You gather together to share what you know. It's the end of a long Saturday casing the town.
Wisps sings to the people.
Alrinkiri finds a hiding place nearby, ready to tail the thieves back to their hiding place after they strike.
Akoril nods and sets out his hat with a few coins in it as he finds a good place to perform his acrobatics.
Surely my allies will think of a clever plan to catch the thieves while I work on my routine. thinks Akoril to himself.
Chimwemwe sits on the street corner and accompanies the performance with music played on a mbira borrowed from the Magaambya.
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It takes a couple of days but towards the middle of the week, you're robbed by a smirking elf who carries a lot of knives, two lizardfolk (one of whom seems to really delight in her job and carries a pile of books in a satchel along with her club, and another who hangs back in the shadows and keeps lookout with a crossbow in his hands), and a human bully with a bald head and lots of bad tattoos.
Alrinkiri pads along behind the group, who seems rather careless. The Chime-Ringers have been stretched thin lately, and they are sure no one is watching.
They find the gang’s hideout, the most intact building amid a cluster of abandoned wooden shacks. All the windows have been boarded up while the front door hangs open, barely on its hinges. Smoke drifts out of the back of the building, carrying with it the faint smell of charred food. They all dive inside to count their ill-gotten gold.
You head to the Chiime-ringers office with your information and meet the Inspector.
I'd love to apprehend them, but we're dealing with bigger problems in the city. We're in the midst of a crime wave and we don't have time You are hereby deputized as junior Chime-Ringers to deal with this situation and use nonlethal force only if necessary to apprehend these criminals or protect yourself.
You might also try other tactics, of course. We have investigators go undercover or try to spy and get information before making a move. Often it's to help reform people and make amends. Us Chime-Ringers prefer nonviolent methods wherever possible.
Akoril nods and meets with his companions "I can't believe the even took my hat! I don't see any better plan than kicking down their door, but if anybody has a better plan I'm all ears."
”They must sleep sometime,” Chimwemwe says. ”Could Alrinkiri and Soomdevi watch their hideout to learn when they would be the most vulnerable? Maybe they might even discover a secret way inside. That far-too-easy entrance is sure to be trapped, guarded, or both.”
"Maybe keep him in reserve until we know we need one?" Chimwemwe asks. "I don't want him to get hurt."
"What about another sting, this time we get the Ringers involved and nip them where there's no one else around to get hurt."
"It will be difficult to spread rumors that don't draw too many innocent bystanders," Chimwemwe worries. "But we'll see what we can do."
Chimwemwe walks with Mariama through the markets. Not wanting to endanger anyone, he has filled the chaos magnet in on the purpose of their trip: to spread a false rumor of a troupe of street performers who are gaining popularity, earning impressive tips, and sure to be sponsored into legitimate performing circles by one of the city council members. He keeps an eye out for the thugs that robbed them while they carry out the plan. Who could forget those terribly amateurish tattoos or that smirk?
"Mariama, we should plan to go see that rising troupe on the corner of..."
He changes up the details of the troupe enough to keep the description confusing but the location for the next performance is always the same place agreed upon with the Chime-ringers.
Chimwemwe hears about a secretive crime lord who's advancing in power in the Nantambu underworld. This crime lord deals harshly with those who threaten to reveal their identity or threaten their interests. The muggers may not be paying their dues to this crime lord, or even operating without the crime lord's sanction. (This is likely as they are acquiring so much disruptive notoriety).
Chim and Mariama do a great job planting the seeds of confusion.
Wisps follows behind Chimwemwe and Mariama, making sure that the rumors continue to spread, and adding juicy details wherever possible.
Alrinkiri posts up on the rooftops between the hideout and the ambush site, keeping out of sight as they watch for the bandits' approach. Once they spot the miscreants, they sneak away to quietly warn the Chime Ringers to be ready.
The gang cannot resist the potential score. They're led to a dead-end, where a group of Chime-Ringers springs the trap. The crossbow-weilding iruxi who hung back when you got robbed almost escapees but Alrinkiri helps the Chime-Ringers cut him off.
The smirking-half elf isn't smirking anymore. He shouts at the iruxi: I told you this job was too good to be true, Reth! I told you!
The Inspector congratulates you as they are taken in. Well done. And without violence. Please search their hideout and let us know what you find.
☀☀☀
Inside the gang's hovel you find 180 GP and the buskers' instruments which you promptly return to much gratitude. Some of these people are getting their livelihoods back. The busker community give you half the gold as thanks.
☀☀☀
Soomdevi and Wisps are invited to consult on interrogating the gang as they are trained in intimidation.
Over the coming days you learn that Reth doesn’t have a lot to offer other than he was tired of making money slowly and carefully, like his boss wanted. He maintains that robbing street performers was a perfect way for him and his crew to get all the extra things they wanted. He’s aware his boss has a mean streak, but he figured once he showed off how much money he’d made, all would be forgiven. Of course, that day kept getting further away in his mind as his gang made more and more money.
Wisps manages to find out that their boss is named Froglegs. Froglegs doesn't like people disobeying orders, or spreading her name around.
The inspector looks worried. These people are in danger. To be frank they also seem pretty stupid, crossing a dangerous crime boss to make a quick copper. I'm worried this "Froglegs" will make an example of them, but we don't have the manpower to keep them safe right now. I have a a couple friends guarding a caravan to Bloodcove. We could transport them out of town that way, under guard. I hate to ask, but do you think you could help us get them out of town, under cover?
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Akoril nods "I know a good haberdashery, a set of hats should help conceal them."
Alrinkiri nods. "We're reasonably good at being subtle, when we need to."
You disguise the prisoners, who wear floppy hats. As the caravan heads out of town Alrinkiri notices some thugs waiting to head off the caravan, but manages to warn the group in the nick of time. Wisps directs the caravan across canals and down alleyways, eventually managing to see them safely out of the city.
Reth and his crew almost seem happy to be away.
☀☀☀
The local performers dub the alleyway leading to the ambush site "Busker's Lane" — some street artists paint the walls of the alley with artwork showing five masked Conversants — a glider, a black veil, a bronzed beak, a glimmering hyena, and a blazing spider — leading the muggers on a merry chase.
Several days later you're invited to a commemorative celebration in the place of the ambush. Many people from town are there — gathered to share home-cooked food and stories while the buskers play.
Janatimo is in attendance. Excellent work; this is what it's all about! He spreads his arms wide, taking in the happy community gathered here.
With a flourish he produces a mahogany case and opens it. Inside is a beautiful flute. The buskers asked me to give you this, on behalf of all of them. It's a lesser maestro’s instrument.
Now: shall we enjoy the show?
☀☀☀
A few days later you receive a message from a runner who's returned from the caravan
She killed the clothier.
— R
"She is Froglegs?" Chimwemwe muses. "What is her agenda?"
"I can't imagine that it will end here. We've got to find out more about her."
"Yes, but we should be subtle about it. If we make a big show of asking around about her, we may invite more violence, and bystanders may get hurt."
You all decide to try and learn more about this insidious "Froglegs" — barring learningn more, you might be able to curb crime within the city and help the Chime Ringers.
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Akoril will seek out Okoro.
"Okay, I know I know I keep losing, but I had an idea, something that would be fun, and really useful at the same time. Can we make our own map of for Secrets and Spies but use Nantambu as a guide... see there's this crime syndicate or crime boss or something named Froglegs and we're trying to solve the mystery but I need to butt minds against an unpredictable opponent, so I was thinking we could make a map of Nantambu for the game and see where that led to things happening, and you'd get to try out a new version of one of your favroites..."
"I need your help with the strategic implications but I think I've got a good sense on how to keep it true to the spirit on Nantambu."
"Anchor Root" Alrinkiri says, wincing as their quiet approach meant the skittish gnoll was caught off-guard when they spoke right behind her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm wondering if you would help me with something. Remember when we snuck in to those concert halls to place surreptitious rhythm bones? Well...."
They explain the situation, and formulate a plan with Anchor Root to stash rhythm bones in likely locations.
Wisps joins Esi to talk to all the neighbors.
Chimwemwe finishes painting the blasting runes onto his greaves. "Between the additional lift from the Soaring Spire and the modifications we've made to the glider, we should, hmm, glide higher and further than before. Hopefully not into the clouds," he says to Haibram. "So we can watch the city from above."
He pauses. "Hmm. I guess we could design a counterweight so you could ride the glider facing toward the sky, but, hmm, maybe, hmm, after this."
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Over the coming months you dedicate your time to helping the citizens of Nantambu by cutting the legs out from under Froglegs' organization.
First, Akoril and Okoro collaborate on a map of the city. They plot out strategic points that a crime lord might use to take as much territory as efficiently as possible. They pass the info on to Noxolo and Soomodevi, who dead-drop pigeons at key locations. During this time the two bond, and Okoro teaches Akoril a few tricks to get an edge in games of strategy. one day Ignaci strolls by and overhears something about "Froglegs" and scoffs. Think this "Froglegs" may have something to do with that specialty grippli lockpick Soomdevi found at the beginning of the year? Or maybe you're all still convinced that it belongs to a demon or some nonsense.
Noxolo and Soomdevi enjoy their time drinking tea and spying on people through the eyes of the dead. They doodle take notes in composition notebooks and watch motes of dust drift through the evening air. After reporting on several protection schemes to the Chime-Ringers, they note that several local shops seem to thrive again. After a couple months weeks, the leads start to dry up. Someone's listening. Watch it. We got a RAT here!! Soomdevi and Noxolo grin as a thug hops over the dead rat in the alleyway. It's Noxolo's birthday and they are having cake.
Alrinkiri and Anchor use Akoril's map too — instead of just gathering information they return to the alleyways and byways to retrieve their Rhythm Bones. They have to spend hours and hours listening to boring conversations, but once in a while there's relevant evidence and they mark the rhythm bone as "relevant" and place it in a pile for the Chime Ringers. They make sure to erase any bones that capture non-criminal activity to respect everyones' privacy.
Chim and Haibram use their gliders to track the city from above — eventually some Chime-Ringers on the night watch make a gobo for their lantern and shine it up into the clouds when the need a fleeing criminal tracked from above. The symbol is a harrier hawk with a tear-drop shaped head, a combination of the two students' masks. However Haibram has more success than Chim as the blast-boots seem to alert the criminals when they're being watched. In collaborating on the counterweight, haibram shows Chim a few tricks of his own…
Wisps befriends one "fizz," a local neer-do-well who becomes her CI. She brings him baked goods and helps him get a normal job as a haberdasher, helping him get away from his life of petty theft. In the process she learns a lot about the workings of the lower-ranked criminals in the city.
☀☀☀
By the time the crime spree is under control, you're well into the third semester of the school year.
However, you haven't managed to find froglegs. Whoever they are they have gone to ground. For now.
As the year rolls by you, of course, are not only fighting vvcrime. You're studying.
Please make study checks for your schools.
Wisps interviews some of the newer students about why they chose to attend the Magaambya.
Alrinkiri returns their focus to their Uzunjati studies, researching and learning ealier versions of well-known stories as a gateway to the distant past.
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While he continues his charting of the night sky and uses the antique volvelle that Esi gave him as inspiration to begin weaving a large, round rug version of a volvelle to assist him in his ultimate pursuit in individualized magic, he begins a side project this semester.
After building a tesla cage, he begins trying to predict lightning strikes and sets up his cage to observe lightning from within. It appears horribly risky to many, but the inventor is confident in his engineering.
...sometimes he returns to the dorm with singed eyebrows.
Akoril hits the books, studying both the mental and the physical aspects required to be a good student.
Soomdevi finds himself in Koride's classroom working hard to catch up.
Making it worse, her new pet vulture and Blinks do NOT get along.