[WFRP 2e] Mordrin-Final Interlude

The Black Ark

My PC
Mordrin Skorkinson, Giant Slayer.

My companions:
Udrin Sor-Valdir - High Elf Wizard
Gustav Jaeger - Human Priest of Verena

Ludovic Hasselhoff - Human Entertainer
Ehrwig Hofstetter - Imperial Knight of Sigmar

From Mordrin's point of view:

(Previous updates)

Mordrin stepped through the portal into a laboratory of some kind. There were jars and paperwork all around. He scanned the room for any more explosives and, finding none, set his sights on a set of spiral stairs going down. At Udrin's suggesting, Mordrin heads down the stairs with Ehrwig to search for the origin of a loud thumping noise.

Standing in a corner at the bottom of the stairs are three robed Elves discussing a book.  The three look to the stair. Wide eyes, mouths drop, save one. Mordrin and Farnoth lock eyes. In the next moments, everything happens in a burst:

Farnoth shoves the book into the hands of one of Elf, speaks something arcane and presses the other two directly in their chests and they collapse. Farnoth gathers his robes and rushes to the stairs a broad grin on his face.

Ehrwig raised his sword to threaten the approach of Farnoth, but Mordrin shoved by, saying "the elf is mine. He's in me book of grudges." He raised his hammer and charged the approaching elf.

Farnoth begged for his life and, unsure that was working, begged for a quick end, leaving no blood behind in the druchii quarters. 

Mordrin held his hammer in front of him. "Ya know, elgi, not all grudges have to be paid for in blood. You could beg for your life and maybe settle for a shaved head." He ignored the elves on the floor, leaving room for Ehrwig to get by. "Of course, I don't expect you to choose that option."

The look in Mordrin's eye indicated he may not be holding onto sanity as closely as before.

At that moment, Farnoth was distracted by Udrin's appearance at the top of the stairs. He started rushing toward Udrin, cheering something about being saved.  Out of the window a guttural, screeching call could be heard on the wind. Ehrwig went to the sleeping elves and snapped their necks. Their bladders released in death, leaving puddles of urine on the floor.

Mordrin whacked Farnoth in the back of the legs with the hammer, sending him sprawling back down the stairs. "We aren't finished with our business, elf." Mordrin pulled a knife from his belt and started hacking at the elf's hair.  "We've got to finish this up; I hear my doom calling outside the window."

"Mathlann's Tears! Dwarf! No cuts. No blood!" screamed Farnoth as Mordrin cut his hair off in long sawing strokes with a dagger. Farnoth struggled a bit and fell away as a huge handful parted from his scalp. Farnoth rolled over with his hand on his scalp inspecting for blood in a panic. "NO BLOOD!"

Gasping, and just out of reach Farnoth collected himself and stood, panicky and inspecting his scalp for blood, "This is no place for grudges, Fool! Someone stay this Slayer! Slaanesh's blessings course through the cursed frame of the Claw of Dominion. The flayed bodies of slaves, the torturing armor of Slaanesh's knights, and the blood of scores of prisoners are soaked into the very energies that power its furnaces! We all die if you spill blood here as every Druchii devotee would sense it hitting the floor."

Mordrin sheathed the dagger, gripped the warhammer in his free hand and looked out the window for the origin of the gutteral screeching.

Udrin questioned Farnoth. "Us? Farnoth, how many are here in this accursed place? And how did you open the gate?" Udrin's faith in this elf was somewhat failing, for Farnoth had been missing and and this elf was wrapped in shadow magic.  "And Mordrin, for Grungni's sake, get back from the window."

Mordrin snapped back at Udrin, "it is not for an elgi to swear by Grungni. Watch your tongue if you wish to keep it. You don't need it to write my doom."

Udrin replied in Khazalid "Or an baraz dum, bar wanrak na nu. Ut got. A gromdal grobkul un throng thagi elgi. Ut urk anu. Rink bar kazad.*"

*I promised you doom, but when is not now. We must travel quickly and with purpose. Within this ancient place lurks evils deeds and and army of murderous, traitorous Elves. We must retreat or be overrun any minute now. Lead us through the gate to a place of safety.

Mordrin sneered at his companion. "Why do you get to choose the place and time of my doom, elgi? You speak of evil deeds and an army of elves deserving of death here and now, but seek to lead me away. What are you keeping me from? Do you conspire with the very gods against me?"

Udrin continued in Khazalid to try to calm the slayer. "I am not choosing anything for you Drengi. The umgi (men) need your grim grund (unyeilding hammer). You are the duraz (stone) against which the enemy will break. The humans are doh (new) and deb (gullible). Here in this grimaz (barren place) the urk lie surely. But it is not the last time we will be here. Let us return with purpose for the grobkul (goblin hunt). To die now will allow thousands to die with us."

Mordrin turned back toward the stairs. "Your plans always sound grand and promising, elf, yet I'm still alive." He walked by the dead bodies and pointed to two wet stains on the floor, "You don't think someone's going to smell that?"  He threw the scalp of elf hair in his hand onto the floor and started up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, Farnoth had recovered himself enough to get an exit plan going. He began making a smoke bomb, of sorts, and directing the humans to gather some books and papers. There was another guttural screech and a large shadow crossed in front of the window. Mordrin couldn't hold himself back from going for another look. 

Outside the window, Mordrin saw the shadow's owner: a massive winged lizard, saddled. Aside the shoulders, an elf of the palest skin in black-purple robes. The lizard, larger than the wyvern of Tor Taiga, spread it large wings and buffeted them to land just out of sight of the window, but below, the ground shuddered as the creature clawed and settled in landing.

Farnoth turned to the group, "Thalubinding, a deadly and masterful magister of the highest ranks of Druchii slaves to Slaanesh, is landing just below us returning from certainly depraved rituals on the shores of Bretonnia! He'll find the bodies and find us. If we can delay him… just til Udrin can open the gate, we may just survive this!"

"I'll delay him...and his tiny drakk." Mordrin saw possible doom in the larger lizard and headed out the door.. 

Farnoth called out, "Slayer! Take the Rauchbombe." handing the glass globe of yellow-brown powder, was cloth stinking of the worse spirits sold in human taverns, and a match.  "If you wish fulfill the oath of your cult, purchase us what time you can! Light this and set it on the stairs to the lower levels before you go to meet your doom. It should produce a stinking cloud of smoke to mask the urine and leave Thalubinder worried of a fire in the lower levels."

Mordrin grabbed the glorified smoke bomb and headed down the stairs mumbling something about "no elf knowing anything about dwarves, no matter how smart they think they are."  Mordrin set the Rauchbombe on the stairs going down from the library below and lit the cloth. Moments later a thick yellow brown sweet smelling smoke began pouring out of the glass globe. 

Behind the double doors to the south a crude, guttural, phrase was yelled. It sounded like an elf with a sore throat.  The voice spoke loudly and with anger, and a thick yellow smoke rose through the stairwell.