Swyvers: The Coil, Ep 2

Maisie’s Zig-Zaggers found themselves in the middle of a frantic battle inside a strange laboratory in a tower known as The Coil. Two new faces joined their ranks amidst the chaos: Lucy Liu, who they had just rescued from the lab techs’ operating table, and Bartolomeo, a registrar who decided his former colleagues were on the losing side. As Suki hid amongst corpses under a table, the party engaged the hostile technicians.

The fight was a brutal affair. Vincent Van Ho was struck down, and the formidable shift boss, a woman with a deadly sword for a leg, entered the fray. Seeing his employer wounded, Bartolomeo seized his moment, declaring, “I don’t know you!” before stabbing her in the back. While his initial attack missed, the tide began to turn. Nobby, wielding his mint halberd, proved to be a whirlwind of destruction, cleaving through the shift boss and another tech with decisive, brutal strikes.

With the boss defeated, the party dispatched the remaining technicians. Lucy played a key role, first disorienting a foe by throwing her coat over his head, and later landing the final, disemboweling blow on the last standing enemy. In the aftermath, the group discovered that Vincent was not dead, but knocked unconscious with grievous injuries that would leave scars like wings across his back. They looted the room, gathering prosthetic weapons and work aprons from the fallen.

Taking a steam-powered elevator operated by a gnomish attendant named Grimly, the party ascended to a new, unfamiliar floor. The air was thick with the smell of raw meat and a strange, reptilian musk. They discovered two rooms: one a gruesome morgue where workers prepared corpses for necromantic purposes, and another housing two colossal, bile-producing snakes. Blending in with their stolen work credentials, they convinced the morgue workers they were there to help, learning valuable information before being handed a key to a vast storeroom filled with hundreds of prepared bodies. After sabotaging some lifting equipment, they left the morgue to face the horrors of the snake pit.

OUTLINE:

Joining the Battle in the Coil

The party found themselves mid-battle in a laboratory.
They rescued Lucy Liu from an operating table, and she joined their side.
Bartolomeo, a registrar, heard the commotion and decided to switch allegiances, joining the party.

The Fight Against the Technicians

The party fought several lab techs and their sword-legged shift boss.
Vincent Van Ho was knocked unconscious during the fight.
Bartolomeo dramatically turned on his former boss, attempting to stab her in the back.
Nobby landed a devastating blow with his halberd, killing the shift boss.
The party worked together to defeat the remaining technicians, with Lucy delivering the final kill.

Looting and Ascending

Vincent was found to be alive but with a broken torso, gaining a permanent scar.
The party looted the lab, taking valuable prosthetic blades, armored aprons, and the boss’s sword leg.
They found a key and used a steam-powered elevator, operated by a gnome named Grimly, to go up to a higher floor.

Infiltrating the Morgue

The new floor contained a morgue and a giant snake enclosure.
Using stolen work chitties, Nobby bluffed his way past the two morgue workers, convincing them the party was there to help.
They discovered the workers were preparing corpses for necromantic purposes.
Vincent, disturbingly, took to the work of skinning a body with enthusiasm.

The Corpse Storeroom and the Snake Pit

The party was given a key to a storeroom to move a prepared body.
Inside, they found a massive warehouse filled with shelves holding hundreds of prepared corpses.
Clementine disabled two mechanical lifts in the storeroom.
The party learned they must pass through the snake pit to reach the upper floors and the ‘big bosses’.

NPCs:

Giant Snakes: Two colossal snakes kept in a large pit. They are chained and appear to be in great pain, being milked for the mysterious black bile used in the facility.
Grimly: A small, gnomish creature with nervous energy who operates the elevators in The Coil. He wears an oversized, grease-stained bellhop uniform.
Lab Techs: Hostile workers on the registration floor who were attempting to attach a prosthetic to Lucy. They fought the party and were all killed.
Morgue Workers: Two technicians working on an upper floor of The Coil. They were busy preparing corpses for necromantic purposes and were fooled by the party’s disguises.
Shift Boss: The formidable supervisor of the registration floor, notable for having a sword for a leg. She was in charge of the lab techs and was killed by Nobby.

ITEMS:

Drecks’ Ledger: A ledger belonging to a shift supervisor named Drecks, found in an office. Its contents are unknown.
Mint Halberd: Nobby’s prized weapon, a halberd in pristine condition. It is extremely effective in combat.
Phylactery: A beautiful gem containing the soul of a lich the party previously defeated. It is a powerful necromantic item that protects the holder from the sleeping sickness in The Coil.
Prosthetic Blade: A weaponized prosthetic, like a blade attached to a stump. Several were looted from the dead lab techs.
Prosthetic Quill Hand: A prosthetic hand in the shape of a quill, belonging to Bartolomeo. It was broken during a failed attack.
Sturdy Key: A key found in the sorting room that operates the elevator to the upper floors.
Sword Leg: The unique prosthetic weapon that belonged to the shift boss. The party looted it from her body.
Work Chitty: An official document or lanyard identifying an individual as a worker in The Coil. The party used these to bluff their way past the morgue workers.

LOCATIONS:

Corpse Storeroom: A vast, dark warehouse connected to the morgue, containing hundreds of prepared bodies stored on tall, metal shelves.
Morgue: A room on an upper floor of The Coil where bodies are drained and prepared for necromantic rituals. It smells of rot and chemicals.
Registration Room: A laboratory on a lower floor of The Coil where new arrivals are ‘registered’ by having limbs removed and replaced with prosthetics.
Snake Pit: A large, semi-circular chamber housing two giant snakes. The floor is covered in earth, straw, and black bile, and the snakes are chained to the walls.
The Coil: A mysterious, multi-floored tower where the party is located. It appears to be a facility for creating prosthetics and preparing bodies for necromancy.

FACTIONS:

The Coil Operation: The mysterious organization that runs The Coil. They are involved in forced prosthetic surgery, necromancy, and harvesting a mysterious black bile from giant snakes.

QUESTS:

Escape The Coil: Find a way out of the mysterious and deadly tower known as The Coil.
Gather Evidence of Crimes: Collect evidence of the illicit activities within The Coil for a contact in law enforcement.
Uncover the Tower’s Secrets: Investigate the purpose of The Coil, including the source of the black bile, the reason for the prepared corpses, and the identity of the ‘big bosses’.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

Bartolomeo: A former registrar for the mysterious organization in The Coil. He is an opportunist who betrayed his colleagues to join the party when the tide of battle turned against them. His first act was to dramatically stab his former boss in the back, though he shattered his own weapon in a later attack.
Clementine: A pragmatic and somewhat nasty character who is not above hiding under tables or carrying around rotting body parts as evidence. He seems to be the planner, recalling the party’s objectives and taking initiative in sabotaging enemy equipment. He is also taking care of an adopted child named Titch.
Lucy Liu: A new addition to the party, rescued from the clutches of the lab techs in The Coil. She is resourceful and quick to act, attempting to shank an enemy moments after being saved and later using her coat to disorient another. She finished the fight by disemboweling the last technician.
Nobby: A powerful warrior who wields a large, mint-condition halberd. Nobby is the party’s heavy hitter, single-handedly killing the formidable shift boss and several other enemies. Despite his bloodthirsty effectiveness in combat, he suffers from night terrors.
Suki Baralisi: A stealthy rat-person who prefers to hide and strike from the shadows. She uses her diseased claws in combat and is deeply disturbed by the presence of giant snakes. She shows a protective instinct towards other rats, investigating the cages of live rats being used as snake food.
Vincent Van Ho: A morbid and artistic character seemingly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and Vincent Van Gogh. He has a prosthetic quill hand and a fascination with death, which he demonstrated by enthusiastically helping prepare corpses in the morgue. He was knocked unconscious in battle, gaining a massive scar across his back that he believes looks like wings.