It has been one hell of a night. While the others have been out carousing, displaying their fanciful attire and exchanging small talk in dimly lit rooms or under starry, open skies, Solomon has been hunting. He has a duty, to protect, to avenge, and on this night, of all nights, his burden is great.

Tonight, the veil between worlds thins, becoming almost insubstantial. The dark things, the things he has sworn to defend the helpless from, tonight is their night. They run amok, demons and ghosts and things most foul. All would be wise to stay in doors once the blessed Sun has fled... but not all are wise.

He makes his across the tops of crumbling tenements. The moon is a sliver in the sky, a thin fragment of the whitest bone. A cool breeze races through the heights, wiping his tattered coat about. He feels it not. His mind is focused, his senses sharped. He listens for signs of transgression. Somewhere, far off, a great beast roars, all smoke and pain. Too far away to matter, Solomon dismisses it from thought.

Gazing out over the rotting corpse of the great behemoth, Solomon clutches his trusted blade in hand. Somewhere he is needed, somewhere close.

A sound catches his attention, a hollow, metallic sound. Glancing down unto the vacant paths below, he catches sight of a lone traveler. Ever curious, Solomon makes his way towards a more advantageous vantage point.

With great leaps and bounds, he advances. Within moments, he is directly above the unescorted denizen. His eyes keen as an eagle, Solomon realizes it is but a small child. Draped in a baggy, black cloth, he carries a mask in one hand and a large sack in the other. Clearly, the waif is returning from some foraging mission in which he hoped to find sustenance. Thankfully, he has returned from the dark woods unscathed, though, truthfully, Solomon knows these avenues hold no real safety. Danger lurks everywhere.

As if to punctuate the point, a group of plebeians round the bend before the young boy. They are half a dozen in number and their coarse talk drifts up to Solomon, high above. One smashes a glass bottle in the streets and his fellows roar in laughter. Taking note of the motley, the young boy darts into a nearby alley way. But lo! The gang has already spotted him. They close in quickly, hounding the poor child. With great haste, Solomon rushes to the cliff's edge. It is a long drop, about five fathoms, but no other options present themselves. The thugs have already surrounded the boy. Two dig through his bag, spilling its colorful contents upon the ground while a third browbeats their intended victim.

Solomon sheaths his sword and leaps.  

2009-01-07 15:36:29 Solomon rolls 5 dice to Dex+Athletics 7,7,10,5,10, 10,9,6 (7 successes)

His feet strike the stone with a solid thud, mere feet from the posse. His worn coat drifts down, settling about his form. Positioned between his prey and the street, they have no means of escape. He stays in a crouch, peeking at those gathered about from under the lip of his fedora. His cold hand grips the hilt of his sword.

At first he is momentarily stunned. The confused faces staring back are those of young boys, not yet even in their teens. They seemed surprised by his sudden appearance. The two holding the bag drop it, spilling sugary bits across the ground. But understanding comes as he notes the crumbled form of the child, bleeding and bruised. The largest of the gang, the one who had been bullying the child, marches forward to investigate this new turn of events. Solomon notes the blood on his hands, the wicked gleam in his eyes and recognition sinks in.

Pukwudgie.  

He had heard stories of the foul little beasts, but never before had he seen one. Donning the skin of urchins, they crept about in the night, spreading fear and death. One would know them by their oversized ears and nose, their sickly grey skin and spindly fingers. They could vanish at will and were know to use vile poisons. He would have to move quickly, take them out before they could react. If any escaped, they would hound him with misfortune.

The leader steps boldly forward, clearly trying to show that he was not intimidated. He produces a knife, waving it back and forth menacingly. Solomon notes the globs of sticky green toxin that drip from the blade.

"Git outta her' ya dirty ol' bum! This ain't no business o' yers."

He continues forward, shouting and brandishing the weapon.

"You hear me? Git outta her' fore we kick yer a..."

Some errant stream of light cuts through the dark alley, glinting off of Solomon's iron visage. The oddity of it cause the boy to stumble over his words. As he attempts to understand what he is seeing, the masked avenger bursts into motion.

2009-01-07 18:07:06 Solomon rolls 8 dice to Dex+Melee 9,6,5,4,3, 10,9,2 (4 successes)
2009-01-07 18:10:10 Solomon rolls 7 dice to Damage 4,7,2,8,7, 2,9 (4 successes)

Arc of the Moon. Solomon's blade slices through the air, upwards, biting deep into the monster's torso. Hot blood sprays into the night air and the wicked goblin crumples to the ground.

Their is an eerie moments of utter silence, before the alleyway erupts into chaos. Screaming and cursing, the Pukwudgie flee for their lives. They bolt away from Solomon as fast as they can, though the alley has only one entrance. Their flights of fear are for naught. One of the beast, either possessing great courage or little brains, attempts to slip past the righteous warrior and into the safety of the street. A quick swing of his blade and the fool is headless.

Despite their efforts, the battle is over quickly. For all their cunning, the beasts put up little real fight. After only a few scant minutes, Solomon stands triumphant among the butchered remains of his six foes. Blood splatters mare his blade, his coat, the floor and walls. Sheathing his sword, he weaves betwixt the corpses and debris to check on the innocent victim.

2009-01-07 18:27:21 Child rolls 1 die to Stamina 9 (1 success)

By the grace of the Gods, he appears to be alright, though unconscious. Leaving him, for the moment, Solomon scans the area.

2009-01-07 18:23:54 Solomon rolls 7 dice to Perception+Alertness (Diff 5) 2,10,1,10,3, 1,3,6,5 (2 successes)

Confident that he will be undisturbed, he painstakingly removes the bolts of his mask. The feel of the cold night air on his uncovered skin is disorientating. Solomon focuses his mind, centering himself. Then, he begins to feed.

Once he has had his fill, he wipes his mouth clean before locking his mask back into place. The cold press of iron cradling his skull feels comforting.

2009-01-07 18:38:09 Solomon rolls 5 dice to Manipulation+Performance [Mask of 1000 faces] (Diff 7) 1,7,4,2,4 (failure)

He attempts to disguise his features and fails miserably. Taking the child in his arms, he heads out into the night.

2009-01-07 18:37:04 Solomon rolls 7 dice to Dex+Stealth 8,4,2,4,2, 1,1 (failure)

He makes his way to the local hospital, leaving the boy outside for the staff to find. Though several people take note of him, it is uncertain whether they would find anything strange about his apparel, on this of all nights.  

--Last edited by Solomon on 2009-01-07 19:08:27 --