the understanding, but disappointed crowd of patrons who remained.

The enforcers filtered out of the Ahtos club in small groups, working their way back home in the waning hours of the early morning while the Rave was in relative slumber. David slinked in the shadows, using his roguish instincts to easily spot the tired, drunk targets to rip off for some extra drinking money. Having recently studied the art of arcane trickery, David took on the veil of a small guildless child, the disguise allowing him to approach and contact his mark with ease. By the time the drunk shooed away what seemed to be an annoying street urchin, a skilled thief lined his pockets with the gold of a citizen none-the-wiser.

That night was one of celebration for JKS, Zeek's Zap Room brewery was coming into its own, and the guild had just put themselves on the map in section 6 with what unfolded at the Embrace. The guild buzzed with excitement, and before turning in for the night, the enforcers laid out their plans to finalize their additional business plans with Nabomai tomorrow, within the twisting corridors of Gamut's Alley marketplace. They would be embracing this newfound boon, and there was much planning to do to ensure things stayed on track.

The next morning, before heading out to see the wisened half-elf brewer, several guild members sharing breakfast with the groggy enforcers complained to the group about issues regarding quality and pressure of the water supply. With the massive facility of the Hydro-Cut looming just next to the marketplace, JKS hoped they could seek answers for this issue on the same trip. Emboldended by his success, Zeek also discussed plans for expansion of the brewery, and approaching the Grehl for contract work on Squadquarters modifications to see his vision through. Which much to accomplish, Zeek, Arden, Kal, David and Tingle filtered out of Squadquarters to tackle the day.

Perhaps still feeling the effects of the Eve of Ahtos, section 6 was quiet that morning, and after about twenty minutes of leisurely strolling, they entered the outskirts of Nellulon territory, a spot renown for their descriptive and educational texts. Arden took notice, scanning storefronts for the various and numerous subject-matter he wished to better himself within. Having just recently decided to enroll himself into the College of Bards, this cobblestoned boulevard of knowledge was truly like stumbling upon a hidden treasure. His mind brimming with possibilities, the last consideration Arden would have thought to employ while enjoying a brief bout of window-shopping would have been caution.

The glass exploded into the street all around them, the raining shards of the shop's window accompanied by the throaty screams of the greataxe wielding berzerkers leaping towards them to attack.

"You don't deserve it!" they growled, slashing their crude weapons through the air.

Kal, shoving one to the ground in a display of brute strength, countered with asking what in Ravien they were talking about.

Undeterred, the berserkers screeched something about The Pit fights schedule, and about what Kal assumed was their clan, "The Ravagers", not being selected.

Tingle drew their ire with a well-timed attack, but when the raging man went to counter the blow, he saw a large brick where the gnome was just seconds prior. Confused by Tingle's illusion, he turned his attention elsewhere, failing to land any meaningful blows in his angry disarray.

JKS subdued their attackers quickly thereafter, deciding to corral them and bind them in order to face justice. The berserkers plunder from the nearby Nellulon shops was obvious, standing in stark contrast to their otherwise filthy and dated equipment. Recognizing a good deed, and opportunity for good-will amongst a major guild, JKS collected the stolen goods, returning them to a grateful group of elven and dwarven Nellulon scientists and lore keepers. Their deeds would not be forgotten soon.

The enforcers marched the criminals into the nearby Precinct of Divinity, explaining what occurred to Lt. Frieda, who was their guild's contact for any criminal matters. She thanked the group for their act of public service, and told them to leave the culprits there and consider the matter closed.

Leaving the towering white halls of the Autorus HQ in section 6 behind them, JKS finally made its way to the crowded labyrinth of Gamut's Alley. There they split up, conducting business across the various approved merchants and other sellers. Arden and Zeek made their way directly to Nabomai's brew-shop, to share the results and agree to their final business partnership.

Nabomai was floored with the beer Zeek had created. The results were so impressive, a very fair deal was struck for this batch and future supplier dealings, making this venture an ultimate win. By the time everyone reconvened at the exit, JKS left Gamut's Alley highly successful in the day's endeavors, and moved down the busy streets towards the steaming, smelly facility of the Grehl's sprawling waterworks, the Hydro Cut.

Approaching the heavily regulated entrance to the facility, the group spotted Griggs, the Grehl security guard standing post outside the large gate. Griggs, with his hobgoblin companion Lothar, first met JKS when they initially found their way into Spire Primus through the Underhive after their transport crashed.

As it wasn't often that frightened refugees emerged from the darkness of the underhive below, the group of JKS enforcers was easily recognizable to Griggs, who waved them over to his position.

While greeting them warmly, Griggs maintained his Grehl responsibilities and inquired as to their business. Upon learning of their interest in the water supply issues, he pointed them to Boundfur's office above. The Yeti supervisor was familiar with the group due to their recent inquiries about the outland Goliath, and this small guild who looked to make trouble with enemies of the Grehl earned themselves another audience with Boundfur, who was not normally known for his cooperation.

Filtering into the dimly lit office, JKS maneuvered between the various stacks of crates, parchments and spare parts that littered most of the cramped space, finding the white-haired Yeti hunched over a large and intricate map on his worktable. The hulking form of the Grehl supervisor shifted only slightly as he grunted "what do you want?" without turning around.

The enforcers explained their business, and Boundfur listened, recognizing JKS but not acknowledging them as familiar. As Zeek, David, Kal, and Arden explained their case, Boundfur watched the smaller, more paranoid gnome slowly approach the ancient Underhive map sprawled out on his workbench, almost mesmerized by it's complexity and artisanship.

Eventually Tingle broke his silence, asking if he might be able to make a copy of the map. "So long as you stay out of my way" the Yeti responded.

Tingle set to work almost immediately, as the rest of his guildmates finalized a tentative agreement for potential Grehl workmanship on Squadquarters renovations in return for further information and/or solving the water-supply issue that Boundfur explained. They narrowed down the affected area to a particular artery in their Underhive pipeline. He outlined a few possible routes, and jabbed a thick finger on the map where his experience told him was the most likely cluster of pumps causing the issue.

With a plan in place, Tingle spent the remainder of the evening pouring himself into the cartography of the Underhive, toiling with meticulous accuracy under the flickering candlelight. His guild-mates returned to Squadquarters, setting to work in gathering supplies for the journey into the dangerous and unpredictable Underhive tomorrow morning. The relative risk of this venture was not lost on the group experienced enforcers, but their dedication to the expansion and success of the guild meant the dangers they faced were only hurdles on their climb to bigger things.

By mid-morning the next day, JKS was stepping off the creaking meshed metal of the Grehl lift and into the still, humid air of the Underhive.

While in the relative safety of Grehl patrols near the lift, Tingle unrolled the map, and traced out the two options for routes towards the Northern Artery; a more direct line through rougher territory of crumbling factories, or a longer path around through the more open ground of long-abandoned public parks. The small group decided the cover of the buildings may conceal their advance should they take enough care, and David took scout position as he led his companions towards the forgotten industrial park.

Picking their way through the empty roadways littered with various debris and overgrowth of slimes and fungi, the industrial-section they sought loomed before them with buildings rising all the way to the former section's cracked and leaking ceiling. Soon JKS found themselves walking between the rusting pillars of the largest chemical-facility they had ever seen. They were not alone. The massive structures of the factory and surrounding industrial buildings served as the home of some kind of invasive species, who took issue with the enforcers venturing through their territory. The small, incandescent shrimp-like creatures launched volley after volley of small fibers, which drifted down upon the group from all sides, their microscopic barbs itching and burning on exposed skin.

JKS hastened their pace, Arden swung his cloak violently in the air battling the drifting bombardment away, while grasping one end to use as a mask to protect his lungs. Zeek sent a shock up the side of a building which was littered with the creatures, the wet metals carrying the charge to large groups of the vermin, clearing a path forward. Kal put an exclamation on their escape from the infested territory by roaring out a blast of flame, incinerating the last of the damaging fibers in their path, and a few of the critters with them.

It was their hurried pace that led them away from the threat at their backs, and into the shallow, murky waters before them without much pause. A considerably large sector of the factory district had become submerged in floodwaters from an unknown source, and JKS found themselves wading through cold, filthy waters ranging from chin to chest high, depending on who you asked. Tingle, barely able to breath without angling his head slightly upwards, scrambled up to the top of Kal's backpack. The Dragonborn barely noticed, honing his senses forward, distrustful of the eerily still waters around him. Kal's tense instincts were only hightned as the sole member of the group who could not naturally see in this echoing, dripping, blackness.

David waded through the waters awash with a rusty film which stuck to his beard and clung to his armor. As far as he was concerned a slow approach through this muck would mask his footsteps, and provide an even lower-profile than normal. He was right, as his fellow enforcers barely noticed him drifting away from the primary corridor the group was creeping through at the time. David's interest focused on a door, slightly ajar, that appeared to lead to a room adjacent to their path. Giving a quick glance back through the darkness to check on the positioning of his friends, he saw their nearby shadows dancing off the mold-mottled walls in the light of Kal's torch, and knew he had a moment to satisfy his curiosity.

It was perhaps only a few seconds between the vibrations of David's attempts to force the door, to the soft pressure of a current the gnome felt near his legs, ending in the horrific speed and accuracy of the Sahuagin's jaws lunging from below the water's surface to close around the body of the shocked gnomish trickster. This was how David found himself in his current situation.

Before David's vision faded, he threw his head back letting loose an agonizing scream as the creature's jaws sank deeper into his flesh. Looking upwards, he saw the reflections of the same shadows of his friends on the far wall, now surrounded by smaller shadows rushing towards them. Zeek, Arden, and Kal closed ranks, as a group of frenzied Kuo-Toa, a small fish-like people, savagely struck at them with curved spears in a coordinated ambush. Tingle launched attacks from atop Kal's equipment, in a comically-frightening duo of attacks, as Arden and Zeek fought back to back, finding themselves in a nightmarish frenzy of scaly claws and crude polearms slashing at them from all sides.

When David awoke again, violently shaking back and forth in ragged strokes, there wasn't any pain this time. The water all around him frothed as the shark-like humanoid gave one last wrenching tear with it's powerful neck before releasing it's jaws, leaving the helpless gnome to sink below the surface. The murky water, further clouded by his own blood, quickly obscured what he could see of his friends, as the Sahuagin raced away from him, and towards them. David managed a weak grin, knowing this stupid beast would be racing towards its own death. The moment of mirth let some of the filth he was submerged in slip between his trembling lips. It tasted awful. He didn't care.

The waters around David calmed, as the activity now raged further down the corridors. A feeling of serenity began to fill the rogue as he lay on the hall's floor, lazily staring upwards at the outlines of the gently swirling film of rust on the water's surface. He knew this was the end. He'd miss his friends. He'd regret the jobs he would never pull, Zeek's beers he would never taste, Arden's's songs never heard, and all the other opportunities that would never occur.

All was not lost, he thought to himself, reaching down near his ankle with what little strength he had left. He fumbled in the murk, grasping a small device tethered there and brought it up near his chest, clutching it protectively. As he felt the last of his life slipping away, David pushed the one switch the small black case had inside it. Panic momentarily took hold as nothing happened and he squinted his failing eyes to try to will the device to work. Finally, after several excruciating seconds, a red light blinked once, and David let go.

Somewhere in the Rave another very similar small, black case buzzed quickly, catching its owners attention. Looking at the red light on the side, the owners stare only lingered for a moment, before their pair of red eyes narrowed...

Loot