Mister Vergee's Curse of the Crimson Throne


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So, after a break of half a year, we've picked up gaming again. Although we won't be playing as often as I would like to - once every two weeks instead of once a week - I'm very excited to finally start my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign.

We're kicking off with a couple of 'prelude' sessions, five years prior to the actual campaign, in which the PCs are still kids. My players have all chosen humans, who are 13 years old now. Here are their adapted stats:

SHAOBAN, LN small human
Init +0; Senses Perception +2
Languages Common
AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11
hp 5 (1HD)
Fort -1, Ref +0, Will +2
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee dagger (small) +1 (1d3/19-20)
Ranged dagger (small/thrown) +1 (1d3/19-20)
Face 5 ft. Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 9
Abilities Str 10, Dex 10, Con 8, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 18
Feats Simple Weapon Proficiency
Skills Appraise -1, Bluff +4, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +4, Fly +2, Heal +2, Intimidate +5, Perception +2, Sense Motive +6, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +4, Survival +2
Possessions dagger (small)
Child of the Streets You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Ease of Faith Your mentor, the person who invested your faith in you from an early age, took steps to ensure that you understood that what powers your divine magic is no different than that which powers the magic of other religions. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is always a class skill for you.

QUINTILIAN, CG small human
Init +2; Senses Perception -1
AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11
hp 5 (1HD)
Fort -1, Ref +2, Will -1
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee dagger (small) +1 (1d3/19-20)
Ranged dagger (small/thrown) +3 (1d3/19-20)
Face 5 ft. Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 11
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 16
Feats Simple Weapon Proficiency
Skills Acrobatics +2, Appraise +2, Bluff +8, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +3, Escape Artist +2, Fly +4, Heal -1, Intimidate +3, Perception -1, Perform (Comedy) +7, Ride +2, Sense Motive -1, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +6, Survival -1
Possessions dagger (small)
Child of the Streets You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Fast-Talker You had a knack at getting yourself into trouble as a child, and as a result developed a silver tongue at an early age. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is always a class skill for you.

BALIAN, CG small human
Init +5; Senses Perception +1
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11
hp 6 (1HD)
Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +1
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee club (small) +3 (1d4+3, two-handed)
Melee dagger (small) +3 (1d3+2/19-20)
Ranged dagger (small/thrown) +4 (1d3+2/19-20)
Face 5 ft. Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 14
Abilities Str 14, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 7
Feats Simple Weapon Proficiency
Skills Acrobatics +3, Appraise -2, Bluff -2, Climb +2, Diplomacy -2, Disguise -2, Escape Artist +3, Fly +5, Heal +1, Intimidate -2, Perception +1, Ride +3, Sense Motive +1, Sleight of hand +9, Stealth +11, Survival +1, Swim +2
Possessions club (small); dagger (small)
Child of the Streets You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Reactionary You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.


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The last thing Balian remembered of his father were the words "Run, son, run, and take your sister!". That was two and a half years ago, when he used to live in the North Point District.

Back in the day Balian's father ran a simple second hand store, trying to make enough money to feed his two children, his eleven year old son and a nine year old daughter, Alika. Still, life was hard for the widower, who sometimes fenced stolen goods from a local thug, Gaedran Lamm, to make ends meet. This welcome addition to his income would be his undoing, for when an unsuspecting customer recognized her stolen bracelet, she warned the Korvosan Guard. The next day the guards busted the shop to confront the shopkeeper and arrest him and his son, but the desperate man pushed his boy aside and urged him to take his sister and run. Meanwhile he tried to hold off the guards, knocking over a lantern in the struggle. The building caught fire and the poor shopkeeper perished in the flames.

A couple of days later, while Balian and his sister were wandering aimlessly through the streets of Korvosa, they came across a creepy, old man. He introduced himself as Gaedran Lamm and told them that a number of his goods had been in their father's shop when it had burnt down. Things that hadn't been paid for yet. Korvosan law and custom dictated that a man's debts were inherited by his heirs, so the children now owed a debt to Lamm. To settle the score Balian and Alika would have to work for Lamm for free until the man decided that the money was repaid. If the children refused, he threatened to call the guard and have the little fugitives arrested. Moreover, he wouldn't hesitate to harm any one of them of the other was too much trouble.

Ever since that time Balian has been one of Lamm's lambs, a gang of child slave laborers and pickpockets. His master never lets him forget that he "owes" him, and regularly gives him a firm beating, sometimes even without apparent cause. Since he fears for his sister's safety, the boy tries to avoid doing anything wrong.

Luckily, he's made some new friends among his fellow lambs, most notably Sjo, a tall boy of Shoanti blood, and Quint, a clear-eyed youngster of Chelish stock. Both boys have been with Lamm for as long as they can remember and have never known anything but hardship. All Sjo has to remind him of his origin is a weathered wooden board with his name in Shoanti runes, "Shaoban", which quickly wore down to "Sjo". Quint lacks even that, although he has a rather distinguishable birthmark on his shoulder that resembles a curled-up scorpion. Lamm refers to this spot as the "devil's touch", and fears the boy because of it. He doesn't beat the boy as often as the others and his punishments are rarely as severe.


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10 Erastus 4703

It is still early in the morning when Hookshanks bursts through the door of the outhouse of the old clog shop, the abandoned building Lamm and his cronies have occupied as their home base. Hookshanks is a gnome, a mean little bugger, small even for gnome standards. With an evil grin across his face he singles out three of the lambs, Balian, Sjo and Quint. "Time to go hunting, you fools. Gobblegut's hungry. If you don't want to be the alligator's next meal, you'd better get him some juicy rats. Now move along!"

Hookshanks leads the three boys to the alley around the corner, using his rusted meat hook to pull open the grating covering the manhole to the sewers. "There are supposed to be at least ten rats for every Korvosan down there, so it shouldn't be a problem to secure a healthy catch. Four's a nice number, I'd say, so you bums don't even think about returning with less. Happy hunting, and don't let the sewer monsters bite."

Armed with a simple kitchen knife, the three youngsters descend into the damp darkness. A foul smell welcomes them. Clutching a fluttering torch, Balian lights the way. He spots a couple of rats further down the ledge, next to the filthy muck. Quietly the boys creep closer, only to suddenly jump the surprised rodents and take out two of them before the rest scurries off into a large drain. Sjo never gets in a blow, since the unfortunate soul slips before he can make it to the fight.

Across the sewage Quint notices a cul-de-sac that is blocked off with heavy metal bars. A couple of small drain pipes in the ceiling trickle down their smelly contents, while two more rats are chewing on some rotten left-overs against the back wall of the dead end. If only he could squeeze through the bars, Balian would easily add two more critters to his haul. After covering himself with filthy mud and slime, the boy manages to glide through the iron poles and using his torch as a two-handed club, he knocks out the rats. It's a dirty job, literally, but two and two make four.

Urged by Sjo the boys set off into another branch of the sewers and kill two more rats before returning to the surface. Today Hookshanks is satisfied with their work, so there will be no repercussions. The gnome does insist that the boys bear witness to the alligator's meal, however. In the flooded cellar of the clog shop, Gobblegut tears through the rats' cadavers in no time, reminding the young hunters that they would never want to switch places with the dead rodents.


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11 Erastus 4703

The next morning sees the three young friends on the doorstep of an abandoned theatre. This time they are joined by three fellow lambs, Edu and Lick, two fourteen year old boys, and the lambs' senior member, a kind girl of sixteen who goes by the name of Amarice. Overseeing today's operation are Lamm himself, his right hand man Yargin, a sour-faced wanna-be alchemist, and Lou, Lamm's personal bodyguard, a skinny, but lean swordsman.

"This place harbors our new goldmine", Lamm gloats as he knocked on the dusty door. "The three of you will go in first", he grins as he beckons Edu, Lick and Amarice closer. Yargin draws out two strange harnesses that he fits around the boys' necks. A leather skin has been stretched across a curved neck-sized wooden bracelet, leaving the inside hollow to form some kind of container.

"Inside this old theatre are dream spiders, creepy crawlies that are a bit bigger than the ones you are used to. We need you to milk them of their venom. Just let them bite into the leather and their poison will seep into the space inside", Yargin explains.

"Are you mad?" Edu protests, only to be answered by Lamm's hard fist. "Bring their webs as well", Gaedran Lamm orders, as he shoves a blanket into Amarice's hands, "but be careful not to touch the silky threads, because they make you see strange things." He also hands the girl a lantern, before pushing the three guinea pigs into the main hall and quickly closing the door behind them. "Just give us a shout when you're ready", the old man mocks.

A few minutes pass before a burst of shouts erupts, followed by complete silence ... Then someone pounds on the door: "Let me out! Let me out!" It is Lick's voice. Yargin is in doubt: "What should I do, boss? What if there are spiders on the other side of the door?" Since Lamm does not make a decision immediately, Sjo and Quint urge Yargin to let Lick out. The boy stumbles through the doorway, covered in cobwebs. As he faces Lamm, Lick falls back against the wall, warding off the old man while deliriously screaming: "Leave me alone, you nasty spiderman! He raises his arms in protection, but Lamm still hits him hard against the head, knocking him out. Lou swipes away the webs with his blade, noticing that the harness had not been pierced.

"A good thing we brought some extra fodder", Lamm remarks as he binds Lick's harness around Balian's neck. "Remember," he warns the boys, "do not touch the webs, unless you want to end up like this poor bastard." Then he shoves Balian, Quint and Sjo into the theatre.

The three boys look around anxiously. The former seating area stretches out before them, reaching a raised stage at the far end of the room. Toppled over benches are scattered across the floor, thickly covered in spider webs. Realizing they are unarmed, the boys tear off some planks from a broken seat, to use as makeshift clubs. Balian, who is holding the light, notices Amarice's abandoned lantern on the floor in front of the podium. There is no immediate sign of the two missing lambs.

While they are pondering what to do, a spider jumps out of nowhere and attacks the kids. The monster is huge, easily as big as a large dog. Swinging their wooden sticks, the boys quickly take down the arachnid, but not before it bites Sjo in his neck and shoulder. Part of its venom seep into the harness, but the Shoanti gets a serious shot of the poison in his shoulder as well, leaving him hazy and disoriented. While Sjo takes a minute to get his bearings, his friends successfully milk the dead spider's fangs for more venom.

Next the boys make their way to the stage. Dangling from the rigging above the podium is another spider. This specimen is so preoccupied with the cocoon it is weaving that it doesn't even noticed the kids approaching until Balian hammers it in the head. After defeating the spider, the boys cut down the cocoon and free their friend Edu from the webs. Before they are able to carry him off the stage, two more spiders leap down. One of them puts its fangs in Quint's leg and with only a wooden stick in their hands, the boys suddenly feel overpowered. Then a trapdoor in the floor of the stage bursts open and Amarice hops out. She knocks down one of the monsters, giving the boys a chance to finish off the other one.

After they have milked the arachnids of their poison, the lambs consider what to tell Lamm. The old man will not be pleased to learn that his goldmine has already run dry. If they lie and tell him the spiders are still alive, he will surely send them back in a few days and they'll be in all kinds of trouble then. So they decide to go with a colored version of the truth. Balian, who isn't such a schemer as his colleagues, strolls about on the podium while his friends are plotting. A smaller cocoon draws his attention when it quivers with a light spasm. Balian examines it and carefully unfolds the webs, discovering a black labrador puppy inside. The baby dog is still breathing, although it is unconscious, just like Edu.

Next the kids rejoin Lamm and his men, confessing that they have killed four spiders, but have at least managed to extract their venom. Moreover, they have seen lots of baby spiders inside, who will probably be full-grown in a few months. Sjo and Quint bring such a compelling version of the truth that Lamm completely buys it. They also manage to draw away the adults' attention from Balian, who is hiding the small pup under his clothes. On their way home Quint explains to Lamm how a small animal, like a rat, with a harness around its neck, would make for better bait than a human. Some kind of stuffed animal puppet might even be preferable. Lamm says he will consider this idea, but he doubts that much venom will seep into the container if no one is able to steer the bait.

Back in the clog shop the boys and Amarice are given the rest of the day off to recover from their ordeal. Although the kids decide that it won't be too hard to hide the puppy from Lamm and his men - the outhouse is big enough and the adults never come in for long - they do fear one of their own, Jecko, who has a rep for being a snitch. The boys try to come up with a suitable solution and also start to wonder what happens to lambs when they have 'finished' their service to Lamm. Since none of their retired brethren have ever been seen or heard of again, they fear that riper teenagers are sold off as slaves to Cheliax, or even worse, killed. Amarice probably doesn't have much time left, since she's sixteen; it's her smallish stature that keeps her here for now.

When the other lambs return from their day's work, they convince the little traitor Jecko that 'Spyder', as they dubbed the labrador pup, is their secret and that it will be Jecko's job to see to it that everyone keeps it.

That evening Sjo, Balian and Quint have to assist Lamm in the old shop. He is expecting a guest and needs Sjo and Quint to convince him the stupid neck harness plan didn't work and had almost killed them. Balian's job will be simpler, he'll be fetching food and drink.

Half an hour later the guest arrives. It is a truly ugly man, very skinny, with a crooked nose and a receding hairline. His skin is pale and blotchy from various scars. He's wearing a long leather apron that bulges with surgical tools and he has a chemical smell about him.

Lamm starts complaining how he almost lost a couple of his lambs to the dream spiders, but the guest, whose name seems to be 'Rolth', tells Gaedran not to fret. He gladly collects the venom and the spider webs and hands Lamm a small bag in return. "I don't care how you get my stuff", the guest hisses, "we both know you love doing business with me if you can get Pesh for it. You'll let me know when you have more ..." Then he leaves.

So this is what the boys have risked their lives for, Pesh. It is no secret that Lamm deals a bit of drugs now and then, but the lambs certainly do not feel it is worth their lives. Sjo swears he will make the old man burn in hell.


Really like your "prelude sessions"! Nice foreshadowing here, as well! Keep up with it!

Sovereign Court

Wow, this is really good stuff. Your players will be a lot more immersed in the story when you begin the first adventure now that they've had an actual taste of Gaedren Lamm's evil.

How are the mechanics for these young pre-adventurers working out for you? Did you take the adult version of the characters (level 1) and then applied some penalties to some stats, and made them of Small size?


Moonbeam wrote:

Wow, this is really good stuff. Your players will be a lot more immersed in the story when you begin the first adventure now that they've had an actual taste of Gaedren Lamm's evil.

How are the mechanics for these young pre-adventurers working out for you? Did you take the adult version of the characters (level 1) and then applied some penalties to some stats, and made them of Small size?

Thanks for the compliment. The prelude sessions serve to give the players a heart-felt hatred of Lamm, but also to make Korvosa feel more like home and to foreshadow some NPCs.

The mechanics for the kid versions:
- small size (includes +1 to attack rolls and AC, +4 to stealth);
- penalty to strength and constution (-4 compared to adult version);
- other stats stay the same;
- start off as level 1 commoner, but choose no feats yet (although I gave each of them simple weapon proficiency);
- one free trait, one background trait chosen by me (child of the street for each PC, which gives them an enhancement to sleight of hand);
- one free skill point in SoH;
- stats calculated for small sized weapons (sharp kitchen knife instead of dagger), although the PCs normally don't carry weapons.

Because of the simple weapon proficiency the PCs had a chance to hit something, so the fights that were actually very simple, were fun anyway. Still, enemies hit easily as well because of the low AC the PCs have.


Congrats on a very interesting idea !


12 Erastus 4703

The Narrows of Saint Alika, the small channel between Endrin Island and mainland Korvosa, is famed for its tasty oysters. The mixture of salty sea water and sweet river water makes for an excellent breeding ground for the shellfish, providing both the perfect temperature and salinity.

Supervised by Lou the swordsman and Giggles the snickering half-orc, a dozen of Lamm's children have been diving into the murky water all day to locate and dislodge oysters. While Quint is struggling to meet the quota, Sjo and especially Balian do much better and have oysters to spare, dividing them among their closest friends to avoid punishment. Jules, an eleven year old lamb, is having an extremely terrible day. His weak constitution and a lingering cold have him slogging and cursing all afternoon. By the end of the day his hands are raw and cut, and he feels cold and out of breath. On top of that he gets a beating at the hands of Giggles for not meeting the required number of oysters.

When everyone stumbles into his cot in the outhouse of the clog shop that night, Jules is still cursing and swearing to finish off Lamm once and for all. Alika, who doesn't like bad language, closes herself off from his harsh words and occupies herself with her favorite pass-time, carving little wooden soldiers. Still, her hands are sore from farming oysters, so her efforts don't amount to much and she quickly joins the others in sleep.


13 Erastus 4703

The sun hasn't risen yet when Balian wakes up. His little sister is talking to the pup Spyder: "Shht, be quiet ,Spyder. We have to be smart about it, not like those stupid boys. You have to stay here, no you can't follow them ..." If Balian asks Alika what's going on, she informs him that Jules and Jecko have left. They snuck out, first Jules and then Jecko. Spyder wanted to follow them, but Alika is keeping him here, because it's not smart to try and run away. Someone always ends up paying. Balian wakes up his friends, but before the boys can figure out a course of action, they hear heavy footsteps approaching their dormitory.

The door to the outhouse is flung open. Giggles tears into the room: "Ruaaah, wake up, little lambs, wake up! Outside! Now! Nooooow!" The kids scurry to the courtyard, where they come across a gruesome scene: Lou the swordsman is nailing Jules to the backdoor of the shop. Lamm and his men are gathered around him; Jecko is standing inside, trying to fade in the shadows as the first rays of sunlight hit the rooftops.

Lamm looks furious. He regains just enough control over his breathing to hiss between his teeth: "No one leaves without my permission. No one abandons me! This is what happens to little black sheep who think they can betray me! Observe and consider if this is what you wish for yourselves! And praise the gods, because if we hadn't caught this lousy deserter, one of you would be hanging here in his place!"

Lamm turns to face Jules. "So you think you've got enough heart to resist me?! I don't think so, dog!" Lamm pulls out his dagger and stabs the weapon into the boy's chest. While Jules gasps his life away, Lamm keeps carving, cracks open the boy's ribs and cuts out his heart. He holds up the bloody organ: "This is all the heart he has left! No one deserts me!" Then the old man barges into the clog shop.

The lambs are sent back into the outhouse, where they try to process what just happened. Alika is inconsolable and is shivering with fear and sorrow.

Sjo boils with anger, especially towards that little rat Jecko. But Quint serves as the voice of reason. He figures that someone else would have had to pay the price if Jules had gotten away, possibly Amarice, since she is the oldest. It is usually the oldest who is charged with the responsibility over the group and who ends up paying when things go wrong. So even though Quint doesn't like the fact that Jecko is a traitor, he has to admit that Jecko saved someone else's life.

An hour later Hookshanks Gruller enters the outhouse and addresses Sjo, Balian and Quint: "What's this, you lazy bums, you think you get the day off simply because one of you's dead? Come, there's work to be done!" The gnome takes the three boys to the courtyard and waves his hooked weapon at Jules' mutilated corpse. "Take it down!" Since Jules has been nailed to the door, there is no easy way to take him down, and the boys have to tear him loose. While the kids working, the gnome hums a popular nursing rhyme, slashing his hook around Sjo's and Balian's necks during the 'deadliest' parts of the song:

"On Croaker day, on Croaker day
you will never get away!
When the Reaper comes for you,
old Broke-Neck will hang you too!

On Croaker day, on Croaker day
Come and see the Hangman play!
When he says it's time to die
You'll be swinging high and dry!"

Afterwards Hookshanks orders the boys to feed Jules' corpse to Gobblegut. The boys are disgusted while watching the alligator rip the body to pieces. Hookshanks adds to the drama by threatening Balian: "Maybe Gobble wants some more, what do you think? Or should we feed him something more juicy, like a little girl whose feeble attempts at labor will never be enough to pay off her father's debts? Har har har, pwak, pwak, you chicken, your day will come soon enough, mark my words! Now go and fetch the others, I've got some real work for you!"

The lambs have to sweep the city streets for the rest of the day, a simple job Lamm likes to perform for Korvosa once in a while. He's only paid a few pinch (copper pieces) for it, but it buys him a lot of goodwill, so his small-time operation is left in peace.

That night the three young friends contemplate what to do. Betraying Lamm to the Guard will not work, because the old man is not officially wanted. They could leave a trail while performing their own little crimes, but that would incriminate them as well. Moreover, if Lamm were to get wind of this treachery, his wrath would be terrible.

The lambs even involve Jecko into their conversation. When they confront him with the fact that he ratted out Jules, he defends himself, saying he saved their lives. Jecko is just being careful and refuses to pay for someone else's stupidity. He understands the urge to escape, but refuses to do so, because someone always pays. The only plan he has ever devised to escape Lamm's clutches, is befriending someone with means, who can buy his freedom. Lamm knows a good deal when he sees one, so if he was offered enough money to let a lamb go, he would definitely agree. And more importantly, no one would have to suffer or die. Sjo doubts Lamm will ever let anyone go, since he can't afford to have his victims freed. They could set up a lawsuit against him, providing personal testimony of Lamm's evil and illegal deeds. Jecko urges caution, he says that Sjo, Quint and Balian are in the typical age category when the lambs start thinking they can get out. He warns them to perish the thought, because no one has ever succeeded at this in over twenty years.

For now, the three friends decide to gather more information on the relationship between their captors. Maybe they can eavesdrop at night and find out who amongst Lamm's cronies doesn't fit in with the rest.


14 Erastus 4703 - Foundation Day

That morning Lamm calls everyone into the courtyard. Flanked by his mates the old man is waiting for the children. "Today's party-time", he grins. "Today's Korvosa's 296th birthday! And obviously, little lambs, we'll be partying along!" Lamm expects an enthusiastic reaction, but when he doesn't get it, he shrugs and continues.

"Don't get too excited, you boneheads. Listen carefully. Today the king will make his annual visit to the Golden Market. The finest of Korvosa will celebrate and get very drunk. That means little alertness, but lots of money. That's how we like it! Spread out across town and pick as many pockets as you can. We will meet here tonight and you'd better bring me some hefty pouches! And of course, have a good time as well, it's a holiday after all." Lamm even manages a smile before sending the children off.

Although their master seems quite content now, Balian and his friends know that Lamm is one of the first to get drunk today and he expects his lambs to steal a serious amount of gold. If not, there will be hell to pay.

Sjo, Balian and Quint quickly make their way to the Golden Market. It is still early in the day, so the people who are visiting the market right now, are actually there to do some shopping. But since it is a holiday, the crowd is bigger than usual and also in a finer mood. Quint attempts some stand-up comedy, trying to weave the king and his harem into his jokes, but he makes only a few pinch. His efforts serve as a perfect distraction for Balian to pick some pockets, though. Seeing how well they have become at this job, the boys entertain the thought of building up their own private stash, in case they ever need it. They decide to hide it the sewers next to the old clog shop where they usually do their rat hunting. Especially the barred dead end would make an excellent hiding place, since the bars are only wide enough to allow a child to wriggle through.

By three in the afternoon the streets are packed with people who are psyched to see the king. The three boys have located a juicy target in the masses: Korvosa's magistrate of commerce, Garrick Tann, also known as the most hated man in Korvosa because he is in charge of taxes. Quint and Sjo move through the crowd to position themselves in front of the man, while Balian finds a spot behind the magistrate.

When the king comes into view on his beautiful black stallion, Sjo and Quint start screaming and jumping enthusiastically, distracting the man behind them. Balian seizes the opportunity to cut Tann's purse and also lift his dagger from its sheath. Then the boys sink into the crowd, trying to stay ahead of the approaching procession.

Although the monarch is getting older, he looks quite impressive in his ornamental gold breastplate and crimson cloak. The king is flanked by field marshal Cressida Kroft, the commander of the Korvosan Guard, and the seneschal of Castle Korvosa, Neolandus Kalepopolis. Twenty Korvosan guards on horseback fall back behind the trio and six members of the Sable Company keep a close watch from the sky, seated on the backs of their hippogryphs, much to Sjo's excitement, because the young Shoanti is fascinated by the black aviators.

Suddenly the crowd's cheering turns into a different kind of commotion. A beautiful young noblewoman on the other side of the street can't control her white mare and is thrown from the saddle. When the king sees her falling, he halts and slowly dismounts.

"By the gods," the king utters, reaching out his hand to the woman, "Shelyn truly blesses me today, what rare beauty crosses my path? Are you hurt, milady?"

"Lord Eodred, oh, I'm so ashamed. Forgive me for interrupting your procession with my clumsy behavior", the girl sighs. Her accent indicates she is from Cheliax.

"A welcome distraction on a boring day. Same show every year, put on a happy face and wave at the cheering faces. I know better ways to fill my days, but you know how it works: noblesse oblige and all that", the king confides. "Allow me to help you up."

"Oh, of course, silly me, I'm still lying in the dust in front of the king of Korvosa", the girl stammers. She elegantly reaches out for the king.

"You wouldn't be the first to crawl through the dust for me," the king smiles, "but in your case it's really not necessary. Would you do me the honor of joining me?"

"Oh," the woman blushes, "I'd love to, my lord." The crowd cheers when the noblewoman rides off at the king's side. While everyone is staring at the lovely couple, Quint's eye falls on something in the dust where the woman fell. He dives through the crowd and picks up a bejeweled brooch with a broken clasp. It is made of white gold and inlaid with small diamonds. There is an inscription on the back: "To my darling Ilie, dad". It must certainly be worth hundreds of golden sails.

When the king is gone, Sjo counts today's loot. Especially Tann's fat purse has given the boys a nice catch, over 12 gold pieces in value. On top of that they have a priceless jewel and a dagger that is expertly crafted.

The boys decide to hide the brooch and the masterwork dagger in the sewers and hand the money to Lamm, when he returns in the evening. Since there is no need to continue stealing, the boys enjoy the rest of the day off like normal children would. They also learn the name of the noblewoman who has enthralled the king: Ileosa Arvanxi from Cheliax.


30 Erastus 4703

The next couple of weeks the lambs are kept busy. Sjo, Balian and Quint have to work in the harbor, cleaning the hulls of ships, an arduous and dangerous job.

The evening of the 30th Alika takes "The Korvosa Herald"' home, a printed newsletter that is published once a fortnight. She asks Balian to read it to her, while she starts carving another wooden puppet. The Herald announces the up-and-coming wedding of the king to the Chelaxian noblewoman he met in the market, Ileosa Arvanxi. The marriage is planned for the 31st of Arodus, on the holiday of Saint Alika. The back of the Herald traditionally covers a piece of history, focusing on Korvosa's early battles with the Shoanti. Sjo feels a bit sour when he learns that the Sable Company was founded by a handful of veteran soldiers who had survived the Shoanti attacks. By the time Balian has finished reading, he sees the sculpture his sister has carved: the new queen.

Sovereign Court

Nice introduction for the queen and her brooch there. :)


Did you give to your players a handmade copy of the Korvosa Herald ? Labor of love, indeed !


Smarnil le couard wrote:
Did you give to your players a handmade copy of the Korvosa Herald ? Labor of love, indeed !

Yes I did, they will get one every two weeks.


DM's note:

The following session was based on the module 'Murder's Mark'. The adventure itself has been cut down to a much shorter version, keeping the carnival and the murder, but leaving out all the extra encounters and combats, since my 0-level PCs are not up to such challenges yet.


20 Arodus 4703

Hookshanks walks into the old clog shop, obviously in a good mood. He hands Lamm a flyer, telling him a nice opportunity has presented itself. The Umbra circus has come to town. They arrived yesterday and set up camp in Endrin Square in the East Shore district. A circus is the perfect place to pick pockets: easy targets and suitable scapegoats, because the carni's will most certainly be blamed for everything that goes wrong or gets stolen.

Lamm sends out Balian and his mates to Endrin Square because the boys performed so admirably at the golden market recently. He expects them to come home with fat loot and the children know their master is not easily satisfied.

The Umbra carnival is a colorful collection of circus wagons and tents. The boys, who have no money to pay the admission fee, sneak in undetected and gaze at the wonders of the carnival. Playful music drifts from a barrel organ, its sharp tones cutting through the hum of the crowd. Dozens and dozens of Korvosan citizens roam around to play at the high-striker game, have their fortune told or visit the magnificent Madame Mask. While mothers wave at their children on the carousel or take them to brave the baby dragon, fathers gather at the bar to get drunk, hoping their wives will leave with the children before the nightly peepshow starts. Still, the highlight of the circus is an enormous tent that opens only twice a day. A painted sign at the entrance announces a mythological animal with a capricious nature that offer riddles to be solved: a sphinx! Two carni's stand guard at the door.

Some early visitors to the fair have already started drinking at the bar. Quint and Sjo provide a distraction, allowing Balian to lift a hefty pouch, the first catch of the day.

Later the boys walk into a large and brightly colored pavilion tent to watch the show of Madame Mask. Three runways lead to a raised dais with a tall rectangular box, covered on all sides in mirrors. A nimble carni makes his way through the crowd to collect 5 pinch from every visitor: "Stare at Madame Mask's curves and make some money. Only five pinch! The fastest eyes win the pot!"

Then a beautiful woman with a silver mask strides into the tent. She uses the central runway to walk up to the dais. She doesn't talk, but nods and waves at the visitors. Her shapely body is covered in a risqué blue gown. She is also adorned with various scarves, all kinds of jewels and flowers in her hair. She sends a few charming smiles into the audience before stepping into the mirrored box.

"I hope you've been paying close attention", the gypsy who collected the money shouts. "Now's your time to prove it!" Three doors open in the cabinet and three ladies step out. They are all Madame Mask, but each of them is dressed differently. "Each Madame Mask wears a different outfit from the original, but each of them wears a single piece that the original was wearing as well. The first one to identify all three items wins this money", the crier clarifies, holding up the sack of money.

The public stats shouting the names of all the items and accessories the women are wearing. The crowd quickly picks up on the white rose, woven into the left Madame Mask's hair, but it takes the young lambs a few breaths longer to lay their finger on the other two items: a fine silver chain around the waist of the lady in the center and a silver ankle bracelet on the beauty to the right. The prize money amounts to a little over two gold sails.


After the show the youngsters realize that the excitement made them forget to do their jobs and pick pockets. They decide to make amends and join a crowd that is gathered around a carni who's juggling burning torches and breathing fire. Balian lifts another pouch, but when he examines it, it turns out to be a meager catch of one silver shield and a couple of pinch. Suddenly a hand seizes Balian by the collar. A blue-eyed gypsy holds the boy in place with his firm grasp. "Excuse me, young man, master Terdal would like a word with you." The man is quickly joined by his colleague from Madame Mask's show. When the boys get ready to resist, the blue-eyed carni quickly pulls out a knife, which he gently places on Balian's throat. "I have no intention of hurting you, boy, if you just come along. All we want to do is talk." The lambs realize they are outmatched and follow the gypsies to a barrel-shaped wagon, where an older carni with a patient face kindly invites them to take a seat.

"Hello, my name is Alan, Alan Terdal", he says. "My companions have noticed your little ... antics, shall we say. You do understand that we can't have anyone picking pockets at our fair. It reflects badly on my kind, I'm afraid. So what shall we do with you, it would be a pity to hand you over to the guard, now wouldn't it?"

At first the boys are not inclined to negotiate, but when they finally agree to return the stolen money, Alan nods approvingly and makes them an offer. A Varisian circus like his is perpetually plagued with a bad rep for deception and petty theft, no matter how honest the carni's really are. Alan asks the lambs to act as his eyes and ears in the crowd, picking out other pickpockets from the visitors. He's even prepared to pay the boys for their services. When the youngsters agree, Alan impresses on them not to interfere themselves when they spot a thief, but to warn him or his companions, Jonah Blue-eye or Landro the Fiddle. The boys can also eat and drink for free or participate in any of the attractions.

Balian, Quint and Sjo enjoy the rest of the afternoon at the fair, eating and drinking as much as they want, but keeping their eyes open at all time. When Balian plays at the high-striker game, he smashes the heavy wooden mallet on a lever to sends a puck up to a lion's head on a pole. The puck fails to meet its goal and the head does not roar, as it did with the previous contestant. Instead it simply meows and licks its lips, to the amusement of the bystanders.


At 4 o'clock the doors to the Sphinx's tent open. The pavilion leans against a large wagon with an iron cage. Visitors gladly pay the one silver shield admission price for a chance to gawp at this creature of mythology. Two guards keep the visitors under control, preventing them from touching the curtains that cover the cage.

Alan Terdal welcomes the guests: "Ladies and gentlemen, what you're about to behold is something most of us can only dream about. The searing sands of far-away Orision are home to a fabled creature, half woman and half lioness. This sphinx is a marvel indeed, wonderful but capricious in nature. That's why we disturb her rest only a few times a day, but be warned, for if you do not succeed in solving her riddles, she might lose her patience ... Still, guess what she's describing and you get to plunder her treasures! So without further ado, here is Jherizhana, the sphinx" The gypsy pulls a cord and the curtains slide open.

Behind the bars of the cage stands a beautiful sphinx, surrounded by satin cushions and silk sheets. She shifts about nervously until she finds her peace, looks into the spectators' eyes and melodiously recites her riddle:

"At the sound of me, men dream or stamp their feet,
when I resound again, women laugh or sometimes weep,
What am I?"

The visitors and the three lambs start shouting all kinds of wrong answers, obviously irritating the fierce lioness, who begins to pace from left to right and repeats the riddle twice, each time with less patience in her voice.

Suddenly Quint has an epiphany and cries out the solution: "Music!" The expression across the sphinx's face softens immediately. She beckons the young lamb closer and invites him to open one of the chests in front of her cage. Quint picks the fourth chest from the left, in which he discovers a small ball of golden cheese, a true delicacy for malnourished lambs.

Meanwhile Balian and Sjo notice a man who's trying to glide through the crowd, paying more attention to the visitors than the creature in the cage. The man spots a juicy target and lifts his purse during the highlight of the show, when Quint solves the riddle and the bystanders applaud his success. Sjo alerts Jonah, who signals Landro to intercept the thief. The pickpocket turns out to be one of the Szcarni, a gang of Varisian mafiosi who live in the poorer outskirts of Korvosa.

Alan's daughter Liandra returns the stolen pouch to the victim, a barrel-bellied man with grey sideburns and a cordial smile. She invites the lambs to come over and introduces them to the victim, Ausio Carowyn, the head of a minor noble family. He praises the youngsters for their honesty and awards them a gold sail each for their help.

At the end of the day the boys get even more money from Alan, who invites them to return the next day and continue their good work. The boys made a little over 9 gold sails today with mostly honest work. They have eaten well and had a very enjoyable day. They turn over 6 gold pieces and some petty chance to Lamm, storing 3 gold sails in their secret stash in the sewers. When they get back to the outhouse, they share the cheese with their friends.


21 Arodus 4703

When Balian and his mates return the next day, they aren't allowed inside the circus grounds. The Korvosan guard is preventing anyone from entering or leaving the site. The bystanders are whispering that someone was murdered here last night, but no one knows any specifics.

The boys decide to sneak in the same way they did the day before. Sjo and Balian hide in Alan's wagon, while Quint uses prestidigitation to color his shirt brightly, making him look like a carni kid. He singles out Alan and waves him over to his wagon. The carni is relieved to see the lambs: "My young friends, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Someone was murdered here last night. The carnival is closed and one of us is under suspicion of the vile crime: Jherizhana, our sphinx. The victim appears to have been wounded by heavy claws. And to make matters worse, our 'bird' has flown: Jherizhana is missing. "

"Still, I'm absolutely convinced that Jherizhana is innocent. Don't ask me how I know, but trust me, I'm 100 % sure. My fellow carni's and I have been grounded, so I would like you boys to investigate the matter for me. Would you be prepared to help us out? If you can prove our innocence, I will reward you handsomely."

When the three boys agree, Alan continues: "The man who was murdered last night, was named Boris Veldan, a local moneylender and pawnbroker. He had been drinking heavily at the bar yesterday and was murdered later last night in another corner of the camp, behind the cage of the baby dragon and Madame Mask's tent. Apparently he had been ripped to shreds.

That is exactly why Jherizhana is a suspect, because the wounds on Veldan's body appear to come from her claws. Lieutenant Jalento of the guard, who's leading the investigation, seems to be convinced of her guilt. Moreover, the sphinx is no longer around, which only adds to the suspicion. Maybe her magic foresight warned her and made her fly off ... I'm not sure, but she has disappeared at a most inconvenient time.

Jherizhana would never hurt a fly, she's incapable of doing so. Her cage is only for show. I don't know why that Boris guy was murdered. Perhaps he was robbed, because his purse is missing. Or maybe the Szcarni had a score to settle with him. Those damned gangsters give all my fellow Varisians a bad name. This moneylender might have been a thorn in their side ... well, I just don't know, I'm not familiar enough with this city. I hope you can figure out what happened.

Lieutenant Jalento let slip that this Boris Veldan owns a pawnshop close to the Dwarfwalk gate. Maybe you can start your investigation there."


The three boys take the road north, towards the Dwarfwalk gate. On the corner of Kroft Boulevard and Threemast Street they see the pawnshop, 'The Hefty Purse'. It is a sturdy stone building. In front of the shop is a small group of people. Five guards are talking to a grieving woman and a frowning man in chain armor. A child is standing behind the woman. When the woman notices her son listening in on the conversation, she gives him a hug before asking him to go and play while she's talking to "these gentlemen".

The child shambles down the street, where Balian, Quint and Sjo approach him. His name is Bastian Veldan. His father was murdered last night at the circus and his pouch and keys were stolen. His father's body has already been taken to the Gray District, where the priests of Pharasma will bury him.

His dad bought things from people who needed money. If they didn't buy it back within a certain time span, his father could sell these things off to someone else, Bastian says. The man in chainmail, next to his mother, is Gerbrand, the head of security in the shop.

The woman calls out for her son to join her and the guards to the Gray District and greet his father's remains. The head of security accompanies them as well, leaving the shop in the hands of one of his agents. After the woman closes the shop, the party leaves.

A couple of minutes later a shifty character sneaks up to the shop. He scans the street and pulls out a key ring, trying several keys before opening the door and entering. The lambs wait for a couple of minutes, before they move over to the pawnshop and peek through the window. They see a dead guard lying on the floor in a pool of blood. The youngster wait for another ten minutes. Then they see the burglar coming out again with a leather satchel around his shoulder. A severe limp betrays the fact that he is wounded. He scurries down an ally, making his way to a rundown sailing boat in the Eastshore docks.

Sjo and Quint alert two soldiers from the Korvosan Guard who are patrolling the harbor, informing them that a murderer is hiding on a boat close-by. The two guards, a man and a woman, accompany them to the ship and order the man to come out, before kicking in the door to the cabin. Sjo gets a better look at the man now: he is pale and skinny, has blood on his clothes and heavy bags under his eyes. He's still trying to get up from behind the table, seizing a bloodied garden hook in the process, when the guards burst in and knock him out cold.

Next they examine the cabin. The leather satchel is on the table and contains several items of jewelry. There is also a scroll on the table, which bears fresh bloody fingerprints. It's the deed to the ship, which is the property of Verner Salor. The blood on the garden claw looks fresh as well. The guards don't seem surprised when they find drugs on the table. Judging from the man's physical state, he is most likely an addict.

The female guard figures the man is a pesh addict, who pawned his ship for a loan, so he could sustain his addiction. When he couldn't pay back the money he owed, he must have killed the pawnbroker.

The two guards join the lambs to the Umbra Carnival, where they easily convince lieutenant Jalento that they have caught the real killer. Alan Terdal is very happy that the carnival's name has been cleared and invites the lambs into his wagon to thank them. He also confesses that Jherizhana, the sphinx, doesn't exist: she is just an illusion conjured by his daughter. That is why the sphinx could be the killer. When Alan tells the kids that the circus will probably be closed for a few days, out of respect for the man who was murdered, he notices that the youngsters are disappointed. When they confront him with the horror of their master, Gaedran Lamm, the old Varisian feels for them. Although he can't make any promises, Alan assures the boys that he will look into the case more closely.

He also hands them a magic wand, which holds cure spells. He suspects the lambs might have need of it from time to time. The gypsy is happily surprised to find out that Balian, Quint and Sjo all possess the magic inclination to activate the wand. When he sends the boys off, their predicament is still mulling through his mind.

Sovereign Court

It must be tempting for the kids to just leave Lamm's clutches and join the carnival. :)


Moonbeam wrote:
It must be tempting for the kids to just leave Lamm's clutches and join the carnival. :)

It is, but they know that at least three of the other children will pay with their lives for their desertion, so unless they can get all 30 children out at once, it is a flawed plan.

Sovereign Court

Good point! :)


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22 Arodus 4703

The lambs spend the day in the Narrows of Saint Alika, working in the oyster beds. After a tiring day the kids are trying to catch their breaths over a plate of porridge in their dormitory. Yargin walks in, followed by Gaedran Lamm and a 'stranger', Alan Terdal, the leader of the Umbra Circus.

"Good evening, children. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alan Terdal. I'm a carnival artist and actor by profession. As you probably know, we're only a few days away from the birthday of Saint Alika and the king's marriage. In honor of the holiday and the wedding my group's planning a theater play, 'The Pied Piper of East-Rikkan', a lovely tale about a rat plague in a small Chelish town. I hear that Korvosa has its fair share of rats herself, so this piece might be enjoyed here.

We do have a problem, however, because the children of East-Rikkan play an important part in the story and since my group consists almost exclusively of adults, we're in dire need of some children. The kind mister Lamm here has allowed me to hire some of you. I'll be needed a dozen or so of you. Who would like to participate?"

Yargin immediately adds: "This play is by no means a way to escape your daily chores. Daylight hours are still for working. You can practice in your own time, in the evening! And those of you who'll be joining me in the country, come tomorrow, you're out! We'll be sleeping on a farm outside of the city, so we won't be around to play the fool on stage."

Almost all the lambs raise their hands. Yargin immediately rules out the smaller children, who will go to the countryside with him to pick baskets full of flowers for the feast of Saint Alika. This also excludes Balian's sister, Alika. In the end eleven lambs are chosen, including Balian, Sjo and Quint, but also Jecko, Edu and Lick. Alan Terdal convinces Lamm to let him take the children tonight already, for their initiation into the world of acting. The old miser agrees on one condition, Hookshanks Gruller, the gnome, has to join the play as well to keep an eye on the kids.

When the troupe arrives at the circus on Endrin Square, Alan's daughter Liandra welcomes everyone with open arms and immediately serves a decent meal to the skinny lambs. To learn the basics of acting, the children have to do some basic theater exercises, like acting out emotions, mirroring someone else's actions, practicing different ways of walking or improvising various characters who meet by accident on a steps of the temple. Some of the gypsies join in the fun, including Eran, one of the two children in the circus troupe. Although the six-year old is younger than any of the lambs present, he's already a fine actor and he actually gives the budding performers tips.

Sjo, Lick and Quint turn out to be naturals. Balian struggles a bit more, but no one is as bad as Hookshanks, who claims this acting business is plain stupid. The gnome refuses to fully commit to a role, fearing he will make a fool of himself, but his reserve only results in an even worse performance. The kids also employ every opportunity to make fun of the gnome. In all, the children have a great time and when they finally return to bed, their dreams are sweet for once.


23 Arodus 4703

Early in the morning Yargin leaves with the younger lambs for the countryside. There they'll be picking red and white flowers for a week, that will traditionally be used on Saint Alika Day. Although Balian's sister will be joining Yargin, which means she won't get to play in the Pied Piper, Balian feels happy for her. This week outside of the city is usually quite enjoyable. The little lambs even think of it as their annual holiday.

The older lambs spend the day in the water again, diving for oysters and turning them in their beds, so they can grow larger by the end of the month.

That evening they are exhausted, but eager to visit the circus again. Alan asks Hookshank not to give the children dinner anymore. He will feed them during practice instead. This way they will save time, the old Varisian explains. Realizing how tired the children truly are tonight, Alan calls for food, drink and blankets. Everyone gathers around the campfire. Landro plays his fiddle while Alan tells the story of the Pied Piper.

Once upon a time there was an infestation of rats in the Chelish town of East-Rikkan. The desperate citizens hired a musician who claimed he could get rid of the rodents. Playing his flute, the Piper led all the rats to the river, where they drowned.

When the mayor refused to pay him, the musician grew angry and played his instrument again. This time the town's children followed in his wake and disappeared inside a mountain, never to be heard from again. Only two children remained to tell the tale. These two couldn't keep up with the others because one of them was a cripple and the other one hit his toe. Apparently Sjo and Quint will be playing those two roles.

Oyster farming and theater practice continue for the next couple of days, giving Quint and his mates some skill in acting.


31 Arodus 4703

Saint Alika's Birthday is a holiday the lambs generally enjoy. They are never made to pick pockets, because Lamm opens up an oyster bar in front of the old clog shop. His children have to help him here. Lamm's superstitious nature somehow makes him believe that thievery doesn't fit in with the modest remembrance of Korvosa's selfless heroine Saint Alika. Still Lamm is not one to pass on an occasion to make money, which he does through selling oysters and wine.

The clog shop's central location makes it an excellent spot to participate in the festivities. Lamm has occupied most of the street in front of his home with tables and a large stall. He expects to do extra well this year because of the royal wedding. He also got hold of four free barrels of wine, a royal gift which are to be distributed for free. Being the business man he is, Lamm watered two of these down to four, keeping the remaining two barrels as his 'own' supply. He'll be offering these to paying customers.

The weather is excellent on this joyful day. In the morning Yargin returns with the smaller children from their 'holiday in the country', while the others are setting up Lamm's oyster bar. By noon most people leave for the Heights, hoping to catch a glimpse of the married couple at Castle Korvosa. Quint and Sjo beg Lamm to let them go watch as well. Since the old man is curious himself, he agrees, leaving Giggles behind to watch the shop and bar.

A vast crowd of Korvosans has made its way to the Heights, pushing and shoving to find a decent spot along Ramp Boulevard or on one of the streets surrounding the castle. Balian, Sjo and Quint climb one of the houses close to the castle to enjoy the spectacle from their 'front row seats' on the rooftop. At one o'clock all the bells in the city toll. The people cheer as the king and his new bride appear on the balcony to greet their subjects.

Trumpets blare and drums roll as a military parade makes its way along Ramp Boulevard from Kendall Plaza in the south. The soldiers halt in front of the castle, while fifteen hippogryphs fly overhead in a heart-shaped formation, strewing down red and white petals.

Field Marshal Cressida Kroft rides to the head of her troops. With a magically enhanced voice she speaks: "Your majesty, the Korvosan Guard salutes you and congratulates you on your wedding. We welcome your beautiful bride, our new queen Ileosa! (The people cheer.) To show our honor and loyalty, we would like to present her with a gift, her own private guard!"

At that exact moment the front ranks split and ten women in plate mail step forward. Their helmets are adorned with red plumes. "Behold!" Cressida Kroft shouts, "the Gray Maidens!" Another cheer arises from the masses. The king and queen nod their heads in approval as the Field Marshal orders her troops to move forward.

When the royals go back inside, the lambs hurry back to the old clog shop to work. Hookshanks is in charge of opening the oysters, the girls pour the drinks and the boys serve the patrons. Soon all the seats are taken. The free wine flows bountifully, but the oysters and housewine also move well, even though customers have to pay for them.

Twice Hookshanks cries out triumphantly as he finds a pearl in an oyster. He proudly hands the precious stones to Lamm, who tucks them away in his chest pocket. Several nervous looking people approach Lamm in the course of the day to buy tiny pouches. Many of his customers are young adults and most of them are decently dressed.


By seven o'clock the lambs leave for Endrin Square, where the circus has built a spectacular stage. Giggles remains behind with a skeleton crew to man the oyster bar. The boys and girls are excited, although some of them are plagued by nerves. The Varisian actors welcome their extra's with open arms. Alan informs them that he has found real rats for the show, so there will be no need for magic tricks and illusions to conjure an army of rodents. He also introduces the kids to an elderly lady with a yellow sheen in her eyes, Meep Gildenglare. Meep will be sitting under the stage to handle the rats. Alan warns the kids to leave the woman in peace so she won't lose control over her animal friends.

By 7.45 Jonah jumps on stage, dressed as the mayor, and addresses the crowd: "Dear people of Korvosa, ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, he- and she-rats, baby rats and elderly rats, I bid you all welcome! For, if I'm not mistaken, this city counts a fair number of rodents amongst its inhabitants. Well, let me put your minds at ease, it can always get worse. Because once upon a time in East-Rikkan, a small town north of Westcrown in Cheliax, there lived rats ... a great many rats."

And so the play begins. The lambs can watch from backstage how the story unwinds, occasionally stepping onto the podium themselves to join in the action. Sjo has to jump round in a state of panic with a rat on his back and Eran, the small circus child, plays an endearing boy who begs his mother and beckons the gods to 'please get rid of the rat problem'. The rodents themselves enter and leave the stage through some holes in the floor. Sjo notices Meep's yellow eyes burning down below through the cracks and he hears her whispering to the animals in a peeping voice. Quint and Lick are also intrigued by the mysterious woman and dare the young Shoanti to sneak a peek under the stage.

When Sjo slips down to spy on the old lady, he's surprised to see a tail sticking out from under her skirt. When she turns to face him, his heart skips a beat: her face has morphed into the features of a rat. Apparently she is one of those dreaded 'wererat' creatures. Sjo quickly runs off to inform his friends of his discovery.

Meanwhile Alan is on stage, pleasing the people with his role of the Pied Piper. He pipes a light-hearted tune on his flute, apparently making the rats obey his every wish. The spectators applaud the rodents' antics. When the rats have been disposed off, the good people of Rikkan refuse to pay the piper. The children are up next. They follow the musician in a dancing queue and disappear behind a waterfall. Two of them are late, Quint and Sjo. Their stumbling and fumbling sends roars of laughter through the crowd.

When the show has finished, the lambs share in the joy of being applauded and cheered. Alan thanks all the kids and Liandra gives them each a kiss on the cheek. She also slips a gold sail into Sjo's and Quint's hand, to thank them for their excellent performance.

Shortly after the play the lambs return to the old clog shop to continue working at the oyster bar. Even after the sun has set the seats are still filled. Lots of alcohol has flown and many of the customers are drunk, as is Gaedran Lamm. When darkness has truly set in, fireworks light up the night sky. The spectacle ends with a series of heavy bangs and flashes, which blaze up in the shape of an enormous woman holding aloft a wand. She represents the gargantuan statue that once stood over the harbor, on top of the Gatefoot.


By midnight the oyster bar has completely sold out. In other parts of the city the feast is still in full swing. While Hookshanks and Giggles order the lambs to clean up, Gaedran invites Yargin and Lou for a trip around town. He charges Quint, Sjo and Balian to get three heavy chests from the front room and join them. The chests' marks have been burned away, identifying them as stolen goods. The boys have to be extra careful with them because their contents are extremely fragile.

Before they leave, Lamm goes inside to conclude some business, but the boys cannot make out who is in there with him. When he comes out, they leave for a bar in Midland harbor. On the way Yargin, who is quite intoxicated, bumps into Balian. The young boy stumbles but manages to hold on to his chest. Yargin is furious anyway and blames Balian for his incompetence.

In the bar Lamm and Yargin start gulping down a few pints of ale, though Lou abstains from alcohol, as usual. A few beers later a broadly smiling captain approaches. He exchanges a few words with Lamm, opens up one of the boxes and admires the ceramic plates inside. Then he has three of his men take away the merchandise, while handing Gaedran a pouch.

Gaedran and Yargin continue drinking heavily, while a kind barmaid gives the three boys in their company some milk and cookies. Lou tries to chat her up, but she skillfully wards off his advances. When Gaedran and Yargin are completely wasted, they join their customer, captain Korbat, and some other patrons in a game of chance. Lamm loses big. While his pile of coins slinks away, his temper rises. After having cleared Lamm of all his money and his last bag of drugs, captain Korbat prepares to leave. Lamm begs him for one last chance: "C'mon, cap'n. Give an old geezer one more shot. All you've taken from me against the boy!" Lamm points at Balian. "He's turning into a strapping lad, an excellent acquisition for your oars. Please, one more shot!"

The captain inspects Balian and answers amiably: "You've got yourself a deal, mister Lamm." He pulls out two dice. "Let's keep it simple; the highest roll wins."

Lamm throws the dice first. Double five! "Hah, ten! Try beating that, buddy!" Korbat takes the cubes and gently blows over them. "For chance." Quint watches him closely, trying to spot if the sailor is cheating, but he notices nothing out of the ordinary. Then Korbat throws the dice on the table. It's a double six. "Consider yourself beaten, old man." Three of his men jump up and grab Balian by his arms, dragging him outside. Lamm snickers in his seat: "You've brought me nothing but ill luck, boy! Good riddance!"

Then he claws at Quint's shirt: "Take me home, kid." Sjo is flabbergasted by what just expired and refuses to accept it. He swings at Lamm with his fist, hitting the old man in the face. His anger makes his hand burst out in sparks of fire. Meanwhile Quint tries to move towards the door, to follow the sailors who are carrying off Balian. Lou charges him and knocks him out with the flat of his sword. Sjo is also outmatched, getting cut by Lamm's dagger and receiving two splashes of acid in his face from Yargin's wand. While the acid burns in his eyes, he loses consciousness as well.

Quint awakens in the street when Lou empties a bucket of water in his face. Lamm and Yargin, who are both struggling to stand in their drunken stupor, order him to carry Sjo's unconscious body. But the Shoanti boy is big and heavy, and Quint can hardly support his weight, let alone move him. Yargin pulls out his wand again, threatening to burn the poor boy if he doesn't hurry up. Quint feels hopeless and pours all of his emotion into his hands, which suddenly glow with healing magic, restoring Sjo to consciousness. The Shoanti boy wakes up, but his sight is still blurry. Meanwhile Lamm and Yargin have grown tired of Quint's stalling and move forward to channel their frustrations on the boys once more.


"Stop this madness!" A calm but determined voice sounds from up above. Staring at the rooftops, Lou makes out the outlines of a cloaked man. His face is covered by a scarf. "Blackjack", Yargin moans, staring up at Korvosa's caped crusader.

Lou draws his blade. Lamm reaches for his crossbow but he is too drunk to cock it: "You dirty dog, no one orders me around. Just you wait ..." The mysterious hero somersaults down, landing next to Lou. The bodyguard lunges at the rescuer's back with his longsword. The vigilante ducks under his fierce swing: "Good sir, I have no wish to harm you. Just let these children go."

"I will be known as the man who killed Blackjack", Lou crunches as he swings at his opponent once again. Blackjack parries his hits easily: "I hate to repeat myself. LET (woosh, he cuts Lou's cheek) the CHILDREN (woosh, he wounds Lou in the shoulder) GO (stab, he hits Lou painfully in his side)!"

"Last chance to abort the fight", the masked man warns his assailant. Still, Lou refuses to quit and strikes wildly at Blackjack, who spins around, letting the longsword cut through the air beside him. Then he slaps the hilt of his rapier against Lou's hands, easily disarming the man.

"And now you will let these children go!" Blackjack pronounces each word carefully to let them sink in. He doesn't wait for the thugs to reply, but pulls the children up and pushes them towards safety. Lou uses the distraction to draw his dagger and lunges forward. Blackjack bends through his knees, swinging his own blade under his arm so it sticks out like a sharp thorn from his back. Lou sees his surprise attack transformed into a fatal rush toward the deadly point. Unable to stop his momentum, he throws himself on the blade. He drops down, dead.

"Now quickly, follow me!" Blackjack doesn't waste time and leads the children through a maze of alleys, until they reach a quiet spot on the docks. There the boys fill their rescuer in on what happened and urge him to help them free the other lambs from the old clog shop. If they don't, Lamm will make the remaining children pay, most likely with their lives, as retribution for their little rebel friends.

Blackjack immediately agrees to help. They hurry to the shop, where Giggles and Hookshanks are still up, catching a few more drinks in the front room. Blackjack knocks them out easily, while Quint and Sjo collect the lambs from the outbuilding. When the children learn they are free, the scurry off into the streets. Lick has more bad news: Balian's sister Alika is gone. The pale and blotchy alchemist who deals drugs with Lamm and who bought the dream spider's poison, came by and took the girl in exchange for more of the mind-numbing merchandise. Quint remembers the creep's name: Rolth. Blackjack has heard of him as well, but says no one knows where to find the man.

Then Lick urges his friends to leave the room. Sjo sees a flicker of madness in the boy's eyes, as he takes a lantern and drops it on the floor. The rugs catches fire and the last lambs run out of the house. Lick has the puppy Spyder under his arm. He nods at his rescuers before disappearing into the city, while the clog shop bursts out in flames.

Quint and Sjo hurry to the docks, in the hope of finding Balian, but captain Korbat's ship has already left. Blackjack asks the boys if they have some place to go. They want to try their luck in the Umbra Circus. Alan Terdal welcomes them with open arms and agrees to take them along when his troupe leaves the city, far away from the evil clutches of Gaedran Lamm.

Sovereign Court

Wow, very nice developments...
Foreshadowing of Blackjack, Rolth and the wererats.
I see you decided to introduce the Gray Maidens earlier, too!

Very nice... I'm curious to see what the PC's will be like as adults.


Last night we started the true AP, five years after the prelude sessions.

We were joined by a fourth player, a stranger I found over the internet. He truly is a 'stranger', not only because we didn't know him before, but also because he is a foreigner, hailing from a neighboring country. Although he is still learning our language, he can understand it quite well thanks to the fact that they are related (we speak Dutch and he is German, both Germanic languages).

It turned out to be an enjoyable session and our first experience with the new player was very successful. I would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome him again, Hanspeter, Herzlich willkommen!


Curse of the Crimson Throne: chapter 1 - Edge of Anarchy

20 Gozran 4708

Almost five years have passed since the fateful royal wedding day, when a man with heavy muscles in his arms and shoulders steps through the city gates. His clothes are covered in dust from many months of traveling. His journey began in Cheliax, where he joined a small caravan north to Molthune. From there he made his way further up to Nimrathas in the company of lone merchant, providing the man with protection on the road.

There he started the most perilous part of his journey, traveling alone over the long forgotten merchant road through the Bloodsworn Vale. While the eerie sounds and morbid atmosphere of the valley troubled him, he managed to get through undisturbed, driven by the unrelenting will to reach Korvosa and find his sister.

When he had left Cheliax almost half a year ago, he had refused to travel north by ship, the normal way to get to Korvosa. He had had his fill of ships, having spent almost four years as a slave at the oars of one. A year ago a storm had surprised the vessel and thrown it on the cliffs. As it sank to the bottom of the sea, three slaves managed to survive and make their way to the shore of Cheliax. Young Balian was one of them. He remained in the company of his two fellow oarsmen for a couple of months, making enough money to buy a sword and armor. Then he found a caravan going north and said farewell to his companions.

Now he has finally reached his destination. As he steps through the gate, he smells the familiar scent of the city where he spent his childhood. This morning he awoke with a strange card in his pocket. Although he has never had his fortune read, he recognized it as a harrow card, cards used to predict the future by soothsayers. The card represented the Big Sky and portrayed a slave breaking free of his shackles under a big blue sky, a scene that was quite fitting for Balian's life. On the back of the card, written in bold ink, was a short message:
I know what Gaedran Lamm has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedran must face his fate, and justice must be done.

Balian has no idea how the card ended up in his pocket, but the message suits him just fine. Gaedran is the crook who holds his sister and justice is long overdue. It is but a few short hours to sunset. Revenge will be his.


At sunset Balian enters the small fortune-telling shop at 3 Lancet Street. As he walks into the fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice, he is happily greeted by a big black labrador. He immediately recognizes the dog as Spyder, the puppy he saved five years ago from the dream spiders.

"Well, well, if it isn't my friend Balian, it's good to see you alive. How did you get here?" At the round table in the center of the room is a man with a bewildered look in his eyes. It is an older version of Balian's former fellow lamb, Lick. Apparently he now goes by the name of Lucian Lycan and works in a theatre in Old Korvosa. He also received a harrow card, the one with the Courtesan, containing the same message on the back. When Balian asks about his sister, Lick is sad to tell him that she was taken on the same night he disappeared, the same night that Blackjack freed the other lambs. Lick knows who took her too, the creepy, blotchy man who was Lamm's drug supplier, Rolth. No one has seen her or heard from her in years.

The next moment a new visitor enters the shop. It is a halfling none of the two men at the table have ever seen before. He introduces himself as Puk and waves about another harrow card depicting the Juggler, with the same invitation on the back. Unlike the two gentlemen present he is not a former lamb, but he also had a bad run-in with Lamm. He confesses to occasionally buying drugs from the old crook, until he and his sister were forced to take something stronger, probably to make them addicted to more expensive stuff. The bad trip threw him into unconsciousness, but ended even worse for his sister, who overdosed. Since then he has sworn off all drugs and spent the last couple of weeks going cold turkey, detoxicating his body. Although he claims to be clean, Balian can't help but notice that even the strong smell of the incense burners troubles him.

Finally the last two invitees arrive. One is very tall, dressed in a breastplate, clutching the harrow card of the Marriage. The other one has a dashingly handsome face and treads with a much lighter step. He has the Unicorn card in his hand. These two are no strangers to Balian. They are his former 'partners in crime', Sjo and Quint. They fill him in on the terrible events on Saint Alika day five years ago, explaining how they tried to fight Lamm after he had sold off Balian to captain Korbat. It wasn't until Blackjack, the caped crusader, interfered that they got the upper hand and were able to get away from their tormenters. The fabled hero also aided them in freeing the other lambs, after which Lick burned down the old clog shop. Unfortunately Balian's sister Alika wasn't there anymore, as Lamm had sold her to Rolth earlier that evening.

The two youngsters had also tried to locate Korbat's ship at the docks, only to find out that the smuggler had already left, using both the dark and the distraction of the feast to get away unnoticed by any harbor patrols.

Quint and Sjo joined the Umbra Circus, where Alan Terdal and his fellow carni's welcomed them with open arms. They traveled with the gypsies for three years, before returning to Korvosa. There Quint started frequenting the local pubs and inns, slowly building a reputation for entertaining the crowd with humorous tales and throws of stand-up comedy. Meanwhile Sjo went into apprenticeship at the temple of Sarenrae, discovering after several months of harsh study that the path of the sun goddess wasn't his. After that he spent a year in the Great Tower of the Sable Company, initially training to become an elite soldier. After wounding an officer during archery practice, he had to admit that his sight was very limited. He had never fully recovered from Yargin's acid in his eyes, although several priests had tried to patch him up. They had finally told him that it wasn't anything physical that was preventing him from getting better, but that it seemed to be his fate, or curse, that his vision should be clouded.

Anyway, his bad eyesight prevented him from ever being able to become a marine in the Sable Company, as the friendly, but just lieutenant Illrem Bromathan explained to the disheartened Shoanti. Sjo accepted the officer's offer to work in the hippogryph stables instead, located on the highest floors of the Great Tower. This place was rumored to offer a marvelous view of the city, but being limited to an eyesight of no more than 30 feet, Sjo never got to enjoy the panorama.

This morning Sjo decided to quit his job. As he was wandering through the streets of the city, trying to figure out what to do next, fate intervened, putting a mysterious card in his pocket with a message, inviting him to come to Lancet Street. He had seen this harrow card before. Three years ago, Zellara, the fortune-teller in the Umbra Circus, had read his fortune. Although she declined to give him a full reading - as she only did that for grown-ups - she had agreed to show him his soul card. The Marriage depicted a water and fire elemental with a baby. It stood for things that should never have been united, but still, even an impossible union could result in a new power. Sjo's legacy would force him to choose between the powers flowing through his veins, a choice that he had already made when his hands had burst out in flames as he struck Gaedran Lamm on their final night together. It was this choice for fire that would later lead him to the church of Sarenrae, an unsuccessful path as time revealed, just like his new career at the Sable Company. Already it was becoming clear what Zellara had predicted: that Sjo would spend his life wrestling to overcome and unite impossible differences, both in himself and in the world around him.

Sjo also knew what he would find at 3 Lancet Street, since Zellara now lived here. She left the circus three years ago, claiming that life on the road was not suited for her young son Eran, who was eight at the time. How wrong she had been ... for the last person to arrive in the fortune-telling parlor is the card reader herself. She walks in through the door in the back of the room and thanks her guests for coming. She then explains what happened to her.


"The same man who has greatly wronged all of you, has caused me terrible harm as well. You know of whom I speak, Gaedran 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, two months ago his little thieves stole my Harrow deck from me. It is very important to me, because it is an heirloom passed down through generations of fortune-tellers. It is also my sole means of support and it is possessed with a certain kind of family magic. I've been using an ordinary Harrow deck since then, but unfortunately I cannot get any decent readings from this mundane tool.

My son Eran, being the headstrong boy that he is, refused to accept the loss of the deck and tracked down the pickpockets. He discovered that they were petty thieves in the employ of Gaedran Lamm, the same crook who kept most of you as his child slaves so many years ago. Eran's discovery led him to Lamm ... and to his death." Zellara looks away as she speaks the words. "Yes, Gaedran Lamm murdered my son.

I sought help from the guard, but they turned me away, I asked around, consulted my new harrow cards in vain ... and finally, after talking to the right people and paying the right bribes, I discovered where he dwells: an old fishery north of here, at Westpier 17.

Now I need your help. I cannot hope to face this man and his gang on my own and live. The criminal has evaded the law for decades. You have each lived through his cruelties and survived, now it is payback time. Can I count on you?"

The five guests at the table immediately wholeheartedly agree. Lick wants to leave right now to see justice done, but Sjo preaches caution, suggesting to stake out the place for a couple of months. This way they might learn more about the strength of Lamm's force, and more importantly, they might spot Lamm's occasional visitor, the creep Rolth, who took Balian's sister Alika. Lick disagrees; Lamm has a way of making frequent victims among his lambs. Every day spent observing him is one more day he can end another lamb's life. Moreover, Lamm can be made to talk about where Rolth lives just as easily with a dagger pressing his throat. It is finally agreed upon to scout Lamm's hideout for a day or two, before springing into action.

The five men and the dog walk over to the old fishery, which is situated only a few blocks from Zellara's place. They want to get a first glance of the place: it is a weathered building on the docks that partly looms over the water. All the doors and shutters are shut and there is no sign of activity at this nightly hour, so the party decides to come back the next day.


21 Gozran 4708

While the humans in the party get a table at a nearby pub with a view on the fishery, the sneaky halfling scouts the place itself. The doors are open now, providing him a peek inside a room where about a dozen children are slaving away on the smelly workfloor. Meanwhile his colleagues in the pub find out that Lamm buys up old fish and processes it to a slimy substance that is the main ingredient for 'dock-dumplings', a local favorite among poorer dock workers who cannot afford fresh fish. Several times during the day suppliers arrive with more unsold fish or fish offal, while other dealers come by to take away barrels filled with slimy processed fish slurry.

At noon three of Lamm's cronies visit the same pub where the PCs have taken refuge, to have a quick lunch. Yargin, Lamm's right-hand man, is accompanied by the silly half-orc Giggles and a young man who turns out to be the former lamb snitch Jecko. Lick also notices that Giggles' face is covered in burned tissue and he has lost his right eye, obviously a consequence of the fire Lick started five years ago.

Puk the halfling listens in on the three men's conversation and finds out that they aren't exactly happy with Lamm's current operation. The fishery is a filthy place to work and doesn't bring in the kind of money their activities in the past did. Maybe Lamm is getting too old. Still, it does not seem like the three would be willing to get rid of their boss; their protest is purely limited to complaining.

The five companions wait until well after dark before they sneak up to the old fishery. Puk has already discovered that there is an old rotten barge connected to the back of the fishery. Two slippery boardwalks lead to the vessel, one starting at street level and a smaller underpier under the back of the building. The underpier leaves just enough room for the halfling to stand upright and forces the others into a terrible crouch, especially the tall Shoanti Sjo. It hovers just a few feet above the river surface. A small door at one side of the walkway provides entrance to the understructure of the fishery's landbound half. At the other end is a small rowboat which the party uses to make its way to a large hole in the floor of the building's back half. Sjo lifts up the halfling, who peeks into the dark room above. It is a large hall that smells of bad fish. Pointing his ears Puk hears the breathing and snoring of several children, deducing from the sound that this is the place where the little lambs sleep. Since the companions wish not to involve the children, they decide to head to the small door instead.


Puk uses his skills on the lock, expertly opening the door. Inside is a large room with a huge opening in the floor that drops away to the river and shore a few feet below. In the water underneath is a creature that the former lambs immediately recognize: the ruthless alligator Gobblegut. The animal roars and snaps its giant jaws in the air, being too far below to reach the intruders. Spyder the dog starts barking loudly at the foul beast. As the companions try to calm the dog down, a door at the other end of the room opens and a bent corpse of a man with yellowed eyes and speckled skin looks out. It is the hunchbacked old snake Gaedran Lamm. Quint jumps into action, hurling a sleep spell at his former master, but Lamm seems unaffected by the magic. Recognizing the danger on his porch, Lamm quickly retreats into his chamber, but not before Puk hits him with a sling stone. By the time the party makes it to the other side of the room, the door is firmly locked.

Balian pulls out his thieves' tools to tinker with the door, trying to unhinge the bolt on the other side. It is a tedious job that takes him about a minute. In the meantime Lick is shouting and yelling at Lamm, trying to draw out the old coward, much to the displeasure of Quint, who sees his chances for a sneaky infiltration further diminished by all the noise.

When the door finally opens, the companions discover a small abandoned bedroom. Sjo casts a detect magic and sees the slightest hint of magic seeping from a strongbox at the foot of the bed. Above a wardrobe in the corner a trapdoor has been opened. Unless Lamm is hiding in the cupboard, he must have fled through there. Just to be sure Quint opens the doors of the wardrobe. It is filled with moth-eaten clothes and blankets. The middle shelf holds only a hatbox, surrounded by a cloud of flies. It reeks of death. Still, the party has no time to lose and quickly climbs up the cupboard and through the hole in the ceiling, to reach the workfloor of the fishery above. The three doors are all shut and there is no sign of Lamm. Where did the bleeding bastard run off to?

Sovereign Court

Wow, they went straight for Gaedren Lamm! It's a good thing he got away, otherwise it might have been anticlimactic if they killed him too easily.

By the way, could you please give us a short list of the PC's with names and class? I'm still having trouble remembering who's who. And now you have 5 players? Or is Lick an NPC? And is Spyder someone's animal companion?


Cast of characters:

- Sjo (short for Shaoban): human oracle 1 (flame mystery), of Shoanti blood;
- Balian: human ranger 1, of Varisian background, the black Labrador dog Spyder is linked to him, although it is not officially his animal companion (based on the player's own dog);
- Quint (Quintilian): human bard 1 (court bard archetype), of Chelish stock;
- Puk: halfling rogue 1.

Lick, now Lucian Lycan, is an NPC, a former fellow lamb. He is now an artist with an inspiration that borders both on genius and madness. He works as a playwright and actor at Pilts Swastel's Exemplary Execrables.

Here are their stats. I hope I got them right, they include some houserules. You might note that the former lambs have three traits. That is because I 'forced' two traits on them and allowed them to choose one for free. Puk only has two traits, but these were both free choices.

PUK, CG male halfling rogue 1, swashbuckler archetype
Init +5; Senses Perception +6
AC 19, touch 16, flat-footed 14
hp 10 (1HD)
Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +1, +2 vs. fear
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
Melee sword (short) (small) +6 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged shortbow (small) +6 (1d4/x3)
Ranged sling staff (halfling) (small) +6 (1d6/x3)
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 14
Atk Options Sneak Attack 1d6

Abilities Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10
Feats Martial Weapon Proficiency (Sling Staff (Halfling)), Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +10, Acrobatics (Jump) +6, Bluff +5, Climb +5, Disable Device +8, Escape Artist +8, Perception +6, Ride +4, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +12, Swim -1
Possessions sword (short) (small); studded leather (small); Shortbow (Small) ; Sling Staff (Halfling) (Small)

Fast-Talker: You had a knack at getting yourself into trouble as a child, and as a result developed a silver tongue at an early age. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is always a class skill for you.
Personal Addiction: You were the addict. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins, and you have a +1 bonus on Fortitude saving throws.

SHAOBAN, LN Male Human oracle 1
Init +0; Senses Darkvision (30 ft.), Perception +2, Clouded Vision
AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18
hp 9 (1HD)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +4
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
Melee mace, heavy +2 (1d8+2)
Face 5 ft. Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 12
Known Oracle Spells (CL 1st):
1st (4/day) - magic weapon (DC 15), shield of faith (DC 15), cure light wounds (DC 15)
0th (at will) - detect magic, purify food and drink (DC 14), read magic, stabilize (DC 14)

Abilities Str 14, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 18
Feats Armor Proficiency, Heavy, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Acrobatics -6, Acrobatics (Jump) -10, Bluff +4, Climb -4, Diplomacy +9, Disguise +4, Escape Artist -6, Heal +6, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (Religion) +3, Perception +2, Perform (Act) +9, Perform Ride -6, Sense Motive +6, Sleight of Hand -1
Possessions mace, heavy; breastplate; shield, heavy steel

Clouded Vision: Your eyes are obscured, making it difficult for you to see.
Flame Mysteries: You draw upon the divine mystery of Flame to grant your spells and powers.
Touch of Flame (Su): As a standard action, you can perform a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of fire damage + 1 per two oracle levels. Alternatively you can use this power to ignite your weapon as a free action, adding the same amount of fire damage to each of your weapon attacks during that round. You can use this ability a number of times or rounds per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
At 11th level, any weapon that you wield is treated as a flaming weapon, adding 1d6 points of fire damage + 1 per two oracle levels.
Trained actor: You trained as a child to be an actor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (act) and Perform (act) is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in Perform (act).
Child of the Streets: You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Ease of Faith: Your mentor, the person who invested your faith in you from an early age, took steps to ensure that you understood that what powers your divine magic is no different than that which powers the magic of other religions. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is always a class skill for you.

QUINTILIAN, CG Male Human bard 1, court bard archetype
Init +2; Senses Perception -1
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, Combat Expertise
hp 9 (1HD)
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +1
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee longsword +2 (1d8+2/19-20)
Ranged shortbow +2 (1d6/x3)
Base Atk +0; CMB +2 (+4 trip); CMD 14 (16 vs trip)
Known Bard Spells (CL 1st):
1st (2/day) - cure light wounds (DC 14), sleep (DC 14)
0th (at will) - detect magic, ghost sound (DC 13), light, prestidigitation (DC 13), read magic

Abilities Str 14, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 16
Feats Combat Expertise, Improved Trip
Skills Acrobatics -1, Appraise +2, Bluff +8, Climb -1, Diplomacy +4, Disguise +3, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Arcana) +6, Knowledge (History) +7, Knowledge (Local) +7, Knowledge (Local/Art & music) +8, Knowledge (Nobility) +7, Perception -1, Perform (Act) +8, Perform (Comedy) +7, Perform (Oratory) +7, Perform (Sing) +7, Perform (String Instruments) +7, Sense Motive -1, Sleight of Hand +3
Possessions longsword; chain shirt; buckler; wand of cure light wounds (20 charges); Shortbow

Bardic Performance: 7 rounds per day.
Heraldic Expertise (Ex): A court bard gains a bonus equal to half his bard level on Diplomacy, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (nobility) checks (minimum +1).1/day, the court bard can also reroll a check against one of these skills, though he must take the result of the second roll even if it is worse. He can reroll one additional time per day at 5th level and every five levels thereafter. This ability replaces bardic knowledge.
Satire (Su): A court bard can use performance to undermine the confidence of enemies who hear it, causing them to take a -1 penalty on attack and damage rolls and a -1 penalty on saves against fear and charm effects as long as the bard continues performing. This penalty increases by -1 at 5th level and every six levels thereafter. Satire is a language-dependent, mind-affecting ability that uses audible components. This performance replaces inspire courage.
Trained actor: You trained as a child to be an actor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (act) and Perform (act) is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in Perform (act).
Fast-Talker: You had a knack at getting yourself into trouble as a child, and as a result developed a silver tongue at an early age. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is always a class skill for you.
Child of the Street: You grew up on the streets of Korvosa, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and SoH is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in SoH.

BALIAN, CG male human ranger 1, urban ranger archetype
Init +5; Senses Perception +5
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16
hp 12 (1HD)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +1
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
Melee greatsword (two handed) +5 ((two handed) 2d6+6/19-20)
Ranged longbow +4 (1d8/x3)
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 18

Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 7
Feats Cleave, Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics (Jump) -4, Climb +4, Diplomacy -2, Disable Device +3, Escape Artist -1, Knowledge (Geography) +2, Perception +5, Perform (Act) 3, Sense Motive +1, Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +3, Survival +5, Survival (Follow or identify tracks) +6
Possessions greatsword; breastplate; Longbow

Favored Enemy: (Humanoid (Human))+2 bonus.
Trained actor: You trained as a child to be an actor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (act) and Perform (act) is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in Perform (act).
Child of the Streets: You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Reactionary: You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.

SPYDER, Dog companion, N Small animal level 1
Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +1
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +3 (1d4+1)
Str 13, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 14 (18 vs. trip)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +3 (+11 jump), Perception +8, Survival +1, (+5 scent tracking), Swim +5
Racial Mods +4 Acrobatics when jumping, +4 Survival when tracking by scent, +4 to Swim


Quickly choosing the door next to the filthy tank with fish offal, the young intruders enter the large hall in the back of the building. They obviously made the right choice, for Lamm and his gang are waiting for them inside, as are all the frightened little lambs.

The party is at the top of some stairs, looking down on another, even larger fishery work floor. There is another smelly vat with foul-looking fish brine. In the other corner of the room are wooden catwalks, on which Lamm's men are ready to spring a trap on their former slaves at the room's other entry points. The stupid fools have chosen the wrong doors, taking away any advantage of surprise they might have had! Sjo is the first to make it down the stairs, followed by his comrades. He notices Lamm staying safely on the catwalk, cocking his hand crossbow, while the other criminals make their way down to the floor. The half-orc Giggles storms over, trying to hit the young Shoanti in the head with his flail, sorely missing him. He is quickly joined by an ugly dog and young Jecko, who is trying to maneuver himself into an advantageous flanking position with the half-orc or the canine. Yet, before he manages to do so, both of them fall to the weapons of their adversaries. Sjo even sends flames through his mace, making Giggles' final moments extremely unpleasant. Jecko is next to follow, leaving a desperate Yargin, who attempts to throw a vial of acid on the furiously attacking ranger Balian, but to no avail. The ranger's greatsword cleaves through the air, doing massive damage.

Meanwhile the mean gnome Hookshanks steps forward from the shadows under the catwalk, where he was hiding between the scared lambs. He is holding a small halfling boy by the throat and threatens to kill the child with his meat hook if the party doesn't surrender. Quint reacts aptly by putting the evil little snake down with a sleep spell. Sjo hits the sleeping gnome with his mace, hurting him badly, but also waking him up. Hookshanks figures his end is near and rolls over to the hole in the floor, falling into the river waters below and swimming to safety under the cover of darkness.

Lamm realizes that his game is up and flees to the streets, with an enraged party on his heels. The old man doesn't get far. Moments later his unconscious body is dragged back inside by Balian. Quint uses his healing magic to make sure Jecko doesn't bleed to death, which leaves the party with two knocked-out prisoners: their nemesis Gaedran Lamm and their former untrustworthy fellow lamb Jecko.

Puk and Quint try to calm down the panicked children, assuring them that the nightmare is finally over. Kester, the oldest of the lambs, asks his saviors what will happen to them. Quint suggests taking the lambs to one of the city's orphanages tomorrow. Puk pays special attention to the halfling boy that Hookshanks wanted to kill. The boy's name is Lauro and his sister is called Sarai. They have both been in Lamm's gang since they lost their father three years ago. Sarai seems to be the only girl among the fifteen lambs. Apparently all human girls are taken away by a black-haired woman who comes by once every few months.

The party retreats to Lamm's quarters, leaving the dog Spyder to watch over the children. The dog has never been combat trained, so he can provide little real protection, but the lambs seem to feel safe with the labrador at their side. In the old man's bedroom Puk opens the lockbox and discovers an assortment of valuables and money. He also finds a wand and a glass tube with magic oil. Meanwhile Sjo takes the lid off the fly-covered hatbox in Lamm's wardrobe. He is abhorred to discover Zellara's chopped off head inside: she has been dead for weeks! Her harrow cards lie under her decaying chin.


Using his healing magic, Sjo restores Jecko to consciousness. The coward claims he had no choice but to join Lamm's gang when the old man found him. It was this or death. Quint seems to feel some sympathy for the traitor's plight, but when Jecko shamefully admits to having been forced to kill other recaptured lambs, the bard quickly kicks him through the huge opening in the floor. The hungry crocodile Gobblegut welcomes this fresh meal.

Then the party interrogates Lamm. They tie him to a post and feed him his own drugs. Lamm starts rambling deliriously, fearing his captors are rat-faced miscreants. When asked about the filthy alchemist Rolth, who took Balian's sister five years ago, Lamm admits to not having seen the man in quite some time. He now deals with a beautiful young woman with long black hair instead, who comes by once every three months or so to take away the girls among his lambs, paying for the young females with pesh and shiver (drugs). Lamm doesn't know how to contact her, just like he never knew how to get in touch with Rolth in the past. They always come to him, he says, not the other way around. The last time the woman was here, was three weeks ago, so she won't be back for at least two months. Lamm doesn't know her name, but she is definitely of Varisian stock. That leaves the party little to go on: most Varisians have dark hair and the fact that she is 'young and beautiful' is quite relative when coming from an aged geezer like Lamm, since most women are young and beautiful in the eyes of old men.

With years of hatred flowing through their veins, Sjo, Balian, Lick and Quint have no mercy for their old tormentor. Puk's need for revenge rivals his new friends' rage, so the party is in total agreement to feed Lamm to his murderous crocodile. It will definitely be a deserving fate. They untie the drugged petty crimelord and dangle him over the pit where Gobblegut eagerly awaits his next prey. Then they let go ...

Lamm drops into the waters below. The crocodile rushes over, its sharp teeth glistening dangerously in its maw. What happens next takes the party by surprise: Lamm wraps his arms around the monster and orders it to swim away. Before anyone can react, they disappear in the dark of the nightly river. Stupefied the young heroes stare at each other. This is quite the anticlimax to their successful enterprise. They can still take pride in the fact that they took out Lamm's gang, destroyed his operation and freed the lambs. Seeing how Lamm was already struggling to rebuild his former empire with his current operation, the party doubts he will ever succeed in starting over again without the help of his cronies of old. But his escape remains a bitter pill to swallow nonetheless.

Next the party focuses on their loot. They retrieve two masterwork daggers form their enemies' equipment, which will serve Puk as small sized shortswords. Studying Zellara's harrow deck suddenly frees the ghost of the Varisian soothsayer from the cards. She apologizes to young men for deceiving them earlier. She feared they wouldn't have helped her if they had known she was a ghost. She confesses that her son Eran didn't look up Lamm on his own, she was with him when he confronted the thief and she met a similar fate. She was decapitated and her body was fed to the crocodile. Still her essence lingered and bound itself to the magical harrow cards that had been in her family for many generations. Sometimes she can manifest like she is doing now, but it requires a lot of energy to do so. She can also communicate telepathically through her harrow deck and is able to identify magical items. She quickly explains that the oil the party discovered is an oil of keen edge and the wand holds 23 charges of feather step, a bard or ranger spell that allows one to walk through difficult terrain unhindered for ten minutes.


Zellara also offers to read the heroes' fate in her cards. In a first round, called the choosing, she allows each of them to draw one card from nine cards that represent their personal suit: the crown cards for Sjo, Lick and Quint which stand for charisma, the hammer for Balian, representing strength, and the keys for Puk as a sign of dexterity and nimbleness.

Sjo comes up with the liar, which Zellara calls the worst crown card possible. It shows a beautiful but dangerous lamia, holding a decaying bouquet of flowers. She stands for 'love' at its most treacherous, not the love that moves mountains but a love that is doomed or produces a doomed offspring. She thinks it might refer to Sjo's unknown past: he must have been an unwanted child who was abandoned to the world. Lamm was the treacherous lamia who found him, but his 'fatherly love' was nothing short of cruelty.

Balian draws the forge, a card in which a dwarven blacksmith is hard at work on the anvil with fire mephits floating around him. It evokes great strength, which will certainly serve the ranger in the future, but the fire also speaks of danger and possible destruction, that will require many sources of strength, both physical and mental, to overcome.

Quint ends up with the twins in his hands, a card with two men on it who bear a close resemblance, but who are each other's opposite at the same time. The black-haired brother seems kind and trusting, while his silver-headed twin has a false look in his eyes and hides a dagger behind his back. The card represents a duality of identity, as if Quint is not really who he thinks he is. The twins also suggest the difficulty to make choices when presented with different options. While making rational decisions might seem like the right thing to do, there can always be hidden dangers, so Zellara advises Quint to follow his heart rather than his head, when faced with a difficult choice.

Lick chooses the tyrant, a mighty blue dragon who clings a bloody world in its claws. It indicates a mighty force which holds sway over the poor bard, whether he realizes it or not, and which might cause him great harm. The crazy bard scoffs at Zellara's remarks, obviously affected by her words, and refuses to have her read his fortune any further.

Puk draws the dance, a playful card with a swirling dervish dancer. The dance stands for an intricate and delicate framework in which every element has to be in its right place. Every step has to be right for the whole to work. It clearly advises the halfling not to step out of line, for if he does, it will be at his own peril. Zellara thinks that he has found his right place among his new companions and feels that he should remain with them if he wants to follow the cards' advice.

Next Zellara prepares for the second part of the reading, the full spread.


Quint suggests holding off on the second reading until the next day. Zellara agrees, confirming that she is tired and would prefer to do the reading from the familiar surroundings of her parlor. Lick seems happy as well that no further fortunes are being told tonight. He abruptly takes his leave, wishing his comrades a good night's sleep and inviting them to have lunch with him tomorrow as he swings through the door.

Balian, Puk, Sjo and Quint take turns keeping a look-out, while the lambs sleep safely in their hammocks.

22 Gozran 4708

The first order of business is taking the lambs to the orphanage. Kester, the oldest of the boys, informs Quint that he and some of his mates would prefer to stay here, if possible under the protection of the heroes. In exchange the kids could help out with all kinds of jobs, like looking for the black-haired lady. It takes a bit of convincing, but finally it is decided that Kester, and four other lambs, Korwick, Heldrin, Mouse and Lerrim, can stay. Four of them immediately start cleaning up the old fishery, but Mouse has to stay in bed. The boy has a bad case of pneumonia and Sjo prescribes lots of rest.

The other ten lambs leave for the orphanage. Mama Mira is surprised to see so many children being brought in at once, but she promises to take care of each of them. Quint notices another guest in the orphanage, a woman of noble birth, Zenobia Zenderholm. She is the city's main judge and has a fierce reputation for passing merciless judgment, from which stems her nickname the hanging judge. Apparently she has a soft side as well, spending her spare time to help out with the orphans.

Balian asks her if she has any information on the drug supplier Rolth or his new ally, the black-haired lady. When he tells the judge about last night's infiltration of Lamm's operation, she frowns upon the party's actions. Normal citizens should not take the law into their own hands! That is the Guard's duty. She has heard of this Rolth character, she admits, especially since he's also suspected of having killed a number of people, but she says he has managed to evade arrest so far. If Balian or his companions have any information on this man, they should tell the Guard. They should certainly not take the law into their own hands again! The black-haired lady means nothing to judge Zenderholm and the fact that she comes and takes young girls is not a crime as such, so if the lady is guilty of anything, Balian had better make sure to collect evidence!


Sjo then leads his friends to Zellara's house in Lancet Street. He takes out the Harrow deck and conjures the ghost of the fortune-teller.

Sjo is the first to volunteer to have his fortune fully read. Zellara spreads out nine card on the table, explaining that the first column reflects the past. One card in particular draws her attention, the unicorn in the top left corner. It is a crown card, which is Sjo's symbol. The unicorn is an animal of good, which can offer its help in time of need, just like Sjo has always tried to help his friends in the past.

The second column, which discusses the present, shows a gloomy card in an advantageous position. The beating indicates a multitude of threats, but the position of the card suggests that Sjo will find the strength to fight and resist. He'd be wise to count on his friends, though.

In the third column, the one that predicts the future, one card is true aligned. The publican portrays a one-eyed giant, who's pouring a drink, suggestion he is some kind of innkeeper. With his one eye the cyclops has a clear insight, which Sjo will certainly need in the times to come. He will need to see the true path in the chaos that is about to arrive.

Quint goes next. His reading turns up the mute hag in the left column. Her evil eye stares right into the heart, revealing dark secrets in Quint's unknown earliest past. The present shows the dance in the bottom position. Just like the dancer Quint will use his natural charisma to make an impact on the world. A friendly word is mightier than the sword. Still the card's place in the bottom row is a warning, for not all may be as it seems, and Quint should be careful indeed.

Quint's future shows one true aligned card: the uprising. It predicts an overwhelming force that has the power to crush everything in its path. The crown on the rebel's pitchfork suggests that Quint himself might get in harm's way, since the crown is his symbol. The bard will need to choose the right friends and make the correct decisions to withstand the rising chaos.

The little Puk finds the inquisitor in his past, who only accepts the truth. Puk has definitely made mistakes over the years, but he should not shy away from reality. The facts in his past are hard to live with, but he should face them nonetheless and make them part of who he is.

Puk's present reveals the cricket in its right place. Although the cricket is playful and small, he can become a giant for others who count on him. If he embraces his true path, his agility will serve him well.

The future in Puk's reading seems grim. The fiend announces a force of evil that will swallow the innocent, while the empty throne warns him that having no one capable at the helm is a peril in itself. Puk had better follow a strong leader if he does not want to get lost. The fact that both these lawful cards end up in the chaotic column, suggests that chaos will prevail over order. But chaos and chaos makes two, and the chaos flowing through Puk's veins is of a different order than the storm that is about to unfold. Puk will have to unleash his own storm to survive the chaos around him.

Finally Balian fate is revealed. His past uncovers three hammer cards, Balian's symbol. The big sky literally shows the shackles of slavery that Balian has broken. Still, he should be careful not to have these chains replaced by new ones. The walking keep speaks of the long journey Balian has made to get here, both physically and psychologically. It looks like he has found the right track once more, although his arrival in Korvosa does not mark an end, but rather a beginning. The cyclone portrays the devastating and destructive forces that have torn through Balian's past, but clearly resurrection is possible.

Balian's present shows another hammer card, a card that Quint drew as well: the uprising. Zellara is convinced that the rebellion featured in the card should perhaps be taken more literally and that there will be some kind of real uprising which Balian and his friends will have to control.

The future turns up the courtesan. She stands for all kinds of intrigue and sly games. The courtesan hides behind a mask, so the truth might be hard to find and uncovering it might lead to an ugly or unwanted answer.


After the reading the friends return to the old fishery. The boys are hard at work cleaning the place. They say that someone came by with a message from Lucian Lycan. Sjo is quick to explain that Lucian Lycan is actually Lick, but Kester had already figured that out. Anyway, Lick expects his friends at the Traveling Man in Old Korvosa for lunch.

The Travelling Man is a small tavern in the oldest part of the city. Despite its size it is well known for being close to one of the otyugh plugs used by the city to feed its otyugh 'allies'. These disgusting three-legged abominations aid in processing the city's filth and sewage. Lots of patrons flock to the Travelling Man every Oathday, when a small contingent of Korvosan Guards winch open the plug and throw in old meat and produce. The customers in the tavern are not interested in this feeding ritual itself, but once or twice a year an otyugh burst out of the plug and goes on a rampage through the streets, a spectacle the onlookers greatly appreciate. Inside the tavern all guest are safe, though, since the Travelling Man has a thick front wall and barred windows.

Lick is already present when his friends arrive. The crazy bard welcomes his guests enthusiastically and invites them to take a seat by the window. He points outside to the plug where the feeding normally takes place and joyfully recalls the one time he witnessed an otyugh outbreak. It has been five months since the last rampage, so making a wager on when the next outburst will be gets more interesting by the week. Luckily nothing happened yesterday, as Lick would have hated missing it. He also recommends the tavern's special, the otyugh burger, a kind of hamburger which, contrary to its name, is not made of the filth eating creature, only named after it.

During the meal Lick extends an invitation to his guests to come to his new play The Hell Mother, which opens tomorrow in Exemplary Execrables. He refuses to reveal anything about the contents of the play, lest he spoil the surprise. It might be a bit macabre for some people's taste, Lick confides, but he hopes his friends are broad-minded and will appreciate it. He even hopes the play will catch the attention of Touran Palastus, the director of Korvosa's prestigious opera house, the Marbledome. Lick has a fantastic new masterpiece in mind, which he would love to see performed in the opera. His partner in crime in this new project is Salvator Scream, the painter who is also responsible for painting the backgrounds in the Execrables. Scream is a genius, Lick says, but also a complete lunatic. "Still, aren't we all?" he grins. He'll be sure to introduce his friends to the artist after the premiere.

Lick also inquires what became of the little lambs the party saved. He apologizes for not taking care of any of the kids himself, explaining that Old Korvosa is no place to raise young children, unless they live within the walls of the Orisini Academy or palace Arkona. Vencarlo Orisini is a famous sword master who trains students in the elegant art of fencing and the Arkona's are probably the richest nobles in the city. They are quite popular in this district, because they provide out low-price lodgings to the poor, although they live in magnificent Vudran-style manor themselves.

Lick also advises his friends to go to the golden market to sell the loot they gathered from Gaedran Lamm. He apologizes for not joining them himself, but he needs to prepare for the play tomorrow.

At Gemshare Jewelers in the Golden Market Quint haggles with the two brothers who own the shop over the price of the valuables from Gaedran's hoard. The finally settle on 1,130 gold sails, a pretty sum for the young heroes. Balian, who is not really the negotiator type, wanders about the shop a bit and stumbles upon an old flyer on the wall. It has a drawing of the queen's brooch and promises a hefty reward for its return. He takes the note and shows it to his friends. Everyone recognizes the brooch they found five years ago, after Ileosa lost it falling off her horse. The young friends agree to take the jewel to Castle Korvosa. Quint pays a visit to In Style first, to buy a new expensive 200 GP outfit. He wants to be well-dressed before making a royal visit.


When the party approaches the castle's main gate, the guards stop them and inquire about their business. They are allowed into the entrance hall, where they meet a tall man dressed in exquisite garb, at least ten times as expensive as Quint's new clothes. He has a haughty look in his eyes and scoffs at the young heroes. "What is this? Vagrants to meet the king? One would say that the Chelish ambassador comes first! I've been waiting here for two days!"

Next a shapely woman in full plate armor walks in. "Greetings, my name is Sabina Merrin. I'm head of the Queen's Gray Maidens. I hear you have something that belongs to her majesty. Well, do you?"

Before anyone can answer, the impatient ambassador interferes: "Miss Merrin, how inappropriate! You entertain these beggars while the ambassador of your most important ally is made to wait? Just imagine what will happen when I inform her infernal Majestrix Abrogail of this. She won't take kindly to this insult! I won't be held accountable for the consequences, I warn you. If you want to continue enjoying Cheliax' good graces and fine goods, you'd better ..."

The armored woman steps in front of the windbag, pushing her face in his. "Ambassador Amprei, now YOU listen to ME. We told you today, yesterday and the day before that the king is indisposed and cannot receive any visitors. How much clearer do you want me to spell it out: NO VISITORS! If you wish to hang around here all day and waste your time, that's your choice. For all I care, you can remain here until you wear a hole through the floor. As long as king Eodred is ill, he will not see you or anyone else. But if you think that you can come here and whine, whine and whine some more, you're mistaken! If you raise your voice one more time, I will introduce you to one of OUR fine goods: Korvosan steel!" At that Sabina draws her longsword.

The ambassador stumbles backward, obviously aggrieved. Still he seems to have got the message. He turns around and walks out, grumbling through his teeth: "Outrageous, you ignorant peasants ... never heard of manners, have you ..."

'I'm sorry you had to witness that", Sabina Merrin continues. "Ambassador Amprei has been getting on my nerves for three days now. He doesn't know his place. Still, back to you, you have something that belong to her majesty?"

When the party shows her the brooch, Merrin invites them in, sending the guards back to their posts. While she leads the way to the throne room, she curtly asks the visitors how they would like to be introduced to the queen: Quint and company. She also expresses her gratitude and relief for seeing such loyal and trustworthy citizens.

The throne room is huge, though there is scarcely any furniture. Three stained-glass windows show portraits of King Eodred I, Queen Domina and his majesty Eodred II. The inside walls are covered in tapestries and curtains of crimson silk. A huge fireplace stands in one corner, its mantle shaped like an enormous tree with its branches stretching out to the high ceiling. On a low dais of granite, sits the crimson throne, draped with red silks and crimson cushions. Seated comfortably is a celestial beauty with ginger hair and a clean alabaster skin. She nods kindly as her guests are announced. Quint and Puk notice that Sabina blushes ever so slightly when she addresses the queen. The Gray Maiden takes the brooch from Quint and hands it to the queen, then she takes up a position at the throne's left side as Ileosa lovely voice resounds:

"I lost this brooch a long time ago. I hadn't expected to see it again, to be fair. And still, in these trying times, with my husband ailing under his sheets, you prove me this kindness. As you might have deduced, it was a gift from my late father. It holds great sentimental value for me. Returning this brooch is an act of honor, but also a token of kindness. Please tell me how you came by it."

Quint explains that they found the brooch five years ago, on the day Ileosa met the king. The jewel was lying on the ground in the dirt. Quint picked it up and hung on to it, obviously convinced that it must be of great value to someone, but not linking it to the queen until they came by the old flyer earlier today. He immediately put on his finest clothes and hurried to the castle.

Ileosa is obviously very pleased. "I would like to reward you for your kindness", she concludes. "You are truly an inspiration and I feel humbled by your loyalty. Allow me to give you this." The queen signals Sabina to hand the PCs a silver chest which contains 12 gold ingots imprinted with the royal seal of Korvosa. At this point the queen excuses herself and the head of her bodyguard escorts the party back to the gate.


Next on the party's agenda is finding Balian's sister. Since Rolth and his black-haired woman were drug suppliers, they want to examine the drug scene in Korvosa. Puk, being a recovering drug addict, does not know where to get drugs in Korvosa, since Gaedran Lamm was his sole dealer. The party is quite sure that Lick knows where to get drugs, since the crazed artist admitted to using substances to expand his mind and creativity.

Balian and his companions head over to Lick's place of work in Old Korvosa, Exemplary Execrables. Refurnished with gaudy gold-colored paint and massive glass gems, the former temple of the now dead god Aroden has found a new life as the home of a perverse and detestable theater of all things foul, gore-slicked and unnaturally pornographic. The theater's owner is a repugnant sore-covered man, the infamous Pilts Swastel.

Puk notes some sort of museum attached to the theater. Its billboards speak of "Two-dozen-and-three severed heads", "Unwanted fetuses" and "Instruments of torture and murder". This last billboard proudly displays a guillotine, which is supposed to be "in working order". Other billboards at the theater's doors announce Lick's play, the "Hell Mother", and show an intriguing half-demonic head with blue eyes that burn with rage, a naked woman in the background.

The party enters the theater where rehearsals are in full swing, but Lick ushers them back out, adamant to keep the play secret until opening day tomorrow. He does indeed know where to get high, just down the street, at the drug den in Eel's End. Quint knows of the place, but usually steers clear of it, since Eel's End does not have the best reputation. It consists of five ships, all moored at a pier, here in Old Korvosa. The boats provide all kinds of nightly entertainment, but rumors persist that most activities border on the illegal and are merely a front for even worse crimes. The young friends decide to pay the place a visit this evening.

While waiting they also have a look inside the "museum" connected to Exemplary Execrables. The macabre exhibit excites only Puk, whose enthusiasm peaks when he sees the guillotine, although his fervor does not extend to visiting the drug den tonight. The former addict fears temptation and figures he had better avoid drugs altogether for now. He offers to watch over the kids at the fishery instead.


When the party gets back to Lamm's former hideout, the kids have already got rid of much of the smelly fish offal and are scrubbing the floors fervently. Sjo notices that one of the lambs never speaks. The boy, who wears a hood that partly hides his face, is extremely introvert. Kester says that this is Lerrim and that they shouldn't worry about him too much; he's always like that. The five boys are close friends and always take care of each other. Their bond includes the silent Lerrim, even if he never speaks.

Kester also adds that Lerrim is like Sjo, a Shoanti. He was brought in years ago and got severely beaten multiple times when he didn't understand what he was supposed to do, since he only spoke the barbarians' tongue. In the beginning he still uttered that language; although Kester never knew what he was saying, it was obvious that it weren't very nice things. This usually led to even more beatings, so in the end the boy just kept quiet to avoid punishment. Now, after so many years he has learned to understand common, but he still refrains form speaking.

Quint says something in the Shoanti's language, drawing Lerrim's attention for a second, but the boy quickly averts his gaze again. It will take more than a few words spoken to snap him out of his shell.


Some of Moonbeam's excellent story elements are making their way into my campaign. Though I have made many additions to this great AP, I am only responsible for coming up with part of them. I am incorporating a lot of the marvellous suggestions I found on these boards, so thanks to all my fellow posters for giving me inspiration, especially Moonbeam, who proved a fantastic source of ideas.


The party spends the rest of the afternoon looking for some new equipment. Furin Ironguts is an accomplished blacksmith from the dwarven city of Janderhoff, who's been living in Korvosa for many decades. He lost his right eye during his apprentice days and now he always wears goggles to protect his remaining eye. His shop is just within the city walls in the East Shore District, next to the Dwarven Gate. It's hot and smoky inside, not only from the furnace, but also the fat cigar in the dwarf's mouth. Sjo buys a new suit of armor and a shield, so he can return his current breastplate to the rightful owner, the Sable Company. He also procures a new morningstar of masterwork quality. Balian finds his fancy at Eodred's Walk: Slicing Dicers is the perfect place for a masterwork greatsword, while Trapper's Hole has a bow that can support his strength.

After sunset Quint, Sjo and Balian pay a visit to Eel's End, hoping to gather more information on the creep Rolth, Lamm's drug supplier who took Balian's sister five years ago, or on the black-haired lady who collected all the young girls from the lambs. Puk, who's still recovering from his drug addiction, wisely decides to stay in the old fishery with Kester and the boys. He does not want to risk temptation so soon.

Eel's End is one of the seedier and rougher neighborhoods in Old Korvosa. It consists of a clot of ships at the first dock past the last bridge over the narrows of Saint Alika. The five vessels are permanently moored to the long pier. The four smaller ships that comprise Eel's End are the Goldenhawk, a flophouse for drunkards, the Twin Tigers, a gambling hall, the House of Clouds, a brothel and the Dragon's Breath, a drug den. The largest of the five is the Eel's End itself, a decommissioned warship that serves as an alehouse, but also as the headquarters of the site.

Glowing lanterns in the shape of spiders greet Balian, Sjo and Quint as they cross the pier. Two grim enforcers in chainmail armor eye the visitors carefully, but allow them to pass. The sound of laughter, singing, cursing and debating booms from the colorfully painted ships at the end of the pier. Large signs hang from ropes or are nailed to the pilings, identifying each of the boats. The first ship to the right is the Goldenhawk - No safer stay in Old Korvosa. The single-masted Chelish sailing ship has seen countless repairs. It is doubtful it is seaworthy, but lashed to the pier, it seems stable enough. A gnome with a crumpled hat and patchy beard kindly waves hello from its deck. At his belt is a heavy key ring.

The Goldenhawk provides entry to the next ship, the House of Clouds - The caress of our lovelies will take you straight to heaven. Across from the Goldenhawk, to the visitors' left, floats the Twin Tigers - Take the tiger by the tail and try your luck! Two hut-like structures sits atop this barge, the raucous sound of laughter and periodic roars of victory sounding from within. Two enforcers patrol the deck. Beyond the Twin Tigers lies a red vessel. The sign reads Dragon's Breath Corridor - Dream the dragon's dreams at affordable prices! A couple of glossy-eyed patrons loll about the deck, trying to catch a breath after having 'suffered' the drugs below decks.

The largest ship is tied to the pier's end. It bears no sign at all, though its figurehead of a coiling eel with a woman's head leaves no question as to its name. This warship is obviously the Eel's End. Several patrons dance and drink on its open main deck. This large barge is the party's first destination. They settle at a table on starboard, which overlooks the drug boat. The double doors to the captain's cabin on the Eel's End bear the painting of a horrible spider. Quint strikes up a conversation with three young men on the deck of the neighboring drug ship, who are obviously under the influence of pesh. There seems to be a hefty entry fee of 5 gold sails, although once inside drugs are quite affordable. The owner is called Bezzeraty, a very small man who is a human nonetheless. He hates being referred to as a gnome or halfling.

Hoping to find a clue to drug supplier Rolth's whereabouts, the three young heroes gain entry to the gaudy red barge. The so-called drug corridor is located belowdecks, where the open interior has been partitioned in smaller booths with comfortable couches. A skinny and very small human drives a cart to and fro, selling whatever his patrons desire. Quint and Sjo order some cabble tea and Bezzeraty tells them that his drugs, the finest in all of Korvosa, come from Eel's End's boss, Devargo Barvasi. The local crimelord runs a tight shift in his little corner of the city, making him rightfully respected and feared by his men, who call him the King of Spiders for the strange love he bears for the long-legged creatures. He even owns some dream spiders, allowing him to produce shiver. Still, Bezzeraty warns his inexperienced new guests not to try this last drug yet, since its effects are quite drastic.

Back on board of the Eel's End Quint tries to gain entry to Barvasi's quarters, but the enforcers on deck inform him the king of spiders is unavailable at the moment. Quint slips one of them a few gold pieces, trying to convince him to get him an appointment for another time.

Next Quint and Sjo visit the brothel aboard the House of Clouds, hoping to find out more about the missing girls or the black-haired lady who collected them. A single long tent-like hut sits atop the main deck with its entry hanging open to reveal a large room decorated with rugs and pillows. The scent of anise, rosewater and cinnamon pours forth from smoking bronze braziers set on silver stands carved in the likenesses of slit-eyed serpents and proud hunting birds. Scantily clad men and women loiter in the tent and welcome the visitors.

Sjo is charmed by a beautiful redhead, Danarella, and joins her in one of the rooms below for his 'first time'. Meanwhile Quint starts chatting to the owner, Madame Halvara, a middle-aged half-elven lady, who still looks stunning for her age. She has no information on the missing girls, insisting that all her girls are riper and that they are here of their own free will. She can also fill the inquisitive bard in on where Barvasi gets his drugs. He has his own chemist, someone named Arkul. Quint wonders if this Arkul might be Rolth in disguise, but when he learns that the alchemist is in fact a kobold, it is clear that he is not. Arkul is apparently the one who invented the new drug shiver five or six years ago, after numerous experiments on how to transfer the dream spider's hallucinogenic poison to a drug. Barvasi keeps some of these eight-legged creatures in the hold of his ship, but Madame Halvara refuses to spill the beans on how he harvests their poison. Obviously Quint is very curious , since he risked his life as a child trying to 'milk' some of these spiders, but the lovely half-elf reveals nothing.

Quint spends the next hour in the company of Madame Halvara's most exotic girl, a veiled Vudran beauty, Yuuna. His time with the chocolate skinned gem is pleasurable and confirms his suspicions that Eel's Enders don't know Rolth or his black-haired assistant.

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