GM: Sean Nittner
Players: Eric Fattig, Adrienne Mueller, and Karen Twelves
System: Blades ’68
The long awaited score was upon us. The Dirt Barons were going after Bowman and they were starting the score in a desperate situation.
The meet
Bowman pushed the door open of the Bellmont and a familiar bell chimed. Across the cafe Little Gallo and Paulo sat at a table for four, steam wafting off a tiny cup of espresso awaiting him. The snap of fingers from a beat poet percussed through the room.
The Palace agent looked up at the light fixture above him for a long moment, then shrugged and walked towards the Barons. As he stepped up to the table a whisper quiet dart stuck in his neck and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Twenty patrons stood up and pulled guns from inside coats, under newspapers, or from handbags. Most were trained on Little Gallo and Paulo, but a few of them walked through the room, studying the ceiling to find the shooter.
Three days before the meet
Nav reached out to her rival and Palace connection Bowman with a cryptic offer. The Barons had information and would give it to him in person at the Bellmont Cafe. The arranged a back table with a bit of privacy for the meeting to happen and filled the Bellmont with friends of the crew that would back them up [+2 faction status with Silkshore Citizens]
24 hours before the meet
Palace agents bribed, intimidated, and coerced the people of Silkshore to work for them. 15 would be armed with the instructions to apprehend the Dirt Barons the moment a man (who they all received pictures of) fell down. They were briefed that it would probably be shortly after he entered the building. Five additional Palace agents, wearing synthetic skin disguises, joined them as oversight and to ensure that skilled operatives were close at hand.
Eight hours before the meet
Aiz and Sevra Siketset (Nav’s parents) arrived in Gaddoc Monorail. They used the encrypted transmission codes to contact the Anixis Field Unit (AFU) for an update on the missing Iruvian dignitary S’rata Anixis, AKA Dust. The agent on duty was Lenaya, who took note that they conspicuously did not ask about Nav’s activities, as they usually would.
Four hours before the meet
Very early that morning, well before the cafe opened Nav left the Velvet Veil, dodging her Palace tail, but running into Leneya, who informed her of her parent’s presence and their conspicuous avoidance. Nav didn’t have time to consider the implications, she had a job to do.
She got to the Bellmont before it opened and worked her way into the ceiling above the door, shifting a light figure to to give her vantage of the table. She loaded tranq darts into her rifle and waited…
15 minutes before the meet
Little Gallo entered the cafe full of confidence and swagger. He didn’t notice people averting their eyes or giving sullen, event apologetic looks. Paolo was behind him and knew something was wrong but there was no going back now. They got their table in the back and sipped expresso from tiny chipped cups as they waited…
Five seconds before the meet
As soon as Bowman was in Nav’s sights she fired a tranquilizer dart into his neck, the door opened once more as Baine walked him, clocking that Nav in the ceiling instead of at the table was Contingency Plan C.
A desperate situation
Little Gallo jumped into action “someone help us, this man has just fallen over. He must have had a heart attack.” He swiped the dart from Bowman’s but noticed his body was warm, sweat beading on his neck. Resonance Val was sitting in the cafe, nodding approvingly at his little brother’s swift moves, though it looked like the echo had gotten into a fight with a resonance brick wall. His swollen eye looked worse than the real Val!
Baine stepped up, unconvinced. She didn’t see the dart, but she knew it was there “So, you’re telling me a Palace Agent just fell over, all on his own?” The armed cafe patrons looked uneasy. Some wanting to back off, some afraid that if the didn’t shoot, their lives would be ruined. A few, those with shotguns instead of pistols seemed calm and collected. One of them had something strange on his face, some of the skin around his eye seemed to peel away. [Mixed Success on the Desperate Finesse. 3 of 4 ticks, resisted down to 2 on the “Bullets Fly” clock].
Paolo slowly, loudly, slid the espresso cup across the table, letting the sound of ceramic scraping on linoleum fill up the room. The beat poetry subsided with final “Damn,” He gave an inviting look to Baine and gestured her to sit with them. “Perhaps we can still have have a pleasant conversation if you can ask some of these people to put their guns down?” She agree, on the condition that she got to talk to all of the Dirt Barons (poor Delta wasn’t even considered). After a moment Nav removed the celling panel and swung down, sniper rifle on her back. [Mixed Success on Risky Sway].
Baine made a gesture and fifteen of the patrons, those with pistols, put theirs away, most of them relieved. The five patrons with shotguns kept theirs at the ready. Nav studied the one who’s skin was peeling. Despite the tension she got right up close and realized they were wearing disguises, just as fine, in fact even better than her own. Rich assholes. [Failure on Controlled Study. Pushed to try again. Success on a Risky Study].
Of the few patron who were just there to have a coffee and a pastry, Paulo mimicked Baine’s dismissive gesture and they all bolted from the cafe, beat poet included!
The four sat in some measure of peace and talked, but they didn’t have what Baine, or rather Bowman wanted. Little Gallo kept noticing the heat coming from Bowman’s body and was seriously concerned that he wasn’t well so they tried to speed things up. Nav however insisted that Baine say out loud what she wanted and chastised Baine for putting citizens in danger.
Baine rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You’re such a pain in our asses Nav. You make everything hard. Fine. We want the dusty old book that has a ‘magic spell’ (said with obvious sarcasm) that will send Strangers back to their realm. Do you have it?”
Things go boom
No, they didn’t have it and Nav didn’t want to get it form Shadow tentacle Castelle Fane. But what they did have was a stun grenade rigged to the entrance with a wire that Paolo had his finger on, and another outside that Geraldine (who had been impersonating a street sweeper and enjoying getting back to her old task) threw. BOOM. BOOM. [Success on a Group Desperate Prowl to run out the back of the building, with Bowman in hand, as everyone else reeled from the surprise of the explosion].
Gunshots were fired but everyone was too blinded to aim. The Barons threw Bowman into Paolo’s car (Salvation) and Nav and Little Gallo jumped into his car (Lola) and tore off for mirror house.
The chase, the assassin, and the anomoly
The peeled out and were immediately chased by six Palace autopods (three each). They split up to get them off their tail and the action and adventure ensued.
Thistle, who had been hiding behind the passenger seat of Lola, wrapped her garotte around Nav’s neck, and would have choked her (possibly to death) if Nav hadn’t noticed her appear in the rear view mirror and Little Gallo slammed the breaks. [Resisting Level 2 Harm and being choked].
Little Gallo gunned it, swerving between traffic to evade the Palace autopods.
Just before being attacked, Nav was calling Paolo on the RF handset asking him to check if Bowman was really Bowman, or someone else wearing a disguise. Paolo pulled at his skin, and it slid away. As he looked in horror, a fourth Palace car cut hm off and he swerved out of the way, crashing Salvation into a fire hydrant and breaking the axel [Failure on Desperate Finesse. Broken Harm for Salvation]. Except it didn’t. Paolo had been time looping, stuttering in time and having to redo things again [Level 2 Harm: Time Looping that he got from the deathlands anomaly]. Focusing on his House Rowan signet had helped him stay in the now, but he wondered, could it also help him create a time loop as well so he didn’t crash and he didn’t know Bowman was a fake… [Success on Desperate Attune].
Thistle, who had been hiding behind the passenger seat of Lola, wrapped her garotte around Nav’s neck, and would have choked her (possibly to death) if Nav hadn’t felt a sense of deja vu and knew put her hand in front of her neck as Little Gallo slammed the breaks [Resisting Level 2 Harm and being choked at no stress cost]
Just before being attacked, Nav was calling Paolo on the RF handset asking him to check something, but he was too distracted to listen, a fourth Palace car cut hm off and he swerved out of the way, scraping against a fire hydrant and crunching the steel of Salvation, but barely able to slip away [Impaired Harm for Salvation. Adding ticks to both Paolo escape and Paulo gets caught clocks].
Nav shot Thistle with a tranquilizer dart but the chemicals had no effect on her biology. Fuck, another hollow.
Thistle whipped her garotte around the wheel and jerked to the right sending Lola crashing into a building, but Little Gallo fought back. He twisted with all his might, avoiding the crash, though scraping his beautiful paint job and losing a mirror [Resisting the damage down to Weak] and pulled the release on his seat adjuster, slamming it back to pin Thistle [Success on a Risky Skirmish]
Paolo knew the delivery schedule of every Silkshore merchant and led the Palace down a alley that opened into a busy street where he darted Salvation around Hank’s delivery truck. He could have timed it so the agents would crash their car into it, but he couldn’t betray the friendship of another local, especially a Hank shouted “Hey Paolo, how’s it going?” [Refused a -1 faction status with Silkshore Devil’s Bargain]. Thankfully the ruse work and het got some distance [Success on a Risky Finesse]
Thistle grabbed Nav’s arm and tried to break it but she slipped free [Resisting Level 3 Harm] and powered up her Electro-Blade: [A broad, heavy blade with a plasmoleum-powered device built into the hilt. If the sharpened edge doesn’t finish them, the explosive release of electricity will. 2 load.] and cut at Thistle’s throat. Thick dark ichor oozed from it, but the the agent was undeterred.
Little Gallo was bursting out of a alley when a Palace car sprayed a shower of caltrops on the street, ready to take out his tires. He narrowly careened around them. [Adding ticks to the escape clock]
Paolo got on the B4 and decided to show the agents what Salvation was built for…speed! [Also adding ticks to the clock, but they were working on still hot on his heels]
Thistle, ichor gurgling from her throat, grabbed Nav’s wrist and with inhuman strength turned the blade not against her, but into Little Gallo. Nav, with a twisted arm, narrowly angled the blade away from Little Gallo [Resisting Level 3 Harm down to Level 2] just as he raised his arm in defense and, almost by accident, put the heavy wrist watch he wore to gain attention between the blade [Using Armor to negate the rest].
Little Gallo, tried to break free and cross the Candle Street Bridge into the Charterhall, but like their very first score, a blockade was set, and forced him to double back and take the Cinder instead. [Failed Risky Finesse].
With incredible strain [Wetwork ability] Nav shifted her grip on the blade, turned it back, and cut of Thistles head completely. Dark ichor gurgled forth but the hollow did not stop fighting! [Success at Desperate Skirmish]
Paolo broke free of his pursuers only to see they had called in reinforcements ahead. He slammed his breaks to a halt as agency cars pinned him into place. Paulo stared an agent in the eyes through is cracked windshield and put a gun to faux Bowman’s temple, but neither of them knew he was wrong, and the junior palace agent let them go! [Success on a Desperate Command roll]. Paolo got free, but an airship was launched and he saw spotlights ahead. His safety was temporary at best [Escape clock filled].
Thistle (headless) grabbed Nav and threw her out the window, but Nav would not let go and she took the hollow assassin with her [Devil’s Bargain on a Resistance Roll: don’t resist being throw out, take level 2 Harm, and take her with you!], They both tumbled to the ground behind Lola, and both stood to keep fighting (Thistles head still in Lola)
Little Gallo could have gotten away clean then. He saw the agents coming up fast behind them but he didn’t care. He screeched the car into a tight U-turn, came back for Nav and hit Thistle dead on, sending her flying. [Success on Risky Wreck]. Because he turned around the agents were now upon him. [3 of 4 ticks on the capture clock].
We meet again
Nav picked up the head of Thistle (that had come rolling out of Little Gallo’ car) put a grenade in its mouth and chucked it at the nearest Palace autopod. Because her arm was strained, she missed the mark but the head still exploded [Failure on a Risky Wreck]. The cars stopped agents piled out training guns on Nav!
Little Gallo punched it into reverse just as Nav jumped onto the hood of his car [Wetwork ability] and drove backwards up the hill only to see Baine standing at the top of it. The agents opened fire and riddled Lola with bullets but he didn’t lose his nerve. He sped up and at the last minute swerved so he wouldn’t hit Baine as they flew past her (with both Nav and Baine exchanging shots at each other!). [Success at a Desperate Finesse]. Just as they crested the hill they could see the body of Thistle that had started moving again towards them finally falter and drop to the ground with a thud.
The got away…for now!
Thoughts on the game
That was a tough score and it’s not even over. They still need to get Bowman (faux or otherwise) to the Blue Baths and the real Bowman is still in play. That feels about right for a 11 Stack (and 11 Scope) score against a Tier 5 faction that has an entire murder board dedicated to the barons. I ran it like a cross between a normal score and a raid. The palace wasn’t a passive target playing defensive. They want something as well…and that something is Nav!
We had a deadlock in the game. Paulo went from Competitive to Cheater.
At one point in the cafe Nav accused Baine of using Dunvil’s assassin hollows just to force her to confirm or deny it. Baine responded “He’s not the only one who has dead assassins.”
Excited to see what happens next session.
