Hardcore Heroes: Episode 12

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== Synopsis ==
Croak receives a mysterious letter urging him to meet a contact named "You know who" at Borens. After a series of events including a jovial yet suspicious meeting with Boren, Croak is tasked with rescuing a wet nurse to leverage her kidnapping of a lord's son to remove an obstructive harbor master. The narrative details Croak's preparations and heist, which leads to the assassination of Boren and an attempt to recruit Zinley as a partner. However, Zinley turns hostile, resulting in Croak's death. The story then follows Van and Malakai as they investigate a potential wererat threat in Ratsburg before heading to Clydesdale. They contemplate hiring bodyguards while dealing with the aftermath of their recent failures and the loss of Croak.
==Recap==
===Saturday, 1509-03-11*===
Everyone is hanging out in Hobgoblins head as a messenger arrives seeking Croak with a letter that asks him to meet the sender at earliest convenience signed as “You know who”. Croak gets his gryphon feathers and head, jokes about Jeeves losing their horse and heads over to Borens. 
At the entrance he greets Zinley, they have a little chat and make plans for going out once he's done with business and as he turns to go to the shopkeeper Croak gets a mighty ass-slap. Shopkeeper forwards him upstairs which is an opportunity Croak uses to inspect the stairs and where the light is coming from, which turns out to be the ceiling itself. At top of the stairs is a door which the other bodyguard, Jouline, opens leading him through the second floor to Borens office. Boren meets Croak with jovial kinship on his lips and invites him to sit and offers a drink, the drastic change in his persona not going unnoticed. Boren mentions that there are some business opportunities they could take together. 
He goes on to explain that the harbor master has been a thorn in his side as he's been cracking down on Borens trade. However he cannot outright murder the man due to arising circumstances with the local Lord, but there are other ways. He tells a short tale of a wet nurse that worked for a household, but wasn't paid enough to make ends meet so she resorted to stealing items from her Lord which in turn Boren bought “From the kindness of his heart”. The wet nurse was soon cough however and the Lord, Admiral Brighthand put her in jail even though the boy she was nursing is very fond of her. Boren essentially wants Croak to bust out the wet nurse who would easily kidnap the son of Lord Brighthand because of their existing relationship and then they would force Lord Brighthand, with his lordly influence, to remove the harbormaster from his office. As a reward he offers Croak undefined handlers fee and a level of respect between the two. 
It also happens that Admiral Brighthand is hosting a ball in a few weeks time which Boren could get Kel Croak on, making the access to dungeons a fair bit easier. He lays out some more details about the process expecting Croak to only handle the freeing Iuna, the wet nurse. 
Boren ends up paying 50 gold for the gryphon head and feathers. 
Later in the day Croak and Zinley go out to some of the nicer taverns in town, flashing around his knighthood. Van scouts the harbor for Jarrot's ship, but isn't able to find it at this point in time. 
===Saturday, 1509-03-12*===
Morning comes and Croak introduces Zinley to Van as they come down for breakfast together. He also mentions that he has been invited to a party hosted by Admiral Brighthand and can take 2 more people along. Van seems intrigued by this chance. Malakai is perhaps less interested, but doesn't shrug the offer. They make some plans for going to Ratsburg as well, but nothing specific yet. 
Moments later Malakai leans in and asks Croak about the heist on Borens Imperium. Croak affirms it's still on and is set to happen in 3 days.
Malakai visits Sithlidyn's shop seeking whether he has decided to take Malakai on as a helping hand or not. Sithlidyn seems willing and offers that for every month Malakai assists in his store he will grant him 1 spell. Malakai is a little reluctant at first since 1 month can be a lot of time to work for free, but tells him he will stick around for a few weeks and see how it goes. 
Van and Croak go to blacksmith to create some silver tipped arrows and perhaps weapons. They get 20 silver flight arrows, 20 silver sheath arrows,10 silver bullets and a silver broadsword. He manages to get himself a 10% discount for a total of 108 gold. Van gets some measurements done for the armor. 
Croak goes and buys himself a whole series of items such as string, tarp, cloth for undersides of his soles, a butchers knife, a crab trap and others. 
Croak takes Van along and they scout Borens shop and note 5 magical auras in a close cluster on the left side of the 2nd story and another cluster of mixed strength magical items in a different part of the shop. It seems like the auras are dim and not located in his office room. 
===Tuesday, 1509-03-13*===
Morning dawns and Croak meets up with his team of child delinquents. He instructs them to light a tent on fire and then once it explodes to lead whichever guards come on a merry chase towards the harbor, but not get cough, though he does tell them he would get them out of jail of they did get cough. They then go on a walk around the districts near Borens Imperium where Croak shows them a potential hiding and escapes alleys as well as where the tent is going to be. 
Dark comes and they set up their tent, kids disperse the flour inside of it then Croak gives them flint, tinder and a torch. Some moments after he's walked away a light in the sky appears and even church bells begin ringing. Malakai meets up with Croak at end of an alleyway and by Croaks instructions casts Sleep onto the second floor of Borens house. Next Malakai casts Invisibility on both of them and Croak goes to successfully pick the front door's lock. They sneak in and Malakai stays on the first floor while Croak sneaks up into the second floor. He notes the sound of regular breathing from one of the rooms and then picks its lock. There he sees a sparsely furnished room and a sleeping person in the bed, he sneaks up to them and promptly slits Borens throat. From his bedside he takes a pair of throwing daggers and then sneaks downstairs to tell Malakai that the mission is a success and now they need to make some house-calls. 
Croak and still invisible Malakai make their way to Zinleys place, she lets Croak in with Malakai sneaking in as well. He immediately brings up the topic that there is going to be a change of power in Borens Imperium and that he would like her to come join and be his partner in this promising her more power than she possessed before. Zinley hearing this slowly retreats to the corner where she keeps her weapons and not having this attacks Croak. Malakai unsuccessfully casts Sleep, but next round hits her all over with Magic missiles, Croak and Zinley exchange blows, but she wounds him heavily.  Next round she goes first and kills Croak with her battleaxe forcing Malakai to retreat out of the door. 
Malakai runs to Hobgoblins head and wakes up Van telling him that Croak has been killed by Zinley. Malakai tells him how they broke into Borens shop and killed him then attempted to sway Zinley over, but that she turned on him. But since Croak instigated this Van says he cannot rightfully frame her. 
They call upon Jeeves to be ready to leave at dawn and get their dogs into the room. Van decides that they'll just have to come back another day for the armor that was being made for Van. They share in some mutual dwarf-hating and then go to sleep in the same room together with dogs taking watches. 
===Wednesday, 1509-03-14*===
Morning comes without anyone attempting to assassinate them so they plot to go to Clydesdale for now. While on the road there they decide to swing by Ratsburg instead. 
Van is quickly recognized and a towns man informs him that about a month ago a dozen people were killed. Within 30 minutes the town is gathered and they hold mass silver coin testing but without any success so Van calls up Little Jimmy and personally tests him once more without success. Van suggests the town keep him locked up during the night of the full moon as well 2 days before and after. He also tells them to call upon him if Jimmy does transform. Party ponders about whether it might be the were-rat coming back for revenge or a towns folk who has already left, but without a Detect curse spell they can't really tell who is the culprit. 
They stay the night in the town with hope of casting Detect evil in the morning.
===Thursday, 1509-03-15*===
Night passes uneventfully and both casters ready their spells. 
Later on Van Detects evil on the townspeople, but no one comes back as positive. So Van repeats his instructions and they leave for Clydesdale. Nothing interesting happens on the road and they stay in the next village over. 
===Friday, 1509-03-16*===
Malakai fails Web and Fist of stone spells. 
===Saturday, 1509-03-17*===
While on the road they wonder what has happened to Croaks possessions and that they have no choice, but to go back to Redport at some point to finish their business there so they don't ever need to return there again. 
Malakai learns Strength spell. 
===Saturday, 1509-03-18*===
Both of them sit in a Clydesdale's tavern, dejected and without a purpose now. Wondering perhaps its time to hire some bodyguards. The night ends with two of them together with Jeeves getting shitfaced on shitty beer.
== Experience and changes ==
* Van gains 5th level and rolls 3+1HP for a total of 26HP.
* Croak is killed by Zinley and leaves the party.
*Dates are extrapolated from a previous mention of an exact date.
Category:Hardcore Heroes Episodes