As you set the card down on the table, you see her hand reach out from next to you and gently clasp yours. "I am here, Lyla. I always am." Zellara ghostly form sits next to you.
"Hmmm... madam Z? I... something's come up and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. It's... it could be my family, or not. Thing is, now that I have a lead... not sure if I really wanna find them. I mean, I don't even remember them. I have another life now. What's the point?"
Zellara listens quietly until you finish.
"I imagine there's more of a point to it than you think, Lyla." Zellara stands up from her chair. "How long have you been separated from your family? A decade, perhaps? Maybe more? It would be easier to let it come to an end, and let them move on with their lives, as you have."
Zellara's eyes turn somewhat misty. "But I don't think it would be right."
"Can you imagine the pain a mother endures when she loses a child? Her child? Even if she has another one, that sort of wound takes a very long time to heal." Zellara returns to her chair, a ghostly tear running down her cheek. "For some, it never does."
"But I would not think to make this decision for you."
Karri looks at the judge then looks away, I shouldn't have come. This woman is trouble to me! Oh poo-poo fleshbag. You're trouble to her. She won't hurt you, not if you are smart. Karri flinches and replies, She won't hurt me if I don't follow you, demon. Kasdaye laughs and points out, Be nice to me. Your Legion has been relatively quiet. How did you sleep last night, good I hope. Come get me when you need me. Karri hopes that Demitri ends this interview soon. Then she looks down at Nadia, I can handle whatever Kasdaye and his ilk bring me. I have to. Karri forces a smile and offers, "Hello, your honor. We wanted to ask about the other children." She is struggling to make eye contact, but at last she does, if only for a moment.
Zenobia stands up from her seat behind the altar. "The children?" She shrugs and offers a small, grandmotherly smile. "They've been placed in new homes--I've seen to it."
She looks between the three of you, with Nadia tentatively gripping onto Karri's hand as well as her father's. "Why, were you looking to adopt one of them?" She asks, arching an eyebrow. Her tone has no trace of sarcasm or teasing in it.
"No, I am happy with the one I have. I just wanted to check in on them. I'm glad to hear they're well. And Nadia hasn't been around anyone her own age in a while, was hoping some were still staying with you."
Karri blushes and looks between the judge, Nadia and Demitri. She remains silent.
Looking down, Lyla picks up the card and plays with it while listening to Zellara. Every once in a while, she nods at her words. "You know, a few weeks back, I was kind of... rough... on someone who had just lost a son. Alright, he was also being a jerk, but I didn't even think about what he must have been feeling at the time. He was so angry he could literally start a war. And you... you went through all the trouble to get us together and do right by your son—like, c'mon, from beyond the grave. And then, if this really is my family, they seem to have lost everything because of me, trying to find me. I guess parents can be crazy that way", she shrugs. "I wouldn't know." The girl pauses and raises her head to look at Zellara. "Did you see him again, your son? I mean, after you... died?"
The halfling girls listens to Zellara's reply with genuine interest, and then places the card in her hand back in the deck and starts shuffling. "Well, I ought to at least check on them. Yeah, definetely, I'll go and try to meet them. A-hem... this is gonna sound funny, considering I never believed in this harrowing cra—er, stuff, but... would you... would you perform a reading for me, Madame Z?" She slides the shuffled deck towards Zelllara, staring at the harrower with serious eyes.
"No...no, I can't say that I have. I take it the city's been whispering to you? What does she say?""Well, she doesn't so much say anything to me, so much as she shows me." Hartleby wrinkles his nose.
"You remember when I spoke of the dream I had about crows, yes?" He clasps his hands together. "It came to me again, even more clearly than before." He looks at his feet.
"Sometimes, I feel that the 'gift' of foresight is... more of a burden." Hartleby looks back up at you. "But, perhaps it's merely a sign of my age catching up to me."
"I'd forgotten about the crows," Ortik replies, after listening to Hartleby. The Old Man somehow looked like he'd aged several years in the last month, as though his body was never meant for the gift of prophecy. Perhaps that was it - or perhaps Ortik had just never seen the Old Man so weary. "So many things distracting me these days. If I were to interpret your dream, I'd say that Korvosa is telling you she is sick, perhaps fatally. She feels scavengers, malevolent ones at that, picking at her bones. Did she show you any balm for this sickness? I can't believe that she'd show you this if it were already too late."
Zenobia shrugs. "I believe they'd have loved to see Nadia again, but as it stands, they're all in new homes. Was there anything else?"
Hartleby shakes his head. "She didn't show me how it may be stopped... only that it is coming, and sooner than I thought."
"Did you see him again, your son? I mean, after you... died?"
Zellara is quiet for a while before answering. "Once, before Pharasma called him away. He... he was... he was glad to leave this place, at last." She closes her eyes and bows her head.
""Well, I ought to at least check on them. Yeah, definetely, I'll go and try to meet them. A-hem... this is gonna sound funny, considering I never believed in this harrowing cra—er, stuff, but... would you... would you perform a reading for me, Madame Z?"
Zellara looks up at you, trying to keep herself under control. "I could." She takes the deck and starts shuffling it. It seems to give her some measure of peace. "You have a question about your family, yes? Speak it, and I shall see what the cards hold."
"Would it be best to ask the foster parents to bring them all to a dinner? I think we could host it if you know of an appropriate venue." Oh, something someone normal would say... quite the smokescreen fleshling.
Judge Zenderholm shrugs. "I suppose I could ask them, if you wish--in fact, I'd wager some of them would be eager to meet the heroes who've been mostly responsible for cleaning up the city." She gives you a slight smile.
"I think that would be a grand idea."
Ortik frowns at his mentor's words. "Hrrmph. Seems a bit cruel to send you these dreams if there were nothing to do for it. Maybe she doesn't even know she's sending them." He shrugs, clearly at a loss for any clear answer. "Let me know if the dream changes, or if something looks familiar. It might be she's leaving clues for us, and we just don't know it yet."
"One last thing, old friend. Blackjack. He was quite outspoken of the Queen when he appeared a few days ago. I've no great love of her, but his words could fan the flames of rebellion. That's a fine thing if you suffer under a tyrant, but I haven't seen much to suggest that Ileosa is any worse for Korvosa than her late husband. I may need to speak with him in the future. If you could have the Forgottenfolk keep an eye out for him, I would very much appreciate it."
Lyla nods watching Zellara skillfuly shuffle the harrowing deck. "Yes. I'm not sure what to ask... I dunno... I wanna know everything, I suppose. Just tell me whatever the cards say about them-about me meeting them. Oh... and one other thing", the girl says blushing a little, "I wouldn't mind hearing what they have to say about, a-hem, Blackjack, too. He's been gone for ages and then he comes out of the blue to help us." She cringes her eyebrows and looks sideways, muttering "... and I think he winked at me, as if he knew me? Anyway, he shows up there" - she points to the deck - "you can talk a little about that. Just if, you know, no need to get out of your way", Lyla finishes, crossing her arms and sinking in the chair in a poor attempt to hide her interest on the masked vigilante.
Madame Zellara shuffles the cards. "You wish to know what will happen if you decide to seek out your family, then. I understand your curiosity about Blackjack, but I can only answer one question at a time."
"Since you asked about family… the suit of Crowns is the suit linked to what you seek." She draws nine cards from the deck. With a snap of her fingers, she sends them to float in front of you in a nine-by-nine grid. "Please, choose one. Then I can begin."
"One last thing, old friend. Blackjack. He was quite outspoken of the Queen when he appeared a few days ago. I've no great love of her, but his words could fan the flames of rebellion. That's a fine thing if you suffer under a tyrant, but I haven't seen much to suggest that Ileosa is any worse for Korvosa than her late husband. I may need to speak with him in the future. If you could have the Forgottenfolk keep an eye out for him, I would very much appreciate it."
"I could do that, certainly." Hartleby shrugs. "Admittedly, I've seen little to suggest Ileosa's any worse than Eodred myself. She didn't object to the Forgottenfolk moving through her city... although that business with the Hellknights was perhaps over the line for most."
"Well, in that case, my family, of course", Lyla replies promptly. "I mean, pfff, who cares about Blackjack, right? It's not like we've been counting on him these last couple of decades...", she says in a not so convincing manner.
Lyla looks at Zellara's expression as the ghost harrower raises an eyebrow. Only then the halfling girl notices that Zellara has already decided for her, having laid the floating cards from the suit of crowns. "Oh, right. Sorry." She covers her mouth thinking about which card to pick, and then stretches one hand to tap the chosen one: the Empty Throne.
"It's concerning, definitely," he nods. "Maybe it was an overreaction by a new monarch. Maybe it's something more sinister. Or maybe it's nothing. I've questions without answers, like how the bluehands connect with a noble house, or what deep dwarves are doing this close to the surface. You're right, old friend, something rots in Korvosa. I just don't know what it is yet."
Hammers
Books
Crowns
Keys
Crowns
Crowns
Crowns
Books
CE
N
CE
LE
LG
N
LE
CE
NG
CE
The Bear (Partial Match)
The Rakshasa (True Match)
--------------
The Empty Throne (Role Card Partial Match!)
The Peacock (True Match)
The Tyrant (Partial Match)
--------------
The Liar (Misaligned)
The Theatre
The Idiot (Partial Match)
"The Empty Throne..." Zellara nods. "A card symbolic of a great sense of loss. Understandable in this case. The ghost in the image signifies that those who are gone will always be with us, and have important lessons to teach, should you wish to listen." She snaps her fingers and the cards fly back into the deck.
"Now, what do the cards say about your family...?" Her voice turns ethereal as the deck flies apart.
In a whirlwind of arcane power, the cards swirl around you, faster than your eyes can follow. Zellara stands behind you, her eyes glowing blue and her palm outstretched. She makes a fist with her extended hand, and the cards neatly stack themselves into a newly reshuffled deck.
With a snap of her fingers, nine more cards are drawn from the deck and float before you in a nine-by-nine grid, face down. "First, what do the cards have to say about the past?" With just a glance, the northwest card flips over.
"Well, this is a good start." Zellara rests a hand on her chin. "The Snakebite is normally symbolic of the death of ideas & freedom. In this case, it's symbolic of you making a mental leap, a new friendship, or discovery. I think that's self-explanatory, don't you?" She pats you on the head.
The westernmost card turns over.
Zellara chuckles. "Oh, the Bear came up again? Symbolic of brute force, as always. Whether it's referring to how you solved your problems in the past or not isn't quite clear." She leans a bit closer to you. "I must confess, the Bear is my favourite card, if only because of how cute it looks."
The southwest card turns over.
Zellara's laughter immediately stops. "Oh, dear." Her eyes widen. "The Rakshasa in the negative past position... well, it's symbolic of slavery. Considering Gaedren Lamm was the one to rip you from your family, I think it's pretty obvious who that card is referring to."
"Now, for the present..." The northernmost card flips over.
"Well, good news for you, Lyla." She smiles. "The Empty Throne here indicates that the ghosts of your past can be put to rest. Going to meet with your family after all this time will grant closure for you and them at last."
The centre card flips over.
"The Peacock, hmm?" Zellara folds her arms. "Symbolic of a sudden shift in attitude or societal change. It seems to indicate that your opinion of your family will change once you meet them... whether it's for better or worse is uncertain."
The southernmost card flips over.
"Oh my." Zellara purses her lips. "The Tyrant is indicative of a ruler whose rule brings nothing but suffering, whether he or she realizes it or not. The dragon is symbolic of a monarch, overseer, or head of a household. In this context, whoever's been leading your family hasn't been doing well by them."
"As to what the future holds..." The northeast card flips over.
"The Liar normally speaks of love at its worst--love that breaks people's hearts and leads them to throw their lives away." Zellara sighs. "However, in this case, it indicates that a new relationship is beginning, disguised as something unpleasant. Your homecoming will reopen old wounds, certainly, but the cards say that everything will work out for the better for it."
The easternmost card flips over.
"The Theatre?" Zellara scratches her head. "A card of prophecy... and of course, it's in the 'unclear future' position. Well, THAT really narrows it down, doesn't it?" She gives her Harrow deck a quick glare. "Moving along."
The last card turns over.
Zellara's face turns grim. "The Idiot. A card of grave foolishness and greed. Usually, it means bribery, blackmail or extreme naiveté. It looks like you'll be running into someone like that in the future--corrupt, powerless or hopelessly dumb. Hopefully, not all at once."
The cards fly back into the deck.
"It's concerning, definitely," he nods. "Maybe it was an overreaction by a new monarch. Maybe it's something more sinister. Or maybe it's nothing. I've questions without answers, like how the bluehands connect with a noble house, or what deep dwarves are doing this close to the surface. You're right, old friend, something rots in Korvosa. I just don't know what it is yet."
Hartleby blinks. "Hmm... I haven't been keeping as close an ear to the ground as I thought. Was there anything else I might have missed, Ortik?"
"Things we've run into during my stint with the Guards," Ortik offers, his voice hushing. "The affair with the king's artist, Sabor, for instance. I'm sure she was innocent of the crime she was accused of. I'm not certain why the throne pushed so hard for her apprehension - someone somewhere must have fingered her as the culprit. We'll probably never know now, though. Heard she was killed by some overzealous mage avenging the Crimson Throne."
The old man just quirks an eyebrow at his dwarven student. "Really, now?"
He gives a sly wink to his mentor. "That's the story going around, anyway. There's lots of little things that don't add up, tiny details that hint at a larger picture, and I'm not far enough away to see the whole. An ant sees a far different city than a sparrow, and neither of them are wrong."
"It will take me a couple of days to contact the parents and make arrangements. Do you know where you plan to host this dinner?" The judge smooths out some wrinkles in the sleeves of her robes.
"That is fine. We will need some time to clean things up. We will host at the home you came to before, 3 Lancet Street."
Lyla listens excitedly to Zellara's reading. Wow. The floating cards bit... this is so cool. No, wait, focus, Lyla. Don't get distracted. Her mood swings wildly as Zellara points the good and the bad aspects of the harrowing. The bear. Yeah, it look funny, heh. Rakshkhs... damn, how do you say that? Rak-sha-sa. Lamm, of course. But that's old news. She fidgets in her chair. The Tyrant. Well, doesn't that look peachy. The Liar. Wow. great draw, huh. Oh. Not that bad, after all. Aaaand... The Idiot? Hope that doesn't turn out to be me.
When the reading is over, Lyla remains silent for a minute, staring solemnly at the wall. Then, she looks at Zellara, dead serious. "So... should I get them some flowers?" After a few moments keeping a straight face, the girl bursts into laughter; she looks over to see Zellara chuckle a bit. She calms down and looks up with a smile on her face. "Thanks, Z. I'll let you know how it goes. May I?" Lyla takes the deck reluctantly, as if waiting for Zellara's permition, and then hops off the chair and heads to the door. When she turns around to say goodbye, the ghost is already gone, which doesn't stop her from sayint it anyway. "See you around", she says, looking at the empty room and taking her hand to the deck in her pocket.
Lyla runs down the streets in a hurry, heading north to the Jeggare River. I'll bet he's there, she thinks, dodging legs, dogs and carts. Some guard tells her not to run, to which she simply raises the official brooch Kroft gave the group; it must have worked, she thinks, for he does not insist. It takes a while to cross the river and find the 'Thief Camp'; Lyla asks the locals about the newly arrived Forgottenfolk, and after a few nasty looks and uncooperative mumbles, she finally finds someone that points her to the right direction. Getting to their settlement, she slows down and plods around looking left and right, searching for someone. She spots him talking to some old man, and picks up the pace to reach them. "Ortik! Hey! Do you have a moment?"
Spotting the little figure waving her badge around Nalun trosts up beside her, an easy task for him since his legs offer the much better stride. Fancy meeting you here. Using your newfound status for good are you? he says with a nod to her badge
--Before arriving at Thief Camp--
Lyla is a bit startled to see Nalun striding by her side. She looks up and says "Hah! Just... taking a pass... on running a bit... you know guards... get suspicious... when they see that", she says, panting. She stops and bends forward resting her hand on her knees. "And if I bump into someone, it'll probably be who gets hurt, right? So, what you up to? I'm off to find Ortik, I wanna ask him for a favor... care to join me?" With those words, she resumes her running and looks back yelling "You'll have to keep up!"
--Arriving at Thief Camp--
Lyla walks by Nalun's side through the camp raised by Old Man Hartleby and the Forgotten Folk. Looking around, she speaks up, without looking at Nalun. "Listen, slim, I'll fill you in once we find Ortik... so I won't have to repeat myself, ok?" She then stops suddenly as a thought hits her. She turns around to face Nalun and raises one finger. "Ok, just one thing you should know. This thing I'm gonna ask... it's personal. Really personal. So... I'd like it if you could keep what you hear to yourself, alright?" Though her words are firm, she looks more concerned than angry. The girl suddenly spots Ortik and starts calling out to him. "Ortik! Hey! Do you have a moment?"
Ortik looks up as Lyla and Nalun approach him and the Old Man. He glances to his mentor. "Never a dull moment in the city, is there?", he muses, giving a weary smile to him. "If the Forgottenfolk need anything, anything at all, you know you just need to send a runner." He gives his mentor a quick embrace, and heads over to the odd pair.
"I always have time for my friends, Lyla. How can I help?"
Zenobia nods. "Very well then. On your way." She dismisses you and turns to leave the chapel.
"Great. Who's that?", she asks pointing to Hartleby. "Nah, never mind. Listen, I... heck, I'll just go and say it. I found my family. I mean, I I did, and then I spoke to Zellara—don't ask—and I'm not sure things are gonna go smoothly. They live north of the river... I guess it's not far from here. Anyway, since you rub shoulders with the down and out—no offense there, it's not like I'm living in a mansion in The Heights—anyway, you might be able to find them there, or you might even know someone who knows them. I haven't met them yet, and the harrowing says they could be in a tough spot right now—did I mention I spoke to Zellara? So... I wanna find them and check on them, maybe talk to them a little bit before introducing myself... and it seems like it's a really rough neighborhood and I could maybe use some backup. So, yeah, that's the short version. What do you say?" She looks to Nalun. "You can come too, if you want..."
Nalun trots alongside Lyla as she heads into the "Thief Camp" and when she gets serious he nods to her
I'm a man of my word. I'll not say a thing...besides you know one of my secrets too.
Nalun stretches when Lyla invites him along
Can't say I've enjoyed the downtime as much as I should have. I'm a man of action...give me some time to grab my things and I'll meet you.
Lyla frowns at Nalun's suggestion. "I'd rather not wait that long, we're already on the other side of the river... don't you have a knife on you, or something? It ought to do... we're not really gonna look for trouble, I don't see the need to swing that weird sword of yours all over the place. Plus, we'll draw too much attention if we gear up too much. I say we try to blend in... maybe Ortik can throw some rags over our clothes. I'm sure they are a plenty in these parts—again, no offense", she says raising her hands.
Ah. Ok, I think I'm beginning to understand. This is a quiet operation...no mess. Nalun says
"Surely you remember Hartleby, the Old Man of the Forgottenfolk?", Ortik asks Lyla. "He was the reason I was on Lamm's trail in the first place." Ortik listens quietly as the little chemist discusses her desire to reunite with her family. If he's offended when she mentions the poverty around him, he doesn't show it.
"Bringing an orphan back in touch with her roots," Ortik says. "I'd be delighted to join you. Let me grab some rags and cloaks for you to wear - you're right, you'll blend in a bit better if you look the part." He takes a few moments and scrounges up some clothes for the pair from some of the Forgottenfolk, giving them far more than the clothes are worth. Any protestations from the Ffolk fall upon deaf ears, as he insists on giving them several silver for what would normally be a few coppers.
"There, that ought to help. Now, did my ears mishear, or did you say you spoke with Zellara? Did she have anything to say with how we've been keeping the place?"
Zenobia nods. "Very well then. On your way." She dismisses you and turns to leave the chapel.
"Thank you judge." Demitri then turns to Karri and Nadia. "We should start cleaning up when we get back and figure out what to serve the guests."
" no mess!", Lyla stresses out to Nalun with wide eyes.
Donning the rags over her clothes, she listens to Ortik's questions. "Oh, so Hartleby. About Zellara... hmmmm... no, she didn't say anything about the house, but if you want my opinion, it's not that bad. You should take a look at room." She finishes her camouflage and takes a look at herself. "Well, it's hard to botch this one, it's just rags...", she blurts out, remembering the trouble they went through with Trinia's disguise. "Let's get going."
Escorted by Ortik and Nalun, she heads to the address she got from the drunk man at the docks.
"Sure, better to keep the judge impressed." The flat tone makes it hard to read how serious or sarcastic Karri is being.
The walk to the neighbourhood Lyla seeks is a quiet one, but the group's footsteps seem to be dogged by a distressingly cold breeze. The wind carries the salty smell of the harbour and mixes with the stench of unwashed bodies as they approach the collection of hastily-constructed houses, lean-tos and shanties that passes for a neighbourhood.
It becomes depressingly clear after only a few seconds of observation that this ghetto is populated exclusively by halflings--mostly unlucky sorts who couldn't make a living on a Korvosan ship or in a noble's estate. For the most part, the locals hurry about on errands, not paying the team any attention. A few eye them fearfully from the windows as if one of them will take offence to their presence.
Soon enough, Lyla leads the team to a small, two-story home in somewhat better condition than the surrounding buildings. The house's timbers are seriously weather-beaten and several bear spots of mold & mildew. The front door is closed.
Sadness takes over Lyla as she walks among the downtrodden halfling community. She frowns staring at an old woman, and as she stares back with an angry look on her face, Lyla realizes how offensive her pity is to these people. She puts on a straight face and keeps walking, stopping cold upon spotting the house she seeks, realizing she hadn't thought through any plans after that point.
She looks at Nalun and Ortik. "Soooo... what now?", she asks, holding her chin while trying to come up with something. "I can't just knock, right? I mean, that would be ludicrous... what if... I'll just take a look at them while you cover me, alright? When I come back, you two can knock and maybe talk to them for a while, see what you can find. You have until I come back to think of what you're gonna say", she decrees, swallowing a phial of mutagen. The solution courses through her veins altering her body, and soon enough her face takes on feline features.
She circles the house and drinks two more vials from her pouch, one after another. Shrinking to half her size, shes jumps to the wall and starts stealthly climbing in the back, peeking inside the windows to observe what's going on inside.
Aftera few days of working alongside the remaining girls to clean up the house, Demitri will take them out to the the market to buy groceries. "So any ideas on what to serve? I've never hosted a dinner party before. I can handle serving a bunch of kids, but adults are entirely different." He asks Karri.
Wiping her soap and water wrinkled hands on a natty old apron, Karri looks up. "Well, if you have any skills we could do a lobster bisque, braised endives, clam chowder and then something heavier for the main courses. Ginger chicken? Maybe something exotic like Bulette steaks with hippo sweat gravy?" She smiles, comfortable in both the work and the company, "But I don't think any of us has the will to hunt bulette or even cook it if we had it." She thinks about the question and says, "The Judge will appreciate that we are not nobility, and that any over the top effort to be nobility will be taken the wrong way. Let's do some potato soup and roast pheasant. I think I can handle that. We will just need bread, egg, and..." She continues the list from memory hoping she hasn't forgot anything. "Oh, and if we are to host a dinner party then we will need something more than our day to day garb. Nothing too fancy, but something that says, 'Hard work, smart money.' A coat and cravat for you. A simple dress that doesn't have all the darning and staining this one has for me." She smirks, [I]Am I looking forward to this nonsense? Maybe. The task and the work keeps Legion at bay. That is enough."[/b]
Nalun pats his belt knife and says I got ya covered small stuff.
"Yes, I think doing something simpler is for the best. I wouldn't even know where to get a decent coat around here though."
Ortik shakes his head as Lyla shrinks and disappears into the shadows. "Strange girl, that one," he says out loud, not necessarily addressing Nalun, but certainly not keeping his thoughts to himself either. "All the bravery in the world when it comes to facing down a derro necromancer, but her stomach's all a-flutter when it comes to meeting her family for the first time. She's a proper enigma." He turns to Nalun, hashing out their story, fishing in his pocket for something. "So, what do you think - investigators? Maybe we could use Lamm here as well, saying we uncovered records that she was with Lamm at the time, and we want to confirm that they lost a child around that time. Not sure where we go from there, though..." He hems and haws, clearly in thought.