An Act of Terrorism

The night is busy in Shadowdale as a bright, silent flash emerges from the east.
Moments later windows shatter and a shockwave clouds the whole central square into dust and debris.

From the East outskirts flames blaze and where once stood the Zhentarim watchtower there is only a crater now.
Arriving mages who tried to put the fire out with a barrage of ice-storms only add to the carnage as a multitude of explosions follows every impact of ice.

The remains of two wagons across the half-destroyed roadside are entirely crushed by ice and explosions. The sad remains of an Ox still in the harness of the cart give the scene a strange smell of barbeque.

Eventually the fires burn down - without spreading anywhere since the Zhentarim had cut back the trees around the tower long ago. Most evidence of what happened is destroyed by attempts to put out the fire. But a great number of shattered bottles and broken wooden barrels are found in the crater - along with the guards who had shift on the tower.

The lack of alarm or a sound with the explosion is found after some mages examine the scene and find traces of silence-magic still lingering about.

Subsequent examination reveal the bottles to have been alchemists fire - from the ammount of glass shattered it had been several hundred in the carts.

((Run ingame by DM Cy - The watchtower east of Shadowdale is beyond reconstruction as it was subject to an explosion of 360d6 Firedamage. Likewise the road is severly damaged and passing through the crater entrails the risk (1 in 20) of stepping on a conceiled alchemist fire in the dirt for 1d6 points of fire damage with every step for 3 days after this post))

Cruven's heavy boot crushes one of the alchemists fire's as he leaves Shadowdale and he shakes the flame off before walking away, grumbling to himself.

I get the bloody tower... But puttin traps on the road?... Rebels are gunna bloody kill a merchant or somethin...

From some distance of the city in a high tree an elf watches the cratter with surprise.

- By Shevarash... it seems the hellish spawns they invoke messed things down there. They will end destroying that city with their madness. I'm better off it.

Jumping to another tree the deformed moon elf archer continues his way, the night is soon to come, and the former illithyri dwell elsewhere.

Junaz on her day off, would wonder over to the crater wearing brown leather trousers and a greyish brown top, slung over one shoulder would be a steel long lance she had signed out of the armory, over the other shoulder would be a spade.

standing a good twenty feet away she would first spend a few hours poking and stabing at the crater in hopes of datonating any remaining bombs, hoping her guess that 20 ft was a good one, afterwards she would attempt to fill in the crater as best she could.

once that was done she would wonder around looking for a nice big rock stab and then spend a few hours dragging it over it the freshly refilled crater, once done she would stop and take a moments brake to catch her breath before pulling out a hammer an chisle and carving into the rock she had just dragged.

"Here lay the ashes of the Swordhands and Skymages who died on their Watch fullfilling their duty and keeping vigil over Shadowdale, here lay the ashes of the Farthers, Sons, Mothers and Daughters of Shadowdale who gave their lives as they kept watch agienst the Monsters and Bandits that Threaten the common folk and our family

Here lay the Ashes of Swordhands and Skymages, Heros.

Be at peace with our Lord Bane.

And Thankyou."

When she was finally done, and she would take her sweet time with the ettching would take a step back, wipe her brow before kneeling and saying a Silent Preyer before picking up the lance and spade and returning to Shadowdale.

After a while a dwarf in dark black armor would wonder over towards the crater at night. He looks over the destruction muttering to himself. When he sees the slab of stone and looks over the inscription with a low light source he openly scoffs. "They be invaders not local 'protectors' twits." With a single strike of his pick he sunders the rock. The wonders back into the night.

on the next day Junaz while out on one of her runs she would stop at seeing the sundered stone and narrow her eyes. " They actually have gone so low as to defile a head stone and disturb a mass grave..... Oh Dear Dread Lord bane.. I beg you, please hear me and take note of this act of lawlessness, this act of defiance, this act of violation on your Fallen Faithful, let the souls of you dead return once more to this world to sow your Dread and Destruction onto the one that would defie you and disturb them....

Let their Souls return and take form so they can find this defiler and drag his soul kicking and screaming back into the afterlife for your judgement...."

Junaz, had no ability to spell cast what so ever, nor did she have any ritual magic, but she hoped deep down, that Bane would take note of this. None the less she would return to town and pin up on the notice bored.

"BOUNTY:

I seek the capture of the one that violated the mass grave and sundered its headstone, I seek proof that it was the person you bring before me.

Reward for Capture and Proof: 5000 gold

~ Neophyte Junaz Honorheart

Audrey walks through town, reading the message board and frowns deeply. She gives a soft sigh and tears down the bounty notice and throws it away while muttering to herself. "Another discussion with this one regarding limits of authority, and perhaps another carving will be necessary." She shakes her head, pulling several vials from her belt pouch as she heads toward the east, finally stopping at the crater. Kneeling down, she sifts through the ashes, rooting out bone fragments and surrounding ash, filling each of her vials, being mindful of any remaining bombs, though she is properly warded against the explosions. If asked what she is doing, she gives no response except to cork her vials and head back to the temple.

Fidheliss kneels near the crater, and with one hand he picks up a small amount of dirt and rubs it between bare fingers. He brings it closer to his mask, and sniffs the residue.

"Alchemist's fire. Inferior quality." He brushes the dirt away. "Had we been dealing with someone of skill, this could have leveled half the town."

He stands and pulls a few strange vials from his bandolier, and tosses the fire bombs into the crater, sure to remove any remaining vials from the attack with sympathetic detonation. He walks back to the town as a cloy of carbon settles into the air, seeking out Architect Smith to discuss this and the rest of the road.

*Fidheliss would meet Smith near the well where the architect looks over his current building plans, as always the man appears somewhat strange in his behavior, talking to himself most of the time. Fidheliss would hear words like old and perhaps even hag when he approaches*

Hearing the insult, Fid would (attempt to) bitchslap the architect, then grab him by the collar.

"I won't report your slight against the Archon just yet, not if you can prove you're still useful. No more #$%&ing around. Fix this road, or find yourself a part of it."

A woman with the strangest eyes, blue within blue, and hair the colour of the red leaves in fall approaches the crater with care. Her bronzed skin looks weathered, though she appears to be still quite young. She is dressed in olive green, accented by earthy tones. On her face, one can see strange markings, tribal tattoos it would seem, done in turquoise.

She approaches the crater, looking at it and the ground around it, as if examining it carefully.

"So much destruction, and for what?" She shakes her head, and looks to the scarred land itself, seeing what would need to be done to heal it.

*the architect lost in his own world would not see what is coming for him and he yells out loud in pain as Fid slaps him and grabs him by the collar.


What the hell...*he stops swearing, as he sees who slaped him and narrows his eyes* I said ..nothing..nothing at all. *he frees himself from Fid and staggers a few steps back*
The road eh? Great as if i have not enough projects to work on..*he mutters* but well it will be done.. the *he pauses, clearly he was up to say something stupid again* Archon will be pleased with my work there..im sure.

*he then greets Fid with a nod and walks of, still mumbling but it doesn't take much time before a group of workers heads toward the east, and starts repairing the road, while the crater is considerable deep so the workers under the watch of the architect and some guards manage it to refill the hole quickly*


*the guards would shoo of everyone who attemps to come close to the construction area*