Finkelstein’s Laboratory Part 2
Before he can continue, sounds of footsteps are heard on the stairs. Bobbing light and muttered voices float down…
As one, the 3 adventurers move into the shadows. Fredrick is slower but manages to do it.
Two men come down the stairs. They are carrying a corpse.
Eleanora (passes a difficult Stealth check) sneaks behind them and places the blades of her throwing knives at the throats of the two men.
“I would be silent if I were you...!”
The corpse drops to the floor.
“Now… what have we here?”
Sayeed goes to the two men. They are unsavoury scum.
Fredrick: “They… they are Dr. FInkelstein’s assistants! I recognise them!”
Eleanora: “Isn’t that interesting. Now… tell me what you are doing here? We thought Dr. Finkelstein disappeared?”
The two men keep still, aware of the blades at their throats but say nothing.
Jerzyn glides over and asks to borrow Sayeed’s dagger.
She twirls the blade in front of their eyes.
“My friend here is too soft hearted… but me… I HATE men… and it would make me very… very… happy… to mutilate your FILTHY …. MALE …. BODIES…!!!” She makes some cutting motions with the dagger.
(Jerzyn barely passes a normal Intimidate check. She just doesn’t LOOK intimidating enough!)
Sayeed catches on. “Unless you tell us what’s going on.”
Blubbering, the two henchmen spill all.
Finkelstein did not run away but built ANOTHER secret lab beneath the secret lab. It’s there. They point to the large wooden panel at the other side of the prison room.
Fredrick: “No wonder we’ve not been able to find the doctor!”
Jerzyn: “How do you open the door?”
Pulling the levers in a certain combination will do the trick, the two men babble.
Eleanora: “Very well. This is what we will do.”
She cuts off some rope they brought and ties the 2 men up. Gags them lightly. Then places them in front of the cell holding the last remaining wiedergänger.
Eleanora: “You will tell me what is the proper combination to pull the levers. If you try to trick us…” she points to the wiedergänger. “You will be the wiedergänger’s first victims while the rest of us get out of here.”
With that threat, the two men call out the proper combination. Jerzyn pulls the levers... carefully, body on a hair trigger while Sayeed has his magic wand out. Fredrick is holding the lantern. His rapier in the other hand. Eleanora already has a pistol in one hand and her rapier in the other. This is close quarters work and she's learned her lesson from the earlier encounter with the now-dead wiedergänger.
The door swings open with creaks from unoiled hinges.
Inside the secret, secret laboratory, devices spark and glow brightly. The laboratory is dimly lit by lights that flicker erratically. Another wiedergänger is restrained to a table in the center of the room, its jaws snapping at Finkelstein despite its ribcage having been split open, revealing its disgusting innards. Finkelstein himself is hunched over a nearby workbench, pouring bubbling liquids into various vials, muttering to himself.
(Oracle: does Finkelstein turn around? No)
Finkelstein hears the creaking sounds of the door, but doesn’t turn around. “You two are LATE! Put the body on that table…” he gestures to a workbench next to where the wiedergänger is restrained.
Eleonora takes a careful look around the lab even as the party sneaks in. (Passes normal Investigate + Perception checks).
Sees: Lurking in a corner of the laboratory is an enormous flesh golem... but it's not moving. Some books (Otto's stolen books?) sit on a bookshelf beside Finkelstein's workbench. A small chest rests at the top of this bookshelf.
Eleonora, Sayeed and Jerzyn manage to sneak inside the lab but Fredrick, unaccustomed to such activities, makes a noise.
(Does Finkelstein notice? Oracle roll. Yes, AND!)
Finkelstein turns around. Spots Fredrick. “You!”
Finkelstein quickly throws a master lever close to him.
Outside where the cells are, the party hears a cell door clanging open and suddenly 2 screams sound out!
(2d6 Dice Pool to see how long the wiedergänger is delayed by the 2 bound henchmen.)
Then Finkelstein yells something unintelligible and runs towards a wall and presses a hidden button. Another secret entrance! He flees! The Flesh golem lumbers forward!
(Roll for initiative!)
The golem lumbers closer! The party can now see that it is an amalgamation of multiple humans and possibly other creatures. The golem's hide is bound together with steel sutures. Cold dead eyes scan their surroundings, burning like hot coals when fixed on the living humans before it.
Eleanora takes a shot at the golem before following Finkelstein.
(Spends 1 Luck to roll 2 more d6's.) The shot hits! (Deals 5 DAM! Golem 7/12 HP remaining.)
Then Eleanora throws her pistol down, draws the other one and runs after Finkelstein.
Eleanora: “Take care of the golem!”
The party is split!
Sayeed (passes a difficult Intelligence check) remembers some lore he's read about golems : “Golems have a weakness! Fire!”
Jerzyn smashes an empty worktable with her longsword, keeping well away from the wiedergänger strapped to the table.
(8d6 Dice Pool to see if this wiedergänger frees itself!)
Jerzyn to Fredrick: “Come on! Help me!”
But Fredrick is paralysed with fear! (Fails standard Willpower check!)
Jerzyn: “Sayeed! Grab the lantern from that useless creature!”
Sayeed does as she asks as Fredrick gibbers away. Moves next to Jerzyn and lets fly an attack from his Magic Wand!
A sizzling bolt of magickal energy strikes the golem! (Deals 9 DAM! Since the golem had 7 HP left…)
The golem’s head disappears in a red flash!
Screams from outside the room are dying out…
(1d6 Dice Pool to see how long the wiedergänger is delayed by the last bound henchmen.)
The wiedergänger strapped to the table goes into a frenzy, pulling at its bonds with more than human strength!
(4d6 Dice Pool to see if this wiedergänger frees itself!)
Jerzyn moves towards the wiedergänger strapped to the table, takes an Offensive Stance as an auxiliary action and uses another special technique (1/3 remains). She is wary of its claws.
The wiedergänger attempts to claw Jerzyn but with the skill she learned at the School of 5 Strikes she dodges and cleanly sweeps the wiedergänger’s head off its shoulders!
Sayeed steps closer towards the door… and unleashes his Magic Wand on the wiedergänger that’s finishing off the last of the bound henchmen. What is left of them is better left undescribed.
Unfortunately while the magickal energy hits the wiedergänger fair and square, it doesn’t quite finish it off!
It charges Sayeed!
But Sayeed manages to dodge the severely wounded wiedergänger’s attack.
Jerzyn charges the wiedergänger… and sweeps its head clean off its shoulders too!!!!
Phew!
MEANWHILE:
Eleanora runs through the secret door and into what seems to be the sewers. It looks and smells like one anyway.
Behind her, light from the laboratory illuminates part of the sewers. A faint, bobbing light shows where Finkelstein is, running for his life... which isn't very fast as he's quite an old man.
(Opposed Athletics check! Eleanora: 4, Finkelstein : 1)
Eleanora catches up to the renegade doctor! She tries to grapple him to subdue him instead of killing him outright. He's worth more alive than dead. The doctor puts up a surprisingly vigorous struggle despite his advanced age, but she succeeds in the end. (Opposed check.)
Finkelstein slumps down. Defeated.
Rapier at his throat, Eleanora brings him back to join the others.
BACK IN THE LAB...
Eleanora sees the headless corpse of the golem… and the headless corpses of the two wiedergängers.
Eleanora: “I see everything is well in hand.”
Jerzyn, having checked the checked the small chest, shows off a pile of coins. 1 gold, 23 silver, and a pile of copper coins. That’s all that’s left of the funds Otto Volker provided Finkelstein. Hardly worth keeping, considering they'll get paid more if they return this paltry sum.
Sayeed, meanwhile, is poring over the three tomes on alchemancy. “Ahhhh… if only…” He runs his fingers across the spines of the books… lovingly.
Eleanora: “It’s not really worth making an enemy of House Volker, Sayeed.”
Sayeed: “I know… I know… It’s just…”
He sighs and puts the books in his satchel. Everyone goes “what??!”
Sayeed: “Until we get paid…” he points to Fredrick “… it would be good to keep these in hand, will it not?”
Eleanora: “Can’t argue with that.” She looks at Fredrick. “Do we get paid now?”
Fredrick : “No. We need to deliver this… person… (he points at Finkelstein) over to Franz Josef near the docks. Then you’ll be paid.”
Jerzyn indicates the lab… and what’s left of the equipment. And the dead bodies. “Well, Herr Otto Volker is welcome to all this. We just want good solid gold coin in our hands.” She places the coins back in the small chest and hangs on to it as well.
“Let’s go get paid!”
TO THE DOCKS
Eleanora: “How are we to get this…” (points at Finkelstein) “… person… to the docks?”
Finkelstein: lots of curses, swear words and threats of vengeance.
Jerzyn: “My my… when you live to such a ripe old age, you certainly learn a lot of words. Even I don’t know some of them!” (Turns to the others.) That means we can’t just walk with him through the city streets. We’d have to tie him up and gag him and that would not be what our employer wants.” She casts an eye at Fredrick
Eventually they settle on a plan.
They explore the sewers and find an exit close to the edge of the Northern slums. This will be their rendezvous point.
Jerzyn and Fredrick will go to get a carriage or cart so they can smuggle the renegade doctor to the docks.
Fredrick: “Give us an hour, then meet us at the rendezvous point.”
Above ground
Jerzyn and Fredrick make their way through the slums. This time Fredrick is persuaded to also unsheathe his rapier. Together with Jerzy’s longsword, they …
Have an encounter!
(Is it the same gang of cutpurses?
Oracle: Yes, but… the cutpurses are nervy. So they’ll flee as soon as one of them is cut down.)
Jerzyn is on the alert. Her Sixth Sense prevents them from being surprised.
A gang of cutpurses steps out from the shadows, weapons in hand.
“Well, well, well… we didn’t expect to see any survivors from that… creature.” The other 3 cutthroats show signs of unease at the reminder of the wiedergänger.
Jerzyn sighs. “You know, I just killed 2 wiedergängers all by myself with this.” She brandishes her bloody longsword. “Are you SURE you want to do this?”
(Normal Intimidate check. Fail. Drat.)
The cutpurses just laugh. Nervously, in some cases. “Afraid not, pretty girl. Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you… much.”
“If you don’t struggle…”
“If you do what we want…”
They leer, ignoring Fredrick who does look like a fop.
(Initiative roll!)
“Fools,” Jerzyn mutters… and Charges!
She takes an Offensive Stance and uses her Special Technique to attack.
She strikes! Half of the Cutpurse leader’s guts spill from his stomach.
The remaining cutpurses, already nervous, break and run at this!
“Fools,” mutters Jerzyn as she cleans her blade on the dead cutpurse’s clothes.
They make it out of the slums with no other encounters.
Below ground
Sayeed and Eleanora attempt to interrogate Finkelstein but are only met with more curses and threats.
Sayeed shrugs. “He knows he’s probably a dead man.”
Eleanora: “Question is… did he make more wiedergängers?”
Finkelstein only cackles insanely.
(Did he? Oracle: YES! And!)
Suddenly, the secret door to the sewers shudders under heavy blows.
Eleanora: “What the-?!” She readies her pistol and rapier. Sayeed holds a powder horn in one hand and the open palm of his other hand points at the door.
(Finkelstein is already trussed like a chicken for slaughter).
Eleanora: “Quick! Form a barricade!” They arrange the tables…
(2d6 Dice Pool before the door breaks)
The door breaks!!!! 2 wiedergängers charge inside!
(Initiative roll!)
When the Wiedergängers are 20 feet away…
Gripping a powder horn in one hand, Sayeed mutters a quick incantation. A wave of searing energy bursts forth from the palm of his other hand, hitting the wiedergängers!
The wiedergängers suffer 4 DAM each!
Wiedergänger 1 3/7 HP
Wiedergänger 2 3/7 HP
Eleanora calmly shoots at a wounded Wiedergänger. (NO misfire.)
The wiedergänger’s head explodes in a welter of brains and old blood!
The remaining wiedergänger attacks Eleanora…
… but its attack is hampered by the upended table, and Eleanora dodges out of the way!
Unable to use his Energy Blast again for fear of hitting Eleanora, Sayeed grabs his wand.
Even under a severe penalty, (-2 for being so close to the wiedergänger and another -1 for drawing his wand and ‘shooting’ at the same time) Sayeed succeeds!
Deals 3 DAM and with a penalty to armour rolls, the wiedergänger is blown apart! Gore splatters all over Eleanora!
“Eww! Ick!”
She drops her empty pistol and grabs the other one from her waistband… but there are no more surprises or enemies left.
Finkelstein is reduced to dark mutterings. What words can be made out are blood curdling indeed… “precioussss…” and “…thieves…” and “pocketssss…” being some of the more mentionable ones.
Sayeed: “I recommend we gag him as well. We don’t want him to place a curse on us or summon more wiedergängers.”
After they do so, they wait the requisite time and then make their way to the rendezvous point.
Above ground
Fredrick is driving the cart, but his flashy clothes are now hidden under a nondescript cloak. Jerzyn is similarly covered.
After bundling FInkelstein into the back of the cart and covering him up, Eleanora and Sayeed both don cloaks. Eleanora and Jerzyn sit in the back of the cart, daggers drawn to guard Finkelstein. Sayeed sits in front with Fredrick.
(Do they make it to the docks without problems? Oracle: No, but…)
Some City Guards are on patrol and seeing such a large group of people in a cart this late at night, decide to stop the cart.
Both Eleanora and Jerzyn quietly threaten Finkelstein. One with a knife to his throat, the other a dagger at his vitals.
“You don’t know what’s waiting for you at the end of the journey… but cause a problem now and I’ll have no problem slitting your weaselly throat, reward be damned.” Eleanora hisses. (Successful normal intimidate check)
Finkelstein doesn’t cause any problems.
Fredrick has a quiet conversation with the guards. The sounds of clinking coins can be heard…
(Do the guards let them go? Oracle: Very likely success. Yes!)
The City Guards let them pass without further problems.
The Docks
Finally, they stop in front of a small bait shop along the docks. It’s a front for the secret Volker compound.
It’s pitch dark and after a complicated pattern of knocks on the heavy wooden door, Fredrick quickly ushers everyone inside without any further hassles..
Inside the the small shack is a staircase leading to a basement where Franz Josef and several heavily armed men are playing dice.
Franz: “So… you have succeeded, yes?”
Fredrick : “Yes.”
Franz: “Is good! Very good!”
Sayeed disgorges Otto Volker’s books from his satchel. “Here you are. All 3 books safe and sound.” Only Eleanora and Jerzyn catch the longing in his voice.
Franz: “Ah, here they are… the books! Good! Very good! 1 gold piece per book, yes?”
Eleanora looks at Fredrick and clears her throat meaningfully.
Fredrick: “Ahhh… it’s 3 gold pieces my good Franz.”
Franz: “So? Three? Very well.” He hands the coins over. Eleanora, Sayeed and Jerzyn get 3 gold coins each.
Jerzyn plonks the small chest on a table. “This is all the money we managed to find. Fredrick will verify that.”
Eleanora hauls the trussed up Finkelstein forward. “And here’s the rogue. All in one piece and more or less unharmed.”
Franz leans forward until he’s face to face with Finkelstein: “AHHH… yes. The ‘good’ doctor Finkelstein. We meet again. This is good. Very, very good!”
He tells his men to take Finkelstein into another part of the shop.
Then he looks at Fredrick who clears his throat before saying: “10 gold each, my dear Franz.”
Shrugging as if to say it’s all the same to him, Franz pays the 3 adventurers.
Fredrick smiles at the trio. “I believe you have the loan of some House equipment?” He indicates the table that the small chest is on. Several of Franz’s thugs look up from their dice game.
After taking a good, long look at the thugs arrayed against them, Eleanora, Jerzyn and Sayeed disgorge all the loaned equipment. Sayeed reluctantly parts with the diamond.
Before allowing the party to leave the compound, Franz swears the party to secrecy regarding Finkelstein and his experiments.
Franz: “I do not think you will like it very much if we were to find out you have been… indiscreet. Yes?”
Jerzyn makes a caustic remark but doesn’t push things. They assure him: discretion is their middle name.
Franz laughs. “Ah! Good! Very good! Very professional. Very, very professional. I like that!
“How then, would you like to be retainers for House Volker, eh? It’s good, no?”
Jerzyn, Eleanora and Sayeed look surprised. House retainer status! No more living on by the edge of their blades (or wands in the case of Sayeed.) Resources that only a House can provide…. versus getting immersed into the deadly game of Houses, where one wrong step could see your throat cut and your body dumped into the sea? Choices, choices...
Fade to black…
(TO BE CONTINUED???)
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That was very very enjoyable. Either the adventure was well structured, or the mechanics here, despite being very standard OSR with a d6 dice pool system is very easy to role play.
Sayeed really pulled through there with the wiedergängers.
Jerzyn performed as expected, no surprises there. Very straightforward to play.
Eleanora is the Jill of all trades. Very very useful because she can roll red dice (successes on 3 - 6) on all non-Combat Skill checks. And she is VERY versatile!
Jerzyn, Eleanora and Sayeed each came out of that with 13 gold.
They each get 100XP for capturing Finkelstein.
They each get 75 XP for returning 3 books.
They also gain 300XP each for accomplishing a shared ambition: capture Finkelstein and return the books.
Total 475 XP.
There's some leveling up to be done if I continue with this trio of adventurers.
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Quick thoughts: Streets of Peril is the OSR-adjacent game I didn't know I was looking for until now. The dice pool and exploding dice on 6's really resonate with me in a way other systems that use their 1d20 or a pair (or trio) of d6's don't.
Then there's the setting! Lush, evocative and Renaissance-era means all sorts of adventures can be had, with stright up magic from evil magicians to crazed old inventors (prototype steampunk contraptions maybe) to espionage and political shenanigans.
I think I'll confine my adventures to the city state of Sturmburgh for now, and what do you know, there's actually a nicely priced expansion for it (Storms Over Sturmburgh) that really fleshes out the city with personalities, factions and all sorts of information required to run any type of adventure in Sturmburgh... PLUS fleshed out rules for sea-faring adventures as well, with various ship classes even. It makes sense for a city as dependent on trade as Sturmburgh.
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Coming up next: I managed to borrow a set of 0200 Hours by Grey For Now games from the owner of my FLGS. I need to print some solo cards and then I'll give the game a shot and let you know my thoughts.
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