Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Shift 3: 6 Bells [Scotio Fleet]
Diana Hayes
Lady Diana left Gwynedd during the night when her contact, Jeremy Beller (a 'Separatist' Navigator-Smuggler) located an off the books ship heading out to engage in some “unregulated” trade among the frontier communities. Diana leapt at the opportunity to join him and headed out to visit new places and meet people.
It was at one of the trade stops that Diana ran into an old acquaintance with the Royal Navy wearing civilian clothing. “William” (Diana always suspected that might not be his real name, it was conveniently too common a name) worked for the RN ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence), so his presence seldom indicated anything good. From her ONI contact, Lady Hayes learned that there were rumors a member of the Royal Family had gone missing and a possibility of foul play. William was investigating the rumors and inquired if Diana had any information. (She did not.)
From that point on, Diana kept an ear open for anything that might be related to the missing Noblewoman. A chance encounter took her away from Jeremy and his smugglers, further from Civilization and deeper into the isolated Deep-Water Communities. She had followed rumors of rumors to a name of a potential “contact” that might know something. That brought her here … to the Deep-Water community of Scotio Fleet.
Diana has made herself a regular at the local drinking and gambling establishments within the Fleet. She learned that Scotio Fleet is Law Level 1, with only the worst crimes punished and the only punishment being death. Duels were a common method of settling disagreements. Scotio was the crossroads for Illegal Drug trade, except the drugs were sold in the open. While there was no open slave trade, Scotio permitted the ownership of slaves and many residents were sympathetic (or at least apathetic) to the human trafficking.
You have located a Meatmonger Cohort (Slaver-2) named Ashley James that may have useful information. He is tight lipped around strangers, so Diana has thus far only played a few card games with him among others as she gathered a “feel” for the man.
Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Scotio Fleet (Diana)
Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Scotio Fleet (Diana)
Last edited by atpollard on Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness" - e.e. cummings
Re: Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Scotio Fleet (Diana)
Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Shift 3: 6 Bells [Scotio Fleet]
Diana Hayes
The silver coin careened off a pair of lowly copper brethren and then slammed hard into the small pile. It was shiny, and it drew attention.
Smoke filled the chamber, not quite muted conversations wandered in from the other three tables. Gentle waves rolled the deck, and mugs were refreshed.
"Call, and raise," Diana said. Her own cards remained face down on the table. She had glanced at them once, and then smiled. "Well within your means, Fredrk. Unless your hand is weak?"
Fredrk wasn't a bad player at all. Given the local talent it didn't take much to be a good player, but Fredrk was decent for a regular. He was certainly Diana's equal, so it became a game of reading early on.
What really mattered wasn't on the table. Fredrk was a local, and he had Ashley James' confidence. Diana had asked around; information on Ashley was easy to get and as useless as it was easy. Diana needed more and was having a damnably hard time finding it. Thus the game with Fredrk. She couldn't brute force the issue but she had stamina and she had cunning. If a woman couldn't out think these louts she should go home and raise kids. Diana wasn't in the mood for kids right yet.
Fredrk sighed, and folded. "I will get a chance to redeem my honor, Frau Diana?"
Diana pulled the small pile close. All but the one silver went into her travel bag. The silver went into her shirt pocket. Slowly. She sighed and pulled the cards to her. The other men leaned forward, dealer calls the game. Diana pulled her sleeves back a little more, leaned forward a little closer, and then began to shuffle. There was no way she could hide a card, and they knew it.
"It's getting late, gentlemen, and I must retire. Still, Fredrk deserves a chance to win back some of his fortune, si? Tonight has been good to me, so we will play a quick game of two card draw." She continued to shuffle as she smiled at each of the men in turn. Eyes were on her, where she wanted them. "The game is simple; ante is one silver. You get a card. You can fold, or put in another silver and get another card. Highest wins, pairs beat singles."
She slid the deck left and the older gentleman cut the deck as silvers slid in. Diana took the deck and dealt a round of cards. She gracefully pulled the silver coin from its resting place. "Perhaps Lady Luck will favor one of you this time?"
Streetwise [2d6+1]=6+1=7, Gambling [2d6+1]=7+1=8
Diana Hayes
The silver coin careened off a pair of lowly copper brethren and then slammed hard into the small pile. It was shiny, and it drew attention.
Smoke filled the chamber, not quite muted conversations wandered in from the other three tables. Gentle waves rolled the deck, and mugs were refreshed.
"Call, and raise," Diana said. Her own cards remained face down on the table. She had glanced at them once, and then smiled. "Well within your means, Fredrk. Unless your hand is weak?"
Fredrk wasn't a bad player at all. Given the local talent it didn't take much to be a good player, but Fredrk was decent for a regular. He was certainly Diana's equal, so it became a game of reading early on.
What really mattered wasn't on the table. Fredrk was a local, and he had Ashley James' confidence. Diana had asked around; information on Ashley was easy to get and as useless as it was easy. Diana needed more and was having a damnably hard time finding it. Thus the game with Fredrk. She couldn't brute force the issue but she had stamina and she had cunning. If a woman couldn't out think these louts she should go home and raise kids. Diana wasn't in the mood for kids right yet.
Fredrk sighed, and folded. "I will get a chance to redeem my honor, Frau Diana?"
Diana pulled the small pile close. All but the one silver went into her travel bag. The silver went into her shirt pocket. Slowly. She sighed and pulled the cards to her. The other men leaned forward, dealer calls the game. Diana pulled her sleeves back a little more, leaned forward a little closer, and then began to shuffle. There was no way she could hide a card, and they knew it.
"It's getting late, gentlemen, and I must retire. Still, Fredrk deserves a chance to win back some of his fortune, si? Tonight has been good to me, so we will play a quick game of two card draw." She continued to shuffle as she smiled at each of the men in turn. Eyes were on her, where she wanted them. "The game is simple; ante is one silver. You get a card. You can fold, or put in another silver and get another card. Highest wins, pairs beat singles."
She slid the deck left and the older gentleman cut the deck as silvers slid in. Diana took the deck and dealt a round of cards. She gracefully pulled the silver coin from its resting place. "Perhaps Lady Luck will favor one of you this time?"
Streetwise [2d6+1]=6+1=7, Gambling [2d6+1]=7+1=8
Re: Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Scotio Fleet (Diana)
Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Shift 3: 6 Bells [Scotio Fleet]
Arthur Grayling
Arthur shook his head, wondering how the world can be such that Diana is more at home in a place like this than him, a navy veteran. He kept an eye out from his location, on a slightly raised section of the bar area, near the back of the room. Not close enough to cramp her style but close enough to be able to help if things went wrong.
Taking a sip of his drink, he almost gagged on what they called 'good' whiskey around here. The trick, he'd been told, was not to watch what was happening at Diana's table, but those paying undue attention to Diana's table. He resisted the urge to check his revolver, which he knew was on his belt, as he'd checked it only a few minutes ago.
Arthur Grayling
Arthur shook his head, wondering how the world can be such that Diana is more at home in a place like this than him, a navy veteran. He kept an eye out from his location, on a slightly raised section of the bar area, near the back of the room. Not close enough to cramp her style but close enough to be able to help if things went wrong.
Taking a sip of his drink, he almost gagged on what they called 'good' whiskey around here. The trick, he'd been told, was not to watch what was happening at Diana's table, but those paying undue attention to Diana's table. He resisted the urge to check his revolver, which he knew was on his belt, as he'd checked it only a few minutes ago.
Shift 3: 7 Bells [Scotio Fleet]
Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Shift 3: 7 Bells [Scotio Fleet]
Arthur Grayling, Diana Hayes
Arthur Grayling
As Arthur sat at the bar, he experienced two different, but not totally unrelated, events of note which had nothing to do with Lady Diana, her safety, or her card game.
The first event was gossip. Arthur made no real attempt to listen, but in such a small space it was impossible not to hear bits and pieces of the many conversations both whispered, shouted and wafted in foul drunken slurs.
The second event was more of a surprise. Complaints about the liquor brought sympathy from the 20-year-old “steward” serving drinks. John turned out to be a well-spoken gentleman who could not help with the beverages, but was able to prepare exquisite food to go with it. He talked with you about the Navy and had thought about joining when he was younger, but life had other plans. John seemed genuinely friendly and would offer a sort of running commentary on the various topics that Arthur overheard.
There was talk of an upcoming change of leadership. Some spoke of an election while a small group spoke of a coup.
John explained “Trouble in one of the local cartels. It’s been coming ever since the old man died. His son claims to be in charge, but his nephew was running the day-to-day operations for a while. With their bickering, the rank and file have grown restless. There is some sort of family meeting scheduled to work things out, but I think some members may think more radical action is called for. Now me, I just stay out of Cartel Business.”
Arthur noted the men that were speaking about a coup and recognized one of them as a local business man that owned a respectable business.
A merchant was drinking (and drunk) as he attempted to forget his troubles, but complained to anyone that sat near him.
John explained “He has had a string of bad luck recently. First there was a suspicious fire on his barge, and then hit trade ship disappeared without a trace.”
Several not unattractive ladies worked the room and offered companionship to Arthur. A warning signal from John cut off any though of accepting their offer that Arthur may have been forming.
John explained “They really are the world’s oldest profession, they are thieves. I didn’t want to see you drugged and robbed.”
A 38-year-old woman with weathered features, coarse manners, fine clothes and a large bodyguard keeping an eye from the door, made her way through the room shaking hands and exchanging brief conversations with nearly everyone.
John leaned close and whispered “That’s Mayor Alice. She runs the town. Don’t let her fool you, she is here to check on her business ventures and make sure every part of the House is generating revenue.” John smiled and nodded at Alice.
Diana Hayes
[You stated that you wanted to support yourself by gambling. So even though you did not turn up any useful information this Shift, it was not a total waste. Let’s try our hand at gambling for a living. How much of your Living Expenses (Cr 4500) are you prepared to place at risk? We will treat it as a “Speculative Cargo” sold with your Gambling skill as a modifier and see how much you walk away with. Gamblers live a life of financial ups and downs with STATISTICS and STRATEGIES working to grant them a long-term UP.
For this SHIFT, we will use your previous Gambling roll (7+1=8) for a 10% profit. Next time, specify the AMOUNT you are willing to gamble that session (shift) before the roll. Let’s assume you risked about a week’s pay (1/4 of a cycle).]
Diana collects her “winnings” and leaves the table. Counting her gains and losses, she walked into the game with Cr 1125 to place at risk … enough to be serious without scaring everyone off or being tagged as a whale … and left the table with Cr 1237.5 for a profit of 112.5 credits.
Arthur Grayling, Diana Hayes
Arthur Grayling
As Arthur sat at the bar, he experienced two different, but not totally unrelated, events of note which had nothing to do with Lady Diana, her safety, or her card game.
The first event was gossip. Arthur made no real attempt to listen, but in such a small space it was impossible not to hear bits and pieces of the many conversations both whispered, shouted and wafted in foul drunken slurs.
The second event was more of a surprise. Complaints about the liquor brought sympathy from the 20-year-old “steward” serving drinks. John turned out to be a well-spoken gentleman who could not help with the beverages, but was able to prepare exquisite food to go with it. He talked with you about the Navy and had thought about joining when he was younger, but life had other plans. John seemed genuinely friendly and would offer a sort of running commentary on the various topics that Arthur overheard.
There was talk of an upcoming change of leadership. Some spoke of an election while a small group spoke of a coup.
John explained “Trouble in one of the local cartels. It’s been coming ever since the old man died. His son claims to be in charge, but his nephew was running the day-to-day operations for a while. With their bickering, the rank and file have grown restless. There is some sort of family meeting scheduled to work things out, but I think some members may think more radical action is called for. Now me, I just stay out of Cartel Business.”
Arthur noted the men that were speaking about a coup and recognized one of them as a local business man that owned a respectable business.
A merchant was drinking (and drunk) as he attempted to forget his troubles, but complained to anyone that sat near him.
John explained “He has had a string of bad luck recently. First there was a suspicious fire on his barge, and then hit trade ship disappeared without a trace.”
Several not unattractive ladies worked the room and offered companionship to Arthur. A warning signal from John cut off any though of accepting their offer that Arthur may have been forming.
John explained “They really are the world’s oldest profession, they are thieves. I didn’t want to see you drugged and robbed.”
A 38-year-old woman with weathered features, coarse manners, fine clothes and a large bodyguard keeping an eye from the door, made her way through the room shaking hands and exchanging brief conversations with nearly everyone.
John leaned close and whispered “That’s Mayor Alice. She runs the town. Don’t let her fool you, she is here to check on her business ventures and make sure every part of the House is generating revenue.” John smiled and nodded at Alice.
Diana Hayes
[You stated that you wanted to support yourself by gambling. So even though you did not turn up any useful information this Shift, it was not a total waste. Let’s try our hand at gambling for a living. How much of your Living Expenses (Cr 4500) are you prepared to place at risk? We will treat it as a “Speculative Cargo” sold with your Gambling skill as a modifier and see how much you walk away with. Gamblers live a life of financial ups and downs with STATISTICS and STRATEGIES working to grant them a long-term UP.
For this SHIFT, we will use your previous Gambling roll (7+1=8) for a 10% profit. Next time, specify the AMOUNT you are willing to gamble that session (shift) before the roll. Let’s assume you risked about a week’s pay (1/4 of a cycle).]
Diana collects her “winnings” and leaves the table. Counting her gains and losses, she walked into the game with Cr 1125 to place at risk … enough to be serious without scaring everyone off or being tagged as a whale … and left the table with Cr 1237.5 for a profit of 112.5 credits.
"welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness" - e.e. cummings
Re: Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Scotio Fleet (Diana)
Arthur Grayling
Used to a variety of naval and society soirée's, Arthur is friendly and chatty with John, but is careful not to give too much away (such as the fact he's a 'sir', and what he actually did in the navy).
"Thank you John, you seem to know all about what's going on around here, and I certainly appreciate your insights. Tell me, how does anyone keep anything private in a place like this, and why does a fellow of such culinary skill as your good self still work here?"
Used to a variety of naval and society soirée's, Arthur is friendly and chatty with John, but is careful not to give too much away (such as the fact he's a 'sir', and what he actually did in the navy).
"Thank you John, you seem to know all about what's going on around here, and I certainly appreciate your insights. Tell me, how does anyone keep anything private in a place like this, and why does a fellow of such culinary skill as your good self still work here?"
Re: Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Scotio Fleet (Diana)
Diana
Smiling, and nodding to the other players, Diana headed towards Arthur. She paused, however, when she saw he was engaged in an actual conversation. Perhaps he was finding out things she could not? One could certainly hope so, no sense in ruining a decent chance. She changed course slightly and moved around the crowed room to observe the other players, as well as entrances and exits from the room. There was always someone who wanted to make trouble that reasonable folk do not want to be in.
Diana would head to Arthur when his Arthur's conversation had ended. An evening walk would be good, and walking in pairs in a strange place would be better.
Smiling, and nodding to the other players, Diana headed towards Arthur. She paused, however, when she saw he was engaged in an actual conversation. Perhaps he was finding out things she could not? One could certainly hope so, no sense in ruining a decent chance. She changed course slightly and moved around the crowed room to observe the other players, as well as entrances and exits from the room. There was always someone who wanted to make trouble that reasonable folk do not want to be in.
Diana would head to Arthur when his Arthur's conversation had ended. An evening walk would be good, and walking in pairs in a strange place would be better.
Re: Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Scotio Fleet (Diana)
FYI: Day 16 is available ... onward to adventure!
"welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness" - e.e. cummings