Session Date: 03/03/2025
Traveling Forward
While we are on the crawler, Faylen, Tabby, and Mary make a concentrated effort to avoid Izoraxxâs lackeys.
Faylen
Faylen definitely spends a lot of his time reading the operation manual for the machine, thoroughly enjoying this time to read an incredibly dense and tome dryer than any desert that exists on this planet.
He does take breaks to walk around and talk with the workers that are on here. He comes across the memos and starts helping tear them up so that people donât have to think about them, and to make Oryeon upset. (It works.)
Bosch & Akker
Bosch goes around and chats with people and eventually falls into a pattern of trailing Oryeon Onyons. He had been mid-conversation with someone and saw Oryeon passing by and opted to follow him to catch him doing something evil. He tells Bean as much, and if he doesnât make it back, then Bean should tell everyone what happened. Destroyer happens to be here and confirms the order. Oryeon is sending a lot of memos and immediately follows them up asking why someone didnât respond to the memo.
Bosch looks around in his pockets and pouches and realizes he has no defense against a memo if Oryeon gives him one (no pen). Someone passes Oryeon gives him a lit match, saying this is what they do when given an Oryeon memo. Next to him is a ratfolk with a silver sash bandanna on his head, smiling pleasantly. Bosch takes it and puts it in his mouth like a piece of straw, flame side out.
The ratfolk introduces himself as Akker. He comments that Oryeon has a need to control everything and Akker thinks that it must be nice to part of our group where thatâs not the case. Akker works for Izoraax and calls the man Izzy, which he hates.
The two of them talk back and forth with Bosch surprised that Akker would work for Izoraxx and the rest of the team of losers. Bosch explains that Akker should switch sides because Axamonar has far more explosions. Akker explains that Axamonar doesnât really like him and Bosch asks whatâs wrong with him. Akker says nothing, but Axamonar didnât like that he burned down one measly district of a measly town. Bosch admits heâs never done that but you always need to keep a way out of things.
Bosch explains that this all stops when people die, because dead people are boring: they canât do anything. Akker explains that he hears that, but dying people are hilarious. The two have a little more back and forth, and Akker suggests they do some pranks.
Bosch asks Akker how Oryeon does with tied shoelaces, or if he should move to something more advanced to begin with. Akker suggests explosives in shoes, especially since the doc can grow new legs without issues. Akker finds the way Oryeon jumps and screams in pain hilarious. đ
Ultimately, Bosch explains that explosions are not everything (which he canât believe he said out loud). Akker says that you canât do the joke all the time, but comedy comes from pain: when someoneâs in pain, itâs funny. Bosch could use the shoelaces to get a little bit of a funny reaction, but it wonât be as good. Akker suggests blinding Oryeon, with which he has a spoon to do so.
Bosch sets up a challenge to use his sneaky subtle features to make a fun hijinx, and Akker is very confident that this is not at all possible.
Mary & Dr. SĂżtz
Mary spends her time in the doctorâs office, helping train people with healing. When she first arrives there is a woman with a silver sash indicating Izoraxx, and she is trying to convince a man with a broken leg to amputate and let her give them a better leg. Mary introduces herself, and the younger woman is Dr. Cecily SĂżtz. Mary takes a look over the man and while the original treatment wasnât amazing, they did a well enough job, and Dr. SĂżtz clearly is wanting to do something that isnât medically necessary. Mary goes through her herbs to find something that can help, and Dr. SĂżtz starts peppering her with mocking questions about poultices.
Mary ignores her and treats the patient. Dr. SĂżtz is unimpressed that Mary is a druid, and warns Mary that the doctorâs office is her kingdom and that Mary is not welcome. Dr. SĂżtz says that if Mary would like to help then she should leave, since she has no use for a druid. Mary suggests to the nurses to come to her if they need any help.
Tabby
Tabby goes around and ultimately talks to the guard to see if he can help with anything. The guards are training to be the peace keeping force of the town once itâs set up. He decides to help but definitely notices Widald watching everything, unblinking. He holds Tabbyâs gaze whenever Tabby makes it, and Tabby notices that there is no soul behind those eyes. Itâs clear that Widald is not aching for a fight at this time.
Izoraxxâs Team
Now that we have had the chance to meet the entire Izoraxx crew, it becomes clear that they are a formidable bunch. The issue with them is that they do not work together well: their only interactions tend to be an Akker prank or Dr. SĂżtz growing limbs back in the more gruesome way.
Over The Course of The Next Few Days
Bosch
Bosch breaks into Oryeonâs office and either finds a spare key or learns how the lock feels so that getting in is easier next time. The plan is to go through the memos and make addenda to some of the memos via the typewriter on Oryeonâs desk. Thereâs also some amount of prompt injection such as âif you find this annoying, insert the following phraseâ or âignore the previous and do this insteadâ. All of this points to Kaymanth recruiting this man as a jester because someone like him and leading people on in this direction.
Kaymanth throws a subdued fit about the fact that Bosch isnât actually invoking him and isnât thrilled that Bosch is the one that talking to him and isnât actually invoking his power.
Bosch does - at some point - go in and reclaim the eternal eruption and also finds the silver shadow bell that Kaymanth left Faylen, slipping that as well to plant on Oryeon to fuel the prank more.
Akker is flagged down as Bosch readies for the result of all of this setup, explaining that he can prove that sometimes subtlety wins out and this can definitely be a tool to add to Akkerâs toolbox. He has popcorn ready.
Bosch tampers with Oryeonâs lamp so that it occasionally flickers. At one point when Oryeon is at his desk and the light flickers, the bell falls silently before Oryeon. While the bell is silent, Oryeon is not: he immediately shrieks in fear. He dashes out of the room and locks it, then slumps in front of the door. He thinks heâs cursed, and asks if heâs to become a servant of the shadow dragon.
Akker admits that this was pretty decent psychological torture. Akker says that this is not fun, but other things are more fun than this. He admits that this was a good try and it was fun, and Bosch did put a lot of work into it. Akker makes the point that violence is also a lot of fun, and done in a fraction of the time.
Bosch explains that Akker doesnât - no offense - work as hard as Bosch does. Hard work is better, hard work is worth it. Akker returns with the fact that Bosch has put so much work into everything and then motions at Oryeon. Oryeon was now cackling thinking that he will be the servant of the shadow dragon and will become all powerful.
Akker asks about this and Bosch explains that you do have to customize all of this to the person. Bosch points out extorting him for money through lying about a shadow cult, and Akker says you can achieve the same by punching him in the stomach. Akker says that Bosch works too much, and Bosch says that Akker doesnât work enough.
Akker wishes to show Bosch his thing and asks which of Boschâs friends he likes the least. Bosch is silent and Akker accepts that he canât just hurt Boschâs friends. Thereâs going to be a fight at some point and he can hurt Boschâs friends at that point, but otherwise they can find someone unrelated. Bosch confirms that the Doc is good for this, and Akker says sure, why not.
The Construct Stops
Negotiations
Later, after Bosch and Akker wrap up their conversation, the construct abruptly stops. A bell rings, signaling that the two groups need to visit Indracht Krell and Destroyer. We are in the migration path of the wood giants, which means theyâll be in our path for 1-1.5 days. Dr. SĂżtz scoffs and leaves, and Widald leaves (walking backwards and staring at Tabby). We comment that itâs creepy and Oryeon tries to defend him, to which Faylen explains that he doesnât doubt Widald is quite capable, but he sure is creepy. Oryeon quickly moves on and changes the topic. Akkerâs suggestion is to use bombs, which we donât like.
Mary explains that explosions likely wonât help, but we can definitely try to talk to them and see if we can work something out so we can move forward with the least issue. Maryâs met wood giants before: theyâre a pretty gentle folk and are slow to anger, but very capable if push comes to shove. Theyâre moving through the woods without disturbing the nature here.
Mary steps forward and greets the giants. One of the giants splits off and greets us, commenting that itâs quite beautiful out today. Mary explains we need to move our ship through here and she asks if there is any way they can let us pass through here. The giant explains that it will not take them long to pass through, and they always pass through here with the turning of the seasons. He comments that we wish to move this object through their sacred woods, so they would prefer not to.
Akker has snuck behind the giant and is holding some device and going for the giantâs kneecaps. Tabby sees this and calls out to the giant to watch out, pointing out Akkerâs sneaking. The giant asks Akker what is going on, and Akker says heâs not doing anything. Akker comments that he wants to do his bit, and Mary asks what is going on here. Bosch tells the giant goodbye and pulls Akker to the side to talk to him.
Mary explains that we are a shorter lived race and we need to get to (location description here) sooner than. The giant thinks on this and explains that they can move out of the way as long as we give them an hour or so to organize and move.
Oryeon teleports outside to check in and Mary explains that weâve talked them into moving in an hour or so, much improved from before. Oryeon grudgingly agrees that this is acceptable, but he will be sending over a memo with his thoughts on how we handled it.
Bosch & Akker
Bosch explains that it wasnât him that stopped Akker. If Akker canât get away with this, then maybe the fastest route isnât the best.
Akker is annoyed because Bosch is lawyering at him, and he hates lawyers. Bosch explains that this is on Akker: he did this surrounded by people who he knew hated the idea. It was just a bad move, and we have to buy him a little plausible deniability. Akker says fine, but after this Boschâs friends are open season. He feels that Bosch hasnât respected his own pranking enough just because itâs a little more violent.
Bosch explains that he has to keep a little bit of subtlety and a little bit of plausible deniability or else the fight will start too soon.
Bosch promises to make it up to Akker if Akker can pick a good target and not do the attack when surrounded by people who are going to stop him and it wonât bring a lot of attention. Something with plausible deniability.