The Porcelain Dolls: Session 28 (August 03 2016)
Aftermath of the Churl’s Girl Burl:
Coin: 2. Rep: 3. Heat: 4 for high exposure, +2 for killing, +1 for hostile turf, and 1 existing, for 8 total. Eeek.
Entanglement: Arrest! Gloves is getting measured for a new suit when a contingent of Bluecoats comes into the shop and asks politely for him to come with them. They take him down to the station in Charterhall, where they make him wait for several hours in an empty interrogation room before an Inspector comes in to question him regarding the altercation at the slaughterhouse, as a witness has put him at the scene. They’re operating under the theory that the building was attacked using a wrecking ball on a huge crane, but no one’s actually seen it (for whatever reason, none of the witnesses who have come forward are able to properly describe the giant monstrosity made of rock and cobblestone). The Bluecoats make no secret of the fact that no one’s too broken up about the deaths of the Billhooks. However, they are concerned about the property damage in the surrounding area (not to mention the big hold in the street), and that’s what they’re following up on. Gloves confesses to being involved, which makes the Inspector happy, as it allows him to close the case quickly and quietly. The next day the hearing is over and done with, and Gloves is sent off to Ironhook for three weeks (he actually managed to get the Inspector to lobby for reducing it down from a month, because that’s what Gloves does).
After what they did to the Billhooks, the Dolls are at definitely at War, so they only get one free Downtime action each. Shade heads to Setarra’s brothel, overindulges, and is Lost for the time being. Kamali trains Prowess. Constance and Boots work on completing the Workshop project. They are just about done when Gears comes home with his latest pet project. In a box he has a large rodent, which he has modified with various mechanical bits. When connected up to a power source, it begins moving. Its movements remind Kamali of a tortoise that’s been flipped on its back and is struggling to right itself. This was the first thing that popped into my head:
Meanwhile, in Ironhook: Gloves does not have a good time of it in prison. He fails the Tier roll, so when he’s released he’s walking out of there with a the first Trauma for our group (Paranoid). He is menaced by a Tycherosi thug named Hook, who keeps taking his food every day. Gloves hasn’t eaten in four days when he gets rescued by Tavrul, who commands an impressive amount of respect and fear within the prison. When speaking later, Gloves informs Tavrul of recent events, including the deaths of his sister and son (he minimizes the extent of the Dolls’ involvement). Tavrul says he tried to dissuade Brynn from messing with Crow’s Foot business, and considers the results all part of doing business. Gloves got a crit on his Sway roll, so Tavrul agrees not to pursue retaliation against anyone in Crow’s Foot.
Constance brings Gears up to speed on everything that’s been happening, and calls a meeting to discuss what to do next. Constance’s plan is to bring down Baszo as soon as possible. They bring in Merrill Brime and Livio. Merrill states that from what Livio has told him of the recent goings on (including Sevoy’s murder), he surmises that he is likely not in danger from the Sashes anymore. He is grateful for what the Dolls have done for him, but is eager to get back out into the city. Livio assures Constance that he’s in no danger from the remnants of the Billhooks, as he is capable of being quite inconspicuous when he wants to be. They are both blindfolded again and led out.
Notes:
The prison thing nearly threw me for a loop. The moment it came up on the Entanglement roll, the players remembered that Tavrul was in there, and suddenly there was a plan for the Dolls to send their most socially adept member inside to negotiate a cease fire from behind bars. And all it cost was a Trauma and a few weeks of discomfort.
The Billhooks were not eradicated, but their numbers are greatly reduced, and their leadership is gone. Tavrul will have a difficult time rebuilding, if he ever gets out.
#dontmesswiththedolls
In fact, Gloves gave an audacious confession that implied he was singlehandedly responsible for the destruction. If one must be a guest at Ironhook, one should go in with the most gonzo rep possible. (Goodwill from the Inspectors doesn’t hurt either.)