What Lurks In The Shadows

"What Lurks In The Shadows" (2x08) is the eighth episode of the A Clockwork Brass campaign. The Unnamed Party continue to flee from authorities after a jailbreak, and receive visions after their level up.
== Synopsis ==
The party continues their escape after breaking Jeanne-Lucia out of the Der Rex Bastion holding cells. Laying on the ground before them is Jakob, incapacitated and deceased. Time seems to move slower for our fair heroes as they wrestle with a looming feeling of anxiety. After a series of Constitution saving throws, only a few members of the party are saved from a potential bone chilling sensation. Those who fail are given a small vision, of empty darkness. In this empty darkness they find themselves having brushed up against death, death from the figure that looms before them.
As the figure approaches, continuously, the feeling only grows stronger. The sensation becomes so great that simply looking at the creature causes people's vision to become blurry and unfocussed. Before long, Izolda shouts for the party to run. In their running panic, they have no choice but to flee towards the Brazen Blazer, a Furia hideout in Brisbayern.
Once the party arrives at the Brazen Blazer, Anastazja and Brynn question what sort of creature that was. Cypryjan discerns that the creature is not an apparition, and Brynn determines that it is not a monster from any of her storybooks that she has read. At the behest of Izolda, and due to the looming fear felt by many, swift action is taken. The windows are boarded up, crates are moved from certain parts of the store and placed against the doors and windows, mannequins are propped up against the door. The building feels somewhat safe, with Cypryjan checking the peephole of the door constantly before it is barricaded, pistol at the ready, but the anxiety that many of the party members feel about the entities return only keeps them shaken. The party then opts to hide away in the secret section of the tailor shop.
While hiding, they take note of a sewer grate, leading into the unsavory underside of the city of Brisbayern. They debate their need to escape, when Brynn questions how Emmerich is going to get into the building if they have boarded it up. Jeanne-Lucia then decides to wait in the main room for Emmerich imminent return. Though the party questions this, all of them join her, apart from Izolda who remains in the hideaway.
After a bit of time, there are three knocks heard against the door. While Shivani questions whether or not the Furia would have a secret knock, Anastazja moves towards the door to check the peephole. Rolling a 12 on her Stealth check, she looks through the peephole and sees nothing but blackness. When suddenly, she is blasted by the explosive force of a blunderbuss pistol. The force of the blast sends Anastazja to the ground, shortly thereafter a gloved hand and arm with a floral design over the sleeves slowly creeps through the enlarged hole and tries to break down the door. Acting quickly, Eislyn throws a dagger at the hand, Cypryjan attempts to fire a shot (misfire), Brynn pulls out her wand and slings an Eldritch Blast at the hand, and Anastazja whips out her thigh-holstered pistol and fires at the hand. These actions initiate combat.
As combat initiates, the smoke from the gunshots and arcane blasts clears and the hand retreats before a voice calls from the other side of the door with a particular accent. It echoes horribly, saying: "Criminals. Vandals. Perish". After these words are spoken a black fog rolls from the enlarged hole of the door and envelopes the space around the barricade. Axial moves towards the door brandishing two scimitars and opts to hold his action for when the door is broken down. Anastazja, after hearing the creature, uses Dissonant Whispers to force the creature to use its reaction to leave, using its full movement (which is incredibly far). Combat is effectively over, as the creature's immense movement speed forces it far away from the Brazen Blazer. Izolda then comes up from the hideaway and demands that Jeanne-Lucia lead the rest of the party away from the tailor shop to which she agrees.
Izolda demands that the rest of the party go with Jeanne-Lucia while she stays behind. Anastazja argues that she must join them, but Izolda refuses. In response, Anastazja says that she will stay here and die then. Axial accompanies Anastazja's swift exit from the shop, following Jeanne-Lucia. Brynn and Cypryjan stay behind for a moment, asking Izolda why she must stay. A vague response is earned. Brynn then claims that Izolda must know him, but turns to leave with Cypryjan. Eislyn stays for a while and after few words is handed Izolda's mother's sewing needles. Eislyn accepts this gift and leaves with the rest of the party.
Izolda removes the barricade and stands ready to face this entity alone. She spots it after it descends from a nearby balcony and approaches her slowly, only stopping when it is about 200 feet away from her. She calls out to it, saying: "I told you I never wanted to see you again". After which, the entity decides to sheathe its long thin blade and hesitates to leave her. Out of the corner of her eye, Izolda spots Emmerich and the rest of the Furia men returning, and when she looks back towards the entity, it is gone. Izolda then confers with Emmerich, who is neutral about Jeanne-Lucia's survival. Emmerich tells the rest of the Furia to disperse, after which Izolda concludes the party's dealings with the Furia. Emmerich then leaves the scene, with Izolda returning to the inventor housing. All the while, the rest of the party is crawling and walking through the sewers of Brisbayern. Once they arrive at a particular manhole near the Vapeurmaison Cogsmiths, Jeanne-Lucia wishes the party well and tells them she will be laying low for the time being.
The party reconvenes at the inventor housing. Axial decides to take a shower (without Cypryjan) and through the use of Prestidigitation, Brynn and Anastazja clean off each other and Cypryjan. Eislyn absconds to the balcony for some well needed alone time, and Izolda begins to pack a bag. Brynn approaches Izolda, who tells her that she is going to need to flee the city. Brynn beckons her to stay, and says running may just be futile. After a bit, Izolda moves towards the balcony and has a long chat with Eislyn wherein they discuss their mutual friendship. Eislyn hands Izolda her mother's sewing needles again and the two share a warm embrace.
After a well-deserved slumber, filled with dreams that will not be shared, the party decides to go to the inventor housing café where they see Larry (their waiter). After a teasing session with Axial, the party decides that they will separate (again) this day and see the Furia to conclude their business, and prepare for Cypryjan's presentation at the World Exposition.
== Featured Characters ==
=== The Unnamed Party ===
* Anastazja
* Axial
* Brynn
* Cypryjan
* Eislyn
* Izolda
=== New ===
* Shadowy Figure
* Unnamed Dream Visitor (Brynn)
* Unnamed Dream Visitor (Eislyn)
* Unnamed Dream Visitors (Axial)
=== Returning ===
* Emmerich
* Jeanne-Lucia
* Larry (their waiter)
=== Mentioned ===
* Jakob (not by name)
== Quotations ==
* Shadowy Figure (referring to the party): "Criminals. Vandals. Perish."
* Izolda (to the Shadowy Figure): "I told you I never wanted to see you again."
Category:Episodes