Blades in the Dark, session 15!
Karen returned from a leisurely date with Patricia in Six Towers (taunting a spirit trafficker, having tea, and visiting a yard sale), only to find that the crew had doubled in size and was now planning to escort Puzzle Shen on a mission to recover his demon-hide sea map from the Crow and Kipper Arms Inn in the Docks.
There was some disorientation as Karen was introduced to Rabby, the ex-cultist who had somehow renamed the gang "The Cockbringers" and was joining Karen as a new apprentice, as well as the two temp dishwashers and Ashitaka's new teenage human form. Karen remembered all to well that her ghost friend Annabelle had refused to return to assist the crew until they got rid of her demon "uncle" Ashitaka...
For this new transport score, Zhao and Irfan intended to infiltrate the inn to recover Shen's valuable map from his room before his former Lampblack comrades could find it. Meanwhile, Karen and Scotch, with the newly-expanded team of lookouts, occultist and demon would guard Shen down on the streets, providing distractions and keeping enemy gang members off their backs.
As the crew entered the Docks, death bells could be heard ringing continuously, and one of the lookouts reported smoke rising above Crow's Foot, while Deathseeker Crows circled overhead. Clearly the war between the Lampblacks and the Red Sashes was escalating.
Some curious dockworkers approached the street team, only to be scared away by Scotch's glowering presence. The heavily-equipped Hound already had a dangerous reputation in the docks after shooting a man in cold blood right in the street.
The lookouts reported a Red Sash guarding the street in front of the inn. The street team hung back to wait and see what was happening.
At the same time, Irfan and Zhao had just reached the 3rd floor of the inn when they heard the voices of Lampblack thugs harassing a housecleaner, The Lampblacks were already here, looking for Shen's rented room. Zhao pulled out one of his false identities and went to distract the thugs with his blather, while Irfan went up to the 4th floor to recover the map from Shen's room.
The Spider's ruse, invoking the name of Lord Strangford, was successful and the Lampblacks backed off. Meanwhile, Irfan used Shen's keys to get into the room and open his seaman's chest - but the metal box that held the scroll had a faulty lock. He applied some chemical lubricant to the hinges and picked the lock as best as he could, but broke the box in the process. No matter - he took out the scroll case, broke the wax seal, snatched the map and re-sealed the case with some wax he had thoughtfully brought along. And like that, he was back out.
Back on the street, the crew spotted a half dozen Red Sashes preparing to rush the front entrance of the Inn. Karen decided to cast about in search of some of the ghosts that haunted the Docks. She was in luck, detecting a trio of recently-deceased drunken sailors. Using her Compel power, she sent the hungry spirits into the bodies of three Red Sashes. The others - especially Rabby - were in awe of the Whisper's display of power.
The possessed gang members charged into the inn ahead of the others, creating a noisy distraction. Gunshots rang out, and soon death bells were ringing. Zhao and Irfan made their way to the back windows of the inn where they had planned to drop down to the stables for their getaway.
Scotch arrived outside the stables first, and saw the windows had recently gotten new wooden shutters installed, blocking the escape route. She climbed a ladder she had procured and smashed the shutters open just as Zhao appeared. One by one, they slid down the ladder and boarded the escape carriage that Zhao had thoughtfully acquired ahead of time. As the fight between Red Sashes and Lampblacks continued to rage in the inn, our crew was on the way back to their lair...
