Bluebird's Team

Bluebird's past and lasting operatives and their associates

## General Information

### Notable Members

Honey Smith, Silk Greengallow, Lacey Stain, Freth, Eleanor Darling, Bollo Burbage

**Bluebird's Team** was a special operative unit of the Interplanar Containment Authority, tasked with undertaking highly hazardous, and often covert, cases.

Founded by Agent Bluebird, the original members of this team were recruited together as part of a recruitment effort that received no other responses. The team's roster was expanded upon over time by both established ICA agents and new recruits.

When the Silver Hand attacked the ICA during their search for Bingham's bomb, Bluebird's team were tasked with finding the weapon before the Silver Hand. Cut off from what now remains of the organisation, they were forced to go underground while racing against their adversaries to find the bomb.

In light of intel from Caroline Tobin, the members of Bluebird's Team chose to go off the grid and hide from the ICA, taking Bingham's bomb with them. The team was essentially dissolved by this in any official capacity or affiliation with the ICA, though the majority of the team relocated to a new base of operations, keeping in close contact with the remainder of the group to begin rebuilding as the core members of their own organisation.

## History

### Mission to Broadford

#### *The Fate of Broadford*

While investigating Parsons' disappearance from Broadford, the agents immediately noticed something amiss in the town. Large areas of it were boarded up and each person they spoke to gave conflicting answers as to why, with many asserting it simply to not be the case. In particular, one individual asserted that they had never had a mayor, despite contradicting themselves by confirming the mayor's lodgings. The mass confusion appeared to spread to the agents themselves, as their documents on Parsons suggested he was highly volatile and dangerous and that their mission was to kill him.

None of this was helped by Boris' sporadic leaving to attend to other responsibilities, though even he seemed to give conflicting information on the purpose of their mission at times. The agents became more and more aware of some form of mind-altering influence when they found terrifying evidence of something having forcibly removed people from their homes with only physical evidence of the victim left behind, who's loved ones would claim no recollection of them, and when they collectively agreed on the existence of a colleague they'd later remember had never existed.

Ultimately convinced that Parsons had never existed and that their mission involved searching for a necrotic magnet, the agents sought to venture across the river to the tomb site beyond the town's borders. However, the townsfolk refused to aid them cross the water, declaring it the national holiday Schmoogli, in which they honour the beast that lives in the river and leave it undisturbed for a day. The agents learnt firsthand the strength of the beast when trying to cross the river themselves, though they came to realise the residents believed it to be Schmoogli every day and that they needed to get across the water if they were to enter the Valley of Tombs.

Eventually succeeding, the descent into the valley revealed to the group that the mind-altering effects they were experiencing were localised and that they were no longer affected by them once outside the town's borders. Deciding to investigate the tombs, the team encountered a horde of wendigos and were nearly killed in the ensuing fight. At the last moment, in an act that saved Lacey's life, Kran exposed himself to the wendigos to draw their attention and was tragically killed. Dragging his body from the tomb, the remaining agents held an *ad hoc* funeral during which their inability to burn Kran's body led to them attempting to pour acid on it, before ultimately leaving the mangled corpse inside a smaller tomb. Shaken by their recent experiences, the team took a serious hit. Boris chose to walk away from the team and Lacey considered doing the same, very nearly removing her ring in order to forget the whole ordeal.

However, the three remaining agents pulled together by vowing to rid Broadford of whatever was causing its plague. Reviewing Parsons' last transcripts, the team noticed a disturbing line in which he raved in horror and suggested he'd witnessed something eat his associate in Broadford. Realising they need to keep away from the mind-altering influence of the town, they returned to their lodgings and, as advised by a fellow a patron, sought magical aid from a witch in the nearby forest that remained beyond the reach of the spell emanating from Broadford. A young traveller, named Tio Don Marco, had overheard their plans and offered to join the team, setting out with them to locate Granny Ragna.

Locating her cottage in the woods, Tio and the team were put at ease by her kindness and, having described the situation in Broadford, were offered a bestiary that would illustrate the creature causing the madness. Though the cost for her book was ominous-sounding and magical in nature, Tio volunteered to contribute and pay the price with Honey, Silk and Lacey, which he quickly found manifested for him in the form of seeing screaming faces in the rain, though only after discovering Granny Ragna's cottage to have magically disappeared. The bestiary described the creature as a false hydra and the team surmised that one had grown beneath the town and the entranced the citizens with its memory-altering song, allowing it to freely feed on them - its long necks allowing it to take victims directly from their homes without a trace.

Determined to kill the creature, the remaining agents returned to Broadford with a Tio and gathered what remained of Broadford's militia to combat the beast before its song could erase their memories again. Honey decided to take the opportunity to declare herself the new mayor of Broadford, in order to lead the soldiers into battle, which they coordinated for the next morning to allow the troops to prepare. In order to gather the citizens, Honey decreed her inaugural parade take place in the morning and that all townsfolk attend. The agents prepared for their battle the following morning with drinking, early rest and, in Lacey's case, engaging in sex with one of the soldiers. Following the next morning's parade, the agents successfully convinced most of the attendants to continue celebrations beyond the town's borders and gathered what remained of the town's guard to assist in killing the hydra, armed with reflective surfaces in order to be able to see it without forgetting.

The ensuing battle, however, was disastrous and most of the militia, along with Tio, were devoured by the beast. Stain was barely able to escape with her life, after resigning herself to a sacrificial end while grappled by the beast, only to escape its grip whilst the others escaped.

#### *Aftermath*

Having slain the false hydra by means of arson, self-appointed Mayor of Broadford Honey Smith found herself with around five thousand refugees in her care and no town to rule. The decision was made to lead the people in an exodus to the nearest large settlement, where rescue could be more easily effected. The Broadfordian refugees moved across Enisti's fields and forests, resting at night in large tent cities. Silk was put in command of a small team of healers, who included local apothecaries and minor talents, as well as a Paladin of Lathandar who happened to be wandering through named Freth.

The walk was harsh, and several dozen of the older and weaker residents did not survive the journey, but on the fifth day of their pilgrimage, a large, purple phallic-shaped hot air balloon skippered by and Caroline Tobin landed in the refugee camp. Using her balloon, Caroline quickly set off to get help, which soon came in the form of Irranatyo, Duke of Baston and Captain of the Royal Guard, who arrived with a platoon of soliders from the nearby town of Cowling to assist. They constructed a more permanent refugee encampment and took command of the townsfolk, releasing Honey from her duty.

The team took the opportunity to rest in Cowling, a town mostly renowned for the impressive height of its ancient church spire. While resting there, the agents took in the city's sights and became more acquainted with Freth, who, impressed by their actions, assumed them to be noble adventurers. With Freth joining them on their tour of the town, the team took in a theatre show advertised by a barker outside the small venue, who promised tales of horror and wonder to any who dare step inside to witness "The Beast". The show's curtain was pulled back to reveal a white dragon with three heads, two of which were very obvious puppets. Aggravated by the crowd and the attention, the young dragon broke free and grabbed Lacey as it fled to the top of the ninety-four metre high church spire.

Honey and Silk, accompanied by Freth, hurried to the refugee camp, where they were met by the Mayor of Cowling. Offering monetary reward for the dragon's capture, the three met with Caroline and used her balloon to reach the dragon and engage it in the air. Upon arrival, however, they quickly learnt the angsty teenage dragon was in fact very intelligent and had been a prisoner of the Town of Cowling ever since being purchased in his early youth and wanted nothing more than to be free. Willing to trust in the agents, and having become incredibly irritated listening to Lacey talk for the entirety of her kidnapping, he handed her over safely and took flight with his newfound freedom.

Upon returning to the ground, the reunited team learnt that the Mayor had no intention of paying them for their efforts, ostensibly due to their releasing the dragon. Enraged by her ordeal and eager for payment, Lacey stormed into the Mayor's private lodgings and threatened him, though did not succeed in extorting any money out of him before the town's guard arrived. The agents and Freth decided to make a quick getaway, dropping a flame bomb along the way that quickly set a large fire in the town.

As the agents left with Caroline in her balloon, they saw the billowing tower of smoke begin to grow over Cowling and realised they had inadvertently caused a second town to burn before the eyes of the Broadford refugees. At this time, Caroline revealed herself to be Agent Peacock of the ICA, assigned as Senior Field Agent to keep a close eye on the team. She and her pilot navigated her hot air balloon to a nearby farm, where she led the team through an ICA Bridge back to the organisation's headquarters in Axis for debriefing.

After a gruelling debrief in which the fates of Kran, Parsons and Tio were relayed, as well as the traumatising effects of the hydra's memory-alteration and its devastating much of Broadford's denizens, the remaining agents were given a stern talking to by both Bluebird and Condor for the way in which events played out. Though lacking any formal training or guidance, and having been abandoned by Boris and unaware of Caroline's affiliation, the fledgling agents were nonetheless remanded for the burning of both Broadford and Cowling. Freth, unable to comprehend much of the discussion throughout the debrief, was ultimately offered employment with the ICA for his assistance in Cowling.

After accepting, and having his whittling tools enchanted, Freth was given some time off along with the rest of the team. Each member went their separate ways for a short time to rest and make progress on some personal projects. Still committed to his spiritual mission, Freth founded a woodworking society in Axis for wayward souls to come and relieve the sins of their life through manual labour, employing his whittling skills to provide him a working base in the city. Honey decided to enjoy some of the finer luxuries of high society she was accustomed to, spending time at social engagements and taking time out of her relationship with Daddy to liaise with various lovers.

Silk ventured back into the sewers beneath Axis and gathered materials to renovate and fungi to populate the underground grove he called home, taking pleasure in establishing a rich part of the sewer tunnel that became home to many rats and spiders. Lacey, having returned home to find her parents gone on one of their mysterious retreats, found herself purposeless and began spending most of her time drinking heavily at the local tavern or at home sitting in the dark, descending quickly into a depressive episode that she only emerged from in the days leading up to her return to work and, invigorated, readily trained in preparation for her next mission.

### Killing the King

Upon their summons back to the ICA, Bluebird informed the team that the current King of Daimeremos, Agathon IV, had been compromised by the Silver Hand. This is intolerable and compromises the security of the ICA and the world's stability and so the team was given a simple order: eliminate the King. To that end, the team was notified that they would be inserted into a rebel faction working against the King, supporting their existing attempts to assassinate him. They are given the details of their primary contact and handler, who will introduce them to the faction on their arrival, and were given cover identities for their protection,. The Bridges were able to get the team to the capital of Daimeremos, Menrva, but from there they were forced to board an airship. Their target city, Kozani, was not nearby or accessible by commercial airship, and so they effected a plan to skydive from the airship to the city below. Time was tight, and the newest team member Eleanor Darling (assigned to keep a closer eye on affairs than the late Alec or disappeared Boris) acted fast to organise the drop.

#### *Kozani*

The team landed in Kozani, and made their way from the landing zone to the main gate of the city, which was shut tight. Honey presented the party's forged papers to the guard, who admits them. Upon opening the city gates, however, a shambling hoard of starving and bedraggled people began to push towards the gate, crying for entrance and mercy. The guards hastily moved the team into the city and locked the gate behind, but a friendly guard on the inside of the gate directed the players to The Dancing Witch, their appointed accommodation. Some days pass waiting for the rendezvous with their handler, while the party gathers intelligence on the city and Lacey "does some charity work" (secretly pulling a one-woman heist on the Eccles Manor, and learning the King would be staying there while in town).

The team eventually met with Despi Kuvetakis, their handler and a very simple man, the result of being kicked in the head by a donkey some years prior. Despi led the team to the secret hideout of the rebel faction: The Sons of Zaros. There, they met the sober and commanding leader of the faction, Emil Thatch. Thatch explains that a mysterious plague has been reported sweeping through the countryside, and that cities and towns have been quarantined by the government, and families separated. Thatch himself was in Kozani when his own town of Zaros was quarantined and his wife and children trapped within. Many others have found great resentment for the government as a result of these measures and the mysterious and opaque nature of the perceived threat, and the Sons of Zaros blame the king for this corruption. The king will arrive in only a few weeks, and the team was asked to help the rebels by clearing a nearby dungeon of its less savoury inhabitants to clear the way for a hideout the rebels could lie low within after the assassination.

#### *The Dungeon*

The dungeon was located about half a day's travel from Kozani, and was brimming with monsters and deadly traps. After the first day working to clear the upper levels of the dungeon, the team overnighted within a room they'd secured. Unfortunately, two black oozes ambushed the group as they slept, and in the ensuing fight, Eldon Flambard was tragically killed. The party recovered his body and fled back to Kozani in search of help. They located a small temple to Lathander within town, and the priest and nun there said if they left Eldon's remains and a small donation for the resurrection materials, they could come and collect him in the morning as good as new. This, however, was false. Upon return to the temple, they found it was little more than an elaborate illusion crafted by two well-known con artists in the area: Vralos the Unforgivable and Brunhilde von Berger. Outside the former temple the team met Bollo Burbage, who explained that a similar thing had happened to him with his brother Rolo Burbage in a nearby town. Apparently the two con artists had a floating tower in the desert and come to town in order to con residents into giving over their dead so they can stock the tower with their undead workforce. Bollo agreed to join the team and help clear the dungeon if they will help him look for his brother eventually.

The dungeon was located about half a day's travel from Kozani, and was brimming with monsters and deadly traps. After the first day working to clear the upper levels of the dungeon, the team overnighted within a room they'd secured. Unfortunately, two black oozes ambushed the group as they slept, and in the ensuing fight, Eldon was tragically killed. The party recovered his body and fled back to Kozani in search of help. They located a small temple to Lathander within town, and the priest and nun there said if they left Eldon's remains and a small donation for the resurrection materials, they could come and collect him in the morning as good as new. This, however, was false. Upon return to the temple, they found it was little more than an elaborate illusion crafted by two well-known con artists in the area: Vralos the Unforgivable and Brunhilde von Berger. Outside the former temple the team met Bollo Burbage, who explained that a similar thing had happened to him with his brother Rolo Burbage in a nearby town. Apparently the two con artists had a floating tower in the desert and come to town in order to con residents into giving over their dead so they can stock the tower with their undead workforce. Bollo agrees to join the team and help clear the dungeon if they will help him look for his brother eventually.

The dungeon is hard-fought but eventually cleared by the team, and at its nadir they stumbled across a glowing well of power, over which stands Baphomet, Prince of Beasts, and Demon Lord. He drew the power from the well before giving his apologies for not being able to entertain the team himself, but in opening a portal to his layer of the Abyss, he summons a demon under his control to torture the party saying that the demon should 'Show [the face of pain] to [the party]. Paint it with their blood." The team made quick work of the demon, however, and having successfully cleared the dungeon returned to Kozani to liaise with Thatch and the Sons of Zaros.

#### *Regicide*

Shortly after their return, the King appeared and gave his prescribed speech. Afterwards, the Eccles Family hosted the King at their manor, and the party infiltrated the manor from the sewers below. Navigating the manor in silence, the party surprised the King while he relaxed in a drawing room. The King's mages and knights protected His Majesty, but their efforts were in vain for with a deadly blow, Lacey Stain rapidly inserted the length of her sword into the King's anus, killing him. The team battled back down into the sewers, where Depsi had been monitoring the explosives necessary to collapse their escape route. Blowing the tunnel, the team boarded a small boat to escape the city by sailing up the coast.

Under the cover of night, the team landed at a small beachhead next to a coastal farm, where the woodshed provided access via the Bridges to the ICA's headquarters. Bluebird waited there for them, and they were immediately debriefed.

### Hunting the Necromancer

After some time away , the team are called back to the ICA Headquarters. Bluebird reported that she was concerned to hear about the reports of an unverifiable plague. Over the last month or so, the ICA has gathered enough intelligence to uncover that Vralos the Unforgivable had a connection to the late King. The King being obviously no longer available for interrogation, Bluebird issued the team orders to find and capture Vralos so he can be returned to the ICA for interrogation. The rumours Bollo had heard about the floating palace in the desert were well-founded: Vralos's stronghold was confirmed to be roaming deep in the Great Desert of Daimeremos. With no doors in the desert, the Bridges would prove less than fruitful, and so the ICA arranged for the team to be inserted into Akrizois, a small frontier town in the scrubland surrounding the desert proper. From there they trekked to Ammos, a tiny outpost situated deep in the dunes past the canyon lands that separated it from Akrizois. Along the way they bumped into Honey's long-time rival Honey Rammstein Messerschmidt Ribbentrop Von Sackville-Bagg, who was on an adventure holiday with desert bandits. She and Honey traded barbed insults, and each went their separate ways.

#### *Making Contact*

Once the team reached Ammos they were met by Eleanor, who brought instructions from the ICA on their contact and forward transport: The Life Court of Vampires. Their contact revealed himself by throwing a racist patron through the bar wall, and escorted the team to their waiting mounts (referred to as *heshera* insects by the vampires). Flying through the sunset and the night, the team arrived in the morning at a small nomadic encampment deep in the desert. Led inside the largest building in the village, there they met Uktannu, Chief of his tribe. Eleanor passed him a small glass bauble filled with magic, a gift from the ICA in payment for the agents' safe passage to the village. Shattering the bauble the chief revealed magically bound within was a man - bound, blindfolded, and gagged. Uktannu quickly divested the bound man of his life force, and his retainers removed the man's remains from the audience chamber. Through their combined wit and charm, the team managed to secure guest-rights with the vampires and were invited to spend the evening in their encampment. Each of them delighted in their preferred form of entertainment, and in the morning they struck a deal with Uktannu. Some of the tribe's warriors would guarantee them safe passage to the floating castle and back to the tribe, if the team could pay one life for another, and return to the tribe five living, sentient beings as payment. The team accepted, and mounted up onto new *heshera* with some of the tribe's warriors. The village itself, built on the backs of massive insects, flew in a different direction.

#### *The Castle Complex*

The team ventured further into the desert for some time, resting overnight before reaching the floating castle the next day. The vampire escort refused to accompany them within, but would wait outside the compound. A quick survey of the premises revealed that the castle itself was propelled by means of a small army of undead pulling massive chains connected to the floating rock. A thin coating of anti-magic surrounded the complex as well, preventing magical ingress. Silk cleverly devised a plan and put the team into their Portable Hole, then transformed into a bird to carry them to a small ledge below the barrier. Climbing conventionally, the team gained covert access to the compound without tripping any alarms. Descending into a pond situated on the grounds, the team found clandestine entry into the system of sub-levels beneath the main castle and grounds. Discovering evidence that Rolo was still alive, as well as a few small bedrooms, the party ventured higher until they discovered a long chamber full of dozens of cloning pods. Brushing the hoarfrost from the surface, they quickly identified their own clones within the pods. Pushing through into the next room the team held a brief conversation with Vralos's illusory self, who was regrettably expecting them. They were forced to do battle with an enormous monster: a worm made of the fused flesh of Vralos's failed and unneeded clones, but the party made quick work of the beast.

The team pushed deeper into the complex, encountering a number of illusory and magical obstacles. The frequent use of the team's ability to dispel magic made quick work of many of these, until they encountered Brunhilde. She revealed herself as the true magical authority of the two, and a quick magical duel resulted in her retreat. The team continued until they found Vralos in his chambers, and discovered he was not magical at all, merely a scientist. Drawing their attention to a mirror on the wall, the team quickly found themselves in combat with their own clones. They defeated these clones in turn after a close battle, and secured Vralos for transport to the ICA. On their way out of the castle complex, Bollo was reunited with Rolo and used the castle's anti-magic field to dispel the controlling charm lain upon him.

#### *A Devil's Bargain*

The team rendezvoused with their vampire contacts on the dunes outside the castle, and set off for their village. --Somehow they get stuck in the desert and Bollo and Silk end up going the wrong way?--

In order to fulfil the contract with the vampires, the team resolved to collect the necessary living beings for payment. The first two were a simple choice, and the team retrieved the racist from the Ammos bar, as well as another outlaw who happened to be there at the same time. The remaining three, however, proved more of a dilemma. After some debate, the team agreed to retrieve Honey Rammstein Messerschmidt Ribbentrop Von Sackville-Bagg and her guides to complete the deal. The team snuck up and kidnapped Other Honey with the help of some vampire warriors and their *heshera*. Other Honey attempted to flee by jumping from several thousand feet in the air, but Silk's dexterity and skill secured her and her guides for the remainder of the journey. The three were handed over to Uktannu, who quickly drained their life force, completing the payment.

The team were escorted back to Ammos and through to the ICA, where Vralos was handed over for interrogation and the team commended for their efforts.

### Search for the Bomb

After a short break, the team were called back to the ICA as usual. Bluebird burst into the room and demanded the team follow her, as she dashed away to the sound of an alarm. Rushing down corridors, she explained the Silver Hand breached the perimeter of the headquarters and were being engaged by security forces. She went on to say that before the ICA was even the ICA, Agent Albatross outsourced the production of an extraordinarily powerful explosive device and kept its existence and details secret from the other senior figures in the agency. Albatross and Condor fell out and a schism split the agencies apart, resulting in the formation of the ICA and the Silver Hand. The bomb’s whereabouts remained unknown these last 35 years, but the intel reports suggested the Silver Hand may be raiding the ICA headquarters to gain access to further information on the bomb and how to activate it. The team were instructed to locate an information broker known as Le Blaireau, who can be found at The Blind Eye Tavern.

#### *Skenesos*

The team, on instruction, made their way to the tavern immediately. They gain entry and petition the bartender for information, and learn that Le Blaireau is a creature of habit and arrives at the end of the week at 20:00 precisely. As the team was slightly early, they took in Notus and secure their accommodations before returning to the tavern the next evening. Meeting Le Blaireau, the broker informed the team that he would happily procure the information they're after for a price: 15,000 GP. At a loss for how to procure such riches, the team petitioned a few of the bar's patrons and learnt from Prince Gerogios of the Stone of Analox, and its resting place deep within a dungeon in the foothills of the Dragonspine Mountains.

Georgios said he'd be happy to pay that amount for the stone if the team can retreive it for him, and gives them the location of the dungeon's entrance. After gathering the appropriate materials and frequenting Bab's Magic Shoppe for a handful of magical items. Venturing deep into the Skenesosian wilderness, the team located the entrance of the dungeon in a forest, and pushed inside. Immediately upon entry the team discovered Corah Cutton, a mycologist studying bizarre and unique mushrooms growing within the dungeon who quickly hit it off with Silk. Venturing deeper into the complex, the party did battle with a variety of foes, and their attempts to camp in the dungeon to rest were often interrupted by a variety of horrors. Bollo secured the loyalty of a magic user in the dungeon by educating them about labour rights and a living wage, while Lacey and Freth found themselves temporarily trapped on the Ethereal Plane courtesy of a magical lamb. The team also met a marid who granted them two wishes: Bollo's ill-conceived wish for a pony was granted and much regretted; Honey's more sensible wish for a living map of the dungeon proved somewhat more useful. Bollo also made a deal with an unknown entity, who appeared to most as an elderly man. In exchange for a future favour, Bollo used the old man's magic to free Lacey and Freth from the Ethereal Plane.

Pushing to the nadir of the complex, the team encountered the dungeon's owner and master Verrospex the Terrible, a fearsome purple dragon of the deep. Self-preservation kicking in, the team bargained with the dragon to hold a contest rather than engage in any combat. Verrospex, intrigued, agreed to a race over the mountains. Whomever could fly to the church spire of Three Streams and return first would be the victor. The stakes were high: should the team be victorious they would lay claim to the Stone of Analox and a sizeable portion of Verrospex's hoard; but should they fail they would become slaves of Verrospex for the remainder of their lives. Silk took the challenge in stride, and used a combination of transformation into a *heshera* insect as well as his ability to become gas and travel at the speed of the wind to claim the victory. Verrospex handed over the Stone of Analox and a large amount of wealth, and bid the team safe tidings.

#### *The Plane of Air*

The team returned to Notus, and distrusting Georgios, kept the Stone secure and paid Le Blaireau for the information they had ordered. Le Blaireau handed over a pack pointing to Edward Bingham as the bomb's inventor, and his current location: The Iron Citadel. Le Blaireau also let slip that another party had ordered the same information, and he was to meet them within a few days. The team was highly suspicious of this, and resolved to stake out the exchange. Before this occurred, however, they wished to secure Bingham's information to get a head-start. Learning the Iron Citadel's location on the Plane of Air, they visited Bab's Magic Shoppe to secure a Plane Shift spell to help them cross over. At the same time, Eleanor visted her mentor and Master of the local Wizard's Pavilion: Rowmer Podber, Master of Transmutation. Podber explained that only joint confirmation from the ICA and Wizard's Pavilion would allow them into the Citadel's ICA facility, and that he deemed the success of such a petition highly unlikely. He did, however, authorise Eleanor to have full access to the restricted materials on the Iron Citadel in the Pavilion library. Investigating the materials yielded the pattern of runes for the teleportation circle at the Citadel's entrance.

Using the spells and information acquired from Babs and the Pavilion library, the team travelled to the main entrance of the Iron Citadel, and managed to use their false papers from an earlier mission to gain entrance into the reception. Splitting, Freth and Bollo walked into a waiting room by deceiving the receptionist that they were religious authorities there to service the spiritual needs of the prisoners. The remainder of the party picked several locks and hijacked a lift to gain access to the ICA facility below. Persuading the receptionist there to allow them access with their ICA credentials, they located Edward Bingham, who appeared quite mad. Tripping an alarm the team united again in the ICA facility and acting quickly, teleported themselves out of the facility and into the Plane of Air. Buffetted by the winds and without sufficient spell scrolls to shift between planes again, Eleanor thought quickly and used the Banishment spell on herself while the rest of the party hid in the Portable Hole, banishing herself back to her home in Menrva.

#### *The Underdark*

Using Silk's teleportation via plants ability, the team quickly returned to Notus to intercept the other party requesting information on Bingham. Watching, they discovered that the rival party had engaged the services of Emmett Buck to act as intermediaries and conceal their identities. Buck, however, had loyalty only to the gold in his hand and quickly revealed the location of their handover. The team rushed to the home in the docklands, but found it was trapped, and an enormous explosion destroyed any evidence within.

Bingham, slowly emerging from under the effects of suppressive medication and magic, remembered the bomb and its current location: deep within the Underdark, in the City of Spiders. In order to access the subterranean city, Bingham reported the party would need to travel to the far north of Teppri, and access a secret entrance located in the mountain ranges of Suuk. though precisely how he still could not remember. The party chartered an airship to transport them to Suuk, and on arrival Lacey encountered Jemi, and old acquaintance and colleague who furnished them with the information needed to locate a secret passage into the cave system leading to the Underdark located within the King's Mines in the Alvari mountain range. Freth also recruited the services of six of his most loyal followers to accompany him on the mission, and the doubly large party made their way to the King's Mines. Two devotees defected before the adventure began, but the remainder joined the team and ventured into the mine system. Locating the secret and bricked-up passage between the cave system and the mines, the team began to spelunk. Encountering hazards of terrain and hostile monsters, the team eventually found themselves in the ruins of Monteboul, a long-abandoned drow city.

Briefly battling against Silver Hand agents who were expecting them within the ruins, and dodging a small army of undead merfolk, the party descended down the Great Shaft of the Drow Clans and arrived in the  fungal forest below. Making the acquaintance of the Forest People living there, the party were set on the right path to Menzoberranzan and arrived after making an enemy of a drow sorceress camping on the roadside. The team quickly settled into the basement of a small inn Bingham knew, and conducted reconnaissance on the city. Bingham led the team through the winding city streets until his memory led him to the resting place of the bomb: the headquarters of the Silver Hand.

Returning to their inn, the team discussed the best way to infiltrate the headquarters before Bingham revealed he'd planned ahead, and with Bollo's assistance, opened a secret tunnel that led into the headquarters, bricked up many years before and all but forgotten. The team gained entry into the headquarters under cover of night and uncovered Silver Hand had been conducting surveillance on them for some time with great effectiveness, holding notes on the team that dated back to their inception. The team also managed to spy upon Albatross and found him in conversation with none other than MONARCH. Hastily making their way to Bingham's old lab, they found it had been converted into a storage facility, but the bomb was recovered from within a secret wall compartment. The team escaped the way they'd come, sealing the tunnel behind them, and leaving the city with great haste. On the main highway out of town, they encountered the drow sorceress once again, defeating her retinue though she escaped once again. Hurrying through the fungal forest, the team used their magical talents to make their way back up the Great Shaft and into Monteboul. Bingham helpfully remembered an old teleportation circle in an abandoned temple they could use, and the team teleported themselves back to Eleanor's apartment.

### Going Rogue

No longer trusting the ICA or its operatives, the team was very cautious about its handling of the bomb and returning it to the Authority. Travelling via airship from Menrva to Axis, the team was forced to split up when confronted on the main road into town. Silk and the bomb were pursued by three Watchmen of the Wizard's Pavilion, while the remainder of the party contended with a small cadre of Silver Hand operatives. The team made short work of the agents, who beat a hasty retreat. Meanwhile Silk was captured by the Watchmen, who took issue with the lack of paperwork for the bomb, and demanded Silk present himself the next day to file the appropriate permits.

Silk headed from there to the ICA headquarters where he met Caroline outside. She seemed extraordinarily concerned by the reports of Bingham and the bomb, and quietly chatted with the team to get the details on their recent exploits. Horrified to learn they were the ones that set Bingham free, and equally as disturbed to discover the Silver Hand was in league with MONARCH, Caroline advised the party to get out of town and to take the bomb with them. They decided that the best use of their time would be to secure the Summer Citadel for their use, and returned to Ammos, hoping to make contact with the Life Court again. Meeting the twins Anta and Inta, they were returned to Uktannu, who offered information on the castle's whereabouts in exchange for information from the team at a future date.

The team gained access to the Citadel and snuck through its gardens, to come face-to-face with Brunhilde von Bergen in the courtyard. A fight quickly broke out, but the team had grown in cunning and strength since their previous encounter and easily overwhelmed the witch. With her dying breath, Brunhilde spoke a Wish that purged all trace of her and Vralos's research from the grounds. The curse also destroyed much of the complex, and rendered the teleportation circle inert. Upon Brunhilde's defeat however, Njal, Arbiter of the Sacred Stone of the Storm Giants appeared to the team and informed them that in defeating Brunhilde they had passed the all-important Trial of Strength and could lay claim to the castle and its grounds. Honey was then ennobled as Lady Honey Smith and christened her new holdings the Summer Citadel.

#### *Getting Answers*

After a month of laying low, the team had established their own strongholds and holdings. Lacey sent a note to the ICA, claiming their investigation into the bomb was still ongoing, to ensure that they continued to mislead the Authority about their mistrust and true intentions. Caroline made contact, and arranged to meet the party to discuss the findings of her own investigation into the ICA. She revealed that she had staked out the Authority from within, trying to access files on the team and their missions, only to find many of them restricted beyond her level. Mistrusting the core administration, she overnighted underneath a desk to infiltrate Condor's offices, and there found him collaborating with MONARCH by remote communication. Realising that the ICA and the Silver Hand were therefore both puppets under the control of MONARCH, she fled. Her investigation alerted the Authority to her suspicions and she was called in for questioning, which she says "is just code for 'we want to put a bullet in the back of your head'." Her failure to appear meant that the Authority sent a strike team to collect her, whom she evaded in order to meet the team. Given the gaps in her memory, she invited the party to join her to find out the truth. The team accepted, and she led them to the Tuatha Club where she hoped they could begin their journey.

The team used their various talents to gain access to the club, and entered the VIP area where they met Astrantia, a high fey of the  Summer Court. She knew Caroline, and Caroline secured guest-rights before asking for help removing the memory-altering enchantment binding her thoughts. Astrantia said that this request was expected, and that she was to read a letter before granting the request. It read:

Peacock,
You won’t remember this now, but we spoke on this matter only hours ago. You gave me this  leaf and asked me to come here and use it to disappear and avoid the clutches of the ICA. Despite your generosity, is too late for me old friend. But I must ensure that you will live on and thrive. In a moment, I will ask Astrantia to hide me in a different way; the knowledge we are burdened with is a hazard and if I can do one thing with this wretched life it will be to protect the ones I love: Farina, the children, and my oldest friend. I will lead the ICA as far from you all as I can, and drop the curtain of this enchantment behind me. I shall exist in your memory until I die, and in death I shall shut that door behind me too that I might protect you all. I shall go from here and undertake the mission the ICA wishes me to in Broadford, but I do not expect I shall return.
If I know you, one day you shall return here and demand answers to the questions I have left behind. What I say is this: you cannot hope to face the answers alone. You shall need to be accompanied by those who you trust completely, for whom you would lay down your life for and who would support you in return. If you can say that, dearest Peacock, then you are ready.
Yours always,
██████ ███████
Before the enchantment was removed the author of the letter was blanked from the team's minds. Despite this, Caroline confirmed that she was more than ready to face whatever lay ahead with the team beside her. Astrantia removed the enchantment, and Caroline fainted from the overwhelming rush of memory. The team were mostly unaffected, as the enchantments hold on them was far lighter. While they pondered what gaps in their minds they could now fill in a handmaiden of Astrantia, Lobelia, entered and recognised Silk as her saviour in the slave markets of Axis. She asked if they ever managed to find Arthur Parsons, and at the sound of his name Honey, Lacey, and Silk collectively recovered a memory. Back in Broadford they found Parsons hiding out in a small house, running from the ICA and suffering from prolonged exposure to the false hydra's song. Before a rescue could be effected, Parsons was shot in the head in front of the team by their assigned supervisor, Boris Oplot. Boris quickly returned to the ICA, Astrantia's enchantment took hold and the team's minds shattered as a result of both the hydra’s song and the newfound enchantment's effect on their memories. Boris's actions, without apparent cause or victim, were quickly re-written in the minds of the team as his resignation from the ICA and disappearance. The entire team also realised at the mention of Parson's name, that his was the name Caroline had been trying in vain to tell them, and that his was the signature on Astrantia's letter.

Parsons clearly knew too much, and the enchantment to conceal MONARCH's true whereabouts and presence were his way of insulating Caroline from falling into the same position he suffered under: hunted by the very Authority he served for asking the wrong questions. Caroline awoke, and while she still knew little about MONARCH, she knew the only place they could find a lead was a crater high in the Suukian plateaus where she, Albatross, and Condor had been sent 35 years prior. There, she said, was the place that their agency was born and they fell into league with MONARCH. Caroline fretted that the ICA would begin to track their movements and know their intentions if they began to move towards Suuk, and so discounted the possibility of conventional travel. The ICA's Bridges being similarly closed, Caroline cashed in her last favour to the Summer Court in order to secure the team's passage to the crater. Astrantia moved them into a small theatre adjacent to the VIP area, and working a subtle spell opened a portal to the nearby fishing village of Tualtaysk, the closest she claimed she could get them to the crater safely.

#### *Beyond the Stars*

The team petitioned the residents for information, and an elderly fisherman was supplied with a bottle of vodka to help lubricate the information from him. He advised the team to follow a nearby river up a canyon and from its headwaters, scramble to the plateau overlooking Lake Shannan and Tualtaysk. Bollo divested him of his clothing for a generous price, and the team began the trek up the mountainside. Overnighting by the river, they eventually reached the plateau and eventually the crater. Probing about for clues Lacey uncovered an invisible wall, immune to Freth's attempts to dispel any magical effects. The humans palpated the smooth, cold wall until Silk, with dextrous fingers, managed to pry a panel off the wall and reveal circuitry beneath. A splash of water short-circuited the exposed wiring and revealed a door leading to a small antechamber. The team pressed within, and were greeted by a robot, who introduced itself as MONARCH. The team engaged it in conversation, learning the truth behind their hiring, and the reason they were sent on all their missions.

It seemed that MONARCH had hired them to die, praising Kran for being the only team member with the decency to do so. However, their failure to succumb to the hydra's song saw them prove useful in other ways. MONARCH explained that its experiments in population control in Daimeremos cause the former King to consider resisting MONARCH's efforts, but the team quickly installed a new and sympathetic ruler. MONARCH also arranged for the ICA to learn the true identity of Vralos the Unforgivable, and the team's capture of him allowed the Silver Hand to gain an inside man for their infiltration some weeks later. While rescuing Vralos, MONARCH arranged for the ICA to suspect the bomb was being threatened, correctly predicting the ICA would ask the team to retreive it. MONARCH was delighted when the team did so and freed Bingham, a well-known MONARCH sympathiser, in the process.

The artificial intelligence offered them the opportunity to free Teppri of its influence, by giving it the bomb to use as a power source, returning it to the stars. Freth, however, could not abide simply shifting the issue to others, and the team resolved to destroy it. Freth landed a mighty blow against its robot body, but the AI was merely inhabiting that body, and was unharmed. The team then learned that the Well-built But Ugly Man and the Lithe Woman were MONARCH moles within the Silver Hand, and did battle with them. Praying, Freth heard the voice of Lathander for the very first time, and summoned a divine servant to aid in the fight. The summoned angel freed the souls of the team's adversaries from their mortal forms, and in the piles of clothing left behind, the tema learnt that the Lithe Woman and Well-built But Ugly Man were parents to the same little girl.

Undeterred, the team penetrated deeper into the ship. Injured by a trapped door, they eventually gained access into the Robotics Maintenance Centre where large masses of scrap and the shattered form of robots formed themselves into a massive metal hulk. The team engaged the robot giant but to their dismay it seemed immune to most of their attacks, its metal body unaffected by their conventional bullet and spears. Worse still, attempts to harm it with fire seemed only to make it stronger. Honey doused it in acid, which had a strong effect. Silk, seeing his opportunity, transformed into a black dragon and used his acidic dragon's breath to further harm the creature. Freth, in an effort to help, hurled an explosive spear at the creature but failed to gain any purchase. Lacey thought quickly and rushed to the fallen spear, deftly lodging it into the leg of the robot with a well-placed kick. The dynamite exploded, but unfortunately the metal monster was completely unharmed.

Through a combination of might and wit, Silk, Freth, and Bollo managed to fell the metal monster by using acid and lightning to expose its weaker parts, and following up with savage melee attacks. Upon being sufficiently damaged, the creature reformed its body into that of a robotic spider, but Silk struck the killing blow by wrenching open its head and filling its interior with thick acid, causing it to melt from the inside out. Leaving the melting hulk behind, the team encountered a room which, when damaged, nullified the effects of gravity. Four small drones appeared, and continued to harass the team with a combination of paralysing darts and laser bolts. With some effort, the team defeated the drones and gained access to the AI Core chamber.

Entering to find it dark, MONARCH revealed that in anticipation of an eventual confrontation, he had made his core mobile. Dwelling in the dark above, MONARCH rained a hailstorm of attacks down on the all-but-helpless team. Laser bolts, paralysing and charming nerve agents, tasers, and nanobots factories plagued the team and took them to the brink of their endurance. However, by working together to pinpoint the location of the massive drone housing MONARCH’s score above, Silk was able to bind it to the ground and the rest dealt large amounts of damage to it, removing many of its arms and consequently its abilities. Charging its magic-nullifying pulse, MONARCH was able to break free from the bonds, but the AI’s efforts were not enough to save itself.

> "This world’s final chapter is about to be written, and you shall be its authors..."
>
> MONARCH‘s dying words, to Bluebird’s Team

Combining their attacks, the team brought MONARCH back to earth and obliterated any hope it had of survival by irreparably damaging its core. As it shut down, it warned the team of the dangers to come with its passing, and that they were responsible now they had removed its influence from the world. As it shut down, the ship engaged its emergency protocols and began to self-destruct. Fleeing, the team used Eleanor’s magic to protect them from the incredible blast, which destroyed any evidence of MONARCH’s ship.

In the aftermath, Caroline used information she had stolen from the ship’s memory to prove MONARCH’s influence over the ICA and Silver Hand. Installing herself as Director, she coordinated with the new head of the Silver Hand,  Agent Secretarybird, to dissolve their agencies and create a new joint venture: the United Security Forces of Teppri. With its dissolution, Bluebird’s Team were therefore released from employ of the ICA and became formally inactive, now going by their independent moniker the  Summer Knights.

## Members

### Former Members

 Kran †
 Eldon Flambard †

## Relationships

	+ Test Engineer 14 - Recruiter
	+ Agent Peacock (Cordelia Smudge) - Colleague and Acquaintance
	+ Agent Cormorant (Arthur Parsons) † - Former Colleague and Rescue Mission Target
	+ Agent Booby (Edward Bingham) - Professional Ally
* Tio Don Marco † - Former Associate
* Old Bessie - Informant
* Broadford Militia
	+ Nate † - Former Ally
	+ Hugo † - Former Ally
	+ Sebastian † - Former Ally
	+ Tristan - Former Ally
	+ Leo † - Former Ally
	+ Joshua † - Former Ally
	+ Rory † - Former Ally
	+ Anton † - Former Ally
	+ Jeremy † - Former Ally
	+ Adrian † - Former Ally
* Court of Life Vampires - Professional Allies
* Le Blaireau - Informant
* Verrospex the Terrible - Contact and Ally
* Babs - Contact and Ally
* Emmett Buck - Informant and Professional Ally
* Acolytes of Lathander
	+ Varnish † - Former Associate
	+ Sam - Former Associate
	+ Brick - Former Associate
	+ Luger † - Former Associate
	+ Bertie † - Former Associate
	+ Lenthis † - Former Associate
* Jemi - Contact and Former Guide
* Agent Condor - Professional Adversary
* The Silver Hand
	+ Agent Albatross - Professional Adversary
	+ Lithe Woman - Professional Adversary
	+ Well-Built But Ugly Man - Professional Adversary
* False Hydra of Broadford † - Adversary
* The Eccles Family - Professional Adversaries
* Baphomet - Professional Adversary
* King Agathon IV † - Murder Victim
* Honey Rammstein Messerschmidt Ribbentrop Von Sackville-Bagg † - Sacrifice to the Court of Life Vampires
* Brunhilde von Berger † - Murder Victim
* Vralos the Unforgivable - Prisoner
* Prince Georgios - Former Benefactor

## Trivia

* Of all the former members of Bluebird's team, Boris is the only one to choose to leave, as opposed to being killed.