Season 2 - Winter

Marius sat in the galley with Ash and Echo, enjoying a meal that, for once was not a stew. Their last few jobs had gotten them coin and recognition, which had allowed them to acquire better gear and, most importantly, better food. It was still of poor fare for their standards, but the rise in quality was undeniable.

Looking to build on their successes, the Phantoms had been discussing laying down roots to expand their activities and Marius finally had a lead to offer to his colleagues.

"I have it on good authority," he said with a subtle smile, "that our old friend, Mr. Gaunt," he threw a pointed look at Ash. Echo had joined the crew after that particular caper, "is looking for an alternate route for some of his imports from out of town. If we could secure such a route, we'd have a supplier and a buyer already waiting for us. As it happens, I have located such a route."

He leaned forward, looking down at his plate and playing with his food. "The only issue is a few scoundrels currently call it home," he shrugged, muttering the rest of his sentence, "and they may be somewhat in the murder business."

He looked back up at his sister and cousin. "Maybe we can get the Grinders to help out, or maybe it's time to find a replacement for Whitepaws. This job would be trouble, but if we can pull it off, it would give us a foundation to build upon."

Cadence put down her cutlery when Marius mentioned murder.  Once he had finished speaking, she brought her cup to her lips, and then stopped.  She looked pensively at Marius, the cup seemingly forgotten.

"Deepest apologies Marius. I could not possibly have heard you correctly. I thought that you said "somewhat in the murder business", she intoned gravelly, "and surely,", putting down the cup to punctuate her next word "surely, you would not gloss over the fact that we would be tangling with a bunch of Bravos or worse some kind of death Cult."

She laughed, her titter carefully chosen to be soothing and non confrontational, and it was as much for Marius' ego as for her own.  The only other laugh she could have summoned was a hysterical, anxious cackling, so unbecoming. She went back to eating the meal of thankfully-not-stew. Ash and Marius would figure this out.

Ash smiles, finally a good challenge with some possible skirmish as a side dish.  But the Cadence says "Surely you would not gloss over" Dessert then? She thinks.

The grinders where an option but if they wanted to convince their cousin they could take the route even from some bravos they would need more help. "Why not both? We do some bonding time with the grinders and get the muscle we have been meaning to replace since white paws left."

Marius looked embarrassed. His cousin had touched a nerve. It was unbecoming to shy away from harsh truths and he was doing them no favor by trying to shield them from it. In fact, he was putting them in more danger.

He could also see the logic of what his sister proposed. He nodded. "Both might be wise."

He turned to look at Cadence. "The spirit I conversed with said that the crew that used the tower, the Children of the Fang, were hired killers or something like it. It said they had a 'morbid energy'. It's not ideal, but no path forward will be."

He stared at his cousin as he shared the information, concerned about her reaction.

That Ash trusted in their ability to pull this off was somewhat reassuring, but then she had always been the brave one. But "Why not both?" was a balm on frayed nerves; Ash was taking this seriously and it seemed that Marius was following her lead.

They were both looking at her.  Were they waiting on her assent? Didn't they realize? She would happily eagerly willingly follow them into do’skov’ol's oceans of frigid pitch in the heart of winter if that was what was needed.

"I hardly think that their energy can be more morbid than the sulking of a certain darling Whisper, who shall of course remain unnamed," she said shakily, holding Marius' gaze with a guileless look which was ruined by a crooked, albeit weak smile.  "So how does one go about obtaining a White Paws?" They could figure out the Grinders, once the Phantoms had their own muscle.

"Guess we could check the docks for a good fighter like the last time or maybe we could check the bars too, both are good places to find some of them celebrating a victory or licking their wounds." She was beaming at the prospect of getting a new potential crew member, that would allow them to take riskier scores with potential better pay.

Marius smiled weakly. Cadence still seemed a bit on edge, but she was powering through it. She might make it as a scoundrel after all.

He turned to Ash, listening intently at her take on the matter. "Well, this is your area of expertise, my dear, so I will defer to your informed opinion." Marius took a bite of his roasted chicken, savoring the resistance of flesh that hadn't spent a few days stewing. "Maybe Esme would know someone? It would be good fortune to recruit someone in the same place our esteemed cousin joined us."

Echo got settled in their preferred quiet corner while Ash and Marius chatted with Esme.  They knew the barkeep well enough that her talents had not been needed to obtain the required information, nor was she required now.  Presumably Esme would discreetly point someone out to her cousins, or she would send someone their way.  Either way, the crew was getting a plus one.

Marius and Ash joined her.  They had thought to already bring her another drink; her mild nervousness would not have been apparent to most, but clearly she had childhood tells that they recognized, whether consciously or not.  She drained her first glass, and loosely interlaced her fingers around the second.

Let's see who Esme thought worthy of the Phantoms

Marius and Ash had spent a few minutes explaining to Esme what they were looking for. She had listened to them with feigned annoyance. Being a bartender seemed to be a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. People always expected them to be in the know, so they would come to them with their questions, problems and troubles, thus they became in the know. Esme liked to pretend she didn't enjoy it.

Marius had paid for an extra pint and asked her to give it to a suitable candidate, pointing them towards the crew. Ash had gotten another drink for Cadence and the Phantoms had settled in to wait.

Every time someone new approached the bar, they had wondered aloud if this was going to be it. They'd traded jokes and snippy comments every time the person had walked away. The Phantoms had time to get through two more rounds.

A tall, muscular man wearing loose clothing approached the bar. The cutlass attached to his hip completed the ensemble that conjured but a single word in Marius' mind: pirate. Esme gave the man a pint before he could order and exchanged a few words with him. The pirate turned to look at them. Marius saw the flash of teeth, but in the dim light he couldn't see the man's expression. Was it a smile, a sneer, or something else? Whatever his reaction was, he must have been curious, because he pushed himself off the bar and approached the Phantoms.

Peadar walked towards the group Esme had spoken to him about, one hand gripping the pint the other resting lightly on the pommel of the cutlass at his hip his swaggering gait making him look somewhat cocky but the tell tale sign of someone used to the rocking of a boat or ship to someone who knows what they are looking for.

Peadar places his drink on the table in front of the three and slipped into an empty chair giving each of them the once over trying to keep his eyes impassive, he hadn't had work in awhile and coin was getting low and he was getting bored "Evenin' to ye all. I hear ya might have some work that requires a bit of heavy lifting?" Peadar finally smiles showing his teeth "Well ya happen to be in luck, for I find myself in need of employment, so what kind of job are we looking at?"

Marius smiled politely. "That's correct, we are looking to add some muscle to our crew. I'm Rake and these are my associates, Ash and Echo. We offer discreet shipping solutions to a variety of clients, specializing in unusual merchandise. Though we currently have a specific job in mind, we are looking to add another long-term partner to our outfit."

Marius took a sip from his pint, giving the man a bit of time to consider his words. "If that's something that might interest you, I propose you join us for our next job. If both parties find that this is a good fit, then you'll be invited to be a part of our crew. If not, then we can pay you for your services and we can part on good terms."

Marius took another pause and another sip. "If you do join us, we can offer room and board, as well as an equal say in crew matters and an equal share of the profits. Is this an offer that holds any interest for you, mister...?"

Peadar takes a long pull from his drink then nods at Rake "They call me Dead Pete but Pete will do just fine, and I find your terms agreeable

Peadar extends his hand to Rake grasping his in a strong handshake while taking another pull of his pint "So are we good getting the full story of this job here or should we head somewhere a bit quieter?"

"Here is fine." Marius chuckled. "You know, we recently met someone else that had 'Dead' as part of their moniker. He had you beat by one, though."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his cousin tense up. His smile faded. "On to business. There's another crew squatting in Redfog Tower, a piece of real estate we'd like to acquire. We're looking to relocate them. If it's possible to do it peacefully, all the better. If not, well, that's why you're here."

Peadar smiles "That's a competition I'm happy to use - once is enough for me"

Peadar nods listening to the details "Sounds simple enough, I'll follow your lead and only start busting skulls when necessary, and if it all goes nice and smooth we can get back to drinking before to long eh? Peadar punctuates his last comment by draining the rest of his pint and shoots a grin to the crew.

Marius turned to Ash and Echo, looking for their assent. They both signaled they were on board. He turned back to Pete and nodded. "Well, then. Welcome to the Phantoms, Dead Pete."

"So now we have our goal, and we have our additional physical expertise," Echo listed off, touching the index of her left hand to the fingers on her right as if counting.  

"But we are still light on information.  Let's see what else we can find out about the good folks at Redfog Tower.  I think that between the three of us we can get a sense of what they are about and what we might want to keep an eye out for."  

Before anyone can mention that the Phantoms now count four members, she adds, "I suppose that dear Rake can join one of us if he would like, but I cannot imagine him being particularly eager to press the flesh."

She makes a point to not look at Marius, preferring to imagine his wry annoyance than to be seen seeking confirmation of it, especially in front of their new friend.  The Phantoms leave in high spirits, agreeing to reconvene to go over the information that could be gathered. Then it would be a matter of acting decisively.  

There are a few key questions that she would love to have answered about the folks that they were up against.  If she could find out what they really cared about, the Phantoms might be able to use it as leverage or an incentive to get them to leave Redfog Tower, or at least let the Phantoms use the route.  She would start by asking Bazso; they seemed to know something about everyone, the question was could it point them in the right direction.  It might take some finagling: Bazso had been very solicitous lately. So had her cousins for that matter...  No matter.  This score was going to be different from the last one. And technically, the last score had gone swimmingly. Regardless, she would not let anyone keep her from the action.

Maybe this will even be fun.

================================

The cold winter wind rattled the Well's cabin windows. The ship swayed with the waves it threw up against its hull, punctuating the gale's howls with periodic thumps as it hit the quay's bumpers.

Marius was not enjoying it. Despite having lived on the boat for a few months now, he had still not gotten used to its motion when the sea was rough. He did his best to hide his seasickness, sitting where he could keep his green-tinged face hidden in the darkness. It would not do to hurl onto their prospective new crew member. Or for him to see Marius in distress.

The Phantoms had gathered to share the information each of them had gathered over the past few nights and plan their next move. Redfog Tower, if it was to be their target, would be a tough nut to crack. The Children of the Fang did not seem like they would be easy to displace.

"Perhaps we could," he paused, swallowing his dinner anew. "Excuse me. Perhaps we could sneak inside and sabotage the pumps. They probably wouldn't want to stay in a flooded lair. Even if it was just the lower levels."

He sighed. None of them were Leeches or Sparkwrights, they'd need to hire one if that was to be their approach and the crew wasn't exactly flush with cash following Ash's brush with Inspector Vale.

"Otherwise, I could try and rile up their spectral roommates. They seem to leave each other alone presently, but if their relationship were to sour... It might entice them to move." He shrugged.

"The flood sounds like the way to go, we can push them out once inside, take advantage of the element of surprise." She takes a good look at the crew, they were getting back on track finally. "We could even add some spooky business, make sure they don't want to come back."

Marius looked around the room and saw no objections on his colleagues' faces.

He nodded at Ash. "Alright, then. A Lurk's entry with a Whisper's diplomacy as a fallback. Should both of those fail, we'll have Dead Pete to keep us from a similar moniker."

================================

Rake pulled his coat closer against the night's winter chill. The Phantoms were lit from their left by the lightning barrier's electroplasmic discharges as they approached the aqueduct's pillar. The small island the Whisper had found in his research poked out from the river, barely more than a boulder upon which the support rested.

The small gondola grazed the isle with a dull thump. Rake jumped out, the frost covering the ground crunching under his boots. He looked up the column. A series of old, iron, u-shaped bars ran along its side all the way up to the aqueduct. Rake sighed. It would be a long, treacherous climb.

Pete secured the line on the gondola as the rest of the crew made their way to the island, once he was satisfied he jumped to the island himself. Moving up beside the rest of the crew grinning like a wolf he looks up at the aqueduct.

"This should be fun."

As you approach the pillar and metal rungs, you hear a creaking sound. At first thought everyone glances upward and expects to see someone descending, or a hatch opening, but there's no movement you can discern above. Instead, you hear the crunch of footsteps on dirt and rubble. A figure walks into the flickering light of the lightning barrier.

Their movements are stilted and causing the creaking sound. It's gender is indiscernible, their face is contorted into a smile on the left and totally slack on the right. Their hair is patchy and entirely missing in large patches, and they wear tattered, filthy clothing that went out of fashion a few years ago. It almost looks as if it's face and skin is sagging off its body.

A kukri hangs limply in their right arm, and they start moving menacingly toward you.

A whispery, artificial voice slips through it's rigid mouth.

"No one to save you here."

A hull guardian here to protect the entrance to the Children's headquarters...you can kill it with ordinary weapons, but it will be a fight for dear life.

Rake slipped his hand under his coat and unfastened the straps holding his weapon in place. With a smooth motion he pulled the warhammer out, grasping it with both hands. He'd wondered if he was being foolish when he had packed his equipment for this score, but a nagging voice at the back of his head had insisted. Now he was glad he'd listened to his intuition.

He quickly glanced at Dead Pete, raising an eyebrow and spreading his feet into a more solid stance. "Fun, you were saying?"

Pete's grin goes wider as his blade comes free of it's sheath and he barks a laugh as Rake pulls the warhammer. He launches himself towards the Hull counting on Rake to come in so they can keep the thing off balance

The two scoundrels exchange blows for a few moments, Pete deftly parrying its forceful swings. When Pete has it distracted with some aggressive swordwork, Rake slips in a clanging blow to its back.

The hammer sends the construct staggering and causes it to lose its balance somewhat. You can almost hear a pained whisper from it before it swings the kukri back for another swing.

Rake jumped back out of the kukri's reach. Mist escaped his mouth as he breathed heavily. The war hammer was not like wielding a sword or dagger and his lack of experience with it was showing. Still, he had managed a solid blow and had felt the plate buckle slightly under his heavy swing.

His eyes flicked to Pete, who was engaged in a series of thrusts, slashes and parries. The hull was circling, trying to keep both of them in its sight. Rake tried to match its movements, trying to flank it, and waited for his opportunity to strike.

Pete side steps quickly grinning like a wolf his cutless slapping the kukri out of the way and dancing back keeping the hull between him and Rake, before waiting for an opportunity to launch another series of blows, and when the hulls attention flicked momentarily to Rake he moved in fast.

Pete and the hull exchange a number of blows, circling one another across the pebbles and rocks, their blades gleaming in the flickering, bluish light of the barrier across the river. At last, Pete's blade strikes a weak point near the thing's neck. The hull ruptures, emitting a hellish squeal that flattens to a wailing moan.

As he pulls the blade free from its neck, a blast of air rushes out from the metal frame and horrific imagery flashes before his eyes of him meeting his own death a thousand times in a thousand equally disturbing ways...

meta:

Rake waited a few seconds after the hull became still before putting his weapon away. He was surprised things had gone so well. He hadn't had any time to get to know Pete, but they'd been able to work together to take the contraption down without injury.

He looked up at the Cutter and the smile that had begun to form on his lips vanished. The man had a strange look on his face, a look Rake had seen many times etched upon the face of comrades after particularly harrowing battles during the War. So much for 'fun'.

He had to pull him back. Give him something to do. "Nice bladework, Pete. Let's dump him in the river before moving on. Wouldn't want a sentry to spot him. I'll get his feet, you get his arms?"

Ash couldn't stop looking at Marius and Pete's fight with the hull. She was suddenly back at the docks, waiting for her turn to fight, and when all was over she blinked.

Damn it Helker, you just lost a good opportunity there. Get a grip.

Cadence nudged Ash with her elbow and nodded up. Right, the climbing gear. She nodded to her cousin, it was time to work. She threw the hook making sure it had a firm purchase "Let's get up guys. "

The decrepit stonework and rusty metal handholds are quite loose and unstable in places, but the scoundrels have little trouble ascending the tower in 15 minutes or so. The winter wind whips their cloaks and coats about as they climb, and by the time you've reached the top, any exposed skin feels numb and clumsy.

They enter through the manhole that was detailed on the map and step out into a long, narrow service tunnel. It is quite dark and has a damp, musty smell. There's just enough ambient light from the manhole to see a bit of the surrounding walls and floor. You can hear the soft sounds of flowing water, and must assume it is somewhere on the other side of the stone wall opposite.

To the right, toward the lightning barrier, is nothing but darkness.

To the left, you can hear faint voices...

The hull had gone down before Echo really had a chance to shake her dismay.  A hull?  The fancy flourishes and careful rules of engagement that she had learned from her fencing instructor were practically useless.  Maybe this Slide needed to learn how to swing a warhammer... well not a warhammer, that was a ridiculous weapon to own. Regardless, she wanted to be bold, or at least useful...

Now in the tower, faced with a choice between inky pitch and interacting with an unknown number of strangers of unknown hostility, she had her chance. It wasn't much of a choice if she was honest: she couldn't talk light into the dark.  They would head towards the voices.   With some low whispering and careful pantomime I wonder if Rake could teach me some of those military hand signals that he and Ash use. The Phantoms were soon on the same page and started moving.  

She would pay careful attention to the voices. Even if they couldn't make out specific words, suspiciously long pauses or forced tones might give some indication of whether they were successfully making their way forward unnoticed.

The group sneaks carefully down the hallway, moving near silently. A few cold drips of water fall on you as you creep along, and cool air rushes past from porthole past you, but it gets warmer as you progress. Before long you come to a T junction in the tunnel. From Rake's studying of the map and counting paces, he surmises you are close to the six towers shoreline, which would place you by one of the larger tower-like structures in the aqueduct - exactly where you guessed the cult's hideout would be.

At the spur to your left, you can see a room of roughly 10 square meters lit only by torches and candles. Creeping closer, you can see various cult symbols etched on the brick walls and a raised dais with dark splotches on it. A few hooded members are in the room discussing something about another bringing an "offering."

By all indications, they are preparing for a sacrificial ritual...but Echo spots a route to sneak beyond to the next room unseen. If you move quickly, you can make it to the next chamber undetected.

Rake pointed towards the open route and made his way towards the next room. If the Children of the Fang were distracted while they carried out their operation, all the better.

As he made his way, he blinked, turning his perception on the ghost field. If these people dealt in the arcane, who knew what sorts of contingencies they might have set up. Better be careful, he thought.

The scoundrels snuck through the room swiftly and silently. The dim brick room was lit only by candleabras and torches hanging on the walls. The two robed members stood discussing matters not 15 feet away. You only catch a few snippets of their conversation - something about how the offering is being brought there late, and how they will have to move swiftly or risk angering "the magus."

Skulls and other bones - some of them looking awfully fresh - sit on a wooden table. You catch a better glimpse of one of the markings on the wall and see it's a crude drawing of some bizarre creature with countless eyes.

Once you pass into the next hallway, you spot several doors and offshoot passages, but you quickly identify where the pumps are based on a rhythmic chugging sound.

Unfortunately, right as you start moving towards that door you hear a whispering, rustling sound from the other end of the main corridor.

Not twenty feet away is a dead maiden, a knife still sticking from her neck. She holds her hand to her mouth in mock, theatrical surprise.

Surely you only have the briefest of moments to stop her before she starts talking, or worse, attacks.

Shit. Rake knew he didn't have time to carefully weave the ghost field around this one to bind her to his will. Whether she screamed or attacked, the noise would draw the Children of the Fang to them and this mission would go the Devil's way. She had to yield.

Rake slipped to the front of the group, raised his hands, and shot his will forward through the ghost field. The air grew charged in the corridor as it traveled through it. If it had a form, it would have looked like a harpoon, tethered to him with an electroplasmic cable, aimed straight at the specter's heart.

Rake's quick movement followed by raised hands was a bad sign.
She placed a hand between his shoulder blades and applied a gentle (and hopefully reassuring) pressure, vaguely recalling Marius telling her years prior about the potential utility to a Whisper of feeling grounded or anchored. It hadn't made much sense then and she could only hope that it would prove useful now.

The maiden made a rather fierce grimace face, recoiling from Rake's gesture. She backs away slowly, but not before cursing. Her angry voice in the quiet room might as well be a a full-throated yell.

"Wretched whisper!"

The ghost dissipates into the empty air, leaving the corridor empty save for the scoundrels.

You can hear the alarmed response of one of the cultists in the other room. You may have warded off the ghost, but it's clear they heard something...

meta:

"Good work, crew," Ash whispers, looking over her shoulder a bit anxious.

"But maybe it's time to get going, get on with the plan." She pulls out a pair of throwing knives just in case, sniping one or two zealots down could buy them time in a critical situation.

Dead Pete nods as he watches the ghost vanish, looks like this crew had some useful skills.

"Move quickly, I'll hold the rear in case." he draws his cutless and waits for the others to move on.

Rake nodded and took the lead, heading down the hall towards the noise of the pumps.

An uncomfortably squeaky door leads to a mid-sized room filled with clanking machinery that hums and hisses with sparkcraft energies. The room is dark, but in the light from the hallway you can make out contraptions of pipes, spinning coupling rods, valves, hand wheels and so forth.

You've found your target - now to disable it without drawing too much attention.

Rake took in the scene, his gaze flowing over the pumps and pipes that filled the room, looking for the vulnerabilities.

Flashback wrote:

Rake was poring over the texts detailing the history of Redfog Tower and the adjoining aqueduct. His eyes were stinging. He'd been at it for hours and had learned preciously little.

He pushed the book and sighed. He rubbed his eyes, then stretched. Was it time to call it quits? Was this all this library had to offer?

"How about this one?" said a familiar voice.

Rake jumped in his seat, startled by his sister's sudden appearance. Had she been here this whole time? She'd had a habit of following him around and popping out to surprise him when they'd been children. Apparently, it was a habit she'd chosen to cling to.

She was holding out a book to him with a satisfied grin. He took the proffered volume. It was a treatise on the design and construction on pumps, plumbing, bilges, and canal locks. He flipped it open. Maybe this one would reveal something useful.

Ash looked on as Marius disappeared into the text, still physically there, but his mind so very far away.

His eyes locked onto a valve, as he recalled the schematics he'd memorized from Ash's find. "Let's start over there," he said confidently.

moarhair wrote:

Rake’ eyes locked onto a valve, as he recalled the schematics he'd memorized from Ash's find. "Let's start over there," he said confidently.

She nods starting to work and following carefully each of her brothers instructions. But this was the first time she was doing this outside the lair. First time putting into practice this skill in a score. What if I fail? What if we can't fix this later and this is all for nothing. Her head was playing tricks on her and her hands started to feel heavy and clumsy. Shit, shit, shit.

Then Cadence spoke, noticing the predicament her Cousin was into. Always the best at acting under pressure. ”Steady, you got this, trust in the time you spend practicing this.

NightingaleJ wrote:

Then Cadence spoke, noticing the predicament her Cousin was into.

It always surprised Cadence when Ash needed reassurance.
For as long as she could remember Ash has been exuberant and wildly talented, but every so often she got in her own head...like now.  

NightingaleJ wrote:

Always the best at acting under pressure. ”Steady, you got this, trust in the time you spend practicing this".

Ash could do this but she had to believe that she could, which was Cadence's favorite kind of manipulation interaction: telling people what they needed to hear.  This time, there was the added benefit of it being true.

Ash's nervous demeanor belied her talent. Her hands moved quickly over a few valves and contraptions, turning one all the way off and another all the way up to create an imbalance of pressure...

At first, it didn't look like she had achieved anything. Then the water started gushing onto the floor, splashing everyone's shoes and boots. The room is flooding alright - and quick. Time to move...

"It's done, crew, which way do we go?" Ash asks looking behind her. For a moment there she got worried, if Cadence hadn't helped she is sure she wouldn't have been able to do anything.

Ill make sure to invite her something nice after or take her on an adventure.She thinks.

Rake looked on in wonder as his sister worked, deftly adjusting the pumps with expert ease. He had studied the blueprints carefully, but it was one thing to know and something very different to do. The shadow of a smile passed across his lips as she triumphantly declared she was done. She never ceased to amaze him.

The water was rising quickly, no time for congratulations. "Up, back the way we came," said Rake, poking his head out of the door, before slipping into the corridor, retracing their steps.

Echo followed Rake, trying to keep a tight hold on her annoyance.  This was not a time for sulking - they had succeeded!  
But if he had looked back, he would have seen a light pout on her lips. The material of these boots might never survive the water damage! She had chosen them for their soft soles - perfect for stealth - but had hoped to keep them from getting too wet. Which in retrospect might have been a touch unreasonable.  We all have to make sacrifices.