Furship Chronicles: The Furship Investigates – Part Five

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Jul 062013
 

DISCLAIMER: The Furship Chronicles narrate the adventures of our gaming group as we playtest the Age of Animus Storytelling Game. Bunwick is played by Frank, Emeraldine Fiera is played by Melanie, Raz is played by Steve, Wilhemina is played by Fab and Zouly is played by Lyne. The interactions you read are not straight transcriptions of their conversations in the game (My memory isn’t good enough to remember them all) but rather my interpretation of their characters as they played them in our gaming session. I hope I do justice to the fun we had playing.

They found Dross in an abandoned tool shed. From the looks of it, the small structure was a preferred hideout for the derelict patrol fur. Copley had not known of it or he would have confronted Dross. The thieves had apparently known just where to find him however.

Bunwick fought to keep his lunch as he surveyed the grisly scene. The possum lay on a sack of sawdust, a bottle of cider still clutched in his hand. He was not playing dead. He had been savagely killed. From the splattering, the murder had taken place inside the shed itself.
“This is horrible,” Bunwick whispered to himself. The others were inclined to agree but said nothing.

“Looks like our boar from the robbery was involved,” Copley pointed to the possum’s midsection, “The tusks are what did him in, I’d say.”

“What I don’t understand, Constable, “Raz started, “Is if Dross was such an untreatable misfit, why would the bandits have even bothered with him?”

Copley mulled over the question, “It does seem rather odd. Unless he saw something he wasn’t supposed to. Or he was in on it from the start and they decided to cut him out of the deal the hard way.”

“Maybe,” Raz conceded.

“Can we move this discussion outside?” Bunwick begged the others. He didn’t want to spend a minute longer in the hellish cabin than necessary.

“Squeamish huh?” Copley smiled grimly. “I guess we’ve seen all we need to see here.”

Bunwick was the first one out of the shed. Even then, the troubling sight stayed with him, giving him a bad case of the shakes.

As the others tended to Bunwick, Raz questioned Copley further. “Did Dross have any friends or family in town?”

“His folks died years ago,” Copley replied. “He claimed his pa’s position in the night guard when he passed on even though he wasn’t half the fur his father was.”

Something troubled Raz about that, “Everybody knew Dross was irresponsible and yet the mayor left him in the post? It sounds like an awful risk to take with the town’s safety.”

“Like I said, the mayor didn’t have the heart to fire him.” Copley reminded him.

“Still seems fishy to me.”

“What?” Constable Copley snorted, “You suspect that the fur who hired you to investigate this mess is somehow involved?”

“I admit it’s a long shot,” Raz again conceded, “But knowing how astute you are, maybe he was hoping we could bungle the investigation for you.” He smiled disarmingly.

Copley smirked but said nothing.

Raz returned to his earlier question, “If he had no remaining family, what about friends?”

“He spent most of his free time at the Noble Doberman with his miscreant friends,” Copley supplied with a sniff of disdain.

Raz’s brow rose, “Perhaps his friends might know something.”

Copley shook his head, “I wouldn’t trust any of them further than I could throw them.”

Raz smiled, “Well then you won’t mind if we go and question them and leave you to continue with your investigation.

“I guess not,” Copley allowed. “Just try to be discrete with what happened here. I don’t want to cause a panic amongst the townsfurs.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you, Constable,” Raz said to the canine. “Come friends!” He gestured to the others, “We’re off to the inn!”

“Finally!” Wilhemina groused, “I could use a snack and maybe a little nap!”

Raz rolled his eyes, “Maybe later, Mina. We’ve got some work to do first…” he explained his theories to the others as he they walked along.

Furship Chronicles: The Furship Investigates – Part Four

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Jun 292013
 

DISCLAIMER: The Furship Chronicles narrate the adventures of our gaming group as we playtest the Age of Animus Storytelling Game. Bunwick is played by Frank, Emeraldine Fiera is played by Melanie, Raz is played by Steve, Wilhemina is played by Fab and Zouly is played by Lyne. The interactions you read are not straight transcriptions of their conversations in the game (My memory isn’t good enough to remember them all) but rather my interpretation of their characters as they played them in our gaming session. I hope I do justice to the fun we had playing.

“What are you doing to my crime scene?!!” Constable Copley repeated irritably.

Wilhemina rose up to her full height, “Only your JOB!”

Raz quickly stepped in, “Er, what my companion meant to say is that we’re ASSISTING you of course!”

“That’s not what I meant to say,” Wilhemina grumbled, “I SAID what I meant to say. When I say things I mean them and I mean what I say…”

Copley peered in silence at the weasel for a second and then turned back to Raz, “I already told you lot I didn’t want your help!”

Raz nodded, “That you did. However, we could not in good conscience stand by while there was evil apaw.”

Zouly sighed, “For Six’s sake, just show him the writ!”

Raz looked down to the frog, “Oh! Right…” He fished the mayor’s writ from his pouch and pawed it over to the constable.

Copley looked over the piece of parchment and frowned, “So you went over my head? Just perfect.” He took a moment to sulk in silence and then finally asked, “Well have you found anything?”

“Just everything!” Wilhemina replied. She held aloft the jar of artificial musk. “The thieves used this to mask their scent!”

Copley curled his nose, “I see…or rather I smell…” He took the jar from Wilhemina and examined it as Zouly presented his findings.

“The thieves accidentally tore open one of the sacks of flour and spilled some. There are boar prints over here.” He pointed to the spill. “Are there any boars in town?”

Copley stroked his ear, “Haven’t seen a boar pass through these parts in months.”

Emeraldine was next, “Under here there are some crumbs from something that was eating bread of some kind.”

The constable considered this new piece of evidence, “That could explain how they got in.”

“That was my thinking,” Raz agreed.

Bunwick shook his head in confusion, “I don’t get it.”

Raz explained, “The thieves send in a rat to hide and wait in the storehouse until dark. When it’s time, the rat unlocks the door and lets them in. Then under the cover of darkness, they empty the storehouse.” He looked to Copley, “Which reminds me, Constable. What happened to the lamp posts on this street?”

Copley frowned, “Vandals have been cutting down lamp posts all over town. At least I assumed they were just vandals. I’m starting to think the plan all along was to cut the lamp posts on this street down so the street would be pitch dark when the thieves struck. The other lamp posts were just to throw us off.”

Raz rubbed his chin, “Sounds to me like this was a carefully thought out and executed plan. I’m thinking the Coven is involved.”

Copley growled, “The Coven? In my town? That’s preposterous!”

Raz shook his head, “The Coven are everywhere, Constable. It’s naive to think otherwise.”

Copley opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. “What would the Coven want with our stores? It doesn’t make any sense!”

Bunwick chimed in, “You know, I’ve been thinking. The thieves must have loaded all that food into a cart. But where did they take it when they were done?”

“Most like they left town with it,” Copley supplied.

Zouly furrowed his brow, “I saw a sentry post when we came into town. Wouldn’t there have been a fur on guard at night? Maybe he saw something?”

Copley snorted, “Good luck with that one!”

Zouly looked quizzically at the dog, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Copley replied, “It means that the town sentry is a good-for-nothing slacker who wouldn’t know a thief from his own backside!”

The sharp reply cut Zouly short, “Oh.” He thought for a moment, “Well it couldn’t hurt to ask him anyway, would it?”

Copley nodded, “I’d have all manner of questions for him, if I could find the bum! He went missing this morning!”

“That’s convenient,” Raz noted. “Perhaps he was in league with the crooks?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Copley grumbled.

Something didn’t add up in Bunwick’s head, “If the sentry wasn’t trustworthy, why was he left in his position?”

“He inherited the post from his father,” Copley explained, “The mayor doesn’t have the heart to fire him even though I’ve told him time and again to get rid of him. Now that we’ve had a cartload of thieves pass right under his nose, the mayor won’t have a choice but to listen to me!”

“Yes about that,” Raz said slowly. “We were camped along the side of the road last night. No carts passed by us from either direction.”

Before Copley could comment, another dog rushed into the storehouse. From his dress, the five guessed he was the constable’s deputy. “We found Dross, sir!”

Copley turned to the newly arrived deputy, “Finally! Where is he? I”ve got a choice word or two to say to that bum!”

“That might be a little difficult to manage, sir,” the deputy warned, “He’s dead!”

“Well that’s not good,” Zouly said darkly.

Furship Chronicles: The Furship Investigates – Part Three

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Jun 222013
 

DISCLAIMER: The Furship Chronicles narrate the adventures of our gaming group as we playtest the Age of Animus Storytelling Game. Bunwick is played by Frank, Emeraldine Fiera is played by Melanie, Raz is played by Steve, Wilhemina is played by Fab and Zouly is played by Lyne. The interactions you read are not straight transcriptions of their conversations in the game (My memory isn’t good enough to remember them all) but rather my interpretation of their characters as they played them in our gaming session. I hope I do justice to the fun we had playing.

They found the mayor just off the town square in the midst of reassuring a nervous goose. “Absolutely Gerty. A message has been dispatched through the Mouse Wing. We have to wait for the capital to reply.”

The goose honked at him, “But what will we do in the meantime?”

The mayor set his paw on the goose’s shoulder, “Whatever we can do,” He put on a brave smile, “But I have faith that Constable Copley will be able to bring the culprits to justice. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the office.” He hurriedly made his way across the street before the goose had a chance to follow up with her concerns.

“This is a nightmare,” he muttered to himself as he walked along. He came up short as he came across the adventurers. “Oh pardon me!” His eyes narrowed as he examined the strangers, “Say, who might you be?”

Raz stepped forward, “Allow me to introduce myself, Mr. Mayor.” He extended his paw, “My name is Raz and these are my compatriots, Bunwick, Zouly, Wilhemina and Emeraldine Fiera.”

The mayor blinked, “Oh er, pleased to meet you I’m sure. You’ll have to forgive me if I can’t exchange pleasantries. There is a lot I have to attend to.”

Raz nodded, “Of course, sir. That’s what brings us to you actually. We would like to offer our services in whatever fashion you require.”

The mayor eyed him suspiciously, “You would?” He took another moment to look the group over, “Ohhh, you five are adventurers, is that it?”

Raz again nodded, “In a fashion yes.”

The mayor softened, “Well, the Six know that we could use the help. Constable Copley is handling the investigation. I’m sure he could use a few more paws.”

Raz made a face, “Eeeh, well actually, we’ve just been speaking with the good Constable and he…” he hesitated.

The mayor understood at once, “Oh right. Copley doesn’t much care for outsiders gumming up the works.” He patted his breast pocket, “Hmmm…let me see, where did I put my quill?”

Raz quickly offered his own quill from his pouch, “Here you are, sir.”

The mayor’s brow arched in surprise, “Oh! Uh thank you. I don’t suppose you have any parchment as well? Oh you do? Thank you.” He took the proffered parchment as well and quickly scrawled a note which he handed back to the wolverine along with his quill. “Here’s a writ authorizing you to act in my name for as long as this state of emergency lasts. Show it to Copley and he’ll back down, right as rain.”

Raz read the writ over and smiled, “Thank you Mr. Mayor. We won’t let you down!”

The mayor smiled grimly, “I know you won’t. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Raz stepped aside and ushered the others to do the same to allow the mayor to be on his way. He then looked to his allies, “Now, let’s go see what we can find out about this mess, shall we?”

* * *

“Have you noticed that all the lampposts on this street have been chopped down?” Zouly asked the others as they made their way towards the storehouse.

Bunwick walked up to one of the stumps, “Looks more like it was gnawed down. See the teeth marks?”

Raz moved in next to him, “You’re right.” He smiled at the beaver, “Good thing you were with us or I’d think you had something to do with it.”

Bunwick bristled at the jest, “I would never do such a thing! I have better manners than that!”

“Easy now!” Raz soothed, “I was only kidding.” His look turned more serious, “You know, with no lamp posts, this street would be almost pitch dark on a moonless night like last night.”

“Perfect for sneaking around unnoticed,” Zouly remarked.

“What’s that smell?!” Wilhemina interjected as she sniffed the air.

The others picked up the scent as well. Zouly pointed to the warehouse, “It’s coming from over there. C’mon!”

He led the group to the front door of the warehouse and stopped short as the odour emanating from the room threatened his hold on his lunch. “Woo! That is a powerful smell!”

The others turned nearly a shade of green to match their small friend. “It’s terrible!” Emeraldine exclaimed.

Raz pulled his tunic up over his nose to filter the smell, “I can see why Constable Copley chose not to search the warehouse right away…”

Bunwick mimicked him, “Yeah, he wanted to let the room air out.”

Zouly gathered himself, “After several hours it still smells this bad. Whatever caused this must still be inside.” He inhaled as much clean air as he could and stepped towards the door and examined the lock, “That’s odd. No signs of forced entry.” He walked in.

The others followed him in a moment later. The smell made their eyes water. “What IS this?” Bunwick groaned, “Even skunks don’t smell THIS bad!”

“It’s not natural, whatever it is,” Raz replied. “Spread out and let’s see what we can find.”

Each fur picked a direction. The storehouse was almost completely empty. They could imagine how the shelves used to be lined with all manner of mouth-watering foodstuffs. Now, only the odd piece of equipment remained. It was Zouly who came up with the first clue, “Hey, check this out!” he called to the others.

Bunwick came over, “What is it?”

Zouly held his arm out to stop him from walking any further, “Careful!” He pointed down to the floor, “Look.” There on the ground was a layer of spilt flour.

“Check out in the middle!” Bunwick pointed in turn, “Are those boar prints?” Indeed there were a pair of hoof prints in the middle of the flour. He circled the mess on the floor.

“It must have been standing there when it spilled the flour,” Zouly remarked. He looked up and saw a nail protruding from the middle shelf. A small tear of fabric still hung from it. “The bag must have caught on that nail.”

“Here’s the bag,” Bunwick observed, pointing down to the discarded sack. “I guess they didn’t want to leave a trail and left it behind.”

“Aw Six! I think I found what’s causing this smell!” Wilhemina called out, nearly gagging. She reached under one of the shelves and fished out a small jar. “Oh yeah! This is definitely the stuff!”

Raz joined her in examining the jar. There was no identifying label. An oily substance coated the insides.

It was Wilhemina who spoke first, “I’ve heard of this trick thieves use where they use artificial musks to mask their scent so that furs with good sniffers can’t track them down.” She quickly added, “Not that I’m a thief! Or would ever use the stuff! I just heard about it in a watering hole somewhere.”

Raz ignored the latter comment, “Yes, I think I’ve read about something like this before. The thieves carefully open the bottle and chuck it into the room once they’re out the door.”

“What an ingenious plan,” Wilhemina marvelled. When she saw the disapproving look on Raz’s face, she quickly added, “Ingeniously evil that is.”

Before the wolverine could chastise her, Emeraldine Fiera’s voice cut him off, “I think I found something as well.”

The others crowded around her as she crouched down low to inspect under another shelving unit, “There are crumbs under here.”

“So what?” Wilhemina asked, “It’s not like the town can live off of crumbs.”

“These crumbs are fresh,” Emeraldine Fiera explained, “It’s as though someone stood under this shelf and had himself a snack.”

“Rats sneak into warehouses all the time,” Raz observed.

Emeraldine Fiera nodded, “Yes, but have you noticed there are no mouse holes anywhere in this building?” She gestured wavingly around the room, “I checked!”

Raz rubbed his chin as he did whenever he started thinking, “Then whoever left those crumbs got in while the door was unlocked. Maybe that’s how…”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY CRIME SCENE?!!”

As one, the group turned to see Constable Copley standing in the doorway. He did not seem at all happy.

“Uh oh,” Bunwick muttered.

Furship Chronicles: The Furship Investigates – Part Two

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Jun 152013
 

DISCLAIMER: The Furship Chronicles narrate the adventures of our gaming group as we playtest the Age of Animus Storytelling Game. Bunwick is played by Frank, Emeraldine Fiera is played by Melanie, Raz is played by Steve, Wilhemina is played by Fab and Zouly is played by Lyne. The interactions you read are not straight transcriptions of their conversations in the game (My memory isn’t good enough to remember them all) but rather my interpretation of their characters as they played them in our gaming session. I hope I do justice to the fun we had playing.

“What do YOU want?“ Constable Copley had been in the middle of taking a statement from a rabbit when they found him. The courteous demeanor he’d shown Lancton’s citizens evaporated at the adventurers’ approach and now his disdain was on full display. He was a well-groomed canine. His uniform blues were neatly pressed and his badge was brightly polished.
“Greetings constable,” Raz started. “We were hired to deliver this to you.” He held out the wrapped package to the dog.

Copley eyed the wolverine suspiciously before accepting the parcel. “Very well,” he said, in no less icy a tone. “You’ve made your delivery, not move on. As you can see, I have my paws full with my investigation.”

Raz stood his ground and nodded, “Perhaps we can assist you in that, sir. We’re always available to offer a helping paw to those in need.” He held his paw out, “My name is Raz and these are my…”

The constable interrupted him, “I don’t rightly care who any of you are. You’re outsiders and worse, adventurers.” His contempt was palpable. He flipped a Shiny into Raz’ outstretched paw and another to his companions. “You’ve been paid for your services now be gone.”

Raz looked down at the Shiny. He was insulted, but he pocketed it all the same. “Are you sure you don’t need our help?” he asked again.

“Did I stutter?” the irritable young constable growled. “I have no need of your help, nor would I accept it if I did. Now leave before I arrest you all for being public nuisances.”

Wilhemina bristled at his icy tone, “There’s no need to be rude!” She stepped forward, “A wise fur accepts help when he’s in over his head as you clearly–”

Zouly cut her off with a sharp jab of his elbow, “Our apologies constable. We’ll be out of your fur now.” He grabbed the hem of Wilhemina’s dress and dragged her along. The others followed along behind him.

“Why didn’t you let me finish?” Wilhemina said irritably when they’d walked out of earshot. “He was being rude and clearly needed a talking to! As a constable, he…”

“…could put us all in lockup,” Zouly finished for her. “Is that what you want?”

Wilhemina faltered, “Well no, but…”

Zouly stopped her short again, “But nothing. He didn’t want our help and annoying him wasn’t going to change anything about it.” He released her dress and started to climb onto Teeper’s shoulders, “Maybe we can talk to the…”

“What are you doing to Teeper?!!”

The astonished voice cut over he was going to say. The group turned their heads to see a female hedgehog standing a few steps away. The look of exasperated horror on her face was evident.

Zouly was still in mid-mount, “I beg your pardon, Madam?”

The hedgehog pointed at him, “You! What are you doing to Teeper?”

Zouly looked down at what he was doing. He immediately hopped off the groundhog, “Oh! Err, well…That is, I was just going to ride on his shoulders…”

The hedgehog stood up and in a shrill voice exclaimed, “Ride on his shoulders?!! What do you take him for? A common steed?”

Zouly grew flustered, “Well no, but…” he quickly changed tracts, “Do you know Teeper?”

The hedgehog looked increasingly indignant, “I’d say I know him a ways better than you do!” She placed her paws on her hips and matter-of-factly explained, “He’s the town tailor. Lived here for more than ten seasons, he has!” She crossed over to examine the groundhog, brushing off the dirt from his grubby clothes, “What have they done to you, Teeper?”

It was Zouly’s turn to be indignant, “We didn’t DO anything to him! He did it to himself! The plum fool scared himself wild! We’ve been taking care of him!”

The hedgehog stared icily at him, “By riding him like a horse? I daresay I don’t care much for your nursing skills!”

Bunwick tried to step in, “Excuse me, miss. But if you know Teeper, then perhaps you can direct us to where his family lives?”

“Teeper’s a bachelor with no family in these parts,” the hedgehog informed him, “I heard he was on his way to visit his sister in Calix’s Cross actually.”

“Oh,” Bunwick looked down at the cobblestone road for a moment then back to the hedgehog, “Well, as you clearly know him better than we do, maybe he’d be better off with you.”

“I dare say he would!” she snapped.

“Excellent! I’m sure he’s in good paws. Nice chatting with you! Bye now!” Bunwick ushered a clearly frustrated Zouly down the street as he concluded the conversation. He didn’t stop until they’d rounded the corner away from the shrill fur.

Zouly grumbled, “What a busybody…” He then noticed Wilhemina grinning gloatingly at him. “What’s got you looking so happy?”

Wilhemina rocked herself on her heels, “Oh nothing. Just that it looks like you’ll be walking like the rest of us from now on!”

“Oh shut up!” the frog snapped.

Emeraldine Fiera turned to Raz, “Are they always like that?”

“Only when they‘re awake,” the wolverine sighed.

Still playing peacemaker, Bunwick quickly interjected himself between the frog and the weasel. “So w hat’s next?”

Zouly glowered at Wilhemina a moment longer. Finally, he took a deep breath to cleanse his system and turned back to the others, “Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by Miss Busybody over there, maybe we can talk to the mayor. You know, offer HIM our services. Maybe he’d be more receptive to the offer.”

Raz furrowed his brow doubtfully, “You want us to go over the constable’s head? That’s not likely to endear us to him in the near future.”

“I think that ship has sailed,” Emeraldine commented.

“Precisely,” Zouly nodded, “It’ll be some time before they can get a response from the capital. They can use all the help they can get, even if Copley is too proud to admit it.”

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Raz admitted. “Let’s go find him!” They followed him as he walked towards the town square.