Fake Kidnap Score

Theresa Jeven

Theresa Jeven, one of Scabport's high-society ladies, fashionista and full-time hottie, contacted the party.

"I was recommended your group by the Bronze Studs," she began. "Here is my problem. My father wants to marry me off to the foul Lord Byron..."

Lord Byron was a community staple; one of the Scabport super-rich, and he had fingers in many Scabport pies. And he was a poet.

"He's a sleazy creep," she continued. "And a philanderer, libertine and debauchee, ... and he's old enough to be my grandfather. No way am I marrying that!"

She took a sip of wine.

"The wedding is tomorrow night. So... I want you ... your group ... to ... kidnap me. Hold me for four nights. That will force the wedding to be cancelled, or at least delayed. Byron might even cancel it, or ... go for some other tart. Tomorrow, at five bells [ 5 hours before dark ]. I will be travelling in my carriage ... with four guards."

She placed out a map of Scabport streets with a wavy line drawn on it.

"And here is the route we will take."

After some consideration, the party agreed. They would be paid a small chest of silver [8 COINS].

The silhouette

That night, around midnight, back at the party's secret lair on the waterfront, Sorrow [Jeff] was up abluting. He was passing through the living room and he caught sight of a figure - silhouetted against the window. Sorrow quickly roused the group with a frightened squeal; they tumbled out of bed.

"He was at the window," sputtered Sorrow. "I thought he was inside, but maybe outside."

They conducted a thorough search. Nothing. They searched outside too. Nothing.

"Are we compromised?" someone mused. "This lair is supposed to be secret!"

[ Discovered Hidden Lairs can be re-hidden. It costs COIN value equal to the crew's Tier, and costs two Downtime activities. ]

The didn't have time to shift lairs, so decide to leave it until after the score.

Party Shallop Smoking Loon

The next day, the kidnap plan was concocted:

• The ambush site would be the stone bridge across the Scab river.
• Burrito [Darryl] and Ronan [Deacon] would find secure spots to cover the bridge vista with arrows.
• Huilam [Jamie], El Cid [Shane] and Sorrow would dress up as Knives (one of Scabport's police forces) and stop and search all traffic as it crossed the bridge.
• Attlee [Kevin] would follow Theresa's carriage in the wagon (the one they stole from the Insular Rogues) to the bridge.
• Theresa's carriage would be stopped and the four guards dealt with.
• Attlee would stop on the bridge next to the ambushed carriage and collect Theresa and Sorrow.
• Attlee, Sorrow and Theresa would head down a side road next to the river to the party's shallop (boat) which would be docked there. 
• Sorrow would accompany Theresa into the shallop. 
• Sorrow would then sail Theresa to the party's lair.
• Everyone else would make their own way home.

The setup went fine.

The Jeven carriage arrived right on time, and sure enough: one guard driving, two on the back and one inside with Theresa.

"Halt!" cried "Sergeant" Huilam Artios dressed as a one of the Knives.

The carriage stopped.

Immediately, Ronny and Burrito fired. The driver and a rear guard were winged. The wounded driver jumped down and engaged Huilam, but he was dropped by another shot from Ronny.

El Cid threw open the carriage door and attacked the guard inside, followed by Sorrow. El Cid was
severely injured, but managed to drop the guard.

Attlee pulled alongside the carriage, and Sorrow bundled Theresa into the cart. She put on a good show of screaming and howling just like a bonafide kidnap victim should.

The wagon took off, and Attlee headed it across the bridge, and turned right to follow the street next to the river.

Just then, a patrol of six TGP (Thieves' Guild Police - the second Scabport police force) rounded the corner down the road, saw the fracas, and rushed headlong into the fray. Luckily they espied and targetted Sergeant Huilam and not the fleeing cart.

Jeven guard

Ronny and Burrito continued to fire at the TGP trying to give covering fire for Huilam (and maybe El Cid) to scarper. Huilam took off with the TGP soldiers in pursuit. El Cid was still inside the carriage making sure the guard wasn't going to get up. One TGP hurriedly opened the carriage door (probably to seek cover from the arrows), saw El Cid as he stood over pieces of the bloody corpse, and engaged him. El Cid took another brutal blow, before stunning the TGP.

El Cid and Huilam bounded off, Ronny and Burrito scarpered too.

The four upright TGP men followed Huilam, but he had darted down an alley, and had hidden in a street-seller's stall. When the stall owner was about to berate him, Huilam soothed his troubles with some credible flattery [critical CONSORT roll].


Theresa was bundled into the shallop, and Sorrow sailed down river to the secret water entrance of the group's hidden lair. Theresa was safely put into the lower storeroom.
Attlee drove the cart home. The rest of the part arrived soon after. El Cid had a deep neck cut, and a cut to his chest. Huilam had some broken ribs.

[ Fighting the guard in the carriage, El Cid took a savage cut to his neck which would have taken out his throat in a shower of blood (fatal, harm=4). Shane wisely chose to make a Resistance roll (which cost El Cid stress points) and that dropped the wound to a "broken collar-bone" (severe, harm=3; but even harm 3 is enough to down a character). El Cid was wearing heavy armour (chainmail), so Shane ticked an armour box and that reduced the wound another level to a "deep cut" (moderate, harm=2; harm 2 means all rolls are -1D). 

Later on, from the TGP fight, El Cid took a severe stab to his chest; "sucking chest wound" (harm=3). His special Cutter feat Tough-As-Nails kicked in and dropped it to a "deep chest wound" (harm=2). His armour had another tick-box, so that dropped the wound to just a cut (harm=1; harm 1 means "-1 effect level" character is less effective).

Note 1: Tough-As-Nails feat doesn't work on harm 4 wounds.
Note 2: The two (only) armour tick-boxes can only be used once per score, so had El Cid fought someone else, he would have no armour protection. In the game fiction, this is explained by the armour being damaged or the shield smashed, etc. 
Note 3: Shane's stress was on 8 at this stage, so he did not want to spend more. You can continue to spend stress (like, to make more Resistance rolls), but when you pass 8, you clear your stress back to zero BUT your character gets a trauma. Once a character has a trauma, it can never be removed. When a character gets his fourth trauma, he must be retired or killed.
Note 4: Against the wrong opponents, combat is very dangerous. ]


Job well done.

"Now we just hold her four nights."


Due to the disturbing visitor the previous night, the group decided to have guards on duty the entire night. Around midnight, Attlee, who was on duty, saw the suspicious silhouette himself. He confronted it with a girlie scream, and it ducked down by the window into the shadows. A thorough search was conducted of the living room.

On the floor, in the middle of the room, was a strange rectangle of shadow on the carpet. If you had a light source on the ceiling and held a cupboard door waist-height off the floor, the shadow cast would look like this. But, of course, there was no cupboard door and no light source.

"Magic, I guess?" They muttered.

Both priests, Rita [Ian] and Moonlight [Chris], were marmalading in their beds [away this week], so no help from that quarter.


The next day, everyone stayed low, stayed out of the living room. The shadow was there all that day.

Huilam, Attlee and Ronan [ all with STUDY] had a wee think.

"Isn't that the exact place we stored that IMAG trunk over the night?" mused Attlee.

"Yeah," said Ronan. "It does fit the size."

"Maybe you speak to zee IMAGs," said Huilam.

So, Sorrow went to visit the IMAG temple, and sought an interview with Priestess Clara.

She arrived in her shadow of darkness, and Sorrow related the tale.

Clara didn't seem to know, but she volunteered to speak to the IMAG high priest Darkeye Shadowface. She soon returned.

"The visitor in your house is a foundling," she began in her quiet voice. "It is a corporeal manifestation of the ... uhm... contents of the trunk you delivered to us. High Priest Shadowface states that you can consider your home blessed by IMAG! Praise be the Darkness! The shadow will get darker each day. You will soon be able to construct a shrine of IMAG on the exact site of the wonderful shadow! It is bles-sed! You are bles-sed!"

"Um... okaay," said Sorrow. "Can we not do that?"

"Why not? It is a great honour to be so blessed."

"May I speak to my group, Priestess?"

So Sorrow left and told the group the news.

The group, of course, would rather have a hole in their heads than have an IMAG shrine in their house. Nor did they want that foundling creature. So they arranged to shift their hidden bases. The IMAGs agreed to pay the 2 COIN cost. But they couldn't do the actual shift until the score was over.


They stayed in the lair for the next two nights. The rectangle got progressively darker.

Theresa was released on the stone bridge.

The group's payment arrived later that day, all 8 COIN. One each.

They all went off to do the downtime activities.
[ Most indulged their vices to clear stress. No-one over-indulged. Most spent a coin to have an additional downtime activity. Some cleared HEAT. ]


They made their base shift that day too. The IMAGs were true to their offer and helped the group shift. The new Hidden Lair was down the river a bit, still on the large area of wharves, and with a secret water entrance for their shallop, like the last place.

Just after dark, they were settling in, when suddenly the room went cold, and a pall of gloom descended into the room. A shadowy figure materialized in the room.

"But this is our secret base!" groaned Burrito.

The figure spoke in a raspy spidery voice.

"Fear not," said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled minds. "Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all your crew. You have done a great favour for darkness. Hence, I grant you each a boon. Think wisely and I will return in exactly one day." Then it vanished.

Foundling of Darkness

They all excitedly chatted away. Most were not prepared to take any gift from IMAG or a foundling.

So, the next day four were brave enough to take the boon: Sorrow, El Cid, Ronan and Attlee.

Sorrow asked for Enhanced Night Vision.

El Cid asked for superior brawling fists.

Ronan asked for Irresistibility to Women.

Attlee asked for Superb Gambling Skills.

The figure paused a moment, then waved his hand over the four. Sorrow's eyes tingled, Attlee's temples throbbed, El Cids hands ached, and Ronan's balls burned.

"It is done," it rasped. And vanished.

IMAG Item Score

IMAG is the god of darkness. The two primal gods REAL (god of light) and IMAG fight with each other in a never-ending battle up in the sky. When REAL is on top, it is day, and when IMAG is on top, it is night.

Yes, you can argue that "on top" is figurative and means "winning", so when REAL is winning it is day, OR that "on top" is literal and thus when REAL is winning then IMAG is facing the ground so it is night, OR that "on top" is still literal but that gravity works upside down in Godland.

Scholars, Priests and Theologians certainly do argue about this, and there have been plenty of wars about who is right. But the common belief is "when REAL is winning, it is day".

REAL is generally good, and IMAG evil. REAL priests (like Rita in the party) have a bright light
shining from their foreheads. IMAG priests have a clot of darkness that envelops them.



The Bronze Studs, a group the Budgie Smugglers had good relations with, contacted the party and arranged to meet at the Grapefruit and Corselette tavern.

Sonny Bowens, leader of the Bronze Studs, and three of his body guard were there, all greased up with their Adonis bodies and skimpy attire.

"We have a job for you which is more up your street than ours," he whispered. "The IMAG temple want an item brought in to Scabport, and delivered to them. Standard rates. Interested?"

Rita and Huilam Artois weren't feeling too well this day [Ian & Jamie were away] so were both lying in a messy pool of their own drooled marmalade*. The rest of the party thought today would be an excellent chance to get some grubby money without the goody-two-shoes sticking their moral noses in. So they said "yes" and took the job.

An hour out of town, down the Fort Augmentin road (map-right), was a copse of trees called the Smugglers Meet, and, in two nights' time, IMAG couriers were to meet the group there to deliver the cargo, a large trunk, the size of a coffee table. This trunk was then to be delivered, unopened, to the IMAG temple in Scabport. Needless to say, the Scabport Night guards would probably desire to stop said cargo entering Scabport, and so would need to be circumvented.

Using the Wizard's Guild import documentation from the previous score (the Wizard Guild grapes), Attlee [ Kevin ] set about forging it to change "six barrels" into "one large trunk", and to change the dates. He did think about changing the names "Rita de Klerk" and "Sly Dunbar", but thought again.

That night, Sorrow [Jeff] prowled around to check the Scabport Night Guards on the Funkenwards gate (Fort Augmentin road), and sure enough, the same head guard, Corporal Anton Chung, was on duty. Presumably the nighton-to-midnight shift.


So, the next night ...

The party (Moonlight [Chris], Sorrow, El Cid [Shane], Attlee, Ronny [Deacon], and Burrito [Darryl]) travelled out to Smugglers Meet in their stolen cart, and sure enough, there were several clots of darkness by the trees - the IMAG couriers.

Whispered words were uttered, and the trunk was brought forth and loaded onto the cart. It was heavy; it required three strong men to lift it, and when it was placed on the cart, the leaf suspension sagged under the load. The trunk's surface was cold to the touch, and it sounded like something was whispering inside.

The trip back to Scabport was uneventful. Moonlight [Chris] had cast Animal Friendship on one of the horses, so he could guide the cart easily rather than trusting Attlee to drive.

Corporal Anton Chung

The Scabport Night Guards blocked the road. Attlee delivered his forged masterpiece to Corporal Anton Chung. The guard peered at it for a while.

"Where's the pretty light-girl?" he said.

"Rita. Lovely Rita. Oh, she's busy at the moment, doing REAL's business for the poor," said Attlee.

"These documents state her name. 'Wizard's Guild Sly Dunbar' and 'Rita de Klerk, Budgie Couriers'. Who are YOU?"

"I'm the same group. At.. atticus," stammered Attlee. "Rita said that she was sure that you wouldn't mind. Oh, and she was telling us all how handsome she thought you were."

"And well-hung," added someone.

"And muscle-bound," said another.

"And she was planning to ... yah... meet you at midnight. After your shift..." came a different voice. "She'll be here to meet you after your shift. She was telling us all... how much she was looking forward to dating you. Wining and dining ... and all such; Scabport never sleeps, you know."

"Never sleeps," said El Cid.

"REAL priestesses put out for brave guards," said Moonlight.

"Put out," said El Cid.

Anton paused

"Tonight?"

"Yes yes. Lovely Rita," said Attlee. "Or tomorrow night"

"Tomorrow?" said the guard.

"No. Tonight!" said another voice, panicked.

Anton paused.

"And this trunk is for the Wizards?" he said.

"Aye!"

"Well, we better not keep the Wizards waiting, had we?" said Anton with a silly grin.

Then he paused and got serious: "Oh, if she don't turn up, I'm coming for you," he pointed at Attlee. "And you." He pointed to Burrito. "And you," to El Cid.



The trip through Scabport streets was quiet on the Law front; they didn't meet any TGP (Thieves' Guild Police). But Sorrow, who was prowling along behind, spotted two other suspicious chaps tailing the wagon. He snuck back to the group, and dispatched El Cid and Ronny to deal with them.

spring chicken

El Cid and Ronny didn't waste time, and the two were soon captured. El Cid and Ronny pulled them down an alley and beat the living snot out of them. They were soon squealing like spring chickens, and revealed that they were Insular Rogues, and were ordered to follow the stolen wagon ("Our damn wagon; the one you bastards stole!" one screamed), and were then to report where it was headed, and what it was carrying.

El Cid and Ronny dragged them to the Scab river and threatened to throw them in, but even that revealed nothing new.

By this time, one had his guts literally spilling from a savage belly cut. El Cid fingered his bloody knife about to cut their throats, but Ronny stayed his arm: "Best not..."

The two beaten wretches were taken to the REAL temple, and dumped on the front steps.

"Let the priests heal them," sneered El Cid.


The rest of the group arrived at the IMAG temple, but the streets around it were full of light beams. REAL priests were illuminating the main road in front of the temple and the back area behind it.
Black clots of darkness were patrolling the IMAG temple itself.

Sorrow went over to investigate. Here he met up with an IMAG priestess called Clara - not that he ever saw her, she was inside a clot of darkness. No-one ever sees IMAG priests.
Clara said that they get harrassed by the REAL priests like this every night, all night.

Sorrow returned to the wagon and suggested that the group return with the delivery the next morning.

So, the group returned to their secret lair and unloaded the crate inside.

No-one paid the crate any heed the rest of the night.

Typical IMAG Sphere

It was soon morning. The group headed straight for the IMAG temple and to the cart loading-bay. The clots and IMAG guards surrounded the crate, and took it away. Delivered.

Later on, back in the Grapefruit and Corselette, Sonny and his boys were there, their oiled bodies glistening as they posed and stretched.

"Job well done," he said, and paid the group; a small chest of silver [6 COIN ].

Downtime: 

• Burrito trained, and worked on his long term project of finding the Insular Rogues' base.
• Attlee trained, and indulging his vice (to clear stress) but he was too efficient and he overindulged and bragged [+2 HEAT].
• El Cid trained and indulged vice.
• Moonlight trained and indulged vice.
• Sorrow trained and indulged vice.
• Ronny trained and Reduced Heat [-1 HEAT].

* = When players miss a gaming session, their characters collapse, unconscious, in the game-world, and start to drool marmalade** from their bodily orifices. If this happens in a home base, they are pretty safe. If this happens on a mission, they can be carried or put in a wagon, like a corpse. The only danger arises with TPK (total party kill), then the marmalader dies with the group, and dissolves completely into their own weight in marmalade. This marmalade can be distilled and made in to healing potions, so is more valuable than rubies.

** = 2 grapefruit, 2 oranges and 1 lemon, 6 cups water, 6 cups sugar, ½ cup whisky. Halve citrus and slice as thinly as possible. Place in a large pot, add water and soak overnight. The next day, bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour or until citrus is tender. Add sugar and stir to dissolve, then bring to a rolling boil for 80 minutes. To test for setting, spoon a little onto a plate. If a film forms on the surface, it is ready. If not, keep boiling. While still hot, add the whiskey, mix well, then pour into sterilized jars and seal with sterilized lids. It will keep for months.

Grape Wagon Score

(The crew (group), the Budgie Smugglers, were tasked, by the Scabport Wizards' Guild, to recover six stolen barrels from the Insular Rogues.)

Ronny [ Deacon, Hound (like a ranger) ] was sent down the Fort Augmentin road to scout. He came running back.

"They're coming!" he spluttered. "Six guards and an open wagon full of barrels. At least, I hope it's them."

but with no trees...

The group was at a small stream that flowed off the plains and into the sea. The road crossed this
stream through a ford. This would make a good choke-point.

Here, they hastily placed some vague and make-shift rocks to slow any crossing wagon, and then positioned themselves behind other convenient rocks and the odd bush, ready to strike.

Moonlight Birdsong [ Chris, Druid ] dug a depression in the stream, enough to submerge himself beneath the water. He breathed through a reed tube.

The wagon arrived (lucky it was the right one!) and went down the depression into the stream to cross at the ford. Three of the wagon guards jumped off to clear away the rocks that blocked the way.

"Now!" shrieked party leader Huilam [ Jamie, Spider (mastermind/coordinator/leader) ].

The Engagement roll was three dice: 1D plus 1D from Ronny's reconnoiter and plus 1D from Huilam's feat. The highest value was a 5, which meant "Risky". Risky is normal; other possible results were "Controlled" and "Desperate".

Burrito [ Darryl, Hound ], Ronny and Sorrow [ Jeff, Lurk (thief) ] opened up with their bows...

The logical choice for a bow shot is HUNT Action. Burrito did a Lead-a-Group on the archers which meant he could use the HUNT rolls from Ronny and Sorrow as well. The risk being that any fail rolls (1-3) from any of them would count against his Stress. There were no fail rolls. One of the rolls came up two 6s, which is a "Critical"! 

... and with superb shooting dropped three of the targets.

Hypothetically, what would have happened with other results?

One 6 would have been a "success". The targets would still have fallen, but they'd get a Fortune roll and might be scratched rather than out for the count.  

4 or 5 would have been a "success, but ..." As above, but the "but" would mean maybe some of the party would be wounded by return fire, or the rocks would have been cleared, or the foe might risk taking the wagon through a different route, or risk the wheels on the bad terrain. 

1, 2, 3 would have been a "fail, and ..." As above, but none of the baddies fall or even be scratched.

El Cid [ Shane, Cutter (fighter) ] cried out "Three of you are down! Surrender, or we will drop the other three!"

El Cid did a COMMAND (2D) action on the foe to do this. He also did a Lead-a-Group with Huilam helping with his own COMMAND (2D). A 6 was the highest roll. Success.

Realizing the precarious situation they were in, the other three quickly surrendered.

They were tied up and interrogated. One of the shot ones was at death's door, so Rita  [ Ian, Brightspark (priestess of REAL) ] cast a Cure on him.

The wagon had ten barrels. Rita cast a Detect Magic spell and that showed that six of the barrels were magic.

"These must be the Magic Grape barrels," she mused.

The other four barrels contained only wine.

The leader of this group was a half-elf called Gertrude. Huilam plied them all with wine, and then he interrogated Gertrude. She didn't know much, but they were planning to be met by a group outside of Scabport, and thus sneak the barrels in to the city.

All the sloshed prisoners were loaded into the wagon and covered with a tarp (Sorrow's tarp).
Attlee [ Kevin, Lurk ] drove, with Huilam and El Cid beside him.

Rita and Ronny headed off ahead to go the Scabport to report to the Wizards' Guild. They were faster than the two-horse dray, so were soon out of sight.

After half an hour of travel, Attlee was dozing off, and he misread a corner. The wagon left the road into a steep ditch on the side ...

nearly ...

Attlee used the FINESSE Action (2D) to drive the cart. BUT unluckily, his top roll was only a 3. This is a "fail, and ..." result, so the cart left the road into the ditch. He wisely decided to do a Resistance roll. This uses PROWESS and, for Attlee, was 2D. Kevin's roll was a 5. For Resistance rolls, you subtract this value from seven. So Attlee got two stress points. But it meant he lessened or avoided the bad effect.

... but with a superb piece of skilled driving, Attlee judged the incline angle right, and didn't break a wheel, nor disgorge the wagon contents, nor hurt the horses. With shaking hands and sweaty brow, Attlee resumed the travel.

Half an hour from Scabport, Attlee pulled the wagon off and hid it behind a rise.

Sly Dunbar, WG Liaison

Night fell.

Rita & Ronny by now were in Scabport. They went to the Wizards' Guild. Here they met up with Sly Dunbar and gave him the good news. He furnished them with documentation to get the wagon past the Scabport Night guards.

Back on the plains, skulking Burrito spotted a group of four walking up the road. He quickly told the party, and everyone stayed low and hidden behind the rise, and the four walked blithely past. Burrito returned to his guarding and Sorrow then tailed the four.

Rita & Ronny made their way out on to the plains and headed back towards the party - her searchlight Sunray forehead lighting the way. [ Priests of REAL have a beam-focused bright light on their foreheads ]. Burrito spotted the search-light from leagues away, and by the time the two arrived, the wagon was back on the road and headed towards them.

With the WG paper-work, it was no trouble to get past the Scabport Night guards. They weren't even interested in examining the barrels. 

At the Wizards' Guild, the wagon was unloaded in the WG loading bay. Sly Dunbar then paid Rita the agreed coinage, and then the group took the wagon and horses (now theirs) back to their secret base.

Downtime

BitD/FitD has a concept called Downtime which is done after a Score (Mission). It abstracts into four things:

1. Payoff (good) - The crew (group/party) earns money and reputation. Money is abstracted into units called COIN. This score earned 6 COIN and 3 REP. The crew is an entity in its own right, with its own class (Smugglers), attributes, skills and feats. And REP is how a crew earns experience and advances (and benefits all the members).
2. Heat (bad) - HEAT is an indication as to how notorious the crew is. The more HEAT, the more the big-cheeses or the law start to sit up and take notice. Too much HEAT gets you WANTED.
3. Entanglements (bad) - This is random occurrences that happens to the crew, the members' friends or their vice peddlers. It is a function of HEAT and WANTED.
4. Downtime Activities (good) - Each character can do two of: Acquire Asset (get a temporary toy for one score), Long-term Project (build something or plan something), Heal, Reduce Heat (clear some of the crew's HEAT), Train, Indulge Vice (helps to clear Stress).

Scabport - The Budgie Smugglers

(Courier font for meta comments.)

This new adventure follows the same group of players.

We are using the "Forged in the Dark" system ("FitD"). This was invented in 2014 as a Kickstarter called "Blades in the Dark" ("BitD"), but BitD has a built-in steam-punk setting too. So, we are using the FitD system but with my "Known World" fantasy (& magic) setting.

BitD/FitD is a game-system unlike anything the group has ever played before, so it's a style they will need to get used to, and is a big learning curve. It is story-driven, tactics-light and combat-light, but, honestly, that has been the style of play we've done since 2014 anyway.

We are using the following the BitD Playbooks ("classes"):

• Cutter - Intimidating Fighter
• Hound - Sniper and Tracker
• Lurk - Infiltrator and Burglar
• Slide - Subtle Manipulator and Spy
• Spider - Devious Mastermind

and I added some world-specific priest playbooks:

• Bookworm - Acolyte of Funken Wagnall (god of Knowledge)
• Brightspark - Acolyte of REAL (got of Light)
• Doxy - Acolyte of Soixante-neuf (god of Lust)
• Druid - Acolyte of Caribou Gorn (god of Nature)
• Firebug - Acolyte of Hob (god of Fire)
• Lucky - Acolyte of Vingt-et-un (god of Luck)
• Watergirl - Acolyte of Aquamarina (god of Water)

BitD has two other playbooks we are not using called the Leech (saboteur & alchemist) and the Whisper (ghost-channeler). At some future date, these two will be converted into a Mage playbook.

The party starts in the huge city of Scabport, situated on the Wild Coast. Scabport is one of the largest cities in the Known World with 109,000 inhabitants. It is mostly human, with half-elves and elves making 30%. The "scab" is a name for a type of anemic asparagus with a red secretion on the tip, which goes crusty when it dries. Needless to say, scabs are delicious, and are a major export from Scabport.

The party formed themselves into a crew of Smugglers called "The Budgie Smugglers". They have a hidden base in the Docks area and own a shallop (15-man sail boat).

Huilam Artois

SPIDER and party leader

Jamie
Half-elf from Spite
Background: Maritime
Vice: Obligation - herpetology






Attlee - RETIRED

LURK

Kevin
Human from Scabport
Background: Academic (Scabport IT)
Vice: Gambling




Burrito 

HOUND

Darryl 
Human from Scabport
Background: Underworld
Vice: Obligation - mother & special-needs brother




El Cid ("Vicious") 

CUTTER

Shane 
Human from Scabport
Background: Maritime
Vice: Pleasure - breaking things



Moonlight Birdsong

DRUID

Chris 
Elf from Palantir
Background: Rural
Vice: Weird - abuse magic mushrooms






Rita de Klerk - RETIRED

BRIGHTSPARK

Ian 
Human from Specularum
Background: Academic
Vice: Luxury - boots & fur




Ronan ("Ronny")

HOUND

Deacon 
Human from Scabport
Background: Military
Vice: Gambling





Scott Harrow ("Sorrow")

LURK

Jeff 
Half-elf from Palantir
Background: Maritime
Vice: Obligation - always helps half-casts

_____________________________________________________

Argile

CUTTER

Richard
Human from Scabport
Background: Underworld
Vice: Gambling







Dee Dee

SLIDE

Steven
Gnome from Scabport
Background: Trade
Vice: Pleasure





Tylin

SLIDE

Ian
Elf from Palantir
Background: Underworld
Vice: Obligation




William Lamb ("Lammy")

WIZARD

Kevin
Human from Scabport
Background: Academic
Vice: Weird





Sly Dunbar, Liaison of the Wizards' Guild, gave them a 6 COIN job (as an introduction to FitD), to recover five stolen magic grapes barrels (each about 20kg) that were expected to be brought into Scabport by another group called the Insular Rogues.

They setup an ambush two hours along the Fort Augmentin road (to the right on that map above)...

The Pig Skull

Fri 4-Jul-1603 (24-jun) cont...

The fighters in the party (Ab Siddy [Darryl], Elrick [Ian], Sean [Shane], Baron [Deacon], Joseph [Chris] and Art [Jeff]) had mistakenly engaged with eight O'Neill rebels. Three of the O'Neills were dead, with two unconscious and three still standing. Elrick and Sean were injured in the exchange. The rest of the party sheltered in the wagon; the non-combatants Thomas [Kevin], Sister Margaret [Charlotte], and the three girls Orla, Brigid and Eileen.

Sister Margaret said some words over the fallen, and then they were buried. The party then put the unconscious ones on the wagon, and the other three walked beside.

After an hour's trip south, they came to the secret pathway to the O'Neill fort. The group split up here: Art, Joseph and Baron continued with the wagon south to Bandon Bridge, and the rest headed to the O'Neill fort. They stretchered the unconscious ones to the camp.

Catriona was away - she was away until Monday, and the camp was run by a Lieutenant Casey.
The party stayed the night. Sister Margaret did her best to tend the unconscious ones. But one died during the night from extra injuries sustained when Sean tried to help.

Sister Margaret did her witch-finding in the camp to see if there was anything suspicious here. The only thing that made her stick shake was Ab Siddy. And shake it did; in spades.

Sat 5-Jul

Elrick's septicemia

It was a quiet night.

They left the O'Neill camp, returned to the road and walked to Bandon Bridge to reunite with the rest of the party. Elrick's gunshot wound had gone septic and was now a weeping mess. The helpful English soldiers stationed there offered him the gunpowder cure, but he respectfully declined.

Sister Margaret tended it dutifully with some first aid. There was a church in Bandon Bridge, so she tried curing his wound with her magical Chapel Heal, but with no success.

Sun 6-Jul

In the morning they left Bandon Bridge and headed for Kinsale. There was an English patrol en route who had not heard of the TTTT. So the wagon was summarily searched and the Spanish match-locks and gunpowder was threatened with confiscation. But some fast-talking and dropping hints about Colonel Cholmondeley manage to assuage the patrol.

They arrived in Kinsale just after lunch.

Sister Margaret happened to be checking with her witch-finding stick in the streets. Ab Siddy stood out like a sore thumb, of course, but she got a very strong indication coming from below the party's TTTT wagon.

Upon closer investigation, there was a pig skull screwed into the base of the wagon. They instantly suspected a Pig Peeker.  Their coach had been in the Witch-finder's possession in Corke for two days, so his men could have done anything to it. And their Pig Peeker had been confiscated, but this one was a bare skull and wasn't clad in pickled meat, so they didn't know if it was theirs. And as Art pointed out, it could well be a Pig Hearer, or a Pig Sniffer or a maybe Pig Locator, if they exist.

It was unscrewed and dutifully crushed into splinters with a wrecking hammer.

Elrick needed to rest a few days to let his wounds heal, so that presented an opportunity for Ab Siddy to go herb-hunting. So he and Art left Kinsale and headed north into the wilderness to search.

Mon 7-Jul

Ab found two batches of healing herbs.


Tue 8-Jul, New Moon

Ab found one batch of healing herbs and one of love.

Wed 9-Jul

Back in Kinsale, Ab stewed up the herbs in a cauldron to make four potions (3 Heal, 1 Love). Herbs distilled into potion form was the best way to preserve their magic [ -1 per week ]. Trying to preserve the herbs by drying degrades faster [ -2+ per week ]. Or doing nothing was even worse [ -3 per week ].

Witch-finder's Coach

That same day, the Witch-finder's iron coach arrived at Kinsale. It was assumed that the Witch-finder lost the Pig Peeker connection when the skull was smashed a few days ago, so had left Corke for Kinsale. He had a compliment of heavily-armed soldiers.

He summoned Sister Margaret to report her progress, and was not at all impressed when she admitted she didn't know where Ab was.

She surreptitiously tried her witch-finding stick in his vicinity. His heavy iron coach went off the scale, but he himself did not register at all.

And More Outlaws

Wed 2-Jul-1603 (22-Jun)

Sister Margaret Orleans [Charlotte]

The whole group was still staying in the Docks Lookout Inn (Thomas [Kevin], Roma [Chris], Elrick [Ian], Sean [Shane], Baron [Deacon] and his wife Orla, plus Eileen, and Brigid). Art was still wounded. And Ab Siddy [Darryl] was still staying in the TTTT cart in the Inn stables. Roma was no where to be seen.

They now had a new member in the group, Sister Margaret Orleans [Charlotte], who was a nun on retainer to the Witch-finder. She was here, at the behest of the Witch-finder, to find the witches Ab Siddy and Roma. Ab Siddy was surreptitiously told about this, so he stayed well clear, and out of Margaret's sight.

Joseph Hildenhall [Chris]

Roma was still no where to be seen.

Thomas met up with an old friend, a fellow thespian from London, called Joseph Thaddeus Hildenhall [Chris's new character]. Joseph was a tall solid, stolid handsome chap, but with many scars and missing pieces (ear tip, half a finger, tongue-tip, septum, foreskin). His forte was shooting and sword play, plus he could actually read. Now the group had two members who could read - Sister Margaret being the other one.

Art had been given an official-looking document by the Witch-finder. He knew that it had his name on it, but he could not read the rest. So, he showed it to Margaret. It was a warrant for Art Bowman's arrest "for AWOL" from the Baltimore Barracks, signed by Captain Carmichael. It was also a warrant for Baron Bliss's arrest "for Treason". In both cases: "Use of excessive and indiscriminate force approved."

"Best not let the English soldiers see that," warned Margaret.

Thu 3-Jul

A peaceful night.

Around noon, Art was healed well enough to leave his sick bed. So the group decided that they were leaving Corke; there were some malcontents in Fallis that needed contenting.

Ab Siddy hid under the bench seat of the wagon, to avoid the prying eyes of Sister Margaret. Joseph sat on the seat over his position and had to take the blame for the foul stench emanating from beneath him.

Eau de Siddy

"Did something die?" quipped Baron. "Smells like a dead cat."

When the TTTT wagon got to the South Gate of Corke, the gate guards gave them an honour-guard as they left through the gate.

After an hour or two, they arrived at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. This was convent that Tess was staying at, and was also Sister Margaret's "home" convent.

Mother Superior there insisted on a Full Mass and prayer session. She freely used her cane to enforce attendance and behaviour.

Fri 4-Jul

A peaceful night passed; the TTTT camped in the convent grounds.

They left in the morning. It would be an easy day's travel to make Bandon bridge.

They met an English patrol on the road who knew the TTTT, and waved them through. The sergeant did warn them of outlaw activity.

They passed through Killrea (where Deacon was married) before noon, and didn't stop.

Halfway through the afternoon, the eagle eyes of Sean and Baron spotted a suspicious group of eight shadowing the cart off to the east side. The road was curving in that direction, so they suspected an ambush.

The best sneakers, camouflaged Ab, Sean and Elrick, circled around and got behind the eight, and their ambush position. Then opened fire.

There was a short battle; three of the ambushers were killed (two in cold blood), two were severely wounded and unconscious, and two were captured. Elrick and Sean received one wound [day to heal] each.

Unfortunately, it turned out that this eight were O'Neill rebels, under Catriona.

"... Then why'd you attack us?" said Art.

"YOU shot first! We were about to make demands when you shot," protested one of the captives.

Sister Margaret was hiding in the wagon, with the other women, throughout the whole battle, and keeping her head down. Now that the fighting had stopped, she emerged. It was at this stage that Ab decided to reveal himself to her. She confronted the ugly witch, and he promised to voluntarily return to the Witch-finder "when next in Corke".

Joseph was relieved; he no longer need to take the blame for being the source of the dead cat smell.

Interview with the Witch-finder

Sat 28-Jun-1603 (18-Jun)

The whole group was in the Docks Lookout Inn (Thomas [Kevin], Roma [Chris], Elrick [Ian], Sean [Shane], Baron [Deacon] and his wife Orla, Eileen, and Brigid, and the wounded Art [Jeff].) Ab Siddy [Darryl] was staying in the TTTT cart in the stables.

Art was still badly wounded from the Fallis outlaws attack of two days' ago, so the plan was for the group to stay in Corke to heal him back to 100%. This would take a week. [ scratch=15mins; wound=1 day; severe wound=1 week ]

Colonel Cholmondeley

Esther told the group that a man from the Witch-finder had been asking about them.

Later that day, some soldiers arrived from the New Fort. Colonel Cholmondeley (commander of the English forces in Corke), had invited Sean for luncheon. So, encouraged by the group to get info on the Witch-finder, Sean reluctantly went with them.

It was a sordid meal, but between gropes, fondles and unwelcome forays to his nether regions, Sean quizzed the Colonel and his adjutants about the military's connection to the Witch-finder. The Witch-finder and his soldiers were under tacit control the Church, so there was not much interaction between the groups. The Witch-finder was formerly with the Catholics, but after the Henry VIII schism, and like the Archbishop of Armagh, he managed to straddle the religious fence and represent both the Church of Ireland and the Catholics: "Witches come in all flavours" Galatians 5:20.

Sean politely declined the offer for a massage and a lavender bath.

Sun 29-Jun

It was a quiet night.

At mid-morning, another patrol of English soldiers came for Sean again; another luncheon invitation. Esther met them this time, and Sean managed to avoid them seeing him, but they were most insistent that, when Sean turned up, that he was to report to the Colonel.

Sean got Esther to teach him how to swim. His plan was to get out of Corke and away from the handsy Colonel, so he jumped into the Lee, next to the Inn wharf, and used his new swim skills in an attempt to swim for the Water gate. But, like the futile attempt by Art a few weeks ago, it was a sad and pathetic attempt indeed; he managed three feeble strokes before he started flailing and breathing water. He grabbed hold of the wharf ladder, coughing and spluttering, and pulled himself up.

Then, with gritty tenacity, he made one further attempt; but this was even worse. Esther was watching the drowning fiasco with growing concern (or was it contempt?); she had to fish him out with a boat-hook.

So, Sean took some of his share of the party funds, about five shillings [$6000 in today's money], and sought out one of the Corke whore houses. Here, he spent up large to be entertained and, more importantly, housed by the ladies. This would keep him away from the prying eyes of the Colonel's soldiers

Around midday, two different soldiers came into the inn. They were dressed in the grey and white livery of the Witch-finder. They went to the counter where Esther was on duty.

"Looking for the TTTT. They are staying here?"

Esther glanced over at Elrick and Eileen, then back to the soldiers.

"Yes, but they are all out."

"I see. Tell them his lordship wants to see them," one muttered. He added: "And they better not to leave town." Then they left.

Roma's rubbish trinkets

Later on in the day, Roma noticed that there were new Witch-finder guards at the two Corke road gates. And even one stationed by the Water gate.

So Roma set up a stall (cost one shilling) selling pikey rubbish trinkets on the street near the entrance to the Witch-finder's tower, so that he could keep a weather-eye eye on the place. This was a tall black imposing building near the South gate.

Mon 30-Jun

It was a quiet night.

Roma left first light to get back to his stall near the Witch-finder's tower. Just as he arrived, a squad of eight soldiers in Witch-finder livery, heavily armed, came jogging down the road and rushed past him. Roma carefully followed them.

The soldiers burst into the Docks Lookout Inn, at all three doors, and into the stables, simultaneously. They first rounded up the half-awake Elrick and Thomas, and broke down Art's door and hauled him out of his sick bed. And grabbed Baron, too, from his bridal suite and startled wife Orla.

They were led by a Captain Henri of French descent: "Heez Lordsheep wants a word."

Ab Siddy slept in the TTTT wagon in the stables. When the soldiers burst in, he used his Camouflage ability, and scurried up into the rafters.

stocks

The soldiers hauled the four off to the Witch-finder's tower, and hitched up the TTTT wagon and took it too.

At the Witch-finder's residence, they were summarily beaten, then put in standing stocks and left for a couple of hours, bent over.

Captain Henri and some of the guards idly questioned them, asking about the rest of the group.

A bit later, the room went cold. A figure in a black robe drifted in. This was the Witch-finder himself.

He started with Thomas, but was more interested in the exploits of the TTTT than serious questions. Apparently, he had been to a show. He finished with "Why do we hold an Englishman?"

So, Thomas was released.

The Witch-finder (Corke Tourism Board)

Next was honest Elrick. A few questions later, Erick was released.

The Witch-finder was looking for Ab Siddy and Roma, of course, the two witches who murdered little boys in Baltimore, and used their blood for witchcraft and deviltry.

He seemed to know all about Art's AWOL, and of Baron's connection with the Baltimore soldiers. Baron was originally tasked from Captain Carmichael of the Baltimore barracks to catch up to the group, and then report them to Sergeant Ken Tucky at Bandon Bridge. Apparently, Carmichael was even more furious about this treachery than Art's AWOL. Art would be flogged for his crimes, but Baron was scheduled to be hanged. But, the Witch-finder was not connected with the military, so he wasn't going to turn them over.

He was also interested in the party's encounters and experience with the sidhe.

Art and Baron were housed in the "Apartment" for the night. This was a cell, of course, but it did have a pallet bed. The Witch-finder had a nun on retainer: Sister Margaret. She fed the two prisoners a watery gruel, and tended their bruises and wounds from the severe beatings.

Tue 1-Jul

An hour after dawn, Captain Henri went into the cell. He told Art and Baron that the Witch-finder had decided to let them go (had the Colonel interceded after all?), but would be sending Sister Margaret to travel and stay with the group. Her mission was to find any sign of the witches Ab and Roma, and would report regularly. Should she go missing, it would not go down well. Besides, who would dare to harm a nun?

The TTTT wagon (and horses) was returned too, but it had been gone over with a fine-tooth comb, the Pig Peeker and the Spanish snaphance muskets had been confiscated.

Sean returned from the whores with one doxy in tow, which he had hired to be his wife. Accompanied with this new "wife", Sean went and saw the Colonel for luncheon. The presence of the girl certainly helped parry the Colonel's strongest and most insistent advances, and Sean had a delicious lunch; it only cost a few well-meaning gropes. This helped to ameliorate the Colonel's interest in Sean.