Category: Blades in the Dark: Actual Play Reports

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

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 54 (February 15 2017)

Moira is summoned to meet with Constance at a construction site near the factory, where she is given a choice: If she decides she is a woman, she will have a place at Constance’s table, and a voice in the crew, and will receive a share of the crew’s profits. However, she must bear the weight of her words, and do her part to earn for the crew. If however, she decides she’s still a girl, Constance will take care of her, but she will not share in the crew’s profits, and she will not have a voice in the crew’s plans. Moira says that she’s ready to be a woman, so Constance takes her to the factory. Upon climbing the stairs, they are confronted with a cacophony of screams and several dozen floating doll heads that all turn to face them. Shade apologizes for startling them, but declares his new security measures a success. He will work on calibrating them to recognize members of the crew.

Constance convenes a meeting. She advises that the Crows are moving on Charhollow and Charterhall, so if anyone has any personal business there they should keep Constance informed. Meanwhile, the Dolls will be expanding into the Docks.

Kobb and Moira volunteer to keep an eye on the dock workers. Constance tells them to start with Dunham & Sons, Bellhaven Mercantile, and Tyler Brothers Carting.

Kamali will infiltrate the harbormaster’s office to copy the union rolls. She will stay out of Kobb and Moira’s way.

Constance will take on the Crimson Skulls herself, and Shade volunteers to go with her.

Preparation for the Docks Flocks Shock & Rock:

Constance and Shade head to the Docks to talk to the Crimson Skulls. Due to Kamali’s recon, they have no trouble finding them. They work the night shift at one of the warehouses, and spend most of their downtime in The Pearl. Constance and Shade head to the bar, and order two ciders.

Shade Attunes and speaks to the resident ghost, Gerard “Flat Jerry” Archer, who was killed by a falling crane out on the nearby dock, and who doesn’t like the Crimson Skulls. They are too noisy for his taste. He points out their leader Byron.

Kobb and Moira head to the Docks to check out some of the warehouses. Moira Attunes (though she’s always at least halfway in the ghost field) and is attacked by a ghost who is being driven mad by the tolling of the crematorium bell. She successfully defends herself with a crowbar to his face, which seems to snap him out of it. After the bell ceases tolling, he can converse coherently, though he’s still quite surly. He’s a former dock worker named Louie, and he gives her some info on the warehouses Constance mentioned:

Tyler Brothers: Shop Steward Adolfo diPaolo. Imports food from Severos (Louie used to work for them, so he has the most information on them).

Bellhaven: Shop Steward Kabir Wakim. They deal in mostly spices and silks from Iruvia.

Dunham & Sons: Doesn’t know anything about them, other than it’s a Skovlander-owned company.

Constance goes to occupy herself with a round of darts, and finds herself playing against Byron, leader of the Crimson Skulls. He’s surprisingly more friendly than expected, and even flirts with her. She decides that she has a better use for them than simply grinding them up.

Notes:

The start of a new chapter, and the beginning of new conflicts. Constance’s background will be coming to the forefront very quickly.

I took a cue from a post on this community, and decided that the crematorium bell is only audible in the ghost field.

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 53 (February 08 2017)

Flashback:

A member of the Ink Rakes (Sebastian Atkinson of the Doskvol Daily Mirror) confronts Constance about the gathering at the boxing club (The Pint and Hound), and the fact that several members of the city council were seen there. After he leaves, Constance and Shade discuss what possible trouble this might be in the future.

Present:

The Dolls meet with Lillie Thomas, and take on a new member, Moira Tamany. Constance wants the Eels to provide another distraction in the Docks. She warns against starting another fire, she just wants the streets densely populated. Lillie has the idea to throw a street fair.

The Done and Dunne Gun and Run:

Kobb goes to Ellsworth’s house to get Mrs. Dunne and the kids out of the house and bring them to the street fair. He brings a bottle of high quality liquor, to help the servants get good and drunk. Gloves is following along. However, when they get there, they find that Ellsworth’s son William is quite ill. Kobb manages to convince Mrs. Dunne to go out with “Khaalid”, while he stays and takes care of William (daughter Jenny is currently at her friend Kate’s house).

Kamali and Moira enter the house and begin looting the house, while the lampblacks are waiting outside to carry off the stuff to a cart stashed nearby. Boots is on a nearby rooftop keeping watch. Kamali gets right to work, cutting paintings out of frames, taking a purse out of a drawer, taking a gold pen off a desk. She and Moira are able to get everything from the top floor with no problem. They are almost caught by the junior maid on the second floor, but manage to sneak past her. They get down to the basement, and Kamali hands Moira her lockpicks to open a jewelry box. Moira gets it open, but ends up breaking one of the picks in the process. On their way out, Kamali blackjacks Kobb on the back of the head to give him an alibi.

Constance, Gears, and Shade are on Team Murder. Thanks to the legwork they did, they know exactly where Ellsworth is supposed to be.

The Strays will be running interception in the flophouse itself, making sure no one gets in or out of the building (at least via the ground floor).

Shade positions himself outside in case Ellsworth gets the bright idea to jump out a window. Constance and Gears head up to the top floor, and Constance forces the door open. The noise attracts the attention of a young thug who was hanging out on the second floor, and who now comes marching up the stairs to deal with the situation. Constance meets him on the staircase, and pushes him back down the stairs to the 2nd floor, shoving him up against a wall. Constance addresses the entire building. She announces herself and gives a speech. This is enough to silence any opposition.

Meanwhile, Gears strides into the apartment and confronts Ellsworth. He’s brought a homemade stun gun that softens up Ellsworth a bit. In the end, he hands Ellsworth a pistol and tells him to do the right thing. Ellsworth’s resolve crumbles. Constance can hear the gunshot as she’s returning to the top floor landing, and Gears walks out and says it’s over.

Kobb is awakened by Marian and Gloves, who have returned. Kobb feigns ignorance, and Marian tells him that the place was robbed. Her main concern is for her son and the servants. Fortunately, William is sleeping soundly, and the maids are alright. David the butler comes in a bit alarmed and attempts to take responsibility for allowing it to happen, but Marian won’t hear of it. Gloves helpfully goes to fetch a Bluecoat, who takes notes on everything. Kobb gives a sufficiently obfuscated description of the perpetrators to throw suspicion off of the Dolls.

Aftermath:

Rep: 0.

Coin: 6 (+2 for the Fence).

Heat: 5 (2, +2 for killing, +1 from a Devil’s Bargain).

Entanglement: Gang Trouble (which the crew avoids again).

Downtime:

Constance: Reduces Heat (down to 2), reduces Stress and heals her two level 1 injuries.

Kamali: Trains Prowess. Spies on the Crimson Skulls (faction that has operations in the Docks).

Gears: Reduces Heat (down to 0), and indulges his Vice, advancing the second stage of the Big Idea.

Kobb: Works on a long term project to solidify Marian’s trust in him (1 segment filled), and Gathers Info on the Ink Rakes (makes contact with Sebastian Atkinson). Also Trains Playbook.

Moira: Trains Insight, and Gathers Info on her parents. Nyryx says that he’s talked to someone who claims to have seen them, who confirms that they are unfortunately dead.

Shade: Finishes the project to upgrade the security of the factory, and heals his level 1 injuries. He also Gathers Info on Jezelle.

The Moon’s Daughter and The Pint and Hound generate 9 Coin total.

Notes:

Moira is our newest PC. She’s a Whisper who just grew too old to hang out with the Eels. Lillie Thomas herself will find herself in a similar situation very soon.

This is also the first time wee hear Constance’s last name (Carter).

#dontmesswiththedolls

The Porcelain Dolls: Session 52 (February 01 2017)

Aftermath of the New Guy Try-Before-You-Buy:

Rep: 1 (Dacio and his guys were Tier 1)

Coin: 8. There is enough for one Coin each, after their tithe to Lyssa.

Heat: 2 (the building fire was high profile, but the Dolls managed to keep their names and faces out of it for the most part).

Entanglement: Gang Trouble (which they avoid because they’ve trained the Wild out of the Lampblacks).

Downtime:

Constance works on eliminating the crew’s Heat, and has Gears assist in healing her bruised collarbone.

Kamali takes Kobb with her to The Veil in Nightmarket, after buying him a new set of syringes. There they both indulge their shared vice, Blue Cloud. Later, she runs him through some exercises in opening various kinds of locks (Kobb trains Prowess, gaining him an advance and raising Finesse. Along with the bonus dot he gets from Everyone Steals, his Finesse is now a 2).

Shade works on the project to set up arcane defenses for the hideout. After that, he heads to the spirit well to meet with Quellyn, and Kamali follows at a distance. Along the way, one of the alarm wards Shade had set up triggers, and he races there to find Sebjorn in a rather feral state and attempting to batter down the wards that had been put up around the alley. When Sebjorn sees Shade approaching, he lunges. Shade manages to hold him off with a binding ward, while Quellyn approaches from the opposite direction. Kamali maintains her distance in order to keep herself hidden. Sebjorn takes a swipe at Shade, who brings out his Lightning Hook. he manages to get the loop around Sebjorn’s neck, but not before taking a nasty scrape across his chest. He has to fight to keep hold of the pole as Sebjorn attempts to wrench it out of his hands. Kamali jumps into the fray to help Shade, and throws her spiritbane charm around Sebjorn’s neck. However, since Quellyn doesn’t know who this newcomer is, she targets Kamali with her binding spell, rooting Kamali to the ground. Shade manages to wrangle Sebjorn into an open spirit bottle and clamp the lid shut. Sebjorn is still kicking when he picks up the bottle. Quellyn realizes that Kamali is on Shade’s side, and releases her. They discuss what to do with Sebjorn, deciding that selling him to the Path of Echoes is not a good idea, since they have no idea if he will end up being released by them. Shade decides to keep the bottle on his shelf for the time being. This enterprise brings Quellyn to Neutral status. She’s willing to work with Shade, but not without compensation.

Gears continues to work on his Big Idea, and trains Resolve (gaining an advance, and raising Command).

The Moon’s Daughter and the boxing Club generate a total of 8 Coin, and Constance encourages everyone to stash it.

Constance gathers the whole crew at the factory. Kobb now has a seat at the table. She brings up Ellsworth Dunne. Kobb has heard of him, but knows very little. Constance brings him up to speed on the Dolls’ involvement, and of her intention to finally bring this matter to a close. She’s of the opinion that even without resources and allies, Ellsworth is dangerous enough that it’s better to end it quickly, but she recognizes Gears’ right to vengeance.

Preparation for The Done and Dunne Gun and Run:

Constance wants Kobb and Gloves to compete for Ellsworth’s wife’s affections. Gloves make a joke that he might have a bit of an advantage over Kobb in this. However, it’s Kobb that makes the most headway toward befriending Mrs. Dunne, playing the role of a sympathetic confidante. He uses his niece’s name as a way of making introductions, and over the course of several days, has schmoozed his way into her social circle.

Shade goes to look up Virgil, his ex-Bluecoat contact, introducing him to Nyryx in the process. He asks them to keep an eye out for Ellsworth. After a few days, they get back to him to let him know that they spotted Ellsworth in the Docks, and he’s hiding out in a flophouse there. It seems he has the same plan that Ulstano had: get some Coin together and get the hell out of the city. Nyryx also mentions that Jezelle is not doing too well, and that Shade should check in on her.

Kamali and Boots scope out the Dunne household for a couple of days. Once Kamali gets a good picture of the routine, she more or less has the run of the house, while Boots keeps watch from a nearby rooftop. She examines the paperwork that Ellsworth left in his study upstairs. It’s mostly council stuff, the only item of note is an upcoming vote on troop movements into Skovlan. Heading to the secret study in the basement, she finds it’s been cleaned out, but she discovers a receipt for a flat in the Docks that Ellsworth has been maintaining for at least several months. The address matches the one given to Shade.

Constance heads to Charhollow to talk to the Strays. She finds the shop closed, and the basement hideout deserted (but not abandoned). However, she finds four of them in the back corner of the dive bar nearby. She confronts them, and they respond predictably, with threats and verbal abuse. When Constance doesn’t back down the Strays quickly escalate to violence, but they didn’t expect that Constance was Not to Be Trifled With, and the fight very quickly goes her way. She manages to knock out three of them, and interrogates the fourth, a guy named Tony. It’s clear that they believed Ellsworth turned on them and hired an unknown third party to attack them, so they took the opportunity to go to work on Luther Curtis in revenge. However, things spiraled out of control, and Luther was killed, along with a couple of the Strays. Tony manages to put it together that Constance was leading the group that attacked his gang. Constance tells Tony that she’s promoting him to leader of the Strays, and that he will make sure that they work with her to find Ellsworth and bring him down, otherwise she’ll simply kill all of them. Tony communicates his understanding of his new situation. Constance further instructs Tony that the Strays will now pay tribute to The Crows on a regular basis, and will present themselves to Lyssa forthwith, as the Crows will be expanding into Charhollow soon.

Notes:

Kobb and Kamali seem to work well together.

#dontmesswiththedolls