Skazz bounds in after Li, Tusk-Taker held low ready to swing if necessary. He is quickly scanning the room to see if anything has noticably changed since last he was here.
"Li, if you were in my head right now you'd be amazed at the weird sort of feelings I get...but, no, it's all very quiet round here. It might be a good idea to hit some bars; get a feel for what the moods like. Besides, I'm damn thirsty right now!"
I'm pretty thirsty as well. I know a place around the corner from here. It's called the Blind Dog. It's a bit of a hole in the wall, but the owner's a decent fellow who doesn't mind serving half breeds. I wouldn't mind telling you about a little score I'd like to settle.
For those of you who haven't seen it on the discussion page, Preston (Algret) has had a lot of trouble in Real Life recently and needs to refocus a little.
Skazz shakes his head and moves toward a seat.
"Son of a b*$@!!"
Slamming Tusk-Taker down on the table and putting his muddy, booted feet up next to it, he leans back in the chair, hands behind his head.
"OK,this is about as comfortable as your goin' to get me...Now what da HELL is goin' on here?!?"
"My apologies; I assumed that if you knew you would not aid me. Provided you don't foolishly attempt to destroy me, I can explain everything. Please, sit."
Zellara-or what was Zellara-moves and sits at the table with the rest of you. She draws a deck of Harrow cards out from a small pocket and begins to expertly shuffle them; the cards once again dance across the table as if by magic.
SKAZZ
Spoiler:
Suddenly, you notice that the Harrow deck has disappeared from your pouch.
A copy of Zellara's original story for Vex, or anyone else, to see
Spoiler:
“Why, Liandra, we all share a common enemy. The group of goblins which I have found stole my Harrow deck, an heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and which is also my sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it—I knew not at the time that they were goblins—my son, Eran, tracked them down. The goblins were in the employ of a cleric of Lamashtu, goddess of monsters, and in reward for finding them, this cleric murdered Eran.
“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 the goblins dwell. They can be found in an old fishery north of here at Westpier 17, where the little devils count their stolen treasure.
“And now, I need your help. I cannot hope to face the goblins on my own, for I am growing older now and never was a warrior even in my youth, and the Guard moves so slowly that if I were to go to them, the goblins would certainly know of their coming well in advance… and these crooked monsters have evaded the Guard for generations of their lives. Buy you know of these frustrations as well, for I have heard that goblins have harmed each of you, too. So there we are. It is time for them to pay. What do you think?”
EVERYONE: Zellara begins to speak; her voice almost a whisper, "I didn't simply try to find out what had happened to my son, and when I found out about the goblins I myself went to the old fishery to try and recover my son's body; but I failed. I found a secret opening in the ship outside the building, and I went through a secret passage, but the goblins had seen me. As I entered into a hidden underground room, I felt an axe collide into my chest; I survived for only seconds.
"But it seems that, just as I lived by it, I also died by my Harrow deck. Being so near to it, my spirit sought out its familiar presence and I became, in some ways, a part of it. Does that make any sense to you?"
"Well... not exactly. My spirit is contained within the Harrow deck; what you see and hear now is an illusory manifestation, one of the many powers which my spirit has granted the cards. What you see is not a ghost but an illusion; my real spirit resides within the cards."
Zellara's eyes flash at Vex in anger, "You really don't understand, do you? My spirit cannot be put to rest unless the Harrow Deck of Many Things is formed.
"As for what happened last night... I have told you all that I know. I wasn't really, you know, alive when it happened, so all I know is that which I have seen through Skazzgrakk and what I had spoken of earlier in my Harrowing."
"Ooookaaaay. So say we carry you around. What else can you do? How can we help you form this Harrow Deck of lots o' s%#@ or whatever? What are we getting ourselves into?"
"I knew that I recognised this feeling...years ago I was chosen by my tribe as a vessel at that seasons moot. I acted as a host for over a day to numerous ancestral spirits. It freaked me then too... So now your talking to us whats the plan? And do you still want the piggy-back?"
"My goal is to defend Korvosa, and after how you took care of the goblins I think that you can probably do much more, especially in this time of sorrow. Perhaps you could try tracking down the king's killer, if that rumor is true; I would certainly wish to assist you in that task.
"As for how I can help, I am not yet entirely sure of my own new powers. I believe that I can identify magical items a few times a day, and I can manifest as I am now, but I know little else. I can certainly give you advice, but only when I create this image; at other times empathy is my only form of communication."
What about the brooch you recovered? I suggest trying to collect some kind of finders fee for that before you start trying to track down the king's killer. Too much of what is going on in this city is wild rumor. At least the brooch is tangible. The question is how do you do it without getting yourselves killed?
Though Vex has a chip on shoulder regarding the Korvosan guard, she might still have a friendly contact or two in the guard. If she did she might want to try to contact that person to help feel out how the queen might receive folks who returned her brooch, and possibly get some more info on the king's death. Can she have such a contact? She's also still looking to get back at the commander who gave the orders for her to be left behind when she was fighting orcs outside of Korovosa
Missing: Our Grand Queen Ileosa's ruby brooch. Presumed stolen. Whoever finds this brooch and returns it to the queen shall receive a reward of 1,200 gold sails. Anyone found to be in the possession of the item and who is not taking it directly to her Majesty shall be punished severely."
"Skazz, you ok with holding onto the cards and our... guest?"
Liandra looks at Glark speaking slowly.
"Listen little guy, you've earned the right to go free. It's probably best for you to go somewhere safe and stay outta sight of big folk. Where we're going, they're not gonna be nice to you. You understand?"
You can make your way to Castle Korvosa easily enough. The immense structure amazes you everytime; the sheer nobility and wealth of its design is staggering. The entire building sits upon a pyramid, built long ago by the Shoanti who lived here before Korvosa was founded. Although this lower structure is obviously older than the rest of the city, it has been well maintained over the years.
A group of ten or so guards stands at the bottom of the long staircase which provides the only easy way up the pyramid section to the castle itself. They are holding at bay a mob of forty or so people, mostly unarmed citizens, but you can't make out what any of the group are yelling.
Queen Ileosa Arabasti is often whispered of, in shadows, as having ascended the throne for profit and power, and with little love for the city of Korvosa. She has publicly detested the city and its "lowly commoner inhabitants".
