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One of the waitresses of the Menador Valley Winery arrives with a small note.
"A young child came asking for it to be delivered to you, miss."
The paper is rough, the scribbling is delicate and precise, almost artistic.
"Miss Vesper, the city of Korvosa needs your help. Please ask for me at the Romani's music shop at Bridgefront tomorrow at dawn. Please be as discreet as you are able. Me, and the city, will be always be in your debt. Alika."
A small coda can be seen at the end of the message.
"Gaedren Lamm has new friends, and they have to be stopped. Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged."
---
The night was a success. Maybe not much public, but they went on their lives with a little more magic in it. The applause was sincere, and long enough to make the night worthwhile. After all, Damiano don't make this for money. he does it for a living. In his dressing room, there is a fragrant pansy, with vivid color and a small note attached. He smiles, it has been some time since the last proposal from a lonely lady... The theater janitor comments to him.
"It is weird, I didn't see who delivered it..."
The paper is rough, the scribbling is delicate and precise, almost artistic.
"Mister Vayne, the city of Korvosa needs your, and Damiano's, help. Please ask for me at the Romani's music shop at Bridgefront tomorrow at dawn. Me, and the city, will be always be in your debt. Alika."
A small coda can be seen at the end of the message.
"Music is the strongest form of magic. Your secret is safe with me."
---
Hanzi, one of your best students hand you the the small note.
"Master, a small child gave it to me. I think she wants to learn, but when I told her to stay she just let a chuckle out and ran away. I guess she is shy."
The paper is rough, the scribbling is delicate and precise, almost artistic.
"Mister Weilin, the city of Korvosa needs your help. Please ask for me at the Romani's music shop at Bridgefront tomorrow at dawn. it would be better if no one knows you are coming. Hanzi can't read, so he is unaware. Me, and the city, will be always be in your debt. Alika."
A small coda can be seen at the end of the message.
"There's no tragedy in life like the death of a child. Things never get back to the way they were. Horrible things are about to happen, and while you can't help Zimtu anymore, you can still save some of these other children."
---
Lakelin Masters seems very uncomfortable...
"A damned kid! A ****** girl no more than 10 winters! "I know you are not him" she says and gives me the note. "Please give it to him", turns around and leaves, like she is the boss of me and I am just a delivery boy! And I am sitting like an idiot, unable to restrain her because of all the people in the inn! They wouldn't stand for me to attack her, right? So I let her go out, go after her as soon as she is out of the door, look around and "puf!", nothing! Like some kind of ghost! I didn't found her anywhere! The note is in a weird language, but I had it checked with some friends. No poison, no magic. Just this gibberish!"
The paper is rough, the scribbling is delicate and precise, almost artistic. Arthur feels a small shiver. It will look as gibberish to every person on Korvosa. Maybe in all of Varisia for that matter. But to him, even after all these years, it is perfectly legible. The code writing of the Garundian pirates that once slaved him.
"Mister Cannon, the city of Korvosa needs your and your organization's help. Please ask for me at the Romani's music shop at Bridgefront tomorrow at dawn. Please not a double this time. Me, and the city, will be always be in your debt. Alika."
A small coda can be seen at the end of the message.
"You have know slavery. Without your help all of the city inhabitants will know it too. The Pirate Queen knows that the greatest treasure is freedom. And freedom is not granted. It is seized."
---
Virgil feels the urge to take a walk over Bridgefront, and while he is looking at the stores he hears a song from a music shop... a song he has almost forgot, a song that he has had in the back of his mind all these years.
The song his mother used to sing him in the night, before falling sleep.
Intrigued, he goes into the shop...
---
The shop is humble, but clean and in good repair. Some instruments are around, on sale. They seem of good craftsmanship.
A young woman, some 22 years, and varisian in appearance, is there playing a mandolin with ease and proficiency, while singing an old varisian lullaby song.
"Ai da nú-da nú-da nái
Da-rá da nú-da nai!
Ai da nú-da nú-da nái
Da-rá da nú-da nai!
Da-rá da nú-da nai!
Oh the tent is made of sack cloth:
In the tent, there is a forlorn girl.
And I’ll go around the village,
round the big cottages
If I bring pork, the children will eat.
But you young girl – don’t dispair
If I say the little words: Get ready!"
She turns to see you, with strange eyes, seemingly completely grey.
"Good morning my lady and lords. What can I do for you?"
Ashimar scans the note quickly, and kneels to speak with Hanzi. "Thanks, my feisty one. How's the leg sweep you've been working on? If Master Sanjai thinks you're ready, may be you want to practice it on me next session, yes? Go tell him, and have him check your form." With a gentle nudge, he sends his prized pupil on his way.
Alika...who is this Alika? The retired man stands, and sighs as he looks to the ceiling. The day is long, and there is much left to be done. The thinking will have to wait for the night. Belatedly, Ashimar realizes he's fist has gripped tightly around the note. Zimtu. He gives the sorrowfully beloved memory its moment, before pushing it out of his mind and moving to join Sanjai and the students.
...
That night, a shadowy figure moves quickly, unseen and unheard, about The Roof. The figure settles into a dark nook high up opposite the Romani music shop, where he sits, still and quiet, and studies the store and its surroundings intensely.
...
The next morning, taking care to utilize the combination of the people and the shops as cover, Ashimar makes a roundabout circuit through the district. He walks by the Romani music shop, and makes a stop as if drawn by something from within. After making a second pause to look at the shop sign, Ashimar nonchalantly opens the door and steps through.
Once inside, Ashimar browses the instruments while listening to the well-sung lullaby with respectful silence. As he does so, he studies the patronage.
Overhead, amongst the early stirrings of the pseudodragons, a hawk flies effortlessly by, makes a circular descent pattern and sets down on the roof. She settles herself into a comfortable position, and waits.
Damiano looked at the paper. He tried to conceal his shock when he read its contents. He stared at the paper for a few moments, re-reading the words and then he looked in the mirror at the amulet around his neck.
Who is this Alika that she knows who I am? I'll need to look into this when I get home.
Damiano put the note in his pocket and left the dressing room, passing by the theater lobby to engage in some small talk with those people that stayed after the show.
____________________________
Later that night he arrived at the Damiano Manor and quickly made his way to his library. He grabbed some books about the districts of Korvosa and sat down at the desk. When he was certain he was finally alone, he called out into the dark. "Umbræ, come forth. I have a task for you."
A dark shadow dislodged itself from one of the nearby bookcases and slithered close to Damiano. You called for me master?
"Yes, I want you to go to the bridgefront and survey the immediate area of Romani's music shop. Someone knows my secret, so be careful. They might know about you as well. I will be there in the morning."
I shall do as you wish.
The dark shadow slowly moved towards a window and disappeared into the night.
Damiano spent the next hours reading through his books finding out what he could about Alika and Romani's music shop.
____________________________
Damiano got up in the morning preparing to meet with Alika.
“Damiano incognito attire” : “Damiano disguise” +
Explorer’s outfit (10 GP) | 8 lbs (with scarf & hat)
+1 Merciful Rapier
mithral shirt
Amulet of proof against detection and location
Spring loaded Wrist sheath 1 with Potion of Disguise Other (in Iron Vial)
Spring loaded Wrist sheath 2 with Potion of Cure Serious Wounds (in Iron Vial)
2 empty bandoliers
Pathfinder Pouch containing :
- Spyglass
- 2 x Flash Powder
- 1 x Key of Lockjamming
- 2 x Acid
- MW thieves’ tools
He made his way to the Bridgefront and when he neared Romani's music shop he went into an alley and waited for Umbræ to relay what he had found out.
It doesn't seem to be some sort of elaborate trap, so no harm in seeing what this Alika has to say.
Happy with the information he had, Damiano made his way towards the shop. He stepped through the door and was greeted with the beautiful sound of the lullaby. He listened carefully while observing his surroundings and browsing the items in the shop.
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That night, a shadowy figure moves quickly, unseen and unheard, about The Roof. The figure settles into a dark nook high up opposite the Romani music shop, where he sits, still and quiet, and studies the store and its surroundings intensely.
This part of Bridgefront seem quiet and safe. The store is in the ground floor, with other apartments built over it, protruding into the Shingles.
The store seems closed and quiet.Around midnight you detect somebody approaching, hiding you see a small girl, dressed in clean but simple clothes, without shoes, walking towards you hiding place.
She sits in front of your hideout, and start looking at the starts, you suspect unaware of your presence.
Until, that is, she starts to speak.
"They are beautiful, don't you think? Most people don't see them. I mean really see them. They shine, full of life and color. I love to watch them. Do you watch them, Mister Weilin? You are early, you know? My note said dawn. But we can watch the stars for a minute, before I have to go. Would you watch them with me?"
---
Waited for Umbræ to relay what he had found out.
He can also act, if you want him too.
Can Ashimar detect Umbræ? What Perception DC does it has?Umbrae will relay all that transpires between Ashimar and the Girl.
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Damiano spent the next hours reading through his books finding out what he could about Alika and Romani's music shop.
[dice=Knowledge(Local) on Alika]1d20+13+3
[dice=Knowledge(Local) on Romani's music shop]1d20+13+3
Alika is a very common name in Korvosa, because of Alika Epakena, better known as Saint Alika the Martyr. There is little information about her and her life, but it is very commonly known and referred and remembered, mostly by the Varisian population of Korvosa.
The store is not very known, one of many in Bridgefront. By the way, Bridgefront is next to the Narrows of Saint Alika. The owner of the store is a young woman called Rozalina Romani, single and blind, orphan since some 6 years ago. Her musical instruments are supposed to be good quality, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Umbræ observed what happened but did not interfere.
Ashimar smiles. Showing no sign of surprise, he puts his cloak around the little girl. "I am early, aren't I. Hope I didn't wake you from your sleep." He looks up to the stars, seeming unusually bright this night, until he realizes, for all the times he's roamed The Shingles, he's never taken the time to look up. To really look up. "Amazing. They ARE beautiful."
"Thank you for sharing a moment with me. We best head back in, don't you think? See you at dawn?" He stands, stretches, and leans in toward the little girl. The fatherly urge tugs at him, and he fights the sudden urge to want kiss her on the forehead. Instead, he whispers. "Bad things tend to come out at night. Do be careful going back."
As he straightens, he can't help but chuckle at himself inside. She is capable of uncovering you, and you're worried about her? He shakes his head as he watches her leave, lingering a moment longer before moving to return home himself.
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Ashimar tells the girl "Bad things tend to come out at night. Do be careful going back" while seeing the almost imperceptible shadow on a nearby wall.
The girl chuckles a little.
"Not tonight, not here. But bad things will come out, and not only at night. Don't mind Umbræ, it is only scouting for his master. Can we stay a minute longer? Please?"
After some five minutes with the girl leaned on Ashimar she turns her face and kisses him on the cheek.
"Thank you. We will meet again tomorrow."
She stands, gives him back his cloak and takes a last look at the sky. She then moves over the shingles catwalks, and into a near open window in a very dilapidated department.
After grazing over the letter, the man known as Arthur Cannon places a stern hand on Lakelin's shoulder and speaks to him in a lax, low whisper, reminiscent of a storm. "Tss tss tss, Mr. Masters, calm yourself . Don't let your emotions get the best of you, dear friend. I will see to this...anomaly...personally. Have Jorna meet me at the Gilded Boar in an hour. Take the rest of the day off. Take care, friend."
With Lakelin on his way out, Arthur takes a long look over the letter, studying the script, being certain to memorize every word, every letter, every detail.
Whoever this Alika may be, they are beyond simple mortal. To know so much of me and I know nothing of them is... strange. Perhaps divine powers are at work here.
He crumples up the letter in his fist and a spark of flame quickly turns it to ashes.
"It's time to get to work"
An hour later, Cannon saunters into a bustling tavern known as The Gilded Boar disguised as a blue-eyed, middle-aged, balding man and immediately takes a seat at a booth. Shortly after, he is met by another man with a striking resemblance to both Cannon and Lakelin. As the man takes a seat, Cannon whispers "Hushhhh"
"'Evening, Mr. Sallo," Arthur nods.
"Good evening, Sir. Masters seemed rather on-edge when he called for me...is everything all right?" Jorna Sallo replies.
"We have a situation...it seems that I am being called on. I need you to go out tonight..take The Urchins with you. There's a music shop on Bridgefront by the name of Romani's. I am to meet with a proprietor there at dawn and I want you to keep a keen eye."
____________
Arthur awakens before dawn, and prepares himself for the day.
4 Orisons:
Spark, Stabilize, Detect Magic, Light.
5 1st level Spells +1 Domain Spell
Lighten Object, Enhance Water, Obscuring Mist, Disguise Selfx3
4 2nd Level Spells +1 Domain Spell
Silence, Status x2, Invisibility x2
4 3rd Level Spells +1 Domain Spell
Locate Object, False Alibi, Invisibility Purge, Nondetection x2
3 4th Level Spells +1 Domain Spell
Discern Lies, Freedom of Movement, Sending, Confusion
Hood+Cloak, Eyepatch
Extend Rod
Elven Chain
Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath 1 (Right hand): Dagger
Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath 2 (Left hand): a pouch full of Marbles
Ring with an etching of the Jolly Roger, holy symbol of Besmara.
After prayer, he gathers his belongings and he casts Nondetection using his extend rod before he heads out the door towards Romani's.
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Yes, Arthur could easily find out about Alika Epakena, better known as Saint Alika the Martyr and the known information about the music store and its owner.
Despite the girl's reassurance about the "Umbrae", Ashimar eyes the presence warily as he escorts the girl to the window. He glances toward the shadow to confirm it does not make a threatening move, before turning and looking through the window to gauge which way she went.
------
Ashimar approaches the singer after the performance. "That was beautiful. Please, is this all your handiwork? I'm looking for something suitable for someone...for a little girl." He leans in, and keeps an eye on the other shoppers as he whispers, "For my Alika."
The local sensai of little renown shifts his attention to the singer momentarily, to assess her reaction to the name, before stepping back and scattering his senses to the store while waiting for her response.
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Previous Night
Ashimar look at the girl entering in a dilapidated room, poorly furnished and not very clean.
There is an old dirty bed, where girl lies and covers with a rags cover.
She looks at him tenderly, and smiles a little bit.
Then a transformation happens. Maybe somebody less observant wouldn't have noticed in the poor light of the room, but Ashimar does.
Her eyes loss focus. Her body becomes flaccid. Her mouth opens a little, and he can see a little drool fall from her lips.
The girl in the bed is unresponsive, he would say she is dead, except that his body doesn't know it yet. Some very sick people remain like that, and some babies are born that way. Alive but dead.
But she was out talking to him just a minute ago...
---
Next morning
The girl looks towards Ashimar. But not into his eyes.
She is probably blind.
She chuckles a little.
"I know why you are here. Don't worry about it. And Alika is no girl!"
She lets a soft laugh out.
Please, follow me into my house.
She stands using his hands for support, and slowly moves towards the back of the store, using his hands to orient herself and avoiding tripping into things.
"Please follow me, Alika will see you there."
When Umbræ figured out it was noticed it would slowly go away, by slipping through a window or wall and out again until he was far enough away from the ones who noticed it.
"Mind if I join?" Damiano said while walking over to Rozalina Romani. "Or does Alika want to see us one by one?"
Crouched down with his back against a wall, Arthur watches as two men enter the shop.
"The dojo owner... And that entertainer... Interesting..." A third man, draped in a brown cloak starts walking towards the music shop.
Cannon stands from his position and breaks into a brisk walk. As the third man reaches for the door handle, Arthur grabs him by the wrist. "No, Jorna, I will see to this."
He turns the door handle quietly and steps into the room.
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The girl leads the three of you to an apartment on the back of the store. It has a small workshop, with tools and pieces of musical instruments, a bed and a table. There are no decorations or furnishings.
She uses her hands to follow the wall and get to the bed.
"Alika will be here in a minute."
She lays in the bed and closes her grey eyes, crossing her hands in her chest.
Suddenly she starts to tremble lightly, and make a moaning sounds.
She sits in the bed, her eyes closed.
"I am here."
"I got your note as I assume these people got as well." Damiano said looking in the direction of the others. "For what purpose is it that you have gathered us here?"
"This man has asked the question on my mind as well. Is there something I...we can do for you?" The sensai looks to the spirit possessed girl curiously. A slight stirring rises within him, as old adventure blood stirs. He ignores the sentiment, and studies the others in the room peripherally while he keeps his attention on the girl, waiting for her to proceed.
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. And great evil, and hunger, and sickness, and darkness, rise up from the pits at the bottom of Korvosa, reaching up to poison and control the head of the monarch of the city. I fear for the inhabitants of the city, as they will suffer greatly, and unless we are able to destroy this great evil, they are doomed."
Her eyes, still fixed on nothingness, seems to shed a tear.
"There are no treasures to plunder here. There is no recognition or reputation to gain. No one will remember us, or know what he have done. Only ourselves will witness our labors. Only us will carry the burden of our toils."
She shakes her head.
"Only for the good of the people we will sacrifice everything. Only for them we will suffer. Only I will thank you for it."
Her face shows a sad smile.
"I already know your answer, but I have to ask anyway. Will you help Korvosa's people? Will you help me in my mission?"
She reaches for Arthur's hand.
"Will you do what must be done?"
He stands stoic and pensive. He lets her words ring in his head for a moment before he replies to her.
Can this be some sort of deception?
When he finally does, his voice is backed by authority.
"By what divine power are you brought to us?"
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Yes, it can be a sort of deception.
The girl seems sincere, talking from her heart, about her fears and worries, and asking you all for help.
But her way of moving, her pattern of speech.
She is not possessed. She is the same girl that received you in the store. The blind girl.
"By the blessings of the Mother of Souls, and the courage to offer my life for this city."
She keeps her hand extended in Arthur's general direction, while smiling sweetly at him.
"We all have secrets, and I hope you all can keep mine."
Arthur concedes to the girl with a curt nod of his head.
"Ay, the Gods know that we've" he takes a pause to look back towards the two men in the room, then continues "got our own to keep." He takes her hand. "I cannot speak for us all, but I can give you my word if you swear to keep mine."
Ashimar smiles at the blind girl. "You have my word I will not betray you." The ex-ranger studies the other two called to this place, wondering what pasts they keep that they would stand here with him today. Deciding to let time unveil what it will, he returns his full attention to the girl.
"It sounds as if you would ask much of us. If fighting this darkness will give others a chance to appreciate the stars as you enabled me to see, you have my aid." The man waits on the girl, wondering what evil she has seen, that she would have need of him, and apparently others of similar ilk.
As he considers the possibilities, old blood bubbles within him, stirring for a return to the old days, and the excitement those days offered. Ashimar sighs at the rush of adrenaline, wondering who will have to suffer this time for his actions.
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The girl holds Arthur's hand.
"I'll ask much from you, but not more than I will ask of myself. Well, maybe Arthur will need to go further, but that will be on its own time."
She looks up.
"Many years ago the city was founded over a great pyramid. Not a Shoanti pyramid, in fact not even a human pyramid. And old pyramid from an old age, now possessed by a mad evil presence."
Her face becomes ashen.
"It is time for us to bring that evil to the surface, drag it to the light, so it can consume the city!"
Ashimar steps back, surprised at her words. Instinctively, he takes a step back, and the grip on his staff tighten. "Who are you, that you would wish to unleash yet more evil upon this dear city, troubled though it may be?"
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"I am Alika, and I am blessed, and cursed, with the ability of pierce tomorrow's veil. And I can tell you what will happen. A new powerful king will rise, and he will find a terrible artifact below Castle Korvosa. When he does, nothing will stand on his way! He will consume the city, and most of Varisia, in his quest to bring back one of the worst creatures ever to thread on Golarion. And he will do it. And then an age of pain and despair will fall on all the lands, for a very long time. We stand on the edge of this horrible times, and we are in the position of avoiding that horrible future. But to achieve it we will need to sacrifice much! We will need to open the festering wound and clean it before it kill us! We will need to bring this evil forward before it's time, so it can be defeated! To prevent a complete evil, we will need to summon a lesser one!"
Ashimar relaxes his grip, but keeps an even, steady eye on Alika. "Thank you for elaborating. If I understand you correctly, there are two evils in play, one that lies deep beneath us, and one working to become our king of tomorrow. Both fates are worse than what we struggle with here and now, but if they are allowed to come together on their time, things would be very bad for us."
He begins pacing, in what little space he has to work with. "You are not saying we are to unleash the buried evil, exactly. Rather, we are to bring it forth, before it matures, and kill it." The ranger turns to Alika-blind girl, his gaze carrying a fire that has not visited upon him in years. "You do intend for us to destroy this evil, that it not be allowed to consume the city unfettered?"
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"What the Mother of Souls has showed me makes me think our only chance lies in making the mother of this new king find the artifact and claim it for herself. She is not her son, and she will be a much weaker enemy. And we will nurture and guide a team of heroes that will face and destroy this evil. They will be unable to do it without our help, but with us working from the shadows, we will allow them to triumph. The city will suffer much, but nothing compared as it would suffer otherwise."
Cannon stands pensive. Unsure what to make of all of this, he clears his throat before speaking up. At first he speaks to no one in particular.
"Korvosa is a festering lot. While I am proud to call her my home, my stead, I know that she needs cleansing. I cannot stand to see such a beautiful land waste away in corruption. Her people deserve more than this. If we must choose between lesser evils, then so be it. I must know though..."
He turns to the girl, stares her dead in the eyes and with a grave, weighted voice, asks "are we to bring direct harm to her people?"
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"As a doctor amputating a limb, yes, we are. We will cause big pain, sickness and destruction to prevent the dead of all of them, destruction of city, and much of Varisia, yes, we are. And I know you, more than the others, know this is sometimes a necessary thing to do."
A tear fall from her grey blind eyes.
"If we don't do anything every soul out there will be siphoned, and prevented from reaching our mother's graveyard, in an evil attempt to reach immortality. Many of them die because of our actions, but it will be a merciful dead, preventing an eternity of torment. And many of them will survive, without knowing how close they were to damnation."
He holds on Arthur's hand, pressing harder. She starts to cry.
"And they are not the only ones to suffer! We will suffer the most! We will carry the biggest weight! We will pay the ultimate price!"
"If it is a necessity, then...so be it. If it will insure a better tomorrow... I," He catches his breath "I must do what is necessary"
"So why us? What makes us the chosen few for this task?"
I can not be certain if she speaks the truth, but she seems to know many things. If it ends up being the wrong choice, I'll deal with the consequences there and then.
After thinking it over a few moments, Damiano stepped forward and held the girl's other hand.
"If that is the case, I can only hope we live up to your expectations. Not only for you, nor us, but the whole of Korvosa and the world."
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As you all grab the girls hands you feel like falling into a deep pit... you see flashes and glimpses of places and persons.
Suddenly you stop and see a mercenary general, in a castle courtyard, supervising the execution of a nobleman.
And as soon as you stop, you start falling again.
Now you glimpse, in passing, a group of powerful warriors and magic users are fighting a great blue dragon.
And then you stop, and see a Shoanti Shaman, that you think was one of the people facing the dragon, hiding something in a room, inside an stone chest. His face shows worry and pain.
And now you feel like you are flying, and you pierce the night sky and absorb a great combat between the gods themselves, A beautiful goddess on one side, and a horrible slim figure on the other, both trying to grab a Glaive..
You turn away from the great battle to look down on Korvosa, from a great height.
The city is in flames, and on the streets you can see the dried up corpses of men, women and children, desiccated in poses of pain and suffering, while a powerful warlord looks from the ramparts at Castle Korvosa, while screaming.
"I, King Eodred Arabasti III, have became a god! All the world will be mine!"
On his brow there is a crown made of dragon fangs.
You see him turn to see directly at you, and feel a pang of pain in your chests.
You look away and see the blind girl standing in the middle of a street in Korvosa, while a person completely covered in armor runs towards her, a sword in her hand, ready to kill her.
You stop holding hands to reach her, to protect her, and you discover in the same place all this started, in the backroom of the music store.
But you are not the same, you feel different. You feel a new power coursing on your veins.
And the blind girl is crying.
"What you saw is a glimpse of what has happened, what will happen, and what we must prevent from happening."
Ashimar finds his eyes wet, torn by the apparent pain and sorrow within the blind girl. As the surge of power mingles with the adrenaline rising within him, the ranger steps closer to the blind girl. "I would prefer not to see this future again. What can I do to help?"
As he offers the verbal promise to help, Ashimar thinks of her old partner. He shakes his head at the thought. This is not her concern. Those days are past. With a sorrowful smile, Ashimar returns his attention to the blind girl.
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The blind girl nods.
"That is our mission, to prevent that future from happening. And in order to do that, first we need to make several things happen. First, we need to position ourselves."
She looks at a point of empty space while she starts calling your names.
"Arthur, you need to become a crime lord in Old Korvosa. The number one enemy of the law there. You need to have a heavy presence in that area. Ashimar, you need to become Blackjack, hero of the downtrodden. Damiano, you need to become the royal jester, infiltrating the court. And I need something else from you, but that will need to remain a secret, for now."
Still a bit shocked by the visions Damiano looked at the blind girl. "If that is the future that happens when we do nothing, I'll do anything I can to prevent it."
When she called out his task, Damiano got a smile on his face.
"Royal jester you say? Now I see why you chose me."
I do wonder what she still needs of me, she did say she would need both Damiano and Vayne ...
The visions danced around in his head. He tries his best to clear them, but they linger little longer.
"We cannot let this come to pass. If it is what you'd need from me, then it is done."
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"Power is a dangerous thing. Power corrupts. So I needed somebody to handle power over others, but won't let himself be corrupted by it."
She lets her arms drop.
"I have been in this body for too long. I will need to leave it. But know you know the things Korvosa needs from you, and the reason you must sacrifice yourselves to it. Thank you, in the name of everybody, of all the world, but especially on my behalf."
She lays in the again bed and closes her grey eyes, crossing her hands in her chest as she did at the beginning of the "trance".
She trembles and moans.
She sits in the bed, her eyes closed.
"Did she speak to you?"
"As you wish."
Damiano leaned against a wall, pondering how he would go about his task.
Before he leaves, the ranger pauses by the door, and speaks to the others in the room. "I am Ashimar, of The Practical Defense." He pauses, considering if he needs to add anything. They'll be able to reach me, if I understand what we've been called for and how she chose us. If they can't find me...
"Do come by whenever you desire, in whatever guise. I will do my part." The man shakes his head at the thought, wondering how much of his old skills he'll need to whip into shape. With a weary grin, Ashimar looks over to the two, and bows slightly before heading out the door. As the door closes, the ranger's words filter through. "The poor of Korvosa would welcome your generosity..."
Blackjack...
Arthur draws his cloak over his head as he walks towards Ashimar, letting the shadow cover his face. He runs his shoulder into Ashimar on his way out and lets out a laugh. "I s'pose you'll be hearing from me, Blackjack."
Damiano watched the others leave, he turned towards Rozalina.
"You still had something for me?"