Clockstoppers

Lossal, Tarlanor, 21st May 1655

DM Note: The events of this account take place on the 8th and 9th May 1655 and so overlap the previous log. This to cater for a mini-team of just Eloy and Lynien for this week's session!

Eloy, having let Lynien in on the details of his real Guild membership, studied the list of propective targets he'd acquired from his contact. Both their attentions were drawn to the entry at the bottom - Shade the dwarf. There seemed an awful lot of money on offer for one man without (as far as they could tell) any guards or security.

After some thought, the pair decided to reconnoitre first, with Eloy posing as someone wishing to purchase a clock. Naturally, they didn't want to be recognizable, and so each assumed a disguise. Lyinien changed into a low-cut short dress - on the grounds that this would prevent people remembering her face - and Eloy topped his disguise off with a Change Self spell.

Then they set forth. Money street was the main road between the square dominated by the palace and the commercial district. The immense grey slab of the Guild Venter banking house dominated it, but other businesses connected with money, finance, and similar functions lined its' length. A small side-road led off to some slightly less well-heeled shops, and it was down here that they found Shade's Clocks.

Shade's building was roughly rectangular, with an octaganal tower at each end. The one on the left was plain enough, but the one on the right had huge glass windows in five of its' walls. Through these could be seen shelves of clocks, of all shapes and sizes. Lynien, seeing no sign of the heavy wooden shutters that large windows were normally fitted with, looked more closely and realized that these windows had some kind of sliding metal shutter instead. Dwarven ingenuity!

The door opened with a bing from a small bell mounted above it, and the proprietor turned to greet them. Around them was a constant sussurus of ticking; low-pitched, high-pitched, slow, fast. Eloy's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Shade; the dwarf appeared to be quite young for his kind. The human spoke to him politely in his own language. "Good day, Master Craftsman. Do you have a suitable clock for travelling?"

While they spoke, Lynien was wandering around, ostensibly looking at the clocks, but actually checking the security arrangements. She noted each clock was secured by a subtle and slender cable, that the door they'd come in by was heavier than it really should be, and that a burly thug was leaning on the counter watching his master in a bored fashion.

The dwarf grinned. "I do indeed," he said, "I make a small, portable timepiece for ship captains and navigators and such-like. Here it is!" He pointed to a strong-looking wooden box on one of the shelves. It was about a foot on each side, with brass-bound hinges and corners. When Eloy lifted it, it was surprisingly heavy, and he noticed that the clockface mounted horizontally inside did not shift as he lifted and moved it. He complimented the dwarf on the craftsmanship, though both knew he was speaking from almost complete ignorance. Like most people in Alair, he'd never even seen a mechanical clock before."How much is this?" asked the human. "Seven thousand," replied the dwarf without turning a hair.

"Do you make a smaller one?" asked Eloy, "suitable for transport on horseback?" The dwarf shook his head. "This is the smallest I make," he replied. "How much for one... say, half the size?" asked Eloy. The dwarf turned abruptly and paced away, thinking. "Half the size?" he said at last. "Tricky. Tough. Expensive. Ten thousand, and a month to make it. Five thousand up front; the materials alone will cost that."

"I'll pay a thousand a week for five weeks as you work," suggested Eloy. "May I look over your workshop?" As he said it, he realized he'd pushed his reconnaissance too far. Only asking to actually use a dwarf's personal forge tools would have been a bigger breach of khâzad ettiquette. "I'm sorry," said Shade flatly. "That will not be possible. Unless you were to bind yourself to me for ten years as my apprentice." Eloy chuckled. "Ten years is too much out of my life to spend learning anything," he said. "I'm human, you know." Shade eyed him. "I could make you a master in ten years," he said.

The Killers- click it for larger image!

Meanwhile Lynien had been cataloguing the details of Shade and his premises. He was well-dressed, and unarmoured apart from a leather jacket. A ring on each finger, presumably magical. Morningstar and shield propped in the corner behind the counter. The guard was oblivious to her interest, to her slight pique given the outfit. Was he gay or something?

"My apologies for not introducing myself earlier," said Eloy suddenly. "My name is Morazesh". Shade bowed slightly, "Shade, at your service and your family's," he responded politely. Eloy bowed in return. "Well, Mr Shade, what time-" The dwarf interrupted him. "Just Shade," he said firmly. "Oh, very well," said Eloy, internally pleased that his belated double-check had proved that this was in fact Shade the dwarf he was talking to and not some third cousin. "What time do you open tomorrow, Shade?"

"Dawn til dusk," answered the dwarf. "Good!" replied Eloy. "I'l return tomorrow morning with the first thousand, and you can get started." Shade grinned. "I shall relish the challenge," he said. Eloy glanced at Lynien. "Come, dear," he said in a tone so familiar and patronizing that Lynien very nearly went for a blade before realizing it was their cover, and following him out of the shop.

Once safely away, they discussed the options for their strike. First thing in the morning seemed the best bet, and it seemed a good idea to put the guard out of action before he reached work. They drew up some plans, and then Eloy went off to prepare some equipment - including some of the frog poison he'd acquired in the Trakar - ready for the next day.

Lynien lurked around until the guard set out for home, and then shadowed him on his way. The man stopped off at a tiny hovel only long enough to sling his heavier weapons inside before heading to a nearby ale-house to ease the sweat of a day's unimpressive guarding. Lynien slipped away, satisfied. No sign of a woman's touch there; he lived alone by the look of it, which was good.

Lossal, Tarlanor, 22nd May 1655

Half an hour before dawn, Lynien slipped around the corner and approached the guard's hovel. The door turned out to be locked, but the tiefling laughed silently to herself at the simple mechanism, and went through it almost without breaking stride.

Inside, the loud snoring guided her unerringly to her target. Silently, she drew out one of the tiny bolts made by the Fae Mhor for their hand crossbows, and drove it almost gently into one of her victim's veins. The man snorted once, and then sank back into a deeper sleep than ever, one she knew would last for hours. Chuckling to herself, she slipped back out of the hovel, locking the door behind her as she went.

Eloy stepped boldly around the corner and approached the shop of Shade the dwarf. He was disguised once again as Morazesh, and had prepared his sword Bereloth with a liberal dose of the lizardman frog poison. Everything seemed to have been covered, and his confidence was high. As he approached the door, it opened, and Shade emerged. "Oh, hello," he said with a smile. "You are early. Just a moment, if you please, while I finish this." Eloy stood and watched as he unfastened the shutters and slid them open, then followed him inside.

As Shade walked across the shop towards his counter, Eloy reached out along his connection with Sabath and pushed himself out of existence. Once again, all of creation suddenly forgot that Eloy Brackensen had ever existed.

Shade the dwarf stopped in his tracks, changed direction, and headed towards the counter instead of the door to the back of his shop. Across town, Lynien slowed her pace. She was going to Shade's clockmaker business... but why? A memory of shiny gold timepieces studded with jewels popped up. Ah, yes, to rob it. In the daytime? There had to be a reason for that, but she couldn't quite see that one....

Critical Hit, two-handed, and sneak attack, plus frog poison,, in the head. Ouch!

In the shop, enfolded in nullity, Eloy drew Bereloth, reversed it and drove it into the back of Shade's head. The sword sheared straight through to emerge dripping and ghastly between the dwarf's eyes, and the only clockmaker in Lossal dropped dead on the spot. Eloy dragged the sword free as the nullity wore off and cleaned the blade before sheathing it. Elated at the success of his first assassination, Eloy stooped over the body and began to rifle it. At that moment, the door opened and Lynien stepped inside.

To her horror, she saw a misty, translucent shape, vaguely human in form, leaning over Eloy's kneeling figure, poised to touch him with an outstretched arm. She yelled a warning, and Eloy pivoted, his eyes widening as he saw the danger. In a moment of inspiriation, he reached into his quiver and pulled out one of the Arrows of Belurith. Lashing out, he stabbed the slender silver dart - the only weapon either possessed that could possibly hurt the incorporeal undead - into the vaprous creature leaning over him. In eerie soundlessness, it arched its back in pain and reeled backwards, evidently hurt, as the arrow dissolved into dust. Snatching another dart, Eloy lunged after it, stabbing again. The shadow dissolved into nothingness, leaving Eloy gasping at his narrow escape.

Hastily, they stripped the body, using Bereloth to collect the magical items though they couldn't identify them. The also briefly broke through into the back rooms, locating a strongroom and rifling it. But the sensation of overstaying the scene of the strike was steadily growing on Eloy, and rejecting the idea of plundering the rest of the house, he persuaded Lynien to leave. Taking the loot, the tiefling girl donned her ring and slipped invisibly away, while Eloy walked calmly out, still in his Morazesh persona.

Item	Notes	Taken By
Leather Jacket
Heavy steel shield
Morning Star
Rings x2
Oils x2
Potion
Pocket change	16 pp, 9 gp, 12 sp, 3 cp
Strongroom	6,523gp