tl:dr - Slagjaw gets a narrow window to retrieve the merchandise. He gathers a team to pull the job off clean. Despite being watched from the shadows he gets out of there. Maybe there will be a future for him in Ashclimb after all.
[session 2 Start]
Player:
So I think Gorran Slagjaw would know how big and how many the stim crates are, right? Does he need help carrying them, and does he know if there are lifts in the section to make an escape? If he needs help, he will likely go to Kurn, his employer, since Gorran is new to town and doesn’t have buddies to help.
Otherwise he would prefer to turn up at Kurn’s door with the crates in hand.
GM:
Yes—Gorran would have a solid sense of how stim crates usually come packed. They’re industrial medicae-grade, typically stored in heavy plasteel cases about the size of a coffin lid and weighing more than a grown man if full. A single crate might be dragged by one person, but moving more than one without a cart or rig would be a slow, grunting nightmare.
There are lifts and belt-rigs in this section of the Ashclimb, but access is inconsistent. The lift near the Coil Yards depot—likely the easiest path out—is shut down as part of the strike and only operational with Guild override. That means the main viable options are:
- Smuggle the crates out piecemeal through side paths or vents (slow, risky, especially with unrest growing).
- Pull in help—Kurn or hired hands—to move them all in one coordinated run.
- Try to find transport or gear locally, like a grav-sled or sump mule.
So if Gorran wants this done quickly and cleanly, he’ll likely need a team or a favor—and Kurn would be the first call, especially since Gorran’s still building his rep in this district.
Want to go straight to Kurn, or try casing the area first to look for gear or shortcuts?
Player:
I’ll ask Ketta if she has access to something to transport them, since she works in the area. But I’m thinking that I need access to that lift by the Depot. My best chance of getting the codes is Kurn, but I don’t think we established him as a Guilder, only an invested individual. Otherwise it might be a fight with the picketers, and they out number me.
I think… ah man. I go to Kurn. I tell him I got the location of the stim crates and need that access code, a couple of extra hands and a transport.
GM:
Ketta lets out a sharp little laugh when you ask her about transport.
Ketta: “What, you think I moonlight as a freight hauler? I sling parts and data, not crates. But…”
(she shrugs)
“You clear a path and I might know someone with a rig. Don’t ask me for more till you’ve got the route.”
So—Kurn it is.
The climb to Kurn’s holdfast takes you through a cleaner slice of the Ashclimb, where fire-welded doors bear personal emblems instead of Guild seals, and the ash settles lighter on the walkways. When you knock, a dull chime answers—one of those buzzer tones meant to announce someone important is waiting.
The door unseals, and Kurn greets you in his usual way: robes parted just enough to show the sidearm on his hip, face unreadable behind smoked goggles.
Kurn: “You’ve got something for me, Slagjaw?”
When you explain what you found, Kurn doesn’t blink—but the corner of his mouth tightens.
Kurn: “Stim crates from the depot. That’s not just debt recovery—that’s capital control. Guilds will want their cut.”
He walks a short circuit of the room, pulling data-slate cords out from a wall socket as he paces.
Kurn: “I can get you a code. Not clean, but it’ll ping green for fifteen minutes. I’ll send two workers—silent, obedient. You get the crates, you get them back here. No mistakes.”
He pauses, then adds:
Kurn: “And Slagjaw… if the picketers jump you, don’t kill anyone with a Union patch. Scars I can explain. Corpses are harder.”
He turns, waiting for your answer.
Want to take the offer as is—or ask for more (or less)?
Player:
That last comment causes Slagjaw to grimace. He is thinking to himself that he would have preferred gangers to workers.
“How many crates did you give them? Can we get them all in one go? If you want it done cleanly we have to be able to move fast and quiet.”
GM:
Kurn gives a slow nod, almost like he expected the question.
Kurn: “Six crates. Full shipment. They lifted it from a waystation in Upper Coil—meant for a Guild enforcer barracks, not the Yards.”
He taps his data-slate once and turns it so you can see. A rough schematic flickers up: a Depot schematic with six crates marked in a half-circle inside a container room. Only one hallway connects it to the lift.
Kurn: “Three of them can be stacked. The others will need to ride separate. You’ll need a flatbed sump crawler to do it in one haul—I’ve got a line on one, driver owes me favors. You get the code, the crawler, and the two hands.”
He lowers the slate.
Kurn: “But speed and silence aren’t cheap, Slagjaw. You want a cleaner run than muscle-and-threats, I’ll need more than your usual cut. You want to impress in this town, you pay in effort or blood.”
You get the sense he’s offering you two roads:
- Option A: Take the deal as is—quieter, faster, cleaner, but your take from the job will be lower.
- Option B: Push back—ask for a better cut, or ditch the crawler and do it rough-and-loud.
Which road does Gorran walk?
Player:
“You’re gonna tie my hands and then starve my cut?! When I am getting YOUR merchandise, for you? Fine forget your favor. We’ll drag ‘em across the ash. For slag’s sake.” I will tell him the meeting place and time.
I think we are ready for the mission.
GM:
Kurn doesn’t argue. He just watches you rant with that glacier-still calm of someone who doesn’t need to explain himself.
Kurn: “Then drag them. But don’t break them. If that stim gets corrupted by the dust, it’s just sludge with a fancy label.”
He sends the code anyway—flashes it to your slate on a tightband signal and marks two of his crew for pickup. You leave with the override key, two sets of eyes to help move the crates, and the distinct impression Kurn would be just as content if this whole plan failed… as long as someone else took the fall.
Job Setup: The Stim Heist
- Objective: Extract 6 stim crates from a sealed Depot room in a strike zone.
- Timeframe: One run, 15-minute lift access window.
- Assets: 2 hired workers, 1 loading rig (manual), strike zone access code.
- Risks: Union picketers, random scavengers, Guild patrol sniffing around.
- Reward: Favor with Kurn, and the stim cut (if delivered intact).
Want to dive straight into the mission? Or do you want to set the stage—check the strike zone, prep the route, or talk to your two helpers before the job starts?
Player:
Ketta is there right? I hand her the key card back and tell her to lead the way, and remind her that I will hunt her down if she tries to double cross us. She said it will work out bad if I am seen with her so I send one of the workers with her. Once they check that the coast is clear they are to signal for us to come with the manual loading rig.
GM:
Ketta takes the keycard back with two fingers like it might burn her, then slides it into a pouch sewn under her jacket collar.
Ketta (dryly): “I’m flattered by your trust, Slagjaw.”
When you remind her of the cost of betrayal, she doesn’t argue. She just nods—and you catch the way her jaw tightens. Whether from fear or pride, it’s hard to say.
The worker you send along is a brute of a man named Telg, thickset and silent, the kind who doesn’t blink much. He falls in step beside her with a grunt, and the two disappear into the side streets, heading for the Coil Yards access gate.
The second helper—Larra, smaller but wiry and sharp-eyed—waits with you beside the rig: a rust-stained loading cart with a squealing traction unit and barely charged power cells. Larra watches the rooftops while you wait, tapping a stress rhythm on the handle of her toolbelt.
Fifteen minutes pass. Then your slate pings—a green flashcode from Telg. Coast is clear.
The lift is operational. The route is prepped.
Larra grins and slams the rig into motion.
Larra: “Let’s go bag some medicine, boss.”
Next Scene: You arrive at the edge of the Depot compound. The strike zone is eerily quiet, the kind of silence that feels arranged. Ketta and Telg are waiting by the side door—marked with Union graffiti, now hastily scrubbed. The lift terminal hums with weak life, keycard scanner blinking amber.
Want to proceed straight in and hit the crates? Or pause to prep, ask Ketta questions, or scan the area for trouble?
Player:
We have a limited time frame. I tell Telg and Larra to load the trolley. I have just a Quick Look around before me and Ketta start picking up a crate.
GM:
As you wave Telg and Larra in, they hustle forward without a word. The loading rig rattles and whines as it crosses the threshold into the depot’s interior.
Inside, the stim crates sit just where Kurn’s map said they’d be: stacked in a half-circle like a forgotten offering. They’re marked with faded Guild medicae symbols—T12/Burn Suppressant, G10/Combat Cocktail—and sealed with vox-tags that chirp angrily but weakly, either low on power or overridden by the lift key.
Larra cracks a grin.
Larra: “We’re gonna be rich on resale and ulcers.”
Quick Look—Awareness Check
Your eyes sweep the depot while the others work. The industrial gloom plays tricks with depth—conduits wrapped in cloth, old scaffoldings sagging overhead—but nothing’s moving. Still, there’s a strange sound—not boots or voices. It’s more like a scraping, skittering sound, up near the ducting.
You glance upward.
A pair of hollow eyes blink back. Then vanish.
Someone’s watching. Or something.
Ketta sees your reaction as she grabs a crate with you.
Ketta (low): “You saw it too, didn’t you.”
Before you can answer, Larra whistles—“Three loaded!”—and Telg’s hauling the fourth into place.
Ketta: “We leave now, we’re in the green window. You wanna poke around or push through?”
You have maybe five minutes left before the lift window closes.
Push forward—or check the vents?
Player:
Push forward. The faster we get this out the smaller the window of opportunity for any reprisals.
And a pair of ‘hollow eyes’ sounds like another Tuesday spook. Not a picketer waiting in ambush. Naturally I am keeping an eye out as we go. Gun out. I already calculated that if some monstrosity comes out we can drop a crate to keep it occupied.
GM:
The lift groans as it descends, the floor rattling beneath your boots. Larra and Telg are hustling now—no wasted motion—muscle memory and urgency blending into a rhythm. You and Ketta shove the fifth crate into place as the last crate slams down with a jarring thud that echoes like a bell in the hollow Depot.
Larra (half-joking): “You ever feel like you’re stealing from ghosts?”
Telg (deadpan): “No. Ghosts don’t pay bounties.”
You roll the loading rig onto the platform. The lift chimes once—access verified—and begins to ascend toward the street level gate.
Ascent Phase
Your eyes are scanning constantly. The vents, the walls, the shadowed supports above the cargo rails. You catch another flicker—movement, definitely—but it doesn’t follow. Not yet.
Gun drawn, you press yourself near the crates. One crate could be sacrificed, sure, but each one dropped weakens your score… and your standing with Kurn.
Then the lift shakes. Just once. Like something heavy landed nearby.
Ketta flinches. Telg reaches for his stubgun. Larra starts muttering under her breath.
But nothing comes.
Not yet.
Final Gate
The lift locks into place at the street level. The blast door slides open, revealing the corridor to the alley where Kurn’s operatives should be waiting.
No picketers. No Guild. No freakish watchers. Just your team, your crates, and the thrum of a win narrowly earned.
Ketta (quietly): “We’re through.”
Job Complete: The Stim Heist
- Six crates retrieved.
- No loss of goods.
- Minimal exposure.
Rewards:
- Favor with Kurn increased.
- Gorran gains reputation as a reliable—if blunt—asset.
- Ketta’s loyalty… complicated.
Would you like to do a wrap-up scene with Kurn or anyone else? Or cut to a later moment—perhaps rumors swirling, a new debt arising, or a complication revealed?
Player:
How about a scene where we have just delivered the goods, Kurn sees me and Ketta out and there me and Ketta have a moment?
As Ketta turns to walk away I grab her shoulder. “Hey partner! Where’s a good place to get a drink around here? How about the Gutline?!” I jest with a laugh. Naturally gripping her coat tightly so that she can’t just walk away.
GM:
The crates are stacked like gold bars in Kurn’s receiving bay, grime-streaked but intact. He barely glances at them before nodding—just once—and muttering something to a pair of his aides. They vanish into the gloom to inspect the haul.
Kurn walks you both to the edge of his compound with the quiet satisfaction of a man who got exactly what he expected. He doesn’t say thank you. Just gives you that ice-chip smile.
Kurn: “You keep earning like that, Slagjaw, and maybe this ash heap will start looking like a future.”
Then he’s gone.
You and Ketta step out into the street’s dim haze, sulfur lamps casting everything in dull amber. She exhales like she’s been holding tension in her lungs the whole time. Starts to turn away with no fanfare—
—and that’s when you grab her coat, yanking her to a stop.
Gorran: “Hey, partner! Where’s a good place to get a drink around here? How about the Gutline?!”
Your laugh is light, but your grip isn’t.
She stiffens. Doesn’t look at you for a beat. Then slowly turns her head, that sharp grin crawling back onto her face.
Ketta: “Only if you’re buying. Gutline’s pisswater unless you know the barmaid.”
She peels your fingers off her shoulder, one at a time. Doesn’t shrug. Doesn’t flinch. But her voice dips low, tight.
Ketta: “Next time you grab me like that, Slagjaw… make sure you don’t want me sober when it happens.”
Then she walks off toward the lights. Doesn’t hurry. Doesn’t look back.
Want to follow her and continue? Or let her go and close out the scene with a final moment for Gorran?
Player:
I look dumbfounded for a moment, trying to figure out if she was taking me seriously about the bar in front of which I beat up Brask or she was trying to get rid of me.
By the time I come to my senses, the moment to intimidate her into drinking with me has past by. Instead, I pull out a pouch from my coat pocket. “Hey, Ketta! Your stuff, as agreed.” And throw the pouch for her to catch.
I then walk the other direction to head to the room I rent.
GM:
She doesn’t turn when you call out—but her hand snaps up, catching the pouch in midair without missing a step.
Ketta: “Thought you’d forget.”
She doesn’t stop walking. Just pockets it and lifts one hand in a loose wave behind her, fingers twitching in something halfway between thanks and dismissal.
You stand there for a second longer, the sulfur glow painting long shadows off your boots.
The streets of Ashclimb feel quieter than before. Less tense, maybe. Or maybe it’s just that you earned yourself a night without someone bleeding on your coat.
You turn and head down the alley that leads to your rented hole— past steam vents, rusted gutters, a flickering shrine to the God-Emperor’s broken promise— and the distant echo of laughter from the Gutline, still ringing in your ears.
[Session 2 End]
