Ruperta smiles back at him.
"You are right in all accounts. We are here to help, and yes, he might be in grave danger. We have just faced a couple assesins meant for him. Where do you think he is? Don't tell us, write it down in this paper, in case we are being watched."
She procures paper and pen from her bag, and hands him over to Amin.
"We should be careful in case we are being followed. We can lead the assasins right to Vencarlo."
Amin looks at Ruperta and shrugs, paling when he hears about assassins. He begins to write. He was attending classes at Vencarlo’s Academy when the quarantine hit, and after he was unable to escape back to the mainland and his home, Vencarlo was gracious enough to allow Amin to stay at the Academy as a guest. That stay ended not long after, when several Red Mantis assassins invaded the building. Vencarlo confronted them and took one of them down, but there were too many. The master was forced to flee, and Amin assumes that the assassins burnt down the academy as a warning as much as anything else.
Amin doesn’t know where Vencarlo has gone, but he does suspect who might. In the days after the quarantine, while Amin was Vencarlo’s houseguest, he noticed that his teacher seemed restless and distracted. Vencarlo regularly left his house at odd hours in the night, sometimes not returning until the morning. After one such return, Vencarlo’s clothes were bloody—he said he had to fight off a thief, but Amin is sure there was more to it than that. Furthermore, in the days before the Red Mantis attacked, Vencarlo had a singularly strange houseguest visit several times—a man with paint-stained hands, wild hair, and a jittery habit of looking about. Vencarlo introduced him as a friend, but Amin recognized him as a somewhat notorious local artist named Salvator Scream. Vencarlo and Salvator always met behind closed doors, three times in all, and on that last meeting Amin swore he heard Vencarlo’s voice raised in anger. Unfortunately, he has little more
information than that—he’s been meaning to try to track down Salvator to ask him if he knows what happened to Vencarlo, but has not, of yet, worked up the courage to brave Old Dock, the place where Salvator’s home is located. He has, however, asked around and discovered Scream's address: 140 Wave Street.
knowledge: local
"We can also check the Old Dock playhouse. Scream's work is often displayed there."
Ruperta, not being local to Korvosa, asks about this Scream fellow, and doesn't really like what she hears.
"Well, let's check the house first... And let's keep an eye open in case the" mantis" assassin's are following us. Amin, you are welcome to join us. "
"Am I allowed to talk?" Amin asks in a small voice.
Under his breath, Corbyn laughs and says, "Good luck with that."
Ruperta smiles warmly at Amin, takes his hand and lets a small laugh.
"Yes, of course. I am sorry for making you be quiet."
Ruperta tells his friends all that she knows about the Red Mantis organization, as well as her dislike for the order of assassins.
"Let's go. And Corbyn, please keep an eye out for those murderers, we are depending on you, and I am really glad we have your help in this."
Pai fills the others in on what she knows about the organization as well. "Be careful out here. If we get separated, we need to gather back here. We can use this as our meeting point."
Corbyn will begin scanning the streets and the rooftops while Amin finishes his talk with Ruperta and the party prepares to leave.
Despite Corbyn's efforts, he can see no sign of pursuit or watchers; your assassin seems to have retreated to heal. When everything quiets down, you head off toward Scream's home, with Amin leading the way. As you move through the older part of Old Korvosa, you see a lot of rough types and evidence of arson and larceny as you go.
Salvator’s home is a leaning, decrepit building located on the Narrows, not far from one of the many now-ruined bridges that once connected Old Korvosa to the mainland. It appears to be structurally sound, for now, and a light burns in one of the windows, flickering lightly through despite the windows being tightly shuttered.
The front door, however, is closed, but not locked.
Corbyn will listen through the door.
Perception
If he doesn't hear anything on the other side, he will crack the door and peek in.
Pai nods at Corbyn as he prepares to crack the door.
The smell in this entry is of must and mildew, much of it coming from the mud tracked over the floorboards, as if a small army had marched through the room. To the south stands a single empty set of shelves.
Slumper prepares himself for anything going near a window.
Pai scans the room, looking around.
Perception
There is a great deal of mud and muck on the floor, but not much else that Pai can see. The humming is coming from further in the house, a jaunty tune you can recognize as 'What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor?'
Beyond the entry is a short hall. Directly across from the entry door is an open door, leading to small bedroom. A single bed, the blankets and pillows atop it scattered and in disarray, sits to the south in this room. More mudstained bootprints mar the wooden floor here and a splash of dried blood decorates one pillow.
At the south end of the hall is another door. This one is closed and the singing, in a high female voice, is coming from there.
Pai creeps through the room, pointing out the blood stain on the pillow. Once the group was with her, she opened the door to the singing female.
Both of this room’s windows are tightly shuttered, yet the air inside seems strangely fresh and scented, no doubt from the six large candles that burn within. Each candle has been affixed by a glob of melted wax to the crown of a gleaming, polished skull, and each of these impromptu and grisly candleholders has been placed atop an otherwise clear desk to the west, arrayed in a gentle arc. A chair sits before the desk, and a careful stack of papers and scrolls sits inside the arc of skulls. To the south stands a nearly empty cabinet, its shelves barren save for a few paintbrushes and a cracked pottery urn.
Standing in the room, admiring a particularly gruesome painting that appears made from blood and some sort of offal judging by the pig's snout protruding from the nearby bucket, is a young looking female elf. She's pale of skin, with raven black hair and eyes and wears black armor studded with hundreds of small spikes. She wears a spiked chain wrapped around her shoulders and openly displays a holy symbol of a skull pierced with chains. She turns and smiles with a strangely cheerful grin that is completely at odds with her outfit and surroundings.
"Oh goody! I knew if I waited here someone would show up and help me! Korvosa's been so welcoming to me! I'm Laori! Nice to meet you!" She holds out a hand in greeting.
Know. Religion
Ruperta, behind her visor, frowns at the presence of this mad follower of the Midnight Prince. Her hand clenched at her Morningstar, and her mind praying to Desna.
"Well this is ackward."
"Hi Laori. I'm Pai. I'm about to ask you something strange. You aren't, you know, evil, are you? We have been sent here looking for a friend. Don't suppose you've seen any strangers running about around here, have you?"
Corbyn is unable to stifle a laugh when Pai asks if the woman is evil.
Laori grins at the question of her evilness. "Evil? I don't think so! I mean, I like puppies and kittens and babies, if they're clean. And I'm certainly not thinking any evil thoughts at the moment! Though someone did try to pick my pocket on the way over here. He's nursing a broken hand now. And the guy who grabbed my arse? He's nursing a broken testicle! But, no, I haven't seen anyone! Which is the problem! I came here looking for Salvator Scream, but it looks like someone dragged him off! So I've been here for a few hours, looking over his work. He's ever so talented! And I really want to find out where he gets his inspiration!" She smiles wryly. "But if you were looking for him, too, then maybe we could help each other? I may have something that will help!"
"Scream, you say? You must have been reading my mind. That's who we are looking for. And I like puppies, and kittens, and clean babies too! Isn't Zon Kuthon kind of mean, though? You know, all the pain and such sordid things."
"Oh but pain is such a cleansing thing!" Her eyes go wide in a dreamy way. "Pain is ecstasy! It is the relief when the scab is pulled off, the moment of bliss when the orgasm peaks! It is the very stuff of life itself! Is it not pain when you love, pain when you lose, pain when you are born and die? Pain is the great truth, the moment when all lies are laid bare and only truth remains! It is the thing that separates us from lower life, the capacity to feel pain. It is how you know a thing IS alive! Zon-Kuthon merely shows us the way, the truth of things! Ask a man a question and he will lie! But inflict pain upon him, glorious vibrant pain and you will see the man he really is! Is that not holy?" She lets out a throaty gasp and shivers in a distinctly erotic way.
"No, that is cruel." - says Ruperta with clenched teeth - "I do not thing we need your help. Let's go and look on other places."
"Pain between willing partners is not necessarily cruel or evil. Why are you looking for Scream, that is probably the more important question."
"Good question, Paxs. How do you know he's been taken?"
She grins. "Isn't it obvious? Tracks come in, go to the bedroom, there's blood on the pillow and the tracks head back out the door, this time dragging a body. He's not dead; too little blood for that!As for why I want to meet him? His work is exquisite! I see themes of pain, loss, darkness that I simply must know more about! I suspect my master is inspiring him and I want to know more. I want to know what it all means! And Scream is the only one who can tell me. Besides, I found this!" She holds up what seems to be a scrap of cloth, torn off a painter's shirt. "I suspect it can lead us to Scream. Of course, it's mine. If you wish to work together, I'm more than happy to share!"
"This is my city they are destroying let's get this unpleasant business over with."
Laori laughs happily. "Oh good! Now, if we can wait until midnight, I can ask my Master for a spell to locate objects. I think it will lead us to Salvator!"
"I suppose we might be able to work with you. Let me talk to my friend for a second."
Pai pulls Ruperta back into the last room they entered. "She's obviously cracked. Let's be honest. But if she can cast a spell or two and lead us to Scream, we might need to take her up on it. If she acts up, we can knock her down, you know that. We could have Corbyn look around, but if we can't find another clue, this looks like our only lead."
Ruperta takes off her helm and looks at her friend.
"I will not be comfortable working with several mad worshippers of that evil God. They are sick. They are evil. And the worst kind of evil, and evilness born from madness, organized and corrupt. I think we can do better on our own. But I trust you, just be careful, and don't let that jovial face and friendly demeanor fool you. "
Ruperta goes to the door of the house, and peers outside, looking for people following them.
"Agreed we should for sure keep an eye on her. Look at it this way, if we are with her we can keep her from harming people on her path to find this guy."
Pai hugs Ruperta. "Don't worry. I've got you watching my back! If that crazy lady jumps me, you'll take care of her, no doubt!" Pai nods at Paxs.
Pai walks back into the room. "I'm not a big fan of this, to be honest, but I think we might be able to work together. I must warn you, if you try to double cross us or do anything sketchy, you've got a whole group of us to deal with. But, if you are straight with us, we will be the same with you."
Pai takes a spot in the corner. "Looks like we've got a couple hours to wait. Corbyn, could you look around for us? you might be able to find something that the rest of us might miss. You're quite good at that," she says with a smile.
Pai also casts a spell, granting her additional strength for the next several hours.
Laori smiles reassuringly. "I promise, I have no ill intent toward you. I simply want to find Salvator and talk to him. His work is intriguing, I'm hoping he will live up to it!"
At midnight Laori calmly smiles and pulls out a razor. She pulls her sleeve up and begins slicing her skin lightly while murmuring prayers. After about a half hour of this, she puts her sleeve back down, smiles contentedly and stands. Holding the fabric, she murmurs a spell and begins to spin. "This way!" She walks to the exit and leaves, heading deeper into Old Korvosa.
As she passes by the rotting remains of the house next to the Scream residence, she suddenly pauses and murmurs "Oh dear" as the ground suddenly gives way beside her. She tumbles down the hole, to the bottom, which is now 20' below ground level as three tentacled shapes pull themselves from the wreckage, let out hungry moans and move to attack the elf!
Initiatives!
Corbyn
Paxs
Pai
Ruperta
Slumper
Foes
Laori
Round 1:
23 Laori and Slumper
18 Ruperta
11 Creatures
10 Paxs
9 Corbyn and Pai
Laori stands up, unslinging her spiked chain!
[ooce]Slumper and Ruperta, then the foes![/ooc]
Ruperta casts Prayer, asking for Desna's help in the impeding combat (you all gain a +1 Luck bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, saves and skills, while the enemies get a -1 in all of those). The she moves forward trying to cover her friends.
Know. Dungeoneering on Pai's turn
With unusual reaction time Slumper moves to block the way attacking the tentacled horror.
rapier
rapier
shield
shield
rapier crit confirm
Ruperta calls upon Desna's favor while Slumper lays into the tentacled horrors! His weapons seem mystically drawn to the enemy as every blow lands! One of the beasts is dead before it can even shake the mud from its skin!
Round 1:
23 Laori and Slumper
18 Ruperta
11 Creatures
10 Paxs
9 Corbyn and Pai
The two remaining things flail about, one going for Slumper, the other for Laori! , and vs Slumper. , and vs Laori. Both miss with their tentacles, but land bites, dealing to Slumper and to Laori!
Otyugh 39/39
Otyugh 39/39
DEAD Otyugh
Laori 81/86
Pai tells the others what she knew about the otyughs. "More disease," Pai grumbles.
Pai pulls the wand she took from the necromancer and blasts at the closest monster.
Damage
Fort
Thrak tears into the nearest foe.