Thursday, October 19, 2023

Microhero - Lt. Grospeck

Lt. Grospeck

 

The Bank Job (Part Three)

 The squad goes to investigate the other leads and heads to the Orvington Moneychangers. Uthen Orvington is the owner and manager of Orvington Moneychangers in the east end of the Coins. The file indicates that Uthen’s bank has recently been subjected to vandalism and harassment by unknown parties. This is the oldest bank among the three possible targets and has been operated by the Orvingtons for several generations. 

Orvington
Overington has stings on his face from swarms of wasps plaguing the building after someone tossed wasp hives onto the roof. The party already learned that this was done by Chandraxus, who has promised to stop the harassment. Orvington is told that his son's gambling debt was the cause of the harassment.

The squad deals with the wasp swarms using sonic attacks from Pumpelly, frost attacks from Jorin and Mr. Gone, and some unusually effective melee from Simimel, Grimwald, and Valcos. Valcos heals Mr. Gone and himself, and Jorin gives a healing draught to Orvington. 

Simi heals the guard dog who was stung.

The squad is given a cash reward and a magic shifting fel iron longsword, which is given to Grimwald. 


The squad then heads to Gilel’s Tannery. This file includes a vandalism report from a tradesperson named Gilel Nallin, who is building a float for the Radiant Parade. Someone named Elsimara allegedly broke into Gilel’s to vandalize the float Gilel was storing there, nearly burning down the entire building. This paperwork has the words “Waste of time!” written at the bottom in Lavarsus’s crisp handwriting. Ollo wasn’t so sure it was irrelevant, as it pertains to the parade, so he slipped it into the files for the agents to investigate. If they bring it up with him in Lavarsus’s presence, Ollo sheepishly pretends its inclusion was a mistake.

Gilel Nallin
When the squad arrives, they find Gilel in a loud argument with Elsimara, who denies her involvement in the vandalism, while Gilel's husband Ysen looks on. Elsimara is Ysen's ex-, and Gilel has no proof that she did anything. Jorin confirms that she is telling the truth.

Gilel lets the squad examine the crime scene, and the squad finds that the back entrance was violently forced, and whoever did that left grease paint behind. A check shows that a theatrical jack was stolen, and the squad speculates that the fire was meant as a false lead.

The squad then heads to Stonesworn Savings and Loan. Rohka Stonesworn, a wealthy former adventurer, owns and operates this bank in the Coins District. The file contains the permit for her building, which required supplemental filings due to some sophisticated magical protections. A handwritten note from Rohka expresses concern that someone may be engaging in illegal excavating near her establishment, but the Token Guard apparently hasn’t followed up.

Rokha Stonesworn
Rohka, a former adventurer, is closed because of a pair of Ether Spiders trapped in the vault. Ether spiders are deadly predators from the Ethereal Plane resembling giant arachnids. Rather than building webs of silk, ether spiders shape the raw essence of the Ethereal Plane, weaving it in complex patterns that drift through the misty void. From these ethereal nests, whole families of ether spiders can scout the adjacent Material Plane, watching for easy prey in dark or remote corners of the land of mortals. Once an ether spider has spotted a meal, it anchors its nest and waits on the Ethereal Plane for its prey to draw near. As soon as its victim is within reach, the ether spider shifts to the Material Plane, clamps its fangs onto its prey, then shifts back to the Ethereal Plane to wait as its venom works through the creature’s system. Ether spiders move between the planes with ease, making them extremely dangerous to those who cannot see or attack ethereal enemies. 

The party kills the spiders and then is attacked by a four-armed creature who complains that it was saving the spiders for a stew. The creature is an Xill and tries to kill her party for stealing his lunch! The squad kills it as well.

The squad confiscates the Xill's longbow, and Rohka gives them a Lifting Belt and a Sharktooth charm. 

The Xill and the Ether Spiders to the guard for disposal.

Ether Spiders

The Xill


The squad updates Sgt Ollo with the discoveries and he recommends that the squad report to the

The Penny & Sphinx Trust is the largest of the three possible targets and is located in the Coins district. Its manager, a halfling named Bertram Softwhistle, reported a recent break‑in, although the Token Guard’s investigation was cursory and yielded no clues. The file contains a complaint about the thoroughness of the inquiry and copies of letters to the bank’s clients, assuring them that no funds were lost. The bank now seeks funds to hire a private investigator who can conduct a more thorough investigation than the Token Guard.

A grand stone building stands in the middle of an immaculately manicured lawn, encircled by a tall wrought-iron fence. The large main entrance is beneath an impressive portico and flanked by a pair of stone sphinxes. Engraved letters above the building’s front doors declare the structure to be the Penny & Sphinx Trust.

The squad is shown to a conference room to talk with Bertram Softwhistle. Bertram says that a group of thieves burst in through the employee entrance. Bertram triggered the concealed alarm. The thieves fled but one of them, a goblin named Quidley, was handed over to the Token Guard.

When the squad went to the Token Guaerd to question the goblin but found that he was released and the responsible guards were absent. They returned to the grounds of the bank to determine where they wanted to hide on the day of the attack.

 (WIP)

Thursday, October 5, 2023

The Bank Job (Part Two)

Percan Droan
The squad prepared to execute the raid on Percan Droan's dockside textile sweatshop. Entering the front, the squad took heavy damage from the human smugglers, but after some combat-related "convincing" managed to take them into custody, handing them off to the Muckruckers and their leader Zariya.

Moving deeper into the sweatshop after a pause for some healing, the squad came under attack from archers and goblins. The fight was one-sided, and two of the archers tried to escape to the docks area, Simi and Mr. Gone close on their heels.

Valcos followed and the squad soon discovered that the docks had bunyips, the feared seal-shark hybrids. Valcos discovered the hard way that their bites would not close. The bunyips roared a challenge, causing many of the squad to freeze in fear until Pumpelly countered the fierce3 roar with a bravery-inspired song. 

While the minions were trying to escape, Droan attempted to sneak out, only to fall under the charm spell of Jorin. 

In the office, the squad examined the globe and, as Chandraxus had suggested, discovered the two sets of accounting related to Droan's criminal activities. They also discovered evidence that a gang was planning the robbery of The Penny & Sphinx Trust, run by a halfling named Bertram Softwhistle during the Radiant Festival parade using a fake parade float. 

Zariya provided the squad with the promised bureaucratic assistance for Chandraxus as a reward for the information she supplied.

The squad returned to the headquarters to provide the evidence and consult with their superior officers as to what the next step should be.

Bunyip Attack!




Chapter 5 - The Sanctuary of Prescience (Part 3) - Blackfriars

After the squad fought the Blackfriar Priest and the Poison Eaters, they made their way deeper into the basement of the Blackfriars Temple. ...