Haedrik lets out a long, low whistle of appreciation. It is hard to tell if the whistle is directed at Sabina or the gold bars or both.
"This can help us all," Verronax murmurs reverently. "I think, milady, that we will require an escort after all. Probably to the Bank first, before the Citadel."
"But what is this for?" Verronax asks, tearing his gaze away from the shining gold bars. He looks up, confusion on his face. "Surely this can't be a reward for simply returning Her Majesty's brooch."
Sabina will appoint a pair of Guardsmen for your escort.
You certainly can stop at the bank on the way to the Citadel.
"This can help us all," Verronax murmurs reverently. "I think, milady, that we will require an escort after all. Probably to the Bank first, before the Citadel."
"But what is this for?" Verronax asks, tearing his gaze away from the shining gold bars. He looks up, confusion on his face. "Surely this can't be a reward for simply returning Her Majesty's brooch."
Taras lightly lays a hand on Verronax's vambrace. "Perhaps we oughtn't be so ungrateful of her Majesty's generosity?" he asks pointedly, pitching his voice low as they walk.
Taras lightly lays a hand on Verronax's vambrace. "Perhaps we oughtn't be so ungrateful of her Majesty's generosity?" he asks pointedly, pitching his voice low as they walk.
Haedrik offers a low chuckle. "Agreed." He turns to his comrades. "She obviously sees something she likes, the question is how to keep that affection growing."
Verronax, you have no problems securing the gold at the bank, minus two bars (these went to Taemin's share and were used to purchase back his sword.)
Citadel Volshyenek is located in Midland, overlooking Jeggare Harbor, where it serves as the base of operations for the Korvosan Guard. The Citadel currently operates on a skeleton crew, as almost all available guards are hard at work in the city, desperately trying to keep order. Two nervous guards stand at the entrance to the Yard, but as the queen promised, the PCs are expected. They quickly wave the party through, and one guard escorts the PCs into the central keep, where a harried and tired-looking woman rises from her desk to greet you—this is Field Marshal Kroft, an attractive, dark-haired human woman dressed in red armor.
“Ah yes—you are the ones sent by Queen Ileosa. Greetings—my name is Cressida. Master Therellion, welcome back to the Citadel. If I could have the rest of your names for my records, we can get down to business."
Taemin steps up, "Thank you Cressida. My name is Taemin Swallowtail, son of Glelfin. I hope we can serve well."
Haedrik dips low. "If one only knew the beauty of this army's commanders, every last man would be swinging a sword in Korvosa's defense." Haedrik stands up from his bow and turns to his friends. "First Sabina and then her." Haedrik catches himself before rambling, "Sorry, miss, the name's Haedrik."
Cressida smiles at Haedrik as she takes down names.
"The first thing I need to do is determine what skills you have to bring to bear in service to the city. Let's discuss the matter of the Queen's brooch. However did you recover it?"
"We found it in the 'home' of a common criminal and murderer," Verronax replies. "What he was doing with it, we have no idea. Justice caught up with him before he could be asked." Verronax's face takes on a hard look, his mouth a thin line.
Haedrik laughs and puts a light hand to Verronax's shoulder. "V is to humble. Rest assured my lady, that all of us, yes even the unassuming Taras are all quite adept in matters both physical and delicate. Some of us are skilled with magics, others with our blades." Haedrik lets the last word drop low so that all subtlety of the double meaning are lost.
Cressida now smirks and shakes her head at Haedrik. "I see." She flags one of the guards in the doorway. "Send in Vencarlo, will you?"
The guard soon returns with a well-dressed man of clear Chelish descent, with a shining rapier at his hip. Haedrik, Verronax, you both recognize the man as Vencarlo Orisini, a renowned fencing master and instructor. Cressida introduces him, "I'd like you all to meet an old friend of mine, Master Orisini. He has been an outspoken critic of the crown in the past, but I value his advice highly. His familiarity with the morale and temperment of the city has been invaluable in restoring order. He has also be helping organize agents outside the Guard, such as yourselves."
Vencarlo takes a deep bow. "You are too kind, Cressida. It is nice to meet all of you." He shakes hands with each of you, save Karista. Being a lady, he instead bows again to her, and kisses her hand. (Karista does not seem particularly pleased with this development, but also seems to be too confused to do much about it.) Something about his handshake seems slightly off.
He steps over to Cressida's desk. "But I suppose we should get down to business before the Field Marshall cuts me off. After all, this is not a social visit. Given the current strains on the Guard's manpower, we have been assigning agents to handle tasks for which the Guard proper is ill-suited. Currently, we have two such situations. First, we have a rogue Watch-Sergent. He has already turned some of the troops under his command against the city. They need to be dealt with, but we are wary of sending Guardsmen up against their own. Alternatively, we have a...delicate political matter which needs to be resolved on an unofficial basis." He pauses. "Time is important. Whichever you would like to pursue, we will have tap other agents to resolve the other."
"A rogue sergeant, eh? That would indeed be dangerous, even moreso in times like these. Law and order must be upheld, and an official representative of the city, one charged with its protection no less, can not be allowed to make his own law."
"Leave the politics for the politicians. I believe we should take the first job." Verronax looks to see his companions' responses.
"A rogue sergeant, eh? That would indeed be dangerous, even moreso in times like these. Law and order must be upheld, and an official representative of the city, one charged with its protection no less, can not be allowed to make his own law."
"Leave the politics for the politicians. I believe we should take the first job." Verronax looks to see his companions' responses.
"Such haste," Taras says smoothly. "We ought to at least hear the details of both."
"I would prefer to learn more about the... delicate situation, to see if our skills would be of good use. If not an option first, then I would favor tracking down the rogue breaking Order." Taemin brings his fist to his chest for a moment at the end of his statement.
Haedrik eyes Vencarlo's rapier for a long second. "I'd love to pick up some tips someday." He pats his own, much less ornate, rapier.
"Until then I am all for practicing my own swordplay. I agree with V. I'd rather flex my swordarm than deal with something delicate." Haedrik smiles at Cressida. "Though there is something to be said for dealing with delicate matters."
Vencarlo smiles at Cressida, pointing a thumb at Haedrik. "I like him." She nods.
"Anyway," she says, "I should preface this with the understanding that nothing I'm about to tell you leaves this room. Understood? Good."
She stands, moving in front of a large map of the city. “Our rogue Watch Sergent is Verik Vancaskerkin. Worse than a lone deserter, he’s convinced a small group of fellow guards that Queen Ileosa is going to ruin the city.
"Whether she does or doesn’t isn’t the point—right now, we’ve got a city-wide crisis on our hands, and I need all of my guards working with me to see us through. I can’t afford to pull any of my other patrols off duty to deal with Vancaskerkin, and I’d rather not expose any of them to him anyway, since I neither want Vancaskerkin to infect more guards with his talk of secession, nor do I want some overly patriotic guard killing Vancaskerkin outright.
“Vancaskerkin and his men have holed up in an abandoned butcher’s shop up in Northgate—the place was called All the World’s Meat. We're not sure of his angle, but he's been building up a small empire by giving out meat to locals who have been affected by the riots and food shortages."
"On the other hand," she continues. "I've received some news that may be even more pressing. Vencarlo?"
The swordmaster nods, taking over without missing a beat. "What I've learned could degrade into sanctions, embargos, or even war against Cheliax if we don’t act now. This problem is a man named Darvayne Gios Amprei. You might have heard of him—he’s an ambassador from Cheliax whose disdain for Korvosa is well documented, and yet he’s taken great pleasure in what our city has to offer. Even before this recent unrest, this man was ready to recommend to his government a sanction on trade, or perhaps even an embargo.
"However, I've learned that Ambassador Amprei’s actual goals are to undermine Korvosa’s economy to the point where he can buy up large portions of the city from desperate landholders and establish himself in a position of power here. Whatever the ambassador’s reasons, we can’t let his bias or personal plans hurt Korvosa. Yet neither can we take drastic action—not only would killing him be wrong, but it’d simply martyr him in Cheliax’s eyes.
“Fortunately, Darvayne has his foibles. Ambassador Amprei has been making fairly regular visits to a place in Old Korvosa called Eel’s End. This den of vice is run by a dangerous man named Devargo Barvasi, better known in Korvosa’s alleys as the King of Spiders. I’d love to put Barvasi out of business, but he pays his vice taxes regularly and never causes any problems—in fact, since he keeps his business constrained entirely within the five ships moored at Eel’s End, he’s actually one of the least of my worries. Truth be told, I can’t decide whether Devargo is a stirge or a kraken. He seems like a bloodsucking pest most days, but sometimes I fear just how far his tentacles have wormed their way into our great city. In this case though, his insidious web stretching across Korvosa’s underworld might prove to our advantage.
“Devargo would never let someone he recognizes as an ally of the Guard into Eel’s End, but your group’s a different case. I’d like you to pay a visit to Eel’s End and secure an audience with Devargo. Find out what he knows about Amprei, get proof of any illicit goings-on the ambassador might be involved with, and bring that proof to us to use to undermine any forthcoming attempts by him to get Cheliax to cut us off."
Frowning with distaste, "I believe you will need to find other assistance with Eel's End, unless my compatriots here have more interest than I do in ret--going to such a place. Convincing this Vancaskerkin to follow the crown and restore order to the city would be more to my liking."
Bowing to Verronax, "However, I will follow your judgment and the will of Abadar in this."
"No, no, Taemin, I'm in complete agreement with you, and I think it's the choice Abadar would approve of. I say the rogue guardsman is our best choice, even our duty, perhaps."
Taras manages not to roll his eyes, but doesn't speak against the clergy of Abadar, instead simply bobbing his head for the moment.
Noting Taras' acquiescence, "We are agreed then. We shall seek out Vancaskerkin and try to reason with him and his men by what means we have."
Cressida nods. "Alright. Check out All the World's Meat. Try to avoid killing the deserters if you can, but if you must, they brought it upon themselves when they threw in with Vancaskerkin. For him, I'd really prefer it if you brought him in for interrogation, but if he makes that impossible, I'll accept his body as well. Finally, see if you can find out why Vancaskerkin deserted. If there is more to it than personal politics, I need to know immediately. Bring me Verik alive and there is a thousand gold sails in it for you. Alive, he's worth half that. Any questions?"
"If we have time, I would like to rest and petition for new spells before we go," Verronax tells the others.
Haedrik nods. "Perhaps a night's sleep would be worth it. If I know anything about guards it is they will probably be hungover if we arrive in the morning." Haedrik keeps his voice straight, though his eyes betray his humor.
"Perhaps that would be best. Field Marshall, we thank you for your resilient command, and shall strive to be worthy of your trust. We should delay you no further."
"Verronax, will you truly need a night's rest? If so, I would suggest that Haedrik and I not get that night's rest, but observe our targets from as close as would be safe. We can then see what they are up to, but not approach."
"If not, I suggest we move quickly. I worry that Vancaskerkin may have allies yet in the guard that will warn him of our mission."
"So much for my night of drinking and cards. But Taemin has a point, a little recon may make the job easier."
"I can go now," Verronax says. "But I was thinking of some blessings that would be useful to us in this specific situation. Unfortunately, I would need to petition for them in the morning, as Abadar, in his wisdom, has already answered my prayers for today. In short, recon would be good before a strike in the morning, but I am willing and able to take on this task tonight."
"I feel if we can act on this now, then we should. Let us make our way to the meat shop and stop Vancaskerkin's rebellion - lives are at stake."
"Let us make all haste, then, and pray to the Master of the First Vault that our mission will be a success."
Cressida gives you the address of the butcher shop: 22 Stirge Street.
As you depart, Vencarlo follows you out. He leans in to speak with Haedrik. "We appreciate your help, but I'd like to ask of you a personal favor. Vancaskerkin isn't the only Guardsman who has deserted, though he's the only one who has turned followers. I'm interested in another Watch Sergeant, a Grau Soldado. After the riots, he descended into drink. He's not raising any trouble, but he seems to know he's in enough trouble to disappear again whenever he spots a uniform. If you see him, I'd like you to haul him back here. He's an old...apprentice of mine, and I'd like to save him from himeslf before he throws his whole career away."
When he mention's Grau's name, he looks down at his hand.
Haedrik gives Vencarlo a nod.
Then to his party, "Yes, let's go."
"I am with you," Verronax replies. He salutes Cressida and Vencarlo. "May Abadar smile upon our endeavor," he murmurs in prayer and follows Haedrik out.
Taemin bows then follows quietly.
You arrive at All The World's Meat as the sun is beginning to set. The building appears to consist of a storefront attached to a larger facility, alongside a small pen for livestock.
A sign bearing the image of a smiling cow hangs above the main storefront. The wide glass window reveals a bloodstained marble counter within.
A small number of cows and pigs are in the holding pen.
Verronax casts blessing of the watch on the group before they get too close. As they approach, he whispers, "Haedrik, do you and Taemin want to do some scouting first? I'll cover you from the street as best I can."
Haedrik nods to Verronax. "If we get in trouble, I will whistle twice, hard and fast. Keep your ears peaked." He glances at Taemin. "Shall we?"
Taras keeps close to Verronax with the obsidian wand ready.
Haedrik glances at Taemin. "Shall we?"
Taemin nods and follows after, attempting to act nonchalant as they approach.
Crouching down next to Taras, I peer at the two crossing the street, and scan the surrounding rooftops for other eyes that may be watching us.
This is a business street, so there are other establishments about. Since it's near sunset, most of the services-type business on the street are already closed for the night, but the taverns and eateries are still open.
As you pass the porch of a nearby tavern, you can hear a group to drunks complaining about the new queen. At about the same time (you're two buildings, or so, away from the butcher's shop), you see a man step out into the holding pen, a hammer in hand, and lead one of the cows back inside the building. The man is dressed in what used to be a Guardsman's uniform, now with all the emblems removed.One of the drunks remarks, "There goes onna' dem Cow 'ammer boys. 'deys feeding the people. Not just takin' orders from a whore."
Haedrik leans in close too Taemin and whispers. "Keep your eyes peeled on that building."
Haedrik turns to the drunk. "And by Iomedae's bright sword that's the just thing isn't it? Forget that harlot in the crown, take care of the people."
Haedrik pulls out his last cigar from the case and lights it. "Too bad its just a handful of them heroes over there." He nods towards the building. "Too bad there isn't a dozen men more like that besides those, what, four, six?"
Haedrik lets the question hang in the air with a big plume of smoke rolling out his grin.
Yes. You might be able to hear that there is a conversation, but not what is being said.