Sasserine: The Search for Vanthus, Day 1

What an eventful first day you've had.

You began in the Azure District asking after Brissa, the tattoo artist.

You tried her at the Inker's Guild and the Drunken Dolphin. You failed to find her or any clues to where Vanthus might be. You avoided an arrest based on the testimony of a fat man in the street who loudly claimed he overheard you plotting to assassinate Vanthus. The Azure Watch decided his claims were unfounded and they released Mia (the only one they could catch).

Mallyn followed the fat man in the afternoon, Mia went back to the Dolphin and Frazine meditated. All of you met up again in the Dolphin to see if it would be any busier and more fruitful for your search. There you met some sailors and an old woman. You were also made aware that Brissa had painted a landscape hanging in the Dolphin.

You learned that she had done another for the Sasserine Sleigh Ride, a brothel in the Azure. All of you (except Mia) went to check it out and ask around for Brissa.

Once you finished your business at the Sleigh Ride, you headed home. Along the way, you heard a man crying for help down an alleyway. You saw four men. One was holding another against a wall and the third lay at their feet. A fourth man was asleep on some steps outside a house. As you went to help, you quickly realized that this was a trap.

Raven found out that the man on the steps wasn't sleeping. He was a thug lying in wait. He attacked her. She defended herself the best she could with Althomas' help. She eventually put enough distance between herself and the thug to shoot him through the heart with an arrow.

Meanwhile, Frazine had reached the man being held against the wall. Many things happened simultaneously. The victim was not being mugged. He ran up a nearby set of stairs and drew his longsword flanking Frazine. The original thug threatened Frazine from the front while a second thug emerged from the shadows and attacked her from behind. A deadly situation.

Fortunately, Mallyn had her back. From the shadows, he sent an arrow into the spine of one thug, killing him. After receiving one of Frazine's unarmed blows and seeing the fate of his companion, the first thug fled the scene. This left Yarci to take on the rest of the party. Confident in his swordsmanship, he refused to yield.

What he hadn't counted on were two things-- Althomas' magic and Frazine's big shoulders. The wizard hit him with magical missiles and Frazine drove him to the ground with a flying tackle. Raven, arriving late to the fight, ran up the stairs and jumped on for good measure. Yarci was subdued.

You need to quickly decide what to do.

There are bodies in the alleyway and on the street. The Watch could come by at any moment and start asking questions. You can see that the original man on the ground in the alleyway looks like Yarci's original victim. The man is severely beaten and unconscious-- possible alive, possibly dead.

You have one week in real time to post your actions on the forum. Depending on how you handle the situation will determine where we begin next week. If nothing is posted, no worries, we'll take the path of least resistance.

NOTE: Once we've finished with this alleyway scene, I'll post your experience for all of Day 1 (sessions 8 & 9).

Mmmm....I seem to spend a large part of this game sitting on top of male characters. Possibly it has something to do with spending too many years alone in the woods with elves! Anway, I say hand the Yarci character straight over to Cato, if he has any useful information that bears on our quest, we can get it from him there. Important to get him offside as quickly as possible though...

Not knowing who this Cato character is, I'd say: off him and have done with it. Best not to leave live enemies behind you, and he was the one to attack us. Also, as long as the original victim isn't in any immediate danger of expiring, I'd say leave him in a doorway and be one our way.

Yes, but being - nominally, at least - part of the law-keeping fraternity in Sasserine I think it's important that we try, when we can, to abide by that law ourselves. Killing someone in cold blood in an alleyway, when we don't have to, is a bit hard to justify.

Cato by the way is the big boss Lord who keeps the city running and often supplies us with work.

You're the ones paying the bills, so I'll go with what you want to do - but I think it's a bad idea. You off him, you send a message that you're not to be messed with.

As a character, Raven could never have a cold-blooded killing on her conscience. Anyway, Lord Cato is our benefactor and I don't think he would approve either, we should hand him over to the authorities. That also conveys a message that we don't mess around - plus we've already killed two of them in self-defence anyway.

gracey wrote:As a character, Raven could never have a cold-blooded killing on her conscience. Anyway, Lord Cato is our benefactor and I don't think he would approve either, we should hand him over to the authorities. That also conveys a message that we don't mess around - plus we've already killed two of them in self-defence anyway.

Raven convinces the party to turn Yarci over to the authorities. Is there anything else you'd like to know or do before this action is completed?

Well, being as we're being all civic minded and all, we should probably get the victim to some medical care and attention. Or at least get him home.

turn yarci into the authorities and make sure the other thugs that escaped knew that we mean business

Frazine

If we're going with the idea for splitting up and searching over the next couple of days, Mallyn will spend them accessing his criminal contacts in the city and trying to get any information going on Vanthus. He'll arrange a time and location to meet up with the others to report back.

Things like:
- Has anyone seen him?
- Last known whereabouts?
- What was he in to?
- Is he known to any of the gangs?
- Does he owe anyone money?
- Is he known to have skipped town?