Present: Charlie Betts, William Chapman, Oscar Katz, Sam Bebbington, Jack Richardson.
Last Session: Treasures Age Old - Session 9 Player Recap
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Session 10: The Alley Rats

Aboard the Chained Hag

The session began aboard the Chained Hag, shortly after the party returned with the stolen Swooping Terror and its rider. A light rain was falling across Freeport. The captured dinosaur had been thoroughly secured on deck, wrapped in enough chains that even a creature of its size and strength was unlikely to break free.

Fernando Gonzalez (Dino Pilot) protested as Belladonna Velenza’s crew escorted him below deck. He insisted that he was still owed the bounty he had been promised, despite now being Belladonna Velenza’s servant, and made several vague threats about what would happen when the right people learned what had been done to him if they didn't treat him well. These threats did little to trouble the Chained Hag pirates. He disappeared below deck while the crew continued securing the dinosaur and reorganising the ship around its newest acquisition.

Peg Meg-Leg was absent from the expedition that followed. After her spectacular journey down the cliff with Joan Ackworth earlier, she remained behind to recover and to fit and reattach a replacement leg.

Belladonna Velenza had withdrawn to her cabin to deal with the rapidly growing number of problems surrounding Freeport. The party went to speak with her and knocked at the cabin door. One of Belladonna Velenza’s Chosen answered before allowing them inside.

Belladonna Velenza’s cabin was well decorated, but in a manner appropriate to the captain of the Chained Hag. Chains hung prominently along the walls alongside mounted dinosaur heads and numerous human skulls. The skulls had not all been treated in the same way. Some had been cleaned and displayed with obvious reverence; others had been pierced with spikes, battered, or arranged as objects of contempt.

Polonius Fumke studied them closely. The honoured skulls tended to have fewer teeth, old injuries, and other signs of lives shaped by poverty, violence, hard labour, and possibly slavery. The desecrated skulls generally appeared older and healthier. Many possessed the better teeth expected of wealthy Conquistadors (16P), although some had suffered deliberate damage after death.

The display reinforced what the party already understood about Belladonna. She had once been enslaved herself, and the culture of the Chained Hag had grown from her violent rejection of that experience. Captives who demonstrated strength might eventually rise among her people, but those considered weak or useless were afforded little sympathy. Belladonna did not oppose domination itself so much as she despised being dominated.

Belladonna’s Problem

Belladonna was studying a map of Freeport and its surrounding waters when the party entered. Several possible positions for Gustavo, Montañero Pirate Lord’s blockading ships had been marked upon it, although many were educated guesses. The map was considerably better than anything most Freeport sailors possessed, but it was still frustratingly imprecise.

The channels around Freeport shifted, fog frequently obscured visibility, and the routes known to accommodate a ship as large as the Chained Hag were precisely the routes Gustavo, Montañero Pirate Lord was most likely to watch. Belladonna was attempting to identify a navigable path through the surrounding waters that would not deliver her directly into the blockade. Her furrowed expression made it clear that she had not yet found one she trusted.

The party suggested using the stolen Swooping Terror to reconnoitre the waters from above. This presented an immediate difficulty: none of them knew how to fly it. The captured rider might be forced to provide instructions, but nobody trusted him not to give Marco deliberately lethal advice and watch him plummet into the sea.

They also discussed sounding the channels to determine their depth. That could identify routes safe for the Chained Hag, but doing it thoroughly would take time and might draw the attention of the blockading ships.

The conversation then wandered into the possibility of using supernatural creatures that may lurk around Freeport against Gustavo, Montañero Pirate Lord’s fleet. Mutite could attract Merfolk, although it would draw them towards whoever possessed the Mutite before it drew them towards the intended target. Someone suggested loading Mutite into a cannon and firing it towards the blockading ships, thereby placing the lure among Gustavo, Montañero Pirate Lord’s fleet without approaching it directly.

Other local creatures were considered. Polonius Fumke recalled a catlike or otterlike creature with an arm or hand at the end of its tail, which supposedly dragged travellers beneath the water, although it was more commonly found in freshwater. There were serpents whose heads resembled water lilies, slanchala resembling mermaids with serpentine lower bodies, and childlike water spirits. At one point, the possibility of somehow transporting or awakening the Death Bat from Amokuali Temple was also raised. None of these ideas immediately transformed into a workable plan.

Not wanting to be distracted further, Belladonna Velenza thanked the party for their recent service, observing that they had finally accomplished more than half of a festival. The discussion briefly drifted into the quality and availability of the remaining Grizzfest food before returning to the real problem.

Belladonna explained that the tattooed section of Little Foot’s skin had been cut away. Copies of the tattoo existed, but they were imperfect, and Doña Isabel del Oro might reject Little Foot’s corpse without the original skin to establish its identity. The missing tattoo was therefore not merely evidence. It was potentially worth the full bounty on Little Foot.

Belladonna suspected that Redd James and Grizzlebeard had taken it. She ordered the party to locate the skin and recover it. She also admitted that sending them out on errands appeared safer than keeping them close to her indefinitely, an assessment influenced partly by what she had heard from Redd James.

Where Might Redd Have Gone?

The party considered where Redd James and Grizzlebeard could have taken the tattoo. Doña Isabel del Oro’s island lay generally northward, beyond or around several other islands. Travelling north meant confronting Gustavo, Montañero Pirate Lord’s blockade. Redd James possessed a privateer’s letter of marque, but that offered little protection from a man who hated pirates, Azcelani, and supernatural artefacts, and who was obsessively determined to eradicate every trace of Little Foot.

There was a pirate-influenced settlement approximately fifty miles to the east. A port roughly seventy miles west had recently been retaken by the Conquistadors (16P), making it a dangerous destination for anyone connected with Freeport’s pirate community. Smaller fishing settlements lay at intervals along the coast, generally five to ten miles apart and populated by perhaps twenty to one hundred people. Such places possessed small coastal craft that might help someone slip around the blockade without using a recognisable pirate vessel.

An overland journey through the jungle was also possible, although it could take approximately a day and a half and presented hazards of its own. After a lengthy comparison of routes, Polonius Fumke relied upon his intuition and favoured heading east.

Only after considerable planning did somebody suggest first checking whether Redd James’ The Red Scorn and Grizzlebeard’s Ursa Major were still in Freeport. Belladonna appeared faintly baffled that this had not been the party’s first step and sent them to investigate.

The Ursa Major

The Ursa Major remained moored near the site of the previous Grizzfest. Pieces of the festival remained visible around the dock, including portions of the damaged sign and other debris left behind after the celebrations.

Several members of Grizzlebeard’s crew were aboard, maintaining the cannons and working on the rigging. The ship did not appear abandoned or prepared for an immediate departure.

Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) came to speak with the party. They immediately began repeating the old joke that Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) himself was secretly Grizzlebeard. Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) denied this and insisted that Grizzlebeard was busy on board. The party pointed out that this was the same explanation they had received while Grizzlebeard was trapped inside the Amokuali Temple. In their experience, “busy on board” appeared to include “somewhere far away."

Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) eventually confirmed that Grizzlebeard had returned that morning but had already left again. Grizzlebeard had also left instructions concerning what Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) should do if the four present party members arrived. Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) did not readily explain what those instructions were.

Instead, he attempted to distract them with an implausible story involving two attractive women. He also warned them not to trust Belladonna’s chain-wearing people. The party insisted that they were effectively operating undercover and remained, in spirit, members of Redd James’ crew.

Marco attempted to influence Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) through fortune-telling. He told Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) that there was a void in his life and that his sense of purpose was missing, before suggesting that another captain might fill it. Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) remained loyal to Grizzlebeard and showed no inclination to abandon either him or the Ursa Major.

The party briefly considered forcing their way aboard or searching the ship. However, the crew were actively working across the deck and watching the visitors closely. Any intrusion would have been noticed immediately and probably resisted. Without evidence that the tattoo remained aboard, the party moved on.

Redd James’ The Red Scorn

Redd James’ The Red Scorn was still out in the harbour, with the small rowing boat also still at its mooring, but it appeared empty except for a lone guard. The guard was Jolliver (Redd James' Crew): soaked by the rain, wearing a dripping hat and attempting to smoke a pipe that was barely managing to remain lit. His most distinctive feature was a pair of extremely small, close-set eyes. He passed the time by humming a sea shanty.

The party approached as though they already knew Redd James’s plans and merely needed confirmation. Their performance was not especially convincing. Jolliver noticed their chains and remarked that Redd James had said the party were now “chain people.” He wondered why they did not simply remove or unwrap the chains and run away, and why they chose to be under Belladonna Velenza's servitude.

They tried to persuade Jolliver to accompany them to a tavern. He refused because Redd James had ordered him to guard the rowboat and ferry across crew members to The Red Scorn. His shift ended at six o’clock, while it was then approximately half past four. When he checked his watch, the party attempted both to claim that it was later than he believed and to get a closer look at the watch itself.

Jolliver remained stubbornly devoted to his post. He explained that Redd James had rescued him from desperate childhood poverty when nobody else would employ him because of his unusual eyes. As far as Jolliver was concerned, Redd James had given him everything. He would rather die than desert a post Redd James had entrusted to him.^[1]

Since Jolliver would not leave for a drink, the party brought the drinks to him. They returned with pints and drank beside the rowboat. Jolliver remained cautious at first, but the party’s genuine previously positive reputation with Redd James gradually reassured him - particularly Polonius Fumke's unconventional ship-to-ship grapeshot tactics.

Polonius Fumke’ intolerance for alcohol quickly became apparent. He became drunk far faster than the others as the group proposed a succession of toasts: to Redd James, to Grizzlebeard, to Caelor’s plans, to everyone’s safe return, and to the love of the game.

During the increasingly friendly conversation, Jolliver confirmed that Redd and Grizzlebeard had both returned that morning. He then accidentally revealed that they had gone in search of a second scholar.

The party connected this with Bennett (Freeport Scholar)’s earlier correspondence. Before his death, Bennett (Freeport Scholar) had sent information about Little Foot to Confluence University and had been awaiting a response (at least, according to Grizzlebeard, from what he said at Amokuali Temple). If another scholar had come to Freeport because of that message, they might possess new knowledge about Little Foot or the tattoo. Such a scholar might naturally begin by visiting Bennett (Freeport Scholar)’s home on Wrinkle Row.

With their first substantial lead established, the party left Jolliver at approximately five o’clock.

The Disguises

The party did not want to walk openly through Freeport while there was still a bounty on their heads. They improvised disguises from sailcloth, rags, and whatever else was readily available. Barry Cuda pulled his hat down to conceal more of his face. Polonius Fumke remained visibly drunk and did not attempt to disguise himself.

Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character)’s disguise was the most ambitious. He concealed himself inside a barrel (with his chef's hat on top) although his chains continued to clink audibly whenever the barrel moved. At one point, the party considered tying Polonius Fumke to the barrel, which might make the entire arrangement resemble some peculiar but deliberate method of transporting a drunk.

As they moved through Freeport with caution and a slow pace, Wrinkle Row was roughly twenty minutes away on foot. Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character)’s barrel repeatedly bumped against walls and obstacles during the journey. The group looked extremely suspicious by ordinary standards, but Freeport’s ordinary standards were generous enough that nobody immediately challenged them.

Garnot

A child began following the party from roughly twenty yards behind. He appeared somewhere between nine and fourteen years old, although his small size and hard life made his precise age difficult to judge. He was prepubescent, scarred, poorly educated, and unable to read.

The boy recognised the party from wanted posters he had seen around Freeport and described them as famous. The party claimed that the posters were advertisements for a festival and directed him towards Grizzfest. They warned him that Jerry (Grizzlebeard's Crew) might falsely claim to be Grizzlebeard.

The boy introduced himself as Garnot (Alley Rats). He expressed discomfort around the docks, explaining that people tended to get hurt there. He asked about the chains the party were wearing and whether they belonged to the Chained Hag. The party assured him that children were treated well aboard Belladonna Velenza’s ship.

Garnot was fascinated by Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character)’s barrel and wanted to know whether somebody was inside it. He also asked about the party’s adventures. The resulting conversation wandered through pirates, boats, and dinosaurs, with Garnot attempting to flex what he knew.

Garnot initially claimed he could swim, but eventually admitted that he had never learned. The party tried to encourage him, suggesting that he might be capable of more than he believed. The subject of replacement legs also arose (relating to Slippery Three). Garnot said that some crazy women had previously shown interest in taking his legs, but his legs were considered too small. The party assured him that he would grow.

Despite this friendly conversation, Garnot continued asking where the party were going. He also appeared to regard the visibly intoxicated Polonius Fumke as potentially dangerous. Eventually he offered to take them somewhere his brothers and sisters had soup - so he could feed his new friends.

The party recognised that this was almost certainly a trap. Ordinary common sense strongly suggested that they should refuse to follow a strange child into a dark alley to receive free soup from unseen “brothers and sisters.” Nevertheless, they were hungry, curious, increasingly friendly with Garnot, and confident they could handle whatever he was attempting. They followed him.

The Soup

Garnot led the party into a narrow, dark alley cluttered with barrels, debris, ladders, and doors opening into the surrounding buildings. The rooftops overlooked much of the passage, providing excellent positions for hidden attackers.

He pointed towards a barrel that supposedly contained soup, then said he needed to fetch seasoning. Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character), ever a glutton, removed the barrel from over his head and drank from the indicated container. It was not soup. It was bilge water.

Garnot’s demeanour changed immediately. His voice became notably harsher as he announced that he had tricked them. He drew a pistol, gripping it in both hands and pointing it at Polonius Fumke.

Doors opened around the alley and armed members of a gang (announcing themselves as the "Alley Rats" emerged from concealment. Another waited above on the rooftops, alongside their captain, who occupied an elevated position with several pistols available to him. He welcomed the party into the trap and made his intention clear: the Alley Rats meant to collect the bounty on them.

Apparently, there was no deeper conspiracy behind the attack. The Alley Rats had recognised valuable wanted fugitives, lured them into a prepared killing ground, and expected to earn a considerable amount of money by turning in their bodies.

The Ambush

Barry Cuda immediately tried to reach the attackers above by climbing one of the ladders. A musketman had been waiting for somebody to do exactly that. As Barry Cuda’s head became visible above the roofline, the man fired. The shot missed, allowing Barry Cuda to continue climbing with his cutlass drawn.

Marco was shot in the back during the opening exchange. His armour absorbed most of the impact, leaving him with only a relatively minor wound rather than the devastating injury the shooter had intended.

Garnot fired his pistol at Polonius Fumke but missed. He later switched to a knife and continued pursuing Polonius Fumke at close quarters.

The Alley Rats’ captain remained above the fighting, using his height and collection of pistols to fire into the confused melee. He initially targeted Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character) and later fired repeatedly at Barry Cuda once Barry Cuda reached the rooftops. At another point, the captain threw a grenade down among the combatants, but as he had thrown it in a place where it would not endanger his comrades, it was not close enough to have much of an effect.

Barry Cuda reached the rooftop gunman and struck him severely in the leg with his cutlass. The wound crippled the man’s ability to fight effectively. Although badly injured, he remained conscious and concentrated on retreating and defending himself rather than continuing his attack.

On the ground, Pulo charged one of the Alley Rats. His initial attempts to bite through the man’s protection were ineffective, and the man responded with his cutlass. Pulo continued harrying him until Marco called the dinosaur off and entered the fight himself.

Marco fought with his cutlass. The resulting duel dragged on through repeated attacks, evasions, and near misses, with neither combatant initially able to land a decisive blow. Eventually Marco identified a weak point in his opponent’s defence and exploited it, bringing the man down. Once the fighting had moved on, Pulo began eating the corpse.

Garnot’s Rage

Polonius Fumke fought Garnot with his macuahuitl. During Garnot’s knife attack, Polonius inflicted a major injury to the boy’s hand, forcing him to drop the weapon.

Rather than surrendering or recoiling from the wound, Garnot flew into an extraordinary rage. Pain and self-preservation appeared to cease mattering to him. He threw himself bodily at Polonius Fumke and began wrestling with him despite the severe injury to his hand.

The struggle went increasingly badly for Polonius Fumke. Garnot managed to drag him down and continued attacking with a level of fury wildly disproportionate to his size. Polonius Fumke tried desperately to pull himself away, at one point crawling across the ground while Garnot (Alley Rats) pursued him.

Barry Cuda abandoned the rooftop to help. He jumped down intending to land on or seize Garnot, but missed and struck the ground instead. After getting back to his feet, Barry attempted to knock Garnot unconscious with the hilt of his cutlass. The blow failed to stop him.

Garnot turned his fury on Barry Cuda, and Barry Cuda also found himself struggling to control the child. Garnot was already suffering injuries that should have ended the fight, yet he continued attacking as though incapable of recognising how close he was to death.

Marco finally found a barrel full of water. He overturned it, spilling the water across the alley, then placed the empty barrel upside down over Garnot. This trapped and immobilised him without requiring another blow - which, in his current state, would certainly have been fatal. ^[2]

By the end of the fight, Garnot had fallen unconscious beneath the barrel. He remained alive, but in a dire medical condition. Even with competent treatment, his wounds could require one or two months of recovery.

Bruno Inside the House

Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character) became locked in combat with an Alley Rats woman wielding a Cutlass. She repeatedly retreated from his attacks while striking back whenever she could. Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character) endured several cutlass blows and continued advancing, forcing her steadily backwards.

Their fight crossed the threshold of one of the nearby houses. The woman continued withdrawing deeper into the building, with Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character) following until he finally killed her inside.

During this fight, Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character) discovered a property of the black mutite knife recovered from the Amokuali Temple. When he used it to target his opponent’s neck, the weapon did not suffer from the darkness that would normally have impaired his vision and accuracy. Whether the knife itself guided the strike or perceived living throats in some supernatural fashion was unclear, but the effect was unmistakable.

The house was not empty. An elderly man was present inside, but he appeared mentally addled and only dimly aware of the violence occurring around him.

After killing the Alley Rats woman, Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character) cut flesh from her corpse and used it to prepare a quick sandwich. He then gave the sandwich to the old man, who ate it without understanding what he had been served.

The Captain Escapes

As the ambush collapsed, the Alley Rats’ captain watched his people being killed, crippled, or overwhelmed. He had fired several pistols at Barry Cuda and thrown a grenade into the fighting, but neither had turned the battle in his favour.

Once it became clear that the bounty hunters were losing (and the only survivor being himself and Garnot (Alley Rats), the captain abandoned them. He fled across the rooftops rather than risk being trapped in the alley with the survivors.

The fight ended with the party in control of the alley. Nearly all of the Alley Rats were dead, Garnot lay unconscious and close to death, and at least one corpse was being eaten by Pulo. Bruno Culina (Will Chapman's Character) had discovered another disturbing property of the Amokuali Temple knife and had fed part of a dead attacker to an unsuspecting old man.

The victory had come at a cost. Barry Cuda and Polonius Fumke were both in poor physical condition by the end of the battle. Meanwhile, the Alley Rats’ captain remained alive, the missing tattoo had not been found, and the party had still not reached Bennett (Freeport Scholar)’s house or located the mysterious second scholar.