"Shinies?" Mags looks over the metal, not knowing much about metals, but agrees. "That old guy that helped make the cages for the chickens, so many pens too, so he's owed, other than the omelets he gets from the eggs."
"And you can meet him too, cause he's nice and you're nice, so nice meeting nice is what the city needs." so the two go through the sewers to the opening closest to the smith, "This is Dafne, STOP backing up, she's good, promise on the cobbles."
Then it is back in the sewer until they get the closest to the hospice, and then out again, waving at the guards, the one with a slight gut frequents her treasure shop for morning scones, and to look over anything suspicious her hunters might have found.
Downstairs she presents the barrels of red evil "This makes the people sick, well most people, not people like me, or people half like me" since Mags is half Varisian "Think you can drink it up, make it go away, since you can't get sick either?"
It's uncomfortable to be in the Citadel again, but Yaziyah endures it for there was nothing else to do. She carries Jolistina and Davaulus, not letting them out of her sight or beyond her reach even for a moment, not even when she stops to rest. She lets Olenna deal with the guard commander, briefly wondering where Kroft had gotten to.
As they reach the topic of dealing with the bodies, the Shoanti takes a half-step forward. "If you don't need the bodies for your investigation, I could talk to my people, gather a detail and take them out of the city to burn them." She taps the holy symbol of Pharasma hanging at her belt. "I can officiate last rites and send their souls to their judgement."
When Olenna mentions needing a lab, she cocks her head. "There was this woman we... met, she has a lab that might be suitable. The shop is called Lavender, in the Heights, just a block south of the Acadamae. Her name is Vendra."
Then Vera blurts out what had been weighing heavily on Yaziyah's mind as well, and she reaches out to squeeze the young woman's shoulder. "I'm with you, Vera. We need to uncover the full truth there. Your people and mine have been mistreated for far too long."
Once they are out of earshot of Sonya, she pulls Olenna aside. "There are a couple more who could help, but..." She pauses, glancing around them, then fixing the lamplighter with a gaze full of unspoken meaning. "One of them is a wererat, Eries Yelloweyes. Her people are immune to disease, so they could help. Then there's Blackjack. Not sure where they are now, but if we are to investigate the Queen's involvement in all this, we will need Blackjack's skills and knowledge."
Dafne walks slowly, but doesn’t talk to anyone on the surface, the few times that she has the opportunity. Most people who have met Magda know her, and seem to think she’s trustworthy, but the guards at the lift give pause until they remember they were asked to let her through. Dafne descends on the fixed lift with Magda, though the lift groans a bit. When she gets to the bottom, she sees Marcus guarding the exit from the lift, muscles tensed as he waits to see who it is.
In the absence of any interference, Magda takes Dafne to the vats. She considers the three carefully. In her quiet, low voice she responds to Magda, ”yes magda i can drink that. it will take me a few days - but someone should go back and do my job so the people in the my neighborhood don’t have a problem. my job is important and i like it.” she waves a tentacle.
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The explanation that the specter was that of Vera's mother was--well, it was an answer, but Olenna still had questions. But Vera didn't seem to want to elaborate, and there was a lot to work on. Further questions could wait until later--hopefully after they had found and developed a cure.
Olenna hadn't even thought about bringing the Shoanti in. But yes, absolutely! "Thank you, Yazi. That seems appropriate to me. I leave it to your judgment whether you consider it worthwhile to interrogate them one last time."
This person, Vendra, at Lavender also sounds helpful. "If you could broker an introduction and think that she would open her shop, then I'd love to meet her."
---
Olenna bites her lip as Vera begins hurling accusations, her eyes flitting back and forth between her superior and her comrades. "We should take this some place quiet," she insists if Sonya hasn't already put this kibosh on this line of dissent.
She is keen to let Sonya tackle this, but also offers her own understanding of the situation. "Vera," she says, trying to modulate her voice to a balance between gentleness and firmness--not unlike Yazi, she thinks--"I understand what you're trying to say. And I can't stop you from doing as you will, but please understand the position that we're in." She pauses and looks back over to Sonya. "This was going to go in my full report, of course. The head priestess of the Cult of Urgathoa was a woman named Lady Andaisin. During the zenith of our clash, she said--and I quote--"
"You may prostrate yourselves at my feet, and I shall make your end all the more swift for it. Swifter, in any event, than this delightful end your lovely queen has enjoined me to create!"
She frowns, knowing that Sonya understands the implication of this but that Vera and Yazi, perhaps less familiar with the byzantine bylaws and bureaucratic requirements of burden of proof, may not. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This statement, by a dead woman, is the only direct evidence we have of the accusation that the Queen is behind this. We could bring this to the Arbiters, but I'm afraid that without more solid evidence they would dismiss it as hearsay."
The red-haired half-elf presses a hand to her head and closes her eyes. "The propaganda will be that the Queen had no idea that the physicians she hired were secretly cultists, that the Gray Maidens were merely doing as they were told. The blame will be thrust entirely on those arrested yesterday and today. It will not be easy for the Queen to admit to having been taken in by a charlatan, but it's also a story that people will readily believe. People would rather believe that this young queen is inexperienced than malicious."
Olenna wanted to believe it, too, but she didn't.
She continues unabated, drawing the pieces of the canvass together. "I will not say that what you have reasoned is not sensible, Vera. You have, to be frank, a brilliant mind. And I think you're right. But there's a much more important question you asked below the Hospice--why?" She gestures with her right hand to emphasize this point. "If we are correct that the Queen deliberately engineered this awful Sickness, then why? Consider: if we press our knowledge now, incomplete as it is, it will be easy for a Tyrant to crush us. And yes, she could do something worse to this City and its people while we gather evidence. But if we do gather that evidence and understand why she wants to kill the people that she is charged with governing, then we can counter her. If we strike while the iron is cold, we will shatter against The Forge. But if we are patient, then we can direct the ensuing Uprising into a tempest that will bring The Hidden Truth to light."
She deliberately names a few Harrow Cards, hoping that Vera will understand the deeper meaning behind her words as only a dedicated harrower could.
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She looks annoyed when Olenna says she’s “the right person”, and says ”no - I’m not, Olenna. I don’t have a head for logistics - don’t blow smoke up my ass.” She waves her bloody hand around, "I've been a lot of things, but the Field Marshall sees the big picture - not me."
But she composes herself and considers, ”okay, okay, I'm not mad or anything just... but if this last missing person actually helped you, whatever their reasons, and left for another country, it doesn't sound like a problem anymore, right? Leave it alone.”
Before she has a chance to respond more, Yazi offers to help, and Vera pulls Sonya and Olenna aside to a nook. She takes in what Vera says, and looks mortified, but nods along, "F!+&. F@#+. F~~@. Just... just." She thinks, "okay, I believe you, but just... hold on for a minute Vera."
**********************
She heads back to tend to the woman they left, and gestures at Vera and Yazi, ”look, I have to tend to these people, I can’t organize all of this, there aren’t enough guards to watch the prisoners and guard the entrance. If what Vera said is true, these people are witnesses to an abominable crime, we have to protect them, clear? So, once the investigators are done, just do what you all think is best to clean it up.” She slips up and starts to add [smaller]”Kroft should have been back by now. Gods…” She puts down her tools and leans over the bed of the sick woman she's helping, and breathes in and out...
She pinches her brow, pats the woman’s arm that she’s tending to, and moves to the top of some short stairs,
She waits for the chaos to subside, and a glimmer of a commanding presence appears. She smacks her hand for emphasis, "we have proof Davaulus was responsible for the blood veil, and had accomplices - including, based on descriptions, the 'Key Lock Killer'," There is a murmer among some of the guards,
She glares a moment and lowers her voice, "the point is - they tried to kill this city with blood veil. We have proof they did. It's down in this s@$&hole cult lair, and we even have captured Davaulus alive. SO whatever power they had is gone, but so is the Field Marshal. I am in charge by default so it means I get to make the rules. My orders are this: arrest any of those so-called ‘queens physicians’, on sight. Arrest anyone who openly follows... Urgathoa."
She pauses, "Any gray maidens must be left alone. If they interfere with your work, just back down and head back to your station, let us know as soon as possible. We'll try to bring up the problems to Sabine, in the Queensguard. We are running out of resources, and make no mistake, if you interfere with their work - they can and will kill you. Try to avoid them when possible. Got it?”
Some guard grumbles, ”the queen - she hired him, all of them - did she know?”
Sonya holds her hands as if she’s telling him to settle down, ”there is absolutely no proof Queen Illeosa was responsible for anything bad that happened. Do not spread rumors, Jenkins, got it? For everyone's safety, and sake". She enunciates these words carefully, seemingly loading them with subtext.
She finishes, "the guards, other than patrols and the hospice - is to stay at the citadel, the adventurers are responsible for supervising the investigation and cleaning up the cult lair. A lamplighter will be with them, and we have to hope that's enough for the truth"
"But we have to protect these people and make sure the people responsible don't get out. We need to be an island of stability for the district and for the city." She waits until there's a murmur of agreement, and says "right? Okay? If you think the Field Marshall would do otherwise - speak up now." Nobody says anything, "then - whatever we do, keep this place secure, that's our number one priority. Davaulus is the key, he needs to stay alive. That is all, back to your business." The guards all nod, and get back to their tasks.
**********************
She steps down and opens her hands, heading back to help the injured and finish with Yazi, Vera, and Olenna, "like I said, clean up the mess, help the forensic team document what they can, and when that's done, Olenna, cure the Veil if you can, and use whatever help you can get, but... just, use discretion. It pains me to say, but in this, I think you'd be breaking the law. If what you suspect is true... " she shakes her head, "just for this, f&%$ the law, cure it. Use the notes and any other resources you can gather, if you think you can." She doesn't wait for Olenna to respond, and turns to Yazi and Vera.
"I can't order you to do anything, but I hope we can rely on you and the others to help deal with these problems, under the table, as it were. My devotion ..." She holds up her hadn, now glow as she moves to another sick person, "well, it has benefits, but the range of things I can do 'under the table' is pretty limited." She touches the young man on the shoulder, and he sighs in relief. She adds more softly, "Cressida Kroft spoke well of you both - even with your history Yazi - and she trusts you. Then I do too."
She adds, saying to Vera "okay, the Varisians, whatever you do, tell the Varisians who experienced this to hide, got it? The musician? Hide. They're witnesses. If someone important is responsible... they're targets. That... thing, you did for that girl, remember?" She gives Vera a knowing glance, "whatever it was, it made people mad. I mean, the Field Marshall - I'll talk to her, and see if there's anything we can do, okay?"
She turns to Yazi, "consider if there's anything you can do for Shoanti that might be targeted, as well. Can people stay with family on the Storval? I don't know, just... I don't want anyone else to get hurt." She looks pained, "your people deserve to be here as much as anyone, but I don't know if we have the numbers to mount a good resistance. Whatever you both do, for Shelyn's sake, don't tell anyone outside your community. We might not be able to trust anyone anymore, after today."
She exhales, "we don't have a lot of time, and I need to keep helping people, so if there's nothing else, you... four know what to do to help, right?" She nods at Majenko.
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Rage surges through Yaziyah at Sonya's request. Hide. Be quiet. Run away. The injustice against the Varisians was staggering, and yet this woman, this paladin was asking them to keep it a secret.
For a moment, she indulges her imagination. Shoanti and Varisians united in an uprising against the Queen. A wave of aggrieved, oppressed, downtrodden citizens crashing against the palace.
The streets would run red with blood. The Queen, the nobles, the rest of the city - all of them would oppose it with all their might. And if the queen's side won, there would be revenge - purges, mass executions, exile at best.
Still seething inside, Yaziyah gives a tight nod to Sonya. Already in her head she is thinking about who to contact, what to tell them. Close up ranks. Leave the city if you can. Take care of the most vulnerable. Stay together. Be patient, be safe.
Daf's job is important, so many people in the city don't think about what is needed to do to make the city actually work. Daf's keeps everything flowing, "Important it is, and I'll make sure it keep going. You want to stay here or I could ask one of the others to trade out with you? I can make one of those sced-you-alls."
That got Mag's mind working again. She had already started the kids making sure the sick staying at home had access to food from the ports, but more would be needed. One of the problems was talking, knowing, understanding... maybe they could spread what is going on as well. Morning gathering, then spreading.
A city without knowing, proper knowing, is afraid. Got to be truth, simple, not fear. What happened, no the pulling at threads around it, trying to clean it up, fit better in a box.
"Okay. Gotta go, see if there is anything else needing doing." it seems like she's been down in this basement for months, not just hours.
Dafne ‘nods’ ”okay thanks. i will start working on this but please make sure my space stays clean. thank you for giving me a chance to help everyone.” She exudes a sweeter stench, which is appreciation or something similar, though redolent, none of the smells that Otyughs emit would be traditionally described as pleasant, this does not assault the nostrils as much as others.
She looks around, trying to see how to drink the fluid. Soon she finds spigots and gets to work.
Magda sees two city guards wearing the pilfered masks come down, along with Yazi, near the elevator. The guards raise their masks up and say hello, then put them back. Magda explains what the otyugh is doing, and they promise to leave her alone. They ask the best way to talk to her and Magda gives some tips on . Marcus stands nearby, not saying anything.
Yazi has a cart she requisitions from the citadel with her, and she leaves it near the entrance to the investigators a chance to catalogue everything they can. The investigators seem to blanche at the carnage, though, surprised at how vicious the fights seemed to be.
Yazi approaches Dafne, who is discharging fluid into a bowl through a spigot, drinking the fluid, and discharging more. She’s humming to herself.
"Hello, Dafne. How are you? I'm here to help get rid of the disease in this fluid, although you are of course welcome to keep drinking it if you like."
After a bit of small talk with the otyugh, she gets to work on the laborious process of purifying the fluid.
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She adds, saying to Vera "okay, the Varisians, whatever you do, tell the Varisians who experienced this to hide, got it? The musician? Hide. They're witnesses. If someone important is responsible... they're targets. That... thing, you did for that girl, remember?" She gives Vera a knowing glance, "whatever it was, it made people mad. I mean, the Field Marshall - I'll talk to her, and see if there's anything we can do, okay?"
Having been ushered to a more private space to whisper conspiratorially, Vera forces restraint on her voice. "I don't know. Each hiding Varisian might help themselves, but that's one less voice to prove that they are the victims here. To make sure the blame is planted squarely where it belongs. There may come a time to hide. But they will only truly be safe when all know the truth, and it will be impossible to silence that truth with a sword!"
Talking through it, Vera seems more determined than ever. "I'm going to let Ruan know of the dangers, so he can decide for himself. He's the least anonymous, and therefore the most at risk."
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Marcus was having a quiet time guarding the underground lair. It gave him what he needed; introspection. He made up a routine to check prisoners and bodies while staying within his own head. Running over the scenario of the past day. Thinking how he could have done better.
And not making much progress.
His thinking is interrupted when a gigantic sludge monster casually comes in through the door. Marcus stiffens for a moment until he recognizes the form and Magda behind it, nodding and stepping to the side. He even has a faint look of respect for the creature as it passes.
Marcus's already grim face descends to a full gallows look by the time he is brought up to speed. "Tip of the iceberg..." He mutters. Although for himself, he was no longer conflicted about the truth of the matter. That woman, that thing had invoked the queen's name for her purpose. There was much politicking afoot, but his enemy at least was clear, even if the means of fighting against her was not.
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Olenna tenses as Sonya rebuffs her compliment. But then she gets down to leading the Guard with the sort of passion a Shelynite was bound to muster and inspire in others, and Olenna smiles. That was what she had meant by Sonya being the right person. But this was no time to be smug. This was a time to get down to business. There was still danger--more, perhaps, than when they had started. As the final orders are given, Olenna salutes and follows whichever one of the adventurers is willing to lead her to Lavender and Vendra.
There is tension, of course. And Olenna accepts it. It never felt good to be the one to bring reality's hammer down to crack into idealistic plans for justice. For as much as she respected the Korvosan City Charter and the good that it had enabled in this city, it was not a document above reproach. Systems designed by people were inevitably flawed, beholden to their biases even when the best of intentions were employed. Despite working within the justice system of the city, Olenna understood that true justice was not a common outcome.
Let them be angry. Let them simmer. Olenna would have it no other way.
---
Before she leaves the Citadel, Olenna rattles off notes to be sent around the city. One to Enzo and Catherine: she was alive, she loved them, and she'd be home soon. She also sends a note to one of her old professors at the University of Korvosa, requesting that they send the following list of papers and books to the enclosed address posthaste, with her eternal gratitude. But she scrambles things up: the first messenger wouldn't go directly to the University but would instead meet a middleman informant that Olenna had secured a favor from. There were a few nodes in this network, set up so that she could send notes in the case of an emergency, worried as she was about being tracked. It would take a little longer to get the materials that she was looking for, but it would hopefully decrease the risk to the people she employed.
She finds a couple of messengers on the streets, presses bags of gold into their hands, and sends them on their way. Then she goes to Lavender.
Olenna spreads out in Lavender, asking this new acquaintance that the adventurers trusted--Vendra--if she has certain texts and papers of her own. Then she gets to work. Her hands are soon smudged with ink, and she is popping bottles of analgesics and caffeine to ensure that she is awake and not in pain from the growing buboes that her body is trying to fight off. She pages between the notes of the three researchers in the Cult, cross-referencing their theories with each other and with the resources that she has gathered from Vendra and the University. Crucibles and retorts are set above flames, reagents are repeatedly mixed and separated, and long equations are drawn on any surface that will hold them while theories are discussed and discarded. With any luck, Olenna will have been able to make sense of all of this. Thinking she has it, she reaches for a particular dropper, her eyes covered with safety glasses, and measures out one, two, three, four drops and no more. With a deep breath, she lowers the flame and stumbles back into a chair. Maybe. Please.
Sonya nods ”believe me, I understand. Maybe you can set up your own print shop to explain what happened to them? Hire criers? Keep Ruan safe too, he’s a main witness to the cult - and might have heard the most, and he’s popular too. But it won’t matter if he’s dead. The thing is, Vera, someone involved in all of this has assassins - not just the Cerulean Society. People have disappeared, people’s have died - they were made to look like it was blood veil, but it wasn’t, and nobody can prove it. Whatever you do - if you want to keep people you care about safe - don’t underestimate what you’re up against.” She looks worried when she sees how headstrong Vera is acting, but doesn’t add anything else.
**************************
Yazi works diligently to clean the fluid, and cleaning any other fluid that might have splashed after a few minutes the only thing remaining is a disgusting but no longer virulently infectious goo, which Dafne continues to consume quietly, and even daintily. She says to Yazi ”that made it taste nicer thank you I will keep working.”
After about forty minutes, the investigators have taken samples of everything, including the leukodaemon and remains of Andaisin, and have thick books that catalogue what the cult did. They note that Yazi can dispose of everything, and are wearing masks so spend some time assisting her. The large cart can get almost all of the dead, but they cover the daemon with some corpses before parading it down to the Grey. At the citadel, they split off.
Yazi spots some hooded figures watching her and the investigators travel. They only watch until the investigators move into the citadel.
******************
******************
Vendra is a puckish, bubbly, and attractive young woman that is guarded by a number of Ulfen mercenaries who seem to act like grumpy statues, and don’t seem to know much Taldan. The woman’s workspace is chaotic but it has all the materials and vials that would be required to to manufacture any number of complex chemicals. When Olenna introduces herself, Vendra sighs and agrees to give up her work space - it seems that the alchemist was hard at work manufacturing her linament for the city, but when Olenna explains the need for the tools, Vendra seems to consider a moment.
And another moment. She explains that she’s making a good profit on the linament, so if there was any profit to be made off of the research, she wanted a cut. A substantial cut. In fact, Vendra wanted some of the credit, along with the profits, and rights of distribution. She thinks that’s only fair , given that she’s leveraging her work, workspace, and knowledge The woman explains that she’s happy to wait and see if the cure is successful, but that she’ll know well enough if it is, and that she’d want to be involved in any of the success that might come from its success. She speaks all the while, seeming a little flighty, and for lack of a better word, ditzy.
She lets Olenna get started, and stays in her workshop to help, since she was the only one who knew where the various ingredients were, she had too. When she was bored, she’d stand nearby and file her nails, letting Olenna work through some math problem or other, but from time-to-time, the perfume hawker would help. In passing she’d peer at Olenna’s notes, and comment where she found an error, and she was frustratingly, always right.
At the end of the process, she nods, and smiles slowly, saying to Olenna, ”well, it looks like the guard has a few people worth their weight. I think you, we have hit upon the solution.” She shakes her head and chuckles, when she realizes something, ”this - this linament, this damn thing - it’s got everything you need for the base. You just need… “ and she calculates something in her head, ”an ounce of steelmoss and a half ounce of dried, crushed mold. A specific type… an ascomycetous fungi found on fruit, basically brown fruit mold.” She laughs, surprised, ”well - I don’t suppose you can speak for the entire guard, but I could certainly start making this, as long as I get some resources to do so.” Whatever pretense existed before to throw Olenna off-guard is gone. The young woman left has confidence in the means to do what is needed - for the right price.
Olenna isn't quite sure what to make of Vendra, but she knows her stuff. It's almost frustrating. But Korvosa was a decidedly mercantile city, so she couldn't fault her for wanting to make some profit off of this. She sighs, but smiles. "The others weren't wrong about you," she says. "You have the operation, the means, and at least some of the initial resources. I am no expert in contract law, but I'll see if we can get one of the Abadarans to draft up an appropriate document and fast track it to an Arbiter's desk. Of course, you'll get appropriate credit, profit to offset the costs, etcetera. This is for the good of Korvosa." Hells, Olenna had some of the resources herself. Cressida had been carrying the Guard through lean times. The least Olenna could do to repay that kindness was front some of what was needed here. She starts a ledger in her head, ready to take it to the Bank.
"Thank you," she says, stripping a used glove off, washing her hands, and grabbing a new set so that she can extend a hygenic hand of thanks to the owner of the shop. "For the work you've been doing and what you'll do now. I..." she blinks, uncertain what time it is. "I think I need to go home, see my family, shower, and sleep. But I'll be back to help as soon as I can."
Olenna makes copies of whatever Vendra will need to get Operation: Cure started, taking the rest--most of which is evidence that needs to be logged--back to the Citadel. Then there's just one more stop before she can go home. The Bank of Abadar.
Mags doesn't get far. She had meant to find the flame hair, to help with anything she might need to find a cure for the city, but the whispers in her head tell her it is too late for her help to be needed. A minor bubble of something burst in her belly, but it didn't matter, just the outcome.
And Yazi was there doing good work clearing out the dead. Mags knew what it was like being stuck with the dead, waiting for someone to come get them, so no matter that these dead were not good people, taking care of them Mattered.
"I'll help" she said simply, grabbing some legs and helping hoist them into a wagon. Body after body, then they were ready to go.
Mags notices the lurkers on the roof, her sharp eyes tracking details.
Sonya nods ”believe me, I understand. Maybe you can set up your own print shop to explain what happened to them? Hire criers? Keep Ruan safe too, he’s a main witness to the cult - and might have heard the most, and he’s popular too. But it won’t matter if he’s dead. The thing is, Vera, someone involved in all of this has assassins - not just the Cerulean Society. People have disappeared, people’s have died - they were made to look like it was blood veil, but it wasn’t, and nobody can prove it. Whatever you do - if you want to keep people you care about safe - don’t underestimate what you’re up against.” She looks worried when she sees how headstrong Vera is acting, but doesn’t add anything else.
"Maybe you're right--the disease is a perfect cover to murder anyone," concedes Vera. "I'll go figure it out. Heading to Ruan's first. Then Old Korvosa."
And with that, she's off to Overton Way to find Ruan!
Vera finds her way to the apartment where she knew the siblings lived. It’s small, but in a nicer neighborhood, as fitting a pair of performers with some means. She knocks on the door and there is no answer, but she listens and hears shuffling inside. She knocks again, and after a moment, she hears the sound of Ruan’s voice, a little muffled, ”who is it?”
In the Grey, Yaziyah talks to the Pharasmins, briefing them on the identity and origin of the corpses. "Keep them in one place and mark it, in case the guard wants to interrogate them later. Especially this one," she points to Rolth Lamm's body. "He was a necromancer, so be careful." Then she indicates the remains of twice-dead Andaisin. "That one was an avatar of Urgathoa herself towards the end, so be extra careful. The remains may still carry disease, or have some power that we are not aware of yet."
That task done, she returns with Magda to find Vera and head together to Old Korvosa. She wanted to speak her warnings to the Shoanti in person, but also try and strengthen the ties between her people and Vera's people. The underdogs needed to stick together in times like these.
"There are others being stepped on, without the comfort of a people." Mags says with a frown, at the situation not the exclusion. "Finding a head to speak for them is harder, so it can be me." she knows plenty of downtrodden that fall outside the given communities. Some half breeds like her, not fitting into the bubbles no matter where the other half came from, or old women selling fish on the docks, so whithered no one has any idea where she came from. Orphans, homeless, desperate, or marginalised for other reasons. Mags doesn't mind being their voice.
Vera finds her way to the apartment where she knew the siblings lived. It’s small, but in a nicer neighborhood, as fitting a pair of performers with some means. She knocks on the door and there is no answer, but she listens and hears shuffling inside. She knocks again, and after a moment, she hears the sound of Ruan’s voice, a little muffled, ”who is it?”
Vera has to hunt around a little for the address, but it was simple enough to find. At this point, she no longer dons one of those awful plague doctor masks. "It's Vera, I'm one of the folks who your sister sent," she explains. "I'm sure it was a bit of a blur."
In the Grey, Yaziyah talks to the Pharasmins, briefing them on the identity and origin of the corpses. "Keep them in one place and mark it, in case the guard wants to interrogate them later. Especially this one," she points to Rolth Lamm's body. "He was a necromancer, so be careful." Then she indicates the remains of twice-dead Andaisin. "That one was an avatar of Urgathoa herself towards the end, so be extra careful. The remains may still carry disease, or have some power that we are not aware of yet."
The Pharasman priest quietly assents, nodding. He agrees with the assessment, asking in a quiet voice for more details before Yazi leaves, which she provides. He and some of the other pale clerics wear protective gear as they begin the consecration, and then internment or disposal process.
Vera finds her way to the apartment where she knew the siblings lived. It’s small, but in a nicer neighborhood, as fitting a pair of performers with some means. She knocks on the door and there is no answer, but she listens and hears shuffling inside. She knocks again, and after a moment, she hears the sound of Ruan’s voice, a little muffled, ”who is it?”Vera has to hunt around a little for the address, but it was simple enough to find. At this point, she no longer dons one of those awful plague doctor masks. "It's Vera, I'm one of the folks who your sister sent," she explains. "I'm sure it was a bit of a blur."
There is another pause, still muffled, ”where did you meet my sister, and… and if you rescued me… um… what did you rescue me from?” His voice sounds frightened, even through the door, but he’s obviously trying to ‘quiz’ Vera.
Mags presses her ear to the door, trying to see if the voice sounded like she expects him to sound.
"Do you remember me? I helped you out to the elevator. Magda Vasilu?" she tries
There’s a pause, then, ”y-you didn’t answer my questions…” The door stays closed.
"I'm the half orc girl... you don't remember?"
There’s no answer.
Vera puts a hand on Magda's shoulder. "It's okay Magda, let's just answer."
She turns back to the door. "We rescued you from those horrible plague doctors, cultists, grey maidens, and the creepy old man. There were five of us who got you free--Magda and I were two of them."
If she's met with more silence, she adds the following: "Deyanira asked us to find you when you didn't come back from the party at the Carowyn manner. That's where you were kidnapped."
The response, while still muffled, registers as fear that has become more pronounced, verging on panic, ”and … if that’s who you really were, you’d know where my sister hired you, and you’d know what was restraining me when I was rescued. Since you don’t I assume you’re trying to trick me into opening the door to kill me.” He pauses and there’s a clink, of metal, ”I’m armed! Don’t try anything!”
Vera is very unsure if she even ought to continue, but she tries to answer anyway.
"We met your sister at the Smelly Eel tavern. The old man holding you captive was actually a vampire, and you were restrained by iron restraints on an operating table. Please, we know you're scared. But we can help."
A few moments pass, and there’s a few steps towards the door. It sounds like someone on the other side is leaning against it, and it opens, just a crack. The party can see a sliver of Ruan’s face. He’s got a bloody lip, barely healed, and a black eye, wide with terror. A look of immense relief passes over the face, and he seems to push slightly whatever is preventing the door from opening, which turns out to be Deyanira. Ruan seems to have a short sword aimed at the crack, but he drops it to his side as he opens the door and it becomes apparent that she is also armed as she steps away, though she has only a dagger.
She also looks afraid, though not to the degree that Ruan is. Ruan opens the door widely and ushers everyone in quickly, before closing the door quickly and bolting it. Deyanira and Ruan put away their weapons but are shaking. Deyanira says, hurriedly, ”sorry, we don’t know who to trust. It has been a hard day.” Ruan’s fear has abated a bit, but he looks apologetic, but he moves to the window, covered by a heavy drape and looks outside, he adds shortly, and absentmindedly ”yes, sorry, were you followed?” He turns back to his sister, confused, ”I don’t understand what’s happening.”
Deyanira nods, and adds, ”he came to me in very poor condition. Someone tried to take him - or kill him, after he escaped that… masoara.”
Ruan nods, ”they had long blades. They were hooded, and I didn’t see their faces, but nearly killed me - I only escaped because I turned invisible.”
Magda fumbles with her bag, pulling out her wand "Stay still a moment." said softly, then touches the young man with the glowing end.
As the bloody lip heals and the black eye become back to natural, she considers the face to make sure it is all better, then realizes she might be staring and puts away the wand "I saw some of them on the rooftops earlier, watching while we cleaned up. Maybe you two should come with us. We're meeting up with more of Vera's people, your people." while she knew part of her was theirs as well, but she also knows the tusks and greenish skin matter more to most. "And Yazi's. To protect each other."
The eighteen-year-old might not look like much, but for a moment to the others, she feels like something heavy, something that won't fall down easily. Not a wall, that's taken, maybe a...
something.
The moment passes as the whatever-aphor escapes her, and she waves away the whispers. "They should, shouldn't they Vera?"
Vera audibly gasps at the injuries sustained by Ruan. "By the gods, she was right!" Sonya was right, though she leaves out the name. The fortuneteller quickly comes inside (along with Majenko).
She peeks out the window at the same time Ruan does, as if that would give any meaningful information. "I don't think we were followed," she says, though she gives a questioning glance toward Magda as she says this. Were we? the glance seems to ask, knowing that Magda was far more perceptive. Though when Magda explains that they had been watched, her perception changed.
"Yes, like Magda says, the safest thing might be to stay with us right now. I mean, really, to stay with our friends--they're quite good fighters. I'm totally depleted at this point."
She very much regrets having had to sell her Hat of Disguise at the moment. "There's a lot we have to talk about. We--I--thought you were safe when we set you free. That we'd put a stop to the source of this disease. And maybe we did. But there are greater forces at work in this city, forces that want to silence those who escaped the, masoara, as you say. To cover up the truth of what happened. They hope to disguise their killings amidst the mass of disease and death."
She pauses, ready to answer any questions. And she asks a few of her own. "Would you be okay talking about the details of what happened? How many assassins were there? What did their blades and clothes look like? Did the blades have blood on them already? Any idea how they found you? Anything else you remember?"
The regret in Vera's eyes makes Magda wonder, then with an "Oh" she pulls out a comb from her dark hair. With a shake it flops out into a hat. "This will make you look like someone else you while we're about, or here if you want to stay." she offers her hat of disguise to the young man.
Yaziyah is too tired to be shocked, just a bone-deep weariness that keeps wanting to drag her to the ground. The anger keeps her upright though, the confirmation of Vera's suspicions - someone powerful wanted the boy silenced.
"Vera." She interrupts the harrower's torrent of questions.
"Those things are important to know, yes, but first we need to make sure they are safe." That, and those were the wrong questions. It was more important to know what had Ruan seen or heard that wanted made these people want to kill him. And what of the other prisoners they had freed? She makes a mental note to go check on them as soon as Ruan and Deyanira were safe.
Some of the bruising fades and the lip heals a little but the young man must have received other injuries, and the magical effect of the wand must have healed those areas first. He stammers, ”thanks… thanks” though he winces a bit when the wand touches him.
Deyanira replies for him, ”there were two, and they cornered him as he was heading here from that hospice, leaping from the shingles. They were dressed in black and had hoods obscuring their faces, but…”
Ruan shudders and waves her explanation, ”I am okay, Deyanira,”
Ruan moves to get a drink of water, and sips it for a moment, ”the only other thing about it that was odd their blades - they were swords, with serrated edges. As for how I got away - I got lucky with invisibility, but I think they even had some ways to deal with that, because they seemed to be preparing a countermeasure, but I didn’t stop to watch. Once I got onto the avenue I didn’t see them again.”
Deyanira wipes off her eyes, ”well, what should we do?”
Magda notices the still busted lip, and the wince. She pulls out her wand again "Did it hurt, when I pressed this here?"
Magda can tell he was punched in the stomach, very hard, at some point recently, cut on the leg as if someone was trying to cut his Achilles tendon. He’s missing a patch of hair from the back of his head, and there’s a shallow knife wound in the back in the area just above the kidneys. The wounds are superficial, and not bleeding badly, but must have been bleeding earlier. He has fresh clothes on, which masked some of his injuries pretty well. The young man has a handful of scars that seem many years old, likely from street fights as a younger kid, but they’ve healed over, and the only recent evidence of scarring are his callused fingertips from hours of daily ocarina practice.
He winces again, ”I’m okay - I was lucky you healed me before I traveled. Thanks.”
Mags gave him a look that meant, don't be a martyr, and tap him twice more with the wand. Then she set her hat on his head "Think of looking like someone else please"
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The three untethered party members proceed to disguise Deyanira a bit - hoping that their enemies hadn’t seen the young woman much previously, using the tools at their disposal, and loan the hat of disguise to Ruan.
He chooses to look like a nondescript chelaxian city-dweller copying the style of a merchant.
The three then decide that they have to track down the seven captured Varisians. They try to sneak out of the building, hoping whoever was looking for the musicians wasn’t around.
Unluckily, the Varisians had all split apart after leaving the hospice. Yazi had the foresight to ask the guards earlier if the fleeing patients had explained where they were headed, but the guards only remembered that three had headed towards east shore. They weren’t sure where the others were.
The party heads to east shore with Deyanira and Ruan, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, a task of some difficulty as the party had started to become relatively common sights around Korvosa. But the local watch of the east shore population brought some measure of comfort, and the separation of the shingles had been a boon, as it seemed unlikely that the roof assassins would have as much freedom here.
After about ten minutes, the three find the two sickest Varisians being tended to by one of the others they rescued, along with an extended family. The party explains the circumstances, and the three are a little wary of moving, but they agree in the end. The locals help improve Deyanira’s disguise and even disguise the new additions.
The others seem to be harder to track down. They apparently lived in different areas, and would take more effort, and hadn’t wanted to stay together. Asking questions of the locals, as well as a few lamplighters (as dusk approached), broadsheet hawkers, and fish sellers, it takes…
more hours of work, in aggregate, to find out where they need to go, despite all of their advantages in gathering information.
The trip to the different areas is again, uneventful, though Majenko notices a few invisible imps here and there, who seem to be watching the streets, the party isn’t attacked.
Through sheer luck, they come across the last two Varisians just as two people in hoods, watching from the roof, seem ready to pounce on them. They were huddled together and about to cross a bridge into Old Korvosa from a hiding spot in the alley when the party found them. The Varisians hadn’t even seen them, but the two hooded figures stared for a moment before disappearing in to the maze above the city.
Realizing their luck, but also their problem, the party one of the seven Varisians creats a few banks of fog to hide their location, and they hurry across and quickly down into one of the larger storm sewers in the area. Magda had memorized the size and location of these pipes and culverts, and she led everyone through the somewhat smelly underground areas to an area as close as possible to Yazi’s community center. One more liberal application of fog at the exit of the manhole, and the ten exhausted travelers hurried into the shoanti center, much to the surprise of the folks minding the entrance.
Yaziyah goes to speak to Jhonas, the young priest who is helping run the community center when she's not there, explaining that the guests they had brought were to be protected and taken care of.
She then talks to those who have become regulars of the community center, suggesting that they start doing neighbourhood patrols in groups, keeping an eye out for unfamiliar figures and hooded strangers.
Magda pulls off the feathers and crystals on the stout wooden cylinder "Whys they always think a magic thing always needs to look busy?" the young orc asks her best friend. "Those that would buy it, knows what it is and what's it for without... Fluff." The rod of extending her magic didn't need to look like anything. In truth without the extra bits, it looked a lot like a table leg, and that was FINE.
The frugal shaman HATED that she spent so much money on things like belts, rods, and shields, but she knew that they almost died many many MANY times over the last couple of days, and while they were nothing important in the grander (kroftier) way of things, it would be a bump in the road at least to things becoming safe again.
So she spent more coin than she ever imagined. Coin that could have bought chickens, or convinced more fish mongers to start delivering into the city, or better roads, or SCHOOLS for the kids like her that never had seen a book until someone used it against them. Something at least...
But it was needed. At least the whispers seemed to think so. Whispers kept her alive, kept those she loved alive, and made things better... well she hoped at least. These last few weeks didn't seem better, but how much better would have they have been without the whispers...
Majenko flies up to the shingles, bringing an apricot croissant that he had stashed in Vera’s pack for “later”, with him - seeking help to get Marcus over.
The intrepid house drake can’t stray far from Vera, but his sweet tooth and access to cakes has begun to give him a plum reputation in his community. The treat works well, and soon enough a drake has surreptitiously sped away towards the hospice. With a little effort and cajoling, the drake who’s named Krim, negotiates with the guards at the elevator (asks them for help in getting down), and finds Marcus - who has by this point dismantled the unholy statue of Urgathoa.
Krim explains the situation to Marcus, and hwy the hat of disguise with him, and Marcus agrees to follow. He lets the guards know about the gold, and they mention that they’ll have a temple come by to pick up the pieces.
Marcus leaves the hospice looking like himself, heads to a tavern, moves to a restroom, disguises himself like a merchant, and takes a winding path to the community center, lead on by Krim - who is hiding in his satchel. Krim notes that he doesn’t seem to be catching the eye of any rooftop spies, so his trip seems to be uneventful. He arrives, and after ducking into an alley and changing forms to look like a shoanti, heads into the center as if he belonged there.
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The four gathered party members rest, quite tired, in the community center, after tending to their nine followers. If the shoanti are uncomfortable having Varisians in their space, they don’t show it - welcoming them with food and a safe place to sleep, perhaps not as nice as home but nicer than the possible alternatives, which seemed an everpresent possibility given the events of the previous day.
The small space doesn’t require a complex watch, and nobody attempts to access the center in the night.
The four wake up refreshed, and Magda steps out briefly to see if she can find a mechanism to power up her hideyhole spell, and doing so quickly, returns back. With one pound of stone and the vegetable garden in sight, she creates a rustic stone hideaway, with the entrance in the floor of a simple shack, with a touch of her hand on the ground. Watching the roof carefully, they file in the Varisians. In short order, entertainment materials, lighting, food, blankets, and other furnishings are brought out, and placed in the non-dimensional space that sits outside normal space.
The varisians, especially Deyanira and Ruan, are extremely grateful, and all look to be healed up considerably from the previous ordeal. Deyanira holds up her end of the bargain and hands Marcus the five season passes to the Marbledome, noting that they owed the extra pass for Erasmo, despite the fact that he left. Ruan hugs everyone, and lingers especially long while hugging Magda. Embarassed, he steps away and coughs, and with shining eyes promises he will try to keep the others safe. There is some question about how long the endeavor would take, with no clear answer, but the Varisians seem to take the news in stride - noting “one day at a time is all they had anyway.”
The trip back to the Citadel is uneventful, after a little bit of doubling back and shopping - anyone keeping an eye out for the party would be incredibly confused.
***********************
Olenna finishes up her work on the cure with Vendra, the alchemist seeming as pleased as an extremely contented cat. With signatures aplenty and as close to an ironclad business arrangement as possible, she busies herself on adapting their Lavender’s Linament distribution network to give out the cure, and starts manufacturing doses using her own funds, seemingly to sell - for the appropriate price, to the list of discerning customers that she knew were begging to get their hands on it
Olenna’s business concluded, and after a long evening, she makes her way back home. Wearing some protective gear, she waves at her husband Enzo and daughter Catherine from afar, and lets them know that she’s suffering from some sort of malady. Enzo shakes his head and says, ”come on, we can look after you carefully. We won’t be hurt.” Olenna is a little skeptical but her husband asks her to wait and disappears into the home and returns wearing a mask and gloves. ”made up the spare room for you, and if I have any sense I know you’ll clean it up right when you’re done. You deserve a decent place to rest dear, and we can chat from the door if you’re up for it.” Catherine is wide eyed in surprise, and asks for the story of what Olenna did, though Enzo chides her mildly, seeing the state of Olenna’s injuries and notes, ”nothing good love, I’m sure your mom will explain it in good time. Now she needs rest. Head to your room.” Cathering is a little sullen, but rebounds quickly and says, ”okay mommy, I hope you killed a lot of monsters and that’s monster goo!” perceptively noting that Olenna still has substantial traces of ichor on her.
Olenna welcomes the chance and moves into her home, with Enzo giving her space. The guest room is available and there’s a steaming bowl of sage and rosemary chicken stew, with parsnip and potato, sitting on a side table alongside a mug of thin beer - Enzo was a workmanlike cook but competent enough
He gives Olenna space to tend to herself, though he’ll speak with her if she wants.
Her night passes uneventfully, and she feels somewhat well rested the next day. Olenna checks her gear, does a little shopping, and finds herself heading back to the citadel.
******************
Olenna and the others by cosmic coincidence find themselves approaching the citadel at the same time. Grau Soldado, Tayce’s brother, looks tired but salutes as they approach. The other guard gives him a funny look but says nothing. Grau says, ”well - I have good news and bad news. What do you want first?”
"The news that is most important." Magda suggests.
He considers a moment, then responds, ”Lady Sabina and some Gray maidens took Davaulus, the doctors, and the cultists to an outdoor pavilion near the palace to try, and presumably execute them - all of them.”
Magda's eyes turn as hard as an old anvil and equally as tired. "Which way!" the half-orc girl nearly snaps.
He shakes his head, nervously, ”just… just hold on, you still have plenty of time. Supposedly it’s not until tomorrow. You should talk to the Field Marshal and that priest, Ishani. They’re here now.” He gestures for everyone to enter if they want.