"Not time for you to embrace the grave yet, Drexa!"
As the inventor brushes closely with death, Sin knows what to do
Tindertwig swallows his spit seeing impaled on a crude spit over the pit is the carcass of a large, charred rat.
Dirtbag licks his lips, but the toad notices the angry, ugly gnolls moving at them with violent purpose! He begins drumming on the goblin's head!
The gunslinger smiles.
◇Drawing his new pistol, Tindertwig aims at the closest Gnoll!
Tindertwig then yells at the same gnoll!
Tindertwig then ◆Takes Cover.
Drexa gets to her feet and swings her flail twice at one of the gnolls who'd attacked her. Neither goes well.
Surprised at the suddenness of the attack, Vock takes a moment to get his bearings, then drinks one of his concoctions before pulling out his pistol, and taking aim at the gnoll that dropped Drexa. "We don't have time for this!"
Vocktor shoots one of the gnolls between the eyes, instantly killing him! Tindertwig wounds another gnoll, but not enough to take him down. Sin infuses Drexa with negative energy, getting her back on her feet. Unfortunately, the inventor misses with her attacks.
The gnolls chomp and snap at Drexa, biting her a few more times!
Tindertwig squeals excitedly at the nice hole that the dwarf put in the gnoll's face!
The goblin gunslinger thinks that he could do the same if only he was hidden from his target!
The sneaky goblin Hides from his Cover from the same gnoll he hit!
Very Sneaky
The gunslinger then pulls the trigger at the Flat-footed gnoll!
The goblin then ◆ Hides behind his Cover again.
Covered Reload
Drexa steps so she'll avoid hitting any of her allies with a blast of energy and then turns the crank on the bottom of her flail, overloading the Stasian coil and unleashing a blast of electricity, cackling all the while as her fur stands on end from the static charge running through her.
Vocktor nods in satisfaction and then bites open a powder pouch and fills it, cramming in a new shot and blasting the next bad guy.
With a calculating look and a grumble Vocktor approaches the last enemy, holding his bayoneted clan pistol.
"Turn away from us. We are your doom!"
Sin attempts to intimidate the gnolll Tindertwig shot, then casts daze on it.
Tindertwig's bullet takes out the gnoll he had previously shot. Drexa's explosion sends another one to the ground and wounds the last one, then Sinister is able to daze it into submission. It joins its packmates, falling in a limp heap!
A search of the gnolls' tents yields 20 gp worth of jewelry and coin. Each of the gnolls also carries 12 sp on their person.
"Was that all of them, I wonder?" Sin peers off into the junkyard.
Tindertwig chuckles as the gnolls begin dropping like...gnolls dropping!
Wees bees da bestest ov heroes!
Dirtbag smiles.
After resting for a bit, you continue along the path, past the gnolls' camp. A narrow path through the scrap leads turns sharply west into an eight-foot-wide sewer pipe. The pipe’s grate lies against a pile of fire-blackened bricks near the opening. The path continues to the south, where it opens into a larger area.
A single mutant gnoll lurks here, larger and tougher-looking than the ones you faced previously. She snarls and grips her whip as she prepares to attack!
The gnoll rushes forward and cracks her whip at Drexa, trying to snare the inventor and drag her closer, but Drexa avoids the attack!
"Back, foul creature! You've troubled those goblins long enough!"
Vocktor groans, then readies his pistol to fire.
Vocktor adds his voice to the attempt at demoralizing the gnoll. "Yeah, and you look like a overripe plum!"
Tindertwig squeals excitedly at the big, ugly mutant gnoll!
The goblin gunslinger thinks that he could do some improvements to its ugly face if only he was hidden from his target!
The sneaky goblin Hides from his Cover from the mutant gnoll!
The gunslinger then pulls the trigger at the Flat-footed gnoll!
The goblin then ◆ Takes Cover again.
Covered Reload
Drexa cackles and tries to overclock the devices on her armor (though she doesn't quite succeed) before charging in and swinging her flail at the mutated gnoll. The failure to overclock her devices throws her off, however.
Both Tindertwig and Drexa fail to hit the gnoll. Vocktor's attempt at intimidation falls short. This gnoll's mutations seem to give her few advantages, but the dwarf does realize that grotesque pustules along her body may burst and spray those who strike her in melee with acid.
The gnoll resists Sin's fear spell, though she is slightly shaken. She snaps at Drexa with her jaws and punches with her fist, scoring two critical hits! As the inventor goes down, the mutant gnoll advances on Vocktor, moving into melee range.
Sin runs up behind Drexa and pours a minor elixir of life down her throat.
Tindertwig winces as the goblin watches the gnoll get beat the bleep up!
Dirtbag is seen winces with each hit!
Both gunslinger and toad agree that the best way to help the poor unfortunate gnoll was to blast the other ugly mutant gnoll in the face!
From a position of strength too!
The gunslinger then pulls the trigger at the Flat-footed gnoll!
The goblin then ◆ Takes Cover again.
Vocktor curses in dwarf, then scrambles away from the mutant gnoll before discharging his pistol at them again. He remarks, "she spurts acid or somesuch if ya hit her up close!"
Recognizing this as a tough situation and that trying to hit the thing up close would result in her untimely demise, Drexa embraces the gnoll virtue of prudent retreat.
She gets up and runs backwards, stopping to pick up a heavy chunk of scrap and hurls it at the gnoll.
The mutant gnoll takes several hits as you fall back. Unfortunately for Sin, that leaves him as the closest target! She cracks her whip, lashing the sorcerer and pulling him in reach of her gnashing jaws, then she proceeds to take a big bite out of his jugular vein!
As the sorcerer falls, she cackles and lopes toward the rest of you, getting into melee range of Vocktor!
Drexa moves in, hefts the unconscious body of Sin onto her shoulder, and skedaddles back to where she had been.
Tindertwig and Dirt bag frown as another of his partners drop like a Thanksgiving cranberry dessert.
Both Goblin and Toad square their shoulders and Hide!
The gunslinger then pulls the trigger at the Flat-footed gnoll!
The goblin then ◆ Hides behind that cover again.
Vock quickly moves over to Sin, who was clobbered, and hoping that their luck would turn soon, resolved to keep the wizard alive.
Sin coughs and staggers to his feet.
"My goodness, what a daunting foe!"
He waves a hand, trying to turn the creature's mind.
The gnoll winces as Sinister dazes her, then Tindertwig ducks into cover, avoiding the gnoll's gaze. He pops back up and fires a bullet that catches her square in the neck, a critical hit! Blood and pus explodes from the fatal wound, and the mutant gnoll finally goes down!
Tindertwig looks at his new pistol. Dirtbag licks it. The goblin shrugs and smiles.
Dat bees da funest ov timings! Ken wees does its agin?
"My good goblin, I'd hesitate to take another chomp from such a creature. I'd like to stay in the land of the living, if I can."
Tindertwig pats the dark dude on the shoulder.
Youeses shouldsa not bees so hardest on yerself. Wees sees da potentials!
Dirtbag nods sagely.
After healing up, you make your way through the sewers. Midway through your sewer expedition, though, you hear a familiar voice echoing through a street drain just above. It’s Deputy Loveless giving orders to a subordinate shieldmarshal, though you can hear only Loveless’s side of the conversation.
“You’re so useless. At this point, finding them is going to be impossible! They’ve likely gotten back to their hideout by now. Did your contact forge that evidence we need to arrest Gattlebee? A week? Tell them they have five days. Hurry it up!
“Meanwhile, raid the usual places in Hellside and Smokeside. If you find the thieves, kill them. They were trying to kill you after all, got it? You had no choice. Let your squad know that anyone who makes the killing shot gets a nice fat purse from Mugland as a thank you. Now, get out of here before I shoot you myself.” The deputy swears under her breath before the sound of her footsteps echoes down the sewer drain. A horse whinnies, then trots away.
***
You continue through the sewers, and after several more minutes, you emerge within spitting distance of the Barrel & Bullet Saloon. Foebe Dunsmith is tending the bar, and she greets you casually before subtly signaling for you to follow her into the back room. While you tell her how the heist went and about the troubles at the scrapyard, Foebe starts working on the ornate box’s lock. She finishes cracking the lock just as you finish telling your tale.
Inside the ornate box is about 250 gp worth of gold and silver coins. Dunsmith gives each of you 25 gp worth of coins as you payment. She also lets you keep the bag of holding type I. She asks for her hats of disguise back but offers to sell them to you for 15 gp each.
"Nicely done!" Foebe says. "But now it seems I suddenly have a lot of dirt on each of you, don’t I? Armed robbery, obstruction of justice, evading the law. Quite a rap sheet.” She leans against the bar and stretches casually. "I guess this means I should tell you something about me. I’m not just a saloon owner, for starters. In fact, I work for a very powerful person, someone you’re no doubt familiar with.” She puts one hand in her vest, palms something, and extends her closed hand. It’s a small signet ring that exhibits the distinctive symbol of the Grand Duchy of Alkenstar. “Does Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia ring a bell? Yeah, I thought so.”
Foebe can hardly contain her smirk, enthralled with her own theatrics. “What this means is,” she sighs, drawing out the words, “since you work for me, you actually work for the grand duchess.” She laughs, her cool façade finally cracking, then slips the ring back into her pocket.
“What? Surprised? Trust me, it’s good to have friends in high places. Besides, now that we’re all formally acquainted, it’s about time the real fun began, don’t you think? Now that I know you can work together and produce results, I have just the job in mind for your next task. We can start in four days, or sooner if you’re able.”
"Well, glad to see that we really were on the right side of the law. I knew things would work out, in the end."
Sin smiles with accomplishment, but his joy is tinged with sadness. You see, he discovered that--when he collapsed after being bitten by the gnoll, he squished Arnold, his familiar.
With a little ingenuity, though, death is not an insurmountable barrier...
Some time later, Sin can be seen chatting with what appears to be a rodent's skull, floating in the air.
"Welcome back!"
Chitter..."Where is my body, you twerp!"
"No need for name calling, Arnold. I spoke the incantation most precisely. I'm not sure why the rest of you didn't reanimate. I will have to take a peak in my books."
"You always were a slow study, VonEvyl!"
Gattlebee? A week? Tell them they have five days?
Tindertwig begins counting on his fingers as the big-eared goblin overhears the words of the rotten sheriff lady.
Wees bees need'n ta puts her in da place.
Dirtbag is seen cracking his knuckles (and wincing each time).
Re-entering the Barrel & Bullet Saloon and seeing Miss Foebe Dunsmith at her usual spot at the bar,
Dat musta bees da cleanest ov spots dere on da bar.
Tindertwig and Dirtbag stride on up, plop down on a stool (they take 3 different tries to get up there, once even sitting upside down), and (finally) order a wish-key straightened up!
Wees bees got'n ta tells ya sum-tings!
The goblin winks with his right eye at the dumbfounded barkeeper.
Following her into the backroom, the gunslinger having acquired a bottle and some food on his way, Tindertwig takes a seat on cushion on the floor.
The goblin (and toad) begins eating, drinking and listening.
“Does Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia ring a bell? Mees notsso sure ov dat. Buts wees kin finds it outs.
Vocktor is subdued when he returns to the other criminals, and looks worn out. It looks like he's taken them up on the offer of training with Foebe Dunsmith, and more, and seems a little fitter than before. He's wearing a broad-brimmed hat
"Well, that was a lot. Alright, you all, what are we doing now? Despite everything, we have a lot ahead of us if we wish to bring the fight to these corrupt finks. We need a plan..."
”Hrrrrk…a plan ish good. Lotsh of gold frrrom them…hak hak hak…maybe morrre if we play our carrrds right.”
Tindertwig (and Dirtbag) are seen sitting under a kitchen table. Every so often a goblin hand snakes out and up to purchase some food. Shortly afterwards, a toad tongue follows suit.
Mees bees tell'ns youses, Dirtbag! Da black stuffs goes in da round tingy!
The certain sound of a raspberry is heard shortly following the goblin's voice.
The next four days pass quickly, as you spend your hard-earned coin and prepare for your next mission. When you are ready, you reconvene in the Bullet & Barrel's back room. Foebe Dunsmith paces as she talks. She’s animated and enthusiastic, clearly firing on all cylinders and still reveling in the success of the Gold Tank Reserve heist.
“For this next job,” Dunsmith says, “the duchess has asked us to secure some very precious cargo.” She slides a broadsheet across the table: a poster advertising “Vashon Gattlebee’s Pyronite Exhibition” at Blythir College. The poster includes a woodprint of a harried human man in his fifties—presumably Gattlebee—and some hyperbolic copy promoting the “once-in-a-lifetime explosive showcase.”
“Gattlebee's been the talk of the town ever since he leveled half of Blythir’s largest auditorium. Well, Gattlebee’s invention has gotten him a lot of admirers recently. Everyone in Alkenstar wants a piece of the man, or at least a piece of his new invention. Thankfully for us, Gattlebee’s turned down everyone who’s offered to hire him on or buy the pyronite formula from him. He’s been able to hold off his prospectors from the safety of his own home so far, but he can’t hold down that puny brick‑and‑mortar fortress forever.
“Fortunately, the grand duchess and I have managed to convince Gattlebee he’d be better off here, in the saloon’s workshop, where no one will know his location. He’s game, and now we just need to get him from point A to point B.
“That’s where you come in. We need you to meet Gattlebee at his home on the other side of the city and bring him back to the Barrel & Bullet. Once he’s here, I can keep him safe. Simple enough job, right? Go get Gattlebee and bring him back here. I’m paying you fifty gold apiece to bring him back in one piece.”
Foebe pinches the bridge of her nose like she’s just remembered something unpleasant. “Oh yeah. As part of our arrangement, Gattlebee made us promise that he’d be able to make a stop along the way here. Near Ironside Quarter at some abandoned brewery. Got me why, but that’s the deal: stop at a place called ‘Yeast of All Brewery’ once you’ve got Gattlebee. Besides, it might be a good place to lay low if you need to catch your breath.
“Anyway. We don’t have much time to get this done. Mugland and Loveless are likely to make a grab for Gattlebee soon. Mugland’s been moving money around and paying off some shady folk. By my estimations, we have about four more days to get to Gattlebee before our cargo is compromised.
“Be ready for Mugland’s mercenaries, Loveless’s street gangs, or anyone else under our rivals’ thumbs.” Dunsmith pulls a rolled-up map of Alkenstar from a nearby shelf and unfurls it across table. “You should scout your route before you pick up Gattlebee, just to make sure it’s safe.” She then removes her cameo brooch and sets it on top of the map. “Show this to Gattlebee so he knows you’re working for me.”
Drexa spends a few days and some of her ill-gotten gains to craft a few spike snares, embracing the gnollish maxim that the only thing better than stabbing someone yourself is getting something else to stab them for you.
She instantly perks up at the mention of explosives. She cackles, "Sho we take the...hrrrk...exploshives-makerrr to you. What if there are shaid exploshives therrre? Might that be a parrrt of our...hyak hyak hyak...payment?"
"An unobtrusive stroll through the city to scout the route? That seems, uncomplicated, at least."
There are many words to describe the tall, brooding figure with a rat skull floating at his shoulder. Maybe "unobtrusive" would be one of them in some of his haunts in Ustalav.
Foebe eyes Drexa warily. "Clearly, you didn’t see the demonstration. Gattlebee blew up an entire building, practically, with a dose of the stuff no bigger than a musket ball. It's just too dangerous. If there's any pyronite there, you'd do best to confiscate it and bring it me for safe disposal."
Drexa’s eyes widen. She had to get her hands on some of this stuff.
Youses hads uses at explosions!
Dirtbag nods and grins.
Voktor carefully examines the map, and rolls a pitted bullet in his hands. "Aye, we should. We need to plan as best we can." His expression is grave, "we need an escape plan at every point, in case of an ambush - we should never be surrounded. Assume we will be. How can each of our skills be best put to use?"
He drums his fingers on the table and considers carefully.
Dunsmith suggested the party use some of their downtime to scout the best route from Gattlebee’s house to the Barrel & Bullet. Otherwise, they’re free to spend their downtime as they wish.
SCOUTING A ROUTE
Each character can spend some or all of their downtime casing the streets of Alkenstar. To Scout a Route, a character can use the following downtime activity.
SCOUT A ROUTE
DOWNTIME
You spend half a day scouting a route from Vashon Gattlebee’s house to the Barrel & Bullet Saloon. Roll a DC 15 Athletics, Perception, Society, or Survival check.
Critical Success: You climb to a great vantage point, spot noteworthy details, learn interesting info from locals, or find useful clues related to your escort route. You earn 2 Preparation Points.
Success: You earn 1 Preparation Point.
Failure: You fail to discover any useful information about the route.
Crafting: The workshop called the Bulletworks in the Barrel & Bullet has basic tools for crafting most equipment, including tools necessary for gunsmithing and a small but adequate alchemist’s lab. Dunsmith can send runners to pick up any inexpensive raw materials the characters need.
Gathering Information: The Barrel & Bullet is full of chatty patrons willing to blab about the latest in Alkenstar. A character can attempt a DC 15 Diplomacy check to Gather Information up to twice per day. Characters who come up with creative means of learning rumors can use a different skill for these checks; for example, a character who leads their fellow bar-goers in a shanty can use Performance, a character who tends bar under Dunsmith’s direction can use Crafting, and so on.
Sin spends his mornings scouting through the streets of the city and his afternoons chatting to people in the Barrel & Bullet. While many are put off by his gothic looks, he tries to charm the tavern-goers.
Tindertwig and Dirtbag unobtrusively walk the board-walk about the route from the saloon to G's house. They take a different route each day/night.
DOWNTIME:
You spend half a day scouting a route from Vashon Gattlebee’s house to the Barrel & Bullet Saloon. Roll a DC 15 Athletics, Perception, Society, or Survival check.
Critical Success: You climb to a great vantage point, spot noteworthy details, learn interesting info from locals, or find useful clues related to your escort route. You earn 2 Preparation Points.
Success: You earn 1 Preparation Point.
Failure: You fail to discover any useful information about the route.
The remainder of the day/night, both the gunslinger and the toad decide get some grub (Tindertwig heard some cool-looking cowboy say it like that) at the saloon.
Mees bees hears dat The Barrel & Bullet is full of chatty patrons willing to blab about the latest in Alkenstar.
The goblin smiles. He laughs. He lies to everyone in the saloon!
Lie to Me
Downing yet another left alone on the bar without an owner beverage, Tindertwig continues with his tall tlae.
....and den des birds done flews away! Dirtbag wuz so scares ov dem birds, dat he done s$+~ my hat!
Dirtbag is seen drunk.
Tindertwig and Dirtbag talk and talk and talk....
Vocktor spends some time looking into some of his dwarven contacts, trying to find what information as he can about the layout of the route.
For the remainder of the route, he will work on asking about how the route works, subtly building a map with schedule using his previously successful route preparation.
Drexa's first two days are exceedingly successful, her third day goes well, but on the last day she throws her back out and spends it complaining bitterly to anybody who'll listen.