Storyverse 69 Subplots: The Misadventures of Marcanus

[Grognardsw]

Storyverse 69 Subplots: The Misadventures of Marcanus

~*~*~

It is time. One of the Guild Houses looms before you. Its true purpose is of course hidden under the guise of a respected and complicit merchant, as much of the city's underworld is veiled in legitimacy.

You enter and are escorted to an impressive library.

In an alcove, a wall of books parts to reveal a secret passageway down. You walk for some time through a maze of passages, doubtless subterranean, then arrive at a simple room. 

You are seated before a large desk. The Guild Lieutenant sits before you and speaks.

"Welcome Marcanus. As you know, the thieves and assassin’s guild of Vancia is a powerful institution, its tendrils deep in commerce and government. As such, its structure is elaborate and its training intense. Part of this training is an elaborate obstacle course, a testing ground in the cellars of the guild headquarters: The Assassin’s Run."

"The facility serves many purposes. The Run is a gymnasium for the practice of skills not easily performed repeatedly with discretion in public places. It is a training zone for novices and experts alike. It is a safe room for the Guild, defensible and deadly against intruders."

You nod your head and think of the others rumors heard in certain quarters. That the Guild has a hidden highway through the sewers of the city, and that the Run is connected to it. It is also said there are secret apartments at the center of the Run where the Master lives.

The Guild Lieutenant continues: "All Guild members are required to take the Run to advance in rankings. The Run's reputation is known throughout the underworld of the Realms. Many visiting adventurer thieves come to experience it."

"You will take the Run soon. You may do it solo or with partners."

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

"What is the difference between running it alone or with companions?" I ask, hoping there's little to no difference, and merely a race to see who's quicker. "And how long will this presumably take?"

[Grognardsw]

The Guild Lieutenant answers Marcanus: "If there are multiple Runners, they may run in competition to each other or in two-person teams against each other. Depending on performance of the Runner, it could take as little as a few hours to half-a-day."

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

I nod. "I will have to get a good feel before I take the test officially. Is there a specific date that I have to take the Run before?" I ask.

[Grognardsw]

"No, there is no set time to take the Run," says the Guild Lieutenant. "However one cannot advance within the Guild until the test has been taken."

[Grognardsw]

[jakegreenxxxx44]

that looks pretty cool / fun. Good luck Marcanus

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

I ponder for a bit before speaking. "Am I aloud to take a look at the course before hand?"

[Grognardsw]

The Guildmaster laughs.

"No, that wouldn't be much of a test."

[Grognardsw]

Marcanus the halfling thief considers the Assassin's Run. That evening he joins Willius the Blue, he of the Uber-Mind, in the private tavern of the Guild. They hear of this week's Guild for-hire opportunities:

1. Cult offers handsome bounty for clandestine desecration of rival temples
2. City government hiring freelance tax collectors for difficult accounts, paid by commission
3. Sewer patrol looking for assistance in cesspit pudding abatement
4. Temporary executioners sought after blood-soaked riot in city prison simultaneously reduced staffing and sent death penalty cases through the roof
5. Rewards available for list of known criminals still at large (bounty hunting licensing fee deducted from first capture)
6. Per diem workers needed for morning cleanup of high-mayhem streets/districts (Ambush Lane, Murder Street, Hell's Bunker, etc.) during festival season: bring your own high boots, strong stomach
7. City exterminators bolstering crews due to rampant urban stirge infestation
8. Black lotus dealer needs lesson taught to upstart competitors

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

I take interest in the job of being a temporary executioner. I ask around to see where I can accept the job, marking it as my own.

[Grognardsw]

It is some days after the harrowing intrigues at the Court of Chaos. Marcanus swears to never attend another puppet show. The Halfling is in a paranoid state of mind, wondering if his comrades will take his little joke with the egg seriously. After all, what’s the worst that could have happened?

Marcanus and a few other rogues sign up for the temporary executioner job. He is given the address of the prison.

Wow you picked the prison one...



Just kidding

Or am I?

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

I ask around for the person who put the job up, attempting to get some more information.

[Grognardsw]

Marcanus inquires within regarding the executioner jobs. A surly pockmarked brute of a guard smiles down at the halfling. "You sure you can even lift the axe?"

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

I give an amused chuckle and nod. "Yes, I can very well lift an ax. The question is, though, when the job starts."

[Grognardsw]

Marcanus the halfling spends the afternoon chopping heads. Perhaps his experience in the plane of Chaos has sent the former Shire resident on a darker path, or he needs the practice, or perhaps he is just bored. The halfling is an efficient executioner, except for that mishap with the elf. He may have bad dreams over that.

~~~

The next day Marcanus registers at the Guild to do the Assassin's Run. He is escorted deep underground by a Guild lieutenant and briefed.

"Welcome Marcanus. During your Run, the Guild Master will be watching you through a Wizard Eye (cast by a mage who serves as one of the Guild lieutenants.)  As the Guild does not want to maim or kill its members, blades will be blunted and projectiles padded (same damage, but subdual/non-lethal.) You may occasionally receive instructions by note. Follow them."

"Like much a thief does in life, you are scored by time and accomplishment. Move quickly, but not so quickly to preclude strategy. Have a sharp mind, but do not deliberate overly long. Combat may be necessary to accomplish a task, but it often is a means to an end, not the task itself. The wise will realize the difference and act accordingly."

The Lieutenant points to a door. "Good luck."

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

"Thank you." I walk to the door and cautiously open it before stepping inside, closing it slowly as to not make a lot of noise.

[Grognardsw]

The Guild Lieutenant smiles. "Good luck halfling."


Darkness and descending stairs meet you upon opening the door. The light from the room shows five feet of stairs before blackness engulfs. Infravision reveals no heat sources.

[Marcanus_da_Lich]

I slowly go down the stairs, using any wall as a guide.

[Grognardsw]

Marcanus the thief pads down the stone stairs. By touch the halfling thinks the stairs are 6' wide, the ceiling 8' high. The stairs go down 10' then turn west in a 10' swerve that continues down. Suddenly Marcanus' foot trips over a raised stair. As he tumbles he tries to regain balance (please make Dex. check.)