Outlaw Shizzle - Episode 1 - How they met Anvil

In my last post about Outlaw Shizzle I remade some of the characters to fit the new playtest package.  However, after consulting with some of the players we went with a slightly different route for some of them.  The following characters are different from what I posted earlier in the Outlaw Shizzle retcon post.

Grudge Jr.

• Race:  Hill Dwarf
• Class:  Cleric - Lifegiver
• Background:  Bounty Hunter
• Specialty:  Hedge Magician

Angel Ripper the Third

• Race:  Wood Elf
• Class:  Monk of the Phoenix
• Background:  Thug
• Specialty: Two-weapon fighter

Pretty Boy Ray

• Race:  Halfling Lightfoot
• Class:  Rogue - Scout
• Background:  Artisan - Blacksmith
• Specialty:  Expert

Similar to what I decided but Grudge is now a full on healer (the players were joking he's like Dog the Bounty Hunter now, trying to make people turn good) and Angel Ripper is a better thug (kind of reminds of the Tattooed Men from the Legend of the Five Rings setting).  We also changed the Masons to be more of an underhand of the government of Babel Gilga so the Masons are now an organized crime group that works for the government.
Unfortunately for the Masons, and by extension Outlaw Shizzle, the Syndicate is trying to gain a foothold in Babel Gilga and threatens the prosperous relationship the Masons have with the city-state's government.




So when last we left Outlaw Shizzle, the group had escaped The Fox's trap in the church.  The old man's clues led to a tavern in the lawless south district of Babel Gilga called the Red Herron.  The Red Herron was a popular hangout for all those wishing to live a life crime but lacked the connections to get into the Masons or the Syndicate.  The seediest and most undesirable bunch frequented the Red Herron.

The group decided to head out but not before consulting with one of the Mason's lieutenants,  Masaloza.  Masaloza is an experienced leader in the Masons and runs his operations from a tavern called The Chimera in the western district of Babel Gilga.  He has direct control over Slater and Angel Ripper's actions and the pair often consult Masaloza before conducting any clandestine operations.

When the group reached Masaloza, he had already learned of The Fox's attack against them in the church.  Masaloza warned the group that The Fox is a lycanthrope and the full moon that night would mean The Fox is at his most powerful so striking out against him tonight might not be the best idea.  Masaloza also mentioned to the group of a mysterious vigilante named Anvil who generally kept the bad guys in line in the south districtand didn't want the Anvil fighting against the Masons.  Other members of the Masons tried to recruit the Anvil but to no avail so Masaloza gave the order to Outlaw Shizzle to try and recruit Anvil to their side.  The group took Masaloza's advice and decided not to attack the Red Herron on a full moon so waited until morning before making their move.

The following morning Outlaw Shizzle headed to the south district of Babel Gilga.  The southern district of Babel Gilga may as well be known as the slums as the whole area is full of ramshackle buildings, poor peasants and the other undesirables of the city.  They had no luck finding any information or rumours about Anvil when they asked around, but they soon witnessed his handiwork first hand after he stopped a small gang of thugs from breaking into a small shop.  Angel Ripper quickly convinced Anvil of the necessity to join forces to stop The Fox from destroying the south district.

After recruiting Anvil, their first order of business was to find some silver to destroy the lycanthrope.  As it stood only Pretty Boy Ray had a silver weapon so they needed some silver ore to forge new weapons for the rest of the group.  Upon investigation for a source of silver, they discovered that the large silver stores in the city bank and the jewelers in the bazaar had all been robbed the night before.  The group reported back to Masaloza who then directed them to one of the Mason's private storerooms to check on their silver supply.  To their surprise the storeroom was vacant of all sources of silver.  On their way out they were once again ambushed by The Fox's undead minions.  The skeletons were quickly dispatched and Outlaw Shizzle rushed back to The Chimera.

At The Chimera the got a message from Masaloza to dispatch The Fox as quickly as they could.  The Mason's could not afford to have this Syndicate upstart in their territory.  That night Outlaw Shizzle made their way to the Red Herron and proceeded to board up the place.  The patrons didn't notice as it was a rowdy crowd and a few knocks on wood with a hammer were easily overlooked.  Pretty Boy Ray then climbed to the top of the building and proceeded to pour large amounts of lantern oil down the chimney into the fireplace.  Within minutes the entire tavern was ablaze and the patrons inside were burning alive.  When the roof collapsed and everyone inside died, The Fox made his appearance again as a voice declaring they fell for his trap and now he could raise a larger army of undead.  As Outlaw Shizzle left the scene they could hear and see the burning corpses rising up and out of the burning wreck of the Red Herron with the symbol of The Fox emblazoned on their burnt skulls.

To be continued...