Col cleans off his gear and checks to make sure the prisoners are secure as he readies to leave. "Best take the pigs too," he suggests.
Ayako makes sure that Sir TastyBacon and Lady PorkChop are present when they head out with the wagon.
Col and Ayako go to remove the pigs from their pen and find out that the pigs are ravenous and ill-tempered. They need to be subdued before they can safely be removed.
Anyone in this room can make a Perception check.
Under the water trough in the southern pen, the Cow Hammer Boys have dug a small hole in which they hide their earnings from their mercenary work. The stash consists of several bags, and in all contains 450 gp, 740 sp, and 800 gp worth of assorted pieces of jewelry and gemstones.
Ayako tosses the pigs some grain to ease their grumpy tummies and lures them out with some dried apples from her rations.
Col begins to help Ayako with the pigs when he notices something is not right with the water trough in the southern pen. He moves over and searches the area. He walks around for a few seconds, circling the trough. Abruptly he bends down and moves the trough a bit and finds a small hole underneath it. Col reaches in the hole a removes a bag shaking it as he holds it up to Ayako, "Jackpot." He begins to remove the rest of the holes contents.
Indeed. If any of you use bows, the arrows are a nice weapon as well.
As the party heads back to the Citadel, Sebastian converses with Verik. "You seem an honorable fellow. This Vimanda must be quite the beauty to convince you to turn on the Guard like you did."
The party gathers up the guards and animals and carts them all back south to Citadel Volshyenek.
Verik answers Sebastian's question along the way. "Oh yes. Vimanda is quite beautiful. But then again, all the Arkonas are."
The Arkonas are one of Korvosa's oldest noble families, and thanks to their strong ties and regular trade with the distant country of Vudra, one of Korvosa’s wealthiest. Rare and exotic imports from Vudra guarantee the Arkonas' continued wealth, and it was on this backbone that the family rose in power to become the de facto rulers of Old Korvosa, the large island just north of the city proper. The family's own open acceptance of all manner of vice has certainly influenced the growth of Old Korvosa, yet it keeps things under relatively tight control nevertheless. They are viewed as heroes by much of Old Korvosa's lower class and as troublemakers by most of the rest of the city.
After your brief travels, you arrive back at the Citadel. Once the gate guards see what your wagon is laden with, they send for additional soldiers to aid in processing and transporting the deserters into holding cells. The guards aren't really sure what to do with the animals, but grudgingly say if you insist on leaving them here, someone will find a home for them.
By the time you reach Field Marshall Cressida Croft's office, she is prepared to receive you. She is sitting behind her desk with a smug look on her face and a hefty sack of gold sitting in front of her.
"Well met friends. I see your mission was a stunning success. I had a good feeling that you were the right people for the job from the moment I met you. Here's your reward." She indicates by sweeping an open hand towards the bag. "There is the thousand gold as promised plus an additional four hundred gold for returning the four other renegades alive. Verik and the others will be questioned and sentenced for their crimes. However, before I speak with them, please debrief me on what you discovered on your own."
The Cow Hammer boys, as the other men who were with Verik styled themselves, were a small gang who attached themselves to Verik as part of a cover. While they indeed sold meat from cows and pigs, they also hired themselves out to kill people and chopped them up for...sale. Verik for his part was motivated to provide actual services to the people of the city by offering them food. He had no knowledge of the murderous activities of the Cow Hammer Boys. He does have very strong problems with the current powers that be which led him to desert.
Col nod his head in agreement at Ayako's remarks and adds "Verik is an unrepentant traitor who tried to kill us when we attempted to apprehend him. Further, he only surrendered to our authority when he was shown damning evidence of his compatriots heinous acts"
Sebastian gives Col a sharp look, refusing to let such a slanted version of events be the last word. "You're just mad that he knocked you out. We attacked him first, and when Nadya was in trouble, he was the first of us to come to her aid! Turncoat or not, he still has honor."
Ayako know nuffin.
Col can't help but laugh at Sebastian's remarks, "You nobles and your sense of honor. The honorable thing to do was keep his vow and not rebel, the honorable thing to do was be responsible for those you lead in rebellion. It would have been honorable for him to surrender the first five times we asked."
He shakes his head, "We had the law and authority on our side Sebasian but his honor refused to recognize it. Yes I attacked him first, after he was given ample chance to surrender. I was forced to act when I did because we gave up a good tactical position to run around like monkeys trying to convince him to surrender.
A little louder, "So excuse me for not singing his praises for helping us out of a trap he put us in." These Nobels always stick together. "I guess all his actions are justified because in the end he acted with honor. I don't hear you singing Karralo's praises who in the end told the truth about what was going on, oh wait he isn't a Nobel. Sorry I forgot me place your highness." He says sarcastically as he makes a fake curtsy.
"Ahem!" Cressida coughs at the two men's spat. "Gentlemen, please. As far as I know, neither Sebastian nor Verik are nobles. I thank you for your reports and will take all of your insights into consideration. In my opinion, Verik has always been an opportunistic man. He rose through the lower ranks at blazing speed to achieve Watch Sergeant. But he's never been brilliant by any stretch of the imagination. He has little more going for him than a fit physique, piercing eyes, and a winning smile. He couldn't have come up with this idea on his own. I appreciate you returning him alive so I can interrogate him thoroughly. And his lackeys were certainly no better. To think that they would resort to murder for pay. It shames me that they were once considered part of the Korvosan Guard. I hold my men to higher standards than that. Those four will almost certainly hang. As for Verik, we'll see. But even if he is spared, he won't be seeing the light of day for a long time."
"Since you performed so admirably. I'd like to continue our arrangement and have you assist with another job that I think only you can help me resolve. But let's not talk business again so soon. You've earned yourselves some rest. Why don't you head down to the Three Rings Tavern and relax. Theandra will take good care of you there. Just be careful along the way. It's getting dark and the riots still have not fully subsided. I'll send word for you in a day or two."
Col begins to head for the three rings tavern and mulls over Cressida's comments, what does she mean Sebastian isn't a noble, with his talk of honor and who his sister is he must be a noble. Why else would Sebastian stick up for the man? He asks himself.
I will await word of our next job. Ayako replies as she leaves with the others.
Does anyone here need more healing? I can examine your wounds at the inn and provide care while we rest.
Upon leaving the Citadel, Sebastian parts ways with the others. "Enjoy the rest, friends. I'll be along later, but I should check on my parents. Mother will be worrying about me with all the commotion last night." He gives them the address of the smithy where he can be reached at if the need arises and heads off.
The party takes Harborview Boulevard all the way north heading to the Three Rings Tavern. Along the way, Sebastian breaks off from the group and heads home.
A well-maintained sign bearing three gold rings mark the tavern entrance in the Five Corners district of Northpoint. Inside the tavern is quiet and warm. Despite the recent turmoil, business seems to be doing good and half the tables are full. A large Shoanti barbarian stands by the door. Tattoos cover the man's muscular arms and bald head. He watches you like a hawk with barely concealed disdain as you enter. A matronly woman stands behind the bar, wiping it down with a rag in her three-fingered hand. She looks up and smiles at you as you enter.
"Welcome to the Three Rings Tavern." she calls.
Ayako nods to the woman. Hello, I am Ayako and this is Col and Nadya. I believe Cressida has sent word to you that we are employed by her and can room here? We'd like board for three, please.
"Ah yes. The Field Marshall did send word to expect you, although she said there would be four of you. The name is Theandra Darklight and this is my tavern. Please make yourselves at home. I've taken the liberty to arrange two rooms for you upstairs. Don't worry about payment. You already have a tab set up and if I know Cressida, she'll probably pay it off for you as well. She's dealt with adventurers before and knows how to treat them well. If you'd like, I can have a maid draw you hot baths. And if I'm not being to forward, it smells like you all need it. I bet there's a good story behind that and I'd love to hear it if you've got the time. I used to be an adventurer myself before I took to a settled life. But as you can see," Theandra holds up her mangled hand, "Even the settled life can be dangerous. That's what my cheerful friend Tauk Par is here for." She nods at the barbarian bouncer. "You never know who might come through that door." Tauk Par just grunts in response.
As if on cue, two hellknights, still in their demonic full plate armor burst through the front door. Despite the empty tables, the move to a table near the fireplace occupied by two local fisherman patrons and roughly grab them by the collars and throw them to the floor. "Worry not, men."One jokes to their victims. "The law is being served." Both knights recline in the chairs and rudely put their muddy boots up on the table. The other knight slaps the nearest serving wench on the ass. "Two ales and the house special, on the double! Slow service can be construed as an obstruction of justice. Rounding up the rabble in this city is exhausting work."
Tauk Par moves to intercept the pair but a glance from Theandra stops him.
"Best not get involved, my friends." comments Theandra. "Even though you're with the Guard, the mercenary law-keepers have the backing of the Queen. You don't want to cross them if it can be avoided."
Col knows good advice when he hears it and leaves the HellKnights alone. Col takes a sniff and wonders if it is cow or pig he smells and concludes that it is definitely pig. With a frown he says to Thendra, I'll take one of those baths and an Ale while I wait. He sits down keeping one eye on the Hellknights and thinks, All of a sudden I am really missing Sebastian.
Ayako sniffs a bit. Maybe we should pass on livestock rustling. A bath would be fine. Ayako sits down with Col and waits.
It doesn't take long for your baths to be ready. During your wait, the hellknights are increasingly rude and obnoxious but no trouble starts because everyone is too afraid. A young girl leads you upstairs and down a hallway. She opens the first room and let's Col in. Nadya and Ayako are let into the room next door. The rooms are cozy. Each has two beds and dressers. A window faces west and overlooks the street; you can see the Heights rising up in the distance; a crescent moon illuminates the city. A wood and paper partition separates the bath from the rest of the room. A large brass tub steams with freshly poured water.
Ayako sighs and slips into her bath after layign her clothes out. The heat feels nice on her leg and she makes sure to scrub well to get as much of the smell of pigs and blood off of her. She will then put on some clean clothes and meditate on a chair.
Col quickly undresses and is all business in the bath. Once he assured that the reek and gore of the slaughterhouse is removed he dresses again and retires to his room.
Arriving at home, Sebastian clambers up the wall to his bedroom window. Discarding his bloodied and damaged armor, he walks downstairs to confront his parents. "Mother? Father?"
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"Oh Sebastian! You're home." replies mother. "You know I really wish you would just use the front door like a normal person once in a while. You just up and disappeared the other night. We were worried about you. With all the recent riots we weren't sure if something happened to you or not. Why didn't you let us know where you were going? Oh gods, you stink to high heaven. Were you crawling through the sewers or something? You know those sewers are dangerous. Why I saw an otyugh burst straight through the pavement just this morning and swallow a man whole. Tragic really. Thank Abaddon that the Sable Company spotted it and put it back in its place before more people were hurt. The marines said the angry mobs are stirring the creatures up. I really wish these riots would end soon. I share the people's sentiment though. Queen Ileosa certainly has made her disgust for this city known in the past. But it's not like King Eodred II was a good king either. Typical royalty. Korvosa will carry on. We're strong people. Well now that you're home you can help with dinner. I was just about to finish up. Stir that pot over there. Oh, but make sure you wash your hands first; I don't want any of that sludge getting in my food. I'll go summon father. He's out in the smithy. He'll be happy to see you too."
Sebastian is relieved to hear his mother's voice. He'd learned long ago that it was just better to let her talk rather than trying to interject. After washing his hands, he stirs the pot as commanded.
Over dinner, he presents his parents with a small purse of 25 platinum crowns. He explains away the gift by telling an abridged, more-than-slightly-edited version of the events of the past day, playing down the danger of the encounter with Verik and completely skipping over the incident with Gaedren. "Oh! When I was at the palace, I saw Sabina! She's doing very well, sends her warmest regards."
"Oh yes, we are so proud of Sabina. She's really done well for herself. I do wish wish she'd come visit her dear old mother and father, but now with the Queen's rise to power, I'm sure she's going to be busier than ever. At least we know she's doing well." says mother.
"That's quite a payout you got their, son. It seems like this gig with the Guard is paying off. Now that you have a real job, maybe you can be more like your sister and make something of yourself. As much as I appreciate the help around the shop, you can do better for yourself than that. Put those expensive sword play lessons we're paying for to some use. You should give up on these "adventures" of yours and stick to government work. That's where the real opportunities are. But I'm proud of you, son. Good work." says father.
Meanwhile, back at the Three Rings Tavern, the rest of the party calls it a night and rests comfortably in their beds. However, come the morning, Ayako wakes to find Nadya restless in her bed and sweating with a fever. Her hands refuse to stop shaking.
Col, on the other hand, unaware of Nadya's plight, wakes pleasantly to the smell of freshly baked sweetbreads and pastries wafting up from the common area below.
Ayako checks Nadya and then rushes over to Col's room. I'll be right back, Nadya!
Ayako knocks on Col's door. Col! Nadya is sick! she might have caught something from the muck in the pit we fought the reefclaws in!
Ayako then hurries back to Nadya and gets her healer's kit out. Hold on!
We might need to get you to the temple.
Ayako treats Nadya's disease and determines she's contracted the shakes. She wipes Nadya's sweat with a cold moist cloth and administers a herbal brew to reduce the fever. Thanks to Ayako's healing touch, Nadya feels slightly better but her limbs refuse to cease rattling. She will be okay to travel but will require time or magic to recover.
Sebastian takes his father's ironic advice in stride. After dinner, he helps his mother clean the kitchen before retreating in his room to collapse in exhaustion.
The next morning, he cleans and repairs his leather armor in the shop before excusing himself to visit his fencing master at the Orisini Academy.
This is more like it, Col thinks as he dresses and takes in the sweet aroma making its way into his room.
Refreshed an rejuvenated he makes his way downstairs to the common room.
Ayako sighs, Nadya will need long-time care without magical aid and such spells are beyond Ayako's skill. She keeps Nadya warm and will head down to discuss the matter with Col.
The common room of the Three Rings Tavern is surprisingly bustling for this time of morning. Breakfast clientele sits around the tables chatting, drinking coffee, and eating pastries.
Col is sitting at his own table when Ayako comes down the stairs.
The famed sword school stands in the heart of the city’s ancient center. Its grand archway and balcony shade a pair of wide and ornate oak doors, the knockers carved in the shape of an imp and pseudodragon locked in mortal combat. The sound of steel on steel and the soft whisper of leather soles issue forth. Vencarlo answers Sebastian's call and welcome's him at the entrance way. Inside men and women, mostly young scions of noble houses, dressed in white from head to toe and wearing meshed-wire masks practice the many elegant skills of fencing. One of the senior students is leading the class in exercises.
Vencarlo Orisini is a tall man of advanced years, yet with a twinkle in his eye and a bounce to his step that hints at a vibrancy and inner fire of a man under half his age. He wears his salt-and-pepper hair pulled back tightly into a bravo's top-knot. His eyes are a cast of deep green like the ocean after a storm. He is of Old Chelish blood, and it shows. Orisini wears black leather gloves to ensure the oils of his skin don't rust the pommel of his shining steel rapier.
"Ah, Sebastian. How are you doing, my friend? Have you come to train or are you here on other business?"
Ayako sits down at Col's table, ordering some coffee. Col, Nadya caught a disease called The Shakes when she was in the pit at the butcher's. I managed to help her from getting worse but she will need several days to recover unless we take her to a temple for healing. I can give her some long term care to help her recover her coordination.
Ayako sits down at Col's table, ordering some coffee. Col, Nadya caught a disease called The Shakes when she was in the pit at the butcher's. I managed to help her from getting worse but she will need several days to recover unless we take her to a temple for healing. I can give her some long term care to help her recover her coordination.
Col listens to Ayako while he chews on a pastry. As the gravity of the situation sinks in he puts it down and says, "Orc Nuggets! Damn that Verik, we should have gutted him from the beginning." He calms down and takes a breath offering, "I've got gold lets take her to a temple.
The temple of Pharesma is farther away than the Abadrian one, I suggest we visit the Abadarians first. I'll get Nadya ready. Ayako heads back up.
Col follows Ayako upstairs to give her a hand.
Ayako, Col, and Nadya head up the street to the nearby Bank of Abadar.
The Grand Vault of Abadar towers over the surrounding buildings. The elaborate temple is adorned with rich decorations and high, thick stained-glass windows featuring vivid yellow glass that casts a golden hue on everything within the church. Steep stairs lead up to the temple's great bronze doors.
The doors of the temple are closed and a poster hangs from the door which reads, Normal business hours are between 8 am - 3 pm on Moonday, and 8 am - 5 pm Toilday through Fireday. We are closed on Sunday except for religious services.
Two Abadaran priests flank the entrance wearing obnoxious golden armor. One hails you as you reach the top of the stairs.
"The Bank will be opening shortly. Please wait outside unless you have other business with the church."
Col eyes the ostentatious outfits of the priests, This is going to be pricy. "Move aside this woman is sick and in need of healing," he says as he tries to make his way up the stairs.
Ayako lightly place sher hand on Col's arm. Please just a momment. She then turns to the guards. Please good priests, this woman is very ill and we are here to purchase a divine miracle of Abadar in order to speed her rcovery. We ask to be let through so we may meet with the clergy.
"Of course, my lady." the guard replies and pushes open one of the doors. "Please proceed within an a priest will attend to you."
The three of you head inside. The interior of the temple is just as ostentatious as the exterior. The meticulously well-kept structure is filled with white marble floors and columns. The first floor holds
a few small side shrines and counseling chambers, but the majority of its airy halls are given over to the business of banking.
Since the bank hasn't officially opened yet, the hall is empty except for a few Abadaran acolytes. On of them approaches you as you enter.
"Welcome. May Abadar bless you with profitable transactions this day. My name is Ishani Dhatri. How may I be of service? It appears you friend here is sick. Please follow me and we can discuss the matter further."
Ishani leads you into a side office and motions for you all to sit. "Please sit still, and if you don't object, I'd like to scan your female friend for disease so that I can better diagnose her."
Ishani shuffles through a cabinet and pulls out a scroll. "Ah yes. Here it is. Now this will only take a moment." He lays the scroll flat on the desk in front of you and reads off of it to cast detect disease. Ishani's eyes glow with a golden light and he scans the area in front of him which includes the three of you.
"Oh dear me. Your pale lady here has acquired not one but two diseases. Visibly she is suffering from a disease called the shakes. It is a terrible disease that causes an individual to shake uncontrollably. Many of the empties in this city spread this dreadful affliction. Has she encountered any homeless recently? She may have caught it from there. Secondly, I detect another disease called filth fever still in the incubation phase. This disease is often transmitted through contact with fetid sewage or rats. It is also rather unpleasant and causes high fever and rashes. I also detect this filth fever incubating in you, young man." He points to Col. "Let me guess, you are an adventuring party and you've been through the Vaults lately. Anyway, I am not here to judge your life choices, but I can certainly cure you. It will be 150 gold sails for each casting of remove disease. One casting will remove all diseases from a single individual, so I would only need to cast it once on the lady and once or the sir. The tenets of my faith do not allow me to provide this service for anything less than market value. If you cannot afford this amount, I can unfortunately only offer you a simple herbal recipe that will help manage the fever as your body naturally fights off the effects."
Most cities have sewers. Some can even claim dungeons and deep caverns beneath them. No city, though, has a complex system of subterranean tunnels quite like the Vaults of Korvosa. Modern Korvosa stands atop the remains of at least two other civilizations and integrates both of them in its design. As a result, the origins of the Vaults of Korvosa can be divided into several categories: burial mounds, natural caves, and worked tunnels.
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I knew it, this is what happens when you deal with the merchant priests of Abadar. They milk you dry, this one probably can tell just by looking how many coins I have in my purse. He considers for a moment, I feel fine, I wonder if he is just playing on my fears.
He looks to Ayako, "What do think?"
Nadya's voice shakes when she speaks up. A sheen of sweat is visible on her brow and cheeks. "I've been sick before. I'm sure I can shake it Col. Give me a day or two at the inn and I'm sure I'll be better soon. The field marshal didn't think she'd need us again right away."
As he waits for the master to arrive, Sebastian takes a deep breath. The air in the school always smelled of sweat and steel, with warm undertones of hardwood from the building itself. For Sebastian, it smelled like the other half of home. Between the smithy and this academy, his whole life had been lived around swords. Sebastian had been fencing at Orisini's Academy for nearly a decade, having started when he was only eleven or twelve. After months of begging his parents to let him study just like his sister, he was gleefully enrolled in a beginner's class, and he'd never looked back.
"Master Vencarlo!" Plucked from his reverie, Sebastian bows to his fencing master. It had only been a few months since Sebastian had last seen the man, but it feels like half a lifetime. He was pleased to see the man, but this homecoming filled him with shame as well. The master's voice didn't sound reproving, but Sebastian couldn't tell if it was just a feint.
For years he had trained here, learning the classical stances and techniques, absorbing the history and theory of the ancient arts of the sword. But after Vincent's death, Sebastian had taken to refining his skills for real combat, mixing classical dueling with the practical street-fighting he would need as he hunted down Vincent's killer. Orisini had warned him against such a course of action, had tried to tell him that there were other ways, but Sebastian hadn't listened. He left the academy to train on his own. The practice had done him good, and he had the skill to kill with his blade. But in all that time, he had neglected to learn how to win a real fight without killing his opponent.
Last night, he realized the foolishness of his mistake. He'd gotten what he'd wanted; Gaedren was dead. But what about all the fights yet to come, where leaving bodies on the ground simply wasn't an option. He had been lucky in that street fight; if those men hadn't run off, would he have had to kill them too? And they had been just as lucky with Verik and his goons. Sebastian knew there was only one thing to do to rectify this problem, to make sure the good he did wouldn't be offset by the bodies needlessly left in his wake.
Sebastian answers with his head still bowed, unable to look Vencarlo in the face as he admits his wrong-doing. "Master, you were right. I have returned to train. If you'll have me."
Nadya's voice startles Col in a good way. At that moment he realizes the in spite of only knowing his companions for a sort while he has grown attached to them, even Sebastian. To the priest he says, "That sounds reasonable." He reaches into his purse and pays the priest.
"Very well then. Take these herbal remedies. It will at least help you fight off the disease on your own. And please try to keep your interactions with others to a minimum until you've recovered. We do not want to spread these diseases further. This can help us all. May Abadar's blessing be with you. I'll walk you to the door," says Ishani.
Ishani gives you two packets of herbs and escorts you to the exit.
"Of course I'll have you back, my son. You can lift your head up. I know we've had our differences but we're all family at the Academy. Come in and gear up. You can fill me in on what's been going on as we duel," says Vencarlo.