Oathday, 7 Pharast, 4708 AR
It’s another cold Pharast day in Korvosa, with the morning’s fog just beginning to break along the Jeggare River. Just another day for most Korvosans, and yet, the mood across the city is one of sadness, apprehension, and in some cases, grim satisfaction. King Eodred Aribasti II, called the Stirge King by some of the most downtrodden for the way he’s bled the city’s coffers, is on death’s door. But while the most and least wealthy in the city prepare for his imminent death, the vast majority has other things on their minds. For six Korvosans, that thought is about to be the same. As the bells ring noon across the city, those six receive the strangest summons of their lives.
A chill wind blows in from the sea, scattering the remaining fog into wispy tendrils. It’ll be another dark night in Korvosa; clouds are on the horizon.
Alright, here's the Gameplay thread. Hopefully this'll work.
Aerodus hears the chill blast of air outside. It was different, almost... Drawing...
He looks at the card once more. The Queen Mother. He'd never been fond of the Harrow Decks he'd seen, but this one felt unique. He slips it into his belt and looks out over the city. A cold and dark night for many, most of all him if his daughter remained lost one more night.
The law should have gotten her by now, brought her to me. Imperia... He won't be going to the Bank that day, not after so long. He grabs his equipment, donning it like a knight off to battle. Grim-faced, he oils the crossbow and examines the bolts. Certain that they'll work in order, he lifts the silver holy symbol of his god and puts it about his neck.
"Abadar, Master of the First Vault, what I do today may go against the laws of mortals, but justice must be served to the laws of the soul." He steps out into the blustery and cold air and begins his mission.
Kazadarin sits on the floor of his room, his greatsword forgotten. The young man stares at the card in his hand, excitement and apprehension creeping into his mind like a pair of second story thieves. He studies every detail of the bear in a futile attempt to understand its meaning or trigger a memory that may help identify who placed the card on his person with out his knowing.
The ranger frowns as he flips the card over to the message he had already read a hundred times. Whoever the author was, they knew about his hunt for Lamm, and what the old man had done.
Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Kazadarin tucks the card behind his belt and jumps to his feet. He begins to hurriedly ready his kit for the possible battle he has trained for, and feared, these past 7 years.
He works as if a man possessed. He belts his sword to his back and hurries towards the door but stops suddenly as if he had hit an invisible wall. Slowly he turns to the shabby dresser and picks up a small faded mirror that he had over turned when he occupied the room. His hands shaking slightly, he turns the mirror over and removes his hood. “Others like me.”
Kazadarin looks into the mirror as if he were seeing a stranger, he doesn’t see the 21 year old man that he has become starring back, all he can see is the scars. The scars left there by Gaedran Lamm. “Time to die Lamm.” Kazadarin places the mirror back on the dresser, and walks out the door.
"Well now," thinks Giorgio, palming the card as he roots through his bag. "This does seem right up my ladder. Ladders, I suppose." He tucks his healing kit back into his bag, and bids the family good day, having left them a small supply of analgesic herbs. On his way back to his small apartment, to pick up his "trouble kit", he racks his brain, trying to recall information on both the strange card and the address that would, no doubt, temporarily unite a small group to bring down a savage crime lord.
Gern studied the card thoughtfully. He wasn't surprised someone had contacted him, to be honest. With his burning rage now compressed to a hot coal, he half hoped that Lamm and his cronies would make a play for him. This didn't look like something the scunner would do though.
He looked around the room, checking to see that the windows hadn't been forced, or that something else hadn't been left for him.
Having done the search, he spoke the words aloud. "Justice. Aye, there'll be a reckonin' right enough. Tae long has this man been kept waitin' fer tha ladies judegement in the halls o' tha dead. May his soul burn in tha pits o' hell"
He looked at his gear, and began to prepare for a meeting with unknown folk about a man he planned to kill. He picked up his axe first, rubbing his finger over the rune carved there to represent his brother. Then he draped his shield with heavy black calico, hiding his families crest. Tonight's work was not to be linked to his clan.
With that, he headed into the town, waiting for the allotted time.
Gern: As far as you can tell, there's no sign of a forced entry, the door and windows are closed and locked, and nothing's out of place.
Litsy ran her eye over the street, but obviously, she saw no one. She immediately took refuge in the darkness of a narrow alley, and stood up against a wall. She stared thoughtfully at the card for a few seconds, making it turn between her fingers.
Does he know about... My uncle?
She couln't believe it. It wouldn't be surprising if he had heard about the trial, but how did this person managed to find her?
He surely knew a lot of things...
"I know where he dwells"...
In fact, he was more informed than her.
Other people?...
She had to meet it.
She knew that Fang would disapprove it. Too risky. What if she fell into a trap?
But... It was her only lead. She had no choice.
Besides, a day which had started with some cute white rabbit SHOULD be a good day! ... Right?
She looked up at the sky: she had a few hours left. Enough to go get her equipment.
As Aerodus moves around the city, he stops folks that he recognizes from the church, from laity to average folks. He asks them, in a simple manner, about the area of Lancet Street.
Sadly, either most people know very little, or are too hesitant to assist an armed cleric. So he begins to wrack his memory for any and all information he could remember about the area.
To no avail. He had apparently been too caught up in church details and his regular life to remember what was there. He'd find out soon
As the sun goes down over Conqueror's Bay to the west, a brilliant sunset shines through the clouds. Houses across the city light candles and fires, staving off the approaching darkness and cold. One of these is a comfortable two-story dwelling located at #3 Lancet Street.
Once she had recovered her tools and weapons, Litsy left her recent hideout, and headed to Lancet Street, trying to remember what she knows about the house.
Luckily, she had spent a lot of time observing people and gathering information, and she knew the city better than Fang ever did. She remembered some overheard conversations about a skilled Varisian fortune teller called Zellara, and a brief sight of a woman dressed in ample, colorful dress entering the house. She didn't pay much attention at the moment, because her target was Gaedren.
Actually, it explains a lot about the throwing-card thing. So, I guess I was wrong about the trap. But still, what's the connection between this woman and an old lordcrime?
There was only one way to find out.
Kazadarin made his way across the roof tops of Korvosa to his destination on Lancet St. The young man paused and watched the fortune teller's home. Maybe she is truly gifted and not a fake as so many. That is the only explanation. Unless it is a trap set by Lamm, then again it is not the old man's style.
The ranger shifts his weight nervously as he makes his decision. I have to take the chance. I have to know.
Kazadarin makes his way down from his perch and moves towards his fate.
Gern moved with purpose now that the allotted time arrived. His face was set and determined, keeping most from approaching him with offers of street trash for sale, amongst other things.
At Lancet Street itself, he paused only a moment to look around, wondering if an arrow or dagger would plunge into his back from some dark alley.
However, the place was crowded and too many alleys for him to get a really good idea of things.
He shrugged, and moved towards the building. He would deal with what came next in the same way he always had. Violence and determination.
Gern eyes the alleys and crowds, but no arrows fly from the shadows, and no daggers plunge into his back, as he strides toward #3 Lancet. He knocks boldly on the door, but there's no response from inside.
Giorgio turns the corner to enter Lancet Street, his eyes having that unfocused look that let him see everything without seeming to. A corner of his mouth twitches in annoyance at not being the first one there...then he thinks better of that notion. He walks up to the small group in front of the door, and holds up a card between his fingers, presenting the message-coated backside to them; his eyebrow is quirked up, in an obvious yet unstated question - "You, too?"
Careful, Litsy kept her eyes peeled on her way to Lancet Street. Gaedren Lamm's thugs could be anywhere, and she didn't want Zellara to have problems if she was followed. When she saw the group, a dwarf, and a young Varisian, she suddenly felt awkward. She hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time, and even less worked with anyone.
She didn't know them, not even their names, and her lack of informations made her felt insecure, and, even worse, terribly intimidated.
"Er... Hi... I mean... Hi."
She finally noticed someone familiar.
Oh, I know him! We used to talk about religion, and redemption, and... All the rest. He's nice. What was his name again? Gorgeous? Gior... gio? Giorgio?
"Giorgio? What are you doing here?"
Kazadarin stood in front of the door for too long. He could hear the voices inside and was sure he had spied the fourtune teller enter, but he just stood on the front steps, standing still.
He could almost hear the voice of Fergus, his adopted father, in his ear offering his words of encouragement. This is what you wanted you pine knot! Now get you arse in gear and meet it head on!
The ranger takes a deep breath in an attempt to center himself and opens the door with out knocking. He walk inside quickly glancing over the others inside and looking for threats. "I am Kazadarin. I have a card."
"Oh! Hello, erm...Tiny! It's interesting to see you here, as well." He looks around at the others gathered at the house, marking their appearances, then turns back to Tiny. "Shall we go in and see who all is here to share our mission? It'll be warmer, if nothing else."
Gern watched carefully as the room began to fill with strangers. Each seemed to have a card as well. He didn't recognise a one of them though.
He replied to the one human who had asked about the cards. "Aye, a carrrrd managed ter find its way into my haands tooo. Seems like we may ha' somat in common then?" his accent was thicker when he was nervous, almost slipping into Dwarven. It was something he worked at, but only a year down from the mountain clans, he still rolled his r's and drew out his words too much.
Litsy nodded at the dwarf. She was quite unsure of what he just said... Except "card", "hands", "seems" and "common". But after all, some thugs' accent were even worse. She'll get used to it.
"Aye.
She hesitated, while trying to figure out why Zellara chose them, and what they had in common. She then remembers the message on the back of her card.
"Do you all... Know Gaedren Lamm?"
Arriving, Aerodus sees a number of people inside the home. His eyebrow rises and he steps forward. Just as he's about to speak, he hears the name Gaedren Lamm.
"Who knows him?" He steps forward and glares at everyone. "Where is Gaedran Lamm? Where?!"
Giorgio whipped his head around at the newcomer, then relaxed slightly - the face looked familiar, but from where? Not a threatening surrounding, at least. He'd been headed towards the note on the table anyway; a quick read, and he turned to face the group.
"I suspect our mutual benefactor has that information; I also suspect it's why the..." He pauses, counting heads. ...the six of us have been brought together. We're to do something about that sewer rats' chamberpot, no offense to the rats." He waves the note around, offers it to anyone who wants to read it for themselves. "A note has been left, saying they'll be back soon, and that there's refreshments under the table in the meantime. While I doubt it's unsafe, I can certainly check the food for poison if anyone's worried about it."
Inside the cloth-covered basket lies three loaves of crumbly, somewhat stale bread and a pair of wine-bottles.
Gern nods at all of those gathered, taking a goblet of wine when (if) it is shown to be not poisoned. He salutes those around him for a moment, then drinks heavily from the wine.
"Gern" he states simply, holding back on his clan name for the moment, still being cautious in the situation. "I got Tha Towerrr. Not tha' I be havin' the knowin' o' what that means"
He pulled his card out and handed it to the young lass, wondering if this was part of the deal for this entire gathering.
"Er... Litsy hesitated.
Well... I suppose it cannot do any harm... Can it?
"Litsy... But you can call me 'Tiny'. Everyone does. As for my card..."
She shyly showed the Rabbit Prince card to Laijiri.
Kazadarin stands back from the table, his large hooded dark gray cloak obscuring his face as he watches the brightly dressed Varisian look over the other's cards. I need to buy a scarf.
The ranger steps forward and places a card depicting a bear on the front onto the table. He shifts the great sword on his back and returns to his place away from the others. "I am Kazadarin. I was a Lamb."
Aerodus raises an eyebrow, but nods. "I apologize if I came across as too rough. Like Laijiri, a loved one of mine is also being held. My daughter, Imperia, has been missing for three months. Again and again the city guard refuses to help..." He behins to quake with rage.
He takes a deep breath and pulls the card free. "I got this, the Queen Morher."
Before Laijiri can continue interpreting the cards, the door opens and a rush of cold Pharast air enters the house. So does a middle-aged woman, her dark hair and manner of dress marking her as a Varisian. ”Hello, everyone. I am Zellara. Welcome to my home, such that it is.” With a smile and nod, she indicates that you should take a seat around her table and does so herself.
Once everyone is seated around the table (conveniently, there are seven chairs), Zellara clears her throat. She begins speaking in a voice that's soft, but clear from years of using it for her living.”Thank you for coming, my friends, and for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you. I had reason for subtlety, you see-a terrible man would see great harm done to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. This is a man you know, for he has done something terrible to each of you as well. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man who’s cruelty and capacity to destroy the lives of those he touches are matched only by his gift for avoiding reprisal.
“You see, a year ago, he stole this, my Harrow deck, from me.” She reaches into her dress, revealing a deck of cards, the backs of which match the ones you received. ”It is important to me, an heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it, my son, Eran, tracked them down. The thieves were in the employ of Gaedren Lamm, and in return for finding them, Gaedren murdered my son.
“I sought help from the Guard, but they turned me away. And so I asked around. I paid bribes. I consulted the Harrow for advice. And recently, I was rewarded-I found out where Gaedren dwells. He can be found in an old fishery north of here at Westpier #17, where he trains his abducted children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures.
“And now, I need your help. I cannot hope to face this man on my own, and the Guard moves so slowly that even if I were to go to them, Gaedren would certainly know of their coming well in advance. Even if they did arrest him, what guarantee would I have that he would be punished? This criminal has evaded justice for decades. But you know of these frustrations as well, for word on the street has it that Gaedren has wronged each of you, too. So there we are. It is time for him to pay.”
Gern listened with growing anger as the woman described her sons death at the hands of Lamm. The boy had done what any family would for his mother, and had been paid in death for his troubles. As had his brother.
He bowed low to the woman and spoke with solem oath, annunciating his words with great care to take the accent from them so all who could hear would know what was said.
"You do not need to ask me twice m'lady. Lamm will die for his crimes, I swear on my clans honour. Now I have a location, I'll see it done!"
There still was still a slight hint of dwarvish brogue in sentence, but the words were clear none the less. His eyes gleamed with fervor now, for he had a place to finally unleash his pent up rage.
He looked to the others in the room.
"Are ye with me!"
Giorgio was just opening his mouth when the door opened up. He remained silent and attentive as he pulled up a chair, listening to Zellara's offer. Once she was finished, he slid his card face down back towards her, offering it back to let it rejoin its home deck, as he racked his brain, searching for what he might know about the revealed address - he might not know much, but he could certainly help out with others more familiar with the area.
Aerodus listens intently. "Truly, Lamm is a man deserving the full force of the law to be brought down upon him." He pulls his crossbow out and eyes it intently. "Abadar guide my bolts to end this disrupter of lives and law."
Litsy listened to Aerodus and Zellara's stories, completely stunned by the old man's cruelty. She answered to Gern with an unexpected enthusiasm:
"Count me in! Don't worry, lady, we're gonna kick his arse!... Both literally and metaphorically. Even though it might be... Quite dangerous," she added with a grimace. "Gaedren doesn't seem to be the type of man who would overlook his own protection. He is probably well-prepared... And certainly not alone."
Kazadarin steps forward his face still concealed by his heavy cloak. " I swore years ago that Lamm would die for the things he has done, and to prevent him from doing those things to anyone else ever again. That is why I have returned to Korvosa, and I will join you as long as it takes to end his miserable life."
Giorgio blinks, and looks up at the assembled. [b]"While I don't want to speak for everyone, I do suspect we are all more than willing to go up against Lamm, even without this most recent atrocity to drive us. I also suspect we're going to need at least a little bit of time to plan this out. I want Lamm removed from the streets as much as anyone here, but I'm with Tiny on the idea that he's well protected, and simply rushing in won't do the trick. Especially not with innocents to rescue."
"So...what do we know about that place? And does anyone else feel up for a bit of a quiet look around the place at some point in the near future?"
Tiny Litsy stayed doubtful.
"It wouldn't be easy. We could be seen, and recognized. But maybe if one of us goes disguised... It would be better if someone's close to Gaedren could actually spy him for us... But it's just a supposition."
Zellara clears her throat again. "If you seek time to plan and you're willing, I can perform a Harrowing for you. I listen to the music of the city and my Harrow deck tells me more than most. It may be that you will take away some insight from it. If you are interested, I simply need your cards back. I'll even do it free of charge." She collects the cards that had been placed on the table, a small smile on her face. Then she begins shuffling her Harrow deck, the cards dancing across her hands. She seems both expectant and lost in thought.
Litsy observed Zellara's experienced hands as she was shuffling her cards.
I wonder how many times she did these gestures, she thought, impressed by her vivacity. Probably a thousand times...
She had never really trusted fortune-tellers, nor did she believe in prophecies and predictions... However, maybe it was the right time to change her mind.
"That...seems appropriate, to say nothing of safe. Thank you, Zellara."
As she shuffles and deals, Giorgio studies her posture, her motions, her facial expression, all the little details that might help him discern her mood, and her intent - he didn't think this was the prelude to a trap, but he hadn't thought roof chokers were real, either, until he'd seen one pluck a child off the street and scramble back up into the shingles...
Aerodus nods at Zellara. Her shuffling was amazing, and he wondered how many times the cards flipped and twirled about before she would finally stop.
"Any knowledge going in is better than going in practically blind..."