The streets seem to have gotten worse as you make your way to the Forgottenfolk commune. Men and women racked with open, weeping sores and wracking coughs are slumped against buildings in alleys, and the odour of filth and sicknesses pervades the city's once clean air. Patrols of Korvosan Guardsmen can be seen making the rounds, looking harried and strained as they move. All of them are wearing scarves over their mouths that shake as they breathe.
Making your way along the High Bridge, you pass through East Shore and enter the commune. You're greeted by the sight of Corporal Griggs & Old Man Hartleby conversing. The Old Man doesn't look like he's taken ill, but a quick glance at the surroundings show that may not be the case soon--some of the Ffolk are beginning to show signs of the disease, scratching at the backs of their necks and coughing.
"How bad are things here, sir?"
"Not as bad as they could be, Griggs." The Old Man wipes his brow on his sleeve. "But that's certain to change if we don't quarantine the sick ones now..."
"Agreed. Let's go. We'll pick up some anti-plague while we're out."
Ortik kicks himself inwardly as he spies the telltale scratching and hacking cough of the plague. "I'm not certain quarantine is the real solution, old friends," he says quietly. "I've been looking into the plague through a different angle, and I might have actually sussed out what caused it. Those chests of silver that washed ashore? Well, little Lyla discovered that they were coated with something nasty and sticky, and they're all imports from Absalom. Also, our most recent guest said he received a few coins from a lady as alms, which suggests that's how he got the plague. If this is right, then someone's intentionally introduced this plague to our homes."
As Demitri & company set out from the Soldado home, it becomes clear that the streets of Korvosa are becoming choked with countless ill men and women. The reek of blood and sickness hangs about the party's heads like a thick smog as they walk through the streets of Midland to North Point. A staggering sickly beggar accidentally runs into Nalun as they move, muttering rapid, weak apologies.
The once pristine marble steps of the Grand Vault of Abadar are now teeming with throngs of people as they clamour outside the church's doors. Several guardsmen can be seen at the top of the steps, their armour polished and their crossbows loaded. About a dozen other gold-clad acolytes of Abadar are stationed at the base of the steps, barely holding back the encroaching tide of desperate souls.
"Please, milord! My wife's so sick she can't stand--"
"How can you be so cruel to us?! Have we not suffered enough?!--"
"My baby's bleeding & sickly! Please, can't someone help her?--"
"Dammit all to hell, priest, let us in!"
"Let us in!"
"LET US IN!"
The crowd is quite large. The party will need to get through them to get to the church.
The Old Man stops and looks over at you, not saying a word.
"Cutter's got a lead on what's causing this to spread?" Griggs chimes in as he scratches his head. "Some good news at last. And through coins?" He blinks, the confusion in his eyes all too clear. "THERE'S something I didn't expect to hear..."
Hartleby's face pales. "Wait... then that means..."
He turns on his heel and starts walking off into the commune at a brisk pace.
"We have to get through those people. Preferably without getting ourselves infected as well. I'll try to clear a path." Demitri will try to get a wide berth in the mass crowd. "Stand aside. Move it!"
At Demitri's command, the crowd falls silent. All eyes fall on the inquisitor as the crowd parts for him.
Demitri makes his way through the crowd motioning for his friends to join him.
Nalun shies away from the obviously sick man and mutters Gotta get me some of that juice Lyla was on about when Demitri tries to clear a path Nalun assists, looking as fearsome as he can
Karri holds her tongue as Demitri and Nalun try to clear the crowds, her concentration is really inside her own head. Legion is cavorting and chortling over the state of the city. As Karri challenges and crushes individual voices others rise up, stretching her will to it's limit. As the crowd turns to them Karri knows speaking now will be bad for everyone here. Korvosa needs me sharp, not murdering! But you want to we want to just doitdoit doit kill them clear yourpath use uskill them!
"Come on, Griggs," Ortik says, following swiftly after the Old Man of the Ffolk. "Stop acting so barmy and fall in! When the greybeard is on a tear, then you'd be addle-coved to dawdle." He jogs to keep up with Hartleby, inwardly cursing his shorter stride.
After Demitri and Nalun clear the way, Lyla easily crosses the crowd and reaches the stairways of the Grand Vault. Upon approaching the guards, Lyla flashes her badge and introduces the group. "We're with the Korvosan guard. We're here to speak with Judge Zenderholm, Archbanker Tuttle, and whoever else is calling the shots here, under the invitation of Acolyte Ishani", she shoots, hoping to get the formalities over with.
As Demitri approaches, several people in the crowd notice the holy symbol of Iomedae around his neck. They start approaching him instead...
"Sir! Can you do something to help me? My father can barely keep food down--"
"--I've got money, I swear! I'll pay you anything you want--"
The rest of the crowd is hanging back, unwilling to interfere.
"We're doing our best to solve this crisis. Now let us through so we can speak to the Abadarans."
Get back the man said! Back! Nalun says, a spark of fear in his eyes at the sickness being displayed.
Demitri makes some progress through the people mobbing him, but a couple of him still grab at his clothes.
"Abadar's no help to us here! Please, sir, we need help now--"
"Alright, ENOUGH!" One of the guardsmen barks, aiming his crossbow at the two stragglers on Demitri. They promptly break off and scamper back to the waiting crowd. One of the initiates nods at Lyla and beckons for the party to follow him.
Griggs takes off after you and the Old Man. "Wait--what's he getting worried about now? Don't tell me someone's--"
His words stop at his lips when Hartleby throws open a door to one of the houses in the commune. He storms inside and starts bellowing. "LYRIE! Where are the coins?! You need to get rid of them! NOW!"
A disheveled-looking woman stumbles out from a side room, carrying a small coffer. You can see the beginnings of a rash on her neck. "Hartleby? Yes, yes, they're all here. What's the problem--"
"Where are the Orvens? Do they still have their coffer?" Hartleby's words come in a strong, desperate flurry.
"Er--last I saw, yes. They haven't spent any of it, what of--"
"Good. You handled the contents yourself, did you? Then get to the meeting hall. Get to the meeting hall and get one of my acolytes to treat you. Don't argue with me, just go. GO!" He points a finger out the door and steps aside, sending Lyrie scampering. She drops the closed coffer on the floor as she does so.
Ah! letdown! We wanted blood! you do it fleshling-turn this city against itself! No! I have better things to do than listen to the chatter of slaves! Karri shouts down the raucous Legion and follows into the temple of Adabar.
"We're trying our best, I swear to you." Demitri says to the crowd before following the man inside.
"Who else has been exposed?", Ortik says quickly, and with cool resolve. "We'll cover more ground if we split up and warn them."
The acolyte leads Demitri and the others up the great steps of the temple, leaving the diseased & distressed crowd behind. The pleas of the crowd below start up again not long after the group starts climbing the stairs.
"You have no idea how relieved Senior Arbiter Zenderholm is going to be when she hears that you're here to help us." The acolyte says as he hurries up the stairs. He nearly trips over the hem of his robes as he moves. "Some of my brothers in faith have come down with the sickness already--none of us have any idea how it's spreading among the poor so quickly..."
Standing at the top of the stairs, with her hands folded into her robes, is none other than Judge Zenderholm, looking like she's aged a couple of years since the party last saw her. From the dark circles under her eyes and the more pronounced streaks of white in her hair, it's clear that the judge hasn't slept well.
"Good--you're here. Come with me--we have matters of grave importance to discuss."
"I do not know yet. The Orvens may not have been the only ones to receive coffers with silver in them--or silver that came from them. Ortik, Griggs, look around the commune and see who else has been exposed to the coins." The Old Man snatches up the coffer and starts out the door after Lyrie. "I will have to put these coins in a safe place until we find a way to cleanse them."
Griggs looks at you and nods.
"It is being spread by contaminated coin; something or someone wanted this to happen." Karri does not bother to elaborate.
The judge is silent for a moment before turning on her heel and beckoning for the party to follow her.
"I will admit, I have ministered to many in my career as one of Abadar's faithful." Zenobia says, her tone at once exhausted and intrigued. "I have seen many plagues and illnesses afflicting smallfolk and nobles alike, but this is the first I've ever heard of money being used to spread disease."
The group enters the main banking floor of the temple. Once a proud space of commerce and industry, this grand room of white marble, golden stained-glass windows and well-sculpted frescoes of Abadar's glory is now host to dozens upon dozens of cots, each of them bearing a sickly plague victim. The reek of blood and bodily fluids is even stronger here than it was outside. Several gold-clad priests hurry about, wearing scarves and thick leather gloves, bearing tinctures, ointments, poultices and remedies of all kinds.
"Tell me, how did you learn of this?" She turns to you, a spark of hope in her weathered eyes.
"Yes, someone wants to kill the poor and working class folk. A guard's niece was infected and she told us that she found some coins a few days ago. The disease-ridden coins are from Absalom of all places."
"The coin's origin means nothing, Demitri. They could have been Chelish or Qadiran. What matters is who planted them." Karri pauses, "And why..."
"Well it's possible the person behind this is also from Absalom. The more information the better."
Absalom again...why did you send her there Nalun! Of all the places! Nalun thinks. He nods at Demitri's assessment Gotta consider the type of coin. Why not a Korvosan coin? Seems like that would be easier to obtain, nah the Absalomian coin means something.
"We got a chance to take a look at the coins, and there's definitely something shady about them. It's like they've been coated with an oily poison... only, it's not a poison, but a disease. Kind of clever, actually. About the coins' origin, I agree with Nalun. Using a Korvosan coin would have been much more effective in hiding their plan—I mean, if there is someone behind it, which is our hypothesis right now. Korvosan coins would have disappeared seamlessly in the population, and we wouldn't have been able to narrow the contagion down to the Absalomian silver weights. So, either the guys behind this really suck at evil plans or Korvosan coins weren't readily available to them. I'd say we have new players in town", Lyla concludes. "But who benefits from all this? The sheer scale of the scheme suggests something big... maybe political in nature? Surely not the queen; she has enough bad rep to deal with without a plague to manage. They're targeting the people, so basically the political structure is preserved, but the whole thing puts pressure on the Queen and her allies, a smokescreen for a coup, perhaps. It could be an enemy of Queen Ileosa? That would be a long list, I think", the girl ponders, raising her eyebrows, before going on. "If it's not politics, it has to be something connected to some other institution... maybe even the church." She looks at Zenobia and asks "Can you think of anyone who would want the people of Korvosa to suffer with civil unrest?"
Zenobia folds her arms. "Hmm..." She wrinkles her nose and sighs. "...whatever the reason for Absalom's coinage being used, we need to take steps to recall every last one of them in the city. Some of the coins have already made their way to our vaults--I'll oversee their cleansing."
"In the meantime, I need your assistance in tracking those silver pieces down. If you find any of those coffers, bring them to the Church as soon as you can. Do you have any idea where some of them have gone?" She asks before covering her mouth and stifling a cough.
"Can you think of anyone who would want the people of Korvosa to suffer with civil unrest?"
"I don't know." Zenobia shakes her head. "Although the more reactionary among the faith would start pointing fingers at the Shoanti..." She snorts. "No, they couldn't be the ones behind this. They disdain such underhanded methods--they'd sooner just walk into a crowded market square and start swinging weapons about."
Ortik nodded at the Old Man's words. "On it," he said with uncharacteristic terseness, and he tore off through the streets, hoping to find the tainted coins before too many more people are infected. Inwardly, he kicks himself the whole time. You're a fool, Ortik. Should have been more careful. And now the Ffolk are suffering because of your carelessness. Stupid, stupid dwarf.
"Yes, some of them were spent at a toy shop. We can track those down at least. I also doubt the Shoanti are involved."
Your search through the commune does not go unrewarded or unnoticed. You manage to find three different families with coffers of the tainted silver coins. All of the families are exhibiting symptoms of the illness, but they explain that all of their coins are still in their coffers. Unfortunately for the third family, some of their coins are missing.
You do get a lead as to where they have gone, though.
"The sickness came to our family recently--we tried to explain to Hartleby, but he was busy with that beggar you brought to us. Don't worry, Ortik--we don't begrudge you for it. The Old Man probably would have brought him home anyway. We heard of someone who was offering cures cheaper than the temples have available... it's a place in South Shore, called Lavender's Luxuriant Liniment."
Zenobia nods. "It's somewhere to start, at least. We can't risk those coins being distributed further into the city--go to that toy shop and get the coins as soon as you can."
"It's as good a place to start."
"Thank you, Denora," Ortik says, a hint of relief in his voice. "Spread the word to the Ffolk - don't accept coinage of foreign mint, not until this plague passes us. I'll do what I can as fast as I can. And this Lavender's sounds like an excellent place to start." He makes a few more inquiries before his leads dry up, and begins to head for South Shore before reconsidering. The rest of them would be heading to that toy shop - that's where I need to meet them. Now where the heck is that place?
It takes Demitri a while before he finds a local herbalist who hasn't sold out of anti-plague yet. Once the anti-plague changes hands, it's time to stop by the location Brienna mentioned--Giotorri's Toys.
The little toy shop appears curiously untouched by the sickness around it. It's a two-story red brick building. The front windows of the store haven't been washed recently, and what appear to be toy pseudodragons sit in them, covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs. The oak door into the shop has a small, circular window at head level.
The alley next to the shop, on the other hand, has a powerful odour of blood and decay coming from it...
Demitri will check out the alleyway then.
Walking forward to the mouth of the alley, what Demitri sees next is beyond words.
The high walls of the surrounding buildings throw this awkwardly bent alley into constant shadow. Although littered with garbage and filth, the refuse isn’t the most stomach-turning trait of this rundown sideway. Heaped against a bent wooden wall rises a pile of more than a dozen plague victims, their faces blistered and flushed, their skins thin and lifeless, their features sunken.
Most of these corpses appear to have been dumped here recently.
"This is no way to treat the dead. They deserve better. The question is, who dumped them here? The Hellknights wouldn't touch them." Demitri motions for the party to join him as he takes a few steps into the alleyway.
Nalun covers his mouth, and makes a sign to ward against evil. Maybe there's no one left to take care of the bodies...
Colors wash Karri's vision, swimming with imagined movement. "Something is here. Waiting." Karri's eyes flicker in that baleful green and she begins swaying, feeling trapped in an unseen tide. A raspy whisper, "Lead us...
Ortik starts heading towards the toy shop, and arrives to spot his friends walking into the alleyway along side. He follows them down it, covering his nose as the smell of rot becomes too strong. "Gods, it stinks!", he exclaims, wincing at the stench as he walks in. "Have you been inside yet? Is the place even open? I assume not - I can't imagine someone inside hasn't smelled this."
"No we haven't. I doubt anyone is in there or that anyone has been in there for a long time."
The alley's stench only gets worse as Demitri steps further in. The sounds of rats nibbling at the corpses grow louder as he approaches them.
Upon closer inspection, Demitri notices a small hole in the wall of the toy shop, leading inside. As he gets closer to the corpses, he notices that some of them have puncture marks around their necks.