"Perhaps we can get involved in some lovely bureaucratic red tape? Kroft is a stooge and a blunt instrument. We need scalpels for this one. I say we track down the silver while it is still possible. Alert the coinf!~@ers if you must, but what is Kroft going to do? Arrest a disease? She'll be useful closer to endgame. If at all... "
Korriban frowns at Karolo. "I'm no fool. I'm just insuring my life."
When Teodor chastises the decision to inform Kroft, Korriban shrugs. "She can't arrest it, true. But, she is technically our employer. Not to mention she has more reach in this city. Things are starting to go crazy in this city and we need all the allies we can get."
As you head back into the city from Trail's End, the box burning a hole in your collective pocket, the sun begins to sink in the west, backlighting the spiky towers of your erstwhile monarch's home in a glorious fall sunset. The streets are mostly quiet, the normal chatter and winding-down of a peacefully concluded Sunday filling the air. You turn south once you're in the city, and head for Citadel Volshyenek. Dusk is settling as you approach the Citadel, and when Korriban, Adoros, and Teodor flash their Pseudodragon Marks, the guards greet them companionably and usher them inside.
You're kept waiting only a short time before being ushered into see the Field Marshall. She looks (to those of you who've seen her before) better than she has in quite some time: the color is back in her cheeks, she looks well-rested, and she wears an air of easy command, rather than the weariness she so often displayed during the riots.
Her sharp tongue is apparently, however, a permanent fixture.
"Ah, it's my favorite rapscallions again," she says with a wry smile. "It never bodes well when you come to see me of your own accord, now does it? Welcome. And--wait a minute," she frowns, searching her memory. "It was...Selawyn, wasn't it? You did some freelance work with Soldado a while back? Good to see you again." She chuckles. "Although multiple auxiliaries showing up in my office...can't be good. What can I do for you? You're not unionizing, I hope? And who are these others?"
Korriban smiles at Kroft. "Good to see you, Kroft." He points to Lantressa and Pietro and introduces them. He frowns. "Unfortunately, we aren't here on good news." That's when the box is brought forth. "This is the problem. A day or so ago, we were asked by Grau to help out his niece, who came down with an odd disease. She's somewhat better. But, we did a bit of research and asking around. We went to her place of employment and found that the cook had it. Brienna told us that she had found this box and the silver, 50 in total, and spent it. She also told us that the Bashwater Boys had found more of these things. So we went to them and found out that they had spent the money throughout the city and, after finding the boxes, some of their men had gotten sick. All of them showing signs of the same disease."
He takes a breath. "We have a theory. These boxes or the silver are contaminated by this unknown disease. We believe that they might have come from that ship that was burned down in the port. Now, the silver has been spent all throughout the city, exchanging the hands of, Calistria knows, how many people. I don't think I need to tell you what that could mean." He becomes very serious. "We know that you can't arrest a disease or anything like that. But, I felt that you should know. There may be the start of an epidemic on the horizon. We're also planning on investigating the Bank of Abadar and the toy store that Brienna spent her silver at." He shrugs. "Also, the Bashwater Boys are planning something big, buying maps of the city and looking awfully sneaking looking. And they didn't care that they spent said contaminated silver. And they pointed a repeating crossbow at me. Not very nice people."
"Snitches get stitches and end up in ditches."
Pietro shakes Kroft's hand and adds, "While I can't vouch for Korrigan's assessment of the situation with the Bashwater Boys, I can whole-heartedly agree with the seriousness of the disease. An outbreak of this magnitude with a disease as virulent as we have seen would be disastrous for the city."
"I, as a doctor, would urge that you take immediate and extreme measures to contain the situation. You need to get the word out to anyone even remotely connected to health issues in the city."
Lantressa curtsied to the woman when introduced, it was only appropriate after all, and said, "A pleasure to meet you m'am." Since Korriban seemed to have a rapport with this woman already the tiefling was content to let him do the talking, at least for now.
Selawyn nods in greeting to Kroft glad to see that she had been remembered, but she waited on Korriban's explanation of the troubles that had brought them here with a slight glower on her face clearly not happy to be the bearer of such bad news.
Kroft sighs heavily when you finish your news. "Of course...if it's not one thing, it's another." She stares distastefully down at the box you've brought. "Get this out of here--I don't have any means to contain a contagious disease like this. And I concur with you, Doctor--something will have to be done, and soon. I'll send teams out to scour the shorelines for any boxes that may have washed up and been missed, and I'll send some men into the communities in those areas to see if they can find out anything about such boxes turning up in people's lives lately, or anyone being sick. Unfortunately I'll have to contact the Queen to get any extraordinary powers to deal with the sick...but hopefully even Her Majesty will see the gravity of the situation." Kroft's mouth has a bitter twist to it.
"If you want to take this box to the Vault of Abadar, be my guest--it's likely the best place to keep such a thing in isolation. I can send some of my men to the toy store to investigate that end of things. Where was it, exactly?"
"Oh, and this note came for you earlier today...I was going to send a runner out tonight." She passes a note over to Korriban.
Yours in solidarity,
Vencarlo Orsini
"If there's no other news, you're dismissed. Thanks for the tip," Kroft says, clearly already becoming mentally lost in planning for the containment of the disease.
Korriban rolls his eyes at Teo. "Well, judging from everyone's reaction when we asked around, the Bashwater Boys seem to be a large powerhouse around here. They seem to be out of our reach at the moment."
He then puts on a faux-snobbish voice. "When I get threatened death by crossbow, I prefer it to be by civilized and clean looking gangsters. Thank you very much."
Korriban nods. "Right. We'll go to the Bank with the box and your men will scour the shoreline. But, I think we're going to investigate the toy store. Your men can come along to back us up." When he receives the note, Korriban reads it. He sighs. "It seems that we also need to visit Vencarlo at some point. Looks like he needs us for something."
Lantressa couldn't help her curiosity any longer and finally asked Korriban, "So what's with him and the Toy Store? Isn't he a bit old to be playing with toys?" A sly smile crossed her fiendish face as she said with a hint of innuendo in her voice, "Inless he means those kind of toys in which case I fully understand the interest."
Selawyn salutes Kroft as she dismisses them. "All right let's head to the toy store and see who else might be infected. Then we can head on back to the bank and inform the priests of what's going on." Sewlawyn slightly colors at Lantressa's innuendo, but she just shakes her head to clear such thoughts from her mind before readying herself to continue on.
Kroft nods her farewell, and you take off from the Citadel. Dusk has settled, and as you head back to North Point, it's by the light of the torches and lanterns lighting Korvosa's streets. It being the night before the work week starts, things are pretty quiet, but there are still a few pubs, taverns, and stores open this late, and a number of people hurrying home from jobs or engagements that just wound down.
Based on the description Tayce gave you earlier, it doesn't take long for you to track down the toy store that Brienna must have visited. It's near the river, not the nicest part of the district; people move more hurriedly here, and the streets are darker. The building in question is a tiny storefront in a tall building next to an alley, with a fading wooden sign that reads "Giotorri's Toys." Unbalanced stuffed animals, poorly equipped toy soldiers, and dolls displaying a myriad of unintentional deformities stare blankly out of the filth-smeared window that opens onto what must be the showroom. The door is shut and, it turns out when you rattle the handle, locked. No lights shine inside.
The alley yawns, even darker, to the west.
Korriban smirks. "I'm not sure, Lantressa. But, I would rather not know that type of information about my friend."
Korriban smirks at Selawyn's blush and gives a little wink.
As the team approaches the store, Korriban frowns. "Wow. These toys aren't made well." He tries to open the door to no avail. He peers through the front window.
Korriban squints. "I can't see anything in this darkness."
Selawyn just glances at the store and picks up on almost everything that's inside. "There's really only some kites and a dollhouse of Castle Korvosa. There's also a door in the back marked 'Private'." Selawyn glances over at Korriban when the door is shown to be locked. "I'm not that good at being sneaky, so I'll head down the alley, and see if there's a back entrance. If there is I'll keep a watch out, so that no-one can run away."
Pietro is sure he has never been to this particular shop and hasn't heard anything about it. No wonder with the quality of products.
He shrugs his shoulders, "Well, it is after hours so it's no surprise that it's closed. I think we ought to come back tomorrow and head over to the Abadar Temple. I'm certain there are still open for business."
"I'm not sure how sneaking in us helpful. This place did nothing wrong that we know of. We merely wish to warn them." Teodor begins knocking on the door.
Lantressa walked up to the window and peered inside. She saw it all in black and white due to the dim light, her ability to see in regular darkness made it easy for her to observe the place. "He's definitely closed, and it looks like there's a back area behind a curtain marked private. Seems he could do with toy making lessons too," her tone was rather snarky as she made that observation. "The owner might be back there behind that curtain." As Teodor began knocking she said, "Maybe we should go around to the back and look for a second entrance. Knocking there might make it easier to get a response."
Teodor raps on the door, waits a few moments, then raps again. Then he begins pounding on the door in a more serious way. But there's no response...
Selawyn, meanwhile, ventures down the nearby alley.
Then you realize that none of them are breathing.
Lantressa spotted Selawyn going down the alley and moved to follow her.
Doctor! We need you down here."
Pietro heard the call and started to move to where the sound was coming from.
Before leaving, he turned to the others, "Come along, I think they found something worth looking at. We're not breaking in anyways, right?"
Korriban moves with the Doc, curious as to what could be down the alley.. When he sees the bodies, Korriban looks uneasy. "Oh, boy. Dead guys... never a good sign."
There's about half a dozen bodies here, lying about in various states of disarray. On one you can spot signs of whatever this disease is that seems to be spreading...though it doesn't look too severe.
You also note that there's a low hole behind one of the bodies--it looks like someone's broken through the wall into the toy shop behind.
Selawyn seems to be extremely distracted by the bodies lying there. "By the Golden Scale why are there so many dead people here!" She looks over at the bodies, but she refuses to touch any of them. "Doctor, I leave the examination of these bodies to you." Selawyn gaze glances over the corpses once again and she mutters to herself. "Is the disease really spreading this quickly?"
Korriban moves closer to the bodies. His eyes widen. "Guys. Only one of theses guys had the disease. All of them have twin pinpricks on their wrists and necks." He looks closer. "There's also a hole behind one of them. Looks like someone's broken through the wall into the toy store."
Korriban moves closer to the bodies. His eyes widen. "Guys. Only one of theses guys had the disease. All of them have twin pinpricks on their wrists and necks." He looks closer. "There's also a hole behind one of them. Looks like someone's broken through the wall into the toy store."
Pietro was gravely concerned about the bodies they had found. It looked like they had been drained of blood but wanted to make sure that the cause of their death.
"Careful, we may have stumbled into a monster lair. One that drinks blood from humans?"
Pietro bends to examine the corpses, but doesn't have time to make any solid determination before he's interrupted by a shriek from high above. You all look up, alarmed, as the creature that that let out the shriek--some sort of pallid, red-eyed humanoid--launches itself over the wall, and climbs, spider-like, down the side of the building toward you!
The creature on the wall climbs towards you with preternatural speed, but its need to descend the wall gives everyone else a chance to recover from the shock slightly.
As Korriban watches the creature approach, he remembers Zellara's words at the Harrowing, and the image of the Mountain Man flashes through his mind. Whatever is coming will be grueling...but the cards urge you to find your inner strength, and survive it!
Initiative
Pietro, Korriban, Lantressa, Teodor <----
Foe
Selawyn
Foe: HP: 26 | AC/T/FF: 15/11/14 | Fort +3 Ref +2 Will +5 | CMD: 15 | DR 5/silver | Resist cold, electricity 10 | channel resistance +2
rounds
Pietro steps back in surprise and horror at the creature climbing down the wall.
He reaches in to his haversack and pulls out a dark, green vial , which he immediately chugs down.
He could feel his skin tightening and his muscles elongating. He knew would be much better prepared to face whatever came along.
He then weighed his options for his bombs, acid or fire...
But seeing the lack of lighting, shouted, "Someone strike a light here. I bet these things see just fine without it. Anyone know what it is?"
"NO! DEAR LORD, NO! Oh. Wait, sorry. Thought that was an ex of mine. My mistake. Lord, harm it."
Korriban looks at Pietro, wide eyed. "W-Wait. Wait a minute there, Doc. A monster... that drinks blood from humans?! What monster does that?!"
That's when the thing decides to show up. Korriban stares, wide eyed as it crawls down the wall. "WHAT THE F**K IS THAT THING?!"
The young rogue sees the Doc drink something. "Doc, I don't think now's the time for a drink!"
Korriban looks at Teodor. "I don't know what I find scarier. The thing in front of us or the fact that you have an ex."
Korriban sees the Mountain Man. He feels Zellara's power wash over him. He grits his teeth and draws his rapier. "I don't care what you are! You're going to die! I am strong like the Mountain Man! I won't die here!" He then stabs at it!
Despite his bravado, he unfortunately misses the creature.
Lantressa was disturbed by the speed with which the creature moved and retreated back a short distance to open some room between her and it. With the space acquired she chanted and pointed at the ground which was suddenly coated in a layer of grease. "Ugh, what ARE these things?"
"Kyaaa!" The creature shrieks and hisses in pain as its flesh sizzles in the radiant light that wells from Teodor's holy symbol, briefly illuminating the alleyway. Even as it dodges Korriban's blade, though, its burns start to fade. But then...
"Nyaah!" The creature's feet slip from under it as Lantressa creates a patch of slick grease beneath its feet, and it topples to the ground! As it clambers to its feet, Korriban lunges again and manages to sink his rapier into its shoulder...though it doesn't seem to hurt the creature much. It snarls and takes a wild swing at Korriban, but the young man dodges the off-balance attack with little worry.
Foe: HP: Red 19 | AC/T/FF: 15/11/14 | Fort +3 Ref +2 Will +5 | CMD: 15 | DR 5/silver | Resist cold, electricity 10 | channel resistance +2
A now-augmented doctor looks at Korriban and doesn't understand what he's talking. His focus is now the monster, the blood-sucking monster trying to kill them.
Pietro pulls out a bright, yellow vial, which seemed to contain a thick, viscous liquid. He tossed the flask at the monster hitting him straight on. As the flask breaks, the blood-sucker is covered with the yellowish liquid and its skin beings to sizzle.
Doctor Bartori opens the round by hurling a bomb straight into the creature's chest, causing it to smoke and writhe as the acid eats away at it. Where it once looked confident, it now seems almost panicked, and it begins to steam even more than the acid can account for...within an eye-blink, it's become a pallid, swirling, and yet still malevolent column of mist!
Initiative
Pietro, Selawyn, Lantressa, Korriban, Teodor
Foe
With the remaining thing in a bad place now Lantressa used the most damaging spell she had. With several words and a gesture a ray of scorching heat slammed into the creature and scorched it.
Selawyn unable to copmbat a mist instead pulls out a torch and lights it to give everyone in the group some light to see their fores.
Korriban, shocked at the sight before him, is unaware of anything else. "What the hell is it doing now?!" He then tries to strike through the mist.
Teodor raises his holy symbol. "Hurt it more, Lord!"
Lantressa's spell, Korriban's blade, and even the glowing light that flows from Teodor's holy symbol don't seem to have any effect on the now-misty creature, but it does hiss and retreat back into the hole in the wall. As the light from Teodor's channeling recedes, there's an angry howl from inside the building, and another of the strange creatures boils out! Korriban stabs it as it darts past, eliciting a hiss, but it swings a claw and connects nonetheless with Teodor, who's still lowering his holy symbol. Two more of the creatures pour from the hole in the wall--the first one attempts to lunge forward toward Lantressa, but slips on her grease, nearly toppling, and turns to Korriban instead. The last one, only stepping out of the hole, catches the rogue in the side with a fist.
Although the blows themselves are merely glancing, both Korriban and Teodor can feel their life energy sapping from the hits, the world around them taking on a grayish tinge and the shadows becoming sharper...
Foe: HP: Yellow 15[+5], Green 26 Blue 26 [+5] | AC/T/FF: 15/11/14 | Fort +3 Ref +2 Will +5 | CMD: 15 | DR 5/silver | Resist cold, electricity 10 | channel resistance +2
Korriban watches as the mist goes into the building. He turns to the others. "Well, we should go in the-" That's when the first new creature appears. His eyes widen. "What?! Another one?!" He then stabs at it. Then the other two appear. "WHAT?! THERE'S MORE?!" The blue one punches him. "Oow." He glares at it, panting slightly. "Guys, careful of their hits! They... do something to you!" He then stabs at the yellow clad one facing Teodor.
Selawyn drops her torch as more of the creatures flood out of the building. "How many of these damn things are there?" as she pulls out her silvered guirsarme. She then shifts off to the side to allow some room for the doctor as she tries to strike the one that Korriban attacked.
Pietro is horrified; he steps back and lobs another bomb at the creatures.
Once more, the viscous liquid breaks on impact and smothers the monster with some of the acid splashing to the other two.
As Korriban recovers from the blow, he lunges at the creature. Though his rapier still doesn't seem to bother it as much as he'd like, he does manage to stick it right where it would have a liver...if it were human. The creature snarls and turns toward him, but then Selawyn's guisarme comes whistling down and sinks deeply into the creature's chest. There's a sizzling noise when the silver meets its flesh, and the one they'd attacked howls in agony. That one writhes and takes on a misty form just like the one that retreated.
Pietro's bomb bursts on the head of the centermost creature, and it snarls, glaring at him.
Initiative
Teodor, Lantressa, Pietro, Selawyn, Korriban<----
Foes
Foe: HP: Yellow 0, Green 21 Blue 24 | AC/T/FF: 15/11/14 | Fort +3 Ref +2 Will +5 | CMD: 15 | DR 5/silver | Resist cold, electricity 10 | channel resistance +2
Lantressa seemed pissed that her first spell, one that gloriously burned the thing to cinders, failed to connect with it and instead hit the building and scorched it. She decided it was time to try again and sent another scorching beam of heat at the nearest of the creatures her rage even gave the spell a little more kick than the first time, before moving away from them to buy herself more space to work with.
"You BORE ME, mosquitos!"
The creature that Lantressa scorches with her ray of fire howls and turns toward her with a snarl. Just then, though, Teodor raises his holy symbol once more, light flaring from it.
The injured one recoils from the holy symbol, but the other just flinches and then snarls. The misty one flows backward, disappearing into the hole in the wall. The others, though, snarl and move to press their assault. Fortunately the one that lunges toward Lantressa slips on the grease she summoned and plummets to the ground. As it claws its way back to its feet, Korriban stabs it through the throat...though that doesn't seem to do much except make it rasp in rage. The one not standing fin the grease starts making a hacking, choking noise--it takes a half-second for you to realize that it is laughing.
"You seem to be a skilled blade," it says in a rasping voice to Korriban. "Come. Put that silver needle in the service of our master." Its eyes glow and it reaches out a hand to Korriban. Korriban staggers slightly as he feels another presence push at his mind, a hypnotic pull toward the strange creatures, but he manages to shake it off.
Foe: HP: Yellow 0, Green 18 Blue 5 | AC/T/FF: 15/11/14 | Fort +3 Ref +2 Will +5 | CMD: 15 | DR 5/silver | Resist cold, electricity 10 | channel resistance +2
Pietro once more pulls out another flask and imbues with his arcane might. he lobs the enchanted flask which shatters on the monster's skin.
The monster on the ground continues to burn with the acid on its skin when another bomb splashes it.
, critical?
, yes
+5 from splash now is total of 11 hp on blue, 17 hp on green