Quinlan says nothing as he reads the papers... but read them he does... After doing so, he tucks the papers inside his shirt for safekeeping, so they can't be easily snatched back.. Then he comments to the others present, "THese are exactly what we came for... now just to await Bashiel's return." He speaks without ever taking his eyes off the thugs in the room with them.
When Janus starts to make small talk Bashiel responds "I don't blame you for finding this place unsettling. Your pasha, or ex-pasha as it were, has far too great of an affection for spiders for any normal person. Reminds me of the drow." He trails off, caught up in reminiscance...
'Huh? W_-t di_ I -ay? I'v_ ne-_r see- a D_ow in -y l_fe.'
Once they arrive in Devargo's quarters, Bashiel comments "Those 'powder kegs' will hold themselves back for now. They want this information as much as I, if not more." and begins to pour over the room in search of hidden notes, papers, and information regarding the cultists, or any sale of people to undefined parties. He goes through things thoroughly but efficiently.
In the process, he takes the remaining key and opens up the sea chest.
|
Ilsa tries to keep calm as the adrenaline leaves her body and things calm down.
She tries to hide the trembling of her hands by examining the potions she found on Devargo.
What is happening to me?! What am I becoming?!
More tears well up in her eyes. To busy herself, she collects the items she can carry while she waits for the negotiations to be complete.
In a desk drawer, he finds a flask filled with an slick substance of some sort. He identifies it as oil of taggit, a poison used to knock people unconscious. The flask is 1/4th full.
He finds a pair of boots and a cloak, the hem of which is covered in the same gray mud and dirt as the boots.
He also finds what appears to be a list of some sort but it is encoded. Most of the items on the list have been crossed out.
Locked in the chest, he finds a jasper studded amulet, a gold necklace fitted with emeralds, a mother-of-pearl horn, a ring with a cameo of a dragonfly worked in jade, a scroll with magical writing, an elixir of love, two pouches filled with a very fine metallic dust, and six sacks each containing 100 gold pieces.
He also finds a small ledger. Most of it is about bribes, payoffs, taxes, income from the various businesses at Eel's End. Flipping through, however, Bashiel also finds a list of names, some of which have been crossed out. Bashiel recognizes a few of the crossed out names as people who have been reported as missing over the last few years or turned up dead from foul play.
==Upstairs==
Ilsa identifies the potions as a Cure moderate wounds and Invisibility. Using detect magic, she also sees Devargo's armor radiates magic.
Kalem walked over to Ilsa, and said quietly "I know how you feel. Believe me I do. But stay strong now. Our agreement lasts so long as they are afraid of us."
|
|
Ilsa finishes packing the valuables and looks up at Kalem. She discretely wipes a tear from her eye.
Could he know? Even a small part of what I suffer?
She stands up and nods to him.
I must stay strong...for Briget...
She turns her back on the unconscious, hog-tied Devargo and stares down the remaining enforcers with an impassive mask.
Quinlan looks from Ilsa and Kalem to the guards and smiles almost wickedly... Softly to Ilsa and Kalem he says, "Oh trust me, I think they're afraid of you two... Hell, I'm a little afraid of you and we're friends." he says with some admiration for them both. "I hope Bashiel returns soon, I'm getting concerned... no sounds of trouble yet that I can discern from below, but stay ready, just in case." He looks to Ilsa's claws if they are still out, or just her hands if not... and to Kalem's formidable weaponry. He makes no effort to draw his blade, but his hand is never far from the hilt, either, a casual readiness he'd learned from Vencarlo.
She is brought into a warm if sparsely decorated office dominated by a desk and a commanding woman with short-cut hair and a fine suit of armor. The armored woman is currently standing at her desk, looking over some pieces of parchment, and she glances up as you enter only with her eyes, the way one would look at a misbehaving child. With a piece of paper in her left hand, she waves absently towards the three of you and says, "Just a moment." She looks back at the papers before sighing heavily, tucking them into a neat stack and setting it to the corner of her desk.
She sits down the looks directly at Zamanda. "You'll have to excuse the delay. We received a questionable tip as to your identity and the truth of it took some time to track down, Miss Cador." Her lips pucker in a sour expression as if she'd bitten into a persimmon. "Care to tell me what you were doing in that establishment?"
Pel stands up and stretches his arms and legs before sitting down again. If the Drunken Hero is testing his resolve, it's a good test. Still, Korvosa needs people with tact, not impatience, so Pel resolves to wait as long as he needs to.
Field Marshall, I was there trying to get some information to help my father. He thinks that there is a plot to assassinate him, and perhaps other arbiters. Have *you* heard of anything like that since the King died?
I made the mistake of talking to Natan Silvertongue while trying to gather information, and I don't know why he thought my father's name was relevant, and I hope you didn't give him some sort of deal for something I would have told you freely, but all having my father's name involved in this can do is hurt people. Unfortunately, tracking down my identity is exactly what I didn't want to happen here. If I could only have talked to you sooner... now who knows how many people know who I am and that I was brought here in shackles.
I've made some bad choices in my life, I assure you, but I give you my word I was doing nothing wrong there, and participated in nothing illegal. I have been trying to live a better life and be a better person for a while now. All having me here does is harm my father's reputation, and destroy what little relationship that we still have.
I suppose there is nothing you can do at this point to erase any record of my arrest, or keep this knowledge from my father? If there is, I will do *anything* to make that happen. ... Well, anything that doesn't involve betraying my parents or hurting people. But anything else, I promise. I'll... be your personal scribe, for free. Or your maid, or ... sing in the orphanage every day for the rest of my life, or all of the above... *anything.* I'm begging you. Please don't destroy my family.
If you bring in someone with a truthtelling spell, I'll say that all again under its influence. I'm not lying. I'm at your mercy.
~Bashiel? Focus Bashiel. Only a little longer.~ The voice sounds distant in the recesses of his skull.
'-'m _---l h_-e.'
~Bashiel! What was the name of the one you were searching for?~
'_--___-' The name is obvious, but somehow... it slips from this thoughts. 'B__-gt'
He tries again 'Briget, the n_me wa- Br-__t'
Bashiel scans through the ledger, searching for any signs of the name. Whether he finds it or not, he tears out the pages from the ledger that include the list of names. He places them carefully in his pack. With a last scan of the room, he nods at Janus and says "Its all yours. I've found what we needed."
He heads back upstairs to join the rest of the group.
Bashiel does not find any mention of Bridget's name in the documents. Janus shakes Bashiel's proffered hand and nods, "New management. We'll have a few kinks to work out, I'm sure, but..." He shrugs. "Alright, let's get you out of here." He follows Bashiel back up the stairs and once there waves his men away from the door. "We're good. Get out of here and tell the others to back off."
The two enforcers who had stayed behind leave and you hear them yelling at the others to let the folks go.
When the three emerge from down below, Quinlan turns to Janus, and, despite the foreboding his name might imply, hopes that the fellow isn't too awfully duplicitous. "Look, Janus... I know we got off on the wrong foot here initially, but as you have seen, we keep our word. And your actions or lack thereof below with our good fellow Bashiel here seem to indicate you can be man of honor as well... I hope that perhaps we can. if not be friends, perhaps come to some kind of accord. While I don't condone all that's done here at Eel's End, I accept that these things are going to happen in a city this size, and best they happen in controlled circumstances. Can we at least agree to assist each other in the future, perhaps with information given and taken when needed? You'll likely have access to much that goes on behind the scenes in the city. We might need to know some of these things in the future... You seem to be poised to be the one in charge in coming days.. Can we come to you if we ever need to know more? Our pockets may not be limitless, but they will hopefully be deep enough for you. What say you?"
The scarred man listens to Quinlan and nods. "You had no reason to trust me, I get that. Clearly whatever you were discussing with the King went sideways." He shrugs, indicating he really doesn't care why and isn't bothered over much by the outcome. "But hopefully this changed that a little. Anytime we can benefit one another, I'd be happy to discuss it, but uh..." He glances at Kalem and Ilsa, then says in a sotto voce, "maybe without all the threats of dismemberment and disemboweling?"
==Back at the Citadel==
The field marshal listens to the plea, her eyes slightly hooded in an expression of mild skepticism. When Zamanda is done, the woman remains motionless for a moment, considering her words.
Finally, "You were detained in a raid on an unregistered establishment illegally selling alcohol and also known to be a place where rioters and trouble-makers have been congregating. I know of Arbiter Cador. A strict man. I would imagine growing up in his house could be... chafing to a girl looking to expand her horizons. Taking part in a little bit of rebellion would not be unheard of..."
She lets that dangle for a moment, raising her hand to silence you if you start to protest. "But... I believe you, mostly. As for efforts to assassinate arbiters or anyone else, I haven't heard of that, but I've heard of plenty else these last few days such that it wouldn't surprise me. You want to learn more about it and help? I might have something for you to do. And it may help your family as well, if that's what you want..."
She looks at the two guardsmen. "Remove her shackles, and bring in this other one you were telling me about."
"Master Alazario, I apologize for keeping you waiting. There were a few things I had to deal with first. Please, have a seat."
She waits for you to sit in the other chair facing her desk while instructing the guardsmen to wait outside.
"Miss Cador, you were detained for questioning, not arrested. Prove to me you're interested in helping, and I'll accept what you say about not being involved in anything other than trying to help your father. Master Alazario, your old headmaster speaks highly of your abilities, even if he feels they are 'unorthodox'." How she knows of the headmaster's opinion -- and why it would seem to be contrary to what he implied in Pel's last meeting with him -- she does not volunteer.
"So, whatever your own reasons might be, it should suffice to say you both might be interested in working with the Guard or for the Crown. I don't need to tell you how much in need of good people we find ourselves right now. With the King dead and rioting in the street, we're sitting on a powder keg.
"As it happens, we have a small team of men and women who have been dealing with some special assignments, things the Guard cannot handle directly or is otherwise too busy to deal with. They're currently out on another assignment but should be back soon. If you want to help, that's likely the best option."
When the party returns to the Citadel, they are told the field marshal would like to see them immediately. Upon entering the office, they find Cressida meeting with Pel and Zamanda. The field marshal makes introductions and suggests the two might make a good addition to the team, before asking the party for an update on what happened at Eel's End.
"Don't open a trapdoor under my feet and have giant spiders jump on me, and we'll have no problems. Not good business to kill men who keep their word, right?"
Varor walks into Cressida's office saying, "Cressida we're back, and we brought presents! Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company."
Bashiel heads out with everyone else, helping to carry Devargo through the streets. He's clearly eager to get some breathing room and put plenty of distance between the party and the 'enforcers' at Eel's End. Once the party is a few streets away and out of earshot, he says "I am glad to be out of that place. While neither side was too eager to lose their lives, for a moment I expected fighting to break out regardless. We were lucky that this Devargo kept a certain amount of discipline in his men, as they showed restraint that I would not have assumed out of thugs." He shakes his head.
"In any case, it's done. While I can, let me tell you what I found. In Devergo's rooms below, there were a few items of interest. An encoded book seems like the most likely to provide fruitful leads for the girl you are all seeking. There were some pages I was able to retrieve from a ledger that likely correspond to people that Devargo dealt with. Those are in Bashiel's pack." He nudges the pack with an elbow. "I am also suspicious of a cloak and pair of boots that are stained with mud. Devargo would have had little reason to stain his clothes in such a way while running Eel's End."
He waits for a moment before continuing "I managed to break a deal with that Janus. A second deal, while we were down below. In Bashiel's pack are an assortment of valuables... Janus was surprisingly generous. Your end of the deal is one I suspect no one here will object to: Janus wanted to be sure that Devargo would not return. Either that he be killed, or that he be kept behind bars for the rest of his life."
"And..." Bashiel stares at the streets and the rest of the party with the same serene expression he's had for a while. This time however, there's a hint of longing. "Please help Bashiel recover. I may have provided the aid he called for, but it seems the possession burdened him..." He doesn't elaborate further. "He's a good kid. I hope you can rely on each other in the future."
Suddenly Bashiel seems to lose strength in his legs. He collapses to his hands and knees in the cobbled street, Devargo slipping out of his grasp. He groans, squeezes his eyes shut, shivers slightly. Then with a sudden spasm he pulls back into a kneeling position. His eyes are rolled back, exposing mostly whites. Scraps of not-quite-words escape slightly parted lips.
And then, as abruptly as it started, Bashiel seems to settle back into normal consciousness. He blinks a few times, winces, and then looks around with surprise at any attention he's gathered.
He clears his throat. "Terrible headache. Remind me never to go in a drug den again Ilsa, I think I caught a whiff of something awful in there."
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As the group leaves the Eel's End, Ilsa's emotions, already boiling beneath the surface, are impossible to conceal any longer. Tears begin streaming down her face as she sobs.
She looks down at her hands, which have long since returned to normal.
As her companions look at her, she says "Did you see it, too? Did you see it this time? Did you see what I am becoming?"
She tries to control her emotions, but it's too much. "I see things others can't...always lurking at the edge of my consciousness. Especially at night. But when there are evil things nearby, they are even closer. Like with Devargo. I try to hide...to run...but they find me. There is one...one that is more powerful than the rest" she says between sobs.
"It wants me...wants me to be scared...wants me to join them..."
Inconsolable, she continues. "Did you see what happened to me! It's winning! Can't you see!? It's coming for me, and I can't get away!"
Quinlan looks at Ilsa with some compassion, without being condescending. He puts an arm around her shoulder comfortingly, without being creepy, at least, that is his intent.
"I can't say I understand totally what you're going through, hon, but I... and I think all of us really... are here for you... we will help you get through this, whatever it is. You are heartier than you think you are and you will win through this, I'm sure, and be stronger for the struggle you are going through now. Perhaps you were never the meek shopgirl you thought yourself to be, and you are simply growing into powers you've had all along? If that's so, don't be fearful of them, embrace who you are. Fighting against it will just make you miserable and more afraid. Oh! I know! Perhaps in the quiet after we deliver deVargo, you should consult Zellara and ask her guidance on this matter. Just a thought.. perhaps not.. your choice, of course"
When he's had his say, he gives her shoulders a little squeeze, again meant to be brotherly and comforting, not creepy, then slips his arm away.
When Bashiel has had his say, and then revealed himself to be not-Bash, but some possessing entity, Quinlan blinks.. then blinks again. "That's new!" He blinks again, then taps Bashiel on the shoulder. "Who am I addressing now? Are you Bashiel? or someone else now?"
Once Bash is recovered a little, and back on his feet:
"You know we can't guarantee deVargo's permanent incarceration... he's got connections in the city, and might be out before we know it... the only way you can guarantee to keep that deal is to dispose of him permanently before we arrive at the Citadel. I'm not of a disposition to do such a deed myself... I'm just saying, it might be necessary. Once we turn him over to Cressida, even if we got the opportunity to do so, which is unlikely, you'd be the immediate suspect because of what happened to Vencaskardin... just sayin'."
"Of course dropping him like you just did a minute ago, can't have done him any good in the state he was in... is he even still alive? It could all be a moot point now."
And I thought I was the odd one here. Ilsa was a Tiefling too? The claws? The voices? Seems like it. And is Bashiel possessed? He doesn't seem crazy...
"Devargo feeds people to spiders. His underlings made it clear that they aren't afraid of the guard at all. It'd be good for the city to off him. And I wouldn't want to make Bashiel an oath breaker."
Bashiel holds the back of his hand to his forehead, squints at everyone, and seems to take in the surroundings. He's silent for a few moments.
"Oh."
"This is Bashiel, Quin. What happened with the... Ah, OK." He stops and starts a few times as things fall into place in his mind, and his conscious memories catch up to the ones he gathered while he was possessed. "I owe you all an explanation, but, well, we can talk about it later."
He gets up and steps over to Ilsa to put a hand on her shoulder "Ilsa, I think we all saw it this time. I don't quite know what it is that is plaguing you, but I'll help you if I can. If its a ghost or spirit, I can drive it away from you. If its some kind of demon, or other spawn of evil... well, we'll fight it with you." He thinks back to the fight with Devargo "You were under terrible stress. Whatever this is must have taken advantage of you during that time, heightening your aggression."
"What do you think Varor?" He looks over to the elf. "Is this affliction something you're familiar with?"
"The best advice I can give you Ilsa is to strengthen your mental and spiritual strength. Meditation works for some people. I grew up relying on meditation to get me through some things, so I can guide you through some. Other people turn to a god or goddess for strength. One of the churches may be able to help. Sarenrae's for example."
"Whatever it is though... you've held it back so far. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."
He gives Ilsa and encouraging pat on the back and then seem to notice Devargo's body for the first time. "Ah, we managed to capture him, didn't we. And the deal... Hm." He mulls over Quin and Kalem's arguments "That he's an evil man is unmistakable. Collaborating with cultists, feeding people to spiders, and the callous way his business ruined people's lives. We have plenty of evidence of his wrongdoings. Korvosa's laws would not rest lightly on someone with his record especially in times like these. He'd be executed, not locked up. But..." He mouth twists into a grimace "I guess you're right about not being able to ensure that. I trust Cressida, but not so much the rest of the system."
He shakes his head "Pah, what am I saying? We need to take him in. The law demands it. And in any case, if our other evidence doesn't provide good leads to the Urgathoans, we'll need him to answer questions. Cressida will make sure he gets his just punishment, I'm sure of it." He tries to steel his voice, but its fairly clear he's not as sure of it as he'd like to be.
"If I may. Take him in, but don't book him. Tell the boss that he has ties to cultists and that he needs to be held on the hush. I'm sure they have procedures for political dissidents and the like. People who need to disappear. Then we can question him, and he hopefully won't be able to bribe his way out."
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Quinlan and Bashiel manage to calm Ilsa down with their comforting words.
"It is not the powers that scare me," the young woman says in response to Quinlan, "such as they are. It is the monsters at the edge of my consciousness...I have not told you before, but I also had a nephew. Briget's brother. He had these nightmares before I did...he died in his sleep. Perhaps he died of fright."
She wipes away the last of her tears, and says "What is worse than it killing me, though...I fear it will make me become one of them..."
Later, as the conversation turns to other matters, she says "Bashiel, what is happening to you? Maybe it is something similar..."
Regarding Devargo, she states her opinion in no uncertain terms. She doesn't want anything to happen to the man until they find out where the cultists are.
"If that's what you're afraid of Ilsa, all the more reason to focus on strengthening your spirit and willpower. Use that to master your own fears. In any case I won't let you become one of... whatever these nightmares are." He gives her a reassuring smile.
"As for me, well its nothing like you're describing. I have these helpful spirits... I think the venom from the spiders and the drug den we ended up at may have addled me a little, made it harder to keep my thoughts and their thoughts separate." He holds his hands up "Nothing to worry about though, it's all clearing up now. And she, the spirit that is, helped us a lot. At least that's what I remember." He runs a hand through his hair as he tries to recall exactly the details of what his body was saying.
He nods at Kalem's suggestion "I'm sure we can make it clear to Cressida that he needs to stay off the books. Letting him slip loose is out of the question."
(Let me know if I've missed something)
* Gaedren had a +1 dagger and +1 padded armor (did you get the armor, or was that lost with him?)
* Devargo had +1 leather aror
* Devargo's lair had:
- ring of feather fall (cameo of a dragonfly)
- scroll of blur
- elixir of love
- two pouches of dust of appearance
-- Gold Values for non-magical items and Magical Status (Y/N) updated on Loot chart; names left unchanged
When the party arrives back at the Citadel, Bashiel quickly goes ahead of the rest of the group. He searches for a few Guards that he knows to be fairly trustworthy, then asks them for a favor: to take Devargo to a holding cell and make sure he stays there while Bashiel reports to Cressida. He mentions that this unconscious fellow should be left unconscious but stable for questioning later. "It'll be no longer than an hour, but he's a high value captive and should not be turned over to anyone that might ask." He makes sure not to refer to Devargo by name.
Once he's fairly confident that Devargo is secure (for now) he rejoins the party and heads up to Cressida's office. One quick exchange with the guards at the door and a polite knock later, he leads the party in to report.
A young man of garundi descent strides into the room, face serious and tense. Bashiel hardly looks like much of a guardsman right now. He's lacking any kind of uniform, his armor has received only a cursory cleaning to remove spider innards, and he has a flush to his face and a slight glaze to his eyes. Despite these signs of dishevelment, he snaps off a salute to the Field Marshal in advance of the rest of the party.
"Excuse me Field Marshal. We have an urgent report from our trip to Eel's End." He cuts off as he notices the two unfamiliar faces. Once Cressida introduces them, he steps over to shake their hands. "You'd like to join the guard? Good to hear it. The name is Bashiel." As he looks each of them in the eyes, the fog in his own clears. Each of the newcomers gets a stiff smile. "I wish we could've been introduced at a more pleasant time. But I suppose our need always comes when times are far from pleasant, huh?"
He steps aside, allowing the rest of the party to introduce themselves.
Quinlan smiles with his arms crossed, raises one to wave as he smiles... Apparently human, he's tall and well-built, with swept back dirty blond hair and piercing blue-gray eyes. "Hi... I'm Quinlan." he says as he steps forward, bows to Zamanda, takes her hand if she proffers it to his outstretched hand, and kisses hers lightly before releasing it. He nods to Pel, shakes his hand with only a slight lingering touch after the shake.
"So you want to be guards for the city, eh? A thankless job right now, but I guess no less the needed for that very reason. Funny, neither of you look the type, to be honest."
Zamanda is still in shock from being railroaded into this questionable activity that may or may not help her father, but most likely not. It feels just like the time when she accidentally joined the thieves' guild, to be honest, but she was good at playing along. She'd just have to find a way out later, she supposed.
She shakes Bashiel's hand energetically, and allows Quinlan his brief platonic kiss. When both of them assume she is here volunteering to be a guard though, she says
I never volunteered to be a *guard.* Apparently the Field Marshall here thought we should join you lot instead. You don't really look like guards either.
She grins. :)
<--To pretend she's super pleased and make the grin look sincere.
"Oh good... you didn't look like the guard type... if you're going to join our little misfit band, mind enlightening us as to what you do? I mean your skillset? spells? fighting style?"
I'm an archer, and I can also cast some minor cure spells and other lower level things. What do *you* do?
Kalem almost opened his mouth to make an introduction, but seeing the warm smile from Zamanda and how Quin kissed her hand, he thought better of it. He instead looks at Bashiel and said with a smile "She's got a point. We do look like a bunch of bashers off the street. Think you could get us some uniforms? I think that I'd look damned handsome in one."
"Healing is always welcome, as is ranged support. Me? I like meeting people, I'm a good listener... and I know things... things most folks consider dull, like history and science and such... I carry a bow and a sword, but alas, I'm no match for Bashiel with a blade... I'm a lover not a fighter." he says without any embarassment.
He turns to Pel, and lofts a brow curiously. "Your turn, good Pel, tell us about yourself, do, please."
I think that I'd look damned handsome in one.
Are you kidding? You're *already* amazingly handsome. No uniform needed.
And so is she. She gestures to Ilsa.
Good looking group all around. This could be fun.
Kalem laughed. "Oh, I like this one! She has good taste. Welcome aboard." Then turning to Pel he said good naturedly "Though I feel bad for this one. Hard to follow that."
Pel metaphorically scratches his head as Cressida mentions his former headmaster praising him. He wants to ask the Field Marshall about it, but before he gets a chance to the group she spoke of enters the room.
Pel wears a formal black vest with a white shirt underneath along with straight, black pants. He has distinctively Chelaxian features: a pale face and jet black hair mostly parted toward the right side of his head.
He does his best to size up the new arrivals. There is the Garundi man, a strange sight in Korvosa, who seems a bit disheveled. He also seems a bit… distant.
There’s also a man with dirty blond hair and blue-gray eyes. After the man takes Pel’s hand, the arcanist freezes for a moment as their handshake ends.
Did he.. linger? A strange question, but the sensation Pel feels isn’t something he’s used to feeling after an introductory handshake.
There’s also someone who is distinctively not human. A tiefling, perhaps? Whoever or whatever he is, Pel thinks it’s best not to cross him lest his lifespan be shortened considerably.
An elf is also numbered among the group. It’s certainly an eclectic group, if nothing else.
Lastly, there’s another human among the group’s number, a woman. She looks fairly young, like the Garundi man. And, like it or not, Pel notices she is definitely not Chelaxian.
Quinlan’s question pulls Pel from his thoughts and he expands his focus to the group as a whole. He is both excited and nervous. The group seems nice enough, but they’re still more or less strangers to him.
At the dark-skinned person's words, Pel thinks, If you only knew her story. Or the one she tells, anyway. He decides to hold his tongue on the matter, though. Starting his introduction with confrontation and conflict didn't seem wise.
Pel stiffens his back and grows serious as he says, “My name is Pellius Alazario. I don’t plan to actually join the guard, either. I came seeking to aid Korvosa during these troubled times. I’m glad there are like-minded individuals in the city.
“As to my skills, I’m not a fighter, nor would I consider myself a lover. Until recently, I was a student at the Acadamae. So I suppose you could say I’m a fledgling mage.”
Pel pauses for a moment to compose a few more words. He doesn’t think he’s doing a good job of selling himself. Zamanda had archery and healing. What did he have? A bit of arcane magic? No, that isn’t fair. He has abilities, they’re just often less tangible than those who possess skill with a sword or bow.
“Like Zamanda, I know some magic, but I believe you’ll find me a bit more flexible when it comes to the spells I can offer. And while history and science aren’t my strong suits, I do have some skill in other areas such as in arcana, planes, and linguistics.”
After his awkward introduction, Pel tries to redirect the conversation to something else. “So I understand you all have already been active in helping the city. May I ask what you’ve been up to? Or is it classified?”
"What we do is about as classified as criminals working under the vice tax. Which reminds me," Varor turns to Cressida. "Cressida we lost Brin, and I mean literally lost him, we have no idea where he is," he says before turning back to the other two. "Which makes it an excellent time for you two to appear. I know introductions have already been given but I believe it is proper to introduce oneself when the opportunity arises. Greetings I am Varor, priest of Sarenrae."
Cressida turns her attention back to the paperwork on her desk while introductions take place, though from the occasional glance it's obvious she's still half-listening to the discussion and any comments of significance to her or the Guard.
When most of the exchange has settled, she coughs to bring attention back to more pressing matters. "First, Varor, as it happens, I received a messenger from Brin. He indicated he'd been struggling with something and needed some time. He sends his apologies."
She gestures to Zamanda and Pel though addresses the recent arrivals, "Miss Cador is the daughter of an arbiter who believes he may be the target of an assassination plot." She shrugs just slightly. "I've no evidence to believe that is true but, regardless, recent events have brought her to the Citadel and we've decided that a little, hmm, 'community service' might be a good way to smooth things over."
Her gaze flicks over to Bashiel, "All of that said, you mentioned something of an urgent report regarding Eel's End. What of it?" She waits for any of you to answer.
"He probably couldn't handle the blood." Kalem said to no-one in particular. "He was a good poisoner but he held back whenever weapons came out. Can't say that I blame him." He patted his great-hammer fondly. "We do tend to make a mess.."
Not picking up on her amusement, Kalem decided to stop pushing his luck.
"Anyways! The mission was a success. We got letters, which Varor or Quin here can tell you all about. I'm not much one for the written word. We also killed some rather large spiders, and in the process brought back Devargo. His less murdrous underlings have confirmed that Devargo is working with cultists. They also, ah...would prefer that he not return. Given that their discomfort stems from his proclivity to work with cultists, I'd have to agree with them."
Zamanda is stunned, yet again, and really pissed off at Cressida, although she still doesn't know her name.
She says Great, tell the whole freaking WORLD my last name, and that I'm some charity case. Thanks. Knew I could count on you.
(The "thanks" is very clearly not sincere. No need to roll.) :)
Croft arches a brow at Zamanda's outburst and her tone moves a few degrees cooler. "Don't mistake a moment of geniality or a willingness to set aside certain indiscretions for permission to speak to me with disrespect, Miss Cador. I'm perfectly content to toss you back into a jail cell and let you plead your case to an arbiter... one other than your father."
Listening to the argument, Kalem tried to put his finger on the name. He had the misfortune of meeting more than one Arbiter in his time...
Zamanda, not realizing that Cressida's previous statement about only bringing her in for "questioning" had been a gift until now, swallows her ire at her likely-destroyed life, and apologizes.
I apologize, Ms. Croft. I will do exactly as you ask, for as long as you ask. You have my word.
(This is also sincere. She's well and truly broken.)
Quinlan lofts a brow at the mention of the name Cador, but says nothing aloud. Now that's a father I'm glad I didn't have... he's got quite the reputation...though how much is true, well, who knows. Maybe his daughter does? Perhaps I can learn a tidbit or two that could help Erina...
Then he shakes his head.. pulls the papers from under his shirt where he'd put them for safekeeping.
"Here are the documents you requested in regards a certain foreign ambassador, Ma'am. I do hope they are satisfactory." He brushes a little lint off them as he hands them over. "Sorry, they're a little warm," he says with a smile, "but the information is red hot anyway."
Bashiel gives Zamanda a sidelong glance but says nothing, both through Cressida's explanation and during her outburst in response.
I was wrong about Ilsa, maybe I'll be wrong about this one as well. I hope so at least.
He nods to Cressida and continues after Kalem's comments "As Kalem says, we've secured the evidence we were looking for regarding the ambassador. A number of letters. I believe Quin is holding on to them." He gestures in Quin's direction.
"Our negotiations with Devargo were... complicated. When we mentioned the cultists that we believe took Ilsa's niece, he grew angry. He tried to kill us to protect the cultists' secrets. He dropped us into a trap, sent man sized spiders after us, and attacked us himself. It seems he's done this with many people before, we found evidence of a large amount of human remains aboard his ship." Bashiel crosses his arms and tightens his jaw as he thinks back to the hold with the spiders.
"In any case, we managed to get out with minimal bloodshed, no deaths other than among spider abominations and no injuries other than our own or Devargo's. We've taken Devargo with us for questioning regarding the cultists. Urgathoan cultists, based on a slip from one of his underlings. Devargo is in one of the holding cells right now."
"I would like to recommend that Devargo is held with the highest security. If half of his boasts about his sway with the Guard and the courts is true, he will find some way to escape, and I simply can't allow that to happen. He's responsible for many deaths, judging by the human bones in his hold at a minimum. He has protected cultists responsible for kidnappings of children..." Bashiel glances towards Ilsa. "We've also retrieved notes from a ledger of his that correlate with many of the people that have gone missing across Korvosa in the last few months. And we found an encoded list that may provide further evidence of his crimes."
He fishes the list of names and the second encoded list from his pack and shows them to Cressida.
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Ilsa has remained stunned--and mute--as she tries to process everything that has happened.
As she typically does, she stands close to Bashiel. Somehow, despite his recent...unusual behavior...he still seemed like a good person who would do the right thing.
Who am I to judge what happened to him?!
As they introduce themselves to the group, Ilsa tries her best to smile and welcome the new group members. She is young...perhaps around twenty years of age, with dark hair. She wears leather armor that is perhaps a little too snug, and the only weapon is a sap at her belt.
"You're...joining us? she asks, unsure what to think. Regaining her composure, she puts out a hand.
"I'm Ilsa, and I sort of got caught up in this mess trying to find my niece. Until just a few days ago, I kept a shop by The Narrows in Old Korvosa. I won't say I can't do anything...I do seem to have some magical talents of some kind that I recently discovered. We'll leave it at that..." she says with a smirk.
However, things get quite uncomfortable as Zamanda and Cressida go after each other. Ilsa hasn't heard of this family, but the whole situation seems...strange.
She addresses Cressida during the briefing after Bashiel has explained what they found.
"Whatever we can retrieve from the documents we found...I would be most grateful."
Pel decides to ignore the fact that Cressida failed to mention anything about his own family. Perhaps it's for the best, though. Chelaxian nobles aren't exactly well liked by many people in the city.
Though Zamanda already knows about Pellius's family, he thinks, perhaps naively, that she'll show discretion and avoid mentioning who he is. On the other hand, she seems to have nothing in common with her father. Her father's serious, no-nonsense attitude is in stark contrast to Zamanda's easy-going persona. Even after his extended conversation with her, she's still an enigma to Pel.
To Ilsa, Pel says, "Yes, I would like to join you, if you'll have me. I'm sure I don't have nearly as much experience dealing with ruffians and sticky situations as yourselves, but I think I have a few tricks that can aid us in future situations."
Ilsa's mention of her missing niece hits home for Pel. Perhaps he has more in common with some existing members of the group than he had realized.
"I'm sorry your niece is missing, Ilsa. I hope you're... we're... able to find her soon.
"Are these documents you mentioned encrypted? Since I have some skill with languages, I might be able to decipher them if so."