GM Harrow’s Curse of the Crimson Throne - AE

Game Master GM Harrow

Talanaliel, in the form of a songbird, flits over to Shrike's shoulder and watches curiously as Pava sorts through the clothing.

"Where did you find all this," she asks, her tiny voice barely audible over the clangor below despite being right next to Shrike's ear.

Shrike turns her head very slightly to look at the thrush sidelong. Talanaliel had seen Merula come out of the theatre not three hours ago and was surely capable of putting two and two together.

"Somewhere they won't be missed." The mutter is as flat as her normal volume.

"Any ideas? I don't know what would fit," she admits.

One gloved hand turns out minutely in a gesture with the quality of a shrug. "Whichever you want. Disguise kit's got pins. Or do something else."

In my imagination of these disguises, the gentleman's coat has to be stuffed, and the other three would have to have the waists belted or turned down and the cuffs pinned up, but any of the remaining four could work for Audria with a bit of editing. If that's not realistic, please don't tell me! :)

Tally Perception (Lowlight vision, Keeping an eye out for Elric): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

Merula~! You were supposed to help me.

Audria pouts for a moment before shaking her head and closing her eyes.

"Fine, I'll just close my eyes and pick. Can't be any worse than trying to figure out which one works," she grumbles and reaches into the pile, pulling out the loud doublet. She sighs as she opens her eyes, though whether in relief or resignation is difficult to guess as she sees just how loud the doublet is. After a few moments, she has the rest of outfit, and she wonders just how much adjusting this is going to take.

"Tally, Pava, c-could you warn me if you see someone coming," she asks. She feels Tally's affirmation, and after waiting a moment longer for Pava's answer, she starts kicking off her boots as she undoes the clasp of her cloak. After a few moments, she's down to her shirt and is quickly trying to pull up the tight-fitting breeches, at least on someone normal, they'd be tight-fitting, on Audria's small frame, they practically swallow her up, and she's not able to cinch the strings tight enough to keep them from sitting low on her hips and in constant danger of slipping off. She pulls on the doublet and finds that while it's not as loose, it's still made for someone larger than she is.

"I-I don't think this is going to work," she tells Shrike as she turns to face her while she holds up the breeches.

I rolled to see how the clothes would fit on her, and rolled a nat-20 on the breeches, so I figured they would be really large on her.

"There's a smaller one. Or I'll pin the waist of those breeches at the back." Shrike offers a handful of sharp pins and a black bobbed wig from the disguise kit to go under the foppish hat, but seems untroubled by the outfit otherwise.

Audria thinks for a moment. She wishes Eliana were here. She always has been better with clothing, fit, and style than Audria.

"Smaller one," Audria says as she shucks off the doublet and the pants while trying not to think about what she's doing.

Please, please, please, don't let Elric or Dal come before I'm changed, she desperately prays.

"Never had to re-fit your clothes then, Duckling?" "You don't seem like an oldest sister, so... Only child? Clear that the audience is as close as you've been to a theatre as well. And that the Doxies have never spotted you sitting around with idle hands if pins and needles are that unfamiliar... How ever did you wind up as a Lamb?"

Audria freezes at Pava's question. She turns her head to look at them and the expression she wears is bleak.

"My mother was a prostitute. She died from Shiver before I was even five, and Halvara kicked me out in the middle of winter," she says. "It was take him up on his offer or die freezing and starving."

She turns back to the clothes pile. "After seeing what it did to my mother, I swore to myself that I'd slit my own throat before selling myself like that once I got old enough to realize what she did for a living."

Abella looks up from checking her nails as Audria starts explaining her circumstances. ”We prefer ‘sex workers,’ Canary. Even those of us who were never paid. And in such an event, it’s better to find someone else’s throat to slit. Unless you think I would be better off not being here. I would not hold it against it you. That tends to be the consensus, after all.” She shrugs and gives an “ah well” smile. ”You realized that ‘enslaved by Nidalese nobles’ was a euphemism, right?”

"That's not what I meant," Audria snaps. "I don't remember my mother ever smiling. She was always exhausted and hurt. I-- I don't even think she wanted me." The anger in her eyes goes out as she reaches up not to her arm but her throat. "I don't want to live like that! I don't want to be that kind of person."

Abella nods. She had not actually taken anything personally, but enjoyed seeing how reactive Audria was to a little goading ”All of that probably had nothing to do with you. She had her own troubles. You were not even five yet, as you say, and children are self-centered creatures who always assume their parents’ troubles are because of them. I bet I can prove it, too. Just need to know where her body is and a Speak with Dead. Well, and the jaw to be intact.”

”Sounds like you both had a rough childhood. But there are probably better places to swap memories about your upbringing.” Elric says, stepping out from behind one of the large chimneys.

”Didn’t mean to evesdrop, I just wanted to make certain nobody were following us or watching. You were right, Shrike. This place is excellent for a covert meeting. Once we are done visiting the Dockside Doxies, we can use it to keep a tab on the local area. I also have another spot in mind that should give us a good view of Eel’s End”

Well, this is going to be some mood whiplash.

Inches of hair this time: 1d100 ⇒ 57

Audria opens her mouth to reply to Abella when Elric makes his presence known. She stands there with her mouth agape as her face flushes red and her scalp begins to grow hot and tingle.

Tally! You were supposed to warn me before he got here!

Instead of changing before Elric and Dal show up, like she had planned on, she'd wound up arguing with Pava and Abella halfway through, and now here she is in nothing but her shirt, her socks, and her underwear. Her hair grows almost a full five feet in just moments as the shock works its way through her mind.

"El-el-elric, c-could you please... not... look," she stammers out. She's amazed that she's even able to speak.

I am such an idiot.

Abella casually interposes herself between Audria and Elric to let the former change. ”The information is appreciated, but you could work on the bedside manner, dear.” She makes a spinning motion with her finger. ”You know how to take orders, right? About face. You can talk, but don’t look.”

The sight of Audria’s wild hair growth seems to take Elric more by surprise than her half-dressed state.

He quickly turns around, keeping his eyes on the adjoining rooftops and the streets below.

”Ah right, excuse my manners. The marines take all shapes and sizes and there are not a lot of privacy when you’re bunked together in the belly of a warship. After a while, you stop caring who is watching when you strip out of your armor and climb into the hammock.”

Still looking away, he adds.

”I guess we have an excuse to go see your friend with the special sheers now, at least”

Dex (A.K.A. how clumsy is Audria going to be?): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7 Fairly clumsy, it seems. :P

"I-I-I suppose," Audria mutters as she tries to get dressed in her original outfit as quickly as possible. There is no way they were going to be able to hide her hair under a wig now, so a disguise is going to be moot anyway. She manages to get one leg into her pants before she loses her balance and falls over. Her hair gets tangled up as she tries to put on her tunic, and as she looks for her cloak, it wraps around her legs and trips her.

Truly, it is not her finest moment, and her face is even brighter red than before by the time she's dressed and gathering up her overly long tresses. Tally does reappear for a moment during the ordeal, but seems to have taken the view that discretion is the better part of valor and hides under Shrike's hat and veil.

"Sorry I'm such a mess tonight," She apologizes to the others once she's ready to go.

No disguise here. She's going to be going as herself since now her excuse is because she needs a haircut.

None of the wordplay requires a parry and riposte from Pava, so they stay quiet a moment to understand better. Audria's tale is sad, but ultimately all too familiar. Not that I can fathom in the least how no one ever introduced her to a needle and thread before now, or how she's still like... this. Abella's though sends a quick shiver down their spine. Being a plaything of Nidalese nobles is an all too special sort of hell. Best to be careful of her then, no knowing which ways she's cracked. Elric still reeked of discipline and... eagerness. He'll want action before long. No matter how much he knows how to stay quiet...

Plus he wasn't peeping So at the very least he's not a nonce.

Once Audria finishes dressing and everyone else seeking to obscure their identity or appearance has done so, the group is ready to go. Dal hasn't made an appearance yet, but he knows where they are going. Perhaps he'll catch up.

Once they reach street level, it's only a short way to the docks and the pier that makes up Eel's End. There is a tension in the air tonight and there are less revelers than usual. The ones stumbling about or propping up this or that street corner seem to be mostly locals from Old Korvosa by the shabby clothing.

Their destination is a shop across the road from the piers and a little to the side, a garishly painted building with a gaudy sign proclaiming it to be the Dockside Doxies. Inside, the front half of the building seems to be a store - a rather specialized one judging by the lace lingerie, corsets, wigs and multitude of ointments and elixirs. The interior smells strongly of perfume and alchemical concoctions, and sounds from the outside are muffled by all the pillows, rugs, thick drapes and curtains resting on every surface and even hanging from the ceiling to partition off various sections. Two women and a man are lounging on a round sofa, the smoke from their slender long pipes adding a sweet and cloying layer to the scents already assaulting the olfactory sense. Their bodies are strategically clad in lace, netting or leather to showcase their physique and incite the imagination, and they all wear makeup.

As the group enters, an older woman moves to greet them, her ample bosom sailing before her like the prow of a ship, a wide smile creasing the thick layer of makeup she has on. "Welcome to the Dockside Doxies! What do y'all need on this fine - Well, knock me over with a feather! Audria dahlin', is that you? And you brought friends?" She gives everyone a slow, appraising look, which gives them time in turn to study her. There isn't a single gray hair in her thick, dark mane, which is elaborately braided and coiled on top of her head with jeweled hair pins. She wears a low cut bodice trimmed with black lace, the aforementioned bosom threatening to spill out of it, and a full layered skirt that brushes the floor. Her bare arms are plump, with silver cuffs encircling the upper arms and a multitude of thin bracelets tinkling around her wrists. Several thick rings rest on her fingers, the colour of the large stones set in them complementing her nail paint.

"Well, well, well." She turns her head a fraction and raises her voice. "Jessica, dear! You ain't gonna believe who the cat just dragged in!"

A curtain parts at the back of the store, and a young Chelaxian woman wearing a kerchief over her hair and goggles pushed up on her forehead enters the room. Those who have met her before recognize Jessica L'moire. On her heels is a petite Varisian young woman wearing thick leather gloves, her hair similarly tied into a kerchief, who seems to recognize Pava with a start.

Shrike's teeth grit beneath the mask, but she does not inject herself into Audria and Abella's conversation. The tiny twitch of her hand toward the opposite sleeve when Elric appears unexpectedly says a great deal, however silently, about where whatever weapons she was planning on taking are concealed. She checks the motion almost immediately, realizing who it is, but instinctively steps up with Abella between Elric and Audria, to save the girl embarrassment.

Getting cloth-eared, mayfly. The doctorlike split robe covers her ears, as well as her hair, face, and indeed any trace of skin.

Audria seems to be changing back into her own clothes and giving up on disguises. Odd. The hair disappears if left alone for a while, doesn't it? "Going as yourself? Right. Whistle if you've need." She nods briefly to Elric. "What spot?"

"South of the river." Elric responds, pointing towards the Jeggare.

"There are several guardtowers along the city wall that have a direct birds-eye view of Eel's End. With Commander Kroft's assistance, we can get acces to one of them and set up an observation post. With the Guard stretched thin, most of them are going to be unmanned, so we won't attract attention."

Ayotah raises their hands, a faint smile playing on their lips to show that their surrender is only a mock one.

"Not to worry, Lina; not to worry, Mme. Ioana, I know the rules; I'm not here. I was just doing my good deed for the day and walking this orphan girl through a tough section of town." They withdraw a pair of handpies smelling of mutton, beans, and spices wrapped in waxy paper from their pack. "And I figured I'd drop off lunch."

"Going as yourself? Right. Whistle if you've need."

Audria looks up at Shrike and then to the pile of disguises. She had been the one to suggest them, and now she feels all the more the fool.

And I'm just wasting everyone's time, she thinks. Before she can apologize to Shrike or change her mind, they're heading to the Dockside Doxies.

The place is as garish and fragrant as she remembers it being. Thankfully, there are some benefits to wallowing in self-pity, as it turns out. For one, it's much harder to feel embarrassed when one is absorbed in dealing with one's own thoughts and emotions.

"Not to worry, Lina; not to worry, Mme. Ioana, I know the rules; I'm not here. I was just doing my good deed for the day and walking this orphan girl through a tough section of town. And, I figured I'd drop off lunch."

Pava knows Madame Ioana? Why didn't she say so sooner, Audria wonders after Jessica and someone she's not as familiar with-- Lina, right?-- pokes their heads out from the back. Audria tries not to let it show, but she twitches when Pava calls her an orphan. May as well call me a fool. It'd be as accurate.

"Sorry for the trouble," Audria says in a soft voice that's partly muffled by the armful of hair. "But I need a haircut."

Meanwhile, Tally continues to hide in the folds to Shrike's robes. After the vigilante and Elric part ways with Pava and Audria, she hops onto Shrike's shoulder.

"Audria's beating herself up, again," she tells Shrike.

"Oh, I can see that, dahling," coos Madame Ioana. "Jessica dear, get the scissors." She acknowledges Pava with a nod, then glides towards Abella. "How about you, dear? Also doin' your good deed for the day?" From the circular sofa, the trio fixes their attention on her as well, having obviously discounted Audria and Pava as potential clients.

When Pava pulls out the pies, Lina's nostrils flare and she moves to take them from their hands. "Supper, more likely. I'm hungry." She gives the pies a long sniff, closing her eyes at the scent of herbs, meat and dough. "Thank you."

South of the Narrows

As Elric and Shrike move to cross the Narrows again to Northpoint, they spot a cordon of guards across the southern end of Jeggare Bridge. They don't seem to be letting people through, but there are at least two dozen wooden bridges elsewhere, as well as other means of crossing the river.

Concious that he’s out of uniform and in the company of a masked and cloaked figure, Elric is reluctant to approach the guard checkpoint.

”I have documents that can get us past the guards, but that might attract the wrong kind of attention and prompt questions we don’t want to answer out in the open. What do you say we try to find an alternative route across?” he says quietly to Shrike.

"South of the river." Elric responds, pointing towards the Jeggare.

"There are several guardtowers along the city wall that have a direct birds-eye view of Eel's End. With Commander Kroft's assistance, we can get acces to one of them and set up an observation post. With the Guard stretched thin, most of them are going to be unmanned, so we won't attract attention."

Shrike cocks her head. "You have a spyglass." She can't think of any other way it would be useful to watch Eel's End from five hundred or more feet away in the dark. But Kroft did say he had served in the navy. Maybe it gave him access to such expensive trinkets.

"Audria's beating herself up, again," she tells Shrike.

"Hm." Shrike's voice is flat as usual. She can't affect Audria's mood from here. Not that she would know how even if the girl was right in front of her. But Talanaliel probably expects more response than that. She doesn't shrug, as it might throw the little bird off from the folds of the cowl. "Let us know if she's in trouble."

On the way
Shrike took her own pack and weapons again, along with the rucksack less one disguise, but she has not changed out of the masquerade-doctor costume. She is very conscious that this outfit does not have a cloak hood to pull over her face, and the mask's beak is much more protruding. One more strike against it. She nods silently in agreement with Elric and makes for the nearest safe alternative crossing she knows of.

Shrike cocks her head. "You have a spyglass." She can't think of any other way it would be useful to watch Eel's End from five hundred or more feet away in the dark. But Kroft did say he had served in the navy. Maybe it gave him access to such expensive trinkets.

"Not personally, but the guard towers have equipment that allows them to observe approching ships and flying creatures. I'm confident I can secure the use of one. Nighttime survailance might be tricky, but Eel's end should be well lit."

The Dockside Doxies
Audria makes her way over to Jessica and tries to think about how she's going to ask about Devargo and Eel's End. Hopefully Pava and Abella can keep the others distracted long enough for her to at least ask about a private conversation with Madame Ioana. Perhaps she can make this work, even with being a fool earlier when it came to the disguises.

"Same place as last time," she asks Jessica, even though last time was over two years ago.

On the way to the Observation Tower

"Let us know if she's in trouble."

"I will," Tally says. After a few moments, she asks, "Why is it that you mortals never seem to know your own worth?"

"You say that, but did you actually eat lunch today? No? Then it's lunch, love." They gesture apologetically at Madame Ioana again. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be going..."

...And then moments after they step out of the door they poke their head back in. "Sorry, one more thing - Da's promising he'll bring back a walleye. Any chance you can scare up some of those little berries with the seeds from the night market? Ma wants to make her sauce again, and I was hoping you could bring some home when- Oh sorry, sorry. On my way."

...And then moments after they step out of the door they poke their head back in. "Mme. Ioanna, my apologies. I don't think I wished you a good day, and I'd be simply undone if you thought I was lacking in my courtesies. I pray your forgiveness and wish you a fine evening of custom. Err, like I said though, on my way."

And if that hasn't been enough time for Duckling to get everything in a row, she'll simply have to hide behind a hair curtain...

What did Pava do, Audria asks herself as she follows Jessica into the back.

With brisk, practiced movements, Jessica sits Audria down on a stool and begins to cut her hair. "How long do you want it? And you have to tell me what triggered the growth this time."

At the front of the establishment, Madame Ioana waves her hand dismissively at Pava. Those who do not know her well might think the pursing of her lips is due to irritation; those who do can tell it is because she's stifling a laugh.

"Begone, pest. You're scaring my customers." A raised eyebrow at Abella is an unasked question if she might fall into the category of 'customers'.

In the Back of the Dockside Doxies
Audria's blush had been fading, but when Jessica says she'll have to tell her what caused it to grow this time, it returns with a vengeance. She couldn't very well tell the whole truth, but she has no idea how she is going to answer Jessica without causing her to ask a whole lot more questions.

"Um? S-same as before. Long enough for a braid to reach my waist," she answers the first question while praying for some divine inspiration. Unfortunately, Audria finds that Shelyn is leaving her to her own devices here.

"A-a guy walked in on me while I was changing," she says in a very small voice. In hindsight, it could have been worse. At least her shirt is long enough to cover most everything, if only just barely. "I-i-it was an accident," she adds, not wanting to slander Elric even if he will remain anonymous if she has any say about it.

"I-I was planning on coming here anyway. I wanted to ask if you and Madam Ioana would be able to meet me at, um," she hesitates, trying to think of someplace she and the others could meet at.

Knowledge(Local) Untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16 That maxes out at 10.

"An accident. Uh-uh. Tell me about this 'guy', then." *snip* Jessica trims a length of hair, gathering it carefully in a mesh bag. "I'm happy to meet you, sweetie, not sure about Madame though. She hardly ever leaves this place." Jessica leans around Audria to look at her face. "What's this about though? And how do you know Lina's fi- friend?"

*snip* "And why can't we talk here? Did you get involved into something dangerous again?"

Not a lot of suitable meeting places come to mind. There's the Copper Beaters' Hall, but otherwise Audria is not too familiar with the area.

And now I've gone and done it.

Audria looks around to see if anyone is around that can eavesdrop on her conversation.

"They're all kinda related," Audria says. She hesitates again as she gathers her courage and steels her nerves. "W-what can you tell me about the King of Spiders and Eel's End," she asks in a very, very quiet voice, hoping that Jessica wouldn't make a scene, but preparing herself in case she does.

If Jessica starts to say something loudly, Audria's going to butt in and make it seem like they were talking about something else.

Jessica K. local: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

Jessica quickly puts a hand over Audria's mouth and shakes her head emphatically. Once she's satisfied that Audria will keep silent, she puts down the scissors and draws a dagger from a thigh sheath. With the tip pointing outwards, she draws a circle around Audria and herself as she speaks the arcane syllables of a spell. The air takes a velvety quality and shimmers slightly, and Jessica takes her hand away from Audria's mouth.

"Alright, we have 10 minutes until the spell fades. Firstly, what in the nine hells, Audria? What could you possibly want with... No, you know what." Jessica comes to kneel in front of Audria, holding the girl by the shoulders with both hands. This is the most serious that Audria has ever seen Jessica as her eyes bore into Audria's. "Don't. Whatever it is that you think you're doing - don't. Do you know why they call him that? He has an ettercap that he controls, no idea how. People who wronged him, or bother him... he feeds them to the creature, Audria. I don't want you to end up like that." Her grip on Audria's shoulders tightens briefly. "He is very, very dangerous. His guards are loyal to him and not easy to fool, or to slip past. And Barvasi himself is a really good knife fighter, he'd gut you from neck to navel before you can blink. I'm serious, Audria. Why do you think Madame Ioana is trying so hard to stay in his good graces? He..." Her voice breaks, and she looks away blinking before continuing. "When she started, she thought she could stand up to him. He didn't hurt her, but the girls..." Jessica shudders. "I can't even bear to talk about it. And that Halvara, she's almost as bad. Rumour says they're lovers, so we had to be very careful not to step on her toes lest she sics Barvasi on us." Almost breathless, Jessica squeezes Audria's shoulders again. "However. If you and your friends absolutely have to deal with him, try to keep him amused. And above all, do not try to barge in through the front door if things become... less amicable. I heard that there's a trapdoor in his 'throne room' that leads straight to the ettercap's lair. You do NOT want to fall in there."

With a last emphatic squeeze, Jessica releases Audria and gets to her feet just as the air shimmers again, her spell of secrecy spent.

Audria stops talking as soon as Jessica's hand over her mouth. She sits quiet as the spell is cast, and she starts to answer when Jessica grabs her by the shoulders. Her eyes widen when Jessica mentions the ettercap as memories of being chased by one through the vaults when she'd rescued some of the children that had ran from the Old Fishery that Lamm was using as a hideout flash through her mind. However, her surprise at learning that Devargo Barvasi has an ettercap under his control is nothing compared to the cold icicle of fear that stabs through her as she hears Halvara's name. As Jessica finishes giving her warning and starts to let go, Audria reaches out and grabs her friend's arms. Hands trained to wield weapons squeeze tight as the young paladin forgets to moderate her strength.

"H-H-Halvara, i-is she a-- a half-elf? O-one with green eyes and curly, red hair and uses a cigarette holder," she asks, the words almost unintelligible as she tries to get them out before the spell expires.

Elric and Shrike see Tally shiver and ruffle her feathers from where she sits on the marine's shoulder after finding it more than a little stifling hiding under Shrike's clothing. She looks back in the direction of Eel's End and wonders if she should mention the emotions she feels coming from Audria. The stab of fear she just felt is worse than even what she felt coming from Audria when she and the others were raiding the Old Fishery or being chased by an ettercap through Korvosa's vaults. There isn't panic or anything else that would indicate trouble, though, and she didn't want to divert them from their part of this.

For now, she'll keep quiet. Hopefully this isn't an omen of worse to come.

Jessica frowns. "The red isn't natural, obviously, but yes. How do you know her?"

Something ugly flashes in Audria's eyes, fear, anger, and hatred long suppressed twists the paladin's face into a snarl that fades as she regains control. She lets Jessica go as she realizes she probably hurt her with how hard she was holding her arms.

"She kicked me out on the streets after my mother died," Audria tells her. "When I asked her why, she asked me why would she keep someone her own mother didn't want?"

Audria reaches up and grabs her left arm just below the shoulder.

"Jessica, is there someplace here that I can talk to you and Madame Ioana? Someplace that no one will overhear us?"

"I will," Tally says. After a few moments, she asks, "Why is it that you mortals never seem to know your own worth?"

"That's a god's job. Not meant for us." Shrike's strangely distorted voice sounds flat and matter-of-fact as always, but she can't resist adding, "Aren't you an angel?"

She keeps her voice low as they make their way to the river crossing and the watchtower.

"I guess you could say that I am, though I am weak," Tally answers. "I think something was stripped from me when I came to Golarion to help Audria. It's... It's hard to remember."

At the Dockside Doxies

"Oh, Audria, I'm so sorry. For what it's worth, she was wrong." Jessica lays a hand on the younger girl's upper back, stroking gently.

At Audria's question, however, she shakes her head. "Do not mention to Madame what you told me. She's not a bad person, but she will not put herself - and us - in danger for you. And I doubt she can tell you anything more."

In the North Point

It had been easy to cross one of the wooden bridges east of Jeggare Bridge and reach the section of wall that starts on First Street. The watch tower at the end of the wall, larger than the surrounding ones, is manned and a hive of activity as shouted orders direct the guards somewhere to the south. The watchtower east of that however, seems empty for the moment. The heavy oak door is banded with strips of iron, locked against intruders.

Audria looks up at Jessica as she rubs her back and manages to give her a smile. It doesn't last long, disappearing as she asks to see Madame Ioana. She half-expected Jessica's response, but asking for more information and help isn't what she has in mind. She shakes her head before explaining.

"That's not the only reason I want to talk to her," she says. "If things go badly, you'll need to distance yourself from me, right? I-- I have a plan, but I need to talk to her about it."

Her stomach tries to tie itself into a knot as she thinks about what she's going to ask the proprietress to do to her. Realizing that Tally may well panic and come after her if she feels her rising anxiety, she closes her eyes and focuses on one thing, that she and the others need to stay put.

"To keep all of you out of this," she says slowly and quietly, "you're gonna have to beat me up and toss me out. I don't know what a good reason for y'all to do that is, so I need to talk to Madame Ioana to keep everything straight. It all falls apart if someone blabs so it has to be just the three of us that know what's going on."

North Point

It had been easy to cross one of the wooden bridges east of Jeggare Bridge and reach the section of wall that starts on First Street. The watch tower at the end of the wall, larger than the surrounding ones, is manned and a hive of activity as shouted orders direct the guards somewhere to the south. The watchtower east of that however, seems empty for the moment. The heavy oak door is banded with strips of iron, locked against intruders.

Shrike blends into the shadows as they travel down First Street, sometimes seeming to vanish entirely. Taking 10 on any necessary Stealth check for 24, please. When the two come level with the tower one east from the end of the wall, the mask turns expectantly to Elric. "You got a key?"

”Not yet. Sit tight, and I’ll see about getting one.” Elric responds.

Leaving Shrike to watch the tower door, he backtracks to the manned guardtower and asks to speak to the highest ranking guardsman on duty. Identifying himself using his orders with the Commander’s seal and signature, he politely requests the use of the key to the unmanned tower for a confidential, covert mission relevant to the safety of the city.

Figuring that her presence might not be the most conducive to helping Elric obtain a key, Tally flits up to the lintel of the door and perches there.

"Are you alright," she asks Shrike after Elric is gone.

At the Dockside Doxies

"Don't be ridiculous. We can sneak you out through the back, or throw a cloak over you and you can leave through the front door with a couple of customers." Jessica snorts. " Beat you up... seriously, Audria. And then get beaten up by your friends, not to mention the absolutely awkward situation that would create with Natalina. No. Out of the question."

North Point

Elric finds a harried watch sergeant who is attempting to organize a response to some unrest that's happening in the district. He seems more relieved than anything that Elric is only asking for a key and not people, and hands him the key with a stern reminder to return it as soon as he is able.

Thus equipped, Shrike and Elric are able to enter the watch tower. The remains of a late supper are on the table in the common room, another sign that the guards on duty left in a hurry. The top floor has a good view of the river, The Old Korvosa docks across the narrows, and of the North Point.

Audria blinks, a little surprised by Jessica's amusement and her guessing that Abella and Pava are her friends. She lets out a nervous laugh and rubs the back of her head as she looks away.

"Uh, Jessica? What are you talking about? Those two are complete strangers that I've never met before," she lies. "Did you trip and bump your head?"

Earlier, Talanaliel

Figuring that her presence might not be the most conducive to helping Elric obtain a key, Tally flits up to the lintel of the door and perches there.

"Are you alright," she asks Shrike after Elric is gone.

"Fine. Why."

Top of Unmanned Watchtower, North Point
Shrike looks around for the promised equipment to make watching Eel's End from here feasible as more than an area of distant lights over the river. If and when she finds it, she settles into keeping watch with Elric, trying to identify guards and their patrol patterns, especially on the river side of the pier near the Eel's End 'flagship.'

At the Dockside Doxies

"Better that I bump my head than you." Jessica sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, lifting her glasses up on her forehead. "Look, I shouldn't even be suggesting this, but if you're going to persist with this madness I know someone who might be able to help. He's... someone I studied with. Decent person, despite appearances." She lets her glasses drop back on her nose and begins to pace.

"You shouldn't meet with him here, obviously. In fact, it would be best if you didn't visit for a while. The Sanctuary is also not a good spot... The Jittery Quill, maybe? Ah, I know. The Temple of Aroden, he goes there sometimes and it's close to here."

North Point watchtower

There's a low-quality spyglass on the top floor that's affixed on an iron tripod. It cannot be removed, but the upper part of the tripod can be swiveled left and right. The view through the glass is a little cloudy and distorted, but serviceable for what Shrike is looking for.

There seem to be ten thugs in Eel's End, four patrolling the pier and the five ships, two standing guard on the deck of Devargo's flagship, and four sleeping in hammocks on the deck of the same ship. Three makeshift bridges lead on to the deck of Eel's End - one connecting the bow to the pier and two connecting The House of Clouds and The Dragon's Breath to the former warship's deck in front of the main mast. The aft deck is clear of revelers - that is where the four sleeping enforcers are located.

The patrols seem to be focused mostly on the pier and the four lesser ships, although every now and then one of the thugs glances over the sides of Eel's End into the water.

Despite the tension she feels, Audria laughs at Jessica's exasperation.

"Sorry, Jessy! Ellie tells me I have a peculiar sense of humor at times," she tells Jessica before she mentions knowing someone that might help.

"The temple of Aroden works. When should I be there to meet him," she asks.

Before she leaves, she looks around to make sure no one is watching and wraps Jessica up in a hug.

"I promise I'll be careful. I'm not going to wind up spider food."