Codneame: Sleeping Alley, Report the Twelfth
General Summary
We met the Alley Sleepers in the clenched molar of danger, pondering next moves. The onus for the operation of their Brass Lamb cell is now squarely on their shoulders. There was much conversation as to what exactly this means for the Sleepers and for The Ivory Bee. After some general discussion, Hama vu Farlight just came right out and said it--his purpose is to follow Gnet and Gnet wants Hama to tie his destiny to Rieta, so that's what he's going to do. Hama + Reita 4 Lyfe. Or, at least until Gnet appears and Hama can go back home. Rieta, in turn, is going to get more involved in whatever power plays are happening with Deneir's Refuge. She is no longer content to sit on the sidelines, making maps. It is time to get in the game (and still make maps.)
Also, Grex the Indomitable would love to figure out more of what's going on in Gravick, especially with that weird dirt.
Great, so now what? Well, a daring scheme was hatched. Obviously, The Crescent is a threat to the Lamb, and maybe it is time to take the fight to them. It was proposed (and agreed) that a useful mission would be to find someone working behind the scenes for the Crescent--likely a Decree--and either blackmail, extort, or turn them to the Lamb's side. The ultimate goal here is to discover who, exactly, are operating as Crescent agents and to remove them from the board. Having done that, the Lamb--and thus, the resistance--can grow stronger.
Cute plan! But that's a kind of a long term thing. In the short term, Rieta offered a smaller operation: many folks in the area around the Bee have had their goods taken on the way to market by some bandit group headquartered in the northwest of Curragan's Shame. Maybe the Sleepers could do something about that. They agreed to set off the next morning and do just that.
But, sadly, without Aletha of the Flintclaw, who had troubling dreams during the night and left a message that she went "off to see a man about a mountain" and would return soon. Cryptic!
Our heroes journey through the Shame was not without conflict, as they stumbled upon both a giant constrictor snake, and, more concerningly, a triceratops. What the hell is a dinosaur doing in the Shame? Well, I guess that's a worry for another day as our crew made quick work of both beasts. Perhaps most distressingly, each creature's body seemed to rapidly decompose into the swamp, almost disintegrating. That doesn't seem right...
Svo'Kool did find a fist sized potato in the gullet of the triceratops, though. So that's great--really working toward an entire potato-based steez.
After a good night's rest, it was time to venture deeper into the Shame. Hama discovered some giant footprints and it was decided to follow those just to see what would happen. Well, what happened is a goddamn Tyrannosaurus Rex. A brutal battle was joined with our heroes surprisingly coming out on top. Hell yes! The t-rex also decomposed in front of our adventurers' eyes. Alarming! It left behind a piece of chromacloth, which will assuredly come in handy.
Finally, the Sleepers located the bandit HQ. After some discussion of strategy (violence vs diplomacy), it was decided to just ask for a parlay. The Twicedead (the aforementioned bandits) obliged this request. Turns out, these folks have turned to banditry because of the hardships the Alerki Ascendency has wrought upon them. They are indiscriminate about their activities, preying upon anyone due to a belief that anyone who engages in commerce in Ascendency lands is, directly or not, part of the problem. Our heroes managed to persuade them to be more circumspect in their approach--namely, to target the Ascendency directly, and promised to support them however possible.
Thus, a fledgling alliance was formed. And Rieta tried to pass herself off as RiRi the Princess, because why not.
To cement this newfound friendship, a "Robin Hood" mission was undertaken by both the Sleepers and a Twicedead (now Thricedead) contingent headed up by Ynis, Thricedead's resident bard. A wagon bound for the Ascendency was intercepted and the grain it carried was expropriated for the common good. Some Ascendency goons were slain in the process. So, overall, a win/win for this new pact.
After that, it was decided that maybe it is time to lay low for a bit at The Ivory Bee, so, after a promise to be in touch, our alliance parted ways. The Sleepers returned to their meadery to plot their next audacious endeavor.
And that's where we left it. We'll see what that endeavor is during our next session.
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