Varor looks at Ilsa. “And do what?”
We know what's going on. She's trying to kill more people. Corruption in the highest places. What we need to do is find a cure and make sure that it gets distributed properly. And while that is in the works, I agree that the best place to look for evidence is at this supposed hospital.
Bashiel is about to offer to help Varor carry Olauren when his attention is drawn by the rising smoke. He freezes in place as it starts to be clear where its coming from. The messenger boy's announcement only deepens how badly he's reeling.
'Old Korvosa- dammit, already? Mother and Father! Petre, Hata! Did they manage to get out? Was the gold I left enough? Dammit, they probably tried to stick around and tie up loose ends, didn't they?'
~'հավատացեք մեզ, նրանք բոլորը չորս ճարպիկ են: Նրանք կարողացան փախչել:'~
Reassurances from his most vocal ancestors start flooding in from the back of his mind, but even to him, they feel weak and hollow. Too many of his ancestors were just as concerned as he was. But if the bridges were already burned down, checking on his family was going to be nigh impossible. He considers his options.
---
With an uneven voice, he turns to the others in the party "Old Korvosa being quarantined is serious. I have-" His voice chokes for a moment. "Most of my family is probably still in there. I have to check on them. If you're willing to take Ausio to the Guard, I'll meet you all at the hospital. But I need to see for myself the situation at the last bridge."
For a moment Varor considers if Bashiel knows what a quarantine is but decides he doesn’t care. “Fine, go waste your time then. I’m going back.”
Varor picks up Olauren’s body and Ausio follows close behind him as you go to report back to Cressida and the Guard. Smoke continues to rise from the direction of Old Korvosa as you go. The Korvosans you pass on your way all seem to be whispering about the burning. Some support it, others condemn it, but all seem worried for what it means about blood veil and how wide the plague has spread.
Arriving at Citadel Volshyenek, you find the place emptier than before. Few guards walk the hallways and the few that do all seem to be men.
A guard sees Varor carrying a body and walks over. He says, “I can take that for you, sir. We have a place for bodies before we burn them.”
Ausio looks alarmed at the guard’s words. “B… burn? No, no. She’s of noble birth. She’s to be buried. I’m her husband.”
The guard shakes his head. “Sorry, sir. The bodies of everyone who’s died since the outbreak are to be burned. No exceptions.”
Ausio continues to look alarmed, but also seems at a loss for what to say. He eventually says to you, “Thank you for escorting us here. I suppose I’ll see this place they’re taking my wife and decide what to do then. I’m sure we’ll be there awhile if you want to find me for some reason.”
The nobleman then asks Varor to hand Olauren’s body to the guard before following the guard down a hallway and disappearing around a corner.
You find Deyanira Mirukova and another group of three waiting in the vestibule outside the field marshal’s office along with Cressida’s aide-de-camp. The door to Cressida’s office is currently closed.
Deyanira walks over and looks hopefully at you for a moment before seeing that Ruan isn’t with you. Her face darkens and she tentatively asks, “Did you, did you find him?”
As you begin speaking to Deyanira, Pel seems to recognize the other group of three in the vestibule. He smiles at the trio, and in particular at the rotund fellow in the middle. The arcanist starts to walk over to the trio but thinks better of it and waits for the others to reply to Deyanira.
-----
Meanwhile, Bashiel makes his way to the stone Jeggare Bridge, the only remaining physical link between Endrin Isle and the mainland. The wooden bridges are still smoldering when he arrives. A full contingent of Gray Maidens guards the bridge and patrols the shore in both directions.
Bashiel can immediately tell that the messenger boy had spoken the truth. A 15-foot-high stone blockade spans the full width of the bridge’s southernmost end. Wooden catwalks run the length of the barricade allowing Gray Maidens to patrol along the top.
A couple minutes after Bashiel arrives one of the nearly identical Gray Maidens walks over alone to Bashiel. She appears to be in a hurry. Only when she’s close does she lift her helmet to reveal Mirya’s familiar face.
She glances back and forth before whispering to Bashiel, “You shouldn’t be here, Basher. This is Gray Maidens business. My commander won’t be happy if she sees a member of the Guard here.”
While it’s definitely the same Mirya Bashiel has always known, there’s a hardness to her eyes and in her voice that wasn’t there the last time he saw her. She seems eager to return to the other Maidens, but waits for Bashiel’s reply.
|
Ilsa accompanies Bashiel to the bridge. Though her niece is out of Old Korvosa, she has many friends there.
"I have lots of friends in there. And that's where my shop was..." she says to the paladin. "I never even told my employer I was leaving...I still have some things I...borrowed," she says, looking at her gear.
"I had planned to pay him back."
She looks at the barricade with sadness. She folds her arms across her chest as the Gray Maiden comes to talk to Bashiel.
”We found only one survivor. A man by the name of Ausio. We took down the killer, but...are still investigating as to who ordered this. I am sorry.”
Bringing such bad news was an unpleasant business. And while there might be captives, Kalem didn’t hold any hope as to their fate. To offer false hope was crueler than offering none.
Before Bashiel leaves, Zamanda reminds Bashiel of the pass.
They will still honor our pass across the remaining bridge, won't they? if not, then there is no more pretense of law and order and the queen has taken over everything.
She doesn't go with him, however, feeling that it was more important to talk to Cressida about what they confirmed about the bird-beaks being in on the whole thing, and seeing if she had any insight into the bridge burning or information on how the cure was coming along.
In a massive effort of self control, she waits in the hallway and doesn't try to walk in, or even knock on Cressida's door.
Bashiel shares a worried look with Ilsa as they arrive at the barricade. The fifteen foot high wall blocking access is worse than he imagined... not something that looks like it'll be easy to negotiate passage past.
When Mirya reveals herself, his eyes widen and he steps close to her. He takes her gauntleted hands in his own. He lowers his voice to not be overheard by the other Grey Maidens.
"Mirya. What's going on? Did the queen really call for a blockade on Old Korvosa?" His brow furrows as he looks desperately into Mirya's eyes "Mirya! What about your mother? Did you get her out before the quarantine came into effect? My parents... I'm not sure, but they might still be in there with Petre and Hata."
He searches Mirya's face. "But even if they weren't- there are so many other people in there that aren't infected!"
Deyanira’s countenance darkens further as Kalem tells her you only found one survivor. Quietly and slowly she asks, “Did you find his body?”
Pel finally walks over to the other trio in the vestibule. He smiles at the lead figure, a rotund man at least as wide as he is tall. The other two with him are a rotund woman and a short and lanky man. They all appear to be Varisian.
The arcanist motions all of you over. He points at the lead man and explains, “This is my friend Zandu. He’s a cleric of the Drunken Hero. When blood veil broke out, I went to see if he had anyone who could help with the situation. He finally decided to show up with some help.” Pel says his last sentence with a grin at the rotund man.
Zandu laughs good-naturedly and says, “I asked around and the consensus was you lot would show up here sooner or later and now here you are. It was all I could do to get these two to come with me. Most of the people I talked to were either sick themselves or tending to friends and family who were sick.”
The cleric gestures at the two with him. “This well-apportioned lady is another cleric of ol’ Cailean. The space-efficient fellow is an alchemist with a rudimentary knowledge of healing herbs and some fancy things he refers to as ‘extracts.’”
“Anyway,” Zandu continues, turning back to all of you. “I’m sure you’re all busy people seeing as how little time Pel’s been affording me of late. After you report back or whatever it is you do, just let us know where we can do the most good.”
When there’s a lull in the conversation, Cressida’s aide-de-camp steps over and says, “Not to cut your conversations short, but I’m sure the field marshall will want to hear of anything you’ve learned. She asked not to be disturbed, but specifically made an exception for you all, so I wouldn’t keep her waiting if I were you.”
Once you’re ready, the aide-de-camp opens the door to Cressida’s office and announces your arrival before ushering you inside and closing the door behind you.
Cressida stands behind her desk, staring intently at a ledger in front of her. It takes a few moments for her to realize you’re there.
Once she does, she sighs in relief and says, “Good to see a few friendly faces. Seems like there are less and less of those by the day, if not by the hour. I’m sure you’ve seen the smoke and heard the news by now. Old Korvosa has been cut off. The Queen says it’s so that the rest of the city may survive. I’m not sure what to think. The Queen didn’t want the Guard involved with the situation, so I’ve only heard about it second hand myself. Just as well we weren’t involved, I suppose, since our ranks are so thin as of late.
“While the situation in Old Korvosa is sure to worsen, I’m not sure we can do much about it at the moment, not with blood veil still running rampant. Please, tell me what you discovered at the manor.”
-----
Mirya hesitates for a moment before replying to Bashiel. “I… I don’t know. I’m not a full Gray Maiden yet, Basher, so I think they keep some things from me.
“I don’t know about my mother or your family either. The queen paused our training for us to help with this situation. Something about needing every hand available. I’m supposed to resume training once the situation here stabilizes."
The Gray-Maiden-in-training shakes her head sadly at Bashiel’s last statement. “The Queen has to make hard decisions in times like these. With blood veil ravaging the city, sacrifices had to be made. We have to think about the rest of the city… but I’m sure some people will survive, our families included, I hope.”
Mirya glances back at the other Gray Maidens for a moment before saying to Bashiel, “I have to get back to my squad. They could recall us to training at a moment’s notice. Was there anything else?”
|
|
Ilsa allows Bashiel and Mirya to speak in private, standing a short distance away.
She can't help not liking the Gray Maiden...any of them, really. She hoped the paladin wouldn't be forced to make an incredibly difficult decision in the near future.
Ilsa looks back over into Old Korvosa and watches the smoke still smoldering from the wooden bridges. Overlaying the whole thing she sees darkness and vultures circling. She feels a chill run down her spine and cold breathing on the back of her neck. She almost turns around, but knows she will never see what--or who--is there.
Kalem shook his head. ”We did not. There were...many dead. Far too many. The guard will be in the process of identifying everyone. I am truly sorry.”
Reporting
Kalem nudged Zamanda. While he was smooth of tongue, he still didn’t feel comfortable talking to the watch. Far too many unpleasant encounters with them. And while Cressida had certainly done them no wrong, he couldn’t escape the sinking feeling that the second it was expedient it would be his head on the block. From the way it sounded the Queen was making things worse, and was actively looking for scapegoats. And at the end of the day, who would make a better scapegoat than him? He’d talk if he had to, but he really didn’t want to.
Varor steps forward to speak to Cressida. “Well I found a spike in my gut and a bolt in my throat. We also found dead, some more dead, and more dead.” He’s tired and irritated if his tone and slouch are anything to go by. “We did find two people not dead but we decided to bring only one with us. I’m sure you understand you have to make tough choices about killing or not killing the person who already surrendered and was tied to a chair. Oh, and Varisians are apparently immune to the blood veil. On a completely unrelated note, we decided to go to that hospital that the Queen set up tomorrow.”
Kalem groaned. ”Let me elaborate. A necromancer took over the party and raised all of the party goers as zombies. Varor and myself nearly died. At the end of the day we subdued her with a charm spell. But she was insane, homicidally so, and we were in no shape to transport a dangerous wizard through the city. Especially one capable of single handily raising an army and controlling it while sniping us from the shadows. So, we killed her before the spell could wear off.” He shrugged. ”It was the best of bad decisions. The idea of her possibly escaping into a city filled with corpses ready to raise...well. We did indeed learn that Varisians are immune to this plague. And at the hospital we might find out why. So we’re going to head over there to see what leads we can pick up. And my apologies for Varor’s summary of events. He was impaled on a fence and shot with crossbow bolts. He’s had a long day.”
“You know, he’s right, I’m not being fair,” Varor says it with a voice that’s almost cordial, “but I’m not unhappy right now due to my near-death experience. I’m certainly not upset because we surrounded her before she surrendered and then tied her to a chair with good quality rope.”—he drops his silk rope on the desk—“ I’m not upset that we failed to disarm her of all of her wizardly implements like her staff and talisman and only disarmed her of her clearly not a wand of animate dead”—he drops the wand of animate dead on the desk—“and her clearly not a wand of sculpt corpse”—he drops the wand of sculpt corpse on the desk—“and I’m clearly not upset that she wouldn’t have escaped because she was falling asleep due to the Pesh she was on working its way out of her system. Do I need to pull out the Pesh doses? I’m not upset that Kalem is trying to twist the facts. That would imply that I’m not willing to admit to that we didn’t disarm her of her possessions until after she was already dead. No, I’m upset that it was the best of bad decisions. I’m upset that we didn’t have the forethought to bring some sort of... some sort of cleric of some sort of goddess of healing and redemption, who knows what drugs do to people, and is underhanded enough to use the withdrawal of such drugs to his advantage to redeem her soul instead of condemning her to whatever damnation Pharasma deems fit for her!”
And here’s where I end up hanging. All of Kalem’s fears were coming true. Varor, in his need to flagellate himself, had just thrown Kalem under the wagon. Now he was going to hang, disgraced and broke, just like he always knew he would. And of course this would happen now. When Bashiel wasn’t here to save them.
”Whatever you say. I’m not a wizard, nor a cleric. I’m just the muscle. But next time if you have a speech like that try giving it sometime earlier? We made the best decision we could with the information we had available. Right, Zamanda?”
Kalem spoke on instinct, naturally trying to save his own hide. Any hope of a reward had vanished. Now he just didn’t want to die. He made a mental note to leave the elf away from any conversations with the authorities in the future. Letting him talk was a sure fire way of meeting the hangman.
“No you know what just... forget it, I need some space!” Varor grabs his rope and leaves the office.
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Zamanda starts to say something a couple of times, especially when prompted by Kalem, but with all of the people vying for attention, she ends up waiting until Varor storms out before speaking.
She closes the door after Varor so that no one else can easily listen in and then she looks at Cressida and says
Listen, you know my reputation, and that I can lie better than most, but I am being totally straight with you. That woman needed to die, and could only have made everyone's lives worse had she lived. But that isn't what this conversation should be about. The issue is that those bird-mask doctors are DEFINITELY on the side of evil and trying to spread the disease rather than cure it. We heard it first hand, and that is my only regret about the woman dying is that you can't hear it first hand as well. However, it is sure and certain.
I'm sure you understand the implications of that statement, and you should not have any doubts in that regard from now on. I realize that you probably can't act openly on that knowledge, but please don't ignore that fact, and allow us to do what we can, working around that massive... governmental... impediment.
Zamanda stands there, completely open, feeling vulnerable. With most people she could bluff, but this woman needed to believe her without any manipulation, and she wasn't sure where she would get the powerful allies they needed without her help. She briefly cuts her eyes to Kalem, wondering if he will back her up.
Bashiel gazes searchingly at Mirya's face. "Mirya, I'm worried about them. But I'm worried about you too. I need you to not set aside compassion just because those higher ups in the Grey Maidens say the situation deserves a stern hand. Our families might be alright, but they might not. And I'm going to do something about it, not just bottle them up with the sick and the desperate." He shakes his head. "No, that was unfair. The Queen is doing what she thinks is right. I just think there's a better way. A way that'll help those inside Old Korvosa and throughout the city that are suffering from the plague."
With that said he steps in and leaves a kiss on her cheek. "Please Mirya, don't lose hope." He smiles, a quick, weak affair "And wish me luck, please"
He looks over at the bridge blockade. "Oh and one last thing, I assume the passes issued by the Field Marshal aren't going to be able to get us in and out of Old Korvosa right now. But is there any other way in and out that you know of? I know you can't do anything, what with your position, but I might be able to get our families out..."
Cressida mostly listens in silence as Varor, Kalem, and Zamanda speak in turn. The Field Marshal seems too tired to react much, but does occasionally raise an eyebrow or adjust her stance.
Pel stays quiet during the exchange. Anyone who looks at him for a few moments can recognize that he seems to be deep in thought.
Once Varor has left the room and Zamanda has spoken, Cressida looks back and forth between the bloodrager and the bard for what feels like at least ten minutes. She finally sighs and sits down in the chair behind her desk.
After massaging her forehead for a moment, Cressida offers Kalem and Zamanda a weak smile. Then she says, “Before I was appointed Field Marshal, I was a ranking member of the Guard. But I also moonlighted as an adventurer. I dealt with various petty crimes in my off-hours. Theft, vandalism, disturbing the peace, domestic disputes, you name it. My superiors at the time either didn’t notice or didn’t care since none of the crimes were particularly significant. A little vigilante justice only served to make their jobs easier.
“They couldn’t ignore my activities any longer after I foiled a plot by a group of Norgorber cultists. During the city’s third centennial festivities, the Norgorberites had intended to poison the food of a grand feast. I saved many lives by stopping their plot. Not only that, but I drove the cultists from Korvosa entirely.
“After that, my superiors had two choices. They could arrest me for acting outside of the law. I had done more than one thing that would normally be arrest-worthy. Or they could promote me. I think you can guess which option they chose.”
Cressida stands up again and, alternating between looking at Kalem and Zamanda, says, “Point is, they chose to overlook things that would normally be considered crimes worthy of punishment in any other circumstances. They recognized that my circumstances were extraordinary, so an exception needed to be made.
“Now that I’m Field Marshall, there’s no way I could do some of the things I once did, for multiple reasons. When I look at you and the rest of your group, I see a bit of my former self; a younger, more brash me that did what was necessary for the greater good.
“Whichever among you were or weren’t involved is irrelevant at this point. The deed is done. You were acting as my agents - as agents of the Guard - and so any actions you took were taken under my authority. Let us not speak of it further.”
Cressida’s expression shifts as she switches gears and says, “I’m not sure what to make of Varisians’ purported immunity. I know for a fact that I’ve seen several Varisian corpses come through the Citadel on their way to be burned. They all bore the telltale signs of blood veil. But I’ve also heard a few reports, ones that I had previously dismissed, of individual Varisians who miraculously avoid contracting blood veil despite everyone else on their block or in their household succumbing. Perhaps there is something there, but we need more information.
“My wizard contact in Magnimar has made some progress, but he said the disease samples he received can only help so much. If you could find something more, it might expedite the process of creating a cure.
“We’ll need hard evidence of the Queen’s Physicians involvement in the plague before the Guard can take action. Witness testimony won’t be enough anymore, unfortunately. But if you recover papers, or get a confession from one of the Physicians, that might be enough. If you think the hospital is the most likely place to find the answers we need, then please investigate it without delay.”
Cressida pauses a moment before adding, “Is there anything else?”
-----
Mirya raises her hand toward her cheek after Bashiel kisses it. She then gives him a half smile in return.
At Bashiel’s question, she says, “This area is under the authority of the Gray Maidens, so your passes won’t do you any good at all here. As for another way in, I…”
Mirya hesitates and seems to be debating something in her head. She frowns for a moment before saying, “There might be a way. If you go past Trail’s End to the Jeggare’s north shore, you might be able to slip in. It’s not as heavily patrolled, so there might be an opening, especially after dark.”
Once she finishes speaking, Mirya starts backing away toward the bridge and the rest of her contingent.
She starts to lower her helmet, but then turns back to Bashiel and says, “Try to take care of yourself, Basher. And good luck.”
Mirya lowers her helmet and turns away, returning to the other Gray Maidens.
Zamanda is disappointed that the main point of the conversation still seemed to be something irrelevant, but she responds to the statement about finding a cure.
We gave both sets of legitimate doctors samples of everything they used to develop the disease and I shared all of the notes we found there as well. We have all the original research books they used... when you say "more," what exactly are you referring to? We'll get whatever it takes, but I need to know what the doctor needs.
She mumbles under her breath
...I mean, I didn't share everything with the bird-beaks, but they aren't looking for the cure anyway.
She waits to hear if Cressida has more details about needing "more" and then she plans to go find Ishani and see how his group is progressing on the for-profit cure before they go to the hospital, in case they need new samples or something else as well.
Kalem let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. So they weren’t going to be arrested. Good. Maybe he’d get someone else to talk to the elf about decorum. Obviously his past confrontations had gone poorly. Why would future ones be any different? Still, it was good that they were back on track towards having paying jobs.
At Zamanda’s question, Cressida shakes her head and says, “I don’t know the technical details. I only know what my contact said when last we spoke, which was that his progress was extremely slow. He might be able to come up with a cure using only what he has, but it would probably take several more weeks at least. As for what else he needs, again, I don’t know exactly. Maybe more notes, more samples, maybe information from one of the Physicians, maybe something else. I’m hoping you’ll know it when you see it.”
Bashiel waves at Mirya as she returns to the barricade, but when he turns back to Ilsa he looks shell-shocked for the third or fourth time today. Quietly, he says "I can't believe how much she's changed... it's only been a few days. Only a few weeks ago she was joking around about her superiors and all the stuck up rules-following types."
He brings his concerns under control, pressing the cold metal of his gauntlet against his face. "Well, at the very least, we have a potential way into Old Korvosa. And a potential way out for family and friends to slip out. Apparently, the area past Trail's End up north isn't well patrolled. We might be able to take a boat across and in."
"But not until it gets dark in any case. Leaving us time to check that hospital, and maybe start understanding what's really behind the plague."
'And maybe helping to find a real cure.'
Varor wanders the streets of Korvosa. What few people that are on the streets don’t bother him, either because they see his slouch and narrow eyes or they’re too concerned with their own issues to care. He himself feels tired and groggy and sick, like he’s been bitten by a diseased rat without any of the actual pain and fever of an infection.
As Kalem, Pel, and Zamanda leave Cressida’s office, the Field Marshal says, “The hospital the Queen’s Physicians work out of, known as the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden, was a warehouse owned by Arkona Imports till a few months ago. You’ll find it on West Dock.”
Once you exit Cressida’s office and the door closes, Pel says to Kalem and Zamanda, “I did some thinking while you two covered for our activities at the Manor. Thank you for that, by the way.
“I think I can do the most good helping Zandu and his companions. I can’t bring myself to let them go without a bit of protection. I still have to find my brother as well. I won’t give up on him. If I can help with something in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll check in with Cressida occasionally, so if you leave a message with her, I’ll see it before too long.
“I hope you find what Cressida’s contact needs, whatever that might be. Please tell Bashiel, Ilsa, and Varor goodbye for me. Farewell to you both.”
With a smile and a nod to the pair, Pel joins Zandu and the other Caydenites. Zandu starts to discuss where the group can grab a beer, but Pel manages to steer the conversation back to aiding the sick. They’re still discussing the matter when Kalem and Zamanda exit the Citadel.
Zamanda and Kalem check in with Ishani. The priest doesn’t have any good news to give. He says that, if anything, the plague has gotten worse since their initial efforts toward making a cure. Many of those who would be working on a solution have grown sick or died from the plague, both Sarenites and Abadarans. Ishani lets Zamanda know that he would be grateful for any additional information she can provide as more information could make up for the lack of personnel who are able to work on a cure.
The pair then make their way to the Hospice to meet up with Bashiel and Ilsa. They also find Varor along the way.
-----
Bashiel and Ilsa leave the Jeggare Bridge to head to the Hospice. The smoke from the burned wooden bridges has finally started to dissipate as they do so. The Gray Maidens, however, still remain.
It’s mid afternoon by the time you all arrive at the Hospice.
Opening the wooden door entrance at the front of the Hospice, you’re immediately assaulted by the stinging scent of alcohol and medicine which floods this dingy reception room. It’s an odor typical of hospitals - and morgues. Across from the entrance sits a long wooden desk, beyond which a stained leather curtain covers an archway, muffling the moans issuing from the rooms beyond.
Six poor citizens huddle in chairs and against walls. Each of these men and women exhibit symptoms of blood veil, some at quite advanced stages.
A burly woman sits behind the long wooden desk. She wears three scarves over her mouth and nose and heavy leather gloves.
The woman looks up disinterestedly as you enter. She taps on a piece of paper on the desk in front of her, then points at ink and pen beside it.
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Once the group is reunited, Ilsa explains to the group what she and Bashiel found at the bridges into Old Korvosa.
"It's not good...everyone in there is trapped. It's a massive cage at this point."
Arriving at the hospice, Ilsa wrinkles her nose at the stench, which seems amplified by her strange psychic senses.
She looks at the piece of paper the woman taps on. "Do you want us to...sign in?" she asks.
The woman nods at Ilsa's question and says, "Sign in. Have a seat. The Physicians will see you in order of arrival when they're ready."
Zamanda is surprised by Pel's departure, but shakes his hand and wishes him luck, and then lets the rest of the party know what happened.
_____
Before going into the hospice, Zamanda casts invisibility on herself, and then when the woman is busy talking to the group, Zamanda will slip through the archway quietly, careful to disturb the leather curtain as little as possible.
(the +20 is for invisibility)
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Kalem likewise shook Pel’s hand. He had proven to be quite an able companion. He would be missed.
—-
At the hospital, Kalem remained silent for the moment. Truth be told he wasn’t sure how the group wanted to proceed. He wasn’t comfortable trying to Bluff their way in without knowing what would be acceptable. So he waited to see what tact they planned to take.
Bashiel heads directly for the people suffering from the blood veil in the waiting room. Even if he can't do anything about their disease, at least not directly, he spends a moment with each of them. In quiet tones, he asks them to stay strong, that help would come.
Back inside the waiting room , Bashiel steps up to the receptionist's counter.
'Best to blindside her with authority, probably. With enough urgency and impact, she might just fall in line. I've seen it often enough with the Guard.'
His armor scrapes against itself and he coughs to get her attention. Once she looks up, he fixes her with an imperious stare.
"Ma'am. I'm here to see Mr. Reiner Davaulus on urgent Korvosan Guard business. He told me personally to inform him of any information the Guard gleaned from its investigation of the plague ship that recently sank in the harbor. Is he available? It may be critical to resolving this plague that I speak with him."
Kalem stood behind Bashiel, his arms crossed, playing the role of a watchman the best he could.
The burly woman doesn’t seem particularly impressed with Bashiel or his cross-armed companion. She stays silent till the paladin finishes speaking before saying, “Doctor Davaulus and the Queen’s Physicians are busy people. If you have a message you need to get to him, leave it here and I’ll see that he gets it. If you're sick, get in line with everyone else.”
Zamanda slips quietly through the archway without alerting the woman behind the desk.
The bard finds herself in a much larger room than the reception area. This appears to be one giant convalescent ward. The stench of alcohol, sickness, and waste chokes the breath, and tight rows of low, stained cots cram the stone-floored hall. Every bed is filled with a pitiful story - men and women of all walks groaning and wheezing as they’re consumed by blood veil, their sufferings multiplied by the echo chamber.
Besides the dying sick, four of the Queen’s Physicians wearing their signature avian masks move about the room. Two Gray Maidens guard a set of double doors at the back of the room. Two more Maidens patrol catwalks above.
In addition to the doors the two Gray Maidens are guarding, three other doors lead out of this room besides the archway Zamanda entered through.
None of the room’s occupants seem to have noticed Zamanda’s arrival.
”Or how about you do your job? Or perhaps...we’d best tell the good doctor that a woman such as you would be better used to help move the sick, rather than sitting at a desk...? If you don’t get the doctor now we will have plenty of time, and reason, to add that to the report.” The tiefling gave her a nasty smile to go along with the threat.
I do want to move to another area, but right now I am just going to move out of the way of the archway in case someone comes through, trying to find an area where there isn't a lot of traffic but where I am close enough that I can slip in behind someone when someone uses one of the doors (preferably the guarded ones). Then she waits for her chance.
Varor coughs loudly to get everyone’s attention. “So before we begin I just want to clear something up. If we take people alive are we actually going to take them alive? Because I can think of two reasons why we should take prisoners if we can. I can think of a lot more reasons but I can think of two that you can’t actually argue with.
One: We can interrogate them for information which we can’t do to the full extent of our abilities if they’re dead. And two: Having people who are responsible for helping to spread the plague get put on a chopping block in front of their victims will do a lot to alleviate the city’s misery.”
The burly woman is startled by the change in the conversation’s tone as Kalem begins speaking. She seems a bit panicked when Kalem suggests he might recommend moving her to a job that requires direct contact with the sick.
As Ilsa hints at the group walking away, the woman blurts out, “Wait! Wait. That won’t be necessary. The Doctor is a very busy man, but I can certainly see if he’s available. No need to do anything rash. Just give me a few minutes.”
The woman quickly stands to her feet and disappears behind the curtain.
The burly woman emerges from behind the curtain. Zamanda can tell that she’s upset as she huffs over to one of the Physicians examining a nearby patient.
“The Doctor’s got visitors,” the woman says to the Physician. “Something about a plague ship and samples. Probably should see if he wants to talk to them.”
The bird-beaked Physician nods wordlessly and moves toward one of the doors at the back of the room. The woman moves back toward the curtain, but stands beside it with her arms crossed rather than going through.
With that opening, Bashiel leans over the counter to take a peek at what documents might be sitting in plain sight. He quickly scans for anything interesting, as well as anything that might suggest where Davaulus might be located (whether in this building or elsewhere).
If it seems like the woman really will be away for more than a few moments, he whispers "You really spooked her. If she comes back with a negative, maybe we ask for the next higher-up below the Doctor. Either way, we can keep her busy for a while longer."
Kalem shrugged. ”Yeah, luckily. I’ll follow your lead if we see the doctor. You’re the watch, after-all. Just hope he doesn’t give us the run around. Or feeds us false info. It’s what’d I’d do, if I were him.”
Yes, I would like to follow the woman through the door. I also want to be ready to use acrobatics to quickly get out of the way upon entering, predicting that it might be a small room where that might be required, especially if she stands in the way and he gets up to leave... it might not be needed, but just in case my stealth roll isn't enough to save me. :)
... Also, are these 10x10 squares? That is what I was assuming, but I don't want to get it wrong when it matters.
Bashiel sighs a little "There's no way we're getting a straight answer out of him if even 10% of we've seen so far is his doing. As underhanded as it is, we're here to find evidence without him knowing he's revealed it. Hopefully Zamanda is already having some luck..."
Zamanda deftly maneuvers through the door behind the Physician. It’s a good thing, too, since the Physician quickly closely it behind him, barely giving Zamanda enough time to dodge out of the way.
The room before the bard turns out to not be much of a room at all but rather a staircase.
Following the bird beak up the stairs, Zamanda has to duck behind him as he goes through another door before emerging into another hallway. This room is rather plain with beige tiles and whitewashed floors. Double doors engraved with images of rampant gazelles stands to the south, their once fine teak bearing obvious scores and chips from rough use.
Two Gray Maidens also stands in the room, guarding the double doors.
One holds up a hand and the other places her hand on her sword as the Physician enters. The one who held up her hand says, “It’s not time for a shift change. Return to your duties.”
The Physician replies, “Bhrunlida says the Doctor has visitors. She mentioned the plague ship and samples. I’m sure Davaulus will be interested.”
The Maiden nods and opens one of the double doors allowing both the Physician and Zamanda to enter the next room.
This new room is larger than the last, but that is far from its most prominent feature. Rows of white-sheeted beds line the walls of this room. Each bed holds a patient restrained by leather straps that bind the figure to the sturdy metal frame. At the room’s center stretches a simple wooden work table covered in fluid-filled beakers, intricate glass tubes, small burners, and other alchemical instruments.
Three of the Queen’s Physicians work in this room. Two attend to the strapped patients, while one experiments at the work table. All of the patients appear to be unconscious, none seem to be suffering from blood veil, and all of them appear to be Varisian.
Doctor Davaulus also stands next to the work table, reading a small notebook and occasionally scribbling something down in it.
Another door sits at the back of the room, but it's closed at the moment.
The Physician who just arrived informs Davaulus that he has visitors.
The doctor perks up and says, “The plague ship and samples, you say? Yes, I should certainly speak with them. Tell the receptionist to wait a few minutes, then have her bring them to you to escort. I’ll meet them up here in the front room.”
The Physician nods wordlessly before heading back the way he came. As he does, Zamanda notices that Doctor Davaulus casts a spell of some sort on himself.
Davaulus cast Misdirection on himself.
-----
Bashiel doesn’t see anything particularly interesting at the receptionist’s desk, though he does note that the list of patients admitted appears to be at least a couple dozen pages long. It doesn’t look like the Doctor and Physicians give the receptionist many responsibilities.