"But it works." Wednesday says looking over the scythe. "Besides, I don't think the Queen will take too kindly to a helpful religion repossessing this place."
Raising the weapon up he stares at his reflection in the blade. Though, maybe I'm just eager to see this city finally burn."
Terri, who was about channel her goddess' power once more looks up at Wednesday in shock.
"How can you say that," she asks in hurt and stunned voice.
Their foe once again vanquished, Tolenn gazes down at the twisted form of the Priestess, a small frown creasing her forehead, shaking her head a little, Such a waste. Her goddess follows her nature, but this one, such a transformation, more a curse than a gift."
She turns as the others comment, "Fire can purify, but without control will destroy evil and innocent alike. The city burns with disease, Wednesday, is that not enough?"
She then bends down and slips the unholy symbol from around the dead Priestess' neck, using the tip of her scimitar.
She casts it to the ground , then grinds it to pieces beneath her heel, all the while gazing at the statue of Urgathoa with a thoughtful look.
"The city rots with disease and its inhabitants alike. Fire would finally put everyone out of their misery."
"Well if we can repair it maybe I will," Amira replies with a smile, winking at Cassandra. Still grinning as they debate their next step, the City's protector turns to Wednesday with a merciless glare. "You try to burn my city and I will put you down like you asked. You want out of your misery, fine.....but those who are suffering....real suffering they didn't do themselves......those people deserve our help."
"Good to know," Wednesday responds as an off kilter smile starts to creep onto his face. "Unfortunately you don't have to worry about me doing anything. The city will tear itself apart eventually with the way things are going."
"That's where you're wrong. People like you don't even begin to understand a city, or a community for that matter. You make yourself a perpetual outsider who bi+<#es and moans because all you see around you is ugliness. But what you se is yourself in everything, that's why you hate it. It's the same these bastards see, and the same they try to do. But this city is alive, full of life and hopes and dreams and aspirations, and it will overcome everything people like them and you try to do to it, and come out the other side." Amira says, her voice rising as the passion for the city she protects grips her.
"Yes she's sick, and yes there's disease that needs to be removed, but I'm the chuirgion, and I will cut away every single bit of the infection one bit at a time until she's healthy again, and gods help ANYONE standing in my way!"
The druidess stands, fists clenched tightly, literally shaking in anger, the emotional toll of seeing all that had been done in this sick war against the people she cared for, and protected finally manifesting.
Wednesday listens along quietly at Amria's impassioned speech, his demeanor not changing in the slightest.
"Actually, you're the one that's wrong," he starts, "these people weren't like me, that's insulting to them. If anything they were closer to you and Tolenn and Dessert. They had drive, they all had something they wanted to accomplish, something they were willing to die for, for the love and praise of their Goddess. I have none of that. Nothing to strive for. Nothing to accomplish. Just a dead broken man in a dying broken city."
"I wonder, you make that oath without hesitation now, but how much can you take? How much can the world tear you down before you break?"
"Not the time!" Cassandra says, putting herself firmly between Amira and Wednesday.
"You." Cass says, pointing to Wednesday. "New rule. No being as a%*!&*! to your friends and allies.
"You." She points to Amira. "Deep breath. Not everyone literally talks to the city like you do. Let him be."
"We need to decide what to do here. Someone else needs to take charge."
Cassandra sighs.
"I'm being the sensible one here. That tells you all you need to start acting like adults, right? Paladin. Priestess. Options! We have to get the immune people out of here and figure out if there's a cure and make sure this place isn't used again. Without fire. Go!"
Most of the time Victor found himself believing that there was little hope for Korvosa, but that have yet to stop from trying to make it better, even if his efforts may not mean something in the long run, it was still better than watching everything slide down a slippery slope that lead to a fiery oblivion that would leave nothing but ash, painful memories and ruins for historians to gleam wisdom from.
After tonight he couldn't say that he didn't prefer Terri and Amira's hope for their home. Yes it all seemed too idealistic and bright for his shades of cynicism but at the very least it made their attempts mean more. It seemed to himself at least that they all felt this way...but yet again this night persists in him being proven wrong in one way or another. The mage knew that Wednesday was troubled, and broken, not as much as he would like them to think but still damaged...and that's something he had to deal with on his own if he wasn't going to accept their help, Victor had enough hopeless causes, he didn't need another to add to his collection. Still he couldn't deny the anger he felt when their companion spoke so casually of burning this city down, and seeing Amira engage him was helping his mood if a bit at least She doesn't pull her punches...good. Still he needs a bit more.
The sorcerer walked in a casual manner to where the group was conversing, his scowling mask was bare for all to see "I'd actually like to see him try something like that, ya know burn the city down. I wonder who'd get him first? Amira's order of secret guardians? Maybe Sable Company and their flying mounts? The Hellknights are always a popular choice, oh ya would love Chelaxian courts Wednesday they have all the pain and suffering ya are looking for...Korvosan guards? doubt it, they couldn't even catch the plague if they wanted to" Victor placed both hands in his pockets, usually when he was in this mood he wouldn't bother but this man was talking about burning his home down and despite how much Amira scolded him he just didn't feelt it was quite enough.
"Okay, I'll try and be more polite in my loathing." he responds to Cassandra.
"Shame, I would have liked a chance for me and Croft to have a go at each other." he lets slips to Victor.
The heroes have inflicted a lot of mayhem within the building and its basement. Blood runs everywhere, both from the bodies of defeated evildoers and some from the heroes themselves.
You can consider the entire place to be pretty secure now, any opposition has either been defeated or is in flight. Admittedly, the vampiric researcher seems to still be present, but diligently packing up to leave as agreed.
If arson is off the agenda, what's next?
Nodding silently, Amira closes her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to regain control of herself. "We should secure the place and a couple of us need to go get Croft here. Want to come with me Cass? I could use some fresh air." she says calmly after a bit.
Feeling a twitch Wednesday nonetheless held off on any physical signs of annoyance at the utterance of Croft's name.
"I could use the run. I've been trying inside too long. I'm pretty much spent for spells, though. If we run into trouble it's all you, dark avenger of the city."
"I could stand to bust a few more heads right around now." Amira replies with a small grin. "Let's get topside."
Turning to Tolenn she asks "Anything specific you want us to tell her aside from the obvious?"
"Assuming that bringing anyone with a knack for healing and priest to help consecrate this place is obvious, no," Terri answers, letting the argument fall for now. She'd been a little too slow in recovering to say much, but she had plenty to say next time Wednesday decided to wallow in his self-pity and nihilism.
After Amira and Cassandra leave, she begins tending, first to the immune in the temple, then to the sick in the hospice above, the innocents caught in this mess, she asks for Tolenn's help, which made since, and for Victor's, which might have been unexpected.
===
"Victor, mind if I ask where you grew up? Did you know your parents," the priestess asks as she tends to one of the sick.
Helping people was something Victor attempted to do whenever it was possible, but never in this way. Usually he'd drive a couple of thugs away from merchants, scare a corrupt guard off and on the rarest of occasions and if he's lucky teach a noble with little to no care for morality that he wasn't as untouchable as he'd liked. All these things he accomplished through manipulation, magic and violence....this situation however, involved none of the three, and outside of his use of wands his arcane powers were not really geared towards easing the pain of others, but he couldn't really refuse, even if it came down to him being nothing but a glorified but scowling errand boy he'd at least sleep better knowing that he made the lives of these abused individuals a little easier.
"Victor, mind if I ask where you grew up? Did you know your parents," the priestess asks as she tends to one of the sick.
The question seemed strange but funny to Victor, as he thought most people were content in guessing about his origin from his looks and mannerisms alone. Still it felt good to not be judged from the cover for once at least "The streets, most of it was in the shingles. Was probably the most annoying brat there, they are probably glad to be rid of me and no I didn't know any parents, just a girl who was a few years older than me that kept me out of trouble" He answered casually with both hands in his pockets. His vision seeming lost amidst the words for brief moments before refocusing on the present place and time.
While Wednesday had accumulated a host of medical and surgical knowledge over his life his bedside manner and aftercare knowledge was non-existent. So when he wasn't offering paltry assistance to Tolenn and Terri as they tended to the infected he sat off to the side, looking over the impressive Urgathoan weapon.
Amidst the moans and crying drowning the room his ears caught parts of the Priestess' and the shadow controller's talk. Rather than ruin the conversation by joining in he retreated back into his mind, tugged along by Victor's words.
"Watch the veins now." The woman with a missing front tooth said to the boy across from her as they cut into the charred remains between them.I am!" the boy squeaked back.
He couldn't have been any older than four or five while she looked to have a good dozen years on him, give or take, and they both had monochrome hair of black with white patches and piercing red eyes. "I know," she responded with a smile, always showing off that missing tooth, "but these friggin hydras just don't know when to die, see? There's already some veins trying to grow back." She indicated with her knife at a spot that still had a twitch of life on some basic level in the charred log they were taking apart.
"No biggie, just more fun to cut them apart then," the boy responded indifferently as he dealt with spot she pointed out.
Frowning at the comment the woman quickly, and hopefully, added "Well as much as you like cutting things up I guess you'll be a doctor who helps lots of people when you're old enough?"
"You can help people by cutting them open?!" the boy responded excitedly, his wide eyes beaming.
The woman couldn't help but chuckle at that outburst. "Well, you also have to put them back together too though. That's the important part."
"Oh," the boy let out, loosing enthusiasm fast at that prospect as he looked down at what was left of the hydra. After a moment he looked back up to the woman and asked "Do you want me to be a doctor?"
"I want you to do what makes you happy." she said earnestly.
"I'm happy when I'm with you, does that count?" he responded without hesitation.
She gave a soft laugh and then smiled down at the boy across from her, staring up and looking so serious right now. "Okay, you go me there, but I might not always be here. So promise me Wendy, promise me you'll be happy even when I'm not around."
"I promise." he said, even though he wasn't really sure what she was talking about.
As he let his mind drift away he set and propped the scythe up, resting his head against the flat of the blade while he let his conscious kind slip away.
Stepping outside, Cassandra takes a deep breath of the city air. Sure, it is laced with the scent of horse dung and sewage and whatever chemicals are spewing out of alchemical factories...
... but it is home.
Amira grins at the smile that creeps across Cassandra's face as they step into the evening air. The feeling was definitely mutual, for all it's faults, Korvosa was.....special. The noises, the smells, the very air sang with potential. Life, death, the ongoing flow of energy that was something she'd never be able to put into words.
Turning to her partner she inhales the night air, immediately feeling more peaceful. "Thanks for pulling me back from the edge, told you we'd see the sky soon."
The Hospice of the Blessed Maiden (clearly now an ironic name), being built from an import warehouse recently owned by the noble Arkona family, is quite near the West Dock neighborhood with excellent access to the main harbor. From that vantage point, you can see that a trio of ships seem to have arrived late and are still unloading what appear to be quite a few passengers. From the sound of their voices, they seem to be primarily women, but few other details can be gleaned.
"... I swear to the gods, if we just stumbled across a sex slavery ring I'm going to scream." Cassandra says as she peers across the way to the harbor.
"What do we do?"
"Stay here for a moment, I'll get a little closer and take a better look. I'll signal you if anything is up." Amira says quietly, squeezing her partner's hand before making her way forward across loose shingles and broken stone,
Tolenn looks over at Amira's question, her face clearing from the pensiveness it had earlier displayed, "Inform Solara at my Temple, if you wouldn't mind, Amira."
Walking with the others back up to the upper level, Tolenn notes Wednesday's attachment to the scythe, but decides not to question him on it.
Murmuring kind words of encouragment, she tends to the suffering patients with Terri and Wednesday. Knowing that she still had the capability to call upon Saranae's grace a number of times, Tolenn applied her hands upon a number of the worst patients, gently intoning her devotion to the Dawnflower.
Terri's ministrations ease the sufferings of a number of affected patients, but a full cure will take more time (most likely a few days). Even so, the sick are grateful for her aid.
Tolenn's more direct magical method also helps for a time, but it is not immediately evident the disease is fully cured.
Up on the streets, Amira gets a closer look at the women debarking from the ships. If they are slaves, they are unusually well-armed. Most of them wear a scabbarded sword of some sort, several carry spears, all carry packs that seem fairly well loaded. They wear a wide variety of clothing from Varisian scarves to Taldan fashion, from peasant clothes to embroidered doublets. And they appear diverse as well, Chelaxian, Varisian, Guarundi, many ethnic groups represented.
The women seem to be being led into the streets and away from the docks in groups of 20 or so by other women bearing Korvosan standards. "This way to the barracks, recruits. We have a hot meal waiting in the mess then lights out. We've got a busy day tomorrow," one of the standard-bearers calls out.
Making her way back quickly Amira stands alongside Cassandra. "Holy $#!+ they're all armed and the people leading them are dressed like Korvosan military, also all women. I think someone is bringing in a occupying force. They're heading toward barracks now. We should get going, maybe to Solara first, since once we get to Croft it looks like things will get rolling." she whispers with a sense of urgency.
The question seemed strange but funny to Victor, as he thought most people were content in guessing about his origin from his looks and mannerisms alone. Still it felt good to not be judged from the cover for once at least "The streets, most of it was in the shingles. Was probably the most annoying brat there, they are probably glad to be rid of me and no I didn't know any parents, just a girl who was a few years older than me that kept me out of trouble" He answered casually with both hands in his pockets. His vision seeming lost amidst the words for brief moments before refocusing on the present place and time.
"A task I imagine she found as difficult as the time the priests and priestesses had with me," she says with a sly smile, before asking him more about the girl, growing up, and himself. With each question, Victor, and any eavesdroppers, learned more about the young priestess. How she was found on the steps of the small Shelynite church one morning as a babe, her misadventures with Trinia, of which there were many, her love of the arts, especially sculpture, and her decision to join the clergy are all told as she helps those in need and tries to draw Victor from his shell.
The conversation between himself and Terri didn't seem to take any time at all, more than once he found a smile crawling upon his face when Terri described her adventures with Trinia, and was intrigued to learn that she also was a lover of art That's why she asked me about being in a play He found himself thinking as he listened to her words. There were little awkward moments and not as much hesitation on his part to reveal more about himself; he mentioned his time as a pickpocket, how he discovered his magical powers and how he eventually turned from picking pockets to driving off local thugs and gangers.
Still he committed certain parts like watching his friend get beaten and stabbed before his eyes and the incident where he was unfairly outed as a menace when he was only trying to help. He held these darker pieces of his past back mostly because he thought they had enough grief for one day and these were things he wasn't ready to share yet...but the openness about her past almost lured him into spilling his guts every now and then.
Assisting those who unfortunately found themselves in this hospice continued, and when they were done he hoped to step outside and trade this miserable and dismal atmosphere for the corrupt but still familiar air of the Korvosan streets.
"We should get going, maybe to Solara first, since once we get to Croft it looks like things will get rolling." she whispers with a sense of urgency.
The walk across town is relatively quiet for a Korvosan evening, people hurry from place to place, communicating only if necessary - a stark contrast to Korvosa's normal night scene.
The streets right around the temple, however, are still buzzing with activity. Acolytes hold lanterns aloft amid dozens of sick townsfolk queueing to receive whatever aid the hard-pressed priests and healers of the temple can provide. While the whole of the city is officially under curfew, a small contingent of the Korvosan guard stands a bit away from the throngs of the sick but makes no move to enforce the curfew.
Finding Solara turns out to be easy. She is among the clerics triaging the sick waiting outside. You spot her picking a few people out of the list for assistance inside as well as trying to compassionately turn down others for quicker admittance. She takes a moment away from her duties when she notices you.
"Ah, companions of Sister Tolenn, if I am not mistaken. May the Light shine upon you. How do you fare this evening?"
In the hospice, the situation remains calm. Ruan and the others have come out of the spell-created shelter and do their best to keep spirits up with some Varisian music. None have an instrument, but a couple of buckets are drafted for use as makeshift drums. None has much energy for typically vigorous Varisian dance, though the singing is reasonably pleasant.
As his specific help is less needed and patients settle in for the night, Victor too notes the heightened dock activity, though the women who disembarked have since made their way well off the docks and into the city. A trio of ships are being unloaded by the stevedores much later than usual.
Smugglers? Wondered Victor as he watched the ships content carried down to the docks. The matter seemed to suspicious to be left alone but before leaving he informed any companions he found and told them of his decision to check things out unseen.
Victor allowed himself to fall into a bit of focus and felt the eldritch energy seep into his shadow and then erupt in an umbral pillar that consumed him completely. When the affects of the spell dissipated he was nowhere to be seen. With the spell cast the sorcerer approached the docks aiming to try and find out what the sailors were unloading.
Victor has an easy time finding a decent vantage point. He sees a few dozen men unloading the ships. The men seem to be working with some haste. An overseer exhorts them to unload with speed. "Keep it movin', lads. You know the rumors. Get it all out and on the carts before the locals get up and you shouldn't be takin' sick. The armorers will pick up the iron in the mornin'."
The material they are unloading does seem pretty heavy and clanks - iron ingots of some variety.
Terri asks Victor to be careful, but otherwise continues to look after the sick and the injured. Once the Varisian trip begins to sing, though, she finds herself joining in.
As Tolenn tends the to the diseased, she smiles as Terri and Victor hover near each other.
She overhears a little of Victor's early history, smiling as it mirrors her own in the Shingles. She can only guess that their paths crossed now and then, but her duties as one of Lamm's Lambs prevented anything worth remembering.
For a moment, she tempted to raise the question to Victor, but refrains allowing the two of them the moment.
She stands as Victor leaves, walking to the door to see him envelop himself in his shadows and disappear.
Turning to Terri, "Now, where has he gone off to?"
"He said there was something going on outside, so he left to check it out," Terri answers.
Iron for the armors?? Maybe the queen is planning a war Victor left the sailors to their jobs and sneaked away. Being careful as to not attract any attention even if they could not see him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The salty smell of the docks finally left his nostrils as he began walking the familiar streets that lead to the Hospice. Both of his hands were hidden away in his pockets as he walked at a calm pace, his mind still trying to ponder the reason behind the delivery that would be given to the armors. As he got closer to the dreaded Hospice Victor took notice of the cleric and paladin, causing him to walk at a faster pace.
"Sailors are delivering iron at the docks, said something about armorers picking it up in the morning"
"We've hand a very long day with no end in sight I'm afraid." Amira says tiredly. "We have, important news on the source of the plgue and a possible means of at least stopping the further spread. Is there somewhere private we can talk?" Amira asks in a low voice.
"A source?!? That is news! Follow me. We will find the High Priestess and see what she says."
Solara quickly leads Amira and Cassandra into the temple. Young acolytes sag with fatigue but determinedly stay at their posts. Other temple priests and volunteers from the faithful catch rest in various corners, out of the way, before their duties call them to their feet again.
A few minutes and a couple of questions later, Solara has located the High Priestess Iolana Kerekes in the hospital ward. A woman in middle age with gray-streaked dark hair and prominent crows feet highlighting her eyes, the high priestess has a determined step, though her voice is hoarse from ordering people about all day. At a few words, she hustles Solara and the temple guests into a private chamber.
"Welcome to the House of the Dawnflower, friends. Sister Solara tells me that you bring a matter of great import - a source for the plague and perhaps a defense. We are hard pressed here and would welcome any solace."
"When we arrived there, they pretty much immediately initiated lethal force to keep their facility secret. There are dozens of the suffering in different stages of the disease as well as a number of Grey Maidens and those twisted masked quacks. Battling our way through we found a vampire that is one of those responsible for engineering the plague. In exchange for his life, and accepting that he would never set foot in this city again, he divulged that the plague was engineered from a handful of plague demons they were siphoning fluids and other stuff from, they're calling it Vorel’s Phage. He and another man, a Rolth or something like that have been experimenting, working on the few who seem to posess a natural immunity, manipulating the spread of the contagion, all under the order of a Lady Andaisin, Priestess of Urgathoa. In fact the lower levels of the facility are a dedicated temple to the Pallid Princess.” she says, pausing to let both women take it all in.
”We managed to take them all down. That b!+<# of a priestess actually turned into some freakish undead thing with a scythe for an arm after we killed her, and we had to put her down twice.” she continues, an involuntary shudder passing through her at the memory of the woman’s transformation.
”Tolenn and the others are keeping the facility secure but there are a lot of sick people, still there as well as the immune ones being tested. We were concerned about moving them or just taking them home and spreading the plage and making things worse. Also the place may need to be….I don’t know consecrated or something to remove that taint of undeath from it. Hells I feel like I need a weeks worth of baths after being in it’s depths.”
Looking over at Cassandra she asks, "Am I forgetting anything Cass?"
"I think you touched on everything." Cassandra notes. "There are still three daemon corpses in the laboratories. The fourth was alive and needed to be put down. We also have the vampire's notes. Between all this, someone should be able to create a cure. At the very least, new versions of the plague aren't being created."
Solara and the high priestess react with horror at news of the hostel and the vileness within. "We felt there was some evil will behind the blood veil, particularly once the First Bank notified us that they had received infected coins. But we had no idea of the magnitude of this infamy," High Priestess Iolana says. "But the Dawn brings new Light, as we say, and if we have the tools to fashion a cure, we may save the city. I shall assemble a team at once! Solara, you shall accompany me, but first, send messengers to the First Bank and the Grand Cathedral. We shall be there within the hour."
"Iron for armor," Terri asked before shaking her head, "sorry, I fear this night has made me paranoid. I just hope it's nothing."
Shortly afterwards, she finishes her rounds and falls asleep against one of the walls of the infirmary, exhausted both emotionally and physically.