Wrestling With Cases

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==Blurb (Short Episode Description)==
Wrestling with Cases is an actual play episode of CBR+PNK. Bill, Nugh, and Rusty are hired to steal a case filled with unknown items that will help the town of Hardingwood. 
==Non Player Characters==
*Mr. Chen: Hired FBK to stop a car and seize a Case attached to a mysterious courier.
*Oxy Tymoshenko: A mob boss, hired Mr. Chen on behalf of Mx. Helfer to stop the car and take The Case.
*Kevin Hockney: Driver hired by The Bank to drive The Courier and other guards
*Stephen McManus: Guard sitting in front of the car transporting The Case.
*Benecio Fenster: Guard sitting in the back of the car transporting The Case.
*Gabriel Keaton: Guard working for Oxy that talked to the party when they arrived asking to give up their weapons. 
*Roger Verbal: Guard working for Oxy that talked to the party when they arrived asking to give up their weapons.
*Mx. Helfer: A "benefactor" whose employer has an interest in making sure Hardingwood stays independent of The Bank of Niquimi.
*Tess Fleetfur: Used as The Principal in order to escort The Case. Rescued by The Firebreathing Kittens and returns to Gamblers Anonymous with the help of Rusty Surefoot.
*Honda Domeki Universe 2: Contacted by Nugh and offers sanctuary for the party at New Niqamui Colosseum.
*Kerilly Brightflitter: Contacted by Bill to help open The Case. Chased by stone golems sent by The Bank of Guaso. 
==Plot Summary==
Bill, Nugh, and Rusty are in the guild hall when they are approached by one, “Mr Chen,” who seeks to hire them for a well paying job in New Niqamui.  The party is asked to intercept an armed delivery vehicle, obtaining a case and kidnapping its carrier (The Principle) who will be within.  Mr. Chen cannot or will not reveal what is in the case, but claims that the actions of the party will help the community of HardingWood, as the Niqamui Bank is doing something nefarious with the contents.
Bill distrusts the secrecy of Mr Chen, and demands to know more details in order to avoid being tricked into more wrong doing.  
Nugh also takes particular issue with the kidnapping aspect of the case as he does not want to be a part of removing the agency of another being. 
Rusty encourages his guildmates to get into the middle of the mess, confident that the trio will be able to pivot as necessary once they find out more information.
Mr Chen gives the Kittens details for the location of a Safe House in New Niqamui, the Shaze Club, and tells the party to ask for ArJoon.  Once they are in place with the package (and possibly the Principle) they are to call to arrange a pick up.  
Using the intel Mr. Chen provided, the trio choose a point along the car’s route where Bill can drop from above and smash the engine block to arrest its movement.  This maneuver proves super effective, and with the application of gas grenade, the guards within the car are quickly incapacitated.  Nugh and Rusty manage to rip the door off its hinges and discover that the Principle is none other than Rusty’s friend Tess.  She is connected to the case by an adamantine cuff and the case itself is made of adamantine.  (No bolt cutters going through that)
Nugh asks Tess if she will come with them, and the party beats feet to flee the scene.  Intending to duck Mr. Chen until they have better info, Nugh leads the group to the New Niqamui Coliseum with the intention of using Honda Domecki’s changing room as a safe house of the party’s own choosing.  Bill poses as a statue and Nugh talks their way through the back entrance of the coliseum as a delivery service. 
Honda welcomes them and allows them the use of the space, though on the condition that someone from the party engages him in a bit of sparring.  Rusty volunteers and manages to put the champ into a friendly submission lock.  Following the match, the group questions Tess for more information about the case and her role.  Turns out that due to a gambling problem, Tess owed a significant debt to the bank and acting as the Principle for this delivery was part of a longer term project of working off her debt. 
Meanwhile, Bill puts out a call to Kerilly to see if she would be willing to help them crack the case open, promising that they would gift her the cuff and case once its contents had been removed. Kerilly is willing, but anticipates that the interdimensional travel will take a significant amount of time.  Nugh believes that he can speed the process with a poetry portal connected to the realm of the fairie folk.  A portal is connected, but Kerilly arrives with pursuers hot on her heels.  Nugh slams the gateway shut just in time to resist the arrival of a couple of aggressive stone golems.  
Kerilly uses her abilities to remove the cuff from Tess, but senses that she would rather not open, nor take the case.  She departs, warning Bill to get rid of the case as quickly as he can.  Nugh’s personal communicator begins to buzz and it is a call from a person who identifies themselves as Oxy Tymoshenko.  Tymoshenko informs the group that Mr. Chen had intentions to doublecross the Kittens and his employers, and has subsequently been “dealt with.”  In order to establish a measure of confidence from the party, Tymoshenko offers to meet with them and open the case to reveal the contents to the party before relieving them of the case and its contents. 
The Fire Breathing Kittens travel to location and meet with Tymoshenko and are introduced to Mx Helfer.  Helfer produces a digital key that opens the case and reveals that it contains land rights documentation declaring that the town of Hardingwood has sole proprietary rights to its lands and holdings.  However, Nugh is also able to discern that there is significant ‘fate magic’ emanating from the documents.  Rusty snaps a few images to the cloud with a microcamera before digital defenses scramble his augmentation. 
More or less satisfied with the assurances that it was in Hardingwood ’s mutual interest for Tymoshenko to take control of the documents, the party hands over the case and receives payment.  Bill heroically gives his portion of the compensation to Rusty, “to help your family.”  
Rusty sends Bill’s share to the family at the cooperative, and gives Tess his personal share to help her settle her debts with the bank.  Tess thanks Rusty and asks if he would commit to attending meetings to help her overcome her addiction.  Rusty readily agrees. 
Nugh and Bill discuss Bill’s service to the community of HardingWood, and to what extent he is choosing that life for himself.  In a shared moment, they exchange their personal notebooks with one another.
Category:Episodes Category:Season 2024