An Offkey in Thy Foreseen Tune

An Offkey in Thy Foreseen Tune (a.k.a. D&Decline, or most commonly D&Dec) is play-by-post game ran in Dungeon and Dragons 3.5 edition featuring a homebrew setting. Started into 2006, it lasted well in 2008, ending prematurely for a variety of reasons. It has featured a variety of players and characters, the total cast topping at eight Player Characters at one time.

Setting

D&Dec takes place in a world resembling that of traditional settings in D&D, like Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms, with the most notable differentiating factor being that the world has gone through a sort of industrial revolution. Whereas most fantasy settings that employ this technique use it as a way to retrofit modern elements into a fantastic, medieval world (steam engines and computers, for instance), D&Dec takes a more naturalistic approach. Technologies evolve out of magic, rather than the other way around. The concept of an eccentric wizard holed-up in a tower for centuries, accumulating knowledge and power is now antiquated and obsolete, as common people begin to harness magic to aid them in their daily lives. For instance, a roofer will learn spells suited to repair buildings, or a plumber will master spells that control water and debris. This social dynamic gives birth of an elite class of business elite, and these tycoons construct large factories and processing plants that mass-replicate mystical crafting techniques, rapidly producing magic items that were once rare and valuable. As it stands now, they're readily available to most people who have a bit of cash.

Large cities have sprung up due to this revolution, dotting the countryside previously filled solely by smaller, more traditional villages and settlements. Much like their modern, real-world equivalents, these densely populated urban centers enjoy a boom in productivity, but also deal with the downsides of industrialization. Worker's identity is being marginalized, as simply replacing injured or ill laborers is becoming standard practice. Social unrest and crime are common outside the richest districts, as there is little in the way of social-welfare programs or (uncorrupt) police presence. Also, supernatural entities, such as demonic and undead creatures, still roam the streets just as they had in centuries past, merely having adapted to the highly urbanized settings.

Mood and Tone

D&Dec centers around a variety of characters, drawn together by factors such as music, free will, and generally being on the wrong side of the law. While the game features a heavy anarchistic theme, the characters rarely display the focused idealism normally associated with rebels or revolutionaries Rather, the characters lend themselves to a more impulsive, do-as-one-feels mentality that incidentally results in a degree of chaos and mayhem. One could say D&Dec is more "Sex, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll" than "Fight the Power, Damn the Man", the former merely resulting in the PCs butting heads with an establishment that seeks to stamp out this sort of behavior. On the flip side of lighter, more empowering aspects of the story, D&Dec delves into darker, more sinister territory, featuring characters with less than noble morals and ethics, that deal openly and enthusiastically with demons, resort to violence, blackmail, and extortion quickly, engage actively in torture, and experiment eagerly with narcotics.

Story Synopsis

Part One

The tale begins on the continent of Ederet, in an abandoned factory in the industrial city of Cheld. Abandoned, that is, except for the throngs of people who have gathered for a concert by the Heavy Metal band Heironeuslayer, headed by frontman, vocalist and guitarist, Laiho. Backstage, Laiho is confronted by a representative of the city, presenting him with a C&D order. The diminutive halfling orders Laiho, his band, crew and all the concert goers to disperse under penalty of detainment. Laiho, not one to be cowed easily, calls for his primary means of security, a large thug named Smear. Smear proceeds to trade words with the halfling and his two half-orc bodyguards, while Laiho makes a hasty exit toward the stage, but not before covertly casting a Exquisite Pleasure spell on the halfling and a Grease spell on the floor directly behind the party poopers. The halfling goes into a forced state of blissful catatonia, while his two leadership-deprived bodyguads, unsure of themselves, decide to back away... into the thick puddle of grease. The two promptly lose their footing, and Smear, taking advantage of the situation, throws a lit cigarette into the grease.

Meanwhile, Laiho addresses the crowd, intentionally throwing them into a frenzy with some choice words. Kaeli, member of the tribal Goliath (named so for their size and stature) race, answers the call and climbs on the stage. Her presence (aided by her giant, magically flaming axe) adds fuel to the masses' fire. Malta, a halfling bar owner, does her part in the face of an impending riot by launching several volatile vials of flammable liquid at a nearby police officer, setting the riot off in earnest. Another member of the crowd and accomplished warlock, Axel Grieg, adds his own special brand of party favors to the Peace Officers' troubles.

Backstage, things are getting hot. The fire has spread to the walls and is rapidly expanding. Smear kills one of the police with his signature weapon, a large and nasty sword, and a large portion of the band and crew begin beating the other en masse. Laiho emerges once more, and seeing the violence and flames escalating beyond control, calls for a hasty retreat out the back door. Leaping outside, Laiho and Smear are confronted by a squad of Heavy Riot Police wielding non-lethal stun weaponry. Axel follows behind quickly, but the three are subdued by the officers. The rest of the group also are arrested, but fortunately manage to avoid being crushed as the blazing factory collapses around them, killing hundreds of other concert-goers. Overall, it had been a most metal night.

The characters awaken battered, bruised and disarmed, locked in a holding cell at the local precinct (Malta makes it back to her bar, having evaded arrest). Luckily for them, the police did not have time to bind their arms, as the dozens of arrests during the concert-turned riot had tied their own. After a brief set of introductions, and with the help of Kaeli's massive strength, they escape their imprisonment and ambush the guards. They then release the rest of the incarcerated Heironeuslayer fans, dozens of them, on which Laiho works his riot-inciting magic once again, throwing them into another frenzy. The mob rushes the precinct offices from behind, catching the already busy police off-guard. Taking the opportunity, Laiho and co. loot the evidence-holding room, recovering their gear along with other items, chief among them a bag of unidentified powder. A halfling, named Benji, (presumably another concert goer) confronts them on their way out about said powder, claiming rights to it, but the group does not relinquish it. Benji invites the group to the Jolly Shade, Malta's bar, where they'll meet his boss, conveniently named "Boss", to parlay for the powder. The group reluctantly agrees, more out of curiosity than any real obligation. As the group leaves, they see the Police Station has been set ablaze, and the rioting spreading down the street into other districts.

After a brief discussion as to where to stash their newly acquired goods, they decide on Axel's place, a rather squalorous four-room apartment. The group rests for a bit, refreshing themselves on Axel's supply of beer. Axel experiments with the powder, inhaling a dose he considers reasonable. The effects cause him to go into a mild, somewhat functional stupor, his vision filled with "light" emitted by magical auras he sees all around him. The group, taking his trip in stride, make their way to the bar, with Kaeli opting to stay behind on guard duty. Along the way, the group notices the fires and rioters have found their way to the Temple District and beyond.

At the bar, the group proceed to drink and talk whilst waiting for Boss and Benji to show. Finally, the duo makes their way to the table Laiho and co. have gathered around. The Boss and the group discuss the powder, and Axel, under the affects of the drug, activates his innate Detect Magic ability, hoping for some further insight. However, the ability interacts with the drug, and Axel suddenly finds himself... somewhere else. In his place, a well-dressed man has appeared. The man reveals himself as Fionn, a fey from Arcadia. After a brief, confusing bit of family drama where its revealed that Axel is actually part Fey, Fionn leaves, replacing Axel at the table. Boss, concerned by the extra-dimnesional effects of the drug, denounces it and gives the group the address of its manufacturer, a sorcerer named Adreg, so the party can perhaps quench their curiosity by asking him questions. Apparently Boss intends to sever ties with Adreg after the enlightening events at the bar, in true mafioso fashion.

The three men gather Malta and Kaeli, and proceed to Adreg's residence, a dilapidated two-story house in one of the poorer slums in town. They make their way in, Laiho, Axel, and Smear investigating the downstairs quarters, and Kaeli and Malta taking the upper floor. The men find a trapdoor, and proceed to pry it open. Inside they find a direct link to the city sewer network, current inhabitance including a spider the size of a horse. A telepathic spider the size of a horse. After a generally friendly discussion, the spider reveals itself to be a demonic entity named Kz'thrak'll (or "Kz" for short) bound by none other than Adreg himself and kept as an indentured servant. Kz makes it clear that he's very angry about being bound in this shape, and exchanges favors with the group should they free him.

Meanwhile, Kaeli and Malta find Adreg upstairs, sleeping soundly. They grab him and deposit him on the couch in the living room, where he makes a horrible ruckus. Smear proceeds to beat the man horribly, breaking his hand in the process, but it gets him to shut up. Adreg corroborates Kz's previous explanation of the powder; made from the dried and ground corpses of spellcasters and processed into a psychoactive agent. Just then, Benji and his cohorts arrive, seeking Adreg's blood. The group promises them Adreg's finished, proceeding to supply them with the old man's bloody ear. Satisfied, Benji leaves, leaving the group to their machinations.

The group packs up Adreg and heads to the sewers. Their destination being a warehouse Adreg himself relinquished under torture to be the site of his laboratory. After a brief skirmish with a few sewer creatures (which results in a collapsed section of sewer, courtesy of Axel), the group finds the door to Adreg's laboratory. Unfortunately for the old man, rendered unconscious at this time, Smear uses his body as a shield to open the door, resulting in a nasty death via Wyvern Toxin. Kz's servitude is abruptly ended, and he resumes his turn form, a demonic Bebilith, or spider demon.

Kz then reveals to the group that he himself is a hunter of other demons, and his true purpose for being on this plane was to hunt a few who had taken up positions of power in Cheld's city counsel, impersonating the original politicians, of which Adreg had knowledge and dealings with. Kz hypothesizes that the dead sorcerer was in possession of important documents within his warehouse, and that he wants the group to retrieve them, as he lacks hands to do so. The group agrees, and they enter the warehouse. Indeed, they find the documents, along with mummified corpses ready for processing, and a rather angry group of fire elementals guarding the warehouse. A fight breaks out, and instead of engaging the enemy directly as he normally would, Smear curiously climbs the iron beams supporting the roof. As his cohorts exchange blows and spells with the fiery creatures below, he uses his adamantine blade to sever a large, load-bearing beam from its position. It then collapses on the largest fire creature and heavily wounds it. The warehouse starts to shake, its structural integrity compromised. Kz opens a transdimensional portal hurriedly, and invites the group through. The warehouse collapses behind them. Urban structures destroyed: 4.

Part Two

The five find themselves in the abyss, specifically on a layer of volcanic ash and wet weather, a thoroughly miserable place known as the Ash Drifts. Kz's entourage awaits the group, tending to their wounds and allowing them rest. During their stay in the abyss, several members of the group go through considerable changes. Laiho learns he's well-known in the abyssal layers for his music. He performs a tune that rings across the wastes for Kz's followers, much to their delight. One particular fan approaches Laiho with a deal, a unique bond between musician and demon that would grant Laiho special demonic powers. Laiho accepts, and undergoes the painful procedure much to Malta's dismay. Smear earns himself a new blade, made from his old adamantine sword by a demonic smith into a new instrument of destruction. He also begins to develop new, latent abilities that have yet to surface, as does Axel.

The group is then charged with finding information on the politicians noted in Adreg's papers and find themselves promptly deposited into a rich district back in Cheld. The streets are abandoned due to previous night's riots. The five make their way through the rich district and back to Malta's bar, where they plan their next move. Kaeli and Malta meet with a member of the so-called "Verdant Path", discussing a possible alliance. Axel, Laiho, and Smear decide to hunt down a few random civilians, hoping their deaths and the subsequent treatment of their bodies would cause enough chaos to allow the trio to abduct or kill the mayor. Their plans are interrupted, as a squad of incognito policeman ambush them, resulting in a brutal fight, in which Smear is almost killed. The three are rescued by the sudden emergence of Verdant Path members led by the head of said group, Kalfor. They speed away in a car-like transport.

At the safehouse, Laiho sums up their experiences to Kalfor. The group then comes up with their ultimate plan: magically disrobe the mayor during her address to the city, broadcast live throughout the city. Malta retires from the group, preferring to go back to her bar and keep a low profile in the face of so much demonry, on both sides. The others make their way, via the sewers, to Axel's pad in order to retrieve some items. As they travel closer, they notice the police presence rises the closer they come, in both personnel and mystic wards and enchantments. Axel separates from the group to dispel these security measures, as well as to scout ahead. The rest navigate the sewers, and are pursued by a mechanical monster, which all but Kaeli narrowly escape. The group says their goodbyes, as it were, and continues on. They eventually arrive in the Government center where the mayor's speech will take place.

Meanwhile, Axel teleports into what he thinks is an abandoned loft, inadvertently interrupting the demonic summoning ceremony being performed by a wizard named Curst. Curst, at first unaware that he "summoned" a habitually drug-using warlock, is recruited to their cause after a conversation with Axel. They whip up a plan to find a man proficient in make-up to disguise the warlock, allowing Axel to bypass the mystic detection devices and get closer to the mayor. They find the make-up artist in a local bar, who begrudgingly agrees to the job. He also brings along his hired-muscle, Alhana, not trusting either men terribly well.

Elsewhere, Smear and Laiho break into a magic arms and equipment shop, killing the owner and taking spell scrolls they need to escape unheeded after they accomplish the plan. Doing so alerts the local police presence, and the two narrowly escape from an angry police wyvern. After losing the fuzz, Smear and Laiho meet up with Axel and his new companions Curst and Alhana, the latter of which had decided to tag along out of curiousity. After regrouping, the troupe makes its way into listening distance of the mayor's speech. The mayor talks of the riots the group has caused, the martial law that resulted, and most importantly, the condemnation of innate magic users (such as bards, warlocks, sorcerers and shamans, versus trained wizards and such). As the female politician reaches the crescendo of her speech, Laiho holds out a hand, speaks a harsh word, and with an arcane gesture, disrobes the Mayor in front of nearly every citizen of the city of Cheld.

Though the ensuing bedlam is thick, the fact that a demonic rune-scar is visible on the mayor's flesh only adds to the pandemonium, throwing city officials into a scramble. A few lackeys attempt to apprehend the group, only to be put down gruesomely by Smear. This bloodshed throws the gathered throng into an all-out panic, and a riot seems imminent. Axel uses his teleportation magics to allow the group to escape in the blink of an eye. After regrouping some blocks farther away, the party hastily leaves the chaotic government sector. Led by Smear to a run-down bar by the name of Rat's in one of the poorest sectors of the city, the docks, the group chats and drinks. Laiho and Curst play a musical duet for the small bits of clientèle, and Smear and Alhana have a romantic rendezvous in a nearby supply closet. During this scene in the bar, much backstory involving Laiho and Smear is revealed, by way of flashback exposition.

The group gets extremely drunk following their "victory", and decide, in their drunken stupor, to find the Verdant Path and rough them up, for a variety of nebulous reasons. As they stagger toward where they believe the hideout to be, they encounter a Jax Jacarason, an on-the-run city archivist turned thief, who mistakes the still-disguised Axel as his professional superior. Though he sees through the disguise soon enough, Axel still recruits him to accompany them to dispose of the Verdant Path. Jax informs them that this plan may actually help them in terms of publicity as well as being really, really satisfying, so the group heads off with reinforced resolve. The six breaks into the Paths' compound, and after a fight, messily dispose of the entire organization. After looting the now defunct headquarters, the group makes haste to Jax's apartment, using it as a hideout.

While at the apartment, a knock on the door alerts Jax of a former colleague of his, a halfling researcher from the city Academy named Bernard. Bernard reveals that he covered up evidence of Jax's crimes, per the request of a mysterious and afore-unmentioned Order, but does not reveal anything more. During the prolonged scene in the apartment, Jax examines documents recovered from the Verdant Path's HQ. Evidentally, the Verdant Path had sought to destroy Cheld systematically through the use of strategically planted bombs that would disrupt man-man magical devices and actually open a portal to the plane of the Beastlands, a primal place of nature. This rift would cause the Beastlands to swallow Cheld, flooding the area with natural flora and fauna, driving meta/humanity out.

Laiho learns about his bonded-demon, who goes by the name of Akkranhras, who explains the nature, or part thereof, of Kz's general modus operandi, as well as Laiho's role as a key component. He hits up Curst to desecrate the apartment, and before another moment passes, Kz is sitting at the table. After a brief discussion corroborating what they know, Kz fulfills their request for a way out of the hot-bed that is Cheld and transports across the ocean to the continent of Gevved, specifically to the city of Yttrick.

Part Three

Once there, the group begins to set up a base of operations, immediately overtaking a local gang of petty thugs, the Scarlet Scoundrels, and moves into a large brothel, using forged legal documents. Within the whorehouse, they meet a young prostitute (and assassin) named Bird, who haphazardly kills the Madame in a drunken rage. Bird, after a rather confusing introduction, acts somewhat as their guide to some of the scenes of Yttrick. Laiho finds an old friend, named Bolt, who had helped him out of a scrape two years prior, before disappearing. Shortly thereafter, the demon-bonded bard accepts the musical challenge of a few local bands, summarily trouncing them and earning himself a record contract from a talent scout observing the event, signing it under the name "Akkranhas", leader of band The Decline. A short time afterwards, the group receives a letter from a Marcus Slick, who Bolt, Bird and the Scoundrels have identified as the guy who runs the show in Yttrick. He less-than-politely demands the group make a hasty retreat from the city. Somehow, he knows of their past feats, their allies and accomplices, and their current enterprises. Though Bird and Bolt know general information, it seems no one knows details about the crime boss.

The group summons Kz for advice, and the demon answers. Laiho hands Kz the letter from Slick, which Kz is very displeased to read. Apparently, Marcus Slick is an Inevitable (a mechanical outsider that enforces the laws of the universe) that has had past dealings with Kz, though Kz'thrak'll very much wishes to dispose of Slick now. Kz hypothesizes that Slick is interested in Laiho solely for the fact that the musician is involved in key plans of the high-ranking demon, and wishes to throw a metaphorical monkey wrench into Kz's schemes. From what the group gathers, Slick plans to use his personal army of cultist-gangers, known as "Spooks", to move in on our antiheroes, so Kz sends a reinforcement: Grine, the mortal offspring of one of Kz's best spies.

During the conversation with the demon, Bird sets out with Jax to capture a Spook for interrogation purposes. They off a few before capturing one. Retrieving him to their headquarters, Smear starts to interrogate the middle-aged loony for information.

Active Player Characters

(in order of appearance)

Name: Laiho Lestriv Sinokra

Player: CaptainFoo

Class:

Race:

First Appearance: Page 1

Background:

Personality:

Name: Palox "Smear" Harulik

Player: blurry!

Class: Fighter/Occult Slayer

Race: Human

First Appearance: Page 1

Background: Palox was born and grew up in Cheld, Ederet. He was the son of a low-borne blue collar family. At the age of 10, Palox's parents were lost in an explosion in the magitech factory where they worked. Due to the lack of social-welfare safety nets for working class families, Palox was forced out on his own. Quickly, the boy become tough and hard, surviving each night by the simple virtue of being meaner than anyone else around him. He did not stay in any missions or orphanages for long, always finding his way back to the streets. After years of stealing, killing, beating and being beaten, harboring hatred in his soul, Palox became "Smear", his heart shriveling into a blackened husk of what it could have been. Though he was deeply immersed in the dark path he had chosen, Smear was keenly aware of what was robbed from him, and has a special hatred for magic users, most notably fat-cat magitech executives.

Personality: There are those that have a tough exterior, but hide a heart-of-gold beneath. Smear is not one of those people. He's mean, foul-mouthed, nasty, and sadistic. He's the reason to avoid the streets at night. Smear has engaged in nearly every crime and illegal activity there's a law against, including sadistic torture, child slavery, the drug trade, and gratuitous and unnecessary violence resulting in the deaths of civil servants. Smear is no weasel, however; he will gladly engage opponents in fair fights, and even unfair fights in his enemy's favor. Not only is he a capable fighter, able to fend off numerous superiorly equipped opponents, but he is also a hazard to those who use magic. His hatred of magic so powerful, it has begun to manifest itself in the form of anti-magical abilities.

However, Smear is not a cartoony monster, cackling evilly and twirling his handlebar mustache. On his (albeit tiny) softer side, Smear is fiercely loyal to those he considers friends or family. Ever since he lost his in the accident so many years ago, he unconsciously seeks out a family to call his own. So far he's found a brother and friend in Laiho, with Axel and the others growing on him as well.

Name: Axel Grieg

Player: Aeolius

Class: Warlock / Fae Descendant (custom PrC; Dragon Disciple with Half-Fae template instead of Half-Dragon)

Race: Fae-blooded Human

First Appearance: Page 1

Background: Axel was born in the rural hamlet known as Muire, in one of the more human-heavy regions of Byklaen. He never knew a father, though his mother saw to a healthy upbringing and surprisingly well-rounded education for what was otherwise a church-and-farm community. At some point, this town was destroyed. While the details surrounding it have not yet been given, Axel confesses early on that if he had a map handy, he'd "use a cigarette burn [to mark his] hometown," and that the place is "probably still smoulderin'." Thus began Axel's wandering years: well over a decade spent in a state of vagrancy, generally avoiding civilization outside of occasional travelers who would cross his path. He slept in caves, ditches, and ruins. He ate what he could catch and what others would share.

Axel will openly admit that he would not have survived those years were it not for his friend and constant companion, a talking raven named Dimmu. Dimmu's history is even less clear than Axel's, with the only facts revealed being that they go way back, and certain friendly gestures (such as scratching at the neck) are a source of nostalgia for the bird.

Not too far into the tale, it was revealed that Axel is far descended from a High Sidhe, whom he has now met a couple of times. Since he began actively delving into his heritage (and the latent powers associated with it), he's slowly grown to harbor a tendency to fear and loathe debts of any sort, and indebt others to him when possible.

All will be made clear, in time.

Personality: The life of the party, right here. Axel is cheerful, amiable, and even courteous to most people he meets. He enjoys dishing out his fair share of friendly abuse to his close buds, of whom there are few. Being away from civilization for a good long while (with Dimmu, of all creatures), Axel somehow managed to maintain the excellent manners he was taught in his youth. What he forgot was any notion of moderation. Axel can throw back with the best of them, and has proven that his risk-assessment skills, where mind-altering substances are concerned, are sub-par at best. Still, he sports a simple live-and-let-live lifestyle, and the only people who have thus far stood on the receiving end of his wrath are those who would violate his perceived right to live freely.

Dimmu is a foul-mouthed, rude drunkard who never barks more than a single syllable at a time and shares an empathetic bond with Axel. We are led to believe that his actions, though at times baffling, are never without meaning. Often disputes the highly-embellished tales of Axel's travels, which Axel inevitably shares while inebriated.

Name: Curst

Player: Uberjew

Class:

Race:

First Appearance: Page 32

Background:

Personality:

Name: Alhana

Player: neongrey

Class:

Race: Human

First Appearance: Page 33

Background:

Personality:

Name: Jax Jacarason

Player: Jonked

Class:

Race: Human

First Appearance: Page 40

Background:

Personality:

Name: Bird

Player: The Invisible Hand

Class: Crazy Bitch

Race:

First Appearance: page 57

Background:

Personality:

Name: Grine

Player: dave_o

Class:

Race:

First Appearance: Page 61

Background:

Personality:

List of NPCs

Name: Kz'thrak'll (Or "Kz" for short)

Race: Bebilith (arachnid demon)

First Appearance:

Status: Alive/Active

Summary: An influential demon that also works as a demon-hunter, Kz'thrak'll has been an ally to the party since his first appearance. He aids the party with advice and resources when they request it, and the group performs favors for the demon. Though he acts congenial toward Laiho and co. and generally buddy-buddy, his being a demon leads one to suspect his true nature. He may very well actually like the party and enjoys the mayhem and mischief they willingly spread even without his influence, but he may also be simply using them for his own ends. His current plot involves slaying other demons and sentients that are significantly more powerful than himself, absorbing their power and influence as his own.