Azimuth 2 - Session 15 - Snakes and Smokescreens
General Summary
Porgorag
Voltha's Walk
Gertrude finished reading The Time the Eight Dragons Had Tea, which she seemed to really enjoy. She returned the copy to Trawlana and asked for a signed copy when it was complete. The group finished their shopping and left Pages for Ages and Voltha’s Walk, and they made their way back to the Darksteel Foundry.Darksteel Foundry
At the Foundry, they regrouped with Romsca. She gave the crafted arrows she completed to Arwin. In return, he gave her the two platinum rings he purchased. He said, “Think of it as a forward advance on future projects.” Romsca was wearing a newly crafted set of armor. Chaka admired it and asked about Darksteel. He wanted a bracelet of the material and Romsca offered to make her one in their downtime. She said she was taught this skill by Kororsh, and Chaka shared they met him at his shop. Captain Ruslan asked if they were ready to go. Romsca said they still had things to accomplish, and she was tired. She suggested they leave in the morning, and Ruslan agreed. There were still a few hours before the meeting with Coinguard Gim Gorod, so they took the time to prepare. Romsca felt too noticeable with the shade of her fur. She grabbed a set of clothes from her home, and Chaka helped disguise her using body paint and clay. Romsca instructed Chaka on the desired look as he applied the color, sharing some of the red dye she used with Chaka. Demitri also felt too recognizable. Mortimr used some clay from Chaka to help Demitri forge fake tusks. With the tusks and his newly purchased cloak, Demitri felt sufficiently disguised. Meanwhile, Arwin apologized to Romulus for not taking care of it at the shop, and asked to purchase the Rope of Mending off him. Romulus agreed, and he then crafted it into a binding arrow. He used the arils from the Yew Tree to make a basic poison arrow, as well. Gertrude meditated during this time. As she did, she felt that her connection to Chedae, The Heaven's Light, was a little fainter. This worried her, and she fiddled with the gold chain in her hair. As they prepared to leave, Romsca said she could help Mortimr with his upcoming conversation. The catch was he would need to join her faith. He passed on the idea, saying, “I don’t buy into it.” Romsca understood and said she’d be there to help protect him either way.Glistening Hog Tavern
In the evening, they returned to the Glistening Hog Tavern, and they began to prepare for the Coinguard. Arwin, Ilmendwyth, and Chaka remained outside. Arwin shared some of the crafted bullhead arrows with Ilmendwyth, and they took positions on the rooftops on either side of the tavern. Chaka blended into the crowd in Second Square, and while waiting, he looked around at the vendor stalls. Romsca and Gertrude took positions in the main floor of the tavern. Disguised, Romsca sat at a table near the stairs with her back to the doorway. Gertrude asked the owner, Bradzakk, to let her into the kitchens, and she offered her help serving drinks in the interim. Mortimr explained what their plan was to Bradzakk and asked what rooms were available to use. As the discussion of pricing came up, Watchguard Inzun asked to use her "usual room." Mortimr instructed Bradzakk to tell Gim Gorod he and Meena were waiting for him in the rented room. Mortimr and Inzun set up in the room with Inzun hidden in the closet. Romulus joined them, and he transformed into a large snake and hid beneath the bed. At the same time, Demitri rented the room two doors down. In the room, Mortimr poured a glass of wine, and the group waited. The stated time came. No one saw the coinguard come in at all, but looking around, Romsca saw Kororsh at a table with an armored figure. Looking more closely, Romsca could tell based on the behavior this was not the real Kororsh and seemed to be a disguised Gim Gorod. Casually, Romsca moved upstairs and told Demitri and Mortimr what she saw. She then went to Bradzakk and informed him to give the message to the fake Kororsh instead. The barkeep delivered the message, and the fake Kororsh headed upstairs with the armored companion. As they approached Mortimr’s room, Romsca began to follow, and Demitri peeked down the hall. Meanwhile, more and more patrons started making their way into the tavern. They were seemingly less well-off individuals from Westfield, and they were all holding small coin purses.The Coinguard
Mortimr heard a knock as the door, and in came the disguised Gim Gorod and his bodyguard. The bodyguard was the same orc previously stationed at the Coinguard’s Residence. He confirmed that Mortimr was the gnome that left the letter. Mortimr commented about the disguise, and Gorod brushed it aside. Mortimr asked if Gorod knew him, saying, “I’m who they send when things get bungled.” The coinguard felt everything was in hand, but Mortimr chastised him for not getting the package “into Trader’s hands” as the note had said. Gim Gorod said the package was “unmoving in the Hands of Ore facility.” The coinguard blamed Azariel for the short timeframe with no assistance, saying Nabat would have been more patient. Mortimr repeated the line from the note, “Nabat is gone.” Gorod said he had yet to hear why. It had been months since he last saw Nabat, and he asked what “they” may have gotten up to. Mortimr had revealed some hidden information at this point, and the coinguard apologized for being curt. Mortimr suggested Gorod drop the disguise, but he denied, saying there were a lot of eyes and “I never trust that I’m alone.” Mortimr handed a glass of wine to the coinguard, who took it but did not drink. While the conversation continued, Romsca and Demitri approached the door. Outside, Ilmendwyth could see the conversation through the window. Arwin messaged Ilmendwyth, and he shared what he was seeing. Outside, Chaka purchased a large sum of food and entered the tavern, trying to call the civilians out of the tavern. Mortimr mentioned the reports the oknar had received. Mortimr chastised Gorod for his lack of discretion and being noticed around town, and said he needed to figure out how far Gorod’s “bungle” had gone. Gorod said the oknar was of no concern and the package was stuck at the Darksteel Foundry. Mortimr said it was not, and he had done Gorod’s job and secured it already. Gorod said that if he did, he’d already be on the way back to the capital. He also said he had transportation ready to bring Mortimr to the capital. When Mortimr denied this, Gorod said that left two options, saying, “Either you’re here to kill me, in which case why would you be wasting time talking […], or you need something from me, so let us be straight with one another.” Gorod displayed a sense of loyalty to Nabat as they talked. Though there was a fear of Azariel, Gorod seemed secure in his position. He said, “I think Azariel needs every man he can get his hands on from Nabat’s organization.” He indicated they did not have a lot of resources in Porgorag, saying it was “just me”. Gorod said, at Azariel’s direction, he had to suddenly undo the months of work Nabat allowed him to do in a span of just days and weeks. He derided being kept out of the loop on major organizational changes with Nabat gone. During the conversation, Gorod did identify himself as a Tarterian Trader mole. He also admitted to tying up the carriages in town through arranged favors and coin. However, he did say it was very strange that something so important was suddenly being sent along with the aid caravan. He did not know what was inside the package, but said the genasi seemed to have fucked things up all on their own. Gorod then brought up Moritmr’s “colorful group of outsiders” making waves in town. He said Mortimr came here acting like Azariel’s man, but was not behaving in any way he expected. Directly, Gorod asked Mortimr if he knew the name of their organization. Mortimr ignored the question. The trust was broken and Gorod became cagey. Mortimr tried to gain control of the conversation again, and he threatened Meena.Bar Fight
After Mortimr threatened Meena, the coinguard tossed a smoke bomb into the room, filling it with heavy black smoke. He tried to flee. Romulus’s snake form could see despite the obscuring smoke, and he attacked Gorod as he ran into the hallway. Romsca and Demitri were enveloped in the cloud, and Demitri felt someone barrel past him. In the room below, a patron saw the smoke and yelled, “Fire!” and the crowd began to panic. In the room, Mortimr put out his cigarette and put on his mask while Inzun kicked open the closet door. She and Mortimr were left with the bodyguard in the thick smoke. The smoke prevented them all from seeing much, but the bodyguard was in the doorway as they tried to push past him, and in the melee, Mortimr hit Inzun accidentally with a spell. Outside, Ilmendwyth’s line of sight was cut off as smoke filled the room. He moved to the roof nearest the entrance. Chaka opened the doors and tried to draw the crowd out. Chaka messaged Ilmendwyth and learned Gorod was disguised as Kororsh. On the opposite side, Arwin positioned himself, ready to shoot down as people started pouring into the alley. Inside, Romsca yelled, “He’s running!” and jumped to the lower level. Gertrude rushed out from the kitchen and started trying to direct the crowd calmly out the doors, and they both started moving to block the exits for Gorod. Romulus bit hard into the coinguard, who broke away and ran along the balcony. Demitri rushed out of the smoke and tackled Gorod to the ground as Romulus attacked again. He was knocked unconscious and the pair held him down. Romulus reverted back to his minotaur form and removed the hidden Hat of Disguise, revealing the bloodied form of the coinguard. Romsca saw and yelled out, “We have him!” She called for the bodyguard above to surrender. Hearing this, the bodyguard left the room and exited the smoke cloud. As he saw Gorod captured, he tried to flee, jumping hard down to the lower level. Gertrude moved to intercept, and Romsca tackled him. With a spell, Mortimr crafted an illusion of a demon, and Romsca and Mortimr intimidated the orc into a cowering surrender. While the chaos died down, Chaka saw approaching guards from the street. Demitri messaged Arwin to inform him what happened. Then, he searched the coinguard, finding some coins and a golden key. Inzun came out as the smoke dissipated. She congratulated them on an effective takedown. She asked if they found anything, and Romulus gave her the Hat of Disguise as evidence. Demitri showed her the key, and Inzun suggested they hang onto it. She mentioned his “private investigator friend” could maybe make use of it. She threw the coinguard over her shoulder and went down to the main level. Romsca approached and healed Inzun, who thanked her, saying, “Thanks, cutie.” As the guards entered and saw the scene, Inzun called out to them. She directed them to take custody of the coinguard and his bodyguard, and with them in tow, left the tavern.
Report Date
08 Mar 2023
Primary Location
Related Characters
3 Adroth 5A 352