The Blackwood Heist, Part the First Report
General Summary
After arriving at the top of the cliffs beyond Blackwood Manor, the trio of adventurers set their gear hidden in the bushes and headed down the paved footpath towards the road leading towards the estate. Falling in line with the procession of carriages pulled by all manner of intriguing beasts. Massive muscular goats with 4 horns, creatures similar to the bifalo of Zhargov but colored with a grey, stony appearance, and what appeared to be ostrich-like birds with thicker necks and rich plumage. The guests filtered through the main gate of Blackwood Manor, first passing by Captain Drelmet to ensure the invitations were valid and then being searched for contraband or weapons further in the wall. The group disguises were Lord Mycroft (Vondal) and Lady Kendall (Guinevere) Greenbottle, hailing from Valennia (capital city of Valencourt), and the Lord's aide, Raro'Him. As the invitation only counted for two, Raro'Him's presence was challenged, but the party managed to convince Captain Drelmet that Raro'Him was required to ensure that Lord Mycroft would be able to access his medications (various powders/poisons for the heist) during the event. The searches went without a hitch, as Guinevere hid the few nonpermitted items on her person while the other two members brought nothing suspect. Successfully through the first layer of security, the would-be thieves followed the flow of the crowd to the main hall, where the halfling crier introduced them to the hall full of nobility. The first thing that caught their eyes was the elegance of the hall. Similar to Julius' residence in Hisn Al'Arbe, the residence holds a restrained form of wealth, with a massive tapestry detailing the history of Imaruth spanning the length of the entertainment area. After the room's scale wore off, the next thing they noticed was Lady Chloe Blackwood moving between party attendants, greeting them all and engaging in conversation with everyone there. She quickly spotted their group and introduced herself, thanking them for making the trip as envoys of Julius. She welcomed them into the home and apologized for her husband's absences, citing urgent work out of the house. They were given free roam of the home and grounds for the day, and a rough idea of the following day's gala. The group found their quarters and did some reconnaissance of the vault building and the home, determining that the Lady's broach was on her person and the other items must be located in the exterior vault. They determined that there was a single guard patrolling outside the building, a pair of guards on the balcony, and a number inside. Halfway through the day, a shift change was noted and half a dozen men arrived from various points on the grounds to the vault, telling the team that at least six guards were stationed indoors. The party decided to rest for the evening and do their heist during the gala when the guests and staff would be busy inside the main hall, freeing up the grounds for their work. The day of the gala arrived, and the party spent some time milling about and ensuring that their disguised selves were seen interacting with guests and staff, so their alibi was solid. Raro'Him convinced one of the younger servants to plant some of Lola's madness juice (not informing the young man what it was) in the drinks when "he felt like the party needed some livening up." During the announcement for the gala, the group got their first look at the Count, Ciarti Blackwood. Blackwood was the spitting image of a military man, with a well-groomed mustache adding a touch of sophistication to his overall constrained appearance, and a black dress uniform covered by a red and silver robe, matching the color of his wife's dress. At the behest of Lady Chloe, he introduced himself to the Greenbottles and conversed a bit with Mycroft about a shared military experience, in particular inquiring as to the state of the Gilded Armada. After some pleasantries, the host couple moved on to attend to other business before the dance was to begin. The team split off to mingle and do some prep work before the vault heist later in the evening. Raro attempted to utilize the confuse juice to gain an ally in one of the partygoers, but the effect seemed more to induce a brain fog and speech difficulties rather than susceptibility. Guinevere spotted an opprotunity to acquire the Lady's cloak broach as she entered one of the private wings of the home. Sneaking past a guard with the help of some toppled glassware, she entered the changing room and stealthily acquired the broach. With Vondal covering her exit by striking a conversation with the door guard, the two of them made their way back to rendezvous with Raro and begin the main heist. The trio chose a two-pronged approach, with Guinevere shape-changing into a halfing and entering via a small rear window while Raro and Vondal entered the front door of the vault building, Raro feigning drunkenness and Vondal following behind. The front team held a short conversation with the guards before Raro blew a hallucinogen directly into the face of one of the guards, causing the man to hit the floor and tear at his own skin, trying to remove something inside of it. Guinevere heard the noise and entered a room full of gems with a suspiciously clean square on the floor. A series of non-fatal fistfights began, with the party dispatching of all opponents without killing them in order to collect on the 3000gp bonus from the Obsidian Laurel. The party eventually ended up dispatching half a dozen guards and an enchanted rug of smothering, checking in on every room on the first floor except for the armory (due to the suspected presence of animated armors), the safe room (reasoning that the locks were too time-consuming and they would return after checking the second floor), and the menagerie (due to the confirmed presence of a pair of displacer beasts), finding a host of gems and scrolls along the way. In contrast to the first floor, packed with guards, traps, and artifacts, the second floor was remarkably bare. Plain stone floors and a single un-trapped hallway lead to a series of rooms. On one end, a suite comprised of an office and small apartment with spare outfits for the Count's use during late nights. Additionally, they managed to evade the attention of the balcony guards. Raro remained posted as a guard while Gwen and Vondal searched the room. Locked in the desk drawer was the engagement ring the party was looking for, resting on a letter saying that the marriage between Count and Lady was a loveless one and she was tired of being second to his clandestine work. They collected the two pieces, Gwen adding a note of her own, and the team headed to the other pair of rooms on the top floor. One room contained a series of trapped chests that released a sickly green poison and were full to the brim with gold coins. Between two chests, the party collected 1650 before Gwen decided the lingering damage was no longer worth it and shifted gears to the last room. Dodging an arcane trap on the door, the inner vault was revealed. Seven artifacts sat upon pedestals, each bearing a card detailing what the item was. After a casting of detect magic, the team learned that there were abjuration spells on both the items and cases containing them. Using her last spell slot and the looted dispel magic scroll, Gwen disabled the runes on two cases, acquiring the Lost Map of Tishanos as well as the required dragon statuette. A few moments after Gwen touched the dragon statue, Vondal (standing guard at the end of the hallway) heard a soft thump and the sound of footsteps. Deciding to meet the noise head-on, he opened the office door and was met by Count Ciarti Blackwood, flanked by his two balcony guards.
Rewards Granted
Outer Vault: Gems One large uncut diamond (1,000 gp) Four small faceted diamonds (100 gp each) One bag of diamond dust (300 gp) Four flawed rubies (50 gp each) Four pearls (100 gp each) 20lbs assorted semiprecious stones (360gp total) Scrolls Charm person (1 scrolls) Cure wounds (1 scroll) Detect magic (1 scroll, used to detect conjuration magic in the vault armory) Dispel magic (2 scrolls, used in the vault to dispel the rug of smothering and one of the glass cases in the inner vault) False life (1 scroll) Identify (3 scrolls) Invisibility (1 scroll) Lesser restoration (1 scroll) Nondetection (1 scroll) Inner Vault: Lost Map of Tishanos. The card reads, "Reportedly from Pirate Queen Alessia Morrow. No other records of 'Tishanos' found. Must mount expedition." This weathered map details an island that lies about a hundred miles from an unidentified coastline. The map appears to have been burnt around the edges, waterlogged at one point, and weathered by the sun. Stone Statuette of Dragon. The card does not have any writing but bears a symbol: a circle with five lines extending outwards from the top. A statuette of a stretching dragon wrymling, masterfully carved from a dark grey basalt. Each eye is a moderately large emerald set into the eye socket seamlessly as if it had always been there.
Missions/Quests Completed
Elanis: Located and acquired the statuette, broach, and ring for the Obsidian Laurel. Still missing any evidence to link Count Ciarti Blackwood to the Hidden Hand.
Character(s) interacted with
Lady Chloe Blackwood: A young, strong woman with firey red hair and pale skin, indicating northern heritage. Loving mother to three adopted children and wife of Count Ciarti Blackwood. Cares for the vassals under her rule and wants to do right by humanity. Count Ciarti Blackwood: An enigmatic man, high-ranking officer in Timere's marine corps, and member of the Seabreeze Council. Tall and well-trimmed with a thin mustache and short black hair with flecks of grey. Paranoid and powerful, he's turned the Blackwood estate into a fortress to protect himself and his family. Captain Drelmet: Head of 1st Company "Bastion," the regiment of the Count's private soldiers responsible for guarding the estate and vault. Grizzled man with scarring on his face, shaved head, and broad shoulders. Was manning the inner gate for the festivities. Gartirio, Ballidyr, Turoga, Erylnn, Vidorant, The Luckiest Boi: Members of 1st Company "Bastion." This contingent of guards was working in the vault when the C.U.M. broke in and incapacitated them.
