With the handcart loaded, you set off to the city guard HQ. Though none of you got a good night's sleep, waiting for the scribes to finish the copies at least provided an opportunity for some rest and reflection.

Early morning is upon Kargbeck; though the sun has not risen and darkness still reigns, you can already hear stirrings in the houses and shops you pass. Craftsmen must rise early to stoke their fires and prepare for trade. The streets, however, are empty. After the tumultuous events of the last few days, it seems like the whole city is trying to catch its breath.

At the guard HQ, Holger - well, he's not precisely waiting for you, but he does arrive quickly once summoned.

"Yo, what -" he begins, then catches himself when he sees Adler on the handcart. "Damn, chica," he says to Kasumi, "you the real deal. We thought he was ghost."
Adler moans incoherently in response.
"Yo, Count C!" Holger continues, exchanging an elaborate handshake with the rotund noble. "Mad respect, man. I didn't know you were rolling with this crew."
"To be perfectly accurate, they are not quite my 'homies', as it were," the count explains, "but I am - comment dites-vous? - 'down' with them."
"Cool," Holger says. "A'ight, let's get this sucker locked down and looked at. Hey, while you cats are rollin' up with miracles, what's the skinny on that assassin? You think he bounced? I got a need to hang him with his boss, you dig?"

Kasumi greets Holger with a bow. When he asks about the ninja, Kasumi gives him a shrug. "He must have taken advantage of all the excitement last night and skipped town," she replies. "It's certainly the smart move."
"You got that right," Holger says, giving Kasumi a hard-to-read glance. "I'ma see if Vee Sizzle's gonna call it cool, now that we got Slick Rick here. This lockdown ain't helping nobody."
A dark expression appears on Kasumi's face. "...you're still taking orders from Van Synt?" she asks.
"He's still my boss," Holger replies. "Unless you got some proof to go with your beef."

Kasumi pulls one of the copies of the payoffs from Adler to Van Synt out of her kimono and hands it to Holger. "That I do. I have the real version as well. This was recovered from Adler's hideout."

Holger takes the copy and reads it. His brow furrows and he clearly goes over the document multiple times, until he finally rolls it up. "This ain't proof," Holger says, sounding weary. "It could be made up by the thief. It ain't proof...but it's heavy enough. Could lay a brother low with that if you fought for it." He sighs. "I don't know about you, chica, but I scope that after bringing in Slick Rick here tonight, my man Vee Sizzle can get outta the game. Step down from the big chair and keep his name, you feel me?" He gives Kasumi a 'let's be reasonable about this' look.

Kasumi takes a step forward. "I might not be one of your Hanse people, but I know justice, and I believe that you do as well, Holger. Van Synt not only allowed all that has transpired here to happen, but he orchestrated a fair part of it. Adler's use of drugged children as hostages and thieves, including the children of your own brothers in arms, was aided and abetted by Van Synt. He has completely forsaken justice and the protection of the people in this city for his own personal gain." Kasumi's stance relaxes, but her glare does not waver. "I have some other business to attend to in this city, but I will not be forcing this issue with you. Instead, I trust that you know what is truly the right thing to do, and will not let your affection for what you wanted to believe Van Synt was prevent you from seeking the true measure of justice for what Van Synt really was: a criminal."

(Kasumi's Impress: 1d20+14+4 = 32 VERSUS Holger's Resolve: 1d20+4 = 9

"You're right," Holger says, nodding along. "You're damn right, chica. There ain't no excuse for this shit. And I'm damn tired of Vee Sizzle running this shit like he the king of everything. Brother ain't got nobody to blame but himself now." He grips the handle of his sword and nods to a few fellow guardsmen. "I gotta bounce, chica. I got a boat to rock."
Kasumi nods. "Go with the gods, Holger."
After Holger leaves, the Count clears his throat. "A superlative speech, Mademoiselle," he says. "I'm sure the ensuing chaos will greatly ease your exit from the city."
Kasumi looks at Yukio. "I believe we will be staying for another day or so, Count. We still have business to attend to, yes?"
"Does this business of yours involve any other luminaries of this city?" the Count asks.

"Quite the opposite, I'd wager," Toshiba interjects.

"Herr Adler was simply the agent of a greater evil, my Lord," Aiko adds. "The channel by which his master was able to funnel your nation's gonnes into the hands of the malfeasants of our empire."

The is a harshness to her voice as she says this, as though this crime has affected her personally. "The Blue Oni and Herr Adler's master will doubtlessly seek to re-establish their connection, and it is in this moment of confusion that we have a window of divine grace through which we may be able to expose this scourge of both of our worlds, and see it wither and die with our blades through its foul heart."

Takao returns to his typical quiet self. He stands in the rear of the procession that is handing in Adler, and observes. His armor and weapons are obscured by his travel cloak to avoid advertising the fact that the seal on one of his swords is broken.

The Count nods to Aiko's remarks.

"The fear of that pirate Olafsen hangs over this coast like fog," he says. "But it is a justified fear. He commands, to the best of my knowledge, three speedy caravels that can outrun our loaded-down merchant ships with great ease, and his flagship, a tar-black galleon, carries twelve dozen grand gonnes - pray that you never find yourself the target of a broadside, mes amis, for that sight can freeze even the stoutest heart. That this city yet survives I can only attribute to the rarity of his raids; surely he finds your coastal villages softer targets than Kargbeck, but I do not know how long it will be until he grows tired of them and seeks bigger prey."

The team's glances flicker briefly to Toshiba. The Blue Oni's upcoming meeting with Olafsen looks to be a lopsided affair, to put it mildly.

"We know when and where he'll be," Toshiba says. "It's more than we usually get, and with luck it will counteract his strength of numbers."

Three days hence, 'pon the pier. The corsair shall arrive bearing false flag.

So, tomorrow. Ample time, still, to lick your wounds, talk to people and freshen up your supplies. With the whole Sadatsugu/Adler/Van Synt mess out of the way for the moment, it's time to make a plan for meeting with Olafsen.

(Aiko's Investigate/Canvass: 1d20+15+5 = 23)

Aiko sets to scouting out the harbor, talking to the sailors and trying to assemble an eyewitness account of an Olafsen attack to gain insight into his methods.

There's a slight setback right there: there don't seem to be any eyewitnesses. While sailors will swear their best mate encountered Olafsen and lived to tell the (tall) tale, nobody admits to a first-hand encounter. That Olafsen exists is out of the question, giving his impact on the shipping routes, but you would be forgiven for being skeptical. However, the lack of survivors does corroborate the nigh-universal opinion that Olafsen's one mean son of a salty sea dog: not big on leaving survivors means he either kills everyone in his raids, or kills most of them and recruits the survivors for his own crew. Both theories have their adherents, with the latter seeming the likelier option.

However, the sailors are more helpful when it comes to the business of tides and currents. Kargbeck, Aiko learns, is boxed in by sharp cliffs both to the north and south because it's actually built into a little inlet, with a large rock / sandbank in front of the inlet that acts as a natural wavebreaker. Together with its large central pier that curves around to enclose the harbor area, Kargbeck is a safe port even in wild storms. Once past the bank into the open ocean, the currents get much trickier, especially given the treacherous cliffs and underwater hazards spread all along the coast. Some captains claim to have accurate charts allowing them to run the gauntlet at good speed, but to be truly safe, ships coming in need to approach from the north along the coast at slow speed, making them ripe for the taking with no good way for the city of Kargbeck to watch the area. It's a likely hunting ground for the pirate, as it would also let him range further north to the Imperial coastal villages he loves raiding.

With a bit of help from Toshiba, Aiko considers the implications of harbor defense. The enclosed habor with its outstretched pier makes for a natural staging ground for large anti-ship gonnes, and it's easy to lock down. On the other hand, the pier provides no protection from long-range bombardment, and any ships caught in the fighting are faced with a Hobson's choice* of staying in the cramped harbor bay or risking getting wrecked on the many hazards outside.

(* = A popular misspelling of Hop Sun, an Imperial arbiter said to have compelled murderers into confessing by offering them a choice between doing so and being put to death by hanging, or to be "cleansed of the blood of their victim" by having the skin flayed from their hands and arms. Many men are said to have broken down in tears at Hop Sun's "choice", but you should have seen the guy's conviction rate.)

---

Soon, it becomes time to test the Blue Oni's knowledge of Olafsen. Toshiba dons the armor and tries to relax as Aiko focuses her questions on him.

(Rolling Toshiba's Investigate, as it seems a good skill to make sense of flashes of imagery and disparate pieces of knowledge: 1d20+11 = 16)

"Who are you, really?"

A dozen men. The same man. The first bandit, betrayed by the second and doomed to never find peace. A curse and a blight on the empire since it began existing, but without him, the empire would fall. Chaos, rebellion, lawlessness. An idea made reality.

The one who will never stand with the empire. The one who will stand to the end with the emperor.

A brother.

(1d20+11 = 25)

"What do you know of the man the others call Olafsen and the pirates he leads?"

Godrich, son of Olaf. They call him Olafsen. Warrior born. Fouled right knee that meant he could never ride or lead a charge on foot. A bitter man, given to toying with his victims for his own diversion. A driven man of utmost personal discipline. A master fencer and a natural seaman. Voice like thunder. His crew fears him as a devil when they raise his ire, but know that in all his harshness he takes pains to not be capricious; the same misdeed draws the same punishment, and Olafsen is pragmatic enough that he prefers his examples living and working rather than dead. Used to dealing out of the shadows. Given to moments of despair when he is beaten at something; especially cannot stand being bested by people he thinks his lessers. Confided to the Blue Oni that he would much prefer to conquer a town and call it his own, giving up the dangerous game of captaining a pirate ship, but he knows that the empire would not rest until they had pushed him and his men back into the sea. Took a young bride five years ago, but she soon fell ill and wasted away in his cabin while he stayed by her side for days with hardly any sleep - he still mourns her.

(1d20+11 = 19)

'tis foolish to engage in open battle - the fleet's flagship, the Gungnir, and its crew are the equal of any warship, deadly in gunnery duels and boarding actions alike. Its fast speed is another strength, but it requires tall sails, and Olafsen arms his men with gonnes - perhaps they can be lulled into safety, such that they fetch powder and shot onto the deck to reload their weapons in a prolonged fight. The Gungnir is also large and does not maneuver particularly well, such that it would be an easy target if it were to approach the harbor and its challenges - its domain is the open sea. In battle, Olafsen leads from the front - an easy target for a well-aimed gonne shot, were he close enough to the shooter.

Aiko digests the Oni's answers. So then, this Godrich is a dark and terrible man yet it seems not without some sort of honour. Indeed, she can think of not a few members of the Imperial nobility and their generals whom might be described in similar terms to this pirate lord.

"How do you and Olafsen usually meet to conduct your business? What is his business in Karbeck that would lead him to enter a town where his life is so easily forfeit?"

---

Presumably part of Aiko's investigations included coming across the local equivalent of the Shipping Forecast. What vessels are due in around this time, especially those over due?

And does anyone know what Olafsen actually looks like, apart from the Oni? If not, and if Tosh/the Oni can't draw him, Aiko will ask Toshiba if she can don the armour in an attempt to capture an image she can commit to paper so we know who we're looking for.

(Yay, more flashback rolls! 1d20+11 = 14 [color=red:54cfe8fc68]EDIT: Should have been +13 all along, which pushes this over the edge. Added more information.[/color])

"How do you and Olafsen usually meet to conduct your business? What is his business in Karbeck that would lead him to enter a town where his life is so easily forfeit?"

They meet on land, Olafsen always flanked by two bodyguards. His business is his own, but he respects the Blue Oni enough that he wants to meet in person despite the risk.

[color=red:54cfe8fc68]At the last meeting, Olafsen chattered with one of his bodyguards in Hanse. The Blue Oni could not understand all of it, but the phrase "Thronfolger" - successor to the throne - stood out. It seems Olafsen is messing with vital Imperial affairs here.[/color]

---

(Aiko's Investigate/Canvas strikes again! 1d20+15+5 = 22)

It's a bit difficult to say what ships will come in tomorrow - the vagaries of shipping across the open ocean do not make for timetables - but there are a few candidate. A supply convoy retained by the Count is two days overdue and could show up at any moment. A survey ship sent south to sound the sea for a possibly safer passage through the hazards left a week ago and its supplies should be getting low enough to consider turning back now, but it's hardly fixed. Imperial trade ships show up with little warning and have been known to outrun the couriers sent to announce them. And there's the fishing boats, of course; the small ones may return to the port several times a day to offload their catches.

(Toshiba attempts to sketch Olafsen - using his Crafting skill, but he doesn't have the right focus, so it's rolled as if it's untrained. 1d20+8 = 23, CAPPED to 15.)

Toshiba produces a rough sketch of Olafsen with a borrowed sheet of paper and a sailor's lead. Hey, what do you know, that ain't half bad.

Just for completeness's sake, however, Aiko tries to don the armor herself, reasoning that her advanced deductive skills might produce a cleaner mental image - besides, it can't hurt to try sucking as much knowledge out of the armor as you can manage. However, she quickly finds that the armor does not fit her. Its straps and buckles seem made for every size but hers, and the helmet simply refuses to stay in place. Even when she holds everything on with her hands just to keep it on, Toshiba questioning her as if she was the Blue Oni produces no insights or memories. It seems that this simply does not work.

"Perhaps because I killed the Oni," Toshiba theorizes, "and that is why the armor suits me. I do not care to test that theory in earnest, however."

"I promise Toshiba-san, that when this inevitably blows up and you are killed, I will avenge you in the name of science in order to test that," Aiko jokes

"If I am killed by an explosion, it will likely be my own doing," Toshiba replies with a grin. "Speaking of which, can the Count provide us with the equipment we'll need? Surely handling a menace like Olafsen is worth some material assistance?"

"And I will talk to Holger," Kasumi adds. "I think that we've earned enough credit with him - not to mention how much he would like to have Olafsen dealt with - that he would allow us to blow a moderately sized hole in one of his docks."

(Unfortunately, a browser crash killed the rolls for this post. Needless to say, Kagemaru succeeded at both disguising himself and bluffing quite comfortably.)

Kagemaru uses the calm that has come over the Count's house as an opportunity to get an answer to a question that has reappeared in Adlers lair. And the only one who has that answer is now behind bars. Tired of the quite one-sided use of his skills, he decides to use a disguise this time.

Kage takes the scenic route to the prison, using the spare time to think about other things that lie heavily on his mind. Like, where is Kiara? Has she solved the problems with the clan? Will she return for the rest of their quest?

But since even the most scenic of routes has an end somewhere, the ninja reaches the prison and has to focus his mind on the questions he wants to ask the cunning thief.

He enters the prison and approaches the front desk.

"Tach, Meister," he says
The guard doesn't even look up from his roster.
"Tach auch," he replies. "Schrubb mal gleich dat Blut wech, sonst stinkts hier wieder volle Kanone."
"Wat? Hat schon wieder einer was in die Fresse gekriegt?" Kagemaru asks back as he strolls in the general direction of the cell blocks.
"Aber klar, wa? Dem Adler-Typen haben se voll eens auf de Zwölf gegeben. Der parkt seine Matschbirne erstmal auffer Pritsche. Ick hoff ja, dass er uns nich de janze Butze vollreiert." The guard pauses to laugh a little. "Aber das is ja deine Anjelegenheit!"
"Erinner mich nich dran, Alter," Kagemaru responds with a sigh as he walks the rest to Adlers cell.

There are four cells. Three are empty. One holds Adler, and it's a tight fit between his ego and his headache. He registers Kagemaru's presence, but doesn't acknowledge it.

"Morgen Adler, du siehst nicht sehr gesund aus," Kagemaru says to greet Adler.
"Bestell deinen Freunden schönen Dank dafür," Adler replies. "Was willst du? Hast du einen grandiosen Fluchtplan, den du mir schmackhaft machen willst? Oder willst du dich nur an meiner Demütigung laben?"
"Eigentlich bin ich auf der Suche nach ein paar Antworten," Kagemaru says, while rummaging in his pocket and finally pulling out a flask with white liquid. "Ich habe gehört, du wüsstest was hiervon."
Adler laughs. "Mein kleiner Freund...ich weiß alles über diese kleine Mixtur. Du weißt nur, dass sie dein Ziel töten wird." He taps his finger against the wall. "Warum sollte ich dir irgendwas erzählen?"
"Weil ich den Auftrag ausführen werde. All dies Geplänkel mit den Leuten, die mit mir reisen, hat mich von meinem eigentlichen Auftrag abgehalten," Kagemaru says as he puts the flask back into a pocket. "Also, was kannst du mir über die Flüssigkeit sagen?"

(Noted the result here - Kagemaru's Bluff got a 23 versus Adler's Sense Motive getting a 14.)

It must be the repeated concussion, or maybe Kagemaru's really good at lying when he's actually trying. In either event, Adler's eyes glow with the spark of hope.

"Ja! Ja, wenn du den Auftrag ausführst...dann holt mich Olafsen vielleicht morgen hier raus!" Adler takes a breath. "Hör zu, mein Freund. Das ist absolut tödliches Gift. Schon drei Tropfen in den Nacken genügen, um die Frau zu töten...ich habe es selbst gebraut." Adler laughs. "Ich nenne es Omas Hausmittel!"
"Hat Olafsen noch andere Verbündete in der Stadt, die noch aktiv sind?" Kagemaru asks. "Ich könnte Hilfe brauchen, um meine Begleiter zu beschäftigen."
"Ha!" Adler says. "Gute Frage. Eigentlich sollte dieser Arsch van Synt ja dafür sorgen, dass morgen alles reibungslos läuft mit dem Blauen Teufel. Aber dann kriegt unser Wachtmeister die überaus clevere Idee, mich absäbeln zu lassen und sich den Ninja zu schnappen, den Olafsen für Tingarson angeheuert hat. Keine Ahnung, was er da vorhatte...auf jeden ist der Plan Murks. Der sitzt jetzt im Hausarrest."
"Ja, der is mir keine grosse Hilfe mehr," Kagemaru replies with a sigh. "Gibt es sonst noch wen?"
"Schön wär's," Adler says. "Fürchte, da bist du auf dich allein gestellt. Ich hoff' doch, dass du besser als der letzte Ayami-Ninja bist."

---

And now, for those of our readers who don't speak Hanse...

Kagemaru: What ho, prison guard / I am the new custodian / Let me inside, please
Guard: If it be so, yes / Admittance I will grant you / But do mop up here

Adler: What mockery now? / Lord over me that you won / I give no more fucks
Kagemaru: No mocking is this / But an alliance I wish / (Though it be a lie!)
Adler: Let me speak truth, then / Van Synt worked with Olafsen / Though he betrays us
Adler: His job, to watch out / And safeguard a meeting 'tween / Corsair and Oni
Kagemaru: Thank you kindly, friend / But to fulfill my mission / I need all your friends
Adler: None remain, ninja / You have deposed them all now / Kill the samurai!
Kagemaru: exeunt

Holger welcomes Kasumi to his "office", which happens to be more of a residence next to the guard HQ. It's clearly not his stuff that's still displayed all around the house, and the two guards out front make clear that the city guard's newest commander is still consolidating his position.

"What's the scoop, chica?" he asks.
Kasumi looks around the residence - still filled with Van Synt's things, she assumes. "We have a plan to draw out Olafsen, but I have a few questions."
"Hell, as long as it ain't crazier than your last plan, I'm down," Holger says with a smile. "I got the science, axe away."
"How much do you know about Olafsen?" she asks.
"Uh, pirate motherfucker, scary as shit, burned down Vee Sizzle's crib with his family inside last time he rolled up on good old Kargbeck," Holger says. "You gon' kill him or what?"

Kasumi raises an eyebrow. Yet another contradiction in the tale of Olafsen and Van Synt - why would the captain of the guard agree to protect a man who had murdered his family?
"Are you aware that his real name is Godrich, son of Olaf?"
"Nah," Holger says. "But that don't mean nothin' to me."
Kasumi nods. Better not press Holger on whether or not Van Synt was complicit in having his family murdered. "Okay, now my real question. We need to prove to Olafsen that we are a threat worth taking seriously, his equal in some way. Our plan is to...blow a hole in Olafsen's dock."
"Whoaaaaaaa," Holger says. "Slow your roll, chica. Olafsen's dock? Whatchu talkin' bout? You talkin' like..." Holger looks at Kasumi as his face mirrors the progression of thought through this brain. "Aww hell no. Olafsen's coming here, that it? Fuck. How much time we got to prep our shit?"
"Whoa, slow your roll, Holger," Kasumi says. "We need him alive - and I have a suspicion that Olafsen might not be what he seems. So, our plan is to draw him away from his men and just talk with him."
"That's crazy," Holger says. "You're crazy. How the fuck you gonna catch him chilling all alone? I don't know if you know, chica, but that gangsta rolls deep." He runs a hand through his hair. "Now I got faith in you, chica, but you best tell me how you think this shit gon' go down. Because that notion that Olafsen ain't just gon' ride up with his black ship and drop some thunder on our domes, well, that ain't how we know him."

Kasumi sighs. Fuck it. "He's here for a meeting, a meeting that Van Synt agreed to protect him on. Now, that alone raises questions as to what really went on between Van Synt and Olafsen, but we know that he is not here to raid Kargbeck. However, he is expecting to meet someone who will not be there, so in order to convince him to leave his guards, we are planning on intimidating him by blowing up a part of the dock. Just a hole, we don't want to sink the whole thing. Once we have convinced him that we are to be taken seriously, we lead him to a secluded location and have our talk."

(Kasumi's Sense Motive: 1d20+12 = 22)

Holger's reaction seems to be a realization of betrayal - what, Van Synt was in bed with Olafsen the whole time? - but soon settles down into a cold anger. "Chica," Holger says, "if you ain't had that proof of payoffs you gave up yesterday, I would fuck your shit up right now. Shit. This is...this is fucked up. But I believe you. You talk crazy shit, but you're straight, no doubt. I'ma let you do what you gotta do to talk to Olafsen. You best holler at the port master, too, he'll know what you can blast that ain't too hard to fix. Look, just...you gotta save this city, chica. I got everything riding on your flat ass, so don't let a brother down, you hear?"
Kasumi nods, then narrows her brow in thought. "Err...who's the new harbor master now?"
"Brother goes by Frank," Holger says. "90 pounds soaking wet, hair hanging down to his ass, always running around fixing some shit. You'll recognize him. Try the east docks, they're fixing up some foundations today."
Kasumi nods. "Thank you." She puts a hand on Holger's shoulder. "Stay strong, Holger. You have what it takes to do this job, and do it ten times better than Van Synt ever did. I will do what I can to keep you informed and try not to cause too much trouble. You just keep following that heart and head that got you here, all right?"
"A'ight," Holger says. "Chica...how's a brother like Vee Sizzle jump sets like this? How the fuck can he break bread with the gangster that fucked up everything for him? Just...I don't get this shit."
"I have a few suspicions," Kasumi says. "Chief among them, that Olafsen is not the man he seems to be."
"Well, if you think he ain't what we think, then who you think he is?" Holger asks, genuinely curious for Kasumi's opinion.
"A convenient name to hang crimes on," Kasumi says. "Like the death of Van Synt's family."
"That raid was real, chica," Holger says. "I was a real jit, but I remember that day...playin' at the docks when I feel that wind howling all around me, and I peeped that sail rolling up on the horizon...I knew I had to run. All the way home, I hear peeps shoutin', 'Olafsen comin'!', all the way...my moms and my sisters and me, we hid in the cellar, and we ain't come out for hours. There was screams and fighting outside...I thought my moms was gonna break my ribs, she held me so tight. So what if the name ain't real? The crimes are, chica. Nobody made that motherfucker up, 'cuz if you did nobody would buy the shit he pulled off."
"Not saying he hasn't done some bad things," Kasumi says. "But when you're already known as a pirate, what's to stop someone tacking on a few more things?"
"True dat," Holger nods. "Well, you get busy now, chica. I got two trials and a Plan B to figure out."
"No problem," Kasumi says. "Would it be a problem if I talked to Van Synt?"
"Nah, knock yourself out," Holger says, "but don't knock him out, check?"
"Can do. Good luck, Holger," Kasumi says, and turns to leave - only to look back over her shoulder with a smirk. "And my ass is not flat."
"You know that's right," Holger says with a grin.

Meanwhile, Toshiba has found a quiet corner. He sits a while to calm and center himself, then proceeds to empty out several bags and pouches, arranging the materials in front of him. At a basic level, the tiny traps he is making have some resemblance to loops and snares one might use to catch a rabbit in the wild, or to trigger deadfalls. What Toshiba works on next are mechanisms that no woodsman would need to use - spring steel held in place by twine that dissolves over time when soaked, black powder-infused string that slowly sparks and fizzles along its length, Hanse pocketwatches that slowly tighten and then pull a cord once their gears name a certain time.

It will not be so relaxing once they are hooked up to explosives.

(Epic crafting roll! Since building anything that goes boom from scratch is out of your reach, I'm ruling that you're improving a barrel of black powder into a triggerable explosive charge, which is Metalworking with a complexity of 15D and a silver value of 5. Toshiba makes the actual roll, but first, let's see if Aiko and Takao can help!)

Quite apart from the trigger itself, the barrel of black powder the city guard graciously provides as explosive material for your bomb must be sealed against the elements so that the powder does not become wet even when attached to the docks. Aiko turns out to have an idea for that, inspired both by her cooking prowess and her efforts to preserve documents. Molten wax is added to the barrel to seal small holes, and then the entire surface is slathered in pig fat to provide a a defense against the waves. Is it just crazy enough to work?

(Aiko's Crafting: 1d20+8 = 28, reduced to 15 because she doesn't have the right focus - but that's enough to grant the +1 cooperative bonus.)

Takao, knowing the most about the foreigner's gonnes and how they work, sets to figuring out how to most effectively light the powder with the string fuse. He deliberately loosens up the powder on top, increasing its flammability and thereby improving your chances of actually setting off this explosion.

(Takao's Crafting, +1 for having an Interest in black powder weapons: 1d20+3+1 = 24, reduced to 15 for lack of right focus, +1 cooperative bonus granted!)

Toshiba, however, really has his work cut out with the trigger mechanism. The timepieces alone mean a lot of trial and error to get them to pull their cords in a predictable way, then there's figuring out how to best secure the springs - which leads to a few straight-up jumping from his hands and into the sea, much to Toshiba's consternation - and then the whole shebang has to actually be placed on top of the barrel and attached in a way that will let it function even when water splashes on it. It's wild-ass guess after wild-ass guess, but at the end, Toshiba rates the chances that it will work as...

(And now, the big moment...Toshiba's Crafting: 1d20+8+2 = 22...not good enough, add one action die: 1d6.open = 4 SUCCESS!)

..."pretty good".

Doesn't that just fill you with confidence?

Toshiba pronounces the bomb ready, saying, "It occurs to me that we have not yet had a successful test of this equipment." He shrugs before adding, "I blame myself."