Dot and delete!
The evening of the eighth of Desnus came slow for each of you. Audria, who found a survivor card in her sketch journal. Lina, whose unicorn card showed up, miraculously un-stained, in her coffee pot one morning. Garrett’s, the Rabbit Prince, shoved into his bundle of thieves’ tools for him to find. Nikolai, whose deck of Harrow cards seemed off, and who found an extra The Vision while reading. Abella, whose Eclipse card was found in her spell pouch. And ‘Shrike’, whose card, the Twin, was found in her mask when she woke.
Each card, however, carried the same message: “I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.”
3 Lancet Street is the home of a Varisian fortune-teller named Zellara. She also does her business out of her home.
It’s now sunset, and a patrol of Korvosan guards walks down the street, lanterns lit against the fast-encroaching night. The Midlands district where Lancet Street runs its route is pleasant enough, if you ignore the fishing docks nearby. The door to 3 Lancet Street is slightly ajar, and there’s a definite feeling of “come right in” to the way it’s open.
Inside, the main chamber of the house is filled with the scents of cinnamon and flowers, the source of which is a wall-mounted, butterfly-shaped incense burner. The walls are covered in tapestries, one showing a beast juggling what seem to be human hearts, another showing two dancing angels atop a mountain. Oddly, despite the thick rugs and tapestries, the only furniture is a wooden table with a red throw cloth and several straight-backed wooden chairs. A basket covered with a blue cloth and a note sit on the table. It reads ”Thank you for coming.I had to step out for a bit, but shall return shortly. Please, have a seat while you wait. The basket under the table contains bread and drink for you.” Sure enough, there’s a bottle and a baguette, though there’s no knife, nor are there glasses.
Garrett moves softly down the hallway wary of a trap. Seeing the door open he pauses and listens but not hearing anything he enters and circles the room before reading the note. He then takes a chair across from the door and waits for the rest of those who apparently coming to arrive.
When the next enters they find Garrett sitting still in a chair watching the door. He is an average size halfling with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wears studded leather armor and carries a shortbow strapped to his back and a spiked gauntlet on his right hand. When those entering notice him he nods at them in greeting.
Nicolai turns the odd card over and over in his hands "How did that get there?" he thinks to himself "The Vision is a card of knowledge or madness, sometimes both." He reads the back of the card a second time.
"3 Lancet Street? That sounds familiar. There is a woman, Zellara I believe her name is, who runs a fortune telling shop on Lancet Street. I bet this is her place." he tucks the card in his pouch and grabs his cloak as he heads out the door.
Arriving on Lancet Street he pauses for a moment to observe the shop from a distance. Seeing a male halfling enter he muses for a moment "Well, that's not Zellara. What in the Gods names is going on?" He'll step into a side alley and cast a couple of spells on himself before stepping back onto the street.
"Better to be safe than sorry" he crosses the street and enters the shop.
He sees the man seated at the table and nods his head to him "Greetings. My name is Nicolai, Nicolai Fortescu, and I believe that Madame Zellara is expecting me...us???. I take it you received one of these too?" he pulls the card from his pouch and places it on the table.
He looks around the shop and at the tapestries in particular
"Suitably esoteric but of no real meaning. Enough to impress her clients I suppose." He notices the bread and wine on the table and pops the cork on the bottle only to realize there are no glasses, so he sets it back on the table before tearing a hunk of bread off the loaf "If she can sneak in to my apartment to place her card she could have easily done so to kill me so I don't want to be rude to our host's hospitality"
Abella wears a flowing white ruffled blouse under a smattering of leather, most of it old enough it has gone from brown to a washed-out orange. She carries a buckler and some sheathed fancy sword of elven make, but otherwise she does not appear much of a warrior. Idly, her gloved fingers toy with a necklace of bones. ”Oh. There’s more. Figures.” She talks lazily, languidly. As though she is incredibly bored. Her slow, bagged eyes drink up everything and everyone. Finally, she comes to the note. She shakes her head and purses her lips as she pulls out the bread and wine. She pauses a moment as she considers, then offers it first to the others. She can be polite and find out if the offerings were poisoned all in one fell swoop.
She takes a seat and folds her leg over the other, propping her head up with her hand, elbow on the table. ”You all get some random card, too, I imagine?” She pulls out a card and holds it up between two fingers, flipping it back-and-forth. ”’The Eclipse?’ Or was this a more personalized touch of theatricality.” She sets the card down and sighs. ”Abella, if we simply must trade names.”
Audria freezes when she reads the back of the card. How the card had found itself in her journal is less of a concern for her than why this person chose her. She feels the gut-wrenching guilt that had become thankfully less and less frequent as the time between now and her stay under Gaedren Lamm's care grew. It was stronger, like the kick to the gut that she'd received when that last beating had begun.
The card slips to the small desk in the room she shares with Eliana as she curls up in the chair and tries to hold back the storm of emotions now roiling through her. Her hands tighten around the folds of cloth in her sleeves. She should have done more, could have done more, the thought screams in her mind.
"Audria," a small, singsong voice calls out, piercing the young girl's darkening thoughts. Audria looks up to see Talanaliel looking at her from the desk, worry clear in the little songbird's eyes.
"What's wrong?"
The simple question proves to be hard to answer. Audria opens her mouth, but the words she wants to say fail to come out. How can she explain what's wrong when she barely knows herself. She cannot lie to Talanaliel, the bird was too sharp, knows her too well for that work even if Audria wasn't terrible at it.
"The card," Audria says, her voice more of a hoarse croak than her normally melodic tones. The silence that followed almost proves to be too much for her as Talanaliel reads the message.
"Strange," the bird murmurs before hopping around to look Audria in the eyes. "I think you should go."
Audira blinks. She had not expected that response.
"But--"
"No buts! Every time this Gaedren Lamm fellow gets brought up you turn into a morose wreak. You wallow in your indecision. Well I'm not going to let you get away with it. Doing nothing is not helping, so you're going."
Audria blinks again, guilt about those she couldn't help and those she had left behind momentarily forgotten.
"A-are your sure?" The words come out before Audria realizes she's asking a question rather than the still-forming rebuttal in her mind.
"Am I sure? I have never been more sure of anything. You have spent two years too long going through this self-flagellation routine every time he comes up. Doing nothing is not working, so now you're going to try something that is."
Audria looks to the bunk beds she and Eliana slept in, wishing her friend had not been picked to play music at some noble's party tonight. She does not want to cause trouble for the priests that had taken the two of them in. After a moment, however, she realizes that Eliana would side with Talanaliel. Her eyes drift to the twilit scene outside. It is late, the priests would never allow her out on an errand, especially one that might have her crossing paths with Gaedren Lamm again, at this hour. The tension has been building for weeks now as King Eodred II's health steadily worsened. She thinks about seeking out Trinia, but Audria doesn't know if she would have returned from the "secret job" she has been teasing about for the past two weeks or not.
Her eyes leave the window to look at the rest of the room. In the corner, in a neat pile, is the gear she wears on those occasions she would leave Korvosa to paint the wilderness in the hinterlands. A simple gambeson, her sword belt, and the bow Bartholomew had been teaching her to use do nothing as she stares at them.
It's just an excuse, part of her says in her mind. Not wanting to cause trouble for the temple is just an excuse. Unlike so many times before, this time the words are in her voice, not Gaedren Lamm's nor Yargin's.
She closes the journal and begins to change. A sturdy set of clothes replace the simple shirt and dress she normally wears. The gambesom over top that with her belt spreading the weight of the heavy, quilted garment over her shoulders and hips. She hides the bow and arrows in a cleverly made quiver that looks like the tubes used for larger artworks when they are being moved about without a frame. Over everything she puts a dark cloak with a hood deep enough to keep her bright hair hidden.
Her last time up in the Shingles was years ago, but Audria remembers how to climb without making much noise. She slips out of the window as the last light of the sun fades into inky indigo and drops to the alleyway below. Gathering her bearings, she turns south to Midland.
As she leaves the Five Corners in Northpoint, Audria works through her thoughts and emotions enough to turn an eye to the thrush riding on her shoulder.
"All this time, you have been encouraging me to obey the rules and not step out of line," Audria tells her feathered companion. "Why did you insist on me breaking curfew?"
"I'm an emissary from Shelyn herself," Talanaliel answers as she puffs out her breast. "If I say you are going, it's as good as Shelyn saying that you are going."
"I don't think Brother Theolan is going to like that answer when he catches us later, Tallyfeather."
---
Several minutes later, Audria is pacing in an alley not far from 3 Lancet Street. She can see the door from the mouth of the alley, and she can see that others have already arrived. The two that she saw were easily older than her by several years, and part of her wondered if she had received the message by mistake.
"Audria," Talanaliel growls from her perch on a stack of crates and old tarps.
"Are you sure it's not supposed to be someone else here instead," Audria asks for, what was it, the dozenth time.
Talanaliel glares at the nervous girl before taking wing and lazily swooping towards the door.
"Wh-what? Wait! Tally!"
Audria scrambles after her companion wondering why they seem to be playing the other's role tonight.
---
It was the voices through the partially ajar door that first alert those inside of Audria's impending arrival.
"What is going on in that birdy head of yours?!" The voice of a girl or a very young woman calls out.
"Oh come off it! You pick now of all times to be cautious?" The other voice, melodious and vaguely inhuman, shoots back a scathing retort, one out of patience given the tone.
"It was obviously a mistake. I should have never come. Please, let's go back home before Brother Theolan finds out about this."
"You've come this far. You might as well see this through."
"No Tally, I-- Wait! What are you doing?!"
Scuffling and a songbird's call that sounds like a chortle come from outside. The rustling of fabric and a soft grunt end in a few panted breaths before the first voice speaks up again.
"Fine! I'm going home. A cat can-- OW!"
A bang resounds through the house as a cloaked figure trips and stumbles through the door backwards. They try to keep their balance, but gravity has won this fight. There's a crash as the figure lands on their back in the foyer. As silence falls, a small thrush flits through the door and lands on the figure's chest.
"See? Was that so hard," the bird asks.
The figure lifts their head up, revealing a disheveled head of strawberry blonde hair and the face of a girl who couldn't be older than fifteen, sixteen at most. Her petite, upturned nose has a tiny pink mark on it that suspiciously matches the shape of the bird's beak. The girl groans and lets her head fall back to the floor.
"Oh, hello," the bird says as it hops and turns to face the assembled group so far. "Who might you be?"
It is the sound of the pianoforte. The house came furnished, which was one of its greatest selling points to an intimidated twenty-two-year-old who had just auctioned off all of the family's antique Chelish furnishings; but the upright instrument in the sitting room has sat dusty and, as far as Lania knows, untouched for the entire three years they have lived here. As she listens, still half-asleep, to the wistful, halting melody, her chest contracts. In better times, her mother had loved this composition. Don't hope. Don't start. It's just the latest distraction for her when she can't fall down a bottle.
As her eyes open on that cold thought, she sees the shrike mask hanging where she draped it over the back of a chair along with her armor, cloak and weapons before collapsing fully clothed on her bed. There is something off about the mask, something that should not be there. In her sleepy haze she reaches out for it, and a stiff paper card falls from it to the floor. Lania freezes, suddenly fully awake, then scrambles to examine the card. The painted face is labeled, but 'the Twins' has no meaning to her, though she recognizes the design as one of the Harrow deck that moth fortunetellers use to tell the future. She turns it over and her heart begins to beat fast.
When the initial spike of alarm has faded, logic tells her there is no reason for it to be a trap. Anyone who knows who she is and is capable of sneaking undetected into her bedroom could have killed her while she slept. More likely the message was sent by magic, though she does not recognize the address. Lamm has finally made an enemy of some frog-maker powerful enough to give him real trouble. I know where he dwells.
Lania smiles, thin and feral, and rolls out of bed. If Shrike is to finally meet Gaedren Lamm today, there is much to do.
***
The figure lifts their head up, revealing a disheveled head of strawberry blonde hair and the face of a girl who couldn't be older than fifteen, sixteen at most. Her petite, upturned nose has a tiny pink mark on it that suspiciously matches the shape of the bird's beak. The girl groans and lets her head fall back to the floor.
"Oh, hello," the bird says as it hops and turns to face the assembled group so far. "Who might you be?"
"Shrike." The croak of a decidedly unlovely female voice comes from behind the songbird and his charge. Its owner, who stepped through the doorway all but unnoticed on soft leather-shod feet in the wake of the attention-drawing entrance of the girl with the talking bird, now pads into the incense-scented main chamber of the house, circling warily around the prone teenager, and moves toward the table to examine its contents briefly. She wears a pale grey and white stylized mask of some kind of bird with a short hooked beak, along with a dark cloak with a feather design, over a light chain shirt and hard-worn nondescript clothes in earth tones. A heavy crossbow is slung across her back and the top of a wickedly barbed and hooked long spear protrudes at an angle over one shoulder. She pushes back her hood, revealing long moon-pale hair and the narrow tips of unmistakably elven ears poking through it.
Seeing that the blonde woman sprawled at her ease in a chair is displaying another Harrow card, Shrike withdraws the Twins card from a pocket in her loose clothes, holds it up briefly, and places it on the table beside the note and the card of 'The Vision.' She then positions herself with her back to the wall beside a tapestry and waits, going very still as she observes the room. It is hard to see where she is looking through the solid black eyes of the mask, or what she might be looking for.
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The bird lets out a shrill alarm as it takes off in a burst of feathers. Nicolai feels a soft weight land on his shoulder just a moment later.
"Where'dyacomefrom?!" The question is almost unintelligible in its speed, but the shock and just a hint of anger are clear in the thrush's tone.
The girl on the floor, however, is much more cautious in her movements. Her face is still flushing from embarrassment as she carefully picks herself up and shifts to stay out of the newcomer's, Shrike's, way.
---
This one is very dangerous, Audria thinks to herself as she pulls the cloak of her hood up and and hides her face in its shadow. She wants to run, but something about the elven woman holds her in place.
With her arms raised to replace her hood, the others can see the blades at her belt and the gambeson she wears more clearly. They look new, with little wear even if they are well cared for. The clothes have a crispness to them that is lacking from garments that are well worn. Incongruously, a shining-silver, enamel-painted holy symbol to Shelyn hangs from her neck.
"Um, H-hello. I-I'm A-a-audria," she stammers out, her gaze flitting from one face to the next, and quickly moving to the floor after her eyes meet with Shrike's. "The b-b-bird is Talanaliel."
In an all-too-obvious shuffle, Audria begins moving closer to the door. She locks eyes with Talanaliel and jerks her head to the still open doorway.
Abella appraises the young girl and the bird, her head tilted down as if she was looking at them over a non-existent pair of glasses. ”Oh joy. Children and animals.“ She wags her card in the air. ”You get an invitation, too, Girl? Speak up now. Also, what are your feelings on murder? I, for one, am for it in select circumstances.” Her focus shifts as the other figure makes an entrance.
Abella scowls at the card of this Shrike as she leans in for a closer look. ”The Twins? Why did I not get that one?” Sitting back, she switches which leg is folded over the other, still leaning on the table. An amused smile slides onto her face. ”I remember you. I am simply mortified you had to meet me like that. As you can see, I clean up quite nicely. Just do not expect my personality to be any less atrocious.” She smiles, pleased with herself.
As she sees A-a-audria trying to slide away, Abella shakes her head, clicking her tongue. ”Nobody is leaving until I know what exactly is the point of this gathering.” She holds out the bread and wine. ”Have some. Courtesy of our mysterious host. It is probably not poisoned.” She yawns and turns to cover her mouth.
"I did," Audria says, managing not to stammer as she realizes Shrike isn't the only dangerous one in the room. She pulls it out from the pouch she'd put it in. The image of someone battered and bruised sitting in a throne and surrounded by ghosts adorns the face. The Survivor it proclaims with the shield marking the top center of the card.
She holds the card out and her eyes flit from Abella to Shrike to the door. She swallows, wondering if Talanaliel is ready to leave or if she was still insisting on the pair of them staying.
I should leave. They're talking of murder and I'm already in enough trouble without the Guard getting involved... The Guard. There's an idea.
"Y-you should know, I'm working with the guard," she says, trying her best to put some steel into expression. It comes off like a fluffy kitten trying to stare down a tiger. "If something happens to me, they'll be here before any of you would know what was happening. I can bring them in any of you even try anything funny."
She tries to scowl at the four others, but even with the shadows of her hood helping, she may as well be a small, fluffy kitten in a den of lions. She looks to the bird and jerks her head slightly to the door before staring to slowly walk out while keeping the others in front of her and in view.
Abella sighs and waves dismissively. ”I was simply making conversation. I assumed you were here for Lamm.” She yawns again, then tugs on the bone necklace she wears. ”And my sister was in the guard, you know. You will have to do better than that. Those twits have not even brought her murderer to justice after a month.”
Audria stops and focuses her attention on Abella. Their gazes don't meet for long as the young Shelynite looks down as her arms fall to her sides and her cloak closes around her. The already short girl feels even smaller now. They were here to deal with Lamm, to kill him from the sound of it. He deserved whatever punishment was coming for him, the gods know that, but is she the one that should to be giving it to him. And what reason was there for her to be here? One of the scary women had lost a sister. Audria had been beaten and lost a decade of her childhood because of Lamm's cruelty, but is that really as bad as losing a sister?
Then again, Lamm trying to kill me almost put Eliana in the same place as this lady.
"What about the kids," she asks in a soft voice.
"You get an invitation, too, Girl? Speak up now. Also, what are your feelings on murder? I, for one, am for it in select circumstances." Her focus shifts as the other figure makes an entrance.
Abella scowls at the card of this Shrike as she leans in for a closer look. "The Twins? Why did I not get that one?" Sitting back, she switches which leg is folded over the other, still leaning on the table. An amused smile slides onto her face. "I remember you. I am simply mortified you had to meet me like that. As you can see, I clean up quite nicely. Just do not expect my personality to be any less atrocious." She smiles, pleased with herself.
"Abella." What could be a curt greeting instead sounds almost amused.
"What about the kids," she asks in a soft voice.
Though she did not react to the obvious lie about working with the Guard, Shrike's head and focus now turn toward Audria with snakelike swiftness. The harsh voice is controlled and precise, brooking no argument. "We get them out. By any means necessary."
Audria steps back as Shrike snaps her head about to pin her in place with her unnerving gaze. She wants nothing more than to run out the door, but something keeps her rooted where she stands.
"And if Lamm or the rest of his gang surrenders? What happens then?"
Walking along the alley, her thoughts again shifted to the harrow card in her pouch. The card shook too many questions lose to let go. Questions that had already ran through her head a dozen times over. Who could have gotten to her? Preoccupied, she nearly jumped when she rounded the corner of the alley and almost walked right into one of the city guard. She gave a quick nod and a short curtsy and moved away nervously.
Whatever was going on certainly had her on edge. Was it a message? Obviously, but wouldn't it have been easier to just kill me instead of leaving a card in my coffee pot? It doesn't make any sense...
She nodded as she passed the baker, packing up what was left of his inventory for the night. A pile of honeyed cakes caused her to pause and peruse what was left of his wares. She fished a copper out of a pouch and tossed it to the man, grabbed a cake and moved on, but within a few steps the questions returned. The unicorn? What was that about? I mean it was pretty but, ugh, I should have payyed more attention to those gypsies. I should ask Elsbeth about it tomorrow. Assuming I make it to tomorrow...
Lina continued on her way, the questions tumbling over again and again in her mind. Each time, she tried to push them away and focus on the slums around her. You never knew what was going to cross your path, but the questions would spring up again with new queries brought along. What does all of this have to do with Lamm? Is this some kind of trap? Could he have found me again?
With a deep breath, she steeled herself one last time as the address came into view. She flattened herself against the wall and glanced about. The street was empty, and quiet. A good sign, or bad, it was hard to tell with her nerves frayed. She slowly approached the door, her ears listening for any sounds of danger.
As she drew closer, she could hear muffled voices from within. She paused a moment, trying to make out the conversation, but learned little as she stood outside in the darkness.
Well, we're here. Time to see what this is about. I guess I'll have something to talk with Elsbeth after... She sighed one last time, stretching her fingers one last time before she pushed on the door and stepped past into the room. Inside, she could hear the tail end of a conversation, something about children, and Abella, a name she did not immediately recognize.
"Excuse me, what kids?" she asked softly, keeping her hands grasped together in front of her, looking like nothing more than a common beggar. Her clothes were poor and stained, her hair dirty and tangled, and the straps of a backpack hung from her shoulders. Her eyes darted from person to person as she stayed near the door, just in case.
Audria jumps at the unexpected voice behind her. She spins to face the newcomer and takes a step back. As Audria gets a good look at the woman, something in the back of her mind begins to tickle as a vague sense of familiarity nags at her.
Who is she? Why do I feel like I should know her?
"How many harrow cards did this person hand out," Audria asks instead of anything more useful.
"Six, actually."
A 40-something Varisian woman with dark hair, olive skin, and a bandana shuts the door so softly it's almost as if the wind did it. She gestures to the table and chairs. ”Have a seat. We have a lot to discuss for tomorrow’s work. My name is Zellara.”
Once everyone is seated, she begins. ”Thank you for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you. A terrible man would, no doubt, bring great harm to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. He has done something terrible to each of you as well, this I know, and so I knew you would be sympathetic to my plight. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man whose capacity to destroy the lives of those who cross his path is only matched by his ability to avoid justice.”
Zellara shivers a moment, then composes herself. ”A year ago tomorrow, one of Lamm’s Lambs -” She pauses to stare at Lina and Audria for a moment, collecting the cards from each of them. ”- managed to take my Harrow deck from me. My son Eran tried to track them down to Lamm’s hideaway, but the monster had him followed and killed before he could get there.”
”I went to the guard, of course, but they were unsympathetic. So I’ve spent the last year consulting the Harrow, paying bribes, and calling in what favors I have. And last week, I was rewarded. I know where Gaedren dwells. There is an old fishery north of here, at Westpier 17, where he trains his Lambs to pickpocket, beg, and steal, and where he counts his stolen treasures.” She stops to gather her two cards from Garrett and Nicolai.
”I cannot hope to stop him on my own, of course, and the Guard moves so slowly that Lamm would be sure to catch wind. And even if they caught him, Lamm has been hard to punish in the past - there’s no promise that it would happen. “ Taking the last two cards from ‘Shrike’ and Abella, Zellara starts to shuffle her deck nervously. ”But you know these frustrations, for you’ve been wronged by Lamm just as I have. When the Guard cannot act, it falls to us. To you.” She falls silent, still shuffling her deck.
"If he is there with his stolen goods, we could get enough that it would be easy to prove that he was behind many terrible deeds. Perhaps enough to prove he framed my father." Garret mused aloud and then asks, "Do you know how many of his associates or Lambs are with him?"
Lina gingerly stepped through the house, taking a seat at the table. She glanced at each in turn, her eyes lingering briefly on Audria. Her attention quickly turned to Zellara once the woman began speaking.
Is that why I'm here? For stealing her harrow deck? Was it even me? I mean it's possible, who can remember every purse from every person? She almost began to flush, quickly pulling a scarf up to cover the lower half of her face as Zellara continued.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Her head shook slowly. "It is a sad day when six strangers are ones best hope for help." She looked down into her own lap as she continued.
"I know Lamm. He is as you say, a vile and dangerous man, as are his lackeys. What would you have us do?" she asked without looking up.
Audria's protests die unsaid. There is something about Zellara that calls out to the Varisian blood in her veins, as thin as it is. She takes a seat and listens, glancing at Lina and wondering why the woman seemed so familiar to her.
Talanaliel joins Audira as Zellara speaks. The young woman wanted to glare at the bird, but good manners and a deepening sense of shame and guilt quelch the anger she feels. This woman was asking for her help, for justice for her son. How could she refuse? And yet...
And yet there is doubt. There is fear. Doubt that tells her she isn't capable of doing this. Fear that whispers to her about her worst nightmares. She has no reason to fear Zellara, she reasons, but then her thoughts to to Lamm and his cronies and all of the crimes they have committed over the years.
Lamm and his gang terrify her, she realizes. Lamm, Giggles, and Hookshanks are always appearing in her nightmares, waiting on the edge of her dreams to drive her mad with fear.
She has been free for over two years, but what about the others? what about those unlucky enough to still be in his clutches. Did she not owe them, at the very least, a childhood free from Lamm's tormenting ways?
She waits for Zellara's answer to Garrett's and Lina's questions.
Nicolai smiles as the young woman takes a seat at the table and sprawls across the chairs exuding an aura of bravado when she is just as confused as he was as to what exactly is going on. "Nicolai." he says in introduction "and the other gentleman has not, as of yet, introduced himself before your arrival."
He looks up as the young girl literally stumbles through the door. He's slightly taken aback as the thrush lands on the girl's chest and begins to speak "A songbird and her human familiar, I see." he says as he extends a hand to help Audria up from the floor as her bird lands on his shoulder "I'm glad I left Nipper at home tonight as that is usually his perch."
His motion is arrested as the cloaked, masked figure enters the room. He watches as this 'Shrike' lays her card on the table and then stands with her back to the wall where she can survey the entire room her face inscrutable behind the mask.
His observation of the mysterious woman is interrupted as yet another person, this one dressed as little more than a vagabond, enters the salon.
Abella stands up and places a hand on her hip. ”Thank you very much, Miss Zellara. You can look forward to his death by severe thanergetic reaction.” She begins to head for the door, then pauses and sighs, finally throwing her hands in the air. ”And no harm to the children. Cainabeth would kill me if anything happened to them.”
Somewhat taken aback by Abella's insistence on killing Lamm, Nicolai interjects "I agree Lamm needs to be stopped. By sword if he resists or by rope if he does not, but I will not outright murder the man."
Nicolai looks at Shrike as she makes her statement about the children "Yes, and then what? What do we do with the children after we've gotten them out, by any means necessary? Do we just turn them loose on the streets to fall in with another gang? or do we make arrangements for their lives post Lamm? He looks past the others in the crowded room to Audria as she tries, nervously, to hold her ground and sees her holy symbol for the first time "Audria, is it? Do you think the Sanctuary would take them in, at least temporarily until further arrangements could be made?"
"My condolences for your loss, Madame" Impressed by Zellara's knowledge of Lamm's whereabouts he thinks to himself "Maybe she does have the Talent if she can divine his location that exactly. Although she's been looking for him for over a year and I've only been searching for him for a month or so." "is there anything else you can tell, or divine for, us that will help bring Eran's murderers to justice?"
"And if Lamm or the rest of his gang surrenders? What happens then?"
The elf's silence speaks for itself. If she would have responded in any other way to the girl, or to the haunted-looking Varisian man who wants to talk specifics about the other children's fate, it is preempted as another young woman, this one markedly less well-kept than either of the others, enters the house and makes herself known, followed shortly by their hostess. She sits when directed by the Varisian woman.
"I went to the guard, of course, but they were unsympathetic. So I’ve spent the last year consulting the Harrow, paying bribes, and calling in what favors I have. And last week, I was rewarded. I know where Gaedren dwells. There is an old fishery north of here, at Westpier 17, where he trains his Lambs to pickpocket, beg, and steal, and where he counts his stolen treasures." She stops to gather her two cards from Garrett and Nicolai.
"I cannot hope to stop him on my own, of course, and the Guard moves so slowly that Lamm would be sure to catch wind. And even if they caught him, Lamm has been hard to punish in the past - there’s no promise that it would happen." Taking the last two cards from Shrike and Abella, Zellara starts to shuffle her deck nervously. "But you know these frustrations, for you’ve been wronged by Lamm just as I have. When the Guard cannot act, it falls to us. To you." She falls silent, still shuffling her deck.
Though she hardly moves, Shrike's full attention goes to Zellara as she speaks, noting her odd stare at the two younger women.
The fishery at Westpier 17. Fierce joy sings in Lania's veins. No more waiting and hiding. No more masks. Isi comes home tonight. The child-killer dies tonight.
Although she wants to stand up and walk out the door immediately after the impulsive addict, who seems to have traded shiver for an almost endearing level of bravado, she remains motionless in her seat. Something is bothering her about the story. Not the bones of it but something in the specifics. Maybe it's worth thinking about this a while longer.
Shrike says nothing and waits for Zellara to give whatever more information she wishes to in answer to the questions she has been asked. Even the obvious ones like "What would you have us do." Sometimes all you have to do is let people talk who want to talk.
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The Avalanche
The Crows
The Juggler
The Rabbit Prince
The Demon's Lantern
Desert Co
Unicorn Ch
Sickness Co
Survivor Co
Locksmith De
Mute Hag Wi
Idiot In
Owl Wi
Joke In
Zellara continues to shuffle, then cuts the deck. ”Alas, I do not know which of his associates will be there. It could be that his son joins him, or any of the men and women who’ve enriched themselves at others’ expenses. Nor can I tell you what must be done, only that my son’s spirit cries for retribution. What I can do for you -” She lays out nine cards, pulling them randomly from the deck. ”- is perform a Harrowing. These are the Key suite cards. Pick one, please.” Once each of you has picked a card, Zellara asks to see them, interpreting them one after another.
”’Shrike’, your card is The Cricket. The journey you’re on will go quickly, yet take longer than expected. There is strife on that path, but also rewards to be had. Abella, you’ve chosen the Avalanche - a dangerous card. Something is coming, beyond our control, that threatens to ruin everything you’ve strived for. Audria, the Crows is also an evil omen. Murder most foul is in the air. Garrett, the Juggler controls fate and the gods. Events will move quickly, but if you keep your footing, you can keep to your goals. Lina, I don’t hold a grudge for what you may have had to do as a child. Now, the card; the Rabbit Prince. Fighting will often not be worth the risk - even a prince can fall in battle. And finally, Nicolai. The Demon Lantern. Wheels within wheels, tricks and traps - the situation you find yourself in may seem bigger than you can manage, but a guide may still come for you to follow.”
Zellara collects the cards, shuffles twice more, then continues.
”And now, the spread.” Zellara deals out 9 cards, face-down, then flips the first 3. ”The Past: The Desert inverted, The Unicorn, and The Sickness inverted. Duplicity has brought us to where we are, and though offers may have been generous, those offered did not take the chance to stop disaster when it was offered to them. The Present: The Survivor, The Locksmith, and The Mute Hag. Hope for Gaedren’s death, perhaps? And though you have the tools you need to make your fates, secrets - yours’ and others’, threaten to tear you from those you care about. And The Future: The Idiot, The Owl, and The Joke inverted. Naivety that sees no evil, especially its own, threatens you. The order of things can bind together or tear apart, and a time of tearing is coming. And though you may fight against it, the tricks and traps may still catch you.”
”That concludes the Harrowing. And with that, I've done what I can to help you. The rest is in your hands.” Zellara sweeps up the cards, shuffling twice more, and places them back in their box. As she does, you each feel a mystical aura upon you. It sits for a moment, then settles in on the soles of your feet. For her part, Zellara bids you good night and heads for a room in the back of her house.
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Abella glances about the group after Nicolai admonishes her. The overwhelming affect of those collected seems “do-gooder.” Best not to overly antagonize them at this juncture. ”Yesyesyes, would not want to do anything immoral. I would not ask you to outright murder him.” Because I am the one who is going to outright murder him.
She patiently watches the Harrowing with amused interest. She likes to consider herself a practical woman, so she has never been much for prognostication and card tricks. Too many scammers out there. But this Zellara seems to be the real deal. She has the courtesy to wait until the reading is over before talking. ”A horrible uncontrollable surprise that threatens everything I work towards. I suppose I should thankful that at least my luck does not appear to have gotten any worse. The part about watching out for naïveté should be easy for me though. I know exactly how much of a terrible person I am, thank you very much.”
With Zellara gone, Abella places a hand on the pommel of her sword and shifts her hips. ”So, sounds like we are going on an expedition. What exactly do all of you do? I am a genius with thanergy and thalergy—negative and positive energy, respectively, for the laypeople. I have not insignificant ability with my sword, as well.”
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Zellara continues to shuffle, then cuts the deck. ”Alas, I do not know which of his associates will be there. It could be that his son joins him, or any of the men and women who’ve enriched themselves at others’ expenses. Nor can I tell you what must be done, only that my son’s spirit cries for retribution. What I can do for you -” She lays out nine cards, pulling them randomly from the deck. ”- is perform a Harrowing. These are the Key suite cards. Pick one, please.” Once each of you has picked a card, Zellara asks to see them, interpreting them one after another.
"Shrike, your card is The Cricket. The journey you’re on will go quickly, yet take longer than expected. There is strife on that path, but also rewards to be had."
As she watches the moth fortuneteller shuffle and lay out the cards, it comes to her. If Gaedren Lamm had her Harrow deck, and that specific deck was important enough to her that her son was killed trying to get it back, then what cards were these? Could real Harrow-readers just substitute any old Harrow deck for their own? And the way the card-messages appeared made it clear that this Zellara was a powerful enough frog-maker that her magic could enter locked rooms undetected while the people in them slept. Shouldn't that combined with the knowledge of where he denned be enough to take him out herself?
"That concludes the Harrowing. And with that, I've done what I can to help you. The rest is in your hands." Zellara sweeps up the cards, shuffling twice more, and places them back in their box.
The shiver of magic passes over her and settles into her, clearly a boon and not a bane. Shrike decides that whatever strangeness there still is to this story, she doesn't care. She will take luck where she finds it. She stands when Zellara does.
"Thank you." The harsh voice is unexpectedly gentle. "And I'm sorry."
"So, sounds like we are going on an expedition. What exactly do all of you do? I am a genius with thanergy and thalergy—negative and positive energy, respectively, for the laypeople. I have not insignificant ability with my sword, as well."
"I teach dancing." The elf's voice is very flat.
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Lina looked at Nicolai. "He won't face the noose, and he won't come quietly. He is a sadistic old man, who relishes his power. He won't give it up without blood. I'm not saying we shouldn't try, but no one deals with Lamm and walks away with clean hands."
Lina continued to stare into her lap, refusing to make eye contact with Zellara even as she performed the harrowing. She's right. My own hands aren't clean in this.
She took a deep breath as her eyes darted to Audria and back towards her own hands. "I will go. I am no warrior, but I will do what I can. I have eyes and ears, better than most, and I'm often overlooked and unnoticed. I have quiet feet and fast hands, and I have personal experience with Lamm."
"I will also help with the children however I can, after, and for as long I can."
Audria and Talanaliel are quiet through the meeting. She notes the way that Zellara looks at her and Lina, and that feeling of familiarity grows stronger. She knows she knows Lina, but can't quiet place her finger exactly who she is.
The Harrow reading leaves her shaken and doubting herself once more. She had been chosen, clearly, but why and for what, she doesn't know. The future lay before her as a yawning chasm, and she wondered how far down the abyss she, and Korvosa, would fall.
Nicolai's and Abella's questions draw her from her reverie, and she looks to Talanaliel before answering.
"It would be crowded, but I think there's enough room. Brother Theolan is going to have an earful for me, though." She bites her lip as the future meeting plays out in her mind. She shakes herself out of that future confrontation and continues. "I know how to fight, and that's about the only thing I can do that will help against Lamm, unless he has a secret love of cookies."
"And I'm small and can look around without being noticed," Talanaliel says after Audria finishes.
As the group make their way to Lamm's lair, Audria pulls Lina back a little bit from the others.
"Zellara looked at us when she mentioned the other children," she says quietly. "You were trapped by him, too, weren't you? That's why you want to help them so much."
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”Onwards to the Fishery then.” Abella slinks along at the rear, happy to let others take the lead. She tries to get reads on these new allies in her mission to bring justice to Lamm.
The two young girls whispering with each other, plus some of their previous statements, give her the impression both must be former Lambs. What is the deal with the talking bird? Presumably a familiar, but the girl doesn’t look much of an arcanist. Bit a shrinking violet that one. Is that how it goes? Shirking violet? Sinking violet? Shrieking violet? Some sort of violet modified by an adjective beginning in “s” and ending in “ing.”
This Nicolai is probably a spellcaster of some sort judging by his equipment. Concerned with morality and confident enough to confront her about it openly. He will probably start an argument if Abella does anything to offend his sensibilities, so best to take care.
The halfling who has not yet given a name looks to be some sort of archer. Probably a professional of some sort. More than likely annoyed by how chatty she is. Knows when to keep his mouth shut, unlike Abella herself.
Speaking of which, let us not forget the masked hero. Rather dramatic, isn’t it? Like those horrible romance novels Cainabeth always liked. Still, she seems solid. She remained quiet about how much of a mess Abella was when they met before. Abella remains annoyed she just had to be crying then. She has taken great pains to ensure nobody sees such nonsense, and here it was someone’s first impression. That is not even getting into the blubbering. “My beloved sister! The other half of my soul! All the color of my life!” It’s all her real feelings of course, and she is not ashamed of them. They are just private.
As they go Garrett says, "Hello, I am Garrett. I am sorry to hear that this man has damaged your lives as badly as he did my own. But we should be careful about drawing blood first. If he has stayed around this long he has friends who may not take kindly to our intervention."
Lina's eyes glazed over as they walked the streets of Korvosa. "Yes. That was a long time ago. At least it feels that way...but to this day I still remember most of my time with him...and not fondly. I will never understand how a man could do such things to children" she said with a visible shudder.
"He deserves whatever fate awaits him this night, but as much as a monster as he is, those boys and girls will have a much different life come morning. I just wonder if their lives will be better or worse come tomorrow. It's easy to assume better, but few of us escape the clutches of men like that at such an age, and continue to do so."
Lina lifted her head to look at Audria. "Were you...one of his too?"
The sun finishes setting as the six, bound by fate or Zellara's Harrowing, make their way up the bank of the Jeggare River heading north. Even now, some of the docks have a few longshoremen working at unloading boats, though they're mostly busy and none pay attention to you. Here and there, though, a rumor flies. One man complains about the "Otyughs acting up, you know, in the sewers. They know things'll soon be as rotten up here as down there." Still, though, by the time the party arrives at Westpier 17, it's quiet and more-or-less dark, save for the full moon above.
The building itself is a weathered old warehouse that seems to creak in the evening breeze. Its windows are boarded shut - roughly placed planks that cover the empty frames behind them. The double doors on the street side are tightly closed, with an old, shattered sign that must've once read the business's name hanging above them from a piece of chain.
Off to the side , a long, wide loading ramp sits next to the building. Another pair of double doors there provides another point of entrance, while a stairwell descends almost to river level before ending in another, smaller door. The other side of the warehouse features a narrow, slippery-looking boardwalk well above the Jeggare below, with a single door that could open onto it.
Abella lowers herself to make sure everyone can hear her when she is whispering. She is around 6’4”, so she has to actually crouch. ”So, I say we pick a door and go in, blades swinging. Surprise is on our side, after all. Leave the poor bastards trembling in awe of our righteous vengeance and all that. We funnel the children towards a way out.” She waits as long as possible before casting a light cantrip to see better, preferably until right before they head in.
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"I was," Audria answers. "Two years ago Lamm and a couple of his thugs were going to beat my friend, Eliana, after they caught her sneaking off to the Sanctuary of Shelyn. I knocked Lamm off of her, and gave her a chance to escape. I tried to follow her, but I couldn't get away. They left me to die, and I woke up in at the temple with Tallyfeather here looking over me."
The songbird twitters and fluffs her feathers.
"And I haven't been as successful as I'd like keeping her out of trouble since then," Talanaliel says with a birdy harrumph.
"You've done better than you think," Audria replies. Her fingers gently stroke Talanaliel's head and back.
"In some ways we never really escape, do we? I spent nine years under his thumb," she says after a few moments pass. "Even when I saw a chance to run I couldn't take it. I was too afraid of what would happen if we crossed paths again, and even now, I feel guilty for having gotten away. I know Lamm's not the only bad one on the streets, and I'm hoping that Brother Theolan can help find someplace for these kids to call home."
"I just hope I don't screw up," she adds in a voice so soft that it was more a whisper on the wind.
Audria shudders as she sees Lamm's hideout. It was too much like all of the other ones the wretched man had occupied over the years she was in his clutches. For a moment fear and doubt hold her in place, but then Talanaliel nuzzles her cheek, reassuring her that she is not alone.
"If you can wait a minute, I think we can figure out which door to go through," Audria tells Abella. She turns to Talanaliel riding on her shoulder.
"Would you be so kind as to peek in through the windows, Tallyfeather," she asks.
Talanaliel nods and flits off into the darkness.
She turns to the others and shrugs.
"I figured she'd draw less attention than any of us would."
Before the bird can fly off, Abella taps her with a pinky.
The window next to the front door reveals a splintery desk, moldy chair, and a filthy cloth on the ground.
The other front window shows a mound of...something in a trough. There's also an angry-looking gnome currently shoving a kid toward a chute that's also filled with the same...something.
The window by the slippery boardwalk shows a pair of bunk beds. At present, they're not occupied.
All of the furthest east (top of map) windows open onto the same room. A large vat of...something looms over dozens of children who lie on filthy bedrolls and hammocks, while a mangy dog and a half-orc step over, or sometime on, them. There are two flights of stairs leading down from the western rooms to this large one.
Talanaliel flies back after checking all the windows she can reach.
"There's a gnome pushing a kid towards a chute in there," she twitters in a rush. Her wing points to the last window she flew to. "The gnome seems mad!"
"Looks like we found our door," Audria tells the others as she whips off her cloak and wraps it around her left arm and lines up for a run at the window.
Shrike moves with the group as they walk but stays at the back. Her deep hood is pulled low so almost nothing of the mask is visible. She could easily be an anonymous mercenary or private guard.
As they go Garrett says, "Hello, I am Garrett. I am sorry to hear that this man has damaged your lives as badly as he did my own. But we should be careful about drawing blood first. If he has stayed around this long he has friends who may not take kindly to our intervention."
"You heard the girl. Lamm's crew won't go down without blood. I don't want it to be mine. Or yours." The pale mask, almost owlish in the twilight, turns slightly sidelong toward Garrett, a wordless reminder of the steps Shrike has taken to avoid reprisal from Lamm or his supposed friends. Though I'm not convinced he actually has any. More likely he just keeps regular folk too afraid to do anything and the Guards who should have nabbed him long ago are crooked, lazy, cowards, or all three.
"I figured she'd draw less attention than any of us would."
Shrike makes no objection. It's a reasonable tactic, for even if the bird is spotted, no one would have reason to think she is anything but an animal. While the talking thrush flutters away into the deepening night and is almost instantly lost to sight, she moves out of easy view of the street and crouches down, pulling several small objects from the large pouch she wears at her waist. Less than a minute later, she stands again and returns to the others, holding a lit candle in a small lantern with three shuttered glass panels and only one open. She keeps the open panel turned in against her body and covered by her cloak so it casts almost no light for now. As anyone knows, elves can see perfectly in moonlight or starlight, but once inside the building, she may need a little more help to see. At the same time, she doesn't want to fully give up the advantage of the shadows. A candle lamp that can be safely left on the floor provides flexibility.
"No!" Shrike hisses in an undertone as Audria seems to prepare to throw herself bodily at the roughly boarded-up window. It would take an ogre to simply burst through nailed-on boards like these.
Shrike sets down the lamp, mentally cursing impulsive teenagers, and crouches down below the level of the windows. She moves along the wall as quietly as she reasonably can and draws up her heavy crossbow.
Audria skids to a stop and turns to look at Shrike. The young woman is clearly agitated.
"Why?!" Her voice is quiet and accusatory, lacking the softness it had back at Zellara's.
The elf holds one finger up to her mask's beak in the universal gesture for "silence," then points at the loaded crossbow. Though she does not take the risk of speaking, the message is clear: Let's try to handle this quietly.
Abella lazily casts another guidance, admiring her own fingers as she does so. Finally, she taps the back of her hand on Shrike. ”Shoot shoot, my little butcherbird.”
"Perhaps we could have a better plan than storm the castle?'
Lina looked at Shrike. "If you shoot and don't kill your target, the alarm will sound before we're even in the warehouse. Why not give me and Garrett a moment to check the doors first, while the rest of you make preparations?"
She looked around at the others. "I'm sure there's a spell or two among you. There's also several doors. If we enter one, once the alarm sounds, what's to stop Lamm from running out another? We need to be smart about this."
"Had we not gone off half cocked" He pointedly looks at Abella "I could have prepared some spells. But, as it is, I cast a couple before entering Zellara's shop so I only have a few left. Also, I'm without my companion which puts me at a further detriment."
"Since we haven't tipped our hand yet I suggest we take this opportunity to do a little reconnaissance and come back in the morning when the fishery is open to see exactly what we are up against. How many henchmen Lamm has, how many children are present, what other defenses they might have. Then with proper preparation we could strike tomorrow night."
@Audria: I'll let you not crash into the window, since there was a miscommunication somewhere.
'Shrike' creeps up to the window that Talanaliel had mentioned the gnome was at. Inside, the orphan mutters "Alright Mr. Hookshanks, I'm goin', I'm goin'. Another night sleeping outside, no one will want me inside with this stink on me..."
The gnome laughs, then walks away. "Yeah, you're going! Chute's still clogged tomorrow morning, you'll be on chum chuckin' duty for a week!"
'Shrike' can tell, from the slit in the boards, that the 'something' in the trough and chute is a mound of fish, seaweed, and brine. It also stinks to high heaven, something Talanaliel might not have noticed.
Abella opens her mouth as if about to say something snappy as a retort to Nicolai, but then she stops herself. She told herself not to antagonize him, and starting an argument now would be a great way to lose all this assistance. There is no way she is taking down this whole building by herself.
Part of her is ashamed at the thought of caving so easily, but that has always been her problem, has it not? Cainabeth always took the lead and she just had to linger behind her. It really does feel like the other half of her brain is gone now.
"If...that is how all the rest of you feel. I can do tomorrow. There is an indefinite amount of time on my calendar blocked out for 'REVENGE' after all."
Garret looks at the door and tries to quietly remove any traps or locks without alerting those inside.
Audria steps back as the sneakier members of the party handle the breaking and entering part more quietly than she was about to.
"Might not get another chance to get all of the kids off the street. Besides, I don't think I'd be allowed out on my own after this," she tells Abella.
"Abella, stay with Garrett. Once the door is open, move in, quietly. Mr. Nicolai, you and Audria take the other set of double doors. Shrike and I will move to the single door on the boardwalk. Once in, we all move to the middle and regroup. Unless any of you have a better idea?"
As she talks, Lina removes a small piece of leather from her belt pouch. With a wave of her hands and some arcane words, she summoned a mystical barrier to surround Nicolai.