Session VII: Slavers and Saloons

Our Party
Azok - Silver Dragonborn Barbarian
Harrod -Half Elf Paladin
Grog -Half-Orc (Ogren) Fighter
Scruffy - Blue Dragonborn Paladin
Stephen - Halfing Bard
Peter -Human Thief

So last Wednesday  I ran smack dab into a power-game problem. The player who runs the Azok the Dragonborn Barbarian had been absent last session and when he returned this week he was angry that the other characters had returned the Irradiated Amulet to Grixby the alchemist, despite the fact that it would be absolutely no use to anyone in the party. In fact it would have been very dangerous to keep around. Azok, of course, immediately set about plotting to steal it back.

I also happened to introduce as a clue for later on, that Grixby has electrical lights in his lab that run on Bagdad Batteries. He learned the technique from his master, the Warlock Loomus Laru*...

... the guy with a snake on his face!
I almost did this.
I still might. 

Bagdad batteries have been pretty much debunked as a historical fact, but I used the basic science. Combined a copper cylinder and a metal rod soaking in acid and it generates a current. Hook that to some ungrounded, uninsulated copper wires and you have enough electricity to power a few measly light (on a larger scale, it can power other things, hint, hint). I described Grixby's lab as having about half a dozen of these three-foot ceramic jars, each filled with liquid acid and wrapped in copper wires pushed up against one back wall.

Of course seeing these, Azok immediately drops the idea of stealing the amulet and wants these jars. He asked Grixby to buy them, but the alchemist turned him down. So Azok demanded the jars, and Grixby, a little cowed, told him 300gp a jar. Azok, who had nowhere near that kind of money, then wanted to buy the jars on credit. Grixby told him to leave. Azok then drew his weapon and made an Intimidation roll, which caused the poor Alchemist to practically piss himself as the Dragonborn walked out of the lab with two of the batteries, but leaving a promissory note for 600gp.

Azok’s plan, apparently, is to hook these jars up to his sword. I explained until I was blue in the face that strapping two, three-foot tall foot ceramic jars filled with acid to his back, and then running an uninsulated copper wire to the base of his sword would not be a good idea. Not to mention the fact he just mugged the man who had been selling the party cheap healing potions.

The final result would look something like this,
only with a lot more screaming and convulsing.

The other players got annoyed that this was all taking so long. I was annoyed it was taking so long.  Azok was annoyed that no-one thought what he was doing was a good idea. I didn't want to say 'no' to what he was doing, I don't even think's that bad of an idea. I definitely have 'tek' lurking in the corners of the gameworld, so a sword hooked to a future battery that hangs off a belt is definitely possible down the line. But I can't think of any work around the basic set up of the jar-batteries that would allow him to do what he intends. Especially considering the only two people who really understand how the whole thing works are the man he just mugged and his Master, who hasn't been introduced yet, but is very central to at least two of the current plotlines.

For the overall plot there needs to be in-game consequences here, I'm just worried that it might cause Azok to sulk some more. Best hope is that he gets distracted by something else and I can shuffle the batteries out of sight and hopefully out of mind. Maybe if I dangle a chainsword in front of him? I can definitely see a dragonborn barbarian with a chainsword. 

In the meantime, the rest of the party set about trying to stop the sale of the Midnight Star saloon to a group of slavers. They learned from Peter the Thief's contact that the owner of the saloon had taken 10,000gp as a down payment, and will take the other half once the slaver has sold his cargo. A couple of the players spent a good half hour coming up with a plan to raid the slaver's ship, which was awesome and I'm going to make some maps for the ship and part of the dock. The complication will occur when the pirate ship, Venomous arrives in the middle of the raid to take possession of the cargo.

Scuffy meanwhile, found 'The Tooth a Claw', a bar that caters to the darker elements of the city. It is also where I plan to try out some of the Bar Games. I've been working on. Next up: The Bloody Knife.

*yes Laru comes from Johnny Larue and yes, he does looks like an evil John Candy.