Befriending a Rooftop Urchin

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Befriending a Rooftop Urchin

The following actions are in Spite.

A Cold Night

The icy fog cuts like a sharp word. Best stay inside and shovel coal into the fire.

Mmmm… what? Eh?

The small hours. A noise somewhere in your house. Investigate.
Unlocked with Shadowy 3
Shadowy challenge

Reward spoiler

A frozen little sparrow

Inside your parlour, huddled up to the smouldering remains of the coal fire, is a scruffy wretch of no more than twelve. The urchin is cold enough to not much care that you've found him.

He says 'Tell you what, guv, I've got some decent junk stashed on your roof. Let me warm up and I'll share it wiv yer.' Why not? You're losing nothing, and it is bitterly cold outside.

Shadowy increase
An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 1 - A Ragged Associate!

The Brazen Urchin Returns

Perhaps that urchin who sometimes perches on your roof will be back with the scraps he promised.
unlocked with Befriending a Rooftop Urchin 1

Check the roof

Was it right to trust an urchin?
Unlocked with Shadowy 8
Shadowy challenge

Reward spoiler

An urchin's confession

The Rooftop Urchin is as good as his word. He presents you with a pungent sack of round knobbly things, broken brass ratwork and a matching pair of chimney pots. 'The Relickers will lap 'em up, so they will' claims the Brazen Urchin confidently. 'No worries. And there's more where that came from if I can use yer parlour on cold nights, and yer can spare the odd currant bun. 'Elp out a orphan, would yer?'
The Brazen Urchin pauses to wipe a grubby paw along your sideboard. 'Well, to be 'onest wiv yer, I'm not really an orphan. More what you might call abandoned. Me ma and da are villains, I've 'eard. Still, makes no odds to me. Pleasure doin' business wiv yer.'

Shadowy increase
8 x Certifiable Scrap
An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 2 - A Ragged Associate!

Robbing the Ruins

The Brazen Urchin peers down from your guttering…'Got a tip for yer. Might be worth yer time, guv.'
unlocked with Befriending a Rooftop Urchin 2

'Wot do yer say?'

'There's a old church I know. Boarded up and that. Should be some candles and stuff inside. Tell you what. You do the heavy stuff, and we'll split the proceeds.'
Unlocked with Shadowy 13
Shadowy challenge

Reward spoiler

A tidy job

The old church is now a haunt for bats. Not even a rat down on his luck would call this ruin home. Still, your roof-perching associate was right. It doesn't take much work with a crowbar and a chisel to break into the old vestry. You split the haul of candles back at your place, over tea and currant buns.

Shadowy increase
Gain: 80 x Foxfire Candle Stub
An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 3 - A Ragged Associate!

The Brazen Urchin Proposes a Deal

The urchin that haunts your rooftop is back…He peers down, looking like he has something of import to impart.
unlocked with Befriending a Rooftop Urchin 3

Poor lost mite

'Ive got some good stuff for yer, guv. But I needs yer to track down two people. They's somewhere in Spite. Me ma and me da.' He shows you a ragged, blurry photograph of a young couple dancing.
Unlocked with Shadowy 18
Shadowy challenge

Reward spoiler

Thank you, officer

Of all the people to ask in Spite, you find the trail of the urchin's parents by speaking to a Constable. The gentlemen in blue are also looking for this couple. Once you know this, the search becomes much easier. It's a matter of hours before you track the couple to a room in a filthy flophouse near Flowerdene. It would probably be best to have a closer look before you report back to the Brazen Urchin, though.

Shadowy increase
An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 4 - A Ragged Associate!

A Good Look at the Brazen Urchin's Parents

They're a handsome couple…But they're hiding out in the squalor of a Spite flophouse and the law's after them.

Take a closer look

They're being careful. But perhaps you're stealthy enough to learn more.
unlocked with Befriending a Rooftop Urchin 4
Unlocked with Shadowy 23
Shadowy challenge, straightforward at 35

Reward spoiler

A right pair of villains

You see the couple sharing a rat pie in a pub. Their gazes tell you that this couple are passionately devoted to each other. But the Hot-Headed Ruffian and her husband the Hard-nosed Robber have problems. Their last few robberies were blood-soaked disasters, and the Constables are after them in earnest. What are you going to tell the Urchin?

Shadowy increase
An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 5 - A Ragged Associate!
Gain 100 x Whispered Secret

What Will You Tell Him?

You've found that the Brazen Urchin's parents are criminals, hiding out in a flophouse in Spite…What are you going to tell him?
unlocked with Befriending a Rooftop Urchin 5

Option 1: Tell him where they are

No matter what they've done or what state they may be in, the Brazen Urchin deserves to know where his parents are.
Unlocked with Shadowy 28
Shadowy challenge

Reward spoiler

Moments that shape a life

The urchin throws a sack of rattling junk down to you and scurries away over the rooftops in search of his parents. Will this end well? That's not up to you. Perhaps you'll never know. Perhaps he'll be back on your roof tomorrow, and you'll say no more about it.

An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 6 - Honesty, no matter the cost!
Gain: 8 x Certifiable Scrap
Steadfast increase (no higher than 11)

Option 2: Tell him where they are, but caution against seeking them out

You're not going to be dishonest with him. But he should know that they're unlikely to make his life any better.
Unlocked with Shadowy 28

Reward spoiler

Right you are

The Brazen Urchin sits in your parlour, chewing a currant bun thoughtfully. 'I 'ears yer, guv, but I gotta go an' find out why they left me alone. You 'eld up your end, so 'ere's the stuff. If it don't go well, I'll be back on yer roof temorrer and we'll say no more abaht it.' He finishes the bun and slopes off to meet his destiny.

An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 7 - A prudent advisor!
Gain: 8 x Certifiable Scrap
Steadfast increase (no higher than 11)

Option 3: Tell him you couldn't find them.

It's for the best.
Unlocked with Shadowy 28

Reward spoiler

Gone forever

An occurance! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 8 - The whitest of lies!
Gain: 8 x Certifiable Scrap
Subtle increase

Option 4: Turn them in for the reward

They are criminals. He's best off without them, and society must be protected. [This will significantly damage your reputation among criminals and urchins.]
Unlocked with Shadowy 28

Reward spoiler

Done and finished

The reward for the couple is generous, and they are both swiftly hanged and dispatched to the tomb-colonies. Word gets around, though, and the local urchins are furious. Their memories are short, however, and there will soon be another Brazen Urchin perched on your guttering. You're sure it's all for the best.

Ruthless increase (no higher than 11)
An occurrence! Your 'Befriending a Rooftop Urchin' Quality is now 9 - A friend no more!
Connected: Criminals decrease
Connected: Urchins decrease (approx 25 change points)

After this point, the Rooftop Urchin is available in your Lodgings to point out Shadowy stories you might miss.

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