Planning for Scab Score

[ The first hour of the evening was spent doing Downtime Activities for last time. ]

Via the established chain of communication (Sonny from the Bronze Studs, based at the Grapefruit and Corselette, contacted the party via their private notice board in the Luscious Pixie tavern), the party met up with Olivia Bryce for a job.

Olivia was the head of the Vege Scavengers, a Tier 1* group based in the Plantation district. Her group's experts had recently invented some unique anemic asparagus cultivars which they had named "yellow scabs". But the main producer of scabs in Scabport, Sam's Estate, a Tier 4 group, had got wind of this, and they had sent agents to break in to her lair and had stolen these cultivars. Her group did not have much prowling, martial or political prowess, so she wanted someone to recover her yellow scabs.

[ * = The Tier system handles group sizes. Tier 0 is the smallest and Tier 5 the biggest. It is an exponential scale which covers numbers, wealth and political influence. The Knives, the TGP and the Wizards' Guild are the only Tier 5s. ]

The city of Scabport gets it name from "scab" which is a name for the delicious anemic asparagus that is endemic to the Scabport region (and the reason why the city was sited there a thousand years ago). The name "scab" is so-called because, when the asparagus is due to be harvested, the tip secretes a delectable red ooze which, when dried, looks like a crusty scab. Olivia's scab cultivars were yellow in colour and thus were very valuable. They dried to a pus colour.

Olivia suspected that her yellow scabs would be located in the main warehouse on the large grounds of Sam's Estate. This is where Sam's scientific and botanic research was done, so it made sense. The job would pay 9 COIN.

Sam's estate was huge. It was situated just outside of Scabport, between the Spite Gate and the sea [blue markings], and was in a large fenced-off area, two or three bow-shots a side. It was common knowledge that the estate had a large guard contingent, and that they also used hook horrors to supplement the guards.

Hook Horror

The group made some enquiries in the local Funk and Wagnall temple (God of Knowledge). Hook horrors were nasty vicious carnivores, tall and strong as an ogre, and fast as a man. They make excellent guards because, although their normal vision is poor, they can see heat sources (infravison), have darkvision (UV), and can hear superbly too.

Corporal Anton Chung, of the Knives, also had a job for the party. This was continuing from the previous score. The Knives had identified the lady wizard that Sorrow, El Cid, Attlee and Argile had encountered in Fort Eugor. She was named Dalila Hornsby, and was a known operative from the Wizards' Guild.

Dalila Hornsby

"This is serious," said Chung. "If the Wizards' Guild is in cahoots with the TGP [Thieves' Guild Police], then that doesn't bear thinking. But, you have already defeated that mage whore once, so do it again. Bring her in. Bring her alive. You have four nights."

He paused, and added wryly.

"Once again, if you fail, then the Knives will disavow all contact with you. But if you succeed, we will have embarrassing info on the Wizards' Guild. And we can put a stop to this mess. 9 COIN."

Anton Chung then turned his attention to Rita, and arranged another date.

They had a third job offer: They met up with Festoon Thwaite, operative of Simon's Slaves, at the Oyster and Evergreen Limpet tavern. This was a Recovery job to find and bring in some runaway slaves who were last seen in the unoccupied Hodacky residence in the Mansion district. They didn't take this job for two reasons: It didn't pay enough (7 COIN), and why does a big group like Simon's Slaves not have its slave-recovery squads? "It does. You."

That night, the group, sans Rita, went a-scouting.

Sam's plantation was surrounded cleared ground (which was used as a road) and by a wooden palisade. Although guards were not visible all the time, they would pop up occasionally. Huilam [Jamie] guessed that there wasn't a walkway all the way around, but instead various risers at different spots.

Sorrow [Jeff], Attlee [Kevin] and Burrito [Darryl] scaled the wall and surveyed. Yes, no continuous walkway. Yes, platforms and ladders every 25 paces. There were large squares (100 paces a side) of sandy soil dotted with asparagus shoots emerging. Way in the distance, hundreds of paces away, were some low buildings. Beyond that another smaller stockade. And some water towers.

Sorrow crouched down on his wall perch, as a guard walked past on the inside. He did note that she was a half-elf. They waited and surveyed a bit longer. All the guards were half-elves (and two thirteenths of them were women). That made sense, half-elves have infra-vision.

Sorrow decided to creep over (Attlee and Burrito clung on stationary at their perches). He searched for traps ("no traps here") and let himself down. Then he got cold feet, and clambered back over.

A minute later, the spot of the wall where Sorrow had traversed, was lit of by a bright light, as if by a searchlight, from the other side. The gaps between the palisade logs shone like glowing ribbons.

Attlee and Burrito jumped down, and the whole group made a hasty retreat, and melted into the buildings of the far side of the road.

An hour or so later, they decided another probe was in order, but at a different part of the wall. This time, only Attlee and Sorrow attempted it. They climbed the palisade, perched, waited for a lull in the guards, and then Sorrow climbed over. And then back. This time Attlee would stay perched, tens of paces away from Sorrow's traverse, so that he could watch what happened.

Sure enough, the searchlight came on, but less time this time. It was from the roof-top of one of the low buildings in the distance. But the light shone directly at Attlee. He shrieked like a girl and dropped down.

They bid a hasty retreat.