Hardly Heroes: Episode 02

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==Synopsis==
With money tight and rent being due, our “heroes” cook up a plan to steal the key to Harrow Way for themselves. In tracking down Nero, the last known owner of the key, Luther and Pigeon find Mickey, a Copperhead member who deals with Nero. They stake out his place of residence, find evidence to suggest he is proficient with locks, and theorize that he has assumed possession over the key. 
A murder plot begins to form, and with Pigeon disguised as a beggar, they ambush Mickey outside his house, hoping to swiftly dispose of him and pilfer his residence. Vastly misjudging his strength, Mickey’s assassination is botched, and turned into an arduous and loud struggle in the streets. While they eventually strangle the poor man to death, there are now onlookers. Rifling through his home, they find ledgers and keys, and without more time to ponder their findings the toss it all in their bags and make for the escape. With Copperheads hot on their heels they split up, and while Pigeon nimbly loses his pursuers, Luther slips, and finds himself corned, exhausted and wounded, with the enemy right behind him…
==Recap==
===Initial Aftermath: December 18th, 1518===
We pick back up the morning after the Red Coat visit, and Luther is troubled. He sends Pigeon off to get food with their last remaining coins, while he tries to find the person responsible for snitching. Without luck, he awaits Pigeons return, and they get to planning their next move. Will they pretend they never went to Harrow Way, and forget this all happened? Or will they seize the opportunity, and try to get the key to the cellar door from the Copperheads?
===Reconnaissance===
Concluding that they need to investigate further, the duo head into Copperhead territory to get a lay of the land. Walking through, Pigeon uses his knowledge of reading lips to get ahold of some information. While nothing important can be gleamed, they become confident that Nero’s actions have not yet become common knowledge.
Finally they end up at the Ol’ Vic, a Copperhead brothel and Pigeon’s mom’s previous place of work. While they wait for Nero to show up, something catches Pigeons eye: Someone is being approached about a job for Nero. They wait for him to leave, and decide to follow the man, hoping he will lead them the key thief. Drunk, he doesn’t notice his stalkers, and heads to a house, fiddles with the key, before letting himself in. Luther sends Pigeon home, and disguises himself as a beggar, and begins to wait outside the house.
===Stakeout===
Eventually Nero shows up, knocks on the door and shouts for "Mickey". Same guy opens, and eventually a light in the house next door lights up. Somehow, the two buildings are connected. 
Half an hour later Nero leaves, and Luther follows him home, once again unseen. Pondering if he should assassinate Nero, he thinks better of it, and heads back to Mickey’s house to wait for Pigeon. Conferring, they switch, Pigeon now being the beggar while Luther goes home and sleeps. When Mickey wakes up much later, Pigeon follows him when he stops to pick something up, perhaps the key, from a house, before heading to the Ol’ Vic. 
Back at the Ol’ Vic Luther has been waiting, and now that Mickey is in the tavern he tries to make some idle conversation, to no avail. At the same time, Pigeon heads back to get a better look at Mickey’s house. 
The house looks unremarkable at a glance. Walking around it, it becomes obvious that there are two doors, but no easily reachable windows. Going for the back door, Pigeon tries it, then knocks, before finally sitting down to pick it, but quickly discovers the locks on the door are way more complex than anything he can do. These locks are well made and intentionally disguised to hide their complexity. Whoever this guy is, he has something to protect. With this information, Pigeon heads back to the bar.
Again, our heroes switch with Pidge staying in the bar, and Luther heading to the house. Scaring away a trio of kids blocking the alley, he tries to find a way to reach the windows on the upper floors. Climbing an adjacent building, he walks the roofs and positions himself above one of Mickey’s windows. Trying to open the shutters, he discovers that the windows are barred. Luther too, returns to the Ol’ Vic.
Our party begin conspiring. A man with this type of security on his house must be one of the higherups in the gang. Maybe Nero did give him the key, after all? If so, he must be dealt with, and his house searched. A murder plot begins to form.
===The Murder Plot===
It is time to make a move. Pigeon plays beggar outside his front door, Luther waits for Mickey to leave the Ol’ Vic, before he hurries another route back to Mickey's house, posting himself in the alleyway right next to Mickey's door.
Mickey arrives, and angrily shouts at the disguised Pigeon to get lost, and tries to kick him when he refuses. Seizing this moment, Luther sneaks up behind him and jabs his dagger into Mickey’s side with a strike that would kill most normal people. But Mickey isn’t most people. He lets out a scream, Pigeon misses his backstab, and a messy combat ensues…
In what ends up being a loud and deadly struggle, Luther gets stabbed and Mickey tries to shove past and run, but Luther manages to pin him to the ground, with Pigeon strangling him to death. With the deed done, they look around. It’s been 7 minutes since combat started, and there are onlookers. Pigeon grabs the key to the door, they drag the corpse in and lock themselves inside.
Inside, the party splits up, Luther covering the top floor, finding a locksmith’s workshop. There are keys hanging on the walls with three-letter codes on them and documents on a desk. Quickly pocketing any loose coins, he begins to sift through the ledgers for mention of the red coats. In his search, Luther spots people beginning to gather outside the front door. Failing to find any clues and hearing the first bash against it, he hurriedly tosses all keys he can find into his backpack, also bagging the ledger before hurrying down. 
Downstair Pigeon has looted the body, and turned the lower floor upside down looking for treasure, but to no avail. Hearing the bashing continue, they head to the cellar, hoping for an escape route. There is naught but a well, and while the party considers jumping down it, they think better of it, knowing they both can’t swim. They have to escape through the front door, somehow.
===The Escape===
Timing the bashing of the door, Pigeon opens it at the exact time the bandit charges, resulting in him falling through it. Luther is first out, taking the other guard by surprise, knocking him to the ground before both him and Pidge start running, eventually using their head start to split up, hoping to lose their pursuers that way. With two copperheads on each party member, the chase is afoot. 
Pigeon darts into the narrower streets, using his quick reactions and fleet footing to throw obstacles in his pursuers’ way. After diving over an open fire, the gang members are forced to give up the chase, and Pigeon escapes.
Luther, confident his sheer strength will be enough to outrun most men, takes off down the larger street but he stumbles, falls over, and the Copperheads are upon him. They manage to get hold of his overcoat, but he desperately continues on. Soon his breath gives out, and he starts to slow down.
Exhausted, and knowing he wont be able to run for much longer, Luther throws himself into a nearby door, hoping to break it down, but it’s locked and will not budge. As our session ends and the image fades, a weary Luther turns around to see his assailant grinning, dagger in hand, ready to kill…
==Experience==
No experience awarded.
Category:Save Or Die Episodes
Category:Save Or Die: Hardly Heroes Episodes
Category:Save Or Die: Hardly Heroes