3.07 - 3 Aces

General Summary

The Bad Ideas wake from their rest at the Grey Gull to 4 feet of snow. Undeterred by the strange weather, they trudge through to the Aces High casino, which is strangely unaffected. Tol gets a call from Dribbles who drunkenly tells him he has a new phone! Eldrick is accosted by a Orange God Missionary who is shewed away by Lil Nell, a member of a kid street gang called the Troublemakers. She offers to be a guide inside the casino.   Inside the main room is boiling over in heat and activity. The boys head to the Roulette table to gamble while Fazyre goes to the bar and Eilith finds the buffett. At the tables, Zizkek uses produce flame to ignite a coal pot to flames, distracting the minders and replacing the marble on Lucky 13. Being bold and brash, he doubles down on 13. This time he causes the pot to explode with shatter, sending coals onto the rug. The minders are too distracted to notice he has once again moved the marble to 13 with an amazing roll.   Feeling smug on his new fortune, Zizkek steps away from the table only to be compelled by some strong suggestion to tithe his winnings to the Orange God. What follows is brilliant visual comedy as Tol levitates the goblin to keep him in place and Zizkek throwing gold at a bucket to the Orange God while AALan catches parts of it in the air to give back. Management is not amused but the delaying tactic is long enough for Zizkek to complete a second save.   Meanwhile Fae learns interesting things. First, that Harold Aces is really any one of 3 Harold Aces; Aces Senior, Aces Junior, and Aces the third. All of them are shy of the public, though Harold the Third is the most active in running the place but also the least in power. Second, she learns that Harold Aces the Third ordered the building to this swelting heat two days ago before the storm. He said he didn't want anyone with 'cold blood' in the building. Lastly, she learns that one of the Harold Aces ordered the death of Kadi Goodkind to cover up a smuggling operation to Duskport, though what they are smuggling in is unknown.   The boys make a bit more money at the Craps table just before the Power Hour ends. Zizkek is the big winner and gets him and his friends an invite up to the Thunderbird Lounge on the penthouse, where Harold Aces is. Also invited is Easy Jake, the biggest loser of the power hour. The security peacebinds your weapons and sends you up in an elevator to the penthouse. Once there, you are told by the guard to open the double doors to the Thunderbird lounge.   The door is wood and carved and burned with a cosmological depiction of The Float (the middle plane of material worlds and realities you live it) The Overflow (the planes of higher order) and the Undertow (the planes of greater chaos, also called the Dark Current) Interspersed into this cosmology was a pentagram, a symbol for pagan ritual or earth devil worship.   Once inside the Thunderbird Lounge you are introduced to Suzette who is the hostess. Otherwise you have the lounge to yourself. The most notable item inside is a statue to the Orange God said to offer 'Wishes' though to what extent that is true or how much those wishes are cursed is unclear. Easy Jake said he talked with the statue once and was granted great wealth, though that memory seemed to pain him greatly. You note that Jake now seems very happy to have seemingly no money, based on his clothes and hat and title as Biggest Loser.   With that we left the group in the Lounge where nothing bad will happen.

Rewards Granted

Gold was earned. Eilith got muffins.

Missions/Quests Completed

learned that there are 3 harolds. That one of them is in the room adjacent to the Thunderbird Lounge. That they might have known either the storm was coming or that the Ice Woman was looking for them. You also learned that Frank Fav'r'bean is partying around town with Dr D and gave him a phone.   Lastly you learned that the Orange God is claiming to be the Axiom of Greed and Ambition. Not mentioned in the game but good after-game info: The Axioms are generally believed around Talus to be the powerful entities who raised up Talus from the seafloor and created the rifts that connect the Talusverse. They are also the powers behind the Black Ships, it is said. None have ever seen them, and to your knowledge this is the first time anyone has claimed to worship one of them.

Character(s) interacted with

Met Easy Jake and Lil Nell, who are going to be allies for the group.

Notes

Note: Next session is going to be combat heavy kicking off with a little surprise.   Jackie: Probably best to level up Eilith to 3rd level for this one.   Story Arc: By next session we should be able to hit the midpoint of the Unbroken storyarc. The story will take a decided turn at that point and things will change significantly from a Whodunnit mystery to a dungeon crawl. Once that happens, all but Eilith will be level 7.