“And if their intent is a night-time raid

“They shall taste the wrath of my battle axe blade!”

Dok kept repeating this prayer as he devised a plan to confuse and lure the approaching Goblins into an inescapable trap that relied upon the aim and determination of both Hornet and Thor.

As soon as both party members loosed the first round of their airborne attack, the Hill Dwarf Cleric of Helm began shouting repeatedly in Goblinese:

“I Found Treasure! I Found Treasure!

“Help Me! Help Me! Help Me!”

Gripping the handle of his trusty silver-coated battle axe, the Hill Dwarf Cleric focused his attention on the approaching Goblins, counting on their greed and evil nature to compel them to come running in his direction to grab a piece of the treasure pie, while Hornet and Thor continued thinning out their ranks!

Dok was ready to rush headlong into melee battle as soon as any Goblins were near enough to be engaged by both his silver-coated battle axe, plus a Spiritual Weapon spell, as the Hill Dwarf Cleric continued to call out in Goblinese:

“I Found Treasure! I Found Treasure!

“Help Me! Help Me! Help Me!”

“And if their intent is a night-time raid

“They shall taste the wrath of my battle axe blade!”

Dok kept repeating this prayer over and over in his mind as the Goblins haphazardly rounded the bend in an unorganized march three abreast and kicking some kind of ball object. It reminded him of something from his past, but at the moment he did not recall what it was.

All the Hill Dwarf Cleric could think about was how these Goblins were up to no good and that he and his companions had some sort of duty to protect the unsuspecting inhabitants of Botkinburg.

Dok did not want to waste a spell, but he was considering using a Spiritual Weapon if need be, although his grip on his silver-coated battle axe was tightening with every evil sound the Goblins made.

Not wanting to endanger his companions, but also not wanting the Goblins to pass unhindered on their way to Botkinburg where some innocent lives may be lost, the Hill Dwarf Cleric had a decision to make!

Dok wanted to take a Goblin captive to interrogate it regarding the missing twins and he also wanted to remove the dirty dozen so that they would never bother Botkinburg again!

March 10th, Day 4 - Monday, Time is 05:20 PM PST - High-City, Temecula Heights Corporate Compound, Jeanette’s House X00550:35.Y00110:89.Z98310:08, West Night City Integrate.

Jeanette’s lack of exterior hygienic tools was the first clue. She had cyberware, not that this is an unusual thing but Vegas had bet on two things. First, she had been killed because she had something of value and second, that she’d have the means capable of hiding and securing whatever it was that she had of value on her person and in a way that wouldn’t be easily detectable. When no sign of cyberarm or leg compartments was apparent, he moved on to other possibilities eventually triggering a surprise.

As he is searching her face for signs of surgery, his thumb (with a few layers of toilet paper between his fingerprints and any surface he touches) triggers a manual release for an optic aperture compartment that extends her right eyeball a good three inches out of its socket. Raising his eyebrows, Vegas whistles in appreciation. This is some Old Cybe and wouldn’t be something anyone would expect in a young chemist who, according to all other appearances, was into modern tech. 

Finding the release button on the inside portion of the glistening wet synthetic eyeball, he activates the eject option. The aperture complies, spitting out a microdisk from the bottom of the eyeball. Gently separating the disk from its port, the solo holds it up at eye level and scrutinizes it further. He’s just old enough to know what it is. More old technology.

Gingerly rising from his crouch, Vegas steadies himself against the wall, again making certain that the toilet paper is between him and the potential for fingerprints. As he stands there he replays his previous searches through his mind. The microdisk requires a very particular kind of player to read it, so specific that he’s positive no modern technologies can do it. He’s not even sure he can remember what the player is called and nowhere in his recollection does he remember seeing a player in his searches.

Once the Crooner has secured the microdisk in the best possible hiding place on his person, Vegas realizes that the clock is ticking, so the first thing he does is to make sure that the right eyeball of the deceased chemist is properly returned into Jeanette’s socket. Then with toilet paper tissue in hand, the Solo tenderly lays her head back to its former ‘death rest’ to make sure that what he discovered remains a secret, as he sadly sings a song sweet and low to help him remain focused on the task at hand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws2Du5KBqUI

Failing to remember where a microdisk player may have been secreted on the premises, the dapper solo focuses on remembering the culprit who had brutally slain Jeannette. He recalled that the man was missing a glove, so he quickly but efficiently searches for the glove, while also trying to locate the disk player … fully aware that he must ‘get out of Dodge’ as soon as possible!

Using his Combat Sense to detect the missing items, the Charismatic Crooner also expands his search for any ‘hidden rooms’ or perhaps a secluded tunnel that he may use for an escape route. Afterall, the Crooner reasoned that since Jeannette was a chemist, perhaps she had a hidden lab connected to her home that would provide the Dapper Solo with more clues and answers to his present dilemma!

Vegas searches for the best escape route: including maps, photos or blueprints of the community compound, which seems to be nothing more than a fashionable prison compound; checks his weapons and since Jeannette was a ‘pill popper’ the Frank Sinatra look-alike also seeks any pain killers that he could periodically pop without impairing the Dapper Solo’s senses or combat abilities.

Because he has seen many unexpected and grisly deaths over the course of his life, both inside and outside of Edge-running, the Crooner has focused his emotions to rise above the melancholy state of his previous song, in favor of a lighter and happier tune, as he focuses on his best plan of escape, in preparation for a rendezvous with the ‘extraction team’ that Casino had promised would be on their way … if Vegas was able to remain frosty and keep his cool deep within the enemy enclave.

https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkCLiG6dLnA  

I should be cobbling together a post later this evening or tonight

Upon hearing the warning of the War Forge that an unknown party was marching down the Ridge with songs and undetermined purpose, the Hill Dwarf Cleric of Helm the God of Protection made his way out of the confining building to find a place of seclusion on the high ground, where he would have a combat advantage and be able to listen to the language of the approaching party to determine if they were indeed his hated Goblin foes of yore.

As Dok cautiously, but determinedly, made his way to the best location to both spy upon the approaching party and spring an attack if necessary, the Hill Dwarf Cleric softly spoke a fighting prayer to Helm the God of Protection as he found the best position available on such short notice.

“Helm lead me to a place to hide

“While I prepare a Bolt for You to guide

“Plus another spell I ask of You

“Spiritual Weapon to see me through

“To victory against those who draw near

“In case they be evil and spreading fear

“And if their intent is a night-time raid

“They shall taste the wrath of my battle axe blade!”

((OOC: Dok is ready to use either Guiding Bolt or Spiritual Weapon depending upon the situation as it unfolds. He does not want to waste spells unnecessarily. So he stands ready with his silver-coated battle axe to wade into melee action once those in the party who stand ready to unleash bolts & arrows have thinned out the ranks of the approaching party!))

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Brom

Great Post

Dok was glad to finally be heading to the Blacktooth Ridge after another seemingly wasted day of not finding any real clues among the burned-out wagons.

He listened with interest to the conversations at the Bent Hook, but what he really needed was a relaxing bath and time of meditation, which were both provided in his rented room, so that he was well rested for his time of morning prayer to prepare his spells for the day.

The Hill Dwarf Cleric of Helm the God of Protection held his conversation to a minimum during the journey to the Ridge, although he did converse at length a time or two with his new friend Thor.

What occupied his interest was any signs of Goblins or any other traces of disturbances that may have been overlooked by any untrained eye the past few days.

Dok chose to allow the other members of the party to decide where to camp for the night, but the Cleric of Helm chose the best position possible to be forewarned of a Goblin attack, or any other intruders for that matter, along with getting an early rest so that he could stand watch well before dawn, followed by Thor, so that he could prepare his spells for his early morning prayer while Thor was on watch.

He chose to sleep wearing his chain mail armor with his weapons at hand, as he had learned to do as a Priest of Helm many long years ago.

Great Read

Is on Page One of the Q&A

To Be Back 

Vegas was in a tight spot, perhaps tighter than he had ever been in before!

The Crooner had been pumped full of Truther, spilled his guts, along with everyone else that he had been associated with in recent weeks, as well as beaten numerous times and then chained to a wall and locked away to rot at the mercy of men who were paid to be merciless!

Sinatra songs were few and far between the times he lapsed in-and-out of consciousness, but the Crooner managed to hum a few bars from time to time to keep his focus on surviving!

Managing to befriend a sympathetic guard, the Frank Sinatra look-alike gained a seemingly hopeless advantage, being freed from his chains long enough to overpower the unsuspecting guard, while managing to escape his cell without leaving behind a witness to explain his lapse of judgement for freeing the badly beaten prisoner!

Vegas managed to locate all his gear and elude the guards who were searching for the battered escapee, but Vegas was able to extricate himself from the building, in spite of his terrible hurt, only to find himself trapped in a corporate compound with no way out of the trap he found himself in!

He managed to avoid the security squad that was hunting the escaped prisoner, as the Crooner miraculously snuck through back yards and hopped over numerous fences, barely dragging his exhausted body through this impossible situation by sheer will power!

A young woman was having her morning coffee on her back porch when Vegas limped into view. Fortunately for Vegas, she was a compassionate soul who hated her corporate overlords. She was locked into a dead-end position, chained to a contract that her current boss went out of his way to enforce in a most hateful way!

She invited him inside, no questions asked, as she cautiously tended to his wounds, attentive to his needs as she warmed up to his personality over the next couple of hours. Jeanette was a nice, pretty girl, seemingly out of place among most of the other harsh inhabitants of this corporate compound.

Jeanette was a fair judge of character, especially since having been chained to the corporate contract that had her bound, so she assured Vegas that he could crash at her place, get cleaned up and rest a bit in her spare bedroom that served as her home office.

Early Monday morning Vegas woke up to the sounds of a struggle!

Thinking that the Sec Team had finally caught up with him, but still too badly injured to risk a fire-fight, the Crooner cautiously worked his way to the door as quietly as he could manage. It was not a Sec Team, but a lone tough-looking, very well-dressed man who was leaving Jeanette’s bathroom, wearing one glove and the other missing!

Vegas cautiously crept down the hall and out the back door to the patio, but his escape route was blocked by a Sec Team scouring the neighborhood, so he hid until the Sec Team had moved on.

Ready to continue his escape, the Crooner witnessed the man leaving Jeanette’s, getting into a black aerodyne sedan and following the usual corporate compound rules, flying at road level towards what Vegas considers to be the direction of the exit.

Vegas was now concerned about Jeanette, realizing that his body still needed time to recover, so he cautiously made his way back inside her house, where he discovered the dead body of Jeanette, lying on the bathroom floor with her throat slit. He searched the other rooms to discover that her house had been ransacked by her killer!

Realizing that he is essentially stuck in a corporate compound in the house of a woman who has been targeted and killed for some unknown reason, the Crooner found himself something to eat and drink, while he pondered his next move.

Vegas reached out to Starlight who took his direct call. She seemed genuinely pleased that the Crooner was still alive, sharing with Vegas an update of the events that took place after his capture and giving him Charlie’s agent number.

After sending a message to Charlie, all Vegas could do was wait for Casino and Company to contact him. He spent the time alternately resting, making sure his weapons were cleaned and ready for vengeance  while periodically surveying the premises with his Combat Sense for any clues as to why Jeanette had been killed in cold blood?

The moment of truth has arrived. At 04:13 PM PST, Casino sends a text message to the number used by Vegas to reach out to Charlie.

Vegas, this is Casino. I’m going to call you from this number. Are you in a place where you can talk?

A few moments pass before he receives a reply: Yes.

The call is made and the conversation begins with the qualifying questions.

“What’s Irene Frank's best feature?” Casino asks bluntly as soon as the voice on the other end says hello.

“Her legs,” comes the quiet reply.

Casino presses with, “Why did you and her break up?”

“She was transferred to the Africa division of the Dego Grain Coalition,” is the answer.

Casino holds in his excitement and gives his team a nod indicating that it is, in fact, Vegas. “Where are you, buddy?”

“I believe I’m in Temecula Heights,” Vegas replies, tension in his voice. “From what I can tell, it’s a Daltdom corpo community. The kicker is that I think I was being held by a sec team working for this company so I’m not so sure it’s going to be an easy extraction.”

“Who’s agent are you using?” Casino digs a little deeper. “Maybe they can help get you through the gate?”

“I’m afraid not,” Vegas grimly reports. “She’s dead. Not my doing. Looks like she had some dealings that went south. Nice girl too. Took me in knowing I was being hunted and let me rest up. I couldn’t do anything to save her. But, we might be able to exact some justice at the same time as getting paid.

“First, I gotta get out of here.”

“Stay frosty,” Casino replies. “We’ll do a little research and get back with you, ASAP.”

March 10th, Day 4 - Monday, Time is 04:30 PM PST - High-City, Temecula Heights Corporate Compound, Jeanette’s House X00550:35.Y00110:89.Z98310:08, West Night City Integrate.

Weather Conditions: High City (Very Windy, 25 mph winds from the West.) | Midcity (Windy, 13mph winds from the West.) | Undercity (Slight Wind, 5mph gusts from the West.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 0 | Midcity = 35 | Undercity = 65 (masks required)

Light spills in from the hooded windows with a persistent intensity that is arguably out of place considering there’s a dead body of a very nice young lady in the next room. Beaten, injured, stressed, and newly hopeful, Vegas isn’t sitting on his laurels waiting like a damsel in distress to be rescued. 

Since his call with Casino, the solo has been working towards two goals. The first is to see what intel he can add to the operation returning him to the team and his partner. The second is to determine what it is that Jeanette was killed over and seeing if he can use it to persuade the team to exact a little justice. He knows that she wasn’t killed because of him and it isn’t guilt driving him. He simply liked her and she showed him kindness when she just as easily could have turned him in. There are times in life when you do something good for the sake of doing something good and this is one of those. If he can help everyone get paid in the process, and gain their support, well… the more the merrier. 

With the whole house to search and time on his hands (unless, he figures, the hit team has already called in a cleaner), he just has to decide where to begin.

(OOC: March 10th, Day 4 - Monday, Time is 04:40 PM PST - High-City, Temecula Heights Corporate Compound, Jeanette’s House X00550:35.Y00110:89.Z98310:08, West Night City Integrate.)

Vegas decides to further his search for clues as to the cause of Jeanette’s death, by first thoroughly searching the bedroom he had occupied, which also served as Jeanette’s home office. Secondly, the Crooner thoroughly searches Jeanette’s bedroom. Thirdly, he thoroughly searches the bathroom, being extra careful to leave her dead body undisturbed. The kitchen is next and then the rest of the rooms.

(OOC: Vegas is using his Combat Sense as he thoroughly searches the premises!)

As he searches, Vegas softly sings to both himself and the corpse, realizing that time may not be in his favor, especially if a Cleaner is being sent to clean up the mess!

https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg_QoCXBlXk

Guess we need to set a watch for the night. Dok is familiar with Goblins & is also a Hill Dwarf, so he will find a spot that provides cover + an advantage against any surprise attack that might be sprung! Since Dok will have to spend some time in Morning Prayer to Prepare His Spells, it would stand to reason for Dok to get some rest & then stand watch while it is still dark with his Dwarf Vision of seeing in the dark, before he has to spend time in Morning Prayer to Prepare Spells!

a Unique Twist to the Posts!

Location: A Dark Alley

Date: Unknown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6iRNVwslM4

The sounds of a scuffle were muffled by the music blaring forth from the loudspeakers atop the  Hippie Haven … as was the lone gun shot that rang forth from the dark alley!

Dok was grateful for the opportunity to return to the Bent Hook, but he was saddened by the fact that the Malkin Twins had neither been found, nor had they returned to their home.

He did his best to encourage those who were listening in to their conversation, but the Hill Dwarf Cleric sensed a bit of uneasiness in his own heart that any progress seemed to be as a fleeting dream.

Digesting both food and the information provided by Earhardt, the Hill Dwarf Cleric finally excused himself to get a refreshing night’s rest in a rented room, complete with a soaking hot bath before retiring, in an effort to finally relax!

He tossed and turned a bit on the bed, almost because of being too comfortable, after spending countless weeks snatching his rest beneath a wagon on the open road and rough terrain.

But mostly his restlessness was due to a deep desire to penetrate the mysteries of the beckoning Blacktooth Ridge, where the bounty for right-goblin-ears were promised to be found in abundance!

It took the disciplined focus of prayer to his deity for the Dwarf Cleric to finally fall into a deep, restful sleep, where Helm the God of Protection seemed to speak direction into his dreamless state!

((OOC: In the morning Dok will prepare the same Spells that I have submitted to Nomad. He will follow the lead of Soledad and the rest of the Party, but he has a sense of urgency to journey into the maw of the Blacktooth Ridge in search of the Malkin Twins and to hunt Goblins!))

... return to Botkinburg to give a report & regroup & get another night's rest & head to the Ridge in the morning! South to the Ridge by way of Over the Bridge! [Just in Case the Twins show up at Home as a Possibility!]

As long as we have someone who is an Exceptional Tracker the trail into the Barren Woods is Acceptable! 

Locating the Twins would help solidify our credibility standing with the Botkinburg inhabitants!

... is that Nimu will have to Post since Soledad is supposedly the Group Leader!

Location: Hippie Haven, Scyon City

Date: Unknown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEDnnT88A3w

As The Rag Tag Band finished their Second Set of the Night … Myriem noticed a commotion near the office where the night’s receipts were taken to be counted and put in a wall safe … before being taken to the depository at a nearby bank.

Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Preston Smith was waiting for his contact when three ruffians approached him from a nearby alley ,,, demanding to know what he was doing in their part of town?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKLVmBOOqVU

[TIME JUMP]

Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Preston Smith had been left by himself at the New Recording Studio while his associates were elsewhere setting up a gig for The Rag Tag Band.

https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNNPNweSbp8

Dok agrees to accept Thor's offer [off camera so to speak] as I will not be able to Post Again until After Nomad Updates!

My Post for Blacktooth Ridge is up with the question at the end for your character to respond. Not sure if I will have time to carry on with any further conversation before Nomad wants to Update either Saturday or Sunday!

Dok was only able to glean a small bit of information from the Halflings at the Swilling Swan, including Fey in the area; plus, Evil Sorcerers and the Living Dead at that ‘Blacktooth Place’!

If that were the case, the Hill Dwarf Cleric of Helm, the God of Protection, was glad that he had (what seemed to him so long ago) heeded his mentor’s advice to coat his battle axe with silver!

Goblins were the talk by both the sheriff Aaron von Beddering and his militiaman Erhardt, including a bounty of 2 gp for every right ear severed from a goblin that Lord Volkmer would be glad to pay! This was because of the repeated caravan raids. The most recent raid had left most of the merchants dead from a raided caravan that had come down from Ludensheim from the North.

There was also a bounty for the recovery of each of the twins, 50 gp each. Sheriff Aaron von Beddering also noted: “Keep whatever else you find. Volkmer just wants peace in his lands.”

Regarding the missing twins, Aaron and Dmitri, the militiaman Erhardt was convinced that the boys had been abducted by goblins and carried off across the Hruesen River:

“This was a few days ago, I went the next morning out to the field where the lads, Aaron and Dmitri, were supposed to have collected their mother’s cows. The cows were there, but no sign of the boys. Nor was there really and sign of a struggle. They just weren’t there. I walked the perimeter of the field looking for something and found some signs of a group entering and exiting the field. Smaller feet, but not tiny. Booted. Goblins boots, I’d wager, especially since we know there are goblins about. Goblins had been there. They lead back into the woods – away from the community. But they seemed to know what they were doing and clearly didn’t want to be tracked. I’ve spent enough time in the woods in my time. There are times I’d have said I could track a breeze over solid rock. The goblins clearly didn’t want to be followed. The tracks disappeared quickly. Those boys are on the other side of the river by now, although whether there is enough of them left to be aware of the fact is another matter.” The sheriff’s assistant shook his head a bit. “I know it isn’t much to go on, but if you are able to find the lads, their mother would certainly be grateful. As would the whole town, actually.” He smiled as Dok rose to leave. “And we all need to know what is going on over the river. I’d be much obliged if you’d let me know whatever you find over there.” 

“I will inform you of our findings when we return from the Blacktooth Ridge!”

Dok was more than a bit troubled by the news of the Molkin twins, Aaron and Dmitri, vowing to find them and exacting a swift and just punishment upon their captors!

[TIME JUMP]

Dok had just settled himself under a wagon to take his rest when a familiar voice called out:

'So sorry to disturb you,' Thäoran apologised in case Dok was awake. 'I wonder if I may join you?'

It was Thaoran, but Dok chose to address his name as Thor, because it was easier to pronounce his name as Thor … with Dok’s obviously heavy Dwarven accent.

“Friend Thor!”

Dok invited his new friend to sit down, so the Dwarf Healer could share the information that he had gleaned from the Halflings, Sheriff Aaron von Beddering and Erhardt.

Then the Cleric of Helm spent some time telling Thor about his background: being orphaned at the age of 10 some 50 years ago. His parents were Priests of Light and their Temple of Light was razed by a Goblin War Lord, but Dok was spared by Helm the God of Protection, at least that is what he was told by the Old Priest of Helm who found the Dwarf Child buried beneath the rubble of the Temple of Light.

The Old Priest was also named Dok, or so he said, which comforted the younger Dok. He was raised by this Old Priest of Helm, who also told him that if he ever had the opportunity to become friends with an Elf … that he was to do so without question … because Dok would outlive any Human friends … but Elves were known to outlive Dwarves! Plus … an Elf could be trusted in battle … sometimes more than Dwarves … so Dok recognized that Helm had guided the young Cleric to cross paths with Thor, for some unknown reason!

“I joined the caravan because I heard an audible voice speak to me one word … ‘Botkinburg!’ … so I knew that Helm the God of Protection was directing me here for some as yet unknown purpose!”

Dok paused long enough to reflect upon the wisdom of his deceased mentor, before looking intently into the eyes of Thor … before emphatically asking:

“So … My New Friend … What Is It ... That Is Troubling You?”

((OOC: In the morning Dok will prepare the Spells that I have submitted to Nomad. He will also locate his other adventuring companions to share with them what he has learned from the Halflings, Sheriff Aaron von Beddering and Erhardt. If he has time he will take a bath, but he has a sense of urgency to journey into the maw of the Blacktooth Ridge in search of the Malkin Twins and to hunt Goblins!))

Dok will be sharing with Thor about his background & call by audible voice that said: 'Botkinburg!"