If Briar chooses to recover this turn she’ll clear the whole clock
You also clear the whole clock for paying off the debt. I’ll transfer the overflow to a LTP 6-clock“extra volunteering” which is worth +1 status when you fill it.
Briar feels a lot better after Mender's ministrations and is now able to fully use her arm.
Briar, you have one more move.
I used it to relieve stress (and overindulged).
Tarnikos spends his time hitting a bag and lifting heavy objects when he's not cornering and intimidating potential witnesses to the crew's last job.
I used it to relieve stress (and overindulged).
I totally forgot. Thanks. What did you choose for your overindulgence consequence?
I presume you're doing prowess training and using command to lower your heat?
If so, -1 heat, add 1 xp to your prowess track.
If that roll was in some way for your training, you don't roll for training. Pick an attribute (prowess, resolve, insight or playbook) one turn gets you 1 xp to the track of your choice. Because the cult has resolve training, you get 2 xp for each downtime turn spent training.
If no one chooses by the time everyone has answered their XP questions, I'm picking... Atabey, an elderly Skolvian refuge and dear friend of Tarnikos. If he goes to the Blues, we'll make a fortune roll. 1-3 he sings, the Crew picks up 2 heat. 4-5 they rough him up a bit and an old man takes level 2 harm but he keeps his mouth shut. 6 he don't say nothing and they have to let him go.
For every downtime after this one where you do not either do a score that Halthar commands you to do through Velaris or where you do not spend at least one turn attuning the bone or otherwise working on an LTP that directly furthers Halthar's goals, I'll add one segment to the clock. You may not want to discover what happens if you test Halthar's patience.
Everyone, consult your playbook and decide if you met any of the XP requirements for this past score or if you'd like to do some RP during free play (before the next score) that scratches one of those itches.
As a group, decide how many of these you did (1-2 XP for each, depending on how much you did these):
Remember, you have a strange reputation. You can decide as a group what your goals, drives, inner conflicts or essential natures are. You can even look over your actions from the previous score and go "Ok, when we did X we were expressing our essential nature of Y" and we'll lock that in. You just need to decide what makes the cult "tick" and then codify it and you'll get that sweet, sweet XP.
Now that you've claimed the Offertory, you have easy access to claim a Sanctuary (held by the Weeping Lady), a Vice Den or two different turfs (held by the Grey Cloaks). You can go after any holding on the crew sheet, but you'll need to do some extra work to find a good "in." These are just the low-hanging fruit.
As a reminder:
Briar's consequence was noted above - her purveyor refuses to supply her anymore.
In that light, acquiring a Vice Den would be her priority for the group, then she can indulge at home and won't have to look for a new purveyor.
Group XP:
* Advance the agenda of your deity or embody its precepts in action - yes, we acquired an Offertory for Halthar's greater glory.
* Contend with challenges above your current station. - no
* Bolster your crew's reputation or develop a new one. - maybe? Is it strange for a crew to want access to a warded mortuary?
* Express the goals, drives, inner conflict, or essential nature of the crew. - so far our crew seems to be focusing on guile and misdirection to achieve our goals, so I'd say yes.
For crew name, The Pale Shards? Black Diamonds, which was suggested before, would also work nicely.
Do we also get personal XP? This time Briar definitely used violence to address a challenge, so she gets her class XP.
I hadn’t considered the “vice Den” being a new place of worship, but I’m open to that. You’ll have to take it from the Dimmers though. If it’s just run of the mill drugs and booze you’ll take it from the greys.
Hutch calls the others into their main hall. Those of you who would not have shown up for a team meeting were given some other reason to show up at this time. Hutch has arranged seats in front of an oak desk with a high-backed chair. Rather than any sensible pattern, they're arranged to invoke the constellation Sagitta, in the hopes it might give the crew some direction. He's standing behind the desk, hands resting on the back of the chair. It's becoming increasingly clear that he's seeking a puppet leader, and none of you are dumb enough to bite.
"Associates. With our actions we have officially entered a life of organized crime. It is time we assert the 'organized' part of that moniker. Our Lord Blackstar has expressed a distaste for leadership. His visions... we will continue to follow when they come--once we have located him--but there is the matter of interpretation... direction in the time between visions... and coordination in the field. I do not insist that these tasks fall to one person, only that we take care to be forthcoming with our drives, and agree upon some long-term goals. I foresee some disagreement as to just what lines are worth crossing. Following Halthar comes second-nature to me, but I understand that my upbringing differs from Briar's, and that the rest of you may not exactly be here to walk in His light. However, lines have already been crossed, and I want to ensure that we are all on the same page here. I will begin:"
"Halthor's credo, in my heart, is to scour the earth for our lost points of light... be they found in the form of the odd diamond or coin, the guided passions of wayward souls, or buildings razed to the ground in flames. It is not ours to understand these patterns, only to recognize them, and execute them. Halthor's will expresses itself as a result of executing the pattern. We have located an object of power, and secured the means to accumulate funds. Unfortunately, I'm not sure, without our Lord Blackstar, that we can make proper use of the artifact. We must, however, remain active. Providence has afforded me a connection with the Red Sashes. Were it left to me to decide, without input from you, I would pursue work with this contact, and seek to mark the earth in Halthor's name... Give His followers reason to step forward and bare witness." Hutch folds his hands and steps away from the desk. "Who would like to bare witness next?"
"As you well know, I am not a believer in Halthar; my faith is in science. With that being said, I consider our last outing to have been mutually beneficial: I now have a space to conduct my research stopping the ghost epidemic, and you all have a space that can be used to conduct your rituals and meet with other followers."
Mender gets up and begins pacing before continuing. He does this often when making a rational argument. "I believe that our organization needs coin in order to progress; for the faithful, we will need to have more resources to attract more followers, and for myself, my research is unfortunately quite expensive. If there were a way we could perhaps combine your" Mender indicates Hutch "desire to use your contact in the red sashes to complete another mission with our need for coin, then we could once again turn our collective power towards our common good. Perhaps your new friends in the sashes have somewhere that needs to be liberated of their wealth?"
Before his bender, Velaris studied the source of the Miasmic ritual, trying to find some protective... it effected via the skin, so a simple breather wouldn't do it, it would have to be occult...
I’ll add two to your research clock. Introduce your new character whenever.
A knock sounds from the door. behind it is a woman, either in her late twenties, or younger, but badly weathered, with hair cropped short and a large bag slung over her shoulder.
Father Arran told me you guys had spare rooms you might be willing to let? She says, looking over the group. Which one of you is Felfiz? Father Arran said he would be the one to talk to.
Tarnikos isn't as much of a true believer as some of the others, so he just lets Hutch talk then interjects after Mender has had his say.
"Din't you say tha' man we stole the bone from was a murderer? There mus' be more people with a lotta money and vilen' secre'ss in Duskvol."
Turning to Tarnikos as he begins to speak, Mender says "I like the way you think my fellow." Mender looks up startled as there is a knock on the door. He glances at one of the acolytes and indicates that they should answer it.
Briar turns her chair around, straddling it with her arms propped on the back, hat drawn low over her face.
"Halthar is my light out of the darkness. My people, and others," she nods to Tarnikos, "have suffered terribly under the Empire. It is my goal to fight against that. I am no politician, or philosopher, or rich philanthropist, and giving a few coins to a poor family can only stretch so much. If I can help take down the ones who do the oppressing, the ones who murder and cheat and steal from the poor, then that is what I will do." She pauses, gauging everyone's reaction. "Halthar is a guide. Where His light is leading us, I cannot say. But I feel it in my heart that he would want us to guide those who are lost and make the world brighter. But you are right, Hutch, we need to be more organized for that. We each need to know our role, and our goal, and how to achieve it. And we need resources for that."
Just as she finishes speaking, a knock sounds at the door and she's immediately on her feet, catching the chair before it tips over, pistol drawn and aimed at the door.
Felfiz crosses the hall to the foyer, cursing the broken door lock. "Yes, of course. We do not have much, but Providence has brought us together. You look to be just the sort of folk we seek to shelter. I would shake your hand, but I have an affliction." Hutch's shadow swells and flutters. "How would you have us address you?"
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The kindly priest tells them everything they want to know and then moves far away. You may never see him again.
When you’re ready for your next score:
Lord Scurlock has a proposition for you. The Grey Cloaks present a...inconvenience to him. Wage war on them and he’ll pay well and shield you from the extra heat. There’s an extra bonus if you assassinate their leader, Nessa, or locate their headquarters.
The Sashes have a...problem they need a unique solution to. The Lampblacks have a new Spark cook. His stuff is excellent and they’re using the new funds to finance their war against the Sashes. But...the cook is the nephew of the Iruvian ambassador. If the Sashes are linked to his murder they’ll lose a powerful political ally. If they hire another gang to kill him, the trail might still lead their way. They need him to vanish completely and they’ve heard you can make that happen.
With The Darkstar missing, Halthar cannot speak his will. Expanding your territory and grabbing control of the sanctuary may please him but...it’s hard to tell.
Or you can do your own thing. Rob someone, cast a spell, blow something up, whatever.
Emaline She says And what are your names? she quietly lowers her bag.
I'm sorry I seem to have interrupted something. religious study?
"Not at all, young lady. We were just finishing up a house meeting. Allow me to show you to what meager lodgings we have that you may use, and you can tell me all about your trip." with that, Mender will lead her around the room they were meeting in and to one of the cult rooms. He will listen politely to what she has to say and respond appropriately, all while sizing her up to see if the cult would want her, or she could be another subject.
Tarnikos holds out a massive hand. "Tarnikos, people here call me Tarky."
Hutch runs the rumor mills, looking for signs of Grey Coat movement.
The Greys have two convenient beachheads near your current territory. One is a set of alleys near Scurlock Manor and conveniently near the Dimmer Sister's tunnels to the Deathlands . The other is the courtyard of Vash House, once a manor of a great family now low cost apartments. It borders a convergence of leylines controlled by the Dimmer Sisters.
They Greys haven't caught wind that you killed their man in the Weeping Lady, but they're looking around for Wrack's killer.
Emaline quickly adopted into the cult and its mystic teachings...though without your prophet or a priest, she hasn't been officially ordained. Still, she's DTC (down to cult).
He’ll keep giving you prayer, but he’ll need a favor from you sometime soon.
You can continue gathering information or you can pick a plan and define the detail and we’ll get into it.
Briar wraps herself in a heavy cloak and goes out with Simon. Once away from their hideout, she releases the cat, who quickly darts into the shadows. Under the pretense of looking for her 'lost' cat, Briar goes through every alley and nook, studying the lay of the land. What's a likely ambush spot, either set up by their group or that could be sprung on them? What are the access points? Do the roofs offer good vantage spots that she might make us of? Where are the avenues of retreat, should something go wrong?
The Greys use these streets to sling drugs. At all hours there are at least three runners, dealers and lookouts taking money or bringing drugs from a stash deep in the alley.
Back in the maze, there are a few blind alleys that could hide reenforcements against you and a couple cuts in the walls where you could take some of the runners or dealers unaware. There’s always at least one Grey Cloak on the roof, rifle in hand, but there are enough nooks for you to set up.
The Greys know the alleys better than you and will likely scatter if there’s too much trouble. They’ll be back as soon as you let your guard down. You’ll need to do something to definitively claim the turf as your own.
If they're slinging drugs, they must have a storehouse or safehouse or somewhere. if we can hit them there, they won't be able to fall back, not without admitting defeat. Emaline just need to tail one until he leads Her right to him.
After some hours of observation you work out their system. Buyer walks past the first alley, drops a bag (with money, you presume.) A Grey Cloak grabs the bag, runs down the alley system. Another emerges around the corner with a matching bag (full of Spark, you presume) and tells the buyer they “dropped something.”
It’s maddeningly hard to track, and it takes forever to see where the drugs come from...until you get a lucky break. You don’t know how the drugs enter the maze, but they’re distributed to the runners in a dead end near a steam pipe nexus toward the middle. The stockpile is guarded by two roof top snipers and the drugs are distributed by none other than “Mad” Hob Harrington. Said to have torn a vampire in half with his bare hands, believed to have fashioned his trademark dual blades from Levithan harpoons, rumored to have once eaten a ghost, Hob Harrington is a legend on the streets of Six Towers. He was once shot in the stomach, pulled the ball from his gut and pressed it through the forehead of his would be killer. He once tore himself loose from a Lurkfish’s gullet.
He’s a monster. A killing machine.
And he’s between you and control over Left Turf.
Tarnikos suggests taking out the snipers quietly and then just burning the building down with Harrington and some greycloaks locked inside.