shifty louts

Shifty Louts Session 17: The Special Economic Zone of the Bluelands

Players

Summary

The Nineteenth of Yellowmonth. The Annual Martial Sung Poothers Yellowmonth Sale.

In the early morning hours of the 19th YM, the Louts see the Red Wall and head into the City Fixe, exhausted. They are met with propaganda posters and news bulletins of the heroic exploits of the martyrs, Benito Rojo and the Lout’s hireling, Frutilla Paon, who died in the attack on the Grace Abounds Manse, liberating another Manse from the clutches of the vampiric Vinter Lords!

After some inspections by RLD Vanguard, the group arrives back at the Depico Hexad Hotel (The Steak and Sword) and confer with their “godfather” Paprizio Depico, who is honored to have them back again. Their actions against the Vinter Lords have respectfully raised (Reputation +++) the Depico Hexad. For this honor, 10d in food/wine and 35d in a cash loan. Paprizo gives them some moist blood leeches and a liberated flagon of Vampire Wine to sup upon.

The group asks if they can be smuggled somewhere. Paprizo says he can reach out to some contacts. The group rests for the evening and learns that the Vinter Lord Syr Goira Kujina is alive, having watched upon a viso-screen a recorded message of his torturing a Plateaulet guerrilla with Frutilla’s motorcycle.

Sometime later, Paprizo returns and says that they will meet with representatives from the Adamant and Dandelion Hexad near the Four Janitors (angelic remnants that rest within the waters of Barrier Bay)

adhexad

The early morning of the Twentieth of Yellowmonth. The Annual Martial Sung Poothers Yellowmonth Sale.

The two Hexad groups meet at the misty docks, noir-style.

noir

They are introduced to the thirteen pickled brains of the Adamant and Dandelion Hexad (Heart-of-Lion).

They learn that the A&D Hexad seeks to expand in the occupied City-Ruins Azure. Because of their work in the Grace Abounds Manse Attack (their reputation got them this meeting), Heart-of-Lion will smuggle them out of the RLD and into the SEZ (Special Economic Zone) of the Bluelands via a secret portal, if they do a few bribes and choice assassinations.

HoL

They hope this will make the Green and Purple peacemaker companies see the good sense of working with an experienced secret society to handle the Dead God's mad blue cultists. They are also interested in the material wealth left in the Bluelands: bacterial cultures, bio-autogenerators, dairy, godflesh, aerolith structures, living bone, and more.

There is money to be made, but they’ll receive a 10d/week stipend, and any money they make on the side is theirs to keep as long as the Peacemaker Companies bend and flex to allow the A&D Hexad to operate within the Bluelands.

The group agrees to these terms, and so the proper paperwork is signed, transferring them from the Depico Hexad to registered laborers under the A&D Sigil to work as the SEZ. To do their job properly, Heart-of-Lion has a flesh-doctor install an ear jewel that allows them to communicate in the various Blueland tongues properly: Neo-Azulic (local trade interlanguage), Blaunestalk (suppressed), Perimse (river traders), and Free Pura (unclear)

After receiving their ear jewel implants, the group is taken to a Hexad warehouse and to a stargate device and told to pass through it. The group leaves their ponies, struthios, and cart, only carrying their dormisacs, their hiker kits, and their essentials.

Time passes strangely; simultaneously fast and slow at the same time. Eventually, they spill out to a humid, damp warehouse where Scura per Nascieni, an A&D Hexad friend, is seemingly waiting for them.

The journey is strange, time dilation and reclamation, and along with proper rehydration. Scura hooks some IV fluids to them, but the effects of voidtravel get to Brother Lump, who wants to consume his brains. Monterey prevents the worst from happening, but Scura is a bit injured and understands voidtravel has different effects on people.

The Twenty-seventh of Yellowmonth. The Annual Martial Sung Poothers Yellowmonth Sale.

The two learn that a week has passed. While the two adjust to the effects, Scura plays with some sort of fidget toy device and tells them it's made from Blasted Soul Glass of the Dead Blue God.

Monterey asks about the weather, to which Scura says it's an uncharacteristic scorcher, a full-on ultraviolet day, and that sunscreen is 100% essential. Monterey tests that assumption and quickly finds out this Scura is telling the truth, the heat here is different from the Redlands; wetter, stickier, and more oppressive.

He seems to have the remnants of the Ruins Azure, floating aeroliths, and more. The SEZ seems like a gold-rush town with a few large buildings, demarcated with writing that reads UCCPC in purple letters, while another building has CUCPC in green letters.

After applying sunscreen, the two head towards both buildings and start to find some appropriate jobs.

The purple building is guarded by crab-armored soldiers, while the green building is guarded by mantoid-armored soldiers

Within the UCCPC, they meet the hypochondriac Axila i'Fulgara VI, the latest governor appointee of the UCCPC "Coins". She needs vaults as full as her ledgers. She asks if they’re interested in becoming tax farmers who will go the extra mile for their 30% commission. The two agree.

Within the Greenlandic CUCPC "Cups" building, they make a psychic link with a Siamese cat. Skullywaggles will pay top cash card for mindscrubbers who “don’t ask a lot of questions” and who can help them quickly prep a new crop of pets. The group is unnerved by the agreement, trying to ask the right questions. Skullywaggles tells them they will make good pets and unlocks the door from behind them.

skullywaggles

Both job offers seem to point towards sending them up the Indigo River into something called the Designation, an independent, monitored territory for surviving Bluelanders that isn’t under the control of the SEZ or Peacemaker companies.

The group returns to the A&D Hexad Warehouse and prepares an apology dinner for Scura as the three Hexad brothers make a meal from peacemaker pie (a blend of Military rations, mountain herbs, starchweed, and mineral spice) and the group's honor sausages.

Aftermath

Treasure Found:

Foes Encountered:

Rumors:

Deaths:

XP Awarded:

Notes