We're playing tonight! Come join us on Twitch or Youtube at 9pm EST
As always, read on if you need a reminder for what happened last week:
Just as the party is leaving the police station, they hear gunshots from inside and quickly hurry to investigate… Diego rushes in, knowing that the front desk is occupied by Catarina, a beautiful young Tiefling who he had accidentally stood up on a date. However, when her attempts to burst in heroically to rescue her, they instead saw that a group of bandits had broken in and Catarina had pulled a minigun out from behind her desk to fight back. Still, Diego prioritized protecting her, while Lucy May seems happy to just cut loose and take down some bandits.
As the shootout continues, one of the bandits shouts upstairs, warning unseen allies about the danger. Fiji takes out one of the bandits, and when one of the others tries to shoot him, Fiji uses his monk reflexes to actually catch the bullet, pocketing it and actually thanking him for the free bullet, which led to a brief argument on whether or not the bandit even intended to get the bullet back in the first place. Dali marches in, whacking the first bandit she sees with her staff before realizing that there are even more criminals in the building as they start to fire down from the second floor.
With the battle escalating, they realize that more bandits have actually captured civilians and are trying to keep them as hostages. The party has to split up to catch all the bandits. Lucy May conjures her giant rune, growing to large size and pinning one bandit against the ceiling. Fiji bum-rushes a group of sharpshooters, knocking most of them unconscious while earnestly asking them what they’re doing here… accidentally intimidating the one still awake so badly that he can’t even speak.
More bandits are rushing down the stairs to join the fight, and Catarina is knocked unconscious. Dali casts Entangle to slow their descent, and also lets out a Mass Healing Word to revive Catarina and protect her friends. Lucy May then informs the man she’s holding that she intends to let him go… at which point she throws him full force at another figure rushing down the stairs. Seeing how efficient both Fiji and Lucy May are proving to be, Diego decides to enlarge Fiji as well… with Fiji grown to giant size as he hurries out to help… knocking one bandit for a loop before leaping through the air, landing with his full weight on a group of enemies, pinning them in place. Dali rounds a corner and sees that two more men with mini guns are standing in a hallway, readying to fire.
He unleashes his shot, hitting Dali, Lucy May, and most shockingly, Goldie. Shockingly, rather than dying as one might expect, she instead vanishes in a flash of green light, with spectral leaves bursting from her place. The others hurry to help Dali and Lucy May, while Catarina, now that all the nearby attackers have been cleared out, pulls out a microphone and sends out an alert over the loud speakers. As Lucy May hurries to grab one of the mini gun wielders, Dali asks her to throw an acorn between them. Not fully knowing why, she does before pinning one of them down. At which point Dali casts Plant Growth. Suddenly the acorn erupts into a full-sized tree… plants start to grow in through the cracks in the floor, and some of the wood itself sprouts to life, blocking off the hallway entirely. Lucy May takes advantage of the situation… taking the weapon from the man she’s grappling, before picking him up and hanging him from the tree with his underwear.
As the party reconvenes, Dali explains that Goldie is actually a Familiar… an ancient spirit that has served her family since her grandfather’s time. She can bring Goldie back with a ritual, but unfortunately doesn’t have time before they realize they don’t know what is going on in the second floor. Catarina remains to guard the entrance, and provides them with some first aid before the group continues. There is an attempt to proceed stealthily, but the group utterly fails, and as they turn the corner they’re immediately fired on… fortunately, CHESTR was taking point, and although it gets hit, CHESTR at least can’t feel pain. Fiji bursts out, knocking one bandit unconscious and politely asking the others what they’re doing here, but they refuse to speak as an exasperated Fiji lets them know that he’s going to keep knocking them unconscious until he can find someone who will answer him.
Lucy May relies on her longbow as she covers the distance to catch up to the gunslingers, while Dali Wild Shapes into a black bear, roaring as she rushes forward. They see that the bandits are attacking Detective Terrel, who is angrily fighting back, taking advantage of his office as a safe spot to fire. Things take a turn, however, when some of the bandits start throwing dynamite, forcing the group to scramble. Lucy May is struggling to reach her intended targets, so Diego helpfully creates a temporary portal and casts Vortex Warp to teleport her nearby.
As they hear a commotion downstairs, Fiji finally gets an answer to his question as someone finally admits that they’re here to break out their friend. With relief at finally knowing what’s going on, Fiji immediately knocks him unconscious and assists Lucy May in clearing out the remaining bandits. They look downstairs and see that the armored man they had met before is battling even more bandits… slashing through them with little effort. He makes his way upstairs, where he briefly runs into Diego, the two facing off as they don’t know if they can trust one another, but they soon realize that they’re battling the same enemies, and with his help they’re able to stop the last of the bandits.
The armored man speaks with Detective Terrel, and from their conversation the group learns that the Reaver is named “Caster”, and that he often works with Terrel. From the conversation between the two, they’re able to determine that Terrel, along with Caster, recently arrested a high ranking member of a local gang, and an elaborate assault on the police station was planned during a time when most of the city guard would be busy with other matters as retaliation, as well as to break out their fellow criminal. Neither Caster or Terrel are particularly talkative, however… Terrel seems more interested in the large tree that Dali had created earlier, and Caster simply starts gathering bodies with the intent to cash in their bounties. Hearing that money is on the line, Diego insists that Caster can’t take credit for any criminals defeated by their group, and sets about meticulously gathering unconscious and dead criminals, with the remaining party members assisting as the group finds that only 5 of the men they had battled had formal bounties for their arrest, although they’re rewarded 300 gold for their trouble. Caster, meanwhile, actually knew the value of targets before arriving and had managed to get a much larger payout for himself, despite arriving later and alone.
After helping pay out the bounties, Catarina then insists she’s taking the rest of the day off and intends to go to the hospital, complaining that she took a desk job in the first place to avoid this kind of combat. Diego follows her quickly, wanting to apologize for not following up with her after implying his intent to take her on a date the previous day. He offers a comparison to a sailor’s song he’d heard in the past… a love song about a beautiful woman who would make a good wife for a man some day, but the sailor cannot commit because his life, his love, is the sea… and for Diego, his sea is science and his career. Catarina is convinced of his sincerity, and even admits that she’s had a few relationships fall apart in the past because of her own focus on her career. She accepts his apology, but warns him to be more careful in the future, and the two part on good terms as Diego doesn’t want to delay Catarina any further on her way to the hospital.
Dali takes the time to thank Caster for what he’s done, and to ask him what he knows about the serial killer the group has been tracking. Caster has followed the case, but he doesn’t seem to know quite as much as the group themselves, or Detective Terrel. However, when Dali mentions the distinct scent of Sulphur and Lamp Oil left lingering at the crime scene, Caster wants to learn more, and Diego returns in time to remember the soil sample the group had gathered from one of the crime scenes earlier. Recovering it from Detective Terrel, Caster sniffs it intensely… although Reavers are known for their unique ability to smell even small amounts of blood, the ability to smell something like this is unusual, and Terrel casually refers to Caster as a “bloodhound”. Once he gets a thorough whiff, Caster declares that he recognizes the scent… rather than the lingering odor of a devil, as Diego had presumed, Caster recognizes it as the specific scent of a rare, powerful magic item that can be used to pass through walls.
As they’re pondering what this could mean, the group thinks to ask Caster how it was that he had found them so easily to deliver the gun to them earlier that morning. He explains that the group has done little to hide themselves, and they tend to stand out in a crowd. Even Lucy May, who, as a dwarf, is not an uncommon sight in Pennington, still has very distinct facial tattoos. He also explains that he’s a mercenary… a sword for hire, and he carries wanted posters not only from the local law enforcement, but black market bounties. It’s not clear where, but at some point the group had angered one of the wealthier criminals in the city, and they all have black market bounties on their heads. They realize that the many bandit attacks the group has encountered over their time in Pennington wasn’t just opportunists looking to steal Diego’s horns… they were being stalked and attacked by amateur assassins looking to make a buck, with their bounty growing with each successful combat.
Caster has no intention of capturing them; he simply had a copy of the note used to target them. Each of them has built up a bounty of 1,000 GP, which Diego views as an insult. However, Caster shows them that the wanted poster isn’t just for their lives… their body parts are wanted as well, with the poster implying that these body parts are wanted as spell components. Unsurprisingly, Diego’s golden-colored horns and eyes are considered the most valuable, but things like a lucky Tabaxi Toe, the striking blue eyes of a firbolg, and the tattooed skin of a female dwarf are all included. Whoever wants them dead is clearly familiar with dark and evil magic, and the group realizes they may need to find the black market, discover who put out the bounty, and do something to get them to drop the bounty so they can avoid being murdered in the streets… although what it will take to do so is still unclear.
Remembering to share this early for once! Also, we won't be streaming this weekend as we're going to take an extra week to prepare things for the game, and also so our group can get together for something that isn't toing to be streamed publicly.
Thanks to some family drama and general holiday busywork, we weren't able to stream last week, but we're finally back and we'll be streaming on Twitch and Youtube tonight at 9pm EST. And, of course, here's my summary of what happened in our last session:
On their way out of the police station, Diego asks an officer to look into a matter for him… he wants to know if any of the criminals the group had brought in have any ties to any known criminals who can afford the high black market bounty placed on the group. The officer is happy to help them, and as the group is making plans to rest for a bit before heading out, they’re met with a courier who has letters for Fiji and Diego.
Diego is the first to open his letter, and finds that his sister has heard about the TX-2 expo and is demanding he brings her in on the event, and also requests his help with the Pink Ladies… the wealthy group of female philanthropists she’s attempting to join. He finds the address she’s staying in Pennington on the back of the letter and mentally makes plans to visit her. Meanwhile, Fiji’s first letter is from Lewis in Rattle Ridge… everyone in town is looking for an update on how their journey is going, especially after hearing about the rockslide that blocked Serpent river. He also lets him know that Dali’s father had visited, a package for Lucy May arrived with high quality Dwarven Ale, and Lewis points out something unusual… a letter addressed to Dali was delivered already opened and read, although Lewis didn’t mention who it was from or what the letter detailed, leaving it as a mystery until Dali can return to Rattle Ridge.
Fiji also gets a letter from his father, who is in Pennington with Fiji’s Mother for business, and he hopes to meet with them. Lucy May received a similar letter from her Grandmother, admonishing her for not meeting with her yet during this time. The group makes plans to invite their family to dinner later that night… although they need to check with Hesper to make sure this won’t be a problem. Dali, however, is simply relaxing and people watching… although a passing citizen casually tosses her a silver, and the group realizes that they look homeless, which completely scandalizes Diego. The group decides to do some shopping, then check on Diego’s sister, as he’s concerned she might be targeted by the same bounty hunters chasing Diego.
On the drive there, they come across a young gnome woman asking for directions. Diego insists on helping her… she’s looking to find the chamber of commerce, as she’s a recent immigrant seeking a new life. She explains that she’s a farmer looking to start an orchard… as soon as she hears about it, Dali suggests that she should travel to Rattle Ridge. The group is excited for the chance to have a proper orchard… although they mostly have to convince the young woman, Suzanne, that they’re actually serious. Once she’s convinced, Diego offers to invest in her orchard, providing 10 gp for supplies and travel. They also plan to send her with some letters to inform their friends of everything that’s happened on their journey so far.
With Suzanne prepared, the group does some shopping. Diego buys a whip and a shield for himself. Lucy May, however, takes a bit longer to decide what kind of armor she wants… eventually settling on a set of Chain Mail, although she needs to borrow a little bit of money from Diego to do so. Diego then finds a magical supply cart, successfully trading two vials of acid for 50 gp worth of Ruby Dust, although he doesn’t state what it’s for. With their primary purchases complete, the group looks for something to eat. They find a strange cart where everyone walking away from it is clearly carrying different foods… far too great of variety and too elaborate of meals for the small cart. There’s no menu… instead, the proprietor offers all his food at a flat rate of 5cp. Intrigued, the party orders, and they’re given custom meals that remind each of them of home. The group is instantly taken, and he introduces himself as Sal… a “Kitchen Warlock.” He offers them wisdom… telling Diego to not overthink things and to focus on what’s in front of him instead of always trying to think of the distant future. He tells Fiji to be open about his happiness and not let the mistakes of the past slow him down. Dali is told that she’s not responsible for her parent’s actions, and to not trust “The owl”, which he doesn’t explain further. Finally, he warns Lucy May to embrace her ambition, but don’t let it control her.
The party continues their travels, opting to check on Diego’s sister before returning to Hughes Manor. Along the way they discuss the need to look into the black market… it’s possible that whoever wants them dead creates forbidden magic items, which may be tied to the serial killer, who utilizes an enchanted lantern to pass through walls. They make plans to investigate the next day, but for now Diego needs to return to Hughes manor to continue his work on the TX-2. After making that decision, they eventually arrive at the boarding house she’s staying in.
The manager of the boarding house quickly recognizes Diego as related to his sister Maria, and the manager shouts up the stairs to get her attention. Maria steps out… she looks quite a bit like Diego… beautiful with matching golden horns and shock white hair, although unlike Diego, she has a small pair of wings extending from her back. The two greet each other with a tight hug… before immediately starting to argue with one another. It’s clear that the two of them are siblings as they bicker and argue… Maria picks on Diego for his rough appearance, while Diego admonishes her for being unemployed. Maria is interested in the Hughes estate, and despite Diego’s best efforts to skirt the subject, Dali honestly replies to Maria’s questions and reveals that Aadi Sharma, the makeup mogul that Maria is obsessed with, is also staying at the Hughes estate.
In an effort to change the subject, Diego warns her about the bounty on his head and his concern that she might be targeted as well, since bandits looking for a tiefling with gold horns might not care if their victim is male or female. Maria is mostly dismissive of the issue, but takes advantage of Diego’s warning to invite herself to Hughes Manor, supposedly for her own safety, but clearly just to get out of this boarding house and meet Aadi Sharma. Begrudgingly, Diego sends CHESTR to help his sister pack… with Maria dismissing the automaton as just a “boy toy”, but once she sees that CHESTR can be used to carry clothes and play music, she declares it to be a music box and thanks Diego for his “gift”, and patiently ignores all of Diego’s protests.
With Maria accompanying them, the group decides to visit Lucy May’s grandmother, Sweet Delorah Brewmonger, who is also visiting Pennington. She’s staying in a nicer home than Maria was… as a wealthy brewer and landowner, she simply owns a summer home in Pennington that looks over the bay. Delorah is an older, but still beautiful Dwarven woman who has a full beard, and she keeps no secret of the fact that she’s not blood related to Lucy May, but it doesn’t affect their relationship. She’s delighted to be visited by her grand daughter, but admonishes her for not visiting sooner. She’s also clearly interested in Fiji and Diego, playfully flirting with the young men, and when Diego flirts in return Lucy May warns him that Delorah isn’t bluffing, with Diego forcing himself to stop since he doesn’t want to deal with the burden on friendship of sleeping with a close friend’s grandmother… again.
Delorah is excited for the exhibition of the TX-2, although she’s clearly more interested in a large social gathering than in the display of technology. Lucy May also speaks with her about plans for Rattle Ridge… after speaking with Suzanne earlier, it occurred to her that Rattle Ridge would benefit from a proper brewery. She also wants to set up regular deliveries of Delorah’s signature Dwarven ale to Rattle Ridge, as they’re hoping the reputation of fine ale might attract more settlers. With Diego assisting with recommendations on some of the mathematics of such an arrangement, Lucy May is able to convince her Grandmother to invest further in Rattle Ridge, and Delorah lets Lucy May know that she intends to send an employee of hers to assist in building and establishing the brewery, and she’s excited to try some dwarven ale made with the Golden Apples that Suzanne intends to grow. The two share a hug before the group leaves… with Maria teasing Diego for trying to sleep with another grandmother, with the two siblings arguing as it becomes clear that the woman he had slept with in the past was an elf, who could remain youthful in appearance for many centuries.
Returning to Hughes Manor, Maria is delighted to see such a fine home and is eager to meet Aadi Sharma… but the mood quickly turns dark as an angry Hesper demands to speak to the group alone, with Maria excusing herself. To the group’s surprise, Hesper has also called in Captain Cyril, who doesn’t fully understand why he’s there. She had just gotten two separate deliveries… first, a bill from the police station for the damage caused by the tree that Dali had created, and second, and much more concerning… a letter written in blood demanding Hesper fire the group, along with a newspaper article detailing the death Bridget Cammington… Hesper’s close friend who had died recently, her family’s home burnt to rubble. Diego quickly takes out the note they had found on the criminal who sabotaged the hospital the previous day to compare the hand writing. Although one is written in ink and the other in blood, it becomes clear that they were both written by the same hand. Hesper… overworked, frightened for her brother’s safety, and still mourning the loss of a dear friend, demands that something must be done or she’ll have to cancel the TX-2 exhibition for her brother’s sake.
Diego first dismisses the bill from the police, as he’s confident their heroic deeds today outweigh any collateral damage, and that he should be able to convince them to drop the charges. He then explains that he believes August is only safe now because of their presence, not in spite of it. When they first met August the group was ambushed by criminals… he now believes that their intent was to kidnap August, most likely to hold him for ransom. Thanks to the group fighting back, however, he remained safe. Similarly, the attack on the hospital had no clear target, as the group stopped the attempt too quickly to see what, exactly, the criminals were attempting to do, but now with the second letter it’s clear that the Hughes family is the target… and it’s possible that the Cammingtons were targeted in the same way. He then stands up and removes his goggles and glove, holding out his right hand with his signet ring… he promises on his honor as an Alleghiri that he can finish the TX-2 installation tonight, and the next day the group will find the black market and do all they can to find who is targeting the Hughes family and put a stop to them. Hesper makes certain that Diego understands the weight of making a promise on his family name, but when he confirms she takes his hand… not so much in a hand shake as much as a solemn vow. She orders Cyril to assist the group before excusing herself, the group left in silence watching Hesper hurry out, leaving them alone to plan.
Just as a heads up, we won't be streaming this upcoming Sunday. Our DM, AfterDisBooty, is moving into a new apartment and won't have their internet properly set up in time.
The CFB crew is back! We took some time off last week for the Holidays, and also needed to reschedule this week's session because of New Year's. We finally took advantage of the fact that this is an adults-only and our heroes visited a brothel in our last session! What kind of shenanigans will we get into this week? Come join us tonight at 9:30 PM EST at our usual places and follow the adventure! As always, in case you need a reminder, here's what happened in our last session:
As the party gather for dinner, they prepare to talk with Hesper about everything that’s been going on with the threats sent to Hesper earlier. Diego’s sister, Maria, eagerly flirts with Aadi Sharma, Hesper’s other guest who is not in any trouble, but Maria makes the mistake of insisting on her intent to stay for the night, instead of asking more politely. Diego tries to cover for his sister, but only manages to upset Hesper further. Pivoting, he switches to discussing the success of the TX-2, with Hesper finally relaxing when she hears not only that it’s complete, but that it’s primed to shatter the current land-speed record for Cy-Mounts. This calms her enough that she agrees to speak further on the matter of Maria later on.
During this, Dali and Lucy May volunteer to help Mrs. Bonnet prepare dinner. She’s pleased at the help, especially with Dali, who is clearly a master at preparing meals. The group is able to enjoy a pleasant dinner before the group slowly disperses. Diego speaks to Hesper in private… he asks if he can compare some of the writing they found to Mr. Fromant, an ally of the Hughes family who knew that August would be in the hospital when he seemed to be targeted by criminals. However, Fromant’s handwriting isn’t even close to the note they found, and Diego apologizes for even bringing it up. Hesper is understanding, but insists that the adventurers should try and leave before sunrise, if only to avoid drawing attention.
Returning, August has remained to sit and chat freely now that his sister isn’t around. He wants to hear about their plans, and is happy to find a group who doesn’t treat him with kid gloves. Diego and Lucy May leave to speak to Aadi, as they want to request his expertise in makeup to obscure Diego’s unusual skintone and Lucy May’s tattoos. Aadi agrees, providing Diego with enough red face paint to hide his distinct skintone, and even has some washable paint for his horns. Lucy May also needs some foundation to cover her facial tattoos… which is made all the worse that both Aadi and Diego start complimenting her beauty, making her feel flustered before hurrying to her bedroom to sleep. Meanwhile, Fiji finds Cyril in his bedroom, and the two of them start up a pillow fight before eventually falling asleep in the large bed that Fiji had claimed earlier. Dali, however, wanted to make certain of the security of the manor, double checking that all the windows and doors are locked. While checking the manor, Dali even encounters Lucille, the ghost that haunts the home, who August believes is an actual little girl who occasionally sneaks into the house. Lucille isn’t able to fully manifest, instead just making her presence known by toying with the piano.
Once their work is complete, everyone eventually goes to sleep, waking up in the extremely early morning to the sound of the front door being knocked on. Hurrying to check, they find Caster, the Reaver Bounty Hunter, has arrived, and is clearly in a bad mood, as he’s received two separate letters from both Fiji and Detective Terrel telling him to meet with the group at Hughes Manor. Cyril seems to recognize Caster, and quickly hides from him in fear. Caster impatiently demands to know what they want from him, and after learning that they were hoping to get his help to find the person trying to kill them… Caster, however, is uninterested in serving as a guide, and demands to either be paid to capture/kill a target, or to be left alone. Hesistantly, since Dali had insisted on involving Caster, she apologetically goes to Hesper to ask if she’ll pay for Caster’s services.
Hesper isn’t pleased about being woken up this early, and she recognizes some of the symbols on Caster’s armor… he’s a Night Child, a group hailing from the Reaver Lands who worship the Night Mother, and who have a reputation for working as assassins and other unsavory work. Interestingly, Caster can tell that Hesper is carrying a gun, even though it’s hidden in her nightgown. She’s uncertain if she should hire him, until Dali gets the idea to show Caster the threatening letter that Hesper had received. After sniffing it for a moment, he recognizes the scent of the docks, and seems to be able to pinpoint it to a specific location. Although she’s still hesitant, Hesper decides to pay Caster his 500gp fee to capture the man who sent the letter, reasoning that it’s worth it to protect her brother. She tries to cut the tension by jokingly asking how much it would cost to kill the man instead… with Caster matter-of-factly stating that it’s 1000gp. Hesper declines, but Caster insists that he’s no guide and will not help the party navigate the docks… instead he just tells them that he’ll meet them in the docks, if they manage to arrive and leaves without so much as a goodbye.
Once Caster leaves, Cyril steps forward to insist that hiring him was a bad idea. He warns that Caster could just as easily turn on them for the highest bidder. Diego, however, insists that no bounty hunter would turn on their client… it would be terrible for their reputation if it was known they could just be bought off. However, Cyril makes clear that’s exactly why he’s afraid of Caster… he doesn’t know all the details, but he does know that Caster at one point killed an entire group that had hired him, supposedly because someone else had paid him more. This leaves the group a bit more shaken than expected, but it’s too late to stop him now. Hesper wants to get back to bed, and reminds the group that it would be best if they left before the sun came up, so that anyone monitoring the Hughes Manor might not realize that her guests have left.
The group prepares to leave, with Diego returning Lucy May’s chainmail armor. He had sprayed it with a strange bluish gel… striking it with a hammer to show that the gel bunches together when struck, providing some additional defense. After that, the group puts on their disguises… Fiji dresses like a miner, complete with goggles and a mask. Dali wears mystical robes, and so does Diego, who looks more like a Wizard than anything else. Lastly, Lucy May wears what is essentially a pirate outfit. Lucy May’s face paint obscures her face paint, while Diego’s red face paint makes him look surprisingly similar to Cyril, who jokes that they should pose as brothers. The group realizes they should come up with some pseudonyms for themselves… Diego decides to go by “Rico Suave’”, Fiji decides to just call himself “Dig”, but the women in the group have more difficulty settling on names. Cyril calls Dali “Toots”, with Diego mentioning he’s heard “Tootsie” as a name, with Dali accepting it without much question. Seeing success with that, Cyril tries to help by pointing out that Lucy May looks a bit like a “Patricia”, and she decides to simplify it to just Pattie.
With false identities prepared, they sneak out and make their way to the docks. With Cyril taking the lead, the group decides that, since he’s meant to be their guide, they should just go where ever he thinks they should. To the dismay of Lucy May and Dali, Cyril guides them to the Silk Secret, a lowbrow brothel located in the docks district. Fiji, for his part, doesn’t seem particularly phased by the locale, and Diego does his best to not look excited. Cyril insists that the escorts working here often hear gossip, and are potential sources of information. Fiji notices that one of the women matches the look of the other women killed by the murderer the group is hoping to stop. Diego pays for some “alone time” with her in order to seek information from her… and enjoy himself a bit in the process. As those two are busy, Fiji decides to ask a cute fairy working there for some alone time, while Lucy May notices a particularly chatty woman in the group that she hires as well. Once everyone else is gone, however, Dali realizes she doesn’t actually have any money, since she asked Diego to carry her money for her, since she doesn’t really see the value of coin. The owner tells her she can wait in the bar.
Lucy May disappoints her partner a bit, as Lucy May admits she’s just here looking for information, and even pays her partner for her effort. She learns about a hidden entrance to the Black Market and informed on how to get in without trouble. Fiji, meanwhile, just bluntly asks the fairy if she knows anything about the serial killer, which puts her on edge and his attempts to explain himself only manage to scare her further, and Fiji is forced to flee the building. Dali, meanwhile, tries to talk to some of the other bar patrons, but the first person she finds is a lecherous, drunken old man who makes her uncomfortable. She decides to examine a back room to see if she can learn anything, eventually finding herself wandering through the halls of the brothel trying not to overthink what’s going on. Realizing she doesn’t know how to get out of there without anyone noticing her, she instead climbs out of a window and sneak back to the front of the building to wait for the others.
Diego, however, is speaking with his partner, where he learns that she’s an aspiring brothel owner who’s working as an escort because she owes a debt to the owner, and she intends to leave and seek her fortune as soon as it’s paid. Diego opens up to her, as at the very least he needs to explain why he’s wearing red face paint… he’s honest about their group’s need to get to the black market in order to deal with a black market bounty placed on their heads. She’s heard of a way to get to the Black Market, telling him the same information that Lucy May had learned earlier. After some more activity between the two, Diego suggests that she should travel to Rattleridge, as he thinks a brothel will attract more travelers to the remote village. He offers to pay her remaining 50gp debt, which he wants her to consider as an investment for the future. He also reveals his real name, so that there will be no confusion in the future when he meets her out of his disguise. She’s so happy at his help that she pulls him back to the bed.
Lucy May finishes her rented time, thanking her partner for the information before stepping out to regroup, since Dali and Fiji are already waiting outside. Not long after, Cyril joins them as well, admitting he hasn’t learned anything because he was just there to visit the brothel and kind of forgot that they were looking for information. Dali is upset with him, but he seems to enjoy getting on her nerves. But they resolve to just wait for Diego… who takes well over an hour to finish and reapply his face paint before reconvening with them. Lucy May is annoyed that it took him so long, especially since he learned the same things that she did in a few minutes. Diego counters that he was also negotiating with a business woman, although not everyone in the group is particularly excited to learn that Rattle Ridge will soon have a brothel of its own.
We're playing again tonight! It's actually my birthday tomorrow, so come hang out and wish me a happy birthday! We'll be playing tonight at 9pm EST on Twitch or Youtube. The adventurers have gotten themselves into a dangerous situation in the sewer beneath the city of Pennington, and they're only getting into more danger as they continue their quest to find the man who wants them dead. If you want more details, and don't have time to watch the video linked above, read on:
A young woman is running through the streets, gunshots echoing around. Her father was shot to protect her… wearing just a nightgown she runs into the woods. Running from her family home as it burns down behind her, wondering what business her father had done to attract this danger and death. Bare feet cut, clothing becoming tattered as dried twigs catch on them. She can hear the people pursuing her calling her name, and the howls of hounds. She nears a deep cliff, with a river running through it, and in desperation she leaps off, hoping to survive and escape.
However, our heroes are unaware of this. Instead, they’re discussing Miss Vixen, the woman that Diego invited to Rattle Ridge with plans to start a brothel. Dali is deeply worried… her people have a strict treaty with the settlers of Rattle Ridge, and she worries that a brothel will attract a crowd that won’t respect the natural lands. She even agrees with Diego that it would be good for business, but she’s not willing to support anything that could harm the land, no matter how profitable it might be. The group decides to go back inside and speak with Miss Vixen. Dali explains her concerns, and Miss Vixen admits that she actually grew up in an area with gorgeous natural views, and she’s willing to work with Dali to preserve it. Dali has an idea for a compromise… instead of a brothel, she thinks Miss Vixen should open a bath house instead. She’s enthusiastic about this idea, and the others all agree this is a much better idea. Lucy May is already thinking of how to build a bath house, and Dali writes a letter to her father, as her people know how to find ground water that would be needed for something like this. Everyone is satisfied with this plan, and Miss Vixen leaves to prepare for her trip while the group exits and makes their way toward the entrance to the Black Market they had heard of.
As they near the entrance, the group runs into Caster, who is on his way to the Black Market as well. He lets the group know that he’ll help them at the end, but he has a reputation and it will draw suspicion if he’s seen traveling with a group of strangers. Caster enters first, the others giving him some time before following. Sneaking through dark alleys, they find themselves in a remote area where shady individuals are sitting around campfires sharing stories of violence and cruelty. Diego focuses on following Caster’s distinct armored footprints, but Dali and Fiji are distracted when they see a large wolf chained near the entrance to a store that’s being teased by some of the men at a nearby campfire. Dali tries to soothe the angry wolf, and once it’s calmed, Fiji tries to free the wolf… which immediately attacks and kills one of the men who had been teasing it. Meanwhile, Diego was stopped by a bandit who offers to sell him some black market weaponry. Diego tries to manipulate this to his advantage… hoping to ask about magic ingredients, since he knows the person who put the bounty on their heads deals in such things. However, he doesn’t realize that the man he was talking to is just trying to distract him while a group of bandits set up an ambush.
In the ensuing chaos, the group is able to fight off this initial ambush, but gunfire draws attention from more criminals in a nearby building. As two bandits rush out, Diego thinks quickly and tells them that the person who killed the dead bandits has fled up a nearby building. He’s able to deceive the Tabaxi criminal with a mustache to climb the building in pursuit of this non-existent attacker. Dali uses her Firbolg magic to turn invisible to avoid the crowds, while the rest of the party sneaks in, with Diego successfully convincing the next group of bandits hurrying out that it was actually the mustachioed Tabaxi who had gone mad and attacked the others. He also learns that his name is “Boots”, as the group takes advantage of the confusion to get further into the Black Market. After most of the pursuers have passed by them in the other direction, Dali closes the nearby door, and Diego taps into the magic he’s gained from Mammon and casts Arcane Lock to seal the door.
Moving further into the market, they come across what appears to be a stage with a suspicious cage built into it to one side. Lucy May notices a bracelet nearby, speaking in Giant to Dali, who is still invisible, asking her to investigate. To Dali’s horror, she recognizes it as the very same bracelet she had given as a gift to Trey, the human native she had met on the ferry to Pennington who is searching for his missing sister. Angrily, she demands to know where the person who owned the bracelet is, using her height and strength to intimidate the auctioneer to reveal that he’s still here, and is being kept in the basement. He also gives them his key into the back room, and tells them the password, “Bleakwater”. He’s allowed to leave, but warned to not come back if he knows what’s good for him.
The group proceeds past the guards, who seem to laugh at them, knowing where they’re headed. The group realizes what they were laughing about, as the “basement” they were directed to is actually the sewer system. There aren’t even proper walkways, as they have to leap precariously across gaps… which Fiji fails, landing in the filthy sewer water. The group focuses on helping each other, with a foul-smelling Fiji willingly walking through the filth to help the others, since he’s already covered with sewer water. As they travel, however, the group sees a few more criminals who seem to be just hanging out as guards… the group manages to avoid drawing any suspicion from them, but they make enough noise to attract a group of Stirges that attacks them. The guards don’t help, just laughing at the group. When confronted about why they haven’t cleared out the Stirges, they just say it’s not worth the effort, and instead whoever enters the sewer should just move more quietly if they don’t want to get attacked. They direct the group further into the sewer to find the prisoners being held, but are clearly laughing, knowing that more dangerous creatures live deeper into the dimly lit sewer system.
Unsurprisingly, the very next room they enter is filled with Stirges that immediately attack. The guards still don’t help, just clearly laughing as the party fights off the blood sucking creatures. They continue to move slowly, trying to avoid more creature attacks. Lucy May notices writing on the wall, although to her it seems like gibberish, but Cyril seems to recognize their meaning and confirms that the group seems to be moving in the right direction. They manage to avoid any major conflict, until an attempt to sneak around a large pool of filth. Rising out of the pool comes a Luridum, the same species as Spiffy, the aberration Madame Veil kept as a pet. This Luridum, however, is even larger and clearly more aggressive. The commotion of the ensuing battle also attracts the attention of some Stirges that attempt to suck the blood of the party members. Fiji leaps onto the creature’s back to attack it directly, while Lucy May activates her runes to grow to giant size and face the creature directly. However, Dali and Diego both find themselves grabbed by the creature’s tentacles… Dali uses her Moonbeam spell to clear out the Stirges, but as the Luridum nears death it throws Diego at Fiji before attempting to flee, Dali still gripped in its tendrils. With Dali nearly plunging into the sewer water, Lucy catches the creature with one swing from her enlarge hammer, smashing it to paste and giving Dali the opportunity to leap onto solid ground and avoid the unclean waste. With the massive creature killed, the group prepares to continue their journey deeper into the labyrinthine sewer.
Another stream available to view! The players are having a great time, even if the characters are kind of miserable trudging through the sewers of Pennington.
We're back again tonight at 8:30 PM EST! For a while we were trying to schedule or streams on Sunday nights, but lately one of our players has been consistently scheduled to work on Sundays so we've shifted to Mondays. One of the challenges of being a relatively low-income actual play group is being more limited to the whims of our jobs than we would like. Still, we'll be streaming, as always, on Twitch and Youtube. We'll also have our VOD available on Youtube shortly after the stream completes, just in case I forget to share it on here once it's live.
Speaking of sharing, read on if you'd like a summary of what happened in our last session:
The group continues deeper into the sewers after defeating the Luridum that lurks in the murky waters. Going deeper inside, they find a chamber filled with garbage. They can hear more voices nearby, but when they go to investigate they find a pair of bandits… Diego still remembers the password, and it gets them to avoid attacking and approach… but as they pass by a tube in the wall they’re suddenly grabbed by something, both of them yanked inside and almost immediately silenced by whatever grabbed them. The group continues, moving cautiously around any tubes or openings… they come across a large gap they need to cross. They attempt to tie a rope to use as a makeshift bridge, but the only place to tie one end of it is a grate over a tube that Diego foolishly thinks the creature that attacked the bandits earlier can’t reach through.
A scaley, clawed hand suddenly grabs Diego, digging claws into his forearm and trying to yank him inside, with only the grate saving him. His allies do their best to attack the creature to get it to release him, with Fiji finally scaring it off with his spear. Diego gets an obscured look at the creature, seeing that it has massive, reflective eyes and extremely sharp, needle-like teeth dug into his arm. Once free, the group shifts plans… remembering the ladder they used to get down to this level in the first place, they decide to use it as a bridge to continue further inside. Although there are still difficulties, they make it further in until Lucy May spots more writing in Thieves’ Cant which Cyril uses to realize that the group needs a key to continue further, although the coded message also points in the direction of the key.
Diego thinks he might be able to simply pick the lock and avoid needing to find they key at all. But after exploring further (and fighting some more Stirges), they realize the path forward doesn’t require a traditional key at all, but rather, some kind of fist-shaped indent with a variety of complex mechanisms that can’t be opened so easily. In frustration, the group returns to begin searching for the key, navigating the filthy passage as they continue their search. Deep inside, they find a small hideaway where two vagrants are sleeping… they wake up, and don’t recognize the password used by the criminals. The group is able to convince them that they mean them no harm, and ask for the key that the notes on the wall told them would be in this direction. With some confusion, they eventually realize the “key” is being used by one of them as a cork for his bottle of liquor, with Dali trading them a large winter blanket and an acorn to use as a new cork for the key. They also explain that they call the creature living in the walls a “Sewer Lurker”, and they keep it from attacking them by feeding it, using it as a form of defense to keep the bandits at bay. They also reveal a shortcut to get back to the main pathway, but warn that the “flushing time” will come soon… Dali wants to stay and help these men, as they don’t seem to want to do anyone any harm, but is forced to run with the others to get back to the door before the sewer floods with more raw sewage.
The group manages to get through to the locked room as it’s filling with water. Opening it quickly, they hurry inside, shutting the door behind them just in time. The group continues further, with Dali using her Prestidigitation magic to help clean her allies, and Diego fixes the face paint he’s wearing as part of his disguise. They come across another guard, who allows them through based on Diego knowing the password, although he does raise this guard’s suspicion when trying to get some more information from him, claiming that “Mr. Mcdowell” is looking to buy the Natives they’ve captured… however, the Guard doesn’t believe that a well-known industrialist is doing any kind of business with the black market, and Diego tries to play it off as someone picking on the new guy by giving him bad information. Still, it eases some of his suspicion as he’s still trying to suss out who, exactly, is targeting the Hughes family.
Moving forward, they find themselves once again forced to wade through filthy sewer water to complete their journey. Fiji uses the ladder he found earlier to form bridges until eventually the group is trudging through waist-deep filth. Fiji and Lucy May notice, however, that another sewer monster seems to be pursuing them and the group scrambles to escape. Diego distracts the creature by using some of his Magical Tinkering to cause a shell casing to reverberate and produce the sound of a creature struggling to swim, which manages to draw its attention just long enough for everyone to rush across another large gap and escape to dry land. As they catch their breath, Dali uses her magic to thoroughly clean everyone, and as the group can see the exit ahead with sunlight pouring through, they also hear the bustling sounds of commerce, realizing that they have just now finally entered the true Black Market.
Meanwhile, Hesper Hughes is working in her office, feeling tired and stressed. A knock at the door gets her attention, and Mrs. Bonnet comes in to announce a visitor… Hesper recognizes him as her father, the two embracing. He’s an older half-elf man, tall and broad shouldered, and he embraces his daughter in a warm embrace.
The hiatus is over! Work schedules are still a bit up in the air, so we can't guarantee a dedicated schedule, but the goal is still to play on Sundays as much as possible. Speaking of which, we'll be playing again tonight! Come join us on Twitch or Youtube at 8:30 PM EST as our heroes make their way back into town after their explosive conflict with the Slavers of the Black Market. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you could check out the youtube video shared above, but if you don't have time, here's the usual summary for our last session:
The adventurers have trekked through the sewers, and after Dali used her magic to help clean everyone up they take some time to rest and recover before continuing out of the sewers and into the black market. They fix their disguises and head out, finding a hidden alcove built into a seaside cliff that has been converted into an illegal market. Goldie, who has been helping guide the group to follow the scent of the prisoners they’re hoping to rescue.
Speaking to one of the vendors, they learn that slaves are sold at an auction house located on a raised area of the market. Proceeding up that way, they find a man selling drugs… both narcotics and illegally obtained prescription medication. He directs them to the auction house, explaining that sales will start soon. However, on the way they notice that a manticore is kept in display in a large cage, although it’s far too small for the creature. Diego recognizes the creature from his research, where Manticores are known as chaotic monsters. Dali, however, recognizes it as a sentient, if dangerous creature and feels sympathy, seeing its deadly tail chained down. She approaches and speaks to it, and she can see that it’s a female, and it speaks in common, sorrowfully telling Dali to let her out. The medication seller notes that this is one of a pair of Manticores… and the other is even more dangerous… Dali tries her best to resist her instinct to release the creature, but she quietly promises that she’ll release her.
The group continues into the auction house, where they find a human woman on a stage held by guards and being auctioned off to a small gathering. However, the customers present aren’t interested, as they’re saving their money for more exotic fare. The group finds another door leading out, hoping to explore the area more fully. Fiji and Dali separate to investigate the auction house while Diego and Lucy May focus on finding information from vendors. Stepping around the building, Dali and Fiji notice the other manticore, and even a Lamia that is held in a nearby cage. Dali approaches the Manticore, trying to let it know that she’s there to help him and his mate, but the enraged Manticore isn’t willing to hear her and tries to attack. However, this attracts the attention of the jailer who was watching the Manticore, who admonishes the pair for getting close and pulls out a stun baton, using it to paralyze the Manticore. However… Dali notices that nobody else is nearby, likely because the Manticore is so violent. Thinking quickly, they jump the jailer, beating him unconscious, his unconscious body falling near the Manticore’s cage… with the Manticore’s claw reaching out to grab him and feast on its torturer, which helps ingratiate Dali and Fiji to the monster. Fiji even manages to convince the Manticore to let him take the Jailer’s keys… which the Manticore has to actually spit up, since he’s already swallowed them. Fiji and Dali decide to free both the Manticore and the nearby Lamia, warning them to wait before escaping, which the Manticore begrudgingly agrees to.
Meanwhile, Diego approaches a vendor who seems to be selling potions. He presses him for information, hoping to learn where he buys his supplies. The seller directs them to an orc woman at a different stall who is selling body parts of sentient creatures, which she sells mostly as food. Despite her cannibalistic nature, she’s fairly jovial and happy to chat and share some gossip. Sensing that she’s not the suspicious type, Diego decides to ask her directly about the bounty poster for their group, claiming that he has “one of them” and is looking to collect. She explains that bounties are turned in at the auction house, and she also expresses interest in the upcoming auction, hoping to get some “fresh meat” for her stall. Diego and Lucy May hurry toward the auction house, but Lucy May notices the body being eaten by the manticore and they go to check on their allies.
Once they’re all gathered, the group discusses what to do next. They decide to investigate a nearby locked door, using the keys to open it and step inside. However, when they do, they’re found by a guard who demands to know why they’re entering… Diego quickly steps forward, claiming that he was told to come in here to collect a bounty on Fiji, using his disguise as a wizard to pretend that he’s got Fiji enchanted with magic. He’s able to successfully deceive them, with Fiji put into manacles as he’s taken to nearby cages… Diego is told that the bounty will be paid once the auction completes. Lucy May accompanies him, simply posing as another bounty hunter, while Dali uses her Firbolg magic to turn invisible and sneak in.
While Lucy May and Diego distract the guard, Fiji slips the keys he had stolen earlier to Dali, who spots her fellow Druid, the human native Trey, in one of the cages. Using the key, she lets him out, and then proceeds to release all of the prisoners she sees. Amongst them is a female Reaver, who doesn’t hesitate to rush out and grab the guard from behind, using the chains of her manacles to choke him. Fiji rushes out, using his martial arts skills to assault the half-orc guard… however, despite everyone dog-piling on him and the female Reaver choking him to keep his voice down, it takes enough attacks to take him down that the other guards notice the commotion and realize they’re under attack.
Chaos erupts as some of the escaping slaves take weapons and join the fight, and others hide and wait for safety. Seeing that there’s no point in keeping things quiet anymore, Diego opens the nearby door and uses his tools to cast Vortex Warp, teleporting the enraged Manticore onto the middle of the stage. Trey Wild Shapes into the form of a giant Rattlesnake and bursts out, attacking the crowd with venomous fangs. All hell breaks loose… Dali hurries out to protect a Kirei Midori woman who was sold in the auction, conjuring two large brown bears, empowered even further by her powers as a Shepherd Druid.
The group ends up brawling with not only the guards, but a few audience members carrying weapons. However, several of the audience members aren’t combatants, and they mostly panic and try to avoid drawing the attention of the manticore. A chaotic battle ensues… the female Reaver is left in the back area to face one of the guards one-on-one. Diego finds one of the exits, quickly sticking his head out to shout to the rest of the Black Market that the Manticore has escaped and telling them to run, spreading chaos and reducing the odds of someone coming in to check on the sounds of battle. Dali, meanwhile, hurries outside to free the female Manticore. As the Manticores reunite, Diego shouts to intimidate all the surviving members of the crowd, urging them to get up against the nearby wall, lest the manticores turn on them as well. However, during this conflict, a half-tabaxi assassin who was working as a guard for the auction house decides to run away, rather than risk her life in a losing battle.
Throughout the battle one particularly large audience in a face-obscuring robe stands up and reveals himself to be Castor, the Reaver bounty hunter that had been hired by Hesper Hughes to capture the person who had sent her the threatening letters, and he quickly captures a nervous looking dwarf who he recognizes as “T.” While Castor obtains T, the manticores leave to search for their abducted children.As the remaining criminals are rounded up, an alarm sounds… Castor knows that this is the sound alerting the self-destruct sequence… dynamite is strategically placed around the black market, with the intent to destroy the market (and any evidence it holds) in the event of police intervention.
With a panicked rush, everyone, criminals included, dash out toward the waterfront, where an abandoned boat is their only hope for survival. Cyril takes the helm, while Castor roughly stuffs all the criminals into a large cage normally used for transporting slaves. The group interrogates T, believing he is the man who had put out the bounty on their heads… however, he insists that he’s only the intermediary, and the person who had put in the request for the bounty had kept their own identity hidden. However, he’s convinced to reveal that the client had set up a specific time and location for a dead drop in order to arrange the delivery of the party members, assuming they had been captured.
Although the party has their plans set for the next step of their challenge, Trey laments that all the paperwork at the slave auction had been destroyed, and thus he had no way to continue his search for his sister. Thankfully, the Party remembers that one of the guards from the auction house had surrendered and was among the captured criminals… it’s not difficult for the party to convince him to share what he knows. He directs Trey toward a second Black Market somewhere else in Pennington, as he remembers his sister being sent there to potentially be sold for more money. Trey is intent on heading straight there as soon as he can, but Dali is able to convince him to at least rest so he’s not captured again.
Cyril steers the ship toward the legal docks. Unsurprisingly, the explosion has drawn attention, and there are city guard waiting to meet with them. Among them is Detective Terrel and, more surprisingly, Hesper herself is there with the guards, along with an older man the group doesn’t yet realize is her father, the original H.R. Hughes.
I need to get back in the habit of sharing these videos sooner, don't I? We're still trying to stick to a Sunday schedule, but we can't fully commit to it for certain, so keep an eye on this thread to see when we'll be playing next.
I hope everyone enjoyed our new animated icons for our characters! We'll be streaming again tonight at 8:30 PM EST, and should hopefully be able to stick to this schedule going forward. Our heroes seem to be in a safe location. If you want all the details, here's the usual summary of what happened in last week's session:
The party arrives from the destroyed Black Market where they’re intercepted by the Pennington City Guard. The guards recognize the group, as their reputation for being in the center of chaos has spread among the city police. The group also meets Emanuel Hughes, Hesper’s father who knew Diego’s teacher, Sprock. Emanuel is excited for the upcoming exposition for the TX-2 Cy-Mount, and seems to be in good spirits. Hesper, however, is still clearly stressed and wants to speak to the group in private. Diego tells her everything they learned, not hiding anything. Hesper is somewhat relieved to learn of the progress they made, but knowing that the criminal who had threatened her is still at large does not help with her stress levels.
She lets them know that there’s still planning to do, but encourages the group to get washed up first. After being told the location of a nearby bathhouse, the group, along with Trey, hurry to wash themselves after their unfortunate traversal through the sewer. Castor, who knew a different path into the Black Market that avoided the sewers, leaves on his own, making it clear that he’ll continue to work for Hesper until the man who threatened her is captured. Trey is confused by the bath house… communal public bathing is normal for his people, and Dali feels the same way… she’s only slightly more used to this process than Trey is.
Returning to Hughes manor, the group is met by Mrs. Bonnet, who is shocked at the sight of Trey, whose possessions had been mostly stolen and who is wearing just pants. She insists on finding some clothes for him, although Diego’s sister, Maria, steps in and is immediately taken with the shirtless Native. This leads to the two siblings arguing while Dali leads Trey to a private location to help him get dressed, although Mrs. Bonnet is opposed to a man and a woman being alone in a room. She insists on everyone returning to the dining room as dinner is being prepared.
The group sits and chats a bit, with Dali still confused about all the things that Diego and Maria have been discussing. Unfortunately for her, Maria explains all the explicit details to her in a whisper… Dali turns red and hurries to the kitchen to help Mrs. Bonnet with tea. The group is joined by August, who reveals that he had tried to ride CHESTR down the stairs earlier, much to Mrs. Bonnet’s chagrin. Diego insists that CHESTR is not designed to carry the weight of an adult and tries to tell CHESTR not to carry anyone down the stairs unless it’s an emergency.
Finally, Hesper returns with her father Emanuel, along with his business partners, Travis Nettles and Mr. Fromant. Emanuel is quite laid back and talks excitedly about adventures he’s been on, although Hesper always seems on edge around him. Diego recognizes the Nettles name, as they’re well-known parts manufacturers, specializing in creating gears with the Nettles Gear Solid Corporation. He uses the opportunity to brag about CHESTR, which was built using a number of Nettles parts. Diego begins to suspect that Hesper is on edge because she’s the most responsible member of the Hughes family, and feels she’s just stressed about needing to reign in her family members. Fiji, however, looks more closely and realizes that Hesper is desperate for her father’s approval, and seems to have a paranoia that she’s being judged constantly by him. Fiji gets the idea to stand up and offer a toast to Hesper, thanking her for arranging everything that has gotten everyone here and for being such a fine host. He speaks with a deep sincerity that finally helps Hesper to relax.
Dessert is served… a freshly made Tres Leches cake, which excites both Diego and Maria, as Tres Leches was their abuelita’s signature dessert. The dessert is less well received by Trey, who has to rush to the bathroom thanks to his intense lactose intolerance. Dali hurries to prepare some medicine for him, while the others prepare for bed. Emanuel congratulates his daughter for all that she does, which lifts her spirits. August wants to stay up and talk longer, discussing his plans to play his violin at the exhibition, while Diego wants to check on the TX-2 Cy-Mount to make sure it’s ready for the exhibition tomorrow. Lucy May, however, is exhausted after the long day and heads straight to bed. Fiji, meanwhile, bumps into Maria, who reveals that the room she had intended to sleep in has been claimed by Emanuel. Fiji invites her to his room, since he has a particularly large bed, and doesn’t seem to pick up on the much more eager reaction Maria has to being invited to share a bed with a man, especially when Fiji honestly admits he has a habit of cuddling others in his sleep.
Diego confirms that the TX-2 is in perfect working order, and he also sees that a tent has been set up for the exhibition the next day, along with a bandstand that has been set up, including the piano brought from the manor’s dance hall. As he tries it out he finds that it’s perfectly tuned, and he also spends some time to work on a broken watch he had found, converting it into a wrist mounted light for a spell he could prepare. Meanwhile, Dali helps Trey to figure out a room he can stay in, and fortunately Aadi has enough room for Trey to join him for the night. Dali made certain that supplies will be prepared for Trey, but she wants to know if Trey is okay, and is curious about what happened to him. Trey admits that he was with a group during a celebration when they were ambushed by bandits… many of his people were killed, his sister was abducted, and he himself was shot, revealing a scar normally hidden by his necklace. He warns Dali to be careful about who she trusts among the colonizers, which she admits reminds her of her Mother. Dali connects with him as a fellow Druid of the Circle of the Shepherd, reminding him that Shepherds care for others, and always bring their flock home. He thanks her for her words of wisdom, and the two of them hurry to bed, with Dali sharing her room with Lucy May for the night.
Meanwhile, Maria is eager to join Fiji in bed, and Fiji is happy an eager as well, although Maria quickly realizes that Fiji has not picked up on her sexual advances even a little bit the entire time she was flirting with him. By the time she’s stripped naked Fiji finally realizes what she wants… he admits that he’s not ready for such a big step, and the two of them have a somewhat philosophical debate about sex before Maria decides she’ll just sleep somewhere else. On the way out she bumps into Diego, who is finally returning to bed and he’s shocked, as it seems like Maria slept with Fiji. She’s clearly frustrated with the whole process and marches off into the nearest empty bedroom to get some sleep while Diego checks on Fiji… who is happily jumping on his bed before getting ready for the night. Confident that Fiji will be fine, Diego heads to bed as well. In the morning, they awake to the busy sounds of workers as Hughes Manor prepares for the upcoming expo of the TX-2 the next day.
Oof, I almost forgot to upload this again! And this was a really exciting session with an explosive ending! We're planning to play later tonight... keep an eye on this thread for all the details later today
Okay, nevermind.... I've been trying to post updates on here, but everything I post lately is getting flagged as Spam. So screw it. This site barely gets us any views anyway. If you like the streams I hope you keep watching, but I'm done trying to promote it on here.
We're playing tonight! Come join us on Twitch or Youtube at 9pm EST
As always, read on if you need a reminder for what happened last week:
Just as the party is leaving the police station, they hear gunshots from inside and quickly hurry to investigate… Diego rushes in, knowing that the front desk is occupied by Catarina, a beautiful young Tiefling who he had accidentally stood up on a date. However, when her attempts to burst in heroically to rescue her, they instead saw that a group of bandits had broken in and Catarina had pulled a minigun out from behind her desk to fight back. Still, Diego prioritized protecting her, while Lucy May seems happy to just cut loose and take down some bandits.
As the shootout continues, one of the bandits shouts upstairs, warning unseen allies about the danger. Fiji takes out one of the bandits, and when one of the others tries to shoot him, Fiji uses his monk reflexes to actually catch the bullet, pocketing it and actually thanking him for the free bullet, which led to a brief argument on whether or not the bandit even intended to get the bullet back in the first place. Dali marches in, whacking the first bandit she sees with her staff before realizing that there are even more criminals in the building as they start to fire down from the second floor.
With the battle escalating, they realize that more bandits have actually captured civilians and are trying to keep them as hostages. The party has to split up to catch all the bandits. Lucy May conjures her giant rune, growing to large size and pinning one bandit against the ceiling. Fiji bum-rushes a group of sharpshooters, knocking most of them unconscious while earnestly asking them what they’re doing here… accidentally intimidating the one still awake so badly that he can’t even speak.
More bandits are rushing down the stairs to join the fight, and Catarina is knocked unconscious. Dali casts Entangle to slow their descent, and also lets out a Mass Healing Word to revive Catarina and protect her friends. Lucy May then informs the man she’s holding that she intends to let him go… at which point she throws him full force at another figure rushing down the stairs. Seeing how efficient both Fiji and Lucy May are proving to be, Diego decides to enlarge Fiji as well… with Fiji grown to giant size as he hurries out to help… knocking one bandit for a loop before leaping through the air, landing with his full weight on a group of enemies, pinning them in place. Dali rounds a corner and sees that two more men with mini guns are standing in a hallway, readying to fire.
He unleashes his shot, hitting Dali, Lucy May, and most shockingly, Goldie. Shockingly, rather than dying as one might expect, she instead vanishes in a flash of green light, with spectral leaves bursting from her place. The others hurry to help Dali and Lucy May, while Catarina, now that all the nearby attackers have been cleared out, pulls out a microphone and sends out an alert over the loud speakers. As Lucy May hurries to grab one of the mini gun wielders, Dali asks her to throw an acorn between them. Not fully knowing why, she does before pinning one of them down. At which point Dali casts Plant Growth. Suddenly the acorn erupts into a full-sized tree… plants start to grow in through the cracks in the floor, and some of the wood itself sprouts to life, blocking off the hallway entirely. Lucy May takes advantage of the situation… taking the weapon from the man she’s grappling, before picking him up and hanging him from the tree with his underwear.
As the party reconvenes, Dali explains that Goldie is actually a Familiar… an ancient spirit that has served her family since her grandfather’s time. She can bring Goldie back with a ritual, but unfortunately doesn’t have time before they realize they don’t know what is going on in the second floor. Catarina remains to guard the entrance, and provides them with some first aid before the group continues. There is an attempt to proceed stealthily, but the group utterly fails, and as they turn the corner they’re immediately fired on… fortunately, CHESTR was taking point, and although it gets hit, CHESTR at least can’t feel pain. Fiji bursts out, knocking one bandit unconscious and politely asking the others what they’re doing here, but they refuse to speak as an exasperated Fiji lets them know that he’s going to keep knocking them unconscious until he can find someone who will answer him.
Lucy May relies on her longbow as she covers the distance to catch up to the gunslingers, while Dali Wild Shapes into a black bear, roaring as she rushes forward. They see that the bandits are attacking Detective Terrel, who is angrily fighting back, taking advantage of his office as a safe spot to fire. Things take a turn, however, when some of the bandits start throwing dynamite, forcing the group to scramble. Lucy May is struggling to reach her intended targets, so Diego helpfully creates a temporary portal and casts Vortex Warp to teleport her nearby.
As they hear a commotion downstairs, Fiji finally gets an answer to his question as someone finally admits that they’re here to break out their friend. With relief at finally knowing what’s going on, Fiji immediately knocks him unconscious and assists Lucy May in clearing out the remaining bandits. They look downstairs and see that the armored man they had met before is battling even more bandits… slashing through them with little effort. He makes his way upstairs, where he briefly runs into Diego, the two facing off as they don’t know if they can trust one another, but they soon realize that they’re battling the same enemies, and with his help they’re able to stop the last of the bandits.
The armored man speaks with Detective Terrel, and from their conversation the group learns that the Reaver is named “Caster”, and that he often works with Terrel. From the conversation between the two, they’re able to determine that Terrel, along with Caster, recently arrested a high ranking member of a local gang, and an elaborate assault on the police station was planned during a time when most of the city guard would be busy with other matters as retaliation, as well as to break out their fellow criminal. Neither Caster or Terrel are particularly talkative, however… Terrel seems more interested in the large tree that Dali had created earlier, and Caster simply starts gathering bodies with the intent to cash in their bounties. Hearing that money is on the line, Diego insists that Caster can’t take credit for any criminals defeated by their group, and sets about meticulously gathering unconscious and dead criminals, with the remaining party members assisting as the group finds that only 5 of the men they had battled had formal bounties for their arrest, although they’re rewarded 300 gold for their trouble. Caster, meanwhile, actually knew the value of targets before arriving and had managed to get a much larger payout for himself, despite arriving later and alone.
After helping pay out the bounties, Catarina then insists she’s taking the rest of the day off and intends to go to the hospital, complaining that she took a desk job in the first place to avoid this kind of combat. Diego follows her quickly, wanting to apologize for not following up with her after implying his intent to take her on a date the previous day. He offers a comparison to a sailor’s song he’d heard in the past… a love song about a beautiful woman who would make a good wife for a man some day, but the sailor cannot commit because his life, his love, is the sea… and for Diego, his sea is science and his career. Catarina is convinced of his sincerity, and even admits that she’s had a few relationships fall apart in the past because of her own focus on her career. She accepts his apology, but warns him to be more careful in the future, and the two part on good terms as Diego doesn’t want to delay Catarina any further on her way to the hospital.
Dali takes the time to thank Caster for what he’s done, and to ask him what he knows about the serial killer the group has been tracking. Caster has followed the case, but he doesn’t seem to know quite as much as the group themselves, or Detective Terrel. However, when Dali mentions the distinct scent of Sulphur and Lamp Oil left lingering at the crime scene, Caster wants to learn more, and Diego returns in time to remember the soil sample the group had gathered from one of the crime scenes earlier. Recovering it from Detective Terrel, Caster sniffs it intensely… although Reavers are known for their unique ability to smell even small amounts of blood, the ability to smell something like this is unusual, and Terrel casually refers to Caster as a “bloodhound”. Once he gets a thorough whiff, Caster declares that he recognizes the scent… rather than the lingering odor of a devil, as Diego had presumed, Caster recognizes it as the specific scent of a rare, powerful magic item that can be used to pass through walls.
As they’re pondering what this could mean, the group thinks to ask Caster how it was that he had found them so easily to deliver the gun to them earlier that morning. He explains that the group has done little to hide themselves, and they tend to stand out in a crowd. Even Lucy May, who, as a dwarf, is not an uncommon sight in Pennington, still has very distinct facial tattoos. He also explains that he’s a mercenary… a sword for hire, and he carries wanted posters not only from the local law enforcement, but black market bounties. It’s not clear where, but at some point the group had angered one of the wealthier criminals in the city, and they all have black market bounties on their heads. They realize that the many bandit attacks the group has encountered over their time in Pennington wasn’t just opportunists looking to steal Diego’s horns… they were being stalked and attacked by amateur assassins looking to make a buck, with their bounty growing with each successful combat.
Caster has no intention of capturing them; he simply had a copy of the note used to target them. Each of them has built up a bounty of 1,000 GP, which Diego views as an insult. However, Caster shows them that the wanted poster isn’t just for their lives… their body parts are wanted as well, with the poster implying that these body parts are wanted as spell components. Unsurprisingly, Diego’s golden-colored horns and eyes are considered the most valuable, but things like a lucky Tabaxi Toe, the striking blue eyes of a firbolg, and the tattooed skin of a female dwarf are all included. Whoever wants them dead is clearly familiar with dark and evil magic, and the group realizes they may need to find the black market, discover who put out the bounty, and do something to get them to drop the bounty so they can avoid being murdered in the streets… although what it will take to do so is still unclear.
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And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Remembering to share this early for once! Also, we won't be streaming this weekend as we're going to take an extra week to prepare things for the game, and also so our group can get together for something that isn't toing to be streamed publicly.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Thanks to some family drama and general holiday busywork, we weren't able to stream last week, but we're finally back and we'll be streaming on Twitch and Youtube tonight at 9pm EST. And, of course, here's my summary of what happened in our last session:
On their way out of the police station, Diego asks an officer to look into a matter for him… he wants to know if any of the criminals the group had brought in have any ties to any known criminals who can afford the high black market bounty placed on the group. The officer is happy to help them, and as the group is making plans to rest for a bit before heading out, they’re met with a courier who has letters for Fiji and Diego.
Diego is the first to open his letter, and finds that his sister has heard about the TX-2 expo and is demanding he brings her in on the event, and also requests his help with the Pink Ladies… the wealthy group of female philanthropists she’s attempting to join. He finds the address she’s staying in Pennington on the back of the letter and mentally makes plans to visit her. Meanwhile, Fiji’s first letter is from Lewis in Rattle Ridge… everyone in town is looking for an update on how their journey is going, especially after hearing about the rockslide that blocked Serpent river. He also lets him know that Dali’s father had visited, a package for Lucy May arrived with high quality Dwarven Ale, and Lewis points out something unusual… a letter addressed to Dali was delivered already opened and read, although Lewis didn’t mention who it was from or what the letter detailed, leaving it as a mystery until Dali can return to Rattle Ridge.
Fiji also gets a letter from his father, who is in Pennington with Fiji’s Mother for business, and he hopes to meet with them. Lucy May received a similar letter from her Grandmother, admonishing her for not meeting with her yet during this time. The group makes plans to invite their family to dinner later that night… although they need to check with Hesper to make sure this won’t be a problem. Dali, however, is simply relaxing and people watching… although a passing citizen casually tosses her a silver, and the group realizes that they look homeless, which completely scandalizes Diego. The group decides to do some shopping, then check on Diego’s sister, as he’s concerned she might be targeted by the same bounty hunters chasing Diego.
On the drive there, they come across a young gnome woman asking for directions. Diego insists on helping her… she’s looking to find the chamber of commerce, as she’s a recent immigrant seeking a new life. She explains that she’s a farmer looking to start an orchard… as soon as she hears about it, Dali suggests that she should travel to Rattle Ridge. The group is excited for the chance to have a proper orchard… although they mostly have to convince the young woman, Suzanne, that they’re actually serious. Once she’s convinced, Diego offers to invest in her orchard, providing 10 gp for supplies and travel. They also plan to send her with some letters to inform their friends of everything that’s happened on their journey so far.
With Suzanne prepared, the group does some shopping. Diego buys a whip and a shield for himself. Lucy May, however, takes a bit longer to decide what kind of armor she wants… eventually settling on a set of Chain Mail, although she needs to borrow a little bit of money from Diego to do so. Diego then finds a magical supply cart, successfully trading two vials of acid for 50 gp worth of Ruby Dust, although he doesn’t state what it’s for. With their primary purchases complete, the group looks for something to eat. They find a strange cart where everyone walking away from it is clearly carrying different foods… far too great of variety and too elaborate of meals for the small cart. There’s no menu… instead, the proprietor offers all his food at a flat rate of 5cp. Intrigued, the party orders, and they’re given custom meals that remind each of them of home. The group is instantly taken, and he introduces himself as Sal… a “Kitchen Warlock.” He offers them wisdom… telling Diego to not overthink things and to focus on what’s in front of him instead of always trying to think of the distant future. He tells Fiji to be open about his happiness and not let the mistakes of the past slow him down. Dali is told that she’s not responsible for her parent’s actions, and to not trust “The owl”, which he doesn’t explain further. Finally, he warns Lucy May to embrace her ambition, but don’t let it control her.
The party continues their travels, opting to check on Diego’s sister before returning to Hughes Manor. Along the way they discuss the need to look into the black market… it’s possible that whoever wants them dead creates forbidden magic items, which may be tied to the serial killer, who utilizes an enchanted lantern to pass through walls. They make plans to investigate the next day, but for now Diego needs to return to Hughes manor to continue his work on the TX-2. After making that decision, they eventually arrive at the boarding house she’s staying in.
The manager of the boarding house quickly recognizes Diego as related to his sister Maria, and the manager shouts up the stairs to get her attention. Maria steps out… she looks quite a bit like Diego… beautiful with matching golden horns and shock white hair, although unlike Diego, she has a small pair of wings extending from her back. The two greet each other with a tight hug… before immediately starting to argue with one another. It’s clear that the two of them are siblings as they bicker and argue… Maria picks on Diego for his rough appearance, while Diego admonishes her for being unemployed. Maria is interested in the Hughes estate, and despite Diego’s best efforts to skirt the subject, Dali honestly replies to Maria’s questions and reveals that Aadi Sharma, the makeup mogul that Maria is obsessed with, is also staying at the Hughes estate.
In an effort to change the subject, Diego warns her about the bounty on his head and his concern that she might be targeted as well, since bandits looking for a tiefling with gold horns might not care if their victim is male or female. Maria is mostly dismissive of the issue, but takes advantage of Diego’s warning to invite herself to Hughes Manor, supposedly for her own safety, but clearly just to get out of this boarding house and meet Aadi Sharma. Begrudgingly, Diego sends CHESTR to help his sister pack… with Maria dismissing the automaton as just a “boy toy”, but once she sees that CHESTR can be used to carry clothes and play music, she declares it to be a music box and thanks Diego for his “gift”, and patiently ignores all of Diego’s protests.
With Maria accompanying them, the group decides to visit Lucy May’s grandmother, Sweet Delorah Brewmonger, who is also visiting Pennington. She’s staying in a nicer home than Maria was… as a wealthy brewer and landowner, she simply owns a summer home in Pennington that looks over the bay. Delorah is an older, but still beautiful Dwarven woman who has a full beard, and she keeps no secret of the fact that she’s not blood related to Lucy May, but it doesn’t affect their relationship. She’s delighted to be visited by her grand daughter, but admonishes her for not visiting sooner. She’s also clearly interested in Fiji and Diego, playfully flirting with the young men, and when Diego flirts in return Lucy May warns him that Delorah isn’t bluffing, with Diego forcing himself to stop since he doesn’t want to deal with the burden on friendship of sleeping with a close friend’s grandmother… again.
Delorah is excited for the exhibition of the TX-2, although she’s clearly more interested in a large social gathering than in the display of technology. Lucy May also speaks with her about plans for Rattle Ridge… after speaking with Suzanne earlier, it occurred to her that Rattle Ridge would benefit from a proper brewery. She also wants to set up regular deliveries of Delorah’s signature Dwarven ale to Rattle Ridge, as they’re hoping the reputation of fine ale might attract more settlers. With Diego assisting with recommendations on some of the mathematics of such an arrangement, Lucy May is able to convince her Grandmother to invest further in Rattle Ridge, and Delorah lets Lucy May know that she intends to send an employee of hers to assist in building and establishing the brewery, and she’s excited to try some dwarven ale made with the Golden Apples that Suzanne intends to grow. The two share a hug before the group leaves… with Maria teasing Diego for trying to sleep with another grandmother, with the two siblings arguing as it becomes clear that the woman he had slept with in the past was an elf, who could remain youthful in appearance for many centuries.
Returning to Hughes Manor, Maria is delighted to see such a fine home and is eager to meet Aadi Sharma… but the mood quickly turns dark as an angry Hesper demands to speak to the group alone, with Maria excusing herself. To the group’s surprise, Hesper has also called in Captain Cyril, who doesn’t fully understand why he’s there. She had just gotten two separate deliveries… first, a bill from the police station for the damage caused by the tree that Dali had created, and second, and much more concerning… a letter written in blood demanding Hesper fire the group, along with a newspaper article detailing the death Bridget Cammington… Hesper’s close friend who had died recently, her family’s home burnt to rubble. Diego quickly takes out the note they had found on the criminal who sabotaged the hospital the previous day to compare the hand writing. Although one is written in ink and the other in blood, it becomes clear that they were both written by the same hand. Hesper… overworked, frightened for her brother’s safety, and still mourning the loss of a dear friend, demands that something must be done or she’ll have to cancel the TX-2 exhibition for her brother’s sake.
Diego first dismisses the bill from the police, as he’s confident their heroic deeds today outweigh any collateral damage, and that he should be able to convince them to drop the charges. He then explains that he believes August is only safe now because of their presence, not in spite of it. When they first met August the group was ambushed by criminals… he now believes that their intent was to kidnap August, most likely to hold him for ransom. Thanks to the group fighting back, however, he remained safe. Similarly, the attack on the hospital had no clear target, as the group stopped the attempt too quickly to see what, exactly, the criminals were attempting to do, but now with the second letter it’s clear that the Hughes family is the target… and it’s possible that the Cammingtons were targeted in the same way. He then stands up and removes his goggles and glove, holding out his right hand with his signet ring… he promises on his honor as an Alleghiri that he can finish the TX-2 installation tonight, and the next day the group will find the black market and do all they can to find who is targeting the Hughes family and put a stop to them. Hesper makes certain that Diego understands the weight of making a promise on his family name, but when he confirms she takes his hand… not so much in a hand shake as much as a solemn vow. She orders Cyril to assist the group before excusing herself, the group left in silence watching Hesper hurry out, leaving them alone to plan.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Just as a heads up, we won't be streaming this upcoming Sunday. Our DM, AfterDisBooty, is moving into a new apartment and won't have their internet properly set up in time.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Crits for Breakfast will be back again this week, but due to some holiday scheduling issues we'll be playing on Monday night instead of Sunday.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
In case you missed our last session, here's the VOD! Just as a heads up, we won't be streaming this weekend because of the Christmas weekend
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
The CFB crew is back! We took some time off last week for the Holidays, and also needed to reschedule this week's session because of New Year's. We finally took advantage of the fact that this is an adults-only and our heroes visited a brothel in our last session! What kind of shenanigans will we get into this week? Come join us tonight at 9:30 PM EST at our usual places and follow the adventure! As always, in case you need a reminder, here's what happened in our last session:
As the party gather for dinner, they prepare to talk with Hesper about everything that’s been going on with the threats sent to Hesper earlier. Diego’s sister, Maria, eagerly flirts with Aadi Sharma, Hesper’s other guest who is not in any trouble, but Maria makes the mistake of insisting on her intent to stay for the night, instead of asking more politely. Diego tries to cover for his sister, but only manages to upset Hesper further. Pivoting, he switches to discussing the success of the TX-2, with Hesper finally relaxing when she hears not only that it’s complete, but that it’s primed to shatter the current land-speed record for Cy-Mounts. This calms her enough that she agrees to speak further on the matter of Maria later on.
During this, Dali and Lucy May volunteer to help Mrs. Bonnet prepare dinner. She’s pleased at the help, especially with Dali, who is clearly a master at preparing meals. The group is able to enjoy a pleasant dinner before the group slowly disperses. Diego speaks to Hesper in private… he asks if he can compare some of the writing they found to Mr. Fromant, an ally of the Hughes family who knew that August would be in the hospital when he seemed to be targeted by criminals. However, Fromant’s handwriting isn’t even close to the note they found, and Diego apologizes for even bringing it up. Hesper is understanding, but insists that the adventurers should try and leave before sunrise, if only to avoid drawing attention.
Returning, August has remained to sit and chat freely now that his sister isn’t around. He wants to hear about their plans, and is happy to find a group who doesn’t treat him with kid gloves. Diego and Lucy May leave to speak to Aadi, as they want to request his expertise in makeup to obscure Diego’s unusual skintone and Lucy May’s tattoos. Aadi agrees, providing Diego with enough red face paint to hide his distinct skintone, and even has some washable paint for his horns. Lucy May also needs some foundation to cover her facial tattoos… which is made all the worse that both Aadi and Diego start complimenting her beauty, making her feel flustered before hurrying to her bedroom to sleep. Meanwhile, Fiji finds Cyril in his bedroom, and the two of them start up a pillow fight before eventually falling asleep in the large bed that Fiji had claimed earlier. Dali, however, wanted to make certain of the security of the manor, double checking that all the windows and doors are locked. While checking the manor, Dali even encounters Lucille, the ghost that haunts the home, who August believes is an actual little girl who occasionally sneaks into the house. Lucille isn’t able to fully manifest, instead just making her presence known by toying with the piano.
Once their work is complete, everyone eventually goes to sleep, waking up in the extremely early morning to the sound of the front door being knocked on. Hurrying to check, they find Caster, the Reaver Bounty Hunter, has arrived, and is clearly in a bad mood, as he’s received two separate letters from both Fiji and Detective Terrel telling him to meet with the group at Hughes Manor. Cyril seems to recognize Caster, and quickly hides from him in fear. Caster impatiently demands to know what they want from him, and after learning that they were hoping to get his help to find the person trying to kill them… Caster, however, is uninterested in serving as a guide, and demands to either be paid to capture/kill a target, or to be left alone. Hesistantly, since Dali had insisted on involving Caster, she apologetically goes to Hesper to ask if she’ll pay for Caster’s services.
Hesper isn’t pleased about being woken up this early, and she recognizes some of the symbols on Caster’s armor… he’s a Night Child, a group hailing from the Reaver Lands who worship the Night Mother, and who have a reputation for working as assassins and other unsavory work. Interestingly, Caster can tell that Hesper is carrying a gun, even though it’s hidden in her nightgown. She’s uncertain if she should hire him, until Dali gets the idea to show Caster the threatening letter that Hesper had received. After sniffing it for a moment, he recognizes the scent of the docks, and seems to be able to pinpoint it to a specific location. Although she’s still hesitant, Hesper decides to pay Caster his 500gp fee to capture the man who sent the letter, reasoning that it’s worth it to protect her brother. She tries to cut the tension by jokingly asking how much it would cost to kill the man instead… with Caster matter-of-factly stating that it’s 1000gp. Hesper declines, but Caster insists that he’s no guide and will not help the party navigate the docks… instead he just tells them that he’ll meet them in the docks, if they manage to arrive and leaves without so much as a goodbye.
Once Caster leaves, Cyril steps forward to insist that hiring him was a bad idea. He warns that Caster could just as easily turn on them for the highest bidder. Diego, however, insists that no bounty hunter would turn on their client… it would be terrible for their reputation if it was known they could just be bought off. However, Cyril makes clear that’s exactly why he’s afraid of Caster… he doesn’t know all the details, but he does know that Caster at one point killed an entire group that had hired him, supposedly because someone else had paid him more. This leaves the group a bit more shaken than expected, but it’s too late to stop him now. Hesper wants to get back to bed, and reminds the group that it would be best if they left before the sun came up, so that anyone monitoring the Hughes Manor might not realize that her guests have left.
The group prepares to leave, with Diego returning Lucy May’s chainmail armor. He had sprayed it with a strange bluish gel… striking it with a hammer to show that the gel bunches together when struck, providing some additional defense. After that, the group puts on their disguises… Fiji dresses like a miner, complete with goggles and a mask. Dali wears mystical robes, and so does Diego, who looks more like a Wizard than anything else. Lastly, Lucy May wears what is essentially a pirate outfit. Lucy May’s face paint obscures her face paint, while Diego’s red face paint makes him look surprisingly similar to Cyril, who jokes that they should pose as brothers. The group realizes they should come up with some pseudonyms for themselves… Diego decides to go by “Rico Suave’”, Fiji decides to just call himself “Dig”, but the women in the group have more difficulty settling on names. Cyril calls Dali “Toots”, with Diego mentioning he’s heard “Tootsie” as a name, with Dali accepting it without much question. Seeing success with that, Cyril tries to help by pointing out that Lucy May looks a bit like a “Patricia”, and she decides to simplify it to just Pattie.
With false identities prepared, they sneak out and make their way to the docks. With Cyril taking the lead, the group decides that, since he’s meant to be their guide, they should just go where ever he thinks they should. To the dismay of Lucy May and Dali, Cyril guides them to the Silk Secret, a lowbrow brothel located in the docks district. Fiji, for his part, doesn’t seem particularly phased by the locale, and Diego does his best to not look excited. Cyril insists that the escorts working here often hear gossip, and are potential sources of information. Fiji notices that one of the women matches the look of the other women killed by the murderer the group is hoping to stop. Diego pays for some “alone time” with her in order to seek information from her… and enjoy himself a bit in the process. As those two are busy, Fiji decides to ask a cute fairy working there for some alone time, while Lucy May notices a particularly chatty woman in the group that she hires as well. Once everyone else is gone, however, Dali realizes she doesn’t actually have any money, since she asked Diego to carry her money for her, since she doesn’t really see the value of coin. The owner tells her she can wait in the bar.
Lucy May disappoints her partner a bit, as Lucy May admits she’s just here looking for information, and even pays her partner for her effort. She learns about a hidden entrance to the Black Market and informed on how to get in without trouble. Fiji, meanwhile, just bluntly asks the fairy if she knows anything about the serial killer, which puts her on edge and his attempts to explain himself only manage to scare her further, and Fiji is forced to flee the building. Dali, meanwhile, tries to talk to some of the other bar patrons, but the first person she finds is a lecherous, drunken old man who makes her uncomfortable. She decides to examine a back room to see if she can learn anything, eventually finding herself wandering through the halls of the brothel trying not to overthink what’s going on. Realizing she doesn’t know how to get out of there without anyone noticing her, she instead climbs out of a window and sneak back to the front of the building to wait for the others.
Diego, however, is speaking with his partner, where he learns that she’s an aspiring brothel owner who’s working as an escort because she owes a debt to the owner, and she intends to leave and seek her fortune as soon as it’s paid. Diego opens up to her, as at the very least he needs to explain why he’s wearing red face paint… he’s honest about their group’s need to get to the black market in order to deal with a black market bounty placed on their heads. She’s heard of a way to get to the Black Market, telling him the same information that Lucy May had learned earlier. After some more activity between the two, Diego suggests that she should travel to Rattleridge, as he thinks a brothel will attract more travelers to the remote village. He offers to pay her remaining 50gp debt, which he wants her to consider as an investment for the future. He also reveals his real name, so that there will be no confusion in the future when he meets her out of his disguise. She’s so happy at his help that she pulls him back to the bed.
Lucy May finishes her rented time, thanking her partner for the information before stepping out to regroup, since Dali and Fiji are already waiting outside. Not long after, Cyril joins them as well, admitting he hasn’t learned anything because he was just there to visit the brothel and kind of forgot that they were looking for information. Dali is upset with him, but he seems to enjoy getting on her nerves. But they resolve to just wait for Diego… who takes well over an hour to finish and reapply his face paint before reconvening with them. Lucy May is annoyed that it took him so long, especially since he learned the same things that she did in a few minutes. Diego counters that he was also negotiating with a business woman, although not everyone in the group is particularly excited to learn that Rattle Ridge will soon have a brothel of its own.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Check out our new layout! It should make it easier to see who's talking.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
We're playing again tonight! It's actually my birthday tomorrow, so come hang out and wish me a happy birthday! We'll be playing tonight at 9pm EST on Twitch or Youtube. The adventurers have gotten themselves into a dangerous situation in the sewer beneath the city of Pennington, and they're only getting into more danger as they continue their quest to find the man who wants them dead. If you want more details, and don't have time to watch the video linked above, read on:
A young woman is running through the streets, gunshots echoing around. Her father was shot to protect her… wearing just a nightgown she runs into the woods. Running from her family home as it burns down behind her, wondering what business her father had done to attract this danger and death. Bare feet cut, clothing becoming tattered as dried twigs catch on them. She can hear the people pursuing her calling her name, and the howls of hounds. She nears a deep cliff, with a river running through it, and in desperation she leaps off, hoping to survive and escape.
However, our heroes are unaware of this. Instead, they’re discussing Miss Vixen, the woman that Diego invited to Rattle Ridge with plans to start a brothel. Dali is deeply worried… her people have a strict treaty with the settlers of Rattle Ridge, and she worries that a brothel will attract a crowd that won’t respect the natural lands. She even agrees with Diego that it would be good for business, but she’s not willing to support anything that could harm the land, no matter how profitable it might be. The group decides to go back inside and speak with Miss Vixen. Dali explains her concerns, and Miss Vixen admits that she actually grew up in an area with gorgeous natural views, and she’s willing to work with Dali to preserve it. Dali has an idea for a compromise… instead of a brothel, she thinks Miss Vixen should open a bath house instead. She’s enthusiastic about this idea, and the others all agree this is a much better idea. Lucy May is already thinking of how to build a bath house, and Dali writes a letter to her father, as her people know how to find ground water that would be needed for something like this. Everyone is satisfied with this plan, and Miss Vixen leaves to prepare for her trip while the group exits and makes their way toward the entrance to the Black Market they had heard of.
As they near the entrance, the group runs into Caster, who is on his way to the Black Market as well. He lets the group know that he’ll help them at the end, but he has a reputation and it will draw suspicion if he’s seen traveling with a group of strangers. Caster enters first, the others giving him some time before following. Sneaking through dark alleys, they find themselves in a remote area where shady individuals are sitting around campfires sharing stories of violence and cruelty. Diego focuses on following Caster’s distinct armored footprints, but Dali and Fiji are distracted when they see a large wolf chained near the entrance to a store that’s being teased by some of the men at a nearby campfire. Dali tries to soothe the angry wolf, and once it’s calmed, Fiji tries to free the wolf… which immediately attacks and kills one of the men who had been teasing it. Meanwhile, Diego was stopped by a bandit who offers to sell him some black market weaponry. Diego tries to manipulate this to his advantage… hoping to ask about magic ingredients, since he knows the person who put the bounty on their heads deals in such things. However, he doesn’t realize that the man he was talking to is just trying to distract him while a group of bandits set up an ambush.
In the ensuing chaos, the group is able to fight off this initial ambush, but gunfire draws attention from more criminals in a nearby building. As two bandits rush out, Diego thinks quickly and tells them that the person who killed the dead bandits has fled up a nearby building. He’s able to deceive the Tabaxi criminal with a mustache to climb the building in pursuit of this non-existent attacker. Dali uses her Firbolg magic to turn invisible to avoid the crowds, while the rest of the party sneaks in, with Diego successfully convincing the next group of bandits hurrying out that it was actually the mustachioed Tabaxi who had gone mad and attacked the others. He also learns that his name is “Boots”, as the group takes advantage of the confusion to get further into the Black Market. After most of the pursuers have passed by them in the other direction, Dali closes the nearby door, and Diego taps into the magic he’s gained from Mammon and casts Arcane Lock to seal the door.
Moving further into the market, they come across what appears to be a stage with a suspicious cage built into it to one side. Lucy May notices a bracelet nearby, speaking in Giant to Dali, who is still invisible, asking her to investigate. To Dali’s horror, she recognizes it as the very same bracelet she had given as a gift to Trey, the human native she had met on the ferry to Pennington who is searching for his missing sister. Angrily, she demands to know where the person who owned the bracelet is, using her height and strength to intimidate the auctioneer to reveal that he’s still here, and is being kept in the basement. He also gives them his key into the back room, and tells them the password, “Bleakwater”. He’s allowed to leave, but warned to not come back if he knows what’s good for him.
The group proceeds past the guards, who seem to laugh at them, knowing where they’re headed. The group realizes what they were laughing about, as the “basement” they were directed to is actually the sewer system. There aren’t even proper walkways, as they have to leap precariously across gaps… which Fiji fails, landing in the filthy sewer water. The group focuses on helping each other, with a foul-smelling Fiji willingly walking through the filth to help the others, since he’s already covered with sewer water. As they travel, however, the group sees a few more criminals who seem to be just hanging out as guards… the group manages to avoid drawing any suspicion from them, but they make enough noise to attract a group of Stirges that attacks them. The guards don’t help, just laughing at the group. When confronted about why they haven’t cleared out the Stirges, they just say it’s not worth the effort, and instead whoever enters the sewer should just move more quietly if they don’t want to get attacked. They direct the group further into the sewer to find the prisoners being held, but are clearly laughing, knowing that more dangerous creatures live deeper into the dimly lit sewer system.
Unsurprisingly, the very next room they enter is filled with Stirges that immediately attack. The guards still don’t help, just clearly laughing as the party fights off the blood sucking creatures. They continue to move slowly, trying to avoid more creature attacks. Lucy May notices writing on the wall, although to her it seems like gibberish, but Cyril seems to recognize their meaning and confirms that the group seems to be moving in the right direction. They manage to avoid any major conflict, until an attempt to sneak around a large pool of filth. Rising out of the pool comes a Luridum, the same species as Spiffy, the aberration Madame Veil kept as a pet. This Luridum, however, is even larger and clearly more aggressive. The commotion of the ensuing battle also attracts the attention of some Stirges that attempt to suck the blood of the party members. Fiji leaps onto the creature’s back to attack it directly, while Lucy May activates her runes to grow to giant size and face the creature directly. However, Dali and Diego both find themselves grabbed by the creature’s tentacles… Dali uses her Moonbeam spell to clear out the Stirges, but as the Luridum nears death it throws Diego at Fiji before attempting to flee, Dali still gripped in its tendrils. With Dali nearly plunging into the sewer water, Lucy catches the creature with one swing from her enlarge hammer, smashing it to paste and giving Dali the opportunity to leap onto solid ground and avoid the unclean waste. With the massive creature killed, the group prepares to continue their journey deeper into the labyrinthine sewer.
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Another stream available to view! The players are having a great time, even if the characters are kind of miserable trudging through the sewers of Pennington.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
We're back again tonight at 8:30 PM EST! For a while we were trying to schedule or streams on Sunday nights, but lately one of our players has been consistently scheduled to work on Sundays so we've shifted to Mondays. One of the challenges of being a relatively low-income actual play group is being more limited to the whims of our jobs than we would like. Still, we'll be streaming, as always, on Twitch and Youtube. We'll also have our VOD available on Youtube shortly after the stream completes, just in case I forget to share it on here once it's live.
Speaking of sharing, read on if you'd like a summary of what happened in our last session:
The group continues deeper into the sewers after defeating the Luridum that lurks in the murky waters. Going deeper inside, they find a chamber filled with garbage. They can hear more voices nearby, but when they go to investigate they find a pair of bandits… Diego still remembers the password, and it gets them to avoid attacking and approach… but as they pass by a tube in the wall they’re suddenly grabbed by something, both of them yanked inside and almost immediately silenced by whatever grabbed them. The group continues, moving cautiously around any tubes or openings… they come across a large gap they need to cross. They attempt to tie a rope to use as a makeshift bridge, but the only place to tie one end of it is a grate over a tube that Diego foolishly thinks the creature that attacked the bandits earlier can’t reach through.
A scaley, clawed hand suddenly grabs Diego, digging claws into his forearm and trying to yank him inside, with only the grate saving him. His allies do their best to attack the creature to get it to release him, with Fiji finally scaring it off with his spear. Diego gets an obscured look at the creature, seeing that it has massive, reflective eyes and extremely sharp, needle-like teeth dug into his arm. Once free, the group shifts plans… remembering the ladder they used to get down to this level in the first place, they decide to use it as a bridge to continue further inside. Although there are still difficulties, they make it further in until Lucy May spots more writing in Thieves’ Cant which Cyril uses to realize that the group needs a key to continue further, although the coded message also points in the direction of the key.
Diego thinks he might be able to simply pick the lock and avoid needing to find they key at all. But after exploring further (and fighting some more Stirges), they realize the path forward doesn’t require a traditional key at all, but rather, some kind of fist-shaped indent with a variety of complex mechanisms that can’t be opened so easily. In frustration, the group returns to begin searching for the key, navigating the filthy passage as they continue their search. Deep inside, they find a small hideaway where two vagrants are sleeping… they wake up, and don’t recognize the password used by the criminals. The group is able to convince them that they mean them no harm, and ask for the key that the notes on the wall told them would be in this direction. With some confusion, they eventually realize the “key” is being used by one of them as a cork for his bottle of liquor, with Dali trading them a large winter blanket and an acorn to use as a new cork for the key. They also explain that they call the creature living in the walls a “Sewer Lurker”, and they keep it from attacking them by feeding it, using it as a form of defense to keep the bandits at bay. They also reveal a shortcut to get back to the main pathway, but warn that the “flushing time” will come soon… Dali wants to stay and help these men, as they don’t seem to want to do anyone any harm, but is forced to run with the others to get back to the door before the sewer floods with more raw sewage.
The group manages to get through to the locked room as it’s filling with water. Opening it quickly, they hurry inside, shutting the door behind them just in time. The group continues further, with Dali using her Prestidigitation magic to help clean her allies, and Diego fixes the face paint he’s wearing as part of his disguise. They come across another guard, who allows them through based on Diego knowing the password, although he does raise this guard’s suspicion when trying to get some more information from him, claiming that “Mr. Mcdowell” is looking to buy the Natives they’ve captured… however, the Guard doesn’t believe that a well-known industrialist is doing any kind of business with the black market, and Diego tries to play it off as someone picking on the new guy by giving him bad information. Still, it eases some of his suspicion as he’s still trying to suss out who, exactly, is targeting the Hughes family.
Moving forward, they find themselves once again forced to wade through filthy sewer water to complete their journey. Fiji uses the ladder he found earlier to form bridges until eventually the group is trudging through waist-deep filth. Fiji and Lucy May notice, however, that another sewer monster seems to be pursuing them and the group scrambles to escape. Diego distracts the creature by using some of his Magical Tinkering to cause a shell casing to reverberate and produce the sound of a creature struggling to swim, which manages to draw its attention just long enough for everyone to rush across another large gap and escape to dry land. As they catch their breath, Dali uses her magic to thoroughly clean everyone, and as the group can see the exit ahead with sunlight pouring through, they also hear the bustling sounds of commerce, realizing that they have just now finally entered the true Black Market.
Meanwhile, Hesper Hughes is working in her office, feeling tired and stressed. A knock at the door gets her attention, and Mrs. Bonnet comes in to announce a visitor… Hesper recognizes him as her father, the two embracing. He’s an older half-elf man, tall and broad shouldered, and he embraces his daughter in a warm embrace.
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Last night's session was a wild one! The party finally makes their way to the Black Market, and despite their best efforts, all Hell breaks loose!
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Bad news, unfortunately... due to conflicting work schedules, we'll be on a brief hiatus for the rest of the month.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
The hiatus is over! Work schedules are still a bit up in the air, so we can't guarantee a dedicated schedule, but the goal is still to play on Sundays as much as possible. Speaking of which, we'll be playing again tonight! Come join us on Twitch or Youtube at 8:30 PM EST as our heroes make their way back into town after their explosive conflict with the Slavers of the Black Market. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you could check out the youtube video shared above, but if you don't have time, here's the usual summary for our last session:
The adventurers have trekked through the sewers, and after Dali used her magic to help clean everyone up they take some time to rest and recover before continuing out of the sewers and into the black market. They fix their disguises and head out, finding a hidden alcove built into a seaside cliff that has been converted into an illegal market. Goldie, who has been helping guide the group to follow the scent of the prisoners they’re hoping to rescue.
Speaking to one of the vendors, they learn that slaves are sold at an auction house located on a raised area of the market. Proceeding up that way, they find a man selling drugs… both narcotics and illegally obtained prescription medication. He directs them to the auction house, explaining that sales will start soon. However, on the way they notice that a manticore is kept in display in a large cage, although it’s far too small for the creature. Diego recognizes the creature from his research, where Manticores are known as chaotic monsters. Dali, however, recognizes it as a sentient, if dangerous creature and feels sympathy, seeing its deadly tail chained down. She approaches and speaks to it, and she can see that it’s a female, and it speaks in common, sorrowfully telling Dali to let her out. The medication seller notes that this is one of a pair of Manticores… and the other is even more dangerous… Dali tries her best to resist her instinct to release the creature, but she quietly promises that she’ll release her.
The group continues into the auction house, where they find a human woman on a stage held by guards and being auctioned off to a small gathering. However, the customers present aren’t interested, as they’re saving their money for more exotic fare. The group finds another door leading out, hoping to explore the area more fully. Fiji and Dali separate to investigate the auction house while Diego and Lucy May focus on finding information from vendors. Stepping around the building, Dali and Fiji notice the other manticore, and even a Lamia that is held in a nearby cage. Dali approaches the Manticore, trying to let it know that she’s there to help him and his mate, but the enraged Manticore isn’t willing to hear her and tries to attack. However, this attracts the attention of the jailer who was watching the Manticore, who admonishes the pair for getting close and pulls out a stun baton, using it to paralyze the Manticore. However… Dali notices that nobody else is nearby, likely because the Manticore is so violent. Thinking quickly, they jump the jailer, beating him unconscious, his unconscious body falling near the Manticore’s cage… with the Manticore’s claw reaching out to grab him and feast on its torturer, which helps ingratiate Dali and Fiji to the monster. Fiji even manages to convince the Manticore to let him take the Jailer’s keys… which the Manticore has to actually spit up, since he’s already swallowed them. Fiji and Dali decide to free both the Manticore and the nearby Lamia, warning them to wait before escaping, which the Manticore begrudgingly agrees to.
Meanwhile, Diego approaches a vendor who seems to be selling potions. He presses him for information, hoping to learn where he buys his supplies. The seller directs them to an orc woman at a different stall who is selling body parts of sentient creatures, which she sells mostly as food. Despite her cannibalistic nature, she’s fairly jovial and happy to chat and share some gossip. Sensing that she’s not the suspicious type, Diego decides to ask her directly about the bounty poster for their group, claiming that he has “one of them” and is looking to collect. She explains that bounties are turned in at the auction house, and she also expresses interest in the upcoming auction, hoping to get some “fresh meat” for her stall. Diego and Lucy May hurry toward the auction house, but Lucy May notices the body being eaten by the manticore and they go to check on their allies.
Once they’re all gathered, the group discusses what to do next. They decide to investigate a nearby locked door, using the keys to open it and step inside. However, when they do, they’re found by a guard who demands to know why they’re entering… Diego quickly steps forward, claiming that he was told to come in here to collect a bounty on Fiji, using his disguise as a wizard to pretend that he’s got Fiji enchanted with magic. He’s able to successfully deceive them, with Fiji put into manacles as he’s taken to nearby cages… Diego is told that the bounty will be paid once the auction completes. Lucy May accompanies him, simply posing as another bounty hunter, while Dali uses her Firbolg magic to turn invisible and sneak in.
While Lucy May and Diego distract the guard, Fiji slips the keys he had stolen earlier to Dali, who spots her fellow Druid, the human native Trey, in one of the cages. Using the key, she lets him out, and then proceeds to release all of the prisoners she sees. Amongst them is a female Reaver, who doesn’t hesitate to rush out and grab the guard from behind, using the chains of her manacles to choke him. Fiji rushes out, using his martial arts skills to assault the half-orc guard… however, despite everyone dog-piling on him and the female Reaver choking him to keep his voice down, it takes enough attacks to take him down that the other guards notice the commotion and realize they’re under attack.
Chaos erupts as some of the escaping slaves take weapons and join the fight, and others hide and wait for safety. Seeing that there’s no point in keeping things quiet anymore, Diego opens the nearby door and uses his tools to cast Vortex Warp, teleporting the enraged Manticore onto the middle of the stage. Trey Wild Shapes into the form of a giant Rattlesnake and bursts out, attacking the crowd with venomous fangs. All hell breaks loose… Dali hurries out to protect a Kirei Midori woman who was sold in the auction, conjuring two large brown bears, empowered even further by her powers as a Shepherd Druid.
The group ends up brawling with not only the guards, but a few audience members carrying weapons. However, several of the audience members aren’t combatants, and they mostly panic and try to avoid drawing the attention of the manticore. A chaotic battle ensues… the female Reaver is left in the back area to face one of the guards one-on-one. Diego finds one of the exits, quickly sticking his head out to shout to the rest of the Black Market that the Manticore has escaped and telling them to run, spreading chaos and reducing the odds of someone coming in to check on the sounds of battle. Dali, meanwhile, hurries outside to free the female Manticore. As the Manticores reunite, Diego shouts to intimidate all the surviving members of the crowd, urging them to get up against the nearby wall, lest the manticores turn on them as well. However, during this conflict, a half-tabaxi assassin who was working as a guard for the auction house decides to run away, rather than risk her life in a losing battle.
Throughout the battle one particularly large audience in a face-obscuring robe stands up and reveals himself to be Castor, the Reaver bounty hunter that had been hired by Hesper Hughes to capture the person who had sent her the threatening letters, and he quickly captures a nervous looking dwarf who he recognizes as “T.” While Castor obtains T, the manticores leave to search for their abducted children.As the remaining criminals are rounded up, an alarm sounds… Castor knows that this is the sound alerting the self-destruct sequence… dynamite is strategically placed around the black market, with the intent to destroy the market (and any evidence it holds) in the event of police intervention.
With a panicked rush, everyone, criminals included, dash out toward the waterfront, where an abandoned boat is their only hope for survival. Cyril takes the helm, while Castor roughly stuffs all the criminals into a large cage normally used for transporting slaves. The group interrogates T, believing he is the man who had put out the bounty on their heads… however, he insists that he’s only the intermediary, and the person who had put in the request for the bounty had kept their own identity hidden. However, he’s convinced to reveal that the client had set up a specific time and location for a dead drop in order to arrange the delivery of the party members, assuming they had been captured.
Although the party has their plans set for the next step of their challenge, Trey laments that all the paperwork at the slave auction had been destroyed, and thus he had no way to continue his search for his sister. Thankfully, the Party remembers that one of the guards from the auction house had surrendered and was among the captured criminals… it’s not difficult for the party to convince him to share what he knows. He directs Trey toward a second Black Market somewhere else in Pennington, as he remembers his sister being sent there to potentially be sold for more money. Trey is intent on heading straight there as soon as he can, but Dali is able to convince him to at least rest so he’s not captured again.
Cyril steers the ship toward the legal docks. Unsurprisingly, the explosion has drawn attention, and there are city guard waiting to meet with them. Among them is Detective Terrel and, more surprisingly, Hesper herself is there with the guards, along with an older man the group doesn’t yet realize is her father, the original H.R. Hughes.
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I need to get back in the habit of sharing these videos sooner, don't I? We're still trying to stick to a Sunday schedule, but we can't fully commit to it for certain, so keep an eye on this thread to see when we'll be playing next.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
I hope everyone enjoyed our new animated icons for our characters! We'll be streaming again tonight at 8:30 PM EST, and should hopefully be able to stick to this schedule going forward. Our heroes seem to be in a safe location. If you want all the details, here's the usual summary of what happened in last week's session:
The party arrives from the destroyed Black Market where they’re intercepted by the Pennington City Guard. The guards recognize the group, as their reputation for being in the center of chaos has spread among the city police. The group also meets Emanuel Hughes, Hesper’s father who knew Diego’s teacher, Sprock. Emanuel is excited for the upcoming exposition for the TX-2 Cy-Mount, and seems to be in good spirits. Hesper, however, is still clearly stressed and wants to speak to the group in private. Diego tells her everything they learned, not hiding anything. Hesper is somewhat relieved to learn of the progress they made, but knowing that the criminal who had threatened her is still at large does not help with her stress levels.
She lets them know that there’s still planning to do, but encourages the group to get washed up first. After being told the location of a nearby bathhouse, the group, along with Trey, hurry to wash themselves after their unfortunate traversal through the sewer. Castor, who knew a different path into the Black Market that avoided the sewers, leaves on his own, making it clear that he’ll continue to work for Hesper until the man who threatened her is captured. Trey is confused by the bath house… communal public bathing is normal for his people, and Dali feels the same way… she’s only slightly more used to this process than Trey is.
Returning to Hughes manor, the group is met by Mrs. Bonnet, who is shocked at the sight of Trey, whose possessions had been mostly stolen and who is wearing just pants. She insists on finding some clothes for him, although Diego’s sister, Maria, steps in and is immediately taken with the shirtless Native. This leads to the two siblings arguing while Dali leads Trey to a private location to help him get dressed, although Mrs. Bonnet is opposed to a man and a woman being alone in a room. She insists on everyone returning to the dining room as dinner is being prepared.
The group sits and chats a bit, with Dali still confused about all the things that Diego and Maria have been discussing. Unfortunately for her, Maria explains all the explicit details to her in a whisper… Dali turns red and hurries to the kitchen to help Mrs. Bonnet with tea. The group is joined by August, who reveals that he had tried to ride CHESTR down the stairs earlier, much to Mrs. Bonnet’s chagrin. Diego insists that CHESTR is not designed to carry the weight of an adult and tries to tell CHESTR not to carry anyone down the stairs unless it’s an emergency.
Finally, Hesper returns with her father Emanuel, along with his business partners, Travis Nettles and Mr. Fromant. Emanuel is quite laid back and talks excitedly about adventures he’s been on, although Hesper always seems on edge around him. Diego recognizes the Nettles name, as they’re well-known parts manufacturers, specializing in creating gears with the Nettles Gear Solid Corporation. He uses the opportunity to brag about CHESTR, which was built using a number of Nettles parts. Diego begins to suspect that Hesper is on edge because she’s the most responsible member of the Hughes family, and feels she’s just stressed about needing to reign in her family members. Fiji, however, looks more closely and realizes that Hesper is desperate for her father’s approval, and seems to have a paranoia that she’s being judged constantly by him. Fiji gets the idea to stand up and offer a toast to Hesper, thanking her for arranging everything that has gotten everyone here and for being such a fine host. He speaks with a deep sincerity that finally helps Hesper to relax.
Dessert is served… a freshly made Tres Leches cake, which excites both Diego and Maria, as Tres Leches was their abuelita’s signature dessert. The dessert is less well received by Trey, who has to rush to the bathroom thanks to his intense lactose intolerance. Dali hurries to prepare some medicine for him, while the others prepare for bed. Emanuel congratulates his daughter for all that she does, which lifts her spirits. August wants to stay up and talk longer, discussing his plans to play his violin at the exhibition, while Diego wants to check on the TX-2 Cy-Mount to make sure it’s ready for the exhibition tomorrow. Lucy May, however, is exhausted after the long day and heads straight to bed. Fiji, meanwhile, bumps into Maria, who reveals that the room she had intended to sleep in has been claimed by Emanuel. Fiji invites her to his room, since he has a particularly large bed, and doesn’t seem to pick up on the much more eager reaction Maria has to being invited to share a bed with a man, especially when Fiji honestly admits he has a habit of cuddling others in his sleep.
Diego confirms that the TX-2 is in perfect working order, and he also sees that a tent has been set up for the exhibition the next day, along with a bandstand that has been set up, including the piano brought from the manor’s dance hall. As he tries it out he finds that it’s perfectly tuned, and he also spends some time to work on a broken watch he had found, converting it into a wrist mounted light for a spell he could prepare. Meanwhile, Dali helps Trey to figure out a room he can stay in, and fortunately Aadi has enough room for Trey to join him for the night. Dali made certain that supplies will be prepared for Trey, but she wants to know if Trey is okay, and is curious about what happened to him. Trey admits that he was with a group during a celebration when they were ambushed by bandits… many of his people were killed, his sister was abducted, and he himself was shot, revealing a scar normally hidden by his necklace. He warns Dali to be careful about who she trusts among the colonizers, which she admits reminds her of her Mother. Dali connects with him as a fellow Druid of the Circle of the Shepherd, reminding him that Shepherds care for others, and always bring their flock home. He thanks her for her words of wisdom, and the two of them hurry to bed, with Dali sharing her room with Lucy May for the night.
Meanwhile, Maria is eager to join Fiji in bed, and Fiji is happy an eager as well, although Maria quickly realizes that Fiji has not picked up on her sexual advances even a little bit the entire time she was flirting with him. By the time she’s stripped naked Fiji finally realizes what she wants… he admits that he’s not ready for such a big step, and the two of them have a somewhat philosophical debate about sex before Maria decides she’ll just sleep somewhere else. On the way out she bumps into Diego, who is finally returning to bed and he’s shocked, as it seems like Maria slept with Fiji. She’s clearly frustrated with the whole process and marches off into the nearest empty bedroom to get some sleep while Diego checks on Fiji… who is happily jumping on his bed before getting ready for the night. Confident that Fiji will be fine, Diego heads to bed as well. In the morning, they awake to the busy sounds of workers as Hughes Manor prepares for the upcoming expo of the TX-2 the next day.
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And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Oof, I almost forgot to upload this again! And this was a really exciting session with an explosive ending! We're planning to play later tonight... keep an eye on this thread for all the details later today
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Ugh... okay, my last post got marked as spam AGAIN... so uh... we're streaming in about half an hour.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Okay, nevermind.... I've been trying to post updates on here, but everything I post lately is getting flagged as Spam. So screw it. This site barely gets us any views anyway. If you like the streams I hope you keep watching, but I'm done trying to promote it on here.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium