Driftwood/Session 7

Our first order of business: we have a new pilot. Enter Elowel Arroehvelahmeo (Craig), an elf recommended to us by the twins. It seems that Captain QS was indulging his gambling habit and won her contract in the process. She's looking to make it back to port alive and eventually be free again.
In the onboarding interview, Georg asks Elowel if she wants to die, to which she responds, "we all, to some extent, signed up here to die". Georg is not amused and tells her if she wants to die first, she's welcome to go against the plan. She laments the general lack of free choice on the ship, and Georg tells her about the choices we've already made and how "well" they all went. Regardless, he welcomes her aboard and tells her to stay back with the other non-combatants when we undergo future boarding actions.
Cutting back to the Noloth Society, Zeta and Fritz continue their research:
*Zeta's Veiled Dominions research seems to go well. The Noloth Society may have had a decent relationship with the VD at one point, but they're not apt to advertise that. Thus, they've likely hidden most of the good shit. She manages to find a book of old court cases from 70-80 years prior regarding the assassination of the Serene Doge of Aeldrum as well as its coverup. For some reason, Aeldrum wasn't overly interested in getting revenge and even took the given explanation of events as fact. It was later discovered the would-be assassins were radicalized by the Church of the Spires, ultimately leading the Noloth Society to try to disassociate from the VD. Much of the old material proving their relationship has either been hidden or circulated on the black market. Curiously, a lot of this information was bought up and hidden by various government agencies. (She also does even more occult research in secret, details maybe to come?)
*Fritz studies up on soul technology and the teleological implications of artificial souls. He peruses a large stack of academic discussions and theses about how the soul is constructed and functions in modern society. He finds some interesting facts about the history of soul-damaging weaponry, first tested 50-60 years ago, and their effects on the ability of a patient to interface with a cybernetic implant.
Zeta and Fritz get bored after exhausting the library's resources and head back to the ship. The crew reconvenes on the Fugitive. Our last order of business before launching toward our next mission involves the Underside. This is a topic that decidedly favors the occultists in the room. Zeta might know some things, but the jury's out on whether she shares anything she knows.
Job, meanwhile, is thoroughly convinced we've lost momentum in our war efforts since we left the area instead of pursuing this phenomenon. (I'm sure we weren't doing anything important like keeping ourselves from dying, but I digress.) He's admittedly salty about it now, and he finds Georg's decision to be cowardly. Despite this, he still wants to report it up the chain of command, because even if we don't explore it, goddamn it, someone should. Who do we tell, though? The twins? What do we even tell them that won't sound as unhinged as Job currently is?
Job wants Georg to get the crew to collectively agree to jump the chain of command, to "redeem himself for his inaction". He knocks on Georg's door, and Georg conceals a knife before answering. Job asks him how he likes his new arm, then mentions once again how happy he is about the crew's generosity in getting him fixed up (though in reality we paid jack and shit for that). He hopes to brief the relevant parties about the Underside Theory when we meet with the twins the next day. Georg dismisses this as a bad idea that will get us all killed, but Job insists, continuing to rant about the war and general bureaucracy.
Job implores Georg for his support should he be able to speak to the twins and asks Georg what "support" means to him in this case. Georg is noncommittal, agreeing to confirm Job's ideas but not diving headfirst into the mission without proper firepower. Job is not pleased by this, stating that unlike the rest of the cowards on the crew, he's not just here to survive and collect a paycheck. He's aware we can't handle the mission alone, but he's so convinced he's right that he would desert and go by himself if he was sure he wouldn't get caught. Georg finally gives up and agrees to support Job, but only if Job writes up a backup plan first, since he doesn't believe QS and SQ will be amenable to the plan. Job is now pleased. Georg asks Job if he wants a hug. Job waves him off and walks away, saying they'll meet again at dinner.
On another note, what has Drakr been up to all this time, outside of his various escapades at the local pleasure houses? He spends some time browsing for a good weapon to use in combat. Some of the elderly men he's been in contact with at the pleasure houses point him toward an interesting shop, which has a selection of exotic weaponry, including:
*An old-school scimitar wielded by a Fialta warrior over a century prior
*A stone sword of Naga origin, with a wax-coated coral hilt
*An ivory dagger, supposedly sourced from a void whale
Drakr decides to buy the weird coral and rock sword (for business and pleasure purposes), then returns to the ship. The sword, appropriately enough, comes in a presentation box made of… skin. (Because of course it does.)
Georg is invited to the captains' table to dine with QS and SQ so they can pick his brain for what direction the next mission will take. Job and Fritz are also invited to the table. They head to the Carcosa's ready room, which has been refashioned into a dining room. The quartermaster is present, and the twins have even hired a personal chef. During the meal, they make offerings to various Pentacle Gods, especially Dalthad, using their food. The room is ornate, oil paintings and other knickknacks strewn about, a doorway to a bedroom in the back.
QS seems to be much more cordial to Job than he was last time, and they exchange pleasantries. SQ gets down to business right away, mentioning the new avenues that the Shantine codebook we found on the Fugitive could take us down. Perhaps we can surprise and ambush larger targets, and claim bigger spoils? Georg is disappointed that he's not has the time to review the codebook thoroughly. He agrees with SQ with some caveats: he's hesitant to take on targets that are too large in number or too heavily armed. His idea centers on sending out feelers to humanitarian missions instead of warships. Specifically, he wants to bide his time by going after smaller humanitarian operations that aren't necessarily in contact with Shantine regulars, as they'd be more likely to be desperate for aid.
Job butts into the conversation, as he feels this has gone on long enough. He asks Georg what the point of this is, as from what he can see, our scale is too small for this sort of widespread operation. Job and Georg argue back and forth about the logistics of the plan, and Job refers to Georg's plan as a Schrodinger's Box, and he can't have every facet of it be true at once. Job appeals to the twins that we're playing it too safe: QS is following the logic, but SQ is not. The quartermaster is stunned by this insolence.
As Georg tries to take control of the conversation again to relay our past experiences, Job cuts him off and calls him a coward. A hush falls over the room. Job refers to Georg as "tactical, but constrained and afraid", appealing to the twins once more to strengthen our war efforts. They seem amped up now, while the quartermaster looks visibly ill. Georg, insulted to his core, uses this time to stand up and stab Job in the neck.
The room stops again. The captains watch on as civility is destroyed in front of their eyes. Though the stab wasn't critical, blood is now spurting from Job's neck on to the food (which is still being eaten). Job laughs loudly at Georg, admonishing him for being cowardly even in the act of using force, and being happy to bury him. Georg responds by trying to shoot Job in the head. Job manages to parry and disarm him, asking how much more he wishes to embarrass himself.
Georg makes his case once more, insisting that if Job is put in charge, he'll lead us directly into the mouth of death, and he's been given too many chances as is. Job unloads the gun and challenges Georg to a fistfight. He stands up, blood still leaking from his shoulder, and they fight. Georg misses a punch, and Job tries to grapple him, but gets overpowered. Georg grabs at Job's collar, while blood is still spraying on to the walls, and misses a punch. He manages to do the worst thing possible, though, hitting Job's "wife". Job is outraged by this act of domestic violence, so he hulks up and suplexes Georg so hard through the dining table that it cracks and knocks him out.
Everyone knows at this point that shit is going down. Fritz, who's been silently watching this the whole time, has his cup spill into his lap, but he continues to eat anyway. Darius gets him a new one. Job pins Georg's hand to the table by shoving a knife through it. Job orders Fritz to stitch him up. While this happens, Job remarks the crew needs some shaping up, as he seemed to act more like a Fialta than the actual Fialta. Drakr gushes about the "best goddamn suplex he's ever seen". Cheers and jeers alike rise from the crowd, and Georg's reputation as we know it is ruined.
Fritz notices the twins are conflicted by the result of this fight: QS is nervous and thinks Job is too dangerous to run things, but SQ implicitly approves, as he's the one who allowed Job to be an officer in the first place. Job is amused by this, since it's more reassurance to him that his path is the right one. He turns to the twins and says, "the people who exclusively seek out power are never the ones who take it". He makes his case to become the new captain of the Fugitive, promising to finish any fight he starts, and pushing to lead the mission that will "win us the war".
Only now does the Underside Theory rear its ugly head once again, as Job outlines how he wants to investigate where these new potential paths will lead. Ideally, we can use them to take the fight directly to the Shantine. QS, ever the pragmatist of the group, asks whether the FSB would send us instead of a fleet of warships. Job offers to go as the symbol of whichever commanding officer sends him. QS agrees to the idea, but SQ takes it a step further by insisting the Carcosa (and the Fugitive) need to be part of the fleet. He even uses his old business knowledge to convince the quartermaster this is a good plan. SQ is so proud he pushes for an immediate vote to promote Job and demote Georg. Everyone votes for it, some more hesitantly than others, because they know he's still completely insane… but Job takes over anyway.
First things first… what do we do with Georg? Job asks Fritz to torniquet his hand, and Fritz refuses. Job cuts off Georg's hand, throwing it to Drakr, and Fritz is forced to stop the bleeding. Fritz has a minor mental breakdown and sits down to finish his food despite it having blood in it. Drakr is sent back to the Fugitive, dragging Georg with him, with Job imploring him to "hype the crew" by telling them what happened. This mostly succeeds in shocking them. Drakr starts off to throw Georg in the brig, but he gets an idea and takes some initiative…
As the rest of the crew file back into the Fugitive, things start to get back to whatever normal means now. However, Zeta notices Drakr carrying Georg in a sack, heading back out of the ship. Zeta confronts Drakr, asking why he's doing this, and he says he's taking Georg away to "teach him a lesson" in a nondescript building down the road. Zeta goes to the bridge to report the clear and obvious kidnapping to Job. Job isn't worried… if Drakr brings him back alive, it'll be fine… right? Either way, Zeta is tasked with following and surveying Drakr's actions without interrupting him.
Zeta quietly follows Drakr, tailing him along the canal by the docks. She tails him to a gated bridge, where he flashes a card to pass through. She moves silently through the gate, finding and passing some tripwires on the way. This is the old GCC quarter, the most lawless part of the port. He heads up to a nondescript building and knocks on the door. A slovenly goblin man answers, supposedly a dealer in prizefighters. Drakr greets this man and offers to sell Georg and buy someone or something else, depending on what stock he has. Drakr goes inside and the door locks.
Zeta radios the ship. Elowel answers, and Zeta asks for Job. Elowel leaves the line open to listen in, and Fritz offers to go find Job. As Fritz enters the captain's quarters, Job is showing his "wife" around. Fritz interrupts so Zeta can explain the situation, and Job laughs at Georg's misfortune. Job tells Zeta to monitor the place for a bit and then come back, and he'll… just follow up the next day, clearly not concerned for Georg's fate.
Back at the slave trafficking warehouse, the goblin examines Georg's still-unconscious body, noticing the missing hand. Drakr gives him the hand and he has it put on ice. Drakr stresses Georg is a poor fighter and wants him to "suffer for the rest of his days". The goblin (named Mr. Jolloh) mentions that the Thannasids are in the market for fresh blood, as well as soldiers to throw into the meat grinder du jour.
Every time Georg starts to regain consciousness, Drakr knocks him back out. Jolloh worries Georg will be tainted goods, asking Drakr if anyone will miss him, or if there's a legal reason why he shouldn't buy him. Drakr manages to convince him there's no issue and Jolloh offers him a 250-ducat advance, with the other 90% should Drakr make it back to port alive. He shows Drakr his current stock, including a decommissioned combat cyborg and a six-legged dog creature. Drakr hates all of them, so he takes his money and leaves via the back door to return to the ship. Zeta calls her surveillance out after 2 hours of absolutely nothing, and she also goes back.
Drakr returns, beelining for Job and proudly proclaiming that Georg will never come back and he's set to suffer for life. Job appreciates the initiative, but this isn't what he wanted to happen, as Georg owes Job a life debt and he wanted to inflict that suffering himself. Drakr mentions the Thannasids offhand as a potential landing spot. Zeta interrupts by knocking on the door. Before that, though, Job asks Drakr if he'll be sold quickly, and Drakr thinks there's a 50/50 shot he gets moved tonight.
Zeta knocks again, and Job finally answers. Zeta comes in to see Drakr grinning, and she assumes Job knows the situation. Job asks her what her feelings are regarding all this, while Drakr has stopped caring and decides to go to bed. Job seems to be testing her, as he's tired of the "misguided crew" straying from the path he's working so hard to set up. Ultimately, they decide to go retrieve Georg, dragging Drakr out of bed to lead the way. They quickly check for stowaways, finding none.
On the way out, Job stops to chat with Darius, tapping him for the role of First Mate. Darius says what was done had to be done. Job asks why Darius voted so quickly for him to be the new captain, and Darius says he believes both in the mission and Job's ability to piece together all the necessary details (we'll see if that was a lie). Job asks Darius to restate his resume, then why he's here specifically. Darius says he's trying to make a buck while minimizing casualties. Finally, Job asks what Darius would do if Job died. Darius says his top priority would be to finish the mission, then raise hell on the way out. Job likes this answer, because it's rational and not power-seeking. Job still assumes he can't die, so he officially offers Darius the job. Job leaves, and Darius goes to do his rounds.
Georg manages to regain consciousness for real this time, finding he's shackled to a wall in a dingy box. He watches a fat goblin in slippers and pajamas walk by, rattling the cages. Georg coughs to get his attention. When Jolloh looks in, Georg asks who he is and where this is. They discuss Georg's situation and likely fate, Jolloh taking some interest in his artificial hand. Georg tries to convince Jolloh that Drakr is lying about this sale, and the twins, as well as Job, would never have sanctioned it.
This fails to impress Jolloh, who tells Georg he's likely off to the Thannasids, and if he's lucky he can be marked as a smart meat puppet instead of a blood farm. Georg rattles off his experience as an officer as well as his combat skill. Jolloh is almost swayed, but on learning Georg lost the fight that he instigated, he shrugs it off. Desperate, Georg appeals to Jolloh's rationality and sanity, managing to buy a day of time to figure something out.
Meanwhile, Job, Drakr, and Zeta head back to the warehouse. A different person answers, and Drakr asks for them to fetch Jolloh. Drakr introduces Jolloh to Job and asks for a return, offering to give Jolloh the money back. Unsurprisingly, Jolloh refuses, informing them that's not how his business works, and Job can now get Georg's services back as a bidder. He offers Georg's immediate return for 10,000 ducats. Job refuses and asks to speak to Georg directly, to "inspect the goods" before he considers buying.
Jolloh leads Job back to Georg's pen and leaves them alone for a bit. Job sits in front of the pen, picking his nails with Georg's knife, and asks if Georg has something he wants to say. Georg confesses that we couldn't afford to fix his brain, so we did nothing to it, and if he's not coming back, Job at least must know that. Georg apologizes for the mistreatment of Job's mental condition sincerely, despite Job not believing him for a moment.
Job asks Georg why he should believe him, as his impressions of Georg being a man of action were destroyed by his cowardice. Georg says he was a voice of reason, and that "bravery without rationality would only get us killed faster". Job understands, but mentions the backstabbing at dinner sealed his fate, his only options left being death or enslavement. Georg pleads his case one last time, offering up his tactical knowledge as a subordinate for future mission planning. Job asks if he wants revenge, but Georg insists he's not a sniveling, broken man and understands his situation.
Job opts to test one more thing before deciding what he'll do with Georg. Calling back to their old philosophical discussions, he offers Georg a chance to control his fate… by calling a goddamn coin flip. Georg complains about leaving chance in the equation when doing what's right, but still calls heads. Job flips the coin… looks at Georg… and gives him a chance to fight his way out. He leaves a gun in Georg's pen, telling him that if he manages to shoot his way out, he can rejoin the crew. Georg thanks him for the offer, but he's pretty sure this is the last time they'll meet.
Job still opts to put the gun in the pen before leaving. On the way out, he sees Georg struggling to break his shackles, opting not to distract Jolloh or help in any other way. As Jolloh approaches, Georg manages to break his intact hand out and pick up the gun. One of Jolloh's halfling assistants warns him to get down. Jolloh gets into cover and tries to reason with Georg, offering to sell him exclusively to a mercenary company if he tosses the gun out of his pen.
Georg threatens Jolloh's business with the possibility of taking himself out of the equation, but he would rather shoot his shackles off and walk out without further conflict. Jolloh threatens to activate the "50-cal" as soon as he steps out of his cage and shred him. Georg reasons that would be a bad idea because the opportunity cost (i.e. hitting another prisoner) would be too great. Jolloh is still convinced he has the upper hand and tells Georg to think over his predicament for the next couple of days, leaving the halflings to handle it.
Georg shoots off his shackles, then the door lock. He peeks out of his cage to see one of the halflings loading up a canister of tear gas. Their aim isn't good, but gas starts to fill up the room. He misses a shot at one of the halflings, and the other fires another can of gas. Georg takes his chance to step out and kick the can down the hallway. As he does, the "50-cal" (A large gun strapped to a cart) goes off, only hitting him once. Unfortunately for Georg, the gas is getting to him. His last actions include killing the halfling operating the cart and lamenting not killing Job when he had a chance. Georg finally drops, leaving his fate moving forward unclear…
Category:Session Summaries