08/04/2024 -- Operation Beach Day

Date: 18 Knewidi 715AR. Starring Bee (commander), Thomas (marshall), Koilos (spymaster), Angel (lorekeeper), Seth, and Storm.
There’s another riot – with no morale, no intel, and low supplies, the Brigade is at a breaking point. People are rioting and wanting food, alcohol, and luxuries, and it’s all the soldiers can do to keep back what little civilians are left, along with our own soldiers about to turn against us. Bee scrambles up to where everyone can hear her.
- “Brigade and citizens, I talked to you last time, and I am, um– yesterday our spies brought back emeralds, we can have a beach day, we can go out and have fun!”
She gets 4 successes on her spirit check, and is asked if she wishes to use force to make sure no supplies are taken. She tries to use lightning to startle people away from the building – in order to not hit people, she needs to get higher than a 2 on a d6. She gets a 3.
- It’s close. Lightning erupts around some of the supply depots, which are mostly empty. Her promises and assurances are able to keep the populous pacified for a little longer.
Widowstone Keep is a powder keg, and sooner or later, it will explode. The party is found in Widow’s Home. We start to throw around ideas – Bee doesn’t know a lot about beaches, but she’s seen in some books that some people lay out on the sand. She got some linens, and suggests we can use them to make some shade. Maybe if there are people good at fishing, we could have a fishing contest, and catch and cook a bunch of fish.
We also throw around the idea of an illusory fireworks show when it gets darker, along with a driftwood carving class and contest run by Ki, and maybe a treasure hunt. We also decide to rope off parts of the beach and areas where the water gets deeper, to make sure no one wanders too far.
Bee goes to Lavatera to tell her about the plan, and Lavatera compliments her lightning. Lavatera agrees to the plan, and leans over to whisper something in Bee’s ear – the prize for the biggest fish.
- “I’m sure this will get people motivated.”
Bee asks if she really would, and Lavatera says she would, and tells her to go spread the word, while she convinces Magion of the plan. She tells Bee to wish her luck, and Bee says she doesn’t need luck.
- “I am training you well.”
Bee returns to everyone, and tells us what happened, and that the prize for the biggest fish is a date with Lavatera. We begin setup, spending -5 scrap to get 20 fishing rods, and -4 scrap for setup of the beach. Bee gets to work on the communal fishing rods, while Seth scurries off to make his own extra-special fishing rod, and Angel goes to do beach setup.
While Angel is setting up the buoys, they see an absolutely massive shape moving up to them, a creature maybe 20ft wide. The water is beginning to swell, a giant grey mound of flesh piercing the top of the water. Angel scurries up to the shoreline, and sees the creature is just hanging out peacefully in the shallows. With a successful check, they recognize it as a manatee, a big and rotund one about 35 feet long. They feed it some seagrass and pet it, and notice there’s an entire “small” herd of manatees – 6-7 of them, all between 20-40 feet long.
We spend -2 scrap to get 10 beach balls/volleyballs, and Angel takes one of the beach balls to play with the manatees, in an attempt to get them to stick around. With 5 successes, there’s a rumbling deep off of the coast, and we all turn in that direction to see a small island lifting out of the water – a 150-ft long manatee makes its appearance, and Angel realizes the ones they’ve been playing with are the babies.
The mama is eating the kelp forest, and we see a shark fin dangling from her mouth. Sea birds and otters are hanging out on top of her, and Bee climbs up on Mama, discovering that her fins make a great water slide.
Seth makes himself basically homeless to get his cool fishing rod.
Thomas and Ki work together to get the driftwood carving station all set up.
Storm’s our local mixology expert, and concocts a drink with coconut water, a salt rim, some dried fruit, lemon and lime… might’ve been something else too? After we bug him to name it, it’s dubbed the “The Sandstorm”.
When we announce the beach is ready, people immediately stream out of Widowstone. We get +1 morale for pulling this off, and an additional +1 for the manatees still being there.
Seth fishes up a mackerel to use the head for a lure, then decides to risk it for a biscuit and get an even bigger lure. He transforms and uses magnet for trouble, snagging a 30ft fish. It’s a shark, with insect-like mandibles, covered in armor and scales. Thomas has to run over and help him, as it reveals locust-like wings and tries to fly off with him. Thomas gets 7 successes keeping him on the ground and dragging them both back.
Ki looks up and sees the scene, and replaces its ability to fly with nothingness. It falls and breaks its spine on the rock, and Seth cuts off its head with the Ax of the Minotaur Knight. Bee wants the teeth, but Seth refuses to give them to her. We get +1 supply from the shark.
Ki sets up her class/contest – first prize is a personal favor from her. She spends -1 scrap to make wood carving sets to give out to people who place. With 7 successes, her competition is a roaring success, and we gain morale. She’s able to walk people through the base details, and even people who know nothing are having fun. People who have a shot are putting everything they have into their carvings.
The 3rd place carving is a beautiful wood carving of what appears to be the initial three archfey holding up a symbol of the Brigade. 2nd place is a well-sculpted driftwood sculpture of a cat, with very well-done whiskers and hair. Ki is asked what she would give 1st place, and she thinks a bouquet of wooden flowers would be stunning. One of the hobgoblin guards produces a stunning bouquet of 9 different types of flowers.
- She tells the guard it’s spectacular, and first place material. He’s never won anything before. He gets the woodcarving set, and is asked if he has any requests for Ki – he asks if it could be anything, and he says he wants “one of thems in wood” and points at the manatees. He says they’re adorable. Ki agrees, and he goes off with his buddies to pet the manatees.
Seth and Bee sign up for the fishing contest. Thomas initially signs up for it, but steps out, deciding he’ll fish when it’s just fishing. Angel hangs back, deciding they’ll just hang back with the manatees.
- They see Mama bat a shark into the air with her tail. They pull up some kelp and swim up to her, thanking her for trusting us with her babies and protecting us. They then float the kelp over to her – one moment there’s kelp, and the next there’s no kelp.
Bee kisses her lucky coin, then kisses the lucky crawdad she caught earlier before putting it on the hook. Seth uses magnet for trouble to gain a peace token, then hucks the shark head into the water. Thomas ties a harness to Seth, just in case Seth gets dragged in (though he’ll be disqualified if he does get dragged in).
Both Bee and Seth make checks for their fishing strategy. Bee gets 0 successes, and tosses out her line, just kinda hoping. She rolls 1d6, and gets a 3, hooking a significantly sized fish. She gets a phys check to reel it in, but with only 1 success, it breaks the line. She uses her Thalagar on it and jumps in the water to grab it – she’s disqualified, but at this point she just wants the fish. She successfully gets a 15-20lb fish.
Seth gets 3 successes on his strategy check, and gives a great toss into a spot he noticed is deeper. He has to make a phys save as his line bends, and gets 6 successes. This massive lobster-like creature, 50-60 ft long, comes up from the depths. It’s trying to fight – he has to either end this quickly or stop it from cutting the line. He gets 5 successes on a spirit check to taunt it.
- “Bitch, get off my line! Come fight me like a real fucking fish, or whatever you are!”
The lobster moves up the line, trying to pull him into the water. It’s growling and making clicking sounds, pulling up bits of rock from the ocean floor to chuck at him, but he’s slowly able to start tiring it. He uses his peace token as he makes a phys check to reel it in (B2 – 9 successes).
- “You’re mine! I’m gonna have you for dinner! And lunch!”
The creature starts to be hauled up onto the rock, and as it gets closer to everything else, two laser beams hit it and instantly cook it – Bee looks out and sees the mama manatee’s eyes glowing red, before going back to normal, and she goes back to munching on kelp.
Seth makes fun of Bee’s fish, and she opens her jaws and (non-aggressively) runs at him, jumping on him. They wrestle.
We get another +1 morale, and +2 supply.
Lavatera is in the distance. She gives Seth a hand and smiles, telling him good job, and says to tell her when the date is supposed to begin. He says right now.
- “Bold, aren’t you? Well, let’s go, then. I’ve heard Storm has some fantastic drinks.”
As the sunset begins, Thomas fishes by himself for a bit – the water’s all churned up, so there’s more fish than he’d think. Other people carry around plates of cooked lobster.
Charon wraps the Maiden up in as thin of a linen as she can find, and carries her out, sitting with her somewhere farther off from people so that she can have some sun. Charon describes to her what’s going on – the manatees, everyone fishing and having fun, and talking about what she’s hearing around them.
- “I think you’d probably like all of this. I just… I don’t know, I’m just glad you’re still here.”
Just ever-so-slightly, the eyes move once. The deeper injuries… they are not things to be patched over by sand and coconuts. But maybe this can help ease the pain, at least for a moment. Charon conjures the soft sound of frogs around them, and pets her hair. As she touches it, some of it comes out – not a lot, but some. The form is even more diminished.
In addition to the bigger manatee she carves, Ki makes 2 smaller manatees. One for the Maiden to have – this one, she makes with a small prayer to Zorya to give the Maiden strength. The other is for Claudia. Ki prepares a party tray of food and drink, and goes to visit her. She makes her way onto the 4th floor of the prison. A dwarven guard stops her, and asks her what business she has here. When Ki says she’s visiting Claudia, the guard says Claudia’s having a tough time, and advises her to steer clear of the bars. The guards all seem concerned, and look ready to jump in if anything happens.
Ki finds Claudia with both her hands chained to the ground by mithril chains. Her face is pale, her eyes bloodshot, more animal than human.
- “Claudia, I’m… I’m so sorry you had to miss today. It was so nice, we all went to the beach. We saw manatees, they were so big and squishy and really cute.”
As Ki speaks, she presents the statue. For a moment, the screaming stops, and the eyes focus on her… and then like a chained junkyard dog, she begins to pull at the chains with all her might, attempting to bite. She can’t get close to the bars because of the chains, but Ki’s not sure if there’s a lot of sentience in there. The hunger, the beast within every vampire, can drive them to this.
- “I promise no matter what, I’ll be here for you. I’m still searching for something I know you would approve of to help. But for now, I’ll do what I can and stay here with you tonight. Keeping you company is the least I can do for you now.”
Ki stays the night. The screams never cease, and the struggle doesn’t stop – vampires are blessed with endurance. Claudia is showing that resilience, terrible as it may be.
Angel looks for shells on the beach, taking 2-3 of the nicest ones they find. They also grab a plate of lobster.
Charon does the fireworks show, and gets 4 successes – it’s a beautiful show, and they’re even able to add in the sound of distant explosions. The lights are colorful, and the atmosphere is good.
Angel once again heads to the temple, and to the Twelfth’s altar.
- “Hello again, Twelfth. I, uh… well, I don’t know if you’ll hear me, or if you heard me the first time. But… the Brigade survived. I don’t know if it was because of you, but I wanted to thank you. When we moved, we found a beach, and even got to have a nice celebration there, and we wouldn’t have been able to do that if… if things had gone wrong. So I brought you some of the things we got because of it.”
They dust off the altar before leaving the shells and the lobster as offerings. They get +3 hero points!
The spymaster chooses the Sources upgrade, which will be applicable starting next session. Antoinette is placed on propaganda, and Borits and Mark on emeralds. We get +1 emerald.
Everyone gets +2 hero points, and Seth gets a level-up.
Net gains/losses: +4? morale, +3? supply, -12 scrap.