Editing 08/11/2024 -- Operation Umber Fang

* Date: 20 Knewidi 715AR. Starring Koilos (commander), Seth (marshall), Andreas (quartermaster), Thomas (spymaster), Angel (lorekeeper), and Fidelis.
* Ki is asked to roll 2d6, and gets a 12. She’s then asked to roll 2d20, and the highest result is 18. We get a random event! Because she rolled so high, she’s asked if she wants an event that will give us the potential to power up an engine later on, or just a very solid random event. She chooses the engine.
*
* We decide to wait to send out spies until the end. The quartermaster puts 3 build points into waterproofing the tents, and we get +1 morale. 
* After talking about which leader we should tell about the mission, we decide to send Seth and Ki to talk to Lavatera. Ki waits at the door, while Seth goes in without knocking, and takes 162 magical lightning dmg at Sheer I to his chest. He loses 2 health blocks.
** “Oh, it’s you. Why would you do that? Silly boy.”
* After some weird flirting with Seth, she asks what we need. Ki describes the mission to her, and gets to make a spirit check at B1. She gets 4 successes.
** “In any other situation, I would likely say this would be a terrible idea, but given the recent events, ah… I can see the idea of it. If you go, you’ll be under my protection, at least what I can afford. Now, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, if you fuck this up, well. Mm. I can only go so far in protecting you.”
* Lavatera asks who else is going on this little excursion, and Ki lists them off. Lavatera tells them to wait, and goes through some drawers, coming back with a small vial of mostly clear orange-tinted liquid. She says a drop for everyone involved should make this process easier, and that this is her own personal stash, so don’t use it all. Ki asks what it does, and she smiles and bends down to whisper it to Ki.
** “I don’t know if some parts of this will be easy, so I figure this will be a much-needed boon.”
* Ki thanks her, and she says not to thank her yet. She tells Seth that while he’s adorable, if he enters into her chambers unannounced again she’ll turn him into a rabbit and hunt him. They leave, and she shuts the door.
* Seth goes to the Rat Races, while Andreas goes to the Bitter Swill. Everyone else waits to do their martial school training at the end.
* We enter the prison, and make our way to a regenerating Radovan Raze. He asks what he owes this pleasure to, and Ki says we’re taking him on a stroll. He asks if we’re going to the blood, and she says yes.
** “Hm. Very well. If you could, eh… simply undo my binds, and even just a few drops from one of you should be enough for me to at least walk on my own power. I think I’d also like an umbrella.”
* The party refuses, and talks about their idea of carrying his head in a jar. He asks if we’re willing to get our hands dirty for him, or bring the living humanoids up to his severed neck and allow him to regenerate. We realize we didn’t really think this through, and decide to sever his head to sneak him out of the Keep, but to give him blood so that he can regenerate once we’re outside.
* Ki takes her broadsword to his neck, but it’s like striking a wall – he tells her not to get discouraged, and to make a few more strikes. It actually takes her 30 or 40 to get through. Andreas goes off to get an umbrella.
* The quartermaster spends -1 relic.
* The marshall gets a 1 on the engagement roll.
* Once we’re beyond the walls of Widowstone, Angel gives him blood – they open a vein, allowing him to drink, and we watch as bones and sinew reform. He gives a smile and rolls his shoulders, before putting on his hat and taking the umbrella. We can see he’s faintly smoking. He tells us all to follow him.
* We start to go deeper inland, away from the ocean itself. It gets more dense and swampy in certain areas, and we all lose -25sp moving through.
* Angel steps on a tripwire, and is easily able to cut through the net that comes down, but we hear some noises up in the trees – we see two kobolds moving through the treetops, appearing to be running back somewhere. They’ve seen us. Radovan smiles, and says it will be more difficult, but it should be fine.
* Seth heals himself, and takes his quick potion. Ki uses Triage on Fidelis. Ki distributes one drop to everyone of the potion Lavatera gave her. Angel asks what it is, but Seth drinks it before getting an answer. It tastes a little sour, but he feels nothing. Ki says it reduces the mental toll this will have. Everyone else takes theirs.
* About 500ft ahead of us, we see a kobold fishing village on stilts. It appears to be on high alert. Canoes move up and down the swampy bogland, and the watchtowers are manned by kobolds with shortbows and spears. We’re not seen, but the scouts have alerted them that we’re coming. In the center of the village is a rock jutting out from the land. On the rock is a beautiful, gleaming temple with a lot of scaled iconography. There’s a very large door.
** “Well… from what it looks like, we have a little village. I am fairly confident in my skills, as dulled as they may be. Give me time, I’ll go through, take my fill, and then wave you in. Then we can go through this town and find what secrets lie within. What do you say?”
* The party argues over it – Andreas says he hates the idea, but wants to keep us alive. Fidelis wants to try to barter with them. Radovan says that while blood is a necessity, he will make it quick. Painless. He will be humane.
** “Now, watch or don’t, but I’m starving.”
* Radovan begins to make his way towards the village. Andreas and Thomas turn away, but Angel, Fidelis, and Ki watch. Seth follows behind him, but does not interfere.
* Ryan and Jonah are sent into Side 1. Everyone else sees what occurs – despite being so weak, Radovan moves fast, crawling up the side of a watchtower. He beheads a little kobold guard with a backhanded slap, his fangs extending as he begins to eat from the jugular. Another kobold attempts to stab him, but the metal shatters, and as the first kobold is depleted, he turns and sinks his fangs into the throat of the next. We don’t hear the screams; Lavatera’s potion does its job.
* Radovan goes from person to person. He leaps through a window, and after a few moments, a tiny little kobold with a small stuffed animal comes running out the door. Quick as a whip, he beheads her from behind. It is a massacre.
* It doesn’t take long. It is quick, and it doesn’t look like Radovan takes any pleasure in it, or extends the pain of any of these kobolds. But they die, all of them. It takes 20 minutes before the village is a ghost town. Ki goes to take Angel’s hand, and they take it. Her nails dig into their hand. Seth throws up.
* Radovan cleans the bodies up from the street before he comes back, so that when Andreas and Thomas turn around, it just looks like a ghost town. Eventually, Andreas and Thomas are tapped, and they turn around. They heard breaking every now and then, and they see splintered boats and shattered doors, but no bodies, no active sign of massacre. Radovan Raze, underneath a black umbrella, comes strolling back to us.
** “The deed is done, and I am happy to say, Koilos, I was able to obtain enough blood to likely bring Claudia back to herself. There is much in the town, if you’d like to pick it over.”
* He tells us that the temple belongs to the Mire-lord, their local god. Likely a dragon. Within is probably a hoard of jewels.
* The party begins looting – they’re split on to what extent they should loot, so we get about 75% of what’s there; +15 scrap, +6 supply, +5 recovery, +2 relics, +1 emerald, without venturing into the temple.
* The party discusses whether or not to go into the temple. Radovan says he’ll wait outside – he doesn’t fuck with dragons anymore, though he does offer to try to draw its attention away. But he would like to only be eaten once per day; every few hours feels excessive. This idea is shot down.
* We establish that the dragon isn’t a material god, or anything; kobolds just tend to worship them. In their beliefs, if you live a great life, you come back as a dragon.
* After a lot of back and forth, Seth and Ki go down into the temple, along with Radovan. They make phys/mental checks at B1 because he’s helping them – Ki gets 4 successes, and Seth gets 2, which is great, because they needed a combined total of 6.
* The floor is submerged in constantly-churning swamp water, and toward the center is a massive treasure hoard. Radovan tells them to be careful moving over the water, and not to touch the surface. He asks if they have a way to get across. They decide to pad Seth’s feet with cloth to mute the sound, and have him jump across with a rope. Radovan offers a drop of his blood to Seth to help, and Seth politely declines.
* Seth makes a phys check at B1 to see how silently he gets across, and gets 6 successes. He lands softly, and secures the rope. Radovan and Ki crawl across the rope to the opposite side, and peek over the edge of into the water. They see a sleeping dragon just beneath the surface. They now have to make rummage checks; they’re safe on a 1-5, but on a 6, the dragon wakes up and tries to eat them. There are relics, items, and emeralds; they can choose to weigh toward something specific while looting.
* Ki weighs toward emeralds, and is safe (4), getting +2 emerald, +1 relic, +1 scrap. Seth weighs toward relics, and is safe (3), getting +2 relic, +1 scrap, +1 emerald. Radovan (6) gets +2 emerald, +1 relic, +1 scrap, but seems to have a dizzy spell of some kind, and stumbles, a single gold piece dropping into the water.
* Ki uses existential nothingness on the dragon as it wakes up, removing its ability to get mad at them. As it swims up to investigate, it doesn’t care, and goes back to sleep. Seth tells Radovan to be careful, and Radovan pats Ki on the shoulder, saying he owes her. He continues on to say he’s not in the best shape, and will get going. They can stay if they wish, but he doesn’t know…
* Radovan leaves, and Ki tries to talk Seth out of it, but Seth insists on making more checks. Ki crosses back over to the other side, so that she can run if he alerts the dragon. Seth is safe (1) on his next roll, and gets +2 emerald, +1 relic, +1 scrap. He rolls again, and gets a 6, entering order.
* Order: Ki → Dragon → Seth
* Ki holds her action to use create nothing to deflect its attack. On its turn, it tries to fire its acid breath, but her Torvian cuts the necessary save from 7 successes → 3. She replaces its acid breath with nothing, and they fucking book it.
* The party sees Radovan strolling back to them with a bag of loot, and then sees Seth and Ki come running. They hear the roar of the dragon, but with our speeds and our headstart, we’re able to lose the dragon.
* Back at camp, all spies are put on supply (+3 supply). We tell Corania we’re ready to move, and spend -10 supply, -5 emerald, -4 morale. Peter rolls a 16 on the check to determine where we go. 
* Everyone below 25 levels up.
* Koilos finishes climbing the third mountain, and Thomas gets a little over halfway done with the same mountain. Fidelis continues his lessons with Corania, but isn’t quite able to grasp the gold rune yet. Angel learns the first stage of the rot school, and spends -3 scrap on a piece of medium armor.
* '''Net gains/losses:''' +16 scrap, +6 relic, +5 recovery, +2 emerald, -1 supply, -3 morale