”If there isn’t something to eat in that package, then I’m not interested right now!”
---
Flopping into one of the chairs and tugging the package closer. Laying her head on the table, "By all means get some sleep. I suffer from incurable curiosity so I gotta open this."
Emma opens the package and finds four black hooded cloaks and four vials. There is also a note.
Brave citizens,
You owe nothing to me, and I would not ask you to endanger yourselves for a stranger, but Trinia has spoken to me of your kindness to her and willingness to hear her story. I believe that the heart of a hero beats within you all, and you would not wish to see an innocent life ended in the name of a lie.
A plan is in motion to see no one falls to the headsman's axe two days hence. I will undertake this responsibility with or without aid; to battle injustice is my privilege and burden, and no one is obligated to share in its weight. But your participation could prevent me from having to draw steel against servants of our city who know not what crimes they are perpetrating.
If you be brave and true, I beseech you only to be present at the execution, to arrive early so you may gather near the block, to wear these cloaks with the hoods drawn up, and to drink the potions while picturing Trinia's features in your minds. If I have not misjudged Korvosa's citizens, and it is rare indeed that I do, then you will be safe.
May your courage help light the way in dark days to come.
The note is signed with the letter B, written with a flourish.
Searok tries to look over Emma's shoulder. Whatta it say? He asks. When told his face scrunches up. Bah! Sounds like a good way fer us to be holdin' the bag then it'll be our necks on tha choppin' block! he says with an air of disgust.
Sighing and resisting the urge to let her head slam back onto the table, only barely though. Looking at Searok and blinking slowly, "We are all too tired to agree to anything right now and they are asking not demanding."
Well! It's a good thin' they are askin' cause if they were demandin' then I'd punch them in tha nose! Searok says as he crosses his arms.
Where is that ghost lady at? I want to tell her we killed that no-good, stinkin', filth-of-tha-earth Lamm again!
Shaeda will have cast CLW on herself before sleeping. Is anyone else injured?
Folding the note back up and re-wrapping the vials, cloaks, and the note before tucking it into her pack and heading off to sleep.
Makall sits down and finds a quiet corner to rest. He could tell by the way his companions were verbally sparring with another that they all needed rest.
The note from the vigilante still left him with some uncertainty. They were to be used for some purpose no matter how noble his cause might be.
Cause you never seem to get irritated with her responses.
As his companions settle down to rest, Searok stands there for a few moments waiting for Zellara to appear. He becomes frustrated and whispers, Hey! Ghost Lady! Wheeeerrree arrree yooouuu?
Not getting a response he too finds a cozy spot and beds down for the night.
As a socially unaware person in real life I really like Searok.
Searok will spend the next few days drinking, sharpening his blade, looking for the ghost lady, cussing, and sleeping.
Two days pass, and today Korvosa is in a celebratory mood. Public spectacle always brings out the crowds, and the crowds always bring out those eager to get at their purses. Streets are lined with little carts from which people are selling sausages in a bun, pennants in the city's colors, and souvenir handkerchiefs embroidered with "Gods Save the Queen".
One would think that the mood had improved greatly, and Korvosa was finally about to put the recent period of strife behind it, cast off the tension, and return to normal.
But a more observant student of human nature might get a different feeling. There's still an awful lot of guards out in force, more than would be necessary to keep order in this seemingly carnival like atmosphere. And while there are plenty of revelers out and about, there are also some people grumbling in small groups, many closed shutters on windows, and it looks like most of the children are being kept indoors.
Or maybe it's your imagination, and recent events have made you a little paranoid. It's quite early in the morning after all, necessary if you want a good spot in the crowd in front of the castle, maybe people will be more festive later on.
Searok looks around at the well-armed guards and mutters, What is it were supposed ta be doin'?
Makall pulls up Searok's hood as the dwarf complains. "When we see Trinia I would assume we should drink the vials and picture her image as we were indicated. Either way use your skills to get us right in the front Searok. Let's be off and hurry. I doubt this day will end the way we expect it to."
Nodding, "You don't have to do if you really don't want to."
Bah! I don't! Searok mutters.
But despite his protesting he leads the group to the execution, growling to anyone who gets in their way.
Searok's aggression soon gets you to almost the front of the crowd, with only a few people who were probably waiting all night in front of you. A couple of hours pass, and the courtyard fills up with people.
At last, the hour arrives. A fanfare rings out, and from the gates of the castle emerges a procession, led by Queen Ileosa. She's no longer dressed for mourning as when you first met her, but resplendent in a gown of green and gold. By her side walks a tall woman whose features are obscured by gleaming full plate armor with a crimson plume atop the helmet. Behind them follow several guards, and a bulky man wearing a hood and carrying an axe.
Whispers ripple through the assembled crowd - admiration for the queen's regal appearance, speculating about the armored woman by her side, wondering how the condemned Trinia will comport herself, and here and there even a few dark mutterings that feature words like "usuper" and "traitor", but not spoken loud enough for the guards to hear.
The procession approaches a raised dais, on which sit a chopping block and a basket. Queen Ileosa accepts a hand from the tall woman to help her up onto the dais, and then raises her hands for quiet from the crowd.
"Fellow Korvosans! You have suffered greatly these past few weeks. Homes have burned, family members have died, and fortunes have been lost. I feel your suffering, for not only have I lost a beloved husband, but with each act of anarchy that followed, my heart bled more. This has been a trying time for us, yet the torment is at an end. Today we receive justice. Bring forth the prisoner!"
A low drum beat begins, and out of the castle is led a young woman. She certainly looks like Trinia, same face and hair, but dressed in a black hooded robe much like the ones you are wearing. She also looks oddly sedate for someone being led to their death, eyes unfocused, and looking like a slight breeze would knock her over. A guard is holding her arm to support her as she shuffles forward.
"Before you is the source of your anguish and pain. Do not be deceived by this murderer’s timid nature—she is a black-hearted assassin. I offer you her death as a salve against the hatred and hurt you have suffered."
The crowd begins to murmur. They were expecting terrified, solemn, tearful, or defiant. Swaying slightly while gazing into the middle distance would not have gotten good odds from a bookie. "Drugged", you hear a voice somewhere behind you say. "Ensorcelled" opines another. Regardless, it feels like the mood of the event has shifted a little; today is Not Fun Anymore.
”Crash and run?”
"We were given our instructions." Makall draws the hood of the cloak tighter about his head hiding his face and quaffs down the potion picturing Trinia in his mind. He knew some sort of illusion magic was about to be put on display here he just hoped it didn't get him killed.
Trailing behind Searok and keeping a tight grip on the little bottle in her hand. Glaring at the whole scene before her, as if her anger could make it erupt into flames. Nothing about this feels right but killing for entertainment never feels right.
Nodding at Makall's words and downing her potion with Trinia face in mind. This is going to land me in jail.
Shaeda thinks to herself, "how does a holy whore such as myself get into these circumstances? I can only assume the Sting has me here to deliver vengeance and right some wrongs." She remembers the face of the girl, Trinia, fixes it, and drinks the potion.
As you down the potions, you feel a slight tingle. Looking at each other, you see that you have each taken on the appearance of Trinia. Luckily, with the hoods of your cloaks up, and the crowd being fixated on the dais, no one around you has noticed.
Searok downs his potion and concentrates on an image of Trinia. When he looks at the others he wonders if he too looks like the human girl. Searok is already in a foul mood and this just makes him more so!
Up at the head of the crowd, the queen and her retinue are as oblivious to what's going on in the crowd as "Trinia" is to seemingly everything. Ileosa doesn't seem to have noticed the sea change the crowd underwent when the condemned made her appearance, or maybe she simply doesn't care.
"And so, without further delay, let us usher in this new dawn with long-delayed justice! May her blood wash our streets clean! OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
Two guards lead the condemned woman forward, push her down onto her knees, and lay her neck across the chopping block. Her arms are pulled around the sides of the block and bound to a peg in front of it, holding her in place. Throughout this she continues to stare at nothing, as unresisting as a ragdoll.
The drumbeat that heralded her arrival increases in intensity as the executioner steps forward. Around you, a few people find something fascinating on the ground to attract their attention from the spectacle on the dais. Others realize they left the laundry in the oven or the cat running, mumble their excuses, and turn to leave before the rush.
The axe is raised, the blade hangs momentarily in the air, and then falls...directly onto the ropes binding the girl's hands.
In the split second before anyone can register this, a bright flash of light engulfs the dais, and where the executioner once stood is the hero Blackjack, grabbing the condemned's hands and pulling her to her feet.
"Yes indeed, my queen! Let us usher in justice, but let that be justice for Korvosa, not this shambles you call a monarchy! Long live Korvosa! Down with the queen!"
For a second or two everything is moving in slow motion. Ileosa takes a step back in shock. Her armored attendant steps in front of her, reaching for her sword, but her hand trembling so much that she misses on the first pass. The two guards who bound the girl were too close to the flash and are still blinking fairies out of their eyes. The crowd are agog. "I thought he was dead!", "I thought he was a myth!" "I thought he was a she!". "Go Blackjack!!"
Ileosa is the first to fully recover, her face contorting into a snarl as she yells "Guards, seize him!". The voice of command snaps the guards out of their reverie and at last they dart forward, but are too late.
In a single fluid motion, Blackjack bows to the audience, pulls up "Trinia's" hood, and then leaps with her into the crowd. In mid-air you see him flicker slightly, and as he and the girl land among the four of you, you realize there are now six of you, all looking the same. Blackjack hisses a single word of instruction.
"Scatter."
Ileosa bellows something in your general direction but is interrupted because, in accordance with the universal laws of narrative causality, that's when the first tomato hits her.
As Blackjack hisses his order Makall looks at the others, "Meet back at the warehouse and good luck." With that Makall runs off through the crowd.
Twisting and looking around. Looking up at the macabre stage and as madness take hold she smiles and waves before running off into the chaos of the crowd and yelling, "Yep!"
Shaeda wastes no time. She tosses back her hood, revealing her visage, and bolts into the crowd, in a direction opposite the others.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Shaeda thinks to herself, "ahhh, running from the authorities, this brings back memories!"
The gathered Korvosans look in shock as they follow the escaping prisoner and vigilante's trajectory and realize there are now six identical Trinias in their midst. All of you run off in different directions, even the condemned one, who seems to have snapped out of her trance somewhat.
The guards draw their swords and wade into the crowd, shouting commands to let them through, but there are multiple targets to chase and the people are not being cooperative. People jeer, shove, throw garbage, and shout "Down with the queen!" and "Death to tyrants!".
Up on the dais, the tall woman in the armor is the only one not participating in the pursuit, having chosen to stay by the queen and block the hail of flung vegetables and horse apples as best she can with her shield. The queen herself stares ramrod still for a few moments, glaring at the chaos around her with her fists clenched before spinning on her heel and stomping back through the castle gates, followed by her bodyguard.
All this is happening behind your backs though, as you flee the scene. You have a much easier time of it than the guards, as the crowd mostly parts before you and lets you through, many shouting words of encouragement. Not everyone is on your side, but for each that seeks to impede you either out of respect for authority or hope for reward, there are three others to restrain them.
Reaching the edge of the courtyard, you quickly escape into the city at large and before long any sounds of pursuit are long behind you. It is not difficult to find alleyways to hide in, and within ten minutes the potions have worn off and returned you to your normal appearances. After that, merely ditching your cloaks allows you blessed anonymity.
After the failed execution of Trinia Sabor, things begin to return to normal for a spell. The events in front of the castle have spread to every corner of the city, becoming increasingly exaggerated with each retelling. Blackjack fought off twenty guards, Queen Ileosa swooned with desire at the sight of him, Trinia split into a hundred imp-sized duplicates which were seen joining together into a massive dragon outside the city and flying away, etc.
But there were enough witnesses to keep the record mostly straight, and a few times you even hear toasts made in taverns to whoever the brave patriots were who prevented a grave injustice from occurring without a single drop of blood spilled. Though your identities are unknown, your deeds have become local legend.
Korvosa is quiet for now, perhaps boringly so - even the steady stream of lucrative jobs Cressida was sending your way have ceased. The queen hasn't been seen in public for some days now, with rumors flying that she is too humiliated to show her face, or that she is even planning to resign and quietly meeting with her advisors to determine the royal succession. Other minor items of interest going on in the city include that a new branch of royal guards are said to be recruiting, possibly in light of the somewhat humiliating performance the city guard gave at the execution. A ship called the Direption sank in the Jeggare river for no clear reason. There's rumors of sickness taking hold in some of the poorer districts. A petition circulating for a law requiring all House Drakes to be leashed and muzzled turned out to be the work of the city's omnipresent imps. Normal stuff.
Whether or not you are staying at Zellara's, that seems to be the address where people know to find you, and despite the quietness a few items of correspondence intended for you find their way there.
The first is a letter from Cressida explaining why she hasn't been in touch; it seems the rumor of a new branch of guards is true, the queen is Not Happy with how things went down in the courtyard, and the leadership of all the guardhouses are keeping their heads down and trying to look as diligent as possible to keep their jobs. Since spending thousands hiring freelancers both makes the enlisted guards look incompetent and leaves a black mark on the budget ledgers, that's why Cressida hasn't been sending work your way. She still thanks you for your services, and says if she can find a good task for you she won't hesitate. There have been no leads on Rolth Lamm, but she will keep you posted on that as well.
The second is a missive from Vencarlo Orisini. He writes vaguely about a mutual friend who successfully delivered some goods "safe and sound" with your help. As thanks, he offers free lessons as his academy should you have some free time.
The third is a square package wrapped in brown paper, about a foot to a side. Markings stamped on it suggest it took a rather circuitous route getting here, being delivered from town to town so there's no indication of where it originated. Within is a rather nice painting of the four of you, unsigned. It was drawn from memory, and the proportions make you all look rather heroic.
The final arrival is a simple note stating that someone came by looking for Shaeda, found her to be out, and will call again tomorrow at noon and hopes she will be around to discuss a matter of importance.
Looking at the portrait Shaeda shakes her head, ”no halfling ever had t**@ that large, but hey, if history wants to remember me for those, who am I to argue?”
Shaeda will be ready for her caller on the morrow.
At noon precisely there's a knock at the door. It's a Vudrani man in his late twenties with curly black hair. He is wearing the white and gold robes and bears the golden key holy symbol of a member of Abadar's priesthood, not traditionally people who like to have much to do with Calistria and her clergy. He seems rather nervous when he speaks.
"Are you the woman Shaeda Stormborn? Only I was told you might be able to help me with a, ah, personal matter. Strictly private, can I count on you to be discreet? I have my standing to worry about."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Shaeda considers the man at the door. "not the usual customer," she thinks, but she knows her duty to Calistria. "Certainly, that is me, and helping people discretely with personal matters is absolutely what I do. Knowing you were coming by today, I managed to stake out a room we can use." She guides the man to whatever little out of the way closet, or bedroom, or kitchen she might have found available in the place. When they get inside, she pulls the tapestry across the door, as she turns to face her visitor, she begins to disrobe,"I know you Abadarians are very good about paying your debts, so just tell me, are you wanting the hourly rate, or to pay as you go by individual acts?" She points to the pillows, "I grabbed as many as I could in such a short time, I hope they are sufficiently comfortable."
Chuckling at Sheada's opinion on her portrait. Spending a few minuets looking over the painting and frowning at the lack of the signature. "I have never looked so competent."
"Er, what? I, um, don't think we're quite on the same page here. I was hoping to secure your services as a servitor of Calistria, not as...anything else."
"My name is Ishani Dhatri, and I am an Acolyte with the Bank of Abadar. My duties include administering to the sick, and it is about that that I wish to speak. I'm in a bit of an...ethical conundrum."
"As with all people in our line of work, my god only grants me so much power in a day, and trusts me to use it wisely. Church doctrine insists that I charge a fair price for my services. Which may seem cold-hearted to some, but with only so much magic to go around it is vital that we secure a fee, which can then be used to provide other services throughout to city, invest in long term economic prosperity, pay upkeep on the temples, etc."
This last line seems well-rehearsed, as if he's been using it a lot recently, particularly to himself as he tries to sleep at night.
"In any case, even if I wanted to make an exception, and give out spells freely, I'm tapped out. There is sickness in the city right now, a new disease we've not seen before, and it's all hands on deck. Curing one case might prevent a dozen others, and I must expend my magic where I am instructed to first, on those that can afford it. After that, I can render what aid is possible with herbs, prayer, and good advice. It isn't always enough."
"There is a case right now, a young girl named Brienna Soldado, who suffers from this malady. Her family struggles to scrape enough money to jump ahead in the queue, but I fear they will be too late. I visit daily and administer a draught that should fortify her system, and hopefully allow her to overcome the disease without magic, but so far no luck."
"Then it occurred to me; luck is exactly the problem. It was ill luck that she was born into poverty, that she contracted this malady, and that she struggles to recover from it now. What she needs is good luck. Abadar is a god of honest labors and planning, he doesn't rely on luck, and does not grant such powers to his servants. But those who serve the Wasp Bit-er, the goddess Calistria, often have luck powers."
"And I heard of you, and it is well known that halflings are extra lucky too, so I thought it likely that you were gifted with such magic. I beg of you, would you be present when I next administer my patient with her medicine? I may help her recover without forcing me to violate the tenets of my church."
Shaeda laughs as the man opens his speech. She goes to tie back up her halter, but doesn't appear to be in any particular hurry. She listens to the man's entire diatribe, and when he finishes she smiles, "You know, Calistria, like Abadar, covers down on more than one area of responsibility, right? Luck and trickery, sure, but also charm and lust! Nobody has ever come to me needing luck help, so lust help is my specialty. I would be pleased to aid you in the luck department, but are you sure you don't need any help with your other problem first? I know how you Abadarians like to keep your pencils sharp, after all."
Ishani tries very hard to find something else in the room to keep his gaze on.
"I, er, I'm sure. Very. Shall we go?"
The two of you travel to a small community northeast of Korvosa called Trail's End. It's obviously very poor, populated almost entirely by native Varisians and Shoanti, with none of the Chelaxians that make up most of Korvosa's upper classes in evidence. Luckily halflings fit in everywhere, so you don't get any dirty looks. Ishani does, probably due to his robes identifying him as a member of a very Establishment Friendly church.
The Soldado home is a squat two story building that's in need of repair, but the inside is clean. Ishani lets himself in, as he's been here the past few days and is expected. There are two children here, Charlo and Rello, drawing at a table, and a ragged child's cough heard from upstairs indicates the presence of Brienna. After a moment, the children's mother comes downstairs and Ishani introduces you to her as Tayce Soldado.
Ishani excuses himself to the kitchen to prepare the medicinal draught for Brienna, leaving you with Tayce and the kids. Tayce offers you a cup of tea, and sits down by the fire. She looks like she hasn't slept in days.
"Thank you for coming. I'm sorry I'm not a better hostess at the moment, but we're all very tired. Brienna can't eat and is up all night coughing, the other children are staying down here with me so they don't fall ill too, and we don't have much food to offer because we're trying to save money right now."
That last comment is accompanied with a glare toward the kitchen, but then she sighs and merely looks forlorn. "I shouldn't be cruel, I know there isn't unlimited magic, and he's come by every day after his duties to help where he's allowed to. It's just the injustice of it all that angers me so, my child's life is in danger, and the city won't lift a finger to fix a problem they caused."
Ishani's voice calls out from the other room. "Be reasonable, ma'am, you don't want to be heard making accusations like that without any evidence."
”Here now Mam, Those Abadarians do good as they see it, but they always seek a profit. I don’t say such is wrong, but it isn’t the way of Calistria. If there is malice behind this ailment, then a proper revenge, says I, is to heal the little one of it, and revenge, well, revenge is exactly what we Calistrians excel at. So, let’s see about putting some things to right, and after, you can tell me who, and why, you think is to be blamed.”
"Ready", says Ishani, stepping out of the kitchen. He's holding a cup of liquid that smells strongly of cinnamon and anise. "This herbal remedy may not be magic, but I've seen it do wonders for the throat and lungs. We don't know much about this new malady, but our diviners think it's fungal in origin, so with any luck treating the symptoms and killing it are one and the same. And speaking of luck, your aid should double our chances."
He leads you upstairs, where a small bedroom lies. In the bed lies a small girl, made to look even tinier by the size of the bed and the pile of pillows, blankets, and afghans that surround her. A red rash is creeping up her neck and onto her face. She seems asleep, but as you approach her eyes flutter open and she mutters something about shields and irises, but interrupts herself with a fit of coughing.
"Feverish," says Ishani. "She goes on like that sometimes. The first time I came she was lucid enough to recognize me as a priest and tried to make a confession. But she got confused halfway through and seemed to think picking up litter and gathering wildflowers was stealing. Please ready your abilities."
Once Shaeda has used her power, Ishani pinches Brienna's nose and slowly pours the liquid down her throat.
"I'll wait here a while to see if there's any effect. You don't need to stay, feel free to head downstairs if you like, but don't leave just yet. Regardless of whether this works, I can't let your services go uncompensated, and will be down shortly."
Shaeda takes on her more formal priestly role. She dons a stole emblazoned with wasps. She ties the leather straps of her phylactery behind her head and adjusts the box to be in the middle of her forehead. She wraps the length of her whip around her arms and hands. She kneels and prays at the bedside. She will stand the vigil as well.
For around half an hour you kneel in silence, listening to the girl's labored breathing, punctuated by the occasional coughing fit. Eventually however, you realize that the sound is much less hoarse, and she hasn't coughed for several minutes. Ishani hopefully places a hand on Brienna's forehead.
"Fever's broke! And she's breathing much easier! She's never had so positive a reaction to the medicine before."
He mumbles a prayer of thanks and then stands.
"This is wonderful news. I'll have to visit a couple more times to be absolutely sure, but I think we succeeded. Look, even the rash is beginning to recede."
He starts to rummage in his satchel of herbs and reagents.
"Just as I cannot extend charity to others, I cannot accept it, so you must be rewarded. I have little money to my name, I spend much of it on these materials. The church provides me with components of course, but I'm not the most gifted spellcaster, so I supplement my meager abilities with alchemy when possible. I likely would have expended these trying to help the girl in any case, so I see no reason that you shouldn't have them, as I hopefully won't need them now. In any case, they will eventually help someone."
He gives you two vials of Antiplague, two of Bodybalm and one of Soothe Syrup.
Shaeda frowns and does not accept the items. ”Surely you can use these items with your other patients, yes? It is payment enough for me to see the child breathing so much better and on the path to recovery. How about we hear out the family, and understand why they say the city caused this.”
"I could, but as we've seen today, they'd work better for you. For me, these are a poor substitution for magic, for you they can be augmented to increase their likelihood of working. If we're lucky and the few cases of this disease we've seen are all there is, I will never need these tools, but if not and Korvosa is at risk of an epidemic, then they would be more powerful in your hands."
Heading downstairs, Tayce is overjoyed to hear her daughter is on the mend, hugging both Ishani and you. She has to be convinced not to rush upstairs immediately, as Ishani believes Brienna needs sleep. Eventually you manage to coax the reason for her accusations out of her.
"It's that ship, what's it called, the Direption. The city sank it with trebuchets as it sailed up the river and the sickness started spreading right afterward. The ship had orange lanterns; an indication that it was under quarantine. And black sails, indicating it was from Nidal, that's a terrible place full of dangers. By sinking it in our waters, the whole city may be exposed to whatever plague it was carrying."
Ishani is not convinced. "Tayce, it was fired upon because it was being sailed by a band of pirates out of Riddleport. The sails and lanterns were an attempt to enter the city unchallenged, as no one would want to get near a Nidalese plague ship. Or do you really think a crew of people as ill as Brienna was able to pilot a ship a few hundred miles out of Pangolais? I know it's tempting to find someone to blame, but these things just happen. Getting people in a panic will just make matters worse."
Shaeda nods, as she listens. ”Dear woman, I cannot say that what you say is true, nor can I say it is false. I know that you believe it, and thus, I will promise you that I, and some friends, will look into the matter. On this, you have my word.”