TIME June 8th, mid afternoon LOCATION Wharf, Chuzan seaport.
BACKGROUND:
The Agents and their allies confronted a powerful golem attacking a warehouse on the Chuzan wharf. Despite initial efforts to hold it back, the construct breached the building with fire, injuring and killing several personnel. The naval ship Bluebird arrived and began bombardment, eventually landing a direct hit that forced the golem to retreat.
During the chaos, Agents Hawke and Raven rescued trapped individuals from the burning warehouse, while Crowe and others attempted to damage the golem with ranged weapons. Their efforts had limited effect until the Bluebird’s catapult struck true.
The golem fled down the wharf and climbed into a suspended crate near the merchant ship Nightingale.
Raven slowly stepped forward until directly underneath the swaying, creaking box and looked up into the dark, vacant interior.
WHAT HAPPENED
The naval ship Bluebird docked beside the burning warehouse, and soldiers clad in black armour poured onto the wharf. They fanned out across the chaos-some assisting the wounded, others dousing flaming cargo, all moving with practised urgency.
Through the drifting smoke, the mounted knight reappeared, now accompanied by another figure riding behind him. The knight, bloodied and battered, dismounted and introduced himself as Frost of Tol Kerria. The Agents identified themselves as Section 18, but Frost brushed past them, prioritising aid for the injured.
The second rider, Lieutenant Volok, dismounted with authority, barking orders to the soldiers before turning his attention to the Agents. His interrogation was swift and direct, demanding details of their involvement.
Attention shifted to the mysterious crate and its origin. The merchant ship Nightingale bobbed nervously offshore, its crew and captain watching the dock with visible anxiety. At Volok’s command, the ship returned to its mooring.
The Agents interviewed Captain Brent and learned the crate was part of a five-shipment delivery from Kalitzim, arranged by Marakoff Mercantile for Lord Morden. A request was made for the ship’s manifests to verify the cargo.
With help from dock workers, the swinging crate was lowered from the broken crane to the quay. Crowe summoned Dawson to inspect it for magical residue. Dawson identified lingering arcane traces at the top of the crate. When it was overturned, Raven discovered a massive, cracked mirror framed in coral embedded in the crate’s ceiling.
Interviews with the crew revealed conflicting accounts of the golem’s appearance-some claimed it emerged during offloading, others said before or after the crane collapsed. Despite the confusion, a few key details emerged:
- The construct didn’t seem to be interested in the docked ships or crew but did specifically target soldiers.
- Its path took it past dozens of warehouses – why did it concentrate on that specific building?
Lieutenant Volok detained Captain Brent and ordered the crate and its contents moved to a secure warehouse for further investigation. Reinforcements from Section House arrived to assist with the clean-up. As bodies were loaded onto the Bluebird, the Agents departed, heading south to retrieve their restrained suspects-Shirdrella and Marek.
Near the Seabreeze Hotel, Hawke spotted a service worker in dark blue overalls-Moran-leaning over the unconscious, manacled Shirdrella. Uncertain of his intentions, the Agents rushed in, ready to apprehend him.
But Moran was trying to help. He explained that street urchins had stolen Shirdrella’s eyepatch and shoes while she lay unconscious.
The cloth he used to dab her face was streaked with dark residue.
Beneath the smeared makeup, pale white skin showed through.
Perhaps she wasn’t a Drow after all.
Hawke released Shirdrella from the beacon, hoisted her over his shoulder, and the Agents made their way back to the Broken Mug to recover Marek.
EXTRAS.
“Never seen a crane break like that before. I’ve worked here for quite a while. We check the ropes every day. The way the crane arm has cracked is odd – like it suddenly had a huge weight tuggin on it. Guess we’ll be pulling an all-nighter to get this swapped out.”
Dock worker eye witnesses, Chuza
The construct – “it was conjured out of flame”, “it grew out of the flame”, “it stepped back and incinerated the ground before it”
“That thing just ploughed through us as if we weren’t there. The noise it made – spine chilling. There was panic, and people just running to get away. The screams…”
Soldier of the port, Chuza