Nick Silver

Summary

Nick Silver is a mysterious wanderer encountered by the party in Session 6 of the campaign. Initially presenting himself as a helpful traveler willing to trade information for coin, Nick appears to be a man in his mid-30s with pale skin, dark hair, and a beard, dressed in sackcloth clothing and carrying a walking staff. He describes himself as someone who "finds people that need help" and claims to be "a man that knows a lot of things" who has "been a lot of places."

The encounter with Nick Silver escalates from a seemingly cordial exchange to a violent confrontation that reveals Nick possesses significant technological power far beyond what his wanderer persona suggests. He carries a wooden staff containing a component that manipulates a technological field in the air, which he used to immobilize all four visible party members before departing with Sucks' Hillary Duff Poster as compensation for the assault. Following this encounter, Cat attempted to assassinate Nick by aiming an arrow at what she identified as "the button in his neck," but was tackled by Sucks Benedict before completing the shot.

Despite these hostile encounters, Nick provided the party with information about a secret entrance to New Smoke—a dried-up canal with a compromised metal grate used for smuggling. In Session 7, though the party initially suspects a trap, they follow his advice and find the canal entrance exactly as Nick described, using it to successfully infiltrate the town. This validates both Nick's extensive knowledge of New Smoke's hidden passages and his apparent willingness to help the party despite their attacks on him.

Appearance

Nick Silver is described as resembling Colin Farrell with long hair. He is a male in his mid-30s with pale skin, dark hair, and a beard. He wears simple sackcloth clothing and carries a walking staff that serves as more than mere decoration—it is a technological device registered to Dr. Doranelle Felix, though the portrait on the staff's identification does not match Nick's appearance.

Nick exhibits distinctive mannerisms during conversation, moving his hands conspicuously on his staff while trying not to draw attention to it, which ironically draws more attention through his attempt at casualness. When making an adult joke about having "a bit of animal in me," he winks at the party.

History

Session 6

Nick Silver's first appearance occurs when the party encounters him as a traveler on the road. He introduces himself by name and accepts 20 coins from Sucks in exchange for information about smuggling routes into New Smoke. He provides intelligence about the city being under "new management," explaining that it "was under the governance of people that just wanted people to do a fair day's work for a fair day's wage. But now it's more people that want to take what they want because they can." He also reveals a secret smuggling route through dried-up canals with a gated aqueduct.

During the initial exchange, Nick demonstrates concerning abilities with Goober, the party's companion. He claims to have "a way with machines" and shows he can communicate with Goober through his staff, which emits a connectivity field similar to Goober's Bluetooth capability. He makes Goober produce items, including pumpkin pie, without verbal commands—using only touch and silent communication through his staff. According to Safia's observations, "he did it sort of the same way that you do it with your implant. Like he just connected with it and then went through its like, file directories and got it to produce a PI for him." Safia determines that Nick is "very experienced at this kind of thing."

When asked about Felix Thoughtomation, Nick claims "not that I can recall," but Safia's social interaction programs detect he is lying. He also explains that he left New Smoke because it's "not really the place for me anymore" under the new management.

The peaceful encounter deteriorates when Cat shoots an arrow that slices through Nick's ear, causing him pain and bleeding. Nick responds by physically throwing Cat (a child) to the ground, causing 2 damage, and defending his action: "you attacked me. Unprovoked, you just attacked me. Well, your friend did. Could have died. What did you expect me to do?" When the party continues to accuse him and Sucks delivers an emotional speech about betrayal, Nick loses patience entirely.

Nick taps his staff on the ground and says "enough," freezing all four visible party members in place with time-stopping magic that prevents them from moving or speaking. The GM describes: "And all four of you freeze in place" and "You feel the air around you still Griffin. And you are totally held fast." According to Safia's hacking during the paralysis, this was accomplished by activating a swarm of nanite-like machines that altered the density of air molecules around the party.

While the party is frozen, Nick lectures them: "all right, I was trying to be kind to you. I just wanted to pass by, maybe hear a bit of the news of the road and move on. And you attacked me and I. I defended myself. And now I'm going to be gracious, forgive you to take my life. And now I am going to leave." He takes Sucks' Hillary Duff Poster, stating "and I'm keeping the poster," and warns "I'm going to go now. Do not follow me."

Nick walks approximately a mile down the path before releasing the party from the paralysis. He "very pointedly has not turned around to look at" the party as he left. When Cat calls after him about returning an arrow, "he does not respond."

Episode: "Session 7"

Nick Silver's information becomes relevant as the party approaches New Smoke's walls. Shawn recaps the previous session's encounter, reminding the group of Nick's technological abilities and his immobilization of the party. During their prior meeting, Nick had shared information about a dried-up canal with a compromised metal grate used by smugglers to bypass the town's official entry points. The party now debates whether to trust this intelligence.

Kat defends Nick's character, arguing he demonstrated restraint: "he wasn't actually that bad of a guy" since he only froze them rather than causing harm. Safia voices the opposite concern, suspecting that "Silver was setting us a trap," while another party member argues, "If he lied to us about one thing, he probably lied to us about all things." Despite these reservations, the group decides to investigate the canal entrance Nick described.

Nick's information proves accurate. The party finds the dried-up canal entrance exactly as he described, and the metal grating comes apart easily—"Just like Nyxsilver said it would"—in a way that is "very easily hidden from the naked eye." The party successfully uses this smuggling route to enter New Smoke, validating both Nick's knowledge of the town's secret passages and his apparent honesty in sharing the information. Safia later considers whether the technology Nick demonstrated might help her understand similar technological capabilities.

Episode: "Session 9"

Nick Silver is referenced during a conversation about the party's status as miscreants. Sucks Benedict reminds Cat of an assassination attempt that occurred after the pumpkin patch incident, stating: "I mean, yeah, we did do that, but then immediately after you tried to kill Nick Silver."

Cat protests the characterization of the attack, claiming: "Wait, I wasn't trying to kill him. I was gonna subdue him." However, Sucks Benedict counters this defense by pointing out the lethal nature of the method: "Yeah, with an arrow in his neck." The party acknowledges that the attack was not successful, with Sucks Benedict clarifying: "Yeah, yeah. I know we didn't actually get him in the button, but the only reason why Cat didn't kill him because I tackled her." This intervention by Sucks prevented Cat from completing the shot at what was described as "the button in his neck"—suggesting Nick possesses some distinctive feature or technological component in that location that Cat had identified as a vulnerable target.

This incident serves as a key example cited by the party when discussing their complicated status as both "heroes of the pumpkin patch" and potential miscreants, indicating the assassination attempt occurred shortly after their heroic actions at that location.

Episode: "Session 10"

Nick Silver did not appear directly in Session 10 but was referenced during a conversation between party members. Abdul brought up Nick Silver when questioning Cat's exercise of restraint in a dangerous situation involving Sucks, Vasso, and Safia. Abdul pointed out that Cat was ready to kill Nick Silver "for no reason" in their previous encounter, but was now showing restraint when her actual companions were in danger. This comparison served to highlight the contrast in Cat's behavior between the two situations and raised questions about her judgment regarding threats.

The reference to Nick Silver in this context reinforced the lasting impact of their previous confrontation. Abdul's characterization of Cat's hostility toward Nick as being "for no reason" suggests that from Abdul's perspective, Cat's attempt to assassinate Nick was unjustified or disproportionate, despite Nick's own use of his technological abilities against the party during their Session 6 encounter.

Key Attributes

Technological Expertise: Demonstrates advanced ability to interface with technological systems like Goober and his staff, comparable to Safia's implant-based abilities
Deceptive Nature: Lies about knowing Felix Thoughtomation (detected by Safia's social interaction programs)
Time-Stopping Magic: Can freeze multiple targets in place by tapping his staff on the ground and activating nanite swarms that alter air molecule density
Staff Registration: Carries a staff registered to Dr. Doranelle Felix, a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair and glasses—not matching his appearance
Information Broker: Self-describes as someone who "finds people that need help" and trades knowledge for compensation
Combat Response: Willing to physically defend himself when attacked, throwing Cat to the ground and later immobilizing the entire party
Geographic Knowledge: Knows smuggling routes into New Smoke and provides intelligence about the city's political changes
Professional Demeanor: Maintains composure even when attacked, framing himself as "the victim here" and explaining his actions rationally before departing

Possesses "a button in his neck" — a distinctive feature or technological component that Cat identified as a vulnerable target for assassination, though the exact nature of this feature remains unclear