AAR (8M): Stolen Property (2020-12-18 @ 2359 GMT)

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predajey
Posts:344
Joined:Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:27 am
Re: LFG (8M): Stolen Property (2020-12-18 @ 2359 GMT)

Post by predajey » Sat Dec 19, 2020 3:39 am

AAR: Stolen Property
GM: Pub
ECR: 8
Difficulty: Medium

Player Rewards:
Thorkell: 19000 LP, 900 SP, 3 TIPs
Elisen: 19000 LP, 900 SP, 3 TIPs
Juniper: 19000 LP, 900 SP, 3 TIPs
LaShana: 19000 LP, 900 SP, 3 TIPs
Bloodbeat: 19000 LP, 900 SP, 3 TIPs

Alt Rewards: Half Price Spells, Half Price Necromancer Training

Journals: 950 LP, 225 SP

GM Reward: Calina (2200 LP, 375 SP, 3 TIPs)

Downtime:

Elisen:
Animal training step 14 (10 + karma)
Item History 18 (rank 5; 10 + 2 karma)
Research 18 (rank 5; 10 + 2 karma)

Bloodbeat:
Alchemy (rank 2, step 9)
Forge Weapon (rank 1, step 8 + karma)
Item History (rank 1, step 8 + karma)

Thorkell:
[Craftsman] Rank 9 / 33 (+2 if metal) can make mundane items, weapons, and armor
[Efficient Forge Weapon] Rank 11 / 26 (+2 if metal) (can forge rank weapons at once)
[Forge Armor] Rank 11 / 26 (+2 if metal)
[Item History] Rank 4 / 24
[Research] Rank 6 / 22
[Design Enchanting Pattern] Rank 10 / 30
[Craft True Pattern] Rank 10 / 34 (+2 if metal)

Summary:
The Party tracked the suspect along the Northern Serpent and back to Iopos. They peacefully encountered Smuggler's Respite and a group of Ishkarat guards. They snuck into the city and murdered the culprit, a member of the Denairastas clan, and took the artifact to return to Jasper. On the way out, they escorted a caravan full of escaped prisoners to return to Throal. Jasper has been informed of Iopos' intent to reclaim the artifact and was given advice on how to improve his home security.

verse86
Posts:269
Joined:Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:16 pm

Re: AAR (8M): Stolen Property (2020-12-18 @ 2359 GMT)

Post by verse86 » Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:33 pm

Thorkell's Journal:
Bloodbeat has asked me to tag along on an adventure for a former client of hers, a man named Jaspur Tahn. After speaking with his servant Sebas we found out that an important object of his was stolen, some kind of lightning infused crystal. The room was locked and didn't appear to have been forcibly entered. After walking the grounds we found some tracks of what appeared to be a large human or orc. Tracking as best we could we arrived at the river where a strange figure had received passage to an area unknown to me.

When we arrived at the town, the guards seemed to be performing some checks with all who entered where they had to affirm their loyalty to the local royals.We were able to sneak by the guards and find our way to the group we were looking for. We convinced them that we were higher ranking members of their group come to check on the object that was stolen. We were able to take care of the leader and recover the item. We quickly made our way out before anyone realized what had happened and made our way back with the crystal.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Re: AAR (8M): Stolen Property (2020-12-18 @ 2359 GMT)

Post by Anoush » Wed Jan 20, 2021 2:10 am

Bloodbeat’s Journal:

As a Nethermancer, I’d been very impressed with Jasper Tahn of Sosonopa. Very learned, very skilled, and a marvelous teacher. So, when I received a letter from him asking for my help in finding the criminals who’d stolen an artifact for him, I was shocked. Shocked that anyone would dare rob someone of such power and repute. Then I contacted some trustworthy companions — Elisen (a windllng Cavalryman and Troubadour), Juniper (a Shadow and Questor of Lochost), LaShana (a windling security expert) and one of my Weaponsmith trainers, Thorkell (a troll Weaponsmith, Warrior and Questor of Upandal) — and set off for Sosonopa to help.

We reached Sosonopa on a typical spring day, cool and overcast. Sebas, Jasper’s manservant, greeted us cordially. He was happy to see us. As usual, there was no sign that Jasper was in the house. He was a very private man. Sebas remembered dear Nib, and inquired as to why he wasn’t here to help. So I had to explain that Nib had died in an expedition a few months past. Even after the better part of a year, it still pained me to talk about Nib. The only consolation I had was Nib’s occasional visit for morning tea where I talked to a variety of spirits.

Sebas explained that the stolen item was a crystal shard infused with lightning, dating from before the Scourge. The shard had been in Jasper’s family for at least 2 generations, perhaps longer, and it was stored in a display case along with a variety of other special items. In this display room, we could see the outline of the missing shard on the wall. The shard was small enough to fit into a human-sized hand. The area was safe astrally, and the only things of note in the room were the other magical items. The room was dusty as if it was infrequently used. Since none of the other magical items had been taken, we had to assume that the thief had come for the shard specifically.

Sebas could provide no clues as to the culprit who’d taken the shard just over a week ago at that point. But he did tell us that the doors and windows had been locked, both to the house and this particular room. Yet, Jasper had set no magical, protective wards on the room or house. I thought that strange given the value of the items in this one room alone, let alone Jasper’s vast library. Sebas’ only response was that Jasper hadn’t thought wards necessary.

LaShana cast an expert’s eye on the room. She noticed scratches by the lock and concluded that it had been picked. She suggested a better locking mechanism and other security measures to Sebas, but I doubted that Jasper would listen.

Then we asked Sebas who knew about the shard, apart from Jasper and him. Sebas had no idea. Sebas added that Jasper never had guests. The only people to enter the house in the last few months had been Jasper and himself.

We examined the rest of the house, and found dirt on the floor, along with scrape marks as if someone had dragged a piece of cloth to mask their footprints on the dusty floor. The path it left was big enough to conceal a human, perhaps an elf or ork, but no one larger. The path told us that the thief had entered through the front door and headed directly to the display room. So not only did the culprit know that Jasper had the shard, but he knew where it was stored.

Jasper’s house was set on a largish piece of property in a pleasant neighborhood. It was enclosed by a stone wall with a gate. Most of the neighbors weren’t near enough to have a view of Jasper’s front door, so couldn’t easily note Sebas’ comings and goings. Sebas told us that he had a usual route from the house to the market. The neighbors could certainly note him when he traveled that route.

On the grounds themselves, we found several sets of tracks. Apart from Sebas’ expected tracks, we found some that came over one of the walls and headed to some dense shrubbery. There was fresh chipping at the top of the wall, which indicated that the thief had used a grappling hook to scale it. The tracks then retraced their steps to depart the grounds. From the shrubbery, we found one set of tracks that led to the front door and then back again. Our conclusion is that the thief hid in the bushes, waited for Sebas to go to the market, and then took the opportunity to steal the shard. By the size and shape of the shoe prints, we could tell the thief must’ve been either a small ork or a large human.

Beyond the wall, we couldn’t follow the tracks. They mingled with a variety of other, normal foot traffic. The best we could discern was that perhaps, just perhaps, the culprit had continued on the road leading to the ferry across the Serpent River.

Elisen talked to the ferryman and learned that it was mostly blood elves who used the ferry. But he did remember one group of t’skrang who took the ferry and then continued on towards the Blood Wood. One suggestion that cropped up was that we might investigate Smuggler’s Respite, a small town near the fork of the Serpent.

Juniper talked to some of his underworld contacts — fences mainly — but they were unwilling to say much. However, they did admit that they’d heard of no request for this specific item.

Following our one lead, we headed to Smuggler’s Respite. I learned that the town used to be the base for a smuggling operation, but that by then the Name was a misnomer. The people there were no longer smugglers, but people trying to start new lives for themselves. Some of the others spoke of a companion, Zil, who was at the town regularly, treating victims of Ishkarat aggression.

Juniper did most of the talking at Smuggler’s Respite and eventually learned that a stranger — dressed all in black with a silver-etched cloak — had been noted nearby, crossing the Serpent and heading northwest. LaShana found distinctive tracks along the river, but then lost them once they entered the water. Juniper made more inquiries about the cloaked man, and learned that he was likely from Iopos, a place none of us had ever visited. But a supply caravan was heading to Iopos in a few days time, and we were able to join it.

It took us several weeks by caravan to get to Iopos. Security was high in the city. Anyone who entered the city was interrogated by guards — wearing slightly different robes than the ones our black-cloaked stranger was reported to be seen wearing. Since we weren’t in Iopos in any proper, or official, capacity, we decided to sneak past the guards, rather than risk trouble. LaShana and Juniper led our stealthy way into the city.

Once inside, we found a market and Elisen chatted up a number of people to discover that the person we wanted was probably one of the Denairastas clan. We spent some time watching and waiting and eventually identified the man we were looking for. Juniper bluffed our way into the man’s office and did his absolute best to convince him that the shard that he’d stolen was a fake. The stolen shard was openly displayed on a shelf in the office.

We could tell that the bluff wasn’t working, so when the man said he’d go talk to his superiors about it, we didn’t let him leave, forcibly, with Thorkell blocking the door. The thief was dead within a few moments. Searching his desk, we found some notebooks that explained about how the crystal might attract or redirect lightning. He’d obviously been studying the shard and planning this for a very long time.

We took the crystal and the notebooks, Juniper appropriated his cloak, and then we left. Juniper bought us a little time by telling the front desk that the Denairastas didn’t want to be disturbed.

We found a circuitous, but stealthy route out of the city and met up with the caravan again. The caravan was leaving before dawn, and we left with it. The caravan headed east, into the Blood Wood. The Wood was dark and gloomy, and very pleasant. Others called the Wood creepy, but the astral was open. I could understand why the elves lived there.

After a few days in the caravan, the entire group, stopped. The caravan master told us that there were creatures up ahead, blocking the road. The creatures looked dangerous and he wanted us to get rid of them. So we went forward to investigate. The creatures were largish bears, a warm honey color. There were about 5 of them, mostly sleeping and yawning. Elisen approached the first one, and it was friendly to him! So he continued this tactic, and eventually he had all 5 bears following him around like, well, like teddy bears or puppies. Very sweet. Elisen led the bears off the path, allowing the caravan to pass.

Once through the Blood Wood, we left the caravan and took the ferry across the Serpent River to Sosonopa. We returned the shard to Jasper, via Sebas. We explained to Sebas who’d taken it and where we’d recovered it from, and that we expected those same people to make another attempt to steal it. LaShana and the rest of us tried hard to convince Sebas that Jasper needed more security, but I suspected nothing would come it.

The return to Throal was peaceful. Upon our return, we gave the notebooks that we’d found to the Eye. They needed to be warned of possible threats from that quarter as well.

sigfriedmcwild
Posts:335
Joined:Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:59 am

Re: AAR (8M): Stolen Property (2020-12-18 @ 2359 GMT)

Post by sigfriedmcwild » Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:36 am

From the memoirs of Elisen of clan Adorjan, Haressa-tis and Lore Keeper

Bloodbeat (Bloodbeat II Syrtis) was approached by a human named Sebas (Gauntlet) who needed assistance with something in Sosanopa. Reluctantly and hoping it wasn't going to be another murder spree I agreed to join them. With us were Thorkell (Thorkell Gulbrandsen, troll Weaponsmith and Warrior), Juniper (Solanus Pyrocantha, elven Shadow and Questor of Lochost), and LaShana (LaShana Tumblesprout, windling Thief).

We were asked to contact one Jasper Than, whom Sebas apparently works for. Bloodbeat seemed familiar with both, I think Jasper had trained them in the past. The road to Sosanopa is well travelled and Isidoros knows it well, so I spent most of the trip organising all the information on the Scourge I'd collected, which involved too much time reading journals by that big troll named Norg whose ego is believe it or not even larger than their body.

Jasper Than lives in a mansion on the outskirts of the town and that's where Bloodbeat took us. We were informed that a crystal shard of no obvious worth was stolen from their study, at least one week prior. LaShana surveyed the area an determined the door lock had been picked, but we could not understand the motive behind the theft. We did find some tracks leading away from the house down to the ferry however.

The ferryman mentioned something about a new settlement called Smuggler's Repite upriver and some t'skrang that went towards the Wyrmwood to the north. LaShana and Juniper went around town talking to "people they knew" but came up dry so we moved on to Smuggler's Respite, where the population seemed to recognize Thorkell and LaShana. A quick chat with the captain of the guard got us the records of who went through the village and we learnt that a group of people wearing fine silver cloaks was spotted moving further upriver.

Some more tracking by LaShana took us to a t'skrang camp, who also seemed to recognize them and Thorkell, they pointed us even further up river towards a city called Iopos and said they could get us in with a caravan going that way the next day.

The journey to Iopos took over a month of dreadfully monotonous travel up the Serpent and then a day or two inland. At the gates we noticed that guards were checking everyone arriving into the city and demanding allegiance to the "Denairastas". Juniper as one can imagine was not pleased with this. We talked to the caravan master who told us the checkpoint was run by the "Gold Branch" who also have spy outposts all over the area and are allied with the t'skrang house Ishkarat. Some swift talking got us the name of a contact in the Gold Branch called Jerleth.

We took our leave from the caravan and snuck over the walls, then made our way to the Gold Branch headquarters, where we claimed to be field agents that needed to report directly to Jerleth. They actually bought it and directed us to the office where we found the crystal. I tried to con the guy into believing the cyrstal was fake, but in the end we just stabbed them lots and walked out. A few minutes of hiding bodies and stealing documents later we walked out Juniper did steal the cape, which was a very nice cape.

On the way out we informed the receptionist that Jerleth had asked to not be disturbed. Their security was so terrible we just walked out.

Before we could hop over the wall again we were approached by a strange person who asked us to talk inside a nearby building. Definitely expecting a trap I was surprised to find out that this person wanted our help exfiltrating some refugees. These people are the worst evil regime and rebels I've ever read of.

The next day we joined the refugee caravan travelling east from Iopos towards Wyrmwood, frankly it sounded like a terrible idea but I was not in charge. The trip is again extremely long, boring and uneventful. The only minor excitement was a group of bears on our path once we hit the wood (which by the way has really gone downhill compared to the description in the histories). I managed to befriend the whole group and keep them calm as the caravan moved around them.

From Wyrmwood we turned south towards Smuggler's Escape where we left the caravan and returned to Sosanopa where we returned the crystal and the to Throal where we turned in all the documents we stole to the Eye.

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