(Unfortunately, I appear to have recycled the paper on which I made notes during this session and so there are likely some unintentional mistakes or omission in this record. Apologies...)
As you read this recap, might I suggest that you listen to this. It is a rather perfect soundtrack for this campaign.
• The session began with the completion of some downtime activities left over from the previous episode. Most notably, Cricket learned from the old Skovlander that the yellow Leviathan oil is a concentrated version of the residue that remains when the raw demon blood is refined for use - as if the blood was clarified for its most dangerous properties rather than its most useful. It is an incredibly potent and corrupt spirit energy, as the disposal of even the normal residue is what made the Skovland refinery cities the contaminated wastes they have become.
• The crew discovered another bag of coins in the entrance pipe to their lair and despite their evident preference to no longer be involved with the Bowler Man, when Gyr revealed the details of yet another job from their mysterious benefactor, they felt obliged to complete it.
• Gyr related the "instructions" from the benefactor which seemed straightforward enough. The crew was told to infiltrate a masquerade ball at the Bowmore mansion, celebrating the hosts' anniversary as well as the birthday of their daughter Ariane. It is curious to note that the Bowmore family owns the oil freighter from which the party stole the yellow Leviathan extract and over which the Ghost Spout still rages.
Once there, they were to replace a set of official papers with forgeries. The complication however, was that the deal was being brokered by Lord Bowmore, but the two other parties - the originator and the recipient of the papers were unknowns. Accordingly, the crew had to identify at least the originator and then make the switch before Bowmore passed the documents to the recipient.
• To gain access to the party, Cricket approached Lady Polonia Stangford, a elderly dame of a withered branch of the otherwise influential Stangford family, and a one-time "client" of some of Cricket's more tender services. Polonia is a lonely old woman with a dusty old mansion, three yapping dogs (Tibbles, Tumbles, Tun Tun), strong opinions about her proper standing, and an increasingly less discrete wild side. Cricket was able to convince her to use her fading social clout to acquire invitations for the Queer. The complication was of course, that Cricket would have to accompany Polonia as her escort.
• Getting into the soiree turned out to be as easy as showing the invite and walking in the front door. It was just after that however, when things quickly went south:
– It did not take the crew long to identify Lord Helker - a member of the City Council - as the likely source of the documents, though the recipient, and just who was carrying the papers, remained unknown.
– Cricket managed to catch the eye of Ariane Bowmore and in an attempt to create a useful distraction Cricket invited her to dance. Given the sensuous nature of the resulting turn they might as well have had sex. The dance caused more a social stir and prompted her father to publicly scold Ariane and caused her to take an unhealthy interest in Cricket.
– SBD snuck off to raid first the library and then the wine cellar where he stole quite a bit of coin, a vial of yellow Leviathan oil and a folio of important-looking papers that included a brith certificate in Gyr's real name.
– Flews was somehow put in charge of an increasingly drunk and feisty Polonia, eventually threatening a waiter - in who she was showing a lascivious interest - that he "better show the Lady a nice time or else."
– Parva, as a back-up distraction, linked a poltergeist to the champagne fountain and waited for his moment. Accepting a devil's bargain however, the poltergeist is now linked to Parva and likely to complicate his life going forward.
– Realizing that the papers could only be in Lady Helker's "seashell" clutch Cricket attempted to make the switch but was caught in the act. Parva and Flews, realizing things were going badly both went into action. Flews stepped across the dance floor and as Lord Bowmore chastised his daughter hauled off and punched him. In the same moment, Parva released the spirit and the champagne fountain exploded in a dangerous shower of glass and bubbly wine. Pushing to power her punch, Flews lost control, transformed into a strange demonic form - a transparent skinned, black-spined beast - that raged across the ballroom, through the kitchens and out into the night.
• In the extended chaos that resulted, Cricket was able to turn the confrontation with Lady Helker's body guard into a bait and switch using the fake documents, and the crew members were able to blend in with the panicking crowd and escape the mansion.
• As notable downtime actions, Cricket completed his Ghose Veil training, Flews began so build a relationship with Polonia, and most significantly, SBD used his stolen vile of yellow oil as the source poison for the production of his own venom. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that...
