Caulder brings up the rear, but thanks to a near in-human will he manages to keep up well with the others. His grim, stricken face tells the story of how much it costs him. Few try to look for trouble with the four, but Esmerelda does get some good pointers from a scared street urchin - coupled with Pagrip's knowledge of the lay of the land their journey to the home of Zellara is blessedly uneventful.
When they enter the house, they find it barren. Stripped of all things that they saw before. No incense in the air, no curtains, rugs, furniture or anything that might indicate that the place has been anything but derelict in the last year.
Pagrip shakes his head and gives a disgruntled smile. "Well, she sure cleared out quick." He starts to look around, peering through doors and round corners to see if anything has been left behind.
The panting Caulder, obviously having been very much looking forward to collapsing into a chair to rest his leg, leans heavily against the wall and spits, "Damn it! What in the Nine Hells is going on here?"
The ghost of a dead harrower brought the four of us together to do...no, that cannot be right.
Ten cracks open the hat box, just to see if everything is as it should be...
Esmerelda glares around the barren room, clearly displeased "I think we may have been tricked. I hate it when that happens."
"Staying out of the fighting is probably the best we can do for now. Though I would like to get back to the Bank. Anyone else have any bright ideas?"
"Staying out of the fighting is probably the best we can do for now. Though I would like to get back to the Bank. Anyone else have any bright ideas?"
Caulder's head jerks up as he looks at the paladin, his face twisted in disbelief. "Staying out of the fighting is for the best?" he asks incredulously. "Are you listening to yourself, woman? You're willing to sit in here and guard your own skin while the City might be falling outside these walls? I came along to protect the civilians," he growls. "But I'll be damned if I'll hide in here and let agitators smash up honest places of business and terrorize law-abiding citizens, not when there's a chance I can stop one or two of them. I'm going back to my beat; there are people there who rely on me to protect them." He turns back to head out the door. "If you're going to stay, go back to the roof and question the pseudodragon in the morning. It has a nest; it's been here a while. It ought to be able to tell you what's been going in this house."
"That is why I have called you here in the first place, Caulder Baradin," Zellara's voice comes from the hatbox. Ten nearly drops it, as it appears that the lifeless head he was looking at just a moment ago comes back to life. The others, too, then see it. The face slowly reveals itself, floating out of the hatbox. The rest of the head, as well as the rest of the body, follow in short measure.
A little while later Zellara, as they had met her earlier in the day, stands before them again. "Please accept my apologies for the... unusual manner of drafting you to my cause. I am thankful that Lamm is no more - and more grateful still that you have recovered me."
She turns to look at Pagrip, "Perhaps it would help if I clarified a few things. Even though you found my head, you did not find me as such. Can I ask you to take a closer look at the hatbox for me? Specifically, what is under my head."
When Pagrip complies, searching in the hatbox Ten is holding out for him, he finds an ancient set of cards. A harrow deck decorated with hand-painted images, the frames gilt in silver so that under lighting they sparkle and flash. Despite the worn condition of the card backs, the images on the faces are so vibrant they seem to move when viewed out of the corner of the eye.
"I did tell the truth, but I did not explain the whole story. I am a seer, and as such had little trouble finding Lamm. But when I confronted him, he... mistreated me. I died several weeks ago; but not entirely so. The magic that is in these cards is able to hold and sustain me, and I still have considerable power as a Harrower. The time here in Korvosa is growing dark, the fall of the king is just a herald for the times to come now."
Zellara looks grave. "I have a duty to Korvosa, my city. And each of you four have been chosen with this in mind - you carry the seed of salvation for Korvosa. I beg you heed my advice and carry me with you. In exchange I can grant insight into the future; ways to help both you and the city."
Somehow Ten managed to maintain his grip on the hat box. The ghost of a dead harrower did gather us together!
After taking a moment to compose himself, he mumbled: "If ever there was a reason to sample my own product..."
Pagrip holds his breath as he searches the hatbox, and tries not to wretch as he moves the head aside. When he pulls the cards out, he looks over them carefully.
"When you say to carry you with us," he says to Zellara, "I hope you mean the cards and not the head. Now what's all this about insight into the future and dark times ahead and all that stuff?"
"Now, look here..., lady...." Caulder seems to want to level an admonitory finger at Zellara but can't decide whether to point at the hatbox or the apparition, so his finger wavers between the two and then sinks back to his side, defeated. "I'm not going to say I don't appreciate the tip. Hells, if you'd asked me yesterday, I probably would have been willing to lose my right leg if it meant getting Lamm. But I don't put much faith into seers and prophecies, even when they aren't coming from dead women. If you have something to say that's more important than me getting out there on the street and fighting on the side of civilization, you'd better get it said."
You have heard of cases where spirits are bound to objects, locations or people. But you cannot tell if this is the case with Zellara, or if something else is at work.
Zellara smiles at Pagrip, "I will appreciate my head being interred, you only need to keep these cards about you." She turns to Caulder, "Indeed priest of Abadar. I will want you, all of you, to fight in the streets of Korvosa. Find the wrong that has been dealt this city, and right it. But I have more than words to guide you..." The cards begin to float and come to the bidding of the image of Zellara. As before she shuffles them expertly - and this time it is quite apparent that the cards fly through what must be unnatural trajectories.
"This is a time of great need for Korvosa, swiftness is of the essence - correspondingly, each of you is granted a symbol of dexterity. You can call upon it while the need for haste is still great." Four cards spin out of the deck and circle Zellara once, twice, then move forward to settle infront of each of the four heroes.
"Esmerelda, you receive the Locksmith. You may call upon it three times. The Locksmith represents a new destiny. Once victim, now paladin, the future knows there is even more slumbering within you. Your blood, it will call to you."
"Caulder, behold the Crows! You may call upon them only twice. The Crows know what you have lost, for they are the ones that have taken their fill of you."
"Tendrizu, you are blessed with the Cricket. A symbol of luck that offers you the certainty of quick passage. You may call upon the Cricket three times."
"Finally, Pagrip, you again receive the Juggler - for fate loves you, even when you are tossed about by its fickle bonds. Know that fate grants you alone the ability to call upon the Jugglers four times."
- Reroll a single dexterity check, initiative check, dexterity-based skill check, reflex save or dexterity-based attack roll. The new result is final, though you can spend additional uses to reroll again.
- Gain +1 dodge bonus to AC for the duration of one encounter. You can spend up to three callings in one encounter on this benefit.
- Gain a +10 bonus to your base speed for the duration of one encounter.
You can call upon your symbols several times, as presented in the text above. Calling upon a symbol is a free action. You can use them as follows:
The cards suddenly vanish from their positions and moments later reappear near Zellara - shuffling themselves among the cards again. She smiles again, but it has the serious look of someone reaching deep inside themselves. The cards pick-up a liveliness again, dancing in elaborate chaos before parting into two piles. The majority of cards simply settle with Zellara, but nine cards have singled themselves out and instead form a three-by-three pattern.
"Behold then! The insights of the Harrow... First the past:" Zellara begins.
"The Rakshasa - a crafty albeit misaligned foe. Here he represents the victories of your past: the fall of Lamm frees you from the ill that has enslaved your mind."
"The Desert - it describes your journey to this point, a bleak passage of travails and hardship."
"The Wanderer - a man who knows the value of things that many disregard. But here, oh here he's out of his place. He looks at you, Caulder, the Wanderer has blinded himself to what could be - just as you were unwilling to see what was truly in front of you in your past. Do not let it happen again. Heed the Harrow!"
"The present is oh-so-more relevant, yes:"
"The Lost is a pitiable, tragic card - it symbolizes those who have lost themselves, that carry only emptiness inside. But even its pain can be salvation for some, when it springs forth from the passion of the present. There is a purpose, and clarity to the present that you will need, ah yes. I see." Zellara looks a moment to where the remainder of Lamm's treasures are. "Lost indeed." She smiles.
"The Betrayal harbors that which is central to the current crisis over Korvosa. We all are already twitching in the throes of this betrayal - it will define Korvosa for a long time to come."
"The Forge is a powerful symbol. It will always remain the same, a sign of strength, a sign of binding, of the confusion of diversity. Here it reveals to you that even as we speak a number of different evils are joining forces to bring tragedy upon us. Do not think there is but one! The Forge insists that you look in the shadows of the shadows - for there will be more."
"But what is the present without a hope for the future? This Harrowing speaks of it thusly."
"You are fortunate indeed - the past, present and future each shows an evil that is overturned. Here the Snakebite, a symbol of festering. Ideas and doubts that eat at you, powers that promise much but cost even more. Ah, but not here. Here it is more - here it is the epiphany. The mental leap that will carry Korvosa through the dark tide. Fear not your thoughts, they are the key. Don't trust in the poisoned words of others - but come to your own terms. Draw your own conclusion."
"The Peacock - he knows no limits. The future reveals that you will need to grow beyond yourselves -" here she gives particularly Esmerelda and Caulder a stern look, "- the darkness cannot be vanquished without changing who you are. You are not enough. Not yet."
"The Idiot - mocking and foolish. The Idiot has come to warn you. Come he says, Follow me! I will lead you to riches beyond your dreams! But be wary of him. The Idiot serves no-one but himself; follow the Idiot only if you wish to see Korvosa fall."
Inspite of the nature of Zellara, the image of her appears to be slightly perspiring. The Harrowing is not without cost.
Caulder waits a beat to make sure she's not going to start talking again before assuming Zellara is finished. "Sweetheart," he tells the apparition, "everything past fight in the streets, right the wrong is ancient Thassilonian to me. Crows have taken their fill of me? The only things that have had their fill of me lately are a shark and a crocodile. I understand: tragic circumstances around your death, some sort of unfinished business holding you here, in this house or with those cards, very sorry about it. But there's going to be more people dying tonight if I don't get out there and do something about it."
Esmerelda stares blankly at Zellara. Then looks at Caulder. Then Ten. Pagrip. Back to Zellara. Caulder. Zellara. Caulder. Then bursts into peals of laughter. Tears start streaming down her cheeks from all the laughter. She continues to laugh long and hard and when she breaks to breathe she gasps "That is one way to get a ...head... in life." Then breaks into laughter again. After a while she stops gasping for air and adds "An alleged murderer, a drug dealer, a grumpy cleric and a crazy paladin walk into a harrowers' shop. The floating head there tells them some riddles and gives them a mission of utmost vagueness. But they all know she doesn't have a leg to stand on."
Suddenly sobering up she continues seriously "You are correct, Caulder. While this was certainly an entertaining stop, the civilians are safe here with the "(giggle,snort, then serious again)" the head. We should be back on those streets protecting the innocents that are caught up in whatever is happening out there. I have not heard anything here that would change that. Nobody..." She bursts into laughter again..."No...body... I am sorry. I mean no disrespect. But severed heads aren't supposed to be able to float, talk and give harrow readings."
Zellara doesn't seem to mind. Much. "Well, I was expecting resistance from Abadar's followers. You have a history of only being able to follow the Law, and then only if it is obvious enough." She looks at the other two, Ten and Pagrip, "Of course there is more, there is always more. But without trust my words can mean nothing to you."
"Go right ahead, fight the good fight. Return to the Bank and I know you will find orders a-plenty to keep you busy." She smiles, cryptically. "But then again, sometimes that is not enough. The Bank has its hands full. Priorities, legislation, red tape. But you enjoy that, don't you. Things will get done, eventually, and they'll be done in a well-ordered and well-documented manner." She sighs, "Of course, by then you will awaken to a Korvosa that won't remind you of the things you hold dear. Return to the Bank, it is a great way for you to chronicle the downfall of Korvosa."
"Correction: Esmerelda's attempts at humour will be the reason I take to sampling my products," Ten mumbled.
"I grew up around harrowers and their believers, but pushed them aside as I focused on my studies. Perhaps, back then, I pushed too hard..." After taking a moment to reflect, Ten continued: "Zellara, for what it's worth, I shall fight for you and Korvosa."
Wiping away her tears, Esmerelda replies tartly "Devils have made their dealings sound sweeter, Zellara. The laws are there to protect the people or you get THAT." She points outside to the burning city. "Korvosa is already toppling and you stand..er..float..here and debate what we can and can't do for the good of Korvosa. If you have something constructive to say, say it."
Pagrip scratches his beard thoughtfully throughout the exchange. Finally, he says, "Zellara, I believe you mean well, and I am certainly in your debt for pointing me and the others to Lamm. There's also no doubt that bad stuff is happening here in Korvosa right now. But let's be frank; you haven't provided us with much concrete. The Harrow reading is visually impressive and all, but well... rather vague. Like most predictions, you can interpret it multiple ways. You want us to help Korvosa, yet you scoff at Caulder's desire to go out and help re-establish order. I don't quite have Caulder's faith in the Bank, but from my perspective, and no doubt his, what he wants to do will in fact help Korvosa, just like you want. Can you give us any reason why doing that will actually not help Korvosa?"
Caulder eyes the paladin with a wary look in his eye as she laughs so heartily at her own puns, but she makes sense when she has finished her laughing fit. "She's right; all we're hearing from you is 'Don't help the forces standing against chaos.' All right, then: What should we do, in your opinion? Form some kind of vigilante group to follow orders from a dead woman? You've come to the wrong man for that. Law is deliberate to prevent mistakes; the dwarf here can tell you about that. Justice may come slowly, but only to protect the innocent and wrongfully-accused. I'd rather punish the right man in time than the wrong man in the heat of the moment."
Zellara laughs, genuinely amused. "Oh, don't worry - I do want you on the streets. But before you get there, I suggest you go to the core of the problem. The king is dead. Long live the queen. I want you to start fighting the chaos by going to its heart. Starting from there, you will find ample opportunity to fight the tide against Korvosa." She grins. "Oh? Getting to the queen during a crisis and martial law is a tad difficult you say? Why don't you tell her that you found something that belongs to her; that'll smooth over your entrance right along." She nods towards Lamm's loot. "You apparently have not yet realized what kind of very hot potato you've found." Zellara chuckles one last time, then vanishes, leaving the cards in Pagrip's hands.
"More riddles? Well at least one part is plain. We should go see the queen and see to stabilizing the city. I am not sure what the laws say about king slaying but it can't be good. So. Who is with me?"
Pagrip looks down at the cards in his hands. "Fortune tellers," he says, rolling his eyes. "I'll start being impressed when they start giving straight answers to questions." He opens his pack and places the cards inside. "So, anyone have any idea what this supposed hot potato that will give us admission to the queen is?"
Zellara's words do tip your memory - the queen's brooch had been stolen months earlier. It is quite a showy piece, depicting a struggle between an imp and a pseudodragon.
Esmerelda tips the contents of the sack onto the floor to get a better look at the contents.
"This jewel might be fit for a queen." Esmerelda picks out the imp/pseudodragon bauble and throws it over to Pagrip. She then proceeds to replace the evidence back into the "EVEEDINSE" sack.
"We might have a pass to see the new queen. But will seeing the queen help bring order back into the city? What do you think Caulder?"
Pagrip catches the brooch and looks it over. "Well, well, well," he mutters. "I remember hearing about this. So we take this back to the queen and that gets us in to speak to her, and then... What do we do then? I mean, I'm sure she must already have people out trying to restore the peace. What can we say to her that will improve the situation?"
"Maybe we don't have to say anything. Maybe she and her people, as you put it, can better direct us. They may have more information than we currently have," Ten replied to Pagrip's question.
Pagrip nods. "Good point."
"How in the Hells does a petty crimelord like Lamm end up with a royal bauble?" Caulder questions. "Unless his connections go far higher than anyone ever suspected.... Fine. We return the brooch. In the morning, assuming the riots are quelled. The queen can wait that long to get her brooch back. I can't imagine a new widow in the first shock of her bereavement caring one way or another about a piece of jewelry, anyway, especially in the middle of the night while the city burns. If you two want to stay here for your own safety," he goes on, addressing Ten and Pagrip, "be my guest. I have more important tasks on my plate than trying to collect a reward. Darkbane, you coming with me?" He readies his crossbow.
"How in the Hells does a petty crimelord like Lamm end up with a royal bauble?"
Esmerelda shakes her head "Have you always been a sourpuss, Caulder?" she smiles at him "We both want to help in the streets. For that we need information of where we can be most effective. The queen will have more information in the goings on in the city than most others at the moment. The bauble is merely the key to gain access to the queen. We must strike while the iron is hot, as it were. An the city won't get much hotter than it is right now."
"These two" she includes Ten and Pagrip with a wave " have more than proven themselves in dealing with Lamm. They have trusted us with their reasons for wanting to see Lamm brought to justice. Have we been equally truthful, Caulder?"
Caulder scoffs. "Look, Darkbane, I know you have a lot riding on the whole girls-can-do-anything-boys-can thing, but a just-widowed young woman thrust into a situation way over her head is going to be of no help at all directing a counter-insurgency." He pauses and considers. "The kings' advisors should be there, though, telling her what to do. It's possible they'll be glad for some footsoldiers to direct. All right, we'll do it your way. We'll go see the queen and offer our assistance to whoever's in charge. But if we run into any trouble along the way, we quell it; we don't run from it. And we don't have time for tea and crumpets."
She smiles at Caulder "At last you are seeing things clearly. I was thinking I would have to ask Ten to club some sense into you. I think you would enjoy it too much if I did it." without waiting for a reply she turns and begins walking toward the door "Right, lads. Lets be off then. Any comments or suggestions can be given on the way. We are off to see the queen!"
The night, though still young, is upon the four as they head out into the streets of Korvosa. The fires in the distance create a disturbing half-glow even here, on the main road to Castle Korvosa.
As the would-be saviors of the city reach the Gold Market - Korvosa's largest market at the heart of the district - they are confronted with the sight of looters putting the pressure on a stray trader who didn't have the time, or good sense, to cart himself and his wares away. The merchant, and what is likely to be his son, are in heated debate with the looters - it appears that soon they won't be able to hold off the robbers with merely words.
The mannerisms and the desperation with which the trader appears to fend off the assailants suggests that mere theft is not where this encounter will end.
At that moment the party witness a loud crashing to the south. A massive, tentacled monstrosity bursts from below the pavement, scattering cobbled debris around it. Wails of terror escape what is probably a Hellknight armiger - a Hellknight foot-soldier - who is snatched up first by the monster. The remaining member of his patrol stands frozen in panic as the monstrous beast towers over him.
The creature is an otyugh, not uncommon in Korvosa - though usually they are more docile and keep to the sewers below. This one, apparently, has plans of its own. Otyugh's have rudimentary intelligence and are able to converse in common.
"Darkbane, take the otyugh! That armiger needs help now, not when I've managed to stump over there." He takes off limping toward the looters. " What's going on here? Stop harassing that merchant! Go on now, get out of here!"
Pagrip looks from the newly emerged creature to the looters and merchant, then back again. "Ah hell," he says. "Just what we need."
He pulls out his warhammer and follows Caulder. "Do what the man says!" he calls out. "You won't like him when he's angry!" More quietly, he says to Caulder, "There's more than theft motivating them. We should be wary. They may be willing to take any measures."
"Thanks Caulder. But I might remind you that in this armor I am about as slow as you are with your slight limp. Oh and ditto on what the dwarf said."
Esmerelda eyes the tentacled monstrosity while drawing her greatsword. As she advances cautiously she shouts at the beast "I think you should return to the sewers from whence you came." Over her shoulder she tells Ten "Throw things at it to distract it while I beat it back into the sewers."
"Don't make eye contact and just keep on walking and we'll- *sigh*"
"Right, Esmerelda, you and I again. Though, when fighting something of that size, I prefer to meet it on equal terms, rather than throwing things at it," Ten tells the paladin while pulling a small vial out from under his coat. "I would prefer that the situation not call for it though."
"Become a monster to fight a monster." Esmerelda mumbles to herself. More loudly she says "As you see fit, Ten."
To the patrol ahead she shouts "Stand together, Hellknights! If you break, the monster will tear you to shreds" as she rushes forward to their aid.
"Poppa! I'm scared!" The boy should already be called a man, but his demeanor is simple; he appears daunted by the big city as much as he's afraid of the looters accosting him and his father.
Up next: Pagrip, Caulder, T&L
"" By the time Ten and Esmerelda get close enough to make a difference, the hellknight grappled by the monster is not moving. Her left arm is partially shredded by the otyugh; her partner has recovered from his panic but is trying to quell the beast ineffectually.
Up next: Ten, H&O, Esmerelda
More quietly, he says to Caulder, "There's more than theft motivating them. We should be wary. They may be willing to take any measures."
"Let's keep this nonviolent if we can, dwarf," Caulder mutters back as they approach. "We're all better off if we can just persuade them it's in their best interest to go away quietly."
"Trust me," Pagrip says to Caulder as he moves forward. He taps his warhammer lightly on his opposite hand and calls out to the looters. "You really ought to move on," he says. "The big guy behind me is the least of your worries and he's pretty bad as it is. There's a whole squadron of Hell Knights just around the corner. They'll be here any second now and they're just itching for a bunch of losers like you all to beat the crap out of."
The group, as a whole, appears to become a bit queasy at the prospects of Hellknights. Interference by some vigilantes, or possibly more well-equipped looters, wasn't planned either.
"Better make this quick then." The one closest to the trader rips off small sack the trader had slung around his neck. The chink sounds suggests that the loot contains a fair amount of coin. As the aging merchant careens unsteadily the robber adds, "Thank the gods that this is all." He starts backing away, facing Pagrip, "We'll remember your face dwarf! Not many around these here parts. Sleep with one eye open." The others follow suit, their bodies indicate they are ready to run ahead - not willing to risk a fight with Hellknights.
The old man looks in horror as the sack gets taken, "No! Please no!" He looks to Pagrip and Caulder, desperation clear in his eyes.
Next up: Caulder, Pagrip, T&L
"Whoa. The monster looks a lot bigger up close." Esmerelda says as she shifts cautiously closer, reading her weapon and shield. "Can anyone throw some light on the situation?"
"I'd advise you to return that hard-earned coin to the man who earned it," Caulder says sternly, as he moves around to the far side of the looters from Pagrip. "Abadar frowns on those who expect to live off the sweat of another. Give back the gold, and everyone walks away unincarcerated."
"Shut it old man. Abadar's done nothing for me in times of plenty." The crowd of looters does not look like they going to slow down for someone that cannot catch up with them.
"Abadar does nothing for anyone, you idiot," Caulder grunts back, irritated by the miscreant's lack of theological acumen. "That's his whole point. He's not some pushover deity, handing out bread and circuses just because he feels sorry for you. Where will that get you in life? Soft and helpless! What will you do when you're too old and feeble to steal? You'll starve in the gutter! But if you work and save, you can hope for ease and comfort in your old age. Well, not you personally," he amends. "The lot of you are looking at ten years hard labor. Not a lot of earning potential left when you're released at middle age, with a criminal record which means that no one will give you a fair shot. Yeah, a few of you might outrun me ... and the Hellknights the dwarf mentioned," he adds, with a nod at Pagrip. "But what are the odds your fearless leader will track you down to give you your share of the take? Once he's gone with the coin, you won't be seeing him again. But you'll be seeing me. Then again, the rest of you could prove to me that you're just law-abiding citizens in the wrong place at the wrong time. You help me bring in this worthless thief," he nods at the man with the bag, "and suddenly you're all heroes ... instead of prisoners."
"I do not think that it's going to listen to reason..." Ten mutters before downing the contents of the vial. The extract takes immediate effect, with Ten's size and mass growing immensely as a result. The transformation completes within seconds. Now towering over the paladin, Ten says: "I do not like the word 'monster'. I prefer the term 'augmented human'."
"Bugger that shit, I'm outa here." The looters' hasty retreat doesn't abate at all, though perhaps they are sticking a little closer together. Perhaps a little more wary of each other.
Up next: Pagrip, T&L, Caulder
"I can shoot him down if you want," Pagrip says to Caulder, patting his crossbow, "but there's no way I can catch up with him."