The chilling blue ray strikes home on Gobblegut leaving a very thin layer of frost on his scales as a crossbow bolt from Pia and a rapier stab from Rebecca hit home while Kamilla's arrow splashes in the water.
Roran repositiones himself around the pool and readies his sword till the Croc launches out of the water.
Feeling the pain in its back Gobblegut keeps his eyes on Pia and surges from the water towards her. Taking the moment Roran swings and catches Gobblegut solidly in the neck causing him to hit hard and fall limply against the edge walkway, still and unmoving. It doesn't take much to finish putting the Croc out of its misery.
Pulling herself out of the water, Rebecca sheaths her rapier at long last.
"Well, that went better than expected. I suppose it falls to me to take Gaedren's corpse to my former colleagues and explain what happened. I could use some assistance from someone to ensure that our living prisoners don't try anything funny on that trip."
Corwin surveys the scene before turning and plucking the dagger from Wren's hands and sheathing it, ignoring her protest. "I suggest we search the building for what evidence we will need to prove his guilt, otherwise simply showing up with a corpse may end up causing problems, even for you Rebecca. There is that door over there." Corwin says, waving his wand towards the closed door.
Rebecca shrugs. "More proof always helps, but between the testimony of your daughter, my client's daughter, our captives, any of the children that are willing to give it, and what was previously known by the guard about the late Mr. Lamm... well, I would say anything further would be more placing a stone lid over the already nailed down coffin lid of guilt, instead of simply nailing it shut." She smiles, the halo fading from around her head as she does.
Walking over to the dead man and his... trophies... Rebecca begins searching to see if anything strikes her as particularly incriminating or valuable.
Most of the items laying out are junk and have no value as evidence. Mixed in are seven palm-sized containers of a foul smelling paste. Hidden in one of the cabinets is a darkwood coffer. It's latched but not locked. Inside is 20 vials of a shimmering multi-hued liquid.
infamous drug Shiver. On the street the vials are worth about 25 gp a vial.
On Gaedrin's person you find a suit of finely crafted padded armor, a finely crafted dagger, a mwk hand crossbow, 7 crossbow bolts, a brass key just like the one you already have and a rusty iron key.
You catch a strange smell coming from the mall walled off room. Rebecca, you did smell it before but, now that you have time to properly "sample" it, you think it smells like rotting meat and heavy perfume.
Rebecca looks at the shimmering liquid with disgust. "Ran across a dead junky with this stuff once. Captain told me it was shiver, rather nasty stuff. Given the market value, he could have made 500 gold, easy. More if the particular addict was desperate enough." She closes the lid on the vials and sets the box in her sack.
Walking up to the closed door, Rebecca holds as hand in front of her nose.
"Smells like whatever died in here he covered with perfume to try to make more pleasant. Probably was meant to feed the croc." Taking a breath, she opens the door (unlocking it first if need be).
Once the croc dies and the adrenaline starts to wear off, Pia has to sit down. Not caring she's sitting on the edge of a water pit with a dead animal that was just trying to eat her.
She briefly closes her eyes, breathing, letting the feeling of closure for Jonathan slowly infuse her.
Upon hearing Rebecca move towards the door, looking for the proof Corwin mentioned, Pia opens her eyes and gets up to follow. Perhaps she can find a reason why, the last remaining piece to the puzzle of his death.
Roran remians silent most of the time after the fight. Often giving glares towards Lamm, almost as if to say whatever he gets isn't enough. After a few moments he wipes his blade clean of blood and leans against the door. His normal cheery mood turned foul, his eyes burning like glowing embers of a slow dieing fire.
After a few moments a dragon head pokes in through the door to nuzzle Rorans shoulder. For a bit, a crack of a smile is seen on his lips as he pets the dragon's snout and silently walks outside. There taking a deep breath and sitting down against the wall next to Azreal. Everynow and then looking around through watery eyes to see if anyone responded to the noise the fighting made.
"Anyone badly hurt? I think I have a little left in me to heal."
Rebecca finds the door to be locked but after quickly trying the keys unlocks it with the rusted iron key.
Beyond the door is a foul-smelling room that seems to be a combination bedroom and study. A wooden bed with a lumpy mattress stands against the east wall, while a round table heaped with dirty plates, bread crusts, stained goblets, fruit rinds, and scuttling cockroaches sit nearby. At the foot of the bed sits a large strongbox; a slightly rusted lock secures it and a moldy ledger with pages rippled from moisture sits atop its lid. A sagging dresser filled with moth-eaten clothes well past their glory days is in one corner. What appears to be a wooden hatbox surrounded by a small cloud of flies sits atop this dresser.
Rebecca tsks as she walks into the former crime boss's den. "You would think he would have had one of his abductees clean up after him a little." Gravitating to the chest with the ledger, she starts by inspecting the mold tinged volume. After she is finished, she turns to the chest, seeing if what is within it.
Opening the ledger reveals pages cramped with text. While it is recognizable as Varisian it seems to be coded. It'll probably take a few hours of work to crack it.
While locked, the rusted iron key effortlessly unlocks the strongbox. Inside are 13 small cloth pouches tied shut with string, each containing one of the following items: narrow teak cigar case, 2-lb. gold ingot bearing the Cheliax coat of arms, a scrimshaw karken with garnet eyes, a silver ring bearing the inscription "For Emmah-the light in my nights, a highly realistic and detailed ivory figurine of two entwining succubi, 1 mwk Shuriken, 1 Adamantine Arrowhead, mwk Dagger with a strange almost key shaped blade bearing the inscription "For an inspiration of a father", an abalone shell holy symbol of Shelyn, some kind of oil in glass tube, an obsidian wand, a silver fluid in a crystalline vial, and an exquisite bejeweled brooch with broken clasp. The broach is easily the most expensive and ornate object in the small treasure trove.
The circular gold brooch depicts a house drake and an imp coiled around each other in an almost yin-yang pattern. The house drake's eye is an amethyst, while the imp's eye is an emerald.
Rebecca and anyone else in or near the open door to Gaerdin's den, mentally feel a strange pull towards the hat box.
As she passes through Gaedrin's treasures, Rebecca holds up the key dagger, taking in a quick breath.
"I wonder how he got this... the Key-Lock killer was never found, but I find it hard to believe that that ... that... slimy, leeching toad.... no, he had to have known him... or stolen from him."
Setting the dagger in her bag of evidence next to the Shiver, she proceeds to pass over most of the wands and vials, trusting that Corwin will be better qualified to identify them. Her hand finally rests on the brooch, and another gasp escapes the young woman's lips.
"Well I'll be thrice boiled and set out for the crows! This was stolen from the Queen herself!" Seeing the reaction on her companions' faces, she shakes her head.
"Not like that. She sent it of to some jeweler to be repaired about two weeks ago. The jeweler had a break in that night, allegedly before he had a chance to begin repairs. As the prime suspect in the case... well, let's just say that he will probably be happier than the Queen to find out it has been recovered."
The sound of the flies over the hat box draws the young woman's eyes to it. "Somehow I don't think that is just a fancy hat for church." Placing the broach into her sack, she leaves the rest of the treasure to gently inspect the box and the wardrobe it rests on for traps.
The wardrobe's and dressers are in a horrible state, with a mix of dry rot, rot and just general decrepitness there isn't much usable space to construct a trap. But giving it the careful look over Rebecca finds no traps. The box, while in better shape, ignoring the flies, is also not trapped.
The strange mental pull you felt as you approached the hat box seems to be coming from the small wooden box under Zellara's head.
"Well, whatever it is it isn't trapped, on the outside anyway. Well, might as well take a look."
The private investigator gently takes down the box and places it on the floor where everyone can see. Waving away the persistent flies, she gingerly opens the box, as if expecting a serpent or pack of rats to burst forth once she does.
"Sarenrae's mercy!" she unwittingly exclaims as the head is revealed beneath the flies. After a moment, she recognizes the features.
"Zellara! How? We just left you..."
"Pia, you speak with the city's dead, correct? It would seem that we all share that in common now. If that truly was Zellara back at her shop, at any rate. This is no recent acquisition... he has had her head for at least a fortnight, maybe more given the crude attempt to preserve it."
Reverentially, Rebecca takes the head out of the box and sets it beside it. "I wonder if these were her cards. She said that they were stolen from her, that her son got them back but was murdered for it. Perhaps Lamm wasn't satisfied with only the son." She takes the box Zellara's head was resting upon and opens it carefully.
"I propose that I take Gaedren's body to the Cathedral of Pharasma, and that you concern yourself with the ones still alive. I'll prepare his body for internment. Only the Lady needs to concern herself with the deeds of this individual now," Kamilla says to Rebecca.
When Rebecca finds the vials, Kamilla will take one out and hold it up to the light. "You're correct, this is indeed shiver, and you can be sure it's earned that denomination. I was addicted to it, some time ago, and even now, just the sight of it sends a shiver down my spine," Kamilla confesses as she swallows, her throat suddenly parched.
Upon the discovery of Zellara's head, Kamilla asks, "Then who or what did we talk to, who sent us here? I propose that we take care of matters here, then perhaps meet again somewhere, perhaps at Zellara's place, in a few hours?"
As Kamilla is attempting to pocket the vial, Rebecca holds out her hand for it.
"I am sure that your pocketing it was purely by force of old, broken, habits, but I will be needing that vial and its contents. For evidence." Though her voice is not entirely unkind as she says this, it is also firm and unwavering. "You may take the body to the boneyard, but we will need to present it to the guard as proof of his demise first. Knowing them they will have no objections to his departure to the cemetery immediately thereafter."
Rebecca shakes her head. "I know not. Perhaps her spirit... perhaps something tied to her taking her form, a familiar or whatnot... perhaps something else entirely. Regardless, you are right that we should investigate this further after we get this business finished. We can meet at her place if you wish, or at my offices in the East Shore."
Kamilla acts casually when caught, pretending she wasn't trying to hide it in the first place. "Oh, Gaedren had a lot of contacts on the street, I'd like to talk to them, they might know things. This vial would go a long ways to persuade them into giving up some information." she proposes vaguely. "After all, shiver isn't actually illegal in Korvosa, as I'm sure you know," she adds dismissively.
"I can accompany you to the guard house, if you want. Or maybe some of us should stay here, in case they want to investigate immediately? I'm not sure of the protocol they employ in these cases." Turning to the others, Kamilla asks, "What do you wish to do? Oh, I suppose someone will need to take care of the children as well," Kamilla adds after a moment's thought. "I'm sure the church of Abadar will gladly take them in."
Rebecca raises an eyebrow. "What further use would they be, given his organization has effectively been decapitated? Not to mention we are surrounded by an orgy of evidence to his guilt, complete with a ledger that, once deciphered, will likely lay bare all of his enterprises?"
Frowning, Rebecca takes the vial from Kamilla's hands. "I appreciate the thought, but unless something in the ledger indicates the need for reestablishing such ties it would likely end up being a waste of your time. The Guard won't pay you for it, believe me... even when Gaedren was alive I couldn't get their tightfisted quartermasters to grant me so much as a copper piece for information on him."
Placing the vial back in the box with the others, she then places it back inside her sack of evidence.
"As for procedure, no one needs to stay here. We will likely have to give statements, surrender evidence and our prisoners, and present his body prior to it being taken to the boneyards. Any investigation on their part will likely not commence until tomorrow, beyond possibly placing a seal upon the entrance to this place... assuming they feel motivated enough to do so." Rebecca's face sours as she says this, clearly frustrated with the local branch of the Guard's operating procedures. "They will also likely confiscate any treasure they view as valuable that they find within here. Some, like the bits I have been placing within my bag, will be logged as evidence, perhaps even returned to their owner. Others... well, they will just conveniently 'disappear' from the scene before they can be 'properly logged' as evidence." The sarcasm and contempt dripping from her words are almost as palpable as the stench coming from the late Zellara's head.
"Normally I am a 'by the book' type, but in this regard... if anyone sees anything I haven't already earmarked as evidence that they want, now would be the time to claim it. After all, Lamm was a thief, how would I know if he hadn't stolen it from you?" The hint of a smile graces her lips as she says the last sentence.
"Wren, I want you to stay by the door. There may still be traps or unknown dangers here. The Gods know that Lamm was a slimy eel."
Corwin begins by casting a quick cantrip and surveying each item as they come across it, following Rebecca closely as she works, but allowing her to lead.
Seeing the ledger, Corwin's eyes narrow. "Rebecca, I would appreciate it if you let me take that to attempt to decipher it. There may be something of interest. As for the other items, I suggest we take them all. It may be difficult for them to be returned to their rightful owners, but I don't believe that they will get the care that they need from the Guard, no offense. It is likely that the owner of these...trophies is deceased and the family will be pleased to have something returned to them."
"I wonder how he got this... the Key-Lock killer was never found, but I find it hard to believe that that ... that... slimy, leeching toad.... no, he had to have known him... or stolen from him."
"Well I'll be thrice boiled and set out for the crows! This was stolen from the Queen herself!" Seeing the reaction on her companions' faces, she shakes her head.
"Not like that. She sent it of to some jeweler to be repaired about two weeks ago. The jeweler had a break in that night, allegedly before he had a chance to begin repairs. As the prime suspect in the case... well, let's just say that he will probably be happier than the Queen to find out it has been recovered."
"It is unlikely that Lamm was the serial killer. That just doesn't sound likely considering his demeanor. Nor did he seem to be much of a thief. I would argue that perhaps he knew the killer?" Corwin shrugs and continues to examine the objects.
Corwin is taken aback by the revelation that Zellara is deceased, and has been for some time.
"Poor Zellara. Kamilla, can you take her remains to be buried as well? I feel that her unquiet soul deserves that final bit of care."
Kamilla is reluctant to let go of the vial, her knuckles whitening. "Well what about the children, have you thought of that? Who knows if the ones that we liberated here were all of them? There might be more out and about, and when they see this place has gotten ransacked, there's no telling where they might go. I might be able to find them, I might still know some people."
To Corwin's request, Kamilla answers, "Of course, I won't be able to reverse the rot that has set in, but I should be able to halt it, perhaps do some reconstructive work. Do we know if she had any living relatives?"
"She is being very insistent..." Rebecca thinks to herself, frowning while the other woman holds onto the vial like a mother to her child.
"A little too insistent... especially for a woman who not two minutes ago admitted former addiction to the vial's contents. Gaedren's remarks upon seeing her confirm that admission. Perhaps he was her dealer once. It would also explain why these 'friends' of hers would want the vial... assuming they exist in the first place."
Locking eyes with Kamilla, Rebecca gives her a smile that has equal parts pity and sorrow.
"I think I see now. The lost children will be fine. Between those that take up Mrs. Verlaine on her offer of shelter and the two we have in our own care, we shall ensure that no stragglers remain bound to this corpse's enterprise by ignorance." The halo from before begins to slowly manifest itself around the aasimar's head once more, though it is clear that she isn't quite conscious of it this time.
"The same can be said of most of us now, I hope. Corwin and I were bound to him by missing children, now recovered. Rowan and Pia were bound by vengeance, now slated. How about you? Are you still bound to this snake of a man by tendrils that escape his grave? Is he laughing at you whilst he awaits his turn for judgement by your Lady of Graves?"
Rebecca gently lets go of the vial, turning her hand over so that the palm faces up.
"It is time to let him, and all of his trappings, die and be forgotten. Give me the vial. You don't need it. And doing so will allow you to laugh at his bloated face as you put it in the earth."
Her hand beacons for the vial, inviting Kamilla to let go of it on her own accord.
-The Red Liquid filled vials might be healing potions but you have little confidence in that. There are definitely faint magic auras coming off of them, regardless.
-The other vials are vials of acid.
-The oil is an Oil of Keen Edge.
-Detect Magic reveals a faint evocation aura but you're not sure what spell it contains. More testing will be needed.
-The silver fluid is Silversheen.
-The ivory figure has no magic aura or any discernable magic qualities. It is a fine art piece though.
She takes the box Zellara's head was resting upon and opens it carefully.
As the small box's lid creaks open, an aged yet artful and masterfully crafted deck of harrow cards is revealed. Even with the thin layer of dust on them, the artwork magnificently stands out. It strikes a familiar memory as it is an exact copy of the deck 'Zellara' used earlier in the night to perform your reading.
After a little searching, you find that the cards that Zellara used to first contact you are all missing.
A spark of arcane energy glows from the deck as the cards that each of you possesses glows with the same energy and with a flash, fly through the air and are reunited with the deck, the text on the back vanishing as well.
"Sorry I can't do more." Pia tells the dragon before re-joining the others.
Off all the reactions to finding Zellara's head, Pia seems least phased, although curious. Upon Rebecca's question, "I don't so much talk to the dead, as they occasionally talk to me. Sometimes it's too many voices, sometimes it's one clear voice. Never had one walking and talking and offering food before."
After watching the Harrow Deck call it's missing cards back to itself, Pia continues her thought. "Very powerful spirits have been known to manifest phantasms or poltergeists, but even those are still obviously ghosts. Zellara's need of closure or her connections to fate magics must be strong indeed to do what she did."
"I wonder if her place would yield more answers or more questions." Pia states almost offhandedly and barely audibly, once her voice becomes tired from the recent burst of use.
Rebecca nods, handing him the book for perusal. "I have no problems so long as you share what you find. Perhaps we can go over it together later, I might be able to assist with cracking whatever cypher he was using."
"I agree that he is more likely to have known the killer in some fashion, especially given the inscription on the blade. 'For an inspiration of a father' almost makes the real killer sound like a son or protégé. Perhaps even one of his Lambs, grown up. Perhaps the ledger will have a clue, if it goes back that far."
"I see," she says to Pia at her explanation of her powers, "Well, I suppose on the lessor order of questions, that does make me curious as to whether the food we ate was real or a form of hallucination. And if real, where did a ghost manage to acquire it?"
Revealing the familiar set, the woman shakes her head. "It seems it really was her ghost, unless she happened to have a twin with an identical set of cards." As the word 'cards' leave her mouth, her own card returns to the deck, along with the others.
"Now that explains a few things. Like how you got the cards to us in the first place, and where they came from. I wonder what you would have us do with them, after you are resting. For now I suppose I will hold onto the set, until we can either find your son, if he yet lives, or find someone worth to use your legacy if not."
"I suppose a visit to her place is in order, no matter how many questions can be answered... if any."
Kamilla stares at Rebecca for a moment, then swallows as she drops the vial of shiver in her outstretched hand.
Scraping her throat, Kamilla recomposes herself, as if the argument never took place. "So, what's the plan now? I'll accompany Rebecca to the guardhouse, then drop off Gaedren and Zellara's remains at the temple. Perhaps we can reconvene at Zellara's place, after?" Kamilla inquires.
Roran gives a nod to Pia as thanks. Azreal will merely bow, the best a dragon can.
--
As he card flies out from his pocket. Roran Pokes his head in the door.
Wait. So our... contractor... has been dead for awhile now? That is... troubling. As for plans, Azreal can carry the corpses. It will be easier for him to do so than us.
Azreal looks mildly displeased at the idea of giving the bodies a ride, but merely snorts a nods. In Roran's head he hears. I'm glad you are so willing to offer my own assistance. to which Roran gives a sheepish grin.
Corwin takes a few moments to describe the items that he has perused. "As for those I was unable to discern, I will attempt to divine their magics tomorrow."
Corwin begins gathering up the items, but at the mention of the other children, Corwin pauses. "Ladies, I am concerned that we have overlooked something. Someone will need to remain here for some hours to ensure that any children that Lamm might have sent out on errands are safely gathered. Also, it is getting later in the evening. I do not want to go traipsing about the city, children in tow, in the dark. That would be...inadvisable."
"We should also take the moment to find out the origins of these children. They may not actually have a place to return to. Orphanages, like the one that Wren was at, are not known to keep places open for returnees. There are always needy children. Further, I am loathe to return children to some location like the pit that Wren had been dumped in."
Rebecca's smile deepens as Kamilla lets the vial slip into her hand. Giving the woman an approving nod, she quickly places it inside her sack of evidence.... safely out of sight, and hopefully out of the young woman's mind.
"That sounds like a good plan. Corwin, mind taking the other things besides the ones I have already taken? We may never find their owners, if they were stolen, but it is more fitting that we have them than they fall into the hands of thieves." Her face sours a smidgen as she thinks to herself, "Those honest about being so or those wearing similar garb to mine this fine night." "The croc can be left behind for now... Lamm and his unconscious associates upstairs are the ones we really would need help transporting to the Guard, Roran. Thank your... dragon... for us, but also tell him to be careful on the way over. The night guards can be a bit jumpy, and the last thing we need is for him to take a crossbow bolt from a trigger happy over caffeinated watchman."
Placing the harrow deck inside her belt pouch, she turns next to Zellara's head. Reverentially she places it back inside the hat box it was discovered in, sealing the lid. "Unless you want to carry her remains, Kamilla, I will do her that honor. I hope she finds peace now."
Wren squeezes past Azreal's head on hands and knees. Then she sidles up to Roran, looking him over.
"Are you really riding a dragon like a horse, mister?" she asks innocently. "Because that is AMAZING" she finishes with a broad grin.
a small smile breaks out on Roran's face. Yea, but not as amazing as you doing it. He says, and before she can respond picks her up and places her on Azreal's back.
Azreal turns his neck and head to face the girl before saying. Hold on tight. And takes off, keeping low to keep from causing to much of a ruckus, and flies around the building twice before landing again. The pain from the wounds causes Azreal to grimace a moment. But it is quite clear he enjoys giving the girl a thrill.
After landing, he turns to the others again. To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what would be best here. I'll defer judgement to those more versed in the world of this city.
"We can always take the children to the church of Abadar, they usually deal with the Korvosan orphanages most closely. It's over in Northpoint, so it's not that far," Kamilla suggests.
"Aye, and your daughter should have a decent idea of whether or not the usual children were home tonight or not." Rebecca frowns. "Perhaps my family might be willing to take in one as a ward, though I doubt it. If my client's daughter, Amber, took a kinship to any of the others they might find a berth on her father's vessel when it returns. As for the rest, they are certainly no worse off now than they were prior to Gaedren's intervention into their lives for his sudden departure from them tonight. One problem at a time, I suppose."
"For now, the children who need it can stay at my place, I have food and blankets. It's late, let them get good meal and good rest, we can let them help us decide their fates in the morning. I have the room to spare, it's no rush for them. The older ones can keep an eye on the younger while we take care of our errands that cannot wait."
Pia looks towards the rickety ceiling, "Have we checked every place here we can, should make sure we didn't miss anything, or anyone. I think there were a few rooms upstairs?"
Given a few minutes, and a quick search reveals no other people besides the ones previously encountered. In the south-western room you find a composite longbow propped against one of the beds along with 20 arrows.
Roran picks up the bow, testing it's pull and nodding, then sighing. if no one else here would use this, I'd like to keep it. I don't see much value in this for evidence, and it's of better make and stronger draw than my pa's old hunting bow.
As Azreal contacts him, he furrows his brow. tell me, do those of you that live here know about any ordinary events of widespread fires across the city? If not, we may have more problems.
Rebecca nods. "All that would be, evidence wise, is proof they were armed at one point. Not a crime, even for them. Go ahead and have it."
Rebecca thinks a moment in answer to his follow up question.
Pia shrugs. "Maybe a fire bug?"
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"It isn't uncommon, during some celebrations. The closest one, Beltine, isn't for another two months though." Rebecca shakes her head. "No, this is something else. Perhaps a vigil for King Arabasti... his failing health has been causing a lot of concern, especially to the interested families and other politically motivated groups."
Unwittingly, Rebecca rubs her thumb over the crest and surface of her signet ring as she says this.
"Fires? Are we talking bonfires here, or wildfires?" Kamilla asks as she starts to make for the exit.
Wren squeals with delight and terror throughout the brief flight, but when they land she is quiet, and she dashes back down the stairs and across the room to Corwin.
"Father. I think the city is on fire!" excitement and fear evident in her voice, her voice rising as she continues, "I saw a bunch of big fires all over!"
"Are you certain Wren? There could be many reasons that there appears to be fires..." he stops as Roran has a blank look pass across his face for an instant, as if he is talking to someone distant.
tell me, do those of you that live here know about any ordinary events of widespread fires across the city? If not, we may have more problems.
"Hm. I am guessing that Azreal and Wren saw some amount of fire from their short flight. That is not good. I think we should figure out if we, and our new charges, are in any immediate danger." he says, following Kamilla up towards the street.
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once outside Roran will fly up with Azreal to get a better view.
As you all step into the open air you hear the clang of alarm bells drifting on the wind mixed with the smell of smoke. The chaos in the city is evident in the dark figures moving around a raging fire several blocks to the north along the riverfront.
Mixed with shouts and cries from across the city is the clang of metal on metal impacts and the occasional arcane detonation.
Roran quickly mounts Azreal and launches into the sky. Glancing around you both see fires raging all across the city, shadows cast by the flames moving frantically, and the sounds of anarchy echoing up to your ears.
As Roran and Azreal are flying a figure runs up to those left on the ground from the fire to the north, shouting, "Get inside, folks! It's not safe out on the streets!!!"
As he gets closer you can see the young man is part of the Korvosan Guard, probably not in for more than a few weeks, with many bruises and bleeding wounds, the worst of which is a big gash across his left temple and forehead that is bleeding heavily.
Kamilla looks around at the chaos, her mouth hanging open in surprise. She winces at a particularly loud magical explosion heard from far-off.
Kamilla adresses the wounded guardsman, "What in the blazes is going on? Is Korvosa under attack?!"