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5: A Pretty Good Concert

🎧 Podcast Link • August 31, 2024

🎤 Pre-Concert Preparations​

As the day of the massive Forge Heart concert dawns, the party finds themselves both flush with resources and buried in responsibilities. They’re set to perform for thousands, with a lucrative 10,000 gold contract from their patron, Sandra. But the concert is just one part of the whirlwind — the illegal street race looms the next day.

Party Preparations:​

  • Helisanna chills, channeling her inner rock star and preparing mentally for the concert.
  • Elspeth inspects the car and the van, setting traps and preparing “BoxBox” (her steel defender) to watch the garage. She also builds a tripwire shotgun trap with an alarm spell for added security.
  • Felonias Bru designs and installs two under-the-table pyro-cannons on either side of the concert stage — dual-purpose as fireworks and defense weapons. Total cost: 500 gold.
  • Silas buys MP3-like “magic stones” to record the concert, investing in a recording kit and planning to resell the exclusive concert audio for profit.
  • Red meditates, reflects, and prepares as a moral compass and on-site medic, with water-based crowd cooling ready.
  • Olivia stays back at the garage with BoxBox, overseeing security and routine tasks.

🛠️ The Venue: Forge Heart​

The Forge Heart is a legendary and archaic magma-forged anvil temple turned venue. It’s largely symbolic, with lava tubes and cavernous acoustics. The party outfits it with:

  • Flame turrets
  • Sound setups
  • Recording systems (assembled by Elspeth)
  • Firework launchers

🧃 Merchandising & Morality​

Silas, ever the entrepreneur, plans to sell limited edition live recordings for 10–50 gold each. He schemes exclusivity and nostalgia-based marketing, channeling his rogue instincts into music distribution. Bru mocks the financial priorities, but secretly admires the hustle.

💣 The Attack at the Show​

Just before the show starts, Elspeth spots three suspicious dwarf-sized individuals approaching Silas and Sandra (who is delivering the first 6,000g payment). Combat erupts.

  • Elspeth blocks the goons and gets grappled.
  • Silas evades capture, gets stabbed, then non-lethally incapacitates one attacker with a psychic knife.
  • Red supports with Sanctuary and Emboldening Bond.
  • Bru launches a mortar firework from the turrets, seriously injuring a goon.
  • Sandra is nearly robbed of the briefcase but escapes. The party captures and incapacitates all three assailants before the show even starts. Suspiciously, the goons were after Silas — not the money.

🎶 The Concert: Chaos & Chords​

The concert is chaotic but powerful:

  1. Start: Initial performance is lackluster (low roll), crowd grows impatient.
  2. Middle: Bru launches massive pyrotechnics to save the vibe. Red blesses Helisanna with Enhance Ability. Crowd enthusiasm grows.
  3. Finale: Glowing-eyed crowd members join the stage as backup bandmates (possibly under infernal influence). Helisanna rises via harness with firework “wings,” smoke blankets the stage. Epic finale saves the night. Despite Helisanna’s middling rolls, the crowd is riveted by the violence, fireworks, and demonic vibes.

🔫 Surprise Ambush #2​

As the concert ends:

  • Four more enemies try to assassinate Silas during the show’s final act.
  • A second battle erupts live on stage.
  • Silas gets shot but evades and retaliates from the crowd.
  • Elspeth and Red join the fight, coordinating spiritual and physical takedowns.
  • One assassin flees as Silas fails a final shot, despite clever positioning.

💰 Post-Concert Payoff​

  • Silas successfully sells nearly all of his MP3s for 50 gold each, netting 5,000 gold.
  • Sandra returns with the final 3,000 gold in a heavy briefcase — but not before criticizing the lack of security. The group realizes (too late) that they were supposed to run the venue themselves.
  • Elspeth’s garage alarm goes off.

🚨 The Garage: Another Intrusion​

Silas and Elspeth race back in a taxi, discovering:

  • The alarm was triggered.
  • Two human “tracksuited” would-be saboteurs — a brother-sister duo — are found unconscious at the garage.
  • Elspeth’s traps and alarm successfully fended them off.
  • The duo admits they were hired to sabotage race competitors.

🍻 Denouement​

  • The group splits: Red and Helisanna go out drinking with Bru.
  • Silas and Elspeth secure the garage.
  • A mysterious cloaked figure approaches Bru and Red, asking for Silas. Red lies convincingly and they vanish.
  • The crew tallies their haul: nearly 14,250 gold, an unusual amount for such a young party.

🔍 Session Highlights​

  • 🎤 Helisanna’s evolving rock-star mystique continues to grow despite middling rolls.
  • 💼 Silas leans deep into capitalism and espionage.
  • 🔧 Elspeth builds, traps, and throws herself into the race prep.
  • 🔥 Bru’s fireworks absolutely saved the concert.
  • 🛡️ Red shines as the protector and moral center — full support mode.

🧩 Threads & Loose Ends​

  • The attackers seemed to know about the payment and targeted Silas specifically.
  • Fans with glowing purple eyes may be linked to infernal or Twilight Company activity.
  • The mystery figure looking for Silas adds more danger to his growing notoriety.
  • Olivia and BoxBox continue to be crucial off-screen characters.
  • The tracksuit twins might reappear.