The Secret of Crackledamn Alley
| A Hole by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1/26/2025 |
| Storyteller | Zoro |
| Tier | Animal Companions |
| Player Characters | Digs, Balteus, Motherine, Cress |
| Rewards | 250 exp, waverider barding, barding of the zephyr, empathy charm, steadyfoot tassel x4, hosteling statuette x2, alacritious horshoes (greater) |
| Result | success |
| Author | Motherine |
| Downtime | 0 |
A scrap of paper covered in little moth footprints has been submitted as an expedition log. An intern who can translate animal speech translated it has provided a translation.
I HAVE RECEIVED A MISSIVE TO MEET UP WITH SOME OTHER COMPANIONS. DO NOT ASK ME WHERE. I WAS INFORMED THAT I SHOULD NOT BRING MOTHER WITH ME, HOWEVER THAT WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM, SINCE SHE HAS BEEN ASLEEP FOR MOST OF THE PAST MONTH, ON A JOB INVOLVING DREAMS. OTHER COMPANIONS ON THIS JOB: DIGS, A MASSIVE DRAKE. CAN POSSIBLY EAT ME ALIVE. CRESSIDA, A ROWDY GOAT. BALTEUS, A THUGISH BIRD OF TERROR. WE MEET WITH OUR CLIENT: MA'NOA. A SHIPMENT OF A SUBSTANCE CALLED "FAIRY DUST" HAS BEEN RENDERED MORE DANGEROUS, AND THE COUNCIL OF THE TWO-LEGS CANNOT FIND IT. MA'NOA SUSPECTS SOMEONE IN THIS ALLEY IS EITHER A TWO-LEGS IN DISGUISE, OR IS WORKING WITH THEM. WE START BY INVESTIGATING MS. BOVINUS'S PRODUCE STAND. DIGS WISHES TO PURCHASE SOME SAND. NOBODY HERE SELLS IT. I BUY A POUND OF FRUIT, CRESSIDA BUYS SOME GREENS, AND BALTEUS BUYS SOME MILK. WE HEAR A RUMOR THAT THE VULPES TWINS ARE SKULKING AROUND THE BACK ALLEYS. DIGS FINDS A MERCHANT WHO SELLS BONE DUST, CLOSE ENOUGH TO SAND THAT SHE COULD EAT IT. CRESSIDA LOOKS DOWN A NEARBY ALLEY. I LAY LOW ON A ROOFTOP IN CASE THEY NEED BACKUP. CRESSIDA TALKS WITH THE VULPES TWINS, VICTOR AND VICTORIA. THEY ARE SELLING SOME SHADY TWO-LEGS FIGURINES. I SUSPECT THAT HE MAY BE BEING FLEECED. THEY ATTEMPT TO UPCHARGE CRESSIDA EVEN MORE, I STEP IN AND SCARE THEM A LITTLE. THEY GIVE UP THE STATUE CRESSIDA WANTED FOR ITS ORIGINAL PRICE. WE HEAD TO THE FORTUNE TELLER NEXT. MR. HALFINGER SEEMS LIKE A TERRIBLE FORTUNE TELLER. HE FLAT OUT SAYS HE CAN CHANGE THE RESULTS FOR A FEE. HE SAYS A BUNCH OF WEIRD WORDS THAT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND, LIKE "MAJOR ARCANA" AND "STAR SIGN". I HEAR A SCARED LITTLE SPARROW FLAPPING AROUND. DIGS AND I INTERROGATE HIM. HE GIVES US INFORMATION IN EXCHANGE FOR SENDING HIM TO MOTHER'S FOR PROTECTION. IT LOOKS LIKE THE ESTEEMED LORD MAYOR ESQUIRE JOHN SMITH HAS BEEN INTIMIDATING HIM. CRESSIDA ASKS THE LORD MAYOR ESQUIRE A FEW QUESTIONS. HE ALSO FIRES HIS CHIEF OF SECURITY, MR. SONOFABITCH, FORMERLY A SEARGANT, IN FRONT OF US. WE FIGURE THAT HE CAN HELP US OUT. HE TELLS US THAT THE LORD MAYOR ESQUIRE WANTS TO USE SOME POWERFUL MAGIC. WE ALL ALSO STRONGLY DISTRUST COLONEL SUIT. WE THEN TALK TO A LORD REGINALD RIPPLESWORTH THE FOURTH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MAGIC, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO HOW IT WORKS WITH BEASTKIN. THE MECHANICS OF HOW IT WORKS ARE TOO COMPLEX FOR ME, APPARENTLY THE ONE WE'RE LOOKING FOR CAN'T HIDE THIER SIZE. THAT REMINDS US THAT THE COLONEL WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A TWO-LEGS. BALTEUS NOTICES THE LORD MAYOR ESQUIRE SPEAKING WITH THE VULPES TWINS. I GO TO INVESTIGATE, HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE FIGURINE THAT CRESSIDA BOUGHT. WE FIGURE THAT WE CAN BLACKMAIL HIM WITH IT. WE CATCH THE COLONEL CALLING CRESSIDA AN ANIMAL AND TAKE HIM TO MA'NOA. MA'NOA WONDERS WHAT THE STATUES HAVE TO DO WITH THE WHOLE THING, AND WE FIND SOME FEY DUST IN THE BOTTOM OF THE STATUE CRESSIDA BOUGHT. WE HAVE OUR GUY, AND WE'VE SOLVED THE CASE.