Curse of the Crimson Throne (Inactive)

Game Master StephNyan

Mavor doesn't resist either.
"As long as you don't attack innocent people in this city, I've got no quarrel with you and your secret will be safe."

Denario nods at Mavor's comment.

"I side with his comment on the matter."

"That was a special case..." Imoya says, mostly to himself.
Looking up to hear the end of the conversation. "Could you make a special effort to remove near-do-wells?" He asks the woman before looking to a small sphere in his hand.

Quorthos doesn't resist, but he is uncertain about the rakshasha's motives.

Knowledge (arcana) to know what this is? Is she ensuring we're telling the truth, or can she compel us? Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

"Very well, as long as you do nothing which makes you an enemy of Korvosa, we will keep your secret," Quorthos responds, truthfully. But if you become a threat to the city's innocents, all bets are off...

Quorthos isn't exactly sure what the third eye is and does, but nothing bad since to happen and Melyia nods content. "Very well indeed. I do not plan to harm random people. There's no benefit for me in doing so."

"If you'd excuse me now. I have a staff that's fled to I-don't-know-where, and they need to be informed about my husband's unfortunate accident with the elephant statue." Melyia points at the broken pieces of the jade statue that used to guard the entrance to the underground complex.

"Have a good day, and let me know if you ever want to do business. I could use strong people like you, and I'm sure you could benefit from my influence and contacts."

Melyia turns around and heads inside. Before Melyia closes the door behind her, she says, "Don't forget Blackjack and the Seneschal on your way out."

Those of you who haven't used Zellara's blessing feel her magic fade away.

"Well done, heroes," her voice rings inside your minds.

Quorthos stands there, somewhat surprised to have survived. At the mention of Blackjack, his eyes narrow.

"Right... we still have Blackjack to deal with," he mutters. "To be honest, I don't care what happens to him any more. It's his fault that Baer is dead. But we do need to get the Seneschal to a safe location. Any ideas?"

You head back into the labyrinth, where you meet up with the Seneschal. When you head to the deepest part of the labyrinth, you find a bruised and battered Vencarlo chained up in a small cell. Once Tural's applied some healing magic on him, Vencarlo tells you the same story Melyia gave you: he was waiting for you to leave the palace, near the elephant statue, so he could meet back up with you. He was then ambushed and knocked out by Melyia, who took him inside the Labyrinth and chained him up.

"I'm so terribly sorry for what happened," Vencarlo says remorsefully. "I didn't intend to set in motion what led to Baer's death... I was just waiting for you... I'm so sorry..."

The Seneschal speaks up, requesting you settle the matter at a more convenient moment. "Out safety comes first. We need to leave this place. I don't trust that Arkona woman one bit."

On your way back to the exit, you once more pass the small underground lake. It's then that you recall something Baer told you after she'd followed the waterway while flying, to see where it led: it leads straight to the Jeggare River.

"Using that is probably our best chance to leave Old Korvosa and get back to the main land," the Seneschal says, pointing at the barge tied to the small dock.

"We should leave Korvosa altogether," Vencarlo comments.

The Seneschal gives Vencarlo a questioning look.

"That's right, you don't know yet." Vencarlo shakes his head. "Where to start... I'll give you a quick summary, as time's not on our side..."

Vencarlo briefly explains how Queen Ileosa's seems to posses superhuman strength, and killed the leader of the Sable Company after he tried to assassinate her. "She pulled the bolt from her temple, then rammed it inside his head. There's something wicked going on. We started our search for you in the hope you could help."

The Seneschal remains silent for a moment, then swallows and says, "I think I know the source of her powers. If it is what I think it is, we ought to leave Korvosa right now. I'll tell you what I know once we've escaped. We need a safe place though..."

With a look at Quorthos, the Seneschal repeats the tiefling's question to the group: "Any ideas?"

Still feeling the weight of Baer's loss and you blaming him on his shoulders, Vencarlo hesitates a moment before carefully suggesting, "Harse. I have friends there, they'll take care of us."

"They're the same people who took Trinia in," he adds to you.

Note: Harse is also where Allyph moved with the orphaned kids. If you'd rather crash at her place, that'd also be an option.

Or you could go to where Tural's father lives, though I'd suggest that as a midway stop rather than a final destination. The AP assumes you'll head to Harse.

When Tural applied enough healing on Vencarlo, and before Vencarlo starts talking apologetic, Denario made good on his promise.

Unarmed, for BAER!: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

"She owed you that, but as she can't do it in person anymore, i'm doing it for her sake."

Denario steps back, having relieved the pending grudge, and lets the man proceed with his talking.

He, after all, didn't punch the real Vencarlo previously.

Harse sounds good

Tural glares at Denario.
"Could you stop wasting my healing?"
He looks at Vencarlo.
"Harse sounds good. I have a place somewhere in between but with everything going on I don't want to risk anyone there."

Imoya watches and listens. He is simply pleased he lived through the ordeal, as did his companions.
"What's at Harse?" He asked Tural.

Where is Harse with respect to where I sent my father, GMSN?

Sense motive on Vencarlo: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Quorthos ignores Vencarlo's words, still not ready to share blame for Baer's death.

"Let's head towards Tural's place as a start, and see what happens from there," he agrees, not wanting to slow the escape with any debate.

"Harse sounds fine." Mavor says as he cracks his neck, still feeling quite sore all around it.

"That's also the place where Allyph is right? Girl who went with the orphans? Would be good to see her again as well."

He picks up his greataxe again and makes movements indicating he's ready to get going.
"Quorthos has the right idea. No time to chat, we've got to move."

@Quorthos: Sorry, I can't recall the specific place you sent your father. Where did you send him?

You get in the barge and go down the waterway, until the waterway ends at a stone wall. Knowing the waterway should lead you to the river, you inspect the wall and realize it's an illusion. Now able to see past it, you can see the Jeggare River.

You know the river's being patrolled by Gray Maidens, but you don't see any right now. It's pitch black outside, and the only lights you see are from the lighthouse to the west, and Trail's End to the east.

If you want to know where you're currently at, check the "Map of Korvosa" atop the thread and go straight up north from Vencarlo's Academy. You're at the river's edge.

"Let's avoid any entanglements," Quorthos suggests. "Imoya, you still have that wand of invisibility I lent you?

"Ah, Yes."
Imoya retrieves the wand from his coat and offers it out to Quorthos.

"Good idea"
Tural whispers as he is tapped with the wand.
"What about the boat though?"

"We have enough charges," Quorthos responds. Using the wand, he proceeds to make everyone and the boat invisible. "Let's go. We should get back to our hidey hole and collect everything before we head anywhere else."

Seems the forum ate my post. oh well. I'm up for the wand idea as well.

Mavor nods at the mentioning of the wand and cautions the others.
"Rule number one of being stealthy; don't make any noise. Be careful with rowing the oars of the boat."

Quorthos uses 8 of the wand of invisibility's 10 charges to make everyone and the boat invisible for 2 minutes. The 2 minutes you've got are enough to row around Old Korvosa and leave the "quarantined" area. A while after you've entered the part of the Jeggare River that's not off-limits, you all pop up from invisibility. There aren't any Gray Maidens patrolling the river here.

You dock as far south as possible, near Citadel Volshyenek, and quickly head into the sewers. You use the elaborate sewer system to reach your hidden base, which is conveniently connected through a long, slippery tunnel.

I don't think you explored the tunnel inside your base that leads way east while it was still the den of the necromancer, but you've had plenty of time to do so since. It's connected to the sewers, so I figured you'd probably want to use that.

Once you reach the Dead Warrens and enter your base, you're greeted by a small and very relieved dragon: "You made it out! I'm so glad!"

Majenko flies after you as you gather your belongings and make preparations to leave Korvosa. You then use the same tunnel to get back inside the sewer system, head to the barge again, and row your way out of Korvosa before the Queen learns about what's transpired in Old Korvosa.

It's late in the evening when you find yourselves walking down the road that leads away from the distant lights of Korvosa's walls and the ships that travel the Jeggare River.

End of book 3, Escape from Old Korvosa.

Slowly starting back up:

Having put some distance between yourselves and Korvosa, you eventually decide to make camp. The next morning, Imoya approaches the rest of you: "Hey guys, it may be a bit sudden, but I'm going to leave you here."

"I've done some thinking, and... There's a reason why I returned to Korvosa, but staying there's obviously no longer an option at the moment. But, truth be told, I don't see much reason to come with you to wherever you're currently headed. You're all swell guys, but I'd much rather go my own way. At least for now."

Imoya gathers his belongings and, once ready to depart, says, "I wish you the best of luck with whatever that crazy queen's got in stock for you. We may just meet again. Hopefully in better times."

The powerful ifrit then leaves, heading off in some direction other than yours. As he walks away from you, he looks over his shoulder one last time: "If I were to give you some advice: just burn the damn palace down to the ground with the crazy b!*+# in it!"

Tural looks a bit sullen as another of their crew leaves.
"Maybe someone new will cross our path?"
He says to himself as he lays staring at the stars.

Quorthos wishes Imoya well on his journies, wherever they might lead.

"Now... we have a body to bury," he reminds everyone. What are our options for Baer's corpse? And, what about her stuff? There may be some useful items there, and we haven't exactly been able to go shopping recently...

Truth be told, I wasn't sure if you brought her along. As for your options, I suppose you could bury or burn her?

I'll just throw Baer's gear on the loot list, and you can claim whatever you want to have. (I know which spells she'd prepared way back, but not everything she'd written in her spellbook. I'm just going to say it doesn't contain spells anyone else doesn't have, and it can be sold for 1000 gp.)

Mavor would have probably traveled back for Baer's body and carried it along. She was someone he held kinship with, so he will make sure she finds her peace outside of the city.

"Aye we have." Mavor replies to Quorthos's statement.
"We've lived our lives in that city and I loved it. Now it's turned dark and we've lost our lives in it. If there's some closure to be had now, it's at leastthat we finally can put our good friend to rest. It is the least we can do for her."

Mavor says as he gently lays own Baer's lifeless body on the ground.
He looks to see if there's any suitable place for her to be buried. He looks for a place that's green and full of life, yet also a bit harsh in vegetation to reflect Baer's persona.

"I'd suggest we bury her. A fire might attract unwanted attention to us and so we can always relocate Baer's remains when we come back and the city is the citizens' once more."

Denario would accompany Mavor on that.

"True. But does anyone have any tool to dig?"

Tural shakes his head as he stands over Baer's corpse.
"Best we gather some rocks to make a grave then."

Survival to find a suitable place: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

He sets off to look for a suitable place with Mavor, soon finding the perfect spot. A smile crosses his face as he looks at the spot. A small clearing surrounded by blooming flowers, nettles and brambles with on one side a rough cliff side.
"I think this would suit her."

With the perfect spot found, you set out to find some suitable rocks and branches to help you dig. It's not hard to find them, buth using them to dig the hole proves to be a difficult task. Many hours later, you've succeeded in creating a big enough grave for Baer.

You gently lower Baer into the grave, and take a moment to look at her one last time. She looks at peace. Whatever's going on in Korvosa won't be able to disturb her.

"Farewell, Baer," Quorthos mumbles as he fights back tears. He helps fill in the grave, and makes sure he notes the location so after this is all over, she can be buried in a marked grave.

Afterwards, Quorthos asks the Seneschal to recount everything, and find out what the formal process should be to depose the Queen.

And at some point we're going to rest, right?

Dotting in, as requested.

...---...

Tural remains at the grave for a while, recounting memories of Baer. He eventually heads back to the group, remaining silence for the rest of the evening.

"Farewell my friend." Mavor whispers solemnly as he puts the last handsful of dirt on Baer's grave.

During the evening he talks with Denario about how this all started, reminiscing about the past, sharing the talk about how Gaedren Lamm was undone by Baer, Allpyh, Denario and himself. There is some slight talk about another man there, but the man didn't seem to trigger many memories in Mavor's recollection.

Mavor ends with the following. "Let's just hope that one of us, preferably both, lives to tell the tale. It seems to me a story worthy to be told in the end. On par with deeds done by Blackjack."

Denario nodded.

"True words. You know, i once heard of a tradition, whereupon after a funeral the departed's friends would head into a pub and drink to the departed's memory and exploits."

"I didn't know Baer as long as either of you, but we formed a close friendship, I think," Quorthos joins in. "I'd like to join you in that drink. It's still not... quite real, you know?"

... and what price will I be paying for those wishes? I wonder if I'll see it coming?

"A man i knew once said, "the departed isn't quite dead, if they live in your memories of them".

The night progresses as you talk about Baer, and reminisce about the time you spent in her company. Hours pass, and after a respectful amount of time the Seneschal speaks up to change the topic.

"Earlier this day Vencarlo was so kind to tell me on what's transpired in Korvosa since my capture. I understand you came looking for me, because you want information on how to remove the queen from her throne."

Vencarlo nods. "That's right, Neolandus. We'd also like to know more about the powers she has acquired. No human should be able to survive a bolt through the skull."

"For a long time, I was under the impression something odd was going on with Ileosa. My fears have come true, as she's become something more than human."

"Ileosa was always an ambitious young woman, but she didn't possess the courage nor the cunning mind she shows now. I'm positive her power comes from the crown she wears, as the changes to her personality began around the time she acquired it. It's a crown made of fangs. No doubt they're the fangs of some evil creature that's corrupted her."

"As long as she retains this power, as long as she wears the Crown of Fangs, there may be only one way to defeat her. For countless years before Cheliax came to Varisia, the region known today as Korvosa had been the tribal land of the Shoanti. Although known by few, those who dwelt in the shadow of the pyramid that now serves as Castle Korvosa’s foundation believed that a great evil was hidden within those ancient stones. Today, the keepers of this knowledge, if they still live, are hidden among the Shoanti tribes of the Cinderlands. If anyone knows the secret of defeating this evil presence and, perhaps, even saving the queen from her fate, it'd be them."

Mavor whistles lowly, scratching his head after that.
"That's quite some story and theory you're telling us there Vencarlo. So we're seeking information from the Shoanti tribes, that's not too difficult at least. Apart from the environment and possible hostile tribes perhaps. I've got a question though: What if they don't have answers? What if the Queen can't be saved? What then?"

Mavor lets those questions sink in for a moment before continuing.
"I'm up for crazy things, but I don't feel quite ready to take on Castle Korvosa by ourselves. Even with your aid Vencarlo. We'd need more than our conviction."

Tural nods.
"That sounds very reasonable. Let's search out these Shoanti keepers of knowledge. Maybe they know something to remove the crown. If not... We'll have to think of something else."

"Decapitation, for example.
Sundering the crown, even?"

There was an oopsy from me: everything from "For a long time" onward was said by the Seneschal.

"If they don't have answers, we may not have a way to defeat the queen," the Seneschal replies grimly. "And if the only way to defeat this evil means Ileosa can't be saved... then we are without a choice, and must do what's necessary for the people."

Vencarlo gives Mavor a wry smile. "Perhaps we can find allies in Harse, or among the Shoanti. Perhaps we can convince Allyph to rejoin the effort, in some way. We will have to figure that out once we're safe, in Harse."

Quorthos listens grimly to the Seneschal's story. "My first instinct is to just remove this Crown from the picture... surely the Castle isn't impregnable. Leaving the city would leave too many people at risk while we traipse all over the Storval Plateau looking for the right barbarian to talk to.

Quorthos shakes his head. "I'm not overly concerned with saving the Queen. I'm concerned with saving Korvosa FROM the Queen. Do we need this information to defeat her, or to save her? If it's the latter, then I don't think it is worth the time. " He pauses.

"If we must go, we must... but only if it is absolutely necessary."

"We lost too many already, I don't want to take the risk to go back."
Tural says solemnly.
"We are just with the four of us now, there is no way we stand a chance right now."

"Valid point, Tural... we'd need to raise an army to take back Korvosa. Will we find that army in the Cinderlands? I'm not sure the Shoanti would help us do that. Well, they might want to take Korvosa, but not to save it."

"It just feels wrong to leave, when the city needs heroes the most. But I don't know what else to do that has a chance of success." Quorthos looks for a rock or something to kick in frustration.

"Ever since she obtained the Crown of Fangs, I haven't seen her without it," the Seneschal says.

"If it's cursed, it may very well be she never removes it," Vencarlo adds.

You discuss the situation some more, but decide to go to sleep a little later.

---------

The following day you break up camp and resume the journey to Harse. You make steady progress, planning your journey so you arrive at Izas's hidden village two nights later. As you head toward the shack Tural's father lives in, you see him at work in his small garden. The tender, suntanned man turns to you, what remains of his receding hair glistening a silver grey in the sun.

”You’re back. Again,” Izas says with his stone face, looking straight at Tural.

You explain you’d like to spend the night in the village, before you move on to Harse. Izas’s reply is a brief nod, his face unchanging, followed by a finger pointing at his shack. The man then goes back to work, removing the weeds in his garden.

I decided to push you to a midway location. It made sense you'd take a familiar route that includes a safe place to spend the night.

Tural joins his farther weeding the garden, making some small talk.
"Thanks for letting us stay. The times are getting dire."

"Not all are the same," Azis responds to Tural, sparing a glance at the others. This could seem like a simple statement from the stone-faced man, but Tural knows it to be a question about the fate of the two ladies missing from the party.

"Some parted, some in other ways."
Tural says as he looks sad.
"Even with everything we learned she wouldn't come back. It's easier to deal with people you don't know as well."
Once all the weeds are gone he casts a few create water spells to water all the crops.
"Everything still looks the same here."
He eventually says, a smile returning to his face.

Mavor stands at the sidelines with the others as the conversation between Tural and Azis goes on. He nods solemnly as Tural mentions some have parted, but otherwise remains silent until the conversation ends.

Mavor then approaches Azis slowly and bows slightly. "Thank you for your hospitality. It means much to us."

He then waits to be invited further in.

"Thank you, again, for your hospitality," Quorthos tells Tural's father. He thinks about his own father, hoping he is safe.