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As Velaris relays his information to the group, Hutch sits sidelong in one of the lounge seats, slowly and deliberately loading bullets into a snub-nosed revolver. When the Blackstar finishes, Hutch snaps the revolver closed and levels it at Velaris. "Anything else we should know about this score... before we begin?" Hutch lets go of the tooled ivory handle, and the revolver slides up into the Severosi postmaster's sleeve.
"Shall we gun them down like rabid dogs? Turn Tarnikos on them? Anyone seen... what's his name... Havelock?"
Not waiting for an answer, Hutch hops from the chair and stalks upstairs.
as Hutch turns a gun on him, Velaris breathes in sharply. as he places it into his sleeve, he is relieved somewhat. I've no designs I haven't said already. I really didn't expect that fire to wake her so quickly.
as for the particulars. I was thinking we would rough up and hog-tie the Greycloak, and leave him as a special present on the Bluecoat's doorstep. the you work your magic on them, and convice the staff of the establishment that our protection and patronage would be much more beneficial to them
This still looks like an assault plan to me. Sounds like the point of entry is "through the mouth of the alley."
Give me your load (I'll assume it's "standard" if I don't hear from you by EOD) and I'll roll engagement!
Tarnikos goes heavy as well, cackling maniacally as he loads up.
Ok, two heavy, the rest, I'm assuming, are going standard.
Engagement roll!
1d for pure luck
+1d for a bold plan
-1d for the grey's being unusually defended against this approach
You arrive at the alley ready to smash heads and take control, but as you declare the game under new management, you notice three players standing up and looking ready to fight. It appears that this game is both the Greyhook's game and THE GREY HOOK'S GAME. Some of their off-duty members are players. Fortunately there seems to be a fairly strict "no guns" policy, as none of them are armed with more than truncheons. Still, they don't look like they'll give in without a fight.
What do you do?
~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, if we get lucky, and can corner a few of them, I want to take advantage. I'll take their attention,a nd make a show of it. Me because I'm the most balanced between show and force Though, outshined in both he mentally adds, looking at the assembled allies
Mender, Hutch, could I implore you to make implements and prearations to convince these ignorant ruffians of Halthars might? And Tarkinos, at your discretion, I would ask that you either be by my side, showing the strength these men no doubt respect above all else? or else, would you kindly be in wait to waylay any who flee?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Now~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Blackstar strides into the den, silver-embroidered black cloak flowing behind him he stops a few paces from the table. Gentlemen, where I am more suspicious person, I would say you were avoiding me.
Velaris closes his eyes for a moment before continueing...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
during one of the times they were planning to go head-to-head with the Greycloaks, Velaris had taken note of the leader, and spent a day following him through the ghost field, noting any peculiarities.
You opened your mind to the ghost field surrounding the Greycloak who seems to be "in charge" of the hired hands and followed his echos through his normal day. He seems to be a loyal solider, though he never goes anywhere close to where Nessa might be hiding. At one point in the echos he stops for a long time in an alley between two abandoned shops and his ghost echos start to split and merge, melting into each other. Then he continues on his way.
He's clearly taking some sort of alchemical compound, though if it's recreational or professional, you're unable to tell. He might be getting high or he might be taking something to help him better deal with lowlifes who want to rob their game.
But, let it never be said I'm not generous. The diamonds and I have had our eyes on this establishment for some time. I will let you peacefully cede it, in exchange for safe passage back to your territory, the goodwill of our god. He pauses here for dramatic effect ANd the antidote to the poison in the bottle. in that alley over by the old eelery, and the dead mystic's shop.
Tarnikos leans over Velaris' shoulder and grins madly.
Neither of your attempts to fool the on-duty Greycloak seem to be effective.
I didn't find a bottle in the alley by the...oh. Oh! You mean this bottle of Rage Essence?
He takes a swig from the bottle. You can see his pupils dilate, the veins in his neck swell. He's going to be a lot stronger and take a lot more punishment.
He slams Velaris out of the way into the door jam and rams into Tarnikos.
Velaris and Tarnikos, take harm 1: bruised.
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Mender entered the apothecary, a dark place filled with the smoke of incense and steaming braziers. Approaching what passes for the counter, Mender says "Greetings sir, I would have a word with you. I know that you are supplying the Greycloaks in their nefarious deeds. No, don't ask how. That's not what I'm here for. I'm here to make you an offer: How would you like to make a coin? All you need to do is replace the next shipment of combat elixirs going to the greycloaks with these vials of Eyeblind. You can tell them that there was a mixup and then provide them the elixirs they were going to get anyway, and you'll have made a friend with my organization and two coin."
What a lovely/horrible idea. What action are you using for that? Command is desperate/greater, Consort is controlled/lesser, sway is risky/standard.
Velaris throws the vial of water. acetic acid, and photoplasmic sap he had in his pocket to pass off as an antidote, he aims for the charging man's eyes, not expecting to really hurt him, but hoping to Give Tarky the edge, before he dives to the side to avoid the charger
The dealer nods enthusiastically and takes your coin.
In the present, it appears that he mixed the concoctions instead of replacing them. The rage and strength are there (though weakened) but you can see his eyes growing milky. He’s having a hard time seeing (though not completely blind). The mix seems to have other complications you didn’t expect, as his skin is turning black.
You deftly apply the potion and dive out of the way. Tarnikos will have better luck (and better still with the thug’s diminishing eyesight.)
Tarnikos decides he'd rather not get whatever Velaris pegged the man with on his own skin so he sidesteps and trips the visually-impaired man before stomping on his head.
In the confusion of the moment, you successfully sidestep just fine and trip him successfully, but don't quite have time to stomp him before the other Greys in the bar begin to pile on you. You're now grappled.
Smirking as he watched the Graycloak drink from a bottle and start to lose his vision, Mender will move to one of the Greycloaks grappling Tarnikos, drawing out a container that looks like a cross between an oilcan and a perfume bottle. Upon arriving, he will spray the powder on the man he has chosen as his target.
You wait until the perfect moment in the grapple, when you know that the Greycloak is as far a way as possible from Tarnikos then, almost on instinct, you reach out and apply the powder perfectly on the assailant.
He clutches his throat as if he can no longer breathe. His eyes bulge and his face turns blue. It's all in his head, he's in no real danger, but the experience is utterly horrifying.
There are still two men grappling Tarnikos.
Putting away the container, Mender will say "My friends, your companion is choking!"
Hutch, whose suit looks wrinkled and whose hair looks unkempt, steps from the shadows to sap one of the thugs with a blackjack.
Damn it all velaris thinks as the poison proves less debilitating than he had hoped. No matter, just to deal with the thugs now.
Velaris tries to grab one of the thugs from behind, kneeling them in the groin, and bringing a Kris into their shoulder. Painful and debilitating. But survivable if they got him to a leech.
That sounds like a controlled/lesser Command or controlled/standard Sway to me.
From the shadows with a blackjack would be a risky/standard prowl roll or a risky/lesser skirmish roll.
You get into the melee with the brute just fine and while you get in a good groin shot, your stab wildly misses its mark. Your blade meets empty air and you find that your foe has recovered quickly. He's moving to strike you.
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Good news, bad news. The good news is that by trading position for effect, you're now rolling a desperate action. That nets you an XP under your Prowess track. Additional good news! Because you traded position for effect you get a Greater effect.
You don't just slip from the shadows and sock him. You LUNGE from the shadows and bring your blackjack down upon him with a righteous fury. This is a man who is unconscious and is likely to stay that way for quite some time. You're so proud of your deft strike that you hardly notice the last remaining Greyclock drive a blade into your back.
That's the bad news. A 5 on a Desperate roll carries with it some...less than great consequences. In this case, you'll take Harm 3: Punctured unless you resist it (or happen to have packed some armor).
The knife slices through Hutch's coat, and glances off of an armored vest he is wearing underneath. Hutch spins away and staggers into Velaris, hooking his arm and twisting to give him some added momentum. If things go well, it will be almost as if they planned the choreography earlier. The maneuver is entirely based in self-preservation, however, as Hutch tries to regain his balance.
Hutch
The thug looks surprised as his knife bends in as it collides with your armor. You've moved away so fast that he's unable to catch up with you.
Describe how you're helping Velaris dodge.
Velaris, add 1d to your resist roll, if you choose to make it.
Velaris tries to roll with the blow, and backs off from the fray
Hutch plows into Velaris face-first.
You get close to the fray and help Velaris dodge the blow, letting him roll off your back and putting some distance between you and his foe.
Take 3 stress.
You're in an alleyway, not a building exactly. There are some electroplasmic lanterns hung around the perimeter and an oil lamp on each table.
What do you do?
Tarnikos is annoyed at being outdone in his one specialized area by the rest of the group and decides to act on it. He immediately grabs the last enemy and proceeds to heave him upward so he collides with the nearest electroplasmic lantern.
In the chaos, your pleas go unheeded. But that’s fine, because...
You hoist one of the Greys into the air like a rag doll. He flies two full stories up and slams into the light, causing a sparking chain reaction, before falling to the ground with a crunch. His moans (coupled with a lack of bells from the nearby creamatorium) indicate that he is, for the moment, still alive.
The remaining Greys who can still move under their own power (along with the other players) quickly make a retreat. They leave the Grey that Hutch clobbered into a stupor and the Grey that Tarnikos destroyed but otherwise scatter, many leaving their chips behind.
The unaffiliated game manager approaches Tarnikos nervously. If it’s ok with you sir, I think I’ll be closing early. Here’s tonight’s cut.
Are you taking either of the Greys with you?
Otherwise, it’s time for downtime!
Time for downtime!
+2 reputation
This was a particularly lucrative score, +8 coin
You already have 4 coin in your crew stash, so you’ll need to divide it among players, convert it to stash or spend it now.I forgot to give you your stash from crew advancement, so you have that now.
+4 for the chaos
+1 for hostile turf
+1 for being at war (waived from the assistance of Lord Scurlock)
5 total
This brings your wanted level to 1.
[/b]]Reprisal
This is a step too far, and the Greys strike back, assaulting your Offertory. You can pay 1 rep and 1 coin to appease them or defend your holding with a mini-score.
Go to town! Let me know if you need a refresher on current situations.
First, Hutch reaches out to the Flock, revealing to them enticing details of his Grand Design in the hopes that he will finally have gained their trust. The name of the game, he tells them, is murder.
Then, Hutch rents himself a Horse from Mylera's stables...
Hutch, eyes sunken and coat unbuttoned, begins pestering Velaris about a Ritual to attune the whale bone to Halthar. He'll help as much as he needs to, but the ritual has to be researched. He's appalled that it hasn't even occurred to the Blackstar previously.
In the grand foyer of their hideout, Hutch addresses the Black Diamonds. He looks like death warmed over. Ink stains the cuffs of his white coat. He spreads a large, detailed map of the Six Towers over a desk and pins it down with knives as he punctuates each statement. "The time is ripe. The seeds are sewn. In three weeks, crews like ours across the city will be poised to take out figures whom they wish to see taken care of. I've carefully arranged for those figures to be located in a configuration which should be familiar. Our last target could be anyone, but they must be here." Hutch indicates a small jail in Greycloak turf. "The plan is to break in, wait for my signal, and slit a throat. At which time, the spirit wardens' birds will take flight in all directions, and our Blackstar will commence the ritual to attune our hard-won artifact... A ritual fueled on a great and terrible sacrifice..." Hutch waits to see if anyone is buying it.
Mender, seeing that it's something to do with the religious side of their arrangement, excuses himself from the meeting.
I hope that pleases Halthar. would you have me in your ritual sanctum, or making the sacrifice? Velaris says, letting Felfiz take the lead
"No one better to perform the ritual than you, Blackstar."
Hutch calls down the hall after the physiker. "Mender, if you would take another crack at those explosives, it may make Tarnikos' job easier."