Hooks & Sashes
Seventh Tower continues its bulldozing rampage against the Nameless, with the assistance of the Billhooks and their organization. THIS time, they’re targeting the Fog Hounds, and it’s on multiple fronts:
To the one side, certain journalistic organizations (including the Duskwall Independent) are being fed information about “a group of smugglers with covert insurgent ties”. The more responsible outlets are vetting information, but the other 98% are running with it.
For the other side, the Fog Hounds are having increasing difficulty finding the physical SPACE to dock, as the Billhooks are having it be known that they are not welcome to dock at . . . well, at the Docks!
Session Recap
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.
Downtime
Flan
Flan sitting in a chair, head hanging, not able to look Giancarlo in the eye while he heals him, who also doesn’t look directly at Flan. They say nothing. The tension and disappointment in the air is crushing.
Arkin
The rest of the Nameless haven’t seen much of Arkin recently. He keeps running off into the night, which, while not an unusual occurrence for most members of the gang, is rare for him. When he returns, he’s often covered in scratches, sweat, and oil. His messy lab coat is even filthier. And he has the biggest grin on his face.
One day, he bursts into the lair, wordlessly grabs Linmer by the arm, and rushes back out again, elder in tow. When they return four hours later, they do so with the eyes of a partnership that is extraordinarily proud of their work.
Later that week, Arkin stops going out at night. You see him calmly smoking his opium pipe by the fire, feet up, Mousely III on his lap. He is the picture of serenity.
Cruncho
The sight of the corpse filled Cruncho with…disappointment? A decisive 1-on-1 victory over a vampire isn’t a feat many live to boast about. But he found himself lost in the past, musing over how the spirit operating the vampire, Bea, had overwhelmed Cruncho back when she was a living human. Did…did she become…weaker? A broken mind in borrowed flesh. Maybe vampiric ascension wasn’t the path. His eyes drifted downward to his own arms, where the spirits of Francois and Bea were trapped by implanted arcane silver. A long, uncomfortable silence passed. And then a spark! Cruncho suddenly straightened up. If ONE spirit wasn’t enough, what about a body running on the energy of TWO spirits? Or…or more?
Sizzle
Sizzle lays on her stomach facing a cross-legged Valanthe, inspecting the meticulously arranged revolver parts on the floor between them. Each spring, lever, and plate is freshly cleaned and polished, the lamplight glinting off them playfully as Sizzle pieces the guns back together. Valanthe shifts her weight slightly, keeping her hand pressed against her face. “You ready, Sizzle?”
Sizzle glances up. “I think so. You’ve been real patient, Val; I promise it’ll be worth it.” She pushes herself to her knees, carefully placing a half-assembled pistol aside before closing the space between them. “Okay. Look up.” Her fingers reach up to lightly brush away the hand covering Valanthe’s face.
The scrap of mushroom leather over Valanthe’s missing eye has molded to her features beautifully. Sizzle gingerly tests the edges, ensuring the rigidity of the mask before gently lifting it from Valanthe’s face.
“Well, ain’t that somethin’.” She sits back on her heels, admiring her handiwork. “Not bad at all for a gal more used to makin’ holsters! Just needs a trim, a bit of paint, and – Val. VAL! Ya stopped breathin’ again! Ya’ll really need to see a doctor about that, it seems t’ be happenin’ an awful lot.”