Whitewind Company Foils Rogue Dark Irons, Bloodsails, Kraken
Jun 3, 2021 13:12:56 GMT
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Post by Natasha Ebonlocke on Jun 3, 2021 13:12:56 GMT
June 15th - Evening Edition
Whitewind Company visits Fuselight-By-The-Sea's Quality Asplosions, Acquires Prototype Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000, Foils Rogue Dark Iron Plot!
Whitewind Company visits Fuselight-By-The-Sea's Quality Asplosions, Acquires Prototype Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000, Foils Rogue Dark Iron Plot!
The Whitewind Company expedition to Quality Asplosions at Fuselight-By-The-Sea (in the Badlands) met aboard the Whitewind’s Grace, which was docked at the Stormwind Harbor. Or at least… most did. Talimas Oaksong, with his thalassophobia (fear of the ocean), flew to Fuselight-By-The-Sea with a flight timed to sneak aboard the ship after it was docked in order to disembark with the rest of the Company and their two outside contractors. Natasha Ebonlocke had strongly urged the arrival on the beautiful ship with much pomp and circumstance to impress the gold-loving goblins of the seaside town enough to give them audience and speak to them about their prototype Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000, as well as other ordinance and engineering supplies for the company’s engineers.
After speaking with the mayor long enough for the mayor to like what he sees and hears, they were sent to the cliff tops along the outer edge of the Badlands via a teleportation pad atop a small hill at the far end of town to go and pick up the Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000 to bring it back to the mayor and pay for it. Along the way to the teleportation pad, the Company was strongly advised not to pet the sheep. When they headed out, they quickly saw why – the sheep were mechanical decoy sheep, rigged with explosives. As Nat approached one, it blew up right in front of her! Thankfully, she and the rest of the Company were far enough back to avoid the explosion.
The crew reached the teleportation pad without further incident, teleporting to the top of the cliff to find another large crew of goblins, from whom they were supposed to procure the prototype.
But that’s where everything went south.
The goblin speaking to them said that a band of Dark Iron Dwarves had come to express interest in it as well, and, after trying and failing to purchase the prototype Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000 at a grossly low price, the dwarves simply TOOK the prototype and fled to the northwest, with one of them mentioning a digsite at a titan cave. The anxious goblin implored the group to get it back, as she didn’t want to feel the mayor’s wrath when he learned the prototype had been stolen.
Talimas opened a map, looking around to see what was northwest of them. Sure enough, there was a spot marked on his old map denoting the Uldaman archaeological site. Those among the Company who either had flying mounts following them, or were able to summon them magically in an instant, doubled up with those that did not, and the crew took off in a flash, flying like the wind to the titan cave to the northwest.
When they landed, two defenders with shields, Arivanna Bloodroot and Jornaar, were designated to lead the way in to the cave likely held by Dark Irons. Sujin and her pet wolf followed behind as the rear guard. All kept a wary eye out as they proceeded into the cave’s depths.
It didn’t take long to find signs of the stolen goblin goods. Explosives bearing the logo of Quality Asplosions were found in two different spots. The explosives were in a large cavernous area with a bowl delved into the middle of the floor, and the opening to another tunnel right underneath where they stood.
As they stood overtop of the next tunnel, Dark Iron voices were heard emerging from within, complaining of long hours standing guard and breaktimes being much too short. It seems the Company had lucked out, sneaking into the large room while the guards were slacking on a break. They hushed instantly, huddling up to whisper amongst themselves. Sujin and Talimas were elected to sneak up to the ledge overlooking the tunnel entrance below and drop down on top of the guards to knock them out. Sujin, much to Ari’s dismay, elected for a killing blow with her spear. Talimas’ knockout blow was less successful, and his following headlock bore similar results. It wasn’t until Jornaar followed Talimas over the ledge to drop onto the Dark Iron’s head with his shield that the dwarf finally fell over. Good thing, too; the dwarf was just sucking in a lungful of air to shout an alarm.
After the messy, but ultimately successful, attempt to enter the next tunnel below, the crew moved quietly down the next tunnel, ultimately reaching a ledge that overlooked a far larger cavern. They stopped on the spot, some stifling gasps of alarm – fully fifteen miners, plus two more fancily-dressed Dark Irons, were all around the room. The two wearing fancy clothes were talking amongst themselves while the rest of the dwarves worked. The two stood at the foot of a small flight of stairs in between two ancient-looking pillars that stood as a sort of gateway into a room with mint-green and off-white tiles – the entrance to Uldaman itself!
While the crew discussed what to do – most were for either sneaky action or combat action or both, but Ari was for diplomacy – the elven ears of Tali and Ari began to twitch. They were overhearing a muttered conversation from the two Dark Irons who seemed to lead this dig. There was now more cause for alarm – the Dark Irons were here not to dig for archaeological reasons, as it first appeared, but to actually use this site as a cover to tunnel under the neighboring Dun Morogh and into the undercaverns of Ironforge, which held a staircase that led straight into the throne room of the Council of Three Hammers itself! It was an assassination plot!
The primary leader seemed confident that, with the new prototype Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000, the tunnel would be completed swiftly, and the surprise attack would be successful. His less-confident subordinate was quite nervous about the whole affair, mentioning “going rogue” and that Moira “would have all their heads if she found out.” Apparently, this was not a sanctioned Dark Iron act. Either way, though, they had to be stopped!
The crew discussed plans. Ais’la had the idea for a distraction to grab the prototype and then escape the superior numbers. Ari still wanted to be diplomatic and negotiate for the prototype. Sujin went for backup, and to take an early alarm to Ironforge. The rest of the crew was against blowing their cover and going down to negotiate, as Ari was so adamant about doing, but eventually, it was decided that the negotiation attempt would actually be the distraction Ais’la advised. Jornaar went with his fellow shieldbearer with Ais’la bringing up the rear, and Tali hung back, only just visible, to provide more distraction, but also to be close to his part of the plan – if and when things went south with the negotiations, he’d be there to toss an ice trap at a Dark Iron that Jornaar had spotted holding the prototype and standing next to the crate holding the explosives. The dwarf standing at the corner of the wall that faced Dun Morogh…
The plan was set into motion next. Ari, though well-intended, was a bit transparent in her negotiations, and was ultimately unable to contain herself, revealing that the crew knew of the rogue Dark Iron group’s dastardly plan. The Dark Irons were set to attack in that moment, though a Fear spell cast by Nat from her spot hidden on the ledge above sent the Dark Iron leader screaming and running around in an erratic pattern. Three of the nearest miners, as well as the second in command dwarf, attacked the negotiating party, while the rest of the miners formed a wall behind them, cutting them off from Tali, who had already frozen his target, and the escape route. Ari took a could of hard hits from pyroblasts cast be the second in command, but held her ground. Ais’la and Lady Whitewind, the latter of whom was hidden on the ledge with Nat, healed Ari’s burns as Tali made up for his missed drop earlier by mowing down the wall of miners with rapid fire at range. Ais’la had peace circles knocking back their foes who tried to get too close, and Jornaar knocked out the second in command Dark Iron with, of all things, a well-aimed throw of a stone! With the leader’s Fear spell compounded and extended by the horror of the mown-down miners, the second leader being knocked out, and the peace circle keeping back the remaining miners, the crew was able to escape with the prototype Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000, bolt from the cave, and fly back to Fuselight-By-The-Sea.
Mission Success!
The crew reached the clifftops over Fuselight-By-The-Sea in short order, much to the relief of the goblins gathered there. The goblins ushered them through the teleportation pad back down to the seaside town before returning to their demolitions analysis work.
The mayor grinned greedily to see the prototype and the crate of blasting gaps in the hands of his rich-looking new clients. Lady Whitewind negotiated an initial deal, 1,250 gold for the prototype blasting caps and controller, with the promise to send her officer, Aedalia Songbird, along to negotiate a two-year deal for ordinance of all kinds, among other engineering supplies. The crew were ushered back to their boat by the honor guard that brought them in. Tali, initially inclined to take a portal back to Stormwind, eventually agreed to brave his thalassophobia to keep up appearances and board the ship with the Company, and to stay aboard as the crew made the voyage home.
Now, the crew sails south, returning the way they came – around the Cape of Stranglethorn Vale and north up the west coast back to the Stormwind Harbor…
To be continued…
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Each member gains +1 Favor.
Whitewind Company gains a two-year engineering supplies/explosives ordinance contract with Quality Asplosions.
Whitewind Company gains the prototype Blastbanger Long-Range Radio-Wave Electronic Blasting Cap XT-9000.