The Lightfoot Plan

Note that many of the details on this page are not public knowledge.

Background

Lotho Lightfoot, Winter 824

Ever since meeting Overwatch Commander Lotho Lightfoot during the events of Black Watch: Let it Burn, Zardoz has been considering how to take him down.

While on the one hand Zardoz was quite impressed by just how many rackets Lightfoot was running, he also became very concerned about the long-term effects of Lightfoot’s foolish bias that allows halfling criminals to avoid punishment, and he has a particular loathing of the slave trade in which Lightfoot is engaged.

Zardoz has been working at improving his shapeshifting abilities, and while on a long voyage to the east formulated a plan. When most of the party disembarked at the Seagate Guild Outpost of Freeport, Zardoz elected to return with the ships (along with Peter and Ari) in order to finalize matters.

The Caper

Arrival

When the Celestial Breeze (now conveniently departed Seagate for Ebola and distant parts) arrived back in Carzala, some passengers and crew left the vessel, including a rather piratical looking halfling, “Ranaldo the Red”, seeking to lose and gain coin in Seagate. He took a room in a hostelry befitting a ship’s officer, and began spending his backpay in inns, bathhouses and especially gambling dens.

First Contact

During a game of cards in a fashionable salon he happened to meet Commander Lightfoot who was out for a night’s entertainment. Ranaldo gave due deference to the famous Commander, enthralled by his stories of high society and the politics of the city. Ranaldo bought Lotho dinner, plied him with good alcohol and within a few days had become a very useful companion.

Over the next few weeks Ranaldo began doing more and more off-book tasks for Lotho, judging that the Commander would be quite happy to hand off work to others, especially if it was suggested that it was beneath him. Ranaldo in turn acquired Burke as a flunky, someone who could go into lower-class areas and mingle with other humans more discretely and used street urchins to convey messages.

The Ingénue

When sweet and innocent Ava Underhill blushed at Commander Lightfoot and stammered her pleasure at meeting such an illustrious figure, he was initially surprised, but quickly recovered, deciding that finally a woman was realizing what an amazing catch he was.

Morning Teas turned to Lunches, Lunches to Dinner. In late Breeze Ranaldo told the Commander that he must once again set out to sea, and that as a parting gift for his good friend, he had rented a suite at the exclusive Sweet Riding Inn so that Lotho might entertain Ava in style.

Ranaldo, good friend that he was, ensured everything would be perfect in the room, with fresh flowers, scented candles, and even a new rug.

The Setup

Later the same day Burke met with the traffickers putting indentured servants aboard Union ships and let them know that there would be a pickup that night at the Sweet Riding Inn. The consignment was a fence who Commander Lightfoot had caught skimming, and that the villain was hiding out at the inn. The traffickers were to come up the back stairs, get the consignment and take it to the Union ship Bolton Bay, sailing that night for a rendezvous with the Pride of Adjepbar, bound for the slave bazaars of Samakar in Arabie.

In the evening Lotho and Ava had a delightful anticipatory supper in the inn’s dining chamber before leaving the Commanders guards in the lobby and repairing upstairs.

Somewhile later Scott and Wills, a couple of burly lads working for the traffickers, crept up the back stairs and knocked at the suite door. Lightfoot himself opened it and indicated the rolled carpet, giving it a final kick for good measure before they lugged it off (Scott peeking inside to see an insensate halfling in merchant’s clothing, with a badly swollen face, and a bad haircut).

Ava alighted the inn’s main stairs, waved shyly to Lotho’s guards, and let them know he’d be down in a minute, before heading out into the warm night.

A few minutes later a downcast and somewhat dishevelled Lightfoot descended to the lobby and allowed his guards to escort him home. The Commander’s subdued demeanour sparked rumours.

Whatever the exact cause, it was noted that Lightfoot was in a foul mood the following day, Ava was not seen, and there was no sign of further assignations. With Ranaldo gone, Lightfoot was bustling about busier than usual for the next few days.

The Payoff

The last W'ansday in Breeze Lightfoot was not seen at Watch HQ, and when his assistant finally summoned up the courage to check the office a scene of chaos was discovered. Lightfoot’s desk had been ransacked, hollowed out books lay empty and open on the floor, and a floorboard had been prised up. Remains of a torn bag suggested its previous contents as did the shilling that had rolled under the desk. Lightfoot’s house was similarly vacant, items of value gone, and half-burnt papers in the grate.

Sir Gordon Chisholm, Captain of Griffin Company alerted the Palace and Mayor, then began investigating. He discovered accounts of Lightfoot retrieving cash he had stored with several moneylenders, as well as a large cash withdrawal secured against his house. From the burnt papers and other documents located in his house and office a worrying picture began to emerge, hints of embezzlement, extortion, and leasing out parts of Seagate to criminal gangs. The ducal astrologer, asked for assistance in locating the Commander, received a clear reading of a long sea voyage.

Welcome to Samakar

Rousing muzzily from a death-like sleep Lotho realized he was stuffed into the corner of a ship’s hold, surrounded by a crowd of raggedly dressed people. As he searched though unfamiliar clothes a note came to hand. Marked with Sanctuary and Seagate gang signs it read: “We know what you did. Your life is forfeit if you return”.

High above the deck a voice cried out: “Land Ho!”

Personae

Ranaldo

Ranaldo the Red, piratical halfling.

Ranaldo the Red, piratical halfling. Speaks common with a Folksprach accent, carries two distinct daggers with red leather grips and ivory skull pommels.

Claims to be originally from Alcazar, capital of Ranke, and who after spending a time in Sanctuary as an “officer in the Sanctuary Navy”, managed to cross a local gang and took to the sea for his health.

Ranald is looking for opportunities in Seagate to “vary piracy with a little burglary” and will by pure random luck just happen to bump into Commander Lightfoot in his less legal life and hit it off as an obsequious toady.

Not Public

The daggers are nothing special, just fancy “tourist” stuff picked up on the way home and tricked up to be very memorable.

Investigation into Ranaldo’s background may reveal his Sanctuary Navy claims as false, and discover that his real name is Ranald Rosenstein, aka Ranald of Freetaun, originally from Hurrel in Westmarch, and probably still wanted up there. The Sanctuary claims are deliberately weak – every pirate claims to have been in the Sanctuary Navy – though Zardoz has a decent knowledge of Alcazar having family there. The Freetaun and Hurrel evidence will be solid.

Zardoz is well aware of Lightfoot’s interests, habits, and peccadilloes, it shouldn’t be hard to get into the same card game or similar, offer to buy him dinner, and so on. The intent is to be a useful flunky on Lotho’s criminal side as this is something Zardoz knows less about than his Watch activities, to gain his trust, and then get a good understanding of his movements outside of the Watch, who he contacts, his criminal contacts, and where he keeps his ill-gotten gains.

Burke

Giles Burke.

Giles Burke, human ne’er do well and drifter, someone perpetually down on his luck, and up for anything that promises quick cash. Competent with a knife but without the stomach for killing. Not someone you’d trust for complicated tasks but can carry a message or act as a lookout and so on. Originally from Seacroft and grumbles often about the unfriendly folk there. Intent is to be a human flunky of Ranaldo’s, and an intermediary / cut out for arrangements with the indentured servant / slave trade crowd out of Southport.

His story will check out, if anyone even cares. Aloysius Took, respectable town father and pub owner in Seacroft will have nothing good to say about Giles and can recount that after he was thrown out of the pub once too often, he was then thrown out of town altogether. Aloysius is Dart’s grandfather, and once upon a time head Thief trainer at the Guild.

Gideon

Gideon, gutter-snipe.

No other name, human urchin, about 12 years old, born and raised in the Seagate gutters. A typical example a Seagate street-rat or gutter-snipe. Will carry messages across town for a farthing, will carry (still sealed) messages across town for ha’penny. Bright enough to stay out of the way of the bigger kids, very quick on his feet and moderately skilled with a thrown cobble.

Intent is socially invisible conduit between different groups and be able to go almost anywhere if carrying a message.

Zardoz has pretended to be street urchins even before gaining shifting abilities; part of his wannabe edge-lord rebellion against growing up on an estate with plentiful food, first rate education, and a chance to be involved in flavour testing restoratives.

Ava

Ava Underhill

Ava Underhill, personality loosely based on Albo Underlake the young halfling woman that Black Watch rescued from the fire cult. Frilly and frothy, shy and innocent, and very much overwhelmed to have attracted the lofty attentions of the vaunted Overwatch Commander. <blush>

Drinks purchased, and some gentile carousing at appropriate pubs should create a credible cover as a vague hanger-on of “Proudfoot’s group” and a belief that she lives somewhere around Mimbleberry Close in Fairtown (in the halfling part of New Seagate outside the walls) with a large and overly inquisitive family which provides cover for never wanting any of them meet her beau.

Equipment

Zardoz has endeavoured to keep this plan as low-tech as possible, with almost all of it depending only on his shape changing ability, clothes, a few accessories, his training (Assassin, Spy, Thief, Courtier, Troubadour), and enough cash to splash around.

Swelling to Lotho’s face to further disguise his features (beyond the change of clothes and rough haircut) could be achieved physically, but liberal application of stinging nettles/poison ivy/poison oak or the local equivalent could assist.

The only piece of special equipment that the caper (as described) relies on is Rank 6+ Ice Hibernation (S-6) invested charges or Rank 9+ Necro Petit Mort (S-10) charges – either would work to keep Lotho out of it for the voyage to Samakar. These don’t seem terribly exotic and I’m assuming a couple of charges (resistance). The less desirable option involves Herbalist sleeping draught, which should keep him out until the ship transfer, but will then wear off.

General outlay: 1,500sp
Special Equipment: 3,500sp
Sending Lotho Lightfoot down his own slave-trading pipeline to Arabie: Priceless.