**EDIT** wrote this before I read Haedrik's post, we'll assume she's at the right house. Post to follow.

No one answers as you knock, but the heavy pounding nudges the door ajar. It would appear that it was not latched.

"This is the 3 Lancet, yes?"

He let his fingers stray to the hilt of his rapier as the door popped ajar.

"Normally, I would let a woman enter first, and you definitely seem like that would not be an issue," Haedrik said with a grin. "But perhaps I should enter first?"

Haedrik took a step forward. "By the by, what brings a lady here this late anyways?"

Karista bristles at the man's demeanor, but the fact is she'd rather have her eyes on his back than the other way around. She didn't like how little control she over the situation but there was not much to do but press on at this point. She let the man step into the house ahead of her and took a final glance around the street while answering, "I was invited. Same as you?" She let the sentence hang in the air, only a half question.

Karista answered, "I was invited. Same as you?"

"I am Taemin," he states simply, "and I am here for this." He draws forth the card left with him earlier in the day, displaying only the back with the writing upon it.

Jam exits the alleyway, pulling a harrow card out of his pocket as he goes and pulling red, blue, and yellow sand into the other hand.
"I have one as well, though I don't know how I can be sure one of you didn't send it to me. Call me Burk.", I say as I hold up the card. Let's see what these people are doing here. If Lamm has set a trap, it'd be real neat to get rid of several people at once, and much easier to kill me with friendly-seeming folk.

Perception check to see reactions from others Perception (1d20+2=15)
Edited because I got behind in the thread.

"I have one as well, though I don't know how I can be sure one of you didn't send it to me. Call me Burk."

Verronax pushes open the door with his halberd, and follows the others inside.

"It appears that someone is having a party. The question is, do any of you know what the occasion is? Or are we all just here for a Harrow reading?"

Karista steps back at the arrival of all the unexpected newcomers, allowing them full access to the door. In the past few moments her hand went from resting lightly on to white knuckle gripping her sword beneath her cloak. She remains outside and regards the others through the open doorway.

Taemin startles a bit at the sight of Verronax, begins to speak, then simply follows the lead of his Halberd and ducks inside.

The small home is filled with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice. The haze comes from several sticks of incense smouldering in wall-mounted burners that look like butterfly-winged elves. The smoke itself seems to soften edges and gives the room a dream-like feel.
The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries, one showing a black-skulled beast juggling men’s hearts, another showing a pair of angels dancing atop a snow-blasted mountain. A third tapestry on the far wall depicts a tall hooded figure shrouded in mist, a flaming sword held in a skeletal hand. Several brightly-colored rugs cover the floor, but the room’s only furnishings are a wooden table covered by a bright red throwcloth and six elegant tall-backed chairs. A basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table.

A note sits atop the table, held down by a fist-sized stone. It says "Thank you for coming. I had to step out for bit, but shall return shortly. Please, have a seat while you wait. The basket under the table contains bread and drink for you."

The basket contains several loaves of bread and a clay jug.

Haedrik smiles at his new 'friends.' He plops down unceremoniously on a chair and lifts his feet atop another.

"Free food! Now if this is a trap, its the kind I don't mind falling into."

Haedrik rips a chunk of bread and stuffs it into his mouth. "So anyways, my name's Haedrik, and you all are . . ." Haedrik let the question hang while reaching for a drink.

Did I just hallucinate Haedrik's post a minute ago? I'm glad I checked before I posted a response...**EDIT**aaaand it's back. I'm feeling a little crazy.

Karista peers in through the open door, "There is no one home?" She enters the house and takes one step immediately to the left, her back to the wall. In the dimly lit interior her veil is all but opaque, but her body language remains tense. She elbows her long, dark cloak out of her way, allowing a view of the leather wrapped hilt of her sword, complete with feather and bone fetishes dangling from the pommel. Her hands are traced with swirling black tattoos that wend up her arms before disappearing beneath her clothing. Her dyed black armor creaks softly as she moves - it has clearly not been fully broken in. It fits her quite snug, and it's plunging neckline and high midriff suggest that it was designed with fashion more than utility in mind. The effect is ruined by Karista's thin and faintly stained homespun shirt which effectively covers all the armor was prepared to reveal. Her pants are the rough stitched hide you might see on a trapper, and her boots are travel worn but clearly of Varisian make.

Haedrik took a cool draught from the clay jug while eyeing up the young lady near him.

"Doll, I don't think I caught your name?"

Karista's cool voice turns downright cold, "No. You didn't."

Haedrik chuckles softly and holds his arms palm up in appeasement. He turns his attention to the halberd-wielding man.

"You sound like you don't know why you're here yourself. By my reckoning that places us in the same boat."

Haedrik pauses for a second, then sighs. He reaches into his shirt pocket and tosses his card down on the table.

"Lamm's why I am here. And according to my card, my guess is the dirty scoundrels the reason you are here too."

Taemin takes a small strip of the bread and quietly sits down in a chair opposite Haedrik. "I had not thought to be glad to hear that name," he whispers, "yet to hear this I am glad, and for him I come." He glances briefly at the halberd-wielding man, "Verronax, why are you here? Did you follow me?"

Jam stands in the doorway, one eye on the crowd inside, and one on the street.
"I'll keep an eye on. I'd be forever in your debt if one of you'd toss me a hunk of that bread. I didn't quite make dinner tonight."

Taemin carefully breaks off another piece of the bread and tosses it to the strange gnome. "You are here for the same reason as the rest of us then? Who could have possibly known about all of us?"

The bread is tasty and filling, if a bit stale. The clay jug contains inexpensive wine.

Verronax takes a seat, leaning his halberd against the wall. He pours a glass of wine and takes a hunk of bread.

"My name is Verronax. And no, I didn't follow you," he tells the elf. "Indeed, I am here because of Gaedren Lamm as well." Verronax pulls out his card and lays it on the table.

"But if we're all here for Lamm, who invited us? Bread and wine notwithstanding, if this is a trap he has laid, I'd prefer not to get caught in it. Perhaps the lady is right to be suspicious, after all."

"If we are all here for Lamm, then Lamm is the connection. He could know about all of us, and he might have laid a trap. This is why I remain wary."

Karista nodded slowly. "The wind is at our back no matter which way tonight turns out. Either the secret messenger spoke true and will point us to Lamm, or it is a trap, but Lamm is behind it and we can trace it back to him. I hope you are all comfortable with your steel, men." Her head turned to take in each of the assembled individually, her gaze lingering on the apparently unarmed Gnome in the doorway.

Haedrik nodded here and there as the assembled debated the possibility of their meeting being a trap. "Possible, possible . . .but truth be told, I very much doubt Lamm even recalls me."

Haedrik flashes a winning smile at the somewhat terse woman. "I know, I know, you're thinking how could he forget such a striking figure as me." Haedrik offers a prolonged shrug. "I blame it on age. His of course, not mine."

"I take no comfort in blades, but I am suitably trained in it," Taemin says, covering nervousness by standing and inspecting the room closer. He checks the incense to try to see how long they have burned.

"The longer I remain here, the more I feel something is amiss."

Perception: (7,7) = (14)

"The longer I remain here, the more I feel something is amiss."

"Perhaps, we should have a look about this place then."

Ross, are there any doors or stairs?

"Perhaps have a poke behind these curtains, eh?"

Haedrik hops up and and stares intently at the tapestry depicting the black-skulled beast.

"Interesting tastes." Haedrik turns back to the others. "So shall we glance about a bit?"

"Do any of you know Lamm? I mean, have you met him personally? What's your connection to him?"

Moving very slowly, Verronax lays his crossbow on the table, and loads it, making sure it's not pointing at anyone in the room.

"Just in case," he mutters.

I have met Lamm, though only a handful of times, and that was close to twenty years ago. I have caught only word of him and his misdeeds since, but I have not forgotten.

I nearly died because of him.

Just outside, a middle-aged Varisian woman comes around the bend, and begins walking toward the house. She spots Jam standing in the doorway and smiles. "The theater, yes. Are the others inside?"

Taemin calls out the open door, "We are here."

The woman enters, neatly sidestepping Jam in the doorway. "Greetings," she says, walking over to the table. She scowls at Haedrik, with his feet up on the chair at the head the table. It must be her chair. "I hope you all found the place without too much trouble."

"We found it well enough, woman. Now why have you summoned us here? What is your connection to Lamm, and how did you know about our own ties?"

Haedrik stands and pulls out the chair for the woman to sit in. "Yes, milady inform us."

Karista glowers in the corner, unsure what to make of this woman.

"I am Zellara, and this is my home." She produces a deck of cards from her pocket, and begins to shuffle the cards with great skill. The card backs match the cards you each received. "Before I say anything more, I would like to make sure that you are who I seek." Zellara takes Haedrik and Taemin's cards off the table where they had been left. "The Rabbit Prince and the Locksmith. Excellent." The cards are shuffled back into the deck. She pauses a moment to beckon for the return of the other cards.

Verronax lays his card on the table, showing a large insect reclining on a throne wearing a crown.

Zellara smiles at Verronax. "The queen." She says as she takes the card, shuffling it into the deck.

"The queen."

Karista never takes her eyes off the woman as she reaches behind her to extract the card from her bag. She does not extend the card, but instead tosses it with a flick of the wrist in the direction of the table. "Now - some answers," she growled.

Taemin watches closely, sitting in his chair. His eyes catch the old woman's before flinching away.

Zellara wrote:

"The queen."

Haedrik half-heartedly stifles a laugh. He looks at Verronax. "Classic."

Zellara takes Karista's card off the table. "The bear." Her hands shuffle the cards with blinding speed, the deck dancing in her hands. She looks over at Jam, standing in the doorway. "The theater is being less than cooperative. No matter." She cuts the deck, revealing a card bearing the image of a man on stage, wielding a wooden sword.

“Thank you for coming, my friends, and for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you. I have reason to remain hidden, you see—a terrible man would see great harm done to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. This is a man you know, for he has done something terrible to each of you as well. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man whose cruelty and capacity to destroy the lives of those he touches are matched only by his gift for avoiding reprisal. You see, a year ago, his thieves stole this, my Harrow deck, from me. It is important to me, an heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it, my son, Eran,tracked them down. The thieves were in the employ of Gaedren Lamm, and in reward for finding them, Gaedren murdered my son.
"I sought help from the Guard, but they turned me away. And so I asked around. I paid bribes. I consulted my Harrow deck for advice. And recently, I was rewarded—I found out where Gaedren dwells. He can be found in an old fishery north of here at Westpier 17, where he trains his abducted children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures.
“And now, I need your help. I cannot hope to face this man on my own, and the Guard moves so slowly that if I were to go to them, Gaedren would certainly know of their coming well in advance. Even if they did arrest him—what guarantee would I have he would be punished? This criminal has evaded the law for decades. But you know of these frustrations as well, for word on the street has it that Gaedren has wronged each of you, too. So there we are. It is time for him to pay.”

Haedrik's face hardens and for the first time looks serious.

"You are sure that this is where Lamm is?"

He looks back at the rest of the assembled.

"Come with me or not, but if this is true, I'll be the first to put a blade against that leathery bastards flesh."

"You'll have to wait in line, Haedrik. Lamm is mine. Anyone else care to come along?"

"And Zellara, is there anything else you can tell us about this fishery - guards, doors, anything like that? Rest assured, I'll get revenge for your son. And for my own loss, as well."

"You'll have to wait in line, Haedrik. Lamm is mine. Anyone else care to come along?"

Karista remained scowling. "I do not mean to insult your grief, but how do we know your words are true? It is a sad tale but it could also be a false one. I want very badly to run Lamm through, but I'll not rush in blind to do so."

"I little enough about Lamm's safehouse. I know that he runs some semblance of a legitimate business there, as a fishmonger: deliveries come and go. I also know he has some number of thugs and liutenants there, but that is the limit of my knowledge." She turns to face Karista. "Gaedren Lamm returned my son's head in a box. Should I have kept it as proof to you, instead of offering him a proper burial on the road?"
Her idle manipulation of the deck ceases for a moment. "I know. I shall perform a Harrowing for you - all of you. Perhaps it will reveal the things that you need to know."
She sifts nine cards from the deck, laying them face down on the table in three rows and three columns. "The chosing begins. Please choose a card and turn it over, for it will mark your role in events to come."

When you choose a card, please tell me which card in the grid you would like to take. For instance, card 1-1 would be the upper-left card, while 3-1 would be the upper-right one.

Haedrik laughs.
"I love games." He motions to Verronax and Karista. "Queens and ladies first." He smiles broadly.

"I hope your blade is as fast as your mouth, Haedrik, unless you're hoping your 'keen wit' will slay the foe," Verronax says.

He turns to Zellara. "I don't believe in this mumbo-jumbo, but I'll play your game anyways. I wouldn't want to seem like a poor guest. I'll take that one."

Verronax chooses card 1-2 (upper middle).

"It would not be wise to dismiss this 'game' so easily. The ways of the universe are well-ordered, and destiny is not yet a thing of the past."

Taemin will wait for Karista, before selecting (spoiler for jumping ahead):