Shuttle's Shipyard

Harlan Blackstitch

2 min read

Harlan Blackstitch

Ex-Edgerunner turned security master for Baron Phineas Grimsby. Professional, dangerous, and now exiled on a ship that will probably throw him overboard.

Quick Reference

Appearance: Large, competent, dangerous. Carries a short sword that became the subject of extensive battlefield mockery. +5 to hit. Voice: Calm, professional. Surrendered with quiet dignity once the math stopped working. Mannerism: Waves at people while doing horrible things to them (waved at Kalla as he pulled the Baron away from the ambush).

Background

Harlan was an Edgerunner before entering private service. He knows the Fringe Guard’s procedures, transport routes, and blind spots from the inside — which made him an effective intelligence asset for the Rival Yard operation.

He was recruited by Baron Grimsby as security master. Three weeks before Session 06, he blackmailed Clerk Bram Fellweave over a 900-coin gambling debt to start feeding him transport routes. The final leak was the Baron’s prison-wagon route.

In the Sessions

  • Session 05 (cf. Session 05): Named as Grimsby’s security master; described as an ex-Edgerunner, massive, and dangerous. Not encountered directly at the gala — the party avoided him.

  • Session 06 (cf. Session 06): Led the prison-wagon ambush (fire-pots, crossbow bolts, three Edgerunners dead). Waved at Kalla as he pulled the Baron away. Was found in the Filch Tannery cellar with four men, the Baron, and Pip. Fought Nah Mean over several rounds while receiving increasingly specific taunts about “the old pier story” — Harlan dragged off a Weave-ship dock by a mooring rope with his trousers around his ankles, earning the nickname Harlan Smallstitch. The taunts eventually cracked him:

    “Alright, alright. I’m not dying for this guy. I’ll give up.”

    Provided a detailed dossier on the Rival Yard’s operations in exchange for exile rather than custody. Nah Mean walked him to the docks and arranged a one-way passage on a ship whose captain would “probably just throw him overboard.”

The Dossier

Harlan’s intel covers Rival Yard cells, the Baron’s contacts, and what he knew of the convergence-tide plan. Worth following up before it goes stale.

Current Status

Exiled on a ship. Probably overboard. Nah Mean threw his short sword after him: “Don’t forget your tiny sword.”

Cross-Links: Baron Grimsby · Sergeant Kalla Steelcord · Rival Yard · Session 06

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