Rojerick takes his share, heading off to the marketplace (though he has little idea what he could possibly need). The rent is paid, his daughter's safe from the now-slowed rioting, and his friends all seem solid enough. After some thought, he looks to the others. "A meeting with Kroft? Are you quite sure?" After a bit longer, he nods. "As Borden says, it's probably not a bad idea. She's done an admirable job getting things under control, even considering our help."
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"Ten thousand. Gold pieces. I - yes. That's a lot of gold." He seems almost awestruck by the amount, but he quickly catches himself. "A lot of gold we've fairly earned and deserve in exchange for our goods. That is."
"If you weren't friends with Gwen, I could take you for quite a ride." Rilka grins. It will take me a day or two to arrange the hard cash for you.
Erik nods to the others. "Part of me just wants to retreat with my new spells and scrolls and disappear into a study somewhere, but... well. Things aren't right with the city. I think we should go check in with Kroft. At the very least she might have some news to share with us, right?"
If the party is in agreement, Erik prepares his spells the next morning and shoulders his pack, ready to go.
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Your business with Rilka concludes, and your purchasing done in the city, and preparations are made to go visit Kroft. You retire for the night to Zellera's place. The little house is starting to look more homely, thanks to Gwen's attentions, and the very fact of people living there, and fires being lit.
Near midnight the evenings peace is shattered by a wooden screech, followed by the thunder of a trebuchet being fired. Again and again the noise rips through the night, waking all of North Point, and seems to be coming from the Eodred Wall, near North Bridge. The noise continues for half an hour or so, then the rest of the night is spent in tense anticipation by the city, waiting to see if the weapons will fire up again.
Erik leaps out of his narrow bed with a cry, hand scrabbling for his dagger even as arcane syllables flood the forefront of his mind, preparing a spell. Bleary eyed and tense, he steps out into the hallway, moving to the window at its end to gaze in the direction of Eodred's Wall.
When the others emerge, he turns to them. "Are we under attack? Should we go take a look?"
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Have a look at the map
There is an area marked "North Point" and a black line that represents Eodred's wall. It follows the line of the river. There is also a label for North Bridge, although the bridge itself Zellera's home is a fair way south of that, but close enough to hear the war machines.
Rojerick opens the door to his daughter's room, putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "We're going to be fine here. Whatever's going on isn't close, and you're safe." He spends a few minutes with her before joining the others in Zellara's common room, oiling his blade with lamp oil and checking to make sure his breastplate's buckles and cinches are in good order.
After a few minutes of working over his gear, he looks at Erik. "I don't think we should be too far from here tonight. Let's head over to Eodred's Wall tomorrow at first light. We'll see what we can see and hear what we can hear. In the meantime...who has that set of cards? None of us are going back to sleep, and a few games of Towers could help pass the time."
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Anyone asking around in the morning (either with the guard, or in North Point, or Both if you fancy a couple of rolls....)...
As dawn breaks on Korvosa, Rojerick bids his daughter goodbye and steps out into the streets, heading for North Point. Once here's there, he starts asking around, and, though it takes most of the morning, by noon he's got at least a few answers. "It sounds like there was a ship that tried to get into the city without inspection. It didn't even stop to tell the Guard what its intentions were." He pauses. "Does anyone know what a yellow light on a ship means? Or where we could find someone who does?"
Erik stares quizzically at Rojerick as he suggests the strangest places to go look for a sailor.
"I... I don't think there are any sailors hiding in that closest, Rojerick. Maybe we could try down by the wharves? I know a number of places where sailors might be nursing their hangovers about now."
"I think I'll go check with my mates in the Guard. See you later at home!"
Borden hits up the bars for information, offering a brief tale or two of his own in exchange for more current information.
Interesting, barge running with a yellow light being destroyed Not sure what I make of all this... it refused inspection, but its an unusual tale nonetheless.
"Isn't yellow the color of disease? I think I read that somewhere. Perhaps it was a plague ship?"
So saying, Erik gives everyone a cheerful wave and slips out to make his way to the Docks in search of sailors with loose tongues. Or tongues that can be loosened with an ale or two.
Rojerick grimaces as thoughts of a plague-infested ship flow through his head. "You don't suppose we should take a look near where the ship went down, do you? Or maybe check in with Kroft and see what she knows about this ship..." He looks up, hopeful they'll choose the second option. "I mean, the Dawn will protect me, I have faith she will, but there's others to consider as well."
I say its asking for trouble - While I've grown richer running around after her more interesting jobs, chasing down a plague ship is just asking for trouble, and more over? Asking for trouble that isn't likely to pay us for. They fired on it after all. I reckon we should leave it at that.
Erik returns, rubbing at his chin. "It's a plague ship marker for sure. I'm up for taking a look at the very least. We don't have to commit to nothing, but that's a dire threat to the whole city. Can't hurt to just head out there for a spell. Right?"
Borden gives Erik a look and a sigh.
Curiosity caught the cat, bestiality killed the cat and necrophilia brought it back.
He sighs.
We need to stick together I think, so all for one and one for all as the saga's say.
"Yup, looks like we're going in then. I think we'll need antiplagues... say a couple each?"
Okay, okay. I'm a story teller - I know how this is supposed to work. Let me guess... message from Kroft?
Roj smiles at the man, holding the door open wide. "Come on in. It's a bit cleaner than it used to be." Once the guard is actually inside, he sits down and looks at the man. "What does she want now?"
Borden stomps away and into corner, gesticulating and kicking at a chair as he mutters.
Bloody Korvosa mumble mumble... get me killed... mutter mutter... fricking place would.... grumble grumble.
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He looks over at Bordan warily but takes a seat. "She doesn't want you so much as wants to keep in touch. The guard are stretched to breaking point again, trying to find the criminal blackjack. The queen is insistent, that we throw all our resources at it. She's put up a big reward for his capture too. The Field Marshall said this isn't a request for you to join in the search. just a "touch point". With everything as it is, she wants to know you will be around to help if she needs it."
Erik stands quietly to one side, looking dubious.
"Hold on one minute. 'With everything as it is'? What do you know about that ship that went down last night? and what's your name, anyways?" Rojerick stops and offers the man a hand. "Rojerick. And of course we're around if Kroft needs us, but she's never sent you before, or just checked up on us. What gives?"
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"Grau, the names, Grau, you probably don't remember me, but you helped me a bit during the riots after the king died. I was a bit, ah, drunk. But I remembered the way here so the Field Commander figured I'd make a good messenger."[b]
[b]"We heard about the boat. Don't know much though, mostly just rumor. There hasn't been any official report. Well, none that we've been told about. Just a boat that shouldn't have been there, and wouldn't respond to calls."
"Was the boat destroyed? Driven off? Do we know from which port it last sailed?"
"Alright, then, Grau. If you need to get back to the Guard, I understand. Duty calls and all that, right?" Rojerick claps a hand on the younger man's back and smiles at him.
Once he's gone, he slams a hand into the table. "Damn it. A ship with a plague light goes down in the harbor and no one knows anything about it? Doesn't seem right to me... Look, should we be checking this out more closely? Anyone have any ideas?"
Erik frowns as he crosses his arms.
"Where did that plague come from? What other infected ships might be out there? What kind of plague was it? Did everyone die when the ship went down, or did some make it to shore?"
He shrugs and looks around the group. "All important questions nobody seems to be asking. And this putting us 'on call' right after destroying the ship? It sounds like they know something's about to hit, and want us ready. But refuse to tell."
He scowls. "Though to be honest, I don't know where to go from here. Maybe check out the wall where it happened? Ask some questions?"
"We could, um, check and see where the catapults we heard are aimed. Maybe they haven't been adjusted and still point to the ship's grave. If we knew that, someone could probably figure out where anything would have washed ashore. From, um, currents or wave patterns or something. I don't know these kinds of things." Rojerick looks at Erik, desperately hoping the boy's more educated than he is.
Erik nods thoughtfully, "I'm sure we could ask around the docks if flotsam floated in as well. Or - what if we swim down to the ship?" His eyes suddenly gleam with excitement. "We could acquire potions, and find out for ourselves the ship's name, and other secrets!"
Borden continues to mutter and wave his hands around.
... city and grumble mumble-ing plague ship... gonna mumble die of some sort of mutter pox.
Borden, grumbling as he goes, manages to slap on a smile and an elastic approach to gathering information as he looks for witnesses.
He reports to the others
Here's what I've been able to find... The Korvosan Guard fired upon and destroyed a ship full of foolish pirates from Riddleport who had obviously hoped to sneak into the heart of the city under cover of night.
A sinister-looking ship, running a yellow light, refused inspection as it sailed into the river. When it neared North Bridge and still failed to make its intentions known, the watch fired upon and destroyed it.
None of the guardsmen who signaled or shouted out to the ship received a response. Some say that no one was on board at all.
Erik offers to buy everyone lunch outside a dockside tavern, and after a filling meal of soup and dark bread leans back in his seat to eye his companions.
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure where to go from here. The ship's sunk and gone. Nobody seems to have much more information other than it was a plague ship. Unless something else turns up, I suppose we might as well go back to life as usual, no?"
Rojerick nods. "I think that's the right decision. We keep our eyes and ears open and carry on, until we hear something...or someone else does."