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Alezeilla peers carefully at the crocodile, but once it stops moving, she stops firing. A bright relived smile spreads on her face. "We did it. We actually did it! Hookshanks is gone, but I don't care. We finished Lammm and got revenge. Thank you everyone." She moves over to Sykes and wraps him in a hug. His chainmail makes it much less comfortable, but she doesn't care.
At Aleziella's jubilations Sykes relaxed as well, putting the arrow away just in time as the Harrower embraced him. Smiling he wraps his free arm around her as well. "Yes, I must thank you all for this, you have not only avenged the horrors put upon yourself, but also innumerous lost souls. Zellara, Eran, Svetlana... and how many more we've spared." he tells everyone present with a soft smile.
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Joeseph stands looking at Gaedren's cadaver for a while. He actually feels the rage dying down as the old criminal turns slowly into an inanimate thing.
Without realizing, Joeseph cries. He cannot explain it, but it is too much emotion for him to handle. He hears Sykes' voice in the distance and recomposes himself.
He puts his sword cane back into its hiding sheath. "Thank you", he says to the others. He never imagined himself saying those words. Afterwards, he opens his satchel and looks inside and finds some chewing tobacco, which he puts in his mouth. He gets down next to Lamm's cadaver.
Now it is only a cadaver, as Joeseph manages to see it coldly. He begins searching Lamm.
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Aleziella gives Sykes a quick peck on the cheek before stepping away with a lingering gaze. "I'm grateful that my prayers many prayers for vengeance have been answered. No more people will have to suffer under Lamm. At least he will not be able to ruin any more lives." She spots Joeseph starting to rummage through Lamm's possessions and looks about the room for anything else to investigate, drawers, desks or the like...
"Our tasks here tonight are still not done though. We need to figure out what to do with all the kids upstairs. There might be more useful items or information in this hideout somewhere."
Alezella looks over at the others in turn, her lingering at each of them before stopping at Sykes. "For a long time I've been trapped under Lamm's thumb or the lingering shadows of what happened. I haven't really thought beyond this point. Revenge was my goal. But now... I don't want to go back to a life on the streets. With you guys I feel filled with purpose and like I belong, something I haven't really felt much since coming to Korvosa. Even with Lamm dead, I hope that we can still work together somehow. First lets finish checking out the things here, then we can head upstairs."
Sykes blinks and keeps his smile as the Harrower imparts some lasting warmth on his face. As both her and Joeseph lay out what to do next he nods. "Yes, let's gather whatever evidence and resources we can here and then attend to the little ones upstairs."
At Aleziella's offer he thinks for a moment. Or so it appears, rather, he had his attention grabbed by the numerous crimson flowers sprouting up from Lamm's fading lifeblood. When he realized he had let his mind wander he turned his attention back to the elf. "I would be delighted to continue to work with any and all of you, I can never thank you all enough for your aid in this grizzly yet needed endeavor we all partook tonight. Also, I still have business to attend to in this city, which for the time being will delay my return to Nidal."
Those last words were not sad with as much longing as he would have thought.
Joeseph begins to search Lamm's body he finds:
A suit of expertly made padded armor,
An exquisitely crafted dagger,
A finely constructed hand crossbow with 10 bolts,
A brass key,
A rusted iron key
Aleziella smiles at Sykes confirmation of their continued cooperation. "Thanks Sykes. I'll be delighted to be with you as well. And Joeseph is right. There are surely more people connected to Lamm and his operations than just the ones we found in this building." She walks over to look at what Joeseph discovered.
"You want the dagger Joeseph? It might suit your quick fighting style. If not, I could use a backup weapon that works better against enemies immune to my magic, like what happened with the spiders. Either way we should grab what we can of value. A finely crafted armor might fetch a nice price even if none of us use it. We should figure out where all these keys fit."
With or without the older man she goes to the door to the south the examine it before trying out the keys.
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Joeseph says "Heh, I really like my cane here. I bet it hurts more than this dagger. But if it's a magical dagger, it could be better. Never seen a dagger as beautifully crafted as this."
As Aleziella approaches the door, Joeseph says "Careful, doll face. We wouldn't want you to get hurt with a nasty trap." He searches for traps using his lantern.
Later, he illuminates the water where the crocodile lived. Some people like to hide things under the water. He further searches the room they're in. Maybe there's a secret stash.
Searching through the rest of this room you find that most of the trinkets piled on the tables are things that a child might find valuable but are in fact worthless junk. Although you do find seven jars of a foul smelling unguent labeled Vermin Repellent in common and a Darkwood box in one of the cabinets. Opening the box you find 20 doses of a purplish liquid that Aleziella and Joeseph both know well, Shiver.
Speaking of the pair, both Aleziella and Joeseph search the door to the next room and neither of them can find any indications that it might be trapped or otherwise guarded. Joeseph then wanders over to the pool but can see nothing through the murky, blood tinged, water (although the blood begins to dissipate as it is carried away by the current of the Jeggare river).
Aleziella examines the keys taken from Lamm, but both prove unnecessary as the door is unlocked.
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As they find the trinkets on the table, Joeseph with a voice much more tender than usual says "We should bring these upstairs too. I bet the children would value these." He sounds sad, despite everything.
As they find the Vermin Repellent, Joeseph examines it trying to identify it.
Afterwards, he inspects the darkwood box.
After opening it, he lingers watching the drug. At first, he thinks Maybe we should have kept him alive and get him addicted to this stuff and live a half-life like he did to me.
The spicy taste of tobacco in his mouth is what wakes him from his trance. He turns to Aleziella and says "I suggest we burn this."
As they enter the room, Joeseph looks carefully in before entering, then steps in and pokes everything he can think of.
”What is it? Some sort of poison?” Sykes asks as the Investigator brings up burning the box.
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Joeseph replies Sykes saying "It is. But unlike most poisons, this one kills you slowly, over the years. It makes you give up your family and friends. And you... just... can't make yourself stop from buying and taking some more." The old man shakes as he explain things to Sykes. Without realizing, a tiny spit mixed with tobacco flies towards the young warrior. It clearly is a delicate subject for him.
As Joeseph opens the door he is assaulted with the stench of decay and foul body odor. This foul-smelling room seems to be a combination bedroom and study. A wooden bed with bedbug infested sheets and mattress stands against the east wall, a soiled chamberpot sits underneath the bed, while a round table heaped with dirty plates, bread crusts, stained goblets, fruit rinds, and scuttling cockroaches sits nearby.
At the foot of the bed sits a large strongbox; a slightly rusted lock secures it and a moldy ledger with pages rippled from moisture sits atop its lid. A sagging dresser filled with moth-eaten clothes well past their glory days is in one corner. What appears to be a wooden hatbox surrounded by a small cloud of flies sits atop this dresser.
As he peers around the room he takes note of the three most interesting things in the room, the hatbox, the ledger, and the strongbox.
”Ah, narcotics then. Yes they should be disposed of.” The Nidalan calmly says as he nonchalantly dusts the bit of tobacco off his chest.
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At the first opportunity, Joeseph turns his face away from the awful stench of the room. After adjusting to it, he goes in mumbling something about a private investigator's job being not very glamorous.
After a careful look, he comes out saying "Well, I've looked through the room very thoroughly. There are a few things worth mentioning. First, it seems the old man was living in his own filth. He didn't bother getting out to even clean his pot. I suppose we're that much honorable to get him to come out of the room, heh."
Then, he says "It seems to me that he wouldn't be, uh... articulate enough to control so much crime in Korvosa. He may have been a puppet. Anyway, there might be ways to confirm it. I found this ledger in there." Joeseph holds the moist ledger carefully. "We might want to dry it before opening, though.", he adds.
He continues "I've also found a locked box there. Sykes, here's the crowbar again. Mind giving it a spin? Anyway, there's a wooden hatbox surrounded by flies. I'm going to open it now."
He proceeds to open the hatbox using the bottom end of his cane.
"Do none of the keys work?" Sykes asks as he moves to the box with the drugs. "Would it be safe to simply dump it all in the water here?"
Aleziella shivers once she spots the shiver. Lost in thought she seem to space out for a moment while the rest go about their business. Finally she agrees with the rest. "Yes, we should burn the shiver.
Fueling anyone getting addicted to this stuff directly or indirectly is pure evil. I'm not sure dumping it in the water is safe. It might affect the fish and then whoever ends up fishing it. We should find a fireplace or something to light them up. Hopefully there's one in the building."
Before continuing she pulls out one of her cards to detect magic on the items they've already discovered. It's the vision again. The very same card that brought Lamm down can now help reveal the secrets of his gear.
Aleziella grimaces slightly at the stench from the room, but she quickly collects herself. She takes the keys from Joeseph and goes in to try them. She'll also bring the ledger and the hat box out of the room to be examined.
Round #1: The armor is magical
Round #2: The armor gives a faint aura of Abjuration magic
Round #3: It is a suit of +1 padded armor
Round #1: The dagger is magical
Round #2: The dagger gives a faint aura of Transmutation magic
Round #3: It is a +1 dagger
Taking a break from her concentration after identifying the armor, Aleziella pulls out another card to bless herself, this time it's the Theater, showing a puppet pantomime theater featuring a dragon, a knight and some treasure.
"Both the dagger and the armor are enchanted with first circle magic. It'll grant slightly more protection or deal more damage respectively. Though padded armor is not the most effective armor to start with. Now, let's see what's in the room."
She leaves the enchanted items with Joeseph and goes in to examine the quest. Checking it carefully before trying the various keys they have collected to try to open it.
Aleziella inserts the iron key into the lock and opens the chest. Inside are several items wrapped in linen and tied with twine. Opening each individual package she finds a teak cigar box with jade inlay, a gold ingot stamped with the Chelaxian coat of arms, a miniature gold crown, a scrimshaw carving of a kraken with garnets for eyes, a silver wedding ring with the inscription "For Emma-The light of my life" etched inside the band, a highly scandalous ivory statuette of two entwined succubi. Digging further into the strongbox she also finds a well-crafted shuriken, an arrowhead made from adamantine, an exquisite looking dagger oddly shaped like a key bearing the inscription "For an inspiration of a father", an abalone shell holy symbol of Shelyn, a glass tube containing an oily substance, a wand made from obsidian, a crystalline vial with a silvery liquid inside, and a golden brooch with a broken clasp depicting a house drake with an amethyst eye circling around an imp with an emerald eye in an almost yin-yang pattern.
25 gp's
the 2 lb. ingot is worth 100 gp's
350 gp's
200 gp's
150 gp's
450 gp's
The Masterwork shuriken is worth 300 gp, 2 sp
The Masterwork dagger is worth 750 gp's
300 gp's
2,000 gp's
Round #1: It is magical
Round #2: It has a faint aura of Transmutation magic
It contains one dose of Oil of Keen Edge (CL:5)
Round #1: It is magical
Round #2: It has a faint aura of Evocation magic
Round #3: it is a Wand of Magic Missile (CL:1) 23 charges
The vial itself is worth 50 gp's
Round #1: It is magical
Round:2 it emanates a faint aura of Transmutation magic
Round #3: it contains one dose of Silversheen
Aleziella then picks up the ledger and hatbox and exits the room. She hands the book to Joeseph who begins to peruse its contents and discovers it's written in some kind of code.
The code is a simple cipher written in Varisian. It will take a DC:15 Linguistic check and an hour or two of work to decipher it. The ledger contains notes on Lamm's operations which, if turned over the the guard, will close the case on a couple of dozen minor (and a few) major open cases
After clearing the junk from one of the tables, she sets the hatbox down and opens it, only to make a grisly discovery. Inside is the severed head of Zellara, painted with garish makeup as if in a grotesque parody of life. A small wooden box, decorated in a bright Varisian design, protrudes from underneath the stump of her neck. Inside the box is a deck of worn, but well loved, Harrow cards. Taking the deck from the box Aleziella can feel a sense of satisfaction wash over her as she absentmindedly shuffles the cards.
Hand-painted images decorate this harrow deck, and the cards frames are gilded in silver so that they sparkle and flash under lighting. Despite the worn condition of the card backs, the images on the faces are so vibrant they seem to move when viewed out of the corner of the eye. The deck handles with surprising ease, almost shuffling itself. A bent, torn, or lost card always seems to mend itself or reappear when no one is looking.
These features are subtle manifestations of the spirit that haunts the cards. In life, Zellara lived by this deck, and in death, she has become the deck. Although this magical harrow deck wasn’t created using the standard method for creating magic items, it should nonetheless be treated as an intelligent magic item. Zellara can sense the world around the deck via sight and sound, and she can communicate with anyone who holds the deck via empathy. She can create a major image once per day, often doing so to generate an image of herself manipulating the cards—in this manner, she can carry on conversations with other creatures in Common or Varisian. She can also cast identify for anyone who holds one of the cards of the deck to his forehead (a move action) up to three times per day.
Zellara’s harrow deck has a special purpose as well: to defend and protect the city of Korvosa, her home in life and in death. In order to attain this purpose, she can periodically perform powerful harrow readings for those she has chosen as Korvosa’s defenders—the PCs. These harrowings grant those who benefit from them a number of Harrow Points that can be used to manipulate fate and chance. See The Harrow on page 416 for more details on this complex power.
Zellara can suppress the deck’s powers at will and doesn’t hesitate to do so if anyone attempts to sell the deck or otherwise displeases her. At best, a foolish character could possibly sell the cards as a standard harrow deck for about 50 gp—thus, no pricing information for the deck is needed.
The dagger is the signature weapon of the Key-Lock Killer, one of Korvosa's most notorious serial killer, who slaughtered over 15 victims between 4690 and 4697 before mysteriously disappearing.
The brooch belongs to Queen Ileosa, a gift from the King. It was stolen during a break in from a jeweler who was commissioned to repair the clasp.
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As Aleziella uncovers the items in the lockbox, Joeseph says amidst being bewildered "Well, this piece of gold looks to me it's worth 100gp. This shuriken seems like the work of a master, so if we were to buy one, we'd pay 300 gold pieces, plus 2 silver. The other stuff I'm not sure. This glass tube contains an Oil of Keen Edge."
Then, taking the dagger in his hand, he says "I've heard of this dagger. There was a serial killer in Korvosa about... 20, or 25 years ago... He was known as the Key-Lock Killer, and he managed to kill over 15 people. I wonder... Could Gaedren be that killer?"
Joeseph has no idea how to react to the chopped off head and the magical deck, so he actually keeps quiet about it. He feels saying nothing beats saying something hurtful.
As Aleziella and Joeseph go through the ill gotten spoils Sykes eyes linger on the wedding ring, distracting him to where he only caught half of what the Investigator was saying about a serial killer.
When the contents of the hatbox is revealed he simply closes his eyes and exhales heavily before walking over to Lamm, who he almost couldn't see under all the crimson flowers. "You have no idea, how lucky you were to simply have your end be as quiet and pleasant as this." he says to the corpse as he takes back his blade.
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Zellara shakes her head sadly "My apologies. I did not mean to deceive you only to put you at ease." She waves her hand and the room fades away, leaving it look much like it did with the exception of a thick layer of dust covering the floor and table and cobwebs festooning the corners. Zellara herself takes on a translucent, ghost-like quality "You see, when Lamm's thugs returned what was left of my son I was distraught, then I was angry. I purchased a new Harrow deck and spent the next week searching for Lamm. I was successful and I went to see for myself. I was caught outside the fishery and taken to see Lamm. He was impressed with my determination, aroused even and when I spit in his face he, he, killed me" She looks at the four of you pleadingly "It took me weeks to manifest and I began my search, a search for others who had been harmed by Lamm. There I found you. I implore you, bring Lamm to whatever justice you deem fit but bring him to justice you must."
Viria takes the items that Joeseph wasn't able to appraise and begins to chant a prayer to Sarenrae, calling for her aid. Her eyes begin to glow with an inner radiance as she turns each item over and over, chanting the same prayer with each new treasure.
"The cigar box would be worth about 25 gold, the ring is worth 125 gold but it's probably much more precious to whoever this Emma person is...if she's still alive." she shakes he head ruefully, knowing full well what type of man Lamm was "The succubi would fetch about 450 gold from the right collector while someone in the Sanctuary would pay up to 300 gold for this beautiful symbol." She sighs when she picks up the key shaped dagger "The dagger itself is of masterwork quality and despite it's history, or perhaps because of it, it should bring in 750 gold from someone who collects such morbid memorabilia."
She takes the ledger from Joeseph and once again saying a prayer she begins to flip through it's pages The code is in Varisian and it seems simple enough to crack given time, but from what little I can decipher this seems to be an accounting of Lamm's illegal dealings. I bet the guard would pay handsomely for this for I'm sure it would help them solve several, as of yet, unsolved crimes."
Saying another prayer to her goddess, causing her eyes to glow blue with little flecks of light in them Viria picks up the wand and the crystal vial. "I'm afraid both of these are beyond my ability to comprehend"
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Joeseph watches Viria impressed. "You do know your trade, priestess!" A little grim, he says "I'm not so confident about the guard's willingness to solve crimes, but there might be a lieutenant or two who would care for it, yet. I recommend we find the children now."
Without anything else to do there, Joeseph tries to find a quicker way up than the way through the ship. In any case, he tells Viria "Maybe we should bury Zellara's head. That would bring her to rest. Elf-woman, I'm sure you would care very much for this Harrow deck, no? Hopefully Zellara will be able to rest in peace." He speaks softer than his usual character, but something seems to have affected him about this ordeal.
Upstairs, Joeseph tries to find the children.
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Seeing Sykes morose look, Aleziella goes over and gives him another comforting hug from the side. "Whoever that ring belonged to, we got vengeance for them too. Maybe life will bring love everlasting down the road, but we don't know that at this point. Until we reach that point, we should try to find happiness we can. As for Lamm's death not being painful enough. At least it's final. He won't trouble anyone no more. I'm glad he's gone."
Aleziella studies the remaining items. Shuffling her own deck of cards she draws one for each of them, The Beating, The Survivor and The Brass Dwarf. "The Kraken is worth about 200 gold. Not sure about the crown or the brooch though. This time you proved more knowledgeable than I. Perhaps we can find someone else to appraise the last couple of items."
Turning to the two magic items she studies them. This time the The Betrayal and The Marriage pops out from her deck, granting her far greater success at divulging magical properties. "The wand casts magic missile. It's unfortunately not within my domain of magic. I guess I'll stick to my bow. If none of us become adept at using wierd magical devices I think it would be best to sell it. The vial is silversheen. Some enemies are protected from normal weapons, but vulnurable to silver. This would make it easier to damage such."
"I also recognize the knife. Wierd coincidence that. I do not think Gaedren is the killer, but perhaps we can find someone interested in buying it? Or if we find someone adept at reading such items, we could find out more about what happened with that case..."
"I agree that we should focus on the children for now. But if we end up without other things to do, we should head over to the guards to deliver the ledger. Helping rooting up Gaedren's network would be good."
Aleziella takes utmost care to study the harrow deck. "I feel Zellar's spirit calling to me from this deck. She still watches over us from within. We'll be able to speak to her spirit once per day. It might be prudent to ask her what sort of burial rite she prefers for her head. Burned, buried or cast to the sharks, I do not know what God she venerated the most. But I think we should see to the children first. Wake them up and tell them that Gaedren is no more. It might be too late to venture out to the city with them now. But it would be good to bring them to a place more suitable for children. Maybe and orphanage or a temple or even return them to their families if they still have any. After we've dealt with the children, we can try to reach Zellara through the deck."
At the warmth from the hug Sykes snaps out of his moody reverie. "Yes, hopefully they can find peace now. They and all of Lamm's other victims. And the victims that didn't come to be." Turning he smiles at the Harrower. "As for happiness, thank you, your presence during this catharsis, it is... quite soothing."
He gaze again goes distant as she discusses the value of the items, not seeming to care till the knife is brought up again, which makes him thoughtful, perhaps something to pursue later.
When she explains Zellara’s guidance from the other side he grimly smiles. ”I am glad she is still watching over you, but hopefully she can find peace soon as well. All thing to discuss at a later point, as you point out, the little ones still need attention.”
Leaving the room you make your way back out on to the boardwalk beneath the fishery where you notice a hole in the floor of the building just three feet above the water. This must be where, according to Hookshanks, they sweep the remains of the processed fish into the river below and why a shark would make it's way into the brackish water. A skiff lies tied up alongside the ship.
Aleziella nods to Joeseph's comment. "I agree, no point to come up from below to potentially spark a conflict with the kids. Let's just carefully move back through the ship, back over the creaky pier and back into the building."
Delicately wrapping up Zellara's head in the most respectful way he can, Sykes picks up the things everyone else points out before making his way back up with the others.
Making your way through the dilapidated ship and across the rickety boardwalk you find yourself back in the fishery proper. Crossing through the bedroom and office you end up in the loading dock. The eastern door is locked but you can no longer hear the barking of the dog behind.
Joeseph fumbles through the various keys before finding the right one. Unlocking the door he begins to cautiously open it. Despite his besy efforts the barking suddenly resumes as he says a mangy looking dog down on the fishery floor. It's hackles raised the hound rushes the stairs, barking and growling all the way.
The floor here is slick with river water, bits of seaweed, and fish blood, and the air is thick with the accompanying scents. Wooden catwalks to the north and south allow access between the western part of the fishery and the floor of the room, which is ten feet lower. A wide opening in the floor to the south allows direct access to the sloppy, muddy water of the Jeggare River a further three feet down, while to the northwest stands an immense eightfoot-tall wooden vat, its sides caked and waterproofed with tar. Inside is a foul-looking mixture of chum, river water, and who knows what else. To the east are stacked many barrels and crates, each with a fish painted on it. Over a dozen small hammocks hang from under the catwalks, each with its own ratty blanket and pillow.
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Initiative Round #1:
Sykes
Bloo
Viria
Aleziella
Joeseph
”Shoo!” Sykes calls out as he hustles toward the dog before it can attack Joeseph.
"We should try to keep it alive if possible. It's probably just trying to protect the kids. Calm it down or knock it out or something? Where are the kids anyway?" Aleziella ponders while trying to catch up to the rest.
The mangy cur rushes to attack Sykes as he comes down the stairs.
It's jaws clamp down on the warrior's leg like a vise as it begins to gnaw on him, but it is unable to penetrate his protective armor.
”Quit that,” Sykes says as he tries to swat the overly friendly dog with the flat of his blade. ”Will your sleep magic work on it?”
A voice, that of a young boy, calls out from the darkness "Kill it, mister, kill it quick. That thing is a vicious brute and deserves to die!"
”... well okay then.”
Aleziella pulls out a card of her own deck as she moves forward. It's the Mountain Man, depicting a giant standing over a tiny cottage carrying a giant lizard by the tail over his shoulder. Like the the mountain man defeats the dragon, so too will we defeat the beast before us. Her magic flies forth to ensnare the creature into dreams as as she speaks up loudly. "Do the rest of you agree? Should we kill the dog, or are any of you actually friends with it! Please speak up quickly!"