Summary[]
The Rangers encounter Figgis pretending to be Byron to get into his vault at the al-Tahan bank in London. Sasha chases him down.
Synopsis[]
The Rangers head to the largest bank in the area. When Hamid brings up who he is, the bankers begin to treat the party as VIPs. They speak to the manager about the safety deposit key. Hamid explains that the key was given to him by a friend who asked him to retrieve the items therein, but the manager is wary. He goes to check up on Hamid and Bertie's story, but pops back briefly to leave a safety deposit box with the party. The key doesn't work, but paperwork on his desk suggests that the box is for Hamid to be given to him on his birthday.
Hamid reads the letter from his parents. Art by @raspberryhell on tumblr. Used with permission.
The manager says they need to take the key back into the bank's possession. Bertie terrifies the manager and he hands Hamid the correct documentation to waive the rules of the bank forcing the bank to take the key back. The manager charges out to greet another VIP guest. The party hears someone claiming to be Byron, but who clearly isn't. Not-Byron flees and is pursued by the party with varying degrees of success. Bertie unsuccessfully haggles with a taxi driver, attempting to convince him to sell him a taxi. Hamid grabs a carriage and directs the driver to follow the one Not-Byron used to flee. Sasha, meanwhile, leaps up onto the back of the carriage that Not-Byron is in, and manages to continue holding on long enough through the chase. Zolf remains behind in the bank and begins to drink the whiskey, steadily getting more and more drunk. Eventually Sasha takes him down and escorts him back to the bank.
Back at the bank, Not-Byron clearly knows Bertie. Hamid removes the fake hair from Not-Byron, revealing him to be Figgis, and the police take him away. They find Zolf quite drunk, having enjoyed a number of whiskeys in their absence.
Hamid opens the safety deposit box which should have been given to him on his birthday with the bank manager. Inside the box there is a note: "Our dearest son, we know that you have some troubles, but you know it means so much to us that you stick at your studies, even through all of the problems. We love you very much, Mother and Father." The other item in the box is 'Sleeves of Many Garments', so he can change his clothes to anything at will.
Zolf fences using his peg leg. Art by @sphor on twitter. Used with permission.
Upon leaving the room, with the sleeves in hand, Hamid sees that Zolf has taken his peg leg off and attempting to fence with it. Bertie has joined in, holding his rapier by the sharp end and waving it at Zolf. Hamid, trying to ignore the antics, and announces that it's time for dinner. Zolf attempts to walk forward, forgetting his peg leg is off, and falls flat on his face. Hamid sighs, embarrassed, while Sasha continues to laugh at Zolf.
Quotes[]
- Alex: "He seems to specifically hate Bertie."
- Bryn: "Ah! Someone who has met Bertie."
- ―"Byron" runs into Bertie at the bank.
- Hamid: "Everybody out!"
- Zolf: "Alright, Squeaky McShortArms, we’ll do what you say."
- ―Hamid demands everyone leave while he finishes up at the bank.
Dice rolls and Mechanics[]
- Hamid makes a Bluff check on the manager: 14
- Bertie uses pomp and pageantry against the manager.
- Sasha unsuccessfully rolls Disable Device to pick the lock on the safety deposit box: 15
- Zolf casts enhance diplomacy on Bertie, giving him a +2 to one Diplomacy or Intimidate roll.
- Bertie makes an Intimidate check on the manager: 18
- Hamid makes a Diplomacy check to calm the manager down: 22
- Bertie makes a Knowledge (nobility) check when they hear "Byron": 21
- Hamid casts prestidigitation on "Byron" to remove makeup from his face.
- Zolf makes three Fortitude saves after drinking loads of whiskey: a crit success, a crit fail, and an 18. Until he sobers up, he takes a -3 to all rolls.
- Sasha makes a Diplomacy check on the manager: 2
Combat Breakdown[]
Initiative: Not-Byron, Bertie (19), Sasha (7), Hamid (6), Zolf (nat 1)
Round 1
- Not-Byron: Charges out of the bank and heads toward a carriage.
- Bertie: Pursues him.
- Sasha: Puts her whiskey down and charges after Not-Byron.
- Hamid: Leaves the bank and casts acid splash on the carriage's wheel, hitting on an 18 and dealing 1 damage.
- Zolf: Picks up the whiskeys in the room and enjoys them, rolling a 3 to enjoy.
Round 2
- Not-Byron: Throws the driver from the carriage and starts to move the vehicle away.
- Bertie: Sprints for the carriage and leaps on it, failing on a Reflex save of 3. He falls to the floor.
- Sasha: Leaps off Bertie's helmet onto the back of the carriage, succeeding on a Reflex save of 21.
- Hamid: Leaps into another carriage, giving a handful of gold coins to the driver, and shouts "Follow that carriage!"
- Zolf: Continues enjoying the whiskey.
Round 3
- Bertie: Gets up and attempts to jump on Hamid's carriage, but fails on a Reflex save of 9.
- Not-Byron: Continues to flee on the carriage.
Zolf gets very drunk on whiskey. Art by @skraak on tumblr. Used with permission.
- Sasha: Attempts to get into the carriage but fails on an Acrobatics check of 12. She tries to push off a lampost but it clips one of her legs, dealing 1 damage.
- Hamid: Hamid's carriage continues to chase down Not-Byron and he gives the driver another 20 gold to speed up.
- Zolf: Looks for more whiskey.
Round 4
- Not-Byron: Turns and notices Sasha hanging over the carriage and successfully leaps off the moving carriage onto another one.
- Bertie: Starts to haggle for a carriage.
- Sasha: Leaps from the moving carriage, succeeding on an Acrobatics check of 21, and the carriage crashes.
- Hamid: Sees Not-Byron on another carriage going the opposite direction and tells the cabbie driver to stop, pointing at Byron and telling him to surrender. He makes a 22 on his Bluff check.
- Zolf: Finds an entire decanter of whiskey and heads back to the meeting room.
Round 5
- Not-Byron: Drops down into the cart.
- Sasha: Jumps onto the cart and sees Not-Byron, yelling for him to surrender. She ties his hands behind his back and then return to the bank.