RQG 15 - BOOM!

## Summary

Guy is pinned and Zolf triggers an explosion. Sasha pursues the final remaining arsonist, who gives her the location of The Notebook. Sasha triggers a huge trap in an adjacent building.

## Synopsis

With Guy pinned by Bertie and Sasha, Hamid and Zolf head up the stairs looking for the other man, shouting that the boss is dead. As Zolf opens the door, he hears a trap activate and flings himself down the stairs. There is a huge explosion, covering Sasha and Guy in rubble. Hamid and Zolf retreat as Bertie pulls the unconscious Guy out of the building. Zolf sets fire to part of the building to force the man out, before stabilising Guy.

   Sasha climbs up the building and just manages to see the man retreating. As Sasha starts to give chase, the man turns around holding an oil flask. Sasha talks the man down, who says what the party want is on the second floor. He explains that Jeremy took the plans and they only have the notebook. He says he won't turn himself in and asks Sasha if she would let him run. She agrees and the man flees. She shouts down to Zolf to put out the fire which he does.

Sasha goes to retrieve the notebook that the man mentioned. She finds a scrapbook and appraises it, confirming that it's a diary-come-scrapnote with an origami swan taped inside and a metal shard (of the same material as The Simulacrum) taped on another page. The notepad also contains sketches of the head of the Simulacrum.

The party search through one of the other huts. Although there's nothing like the main hut, there is a trapped door which Sasha fails to diffuse. The room is full of gunpowder and vials of alchemist's fire, which explode, destroying the hut and dealing a huge amount of damage to Sasha. The church is destroyed and everyone is thrown away from the hut. Zolf quickly stabilises Guy and rushes off to find Sasha.

## Quotes

**Alex**: "And who are you playing?"
**Lydia**: "Sasha Racket, the sneaky stabby one."
**Ben**: "Zolf, the heal-y miracle-y one."
**Bryn**: "Hamid, the physically and emotionally battered one."
**James**: "*(as Bertie)* Sir Bertrand MacGuffingham, the best one!"
―Character introductions

**Lydia**: "Et tu Brutor?"
―Lydia makes a history joke.

"I know what it’s like, all right? I’ve been there! I’ve been, I’ve been in places where I, I get in situations that, that I didn’t choose! Right? Sometimes the guys that have power, they’ve got you from the start, and you don’t know what’s going on. You don’t need to end this jumping off a roof for someone else’s battle, mate. I know. Just come down."
―**Sasha**

**Sasha**: "Right. If I, if I find that you’re messing with us, I will find you. You seen what I can do."
**Man**: "I’m not an idiot. Who goes against the Rackets, am I right?"
**Sasha**: "Yeah, who does?"
―Sasha threatens the man on the roof.

**Zolf**: "I get to make good on my part of the deal! He goes in the Thames."
**Hamid**: "Oh. But Captain Haringay said we should bring them back alive if at all possible...that, that was our contract, Zolf."
**Zolf**: "Yeah. All right."
**Hamid**: "And one...one of them already died. Isn’t that enough retribution?"
**Zolf**: "Okay. Just... saying. Right? Poseidon ain’t gonna see it that way. I might hurt for this. But, uh...you’re right, it’s in our contract, and I can’t go back on that, otherwise what kind of mercenary would I be, so...yes. We’ll take him back to Haringay."
―Hamid reminds Zolf of their agreement with Haringay.

**Sasha**: "I dunno what kind of idiots these guys are! There was *gunpowder* and someone set *fire* to it. *Idiots*."
**Zolf**: "Yeah."
**Bryn**: "I frown at Zolf. I don’t say anything, but I know."
**Zolf**: "Awfully foolish of them, isn’t it."
―Zolf covers up being the one who cast set the fire.

**James**: "Are you absolutely sure that Bertie hears the boom?"
**Alex**: "We’ll say it has- it’s got a nice little resonance with your armor."
**Ben**: "*(as Bertie)* “I swear somebody threw a stone at me!”"
―They discuss if Bertie heard the explosion
## Dice rolls and Mechanics

* Everyone but Zolf makes a Perception check on Guy: Sasha gets 16, Hamid gets 24, Bertie gets 9.
* Everyone makes a Reflex save as the bomb on the second floor goes off: Sasha gets 8, Hamid gets 22, Bertie gets 15, Zolf gets 19.
* Sasha takes 7 damage from falling masonry.
* Zolf casts spark on one of the piles of rubble on the upper floor.
* Zolf makes a Heal check on Guy: 17
* Zolf stabilises Guy.
* Sasha makes a Climb check: nat 20 (26)
* Sasha and Hamid make a Perception check: Sasha gets 25, Hamid's roll isn't said
* Bertie makes a Perception check to hear Sasha: nat 1
* Sasha makes a Diplomacy roll: nat 20
* Hamid rolls a Perception check to hear Sasha: 19
* Zolf casts create water on the fire he started upstairs.
* Bertie rolls a Handle Animal check on Brutor: 14
* Sasha makes an Appraise check on the notebook: 10
* Hamid casts detect magic in the vicarage.
* Sasha rolls a Disable Device check on the door to the shed: 23
* Sasha makes a Reflex save when the shed explodes: 19. She takes 11 damage and falls unconscious.
* Zolf and Bertie make Reflex saves against the explosion: Zolf gets 16, Bertie gets 14. Bertie takes 2 damage.
* Zolf stabilises Guy again.

## Combat Breakdown

**Combat continued from previous episode.**

**Initiative:** Serpentine 1, Sasha, Hamid, Serpentine 2, Guy, Bertie, Brutor (nat 1), Zolf (nat 1).

**Round 2, continued**

* Brutor: Runs into the church.
* Zolf: Enters the church, raising his shield.

**Round 3**

* Sasha: Holds her action and waits for serpentine 2 to act.
* Hamid: Holds his action, trying to pull himself together.
* Serpentine 2: Flees up the steeple.
* Guy: Sees Sasha above him and tries to cast a spell defensively. He fails his concentration check and provokes an attack of opportunity from Sasha, who threatens a critical on a roll of 19, but doesn't confirm. She deals no damage. Guy attempts to get the spell off but fails the concentration check.
* Bertie: Charges Guy and uses Power Attack. He gets 19 on the hit and deals 9 damage.
* Hamid: Inserts his action and casts magic missile, hitting Guy and dealing 3 damage.
* Brutor: Moves up to Bertie and stands by the prone Guy.
* Zolf: Takes a double move further into the church and surveys the situation.

**Round 4**

* Sasha: Guy calls out that he surrenders and Sasha leans in and puts her knife to his throat, yelling to tie his hands up.
* Zolf: Shouts up the stairs that the boss has been killed, and that they should come down.
* Bertie: Stabs his rapier through Guy's hand, hitting on a 20 and dealing 4 damage. However, he fails to pin him.