You do remember he's connected to Lamm in some way...
Griggs picks up the pace, the midday sun glinting off his partially unsheathed longsword. From the looks of things, it's proving effective at warding off muggers and the like.
"The lead I've got is that there was an old lady that matched Althea's description sighted at Eel's End recently, and from the looks of things, not voluntarily." Griggs drums his fingers along the hilt of his blade as he walks.
Soon enough, the three investigators arrive at the Old Dock district. The Eel's End pier isn't hard to find. Glowing lanterns in the shape of dream spiders and god’s eyes hang from pilings or lampposts, pointing the way to the dock with five ships.
Eel's End isn't very busy during the day, and it shows; while there are a few customers going from ship to ship, they're greatly outnumbered by the brutish-looking men patrolling the docks. Each of them is clad in studded leather and carrying a mean-looking axe handle.
Griggs stops before the team gets close to the pier. "Ol' Devargo's keeping things quiet today..."
The children back at the house chow down on Demitri's prepared lunch, still talking excitedly about what they could do at Zenobia's home until they have new families.
Nadia holds her teddy bear close as she eats. Some of the other children are chatting with her as well... it seems like she's finally starting to come out of her shell.
Lyla looks from Griggs to Ortik and speaks with a hushed voice. "So, how are we gonna do this? Ask around for Devargo? For shiver? For a job, perhaps? Any thoughts?"
Demitri smiles as his daughter starts opening up and upon hearing the other kid's excitement. He snacks on an apple while waiting for the others to return.
"Seems like the leaders of half of Korvosa's syndicates have gone addle-coved. First Lamm makes some questionable decisions that end up with him feeding the bay's fishes, and now Devargo has up and acquired himself an herbalist. Can't be for shiver - there's plenty of cooks who could do that. Wonder why her."
"Maybe Devargo is sick? Althea is a damn good healer... I mean, that sets her appart from your regular cook, skill-wise," Lyla ponders.
Griggs looks between Ortik & Lyla, pondering their words.
"Devargo's not barmy enough to just up and scrag someone without a damned good reason; that's a sure-fire way to call Kroft down on him, and she's been itching to do so for a while. Haven't heard much about his health..."
A smirk breaks out on his face when he looks back at Lyla. "Cutter, have you heard anything about his work environment?"
If he's kidnapped someone as skilled at healing as Althea, it'd likely be for that reason. Things must be dire indeed if he's willing to cross the line the Korvosan Guard has drawn on his activities.
Karri is grateful that the older woman, Judge Zenderholme, did not spend too much time inspecting her. Iron gaze, that one...You could cut out her cold heart and feast well... Karri smiles and thinks she has found a weakness in part of the Legion. There are some lines I will not cross
She enjoys the children's banter as she pretends to read a book from the other room. You know, I can help you have a family of your own, if you would like... Karri freezes in terror as she whispers to herself, "That's an offer I could almost take..." The frightened woman-child sits silent with the book forgotten on her lap as she practices building walls in her mind.
Lyla thinks about it for a moment and exclaims "Well, I've heard they suck big time. But the bosses rarely spend much time in the labs, they usually just drop by from time to time. He could be sick from the lab hazards, though; or maybe his cooks are all getting sick and slowing down production, and he wants someone to get them back on their feet and keep the ball rolling. What do we do, then?"
Griggs looks back at the docks, at the patrols of thugs keeping order in Eel's End.
"I'm not sure, cutter, but from what I've heard, Devargo's got quite a few bashers in his pocket and several hopefuls to choose from by the day. If you want my advice on dealing with the berk, here it is..."
He looks back at Lyla, concern etched on his face. "Bar that. There's at least a dozen of them and three of us; we're bound to hit the blinds if we try it now. If we try to storm the place, they're bound to put us all in the dead-book, and I don't fancy our chances of sneaking her out of there in broad daylight."
He looks back at Eel's End, thinking.
"Well, if we can wait until darkfall, I can try to speak with some of the dockrats. They helped us when we were taking out Lamm, I don't see why they wouldn't help us against Devargo. Might also give us some time to figure out a better plan than straight through the middle." He lays a hand on Lyla's shoulder. "He took her for a reason, Lyla. That means she's safe for the moment."
Lyla bites her lips and then blurts out "Alright! You're right, there's not much we can do now. Let's wait, and..."–she hesitates for a moment. "If there are so many of them, we'll need reinforcements." The halfling girl then turns to Ortik and looks him straight in the eyes. "Let's talk to the guys. Heck, Demitri we'll be out the door, sword in hand, before I finish saying 'crime boss'. They'll love this. But!" –she raises her finger once again–"I don't want to make this about Althea. Before, when Jakob and Demitri were looking for their family, I felt really sorry for them, and I don't want that. I don't need anyone pitying me. I've had my share of that. So let me do the talking, and as far as anyone's concerned, we're just following up on Lamm's investigation, and this guy Devargo is kidnapping people just like Lamm did, so they should be careful with hostages and stuff. That's the story, okay?"
She waits for Ortik's reply and then speaks to Griggs. "And you, Griggs, do you think you can hang around with some backup to help us out if things get messy?"
With the plan set, Lyla suggests going back to Zellara's.
"I'll see if Kroft'll be up to it. She's a canny blood, she'll listen." Griggs grins.
He disappears into the crowds of Old Korvosa as Lyla and Ortik return to Zellara's home.
The afternoon sun shines down on the streets as Lyla & Ortik make their way back across the bridge over the St. Alika Narrows. A couple of wagons cross the streets of North Point, their cargo bouncing about along the cobblestones.
When Lyla & Ortik return home, they find the house buzzing with activity from the children.
If Demitri, Karri & Jakob look outside, they can see Ortik & Lyla walking down Lancet Street, looking a bit preoccupied.
Lyla barges in yelling as usual. "Alright, people, we got a job for tonight, and it's guaranteed to blacklist us in every Korvosan crime boss' party from here to eternity! Who's in?"
She then notices a strange woman talking to the kids and covers her mouth. "Oh, we got company."
The woman, before leaving, turns.
The streaks of grey in her hair, combined with the wrinkles on her face, make her look like someone's grandmother. Her warm smile turns to a stern glare as she fixes Lyla with storm-grey eyes.
"Really, now?"
"Working for Kroft right? Legitimate guard-like job?" Demitri says to Lyla.
Lyla freezes as she recognizes judge Zenderholm, and only snaps out of her cataronic state when Demitri comes to the rescue. "Hmm, yeah, totally sanctioned! Griggs-I mean, Griggs knows all about it and will be working with us!" She smiles awkwardly. "Good to see you again, judge!"
Zenobia chuckles.
"Oh, calm down. It's my day off, and I'm here about your orphan charges anyway. You caught me as I was about to leave to make arrangements for these young ones to be brought to my home."
She leans over Lyla. "And, no offense intended, young lady, but lying to a priestess of Abadar is considered to be an incredibly foolish idea."
Ortik clears his throat as the matronly woman locks her gaze upon Lyla. "And strong arm tactics are more becoming on the crime lords we're both against, elder. We're all on the same side in this house." He removes his hat, and offers his hand to shake. "At least, I trust we are. If the others trust you with the children, then it must be so. I'm Ortik. The little one with the mouth is Lyla."
Jakob leans closer at the word of a job, but glances at the judge. Who knows what a person like that might think of a band of mercenaries with a house full of orphans. Mercenaries. That is what they had become, for all that they were working for a woman of honor and grace, they were hired muscle, just like the thugs they'd killed at Lamm's and the men they'd captured at the butchers.
Maybe not just like, he thought, as he scanned the room. An impudent halfling, a half-mad mage, a beggar dwarf and a washed-out guard. And Jakob.
"Zenobia. Charmed." Zenobia shakes Ortik's hand.
"As for whatever job you have planned for yourselves..." Zenobia smirks. "...I wouldn't know what you're talking about. I'm simply a humble clergywoman of Abadar. And I trust Cressida's judgement, if one of her men has been assigned to keep an eye on you." She gives the party a wink.
"Unless innocents come to harm because of it." Her smirk vanishes. "Then I just might have to get involved." The tone in her voice carries a clear message: 'Don't c**k it up.'
With that, she gives the party a final bow before disappearing out the door and into streets of Korvosa.
"You have my word, no innocents will be harmed."
Karri nods at Demitri's words, her voice slow in coming, "Aye, we will make sure that the interests of Korvosa are served. It's the least we can do with the recent upheaval." And to serve my promise to Zellara. What is this fool's concept, innocence? The idea just makes the victims all the sweeter.No! break the innocent so they are your allies in misery! Karri smiles as best she can as the Legion contemplates this new 'opportunity.'
The children look around in confusion.
Nadia looks up at her father. "What did she mean, Daddy? Didn't Lyla say that you're going to arrest more bad people?"
"We're planning on it, my little girl."
"You bet we are, kid," she replies to Nadia.
"Do you remember the name Drvargo Barvasi? Lamm mentioned him in his journal. Ortik here tolds us back then that we ought to look into that and... well, we did. Turns out he runs a drug den in Old Korvosa. Shiver. That's why Lamm was running dry: everyone's working for him now. The tricky part is that the business is legal; it falls under a vice taxation law, so he can operate freely. What he do, however, is kidnap people, which he is doing. Herbalists and apothecaries, it seems. Now that he's overstepped into regular crime, we can act with Grigg's approval. He'll try to bring some reinforcements while we search Devargo's place to find the people he took, and then we set them free again. We can also seize the opportunity to find out what Devargo knows about Lamm's operations... my guess is he's probably knee deep in something even worse. So go get ready and we'll go scout the place."
"Yes, Barvasi. He won't get away with this." Demitri will move to get his equipment ready.
Once the team is ready, it's off through the streets of Old Korvosa to Eel's End.
The evening sun casts long shadows along the tenements of Old Korvosa and bathes the streets in a red glow. Old Korvosa is buzzing with the poor and the desperate, running about in a hurry to complete their errands before nightfall.
Soon, the party sees Eel's End, following Lyla & Ortik's directions. In contrast to how empty it felt during the day, as the sun goes down it really comes alive. Dock workers haggle with prostitutes over the price of a night's worth of fun, the sounds of raucous partying can be heard from a couple of ships, and hard-eyed enforcers clad in studded leathers and carrying axe handles maintain constant vigilance over the proceedings.
"Looks like a fun place," Jakob says, skeptically. A few of the men he worked with on the docks used to swear Eel's End was the place to go on payday, but they were the sort of men he didn't put much faith in.
In fact, in light of the recent riots, Eel's End appears to have become more popular as people look for ways to escape their dreary, miserable, everyday lives.
Karri turns away from Nadia, afraid that her excitement at another altercation will show. She mumbles, "We have to make sure all the bad men are gone"
Arriving at Eel's End, Karri notes, "This area was always bad now it's downright crawling with intent."
"What's our play? Do we try to get in unseen, or let the cards fly and clean up the mess?" Karri's eyes flicker as she flirts with the Legion, Get closer...I need you tonight...
"Let me take a look first, as usual." Lyla takes two vials out of her backpack and drinks their contents one after the other. Her features change slightly as she becomes leaner and shrinks to the size of a cat. She then walks away from the group to scout the ships docked at Eeel's end.
Only a few people take notice the odd sight of a cat-sized halfling skulking about Eel's End. Those few who do go wide-eyed, look at the bottles in their hands, and wander away from the place while dumping the contents off the pier.
Except for one of the enforcers, who heads for the large warship at the end of the pier.
Starting counterclockwise...
This single-masted Chelish sailing ship has seen countless crude repairs—it’s doubtful it’s very seaworthy, but lashed as it is to the pier, it seems stable enough. The nameplate proclaims it to be the Goldenhawk.
It seems to be very quiet, with few patrons entering. The ones that do enter don't seem to be inclined to leave.
A single long structure sits atop the main deck of this ship—the double doors always hang open to reveal a large room decorated with throw rugs, large pillows, and air thick with incense and
lit by red paper lanterns. The scent of anise, rosewater, and cinnamon pour forth from smoking bronze braziers set on silver stands carved in the likenesses of slit-eyed serpents and proud hunting birds here and there, while several scantily-clad men and women loiter about the barge’s deck.
While staying here would be pleasurable for some people, this is not the ship you're looking for,
The largest of the five ships tied off to the pier is a warship bearing the name Eel’s End, its figurehead a coiling eel with a woman’s head. Several drunkards, sailors, and revelers dance and drink on the large open main deck here, while the aft deck is relatively clear. A pair of large double doors bearing a complex painting of a spider allows entrance into the stern section of the main deck.
This looks like a ship that Devargo would be proud to call his own.
This once proud vessel, the Dragon’s Breath, has been painted in gaudy red. A sign at the aft entrance reads simply, “Pass Into the Dreams of the Dragon.”
Judging from the number of people staggering out and lounging around on deck with dilated pupils and vacant-eyed stares, you surmise that this must be a drug den.
Two hut-like structures sit atop this barge, the raucous sound of laughter and periodic roars of victory sounding from within. There are two signs hanging from these buildings, each depicting an identical pair of tigers facing each other.
In a hurry to get the job done, Lyla does not notice the coil of rope on the floor; while scouting he pier, she bumps into the rope dropping it in the water. The splashing sound is muffled, but loud enough to attarct a few stares."Damn!", she mutters as she realizes that one of Devargo's man has noticed her. The girl sneaks into the shadows and comes out on a different spot hoping to lose anyone who might have been trying to keep track of her steps. She reappears close to the large ship—Eel's End—and tries to sneak in despite the increasing risk. Gotta do this before that guy tells everyone I'm here.
There are four enforcers on the deck of the Eel's End, not counting the one striding up the ramp with purpose. He disappears through the door to the aft of the ship. You hide in a pile of ropes next to the door and listen...
"Boss! Boss--whoa. Feelin' OK?"
There's a bout of coughing before he gets an answer.
"Just peachy. Now, the f**k are you bothering me for?"
"I saw a halfling, sir. Big as a cat! She had little goggles on and everything!"
A silence follows. You look over your shoulder to see if anyone's watching you--and stare a guard right in the eyes.
They're bloodshot. He's either been hitting the booze hard, not getting enough sleep, or a combination of the two. He stares at you with wide eyes, disbelief visible on his face.
"Uh... Taris, you seein' this?" He beckons one of the other guards over.
At the end of the pier, you can see one of the enforcers enter a large warship. Lyla tails him to the deck and disappears from your sight.
Evidently not for long, as you see one of the guards start pointing to a spot on deck with utter confusion on his face. From the looks of things, Lyla's in trouble.
Lyla's eyes widen when her stare meets the guard's. She tries to act quick, before the other guards have a chance to see her. Reaching her ocket, she grabs Zellara's deck and a small barrel appears around her, with a black cat on top of it, with round white spots around its eyes. The cat meows loudly and hops to the brim of the deck, and then jumps off disappearing from everyone's sight. C'mon, you drunken idiot, it's just your eyes playing tricks on your head.
The other guard, Taris, approaches your hiding spot as the illusory cat leaps out and meows. He stops in his tracks, eying the cat with disinterest before turning to his buddy.
"It's a cat. Korvosa has a lot of those things."
"But-but-but--"
Taris grabs his drunken buddy by his lapels. "Enough. You've been chugging too many ales for today, and I'm tired of having to cover your dumb ass. Go lie down, or I'll let Devargo know just how much you're screwing up." With that, he drops him and goes back to his post.
The drunk guard sways on the spot, looking back at your hiding place before mumbling "I know what I saw..." and toddling off to the Goldenhawk.
The conversation beyond the door is suddenly punctuated by a fading scream.
"F**king idiot guards... coming here and saying they're seeing f**king slips the size of f**king cats... should just fire the next motherf**ker who starts seeing them... that'll teach 'em to not drink & shoot up on the job..."
The man's invective-laden speech sounds oddly familiar to you... and not in a pleasant way.
You see a black cat with white spots around its eyes jump off the warship and vanish into the crowd, as well as the guard from before being told off by another guard before he wanders into one of the other ships.
Nervous for moment as the guards buzz about Lyla's hiding spot, Karri breathes a sigh of relief as the guards return to their normal course of business. "Do we still wait for her, or play our hand now?"
"No, I think she's okay. We don't want to blow her cover. But be ready in any case."
Ortik nods in response to Dmitri's words. "Goggles can handle herself. She's smart enough to know that if things get too hot, she should bolt. Be ready to move when fire breaks."
Whew! Thanks, Z.
Lyla waits for the men to turn their backs on her hiding spot and continues her scouting mission. Taking advantage of her reduced size, she looks for another way into the ship besides the decks main door.
The only entrance you can find is the main door. With few other options, you step inside, your size allowing you to slip under the door with ease.
This large room, once a captain’s cabin, has been converted into a throne room of sorts. The walls are thick with spiderwebs, in which scuttle dozens of spiders—some as large as a fist but most considerably smaller. These spiders seem content to stay in their webs and do not venture into the room itself, which is furnished with two sturdy oaken tables surrounded by chairs.Aft, a wooden stage supports a large leather chair, itself covered with cobwebs and scampering spiders. A narrow door stands to port, hanging ajar and revealing a flight of stairs leading below. An iron birdcage hangs from the ceiling like a chandelier, inside of which lingers a tiny, tired-looking purple dragon.
Several fresh-faced toughs are in the room, three of them huddled around a table to your left playing cards. Two others sit to your right, eying the leather chair's occupant with fear.
Slouching upon the leather chair is a tall man, with close-cropped brown hair and dark blue eyes. His black leather armour is accented with a steel spider-shaped shoulder baldric and a thick chain criss-crossing his chest, linked together in the shape of a spider’s web. He wears gauntlets with fixed blades over the knuckles, the blades themselves glistening with some sort of poison. Fresh blood leaks from his nose and dark circles are under his eyes. You notice a tremor in his gauntleted hands--it's difficult to see, but adding it all together, you surmise that this man is suffering from shiver withdrawal.
Memories of working in Lamm's shiver labs come flooding back, unwanted. The coughing of the cooks. The bubbling of cauldrons, and his eyes. Always watching, always on the lookout for the one person that day who thought he could get away with slacking off. A cruel taskmaster, but knowledgeable in the creation of shiver... and explosives.
F***. So are Devargo Barvasi. A mix of anger and fear rushes through the girl's body. With grinded teeth, she remembers the time spent at Lamm's lab under Devargo's supervision, and the way he taught her how mistakes had consequences—terrible ones.
She notices the stairway on her right leading down to another compartment, and the purpose of her visit strikes her again. She looks at the men's belts and pockets looking for prison keys or something similar that would indicate that a prisoner—no, not just any prisoner, Althea—is being held here. A thousand thoughts cross her head. Is that why he wanted her? To treat the withdrawal symptoms? He must have heard of how Althea got grasshead's brother back on his feet... not everyone can recuperate a shiver addict—but how did he get into that s***? The fumes? He couldn't be stupid enough to try it for fun. Damn. I gotta find her.
Against her better judgment, she decides to go for the stairs and confirm if Althea is here.
None of the thugs around Devargo appear to have noticed you; you're able to creep up to Devargo's chair without raising an alert.
You see a ring of keys on Devargo's belt, hanging precariously. You creep up, hand readied...
...but something seems off immediately. Devargo wouldn't be stupid enough to just leave a ring of keys on his belt for someone to steal. Your instincts tell you to get away--
--Just in time. His hand snaps out, narrowly missing your tiny wrists. He looks down at you, a mixture of pleasant surprise and contempt in his eyes. The thugs around him look up in complete surprise.
"Well. It looks like I owe Oren an apology. Hello again, Lyla."
They can be accurately summed up as 'Oh, s**t.'
Lyla pulls out her hand staring Devargo directly in the eyes, unable to conceal her surprise at being caught. Before he can rise from the throne, she sprints towards the exit and slides under the door back to the main deck. She immediately turns around and throws a tanglefoot bag right at the middle of the double wooden door, gluing the two sides together and trapping the thugs inside.
The tanglefoot bag bursts, the green goo causing the doors to stick shut.
Everybody on the docks can see the tanglefoot bag exploding and sealing the doors shut. The guards on deck whirl around and bring their axe handles to bear.
Yep, Lyla's in trouble.
It takes a moment for Lyla to remember that the deck is also full of thugs. She looks over her shoulder and sees them axe in hand.
Lyla's reduce person extract does indeed wear off as she turns to face the thugs.
However, they're still slow enough for Lyla to react first. They're used to chasing off sleazy dock workers and sailors trying to cheat at dice or ripping off prostitutes, not halflings breaking into their boss' ship.
Lyla pulls out a vial full of a purple liquid and chugs it down in one gulp, causing a translucent disc to appear in front of her. She runs to the deck's stairs and climbs up to the upper decks, putting some distance between her and the thugs. Getting to a higher position, she spots the party in the pier and waves vigorously, signalling for help.