The Skinsaw Murders

Sasha and Xer descended the wooden stairs and entered the under mill. Inside, it was dark. Xer’s keen elven eyes picked out the details o the room. The floor was taken up by four large water wheels. The sound of their turning drowned out all other noise. Light spilled from a staircase on the far side leading up to the rest of the mill. The place was otherwise empty.

Yola and Li Kao entered the main floor of the mill. Yola strode into the mill brazenly, surprising the two mill workers lounging about inside. Both jumped to their feet quickly. “Lady,” one of them said. “You shouldn’t be here. Its not safe.” He gestured to the stacks of cut lumber, saw blades, hooks and pulleys all over the room as his companion moved to his left.

Li Kao came in behind Yola and saw the two mill workers, concerned smiles on their faces, moving to the left and right of Yola. Deep baritone chanting could be faintly from above. He saw the tension in the mill workers eyes despite their smiles. Yola saw it too and Li watched her drop into a fighting stance, centring her weight.

“Now gentlemen, lets all keep cool heads here…” Just then a man started to scream in pain from upstairs. The two mill workers nodded to each other and launched themselves at Yola. War razors kept concealed in their sleeves snapped open and flashed in the torchlight. Li Kao had time to mutter an “oh dear” and take a step back before Yola’s own blade snaked out, and the next moments were a blur of steel and blood.

When Sasha and Xer climbed the stairs to the main floor they saw Yola standing, weapon in hand, in the centre of the room. A dead man lay to either side of her. She answered Sasha’s questioning gaze with a shrug, then bounded upstairs towards the screams from above.

Up to the second floor, with log splitters and spin saws. Up again to the third floor, empty save for stacked planks and tools. Further still to the fourth floor, where over a dozen pairs of eyes turn to stare at Yola and the others as they reach the top floor of the mill. The companions had clearly stumbled upon some sort of cult ritual. The mill workers here were all clad in bright red and orange robes, and they watched the intruders through mad, goggle eyed leather masks. Dressed in matching robes and standing at the far end of the room was Ironbriar. His face was covered with a mask that was a spiral of stitched leather but his mane of black hair easily identified him as Magnimar’s sternest Justice. Before him, bound to a bloodstained bench, lay the source of the screaming. Malvick had been stripped to the waist, and on his chest had been carved the beginnings of a seven pointed star.

Ironbriar’s voice boomed across the room. “Behold brethren, tonight we do not have to hunt the streets for sacrifices, for Father Skinsaw has led his sacrifices to us! Take them!” A dozen war razors snapped open, and a dozen mad-eyed masked men marched on the four companions in the name of the god of murder.

***

There are twelve angry men between the party and Ironbriar and Malvick. Ironbriar is stepping in front of the table Malvick is tied to- it doesn’t appear he intends to finish Malvick off immediately ( there is a ritual to complete after all). Malvick still has 8 pts of non lethal damage from the beating he took in the clock tower, and 3 HP of damage from Ironbriar’s interrupted work on his chest.

With 18 people and a dog on the scene, things are quite crowded. Characters with the acrobatics skill like Sasha and Xer can attempt to move through enemy occupied squares. Otherwise you have to move around them. Remember that moving more than one square through an area threatened by an enemy provokes a free attack from them.

Initiative Order: Xer and Sasha act first, followed by Ironbriar, then Yola, Malvick and Ariva, then the cultists, then Li Kao.