RQG 2 - Bertie! Wellington!

## Content Warnings

Racism (mispronouncing a person of colour's name). Mentions: disease (gout), mental illness (including term 'crazy')

## Summary

The party meets Haringay: Zolf's contact in the police force. He asks them to run security at Edison's Mansion, where the inventor is to start an auction for a mysterious item.

## Synopsis

Hamid asks Bertie what is happening; Bertie explains that they were attacked by the two men, and Zolf explains that this is technically their job. He turns to the crowd to explain that it’s fine, asking under his breath for someone to help him, as he knows he isn’t being convincing. Sasha tries going along with Hamid’s thing, loudly congratulating them on a good rehearsal, but Zolf tells her to get in on the crowd control thing so that she doesn’t get arrested. She does, and then guards arrive and Zolf explains what happened again. A large, mutton-chopped man in a police uniform appears: Sergeant Richard Haringay, Zolf's contact for their crowd-control contract. Zolf greets him, and Haringay asks him, again, what’s happened and why the crowd isn’t being controlled. Zolf explains that one section of the crowd was being rowdy and needed some more controlling, and then introduces Haringay to Bertie, who shakes his hand. Haringay accepts this, but eyes Bertie up and down and tells Zolf that he’s responsible for Bertie.

Hamid, meanwhile, turns toward the crowd and tries to get them to move along, saying that the guards are here. Bertie doesn’t help, and Hamid still tries to get the crowd to disperse and head toward Edison’s. Haringay gets the guards to help, ushering people away, and then Figgis appears from down the alley. He apologises, saying that he was checking the perimeter. The party realise that he just avoided the combat and Zolf fires him. Bertie comes over and picks Figgis up by the neck, holding him up against the wall; Figgis tries to intimidate him but Bertie just shakes him. Zolf tells him not to make a scene; Hamid asks what Figgis was doing, and Zolf says nothing, which is why he’s firing him.

Zolf asks Sasha if she wants to take Figgis' place in the mercenary company, since she needs employment and probably also needs protection. She agrees, asking if they’ll be staying in London or going elsewhere; Zolf explains that it’s a mercenary company. Hamid asks why Bertie is a mercenary now, and Bertie explains that he’s in it for money and glory and traveling to distant places. Sasha mentions that she likes the last one, and Zolf offers to look at the jobs board for some more distant jobs. He asks who Hamid is, and Hamid introduces himself, shaking Zolf’s hand. Zolf mentions that he’s good with the diplomacy thing, and that they do need a face, offering Hamid a job. Hamid accepts.

Sasha thanks them for sticking with her during the fight, and Zolf says that it didn’t seem like fair odds. Hamid asks Sasha what the men that they fought had wanted, and she tries to play it off as nothing, saying that they don’t need to know. Zolf asks if she’s done a murder, and Sasha says that not until today, but Zolf healed him. She finally says that she used to work with them, but recently left that position, which they were not happy about. Haringay notices one of the men is Greggson, and turns toward Sasha, asking about the Rackets; Sasha says that it sounds like a name someone might have. Haringay says that she’s made a good choice to distance herself from people she’s never met (clearly knowing that she’s been involved with them before), but Sasha keeps up the act. He goes through Greggson’s pockets, he finds a note, asking if anyone knows about Brock. Sasha clearly does, but pretends not to, saying it sounds like an interesting name. Haringay, obviously picking up on this, holds it up in front of Sasha and looks away. Sasha reads it; the note says "tell her we'll let her know about Brock".

After reading the note, Sasha recants, saying that they definitely should talk to the people and figure out what they were doing here and maybe talk to them about their background. Zolf agrees, and says that they should move the people since they’re unconscious and won’t be getting up anytime soon.

The party (sans Hamid and Sasha) and Haringay carry the unconscious men into one of the adjoining buildings. Haringay begins to tie them up and Thompson regains consciousness; Sasha stays out of his eyeline. Bertie leans in and greets him, starting to question him. Thompson apologises, saying he didn’t start the fight, and Sasha whispers and tells Bertie to ask about Brock, which he does. Sasha does step out from behind Bertie, and Thompson says that they were hired to tell Sasha that Barret said he has information about Brock that Sasha might like to know. Sasha doesn’t believe that they were only going to give her a message, but Thompson just says that she should head back to "where it all started", saying that she can get back into lower London if she needs to (they’ve paid off the stairkeeper). He adds that they didn’t want to start a fight.

Zolf heals Thompson and Bertie, and Haringay goes off to fetch some guards to remove the unconscious men. Sasha follows him out, trying to recover the letter, and Hamid and Bertie catch up.

After, the party moves off to a nearby building with Sergeant Haringay, through the crowd. Carriages are arriving for an event in a local hall and the party makes sure that the carriages are not impeded. Zolf pulls the party aside, saying that he and Bertie will be up to the front, and that Hamid can stay in the back to convince people to move on, and Sasha can keep an eye out for people and let Zolf know. Zolf asks if she only has knives, and she pretends not to have any knives. Hamid gets to work moving people along, standing on a box. When people try to get closer to the carriages, Sasha keeps them back, overreacting a bit. (She *could* hurt them, but she doesn’t want to.)

Bertie notices the Deputy Prime Minister in a carriage, Zolf recognizes the Chief of Police in another. Bertie also hears an old acquaintance, Lord Wellington. Bertie shouts out "Wellington!", who responds with "Bertie!" repeatedly, and Chessington also comes out, shouting "Bertie!" Bertie pretends as though he’s lost his carriage, and then Chessington orders Haringay to allow Bertie and his party (his entourage) entry into the building via Wellington's carriage. Zolf glances at Haringay, who leans in and tells him to keep an eye on things inside, and then they all hop in.

Bertie introduces them to Hamid, mispronouncing his name terribly, who mentions that they may know his father. Wellington and Chessington both look at Sasha and Zolf, asking if they’re bodyguards. Sasha immediately says that she’s the bodyguard; Zolf, in an incredibly dry tone, says that he’s Bertie’s courtesan.

   Sasha leans into Zolf and asks why rich people bother with carriages; they all step off into the entranceway of the house. There is a music hall with a stage off to the right and lots of rows of seats. Off to the left is a drawing room with a large fireplace. A few people are going around with appetizers. Bertie recognizes various high profile people, including Dr William Colgate and Byron. He also sees a twin pair of gnomes wearing suits holding briefcases, who nod to Bertie. Bertie is pulled into a group of childhood friends, as Hamid starts to work the room, making sure to drop his family name into the conversation. Zolf and Sasha keep an eye out for anything untoward; Sasha is sleight-of-handing as many hors d'oeuvres as she can.

Bertie hobnobs, explaining about why he’s adventuring and talking about holding up the family tradition. One of the servants steps forward and invites the crowd into the Music Room, which contains a grand piano and rows of chairs. Hamid sits toward the front, and Bertie sits down around the middle with the crowd, while Zolf and Sasha stand at the back. There is a brief musical interlude from the piano, and then Lord Edison, inventor of the lightning rail and other technologies, steps onto the stage.

## Quotes

**Bertie**: "As you can see, this crowd is very much under control at this point."
**Zolf**: "Yes."
**Bertie**: "Look! They’re very sedate."
**Hamid**: "They—they all saw you, um... bisect this poor gentleman."
**Bertie**: "He started it!"
―Hamid trying to settle the situation.

**Crowd**: "I saw her shank that guy."
**Sasha**: "Good control."
**Zolf**: "Yes, and he was resisting...being controlled."
**Bertie**: "I, it was a controlled shank."
**Zolf:**: "Exactly."
**Sasha**: "He’s fine now."
―Crowd control

**Zolf**: "So, looks like we’re down... one. So, um... what was your name again?"
**Sasha**: "Uh, Sasha."
**Zolf**: "Do you wanna join up? You seem quite good in a fight. You might need some protection from those guys."
―Zolf invites Sasha to join the party.

**Sasha**: "I, I mean, thanks for... having my back there, guys."
**Zolf**: "All right."
**Sasha**: "That was. yeah. It’s..."
**Zolf**: "Didn’t seem very fair odds."
―Sasha thanking the party.

**Hamid**: "Should we find out what these guys were up to? Do—why were they attacking you?"
**Sasha**: "I think it’s fine. I don’t think that we need to know what they were up to at all. I think we should just, maybe just go? It’d be fine if we just left. I don’t...I don’t think that...I don’t think we need to know anything."
**Hamid**: "I don’t think it would be good to start a new relationship with equivocation."
**Zolf**: "Let’s...wait, let’s keep things simple. Have you done a murder?"
**Sasha**: "Well, not until today, but you healed him."
**Zolf**: "So it wasn’t a murder."
**Sasha**: "I wasn’t lying when I said before I, I had employment with some people that wanted me to continue in their employment? And I don’t wanna do that job anymore. But I, I wasn’t... it wasn’t that I..."
**Zolf**: "You need an out. Yeah, that’s fine."
**Sasha**: "I, I never hurt…"
**Hamid**: "That seems fair enough."
―Asking about Sasha's past

**Harringay**: "Uh, does the name Brock mean anything to anyone?"
**Zolf**: "Quite a nice name, but other than that, no?"
**Hamid**: "I think maybe?"
**Sasha**: "Um. Uh. I mean. It sounds like an interesting name. Maybe there’d be a story that... you might want to tell us."
**Harringay**: "So hypothetically if someone here who, uh, I reckon has actually, you know, been trying to help, wanted to know more about Brock, they’d be looking at this piece of paper that I’m holding up here."
**Alex**: "He holds it up in front of Sasha, just kind of idly whilst looking away. It basically just has: “Tell her we'll let her know about Brock” on a piece of paper. It’s scrawled, it’s clearly like a piece of charcoal on parchment or something."
―The party gets a glimpse of Sasha's past

**Bertie**: "Hang on, hang on. So, I mean, this chap, I mean, his face wasn’t that great to start with, and frankly, slightly higher up the queue. Hello. Scratches! I’ve got a graze? I’m, I’m nearly sad. Heal me!"
―Bertie is lightly wounded.

"Make way, make way, everyone. Heroes coming through. Steady, steady as you go"
―**Bertie**

**Zolf**: "We should get you a, uh, do you just have knives?"
**Sasha**: "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have any knives."
―Sasha lying about having knives.

**Bertie**: "Wellington?"
**Wellington**: "Bertie?"
**Bertie**: "Wellington!"
**Wellington**: "Bertie!"
**Bertie**: "Wellington!"
**Wellington**: "BERTIE!"
**Bertie**: "WELLINGTON!"
―Bertie greeting an old friend.

**Wellington**: "I like your valet! He’s got excellent suits!"
**Bertie**: "Oh, no, this isn’t my valet. This is an old university friend of mine. This is, if I may facilitate some introductions, this is Hameed Salay Haroun al-Tehran."
**Hamid**: "You might know my father? He works out of Cairo."
**Wellington**: "Oh, the Cairo Tehrans! Oh, how are they doing?"
**Hamid**: "Oh, very well, yes. Uh, the whole family, yes."
**Wellington**: "Oh, fantastic. Fantastic."
**Hamid**: "Things are, things are good. A pleasure to meet you."
―Bertie more or less introduces Hamid.

**Wellington**: "I’m guessing...bodyguard and..."
**Sasha**: "Yeah, I’m the bodyguard."
**Wellington**: "Oh! Oh! I’d’ve..."
**Alex**: "Kind of looks to Zolf."
**Zolf**: "And I’m his courtesan."
―Zolf introducing himself.

**Sasha**: "I don’t know why these posh people bother with carriages. That wasn’t very comfortable."
―Sasha, to Zolf.
## Dice rolls and Mechanics

* Hamid makes a Diplomacy check to disperse the crowd: 16
* Zolf and Hamid make Sense Motive checks on Figgis: Zolf gets 16, Hamid gets a nat 20
* Bertie makes a Strength check to hold Figgis up: 10
* Hamid makes a Sense Motive check on Sasha: 15
* Sasha makes a Bluff check against Hamid: 14
* Bertie rolls an Intimidate check on Thompson: 16
* Zolf makes a Heal check on Thompson: 12
* Bertie makes a Knowledge (nobility) check: 9
* Bertie makes a Knowledge (nobility) check to recognise the Deputy Prime Minister: 24
* Bertie makes a Knowledge (nobility) check to recognise people at the auction: 19
* Hamid makes a Perception check: nat 1
* Sasha rolls a Sleight of Hand check to steal people's hors d'oeuvres: 21

## Plot Notes

* Figgis is fired from the party after failing to do anything in the first encounter; he comes back in episode 20 and tries to rob an al-Tahan bank in London while masquerading as Byron. The party chase him down and capture him.
* The people chasing Sasha are from her past; she was part of the Racket Family, an underground gang in Other London, and was running away from them.
* The paper note they slip Harringay says “Tell her we’ll let her know about Brock.” Brock is Sasha’s cousin who’s been missing for nearly a decade, who Sasha is looking for. He was also a member of the gang and Barret Racket "provided" him to the Cult of Hades, which ultimately lead to his brain being harvested to become part of Mr. Ceiling. Sasha realises Brock is part of Mr. Ceiling after talking to them in episode 46.
* The party meets some of the upper members of high society:
	+ Dr. William Colgate, who later shows up in the Kew arc as they investigate Kew Gardens and the strange mould and creatures that are there.
	+ Lord Byron: later in this arc, we learn that the explosion was caused by The Serpentines, a group led by Byron’s sister, Augusta Leigh, who used the nickname Guy Fawkes.
	+ Wellington: in the Damascus arc, the member of the Cult of Hades that shows up at the factory looks like he could be related to Wellington.