Vantine shakes her head slightly at the suggestion of living under the coffee shop.
"If it were an emergency, that would be one thing. But I'd rather not live down there. Not much privacy. Seems like it would practically be a barracks."
Devil dogs. Psychic waifs. A clutch of tengu. An odd collection, but ravens were known for collecting things. He finds Korva in the Nest, not a difficult task considering its size. "How are you ladies settling in? Have you had a chance to get out into the city, stretch your wings a bit?" He had heard something potentially interesting in the city as they crossed the Bleakbridge the previous day. Tension between tieflings and tengu, perhaps? The minorities of the city should be banding together, not warring in secret. Minorities also represented the people most likely to join the Silver Ravens. Much as it hurt him to admit it, the desperate and downtrodden could make very good recruits. They had little to lose and everything to gain by going against the powers that be. Looking in to this potential conflict between tiefling and tengu could be a good test of the sisters abilities.
Nyxra spends her time looking over Nan's notes.
Unfortunately, most of Nan’s notes aren’t terribly interesting - daily events, thoughts about future bargains he might make, that sort of thing. Of note is the story of him bringing the (then seven) Fushi sisters to Kintargo, smuggling them in alongside Varisian silks. Apparently, Chough had killed someone important in Riddleport (Nan speculated that it was one Voros Drakith, a half-orc pirate captain known to have friends in higher places in that criminal city), and the sisters contacted him to move them south.
Most of this the Ravens already know, but one thing that they didn’t know is a name - Iedra Mvashti, a Korvosa-born Varisian that Nan says can be trusted as much as Laria. Supposedly, she’s a weaver in Redroof - perhaps she’ll be of use to the Ravens?
The core Ravens assemble in the impromptu meeting area they’ve set up in the storage room of the Wasp’s Nest, where Rexus is already waiting for them. He looks up at them with a small smile, though there’s clearly an edge of weariness about him. He coughs hard before beginning his request. ”I’m sure you all recall the Night of Ashes, when my home , as well as the Thrashing Badger and the Silver Star were burned to the ground.” He takes a deep breath. ”In the days immediately following the Night of Ashes, I snuck into the Greens, where my family’s home lay in ruins. Though I couldn’t move much, I did not find anything but charred remains and memories. I…” He swallows. ”I’m almost positive that there’s nothing we can find there that would help us - at least not with our current resources. There might be some things left, but our resources are better suited to looking elsewhere.”
He takes a quiet breath, a wheeze audible in the sound. ”Instead, I would recommend looking at the other two major buildings that were hit - the Thrashing Badger shouldn’t be as dangerous as the Greens, and is closer to the Wasp’s Nest than the Silver Star, but I encourage you to look into both, if you can.”
Nyxra fights back a lump in her throat as Rexus speaks of the Night of Ashes.
"The Silver Star..." She says, staring past everyone. "...that's where Mom said she was going before night fell..."
"Wait--what? You lost your mother on the Night of Ashes? I'm so sorry, Nyxra." For all the talking she'd done since joining the Silver Ravens, Jessi realizes she's done precious little of it with Nyxra: The dark-skinned elf is still an enigma to her.
She tells the others what she knows of the Silver Star: That it's a music store run by the opera star Shensen. The bard seems to know more about the Thrashing Badger.
"The Badger was a pretty popular tavern along the Yolubilis docks...lots of sailors and stevedores met and drank there. Also, a lot of members of the Rose of Kintargo--the local Milanite faithful--congregated there, or so my friend Carli once told me."
A light suddenly goes on inside Jessi's head: Could Carlissa be a member of the Rose of Kintargo?
Rexus nods gravely at Nyxra, his expression sympathetic. "I am sorry to hear that... If I could, I would take all the losses upon myself, but..." He rubs his face tiredly. "Now all we can do is try to make sure that House Thrune never does something like this again in our city."
Aisling adds her own sympathy to the others. "I'm truly sorry for your loss." She looks around the group. "I think we should definitely try both of those places. Does anyone have a prefrenece for which one we look at first?"
Like Jessinel, Vantine hasn't talked much with the reserved elf. It comes as a complete surprise for her to find out Nyxra's own close family has been affected by the Night of Ashes. Nyxra's calm amazes Vantine, considering it's her own mother who is missing, and under such dire circumstances.
"I'm so sorry Nyxra."
Vantine's immediate inclination is to take the elf's hand to comfort her, but in Nyxra's case she's not sure such a gesture would be welcome. Vantine keeps her hands to herself.
"It should be Nyxra's choice where we go first."
====================
The Raven nods solemnly when the quiet elf reveals the death of her mother, but he has no comforting words to offer. "Thrune will murder many more before this is finished. The only way to honor the memories of the fallen is by pushing forward. If we stop, they died in vain." The unjust death of one he cared deeply for was what started him on the path of the vigilante.
The Thrashing Badger is no unfamiliar name to Alexius. Practically next door to the Vashnarstill shipyard, it was one of the taverns more popular with the many shipwrights, labourors, and sailors his family employed. With Thrune's ban on ship captains from entering the city, he expected those men and women would be worried about their employment status in the immediate future - no one was going to commission a ship from a city with such a ridiculous law in place - and the destruction of their favorite tavern certainly would not improve their moods. He does not know for sure, however, since Alexius has not been home since the day before the protest. If we stop by the Badger's remains tonight, I can make an appearance at home.
"We might want to hold off exploring any ruins until the snow's melted," Jessibel points out. "It's probably blanketing any clues we might find, plus it could be dangerous to explore when we can't see what's underfoot. Also, the tracks we leave will tell Thrune's allies that someone was poking through the ruins."
Rexus blinks at Jessibel before laughing aloud. "You make an excellent point, Lady Jessibel. I'm glad there're more pragmatic voices than mine at this table. Of course, most of the main roads are cleared by now, but... the ruins probably are just mounds of snow at this point." He shakes his head, laughing at himself. "Well then, I suppose we should continue as we were until the snows melt or the like."
Nyxra just blinks a couple of times. "...thanks."
"I don't know if she's dead--her body was never found. But if Thrune's had her killed, then they're going to live long enough to regret everything they've ever done."
Vantine blinks a couple of times as plans come to a sudden halt and the conversation dies off.
"Okay. Anyone have a deck of cards? I guess I should have brought a book. Never occurred to me..."
Jessibel hates to be a wet blanket. Still, the snow's a royal pain; she doubts that even the Red Jills are active with so much snow keeping some potential victims off the streets and limiting the thieves' mobility and escape options.
"We could help the Fushis clean and rebuild the Wasp Nest!" she suggests hopefully.
Aisling nods in agrenment. "Indoor work is probablay the thing to be doing right now."
The Ravens spend the rest of their time at the Wasp’s Nest helping out the Fushi sisters, collecting scrap wood, and generally making the Wasp’s Nest a more livable situation for those who will be staying there - namely, the Fushi sisters, but also potentially others who don’t have public identities.
Once they are done, and dusk falls over the city, they go about their various ways to rest for the night - hoping that tomorrow will be warmer.
Oathday, the 14th of Abadius, 4715
Indeed, Oathday proves to be warmer even early in the morning, as the sun just barely blinks over the horizon before it is covered by thick, grey clouds. It isn’t much, but it is enough that many folks think that the snow might begin to melt. Wiser heads point out that it may just freeze over again come nightfall, but most are just happy that they aren’t freezing.
Vantine goes to investigate another merchant that she’s heard the name of - a Mwangi man going by Sierre Thrice-Blessed. Tracking him down is rather easier, and she finds him running a shop out of Old Kintargo, along with his husband and wife, a halfling and a tiefling respectively. One quick chat later, and the man agrees to help fund (and aid) any resistance activities that he can.
Nyxra consults with the Raven to see if they'd like to track down Iedra Mvashti.
Vantine pastes on a smile and dispiritedly consents to Jessibel's suggestion they clean the Wasp's Nest.
"Sure, sounds great."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After wheedling and cajoling Sierre Thrice-Blessed and his crew to help out, Vantine makes her way back to her apartment after buying some basic foods to drop off for Narcelia.
She knocks, twice fast followed by twice slow as she'd told the young woman anyone she should open the door for would do, and waits.
The young woman's brow furrows. "But I did hear someone screaming late last night... I'm not sure who it was."
Jessibel helps with the cleaning, but she also takes a few longish breaks to read the old journal she found in the Fair Fortune Livery.
As everyone returns to the Wasp's Nest, Laria is already there, her face pale and taut with worry. "I don't have much time - I've gotta get back upstairs to tend to the customers, but I have really bad news. Rexus is very sick, and I don't know with what. He's feverish, feeling weak, and cannot see at all." She lets out a bitter snort. "Of course, he's most concerned that he's not able to read the documents, but he's never been sturdy."
She looks at the Ravens. "I don't know if he'll be able to survive without treatment." The halfling woman says plainly. "Aisling, do you know any spells that could help him? Or other knowledge?"
Vantine hurries on into the flat and closes the door behind herself.
"Vantine, but don't worry about it."
Vantine puts the sack she's carrying down on the table and takes out the items it contains: bread, cheese, a couple of apples, a pot of yogurt.
"I brought some food for you to last a day, maybe two. I'm glad you were able to get some sleep. Don't worry, I have errands to keep me away and busy for a couple of days yet. Just keep resting and eating so you can regain your health."
When the bag is empty she leaves it on the table and turns to Narcelia, looking into her eyes.
"Also try to remember anything you can. We need to know something about what's happened to you to help much more than this."
"The screaming you heard, did it come from outside the window?"
Vantine does wonder if what the woman heard was something of the mundane sort, or perhaps a dream that could be the first step in figuring her out.
Aisling bites her lip. "I'm sorry, Im a lawyer. I did'nt go in for the healing training, that's more my mothers's thing. But I'm happy to see what I can do. Let me see him and I'll do what I can."
She hurries over to Rexus to try and find out what'w wrong.
”Oh! Sorry, my memory isn’t good… but I guess you already know that, huh?” Narcelia giggles uncomfortably, before blinking and nodding in answer to Vantine’s request. ”Uh, you mean I should just stay in this nice warm building, sleep, and eat? I think I can do that…”
At the witch’s question, the young psychic closes her eyes, before pointing to the wall of the apartment that is closest to a small alleyway. ”I think it happened over there. Outside, yes. A man’s voice? Maybe? I didn’t hear anyone else… no threats or arguments. Just a scream.” Her eyes open. ”Does that help any?”
Aisling finds Rexus lying in the living area of the Wasp’s Nest. He’s on one of the beds that they’d moved down from the guest room the day before, and Jay Fushi is standing nearby.
Upon Aisling’s arrival, Rexus lifts his head. ”I-is that our heroes I heard coming?” He asks in a raw voice.
”Yes,” Jay replies in an oddly gentle voice, ”the priestess is here to see you.”
”Ah, Sword Knight Talbot… forgive me if I don’t stand, I can’t quite find my feet.” Rexus chuckles wetly, a sound which transforms into a hacking cough that he catches with his handkerchief (albeit only just). ”Sorry, a little bit of levity to boost the mood, is all.” He smiles tiredly as Aisling examines him.
Aisling gives Rexus a mock frown. "I hope you realise you're in clear vioalation of Ogham's Cutter - you have not one, but two separate illnesses! You have filth fever, which is probably from that littl adventure with the rats, and blinidng sickness, which I've no idea how you picked it up. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be too sevre and you should be more or less fine by tomorrow. But just in case..."
She spends a few minutes preparing some herbal remedies and a compress, all of which taste/smell vile but should help him recover.
"I'll check into what you heard, see if I can find anything out. Don't worry about it. I'll be back as soon as I can, no more than a couple of days."
Vantine leaves Narcelia at the flat and makes her way back to the Wasp's Nest. She does take a look into the alley Narcelia indicted, but doesn't venture in. She thinks bring some backup along would be a good idea before wandering off a main street.
Narcelia waves goodbye to Vantine, before returning to… whatever it was she had been doing.
When Vantine checks the alleyway, she does see a significant amount of disturbed snow, but she can’t really tell anything without examining it more closely...
Rexus laughs again, though this time the sound doesn't descend into a cough. "Thank you, Sword Knight Talbot. I believe I'm already feeling better. Either that, or the stench of your medicine is making me feel relatively better."
Jay rolls her eyes. "I can't tell if it's exhaustion, illness, or being in a safe place, but his sense of humor is terrible."
"That's positively unfriendly, Miss Jay." Rexus coughs again, before settling back on the bed. "But I think I'll rest for awhile now..."
"Hope you feel better soon!" Jessi tells Rexus with a big smile. Outside his room, however, the bard's more concerned.
"How did he get so sick? Maybe from when we explored beneath the Fair Fortune? Did he get bitten by a rat or grimple, or maybe get slashed by one of the lemures?"
"Considering how filthy that place was, I'd say it's a miracle he hasn't mutated into something worse." Nyxra adds. "I suggest that any restorative items we find next should go to him."
The Raven has nothing else to do besides feed the livery dogs again.
=====================
"What kind of medicine does he need? Kintargo is a decent sized city; it would not be all too difficult to arrange for treatment to - shall we say - fall off the back of a wagon." Stealing may not be right, but it was fun.
Once the Cofeehouse closes (in the early evening), Laria returns to the Wasp’s Nest and checks in on Rexus before she turns to look at the Ravens. She beckons them away from the living area, which has already started to look, well, actually livable. In the main area, she settles against a wall and begins talking. Of the Fushi sisters, only Treep is present, watching as silently as ever. "So, Rexus is currently recovering. Unless anyone knows of any potent priests that aren't Asmodeans and won't report to them either, we're going to have to treat him the normal way. Aisling, Jay tells me that you've already made progress on that front, but we'll have to keep an eye on him."
”But since I think we've done everything we can for him at the moment, I have a proposition for you all. This one isn’t going to be put at risk by the snow on the ground - unlike investigating the ruins would - but it is probably more risky overall.” The halfling rubs her face wearily, before shaking her head and continuing. ”Ever since Barzillai took power, people - mostly innocent people - have been imprisoned over the most absurd crimes. Not just from his damned Proclamations, but from other things too. The CCG’s accusations tend to get people thrown in holding cells, at the very least.”
”I don’t think we can afford to risk any high profile rescues at the moment, especially not on Castle Kintargo or the watchtowers - that’ll paint too big a target on us. There are, however, other options.”
She looks around at her audience with a small grin.
Nyxra tenses up. "Sounds like you already have something in mind."
====================
The Raven grins. "Medicine Heists? Prison breaks? I should have connected with you ladies long ago!" Memories of scampering across rooftops and committing petty larceny and vandalism with street urchins and ragamuffins he had befriended what now seems like a lifetime ago flood back to the Raven. Happy memories from simpler times. Times before he knew of the true inequalities between the haves and have-not's of the world.
Vantine listens attentively, it sounds like things are about to get very real.
Aisling tenses up slightly. "I'm not inn favour of stealing medicine from people who need it. Rescuiing people who are unjustly imprisoned is a different thing." She wiats to see what Laria has in mind.
Jessibel plumbs her brain for where some sort of cure might be procured. Catching the look on Aisling's face, she makes sure she doesn't mention anything out loud just yet.
"We'll have to be careful if we break someone out," Jessi reminds everyone. "We'd have to make sure we didn't leave any footprints in the snow or we'd be easy to track. So that probably means a dry run so we'll know which streets are clear or at least passable. We could also use the sewers to shake any pursuit, or even use boats and cross the river if it seems practical."
Laria nods at Nyxra. ”Yes, I do. There’s a group of mercenaries called the Scarlet Rose - they have no association with the Rose of Kintargo, to my knowledge. Anyways, they were arrested this past week as part of Barzillai's crackdown.”
”You’re right about the snow… though if you got to the streets with heavier traffic, you could lose your footprints in the crowd’s, especially now that the main roads are mostly clear, from what I’ve heard.” The halfling nods at Jessibel. "The sewers are another good option, but I'd prefer to avoid using boats, though, because we don't really have the funds to purchase one, and stealing one that can easily be used for getaways is... probably going to take someone's livelihood from them."
Going back on topic, she continues. ”I know the Scarlet Rose’s leader, Iratea Verspex. She’s an old foe of House Thrune and their lackeys, as are her girls. I think they could provide a much-needed punch to our endeavors. Plus, rescuing prisoners - not the more malevolent sorts, but the ones wrongfully imprisoned by Thrune - would send the message that the Ravens aren’t willing to abide that sort of tyranny.”
"How many are they? And where?" Vantine asks Laria.
"If we were to get them out, we'd need to carefully think about how far we'd need to travel to get out of sight. It's one thing to consider this with four or five people, and something different with a dozen."
"I believe that Iratea only came with five of her sisters." Laria says with a frown. "But she may have had more. Not ten, though. At most there were seven of them, with her."
"And if we're going to free these girls, how lethal do we want to go? Because I'll need to get my hands on some less-lethal equipment if we want to go that route."
”I leave that to your discretion, Nyxra. They're being held, to my knowledge, at Sallix Salt Works in Old Kintargo. More importantly, they're being held by a group of mercenaries contracted by the government - not dottari or the Church of Asmodeus. If the mercenaries they've hired die, the government won't care nearly as much as if dottari or clergy did." She shrugs slightly. ”The sorts of mercenaries that Thrune hires are unlikely to be, well, sympathetic.”
The government also now earns all the proceeds of the Saltworks, something that cannot sit well with the other salt merchants of the city.
”I would say that when you’re ready to do the real thing, you might want to go in at night - though it does increase the risk you’ll be taking in getting there, most people aren’t awake, and it’ll be easier to get in and out without causing too much chaos.” Laria finishes. ”It’s up to you all if you want to take this on, but it would be a sign of hope to the people of Kintargo. Any other questions?”
Having no knowledge of the Salt Works, Nyxra just nods. "Then I won't need to hold back."
====================
"Putting anyone Thrune dislikes back on the streets sounds like a good use of time to me." The Raven says, a mischievous tone creeping into his voice. "We should stop by the saltworks today and get an idea of what security looks like before returning tonight."
"Oh! I know the salt works! Yes!" pipes up Vantine excitedly, proud to know something useful. The excitement doesn't last though.
"There's good news and bad news about it. The good news is it's not built to be a prison, which means it shouldn't be as hard a target as it could be. Especially since it's still a working salt mine."
"The bad news is it's awfully far away from anywhere we could take them afterward. We will have to do some planning for this, nothing haphazard will do."
Aisling nods. "If they're mercenaries, they're not as likely to die for the cause, either. Hopefully. If it's clear thye cant win then they might just surrender. I'd prefer not to have to kill anyone." That doesn't mean she won't, though.
"Or run, yes. It depends on how loyal they are to Thrune's coin." Laria agrees with Aisling, before she looks to Vantine. "Depending on the Scarlet Rose's condition, I might recommend going through the sewers... but it might not be an option, depending on where the nearest entrance is."
Laria straightens from her position of leaning against the wall. "It's already dark out, so I might recommend getting some rest and going to scout it out tomorrow morning. Alternately, you can go now - curfew starts in a few hours yet. Either way, I'd like Aisling to take another look at Rexus tomorrow - short of an actual healer, we need all the help we can get."
Aisling nods. "Of course. I'm happy to stay with him and make sure he's ok."
"I vote for tomorrow, too," Jessibel chimes in. "By then the Magpie's mask may be ready."