"In and out. Quick and easy." Those had been Baz's words. He'd dusted his tiny hand against the stump of his missing arm to show how easy it would be.

Amara didn't like him giving orders himself. "That's why he has me. If he wants to go straight, he needs to distance himself from all this. Plausible deniability and all that."

But that didn't explain the other two. Quick and easy Veracity could have handled on her own. Sending Vecaal and Baern with her suggested things could get messy. Well, things could always get messy. Sending Vecall and Baern suggested it was likely.

The strike was the perfect distraction. The factory would be empty.

Baz was characteristically vague about what he wanted. "What are they doing in there? Doesn't feel right. Haven't liked that place since it opened."

Most people wouldn't even have known it opened, tucked away as it was the end of a narrow road. But Bazzle Cinderhorn always knew.

"What do you want, Baz?" Amara had tried to press him. "Blueprints? Schematics? Materials?"

"Whatever." He was already turning back toward his office, where a three-piece orchestra awaited his return. He swore the music nurtured his creativity. "Just bring me back something nice."

There were only two obvious ways into the factory, besides the front entrance which was swarming with workers and constables. There were skylights on the roof, which was maybe accessible from above since the factory was built right up against the wall of the caldera. And then the engine room underneath the factory would presumably have its own entrance as well, which would surely be guarded.

Every factory in Coglinton was driven by steam vents in the caldera. You could enhance them with magic, but you couldn't run assembly lines and heavy machinery without a steam vent, which limited how many could be built and where. The scalding steam powered giant underground turbine, which, through an intricate assemblage of shafts and gears, drove every machine on the factory floor.

There should have been a loading bay as well, somewhere where raw materials were delivered and whatever the factory built was carried away for delivery to whomever or whatever it was built for. But, at least from their distant vantage, neither Veracity nor Vecall nor Baern could make it out.

I'm going to keep it loose for you three right now, since it sounds like Baern will be a little slow on the uptake. You can introduce yourselves in character here, discuss the job, plan your approach, etc. Baern can chime in if he's able but won't miss out on anything too critical if he's not.

"I don't like it," Baern proclaimed from roughly waist height of his companions and fellow guild members. This in itself was hardly exceptional. Baern didn't like a lot of things and he had no reservations about letting other folks know about it. The gnome was leaning against the brick wall of the mouth of a grubby alleyway, arms folded and one shoulder pressed hard against the masonry.

He was compact. This was perhaps the most apt description - much in the way that beaten steel was compact. Or diamond. Dogged was another good description - as in like a dog, once he seized hold of you it was a bloody misery to get him to let go again.

"They may not have any guards posted on the ruff," (roof, presumably) "But you can be damn sure folks'll be watching higher up the slope. Climbing up won't be easy in this light."

"Still. They'll definitely have guards down in the engine-rum. We'd have to be ready for a dustup."

Baern turned his face and spat on the ground.

"Bloody bobbies," he growled, amethyst gaze narrowing on the cordon of constables. "Bunch of jackbooted thugs if you ask me," though no one had.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:16, Thu 27 Apr 2023.

Vecaal detached himself from the alley shadows and stepped near Baern.  He raised his snout slightly and sniffed a few times, testing the air for anything beyond the constant stink of sulfur, rust, and sweat that enveloped the lower slopes of the caldera.  With a small distasteful shake of his head, he turned his attention downward to his gnomish accomplice.

The two couldn't have been more different.  Where Baern was small and compact, Vecaal was long and sinuous, standing twice the gnome's height and many times his weight.  His amber scales were dusky, as though decades of soot and grime and corruption had soaked in, muting their natural iridescence.  And contrary to Baern's suppressed anger, Vecaal exuded a proudly cool disdain for their opponents, especially in his golden eyes. Standing side by each, they made quite a pair.

But on the prospects of the job they were of a similar mind.  "It smells worse than a cesspool," he concurred, drawing the trailing esses out into small hisses.  "Come from underneath.  Better for sneaking.  And if we can't get past quietly, farther from reinforcements."

One clawed finger tapped Baern on the shoulder, and a cruel smile exposed curved teeth.  "We'll get you one bobby in any case.  Fair?"
This message was last updated by the player at 00:25, Thu 20 Apr 2023.

At the end of the alley slouched a pitiful beggar garbed in rags, filthy face hidden behind a bedraggled beard and a ragged stovepipe hat.  A dented cup extended from a tremulous, bandaged hand toward a passerby, jingling a few coins while rasping for alms.  As the person hurried on their way, the vagrant chimed in with a husky woman's voice that didn't at all suit the look, "Aw, why so sour, Baer?  'Quick and easy', just like the boss said.  There's even a strike brewing, and all eyes elsewhere.  What's not to like?"  Veracity quoted Baz Cinderhorn with an uncannily-accurate impression of the gnome's voice, right in the middle of teasing the dour Baern.  The elderly human male beggar act was rather convincing as well, considering it came from a youthful and rather violet tiefling woman.  She was known to slip in and out of roles as easy as breathing, and it could be difficult to tell where the roles ended and Vera began.

Even as she quipped to her companions, Veracity peered down the avenue at the workers milling about outside the factory in question, with the constables lining up to keep the protest contained.  "Aaalms fer the hungry?  *koff koff*  Alllms, bleeegh..." the beggar wheezed at another passerby, who crossed the street and pretended not to hear.  This disguise did work wonders for observing but being ignored even sat out in plain sight.  Once the pedestrian cleared out, Veracity quietly agreed with Vecaal, "Going in from under seems wise, as this strike looks to be getting in full swing soon.  There'll be guards down there, sure, but I'll get us past with no problem what-so-ever.  A dust-up oughtn't be necessary, but hey!  If it happens that's your time to shine, right, Baer?"  Knowing Vera's hare-brained improvisational schemes, perhaps the other two may feel less certain that this would go smoothly, but they could at least be assured this job wouldn't be boring!

The vagrant hobbled back into the alley with a whisper, "Right.  It's time to move.  Back stairs over here, then down along the drainway and across to the maintenance access."  As soon as they were out of sight the beggar's hunched posture became a confident swagger as Veracity peeled off the rags and the fake beard to reveal workman's overalls underneath, then traded the stovepipe hat for a newsboy cap big enough to hide both her purple hair and the backward-curling horns.  With a smirk, she said to the boys, "Let's to get something nice for the boss, yeah?"

Baern chuckled and peeled back from the masonry. "You'll never hear me complain about comin' from below," he announced. Lacing his fingers together he theatrically cracked his knuckles. Then he reached for the handle of a large pipe wrench leaning against the wall behind him and slung it across his shoulders.

A gnome strutting around Coglington with a wrench in his hands attracted surprisingly little notice. It turned out this held true even if the wrench in question was almost comedically oversized. This one had a fire-hydrant red paint job and Baern affectionately referred to it as 'Bessie', as in 'nothin' Ol'Bessie can't handle' or 'keep runnin' your mouth like that and you'll get a taste of Ol'Bessie'.

Baern didn't have any trouble keeping pace with the bigger folk and fell in just behind Veracity. "Lead the way."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:07, Thu 20 Apr 2023.

Vecaal nodded to Veracity and then padded along at the rear, surprisingly light on his feet for one so large.  His head swayed back and forth ever so slightly as he moved, eyes scanning the surroundings and snout raised here and there to test the air for changes.  It wouldn't do for them to make a misstep and get noticed even before they'd started.

But mostly he made sure not to step on Baern in front of him.  Something similar had happened years ago, when he hadn't been paying as much attention as he should have and broke the ankle of a dwarven enforcer the ward had paired him with.  That was a problem when you were so large - small things (and sometimes people) could get caught underfoot.  Most of the time Vecaal just shrugged it off as the other person moving too slowly, but he liked Baern's approach and attitude.  The gnome was worth stepping around.

"Remind me to establish the whispers before we go in," he asked of the two ahead of him, when the thought occurred.  Sometimes he got distracted and forgot such things when working in a group, not his natural environment.  If they were going to sneak into the factory though, it could be very useful.

The three began picking their way down the drainway which sloped down toward the lake at the center of the caldera and from which they could hopefully access the factory's lower, less guarded engine room entrance. Their efforts were aided by a commotion on the road above: a kobold wearing the uniform of a constable and riding a mechanical dog approached the Steel Resolve's cordon in the company of an armored goblin. The two had words with the guards, the kobold flashed a badge, and then things began to turn contentious.

You can either wait to see how this situation plays out or take advantage of the distraction to sneak further down the drainway. Either way, please give me Stealth checks. The Steel Resolve will all have disadvantage to notice you, thanks to Procz's and Frack's distraction. If you don't make for the engine room door now, then you'll have to roll fresh stealth checks if you wish to sneak up to it later.

"Well that's a nice piece of luck," Baern remarked, glancing back at the building commotion without deviating course. "They're up there havin' a lovers quarrel. Here I thought we'd at least have to try to sneak inside."

His booted feet made hardly any noise at all as he followed the drainway down. Some gnomes could vanish from sight altogether - a bit of magic handed down by the Gods, or Fate or what have you. Baern couldn't quite manage that feat but when he tried to blend into the background he could get pretty damned close. There were a lot of nasty things in the darkest hollows below the crust. Sometimes it was best just to avoid them. Staying absolutely motionless for long periods of time in the face of horrifying danger was something of a survival strategy where he came from.

10:21, Today: Baern Snagglehorn rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Stealth.

"Too right, seeing as below is always your home turf."  Veracity turned the gnome a wry smirk paired with a wink.  As they made for the back of the alley the tiefling tucked her violet braid under the newsboy cap and smudged a bit of oil on her face.

Just as they reached the exit out onto the drainway their trio could just catch a glimpse of the cordon up above, and the contention brewing there.  Still lingering in the shade at the near end, Vera gestured with her chin, "Those boys are much too sharp to be regular bobbies... and look at the little cavalier facing them down!  Gotta admire that moxie."  Seeing the opportunity, she waited for the kobold to gather all the attention before moving across, casual but quick!

Then, she kicked loose a patch of gravel.  Woops!

---

13:26, Today: Veracity rolled 6 using 1d20+5.  Stealth.

Vecaal was more than happy to accept the distraction and moved out after the other two, remaining at the rear end of the train.  Though large he moved with a sinuous grace, slinking from cover to shadow and beyond, as though he wasn't even there.  He kept a spacing between himself and the others, so they wouldn't bunch up too much.

And then he froze.  Veracity had a misstep, and that might draw eyes.  The dragonborn did his best to melt into the wall of the drainway.

OOC:
13:45, Today: Vecaal Alifras rolled 23 using 1d20+7.  Stealth.

Treaded tires and booted feet had carved a clear path circling down from the main road the factory's lower, engine room entrance. It was mostly exposed, with a shallow drainage ditch running alongside it offering the only trace of cover. Fortunately, because of the curve and slope of the path, not much of it was visible from above or below at any given moment. Nor did those tasked with guarding the door appear to be dedicating much vigilance to the effort, so that the trio was able to sneak undetected to a point where they had eyes on guards and door alike.

The door itself appeared to be heavy iron set into the brick wall of the factory. Guarding it were three individuals who, unlike the guards on the road above, openly wore the uniform of the Steel Resolve. Two were living soldiers clad in long, padded wool coats reinforced with steel plates and festooned with brass buttons. Their order's famous steel helms obscured their faces, and long truncheons swung from their leather belts. It was common knowledge that the truncheons of the Steel Resolve were electrified, making them extra potent for subduing their quarry as a bludgeon but also enabling them to fire a burst of electric energy as if they were short, powerful rifles.

More intimidating even than the flesh-and-blood guards was the construct with them, a fabled Iron Maiden. Its lithe feminine form towered over its companions, all shimmering black curves of polished metal. The Iron Maiden's head was fashioned to resemble the helmets of the Steel Resolve, and it wielded an enormous, mechanically-enhanced hammer that its iron armors never tired of carrying.

The three of you are still on the little path you followed down, looking down on this scene from a height of roughly 15' and a total distance of roughly 40' away. Trying to sneak any closer would require a new Stealth check, with disadvantage. The first one I treated as a group check, so Veracity's Nat 1 didn't hold you back. But each you who tried to get any closer would have to roll individually.

Before the others had a chance to suggest an approach, Vecaal crouched down between them and laid a clawed hand on each.  "Time for the whispers," he said quietly, the final ess drawing out lazily.  "Don't be worried, it's just.."

[Talking in our heads.]

As he felt the connection take hold Vecaal grinned, which was more a fearsome baring of his mouthful of cruel teeth, and then bobbed his head.

[Now we can plan without them hearing.]


OOC:
Action to use Psychic Whispers, establishing telepathic communication with up to 2 others.  Range up to 1 mile.  Length of 1d6 hours - 6 hours in this case!  First use since last long rest, so no cost in psychic dice.
10:52, Today: Vecaal Alifras rolled 6 using 1d6.

Baern froze at the sound of Veracity's misstep, each scattered pebble sounding like a tumbling boulder in his ears. The guards' seemingly had their attention firmly focused on the curious pair of lawmen who had approached their line however, because nothing seemed to come of it. After a few moments Baern took a cautious step forward and then resumed course.

The engine room entrance turned out to be a less straightforward affair.

[Them's Steel Resolve,] Baern observed from the confines of his thoughts. [Something bigger must be going on inside for their lot to be called out.]

[What's the plan, Vera?]

You all hear the distant crack of rifle fire on the street above, but you'd have to walk back up to see what's going on. The Steel Resolve guards do not appear to have noticed the sound.

Thankfully there was enough going on that a tumbling of gravel caught nobody's notice, and so the Sparks crew carried on seemingly unnoticed.  Trying to play it off, she remarked, "Hey, good to know nobody's listening too close, yeah?"

As they drew nearer to their destination, their new dragonborn companion offered 'whispers', which Vera was beginning to suspect was a new illicit substance.  That was, until she heard the reptilian voice hissing into her mind!  "Hang on..."  The tiefling narrowed her eyes first Vecaal, then Baern.  [You two can hear me right now?  Okay, this is neat.]  Turning a smoldering gaze back to Vecaal, she mentally spoke in the drawling voice of a peddler they'd passed in the street earlier in the morning, [Aye, dat's handy, dat!]

It wasn't long before they had eyes on the door into the factory's engine room, and the unexpected sort of guards keeping watch there.  Vera glowered at the big door and fixed Baern and Vecaal with an intense look before speaking psychically to them, [Not just Resolve, but a bloody damnable Iron Maiden?!  These aren't any kind of usual back-door watchmen.  Baz was right, something stinks about this place...]  The reports of distant rifle-shots could be heard in the distance, and Veracity remarked, [Seems the strike is getting spicy.  Good for us, probably.]

In answer to Baern's question, Vera turned the gnome a piercing look and whispered, [We've gotta assess our options just now, because these guards are bound to be a problem.  I'll think of a way to get us by if there's no other way, but rather not make it harder than it needs to be.]  She seemed to be under the impression that an intense stare was a necessary component of this psychic communication.

---

Perception to check if there's any other ways in, like windows, side doors, manholes, ladders... anything besides giant metal door with three nasty guards right on it!:

• 17:22, Today: Veracity rolled 8 using 1d20.  Perception.

Baern glanced back up the slope at the sound of the distant rifle report but said nothing of it - or rather thought nothing of it in concrete terms that the others could follow. He wasn't exactly sure what Veracity had in mind when it came to options, but he certainly didn't see an abundance of them. There were three guards and a heavy door. That didn't seem accidental. He tightened his grip on Bessie and bided his time.

[What I'd give for one of those truncheons,] he mused, eying one of the soldiers' riot batons.

Seeing that there were no good alternatives to this door that wouldn't require turning around and trying something entirely different, Veracity resolved to make it work somehow.  [Right.  This will need a touch of finesse.  Thankfully, I have that to spare!  Give me just another minute to prepare.]  Keeping out of sight of the Steel Resolve, Veracity dug in her kit.  She scooped some sort of jelly from a tin and smeared it around her eyes and the corners of her mouth, causing the skin to wrinkle into crow's feet and frown lines.  More oil and a dust on the hands to give a dirty and work-worn look.  As she worked, she spoke into Baern and Vecaal's minds, [We're technicians on turbine maintenance duty.  Hide anything suspicious, including weapons... except Bessie.  She's perfect for this.]  Veracity put on the finishing touches that aged her decades into a hard-working and hard-living tradeswoman, and a shift in her posture and the way she carried herself completed the disguise.  Vera listened to any input from her Spark-mates, and then once all were ready... it was time to approach.

"...so I says, whatcha on about a copper gasket?  Damn thing'd corrode like--Ohh."  The gravelly voice's casual banter halted in pretended surprise at the sight of the Steel Resolve and their automaton.  The grizzled tradeswoman raised her hands and said, "Hey there, fellas...  Ma'am?"  She turned a squinty-eyed look up at the Iron Maiden, and the trepidation didn't require much acting.  "There a problem in the engine room?  We got a maintenance order on the turbine past that door, just there.  Should be in n' out before ya knows it.  Not meanin' no trouble.  Just trynna do a job, ya know?"  She was the absolute picture of an earnest and experienced laborer who wants nothing more than to do an honest day's work.

[Just follow my lead...]

---

Int + Disguise Kit proficiency to see how convincing Vera's workman disguise is:

• 23:37, Today: Veracity rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Int + Disguise Kit prof.

Deception with Actor advantage to act like a maintenance worker just trying to get inside to fix something:

• 23:38, Today: Veracity rolled 25 using 2d20+7, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 8,18.  Deception (Actor advantage).

While Veracity prepared her disguise, Vecaal cast his eyes about their immediate surroundings, looking for any metallic cast-offs and scraps he could gather together as "spare parts" to help with his own part in the ploy.  He thought with his size that acting the carry-all apprentice was likely his best option, and so when they finally moved forward he remained in the rear, dutifully following his trainer journey-persons.

OOC:
Try to quickly collect some "spare parts" for the turbine repair work
07:37, Today: Vecaal Alifras rolled 12 using 1d20+5.  Perception.
07:38, Today: Vecaal Alifras rolled 2 using 1d6.  Psy Die (if needed)