ZEITGEIST The chronicles of Team Big-hearted And Determined (B.A.D.)

[Echolocation]

One of my players couldn't make the would-be final session of Book 2, so I improvised a one shot.

Interim session - The Great Escape
Starring:
Blander Waryeye and his prized honey badger Bartholomew played by Lisandra’s player
Danisca Waryeye played by Ella's player

Several days ago, constables came knocking on the House Elf’s door. Although Blander caved, revealing a smuggling plot, he managed to maintain his wife’s involvement with Nilasa, a recently deceased criminal and fey pepper client. Nevertheless, the visit was disconcerting, and Bartholomew has not quite been the same since. Since then, Danisca has made plans to flee to Ber. She’s shipped off most of her and her husband’s supplies, including all but one of his badgers. It’s 6pm, and the city is currently distracted by some Skyseer establishing a safe haven in the Cloudwood. The gnomes’ trek to the ship should be easy….if it weren’t for The Family wanting to chat to the couple before they leave Flint, the gold Kell put on the gnomes’ head, and law officials interested in Danisca’s dealings.

As Danisca and Blander went opened the door to leave the Waryeye Apothecary, two Family men in suits greeted them, and insisted they enter. Well-dressed and initially polite, they removed their hats and engaged in civil discussion. They were seemingly intrigued in the Waryeye’s sudden plans of departure. Danicsa brewed some tea, stirring a potion of Glibness into her own cup, then served the men. Meanwhile, Blander made some nervous idle conversation with the men. She claimed they were travelling to Slate. When one of the men pulled out an itinerary of the boat, Danisca shattered a vial of dreaming dust within the ceiling. The powder knocked out one man, and the other turned, hand on cane. After a failed daze spell from Blander, the man followed Blander throughout the store, triggering a razzle dazzle trap, causing a vicious explosion...that nobody was in vicinity of. After a few attacks from each party, the gnomes declared they were off to catch a ship. The man turned to acknowledge his unconcious colleague, and wished the gnomes a safe travel. It seems The Family did only wish to talk to the couple, rather than prevent their escape or seek retribution.

What was a few hours for a human was five for a gnome. The couple and their badgar begin a long trek from Pine Island to Bosum Strand, where their ship departs. Every half hour or so, there were incidents. Firstly, a curious stranger waved for their attention, but was promptly dismissed by the couple who increased their pace. Then, the couple passed a collection of thugs. Both were perceptive enough to hear one declare to the others, “That’s them! That’s the one that Kell’s after!”. The couple simultaneously drank invisibility potions to lose their tails.... And the attempt would have been successful, if not for Bartholomew. One thug chased the badger, but an incident of ghost sound was enough to distract the thug and get away.

As the couple entered Stray River, they were faced with two threats. Another group of Kell thugs from Pine Island, and Zerex, a gnome trapper interested in poaching Blander’s prized honey badgers. Both closed in on the couple. Thanks to Blanders magic, the thugs were dazed and Zerex was sent into a fit of laughter. Danicsa, using her alchemical assault, melted one thug and drained the life out of the other. The two darted through Stray River then Central District. Once again, they encountered Zerex who was sent into another fit of laughter.

At the edge of Bosum Strand, an astute police officer (secretly crooked) noticed the distressed gnomes. As Blander reported Zerex, Danicsa noticed the officer nodding to another, who brandished a pair of cuffs. Danicsa melted the approaching police officer with alchemical assault, and Blander distracted the other to make a sprint towards the canal bridge. Two more officers approached, leaving the couple with one choice---to jump from the road into a passing barge.

The fall was perilous, and although the debris of the rubbish barge softened their fall, Bartholomew lost consciousness. After a few intense emotions and some cure potions later, Bartholomew was now conscious, though exhausted from his journey. As the barge exited the canal, Pete, a rapscallion constable from the RHC dived into some debris, greeted the happy couple, then dived into the Flint Bay. Before doing so, he requested the couple to keep this incident to themselves.

Following some liasing with the captain, the couple were dropped off at Bosum Strand. The bells bellowing from Central made it clear the Waryeyes were late for their ship...and there was still a 20 minute hustle to go. As the couple ran, Zerex had once again tracked them from behind. Infront, their path was cut off by a carriage assembled from mismatched woods and metals. The door opened, revealing a cannon operated by a figure shrouded by shadow. Zerex was once again sent into a fit of laughter by Blander, and the shadowy figure was doused with jinx juice. Still standing, the figure figures the cannon at Zerex. The Waryeye’s dart out of the way. Blander sends the carriage operator into a fit of laughter, who promptly falls from the carriage in hysterics, declaring in glee how happy he is to kill Zerex for the money she owes. Although unknown to the couple, the goblin giggling in front of the carriage is none other than RHC quartermaster Uncle Ivan. The two gnomes make a break for the ship, darting between allies, and boarding just in time for the vessel to leave. In the distance, Zerex is sprinting towards the ship with a mismatching carriage tailing her. As the gangplank is withdrawn, she jumps in an attempt to board, though a swift animate rope by Blander leaves her dangling from their pier. Uncle Ivan cuts the rope with a knife, ties her up, and throws her in a carriage. The boat departs for Ber, the open ocean promising a new horizon for the happy couple.

Running this session

We had a last minute cancellation by Angharad’s player. I thought this would be a good opportunity for the players to meet Danisca and gain closure on Nilasa’s case. Danisca was the only lead the players’ missed, and they were still confused about who the ‘D.W.’ on Nilasa’s receipt was. I had five minutes to prep this, so it is not the most thorough or interesting session. Nevertheless, the players seemed to have fun. Throughout this encounter, I had players roll a d5 to determine what enemy/ally they encountered in their travels:

A result of 1) The Family. Not interested in preventing the Waryeye’s from leaving, but would like compensation for the inconvenience. Preferably through heavily discounted fey pepper.
A result of 2) Kell Thugs. Lorcan Kell has placed a price on Danisca’s head. He knows she has connections to The Family, and would like more information on their operations. Although Danicsa knows very little, this does not prevent many thugs and scoundrels seeking their capture.
A result of 3) Corrupt police officers. Also in the pockets of Kell, but deploy a little more subterfuge.
A result of 4) Zerex. Zerex, a goblin trapper, is interested in acquiring Blander’s prized honey badgers. She thinks they will fetch quite a price on the market. She is known and hated by the Waryeyes.
A result of 5) Ally from the main campaign. A few of Team BAD’s allies make appearances in this one-shot. Although none are known to the couple, they are generally friendly. Pete (RHC constable) dumpster dives into the canal to escape some vicious criminals, and Uncle Ivan (RHC quartermaster) arrives in his signature carriage to arrest Zerex for unrelated grievances (despite laughing at the prospect of killing her, he is generally law abiding).

Bartholomew has not been the same since Team BAD’s visit, as Angharad secretly fed him fey pepper when Blander was not looking.

 

[Echolocation]

"Terribly maintained" - Ella, scolding Macbannin on the witchoil-dribbling fissures of the reservoir's pipes

Session 17 - Macbannin vs. The State (courtesy of Lisandra's player)

We join team BAD in the garden of Reed Macbannin , home in ruins and yard spotted by pools of bubbling witch oil. After apprehending the curse-flinging mayor, the group, with Macbannin in point, head to the garden shed to find a dead lab worker and a mysterious entrance to a mysterious facility. The mayor instructs them that the pendants found in the dead workers grasp will safely let them pass through the iron ring structure and cautiously following his advice teleports them to a facility apparently located somewhere between the physical realm and the Bleak Gate.
Power cut, they explore by the light of their badges, finding a dead elevator and the mayor points them in the direction of an engine room. As they forge ahead, they pass a room with a scuffling sound coming from it, and Avvakir takes point to investigate. As the door swings open, the familiar, horrifying maw of a skinless jaguar dripping with black oil springing towards him. While the Deva pummels his way through a fight with the beast, Ella and Angharad move to engage with the two other jaguars closing in from the dark of the engine room as Lisandra stays close, keeping a wary eye on the Mayor at her side. As her fellow constables dispatch the creatures, Lisandra’s paranoia pays off, noticing Macbannin staring intently at the jaguars in a way that piqued her suspicion. A few moments later, his eyes began to glow, and as did the eyes of the jaguar fighting Angharad. The creature’s wild demeanour lessened, becoming focused and as Reed’s gaze shifts from the jaguar to the back of Angharad’s head, the beast lashes out in a controlled manner and tears into the Cipith’s leg with its teeth. Lisandra’s wheels on the mayor, ordering him to ‘Stop that!’ as he smashes the hilt of her rapier into the mayor's face, breaking his concentration. Three dead jaguar’s and a weak excuse from the mayor later, Team BAD was not in any frame of mind to trust the Mayor and decided to lock him up in one of the bloody cells in the room beyond. Angharad was all too happy to knock Macbannin unconscious, working with Avvakir to bend the door back into place and barricade him in with a heavy work bench.

In the engine room beyond, Ella gave the broken machine a good once over and her fellows explored the room. Though the healing shower of water by the far door was quite impressive, it was the locked door with the groggy shouts of Wolfgang Von Recklinhausen that caught Team BAD’s attention. Baffled by the lack of a door handle, Avvakir enlisted Ella’s help, and she made quick work of the trapped mechanism that held the door shut, carefully reaching in to the recess to open the latch and reveal Von Recklinhausen in relatively good condition, save for a dose of anesthetic wearing off and a lot of confusion. After explaining the facility was threatening to blow, they gave the doctor Mcbanin’s pendant and told him how to escape, urging him to go to the Cloudwood for refuge before they move ahead, sinking down into a deeper level of the lab that was fraught in more dark passages and blearing alarms.

More searching revealed the control room, with a broken console that Ella proposed would take hours, if not longer to repair even with the tools and materials Avvakir and Lisandra had found in a storeroom beyond. The most alarming part of this area was the rising levels of witch oil bubbling from below, threatening to spill over the runways leading over the reservoir and into the control platform. Desperate to still, or slow the flow, the group headed upstairs to repair the engine as Angharad stayed behind to investigate the farther reaches of the reservoir hoping to divert the oil, or alleviate the pressure via the control found there. The repairs went swiftly, Ella guiding her fellows and when it came time to reluctantly switch the horrific machine on, it was Ella’s turn to be guided, as the spectral hands and voice of her Father walked her through the steps. With a final tug of starter chain, the engine roared to life, leaking oil, but functioning. The lights began to flicker on, and the sound of the elevator starting up was heard from down the hall. Avvakir went to investigate as the girl sprinted downstairs to check on Angharad. The Cipith had been wrestling with a large wheel that seemed to control the flow of the pipes below, eventually able to wrench it into the ‘DOWN’ position. It seemed that their efforts resulted in a slow draining of the oil from the room.

Spoiler

Ella's father guiding her through the steps of priming the engine is a foreshadowing of a unique feat I have designed for each PC. Each character received a unique feat or two in downtime to emphasise more nuanced components of their personality or history.

The elevator descended, revealing the lever had been pulled back with a leather belt. The tense step towards victory was short lived, as Ella turned to see the shadowy, angular form of Cillian Creed emerge from the stairwell behind them, drawing a silvery gun on her and pulling the trigger. The gunshot rang throughout the reservoir, and Angharad darted off to aid. Lisandra paused by the elevator, to call up to their burly ally above, and instead saw the pale, gray hand of Avvakir hanging limp into the shaft above. When words did not rouse him she held her breath, rose a shaking hand towards him and tried to call on his spirit, praying it wouldn’t answer…

… as the tugged on the ethereal threads of the spirit realm for aid, she was relieved when her hand was guided further along, and the spectral form of a jaguar was pulled into form, leading the way to join the fray with her companions.

The fight with Cillian was savage. The murder of her mother still fresh in her mind, Ella eschewed her rapier and layed claw after claw into the twisted body of man who delivered her mother to Steelshaper. Angharad’s fire burned with a lethal vengeance as he supported his friend. As Lisandra made it into the fray, slinking in behind to flank and driving a blow into Cillian that sent him right into the ripping maw of her spectral ally. Mortally wounded, the angular body of Cillian Creed slumps to the floor. His skin unravels in ribbons of inky shadow, tearing away to reveal face after face of the many aliases of Cillian Creed until the man himself is left at their feet. His true form not too dissimilar to the face they knew, but marred with a spray of scars that disfigured his features. The weight of the moment lingers heavy in the air, but as the spectral jaguar dissipates, Lisandra’s thoughts turn to Avvakir’s unconscious body, uttering the Deva’s name frantically as she sprints upstairs. Angharad checks for a pulse, not phased when there is no heartbeat to be found. Ella pauses for a moment, staring silently down at the corpse, claws balled into fists, before she breaks off and dashes upstairs after Lisandra.

The pair above find Avvakir unconscious, and unphased by Lisandra’s punch to the shoulder as she scolds him for scaring her half to death. Unable to be roused, Ella finds a pinprick to his neck, and assures Lisandra he will wake up given time for the drugs to wear off, Angharad arrives to alert them to a weird magic thing he found in an area the lowered oil had revealed and the group tentatively leave Avvakir to nap while they continue the mission, turning off the soul-burning furnace as they make their way back downstairs.

Ella quickly scoots past Cillian, trying to pay the corpse no mind as she follows Angharad to the device. With some detection and inspection on Ella’s behalf the device was being used to direct the witch oil from the Bleak Gate into this reservoir and the masterminds behind it had only made it two functions; slow or fast. Frustrated by the glaring design flaw, Ella ruminates, muttering angrily to herself, before asserting that the portal to the Bleak Gate could be closed, and made short work of it. She also insisted, to the agreement of her allies, that the device should be destroyed, so that it could not fall into anyones hands. Lisandra leaves Angarad to help Ella destroy the machine, and heads back to the corpse of Cillian Creed.

Dragging him into the store room, she sat him up against a crate and checked over him for evidence, collecting a ring and his gun as she did so and readied herself for an interrogation. She calls to his spirit, tugging on the invisible strings that link to the spirit world. Like always, the colour faded from her view as she slipped into the miminal space in which she communes with the dead… but no Cillian waited there. Confused, she felt herself pulled out of the room onto the walkway above the reservoir where witch oil bubbled and shifted below her. Transfixed, and a little intimidated by the amassing shapes in the oil, Lisandra didn’t notice Ella spot her from the area beyond as she stared at the amorphous face protruding from the blackness. Thousands of voices whispered around her, flying past her in morphed and stretched syllables until the familiar one she sought stood out. She snapped back into focus, and as the oily lips moved, the face identified itself as Cillian Creed.

Steeling herself, Lisandra took a few steps forward toward the railing and asked her questions before the link receded.

“What was your plan to help Flint?” she asked. The face answered back that divulging that information would threaten its success and for the benefit of the realm, he refused to inform her of his plans. What a patriot.

“Then at least tell me, what are the details of your relationship with Steelshaper?”

The face rasped a single word response before the link began to fade. “Professional.”

Frustrated, she turned on her heel, slamming the walkway door behind her as she returned to collecting the few pieces of evidence his body still held. Ella, aware of Lisandra’s side of the conversation, climbed up to get the full story. Regrettably, Lisandra imparted the details.

Wearily, the team shakily pulls themselves together and prepares to make their way back to Flint, Angharad tossing CIllian over his shoulder and a groggy Avvakir in tow.

The scene on the other side was chaotic. The Mayor’s property was teeming with relief crews and police, attempting to recover wounded and keep a handle on the situation. They were relieved when RHC officials joined them. But before the team could make assurances and get brought up to speed, a message from their superior magically rang in their ears, of Delft recalling them all back to HQ. As Avvakir and Lisandra interacted with the relief crews, inquiring as to the whereabouts of the Mayor, Ella rattled off a succinct report to Delft and assured him they would be back as soon as possible.

When the team arrived at HQ, they were greeted at the entrance by a slew of reporters bombarding them with questions. As subtle as they could, they smuggled Cillian’s body inside beneath the privacy of Angharad’s coat and were greeted in the lobby by a collection of their fellow and the popping of a champagne cork.

“Congratulations, constables!” Delft greeted them, brandishing the bottle.

Confusion set in, and the assistant chief inspector congratulated them for the delivery of the Mayor by the hands of their hired mercenaries. Maxwell also awarded them a package that was delivered; a box of coffee from Cafe Paradiso and the pieces fell into place that apparently the Family had delivered the Mayor into custody.

As the group headed to Delft office to fill him in, their celebration was short lived as he announced they would need to get their case in order to take to the Mayor’s trial as soon as it was organized. Which apparently was the next morning, they found out, as a messenger arrived at the safehouse from HQ the following morning with a court summons in hand. Lisandra’s stomach sank as the name of the judge, the “honourable” Henry Valcourt, was listed as overseeing the hearing.

Press was everywhere, and the constables made their way into the courthouse. No comments were given, magic items signed in and relinquished due to protocol and introduction made. Pleasantries were shared as Lisandra introduced her fellow to Judge Valcourt, and new introductions made as Lebrix entered with the Danoran Embassy’s house cleric on his arm. But time was short and the proceedings, well… proceded. Or tried to, as after several minutes of being called on, Macbannin was not escorted in. After some heated whispering between Valcourt and the bailiff, he ordered the constables to collect Macbannin themselves.

They arrived at the holding area to a crowd of curious onlookers, and some stressed looking guards, one of which was terribly stricken. The found Macbannin dead in his cell, face bashed open by the stone wall that was covered in blood. Confused, and a little uneasy, the constables gathered statements and returned to the courtroom to update Valcourt on the situation. Lisandra offered her services to attempt one final interrogation and Macbannin covered body was laid out before her and as she reached out, calling on the spirit of Reed Macbannin … she found nothing. Confused, she tried to focus harder, and when nothing came through, she shook her head in disbelief and declared his soul was just… gone. Murmuring erupted and the Judge called for order. Over the course of a week, official statements were put on the record. The King denounces Macbannin's actions. Some wonder just how deep this corruption goes.

Confused, the constables returned to their work, found to be moved from their high-profile case at Saxby’s orders, and would be turned onto others to apparently ‘spread the load’. And now we find our constables with a little more time to spare, to return to their families and other interests, to collect themselves and pursue their own inclinations outside of work. Flint returns to normalcy, with a few minor adjustments as per the constable's actions.

Post-session comments

Thus concludes Adventure #2. I had a great time with the group in this book. The players loved the opportunity to sink their teeth into Flint and its characters. The combat was well-received. The players are itching for vengeance on Steelshaper and Kell, and are wondering if they will ever know the exact circumstances of Macbannin's death. From a campaign perspective, this book really called for each character to come into being. Players are more accustomed and attached to their characters than ever before. Below is a version of Team BAD's case board before scaling Cauldron Hill.

Ella's player made the following nominations:

• Lisandra standing up to Hennet for Moment That Made Me Cheer IRL.

• Angharad telling Gale killing wasn't the answer for Most Heartwarming Character Development.

• Connor jumping in the carriage for Most Unexpected Shitshow.

• Wolfgang giving up his freedom and rapier for Moment That Made Me Go Awwwww.

• Effie dying for Most Beautifully Constructed and Emotional Scene But Don't You Dare Do That Again Echo Goddamnit.

• Fighting smugglers with wands of wonder on a ship full of horses for Scariest Moment Turned Unexpectedly Hilarious.

• Kell's theater scene for Most Ostentatious Villain Reveal.

• Nevard's death for Most Expected But Poignant Loss.

• Blander talking about trebuchets for Most Amusing Dialogue.

• Meeting Cippiano for Most Likeable Criminal.

• Meeting Cador for Most Adorable Contact.

• Waking up Ugen for Most Enjoyable Repeat Activity.

Thanks to both writers and DMs whose products and posts helped me run such a fun adventure. I have high hopes for Digging for Lies.

 

[RangerWickett]

Glad to hear how it turned out. If you need any help for the next adventure, just ask.

 

[Echolocation]

Downtime

Between The Dying Skyseer and Digging for Lies, the players had an opportunity to tie up loose ends and hone their abilities. Below, I have written some highlights.

[Group] Boat PARTY!

The constables had a party professional gathering with their boat (the Mistrunner) docked on the shore. An apologetic Rhys (a contact who failed one too many fort saves against alcohol poisoning before meeting the PCs) offered Lisandra and Ella a tailored dress and a grenade voucher for the Kaybeau expo...what more could a woman want?

[Group] Funerals...

The constables attended several funreals: Effie (cause of death: Steelshaper), Armani Li Vecchi (cause of death: indirectly Team BAD who watched the Family member fall into swarming piranhas), and Cillian Creed (cause of death: Team BAD). Creed's funeral was exceptionally small, featuring the man's father, Miss Guava (a tea merchant who Cillian visited daily), and Creed's ex-RHC colleagues, the gunslinging Joaquin and witch Penelope. Both felt a degree of resignation, and wished they never bothered attending.

[Group] Investigate Kell

The party was keen to dig up dirt on Kell. Who am I to hold them back? I ran a few scouting missions (from book five) using only the party members. Ella identified several strongholds within Parity Lake, at the cost of attracting Kell's attention... This will add weight to Kell's actions in the next adventure.

[Group] Attend a Rock Rackus show

Of their own volition, Team BAD wished to observe the modern celebrity and discern whether Rackus could be a valuable resource for planar travel or if he is full of naughty word. They concluded the latter, after his rambunctious display.

[Group] Dynamic Item Creation...

We play using the dynamic item creation rules of Pathfinder. The group is insistent on trying to make items, despite knowing some of the DC's at lower levels are quite difficult. Under the instructions of Finethir Shinebright, an eladrin-wizard-turned-sheep, the party made a variety of mostly unwanted items. The events involved a gremlin who demanded to be turned into a belt, a mission to infiltrate a dubious warehouse to recover contraband leather, and the Dreaming bleeding through a rather mundane buckler.

+2 Belt of the Aged Singer
This Belt of Mighty Constitution +2 looks aged, and vehemently sings in a belting (pun intended) soprano. Silence and other such spells can suppress the sound as normal. Now proudly sings La Gazza Madra (written by Vossini in 342 AOV) in the entry halls of Kodrof Crestbeam's mansion.

+2 belt of slipperiness
This Belt of Mighty Constitution +2 is incredibly slippery. The bearer gains a +2 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks, on combat maneuver checks to break grapples, and to CMD against grapples (these bonuses do not stack with grease or other similar effects), but takes a –2 penalty on Sleight of Hand and Disable Device.

Bag, Handy Haversack (Proud)
Functions as a Bag, Handy Haversack, except its wearer can't grant or gain any benefit from the aid another action.

+1 Mithral Buckler of Deeply-Spoken Patriotism
Functions as a +1 Mithral Buckler, except the enhancement bonus only functions for those who care deeply for Risur. When espousing patriotic virtues, the bearer's voice deepens one octave.

[Group] Dynamic Food Creation...

Lisandra was interested in pursuing a new hobby: baking. Fortunately, the party is familar with two chaotic bakers, Pete (Fourth Yerasol War veteran, RHC constable) and Gary (a honey merchant with a habit of infusing pastries with his wizard wife's magical items). I jigged up a dynamic food/potion creation system, whereby baking goes awry due to Gary pouring mysterious potions into mixtures when nobody is looking. The party ended up with rather favourable Cupcakes of Cat's Grace.

Custom feats

I gave each player custom feat(s) to reward and further enhance their roleplay. When designing these, I also kept in mind some aspects of the 3-player party that required rounding out. To maintain balance, I considered each character's current attributes and scales the feats accordingly. For example, Angharad has a high Constitution.

Angharad received his feat whilst the Old Stag gave him a palm reading at a Vekeshi meeting:

Fables Told in Flesh (Angharad, Character)
You were pulled through the vicious fey realm in your formative years, leaving your mind and body forever warped. Although not visible to most human eyes, your body has recorded your history, similar to the rings of a tree trunk or the sediment of a river. At times, the presence of a mere breeze on your skin or the sun glinting on a reflective surface is enough to bring the horrific knowledge of your travels to your consciousness.

You add your Constitution modifier to Knowledge (Nature) checks concerning creatures native to the Dreaming, and may make such checks untrained. You may add your Constitution modifier to Knowledge (Planes) checks concerning the Dreaming, and may make such checks untrained.

You may cast prestidigitation as a spell-like ability a number of times each day equal to your Constitution modifier. This spell-like ability is cast at your highest caster level gained; if you have no caster level, it functions at CL 1st. The spell-like ability‘s save DC is Charisma-based.

You can use your Constitution modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on: Diplomacy checks to persuade Eladrin, creatures native to the Dreaming, and known Vekeshi Mystics; Bluff checks to convince Eladrin, creatures native to the Dreaming, and known Vekeshi Mystics that a lie is true; and Intimidate checks to coerce Eladrin, creatures native to the Dreaming, and known Vekeshi Mystics.

Special: As per the ruling on theme feats, you cannot train others to learn a Character feat.

Sparks and Salves (Ella, Character)
With your relatives huddled in the Cloudwood, you were sent home to collect ingredients for an old family recipe. Entering the silent house is surreal. In a moment of dread, you ponder if this is your family’s destiny—killed one-by-one until all that remains is you and this place. Suddenly, your ruminations are interrupted by laughter bellowing from the kitchen. You cautiously progress towards the impossible: the familiar scent of grease and herbs, the sounds of wrenches, bubbling, and a young Ella giggling at poorly-told jokes and chaotic instructions. It’s as if you have entered a memory, one of many that shaped your unique philosophy on technology. As you enter the kitchen, you find nothing but an empty table illuminated by the setting sun. You look to your hands, which begin to glow in a dull yellow light. Maybe they haven’t left you after all?

You may cast Demetriou’s Direction as a spell-like ability a number of times each day equal to your Intelligence modifier. Demetriou’s Direction functions as Guidance with three exceptions: Demetriou’s Direction may only be used to enhance a skill check, Demetriou’s Direction provides a sacred (rather than competence bonus), and Demetriou’s Direction provides a +2 bonus (rather than a +1 bonus) to Knowledge (Engineering) checks and Heal checks. Demetriou’s Direction is cast at your highest caster level gained; if you have no caster level, it functions at CL 1st. Demetriou’s Direction’s save DC is Charisma-based.

You can use your Intelligence modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on: Diplomacy checks to persuade known members of the philosophical faction; Bluff checks to convince known members of the philosophical faction that a lie is true; and Intimidate checks to coerce known members of the philosophical faction.

Special: As per the ruling on theme feats, you cannot train others to learn a Character feat.

Letter of the Law (Ella, Character)
An esteemed education at Pardwight University allows you to understand legal jargon typically incomprehensible to others. You understand the power of law, and despise those who use laws to exploit the vulnerable.

You gain a competence bonus equal to your Intelligence modifier on Knowledge checks to recall, identify, and understand laws. You can use your Intelligence modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on Intimidate checks to coerce a target to obey the local law. You gain a +1 untyped bonus on attacks against humanoids with a lawful evil alignment.

Special: As per the ruling on theme feats, you cannot train others to learn a Character feat.

Fox in a Henhouse (Lisandra, Character)
Nobles cannot help but divulge information to you, as they fall for your charms. This has given you reassurance in your abilities to smooth over scepticism directed to your or your allies.

You gain a untyped bonus equal to your Charisma modifier on Knowledge (Nobility) checks and a competence bonus equal to your Charisma modifier on Sense Motive checks against nobles identified by a Knowledge (Nobility) check.

Once per day, when you or your allies fail a Diplomacy check to persuade others, you may reattempt the Diplomacy check.

Once per day, when you make a Sense Motive check, you may roll twice and take the better result.

Special: As per the ruling on theme feats, you cannot train others to learn a Character feat.

Fox in a Foxhouse (Lisandra, Character)
You cannot shake the nature of your upbringing. Whether consciously or unconsciously, you act with Father Otis’ wisdom. As a result, those who appreciate pleasant subterfuge are more easily swayed by your words.

You may add your Charisma bonus to Appraise checks to appraise clothes.

You gain a untyped bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier on: Diplomacy checks to persuade known members of the Family; Bluff checks to convince known members of the Family that a lie is true; and Intimidate checks to coerce known members of the Family.

Special: As per the ruling on theme feats, you cannot train others to learn a Character feat.

[Group] A gift from the capital

After feedback from the group, it became clear the party would benefit from an explicit list of items their characters would be likely to have on their person. For example, I always let the party have a couple of handcuffs on hand. We introduced a retcon, each character always had a Constable's Kit on their person. The alternative name for the kit pays homage to another character played by Ella's player---Rivyn (from Ruins of Azlant). Ella's player was instrumental in the designing of the kit, so this was my way of allocating credit.

Constable’s Kit (AKA Rivyn’s Repertoire of Reliable Resources Prototype B19A)
Cost - Weight -
In the founding years of the Royal Homeland Constabulary, a research assistant Rivyn theorised a collection of tools that maximised field investigation potential. After several versions, Rivyn arrived at a final set of items. Somehow, his formulation is so optimised that the kit is weightless.

Contains a map of Lanjyr, a map of Flint, a small primer on laws and constable conduct, handcuffs, basic writing supplies, a magnifying glass, evidence bags, gloves for handling evidence or potentially dangerous substances, a signal whistle to request aid, a compass, a tindertwig.

Special: The Constable’s Kit is requisitioned from the Royal Homeland Constabulary.

[Group] A gift from Hennet

The group loved/hated Hennet so much, I couldn't let the story end at The Thinking Man's tavern. Hennet proudly sent the party a copy of his new book: The Stone Fruit. The book itself is worthless, and functions as 1 days supply of firewood.

The blurb:
When one is born into this world, the subject is contextualised into a predialectic self that includes reality as a reality. The subject is interpolated into a Solvonist obscurity that includes culture as a paradox. Several appropriations concerning post-textual destructuralism may be found within the archaeological unearthings of both society and mind. It could be said that the subject is contextualised into a subcultural narrative. This text is a dedicated pursuit into the refinery of the participant as observer, and observer as participant.

The review:

[Lisandra] Get to know the constable Gaethan

Lisandra wanted to chat to the fellow ghosttalker, so we settled it offscreen:

CW: domestic violence.

Spoiler: A chat with Gaethan

When the conversation with Gaethan opens one afternoon, he asks Lisandra if she has tried Pixieberry tea. Irrespective of her response, he prepares and pours two glasses offering one to Lisandra. As Gaethan and Lisandra both drink, they bond socially disclosing anecdotes of cases, though Gaethan frequently consults a notebook kept in his front pocket. Eventually, Lisandra discovers Gaethan is a masterful sketcher, and bond over the hobby. Perhaps even sharing sketches. Over the course of discussion, the topic of spirits come up. To summarise, Lisandra learns Gaethan was not born with powers, but received them early in life after witnessing his neighbour enter a fit of rage and brutally, yet accidentally, killing his wife. After the man fled his house, Gaethan snuck in feeling a need to check on the woman. Over the corpse, Gaethan noticed a near-transparent silhouette. He asked her what he should do. Thanks to the woman's instruction, Gaethan turned evidence over to the police.

Lisandra learns a few more anecdotes surrounding consultations of spirits, which unlike the previous anecdotes are recalled with vividness. Gaethan knows his memory and mind are failing him. Sometimes he finds it hard knowing whether he is talking to a person or a spirit. As a precautionary measure, he treats each person with respect and care, just in case they have recently died. As the conversation wraps up, Gaethan asks Lisandra if she's tried Pixieberry tea.

[Lisandra] Check up on Dale

Every time Lisandra visits Dale in Reed's old residence, the front yard is more and more decorated with a bizarre collection of toys, freshly baked goods, lit candles, and chalked sigils. Although Lisiandra may initially be worried for Dale's mental health, he assures her that according to his thesis, these seemingly-benign tokens have kept ill-meaning spirits from the folk of the Nettles for decades. Dale sends a collection plate weekly to Nervard's Cloudwood camp, in which children and adults alike donate their favoured keepsakes in order to keep the Hill safe.
Reed's dining area has been transformed into a study. Written on one chalkboard is Nervard's final vision. On another, are several sigils that Dale has been practicing. Books are scattered throughout the house documenting the Bleak Gate, inhibiting planar travel, and combatting creatures of the damned. It is clear Dale has resorted to less conventional texts for his work. Even books documenting Triegenes' (the Clergy's god) defeat of the demonocracy lay open.

Dale has been focusing his efforts of combining Nettles' wards against pervasive evils, such as toys and a nice meal, with combat prowess. Lisandra spots a nearby sword with a teddy bear strung at the hilt. As Dale explains his thoughts, he speaks with the same unrelenting fervour he explained his thesis with. It's clear has hasn't quite figured it out yet, but he's optimistic he'll get there...in a year. He reminds Lisandra that academic breakthroughs can take decades. The absurd arguments weaved by Dale may leave Lisandra concerned, but he assures her that the spirits of the Hill can't possess him so long as he is surrounded by childhood toys.

[Group] Interviews

Bartholomew Pryce made it clear to Team BAD that he intends on writing a special issue on Macbannin's corruption in the Pryce of Progress. He made it clear that the Team could answer his questions, or he would seek alternative sources for information that may...misconstrue the constable's character. Despite the heavy handed threat, the party was compliant and Lisandra's and Ella's players sent me quite in depth answers to Mr Pryces questions.

When interviewing Avvakir, who's player is no longer involved in the campaign, it became clear that Avvakir was feeling disillusioned with the RHC. Every time he tries to do something for the people of Flint, the Inspectress Margaret Saxby shuts him down. After a rather vocal departure with the Lady, Avvakir took indefinite leave after this 30 years of service in Flint. He now turns his efforts, and rather successfully, to dragging in his bestie Roland into the affairs of the dockers. This sets into motion a longcon of...

Spoiler

The deva Avvakir being killed by the governer later in the adventure. He will be groomed and trained to work against the party and furthering the Ob's goals. Towards the end of adventure nine, this will become apparent when Avvakir joins the fight against the party. However, the deva has a big heart, and the party will have an opportunity to appeal to his comradery and turn him against his master.

[World] Pemberton

For whatever reason, I equated 'folksy' with 'Ber', so on the Coaltongue, Pemeberton insinuated he was born in Ber. Reading ahead, I don't think this is the biggest issue, but I did want to make it clear Pemberton is invested in Risur's industry. Morever, I wanted to add a sense of foreboding. The party despises Pemberton and Gale's subertfuge at Goodson's wedding has created a vaccuum of power the Beran is more than happy to fill.

[Party] The repercussions of dealing with arsonists...

The party cooperated with most criminals in book #2. They even gave the half-dragon arsonists safe passage in exchange for information on Cillian. I didn't want to let them entirely off the hook. Later in the Summer months, Dima regretfully showed the party an article. As she handed it over to Angharad, she scrunched her face: "I didn't know when to tell you. There were bigger evils", she assured the party, "do not be too hard on yourselves".

 

[RangerWickett]

That's quite a lot.

 

[Echolocation]

That's quite a lot.

Yeah...I had no idea how to format the post. I hope it was legible.

It's amazing what a passionate group can churn out in a week.

I know one of my players is quite story driven, so I limit downtime sessions to a single week. The wonders of the internet allow me to handle a lot off screen. I didn't even mention Ella's intellectual quest to research mysteries from book 2: the metaphysics of witchoil, historical records of the Steelshaper, and any forecast of the stars falling from the sky...

 

[Echolocation]

"You're not on the list to see the list." - Bouncer outside of the Pemberton Industries tent, moments after the constable's inquire if they see the list of guests they are apparently not on, and moments before Benedict himself makes an appearance and denounces the bouncer for his formality.

In the start to Digging for Lies, a new player joined our group. He created "John", a young gunslinger/druid (!) who escaped the circus with his lion, Sidney. The Viscount Inspector personally inducted him into the RHC offices of Slate, and steered him onto a path of justice. He carries an exotic Drakran sniper (a gift from the Viscount Inspector), that he sadly was forced to use against his partner when he uncovered a plot to assistant his boss. Nigel recommended John keeps his head low for the time being, and assigned him a petty job of determining if any of the technological wares at the Kaybeau expo is worth Slate's dime.

One note moving forward is that Ella has a voucher for a grenade (worth up to 750 GP) from Markov's Munitions.

Session 18 - Panic! At the techxpo (courtesy of Ella's player).

After two and a half months of officework Saxby finally let us out into the field again: this time as glorified security guards for the Kaybeau technology expo. Dozens of experimental weapons and high-powered guns on display and available to the public... What could go wrong?

Arriving on the first morning of the expo, we caught our first sign of potential trouble: a blackclad half-elf woman staring at us intently, who vanished into the crowd before we could approach. Now suitably paranoid, we liaised with... a surprisingly agreeable police sergeant, and started canvassing the area. Following the sergeant’s advice, we checked the smaller tents and booths first: looking for signs of nefarious individuals or underhanded deals.

This... didn’t get us much - except for free ice cream and alcohol from Bee and Heward - until we met a fellow constable named John. He explained that he was from Slate and was in town for the expo, and offered to help us with our duties for the day. We gladly accepted, and - accompanied by John and his impressive Drakran rifle - continued on our patrol.

The oil prospecting tent... didn’t hold much - except for some perilously ignitable oil barrels and a head researcher who got rather flustered at John’s questions about environmental sustainability.

The grenade booth though seemed like a much better bet for shady dealings: being manned by a tall, sinister fellow with… sinister features and… menacing mannerisms and… well, he was just really super creepy. He didn’t actually seem to be up to no good though. And unlike the other vendors he actually had his hazardous wares safely locked up. He redeemed Ella’s grenade voucher and we continued on our way.

The trinkets stall was likewise benign - although Lisandra did acquire some lovely shell necklaces. And the cannery tent was… well... a veritable celebration of the newfound art form of cans! And beans. Basically just canned beans. But they have more canned goods coming! Just you wait and see the wonders canning technology will create!

Unfortunately the next tent belonged to Pemberton. More unfortunately the very sensible guard out front with his list who wouldn’t let us in was overridden by Pemberton, who stuck his head out and invited us all inside. We reluctantly entered, finding alcohol and beautiful women aplenty but not that much else... Just… really creepy mechanical lions - oh I’m sorry, B.E.A.R.s [Battle-Enhanced Animalistic Replicas] - and a construct control headband that... really didn’t seem to work very well.

After a brain-meltingly circular explanation of construct guidance systems by Pemberton’s tech guy, we threw some snark at him for the unviability of hideously expensive mechanical cats and GTFO’d, finding ourselves outside a much nicer tent: one with a mechanical orchestra!

As pleasant a change as that was, we still had a job to do, so after oohing and aahing over the clockwork piano we headed over to the stage area.

And there we met Nock. A half-giant with a dream. A dream to fire 7 bullets at once from the largest gun possible! A dream that he had made a reality - and one that Angharad was very keen to try out.

We had a good laugh at the firing range as Angharad annihilated a target and fell flat on his butt, and John met an old friend: Joaquin - another constable from Slate! The two had a friendly shooting contest - which John won - and they politely didn’t laugh as Ella utterly failed at her first attempt to shoot a gun.

The next marvel of the day was a super cool suit of mechanical armour! Which was… sadly not working. But Ella managed to help the engineers get it back on track so maybe we can check that out later!

The next stall though: that was the real treasure. Run by gnome sisters Fildi and Dilfi: proud co-creators of the one and only Badger Gun.

YES! For the low, low price of 5,000 gold you too can have your own interdimensional badger-summoning firearm connected to the Dreaming! Or BETTER YET: for just the cost of a +1 enchantment you can shoot badgers from your very OWN gun!

...Honestly, I don’t think anything could top that: not even Angharad’s expression when he heard the gnome sisters refer to him as “Gale’s friend”. Although that does make me wonder what Angharad’s been getting up to in his downtime…~.~

Next up though was a blast from John’s past! In the form of Kvarti Gorbatiy: a dwarven mercenary with probable Eschatologist leanings who asked us the rather odd question of whether we thought Mayor Macbannin had been content with his death. We... somewhat confusedly answered yes? And he thanked us and wandered off into the crowd. Odd kind of a fellow...

A quick stop at Al’s Ammo shop netted John some discounted ammo - on account of his excellent maintenance of his Drakran rifle - and offered Ella another chance to prove how utterly abysmal she is at shooting things. That done, we found ourselves with one last place in the area to check. The stage. Where a rather familiar looking figure was moving about.

Who could it be?
What wonders might be about to unfold?
Will rangemaster Timothy Lammers ever get the pleasure of watching someone shoot their own foot off?
Find out the answers to possibly none of these next session! On Zeitgeist: Panic! at the Techxpo.

 

[Echolocation]

Session 19
Recap courtesy once again to Ella's player

Like the good friends and coworkers we are, we began the session by dragging Angharad over to Rock Rackus and introducing him! This had the… unintended consequence of getting Angharad invited to Rackus’ tent for a book-signing and… anything else he was interested in.

Ella and Lisandra abandoned their friend to his flustered protests and went snooping around the stage. Not finding much, they proceeded to sneak into Rackus’ tent. What they found there was… highly questionable, just… not illegal. PS: Rock decorated his tent with numerous pieces of erotic art depicting his time in the Dreaming. Naturally, his features were ... quite exaggerated.

Regrouping, we headed towards the newly operational steamsuit display, but were brought up short by the sound of screams from behind Al’s Ammo. A horrible flying mouth with tentacles and two oversized dragonflies were hovering there, attacking the civilians beside the shooting targets.

As we watched a young man with a golden staff started lashing out at the monsters - shooting magic missiles - but each use of his staff seemed to summon more monsters.

The odd creatures flickered, seemingly switching between corporeality and some kind of semi-real state, making hitting them difficult, but eventually we defeated them. The mercenary Kvarti helped, proving an excellent shot, and Constable Joaquin held back the crowds. John’s animal companion Sydney even made an appearance! But despite our combined efforts several civilians died in the aberrations’ assault.

Spoiler: DM note: first meal in forever

I roleplayed these creatures as if they feasted upon a particular kind of thought. For example, the dragonfly-esque beasts feasted upon fear, so characters felt a moment of calm pass over them when hit by a ray of dark light. Something both John and Ella experienced, as shown below.

Rock Rackus tried to claim all the glory, having made several of the killing blows with his golden gun, but his bravado vanished as a dead woman with a golden bullet in her throat was found in the crowd.

As angry murmurs arose we called Delft and explained the situation, and in short order medics and RHC staff were on-scene and confiscating all the magic weapons and items. The police took Rackus into custody and we had the opportunity to question the young man who’d been using the staff.

This was Simon Langfield: a rich young noble who seemed to have no idea that his staff had been summoning terrible monsters to murder people. He only bought it yesterday after all! From a shady arms dealer in an alley! How could it have possibly gone wrong?

The staff itself was an extremely expensive but seemingly innocuous item - although with some historical significance. It certainly didn’t seem capable of summoning aberrations.

Confused - and fully expecting a scolding from Saxby about causing a scene - we returned to the RHC headquarters to find everything in an absolute uproar. Apparently we were being audited. By the Viscount Inspector! And Saxby wanted to see us in her office! Lovely.

Despite all the fuss Viscount Inspector Nigel Price-Hill turned out to be quite nice - no doubt thanks in part to John’s glowing recommendation of our team. Saxby shooed us out of her office before we received too many compliments, and Delft gave us the news that John might be joining our team - if we were willing.

We met the constable himself in the breakroom, and he shared a little more about his past. He had grown up in a circus, but ran away with Sydney to find a better life, and was eventually taken in by none other than Nigel the flipping Viscount Inspector.

Taking a moment to recover from this bombshell, we formally met John’s animal companion, Sydney: the fiercest lioness and bestest girl. Carlao even dropped in to say hi to her! Duty called though, so Carlao left and Angharad and Ella followed suit, heading to the office to remove the incrimin- I mean... tidy the paperwork... while Lisandra showed John around.

Jobs done, we left Uncle Ivan to his paperwork and set off for the Fatal Footstep, eager to show John the best bar in town. On the way though we spotted a mysterious hooded figure in the crowd. It stared at us and then vanished before we could do anything, so we continued on to the tavern to drink away our unease.

John navigated the famously fatal step easily enough - much to Ella’s disappointment - and a night of merriment was had. Also alcohol. A lot of alcohol. Perhaps too much alcohol in the case of Ella and John. As the investigator ranted at the sky for a bit and then summoned a pony, and the druid turned into a pony and had a pony chat.

Angharad and Lisandra - nowhere near drunk enough to understand any of this - were nonetheless thoroughly amused. But the evening had to come to an end eventually and everyone found their way to their beds.

The morning brought more strife though - as mornings in Zeitgeist tend to do - in the form of a letter delivered to Angharad’s door. After many bribes with sugary treats, the delivery gremlin admitted that it had been handed the letter by another gremlin and didn’t actually know who the original sender was. The contents of the letter were… well, we were about to find out.

Delft greeted us all at the office with pastries and Lisandra - being the beautiful soul she is - provided extra strength coffee for the less… awake members of the team. We were given our new mission: find the woman who sold Langfield the faulty staff, and Delft left us to it.

Angharad promptly interrupted any plans by staring at John and slapping a letter on the desk. The contents were concerning. Someone wanted Angharad to murder Rock Rackus. Supposedly on behalf of the head of the vekeshi mystics: the Old Stag. And yet… everything about the letter seemed to suggest this was a personal request rather than an order from on high.

Concerned... confused... and with John reeling from the news that his new coworker was apparently a Vekeshi terrorist… we were all left wondering what exactly to do next. Should we investigate the arms dealer? Follow up on Angharad’s questionable orders from the Vekeshi Mystics? Or... just report our Cipith friend to our bosses and let them deal with it?

 

[Echolocation]

I've fallen behind on uploading these. I'll try to catch up over the next few weeks.

Session 20 - Not Just Busy Work
Courtesy of Lisandra's player

A new morning, a new friend and a new case. With a woman seen in a blue trench coat apparently making back-alley deals to peddle magical items in Flint, Team BAD were finally taken off of busy work and glorified security detail. This new morning also brought with it a mysterious letter Angharad shared, claiming to be an assassination order for Rock Rackus, the Docker celebrity currently held at Central Police on suspicion of murder from the day prior. Under the protection of Lisandra’s new magic trick, the group held a private conversation. Angharad considered the note suspicious, as the delivery method differed to his previous instructions from the Old Stag and he wanted to let his fellow know he was looking into it.

Conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door… from Pete, of all people… who looked just as tightly wound as he had been walking out of Saxby’s office that same morning. Awkwardly, he professed the complete normalness of such behaviours before leaning in to whisper to Ella, “You don’t think they bugged the place, do ya?”

The tiefling went to belay his concerns, but paused, and wandered out into the hall to inspect for magic. After a few moments, she turned to welcome Pete into the office, over to the small portion of the room Lisandra’s magick protected and proceeded to confirm… yes. Yes they had bugged the place. Assuring their fellow constable that this particular area was safe to speak freely in, Pete continued to relay to the group a tidbit of information from their old case on MacBannin and the Witch Oil. A woman in a blue trench coat has been spotted fleeing the garden shed on the mayor’s property when Killian Creed had begun evacuations.

With this new bit of information reinforcing the importance of their current case, the team made haste to investigate their only lead… the alley way rendezvous that Mr. Langfield had pointed them to. Unfortunately… or most fortunately, instead of finding a clue they found a new ally awaiting; Millie, aka Millipede the Magnificent, a… very hyperactive bluejay that seemed to share a telepathic connection with Ella as the pair began chatting away about the case. After a seemingly one-sided conversation, Ella announced that the bird… I mean, Millie, happens to know how this woman in the trenchcoat makes her appointments and would be happy to share her own findings on the case if she were able to tag along and assist.

Spoiler: Millipede the Magnificent

Ella has wizard levels, and has been seeking a familiar. After talking to the player about various options, she was most happy for Ella's familiar to be introduced through the story organically. Thus, here we are. For whatever reason, I thought familiars could only talk telepathically with their master. We found out later I was entirely wrong about this. This eventually results in Ella slowly teaching Millie to talk verbally.

A little baffled, but unwilling to return to HQ with an arrested bird for questioning, the team agreed to take Millie on as a Honorary Constable for the day in exchange for the information. They are informed that if they enter the trinket booth at the Expo and say to the attendant at the back, “I am looking for an anniversary gift for my wife Ethel”, you will be sold a box containing the time and location of the next meet.

Considering Team BAD’s recent bout with notoriety, they decide it would be best if John took the lead on this, and he set to work on obtaining a gift for his imaginary spouse. As it turned out, Millie’s intel was correct, and he left the trinket stand with an ornate jewelry box with a note containing the details of the meet. 4pm, Lanternwood Sub-rail Station construction site in central, just across the way from the fairgrounds.

On the way back to HQ to discuss further planning, Angharad noticed an older gentleman watching them over the top of his copy of the Flint Times. The Cipith watched as the man folded his paper under his arm and began to follow them. As he notified his fellows, their stalker took a hard right down a street and Angharad immediately summoned Gariad to follow. The flaming pterosaur was spotted and watched as the gentleman snapped his fingers and vanished from view. Though the flaming companion recognized it as magic, he has no idea what the exact spell used was.

Warily, Team BAD returned to their bugged office to strike up a plan on how best to approach the meeting this afternoon with a degree of subtlety and perhaps gather a little more intel. To best use their time, the group decides to split their efforts.

Ella headed to the site of the meeting under the guise of a construction worker, thanks to the use of a Disguise Self. Millie offered her support at a distance as the pair got the lay of the land first-hand. John headed to City Hall to procure the official plans and maps for the site. Angharad decided to procure some funds to assist in John’s bluff by less conventional methods, leaving a meeting with a Vekeshi contact with a chest filled with a large sum of illusionary gold. Lisandra also made use of her own shady connections, paying Dozi a visit in Stray River and spent some time speaking to Monsieur Cippiano about the mysterious woman selling magic items on the sly… who apparently also has a 7-foot-tall machine-like bodyguard that accompanies her around.

With recon concluded and some helpful information under their belts, Team BAD formulate their plan and head to the site to attempt a stealthy approach to their sting operation in the pouring autumn rain. With the help of some invisibility magick, Ella and Angharad made their way to some cover unseen, the tiefling almost running into one of the woman’s hidden lackeys and as John headed in to begin the mock purchase, Lisandra approached from behind, slipping through the fence on the far side and take up some cover as close as she could behind the woman and her looming bodyguard.

Unfortunately, the wares were beyond John’s means and his attempts at perhaps receiving a discount drew some suspicion and she surveyed the grounds, asking John if he came alone. Hi bluff did not convince her otherwise and she snapped her fingers. From beneath the tarps of covered wood, one of which Ella and Angharad were hidden behind, small mechanical turrets skittered out from beneath the timber, priming their guns.

While Angharad made short, and regrettable work, of one of the turrets, the slippery mud floor of this arena got the better of Lisandra, sending her skidding on the ground and taking cover against the other.

Team BAD now find themselves pitted against the woman, her gun support and massive witch-oil construct of a body guard. Will they prevail and arrest the peddler and her crew? Or get turned to goo beneath metallic fists? Will Lisandra ever learn prestidigitation to clean her soiled, fashionable clothes? Find out… in this week’s episode of Zeitgeist: The Adventure of Team Bad.

 

[Echolocation]

"I hope you brought more than knives" - Kaja Stewart

Session 21
Courtesy of yours truly

Not too much to say for this session, went pretty by the book. The fight with Kaja was nearly deadly for John, who struggled to back up from Kaja's bodyguard on slippery mud. There was a lot of sliding from allies and enemies alike. Despite Kaja's well-received gun summoning abilities, she ended up surrounded by constables, one of which tripped her. In an attempt to escape, she rolled off the edge of the station, nearly knocking herself unconscious in the process. She surrendered shortly after.

John's (indicated by the green markers) terrible lies are caught out, as he struggles to maintain his disguise as his friends surround Kaja.

Team BAD arrested the two criminals (Kaja and Samson, the Kell thug) to interrogate them at HQ. The questioning was refreshing, as the two were brutally honest. Samson revealed their was a bounty on Ella's head (who previously investigated Parity Lake for Kell operations), smug in the assurance that he would be bailed out by Kell. Kaja's interviewing went well, until the group got righteous regarding their opinion on witchoil. After fierce philosophical debate, the group called it a night.

The next morning, the group were frustrated to hear Kaja was transferred, but revealed when Delft suggested a lead---the curator of the Museum of Natural History. Angharad rolled quite high on the knowledge (local) to identify the curator, so I ad libbed a brief story about an annoying dinner the two shared. The group interviewed the curator, then Xambria by extension. She told them a rather curious story of a digsite expedition that went horribly wrong, and begged them to investigate, recommending they speak with Caius Bergeron. Lisandra had already met Caius, and despite good first impressions, she was anxious about approaching a noble for casework. The session ended with the group outside of Xamrbia's apartment, discussing the need to assign witness protection.