2024-04-03 - The Swimming Jewel Report
General Summary
After a "successful" excursion to Glyth the crew of Blackthorns Wyvern return to Bral to finish off their inaugural contract. Max bids the crew a fare well and informs them to check back in with him at the end of a 10 day to see if they wanted to sign on for another voyage. After being paid out the crew started to hang around the Laughing Beholder and enjoy their gains. Tause strolled in flanked by some no nonsense drow and confronted the team on their failure to deliver the weapons as they were paid to do. After enjoying their sputtering he lets them off the hook, informing them that Lord Uxrisix had a special job for them, and he would like to meet them on the Alabaster Garden, a well known den of inequity. Parting he slides a card to the team emblazoned with a stylized silver scorpion, the calling card of the Luridae Collective an interstellar crime family.
The crew, deciding that they were in enough hot water with a crime lord decided to hire dwarf free trader named Addrus Coldrock to ferry them around. "Bob" as Tor'vay-nel decided to name Addrus happily took their gold and piloted the crew to the current location of the Garden, a mobile conglomeration of large ships haphazardly bolted together to form the drug den, gambling parlor, brothel, and what ever else is done there. Checking in the crew is met by a female drow who introduced herself as Torqa, who guided them through the main hall past all manor of sentients partaking in the activities of the garden. Opening the door they are greeted by non other than Lord Uxrisix himself. Sitting the crew down he explains that he has received word that a branch of the research arm of HAMMER has had a breakthrough in extra dimensional space, and has the ability to create "Holds of Holding" that can double the capacity of any ship they're installed on. The department was lead by Cordelia Glass, a Kalistrocrat who was overseeing it as a way to protect the cult's whale treasure barges by hiding in plain sight. He wants to hire the crew to steal this ship so he can sell it to the Arcane and democratize the tech, something he fears HAMMER will not do. Revealing where the prototype ship is being built, on a orbital ship works called the Tir Geal Plate, he details his plan for the crew to infiltrate the plate, steal the ship, and then once he has word of their success he would Sending them a place to meet Torqa and make the hand off. Normally access to the plate is restricted to the shipping firms using their shipyards, but Tor's familial connections to HAMMER can get them access, though he doesn't know what facility the ship is in. The crew leaves and arranges with "Bob" to take them to the plate and to be on call for pickup when they make the handoff.
Once they arrive on plate they are treated like the VIP's they are pretending to be. They are apportioned a suite that for all intents and purposes was a 4 bedroom apartment. Enjoying the luxury for a short time they requisitioned a guided tour from the authorities that run the plate, where they are bored with the minutia and gossip of their tour guide. One thing of note did happen on the tour, the crew overheard an important looking woman and a Giff walking down the street, discussing the completion of something early and the celebratory furlough as reward for the long hours completing the project. The two were seen ducking into what looked like a secure facility with the HAMMER logo on the door. The next day the crew decided to stake out the door, and after no one came or went for most of the day they figured this must be the place.
Breaking in was not easy, straining Kurag's lock picking skills. Once through they could hear someone whistling while they mopped, and Ah-tun and Kurag snuck up on the poor Kobold janitor and knocked him out, much to Kurag's dismay. Exploring the building they find offices from assorted craftsmen and artificers, drawings and schematics, A research library, and a fully stocked kitchen. Things were quiet until Tor got ahead of the crew, triggering the buildings animated armor defenses. The commotion roused the Giff head of security, Salvatore Sabersmith. A run and gun battle began, with Ah-tun and Kurag ganging up on one of the armors, but with Sal peppering the crew from range Ah-tun left both the armors for Kurag to deal with and gave chase. Kurag made quick work of the first armor, but the second landed a lucky blow that dropped the goblin before turning it's attention to Tor. For her part, Tor's instinct towards healing instructed Gadget to superheat one of it's pokey legs and use it to cauterize Kurag's wounds. With a yelp of pain the goblin was back up and finished off the second armor. Ah-Tun giving chase could not manage to find a pressure point on the Giff so with some quick acrobatics he cut off Sal's retreat. Kurage seeing an opening rushed in to take advantage of the distracted foe landing a kidney shot. Senyo seeing that Kurag was still heartily wounded rushed in to administer an elixir of life, alchemy staunching the bleeding and closing wounds. Sal realizing he was cornered and knowing he had to do something to turn the tables, packed a double load into his musket and belched a blast of flame at the wounded goblin and skinny mage. Kurag's lightning like reflexes dodged out of the point blank blast completely, leaving Senyo to take it full in the face and blowing poor Enki to bits. Ah-Tun gave the Giff the ol' Judo chop and Sal fell in a heap unconscious at their feet. While healing people and tying the Giff and Kobold together the crew had a spirited argument with Kurag over the wisdom of leaving witnesses alive, and while he did relent this time he did simmer over it. In a hanger connected to what looked like an magic assembly plant, the crew found a Tradesman class ship, painted white with red sails. The Kohaku. Inspecting it they did find that the ship has two extradimensional holds, so they figured out how to open the roof and made off with the ship, sort of.
It seams no one really knew how to sail.
They took the ship to the handoff in a drow asteroid hideout, where Torqa is waiting. She invites the crew down to a meal where the crew tries to renegotiate the fee. Kurag boiling over starts negotiations with a thrown knife at Torqa. The flabbergasted crew tries to smooth things over but the pretense of diplomacy sheds quickly into an all out brawl. 3 dead drow later and the crew find themselves in possession of a very special ship and on the run, so they head to Peatbog, a known pirate enclave at the edge of the sphere.
Rewards Granted
Loot
MachetteFlintlock Musket w/ reinforced Stock
Breastplate
Frost Vial Lsr
Leather Armor x3
Healers Toolkit
lixir of Life (Minor) x2
Model of the Kohaku
Scroll of Charitable Urge
Powderhorn
Firearm Kit
Elven Curved Blade
Hand Crossbow x3
Chain Mail
Rapier x2
Lethergy Poison x7
