Session 5: Urchins, Shopping Episodes, Some Dude Called Aleorman, Familial Duty, Confessions - but not Paying Gigs or Ambushing the Ambushers
General Summary
After wiping floor with Blackhand douchebags, we head back to Lightkeeper HQ for rest and another crack at bathtub. I have hard time falling asleep though.
After restless night, we receive message inviting us to dinner with Keeper Stonegazer to discuss possible job. In meantime, we head back to marketplace for more shopping. Who does not love shopping? Oh yes, woman without two coppers to rub together. She does not love shopping.
But any joy I might have taken in making shopping excursion miserable for everyone else goes down drain when I see signal from contact in town, asking for immediate and discreet meeting.
Shit. Not good. I plan to talk to her as soon as I can slip away.
We are interrupted on way to Wunderbar by street rat being chased by big guy yelling, “Stop thief!” Bird gets guy to leave kid alone but then discovers kid had put jewelry in Bird’s pocket, which, duh. Bird lets kid go and returns jewelry to big guy.
When we reach shop, I peel off and go to see my contact. Takes longer than usual with safety measures, but I go in back way. Pretty sure no one saw me.
After receiving this information from my contact, I decide it is time for Grandfather and I to return to the Library. Immediately. We tell group we have left important medicine back with belongings and that we will see them tonight for dinner and then rush back to relative safety of Library, doing our best not to be spotted.
It is good thing we decide to come clean with them. They have had confrontation while we were gone. Who with? Aleorman. Of course. He has told them sob story about attack on warehouse. He also told them Grandfather is mysterious Grey Ghost, who is responsible for terrible drug Glow which is doing so much harm.
So we tell them about brilliant but humble inventor who thought he had found elixir that gave vigor to those who drank it, not realizing that it had other, darker side effects.
We tell them how Elixir came to attention of Unseen, as all things eventually do, and that they demanded this man manufacture it for them. He refused of course, so they killed his daughter and kidnapped his grandaughter from their home in Overland. And as long as they held his granddaughter, he was trapped. So, with help from “Grey Ghost”, Unseen began massive distribution of drug they called Svetit’sya or “Glow.”
Over years he was forced to do many terrible things for Unseen. And he watched in horror as they trained his granddaughter to become assassin. As they warped and manipulated her mind to create yet another unthinking zealot.
It was too much. Better she die trying to escape than live as tool for syndicate. He managed to arrange visit to see her and hid sleeping drugs in beer of guards, allowing them to sneak away. Then they fled as far and fast as they could, back to Overland, where Unseen had less reach and they might be safe.
Unfortunately, Unseen are only part of problem. There are Nightshades, rival Overland gang, that desperately want formula for Svetit’sya. And there is reputation as Grey Ghost. He is Boogeyman to Nightshades. To them he is responsible for every attack, every misfortune – from death of leaders, to fires in warehouses. And Unseen did nothing to stop these rumors from growing. They encouraged it. How better to strike fear into your enemy’s hearts then to let them think a brilliant and monstrous mind was always watching, always ready to strike?
So we laid cards on table. There was much anger. There were many accusations. And there were questions. So many questions.
We answered as well as we could, but how could these people possibly understand the power that Unseen wields? That we did what we had to to survive? I do not know that they believe us, and I am certain they do not trust us, but what else can we do? We are tainted by these circumstances, yes. Bird speaks to us of repentance and atonement. Are these things possible? Does it matter that if were there against our will?
I do not know answer to these questions. All I do know is that, for now, they have agreed to help us escape. And for this I am grateful, even if I find that emotion somewhat difficult to convey.
We decide that Bird will agree to terms Aleorman has suggested. He will tell them Grandfather is expected at Death Dealer Dan’s shop tomorrow evening to pick up mithril armor he has ordered. We will ambush them at shop and hopefully remove threat.
But before we put plan into effect, there is dinner tonight with Keeper and GG.
It is casual affair. And GG was right – they want us to travel to Sylvan archeological excavations (specifically the distant site of Thanedell), see what they are doing, retrieve what we can, and, most importantly, not be detected. Long distance travel is sounding pretty good right now. And not being detected is particular specialty of mine. I am not impressed by compensation package (800 gold for party retainer and travel costs, plus all artifacts we retrieve as long as we guarantee them first right of refusal) but, given circumstances, I would do it for patronizing pat on butt.
We let Keeper know that we have run into spot of trouble in town related to Blackhand business. They seem neither surprised, nor concerned. In fact, they agree to arrange for transport across lake tomorrow evening and suggest that in future we limit direct contact with the Lightkeepers to minimize their exposure. We agree and they tell us they will look into setting up safe house for us here in Freeport. We are also given sending stone so we can report back to GG about our daily progress.
Another restless night’s sleep and it is time to put plan into effect.
Bird, Grandfather and I will approach shop all la-dee-dah and we-know-nothing. Cat and Hobgoblin are to go earlier and prepare ambush. Of course getting them into town without alerting Aleorman to our plan is tricky proposition. Fortunately, GG is able to make them invisible and escort them to ambush location. Little Man is concerned about what we are doing and seems like he might want to help, but I do best to discourage him. I do not want to see him hurt.
Operation goes off like clockwork, at least for the most part. Idiots jump us as soon as we enter market square. There are about half dozen of them, including two mages. Grandfather and Hobgobin take sniper.out of fight early. Cat picks off bad guys from on high. Grandfather gets hit with spell that reduces him to helpless laughter, I mean, like rolling on ground pissing himself, laughter. It is pretty amusing. Less amusing though when they grab him and start hauling him off. We manage to stop them and I chase after mage who cast Big Joke on Grandfather, but he magics away from me and jumps over edge. I have time to see he has horrible burn scars on his face and cheeky fucking attitude, what with rude gesture he shoots me. I rush to the edge but he is out of sight by time I make it there. I am guessing that was famous Aleorman. I flip him bird with both hands but I know it is feeble gesture, however, I am confident I will get chance to insult him to face soon enough.
We roll idiots for money and net measly 50 gold. Grandfather picks up armor (Dan outdid himself) and we hightail it to waiting boat.
Maybe I will actually sleep tonight.
Report Date
19 Jan 2022