Author: Søren Hjorth

In Doskvol, there’s never a shortage of orphans.

Some end up as streetrats. Some end up as corpses.

But, other still, end up at the Crooked Warden’s Home for Displaced Young Ladies, and as the name implies, those souls who find a home here are of a particular gender.

Taken in by the matron, they are fed and trained to learn a trade of a particular nature, unless they show a talent in other areas.

However, two days ago, the training grounds for so many streetbirds, burnt down to the ground. Ulf Ironborn, displeased with a angry rival, fought a running street fight against a rival gang, and by some random accident, the orphanage became a battleground, where the Ironborn left behind a burnt crisp.

Left behind in the ruins, a pack of young girls saw fit to use the old basement as their new home. And a place to work from, as a new small gang of girls began operating in Crow’s Foot. For some bizarre reason, the gang, composed of teenage girls, seems to thrive, against all odds.

The Sootpickers are a crew of thieves and cutpurses.

They consist of:

– Mint, a 13 y.o. street hustler from a family that has disappeared. She is the leader of the gang, as her wit and planning have given them all a purpose. Because, unbeknownst to her, she is of one of the oldest, and most talented lines of crime in Doskvol. And, she likes hats.

– Mender, a 13 year old Leech, from a displaced Iruvian refugee family that ended their days as victims of a Bluecoat beating. Mender had a talent for snipping strings and sinew, making her a valueable asset for the gang. But, to most onlookers, she is just a twitchy, shifty muck-ridden girl in a fishnet poncho.

– Mourner, a 14 year old Whisper, who have always been to the cooky side, as she was sold to the orphanage for her silken, black hair. Lately, she has begun displaying a unhealthy aptitude for the spirits who haunt Doskvol.

– Marrow, the oldest girl at 16. She is the Cutter. She cuts people who threathens her younger friends. And anyone who looks at her funny. Blonde curls, a pretty face? Everyone thought she was heading for Silkshore. But then, a killer named Mercy taught her to deal with problems. With a knife.

As seen on a torn billboard in Brightstone:

“Have your grandfather’s old dusty clock begun attracting attention from his deceased maidservants? Have those arcane baubles begun to fade in their attraction? Are those Iruvian paintings just far too gaudy for this season?

Fear not, Grimm’s Auctionhouse of Antiquities, is ready to hand all those baubles and trinkets to new interested owners, who’d appreciate the excitement of owning such little trinkets of spiritual significance. The highly educated personal would be happy to facilitate a journey to a new owner through our vast network of contacts both in Doskvol and abroad.

For further inquires, contact the Grimm Estate.”

And, once more, my group dives into the Dusk.

This time, we’re playing Hawkers, a group known as “The House of Grimm”, a dynasty of arcane pro-curers (legal as well as illegal) that have spread their wings to most of the Empire.

However, the Doskvol branch have fallen on hard times, against competition and several rivalries with cults and churches that disdain their irreverent attitude to the spirits.

Now, with the former criminal defense barrister from Iruvia, Kain de Jayan-Grimm (The Spider) having moved his practice to Doskvol, two cousins from the northernmost branch spot a chance to return the old Auctionhouse to it’s former glory.

To Aidrian “Thorn” Greywhale (nee Grimm) (The Lurk), a widower from Whitecrown and his 1st cousin, Timoth “Giant” Seeker (nee Grimm) (The Leech), a former military scientist from the Skovlan, their newly arrived southern kinsman is just the face they need to get back into the whispering trade.

However, Doskvol seems to be happy that the Grimms are but a memory, and very few seems to respect the old lineage, so they got their work cut out for them.

Just a quick thing to say about the Spider.

He’s amazing. Playing one now, by the name of Hangman, whose stick is “The Oldest Criminal in the Dusk”. Hangman knows almost everyone in the underworld, and have retired several times, but events just keeps pulling him back into the game. This time?

His old mate Roric died, and his neighbourhood value were dropping swiftly with the Lampblacks and the Sashes doing the dance of war.

And then, his house burned down.

So, hiring some muscle, a safe-cracker and a sneak, Hangman has now reestablished his old crew, The Band of Gargoyles.

(No one talks about what happened to the six other incarnations)

Highlight of the first session was both the incredible explosive plan we marked our return with (The Gargoyles are not the most subtle of Thives.), and nearly burned a eight of crow’s foot into cinders.

And that I managed to get pulled for questioning in the first day after my return. But, that very same Interrogation, I managed to start reducing Heat while still in custody, eating five of our earned seven heat from the first mission.

The Spider is pretty much all I needed to really be a smart criminal, and a crew without one is still awesome, but more likely to be sent to Ironhook Prison early in their career.

Things sure evolve in Duskwall.

In my game, the Eels have been smacked around like redheaded stepchildren, half of the gang have joined the players gang, The Spooks.

The Crows are trying to the Crow’s Foot to settle down after they took the side of the Lampblacks, to claim the high-end drug trade from the Sashes. That culminated on a party that pretty much was a Red Wedding, just as a social party.

The Lampblacks are doing okay, but someone decided to use a weaponized gas made of aetharized leviathan blood to blow/poison up the Coalworks, as they were trying to kill Basso Baz. Unfortunately, the entire ruin was so toxic that not even the Wardens could enter, so Basso is now a vampire in his own charred/dissolved corpse.He has resumed running his gang, although, things are being problematic as of right now.

The Bluecoats are desperately trying to find the people responsible for blowing up the Coalworks, while the Inspectors knows that the Imperial Guard was the ones who lost five flagons of surplus nervetoxin from the Skovlan War to a bunch of mooks that looked like the Spooks.

Oh yeah, The Red Sashes are pretty much wiped out, but Mylera and her Inner Circle are haunting the old Fencing School, a fact that the Spooks realized yesterday.

Mylera murdered a bunch of guys from the gang, and then made a deal with the Slide. Baszo Baz. Lyssa. Captain Dunvil.

They must die.

Great fun!