Sessione 6 -- The Mean Streets of Venice

The party uncovered a plot to smuggle weapons into Venice, orchestrated by the Byzantine Empire and facilitated by the Society of the Red Scarf—an organized crime group with its own dark ambitions beyond mere political subterfuge. Fancy, Nico, Volpeo, Gianna, and Guido pieced together clues about a secret meeting between Orsini (a Red Scarf leader) and Kouris (a Byzantine diplomat) at a dockworkers’ tavern called the Shattered Goblet. Their mission: infiltrate, gather intelligence about the incoming weapon shipment, and find out where it was heading, all while remaining unnoticed...if possible.

The party devised a plan to blend in and staggered their entrances into the tavern. Fancy planned a flamboyant entrance with dancing to distract the patrons. The rough crowd in the seedy bar looked even less kindly on tieflings than the rest of Venice, and her reception was frosty, despite her charms. Nico pulled up his cloak and slipped stealthily into the shadows, taking a seat at an empty table near the door.  Volpeo attempted to disguise himself as a dockworker, leaning on the bar with a swagger and a hidden rapier. The mild mannered accountant cum swashbuckling debonair didn't manage to pull off the gruff, tough-guy act, however, and he elicited only chuckles and smirks as he took a stool at the far end of the bar.

Gianna entered quietly and ordered a drink, choosing a seat to observe and eavesdrop. Guido, ever the generous cleric, stayed outside to charm the window guard with ale and good company, even singing "How Dry I Am" with him—a clever move that would improve his chances for information later.

Fancy’s cleverness soon earned her the bartender’s attention, and she ordered a round for the entire establishment -- a gesture that brought mixed responses, especially from the foreman, Siriano, who she unsuccessfully tried to woo earlier. By deftly pressing him with conversation and drinks, she learned of increased shipments and rising tensions among Venice’s workers, along with the warning “You want to be working out the canal, not be found floating in it, so you don't ask too many questions.”

Meanwhile, Nico and Volpeo quietly gathered further rumors: a disgruntled couple bickered about losing their regular table in the next room to men plotting a major shift in Venice’s power. The man tried to soothe the woman's ruffled feathers by reminding her that once the revolution “gets rid of the Doge,” everything would change.

With the bartender charmed, Fancy gained access to deliver drinks to the secretive meeting in the back room between Orsini and Kouris. Conscious of the fact that Kouris seemed to recognize her from Moncenigo's party, she played the naive waitress, sashaying in and out quickly while Nico, cloaked and unseen, slipped behind her to eavesdrop. When she left the room, Nico stayed hidden, eavesdropping.  Kouris, impatient, pressed for earlier unloading of the dangerous contraband, but Orsini insisted on caution to avoid attracting attention.

Guido, meanwhile, listened in as the dockworkers forecasted the coming revolution and toasted the imminent “days of prosperity” brought by Orsini’s scheme. Volpeo, displaying acrobatic finesse, climbed the roof to position himself advantageously in case chaos erupted. In the noisy tavern, Gianna continued gathering rumors—dockworkers discussed recent firings and the promise of better days once the power shifted.

When Fancy came back into the main room, she again tried to create a distraction by dancing. This prompted the foreman to remark how well she could dance without music, but that she should get accustomed to dancing to a new kind of music. He started to belt out a martial tune now gaining popularity with the dockworkers, and soon the whole tavern had joined in:

The fog is on the canal and the stars shine o'er the tide,

The gull is in the heavens and the dew upon the pier,

The rat within the warehouse and the crab upon the quay,

When the workers of the docks heard the call to end the fear.

Workers of the sestieri, answ'ring the people's cry,

Hark, their steady march is heard from Murano to the Rialto high,

Rise against the signorie, though your task be hard,

Overthrow the tyrants, dockers of the sestieri!

The Dandolos in their palaces with silk and gold arrayed,

The Mocenigos scheming in their halls of marble grand,

The Zianis on their thrones with decrees that bind our hands,

But the tide is turning now, we'll reclaim our stolen land.

Workers of the sestieri, answ'ring the people's cry,

Hark, their steady march is heard from Murano to the Rialto high,

Rise against the signorie, though your task be hard,

Overthrow the tyrants, dockers of the sestieri!

From arsenals and shipyards where we toil from dawn to night,

To the markets and the mills where our backs are bent with weight,

We'll cast off the chains of tyrants, with a hopeful dawn in sight,

And the working classes rising will build a golden age so bright!

Workers of the sestieri, answ'ring the people's cry,  

Hark, their steady march is heard from Murano to the Rialto high,  

Rise against the signorie, though your task be hard,  

Overthrow the tyrants, dockers of the sestieri!

Through their efforts, the party gleaned crucial information: a shipment of weapons was arriving at Dock 47 at 10 p.m., intended to spark rebellion within Venice. It was possibly the last shipment necessary before something big would erupt in the next two weeks. The plan, it became clear, would put the lower classes in charge and potentially destabilize the entire republic.

Once the conspirators departed, the party decided to track the smugglers through Venice’s dark alleys. Here, they faced faced a gauntlet of challenges that risked revealing their pursuit and tipping off the Red Scarf to their plan. There were four men carrying crates through the darkened alleys. The party needed to follow them, ensuring that they could track them to their destination while staying far enough back to keep them from realizing that they were being tailed.

 The alley’s gloom turned dangerous as three burly men emerged from the shadows, intent on waylaying the party and sending a message that the pursuit had not gone unnoticed. Gianna, ever the stalwart, raised her axe while Guido swung his mace, the pair coordinating their attack as Volpeo stepped into the fray with characteristic swagger. With a flourish, Volpeo caught one scout’s weapon, twisting his arm and sending him sprawling to the ground, the clang of steel sharp in the air. Guido and Gianna pressed the advantage, exchanging witty barbs even as they drove their opponents back. A brief but brutal melee followed, culminating in Volpeo delivering a decisive blow and Gianna dispatching the second assailant with a well-placed strike. The chaotic scuffle drew scattered attention, but the party’s unity and humor kept their spirits lifted despite the danger.

No sooner had the scouts fallen and the party progressed another block than another menace revealed itself: a swarm of giant rats emerged from a trash heap, drawn by the scent of blood and conflict. The party rallied, with Guido brandishing his holy symbol and Gianna swinging her axe in wide arcs to drive the vermin back. Nico loosed a crossbow bolt and Fancy danced across the cobbles, nimbly dodging snapping jaws. The rats surged and retreated in waves, their screeches echoing between the tight walls. Yet through coordination and grit, the party overcame the infestation—Gianna’s axe splitting wood and bone, Volpeo’s rapier flashing in the starlight. The aftermath left the alley strewn with twitching bodies and rank fur, a testament to the group’s resourcefulness in the face of Venice’s hidden dangers.

At one turn, a beggar—swaddled in rags and reeking of cheap wine—lurched to his feet and began rambling loudly. Her voice threatened to expose the party’s presence, echoing through the alleyway and drawing wary glances from their quarry ahead. Volpeo responded swiftly, tossing the woman a coin and redirecting her attention just long enough for the group to slink past.

Fancy's quick footwork and sharp awareness caught the movements of a stray dog, whose barking nearly unraveled their disguise. But with an improvised gesture and a whispered "Shh!", the tiefling avoided a would-be disaster. Through clever distractions and nimble actions, Fancy and Nico assured the chase remained alive, as the rest of the group followed cautiously through the labyrinthine passageways of Venice.

With each alley and turn, the city seemed alive with peril, and yet the companions pressed on. Their path finally led them to a neglected part of Venice—a crumbling glassworks with shattered windows and a rusted gate. From within, muffled voices and the glow of lanterns signaled movement. Nico spotted some strange graffiti on a nearby wall and decoded it only too late to realize that it warned of a tripwire trap. A crate of glass shards dropped on him, creating a tremendous noise.

The smugglers, now fully aware of the party's presence, hurried inside the glassoworks to raise the alarm.

At the entrance to the glassworks, the atmosphere shifted from pursuit to confrontation. The party exchanged hushed words, preparing spells and sharpening blades, knowing the time for stealth was past. Eyes met in silent agreement, resolve solidified by their shared trials in the alleys behind them. Guido tended to the wounds suffered in the scout ambush, while Volpeo scouted the perimeter with his customary insouciance. Fancy scanned the upper stories, plotting her route for a potential acrobatic entry, and Nico positioned himself for a decisive strike should the doors be thrown open. Gianna checked her gear and squared her shoulders, ready to lead the charge. The party’s presence, already betrayed by the cacophony and chaos of their journey, promised that the next phase—confrontation with the smugglers and the clandestine operators of the Society of the Red Scarf—would be fraught with peril and possibility.

In those final moments before the assault, camaraderie and anticipation filled the air. The group, no longer mere pursuers but champions standing at the threshold of Venice’s fate, steeled themselves for what lay ahead: a warehouse of enemies, secrets waiting to be exposed, and the peace of the city and future of the republic hanging in the balance.