EDGE OF ANARCHY- The Shadow Pact

The players:

-Aerodus, a well-to-do dabbler in elixirs and potions
-Baelgren, a minor street vendor of items magical in nature
-Lucien, a down on his luck middle-aged crooner
-Lugo, a man seeking to shed himself of his tortured past

It begins with Lugo and Baelgren. Reacquainted after many years, Baelgren convinces Lugo (with some difficulty) to partake in a ritual called the Shadow Pact. If successful, Lugo would gain powers over his own shadow, effectively separating it from his being and gaining a powerful ally in the process.

"THIS is where you got the idea for this Shadow Pact?", Lugo asks, looking incredulously at Baelgren as he groans with despair. Though small, the object in question appears and feels so disturbing that Lugo literally starts to shake. Never before had any item had such an effect on him. Black as night, the outer shell of the small tome is engraved with vile white sketches of the crudest sorts, depicting scenes of torture, rape, and pain. In the center is a symbol of a skull with chains through the eye sockets. To the touch, it feels slippery, yet slightly tacky. "Blood, this damned book is soaked with blood...take it back!", Lugo shrieks. Baelgren smiles and removes it from Lugo's grasp, "There is no need to fear what you do not understand Lugo.". Lugo gazes at his own hands, expecting to see them stained red. Instead, they appear quite normal.

Despite his reservations, Lugo decides the payoff is worth the risk. Knowing that some parts of the ritual are beyond his particular skills, Baelgren enlists the help of a business contact, one Aerodus Leroung. But even Aerodus is puzzled at some of the ingredients demanded in the ceremony. Mulling options over ale at a local tavern, the three gather the interest of a fellow patron when one of them mentions the name Gaedren Lamm, but it is only after leaving that they notice their eavesdropper. Slipping into an alley, they manage to corner him and extract an explanation. He is Lucien Graysong, and, like them, he's had dealings with the monster Gaedren Lamm. Before they have time to talk overlong, a scream splits the night air. They investigate and stumble upon a brutal assault. Two figures dressed in colorful clothing and bizarre masks, apparently the assailants, laugh and run off as they hear the group approaching. The victims, a man and a woman, have both had their throats slashed. A quick investigation of the bodies confirm they are both dead. Baelgren finds two items of interest on the alley floor near the bodies; a scroll and a ring. Also of interest is a symbol, freshly branded, on the male murder victim's forehead: A skull with chains through the eye sockets. Baelgren, Lugo, and Aerodus look at each other with alarm as they realize the symbol is nearly identical to the one depicted on the cover of the Book of Shadows. Before they have any time to think, the scene turns from bad to worse. A group of hellknights appears at the mouth of the alley. With blood on their hands (from searching for vital signs), weapons drawn, and a symbol linked from murder victim to an item in their possession, the group decides to flee rather than face the infamous justice system of the hellknights. The resulting chase meanders through much of Old Korvosa, with the party unable to shake the tenacious hellknights. Eventually, they find themselves on a newly constructed dock jutting into the chilly Jeggare river. Unable to retrace their steps, they are at a dead end and are forced to jump into the waters or surrender. The resulting 2.5 minutes spent in the freezing river seem like an eternity and nearly drown Lugo and Aerodus, but it is Lucien who draws the attention of two knights when he, to the amazement of the others, starts to sing! His cover blown, Lucien is quickly captured and manacled. With their attention on Lucien; Baelgren, Lugo, and Aerodus haul themselves out of the water and hide amongst construction debris in the nearby alley. The trio launch a surprise attack, dropping one of the soldiers as Baelgren injures him with a bolt of sizzling arcane energy and Aerodus finishes him off by throwing a flask of volatile liquid that explodes upon contact. Out-numbered and out-matched, the remaining hellknight surrenders. Upon hearing more foes approaching, Aerodus, Lugo, and Baelgren quickly scatter, leaving Lucien, wrists bound, to fend for himself.

Everyone survives the night. Lugo follows Aerodus to his apartment, unabashedly making himself at home (indeed, it seems that in the coming weeks, to Aerodus' dismay, Lugo earns the distinguished title of 'The Party Mooch'), while Lucien, despite being handcuffed and having lost his backpack, is able to make it home with only his feelings bruised. Baelgren also makes it home, though he nearly succumbs to hypothermia from his swim in the Jeggare.