"We're turning them in to Kroft. What happened to him?" Demitri nods to Clay.
Private Clay cringes. "Sewer patrol duty." He doesn't look up.
"I got bit by a rat down there." He adds halfheartedly.
Demitri stifles a laugh. "Don't worry. No one gets stuck on sewer patrol for that long. Unless you've pissed off Kroft. You weren't dumbe enough to do that right?"
Private Clay bites his lip and turns red.
"Yep." Soldado says, a small grin on his face. It promptly fades.
"Well then I feel sorry for you. Good luck with that. If you want to get out of it though, Kroft loves dark chocolate." Demitri says giving Clay some hope before heading inside.
"I should wash up some before I meet with the Field-Marshall. I'll catch up with you all. Soldado, where's the nearest horse-trough?"
Sergeant Soldado coughs as Ortik asks him his question. "It's over there." He nods over in the general direction of the barracks. Next to the barracks is a stable with a couple of filled water troughs next to it.
Ortik nods in thanks and head over to the trough to wash off the filth from his clothes. He climbs in and scrubs the worst of the sludge off his clothes. It takes him awhile, but he manages to clean away the muck as best he can, though his clothes are soaking wet and they carry a lingering odor of the stys. He hurries after the group, his feet making squelching noises with each sodden step.
The party leads the four prisoners through the double doors leading to Kroft's office. Inside, Field Marshal Kroft is seated at her desk, with a dark-haired, nervous-looking Vudrani priest clothed in cleric's vestments dedicated to Abadar standing next to her, conversing with her about something.
Kroft looks over at the double doors, a smile appearing on her face as she sees who just arrived.
"Well, look who just arrived. We were just chatting about you--" Her smile widens slightly. "--and you've brought in Vancaskerkin alive." She rises and bids you all enter her office.
The priest shifts from foot to foot, biting his lip a bit as he eyes the prisoners the party has brought with them.
"Yes, we did. They have a lot to say, don't you Vandercaskin?"
Verik averts his eyes, but the expression on his face says everything.
"Only that I was a sodding idiot and I brought this on myself." He mumbles. His shoulders are beginning to shake.
The priest starts taking a headcount. "One... two... three... four... wait. There's only four here. Field Marshal, you said there were five, didn't you?" He turns to her with a worried look in his eye.
"Yes, Dhatri, I did." Cressida looks them over. "Westlake, Storm, Fetton, and... Vancaskerkin." Her smile vanishes, replaced with a grim, serious look. "Where's Sand?"
"Easy, we didn't kill him or anything... you know, 'get them alive' and stuff. So, in refraining from using lethal force, we kinda let him get away. But! Don't sweat about it! We'll get him! Still, four out of five is really impressive, huh? And on our first day!" Lyla sounds really proud of their accomplishment.
"We let him run, as if he were free. He will either be caught in short order, lead us to his masters, be slain by his masters, or, just die alone and frightened. At the very least he will share his experience at our hands and tread very carefully when Marshall Kroft sends her hounds." Karri gives a head nod to Kroft as she wraps up her speech.
Yes, let him find us more victims...
Kroft says nothing, but she does pinch the bridge of her nose and sighs.
"Lovely. Guardsmen!" She looks up and calls out. Three guardsmen step into the room behind the party. "Escort the prisoners to their cells. And make sure they don't have any hidden weapons, tools, messages or items of any sort. Understand? Otherwise, you can join Private Clay in the sewers tomorrow." She adds with emphasis.
The guardsmen take the prisoners off the party's hands and lead them away. She turns back to the party as the prisoners leave. "Let's hope you're right, Karri. Sand was never especially bright, but he's a vicious sort, and he knows the Guard. On the bright side..." She turns and takes a seat at the table in the center of the room. "...Griggs will have something to do after he's finished tracking down Althea." She adds, looking over at Lyla.
"I'm sorry--who now, Field Marshal?" The priest asks.
"It's none of your concern, Dhatri. Sit down." Cressida says, motioning to the table.
"Have a seat, all of you. Tell me everything that happened in that shop." She steeples her fingers together. Acolyte Dhatri takes a seat next to her at the table.
"We staked out the place for a bit and asked around. We were told that they were handing out fresh meat during the day at All The World's Meat. When we got there, they told us the situation. At night, some rich folk will come in and pay them to settle a score or teach someone a lesson. Well eventually a fight broke out, we won and we find out they have a benefactor. House Arkona's. We have the papers to prove it." Demitri will fetch and hand them over.
"Parns was particularly helpful once his friends were dealt with. Almost as if he found the whole arrangement distasteful." Karri says in a flat tone, adding to Demitri's story.
In her mind, Kasdaye whispers You could gain much wealth if you took their place...maybe These Arkona have a job for your, Sweet Girl... after all, you do deserve nice things and comforts
Kroft listens to Demitri & Karri without interrupting, her face a mask.
Dhatri, on the other hand, looks more and more nervous as the debriefing goes on.
When Demitri hands over the letter from House Arkona, Kroft & Dhatri look it over. Dhatri's eyes widen, whereas Kroft just gives a resigned sigh.
"Wait--House Arkona was behind all this?" Dhatri pales. "But that means--"
A simple *ahem* from Kroft is enough to get the priest to quiet down. "One thing at a time, Dhatri." She gives the priest a sharp look before turning back to the party. "And Parns was cooperative in explaining this? What about Verik? Did he have any knowledge of what they were doing?"
"He claimed ignorance of the whole thing. And I believe him. His reaction to finding out was genuine."
Marissel interrupts then, But the meat, we should look at it. I think something's wrong with it. They were sent to get the fish from Lamm's while we were still there.
Kroft arches an eyebrow at Marissel when he mentions the fish from Lamm's lair.
Dhatri, meanwhile, takes the letter and begins scrutinizing it. "Hmm... I can say that this letter alone will not be enough to hold up in court against the Arkonas. And from the sound of things, if Verik was ignorant of his own squad's activities, there is the possibility that the Arkonas did not sanction them--"
"Don't apologize for the Arkonas, Dhatri." Kroft cuts the priest off with a sharp look again. "Focus on what we currently know." She looks back at the party. "So, from the sounds of things, Verik's squad, for the most part, can be charged with several counts of assault, murder, accessory to assault & murder, and desertion. Verik, on the other hand, is only certainly guilty of desertion." She leans back in her chair, sighing.
"Zena's going to have a field day with this."
In addition to her role as a senior arbiter, Zenobia also serves as a middle-ranking cleric of Abadar. Both of her roles frequently overlap, such that she uses divination magic to help her discern the truth in cases even as she provides priceless legal advice (for free) to clerics and devout worshipers of the god of cities. When she has time, she volunteers her legal services to the city’s orphanages, as well as aiding them in finding suitable parents for their charges.
"I almost feel sorry for them if they're going to be in Zena's courtroom. Almost. So now what?"
"They'll be sure to get what they deserve, if Judge Zenderhom lives up to her reputation," Jakob says to the Field Marshall with a smile. Though he grew up surrounded by many who hated her for her severity, he knew many who were saved from desperation by her as well. "Could we perhaps speak to her about the flock of lambs we've inherited? It seems many of them have no homes to return to."
"Courts or not, the Arkonas are involved in this," he mutters to the others.
Kroft looks over at Jakob as he mentions the orphans they're looking after. "You could certainly try. Tomorrow's Sunday; it's normally a day off for mostly everyone in Korvosa, but odds are she'll be between cases then." She smiles. "Glad to hear there's something going right for those kids for a change."
She turns to Dhatri, her smile fading. "Dhatri, take that letter in as evidence. Look it over thoroughly, make sure it isn't a forgery and keep it safe. Understand?"
Dhatri nods. "Yes, Field Marshal." Without another word, he rolls up the letter, pockets it and leaves the office.
"Anyway, that letter will be a step in the right direction against the Arkonas, but it'll have to wait a bit, I'm afraid; the Arkonas can get themselves some damned good lawyers when they need 'em." Kroft stands up from the table, leaning over it. "And Marissel? Don't worry about the fish at the butcher shop; I'll take a couple of guardsmen and secure it myself. You've all done a damn fine job tonight." She adds, her smile returning. You get the impression that nowadays, it's rare to see her do that.
"And I do believe I owe you a little something for bringing Verik in." She walks over to her desk and pulls out a small chest, bringing it back over to the table. She opens it to reveal its contents: one thousand gold pieces, as promised.
"You can keep anything else you found in that shop as well. Now, if you'll excuse me..." She walks back to her desk, grabbing a finely-crafted longsword & shield. "...I do believe I have some work to do."
With that, she leaves the office.
"Many thanks." Demitri says before nodding to his companions and taking his leave to head back to Zellara's.
The night is chilly as you gather the money and walk back to Zellara's home. There isn't a cloud in the sky: the stars twinkle and the moon shines down, bathing the streets of Korvosa in a deceptively tranquil glow.
When you reach Zellara's home, there is no sign of activity in the window. The first floor of the house is empty.
Jakob pushes the door open, resting his hammer over his shoulder.
"Hello?" he calls.
There is no response to Jakob's call.
...
Well, for a minute or two. You soon hear the small *pitter-patter* of little feet coming down the stairs.
Nadia slowly steps downstairs, a teddy bear tucked under her arm. She rubs her visible eye with her free hand, and her hair is in disarray. She must have been in bed.
"Hello?"
"Parns spilled his guts once he saw the way the wind was blowing," Ortik adds. "I'm curious how much he was involved, though. He certainly was aware he'd be facing the noose, so he might have a great deal of blood on his hands. I'm sure the Hanging Judge will make a determination on the usefulness of his testimony versus the severity of his crimes."
Once at home, Ortik smiles when he sees that the reason the house is quiet is because all of the children are fast asleep. All save Nadia. "Hello to you too, little sister. Sorry to wake you from Desna's sweet embrace."
"I'm sorry my little girl. We didn't mean to wake you. C'mon, let's get you back to bed." Demitri moves to pick her up.
Nadia yawns as Demitri picks her up.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, little one?" Demitri holds her tight and brings her back up to bed.
As Demitri tucks Nadia in, she pulls her teddy bear closer to herself.
"When can the others go home?"
"I don't know, sweetie. Soon I hope. We'll look into it tommorow. Just get a good night's rest."
Nadia hugs Demitri before she lays her head back onto her pillow.
She holds her teddy bear close as she falls asleep.
Demitri sighs in relief that everything is okay before heading back down stairs to the group. "Tommorow we talk to Judge Zenderholm. But for now, let's just get some rest."
"Yeah, it's been a long day, chief. Who would've thought we'd ever be working together... you're not that bad, after all." Lyla then walks up to Ortik and says "Alright, Ortik, help me split the gold. I'm never too tired to count coins", she says with a yawn that seems to contradict her words.
After they finish dividing their reward in six shares, she stuffs her things under the pillow and bids everyone good night. Gotta find Griggs tomorrow and ask him about Althea... are her last thoughts before falling asleep.
"Neither are you. I'll make you a contributing member of society yet."
Watching the exchange between the halfling and the guardsman, Karri smiles, but only a little. "I can help you Lyla. My parents were pretty successful merchants and taught me some counting tricks to speed it up." She sits at the kitchen table and begins work, focusing on the coins to silence the Legion. She watches as Lyla's lithe hands spin and slide the coins into their own stacks, "Seems someone showed you some tricks, too." Karri's voice is light, hoping to ease some of the tension from their busy evening.
The night passes...
--------------------
Sunday, 12th of Calistril, 4711 AR
The sunlight streaming in through the windows heralds the beginning of a new day.
Today is Sunday, a day of rest and religious work. The orphans in Zellara's home are taking advantage of the day by sleeping in.
Ortik nods and sits with Karri and Lyla to divide up the pouch of coins. "I'm sorry for silencing you earlier about the Cerulean Society, Lyla," he said from behind a few stacks of gold coins, certainly more wealth in front of him than he's ever seen before. "But if House Arkona is involved, that means we might be attracting Bluehand attention, and the less they think we know their involvement, the better, at least for now. And since one of them got away, that could have been a lot worse than it was. So, whatever is going on, the Bluehands and House Arkona stand to make a fat load of coin from it. I'm very concerned where they're getting this meat and why they're being so clandestine about the source and distribution. This is the first time I've ever seen someone laundering meat. What's their game? I mean, are they even profiting on Verik's operation? He was giving it away, wasn't he?"
Demitri will let the kids sleep. However, he will get his gear together and head out to see the Judge.
Lyla observes Karri expertly handling the coins to see if there are any moves she can learn. Karri's method of sorting looks a bit faster than her own, but once Lyla picks it up, she manages to outpace the tattooed girl.
"Doll, just added your tricks to my list!" she says winking at Karri. When Ortik mentions the Cerulean Society, Lyla nods in agreement. "There's some funny business going on there... heck, never mind guard duty, now I wanna get to the bottom of it simply beacuse I'm too damn curious! Maybe we should check Lamm's hideout again tomorrow?
As usual, Lyla is last to get up.
The sun shines brightly on the streets of Korvosa today. Perhaps the city is beginning to return to normal.
Directions to the Zenderholm estate are easily obtained: the Zenderholm manor is located in the Heights district of Korvosa.
When you arrive, the first thing you note about the manor is the dark, wrought-iron fence cordoning off the estate from the street and the surrounding buildings. The house beyond is a two-story building that is rather unremarkable, but still elegantly constructed, save for the two statues of mounted knights flanking the cobbled path to the home.
Demitri makes his way up to the door and knocks.
After a couple of minutes, the sound of footsteps can be heard beyond the door.
The door opens, revealing a halfling dressed in finely tailored clothes and wearing a pair of spectacles.
"Yes? You have business with Lady Zenderholm?"
"I do. I know she is not expecting me, but I was hoping to speak with her."
Quietly, Jakob follows Demitri to the judge's house.
Ortik rises early also, his bed still untouched. Try as he might, he can't get used to such a soft place to stay and has camped out on the floor of his room for the last few nights. Much like the days before, he makes a simple breakfast for the children (today's menu: Taldan toast and eggs), and passes out the chores.
"I would go with you, Demitri," he says before the former guardsman leaves to see the Judge. "But I need to check in on Hartleby and the rest of the Forgottenfolk. If you need me, head over to Old Korvosa and start speaking to vagrants. They'll get you to the Old Man." Not long after that, Ortik heads into the city to find his extended family.