"Why are they going after just the spellcasters, though? Well, and me. Wouldn't Segang be easier to tag? Or, admittedly, me if I weren't wearing protection. Could someone be trying to contact us or something? I say we talk to Zellara tonight."
What do you mean I would be an easier tag? Segang says with suspicion.
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"Spellcasters learn to hone their will, to deal with all the boogedie-boogedie critters that sniff after their souls or to keep the mana from eating their brains from the inside out, don't they?" Absinthe says, shrugging.
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"yes, that is precisely the arcane terminology," says Melianthe.
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"Eh, what do I know?" Absinthe says with a quick grin. "I like magic, but I got into it the way Rogues get in anywhere; I jimmied the back door and cheated."
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I don't so much like arcane magic. Its all twisty and wrong. Just look at Seren. I don't want that to happen to me.
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"I am of sound mind and body." Seren states flatly
"...ahem. Well, if there's any precedent, they'll go for our incredibly sane caster, Seren, next." Melianthe focuses on the 'Shoanti' for a moment.
"You're warded, a bit. It may help when the grand mysterious boogedy boogedy takes a sniff at you next," says the elf.
"Thanks, Mel. We need some sort of non detection. They are going to get lucky and catch us at some point. Bah, let's find an inn and not discuss this in the streets."
"I say again, let's talk to Zellara. We need some more information about who's trying to peep."
You traverse the Widdershins district without any trouble. A handful of patrolling constables accost you but relent when you present the visitor's token. The local citizens you pass give you strange looks, but do not appear too concerned or upset -- wherever you are, a constable is in view. You leave Widdershins through a heavily guarded gate similar to the one you entered. The constable there takes your token and sees you out of the neighborhood.
The transition from the clean and orderly streets of Widdershins into the writhing, raucous scrum that is Hospice is abrupt. Hospice prides itself as the place with "something for everyone" -- it caters to visitors with a wide array of shops and markets, selling everything one can imagine from the mundane to the outright bizarre, as well as a large number of inns, dosshouses, taverns and restaurants. It is also the most lavish and decadent red light district on the continent. The mashup of these elements amid the winding and crowded streets makes for an experience that rivals anything you've seen in Korvosa.
Now this is more what I was expecting. Segang admits. He is still not happy to be within the walls of this city but his urban upbringing makes hi at home in this district.
"Mmmm...what do you think of Canary House, Seren?" Melianthe takes in the sights, her eyes glittering. "If we can afford it. Hmm, I thought there were more inns here, but every place seems to...rent by the hour. Oh, now there's a spot that Laori would like--that man appears to be very flexible." She blinks twice.
"This does feel more familiar," Abby says, as she looks around.
…
"Yeah. I've done this. We have some cash to hand, and privations enough ahead. We can afford to sleep and dine in a nice place before we move on."
The Canary House is renowned for its privacy and discretion, but also its exorbitant price.
Jarha doesn't see the need to stay somewhere fancy and is skeptical any locals pose much threat to the group, but he will go along with whatever the others decide.
Mel and Absinthe stroll into the Canary House to check the rates. "Looking is free, boys," she says over her shoulder. "We should enjoy Kaer Maga!"
"At least one night, let's stay in the crazy nice bird house."
Segang looks like the place boors him. I'd rather sleep outside these walls.
The Canary House is every bit as extravagant and exclusive as you've heard. The five-story inn and bistro has a simultaneously opulent and discreet feel to it, from the lavish decorations, personal touches of the doormen and the tight, efficient movements of the staff, to the alcoves and hidden out-of-the-way spaces. While the place is well populated, you don't feel crowded.
The smell of cooked pheasant is apparent in the air. The walls are elegantly decorated in avian themes representing the exotic birds.
The floors above are obviously where the rooms are, and many have windows with the curtains pulled aside so they can watch the spectacles in the wide open center atrium. And that is what catches your eye more than anything else. Unbelievable harmonies, each word a chord with a dozen voices spanning several octaves cascade down from all over. Their source? Girls ... swinging from trapeze perches in gilded cages, and lest you be fooled by their elegance, thin chains around their ankles provide a constant reminder that the golden bars are still very real. You've encountered your first high-end luxury slave: the famous Songbirds of Kaer Maga.
"Before we have dinner, let's convene and talk to Zellara so we can get a bead on who's trying to scry on us," Abby decides.
As the others look around, apparently impressed by the finery and entertainment, Jarha gestures upwards and quietly comments to Segang in disgust, "As we cross all of Varisia seeking to liberate Korvosa, it looks like there are some in need of liberation right here."
Later he comments to the group quietly: "If the rest of you insist I will stay here tonight, but no longer. If I spend more than one night here I will be very tempted to release these 'Songbirds' myself, but I know it would cause us a great deal of trouble. This place is revolting in its waste and excess, and the pleasure taken from those enslaved girls."
Well thought and better voices Jarha. I am in agreement with you and will take it one step farther. I’ll spend no coin in a place that holds slaves. No slaver shall profit from my purse.
" I agree, it's disgusting, but there's nothing we can do about it tonight," says Melianthe. "I am glad that Korvosa has ostensibly outlawed slavery. Perhaps we can dine elsewhere..."
"But if we do not stay here, I'll have further to go when I want to pick locks and remove chains tonight," Abby murmurs to Melianthe.
Seren rolls his eyes, ”Nice time for a crisis of conscience. Was this sudden magnanimity before or after we murdered Maidens and cultists? You all have a better lead on a secure place to stay? I’m all in if so. We need to rest and rest safely. If not, might as well suck up your discomfort here. It’s not like we are going to change centuries of cultural tradition in Kaer Maga overnight. There’s a whole crew of Freedom fighters here who have been working at it for a while. Throw them 2 coins for every coin you spend here. You know, to balance it out. “
Segang glares Seren for a moment before standing up and walking out. I told you I did not want to come to this city. he states more to the room than Seren as he leaves.
"No, Seren, I hear that that other place--the Last Hope? End of the Line?--is a complete ripoff," says Melianthe. She shrugs. "It's just a night," says Melianthe, more quietly.
Absinthe knows that Zellara can give you a Harrow reading, but she has no capability to suss out whoever is trying to scry you.
Abby suggests the group get a Harrowing anyway, wherever they stay for the night; any bit helps, given the weight of the current mission.
Melianthe gazes out the window of the suite from their new inn. "Well, this is quieter anyhow," she remarks. "Hm! Goblins. And a centaur. This city is diverse. Let's do that Harrowing!"
"Harrowing it is! NOthing like a confusing ghost story to keep us straight. Love that woman.""
Happy to be out of that den of slavery Segang is quite agreeable and supports the idea of a Harrowing.
You settle into your room at the modest, nondescript inn -- a large attic room with enough space and beds for each of you, as well as privacy from prying eyes and ears. As evening settles, Absinthe takes out the Zellara's weathered Harrow deck and sets it on the central table.
Zellara's ghost manifests a few moments later. She smiles, brushes back her hair and fixes her headscarf. "My friends, I sensed the forces of destiny gathering around you once again. I hope Desna's blessing can aid you in whatever lies ahead. Shall we begin?"
The ghost proceeds with the Harrowing. As before, she starts with the Choosing, having each of you pick a card from the deck to represent your influence through the ritual. She then draws nine cards for the Spread into the 3 x 3 pattern and reveals them in trios, speaking of the past, present and future in turn.
As Zellara reveals the cards and divines their meaning, the details of the Harrowing and the room around you become vague and ghostly, so much that you have difficulty recalling specifics of the ritual later, or even which cards were drawn. The dreamlike quality also manifests in visions and images of the things Zellara describes.
For the past, the cards displayed symbolize the early days of Korvosa’s founding and that the Shoanti dwelt there before the place was colonized by the Chelaxians. Visions of their clashes are like a wall of fire set against the silhouette of a massive ziggurat.
The present bleeds from the past like smoke crawling across the ceiling. The Shoanti expulsion centuries ago mirrors your own forced flight from Korvosa -- you are both now fugitives from home, and your route follows theirs into the Cinderlands.
Images of the future paint Korvosa as a dangerous place, shadowed by a great evil but not yet so pervasive that it cannot be resisted. The miasma that shrouds the city is strong, but motes of light within -- your allies and other possible points of weakness -- give you hope. Your path back to the city is blocked by trials you must overcome, where strength will be your most important ally: a mountain of skulls, a preying mantis engulfed in flames, a bottomless pit hiding a vast, tentacled abomination, and a great, fiery maw, consuming all in its path.
"Hmm...a ziggurat...and a bottomless pit...I wonder..." says Melianthe, trying to remember scraps of dusk elf lore.
Segang breaths deeply as the visions fade. I saw much but am not sure I have the wisdom to discern meaning.
The ziggurat image stands out to you like nothing so much as the structure that Castle Korvosa stands upon.
"I wonder if the ziggurat was a Shoanti religious structure that the Chelaxians built their castle on top of."
"I don't know what to make of what is coming in the time ahead, other that we must be prepared for terrible tests, and apparently a lot of fire, which makes sense in the Cinderlands."
"Energy and elements resistance are fairly easy to work up," says Melianthe. "And I think you have it, Jarha--although I don't think that would be a Shoanti structure--more like that of Thassilon, or another ancient empire."
"I never thought the Shoanti built the structure, they don't strike me as the settling down and architecture type. Maybe I'm wrong. But did you all see the BOTTOMLESS PIT WITH THE GIANT TENTACLE MONSTER! Let's avoid that at all costs, please."
Jarha does not know the historical origins of the ziggurat, or whether it has any religious significance.
"What if the Shoanti made an exception and built the ziggurat to keep down that... thing?" Abby suggests. "Or maybe it's symbolic for the queen. Anyway. We should stock up on some essentials, like holy water."
"Whatever we want within reason, we can buy here," says Melianthe in agreement. "And within coin. It's too bad that we can't block the scrying--I'm sure it's servants of the tentacled thing, or something equally dire."
It would seem our only defense against the scrying is to complete our mission quickly. Segang urges.