12.07.2006
H2: Rats And Razors
Please read the wrapup post below this one to see how H1 ended.
...
It's a bittersweet life.
You later come to understand that, by odd coincidence, you were loaded onto the Slave Ship Galileo, the very one that rescued you from the GMI. The Galileo's final destination, and your current home, is the Slave City of Twilos.
Twilos. The City of Beggars. The City of the Damned. A vile hive of evil.
It was a two week voyage, which you spent mostly unconscious thanks to Slaver drugs. You remember the heat and horrible, filthy quarters on the ship, and try to forget. You remember landfall, sweet mercy, and re-entering the heat and light of the burning sun. You remember seeing the fortress above Twilos, and being led through it.
You remember that fairly well, as you were coming off the drugs, and it's famililar in design- it's a ruined temple of Plutus, complete with four glass panes, now broken and defaced.
But Twilos is an underground city. It's a series of caverns, consisting of a madhouse, a deep set of mines, but it's mostly a city like any other- except it's ruled by force and organized crime. It's lit by continual light lamps in most places, by phosphorescent mosses in other places, and just dark gloom in some rather unmentionable places.
Twilos is a giant underground ghetto, filled with drug lords, thieves, murderers, and scum of all kind. Some of these are raised to be slaves, and exported out into the larger world. Others are born and killed in Twilos and never see the light of day. Twilos supposedly contains the richest and the poorest of people in the Island Kingdoms. Fat corrupt guardsmen patrol rarely and irregularly, in packs of a dozen, weapons out. Laughing and gambling with the thieves of Twilos Slave City. Cigarettes, flesh, and steel weapons are the currency here.
The guardsmen live in the fortress above, and have a working relationship with organized crime below, or so you've heard. Now you'll get to experience it firsthand.
Your immediate needs are many: food and shelter, some rest, maybe some weapons, certainly to get a damn spellbook back. Your longer-term need is one: to escape this hellhole.
Welcome to H2: Rats and Razors. Good luck adventurers, you'll need it.
...
The guards take a group of you- you're in a larger group of new arrivals that number about ten- take you down to a small set of caverns that seem like a dirty alley. You try to shake off the drugs and stare down some ruffians walking by and gawking at the newbs.
When things come into focus, you notice that you're outside a commercial district. Right across from you is a bar, called 'Rats and Razors'. The smell of sewage is strong here.
Strangely, then, you see a couple familiar faces. Theodore, you see a sniveling gnome selling 'Cronkite Cones' in a push cart!
You also see that pirate guy you beat up in the beginning of the last adventure- Frank Burton. Looks like he's one of the new arrivals too, but he's already up, and borrowed a smoke from a guy across the street. He looks back at the lot of you and furrows his brow- does he recognize you?
As Frank walks back over, someone calls out to him: "Well if it ain't old Frank Burton. Couldn't stay away, couldja Burton? You know I'm gonna kick your fucking ass."
Frank blows him a kiss, saying: "I love you too Rogg. Piss off."
Frank comes over to you guys, still with a puzzled look on his face. He's smiling though, as he lights his cigarette and says: "Hey, don't I know you guys from somewhere? Huh."
"You... hmm. You guys owe me some money or something?" Big shit-eating grin on his face. Puff.
...
Twilos is considered both a dungeon and a city. Think of the 'Slums' campaign I ran long ago and you're there. Since it's a city, feel free to train.
Az, you can train to 2nd Cleric.
Dag, you can train to 2nd Cleric.
KT, you can train to 2nd Druid, and you're about 150 xp from 3rd I think.
Thaka, you can train to 2nd Cavelier.
Theo, you can train to 2nd Thief.
Thren, well, you're really close to training in Fighter.
Also, please see Table Talk.
...
It's a bittersweet life.
You later come to understand that, by odd coincidence, you were loaded onto the Slave Ship Galileo, the very one that rescued you from the GMI. The Galileo's final destination, and your current home, is the Slave City of Twilos.
Twilos. The City of Beggars. The City of the Damned. A vile hive of evil.
It was a two week voyage, which you spent mostly unconscious thanks to Slaver drugs. You remember the heat and horrible, filthy quarters on the ship, and try to forget. You remember landfall, sweet mercy, and re-entering the heat and light of the burning sun. You remember seeing the fortress above Twilos, and being led through it.
You remember that fairly well, as you were coming off the drugs, and it's famililar in design- it's a ruined temple of Plutus, complete with four glass panes, now broken and defaced.
But Twilos is an underground city. It's a series of caverns, consisting of a madhouse, a deep set of mines, but it's mostly a city like any other- except it's ruled by force and organized crime. It's lit by continual light lamps in most places, by phosphorescent mosses in other places, and just dark gloom in some rather unmentionable places.
Twilos is a giant underground ghetto, filled with drug lords, thieves, murderers, and scum of all kind. Some of these are raised to be slaves, and exported out into the larger world. Others are born and killed in Twilos and never see the light of day. Twilos supposedly contains the richest and the poorest of people in the Island Kingdoms. Fat corrupt guardsmen patrol rarely and irregularly, in packs of a dozen, weapons out. Laughing and gambling with the thieves of Twilos Slave City. Cigarettes, flesh, and steel weapons are the currency here.
The guardsmen live in the fortress above, and have a working relationship with organized crime below, or so you've heard. Now you'll get to experience it firsthand.
Your immediate needs are many: food and shelter, some rest, maybe some weapons, certainly to get a damn spellbook back. Your longer-term need is one: to escape this hellhole.
Welcome to H2: Rats and Razors. Good luck adventurers, you'll need it.
...
The guards take a group of you- you're in a larger group of new arrivals that number about ten- take you down to a small set of caverns that seem like a dirty alley. You try to shake off the drugs and stare down some ruffians walking by and gawking at the newbs.
When things come into focus, you notice that you're outside a commercial district. Right across from you is a bar, called 'Rats and Razors'. The smell of sewage is strong here.
Strangely, then, you see a couple familiar faces. Theodore, you see a sniveling gnome selling 'Cronkite Cones' in a push cart!
You also see that pirate guy you beat up in the beginning of the last adventure- Frank Burton. Looks like he's one of the new arrivals too, but he's already up, and borrowed a smoke from a guy across the street. He looks back at the lot of you and furrows his brow- does he recognize you?
As Frank walks back over, someone calls out to him: "Well if it ain't old Frank Burton. Couldn't stay away, couldja Burton? You know I'm gonna kick your fucking ass."
Frank blows him a kiss, saying: "I love you too Rogg. Piss off."
Frank comes over to you guys, still with a puzzled look on his face. He's smiling though, as he lights his cigarette and says: "Hey, don't I know you guys from somewhere? Huh."
"You... hmm. You guys owe me some money or something?" Big shit-eating grin on his face. Puff.
...
Twilos is considered both a dungeon and a city. Think of the 'Slums' campaign I ran long ago and you're there. Since it's a city, feel free to train.
Az, you can train to 2nd Cleric.
Dag, you can train to 2nd Cleric.
KT, you can train to 2nd Druid, and you're about 150 xp from 3rd I think.
Thaka, you can train to 2nd Cavelier.
Theo, you can train to 2nd Thief.
Thren, well, you're really close to training in Fighter.
Also, please see Table Talk.
