September 30, 2023

Hook

Along Treacherous Lines II - Okay Gang, Here's the Plan... [S&S]

Plot Synopsis

The group wakes up in their inn, and heads for breakfast where they join up with Wisteria. After catching up on the events of the day and determining their objectives, they start to come up with a plan. Many of them figure the best course of action is to go to the Shanzhu Charity Ball, but Rilo is rather insistent about avoiding Hu Lan. They also decide that investigating Hu’s office and home could yield useful information. Cyrus goes shopping.

In the end, they decide to send 2 people to Hu’s home, 2 to his office in the Silver District, and 2 will stay at the party and keep an eye on him. According to tabloids, Hu Lan is a heavy drinker, and Yugon plans to engage him in a rigged drinking contest (with Kentaro’s help) with hopes of getting his tongue to slip. However, getting tickets into the party is still a question…

Cyrus goes off looking for Timber Marrowkin, and manages to locate him in a teahouse in the upper Gold District. He’s amenable and finds Cyrus deeply amusing, even offering to take him into the party as a plus-one, given he can entertain via a duel with his bodyguard. Cyrus delivers and secures his in.

Meanwhile, Yugon, Rilo, and Wisteria are looking into a celebrity wrestler named Douglas “The Boulder” Jamison, a giantkin highly anticipated at the party. They figure they could wager a ticket on a duel, and have Yugon take him on. The group arrives at a meet-and-greet Jamison is holding in the Copper District, and Yugon uses a few well-placed words about his grandkids to make the wrestler agree to a duel. They battle hand-to-hand on a Festival of Blades tournament platform, surrounded by a massive cheering crowd. In the end, Yugon prevails and earns not only Jamison’s respect, but a ticket to the ball. He plans to bring Rilo as a plus-one.

Raiden heads off to the Silver District, to a soldiers’ bar so he can pick up on some gossip regarding Hu Lan. He finds out that the man is deeply unpopular within the army, mostly due to his arrogant and self-important attitude. He also appears to have obtained some sort of mutant animal, which he parades around training sessions at the garrison. Via a conversation with an exhausted and disgruntled soldier, Raiden manages to switch shifts and get into the ball as a guard. Kentaro did the same, getting in as a waiter.

As the day ends, Cyrus and Kentaro contact Zheng Chen and secure teleportation to Tiancheng, finding Hu Lan’s daughter Hu Fang barhopping - as well as a rather healthy looking “Big Momma” dozing in the archmage’s private gardens. They take a picture with her and Kentaro, planning to use it as intimidation or blackmail due to Kentaro’s family history with the Raikougan. As the night winds down, the party goes to sleep, ready to keep on preparing for the ball.

Noteworthy Postgame Events