LogDunslough Cartographic Society-Jason-7

Game log for the 2018/04/29 session of Blades in the Dark: The Dunslough Cartographic Society, as taken by Jason

We have decided to steal something really special, in hopes of both gathering enough rep to secure our hold, and proving that we're worthy of the services of a better grade of fence. Fitz refers Dr Oz to a fence called Shouter Carp. He also notices from her body language that she's pregnant.

Shouter's willing to meet us. We set up a meet at a bar in the Docks called the Ruptured Pelican. He's a big guy, tattoed, wearing a vest but no shirt, and a cravat around his bare neck. He looks like a former sailor gone... something or other. He has a giant fish tatoo down one arm. We get a table, send him a drink, and wait for hin to get free. Carp pockets his winnings and saunters over. Without actually mentioning any criminal acts, we collectively agree that he deals in stolen items and we want to move stolen items. Carp isn't real eager to take on new acquaintances, but will hear us out, if we have anything interesting to discuss. We don't. Well, he's looking for a specific map book, which is on a ship. If we can get that for him, he'll acknowledge that we're on his level. We express interest, so he takes his drink, heads outside, takes us to a gangway overlooking the docks, and points to a ship named the Kingmaker. It's a massive thing, built for hunting leviathans, sort of like a pre-dreadnought battleship, but with enormous harpoons in the end turrets. Their longitudinal stabilizers have sharp jagged edges to discourage leviathans from wrapping tentacles around the ships. Leviathan blood gets refined to make electroplasm. Bow or stern turrets harpoon the monster, which gets hoisted on to the fo'c'sl or quarterdeck for basic butchery, and then transferred to a refinery ship to get turned into electroplasm. The map book we're looking for, the Hunting Map of Lacy Ankhayat, will be in the Captain's quarters, or possibly his station on the bridge.

The ship will be in port for the next two weeks, and we can expect the book to be on board. Carp has no idea what the book looks like, but it should have the seal of the house of Ankhayat on it. We're thinking maybe Pool and Arvus sneak on board, while the rest of the Society pretend to be reporters doing a story on Lady Ankhayat's striking professional success. Washout fabricates some hang gliders, although they won't support much in the way of load. Clip helps Washout get proper documents and some terminology, and it works a treat - we are accepted as reporters without hesitation.

Lady Ankhayat invites the "reporters" to her stateroom, to talk at length about how special she is. Pool and Arvus have no trouble sneaking aboard, landing their glider inside one of the lifeboats hanging from the davits. They can land and break it down inside the lifeboat without anyone seeing a thing. There are Marines on board but they're looking at the water and the docks, not the sky. Pool begins to survey the scene, looking for the way in. She gets a sense of who's where and what the routine is. They sneak around to the bridge without incident.

They sneak in to one of the bridge wings, which is glassed in and connected to the bridge, and Pool goes to sneak up on the bridge watchman and chokes him out. They survey the bridge.

Meanwhile, in the stateroom, Washout makes an ass of himself flirting with the Lady, while Clip surrepetitiously looks around the room, and spies the book inside it's only special place in a glass-fronted locked cabinet. It's a large leather-bound volume. He directs Dr Oz' attention to it while Washout tries to talk her into giving a tour. Clip has to rein him in a bit to get his behavior corrected. Captain Ankhayat agrees, and Dr Oz leaves a little mark on the door to let Pool and Arvus know the book is here. The Captain takes the "reporters" to the aft flensing deck.

From the bridge, Pool and Arvus see the Captain, her entourage, and the reporters walking aft on the deck. Pool nearly walks out in front of a Marine, but Arvus yanks her back just in time. They find the door that Dr Oz marked and sneak in. It takes them a few minutes to spot the book, but they do manage to find it. Pool takes her lockpicks to the case and opens it, just barely avoiding being pricked by the poison needle trap. They verify that the book is the right one, then rearrange the books to make it less obvious that the room has been burgled. Pool and Arvus then return to their lucky lifeboat, unspotted by all humans.

On the flensing deck, the reporters are doing a great job of convincing the Captain that she's the subject of a very positive profile in the local papers.

Pool and Arvus reassemble the glider and reapply the drift oil. They have a little difficulty getting it assembled, and they only avoid injury during their landing because they're both wearing padded gear.

After Dr Oz and Clip leave, Washout stays behind to try to seduce the Captain. It's a critical success! He spends a brief but pleasant interlude with her, and then returns to the Eelery.

On Clip and Dr Oz's way home, the guard we bribed back in the prison, Earnest Cox, shakes Clip down for a bribe. Clip pays without hesitation.

Shouting Carp likes his new book. We now have a loyal fence working with us. We also gain enough rep to make our hold strong. Arvus drinks and trains Prowess. Clip and Jeren create a fake police complaint from the Captain about an Inkrake giving her the clap. Dr Oz starts consulting with ghosts to help silence the voices, and then indulges his vice. Pool indulges her vice, and trains. Washout finally locates a brothel that will let him in, refreshing time, and does some tinkering. Unfortunately, the Lush market has not developed yet, and we're not making any money from the drug den. We decide to work on some burglary next.