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[Evil] Raiding the Tomb of the Loa


Mel Grimson

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12:00 AM, Ashford

The suburb of Ashford had undergone many changes since the long-term development and expansion of the Royal Arcology. Villas and castle-like houses were long gone, the ground-down remnants of the decades past, simply trod underfoot. Furthermore, despite being much closer to London than many areas covered by the expanded city, somehow the economic benefits of being closer passed over the neighborhood. It became a poor place, though not too crime-ridden, so it was quiet enough in recent days.

But it was also racially very African, as many of the gentrified folk to obtain a better setup elsewhere in the vastness of London's expanse were white. Racism did still exist in these supposedly 'tolerant' years. If there was anything that seemed to liven the concrete and brick fixtures of urban ghetto, it was religion. For the population, churches, mosques and temples were the community centers and often it seemed, the refuges of the local population.

Tough luck for them... Bloodmoney thought as he creeped through the shadows and on top of high apartment buildings in the direction of his intended target, a store selling items for the practice of Vodou beliefs on- interestingly enough- Church Road. Although to be fair, he didn't intend to do anything to the place other than get inside. It was what was underneath the building that drew him here.

Prior to his untimely death, the leading priest of the local temple and owner of the store was Obediah Njeko. An elderly, beloved houngan by all accounts. Except those sources that Bloodmoney possessed, sparse as they were about the man and his magical practice, which had established him without a doubt as the super-villain Saturday's Son. A genuine practitioner of Hoodoo, the old man was dead... but his hidden lair remained unknown and untouched under the store. A good source of more magical texts and possible artifacts for the taking.

Bloodmoney had chosen this time since most would be asleep, though a swift response would still be occurring if he screwed up. Fortunately, he had just made it. With enhanced muscles pumping, he jumped the gap from a taller apartment building onto the shop roof, and crouched down. Reasserting caution, he crawled down to the edge of the back side of the shop and glanced down into the alleyway.

Perfect. A window was part-way open, which made sense when you considered the cost of proper ventilation. One needs air, and the semi-sacred status of the building discouraged local thieves. That and whatever defenses Saturday's Son got down their besides mindless goons he made of people.

Unfortunately, the window was open enough for Bloodmoney to contort his way in, following his climbing down the masonry to the ground. Once he was in, he took a few moments to settle down and check the surroundings.

Click to reveal..

Taking 10 on a Notice check, for a total of: 10+12= 22.

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The interior was dark. The place smelled strange and grungy, like something plant-based was dry-rotting in the darkness. There was a soft glow coming from a blinking laptop power button, but the rest was gloom and shadows.

It took a bit of feeling around - with Bloodmoney putting his fingers in things he wasn't sure he wanted to be touching - but he found the trapdoor that led to the basement. Time to find out if his info was good.

He dropped into the hole and paused. There was no light down here, save the secondary gloom barely penetrating the area above his head. Now the place smell damp and dank, though that musty, dried smell was worse here.

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Well... fuck. Shoulda brought a flashlight. Bloodmoney mentally kicked himself for making that error of judgement, then centered himself and focused out ahead intently into the darkness. He exhaled slowly, working himself into a combat-ready stance should the defenses be up at any spot, and slowly drew the Blood Sword, unsheathing the jian-like weapon with veteran's care. Another hand picked out a Bloodlight grenade, and instinctively tested the weight of the custom flash grenade as the right distance would be crucial in getting the right view, if only for a few seconds.

With caution, he advanced a few steps forward, and at the fourth step tossed ahead the Bloodlight grenade. Similarly, he focused his eyes to get a view of what would be briefly illuminated, behind the protection of the mask and its eye-hole lenses.

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Bloodmoney got a ten-second flash of the basement: boxes and crap piled high wooden pallets to keep them off a damp concrete floor. He wasn't sure what was in here, but he was sure that none of it was what he sought. It appeared to be merchandise, from the quick glimpse that he got.

He also hadn't spotted the way to the next level down.

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If I keep fumbling around in the dark and still don't find anything... it's quitting time. Bloodmoney sheathed his trademark weapon and went back to carefully groping about with gloved hands in the dark... as best one could without true super-senses. But he was willing to be slow and take his time, after all, he did have several hours of time. More than enough to search and depart if his information proved a waste, irritation as it would be.

Click to reveal..

Search +9 Roll:

I have some time, so I'll spend an hour to take 20 on the Search check.

20+9= 29

I suspect this won't be enough though.

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Remembering the laptop above in the main store, Bloodmoney made his way back up into the shop and after some movement in the dark, plucked out the laptop from its location and turned in on, using the portable computer awkwardly to illuminate his path.

After dropping back down the trapdoor while keeping a safe hold on the device, he went back to his searching, as best he could. The difficult use of the tool was going to hinder him though.

Click to reveal..
Search roll

1d20+9=14

Spending VP for re-roll:

1d20+9=13

Adding 10 for the re-reroll = 4 + 9 + 10 = 23

Villain Points Left: 0

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With the light, searching was not so hard this time. Bloodmoney quickly noticed a piece of paneling - though snug with the wall - that was not like the others. On closer inspection, he could tell that the panel was newer than the others, even in the weak blueish light of the laptop.

Pulling it down, the mercenary revealed a tunnel in the dirt behind the wall. It was only about four feet tall; annoying for the dead owner, who'd been a fairly small man and backbreaking for anyone over six feet. The dank smell grew worse.

Grimacing even as he considered the prizes waiting for him, Bloodmoney entered the tunnel following it by the laptop's dim light. It was cut from the dirt and sloped downward at a decent angle. The tunnel turned to the left suddenly; the mercenary figured he was back under the store. After two more sharp lefts, he knew it was keeping roughly under the store, exactly what his research had told him.

The thump of his boots on the dirt gave way to an echo; he was now in a massive room. The dim light of the laptop couldn't reach the edges or even the ceiling. Somewhere, he could hear water dripping, a dreary monotone of sound.

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Bloodmoney ignored the smells, there were worse odors in the world that he had dealt with, and this one hardly registered. Pausing in the midst of his progression through the houngan's hideaway, he extended the laptop screen as far back as possible, before shifting his grip so that he could hold the laptop before him easier with one hand.

His free left hand plucked out the Bloodshot pistol, providing a simple line of defense if he was attacked by remaining minions of Saturday's Son. Moving about with the laptop to illuminate what was before him, Bloodmoney began an exploration of the chamber.

Click to reveal..

Notice Roll

1d20+12=14

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As he progressed, Bloodmoney noted two things. First, there were mounds of earth, roughly six by three feet, evenly spaced throughout the room. There were rows between them, and the merc was reminded of raised bed gardens. The smell of mustiness was even worse and the rising aroma of rot was also noticeable. Not sure what the mounds were, he moved the laptop closer. Tiny mushrooms, the same dark brown as the soil they grew in, peppered the mounds of earth. Bloodmoney had never seen anything like them before.

The second thing he noted was flickering lights, deeper in the room. They were dancing red and purple dots, reminding him of bizarre fireflies. In fact, they moved with that randomness. He couldn't see what they were hovering over; their light wasn't bright enough to do more than alert him to their presence.

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Bloodmoney spent half a minute or so assessing the potential uses of the mushrooms before deciding to come by a possible second night for the mushrooms. He had a bit of knowledge with explosives, as well as drugs and poisons, but mushroom cultivation was something he hadn't done before. No doubt these little fungi had some sort of use to them, but he needed time and research before plucking out any of these.

At that point, he adjusted his gaze to the flickering lights, and smiled a tad. Something better now? Or something worse? The smile disappeared and Bloodmoney started a methodical progression towards the dotted lights.

Click to reveal..

If you need it, Notice roll:

1d20+12=14

(I do not jest, the law of averages has chosen to take a day off.)

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Bloodmoney headed for the lights, which continued to dart about and move in lazy circles, rising and falling at whim. It was almost pretty, had he been capable of such matters.

He got close enough to see that the lights were like little fireflies; some creature that darted and flew. He also became aware of an irritating hum, something that registered at the lower levels of his hearing. It was like a gnat was charging his ear, only it never changed or went away. He couldn't see any details on the creature; only that it was a ball of light about the size of a quarter.

Nothing else stirred or caught his eyes; the only thing he could see were the swirling dots of light, standing between him and the far end of this massive room.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bloodmoney paused for a long moment, and exhaled. Flitting little things, and yet, he couldn't immediately see any point to them, nor the use in collecting them. With an aggrieved groan, he decided to return to the mounds of mushrooms, and spent the time to pluck out a few dozen of the tiny fungi and store them in a pocket on the inside of his coat so he wouldn't go back empty-handed, if no more good luck came his way.

Then, he scooped up his laptop/makeshift light source and went for the farthest ends of the room, trying to observe all that there was in this damn place.

Click to reveal.. (OOC)

Search roll if applicable:

1d20+9=20

Finally, something satisfactory.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Before Bloodmoney got far, there was a high-pitched shriek. He froze, trying to ascertain the course of the noise, only to see the sparckles of light flying toward him with purpose. As they got closer, he saw that each light wasn't a bug, but a tiny, winged person - and they all looked enraged.

Click to reveal..
Init, please.
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Bloodmoney stood his ground as the number of glowing creatures surrounded him. They buzzed and whirled, but didn't seem willing to get close enough to attack - yet.

Click to reveal..
They got a 17 as well; they have a higher base plus and go first.

They missed on the attack.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The bugs darted around the tip of his sword, evading his wicked edge cleanly. He had just enough time to see their evil little grins before they darted in again, their sharp teeth gleaming in the light of the dropped computer. This time they swarmed with a vengeance, crawling over him and covering him with tiny vicious stings.

Click to reveal..
They rolled a Crit - poor Mel.

Damage DC is 30 with the Crit bonus.

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For all the vicious attacks they launched, Bloodmoney was made of impressively stern stuff and drove them back with only minor injuries, before hacking and slashing again.

Click to reveal..

Toughness Roll:

1d20+10=29

Not so poor, eh? Whatever the minimum result is, you didn't say if it was non-lethal or lethal.

Attack roll:

1d20+10=20

If hit: Damage DC 20 (Penetrating 3)

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Again the little 'glowbugs' rolled around the deadly part of his blade; Bloodmoney could almost feel his sword's anger at this turn of events. Again they swarmed him, but this time there was no pain. Instead, they were ripping at his clothing, it seemed.

Click to reveal..
Defensive Roll out of the way of damage.

Their attack didn't land but they are tearing at his clothing.

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This time, the entire cloud of bugs evaded him. Bloodmoney snarled angrily, a sound which was echoed back to him at three octaves higher and in surround sound.

Then the tenor of their cries changed into a high-pitched cry of excitement. He heard cloth ripping and glanced down; his pocket was gaping and the mushrooms were tumbling out. The creatures swarmed the falling 'shrooms and caught them. In a buzz of wings, the cloud broke away from him, leaving him alone.

Click to reveal..
Combat is over, unless Mel wishes to chase them down. Or tries to take more mushrooms. wink
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Bloodmoney looked on in astonishment, and then sighed. It seemed as if these things were simple creatures meant to protect the mushrooms from being taken by intruders. Which meant they had value, but if they were the only things around... fuck. Well, he could check to see if there was anything around that was else-wise worthwhile.

He picked up the laptop and cautiously began searching again.

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He soon left the mounds of dirt and mushrooms behind. The faeries had left him alone since he'd left them and their 'shrooms alone. The screen flickered a few times and Bloodmoney stopped to look at it. The drop hadn't done the machine any good and the merc was faced with the real possibility that he'd be down here in the dark soon.

Going back wasn't an opinion for him; at least in this cavern he had light. That was when he realized there was a subtle light in this part of the room. The light was coming from the ground, a ghastly purple color that didn't reassure.

And directly ahead was a door. It was big and ostentatious, carved of wood. Sinister figures were etched in relief in the door: scenes of death and sacrifice were the theme on these images. The doors were closed with a simple latch-lift. It looked like you could just walk right on in.

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Bloodmoney gritted his teeth. "There'd better be something worthwile in here." Then he advanced on the door and reached out at the latch-lift to open it. Then common sense intervened and he pulled back, taking several steps back. He drew the Bloodshot pistol and opened up on the door's latch lock and hinges. His first shots went wide, but his eyes adjusted to the dim light and then he was clearly on target.

Click to reveal..

Attack roll:

1d20+10=18

Miss. Trying again:

1d20+10=28

Damage DC 20

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There was silence in the echoes from this firearm faded. The door shivered then collapsed into a number of pieces. Bloodmoney grinned-

And was knocked on his ass as the explosion went off. He'd been far enough back that it hadn't hurt when it had blown up in his face.

Hopping to his feet, he crept forward, wary and alert. It wouldn't do to let his guard down now.

Click to reveal..
Spot check, DC 30
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