"Hellknights do not act on any orders but their own," Udara reminds Alistair, her tone taking on a note of disapproval for their brutal methods.
"I'm sorry," she continues, "but I don't know what fate befalls those outside the city. The people of Trail End and Thief Camp held little love for Eodred, so I suspect they hold little opinion for the new queen."
"I can only speculate, of course, but there is little of material value outside of Korvosa's walls, so it should be free from the worst of the looting. Of course, there are rumors of Varisians and Shoanti being targeted by the mobs. It is possible nobody is truly safe outside tonight."
Garran speaks up, "How soon do you think it will be until trade starts moving from the city again?" How long until I can get out of here until things calm down, is what I'm really asking, but I don't want to say that out loud.
Alika gives the influential priestess a significant bow to show her devotion and her thanks. "I appreciate that the temple is willing to help both these children and these associates of mine. Given the turmoil in the city, I suspect there will be many more refugees in the days to come."
"I think our work is just beginning," she says to her new companions. "This kind of turmoil will probably bring on repercussions, crackdowns, civil unrest. You were all wonderful in helping to save these children from that would-be slaver. I can't ask any more of you. Please be careful - and be kind. You will probably see more people who need help and compassion in the coming days."
The monk seems very apprehensive about entering the temple itself. Her eyes shift around as if expecting to be accosted at any moment.
"We're not staying here, are we?" she whispers.
"Up to you. It is a safe haven for the moment, depending on where else you have to go. Given what we saw in the streets already, I suspect that matters out in the city could become even more dangerous," Alika replies quietly to Nicoleta. "And while I have no doubts about your ability to fend for yourself and your enjoyment of breaking a few deserving skulls, mob violence and random sweeps of armored elite guards are probably not best to be caught up in."
"And while I have no doubts about your ability to fend for yourself and your enjoyment of breaking a few deserving skulls, mob violence and random sweeps of armored elite guards are probably not best to be caught up in."
"I won't argue about that," Nicoleta responds. "But in the past, the clergy and I haven't really been on the best of terms."
She looks around suspiciously.
"As long as it's 'live and let live', I'll be fine."
Danni wasn't really that worried about the looting and rioting. Truth be told, she might have been wondering if there were any ways she might be able to take advantage of the situation. But then the Hellknights were mentioned. Along with the persecution of Shoanti.
"Umm, if it's all right with your higher ups, Alika, I will gladly stay here. I have no desire to be anywhere near the Nails." She shudders just thinking about them.
"I do not know," Mother Udara admits to Garran. "Coming and going from Korvosa might be difficult, for a time." She finishes her sentence with an emphasis that suggests she suspects the man's intent.
"There will be time for plans and questions later. You must be exhausted at this hour. Come, I will have some seminary rooms prepared."
The night passes without incident and the party rises with the calling of the dawn prayer. Sarenrite priests, their voices magically amplified, beckon to all nearby faithful to pray and give thanks to the rising sun. Breakfast is simple fare: hot tea, crusty bread, slices of hard cheese, and pickled bell peppers.
With the children safe and Hookshanks locked away in a guarded seminary room, the party has a moment to consider their day. Mother Udara joins the party shortly after breakfast, lines of exhaustion clear on her face. "More and more refugees flock to the temple," she explains. "The rioting is worse than it was last night. We've heard rumors of the Grand Bank of Abadar and Acadamae closing their doors, of Korvosan Guard officers abandoning their posts. Merchants arrived to the city this morning, but the portcullis of the Northgate will not rise and the stevedores have abandoned the docks. Korvosa is on the edge of anarchy, it would seem."
Garran frowns at Mother Udara's words that Northgate was closed. So much for an easy exit. Aloud, he said, "What of local merchants? Will any be open? There are some things we would like to sell, if we can."
"This breakfast is fantastic. I don't recall the last time I ate this much. Thank you." There's no sarcasm in her voice. Danni has led a rough life.
Mother Udara's words dampen her mood. You know things are bad when the bank closes. "That sounds worse than I feared. Is there anything that can be done?" she asks.
Danni looks concerned, but conflicted. On the one hand, Korvosa hasn't exactly been kind to her. On the other, it's still her home, for better or worse.
Nicoleta offers a humble thanks for the breakfast, it being better fare than she's had lately. Her eyes still move around nervously as if expecting to be attacked at any moment.
She looks over at Garran when he mentions selling their acquired valuables. "I might know some places that'll still be doing business. Hells, the city could be burning down around their ears and these people would still be arguing over a dozen silver coins."
"While potentially distasteful," Mother Udara explains, "Ms. Radacan's methods might be the only way most Korvosans without means might find necessities until this chaos is quelled. The Church will also keep its supplies open for sale, if you are in need."
"If you are looking to help the city, I would suggest reporting to Citadel Volshyenek. The Guard is greatly taxed by the state of the city. I am certain they would welcome... freelancer help, and likely pay for your efforts."
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Hmm. There's a possible reward for the guard we helped AND it might be a way to get paid. This might actually be an opportunity. "Well, we certainly want to do our part, right?" Danni says with a significant look to the others.
Once out of ear-shot of Udara, she adds, "Let me explain my reasoning. Nobody likes chaos, right? It's bad for business. Sooner or later, either the royals or the gangs are gonna establish some sort of order. I'm betting on the royals. I think the gangs are gonna be too busy fighting each other. They may take over a neighborhood here and there, but while they squabble, the royals will have more time to consolidate. I'm all for pitching in with the winning side.
"More importantly, this is gonna be a time of change. Real change. We'll be situated to be in the right place at the right time to whisper in the right ears. Or at least a hell of a lot closer than we would be otherwise. This is a once in a lifetime chance, especially for someone like me. We make a little coin and maybe do something right while we're at it. How about it?"
Garran frowns during Mother Udara's explanation, then once Danni lays out her idea, he says, "I'd say the best thing we could do is get out of the city entirely. There are smugglers who could help us get out of the city via less well-traveled routes for a fee. Any city experiencing this kind of unrest isn't going to be a pleasant place to be for long - and if we're doing work for the guards, the gangs might not take too kindly to us."
Reluctantly, with a glance in Mother Udara's direction, the mercenary says, "All that said, the smugglers will raise their fees to reflect the troubles, and working for any one of the gangs will set the others and the guards against us. Working with the guards might be the best option - for as long as we can trust them, anyway. You never can, for long."
Garran doesn't look too happy about the prospect of working with the guards, and he definitely doesn't like them, but he also seems to know he has no choice.
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"What? Go hide out in the f*@@ing woods? Or worse, sit in some pissant little town?" Nicoleta says with a snort. "Korvosa's home. I'm not going anywhere else. We can find a way to survive. Let's head out and find someone to buy all this s~#@."
The woman looks at Danni.
"We can talk to the guard, I guess, once we've gotten rid of the pretties - coin's nice. But I'm not wearing any uniform."
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"I for one intend to stay," says Alika. "I bear you no ill will if you feel that your survival is best served away from this period of turmoil. But it is my calling to help those who are suffering, and in the wake of this upheaval the city will be filled with the desperate and the distraught. I must do what I can to help them."
"I don't... necessarily agree with the methods of the Guard; they can be authoritarian and excessively violent. But we may be able to find ways for our talents to be useful and gratifying, whether that comes from coin or compassion."
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Alistair nods his approval when offered a place to stay for the night.
Mother Udara, I thank you for the hospitality. I am hoping that their was a place I could wash up. I had plan on burning these... He pulls his blood and gut stained shirt away from his body and then let it fall back to his chest....but I guess I will have to make do with what I have. If I can borrow a wash basin and some soap...I can make do with these garments another day.
Alistair watches and listens as the other speak their minds.
Well this is a very interesting predicament that we are in...I think we need to hold off on selling anything at this moment given the current unrest. We could make a good deal of coin for those items but the guards could very quickly assume that we are looters and that would not end well for anyone.
I want to see that my family is safe...they are outside the city walls with our own family guards to protect them. I will have to trust in their abilities for now. Danni, Alika...I think we can do some good by putting ourselves in a position that will benefit all.
He turns to Garran...
Garran I may have a temporary solution for you that may put your worries to rest. You could come on as my personal guard. Being a noble and at a time of unrest...this would not be a far fetched idea for you to take my coin. You would not be working for the guard nor would you have to pick a gang to work with. It might work for you it might not but it is an offer?
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Garran considered Alistair's offer. It gave him an easy way out, and a steady source of income. Plus, if things got really bad, he could probably convince him to flee. It wasn't hard. He'd always had his priorities in order. First, stay alive. Second, get paid. Anything else was secondary and irrelevant, and nothing was worth getting attached to. He'd lived that way since he was an orphan on the streets, before he'd put together his own gang.
But did he have to live that way? His caravan guard work the past 5 years had its own dangers, true, but the money was steadier, and he didn't have to worry about the law coming down on him. It was also less lonely. Other guards weren't going to stab you in the back for your pay, so you could actually get close to him. There were other factors, as well.
Tymo Flint had been an orphan, cutpurse, and criminal who didn't trust anyone. Looking back, Garran knew he had never actually been happy or content - constantly sleeping with one eye open, looking over his shoulder. He'd always used the fact that Lamm betrayed him to justify his paranoia. But Lamm was dead, and as far as he knew, no one from his old life even knew he was still alive. Perhaps Tymo Flint was dead, and should be dead. Maybe he died 5 years ago, when the guards arrested him after Lamm's betrayal.
Maybe he could actually try to have friends for once.
Garran waved off the offer. "Don't worry about it. I'll stay with you regardless. I don't fancy being on my own while the city riots - it's a good way to get killed. The mob may not have intended to kill you, but that isn't much comfort for the dead man."
Tymo Flint would have run and left these people to their fate. Garran Fain won't.
"Thank you, Garran," says Alika. "We'll need to stick together to be safe."
She turns to say, "Thanks to all of you - you helped these kids and that means a lot to me and to this temple. I'm glad to count you as friends."
"Now, shall I heat up some water for tea? Maybe with a little something stronger added?" she says with a wink to Nicoleta.
"Yes, please, 'tea'. And lots of it," the monk replies. "Then lets go see what we can get for the jewelery. I need to go by my place anyways - grab my stuff before someone else does."
Mother Udara wishes the party farewell after breakfast. Unfortunately, with the situation inside the city deteriorating, she's unsure if she can continue to provide rooms with so many needy people flocking to the temple doors. The head priestess takes a moment to speak with Alika privately.
In the hazy light of day, the streets of Korvosa are disturbingly quiet and deserted, a stark contrast to the people crammed inside the temple of Sarenrae. Smoke still rises steadily to the north, though further north than the Gold Market, where Nicoleta's fence operates.
The main attraction in Midland, the Gold Market is Korvosa's largest market. In less dangerous times, people from all over the city descended daily on the stands stalls, and tents that form the backbone of the open-air bazaar. Vendors would hawk a variety of wares, mostly foodstuff and minor crafts, in the wide semicircular plaza between Eodred's Circle and Eodred's Walk. Today however, the Gold Market is largely closed, the bustle of the crowd replaced with a milling audience surrounding a raised platform.
Atop the platform is a large person, their sex indeterminate behind a suit of black plate armor stylized with curved devil's horns. In one hand, the figure clutches a flail with a massive head of dull black metal. Before it kneel a number of men and women dressed in the clothing of laborers. The kneelers are chained together with black cloth sacks over their heads. The Korvosan Guard is no where to be seen.
"Oh, that's not going to end well," Nicoleta mutters, looking over the scene. "Let's keep moving," she recommends.
"Agreed. We don't want to attract any attention, especially not from the Nail."
Danni shudders as they walk by the condemned. "Clearly the Nails have defeated such powerful foes," she mutters sarcastically. Beheaded for the crime of poverty. Typical Hellknight "justice." She has no desire to see this. Another example of what's wrong with this city.
Alistair looks on as the group continues.
He shakes his head a few times and follows behind them.
No way to tell if these people deserve this or not and the Nails will not budge at all. We should keep moving...all these stuff we have might...no will get us in trouble with them
Alistair picks up the pace to catch up to the others.
As the party moves past the display, they're confronted with the harsh reality of Hellknight justice. The armored figure unsheathes a blade and hands it to one of the condemned. Although to far to hear the knight's words, the intent is clear: he means to have the condemned execute their peers.
Nicoleta's contact, a twitchy human man named Jansen Varkosin. Called 'Jitters' by his friends, he runs a legitimate, nameless pawn shop from an alley near the Gold Market. When the party barges through his front door, Jitters nearly falls backwards out of his seat. When he notices Nicoleta among the newcomers, stuffed between shelves crowded with curios, tools, and trinkets, he offers an embarrassed smile and adjusts his collar.
"Nico, my goodness, I didn't see you at first. I thought the crowd might have finally noticed I was open."
"Hello Jitters," the monk says with a smile, leaning forward on the narrow counter, emphasizing her cleavage in the process. "I thought you would still be running shop." She gestures at her companions. "Me and my friends here tipped over Gaedren Lamm's operation and he won't be complaining to anyone about it - if you get my meaning." Her smile widens, showing off her elongated incisors. "In the process we ended up with some pretties that he'd been collecting and we need to liquidate them."
She leans forward a little further.
"I told 'em what a wonderful guy you were and how you were the one to go to with things like that."
She nods to the others to produce the spoils.
Danni whistles appreciatively at the merchandise. Jitters has some nice stuff. Possibly too nice. I'm guessing he has his fair share of crooks like Lamm come through here. She sighs inwardly. One of these days, I hope to be free of working with crooks.
She pulls out some of the items they had collected that they'd agreed not to hang on to.
Alistair lets his face fall into his open palm in slow motion. With an agonizing shake of his head, Alistair turns and walks outside.
With Nicoletta up front, he passes the other mumbling under his breath.
This is too painful to watch..wonder if miss thoughtful will throw us under the wagon for any other crimes.
Once outside he leans against the door jam and waits.
How long will it take for the blackmailing to start!
Garran remembered hearing of Jitters - he'd never dealt with him personally, but he used to hope he'd be able to be big enough to make use of the fence. Another life, that.
The likely stolen goods in the shop didn't phase him, and he could forgive Alistair's reaction. Nicoleta was being a bit less discrete than he would have preferred, but she was probably trying to put Jitters at ease so he wouldn't fear retaliation. He knew what she was doing, if not quite agreeing with the method.
He helped Danni with the items they were selling.
Jitters chuckles nervously at the implication of Nicoletta's statement. "Left town, has he?" the fence asks, peering at the party's loot.
His darting eyes widen when they land on the ornate brooch. "Let me see that, if you please," he asks, donning a set of jeweler's goggles, their magnification enhanced by a series of adjustable lenses. Clutching it carefully and brow furrowed in concentration, Jitters examines the jeweled piece for a few moments before sucking in a shocked breath.
He turns to the party, his eyes enlarged to comical size by the goggles. "Do you know what this is? Of course you don't. If you did, you're smart enough to know better than to bring this here." He hands the brooch back to Nicoletta with a trembling hand.
"It belongs to the Queen," he hisses. "Queen Ileosa. It was reported stolen months ago. All stores such as mine had Watch investigators come inquiring after it. That's too hot to move, Nico. Even for me."
Nicoleta frowns a little when Jitters reveals the brooch's origins.
"Did the investigator happen to mention if there was a reward for its safe return?"
She turns to the others with a gleam in her eye.
"Perhaps we should return the Queen's lost jewelry? I'm sure we wouldn't get the full reward. Some mid-level perfunctory will give us a dabble of it and then keep the rest for themselves. But if we're not going to be able to move it otherwise and we definitely don't want to be caught with it."
She shrugs.
"It's either that or toss it into the river."
Garran's face blanches as the origin of the brooch is revealed. "Toss it in the river. We can't explain how we got it, they'll assume we stole it, and then we'll end up like those people in the square."
"Oh, we can certainly explain how we got it. We found it in a warehouse occupied by a man who was exploiting children. We entered the building at the behest of an injured child who needed help and were set upon by evil men. In the process of defending ourselves, we fatally injured the vile brigands."
She smiles.
"It can even be verified that we turned the children over to a local temple for protection. We recovered the brooch from his ill-gotten hoard of minor trinkets and wish to return it to Her Majesty."
"There is indeed a reward," Jitters explains, with a hesitant. "And it's only for the sake of our friendship that I'm sharing this with you instead of simply staying mum and turning it in for myself."
"1,200 gold sails, as I recall."
Nicoleta's eyes widen just a bit at the amount of the reward.
"You're such a good friend, Jitters," she says, leaning across the counter, displaying pale flesh again and licking her lips. "And you know I'm always nice to my friends."
She reaches out one hand to pick up one of the items from Lamm's stash that sits on the counter. "And you also know that I always collect on my debts from my enemies." She lets the piece drop back down to the counter - her insinuation lacking in subtlety, but not in clarity.
"Where is the reward being offered from?" she asks. "Where did they want the brooch turned in at?"
1200! Holy mother of... Danni's mind whirls at the amount. "When we check in on the other possibilities, we can show this as well. It seems we have several lines of evidence that should prove us worthy of reward." Even so, she's worried that they're getting greedy. This is all happening so quickly.
Garran disagreed - at the very least, they'd be put to the Nail's tender attentions to verify the truth, he was sure. Still, it was obvious Nicoleta wouldn't be dissuaded, so he kept his mouth shut.
Alistair leans against the building and pulls out a small flask. Taking a drink from the flask seems to calm his nerves.
Alika screws up her mouth a bit but then relaxes and says, "I guess given the circumstances there's nothing better to do. We'll probably need money anyway, it looks like the city is in for some tough times."
Jitters swallows nervously. "The reward is being offered by the Crown itself. You could return it at Castle Korvosa or Citadel Volshenyek, I'm sure."
Nicoleta considers the options thoughtfully.
"Between the two, I think I'd rather approach the palace," she says, tossing the brooch up and down in her hand. "I think there'll be less 'Order of the Nail' presence there. If we were the ones that had actually stolen this, would we just walk up to the palace looking for a reward." She grins at the others. "Sometimes brazenness is your best defense."
The monk turns back to Jitters. "Now no word of this to anyone, Jitters. And I mean anyone." She reaches out and draws a short, painted nail up under his chin and draws it forward, slightly scrapping the skin. "I reward both my friends and my enemies and you're the only one that knows we have this. So if someone else should suddenly show up with that knowledge, we'll know where they learned it."
Danni nods to Nicoleta. She's ready to go.
Garran sighs, shrugs, and nods, hoping this doesn't kill them all.
Alistair continues to sip from his flask.
Alistair starts to pace back and forth.
What is taking so long...she basically gave us up to this man. Told him everything except for where we put the bodies.
He turns and looks at the door to the pawnshop...
F$!$ this...tired of waiting.
Alistair makes sure his weapon is ready to be used if the need arises and start off down the road.
Garran steps out of the shop and sees Alistair starting to walk off. "Where are you going, Alistair?"