Luke's Crimson Throne Campaign

Game Master GM Crimson

Regeris kneels, looking to her as the group barks their retorts. "What is the full name of your organization? Who is your leader? What is your purpose? Where are you headquartered? Please, tell us how you will destroy us."

Seeing Nebbin intent upon guarding against any more of the Spiders rushing the bookshop and Regeris interrogating the prisoner, Kayleigh calls for Tassira to wait a moment and joins the mage in investigating the upper chambers, taking the lead in case there are any lurking dangers. As they examine the second floor, the cleric addresses her friend.

"Tassira--we need to check in on your mother again. Between Madame Carington's dreams and our own, I think your mother knows more about what's going on than she let on. Remember finding that crystal ball on her during our last visit? I think she was trying to spy on or otherwise figure out what was happening while she was under the effects of shiver. Her life may be in danger."

Perception Check (general searching--2nd floor): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

For the moment Emi stands down and listens while Regeris questions the woman. She does add a demand.

"I want you to explain that." She points at the dead spider thing.

The cultist closes up when Regeris pulls himself near.

"I'm prepared to die for my faith," she says quietly, her bravado giving way to fatigue. "You got all you're getting from me. Do your worst. Do it now. While you can. The true answers to all your questions will be apparent soon enough."

When she hears Emi's question, she smirks.

"Sorry, but you killed the person who could best explain the ritual. What does it look like? A nightmare? It's a dream, made real and loosed upon the waking world. A vision of your future."

---

Out in the front room of the shop, Ishan harumphs. He stands among the stacks of writings, a black bound tome in his hands.

I'll wait to see how much help Kayleigh gets from Tassira's roll before resolving the second floor search.

Heh. I was trying to nudge the folks who actually have higher than Kayleigh's +3 Perception modifier to search the upper floors while Tassira scanned using detect magic, but then Nebbin turned guard and Regeris started his interrogation.

All you have to do is ask Nebbin, and you know he'll look with you, sweetheart.

All you have to do is ask Nebbin, and you know he'll look with you, sweetheart.

Kayleigh likes the 'new' Nebbin who's not afraid to take the initiative and is self-assured enough to think for himself. Most of the time, anyways.

I may as well roll a Perception check for the third floor while I'm at it; not sure if we're going to hang around the bookshop for a more thorough search now that Ishan's apparently found the book.

Perception Check (guidance): 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 1 = 12

Discern lies is active, is she actually willing to die for her faith? Assuming a yes.

Regeris crouches down by the woman, realizing that she's not going to offer up much information. He calls over his shoulder. "Let me know if you need a hand!"

Rather than interrogating her further, he relaxes his stance. "Do you have any family? Someone who is looking for you or concerned about you?"

Tassira's blood runs cold at the thought of her mother involved with this... brotherhood of drug-addled lunatics.

"...I know." She admits.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Again, there's no back-down to the woman. There's no dissemination in her manner. Just venom.

"My family will find me... and you soon enough. We own Bridgefront now. The Guard... the Society... they're finished here."

Ishan looks over with what might be guilt when Regeris calls to him. He shoves the tome he was holding back into the stacks and starts looking around again.

"No, nothing over here so far. I got this area, you guys keep looking."

Regeris discerns part of a lie there, though.

---

Upstairs, Tassira spots several books that pique her curiosity, but nothing particularly magical. A detailed index of Demonology stands out on one shelf. On another she finds a tome on Vudrani Arcanum, which seems partly relevant. Just as she starts up the stairs behind Kayleigh she spots an herbalist's tome on Rose gardening, sticking out incongruously on a shelf of unlabeled texts. The Elven script on the binder is what caught her eye and opening it she finds the entire book is written in that language.

The old steps creak ominously as Kayleigh and her armor ascend to the third floor. When she gets to the top she realizes this place hasn't really been explored at all. The hallway to her left is completely dark. Beyond the open door at its end there's only enough light to see rough outlines, perhaps the power of a single candle. Directly in front of her is a door that no one has opened yet.

She's alerted to magical auras both behind the door and down the hall. The only sounds are the squeaks and groans of the old building as her friends move around in it.

Whoa! Lucky catch on that lie, Regeris!

Nebbin, not hearing any calls for help, continues to watch, to make sure the woman's words don't in fact come true. They have plenty of time to search, so there's no real rush.

Continuing to keep watch for now.

Regeris decides that any interrogation in the hope the prisoner slips up over time is not going to be worth it, he is interested in what Ishan has said though. He takes a moment to check the prisoner's binds before he makes his way over to the stack of books, eyes on Ishan.

Regeris' voice is gentle and chiding. "Ishan I was a Taxmaster for years. What did you find?"

Kayleigh winces as the stairs underfoot creak.

Am I putting on weight? she worries. How? When do we even have time to eat??!! The thought of the recent oliphaunt ears treat for the Lambs and a few late-night visits to the kitchen at the Temple of Aroden while she was tending to her poisoned friends come to mind and the priestess vows to do better to maintain her figure.

At the top of the stairs she shifts her still-glowing morningstar left to briefly scope out the hallway. Then she slowly starts to reach for the knob on the nearby door....

That should give Tassira time to warn Kayleigh; also, if the light from her morningstar actually shows something of interest down the hallway, she might not open the door yet.

"Kayleigh, wait." Tassira puts a hand on the cleric's shoulder. "There's magical auras beyond that door--don't know what they're for yet."

Knowing that the auras she detected downstairs earlier were enchanted gear carried by cultists, Kayleigh can make a guess as to what awaits behind the door--an ambush. She points back down the staircase, urging Tassira to retreat before following the mage.

If we make it back to the others, she'll tell them her suspicions.

Tassira retreats back downstairs.

"That was quick. Wasn't there anything up there?" Nebbin asks as they come down.

"We identified some magical auras behind one of the doors. We're not about to walk into another ambush."

Emi glances up from the woman at Nebbin.

"You taking that or do you want me to?"

Am I putting on weight? she worries. How? When do we even have time to eat??!!

Talk with Emi about it. Her abs are to die for. She'll put you on her all booze no food diet. That, and copious exercise in armor will have Kayleigh looking ripped in no time!

"Um. Nothing really," Ishan replies, but he's a bad liar. Regeris follows his guilty glance back to a section in the corner labeled 'Minor cults and Heresies'. When he steps over to the stack, he easily locates the volume Ishan hastily replaced. The spine reads, 'The Light of Hope'. There are three copies.

The Abadaran coughs self-consciously and tries hard to pretend there's nothing there.

"I-I'll just keep on looking through the books down here," he stammers.

---

Nothing moves at the door and no one pursues the ladies back down the stairs to the ground floor.

Who's headed up to provide security, and where is the search focused? The unopened door, or the room down the hall where the animated dream came from?

"Maybe Tassira and Nebbin--and Ishan--can watch the prisoner while the rest of us search the third floor," Kayleigh suggests. "Our prisoner should realize now that she can't outrun or outfight Nebbin. Plus, Tassira can always blast her with lightning. Hmm...we might want to check her bonds to make sure she hasn't already loosened them. After all, a cultist in hand is worth two in the attic."

The cleric winces; that tweaked proverb was supposed to sound wise, not goofy.

"Ishan--can you at least lock the front door to make it harder for our prisoner to slip away in case she is an escape artist?" Kayleigh takes a moment to secure the back door.

"Or maybe we could gag her and drag her along to at least the second-floor landing...."

Throwing out some ideas and worries.

Kayleigh can cast detect magic herself if needed. She'll ask Tassira exactly where the mage detected the auras so she'll have some idea if they've moved.

"Okay by me."

Emi hoists her falchion up to rest on her shoulder and walks over to join Kayleigh at the stairs.

She leans in and tells Kayleigh I doubt it's any more of this group. It'd be really stupid to stay in hiding until their friends are eliminated, then spring an ambush. They'd have joined the earlier fight to bring it to us from another direction and used their greater numbers to take us out. At this point all their advantages have been squandered. Of course who knows how a dream-spider-man-thing thinks?"

"Agreed--for the most part," Kayleigh whispers back. "But remember--some of the cultists tried to flee upstairs when the tide started to turn against them. I have no doubt there's an exit somewhat up there that leads to the Shingles. And it's not unthinkable that any late-arriving reinforcements might try to sneak in through that same exit."

Emi nods and proceeds up the stairs.

Emi will follow Kayleigh's direction on which doors to open, where to go etc.

Kayleigh casts detect magic downstairs and then slowly follows in Emi's wake up to the third floor before scanning for auras. She points to the corridor with the hand of her buckler arm and holds up the number of auras detected (was 1 when Tassira scanned); then she points at the door and again raises the corresponding number of fingers to auras (was 2 last time).

Realizing what's going on, Regeris reaches into his pack and produces his own battered copy before offering it to Ishan. "We're going to be working together more. You should read what we believe. No shame in that. This has my own notes - an Abadarian's own eye."

Hearing Kayleigh call out, Regeris quickly moves to lock up the shop. "Find anything?!" he calls out. "There were some ominous doors Emi and I didn't check because of the spider monster and everything!"

Nebbin looks unhappy. "Maybe we should bring her up with us, and I can be up there too in case anything happens..."

Do we really want to split the party again? That said, if others object to that idea, I'm fine standing watch. I'm pretty busy IRL right now, so don't mind having a little less to do in PBP.

Emi nods at Kayleigh's signals. She's not sure if they are supposed to also tell her what to actually do, but she's alright with the ambiguity. Emi takes them to mean "open the door first" because that's what she prefers them to mean.

Emi approaches the door and tries opening it.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

@Nebbin: Dragging the captive along is good. I'm worried she's not done trying to escape, though. Might want to gag her beforehand, however, so she can't call out if there are indeed reinforcements upstairs.

@Emi: Good call. By my math, two potential threats are bigger than one. :)

I don't want to drag this one out much further, moving us along. Final map update is posted.

The untried door proves to be locked but the pause is only momentary as Regeris's dexterity easily overcomes the device. Beyond it is a darkened bedroom. There's a desk covered with sundries, a bureau, a bed, a table, a barrel of water and a locked chest. The magical auras radiate from items on the desk and things in the chest.

Down the hall, all the furniture in the second room is pushed up against the walls, making space in the center for a circle of carefully arranged sand. The withered corpse of the last cultist lays across the circle, shattering its integrity on the near side. In the center of the circle lies the skull of some ruminant animal, most likely a bull. There's no remnant of the otherworldly apparition that Emi and Regeris first saw when they chased the cultist in here.

Against the wall is a short table with a thick black tome that lays open, a red ribbon marking the page. Other ribbons mark other pages in the book. The single candle burns low, casting inconstant light across the lines of black ink. There's a diagram looking very much like the circle on the floor. The script on the binding of the tome reads 'Scriptum Exterreri' - the book you came here to seek.

Beside the table is a crude banner of skin stretched over a wooden frame. Dark brown lines are written crudely across the skin to form a symbol that looks roughly like a mouth surrounded by the eight legs of a spider. At the foot of the banner is an ugly stain that looks very much like dried blood. Another shelf in the corner bears a notebook a black-bladed dagger with a pommel in the form of a curled up, dead spider, and a binder stuffed full of notes.

Kayleigh points out the items that detect as magical, adding that there's more inside the locked chest. After asking if anyone thoroughly searched the dead half-orc for keys and the like (I'm assuming the answer is No), the cleric jogs back downstairs to perform the distasteful task herself. She never looted a corpse before (beyond removing weapons and helping with the removal of armor, and the kind-hearted young lady finds herself feeling guilty and maybe even a little bit wicked while doing so. She reminds herself that these were cultists more than happy to doom everyone else in the world for their mad goals, but still.... It's also easy for her imagination to play tricks, and she half expects the dead half-orc's fingers to suddenly wrap around her wrist as she goes about her task.

If this doesn't turn up the keys we need, then it's back to the old-fashioned method: take 20s on Perception checks!

Emi saw the cultist turned practically to dust right up close with her own eyes. She doesn't touch anything that even hints at magic or cult shenanigans. She thinks it's best those people who know soemthing about such things like Tassira and Kayeligh handle it.

Instead she remains in the hallway, where she keeps an eye on the direction probably leading to an exit to the shingles. So

"So we know where the half-orc running this place was going quite a while back. All the other cultists either came in the front door or the back. If that's correct, who exactly was up here messing around with this stuff? That candle can't have been burning for all that long right?"

Emi will help Kayleigh look for that key if she wants help.

Regeris takes in the room somberly as he tries to identify what the hell it is they're dealing with.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"This book is... more important than I thought it may have been. I'm going to document this and then we should get the book, gather the others, and get out of here. This is an evil place and we should not tarry."

Regeris takes a little bit to find something to write with (hopefully not an issue in a bookstore) before sketching out the symbol and the altar.

Also casting detect magic and detect evil.

Nebbin continues to keep watch, trying to make sure no harm befalls the group as they finish cleaning out this final room.

"It's like it drained the cultist," he points out, "like a spider sucking all the juice out of a fly."

He's ready to leave here too as soon as they can.

Kayleigh's more thorough search of the half-orc turns up two small keys on a long chain under his armor and undershirt. One fits the strongbox that was under the counter. The other fits the locked door that the group just defeated. The strongbox contains more coin than you care to count at the moment (1,026 gp).

A further search of the bedroom turns up another ring of keys hanging on a hook behind a bedpost. These keys open the chest in the bedroom, the drawer of the desk, and some unfound lock. The magical auras originate with the evil-looking dagger (+2) and a collection of scrolls that are tucked in the desk drawer and rolled up in scroll tubes within the chest. There are five of these scrolls in total and a couple of them seem very rare (Vampiric Touch, Lightning Bolt, Apport Object, Decrepit Disguise and Catatonia). The chest also contains more of the queer, oily candles used in the summoning room. These are wrapped in wax paper and sit at the bottom of the chest.

Despite the party's theories, there are no obvious window-exits into the shingles on the second or third floors. There's no evidence anyone uses these for anything at all - they're drawn tight against the light of day and locked firmly with latches on the inside that don't seem like they've been used in a decade.

Regeris's scan of the room reveals no further sources of magic, and none of the items radiates any aura of inherent evil. His examination of the tome confirms his suspicions, and conforms exactly to Madame Carington's description. It's filled with dark poems and evil thoughts penned by an assuredly diseased mind. It also contains descriptions of foul rituals to achieve all kinds of wicked ends, and these pages in particular are marked by the ribbons. The tome definitely merits some dedicated study time to make sense of it all.

Tassira's eyes are drawn to the arcane scrolls Regeris finds. "...oh my, that's... that's some exceptional magic." She whispers, momentarily forgetting where she is.

Distastefully, Regeris loots the room. He takes care to grab the notes and notebook, the dagger, the scriptum, and the candles as well as anything of value or interest.

He pats Tassira on the shoulder. "Then make good use of it. Let's find the others and get out of this cursed place before we bring more misery on ourselves."

Grabbing the book and candles and we can rejoin the party.

Regeris heads downstairs to meet up with the others. "I have it. Are we done here?"

Tassira snatches up the scrolls.

When Regeris asks if the party's done at the book shop, Kayleigh holds up a key from the ring found in the third-floor bedroom. "We've got one more key than locks," she announces.

Not sure how well we searched the second and first floors. Maybe take 20 on some Perception checks?

Also, Kayleigh's really anxious about Madame Carington (Did she send the party into an ambush?) and Tassira's mom, but I think taking the prisoner back to Old Dock (or perhaps more wisely, to Field Marshal Kroft) takes precedence. If we took the cultist there, we could easily make quick stops at the Carrington shop and Vantyev manor.

Spellcraft *Potion ID, Aided*: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 11 + 2 = 22
Spellcraft *Potion ID, Aided*: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 11 + 2 = 31
Spellcraft *Potion ID*: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21
Spellcraft *Potion ID*: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30
Spellcraft *Potion ID, Aided*: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 11 + 2 = 17

Tassira gets to work identifying the potions.

With Kayleigh's help, Tassira identifies all the potions: Bear's Endurance, Cat's Grace, Cure Serious Wounds (2), Shield of Faith.

EDIT: After some further moving around in the shop, someone has the inspiration to try the remaining key on the front door and finds a match.

Kayleigh looks rather sheepish when the final key proves to be linked to the shop's front door. She dutifully locks up the shop before leaving. Before leaving the Night Market, she asks if anyone has any mundane equipment they'd like upgraded to masterwork quality via a spell. If the answer's Yes, she makes a quick stop to purchase the necessary components before the group leaves the marketplace.

Leaving Nebbin alone momentarily to guard the prisoner, Kayleigh asks the others what they're going to do with the cultist. Her preference is to take the captive all the way to Field Commander Kroft, even though it'll mean passing through a significant portion of Bridgefront. En route (or better, on the way back), the friends can check in on both Tassira's mom and Madame Carington.

Thoughts?

@DM Luke: Time of day?

Regeris nods quietly when they're discussing out of earshot of the cultist. "We could also feign an argument over whether or not to kill her, and let her go, and tail her back to wherever the cult is from. That said it would mean that the fall of the book shop and the fact someone else has the Scriptum would become known by the cult. That said if the market guard refused to get involved this is likely going to be news to them anyways. They must have spies."

I know I'm technically not near the conversation, but I figure I can whisper to help, since ... well, I want to! :)
"We ... haven't really been very good at stuff like that," Nebbin says after a few moments of thought. "I think we should take her to Commander Kroft. That seems like the safest thing to do with her."

Kayleigh agrees with Nebbin's assessments of the situation. "If they have lots of spies--or somehow recognize her from the dream Madame Carington mentioned, if that's even possible--well, there's not much we can do for Lady Carington unless we guard her at all hours. If we give our prisoner to the field marshal first, then at least she won't be able to report that we gave the book to Carington."

The time of day is middle-to-late afternoon. The group lingered at Helvara's before venturing below, met Ishan at Carington's sometime after mid-day, and had this little mixup at the bookstore on the far western extremity of the city.

I'll throw some navigational realities/possibilities out there to try and help guide the group through your decision where to go next and how to get there. Madame Carington's is very close by - you practically have to pass it to go anywhere else by any route. This map of western Bridgefront should help.

As you guys know, there are two principal ways to go to get down to the Citadel to see Cressida. Either by the first bridge that passes very near the Great Tower, or by traversing Wave Street the length of Old Korvosa and crossing at the plaza in front of the Temple of Aroden. There are other bridges over the Narrows, but once over they lead you to the same narrow walk down the length of the mainland-side of the Narrows to one of those two entry points. Other towers along the wall have gates that will sometimes let you through into Korvosa proper, but these are smaller choke points that are often closed, or only open to select folk. Of course, with your guard cloaks you may qualify as select folk.

The Vantyev estate is on the western side of the Acadamae hill, very near the Temple of Asmodeus. Easily reached if you take the western route over - totally out of the way if you traverse Old Korvosa and cross by the Temple of Aroden.

Citadel Volshyanek, where you would hope to find Cressida is in Midland, far enough away that it's likely to take the same amount of time to get there by either route - and far enough away that it will likely be dusk before you get there. You've heard that the Physicians have setup their hospice down in that neighborhood, very near Madame Zellara's shop, so venturing down there may carry the added chance of encountering them, for good or ill.

Two possibilities you haven't mentioned but I'll throw out there would be to take the prisoner to one of the active Constabularies in Old Korvosa. There are none in Bridgefront, but you could take her up to the Garrison Hill Constabulary or to Old Dock, where Grau Soldado runs the show. Your group hasn't met anyone from the Garrison Hill unit yet, so there could be some awkwardness there. You're certainly known to the Old Dock crew, though. Of course going to either of those places takes you away from the Vantyev estate.

The city is your oyster... of course, not everybody likes oysters.

I'm for taking the western route to the citadel, then returning to the Vantyev estate and Madame Carington's place. Too bad we don't have some way of quickly summoning our draconic friend, Majenko: He'd have come in useful were we to try Regeris's 'release-and-track-the-prisoner' plan.

Then we can either take up Helvara's offer to stay at her place or take the long trek back to the Temple of Aroden.

Sure, let's do just that.

Regeris sighs at Nebbin. "That's not entirely fair, but it's also probably more risk than is worth it and it'd be nice if the fall of the bookstore was not news to this cult immediately. Alright let's get her to Cressida. I think we should deliver her personally to the Field Marshal. Who knows how deeply Korvosa has been infiltrated by these people. Cloaks out, walk with purpose."

Tassira's certainly inclined to stay at Helvara's tonight. :)

Tassira quietly follows.