Torsten’s eyes narrowed when they got to the trophy room. He was glad that Ril was handling the talking as he was not in mind to be so kind. Still, he muttered ”Death was too quick for that fooker.”
Yhrrilka shakes her head at Torsten's comment. "He's dead, Torsten. Hitting him more wouldn't have made it more just, y'know? I hate to say it but it doesn't matter to any of them," she nods to the heads on the wall.
He signed and unclenched his fists. ”Glad that we have Pharasma to judge the dead. Can ye imagine a world without the Gods? At least with them there will be justice in the end.” He said, looking at the heads on the wall.
Loot
glamered chain shirt
MW war razor
rod of wonder
MW greataxe
S MW leather armor
"Snedley," mumbles your new friend. He cringes pitifully as Ril and Torsten explode in the 'trophy room.' "That was Jabbyr, not me. Didn't have nothing to do with it; I swear on me mum's life."
Laori doesn't seem bothered by the grisly display. She does, however, grow visibly excited when she sees the paintings in the emperor's chambers. "They're so amazing! Can I keep them?"
Yhrrilka is starting to find Snedley's constant protests of innocence a bit much. "And Jabbyr, was that Torsten's little friend with the axe? Please understand, Snedley. I don't care quite as much about what you did yesterday, okay? I'm much more concerned about today, and tomorrow. The Burning Mother watches, and her wrath is fierce on those who cant change their ways."
She watches as Laori delights in the paintings, Yeah, that figures, I guess. When she asks to keep them, Ril asks her, "Are these Salvatore's works? Torsten, do we care either way?" She turns to him with a shrug and the 'Hell if I know' face.
”Don’t care about this bully-boy. Don’t care about the elf. Don’t care about the paintings. If it makes her happy then it’s a win-win.” He said, his mood darkening. ”We are here for one thing, aye? Let’s stay focused.”
Ril shrugs again, and says to the elf woman, "Help yourself, Laori," while she examines the lock. If it's not trapped, and it looks within her means to open, she'll unlock it, otherwise, Yhrrilka will exmaine the options of using force on either the lock or the door. She'd prefer not to wreck the place if it can be helped.
Laori giggles with excitement as she begins wrapping up the paintings. While she's occupied, you unlock and unbar the door. The room on the other side reeks of body odor and paint. A lumpy straw mattress lies on the floor in one corner, partially covered by a few blankets. In the other corner stands a large easel on which rests a nearly completed painting of immense fiends attacking a village.
The room's sole occupant is a plain-looking man dressed in paint-stained rags. Flea bites cover his skin, and his sunken eyes reveal a severe lack of sleep. As soon as he sees you, he falls to his knees and breaks into desperate sobs, begging for rescue.
Yhrrilka tries to help the man up. "It's okay, friend. You're Slavatore, right? I'm Yhrrilka, this is Torsten and Laori. We're the rescue party. Well, plus an art fan, I guess," the young woman once more nods toward Laori.
"The 'Emperor,' whoever that duren was, won't be bothering anyone anymore. We were looking for Vencarlo, and the goat you were afraid to have guarded by the tiger…?" She's still not quite ready to talk openly about their whole plan in front of Laori, but this whole affair was looking so much worse than even when they were discussing it in the Marshal's office, that she's not even sure if it could get much worse.
”He’s in bad shape, lass.” Torsten said with concern in his voice. ”Can your magic help him…?” Not for the first time, the limits of his own powers were apparent.
At Torsten's question, Rill looks over Salvatore with a more discerning eye. "Hells yeah it can," she replies confidently. "Let's see what we can do here..."
"Oh, thank the heavens! I'll tell you whatever you want to know as soon as we're clear of this dreadful place."
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In addition to being quite bruised , Salvator is suffering from the early stages of filth fever.
Yhrrilka looks over Salvatore. "Sounds good. But first, by the Dawnflower's grace, let's help you out some."
”Good to go? If the bully-boys decide they want to dance, it will be…problematic…in keeping this boyo safe. We can talk properly when we be away.”
"Ready, Torsten," Yhrrilka says to her friend.
"Snedley, are any of your friends going to be stupid enough to try something on our way out?"
Yhrrilka pauses. "Where are we going to go, Torsten? Salvatore's place?" She almost adds in, It's the only place we know in this part of town that isn't burned out, but figures that could be alarming. "I can think of one or two other places we might at least look..."
"Aye, that makes the most sense." He replied. "Unless our friend here has any other suggestions, it's the only one I can think of."
"I'm renting a room at the Three Rings Tavern . We could take him there," suggests Laori.
Alternately, there's a Temple of Aroden a short walk away. Holy sites (even ones dedicated to a dead god) are likely to be relatively untouched by looters.
Torsten looked at Laori, an eyebrow raised. He had hoped that the insane elf would leave once she had the paintings but it seemed that she had business with the painter. And he didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone with a follower of the god of pain. ”To the house.” He said. He didn’t trust her not to ambush them at her room, and to go to a temple with someone like her? That was far too risky for other reasons.
Ril nods. "Yeah, let's do that. Okay Salvatore, we're taking you back to your place." She does her best to keep an eye out for anyone foolish enough to try and confront them en route.
Fortunately, the streets are clear as you make your way back to Salvator's house. Once you arrive and verify the house is still safe, the artist is ready to tell you anything you want to know.
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Salvator has spoken with Vencarlo on several occasions, sharing what he knew about the fate of Castle Korvosa's seneschal, Neolandus Kalepopolis. The former seneschal was a friend of Salvators, so when the man showed up at his home, desperate, bloodied, and poisoned, early on the morning King Eodred II died, the artist immediately stepped to his aid. He nursed Neolandus back to health and learned that he'd narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by a group known as the Red Mantis. The reason: the seneschal knew how King Eodred had died - murdered by his wife! Apparently she'd changed over time. Grown "worse" ... whatever that meant.
Neolandus refused to divulge more, saying that "the less he knew, the safer he'd be," and as Salvator's home was far from a secure hideout, something needed to be done quickly. Fortunately, Salvator had connections. House Arkona was one of his greatest patrons, and they had always been friendly enough to him. He decided that was the safest place for Neolandus to hide, so he escorted his friend there to seek asylum. The Arkonas took him in, but before Salvator could return there to check on him, the quarantine happened.
When Vencarlo found out about this, he was furious. He said House Arkona had ties to almost every criminal enterprise in the city. Salvator (he claimed) had given his friend to arguably the worst person possible.
Torsten looked at Laori, his eyes hard. "Nay offense meant, up to ye if ye take it. But don't trust ye. Ye can wait outside and talk to him when we be finished. But if ye hurt him, then I'll break ye in twain with me own hands."
When inside, he listened to Salvator intently, not interrupting. When the man was done talking, he sighed. "How many crime lords are we going to have to meet?" He asked, rhetorically. "At least we know where to go to next..."
Ril winced at Torsten's words to Laori. Hell, I agree with everything he's saying, but man, I just don't know what's the best way to handle this lady yet.
To Torsten's rhetorical question, the girl replies, "Seems like the answer is, 'All of them.' This... is not great. But I'm sure it could be worse, so don't feel bad about this, Salvatore." To her partner, Yhrrilka says, "I doubt a naked display of brute force like we just used will pay off twice in a row, hmm? Think we might have to do some legit bargaining here?"
She asks Salvatore, "Where exactly did you take him? Will we be able to go ourselves? Rather not have to involve you if it can be helped."
Laori is completely unbothered by Torsten's threat. "Kinky! I might take you up on that later - as long as you put me back together after we're done! Don't worry; I only hurt people who ask for it, and Master Scream doesn't look like the type."
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House Arkona is one of Korvosa's five great houses. Headed by Glorio and his younger sister Meliya, they're second only to House Jeggare when it comes to wealth and influence. Glorio is a renowned philanthropist, and while his heavy involvement with Korvosa's underworld is a bit of an open secret, city officials traditionally look the other way. The good the Arkonas do outweighs the bad - and this is reciprocated by Glorio ensuring the criminal underworld stays relatively contained.
Arkona Palace is perched at the highest point atop Endrin Isle in Old Korvosa. Those wishing to request an audience can do so there.
Listening to Torsten and Laori squabble, Ril tries to cool them out some. "Both of you, take it easy, or you will go to rooms!" She does her best to give herself the authoritative voice she's heard Tayce use when the girls at Dawnflower House start squablling.
"Now, we clearly have to go to Arkona Palace and figure some way to get this Neolandus fellow out. Do we think Salvatore is still in danger?" She looks at Torsten, then at Laori.
Torsten sighed. "Let's leave it up to him, on whether he wants us to stay when talking to the elf. I don't trust her." With a shake of his head he continued "If she is after him to do him harm, then we'll likely only be able to get vengeance. Despite her God, she hasn't done anything yet that would warrant death. And while we have blood on our hands, I'm not ready to take on the burden of being a murderer."
Ril nods at Torsten. "I know, murder's nothing I'm keen to do myself. I'm not sayin' having Laori around has been easy for me, but it's felt like it's been really hard for you. When I was growing up, all the time, I was seeing Chief Mahja deal with guys from other tribes. Sometimes, you could trust them to hold up their end, as long as it was worth their while. Sometimes, you knew they were just looking for a soft spot t'sucker punch you. It was clearly never easy for her, but she knew she always had to try. We just... we wouldn't make it if we tried to go it alone the whole way, y'know? Then maybe later, some of those guys, maaaaybe they'll think to themselves, 'Hey those Burning Suns, they're not so bad after all.' It's a slim hope, but one of the things Mahja tried to teach me is that hope is always worth keeping." She smiles at her friend.
Laori shrugs. "I don't know what any of those things are. Just here for the art. If you're heading off somewhere, I can keep an eye on Master Salvator. Gotta report back to my superiors about what I've learned, after all, and I'm sure they won't mind if he tags along."
Ril eyes up Laori a bit more skeptically at the elf's most recent comment. "And your superiors, all they care about is Salvatore's art? This is truly the full reason you're here? Laori, there's no chance any of your higher-ups are going to take an interest in Salvatore, is there? They won't try and prompt his memory in some unique Kuthite way? If you can promise that won't happen, then it's okay with me that you watch him."
For the first time, Laori looks somewhat hurt. "You can't just make a muse come back, silly! What do you mean by 'unique Kuthite way?' I know we get a bad rap sometimes, but I did make a scar pact. Do those mean something different in your religion?"
Torsten listened to the elf and watched with a critical eye. She...seemed sincere. But it was impossible to really tell. Unable to say with certainty on whether he trusted the elf enough to let her go, he decided that he had to check. He slowly and deliberately opened up the small cage that hung from his best and let a runic stone inside float out. He held out a hand, letting it land, and the runes began to softly glow.
"Aye. Ye did. That's something. But I just learned that your God..." A look of intense disgust crossed his face, mixed with anger and disbelief. "...he skinned his own father alive. His own father! Who came to him with naught but love and happiness, and for that was tortured. His flesh ripped off, his body covered in spiked chains, and left broken and insane. And ye...ye worship this monster!" His hand closed over the stone and with a force of will he stopped himself from squeezing it so hard that it would break. It floated back into the cage, and the dwarf took a threatening step forward. "Out of all the Gods to worship, ye could have picked any! Shelyn for the art ye love so much! But instead ye worship one who tortured his own loving father! Why should ee trust ye nay to do the same?" Anger blazed in his eyes. The revelation of what Zon Kuthon had did left him shaking with rage. As much as he wanted to flee from his parents, he loved them, and understood all that they had done for him. The very concept of betraying one's kin was such a foreign concept that it made him want to lash out at anyone who would worship such a vile act. The only thing that was keeping him from attacking her was Ril's words about her tribe's dealings.
"Because I promised! I thought a follower of Torag would understand that. Or does it not count because I'm not a dwarf? Is that what this is really about? The Midnight Lord might be a little too passionate about his art at times, but he's also nondiscriminatory."
"Aye, an oath is an oath." Torsten said, flustered. "But!" He waved his hands around theatrically. Turning his back on the elf, he tried to think of an argument, but being bound by a promise really did speak to him. With a growl he turned back around and said "Torag has never betrayed his faithful, regardless of their race. Your God betrayed his own father. He...ye..." His face flushed at his own inability to create a proper argument, he said with a finger pointed "Will nay take the artist unless he agrees. He was saved from one monster, and I will nay allow him to be kidnapped by another."
Yhrrilka still does her best to try to cool out the situation. "I hope you can understand the... unique position we find ourselves in here, Laori. Honestly, what I know of your god sounds horrible to me. But you've been straight in your dealings with us, and you haven't been trying to do anything awful, as far as we've seen. I've seen this situation before, back home, and there, as often as not, my tribe was left waiting for the… what is it… the other foot to drop."
After a brief pause, she continues. "You seem nice, and I want to trust you, but I also don't want to make a decision I'll regret later. Laori, we swore oaths to each other, and I don't take that lightly. What I'm worried about is, will your superiors abide by that? If your boss said, 'You know what, I think he's holding out on what happened to his muse, yank fingernails out until he starts talking,' what would happen then?"
Laori sighs sadly. "I get it. You can't trust me because of who I am. Don't think there's anything I can say at this point to convince you. You'll just keep waiting for 'the other foot to drop.' If you don't want me to take care of Master Salvator, just say so, and I'll leave. Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last." Her cheerful mien reappears a moment later. "No worries. I'll be fine, and I'm sure you will be too. It's been nice traveling with you for a bit."
Torsten regarded her coldly. He prided himself on judging people by their actions. Ril, for example, couldn’t choose where she was born or what she was born as no more than he could. But by her actions he knew her to be a righteous person. This elf? She chose an evil deity to follow and then whined at the consequences of her actions. He gruffly turned away. Unless Ril had something to say, he was done and ready to move on.
With Laori out of the way, Torsten turned to walk towards the estate. "House Arkona awaits. Ril, want me to check this one out alone? I really don't trust that elf. I'd feel safer with a pair of eyes on her to make sure that she doesn't do anything...wrong. The fact that she is reporting to her superiors in a cult of pain sends off all kinds of bag signals. Might be something even worse happening there than some delusional smugglers and criminals."
Arkona Palace is perched at the highest point atop Endrin Isle. The grounds are mostly open, decorated here and there with tiny copses of trees, exotic topiary animals, beautiful flower gardens, and exquisite fountains. The palace itself is a breathtaking structure built in the Vudrani style. As you make your way across the grounds, it isn't long before you're intercepted by a patrol of six house guards who politely but firmly demand to know your reason for approaching the manor.
”An audience.” Torsten said. ”Won’t insult your intelligence, ye probably heard what happened with the trash emperor. Nay worries, I’m here alone and unarmed you talk to the patrons of the great House Arkona. Here to talk to someone and I’m sure that it can be beneficial to all involved.” He said this with confidence, certain that there weren’t that many heavily tattooed dwarves who could fit his description and that word of the massacre had probably already spread. Luckily, appearing unarmed and unarmored tended to put people at ease, especially as he didn’t look like a spell caster. He waited to see how the guards would react.
The guards nod and escort you through the immaculately landscaped palace grounds to the entrance. There, they return to their patrol as a tall man wearing an eyepatch greets you. "Good day. I'm Carnochan, the majordomo of House Arkona. What can I do for you?"
Carnochan listens to your request and gestures to a nearby lounge. "Please wait here. I will see if Master Glorio has time to see you."
Palace Entrance
A black marble arch depicting dozens of elephants standing one atop the other frames a great ebony door in the south wall of this wide and airy entrance hall. Above the door, an elephant looks out over the hall, its single eye a glittering bloodstone the size of an apple. Tall windows grant a commanding view of the palace grounds, and a rich red carpet, ten feet wide and luxuriously thick, provides a pathway between doors to the west and north, and around a corner to the east. Each of these doors, as well as three smaller ones to the west of the northern pair, are decorated with images of a six-armed, four-faced woman who rides a tiger with human hands for feet.
Visitor's Lounge
This comfortable room is warmed by a large fireplace, its marble sides and mantle carved into a parade of capering monkeys and tigers. A large sofa is against the north wall, while a few cozy-looking chairs sit to the north.
Statue
A fourteen-foot-tall marble statue of a six-armed woman with four faces on her head - one looking to each of the four cardinal directions - stands under a dome of colored glass. The statue wields numerous weapons in its six hands, and a small kneeler at its base gives a place to pay respects to whatever deity the statue represents. Each of the statue's eyes eyes is a sparkling bright green orb.
Torsten waited, uneasily, as he was surrounded by such ostentatious displays of wealth. It made him feel truly out of place, given his own mundane attire. Still, he had come for the seneschal, and it was better for the man to be locked up here than with the trash emperor. He just wondered what he would need to do to get the man out…
You're only kept waiting for five minutes or so before Carnochan returns with the lord of the palace himself! Glorio Arkona smiles warmly when he sees you. "Master Runeforger! How wonderful of you to grace my house with your presence! Was Miss Embersoul unable to come, too?" He goes to shake your hand before suddenly gasping. "Oh, my, where are my manners? Carnochan, why haven't you supplied our guest with refreshments while he waited?" The majordoma bows and scurries off to rectify the faux pas. As he leaves, Glorio shakes your hand before sitting down on a nearby couch. "My apologies. How can I be of service?"
Torsten was completely taken in by the Arkonian hospitality. After wading through an ocean of blood in dealing with the various leaders of the city, it was so *refreshing* to have someone approach so politely. It made him feel ashamed at have come empty handed. Feeling at ease, he got up and bowed politely. "Lord Arkona." He said, politely, shaking the man's hand. "I won't take up any more of your time than needed, for I am sure that ye be quite busy. Ril, er, that is, Miss Embersoul, couldn't be here. As ye no doubt are aware, this city has gone belly-side up what with the chaos of the King's passing, may he rest. I came here because I be looking for seneschal Kalepopolis. Was told by me friend Salvatore that he was in trouble, so he suggested that the seneschal come to ye manor. Being here now, I can see why he felt that this would be the safest place in the city. If ye don't mind letting me speak with Neolandus, I'd greatly appreciate it."
Glorio nods sadly. "Yes, King Eodred was a fine monarch and truly put the good of Korvosa on the forefront of his mind. It's such a shame what's happened since his passing. I've been using my own limited resources to keep Old Korvosa from falling into complete anarchy since the quarantine was put into place. Things have been difficult, but I'm sure that Her Royal Highness thought long and hard about her decision before implementing such a terribly drastic step. I know that if there had been *any* other option - anything at all that could have been done - , she would have taken it."
Upon hearing your request, he gives you a rueful smile. "I'd be more than happy to oblige. It'll be a trifle complicated, though, I'm afraid. Not long before you arrived, I let Master Neolandus go exploring in my Labyrinth. He's been so nervous lately, and I'd hoped this would be an amusing diversion for him. It's quite vast, so I'm not exactly where he is or when he'll be back, but you're welcome to go in and track him down."
Torsten picked up on the sarcasm, but seeing it as being against the Queen, he had to agree. Having come to the conclusion that this man was truly on the up-and-up, he readily agreed. ”Most kind of ye, both to host him and to allow him access to your maze. If it really isn’t any bother, aye I’ll go in and catch up to him. Will give us some time to talk as we walk through together.” It never even crossed his mind that there might be anything dangerous in there. Why would there be?
Glorio smiles happily. "Of course! Really, it's the least I can do." He leads you into the garden. "Stand under the elephant, go down twenty steps, and pull the wall switch. That'll open up the entrance to the labyrinth. It's pretty challenging, but I'm sure your dwarven senses will guide you through. If you do get stuck, though, there are a few levers that might prove helpful. Good luck!"
Garden
This chamber hardly seems to be part of a palace, but looks more like a clearing at the heart of a vast jungle, teeming with life. The sky above is a deep, cloudless blue, while in the distance, hazy towers rise above the verdant canopy. Exotic bird calls fill the air, the scent of dozens of unfamiliar flowers and plants assault the nose, and everywhere a riot of color demands the eye, whether it's the wing of a tropical bird, the petals of a brightly hued flower, or the glittering multicolored tiles that make up a round fountain to the north. The fountain's central plume is a stone pillar around which entwine two cobra statues that clutch green gems in their fanged maws. To the south of the fountain stands an immense, life-sized jade statue of an elephant, a howdah perched on its back, its tusks and trunk raised high in greeting to the southeast doors. From inside the room, the doors look more like gates set into a wrought-iron fence that encircles the garden. Other gates set in this fence doubtless lead to other parts of the palace, and after a bit more observation, the somewhat static nature of the jungle and landscape becomes apparent - the walls of this garden are in fact an incredibly realistic and clever painting of a Vudrani junglescape.
Torsten stared in wonder at the opulence before him. He took a moment to take it in, admiring the craftsmanship that went into everything from the jade elephant to the murals. Only then did he get down to business. First, he tried to see if he could identify any tracks on the ground that might tell him where his man went…
…realizing the futility of it, he looked around for any obvious signs, such as a gate left open…
…and finally he went through the door before him…
The elephant is indeed a marvel of craftsmanship. As far as you can tell, it's carved from a single, immense, piece of jade. When you stand underneath it, a pressure plate triggers, and the entire 10-foot-diameter platform slowly rotates 180 degrees. As it does so, a curved opening appears, granting access to a flight of spiral stairs that descend into the ground.
Twenty steps down, you see a switch on the east wall. Pulling it causes the wall to slide open, revealing a long tunnel that winds southeast for approximately 100ft before curving sharply to the north. It ends at a set of large bronze doors, each carved with images of tigers chasing other tigers in four adjacent circles. At the center of each circle of tigers, a snarling tiger head looks out.
The doors swing open silently at your touch. Two statues, each depicting a tiger-headed man, stand in alcoves to either side. Their arms are wide, as if to usher visitors forward into the room beyond.
You notice a tiny gap in the floor, walls, and ceiling. On the other side, of this gap, there are two alcoves. In one alcove, a long lever with an ebony handle protrudes from the wall.