A narrow alley, about a hundred yards away from the Grey Tower. Two men tower over a small child. Each of the men wears a heavy leather hood, covering their faces completely. Branded onto the leather is the outline of a hammer superimposed over a hand. The child stands as tall as he can, no trace of fear in his face.

"You're sure?"

The child spat into the dust at his feet before nodding. "Yes Dad. Two men and the one you're looking for went down into the sewers through the big grate over there." He pointed out of the mouth of the alley, towards the centre of the plaza. "Me an the boys wedged the grate shut soon as they'd moved off. They're not coming out that way."
"Good lad. Marcus?" The taller of the two men spoke to the shorter. "Pay my boy for his work."
Marcus reached into a small satchel slung over his shoulder, pulled out what looked like a well cooked rabbit. He tore off one of the hind legs and the child almost tore his hand off at the wrist to get at the meat.
"Right. There's another grate back of the First and Last, connects up to the main tunnel they'll be following. Get a couple of sewer rats. Ten minutes, we're going in after the little bugger. His hands are mine."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio squelched their way through the sewers, squeaks echoing from some distant point temporarily blanketing out the constant drips from the myriad of pipes emptying into the vast underground complex. Dirnal paused peering into a pipe that opened three feet above the ground, manoeuvring the lantern to shine light into it, after a few seconds he nodded, content with the fact nothing untoward lurked within. Stepping to the left he looked about noting the scope and complexity of the works they were passing through...

The sewers below Khadim were an engineering marvel. Stone-clad tunnels carved and decorated with such wonders despite their contents and the fact that few would ever see them. No one still living knew the true extent of the sewers, they'd been built long before anyone now living. Markings carved over and around each junction once meant something, if you knew the trick, but not even the Gnomes had known this language. Legend had it that three dwarf brothers and one elf built the sewers in a week. Some say a fortnight, others a single night. Depends on who's telling the tale. "Everyone knows..." preceded a lot of the tales about the sewers...
Applying such advice provided him, by his kinfolk, Dirnal managed to direct the mannites through the old network of pipes, navigating a path which placed them at times on a more level field, one where they all could see eye to eye.
Finally, they arrived at a large circular chamber that, by their reckoning, lay beneath the Grey Tower. Two other openings branched out from the chamber into dark passages identical to the one they'd passed through. A central column rose up to the ceiling; the wetness beading down the column identified it as some sort of water conduit. An iron ladder set into the side of the column led to a grill.

Nathyn inspected what looked like their only access to the tower and turned to regard Jamie with a tired grin. "After you?" he asked in wry humor.

Jamie shook his head. Here they were, going in to what might be the most dangerous building in the city and Nathyn seemed ready to crack a joke. His good humor was infectious and Jamie couldn't help but smile as he stepped onto the first rung of the iron ladder. He paused at the top of the ladder looking through the grill for any sign of danger. A soft push checked to make sure it wasn't secured.
"You two keep climbing. This doesn't concern either of you."

Moving towards the ladder a tingle of misapprehension caused Dirnals’ hairs to stand on end. "beware the hammers... beware the hammers" came the caution from the stream... prompting him to look about nervously, eyeing the shadows. "Hast either of Thee knowledge of the Hammerhands?" he asked in a whisper.

[ooc hopefully this isn't associated with or will influence the event to come. It’s a response to the current threat looming over poor Dirnal. - Nope, you're good with that one.]

Footsteps echoed around the pillar, bouncing from the walls, the tunnels, the ceiling, so that it was impossible to say whether they were just out of sight or a hundred yards back down one of the passages. Was it one man? Three? More?
"That's right. The Watch need not be involved with this." Definitely a different voice to the first, and it echoed from a different direction. "We're here for the magespawn."

<sidebar>Hammerhands. One of the problems Alec Mal has been keeping a tight lid on. Few in the watch know of their existence. A gang formed of unknown members who decided that magic users had caused the Night of Fire and, after some careful experimentation, determined that if a magic user can no longer use their hands, they can no longer wield magic. They do not kill, they're not animals. Their strikes are almost surgical. Usually, a couple of swift blows applied to the wrist and fingers with a sufficiently heavy hammer is enough to dissuade any user of magic from trying it again. Or doing much else with their useless hands. So far, nine deaths can be directly attributed to this punishment. There are probably more. No known hideout, no known members, no known meeting places. Everyone knows... that the Watch make up more than half the members of the Hammerhands and that they're protecting these thugs. Everyone knows... that the Hammerhands are only partially right - it wasn't just the wizards, it was the Gnomes as well. Everyone knows... that the Hammerhands don't exist - they're something Khadim has formed to protect itself from those it believes are its enemies.</sidebar>

First rule of fighting: Don't do what they expect. Jamie knew the floor was solid stone. He knew this was going to hurt. He also knew there was a fight brewing and he really didn't want to fight on a ladder. Jamie stepped sideways, jumping off the ladder to land in a crouch by the others. Ignoring the pain in his legs, he stood tall and drew his sword. "You can have the half-man. AFTER we're done with 'im."

Nathyn spared a glance at Jaime. Not quite the words I would've chosen, but this is hardly the time to discuss semantics, he thought with grim humor. Hammerhands, he mused further, Yet another misguided group. It doesn't excuse their crime, though.
He adjusted the grip on his sword slightly and called out, "You are interfering with Watch business. The gnome is with us and under our protection. Whatever you seek, you will not find here today. Leave now, and you'll be spared any punishment."
His voice was level, the words wrapped in steel.

“Thee each be poorly informed or misguided, masters handsmashers, Gnomes hast none of such skills... Ones talents as a Physic be learnt not ast Thee hast mistakenly assumed, by such ast castings, but through diligent study of anatomy... ” he squeaked into the darkness looking about nervously. The thump of the watchman landing nearby startled a thought to surface. Turning to the ladder he quickly climbed to a point two feet higher than the standing watchmen and tied the lantern to it. Once secure he clasped the sides of the ladder placing his feet alongside its verticals and executed a control slide to the ground, where he ducked between the two watchmen. "Beware the hammers.. beware the hammers..." the caution issued forth again within the stream.

"One would suggest we three move away from yon light, ast doeth highlights us. Anst head directly towards yon last voice heard; thus placing such adversaries tweenst the light anst ourselves" Dirnal quietly advised.

"I'm loath for us to separate without knowing the number of our adversaries," Nathyn softly replied. "It could allow them to overwhelm us by taking us down one by one."

He eyed the set-up with the lantern that Dirnal had arranged with satisfaction. "You might be safer up in the Tower, Dirnal. Jaime and I can keep them from following you." The implied suggestion in his words was plain: climb the ladder and escape.
Dirnal's great third cousin twice removed Urialmba oft maintained 'Ye can lead a bee to the field bu tha donna mean it be a hummin berd...' He didn't need a second prompt, as quickly as he could Dirnal slipped up the steel ladder towards the grate at the top... as the sounds of movement below increased. Once out of the light he was able to make out some of the closer forms in the chamber below. Refocussing on his upward progress he slowed several feet from the grate above, peering carefully through the steel weave for signs of handsmashers lurking above. Looking towards the sounds of rushed movement below he noticed a row of extruded rockwork around the column and two feet from its top and below to roof above. Capital he thought just the right size for a healthy Gnome, sipping onto it he scrambled to the far side of the column where he perched free from any threat above and able to observe the events below.

Jamie ignored his companions' babbling. At least the gnome was out of the way. The Captain would probably be pissed if he got killed. Jamie stared into the darkness, looking for some sign of the Hammerhands.

"Jaime," Nathyn called out softly to his teammate. "Back-to-back. Stay sharp." He positioned himself facing away from Jaime, also intent on catching sight of their foes.
He relaxed into a combat stance, centering himself with a cleansing breath. Almost unconsciously, he began to recite.

"Sanctahl, guide our Path and let us not stray. Yea, though we travel in the Valley of Darkness, we shall not fear, for Your Light will lead us to safety. Forgive those who trespass against us, and give us leave to deliver Your blessings on them, in Your Name, let it be so."

[OOC: BTW, in case it needs to be said, I was trying to activate the Blessing Talent here.]

"Send 'em in." The first voice hissed to whoever was with him. In the hush, a clink as of chain hitting stone rang out. Judging by the sounds that followed something skittered up the walls of the tunnel and into the main chamber. There wasn't enough light to see what was moving up towards the roof, just that there were at least two of them.

Nathyn flinched right a little, dodging as something heavy swung towards his head. Instinctively, he jabbed towards where he knew someone to be standing, smiling grimly as he felt his blade strike its target. Behind him, Jamie caught sight of two shadows just around the corner.

Up by the roof, Dirnal felt rather than saw the figure approaching him. Its face marked it out as something that had once been human, eyes enlarged for searching out prey in the dark. All four limbs ended in wide hands, three gripping the roof of the chamber, the fourth reaching for the gnome where he lay on the ledge. Somewhere behind it, back around the column, was another of its kind.

Jamie glanced back briefly to see how Nathyn was doing, before turning back to whatever was in the darkness. He was brave, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't about to rush into the darkness to fight gods know what creatures the Hammerhands had released. For now, he stuck by Nathyn, guarding the other man's back. If anything came into the light, he would deal with it, for now he waited.

Dirnal smelt the odorous creatures as it moved along the ceiling in his direction, prompting him to squirm closer to the ladder. Peering towards a slicking sound coming from the smelly creature, The gnome recoiled in shock as a pair of large bulging eyes attached to a bulbous head came into view. Dirnal instinctively reached around the column grabbing the ladder as the misshaped beast moved closer to him, reaching out with two of its four hands it attempt to grasp the evasive gnome. Bracing his back against the column the frightened gnome kicked at the bulbous face striking one of its enlarged eyes. As the gnomes shoes connected the beast snag one, and clasped its injure eye with a third hand; thus losing its grip on the ceiling. With its hand clasping the gnomes shoe it fell in an arch towards the luckless Gnome, slamming into the column and hitting the injured eye, to squirm in pain. The weight of the beast pulled Dirnal off his perch and away from the column, propelling the two figures away from the upright and pulling his shoe off his foot. Clasping the detached shoe the misshapen creature plummeted to the ground, landing with a squelching splat and leaving the gnome dangling with one arm holding tight to the bronze ladder.

Clasping a lower rung with his other hand the frightened gnome swiftly descended as a second beast rushed towards him. "Be Thee away from yon beasty lad" came the prompt from the stream, mirroring his own thoughts. Hurriedly moving towards his companions and away from the beast he heard the it land on the opposite side of the column its hands clasping the smooth seamless pylon as he clambered towards the watchmen. Reaching the lantern Dirnal leaped to the ground as a hand snatched at the point where his head had been. “Behind thee on the column” he squeaked an alert to his companions .

The sound of the gruesome impact almost fatally drew Nathyn's attention from his own battle. At the gnome's warning, he gritted his teeth. "We're a bit busy here, Dirnal!" he called back.

Jamie glanced up at the sounds of struggle above, just in time to step out of the way of the plummeting creature. He took a quick slice at the creature's head before it could get up. Jamie doubted the creature survived the fall, but better to be safe. As Dirnal hopped down off the ladder, Jamie pulled the sewer key off his belt and tossed it at the gnome. "Smack any that come atcha." It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was a good solid hunk of metal and a good swing should be enough to cause some damage. With another creature coming down the ladder and two more around the column, Jamie gave a grim smile. "I got 'em. Handle yer side."

The heavy set of keys landed with a clank in front of the gnome, who snatched them up “One'd be thanking Thee greatly... One thinks. ” he informed hobbling closer to the wall behind the trio. Looking about for signs of the deformed crawling beast and hoping the watchmen would be able to deal with anything that came at them.

A chill wind blew through the grating at the top of the ladder, foul air pushing the clean away, the breath of the dead leaving the trio retching - and alone. It was almost a minute before they could breathe again, their eyes streaming with tears, a vile taste in their throats. The dull, echoing, clunk of the grating dropping open reverberated though the silence. Casting a glance around, all that remained of their assailants was the twitching, misshapen figure that had climbed up after Dirnal. It wasn't already dead, it couldn't be far from.

Jamie gasped, releasing his held breath. Gas traps were one thing, but that... that was death. Death and magic. He looked around cautiously, then stabbed the remaining critter in the face, making certain it was dead and perhaps putting it out of its misery. He turned back to Nathyn and Dirnal, clearly worried about what just happened. "You a'right?"
Nathyn spat and coughed, trying not to retch outright. "I'm alive," he croaked, wiping his face. "Dirnal?" he called out to the gnome with concern.

Dirnal had cupped one hand over his mouth in an attempt to block out the stench from above ”Tis a sour place for sure it be filled with merciless mannites, horrendous beasts, foul killing winds, an all. Methinks yon tower be a place of death mayhap yon Shadowhag hast taken residence..." he replied without removing his hand.

Nathyn spoke with a grim tone, "Whatever fell place it may be above us, it's still our destination. At least, the stench seems to have driven off our attackers. Let's make sure we're not still here if and when they return."
With a glance at Jamie, he offered, "I can take point from now on."

Jamie looked up at the entrance to this cursed tower and shrugged. They had to go through with this, but if there were more traps up there, perhaps it was better for someone else to take point. He motioned for Nathyn to take the lead.

With a nod of acknowledgment, Nathyn sheathed his sword and stepped to the ladder. He turned to Dirnal and asked, "Can you climb after me and hold the lantern at the same time? I may need both my hands free once we get to the top. Jaime can cover the rear."
“Such wouldst be as simple ast pulling a rope, especially if Thee wouldst slip the end of yon rope through the grating” he informs pointing to rope which secures the lantern to the steel ladder. “Once such be achieved t’would be no problem to hold yon lantern in place” 

Make them laugh, make them cry, make them lie down and die.