Act VI: The War of Sevens
In which the Nameless defend Six Towers against corporate interests.
Throw the Match
The Gang Fakes a Loss of V-Sea-W. Bodies are planted, and the wrestlers are on board but they’re gonna wanna unionize after. V-Sea-W has been classified as a historical landmark.
V-Sea-W has several dozen ex-Imperial Soldiers on the premesis, turning away wrestlers and getting ready for war.
There’s some kind of ghostly . . . Thing . . . Around the electroplasmic infrastructure of Six Towers in a 3-block radius of V-Sea-W.
The Billhooks were approached by 7th Tower because they are less entrenched in Six Towers and a more feasible option. The Billhooks sold you out for cold hard cash.
The Gang Fakes a Loss of V-Sea-W. Bodies are planted, and the wrestlers are on board but they’re gonna wanna unionize after. V-Sea-W has been classified as a historical landmark.
Construction materials have been sabotaged for Seventh Tower Consortium
Duskwall has Batman now, and they’re attacking V-Sea-W. The clockmaker is aiding Batman (the Spider). The ghost of François is also involved.
Seventh Tower has lost over a dozen experienced soldiers in “taking” (not really) V-Sea-W. “The Spider” is a new black-garbed and caped vigilante with impossible fighting skills and several gadgets at her disposal. She appears to be allied with the Clockmaker and the Ghost of Francois. She does not appear to be explicitly targeting the Nameless YET. And the Spider has a sample of Mara’s blood. But that’s probably fine.
Katya, Linmer, Mara, Orianna, and Sandro are all presumed dead. Arkin was, of course, ALREADY presumed dead.
Crow Combat Cruises
Jammer, Mara, and Spud tried to steal some thunder from the Billhook fighting pit by recruiting their top fighters for . . . GHOST FIGHTING COMBAT SPORTS!
And in the process of looking for battle-ready ghosts, they hit upon a group of supernatural doctors called Crows (affiliated with the Dimmer Sisters AND the Black Knights). With the blessing of Casta’s parents Mikh and Sam and some convincing forgery, CROW COMBAT CRUISES WAS BORN!!!
Now, was the launch flawless? No. Did Jammer and Spud steal Arlene Dunleavy’s (widow to Winslow) steamship to host Crow Combat Cruises? Sure. Did the Crows then murder the pursuing Bluecoats and Billhooks (who had gone after the stolen ship as de-facto Dock rulers) before turning on our heroes? Absolutely. Did this all end with the gang sorta-befriending these Crows and getting away with their lives by giving the barge to the Dimmer Sisters (all while assuring the Crows that they would be regularly sent victims to be dissected)? Oh yes indeed.
But did Mara stumble upon the idea of GHOST TELEVISION???
DID JAMMER MAKE A CROW FRIEND NAMED FRIEDRICH???
MIGHT SPUD BE TURNING INTO A CROW????
Hell. YES.
Some additions:
- The Crows were reluctantly promised to us by Mikh & Sam based on our allegations that we could contain them, that being said, they were not at all helpful in us actually dealing with said Crows. Part of this is likely our fault by sailing directly into the Ghost Quarter and tossing body parts into the water as a strategy…
- Mikh & Sam were staying with the Dimmer Sisters. They were also snobs, so why they picked a sewer is a bit confusing lol.
- Mara forged a document that said we were certified in Crow containment, which made Mikh & Sam very suspicious of where we could have gotten such a thing in this day & age & place.
- Jammer defeated a Crow (temporarily, we put it back) by pulling its heart out of its chest.
- Jammer then swallowed said heart, which led to the temporary possession by Friedrich the Crow, but this was the only way we managed to actually communicate with a Crow.
- Friedrich told us that he and the rest had been Crowified in some ungodly long ago time to fight for the Immortal Emperor under a different (original?) name, The Cinder King.
- Friedrich specifically requested that we agree that profits from Ghost Fight Club be tithed to the Emperor.. we agreed but the Dimmer Sisters took full control of GFC so i guess that is now their problem!
- How exactly the Crows are involved with 7th Tower and the Hat Man is unclear, but there seems to be some sort of tie between all these parties though based on their willingness to join GFC, not a perfect allyship. Ditto the Dimmer Sisters & Mikh & Sam.
Dishonored Guests
Arkin, Cruncho, Linmer, and Sizzle set out to absolutely buggerfuck Seventh Tower’s premier Deckherd Hall gala (presented by Studebaker Spud and Puerto Rico Strauss in an uneven collaboration).
Linmer infiltrated the party as the Shmeek’s chaperone. The Shmeek’s dipshit teenage friends Cole and Claire decided to tag along. Linmer should not be left to chaperone rambunctious teens.
Linmer ALSO discovered that the Spider had some of her mechanical arachnids in the walls, and was planning . . . something.
Arkin and Cruncho got hired on as lighting and mechanical techs for the party. Arkin rigged the place to malfunction in sundry different ways, while Cruncho set to poisoning the water supply with Drownwater (makes you feel like you’re drowning for a few seconds upon ingestion). Arkin ALSO made contact with the Clockmaker via one of the Spiders, who informed his fleshy doppelganger that there was to be an unspecified “test” tonight.
Sizzle linked up with Reek, the Red-Sash-outsource plug operating out of Crow’s Foot. After nearly bearing witness to a fatal coffee, Heartcalm, Bloodneedle, and black pepper cocktail, Sizzle made off with the drugs and replaced them with a special concoction of Linmer’s own devising.
But what chaos unfolded at the party, I hear you ask?
First, the sound system “accidentally” caught fire.
Then, Cruncho was caught poisoning the water supply and went completely sicko mode on some ex-Marines.
THEN, Linmer “accidentally” knocked over a pyramid of champagne flutes onto Lady Bowmore, and was chastened heartily. When he regained his composure, the teenagers had all vanished.
THEN Sizzle got her hands on a Seventh Tower thug’s uniform with the help of Caleb Hollow, who took the thug’s body and was subsequently a naked vampire in Six Towers for about 24 unsupervised hours.
THEN, Sam and Mikh the Black Knights showed up, ostensibly for a couple’s night out. The two immortal soldiers then went off the handle on Cruncho and Sizzle upon seeing them both and realizing that Something Was Afoot (‘off the handle’ here meaning extreme violence).
THEN the lights went out, and the Spider made her move . . . Attacking Mikh in the midst of the party, even as Cruncho and Sizzle began fleeing from/fighting off various Seventh Tower forces that started to close in on their positions.
Cruncho tetherball-style flung a hyper-Shmeeking Shmeek into a mass of ex-Marines. The Shmeek would have been black-bagged and possibly disappeared forever . . . Had a combination of expert marksmanship from Sizzle, legendary football prowess from Cruncho, and several smokebombs from Arkin not saved the youth from possible demise and CERTAIN incarceration.
Cruncho is on friendly speaking terms with the Clockmaker.
The Spider held her own against Mikh, but not before revealing some kind of sparkcraft-and-arcana-assisted super-physique . . . and revealing her identity as Claire Strangford.
Sizzle led Sam on a wild goose chase, but ultimately warded her off with a combination of parkour and honest emotional inventory. As a result of this, Sam and a bloodied Mikh decided that they’d have a lot more fun destroying Deckherd Hall than playing at being a couple enjoying a fancy party.
Apparently, Sam and Mikh are ostensible allies of Seventh Tower. The Man in the Hat was irritated but ultimately unsurprised that they decided to start smashing his place.
Lady Bowmore ultimately expired after being 1. Smashed by champagne flutes, 2. Having a large cake overturned atop her, and 3. Being trampled in rapid succession by Cruncho, Sizzle, Sam, and a troupe of ex-Marines.
-A grieving Anastasia Bowmore laid one on Linmer. LiNmEr’S gOt A gIrLfRiEnD!!111!!!!
-The Man in the Hat confronted Linmer and tried to pressure him into betraying the Nameless in exchange for relief from his paranoia.
-The Man in the Hat ALSO confronted Sizzle, and revealed himself to be . . . her long-lost father! Sizzle responded by shooting him through the chest. This does not seem to have fully taken as a killshot.
-The Spider got her hands on Linmer’s blood. Linmer is also not allowed to chaperone the Shmeek ever again.
-No idea what happened to Cole.
AND IN THE END, the Nameless escaped, having THOROUGHLY ruined the party and assisted in completely ripping the guts out of Deckherd Hall.
Hooks & Sashes
The Red Sashes HEROICALLY fought their way to the center of Billhook territory and uncovered evidence that (gasp) THE BILLHOOKS WERE BEHIND THE SABOTAGE OF THE IRONWORKS REPAIR EFFORTS. This evidence has been sent to the PROPER AUTHORITIES, and the Billhooks are under ENOUGH SCRUTINY AND JOURNALISTIC INTEREST to stop them from successfully fucking with the Fog Hounds.
But what did the Nameless have to do with this? Well, aside from coordinating with the Red Sashes and assisting behind the scenes with the invasion efforts, the gang smuggled in actual evidence of the Billhooks’ illicit sales into their headquarters through means of 1. False Seventh Tower deliveries, 2. False meat deliveries, and 3. Ghost door shenanigans.
However, the Nameless have gained no rep from this venture because Nat Marseilles has some real problems with this ongoing fracas and is putting pressure on the Nameless to chill the fuck out. Thus, they are truly anonymous on this one.
-Sandro came face-to-face with a Crow (Sven) who taught him the true meaning of fear when faced with a being whose wants and desires were entirely alien to the social framework within which he operates.
-Flan also faced the Crow, and shot off part of his mask (with Sizzle’s help)! In retribution, the Crow plucked out and crushed one of Flan’s kidneys.
-Giancarlo is ashamed of Flan for engaging with Hungry Frank the Mushroom-Meaterist, and for embellishing his fake meat (not a euphemism).
-Sizzle discovered the location of Coran (currently possessed by a strange ghost and alternately attended by members of the Billhooks and geese). “Coran” asked her if she could get them a ship. When asked what was in it for her, “Coran” replied “the sun”. This meant nothing to Sizzle, and “Coran” withdrew.
-Successive revelations of fault lines within the Billhooks finally allowed Sandro to cause an eruption of tensions within the group. Several Billhooks have killed several other Billhooks! Erin’s grip over the organization is no longer as firm as it once was…
-In the midst of ghost-key evidencing, Cruncho managed to ghostbust the ghost of François AND the vampiric Bea!
-Valanthe the Red Sash lost an eye but got a hug, AND saved Sandro. In exchange, Sandro promised to tell about her heroics (specifically to “the lady with the guns” and “the lady with the bow”).
-There is a sixteen-year-old girl working for the Billhooks who one day wants to have a sleeve of snake tattoos and wants to be called “Snake”. Flan has encouraged this. “Snake” is bad at working behind a fake butcher counter.
-Canonically, tattoo artists in Duskvol take minimum legal age VERY SERIOUSLY for reasons of CRAFT and also DEMONS.
The Battle That Wasn’t
Squads of ex-Marines with all kinds of heavy weaponry and artillery were deployed by Seventh Tower to destroy Old Meachum’s hagfish farm. Their plan was to flank around through the Deathlands, come up through a service entry in the Lightning Wall, and then blow the place to hell. They got 2/3 of the way there, but then . . . well, the Nameless happened.
Oh wow! Must’ve been quite a battle!
So, funny you should say that . . . There wasn’t a battle, exactly. Oh, there was an invasion planned, to be sure!
Gotcha. Was it ghosts? Soup? Hagfish? Drugs?
Just ghosts to start with! Anticipating the possibility of a Deathlands flanking maneuver, the Nameless rigged the service entrance to be a ghost door (an entry from the real world into the ghost field)! When the invaders tried to pass through, they found themselves exposed to something lurking in the space between the ghost field and the world!
Shit, that’s a good offensive maneuver! What was that “something”?
Remember Old Wickhamm? Or Young Hamwick? Whichever you prefer, same thing.
. . . I remember the Nameless going to a whole lot of trouble to KILL Old Wickhamm/Young Hamwick. How did they survive?
As the Nameless discovered, Old Wickhamm is more like a ghost-virus than a traditional ghost. An instance of her has been lurking in the ghost field this whole time. When the ex-Marines popped, she took them all over and brought them through the ghost door!
Shit, that’s one way to deal with an invasion. So . . . mission accomplished?
Not quite. For sundry different reasons, Orianna and Cruncho were worried about/intrigued by what Old Wickhamm might get up to with several dozens of new hosts and a liminal dimension to play with. They ventured in while Sizzle and the Clockmaker stood by outside-
Wait, the Clockmaker was there? Not Arkin?
Yeah, that’s a whole thing. Anywayyyyyy . . .
So, Orianna and Cruncho make their way into the ghost field to discover that the Wickhamm instances had set up shop in a pre-Calamity version of the mining town that had preceeded Duskvol itself. The Wickhamms had split into groups and begun multiple rituals to create their own ghost keys, and thereby to force their way into the real Duskvol.
That sounds like it could be a bad time, sure. So, the Nameless charged in to stop them?
Ish. Orianna couldn’t resist the chance to do a bit of ghost field archaeology to try and get a sense of what kind of presences were around before the Calamity. She got extremely un/lucky and opened herself to a POWERFUL new presence. Does the name “Vazara” mean anything to you? Anyway, Orianna was briefly incapacitated by Vazara’s new influence, leaving Cruncho alone in the ghost field.
Oh dang! What did Cruncho do?
Well, at the behest of some of the ghosts in his skeleton (don’t ask, we don’t have time), Cruncho left Orianna to her own devices. Instead, Cruncho did the same thing Cruncho does generally: went towards the nearest group of enemies and went sicko mode.
Sure, sure. Stupid question.
Eh, be nice to yourself. You’re just a rhetorical device so that Ted has an easier time writing this.
Ah, right. SO! What next?
Well, big ol’ brawl, basically! Orianna came to, newly empowered by Vazara, and joined in the demolition derby against the Wickhamms (all of whom had taken the time to develop new characters, their obsession with bits remaining strong across all instances). Orianna worked to destroy them, Cruncho worked to destroy MOST of them but sample one of them. Hell, the Clockmaker came through the door (with the Spider in tow, no less) to observe the chaos and to take his OWN Wickhamm sample! And that’s how the battle ended: 3/4 of the Wickhamms destroyed, 1/4 captured by two obsessed maniacs with PLANS.
Okay . . . What about Sizzle?
Strap in motherfucker.
So, while all the other stuff was happening in the ghost field, Sizzle stayed outside to keep an eye out for a potential second wave. What she found instead, riding through the Deathlands, was her father, the Man in the Hat (seemingly to watch the invasion from the sidelines).
Father and daughter got to speaking, and the Man in the Hat laid out the entirety of what he’d been working for, and why he’d left her and her mother: he had done everything to create a money-making organization that would expand at the speed of communication, shaping the world around it to create unceasing profit for itself.
That sounds awful like a modern-day corporation!
And that’s exactly what it is! The Man in the Hat (Joseph Woodward, if you’re familiar or nasty) was insistent that he was doing it for Sizzle and her family. Whether or not that’s true, Sizzle wasn’t buying it, and broke off talks. Realizing there was little point trying to exact revenge on a man no longer human enough to appreciate it, Sizzle was ready to let him ride off into the sunset. But instead, Woodward charged, and father and daughter decided to do their level best to kill each other.
Is that how the place burned down?
Partially! They DID to a lot of shooting and stabbing and falling off of things, but the fire really only started because the Clockmaker came out of the ghost field, saw the father-daughter dance of death, and decided to set off some pre-planted explosives.
. . . Why?
Because YOLO, I guess.
So at the end of it all, the biggest threat to Old Meachum’s hagfish farm turned out to be the Nameless itself.
Yup! Really makes you think.
Wait, how did Old Meachum die?
Headshot by the Man in the Hat, taking a bullet that was meant for Sizzle.
Dang.
Dang indeed.
Unity Day, Part I
The Nameless disrupt the Billhook weapons and money drops from Seventh Tower to make their involvement with the war feel too costly and dangerous.
The gang is bringing the Horned One and the Fog Hounds in to disrupt Unity Day as the caravans are rerouted into Brightstone
Unity Day has only existed for the past 3 years, and has up until recently been a celebration of the Imperial victory over Skovland. HOWEVER, recently, there’s been a push to recontextualize the holiday to be a celebration of the BROADER IDEA of Unity and Togetherness..
And thanks to Orianna, Sizzle, and Cruncho, this celebration would not be complete without the traditional Unity Door (a door given to The Troops by grateful Skovlanders).
DUSKVOL LOVES THE TROOPS
Cruncho is possessed by Blighter
The Horned One is on the same page as Orianna
Casta’s called in her favor with Sizzle: throw the Black Knights and Render off the trail of the real killers of Breaker
Render is coming soon
The grad students were caught with illegal weapons and a couple go to jail
Unity Day, Part II
The Nameless (Spud and Arkin) decided to break Tarvul (incarcerated official leader of the Billhooks) out of Ironhook prison (faking his death in the process) to ruin Erin’s (Tarvul’s sister and de-facto Billhooks leader) Unity Day.
They were NEARLY thwarted by Nat Marseilles and Chuck Morgenstern, who tried to sabotage the breakout and frame the Nameless for Tarvul’s murder. Their reasoning? Not fully articulated as of yet, but they seem to have decided that the Nameless are worth fully taking down. Arkin punched out Nat Marseilles (he’s been listening to Katya).
However, a combination of tazing, incredible abdominal strength, a rocket-powered cart, and some good old-fashioned cop-killing saw the Nameless triumphant as a bloodied but living Tarvul climactically strode into the Billhooks’ Unity Day festivities and retook his rightful place.
Tarvul is not a fan of the wool that Erin has been pulling over his eyes, nor of the seeming-death of his son.
The Billhooks have withdrawn from the war.
The Crash
The infant Duskvol Palisade Avenue stock exchange was blown up and subsequently mashed through thanks to a superhuman Black Knight vs. half-possessed warlock vs. brick shithouse pit-fighter brawl (s/o Cruncho and Spud).
-The proposed gala celebrating its unveiling became a nightmare riot courtesy of our gang, the Shmeek, explosions, and shouting “fire” in a crowded room (tandem work from Arkin, Linmer, and Sandro).
-Sizzle has captured Joseph Woodward aka the Man in the Hat and (temporarily) severed him from the ghost field.
-The entire narrative has been spread to the newspapers courtesy of Sandro’s media acumen: free market venture capitalism is a fraud, Seventh Tower are hucksters of the highest order, and law enforcement is investigating them (now headed up by Nat Marseilles).
-Chuck Morgenstern may be dead, or seriously injured
-Linmer has distilled and caused the capture of another Blighter iteration
-Y’all stole some fur coats from coat check.
-Bhed the Wolf “lives” in Cruncho’s skeleton now.