Author: Ben Morgan

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 61 (April 12 2017)

After attuning to the scarab artifact, Kamali finds herself in a dreamscape where she encounters Tahir Bashara, the iruvian noble who was tricked by the Demon Prince Ixis into touching the artifact and had become imprisoned within it. Kamali takes Tahir’s hand, and the scene becomes vivid and lifelike. They are in a sitting room in a lavishly appointed palace in U’Duasha. Tahir shows Kamali a shimmering portal, and when he attempts to interact with it, he receives a visible shock. And thus he is trapped. He asks how long it’s been, she writes down the current year. He asks if House Ankhuset is still in power (as far as she knows, they are).

She promises to get help, but he’s skeptical as to whether it’s even possible. She attempts to leave via the portal, and finds herself back in her room, but she is now holding the scarab. She instinctively drops it back into the lead box.

Constance receives a message that the Spirit Wardens are releasing Moira, and they want her to collect her, as she was named as the girl’s guardian. She sends Shade and Kobb with a couple of Coin to retrieve Moira from the Crematorium.

Moira was questioned by the Spirit Wardens in relation to someone using arcane abilities to commit some very serious crimes. She was able to figure out from the conversation between the interrogators that they suspected that she might be working for the Dimmer Sisters. Once it became obvious that she was not involved in whatever they’re investigating, they had to cut her loose. However, the experience was not a pleasant one, and it has clearly marked her.

The desk sergeant is annoyed that Constance didn’t show up in person to take custody of Moira, but is so overworked that he’s glad to simply be rid of the girl as long as someone signs for her, which Kobb is happy to do.

Constance and Boots also head to Charhollow, to deal with Hook. They intercept a couple of young boys acting as lookouts on the front step of the tenement building where Hook is supposedly staying, and manage to keep them from raising the alarm. Constance heads upstairs and finds Hook hanging out with four of his friends. She manages to cow the lot of them except for Hook himself. He’s Tycherosi, nearly as tall as Constance herself, and extremely sure of himself. He’s amused when Constance throws her manacles on the table in front of him and tells him to put them on.

Hook goes toe to toe with Constance, and he’s so overconfident that he fights barehanded. However, she’s too fast for him, and in short order she gets him into the manacles and knocks him out. She lets his buddies go with a warning that no one crosses the Dolls, and brings him to an abandoned building nearby while Boots retrieves the rest of the crew.

Gloves asks everyone but Boots to wait outside, and produces a single silver spoon from his jacket pocket. He takes his time, and they can hear him waking up Hook, who is at first incredulous, then verbally abusive. The large man’s threats quickly turn to screams of agony, and eventually taper off into whimpers. It takes almost 15 minutes for him to fall completely silent, and when he does, the crew can hear the sounds of a large burden being shifted, followed by a dull thud from below. Gloves opens the door, and his hands are covered in blood. He looks shaken, but assures Constance that he is fine. On his way out, Gloves passes something to Shade; Hook’s severed eyeballs.

When the crew exits the building, they see the broken body on the street below the window. Shade and Moira hear the toll of the crematorium bell, and everyone sees the ravens circling overhead. Gregor asks if they should deal with the body, and Gloves states flatly that the Spirit Wardens need to do their job. He’s not taking any chances that Hook will come back.

After Gloves has a bath and a change of clothes, he meets up with everyone at the Bucket, and they spend the night celebrating.

Preparation for The Red Lamp Tramp Clamp:

Constance calls a meeting. She brings up Clermont, the Skovlander refugee situation, and the Circle of Flame. They agree that Madame Tesslyn needs to be removed.

Moira and Shade take up positions outside the Red Lamp to observe. The exterior has been half-heartedly dressed up in a style vaguely reminiscent of Iruvian architecture. After attuning, they can see a couple of guard ghosts, as well as a network of diverse protection wards around the inside of the place. It seems like far too much effort to keep a mere brothel protected.

Gregor goes to the Hall of Records. He talks to Edmund Bain, who lets him into the archives to see the plans for the Red Lamp. He pinpoints a likely spot to make an unauthorized entry from below ground using the drill.

Gregor follows up on this information by heading down to Nightmarket via the sewers. Constance goes with him. They find a solid metal door in the spot he was planning on drilling. Constance drinks a vial of quicksilver, and asks Yanth Agog to show her His design. She sees the wards on the inside walls. She is able to sketch about half of them before the quicksilver fades.

Kobb and Gloves head to the Red Lamp as well. Gloves expresses his distaste at the decor, as he finds it gaudy and slapdash. He promises to bring Kobb to Silkshore for a proper Iruvian meal in a proper Iruvian restaurant. They enter the establishment and partake of the services. Gloves is able to sneak into the office and get a look at their books, copying down some important names of clients, while Kobb gets a good idea of the interior layout.

Kamali heads to the Skovlan Consulate. She speaks to Karl Dahl, Erik Petersen’s aide. Together, they sketch out a rough idea of Madame Tesslyn’s comings and goings. He says that while she owns the Red Lamp, she doesn’t frequent the place much, except on paydays, once a month, and the next one is tomorrow night. Kamali gets the idea to rob the place, as that will certainly bring Madame Tesslyn running, no matter what the date.

She draws Karl’s portrait, and he asks why she does what she does, when she’s capable of so much more.

Notes:

The plot thickens. This may be the toughest opposition they’ve faced yet.

Kamali has successfully attuned to the scarab artifact, and navigated the arcane wards without triggering the trap, so she can safely visit Tahir whenever she wants. Actually freeing him is a different matter altogether.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 60 (March 29 2017)

Clermont brings Shade to the Cat & Cradle. They order lunch, and once Shade is confident that they are not being listened in on, they discuss current events. Shade is able to put Clermont’s mind at ease regarding the Ambassador’s role in the situation. Kamali watches the place from across the street.

Shade escorts Clermont to the Pint and Hound, where he will be safe for the time being.

Constance and Gloves head to the Docks to speak with the Crimson Skulls. On the way there, she discusses Gloves’ time in Ironhook, and asks if anything is plaguing him. He expresses concerns about Kamali.

They find the Skulls in their usual spot. Constance plays a round of darts with Byron and tells him that she wants him and his friends to keep an eye on the locals, and report back anything they find.

Everyone meets back at the factory. Constance asks for everyone’s report. They discuss how to locate Roric’s ghost, if he is still around.

Constance assigns Shade to check his usual haunts (no pun intended) in Crow’s Foot, and Moira to search among the dead. If he is found, Constance wants to know if he can tell them who killed him.

Kobb will accompany Constance to the Pint & Hound, and distract the Bailey & Sons delivery men while Kamali doses the supplies.

Kamali follows the cart and doses the supplies while the deliverymen are distracted. It goes like clockwork.

Moira attempts to locate Nyryx, but instead runs into the Spirit Wardens. They pick up on her extrasensory abilities, and move to bring her in for questioning. She Traumas out while attempting to resist them.

Shade goes to talk to Flint, the spirit trafficker. Flint is friendly enough, but he asks for a cut of whatever is coming to the Dolls in exchange for assistance. They start searching around Crow’s Foot. When they get to Strathmill House, they encounter several spectres who are in the process of menacing another ghost. They successfully fend them off (though Shade takes some nasty scratches in the process), and meet Angus MacMillan, former superintendent of the orphanage. Turns out he knows Roric, who used to live in the orphanage as a child. More to the point, Angus has encountered Roric’s ghost, and can take Shade to meet him. He warns that Roric is not entirely lucid.

Kamali continues working on the deliveries, gets head start with crit, gets a 5 on last roll, finishes, but gets noticed.

The crew meets back at the factory, minus Moira. Kamali and Shade give their reports.

Aftermath:

Rep: 0.

Coin: 0.

Heat: 2 (0 base, +1 for a high-profile target, +1 from a Bargain)

Entanglement: Moira was taken in for questioning by the Spirit Wardens.

Downtime:

Constance trains Playbook (earning an advance, which she spends on Closing of the Eye), and reduces Heat (to 0).

The Pint & Hound and The Moon’s Daughter earn a total of 10 Coin.

Constance receives word from her Ironhook guard contact that Hook has been released from prison. He’s currently staying in Charhollow.

Shade heals (spending 3 Coin to remove all his Level 1 Harm, and reduce his Level 2 to Level 1), and indulges his Vice (relieving 6 Stress).

Gears works on The Big Idea (2 of 8), works on the Eye/Mind Interface Device (5 of 8), and spends a Coin to train Playbook.

Kobb trains Playbook, which earns him an advance, which he spends on a Veteran Ability (Calculating, from the Spider), trains Resolve (which gains him another advance, which gets him a 3 in Consort). He spends his third action working on his relationship with Marian Dunne (7 of 8). He then spends a Coin working on his relationship with Sgt. Bartlet (5 of 8).

Moira doesn’t get downtime actions, but when she comes back all her Stress and Injuries are healed and she has a Trauma. We’ll find out what happened to her next time.

Kamali trains Prowess and Insight, and spends Coin to work on her relationship with Kazima (4 of 8). She spends a Coin to work on attuning to the scarab, completing the project. She gets the whole story of Tahir and the Demon from Tahir’s point of view, including getting trapped in the scarab. In the end, she meets Tahir in the dreamscape again, and offers him her hand.

Notes:

Our third Trauma, and the first one caused by Stress.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 59 (March 22 2017)

Kamali brings Clermont’s message to Shade, who brings it to Constance, who calls a meeting. She doles out the work:

* Kobb and Boots will follow the Bailey & Sons delivery cart to learn the route.

* Moira and Gears will go the Hall of Records to research what became of Roric.

* Kamali and Shade will go to the embassy to bring Clermont in if possible. If he is not agreeable to this, then they should learn all they can from him. They resolve to stash him at the Pint & Hound.

* Constance and Gloves will pay a visit to the Crimson Skulls to get them on retainer to spy on the Dockers for them.

Kobb follows the Bailey & Sons delivery cart, changing his outfit each time he comes across them. Boots follows along from up on the rooftops. Kobb gets the route, but the eventually the delivery guy notices him and becomes suspicious.

Kobb and Boots then spend the rest of the night bar-hopping, and keeping an eye on what the other patrons are ordering at each place. During the course of the evening, they exchange their life stories. Boots tells Kobb the story of how he first joined the Bluecoats, and then was later drummed out for attempting to bypass his superior officer in a side deal. Kobb gives an abbreviated account of his life before joining the Dolls. He says he doesn’t see himself or the rest of the crew as criminals, compared to the aristocracy. Boots heartily agrees. By the end of the evening, they have a good idea of what’s popular at each of the stops on the Bailey & Sons’ delivery route.

Gears and Moira visit Edmund Baines at the Hall of Records. They get a surprising amount of information on Roric, including when and where he was born, how long he was affiliated with the Crows (which, aside from whatever illegal activities they engage in, do operate a legitimate service for the city). Regarding his death, it is known that his body was found in the canal and his throat cut. However, the Spirit Wardens were not able to sufficiently determine the exact time of death, and as such there is still an open investigation, and they are on the lookout for his ghost.

Kamali and Shade head to the Skovlan Embassy to meet with Clermont. As they speak to the receptionist at the front desk, Kamali notices an aide who perks up at the sound of Clermont’s name and disappears down a side corridor. Kamali makes herself inconspicuous and follows him. The receptionist asks Shade to wait, and after a few minutes comes back to lead him up to Clermont’s office. Before Clermont can speak, Shade Attunes, and discovers an enchanted ring in a cigar box, which is being used to spy on Clermont. He tells Clermont that he’s taking him to lunch.

Meanwhile, Kamali finds the aide in Erik Petersen’s office, speaking with Petersen in hushed tones about Clermont and Shade (whose real name causes a significant amount of amazement and concern). Petersen tells the aide to follow them but not to engage.

Kamali tails the aide as he’s tailing Shade and Clermont. Once they’re off the main street and out of traffic, she intercepts the aide and diverts him into a blind alley. At first he believes she’s with the Circle of Flame and think they’re escalating matters. However, soon enough it becomes apparent to him that this is not the case. She shows him Wulfric’s symbol, and he understands the implication. She shows him a garrote and a dagger, prompting him to choose. This he doesn’t pick up on so easily, so she gestures over her shoulder back at the embassy. Realization dawns, and he tells her that Petersen isn’t her enemy, he’s being manipulated by Madame Tesslyn. She’s intrigued by this notion, and gestures for him to go on. He gives her as much information as he can, and asks her to help get his boss out from under Tesslyn’s influence. Again, she offers the garrote or the dagger. He chooses the former. She politely indicates to him to back off from tailing Shade and Clermont.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 58 (March 15 2017)

Aftermath of The Protection Collection Interception:

Rep: 3.

Heat: 4 (2, +1 from a well-connected target, +1 from a Devil’s Bargain).

Payoff: 5 (8 to start, +2 for the fence, -1 from Constance’s religious weirdness, -1 for the Bluecoats’ cut, -3 for Lyssa’s cut).

Entanglement: Gang Trouble (which they avoid).

Downtimes:

Moira trains Prowess (2xp), and Insight (1xp).

Kobb works on the projects of solidifying Mrs. Dunne’s trust in him (5 of 8), as well as that of the Bluecoats (2 of 8). He arranges for the piano to be found by Sgt Bartlett’s crew, and it is returned to Marian. He also starts a project to actually find a legitimate buyer for it (0 of 8).

Kamali trains Insight (1xp), starts a project to make Kazima a contact (3 of 8), and helps with Moira’s scarab project (6 of 8). She Attunes to the scarab, and gets the entirety of the story of the artifact’s history, 700 years in 10 seconds. In the middle of it is the story of Rashid Shabaz the mad sorcerer who hatched a plan to free the Demon Prince Ixis from his obsidian prison (and the subsequent civil war to bring him down), and later the story of Tahir Bashara, who succumbed to the folly of trying to entreat the Demon Prince Ixis was tricked into touching the sigil, and whose soul is still trapped in it. He speaks to Kamali and tells her to run.

Constance spends both actions to reduce Heat (down to 0).

Shade and Gears were only missing for one session, so they don’t get full downtime cycles, but we find out what they’ve been up to.

The Pint & Hound and the Moon’s Daughter earn a total of 12 Coin. Woo hoo!

A Cypher delivers a large thick envelope to the Bucket, which contains the paperwork for the incorporation of the Skovlan shipping company (there are copies in both Akorosi and Skovlan), which Gloves brings in when Constance calls a meeting. Shade and Kamali read through the papers, and are satisfied that Clermont was true to his word. Constance explains the purpose of the shipping company to Moira and Kobb (to provide the Skovlander refugees the means to help themselves, and coincidentally make a lot of money for the Dolls in the process), and the next steps required (actually purchasing a ship).

Prichard comes up from the factory floor to inform Constance that the construction project is complete. So the Dolls have their secret sewer access, and the locals have an inexpensive place to eat (free if they’re employees of the factory).

Constance doles out the assignments:

* Kobb and Gloves will press Mrs. Dunne and her associates for assistance in raising the funds to purchase a ship for the shipping company.

* Shade, Moira, and Boots will surveil Clermont to try and discover who is opposing him in the Skovlan Embassy.

* Kamali will check the contents of Clermont’s safe.

* Constance and Gears will attend to administering his pathogen to the stores of the local provisioners in the Docks.

Preparation for The Quaint Taint Complaint and The Flagship Flip & Skip:

Constance contacts Bailey & Sons to establish a delivery contract in order to have the goods come to them. All they have to do is follow the cart and taint the supply after it passes by the Pint & Hound.

Boots trails Clermont for several days, keeping an eye out for anything amiss. He is able to spot a trio of dangerous looking individuals also trailing him, but they do not engage him at any point. He follows them for a while, keeping out of sight, and eventually identifies them as the remnants of the Grinders.

Shade conducts the invisibility ritual and he & Moira go to the Skovlan Embassy and begin rifling through desks while invisible. They discover relevant information in the desk of Erik Petersen, a senior aide of Ambassador Johannes Paulsen. Petersen has been in contact with Madame Sophia Tesslyn, a prominent businesswoman (she runs the Red Lamp in Silkshore), who has been pressuring him to keep the Skovlan refugee situation as is, as she represents certain business concerns that have a vested interest in keeping the tensions high. She is accomplishing this with a combination of bribery and blackmail. Petersen suspects that she’s actually a member of the Circle of Flame.

Kobb talks with Mrs. Dunne, and Gloves talks to his lady friends, and between the two of them they are able to engineer a fundraising enterprise, with the Real Housewives of Doskvol as the driving force behind it. Due to a fortuitous roll (and spending Coin to raise the effect), they make much progress toward the goal (4 of 8!).

Kamali goes to Clermont’s house. She finds the petty cash fund, and the accompanying ledger, but all other documents have been removed from the safe. She also finds a coded message directly for her in the ledger: “I don’t know who you are, but I have my suspicions, and I believe we’ve already met. The situation has escalated. I have reason to believe they’re on to me. If you want more information, you’ll have to talk to me directly.”

Notes:

Lots of exciting things happening for Kamali this time around, between investigating the scarab and checking Clermont’s safe.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Tragic Tale of Tahir Bashara and the Demon Prince Ixis

[This is the story that was relayed to Kamali after she began researching the scarab artifact that they retrieved from the Dumham & Sons warehouse in the Docks in Session 55.]

The story of Tahir Bashara of House Akhuset begins many centuries before his birth, as it is inextricably tied to that of Rashid Shabaz, the Mad Sorcerer of House Anixis.

Long before the Cataclysm, four black crystal spires fell from the sky, and forever changed the destiny of the people of U’Duasha (and indeed, all of Iruvia). The Demon Princes imprisoned within the spires began to whisper to the people, and there rose up four great Houses, each dedicated to one of the Demon Princes:

House Anixis was dedicated to Ixis, the Demon Prince of Shadows and Secrets. The symbol of House Anixis is a scarab, for the beetle scuttles in the dust and hides in dark corners, listening to all.

House Ankhayat was dedicated to Khayat, the Demon Prince of Wisdom and War. The symbol of House Ankhayat is a snake, for it is said that the serpent possesses all the knowledge of the world behind its eyes, but the price of such wisdom can be deadly.

House Ankhuset was dedicated to Khuset, the Demon Prince of Justice and Truth. The symbol of House Ankhuset is a falcon, flying high over the world and bearing witness to all of man’s deeds.

House Anserekh was dedicated to Serekh, the Demon Prince of Strength and Building. The symbol of House Anserekh is a bull, which Serekh used to raise up the mountains and dig the mighty trenches that became the seas.

700 years ago, Rashid Shabaz of House Anixis was the Grand Vizier to Sultan Hassan II. By all accounts a man of noble bearing and surpassing intellect, he nevertheless fell prey to the will of Ixis, whispering in his ear as he worked. Rashid began to formulate a plan to free his master, by enacting an elaborate ritual. To focus the arcane energy required for the ritual, Rashid chose a bronze scarab seal that had been created for use on official court documents, transforming it into an arcane artifact of immense power.

Rashid’s goal would not be realized within his lifetime, partly because the ritual required a particular alignment of stars that the court astronomers had determined would not occur for several centuries, but mostly notably because Rashid himself was killed while resisting arrest when the I’Yalim came to summon him before the court of the Sultan to stand trial for crimes against man and nature. Officially, House Anixis would condemn Rashid’s actions to distance themselves from the scandal, but in secret, his descendants would continue to follow his instructions to ensure that everything was in place at the proper time to enact the ritual.

Approximately three centuries after Rashid’s death, Prince Tahir Bashara of House Ankhuset was the victim of unfortunate circumstance. On the night before his wedding, his bride-to-be was bitten by a deadly spider, and fell into a deep swoon. Within three days, she was dead from the spider’s bite. In his grief, Tahir entreated the Demon Princes to aid him in returning her to life. Only Ixis would answer his cries. He began to whisper to Tahir, giving him instructions and promising him all that he desired and more.

At first, it began with small, insignificant things. Go to the square and give three copper coins to a blind beggar. Travel to the highest point in the city and place a clay jug on the edge of a wall. However, before long the commands of the Demon Prince led him to enter the Tower of Stars and infiltrate the highly guarded storage room where Rashid’s artifact was kept after the I’Yalim wrested it from his dead hands. He retrieved the artifact, which had been stored in a pewter box of little decoration, and removed it from the Tower of Stars, bringing it to the house of healing where his bride had been brought before she finally succumbed to the spider’s venom. At the prompting of Ixis, he opened the box.

The attendant healers report that the moment Tahir reached into the box and touched the scarab, he was struck down, as with a bolt of lightning. It is possible that he was simply struck dead, but at least one account maintains that his soul was ripped free of his body and was trapped inside the artifact.

It is unknown if Rashid’s descendants were ever successful in enacting the ritual, but it should be noted that several decades ago, the spire located on the northwestern edge of the district of Sukru’At was cracked and broken, and rumors abound that Ixis roams the world free, whispering of His Design to those who would hear His voice and obey.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 57 (March 08 2017)

Kamali visits a bookstore in Silkshore run by a woman named Kazima, who gives her some info on U’Duasha, and the fact the the pillar imprisoning the Demon Prince Ixis was shattered some time ago, and the rumor is that the demon escaped.

When Constance wakes up the next day, Gears is nowhere to be seen, but he has left behind half a dozen small glass vials and a handwritten note with instructions on how to administer his pathogen. Shade is also MIA for the time being.

Constance calls a meeting. She wants another wave of instability among the docks to keep up the pressure, as well as to identify the primary sources of food among the restaurants and pubs in the Docks and taint that supply so the dock workers start getting sick in a few days.

She also wants someone to investigate if the Dockers have any connections to the Bluecoats.

Preparation for Protection Collection Interception:

Constance will sit this one out (at least the legwork), as she is too well known in the Docks.

Moira taps Nyyx to help her scope out the local pubs. She is able to identify at least one supplier: Bailey & Sons.

Kobb investigates the Bluecoat connection. He contacts Sgt Bartlett, the Bluecoat in charge of the investigation into the piano theft. A conversation ensues during which an arrangement is proposed and accepted, and a bribe (the first of many) is paid. He asks about the local businesses in the Docks, and gets info on half a dozen companies that pay protection to the Bluecoats.

Kamali investigates the more upscale import/export businesses to figure out which ones are paying protection and to whom. Boots will come along as backup. They are able to get fairly good info on five establishments that pay protection to the Dockers.

Gloves goes door to door to the pubs and restaurants in the Docks, presenting himself as a purveyor of fine Iruvian spices, in order to determine who their current suppliers are. He is also able to identify several local suppliers.

Constance hears everyone’s reports. She decides that the crew will hit all of the collections at once.

* She assigns Kobb to bribe the Blucoats to stay away from the Docks for the evening.

* Constance, Kamali, Boots, and Prichard & the Lampblacks will carry out the hits.

* She assigns Moira to coordinate the rest of the crew and signal as each bagman is hit.

* Boots clarifies with Constance that they are NOT hitting any of the places that pay protection to the Bluecoats.

The Protection Collection Interception:

Moira is staking out the Docks from the rooftops. Nyryx is with her. He has possessed an athletic young man of about 15 for the occasion.

Kobb is able to distract all the Bluecoats in the Docks for the entire evening by taking Sgt Bartlett and his buddies to the Black Tree. Much alcohol is consumed, and a good time is had by all.

The job is very meticulously planned, but in the end doesn’t go as well as they expected. Constance stakes out her first warehouse to find that the bagman is not sticking to the schedule. Moira signals her, and she moves on to the next one. She approaches him as he exits the warehouse, but has to use Glorious Visage to get the envelope. She spends the rest of the job randomly giving away coins to anyone she can find, because this is His Design (-1 Coin at the end).

Boots holds up a guy and gets the envelope without a word. He leaves the guy conscious, so Nyryx jumps down, possesses the guy, puts him to sleep, and as the guy is falling forward, jumps back into the kid.

Prichard and three of the lampblacks mug one of the guys. After he hands over the envelope, they proceed to beat him within an inch of his life.

Kamali and Boots meet up at the secondary rendezvous, but Constance isn’t there. They go after the guy who was supposed to be collecting from the fist warehouse. Boots approaches him and makes a show of Valter being menacing, and Kamali blitzes him from behind just before he attacks the dog. Constance shows up just as it’s resolved.

The crew meets up at the factory. Kamali is counting the take when Constance addresses the issue of Mrs. Dunne’s piano with Kobb. They agree that if it is Kobb’s intention to return it to Marian, then it should be discovered by the Bluecoats and returned to her very publicly. This will strengthen Kobb’s relationship with Marian, as well as his relationship with the Bluecoats.

Notes:

Nice basic heist. There were half a dozen stickups, and each one got to feel unique.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 56 (March 01 2017)

The Docks Flocks Shock & Rock – Part 2:

Job 3: Constance and Gears head over to the Bellhaven warehouse. They spend some time in cover watching the comings and goings of the guards outside. Constance has also brought along Marlane as backup. The two of them head around the building in opposite directions, while Gears keeps watch on the main entrance. Constance and Marlane are easily able to knock out all of the guards without raising any alarms. They confront the last guard, a fellow patrolling the inside of the building with a lantern, and convince him to run when he sees his buddies all laid out. With the way clear, Gears rigs the main entrance to blow (and crits on his Wreck roll). The door falls inward, and the locals descend on the place as the Bluecoats respond (not too hastily).

After making their escape, Constance and Gears head to the Pint and Hound. She pours him a drink, and explains the next part of the plan. They will approach the businesses that were hit, and offer them the protection that the Dockers obviously cannot provide. Gears has the idea to get some of the dock workers sick, and allow the rumors of a plague sweep through. Constance likes the idea, but reminds Gears that she doesn’t want to destroy the dockers, she wants to replace them. Gears promises he can concoct something that will make people sick, but won’t kill them. After Constance leaves, Gears coughs up a bit of blood.

Aftermath for The Docks Flocks Shock & Rock:

Rep: 3.

Heat: 4 (2 to start, +1 because the Dockers are indeed a well-connected target, +1 because of a Devil’s Bargain for Kobb)

Coin: 8 from the burglary of Dunham & Sons. The piano will be assessed later.

Entanglement: Interrogation. The Bluecoats round up Kobb to ask him about his involvement in the theft of the piano. Constance presents herself as his insurance agent, come to deliver the payout of the theft to the apparent victim. She leaves the cash with the Bluecoats on their assurance that it will reach Mrs. Dunne safely (yeah, right). Constance and Kobb are free to go.

Downtime:

Constance reduces Heat twice (down to 0), and spends a Coin to reduce Stress.

Shade trains Playbook, and follows up on Jezelle, finding her at the spirit well. She begs him to let her in past the wards. It’s obvious that she’s going through some kind of withdrawal.

Gears starts a project to build a pathogen, and uses both actions to complete it (6 of 6 segments). It will make people sick for a few days, but shouldn’t kill anyone.

Moira: Indulges her Vice. She visits Rachel Dalgaard, a fortune teller at the Night Market who reads the bones. She begins a reading, then gets spooked and shoos Moira out. After that, Moira visits a ghost friend of hers, who gives her a bit of background on the scarab (mostly the same info as Kamali already knew). When she mentions Shade, he warns her that Shade is very dangerous, and she shouldn’t associate with him.

Kobb: Trains Playbook, and works on the project to solidify Marian Dunne’s trust in him (4 of 6). He spends Coin to work on a project to cultivate Sebastian Atkinson as a contact, feeding him information that

Kamali: Reduces Stress (down to 1), and trains Prowess. She also spends a Coin to help with Moira’s project on the scarab by perusing the bookstores in Silkshore.

The Moon’s Daughter and the Pint and Hound earn a total of 11 Coin.

Notes:

Gears’ player and I had a discussion a few weeks back, and we both agreed that it would make the most sense that he would be working on some way to cheat death if he were actually facing some sort of terminal condition. So Gears is basically dying of lung cancer, and he’s looking for a way to replace human organs with machines. This will inadvertently lead to the invention (or rather rediscovery) of Hulls.

Also, I had a brain fart, and when Moira’s player said “I’m going to visit my ghost friend”, I ended up making up a completely new character on the spot rather than using Nyryx. Oh well. More NPCs are always fun.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 55 (February 22 2017)

Kobb heads over to Dunham & Sons to get more info directly. He and Gloves present themselves as wealthy merchants looking to engage a shipping company in some business, explaining they have some furniture that needs to be shipped overseas. He gets the name of the Shop Steward Oswald Mikkelsen, and a good idea of the company’s comings and goings.

Kamali heads to the Harbormaster’s office in the Docks. She is able to get in and distract the foreman long enough to lock the office door and copy down the most important names from the most recent ledgers. She is gone by the time he returns with the key.

The Docks Flocks Shock & Rock – Part 1:

Constance gathers everyone to review the information they have gathered. She mentions the Crimson Skulls.

She says her father once told her that if the dockers were to strike, the city would starve in two months. She declares that they are going into the protection business (something the dockers are already doing). To that end, they will need to manufacture some crises that they can then exploit.

She says she would like the Tyler Brothers warehouse to suffer some spoilage. Shade will employ the Crimson Skulls in bringing this about.

She tells Moira and Kamali to find something valuable to steal from Dunham & Sons. Kobb also has an idea to persuade Marian Dunne to part with some of her furniture to alleviate her current financial burdens.

Constance herself will vandalize Bellhaven. She asks Gears if he has any devices he needs to test.

I ran this as three separate jobs, each with their own Engagement roll.

Job 1: Shade meets up with the Crimson Skulls. Byron recognizes him and asks where Constance is (it is apparent that he has not given up on the idea of wooing her). Shade has several sacks of salt and instructs them to break into the Tyler Brothers warehouse and spread it around liberally to taint all the food stored there. He goes with them to ensure that the job goes smoothly. They attract the attention of a roving guard, but Byron successfully plays on his reputation as something of a ladies’ man and convinces the guard that he’s got a girl in the warehouse. The guard berates him but lets it go. On the way out, Shade gives Byron some misleading tips on wooing Constance.

Job 2: Kobb visits Marian, who is understandably distraught over the suicide of her husband Ellsworth. He persuades her to sell some furniture, in light of recent developments. She decides to sell the grand piano. Kobb approaches Dunham & Sons again to tell them that he has a buyer for the piano, and they send a couple of guys to cart it down to the Docks.

That night Kamali and Moira break into the Dunham & Sons warehouse and begin to loot the place. Kamali has brought along Prichard and the Lampblacks to deal with the piano. All she has to do is get the loading bay door open and keep the guard distracted while they wheel it out. Meanwhile, Moira is hard at work opening crates and bagging anything that looks valuable when she comes across a large brass scarab inside a metal-lined box. She can feel the arcane energy radiating off of it, and can hear it whispering to her in a language she doesn’t understand. Fortunately, she is able to fight the urge to touch it. Kamali wanders past and sees the item and immediately recognizes it. It’s the symbol of House Anixis, one of the noble houses of U-Duasha, dedicated to Ixis, the Demon Prince of Secrets. Kamali wisely boxes it up again, and they bag the whole thing, along with a fair bit of gold & jewelry and assorted valuables, and they all get the hell out of there.

Notes:

The scarab was the result of a Devil’s Bargain, and completely improvised. Thanks again to John Harper for the additional material in the Special Edition, it has already come in handy.

We’ll see Constance wreck some stuff next time.

#dontmesswiththedolls