RangerWickett
Legend
These piece are far more grim than the team name would suggest. Both were excellently-written.
ZEITGEIST The chronicles of Team Big-hearted And Determined (B.A.D.)
Echolocation
Explorer
I am blessed to have such immersed and creative players.
Echolocation
Explorer
Session 50
Courtesy of Lisandra's player
Last session opened the morning after the harrowing events at Gallo’s School for Boys. The group had gone their separate ways; Lisandra had returned to the school with volunteers to tie up loose ends and do what she could for the spirits of those departed; Ella returned to her family home in the Nettles to rehash her failings with only Skeet for company; and Anghard set to work putting out word to his Vekeshi contacts to assist before returning home.
That following morning Angharad met with a contact that could offer some aid. Plucking a lovely flower along the way, the Cipith made his way to a dump to rendezvous. Literally. As he entered, an eight-foot figure of decaying rubbish emerged from a rustling pile. She peered down at him, her eyes welded shut with fetid grime as she sided him up. She smiled at him with a grin full of teeth from multiple creatures, outstretching her arms for an embrace. Angharad obliged without hesitation, his jacket quickly stained with rubbish juice and oil as he greeted The-Trash-Heap and presented her with the gift of a beautiful flower. Delighted about the prospect of watching it rot, she set the flower aside and presented the Cipith with a gift in kind, though she advised that one of his companions would be better suited to using it. He is presented with a pair of magical secateurs. Angharad smiles knowingly and leaves The-Trash-Heap to enjoy her mess… and probably to prestidigitation himself clean at a respectable distance.
Meanwhile Ella and Lisandra were awaking later than usual at the Cloudwood Camp, to the sight of empty campsites. The pair found the residents gathered, attending the remnants of the funeral for the boys lost in the treehouse accident. The crowd parted to let the pair through to where Pazamu and the other druids stood. It seemed by the stares and the whisper’s amongst the crowd they had parted in fear and revulsion, not courtesy. As Lisandra thanked Pazamu again for his help, an old man and a few other residents came out from the crowd and accused the pair of being bad omen, of bringing death to their children. He screamed at them to leave and not show their faces around the camp again. Ella caught the gaze of her Aunt in the crowd, who looked away, and quietly accepted the man’s wishes. Lisandra stood her ground, weathering another angry tirade before making her way after Ella. They walked together in near silence for a time, before Lisandra received a message that there was a body that required her skills to question in the morgue; Quentin Augst. She informed Ella, and mentioned she was late for a meeting with Azrabey before the pair parted ways.
Lisandra made her way to the Needle Tree, unsure if Azrabey would even still be around. A crow sat atop the tree, watching her for a moment, before flying off. For good measure, she waited a while, and was surprised when Azrabey shortly came striding out of trees. The oracle apologized for her tardiness, and for her potentially prying intentions and announced she wanted to speak to him about his wife, Kasvarina. For the first time, Lisandra read expressed emotion on the Fey warriors' face; sorrow and regret. Though her prying would not be forgiven, it was accepted and the fey spoke of their very long-term marriage and his promise to keep her safe, and his failure to do so. He was surprised to hear of her on Axis Island, as well as from Ekossigan, and had no knowledge of her recent endeavours. He had not seen her for half a century. They spoke about the Bleak Gate, Lisandra only sharing hints at their knowledge and intentions, and Azrabey requested that if her team were going there, that he would like to accompany her and rectify his broken promise to his wife. Careful not to promise anything concrete in such matters, moved by the small show of emotion, and commitment to his wife, Lisandra conceded that if it did not impede their investigation, she would do what she could to try to assist him in keeping his promise. With an unsettling compliment that Lisandra would do well in the Dreaming. Emboldened, she let her curiosity prompt a final question about the empty spot Ekossigan left in the Court. The fey explained it would take time to find a replacement, and that it would require finding a fey of the right emotions to fit the role. As he took his leave, Azrabey acknowledged that the team worked well with him, and that he may work with them again in future. Unsure of if such ideas were a good thing, Lisandra bowed her head and the pair parted ways.
At RHC headquarters Lisandra rejoined her fellows in the foyer, where John, Angharad and a barely engaged Ella were greeting Grappa, the newly repaired construct man, along with Frank, the Royal Technologist, and his mechanical doggo. He let the group know that Grappa was ready to go when they were, and he would be at Hotel Aurum if they had any further questions. Grappa would be staying at R&D until he was needed, and was set up with some entertainment in the meantime.
The group headed directly from the morgue from there, greeted cheerily by the halfling in charge, Senior Morgue Attendant Hobart Kettlewhistle. After giving the team a run down on the body and it’s belongings, he took his leave to let the interrogation begin.
Maybe they should have kept him around for good luck. Halflings are lucky, right? Turns out, Lisandra’s persuasive powers, and Augst’s arrogant as naughty word attitude were at odds, and instead of turning up to answer questions, the dead lawyer was (of course) turning up to make a deal. A new body for all the information he could give them towards taking down Kell. Frustrated, Lisandra only stayed connected long enough to squeeze a few details about his terms before returning her senses to the living world and relaying the bastard's request. Before making the decision, the Team decided to check in with Deb at Hotel Aurum and get a better look at how their operation against the Guild was fairing.
Not well, was the answer. Their resources were low, and time was running out. They needed to pull out some big blows against Kell and soon if they wanted to meet the King’s deadline. So, with great reluctance, the team decided they would meet Augst’s terms for a new body, and Lisandra would reach out to her contacts in The Family to perhaps unite against a common energy to replenish their numbers in the final days of the fight.
Ella accompanied John to RHC headquarters to set the ritual in motion, before returning to the home of Bridgette Coulson to sift for further clues and interrogate her houseplant. After giving it a much needed drink, the plant was more than happy to help with whatever it could. After directing them the woman’s choice collection of fanatical philosophical literature, and making Ella feel terrible about showing her notepad to try to bridge humanoid-plant communication barriers, the pair returned to the RHC, along with the rescued plant.
Meanwhile, Angharad had accompanied Lisandra to Dozy’s boutique to inquire about assistance with Kell… as well as get gifted some new magical shoes and free dancing lessons while she was at it. Angharad even joined in on the surprise three person flash mob. Dozy also advised that Morgan was the man to see about such favours, and pointed the pair in the direction of his current whereabouts; a fashion show a few blocks away.
Dance lessons over, Lisandra and Angharad made their way to the show. The oracle couldn’t help but use the glamour effect on her new pair of kicks, disgusting her appears as… herself. Only with an outfit much more befitting to such an occasion. After scoping the place out, and Angharad silently intimidating any men from approaching Lisandra, they approached Morgan and, a small bout of obligatory small talk aside, and compliments about shoes, Morgan asked them to come speak with him in private about their favour.
He was not surprised about their arrival, or request, like any good mob boss with his organizations ear to the ground. In fact, he exceeded their request for additional resources, and revealed that he had a man on the inside of the Guild, and given certain circumstances, he could easily deliver Kell to them if his terms were met. He requested a moratorium on murder investigations in Parity Lake for his people to clear the district of Kell’s without it punishing his people for the act, as well as Lisandra to attempt to have the King release a prisoner by the name of Giovanni Algardi, who would need to be teleported to Alais Primos tomorrow and the most curious request; for the team to recount what Ashima Shimtu told them in the Crypt.
In a show of good faith, he offered up information on the man known as Steelshaper, apparently incharge of the Obscurati in Flint. His name was actually Leon Quital, and he hailed from North East Vendricce originally, where his family ran a vineyard.
Lisandra also had a term to add to their deal, should one be made. She requested that, if the Family were clearing out Parity Lake, she would appreciate someone exempt from any final punishment, one of Otis’s boys. Morgan quietly assured her, “We do not hurt our own Family,” and the comment seemed to calm her nerves.
They thanked Morgan for his time and offer, and said they would consider it and give a response before the day was over.
The team reconvened at HQ, ready to approach Quentin Augst about his plea deal and were met with the best news they’d heard all day. In the cells below the office, John’s ritual had come to fruition, and Quentin was apparently far less happy with results as some of the team were. In place of the weasley lawyer, was a… well. A lawyerly weasel, it seemed. The new body Augst had been reincarnated into was part man, part weasel and a whole lot of unhappy.
What arguments will break out around the office today among Team BAD as they battle the moral quandaries ahead? And what will they do to ensure Kell is dismantled and they find their way to the Bleak Gate?
DM Note
John's player rolled a 100 on the d100 to determine the reincarnated race. Of course, I could not resist having Augst's body reflect his nature.
Courtesy of Lisandra's player
Last session opened the morning after the harrowing events at Gallo’s School for Boys. The group had gone their separate ways; Lisandra had returned to the school with volunteers to tie up loose ends and do what she could for the spirits of those departed; Ella returned to her family home in the Nettles to rehash her failings with only Skeet for company; and Anghard set to work putting out word to his Vekeshi contacts to assist before returning home.
That following morning Angharad met with a contact that could offer some aid. Plucking a lovely flower along the way, the Cipith made his way to a dump to rendezvous. Literally. As he entered, an eight-foot figure of decaying rubbish emerged from a rustling pile. She peered down at him, her eyes welded shut with fetid grime as she sided him up. She smiled at him with a grin full of teeth from multiple creatures, outstretching her arms for an embrace. Angharad obliged without hesitation, his jacket quickly stained with rubbish juice and oil as he greeted The-Trash-Heap and presented her with the gift of a beautiful flower. Delighted about the prospect of watching it rot, she set the flower aside and presented the Cipith with a gift in kind, though she advised that one of his companions would be better suited to using it. He is presented with a pair of magical secateurs. Angharad smiles knowingly and leaves The-Trash-Heap to enjoy her mess… and probably to prestidigitation himself clean at a respectable distance.
Meanwhile Ella and Lisandra were awaking later than usual at the Cloudwood Camp, to the sight of empty campsites. The pair found the residents gathered, attending the remnants of the funeral for the boys lost in the treehouse accident. The crowd parted to let the pair through to where Pazamu and the other druids stood. It seemed by the stares and the whisper’s amongst the crowd they had parted in fear and revulsion, not courtesy. As Lisandra thanked Pazamu again for his help, an old man and a few other residents came out from the crowd and accused the pair of being bad omen, of bringing death to their children. He screamed at them to leave and not show their faces around the camp again. Ella caught the gaze of her Aunt in the crowd, who looked away, and quietly accepted the man’s wishes. Lisandra stood her ground, weathering another angry tirade before making her way after Ella. They walked together in near silence for a time, before Lisandra received a message that there was a body that required her skills to question in the morgue; Quentin Augst. She informed Ella, and mentioned she was late for a meeting with Azrabey before the pair parted ways.
Lisandra made her way to the Needle Tree, unsure if Azrabey would even still be around. A crow sat atop the tree, watching her for a moment, before flying off. For good measure, she waited a while, and was surprised when Azrabey shortly came striding out of trees. The oracle apologized for her tardiness, and for her potentially prying intentions and announced she wanted to speak to him about his wife, Kasvarina. For the first time, Lisandra read expressed emotion on the Fey warriors' face; sorrow and regret. Though her prying would not be forgiven, it was accepted and the fey spoke of their very long-term marriage and his promise to keep her safe, and his failure to do so. He was surprised to hear of her on Axis Island, as well as from Ekossigan, and had no knowledge of her recent endeavours. He had not seen her for half a century. They spoke about the Bleak Gate, Lisandra only sharing hints at their knowledge and intentions, and Azrabey requested that if her team were going there, that he would like to accompany her and rectify his broken promise to his wife. Careful not to promise anything concrete in such matters, moved by the small show of emotion, and commitment to his wife, Lisandra conceded that if it did not impede their investigation, she would do what she could to try to assist him in keeping his promise. With an unsettling compliment that Lisandra would do well in the Dreaming. Emboldened, she let her curiosity prompt a final question about the empty spot Ekossigan left in the Court. The fey explained it would take time to find a replacement, and that it would require finding a fey of the right emotions to fit the role. As he took his leave, Azrabey acknowledged that the team worked well with him, and that he may work with them again in future. Unsure of if such ideas were a good thing, Lisandra bowed her head and the pair parted ways.
At RHC headquarters Lisandra rejoined her fellows in the foyer, where John, Angharad and a barely engaged Ella were greeting Grappa, the newly repaired construct man, along with Frank, the Royal Technologist, and his mechanical doggo. He let the group know that Grappa was ready to go when they were, and he would be at Hotel Aurum if they had any further questions. Grappa would be staying at R&D until he was needed, and was set up with some entertainment in the meantime.
The group headed directly from the morgue from there, greeted cheerily by the halfling in charge, Senior Morgue Attendant Hobart Kettlewhistle. After giving the team a run down on the body and it’s belongings, he took his leave to let the interrogation begin.
Maybe they should have kept him around for good luck. Halflings are lucky, right? Turns out, Lisandra’s persuasive powers, and Augst’s arrogant as naughty word attitude were at odds, and instead of turning up to answer questions, the dead lawyer was (of course) turning up to make a deal. A new body for all the information he could give them towards taking down Kell. Frustrated, Lisandra only stayed connected long enough to squeeze a few details about his terms before returning her senses to the living world and relaying the bastard's request. Before making the decision, the Team decided to check in with Deb at Hotel Aurum and get a better look at how their operation against the Guild was fairing.
Not well, was the answer. Their resources were low, and time was running out. They needed to pull out some big blows against Kell and soon if they wanted to meet the King’s deadline. So, with great reluctance, the team decided they would meet Augst’s terms for a new body, and Lisandra would reach out to her contacts in The Family to perhaps unite against a common energy to replenish their numbers in the final days of the fight.
Ella accompanied John to RHC headquarters to set the ritual in motion, before returning to the home of Bridgette Coulson to sift for further clues and interrogate her houseplant. After giving it a much needed drink, the plant was more than happy to help with whatever it could. After directing them the woman’s choice collection of fanatical philosophical literature, and making Ella feel terrible about showing her notepad to try to bridge humanoid-plant communication barriers, the pair returned to the RHC, along with the rescued plant.
Meanwhile, Angharad had accompanied Lisandra to Dozy’s boutique to inquire about assistance with Kell… as well as get gifted some new magical shoes and free dancing lessons while she was at it. Angharad even joined in on the surprise three person flash mob. Dozy also advised that Morgan was the man to see about such favours, and pointed the pair in the direction of his current whereabouts; a fashion show a few blocks away.
Dance lessons over, Lisandra and Angharad made their way to the show. The oracle couldn’t help but use the glamour effect on her new pair of kicks, disgusting her appears as… herself. Only with an outfit much more befitting to such an occasion. After scoping the place out, and Angharad silently intimidating any men from approaching Lisandra, they approached Morgan and, a small bout of obligatory small talk aside, and compliments about shoes, Morgan asked them to come speak with him in private about their favour.
He was not surprised about their arrival, or request, like any good mob boss with his organizations ear to the ground. In fact, he exceeded their request for additional resources, and revealed that he had a man on the inside of the Guild, and given certain circumstances, he could easily deliver Kell to them if his terms were met. He requested a moratorium on murder investigations in Parity Lake for his people to clear the district of Kell’s without it punishing his people for the act, as well as Lisandra to attempt to have the King release a prisoner by the name of Giovanni Algardi, who would need to be teleported to Alais Primos tomorrow and the most curious request; for the team to recount what Ashima Shimtu told them in the Crypt.
In a show of good faith, he offered up information on the man known as Steelshaper, apparently incharge of the Obscurati in Flint. His name was actually Leon Quital, and he hailed from North East Vendricce originally, where his family ran a vineyard.
Lisandra also had a term to add to their deal, should one be made. She requested that, if the Family were clearing out Parity Lake, she would appreciate someone exempt from any final punishment, one of Otis’s boys. Morgan quietly assured her, “We do not hurt our own Family,” and the comment seemed to calm her nerves.
They thanked Morgan for his time and offer, and said they would consider it and give a response before the day was over.
The team reconvened at HQ, ready to approach Quentin Augst about his plea deal and were met with the best news they’d heard all day. In the cells below the office, John’s ritual had come to fruition, and Quentin was apparently far less happy with results as some of the team were. In place of the weasley lawyer, was a… well. A lawyerly weasel, it seemed. The new body Augst had been reincarnated into was part man, part weasel and a whole lot of unhappy.
What arguments will break out around the office today among Team BAD as they battle the moral quandaries ahead? And what will they do to ensure Kell is dismantled and they find their way to the Bleak Gate?
DM Note
John's player rolled a 100 on the d100 to determine the reincarnated race. Of course, I could not resist having Augst's body reflect his nature.
RangerWickett
Legend
That's astounding.
RangerWickett
Legend
Remind me what's up with this?
Echolocation
Explorer
The party ran dry with leads for the Eschatologist terrorists. They had really dug deep into Brigette Caulson, who they found an empty envelope for in the hideout. She has fled Flint. John used talk to plants to try to get more information, but it just confirmed their preconceptions.
After reflecting on it, was Brigette just supposed to be a regular old reporter? In the book, it's written that she may be harder to find if Flint Tribune blew up. I took that to mean she was in on Zubov's plans and flees once she realises she may be connected to the terrorist attacks. But I guess she would also be harder to find if her place of work blew up....
RangerWickett
Legend
I honestly do not recall the name, so it is probably not something that I expected to be important. Then again, I think we wrote that 9 years ago.
Echolocation
Explorer
Oh yeah, the party were desperate for leads...so of course they tried to interrogate a reporter's house plant.
Andrew Moreton
Adventurer
I always approve of Weasels in Zeitgeist. Although the Lightning Weasel would have insisted that comparisons to lawyers was grossly insulting to Weasels who were natural scholars
Echolocation
Explorer
Session 51
Courtesy of Ella's player
A weasel man with unreasonable demands: that’s how last session started. After hearing out Quentin’s complaints we struck a deal: he’d tell us where Kell was, as well as ten weaknesses in the guild’s defenses and who their Obscurati contact was.
As it turns out the weasel actually had some useful information. Like which runes were needed to transport things to the Bleak Gate - although not which spells are needed to make those runes work. Also that Kell’s Ob contact - some guy called Norm (whose last name is probably Al) - likely recently offered Kell an “escape route” through the Bleak Gate. So if we can find Kell then we just might find the plane-shifting magic we’re looking for.
According to Quentin, Kell was last seen in the Theatre of Scoundrels - but that was before Quentin died so who the hell knows where he is now. To reinforce our utter cluelessness, Deb messaged us with the morning’s mission results: the sting had failed - abysmally. There was almost no chance we’d be able to dismantle Kell’s guild by the next evening.
Great!
With that news we decided to go visit Lieutenant Dale - sorry, Captain Dale - in hopes of some kind of actually positive breakthrough that didn’t involve storming the Theatre of Scoundrels on a maybe. Before that though, it was mail time! Delivered by bestest boy: Maxwell the Meticulous.
There were some potions, sent by the mayor of the Cloudwood as thanks forkilling twenty-four children - I mean... saving seven children. And Kvarti dropped by to give John a shiny new murder gun! It had cool powers like cold damage and bleed damage and fire resistance and putting out fires and basically it’s the anti-Angharad gun. So next time the Cipith goes insane, John can just shoot him!
Angharad immediately combatted this by retrieving the blade of a literal goddess from the breakroom. Come on guys… it’s not a competition. Clearly realising this was overkill, Angharad then threw it to Lisandra instead. Angharad, what have we told you about throwing weapons in the breakr-? Ugh, never mind...
Meanwhile the B Team was having a much easier time of it: chilling at a cafe in the Cloudwood with some nice food and an impromptu mob. There were pitchforks and everything. All because some woman had “messy hair”. Admittedly the child crying “witch” might not have been entirely wrong: since Josiah saw a nymph with twiggy hair disappearing into a bucket nearby… but that didn’t stop Carlao and Dima from getting the blame instead. But it’s never a bad day to be chased through the Cloudwood by an angry mob, right? Breathe that fresh country air...
Back to Dale though: the real hero of this story. As it turns out he didn’t have a way into the Bleak Gate, but he did have magic amulets to use once we got there! And coffee - because it’s important to treat yourself. <3 He also mentioned that he’d be sending soldiers to Hotel Aurum to travel through the king’s portal with us. So that’s nice.
Meanwhile Angharad had been doing some recruiting of his own: this one more on the murdery fey assassin side, as he acquired the means to summon some vekeshi mystics to help with our fight against Kell. No one questioned Angharad when he proudly presented his twig to the team. You do you, fire-man…
Still a little conflicted on what exactly to do, we decided to have Lisandra contact Connor - who was hopefully a Family double agent and not actually Kell’s thug - and see if he could give us any info. This turned out… surprisingly well! And Connor told her that Kell was at the Grand Suites - not the Theatre of Scoundrels, Quentin you useless twat - and that we should capture him before the next night or not at all.
As if we needed any more time pressure...
Deciding to make the most of the evening, we investigated our last Eschatological cult lead: 382 Byrne Street. Which turned out to be a complete dead end. But you don’t know until you know, you know? In a last ditch effort Lisandra performed a spooky Divination and got the charming message that the cult’s frost bomb was probably going to go off around noon tomorrow so not having any leads on the cult was fine, absolutely fine.
(We’re all gonna dieeeee.)
Faced with our imminent demise, we went to sleep. John woke up to some men trying to “liberate” Sydney, and Angharad chatted with some lumberjacks who thought the Cloudwood was going to burn down. Interesting times, indeed… There were also tales of angry mobs lynching cows and… well, evidence that they’d also been lynching not-cows.
It was a grim morning - made all the more grim by Delft’s message that there was a hostage situation underway with Flint’s Governor and those pesky cultists we’d utterly failed to stop. We’re super good at our jobs guys, don’t worry about. As it turns out, the cultists had taken over a subrail station and were demanding booze, a Skyseer, and John’s dad. Because no Zeitgeist morning is complete without personal trauma.
So there you have it: we have until noon to stop a bomb, until evening to stop Kell, and until tomorrow night to foil an entire underground conspiracy located in another plane of existence.
Just another day for the constables of Team B.A.D.!
GM Note
The bomb is protected from divination, but I felt a bit bad for the party dredging up so many dead ends.
Courtesy of Ella's player
A weasel man with unreasonable demands: that’s how last session started. After hearing out Quentin’s complaints we struck a deal: he’d tell us where Kell was, as well as ten weaknesses in the guild’s defenses and who their Obscurati contact was.
As it turns out the weasel actually had some useful information. Like which runes were needed to transport things to the Bleak Gate - although not which spells are needed to make those runes work. Also that Kell’s Ob contact - some guy called Norm (whose last name is probably Al) - likely recently offered Kell an “escape route” through the Bleak Gate. So if we can find Kell then we just might find the plane-shifting magic we’re looking for.
According to Quentin, Kell was last seen in the Theatre of Scoundrels - but that was before Quentin died so who the hell knows where he is now. To reinforce our utter cluelessness, Deb messaged us with the morning’s mission results: the sting had failed - abysmally. There was almost no chance we’d be able to dismantle Kell’s guild by the next evening.
Great!
With that news we decided to go visit Lieutenant Dale - sorry, Captain Dale - in hopes of some kind of actually positive breakthrough that didn’t involve storming the Theatre of Scoundrels on a maybe. Before that though, it was mail time! Delivered by bestest boy: Maxwell the Meticulous.
There were some potions, sent by the mayor of the Cloudwood as thanks for
Rifle of Reflective Equilibrium
Aura strong necromancy CL 13th
Slot none; Price 42,000 gp; Weight 12 lbs
Damage 1d10; Critical x4; Range 80 ft.;
Type B and P; Misfire 1; Capacity 1
Category Two-Handed; Proficiency Exotic
A marvel of philosophy-driven engineering, this rifle embodies Kvarti’s interpretation of Eschatology. You cannot lift this weapon easily. Only once you ponder that it might end a life, and you come to terms with that possibility, is it light enough to carry.
This +1 frost rifle is cold to the touch, providing a salient reminder of the possibility and responsibility of taking a life. This weapon cannot deal nonlethal damage. This weapon deals an additional 1d6 in cold damage against creatures that were once alive but then died (such as undead or resurrected creatures). When fired, the rifle’s shooter can elect to convert all B/P damage into cold damage.
When a bullet from this weapon hits a target, they take 1d6 bleed damage. Bleeding creatures take the bleed damage at the start of their turns. Bleeding can be stopped by a successful DC 15 Heal check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage. A critical hit does not multiply the bleed damage. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to the bleed damage dealt by this weapon. Another bullet can reapply the bleed damage, but does not increase this damage. For the purposes of damage reduction, immunities, and vulnerabilities, this bleed damage is classified as cold damage.
While holding this weapon, you gain fire resistance equal to twice its enhancement bonus.
Lastly, once per day as a swift action, you can extinguish any or all nonmagical fire within 30 feet of you, and each ally in the burst can make a saving throw against any ongoing fire damage that a save can end.
Aura strong necromancy CL 13th
Slot none; Price 42,000 gp; Weight 12 lbs
Damage 1d10; Critical x4; Range 80 ft.;
Type B and P; Misfire 1; Capacity 1
Category Two-Handed; Proficiency Exotic
A marvel of philosophy-driven engineering, this rifle embodies Kvarti’s interpretation of Eschatology. You cannot lift this weapon easily. Only once you ponder that it might end a life, and you come to terms with that possibility, is it light enough to carry.
This +1 frost rifle is cold to the touch, providing a salient reminder of the possibility and responsibility of taking a life. This weapon cannot deal nonlethal damage. This weapon deals an additional 1d6 in cold damage against creatures that were once alive but then died (such as undead or resurrected creatures). When fired, the rifle’s shooter can elect to convert all B/P damage into cold damage.
When a bullet from this weapon hits a target, they take 1d6 bleed damage. Bleeding creatures take the bleed damage at the start of their turns. Bleeding can be stopped by a successful DC 15 Heal check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage. A critical hit does not multiply the bleed damage. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to the bleed damage dealt by this weapon. Another bullet can reapply the bleed damage, but does not increase this damage. For the purposes of damage reduction, immunities, and vulnerabilities, this bleed damage is classified as cold damage.
While holding this weapon, you gain fire resistance equal to twice its enhancement bonus.
Lastly, once per day as a swift action, you can extinguish any or all nonmagical fire within 30 feet of you, and each ally in the burst can make a saving throw against any ongoing fire damage that a save can end.
Angharad immediately combatted this by retrieving the blade of a literal goddess from the breakroom. Come on guys… it’s not a competition. Clearly realising this was overkill, Angharad then threw it to Lisandra instead. Angharad, what have we told you about throwing weapons in the breakr-? Ugh, never mind...
Meanwhile the B Team was having a much easier time of it: chilling at a cafe in the Cloudwood with some nice food and an impromptu mob. There were pitchforks and everything. All because some woman had “messy hair”. Admittedly the child crying “witch” might not have been entirely wrong: since Josiah saw a nymph with twiggy hair disappearing into a bucket nearby… but that didn’t stop Carlao and Dima from getting the blame instead. But it’s never a bad day to be chased through the Cloudwood by an angry mob, right? Breathe that fresh country air...
Back to Dale though: the real hero of this story. As it turns out he didn’t have a way into the Bleak Gate, but he did have magic amulets to use once we got there! And coffee - because it’s important to treat yourself. <3 He also mentioned that he’d be sending soldiers to Hotel Aurum to travel through the king’s portal with us. So that’s nice.
Meanwhile Angharad had been doing some recruiting of his own: this one more on the murdery fey assassin side, as he acquired the means to summon some vekeshi mystics to help with our fight against Kell. No one questioned Angharad when he proudly presented his twig to the team. You do you, fire-man…
Still a little conflicted on what exactly to do, we decided to have Lisandra contact Connor - who was hopefully a Family double agent and not actually Kell’s thug - and see if he could give us any info. This turned out… surprisingly well! And Connor told her that Kell was at the Grand Suites - not the Theatre of Scoundrels, Quentin you useless twat - and that we should capture him before the next night or not at all.
Lisandra's ex-boyfriend, Connor is a savvy pickpocket who climbed the ranks of Kell's guild. Lisandra last talked to him in the Ziggurat of Apet, when it briefly teleported her to the dressing room of the Theatre of Scoundrels. In our version of Zeitgeist, he is Morgan's mole.
As if we needed any more time pressure...
Deciding to make the most of the evening, we investigated our last Eschatological cult lead: 382 Byrne Street. Which turned out to be a complete dead end. But you don’t know until you know, you know? In a last ditch effort Lisandra performed a spooky Divination and got the charming message that the cult’s frost bomb was probably going to go off around noon tomorrow so not having any leads on the cult was fine, absolutely fine.
(We’re all gonna dieeeee.)
Faced with our imminent demise, we went to sleep. John woke up to some men trying to “liberate” Sydney, and Angharad chatted with some lumberjacks who thought the Cloudwood was going to burn down. Interesting times, indeed… There were also tales of angry mobs lynching cows and… well, evidence that they’d also been lynching not-cows.
It was a grim morning - made all the more grim by Delft’s message that there was a hostage situation underway with Flint’s Governor and those pesky cultists we’d utterly failed to stop. We’re super good at our jobs guys, don’t worry about. As it turns out, the cultists had taken over a subrail station and were demanding booze, a Skyseer, and John’s dad. Because no Zeitgeist morning is complete without personal trauma.
So there you have it: we have until noon to stop a bomb, until evening to stop Kell, and until tomorrow night to foil an entire underground conspiracy located in another plane of existence.
Just another day for the constables of Team B.A.D.!
GM Note
The bomb is protected from divination, but I felt a bit bad for the party dredging up so many dead ends.
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