Hardly Heroes: Episode 01

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==Synopsis==
Stromheim is the former capital of Eridon, which has been heavily damaged after facing the Demon Invasion and an undead army’s siege. Queen Kiara Sanguine vanished during the siege and the city has fallen into decay, with gang activity overtaking much of the city. 
When one of these gang members winds up dead on their doorsteps, a duo of down on their luck thieves tries to avoid trouble by hiding the body. They find a note on the corpse leading to a locked door hidden in a ruined building on the outskirts of town. Soon after, Red Coat gang members appear at their door looking for the body. They manage to avoid their wrath for now, but this hidden room certainly holds hidden secrets. 
==Recap==
=== Danger at Our Doorstep (14 December 1518)===
Luther and Pigeon are hanging out in their home when they hear commotion in the streets, followed by some yells, and a loud knocking on their door. As they open the door they see a dead man on their doorstep being looted by thieves who quickly bolt into the streets. The corpse is that of a young nobleman belonging to the Red Coats, a group of trained and educated noble youths that run their own gang. Luther recognized one of the fleeing brigands as Nero, a member of the Copperheads. As Luther continues to look around he spots several neighbors watching so he and Pigeon drag the body into their cellar, away from prying eyes. As they inspect his body, all that was left was his rapier and a small note that reads,“339 Harrow Way. The doorman is quick to anger.” Luther is familiar with the city, and recognizes Harrow Way as a street in one of the ruined sections of town. Luther is worried that they will be accused of the murder, so he decides to have a chat with the neighbors while Pigeon stays back and cleans the blood off of the doorstep. Luther approaches a group of locals talking outside in the streets and tries to convince them not to spread rumors of this murder to the other gangs. For the poverty stricken citizens, selling rumors to interested parties is easy money and Luther can tell one of the elderly women is likely to snitch. Luther makes a show of force, shoving someone around and threatening to kill anyone that pins this on them, before storming off. 
Inside the cellar, Luther formulates a plan to hide the body by burying it in their basement until they can gather enough evidence to prove they didn’t kill him. They spend the day digging a grave, and burying the body, and then gear up to investigate Harrow Way. 
===Harrow Way===
As night falls the party heads into the ruined section of the city, armor and weapons ready, looking for the address in the note. As they enter Harrow Way they hear the barking of wild dogs and hide in an alley until they pass. Using the few numbered buildings still intact, they track down what appears to be 339 Harrow Way. What they find is some sort of old barracks, temple, or other important building with solid stonework, keeping the main floor intact. They decide to stake out the building from atop some nearby rubble, but after several hours there’s no signs of movement so they change tactics. Pigeon approaches and knocks on the door repeatedly, but there is no reply. Pigeon attempts to start picking the lock, but finds the door is already unlocked. Upon opening the door he triggers a trap causing a pointed mallet to slam into him, wounding him slightly. The inside of the building is dark, so Luther lights his lantern and they step inside, resetting the mallet trap behind them in case anyone followed them. The building is mostly ruined and dirty, but they find a large metal door in the ground underneath a broken table. The lock on the door is extremely complex, and neither Luther or Pigeon are capable of picking it. Unable to proceed, Luther decides they ought to track down Nero next and as they leave Pigeon decides to lock the previously open front door. It will take him hours reverse lock-pick and lock the door from the outside, so Luther takes his armor from him and heads home alone to stash it. By the time they reconvene it’s almost sunrise so they head home to rest.
===Red Coats===
Luther is awoken by the sound of knocking on their door, and as he looks through the peephole he finds 3 Red Coats waiting on his doorstep. He cracks the door slightly with the chain still on, to ask what they want. They bow politely and say they wish to talk, but Luther refuses given they are all armed and closes the door on them. As the Red Coats talk among themselves outside, Pigeon hides in a cupboard under the stairs. They knock again and when Luther opens the door, one of the Red Coats jams their foot in the door and demands entry, with a hand on his weapon. The man identifies himself as Claudius and explains he wishes to see the body of Reginald. Luther plays dumb at first, but eventually feigns a realization that Reginald was the one murdered and lets them in. The Red Coats insult Luther’s decrepit home, and knock some furniture around to intimidate him. They demand Luther brings them to the body, and when he starts giving them some sass, they are quick to threaten his life. With no other choice Luther leads them to the cellar, and they make him start digging up the body. 
As Luther spends time digging, Pigeon eventually opens the cupboard he was hiding in and notices that everyone is in the cellar now. Upon seeing Luther digging with 3 armed Red Coats, he assumes the worst and prepares to sneak up and attack. Unfortunately, he is heard on the stairs and is forced to drop his weapon before being led back upstairs by one of the men. He follows Pigeon back to his bedroom but once he realizes there’s nothing of value there he just robs him. He then inspects Luther’s room where he finds the red coat and rapier belonging to Reginald. They head back down and as Luther continues digging he tells the story of what happened, only omitting Nero’s name. The Red Coats head upstairs to discuss while Luther finishes digging up Reginald. Once all is said and done, the Red Coats decide not to kill the party, but they say they must be punished for not immediately bringing the body to them and begging for forgiveness. As punishment, they are robbed of their clothing despite pleas that they can’t afford new outfits.
===Aftermath===
The Red Coats leave and Luther is able to scavenge their stolen clothes from the nearby pile of filth they were dumped in, but he has to spend all day cleaning them. As they discuss what happened Pigeon remembers that they mentioned a key. Presuming the key goes to the metal door in Harrow Way, they decide to pursue Nero since they have critical information he needs, the address. 
==Experience==
No experience given this episode.
Category:Save Or Die: Hardly Heroes Episodes
Category:Save Or Die Episodes
Category:Save Or Die: Hardly Heroes