"Perhaps the spider-thing had it right. Maybe we should take over Eel's End. Not to deal in shiver...but maybe we base ourselves here for the work we do for the guard. It might discourage others from taking these ships back for ill deeds."
Ayako sighs. I do not know. We are just four and have no contacts, connections or real power beyond our weapons and magic. The other women at the brothel now have no madam to help protect them... Ayako looks downcast.
"We now have connections to the Queen and the Guard. Maybe not as strong as we would like, but if we leave Eel's End without a leader, surely some thug will fill the gap. We could speak with Cressida about finding another leader for it or burn it down. But if we burn it down, we leave those women with no home at all."
Burning it down would no doubt spread to the rest of the city and get us jailed.
"There will always be Devargo's in this world best we report back and mind our own business before it gets us killed," Col proclaims a bit surly.
Ayako sighs. We would get in major trouble if we burned it down since it would threaten the city. Let us head back to Croft and report and then rest to heal, Sebastion and Col are still suffering the effects of spider poison, I can help to purge it from their systems.
"We can go back. I do think we should see what the Field Marshal thinks we should do about Eel's End." Nadya joins the others returning to Croft.
Ayako follows.
You arrive back at the Citadel around 2 am but Cressida is sleeping so you also rest in the barracks and report to her in the morning. Cressida awaits you in her office and asks for your report.
"Welcome back friends. How did your mission go? Were you able to find anything we can use against the ambassador? Did Devargo give you any trouble?"
Ayako will start long-term care on Col and Nadya.
Providing long-term care means treating a wounded person for a day or more. If your Heal check is successful, the patient recovers hit points or ability score points (lost to ability damage) at twice the normal rate: 2 hit points per level for a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 hit points per level for each full day of complete rest; 2 ability score points for a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 ability score points for each full day of complete rest.
You can tend as many as six patients at a time. You need a few items and supplies (bandages, salves, and so on) that are easy to come by in settled lands. Giving long-term care counts as light activity for the healer. You cannot give long-term care to yourself.
Action/Time: 8 hours.
Ayako looks rather haggard when she enters Cressida's office. She spent near all night stitching and purging her allies after the poisoning from the spider's webs.
We have recovered information on the ambassador. As for Devargo, on our own we decided that he was going to die since he was visibly abusing one of the city's pseudo-dragons and promised more torture to it. We engaged in combat with him and an Ettercap ally named Chittersnap and slew them both.
"Which also leaves Eel's End without a leader. We had hoped Madam Halvara of the House of Clouds might be able to step in, but Devargo killed her after learning she was working with us."
"We believe that the ettercap was behind the production of shiver and was using Devargo for his own sinister purposes," Col adds.
Later, Col rests in his bunk submitting to Ayako's skillful ministrations.
"I never understood how Devargo controlled those spiders of his. I suppose an ettercap could explain it... And don't worry about Eel's End being without a leader. I'm sure someone will worm their way into position soon enough. They always do. But perhaps now we can get some guards into the area and get it under the proper law."
Cressida blushes as she reads the scandalous letters and quickly passes them to a clerk for safe keeping.
"These should work perfectly should the need for some leverage against the ambassador ever come up. Thank you again for your help with this. I am rewarding your group with an additional 500 gold. Also, while I can't legally award you anything for disposing of Devargo, "for going above and beyond in Korvosa's service", I'd like to award each of you with the pseudodragon's mark, a medal that symbolizes that you are a champion of Korvosa."
"I have no more work for you at this time—things are starting to return to normal in Korvosa at last, but unrest remains in the air. I'll makes sure to contact you at the Three Rings Tavern if I need your services again."
Ayako nods. Thank you, I think I'll take some well deserved rest.
Ayako will spend time after sleeping to keep taking care of Nadya and Col along with Sebastion as needed. At times, long thin needles poke out of their bodies and some purgatives are administered and smelly herb packs wrapped around puncture marks, but before long, their bodies are cleansed and fit again.
While everyone recovers, Nadya continues to look over the items that the group has been unable to assess the value of so far.
Two weeks pass by while you rest under Ayako's care. During that time, a funeral is held for Halvara in the Gray. There is only a small attendance, mostly prostitutes from the House of Clouds and a few other patrons of Eel's End. Although she is well known and liked, few would be openly associated with her. The sermon is pleasant and then she is buried in the ground. Fresh yellow daffodils adorn her grave. While you are out there, you find time to visit the Grand Cathedral of Pharasma and check in on the orphans that you previously rescued who are all doing well under Kepirra d'Bear's care.
You also find time to visit the markets and sell the goods you procured from Eel's End. It has been weeks since Eodred II's death, and things are finally starting to get back to normal in Korvosa. Yet still the streets thrum with unrest and wild rumors. Crime seems to be on the rise, with pickpocketings, robberies, and assaults skyrocketing. Some still hiss "usurper" and "murdering harlot" at the mere utterance of Ileosa's name, and more shockingly, rumors that the king's death was not of natural causes increasing. Most of the rumors purport that someone poisoned the king and the queen herself has become the primary suspect in these rumor mills.
However, a few days ago, a report was released from the Castle that a confession was given by a Korvosan Guard that a young woman named Trinia Sabor murdered the king. Word has it that Trinia Sabor is a pretty young artist who painted a portrait of the king not half a month before his death. Eodred's chamberlain secured the girl's services, hoping that regular visits from the artist would improve his health and spirits. The guard swears he was part of the young painter's plot and saw her slipping a specially prepared poison powder into Eodred's tea the night he took ill and her portrait of him was completed.
This confession, repeated in the presence of Sabina and several Korvosan Guard officers, triggers a city-wide hunt for the young artist. Word of the confession spreads rapidly, and the guard's apparent suicide (a leap from one of the towers of Castle Korvosa) cements Korvosa's anger. In no time, Trinia's name becomes a household word, and once again riots threaten to erupt in the streets. This time, however, the cries are not for the queen's death, but the death of the king's "true" murderer—Trinia Sabor.
On this morning while you are having breakfast at the Three Rings Tavern and chatting with the owner, Theandra Darklight, a breathless Korvosan Guard bursts in with a message for you.
"Field Marshal Cressida needs to speak with you immediately, and should be arriving in a few moments."
Ayako attended the funeral as a quiet, pale shadow and said a few words of appriciation when her turn came. She thanked Halvara for her kindness during her darkest time and for giving her the chance to develp other skills for survival. After the others had left, she stood by the grave for a while before visiting her mother's and then returning to her cot to stare at the ceiling until she fell asleep.
When the guard arrives at the tavern, Ayako tenses. We're not going to the castle? This is very..unusual.
Col pins his Pseudodragon's Mark to his right breast pocket as he readies himself to meet with the Field Marshal.
Sebastian is sullen during the debriefing. He doesn't like the thought that all their efforts at Eel's End were temporary fixes, but he brightens at the thought that there might be some proper law and order. "If you're looking for volunteers, I'd gladly take up a patrol."
His eyes go wide as Croft awards them the pseudodragon's mark, and he wears it proudly. I wonder if Sabina ever got one of these?
Sebastian joins the others at the funeral. He hardly needs to be concerned about scandalizing his family, and it's their fault Halvara was dead; a notable appearance was the only honorable course of action. He pays keen attention to Ayako's words, hoping to glean some new information about his mysterious companion, but she glosses over any details that might help with the puzzle.e Glancing over the other guests in attendance, he spots the girl from the House of Clouds that he never made it back to. Momentarily struck by a crisis of conscience, he ponders the appropriateness of propositioning a prostitute mourning her madam. After careful consideration of all sides of the matter, he decides that such misconduct was really the only way to properly pay his respects to this particular deceased. Before he makes his move, he glances in the direction of Vincent's grave. I know I said I'd visit soon, but he'd understand. There are matters of honor to attend to.
Weeks later, he's having breakfast with the others at the Three Rings Tavern when the message arrives. "It must be something important," he agrees with Ayako. "Maybe they've found Trinia Sabor?"
"If you're looking for volunteers, I'd gladly take up a patrol."
Sebastian (and any other party member) patrols the streets for a few days. He is either lucky or unlucky depending on how you look at it because despite the unrest, he sees very little excitement.
On the sixth day of his patrol, he encounters a chatty patrol of Sable Company Marines who let Sebastian pet their hippogriffs and will even take him up for a ride if he wishes.
On the eighth day, he encounters a group of off-duty castle guards who gossip and give Sebastian a little more information about Trinia.
"I've seen Trinia a few times in the castle. She's a hot piece. With her innocent eyes, golden hair, and lithe frame, all the castle guards were gawking and murmuring as she came and went. It's common knowledge that King Eodred II had a thing for younger women. That's why he married Queen Ileosa after all. Before his murder, I caught, the King gazing wistfully at the girl's charms on more than one occasion. She would spend hours in private audience with the monarch. Lucky guy. I bet Ileosa seethed the entire time. She's definitely the jealous type."
Moments later, Field Marshall Cressida Croft arrives with a contingent of guards and asks to go up to your room upstairs for privacy and stations a few guards outside the door. It is clear that she is nervous and worried.
"You've doubtless heard the stories that the king's killer has been named. Yet there's something more going on here, I'm afraid. Queen Ileosa could have quietly had this Trinia Sabor arrested at any time, yet the way in which she revealed the information to the city seems to me like she wants the riots to come back. Certainly, with the mob and the Hellknights out on the street, the girl doesn't stand a chance at a trial—they'll lynch her the moment they find her. And even if she did kill the king, mob justice isn't the way. Worse, if she's innocent, the real killer can use this distraction to throw us off the trail forever."
"Before Trinia is executed, we need to be absolutely sure she did this thing. And that means we need to catch her before the mob. We know where she lives—a flat in Midland at 42 Moon Street—but soon, so will the mob. The Hellknights don't seem to care as much about catching her as they do about containing the mob—something about the "order of law" makes it a greater priority for them to contain than a possible assassin. I can't say I disagree completely, but the problem is, the Hellknights are only making it worse. The mob's covering most of Midland now, and Trinia's flat is near the middle of the mess. I've got all available guards at work keeping things from getting any worse—and if I were to send them into Midland, they'd trigger a riot."
"I'm sure you can see where this is going. I need you to get into Midland, find Trinia, and bring her back to me so we can deliver her, safe and sound, to somewhere where she can be interrogated—preferably with magic, so we can be absolutely sure about her role in Eodred's death. Get in there, catch her, and get out without letting the mob get its hands on her. I'll have agents and officers nearby. If you can get her to one of them, we'll be in the clear. Any questions?"
Nadya surprises herself and joins Sebastian on the patrols figuring it is a way to get to know the parts of the city she has never visited a little better.
"I'd love to hear why you think the Queen would want the riots to return, but that doesn't seem relevant to the task at hand. You've given us her flat, but what if she has already fled? What does the guard know about other associates of Trinia?"
Ayako patrols with the others as well. Atop her mighty battle cow, she keeps a keen eye on the streets and while have a short flight on a hippogriff as well.
At the tavern, Ayako is puzzled along with Nadya. Indeed, the queen though remains a mystery since we only had one oppurtunity to even interact with her. We should head out right away to find Trinia.
Cressida responds, "I wish I new why the Queen wants the riots to return. I'm loyal to the crown but Queen Ileosa knows nothing about ruling. She is young and arrogant and married the king for his money, not for any love towards him or Korvosa. This wouldn't be happening if the Seneshal Neolandus Kalepopolis was around to guide her hand, but he mysteriously vanished shortly before the king's death and hasn't been seen since."
"If Trinia has fled, track her down and hope you get to her before the mob does. The Guard honestly doesn't know much about her. She was never convicted of any crime in the past. She lives up in the Shingles and as far as we know was well liked by her neighbors. She doesn't have any known associates."
"I can promise you a reward of 1,000 gp if you can deliver Trinia safe and sound to a member of the Guard. I urge you to be off as soon as you can as every minute you delay is one more minute for the mob in Midland to grow."
The seneschal of Castle Korvosa, Neolandus Kalepopolis commands the defenses of the castle itself, and is regarded as the second most powerful individual in the city, behind only Queen Ileosa Arbasti.
The Shingles came into being only a few decades ago, when urban renewal projects on Endrin Isle pushed Old Korvosa's poorest people into Bridgefront. As people flooded into the area, they quickly ran out of room. Taking a cue from Kaer Maga, they built upward, with lean-tos and shacks creating impromptu third stories on many of the ward's buildings. These temporary third stories gave way to more permanent additions, which in turn received tents and shacks atop them. Over time, this progression of haphazard permanency gave rise to a ramshackle wall of residences reaching as high as five floors in some places.
These cramped and irregular roof lines gave homes to some of the city's poorest and most desperate people. The children of these impoverished people grew up on the roofs of Bridgefront and thought little of traversing the ward by moving above it. Over time, they learned that other sections of the city with equally dense roof lines could also provide hidden and convenient paths. At first, these young daredevils only used the roofs as highways and called running along the rooftops "shingle dashing." As the practice became more common and different underworld elements saw potential in its use, permanent and semi-permanent waypoints, structures, and safehouses appeared on roofs throughout the most crowded parts of the city. Eventually, these rooftop communities became known collectively as the Shingles.
No accurate map of the Shingles exists, as almost by definition the neighborhood is in a constant state of flux. Generalizations, of course, can provide a basic overview of the Shingles' features within a ward, but exact directions to a particular residence or shop defy description. The Shingles do not exist as a continuous layer that blankets the roofs of the city. Rather, large swaths of Korvosa remain free of the phenomenon, with areas under the Shingles being large islands surrounded by clear roofs.
Humans don't live alone on the roofs of their fair city. Instead, an assortment of nasty surprises await unwary fools traversing the Shingles. Everything from imps and stirges to shingle spiders and chokers hunt above the city, ready at any moment to snatch inattentive prey. Parents in the parts of the city under Shingles frequently threaten unruly children with visits "from the chokers that live on the roof." Much truth exists in this threat, however, as chokers sometimes snatch up their prey from top-floor balconies or by reaching down into chimneys.
"Lets get going then," Col states. Along the way he shares what he knows about the shackles and Kalepopolis.
"I agree. I don't think we need any more information." Nadya joins the others hustling off to find Trinia and shares what she knows as well with Col, Ayako and Sebastian. She casts mage armor on herself along the way just in case the mobs or Shingles inhabitants get out of hand.
Entering Midland is relatively easy but you are forced to take pains to avoid the main streets. Several times, you need to take detours to avoid crowds of angry mobs or Order of the Nail patrols.
Eventually you arrive at the tenement in which Trinia is said to live and find the place in a densely built section of the city, a place where, at ground level, direct sunlight is a rarity. Above, jury-rigged catwalks, overhanging roofs, lines of laundry, and homemade bridges of rope and boards create a cluttered tangle, a multi-level mess of gutters, upper floors, and rooftops. This is the slum above—a place known as the Shingles.
In many ways, the Shingles is like its own sub-ward of the city of Korvosa. Here, in shanties built atop roofs, on the upper floors of otherwise abandoned tenements, and amid jungles of chimneys, peaked roofs, and eroding gargoyles, are vagabonds, thieves, monsters, and perils to match those found in the most dangerous slums. Stirges haunt gutters here, as do nests of imps. Pseudodragons lair here too, although in their frenzy to keep the imp population under control, the little dragons often cause nearly as many problems as do the tiny outsiders. Criminals use the Shingles as a highway to move about unseen by the guard. Worst of all are the chokers, hideous aberrations with long boneless arms who have taken to the Shingles with a tenacious fecundity that has resisted all attempts to date at eradication. Stories of chokers wending arms down through chimneys or upper windows are common, and serve as the primary reason most citizens avoid climbing above the second floor in regions the Shingles overshadow.
Majenko flits about in the air and gives the party big puppy dog eyes. He seems undisturbed by the dangers nearby. "Meesa like this place. Can Majenko go play? Meesa come back. Meesa promise." Before waiting for an answer, he's already off and out of sight among the maze above.
As you begin to search for Trinia's flat, a middle-aged woman dumps a chamber pot from the second floor that nearly lands on top of you.
"Ho, down there! Watch where you're walking! Haven't you seen the mobs about? Best get out of here while you can!"
Yes, yes. You can go play. Just be careful..*sigh*
Ayako avoids getting dumped on and glance sup in irritation. Yes, Ma'am, we won't be a bother.
On the way to the tenement, Nadya searches through a tattered book, hoping against hope that it might have a little information about how to find a likely dirt poor artist in the Shingles. Starting to feel somewhat discouraged, she looks up as the woman nearly dumps a pot of nastiness on the lot of us. "Yes ma'am. No bother. But we are looking for a local artist. A young woman. Would you happen to know one in your building?"
"I might.." The woman replies. "But that depends on whose asking. We aren't looking for any trouble around here."
We would like to look into getting a painting done. A small one in memory of a departed friend.
"This old tenement is full of starving artists. Any of them would be happy to do it for you. But don't you think that could wait until these riots stop? Are you trying to get yourselves killed? You're not part of the mob looking for Trinia are you? If you are, I have another chamberpot with your name on it."
"We are trying to help Trinia and protect her from the mob," Col remarks. He considers his words for a moment and then adds, "What do think will happen to her if the mob gets their hands on her."
"Ma'am, my companion speaks truth. We are seeking Trinia. We'll keep her safe from the mob."
Indeed, we do not want any harm come to her.
On the way to the Shingles, Sebastian gossips with the others. "Some of the other guards were talking; apparently Trinia spent a lot of time with the king before his death, painting his portrait or something. They say she's quite a sight to behold. The king's attention even made the queen jealous! In any case, that much time alone with the king certainly gave her plenty of time to plan her assassination."
Sebastian yelps and jumps out of the way just in time to avoid being splashed on by the chamberpot. He glares up at the woman while the others plead their case.
"Well call me a softy, but I believe you. You might have more trouble convincing the others to let you by though. We all love dear Trinia and are very protective. You've come to the right place though. Her flat is on the third floor in the southwest corner. Anyway, come up quickly before the Hellknights spot you." The woman lowers a ladder and helps the four of you up before pulling the ladder back up and stowing it away.
From up here you can see that Trinia's old tenement is almost like a college dormitory. It is three floors floors high and contains two dozen flats, many of which are homes to artists, singers, students of the university, and other craftsmen, most of which are hanging out on the walkways creating obstructions.
You don't make it far before two strong young men block your path. "Hey newcomers! I think you a little lost. Its best you just turn around now. Trinia doesn't need any outsiders' help."
"If the likes of you are protecting here she needs our help more than she realizes, Col remarks to himself. "Now lads move aside or take us to Trinia before the mob gets here," Col informs the young men.
Nadya smiles and says in return, "I think Trinia needs all the help she can get. Half the city is out to get her. You two keep watching this entrance and we'll go help her directly."
I am but a humble healer fro The Greys, Hellknights and the Queen's guards would make no effort to even attempt to convince you otherwise. Please, let us meet with Triania.
One of the boys lets out a shrill whistle. "Well, Trinia's been real good to the people in this tenement. She was very generous with the money she made from painting the king. All of us were living well for a short while. What are you waiting for? Go help her."
The two boys step out of your way. You continue across a rickety walkway with no banister, then a narrow beam over a collapses floor that was never repaired, and finally arrive at a flight of stairs going up to the third floor. Unfortunately, it is blocked by three university students and a strange sculpture which looks like a collection of junk nailed together.
One of the students turns to you. "Sorry, but this way is going to be blocked for awhile. It took us all morning to heft this thing this far. We need to get it to street level and then to the Acadamae for our transmutation project but we can't risk moving it any further for fear of the mob destroying it."
Another student chimes in. "But you could take the long way around. I think if you make two rights, then a left, then go down some stairs, cross the bridge, go up the ladder, make another left, then another right, that might lead you where you are trying to go too...I think."
The third student responds. "No its definitely two lefts, then a right, then up stairs, go through the hole in the wall, and make another two rights. But I heard rumors that chokers hang out on that path. I've never used it myself. It's probably best just to come back later."
Col, Sebastion, have any tricks up your sleeves that can help us past this?
"I bet the boys could help these students move the sculpture a few feet to once side so we can slip on past. That sounds like more of a sure thing than the long way around."
"Boys, your project is going to have move. We don't have time to go around," Col informs the lads.
"I'm sure with all of you working at it, that it can be safely moved. Col and Sebastian will be very careful."
"Oh of course; what were we thinking?"
Sebastian and Col go to move the statue and find it to be surprisingly light. You can't see any reason why the three students couldn't move it themselves. After you move it to the side, one of the students whistles loudly.
"Wow! I am impressed. You are not anyone I want to mess with. I suppose you can get past then."
It's not difficult to find Trinia's flat from there. A narrow walkway leads up to a simple closed wooden door marked "42". There are no windows on this side that you can see.
Ayako feels a bit foolosih.
Col approaches the door marked 42 and knocks. He says through the door, "Trinia, open up before the mob gets here."
There is no response from inside.
I think it is doubtful she will open the door for us considering she probably has reason to think we would be part of said mob.