Dot, will add text soon
It is a typical, yet dreary, day at the city of Korvosa. Everyone coming and going, buying and selling, laughing and arguing. Our six fated heroes would begin their journey not through any prophecy-but through a note.
You may try to find if anyone planted the note there, or if a friend, family member, tutor, etc was handed the note by someone. But no matter what, you can't figure out how that note appeared.
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Divo wasn't sure who handed him the note. He was between deliveries when someone slipped it into his gauntleted hand. He looked in the direction in passing, knowing he stood no chance to note anyone in the crowd.
Over the course of the day he had several more deliveries to make, and by the time he got home he was in a desperate hurry to wash up and make himself presentable. He insisted on shaving and trimming his facial hair and being clean.
Reluctantly he didn't don his better clothing. While this person seemed to know him, he wasn't sure he wanted to risk being recognized as being of noble birth in what was to come.
Still, he resolutely marched to his destination as the sunset. A bit late, he realized, as it was already low by the time he stepped out of his tiny apartment above the bar. Huffing with exertion, he walked faster to get there as fast as he could. By the time he arrived he could feel sweat on his brow and he cursed under his breath.
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Kyki popped her head out the window, furiously looking right to left. Whoever had left the note on her windowsill was nowhere to be seen. At least the sun's warm rays helped to soothe her worries. She had not seen Gaedren or his thugs for a few years now. She had almost given up hope of finding the bastard.
Deep in prayer, asking that Sarenrae might light her path, she thankfully bumped into priestess Marancia. Oh hello Kyki. Finished with you're writing practice already?
Yes. Wait, no- Why lie? Don't lie! I mean no! I'll catch up later. Got letter. She brandishes the letter as if she needed proof. Someone might have information on Lamm.
Oh? Well, I'll pray for success. Anyone who exploits children... Well even the Dawnflower has limits to her mercy. Do you know how long you'll be gone?
Well it says to meet at Lan-nce-et Streeeeet? She says, slowly reading off the letter. Where is Lancet Street?
It is good we bumped into each other. She chuckles, before giving the needed directions.
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It's been a busy morning and afternoon, full of the usual equine ailments as well as a few guard dogs that ate something they shouldn't have. Amadine is looking forward to a bath as she returns home for a late lunch and a change of clothes... only to find a note shoved under her apartment door. The healer frowns as she reads it. Gaedren Lamm... she's heard that name in Old Korvosa as she searched for little Daval. Unfortunately, the man is as slippery as a greased eel. Perhaps this is the break she needs.
A quick bath, a couple meat and vegetable pasties from a street vendor in lieu of cooking something at home, and Amadine is combing Old Korvosa looking for Lancet Street. It's a good thing she left early. Finally she manages to track down Paolo, a client of hers who works as a courier.
"Oh, Amadine! Good evenin' to ya. Lancet Street, eh? I've been there, sure." Paolo directs her to a part of town Amadine has never visited before. No wonder she couldn't find it.
"Thank you so much, Paolo, you're a lifesaver. Spirits willing, I won't be too late. Desna bless you!" Amadine waves to him and hurries off.
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The small blue kobold didn't struggle much to get to the place, in fact, it was rather close when she finally got the note. It was a bit hard to read, Taldane wasn't exactly her first language. But she managed to figure it out.
If she had facial muscles like humans, she would have frowned, but she didn't. On both accounts. She just folded the sheet of paper and put it into one of her many small pockets, and off she went.
With each step, static clicked and clicked around her. Something in the air, she just knew it was something big. She could finally get back at him. Ruining her studies. Yes, she had in born powers, but she wanted to get closer to the big Sky lizards, the mighty dragons. And now that was delayed by how many years. And she didn't have many years. She was a kobold!
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Prax isn't up and about until well after mid-morning. The time between sunrise and noon is the worse of the whole day in her opinion. She doesn't have any particular place to be so she loiters slowly down the street, just sort of watching the people and activity around her.
Having not eaten since sometime yesterday afternoon, Prax begins to feel hungry after a while. She stops by the table where a woman is selling hand pies and asks for two, one with chicken and some vegetables inside, the other filled with blackberries.
It's when she fishes into the purse on her belt that she feels a piece of paper that shouldn't be in there. Prax is quite careful about where she puts things she carries since she knows the tricks for taking the things that other, less careful people carry around. She shifts the paper to the hand holding the pies and pays the woman before moving down a few feet for some privacy. She stuffs about half of the savory pie in her mouth and lays the rest on a window sill while she unfolds the paper, which now bears some greasy spots.
What she reads makes her very uneasy. She supposes she wasn't adequately careful when asking around about Lamm. Prax has never mentioned holding any ill will toward the man, or suggested to anyone she had designs for him. Whoever placed the note on her was very, very good as well. Her purse was shifted to her front where it's extremely hard to get a hand into without her notice. So a good read on her plus excellent finger work.
It hardly occurs to her at all that the offer of some sort of help is genuine. Maybe something got back to Lamm, which would be bad. Prax had really been counting on total surprise, when she got around to doing something that is. It could also be one of the local gangs looking to draft her. Independent operators like her aren't well tolerated most places around the city. Prax has never been tempted to join up with anyone because she never liked the dangerous dues those new, and thus low on the pole, have to pay before they're really in. She also never liked the idea of taking orders. Staying free means no big scores, nothing better than just getting by on the crumbs, and no reputation. Prax has always played by those rules in exchange for going mostly unnoticed.
Whoever might be screwing with her, Prax figures it's better to know who it is, which will hopefully tell her why, than ignoring the whole thing and remaining blind until it might be too late. She starts on her way to the address given immediately. There's plenty of time to get to the place well before sunset and stake it out for a few hours. Once Prax has seen who might be coming and going and what kinds of activities she can suss out, she can decide what to do when she's expected there.
It's early in the morning and Romli starts his daily practice of martial arts. After the basic warming up he opens his worn copy of the book Tai Chi and Qinggong at page 47 - that displays the Surprise Spin Kick, a particular hard to learn move that he hasn't mastered yet - and a piece of paper falls out and floats to the ground.
Huh? What's that?
Romli quickly picks up the paper and starts to read.
Whoa! It's about that bastard Gaedren!
He calls out to his sister: "Ilma! Did you put this note in my book?"
"What are you talking about? I didn't even see your precious book in the last week!"
"Well, someone did!"
"Well, it wasn’t me!"
...
After a few minutes of friendly banter Romli leaves the house and starts walking around, looking for Lancet Street - to check out the location he's supposed to meet other victims of Gaedren Lamm at sunset.
I shouldn't be late, so I better memorize the route to get there. This might be my only chance to get back at Lamm!
When he finally finds Lancet Street he calmly strolls from one end to the other and then returns home.
Later, when the sun is about to set, Romli grabs his Sansetsukon and a bunch of shuriken and starts walking...
The characters arrive at the house, in this order:
Praxedis and Romli
Trebelle
Kyki
Amadine
Divo
The interior of this small, humble home consists of a single cozy chamber filled with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice. The aroma comes from several sticks of incense smoldering in wall-mounted burners that look like butterfly-winged elves. The smoke gives the room a dreamy feel. The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries, one showing a black-skulled beast juggling human hearts, and another showing a pair of angels dancing atop a snow-blasted mountain. A third tapestry on the far wall depicts a tall, hooded figure shrouded in mist, holding a flaming sword in a skeletal hand. Several brightly colored rugs cover the floor, but the room's only furnishings are a wooden table covered by a bright red throw cloth and several elegant, tall-backed chairs. A basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table.
Praxedis and Romli find a note on the table, weighed down with a stone paperweight. The note reads as follows:
Thank you for coming. I had to step out for a bit, but shall return shortly. Please, have a seat whileyou wait. The basket under the table contains bread and drink for you.
Sure enough, the basket holds several loaves of bread and a bottle of wine that can serve at least half a dozen people.
Romli enters the house and looks around.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
After making sure that there's no threat in the room, he reads the note.
"Well, I can certainly eat something while waiting... and this bread smells delicious!"
He sits down on the chair opposite the entrance, breaks a loaf of bread in two pieces and starts munching.
Prax is very early to the address. She doesn't linger or pay noticeable attention to it though, walking on by quickly on the other side of the street. Several minutes later she's surveyed the immediate surroundings and found location she prefers for keeping watch, and alley between buildings on the opposite side of the street a about four buildings past the address. She sets herself up in the alley to spend the next while watching the place to see what happens.
There are a few things Prax didn't expect. The place is just a small house. It's not the sort of building that, at least by exterior examination, allows for discrete comings and goings, or moving and storing materials in any quantity without easy notice. The neighborhood doesn't help with any of those things either. It's relatively quiet, neither upscale or seedy. There aren't many people about on the streets comparatively. Prax wouldn't stereotype her presumed own kind, but it fails to meet some basic needs common for an organized gang. Of course, her knowledge is limited in terms of exactly how the bigger criminal organizations operate. She's also unfamiliar with what the bigger wholesale drug operations do. If it's Lamm who sent the note, this place might be perfect for some reason. It's also possible the place is simply a house whoever is behind the note has access to rather than being a base or headquarters. All in all the strangeness doesn't raise or lower her suspicions.
Almost immediately after she's in position, dwarf shows up at the house. His body language and hesitation suggests to her he is not familiar with the place. It's obvious to Prax he's giving the place a careful looking over before he leaves. Otherwise, Prax sees no security at the house, no shadows or silhouettes through the windows, nobody outside, nobody along the street doing what she's doing but for the other sided.
Prax continues to watch and wait.
The kobold arrives, her head glancing at the piece of paper, mouthing the words slowly, she looks at the address, then back at the paper, mouthing it out again. When she was sure she was at least correct in her mind, the blue crumples up the paper, shoves it into one of her many pockets, the meanders up to the door to knock
"Is Trebelle, is looking for me, so here I is for this" her broken Taldane says that she is NOT fluent in it at all
That grammar doesn’t match the notes at all. I bet they're one of the "others" like me.
"Come in!"
When the kobold enters, Romli stays seated and keeps eating.
"You got the note, too? Here's another. We have to wait."
The dwarf points to the table and takes another bite from his bread.
"There's bread and wine, if you want. The bread tastes great and seems to be free of poison. I haven't tried the wine yet."
He chews and swallows.
"Belle, right? I'm Romli."
He takes another bite.
Prax watches as a lizard-like something(?), she isn't sure what it is, goes up to the door and knocks. She sees the same dwarf from before answer the door and let the lizard person in.
None of what she sees tells Prax much except that there's something weird going on.
As Divo arrives at the house he has many misgivings. Considering all the ways this could be his careful investigating coming back to bite him. The one thing he told himself over and over again is that there are two possible reasons for this meeting. Either so he could confirm his intentions and get arrested for his trouble, or brought in to some kind of plot against Gaedren as the note said.
He let himself remember something very unpleasant in that moment. His stern features tightened against the swell of emotion. Then he knocked hard on the door.
"Who's there?"
Well, at least the neighborhood looks relatively peaceful. Not the sort of place Amadine would expect to be mugged. Which, of course, makes it a good spot for an ambush. Baji chitters from his perch on her shoulder, picking up on his shaman's worry. She absently reaches up to stroke the rat as she approaches the door. It's dangerous, yes, but it's also her only lead on where to find Gaedren Lamm. Amadine has to take the risk.
Mind made up, she strides up to the door, just in time to see a handsome Chelaxian man knock.
Divo turns abruptly, posture tense for a moment before he resets and looks Amadine over. "Good evening." he says cautiously, "Are you also here on business?"
Amadine and Baji return his look calmly. Being able to keep one’s composure under stress is a vital skill for a healer, especially one who works with animals. They’ll pick up on the emotions of the people around them, and a nervous horse is far more likely to injure someone. ”I am indeed. Someone slipped an unsigned letter under my door.” She shrugs with a clinking of scale mail. ”Risky to answer such a thing, of course, but at this point, I am willing to take a leap of faith.”
That's odd. Who knocks and then doesn't answer?
Romli rises from his chair, still holding a piece of bread in his left hand. With his right hand he reaches for a shuriken (but keeps his hand in his pocket), then calls out again:
"HELLO? WHO'S THERE?"
Trebelle opens the door and then closes it again, she looks around the home she finds herself in
"Hello. Me is being Trebelle. Got note, is hard reading. But I was making it here anyways. Did send note you did?" she asks as she pulls out the crumbled note again, straightening it a bit as she shows it
Trebelle was dressed in average travelling gear, though her outfit had many pockets all of her person. A small sharp tool looking item and also a dagger hung from her hip.
If one got close to her, hair would stand on end as she had a small feel of static around her
When Kyki arrives at the address the street is quiet. She checks the note again double checking the house number. Looking around nervously for ambushes she makes her way four houses down the street before ducking into the alley. Rounding the corner she comes face to face with...
A man and a woman arrive at the house next. The man is rather large and armed as well. The woman looks to be a Varisian. Watching the two of them at the door together, Prax thinks they don't know each other, but it could also be they don't know each other well.
Prax is interrupted before they're let in to the house though. She hears movement near her close by the wall on her side of the street. Looking down toward it, where she expected to find a rat or dog, is a goblin? She thinks?
Prax has heard of goblins, but never actually seen one before. It matches the description of a goblin as far as she can tell. But, she had always heard of them as living in the wilderness or at least rural settings.
But sure, I guess in cities too eventually...
It doesn't really matter though. While Prax does watch the little goblin warily, they're known to be unpredictable and that includes violence, she has other things on her mind presently.
Since it seems the goblin was intending to turn into the alley, Prax tries moving it along.
"Next one down if you're looking for an alley. This one's occupied."
Prax thrusts her thumb to the right, gesturing on down the street where there should be another alley after a building or two.
When the kobold enters, Romli stays seated and keeps eating.
"You got the note, too? Here's another. We have to wait."
The dwarf points to the table and takes another bite from his bread.
"There's bread and wine, if you want. The bread tastes great and seems to be free of poison. I haven't tried the wine yet."
He chews and swallows.
"Belle, right? I'm Romli."
He takes another bite.
"Yes, Trebelle got note thing, hard reading, try, but is now good. is here to hear things of note" she nods as she grabs one of the smaller places to sit that was more to her stature
"Yes, will is drinking of the foods and drinking things, walking long to get to place like this" as she joins Romli in taking part of the food provided
Oh, ok. Won't disturb you- Wait a second. Is this human watching the house? Looking at the house and back she double takes at the sight of the two humans at the door. In a panic she finally takes the last step into the alley, before remembering the woman who had just asked her to leave. Sorry...
Finally getting a good look at the woman sends her into further panic. This one looks much more like a thug then the ones at the door. Her big yellow eyes narrow at the woman. Are you a thug? She prepare her legs to bolt.
Prax had gone back to watching the house. She'd been clear with the goblin after all. She spares the goblin another, now annoyed, look.
Crossing her arms, she asks her own question by way of reply.
"If I am a thug, will you go away?"
Kyki looks on, confused at the human's question. I would run away from thugs... Wouldn't anyone run away from thugs? You're watching number thirteen? And you didn't jump out at me, so you're no ambushing thug? Rummaging through a pouch, she takes out the slightly crumpled letter, which she shoves towards the woman. You here for this...?
Obviously Prax had intended to follow up by telling the goblin she absolutely was a thug. But, she doesn't when the goblin brings up the house. At that point Prax shifts to intending to ask the question "why are you interested in that house? What do you know about it?". But between decision and action the goblin presents a crinkled up paper.
Prax stops and takes the paper to see what it is, and to her great surprise discovers it is exactly the same as her own mysterious note. For a split second Prax thinks some weirdo must have made dozens or scores of the notes to hand out like leaflets.
But no. Probably no. Maybe no? There ARE a lot of weirdos...
First though, some basic questions.
Prax looks down at the goblin and asks "Where did you get this?" and "do you know what it's about?"
Divo's posture relaxes at the woman's words, and the hint of a rueful smile graces his somber features. "It would seem we are in the same position then." he remarks evenly. His tone was absent of the same amusement in that brief smile, but it showed in his eyes.
At the words from inside he opens the door and looks inside. Noting the two occupants, and doing a double ta at the kobold he moves to enter. Only to pause and take a step back. Holding the door for the lady he dips his chin.
Amadine smiles, returns his nod, and enters the house. A proper gentleman. How refreshing. She steps aside to make room for the mystery man before taking a good look at the occupants.
And then another look, because even in Korvosa, you don’t see kobolds every day! And a dwarf? Clearly whoever wrote the note she received has been busy. Baji’s nose is twitching at high speed, taking in the new smells. ”Good evening, everyone. Did any of you slip an unsigned note under my door earlier today?”
Divo steps inside after the Varisian woman and stands at the table. He gave a glance to the bread, and favored the wine with an interest.
Romli relaxes when he hears the polite greeting. He lets go of the shuriken and answers:
"Good evening. No, I did not - but we both received such notes, too. Here's another. It says we have to wait. There's bread and wine, if you want."
The dwarf points to the table, sits fown and takes another bite from his bread.
"I'm Romli, by the way."
"Thank you for letting us know, ser dwarf." Divo said with a polite nod. Despite the niceities he did not move to sit nor introduce himself. He stepped across the room, looking about with contained nervousness before deciding to stand on the opposite side of the table from the door. He glanced briefly in Amadine's direction, then looked over the others. Finally he settled on looking at some point near the door.
Romli answers the man after thoroughly chewing his mouthful of bread and finally swallowing it.
"Yeah, yeah. So... who are you, Ser?"
He turns to Amadine.
"And who are you? Would your... uh, pet like some bread?"
He breaks off a little piece of the remains of his own loaf and holds it out to the rat.
After a moment of hesitation the Chell answers, "Divo." He met Romli's gaze as he answered, holding it a while before eventually going back to staring at the same spot near the door.
Prax listens to Kyki's account of getting the letter. She then takes her own copy out and shows it to the goblin.
"I'm curious too. I've been watching the house at the address for a while now. Several people have gone in; nobody has left. I can't figure out if the people inside are the ones who sent the notes, or if they are here because they got one like us. They don't seem to know each other, so I'm starting to suppose they got notes and came like we did."
"I'm going to go down and see if I can get a peek inside. You can come if you're very quiet."
Prax sneaks down to the house and looks for a window or maybe an unlocked door aside from the front one on the ground floor.
Kyki can be quiet, if there's any two things goblins be good at, it's making noise and being quiet. She boasts, thankfully remembering to do so quietly.
"I am Amadine Steleanu, pleasure to meet you. Although if you are here for reasons that are similar to mine, I wish it were under better circumstances." She pats the rat munching a bit of bread on her shoulder. His black fur isn't unusual, but the tiny white spots dotting his coat are. They almost look like stars. "This is Baji, my familiar." In Amadine's experience, Varisians and Shoanti are the only ones who might know what a spirit animal is. Her bond with Baji is similar enough to that of a witch and her familiar, though, and most people know what those are.
Romli doesn't seem to be showing any ill effects from eating the bread, and Baji's keen nose would have alerted him to most poisons. She decides to live even more dangerously and take a piece of bread for herself.
Divo turns to look at the rat for a moment, considering it after the explanation that it was a familiar.
Romli nods along during the introductions.
"Divo, Amandine and Baji, ok. That makes four - no, sorry Baji - five of us. I wonder if there will be more coming to this meeting. That reminds me..."
The dwarf turns to the kobold.
"So... are you going to introduce yourself to them as well?"
They just making introductions, should be safe Kyki whispers to the sneaky woman next to her. Knocking on the door, she waits but a second before opening it. Hello, we's come in peace. She pokes her big head through the door before sliding in, leaving the door ajar for Prax to follow her in. My name is Kyki, blessed servant of the dawnflower. She gives a toothy grin as she holds her crudely carved holy symbol aloft.
Prax sighs. She hadn't planned to make herself known until she'd seen a bit more so she had the best possible basis for a decision. But, it's too late for that now, and she's seen nothing alarming.
After a short pause, Prax follows the goblin inside.
"So, strange letters all around. Am I right?"
Divo nods, keeping as stoic as he could. Though his hand lingered near his warhammer for a long moment before resting on his hip. "I don't suppose you know when our host will arrive?" he asks hopefully.
First a kobold, then a goblin? Wow. Amadine blinks, clearly surprised by the new arrivals, then offers a smile. "Good evening." She inclines her head to the pair. "Strange letters indeed. I am Amadine Steleanu, pleasure to meet you."
Prax shrugs. "No idea if there even is a host."
Not feeling quite so cozy with the situation as Amandine seems to, she limits her reply to a simple "I'm Prax".
Prax turns her attention to looking around the room they're all in.
"Anyone give this place a good going over yet? You know, all the nooks and corners peered into?"
"Trebelle got here, look at paper. Paper say go to place. So Trebelle here being at place on paper. Why look round? So knock and come in. I is finding people with more of the note things. Hope to being finding outs why we is being here. Want to make man person pay for thinking Trebelle making other people be not alive" a crackle of static as her anger flares a bit
"I'm not sure we should wait much longer for our mystery host." Divo suddenly said. He had gotten more nervous the longer they waited. "This could be a trap." he noted, "To draw us out of our familiar spaces and end us all at once."
Amadine looks over at Prax and shakes her head. "I only just arrived. That is a good idea, though." She begins searching the room for anything interesting. Baji hops onto her outstretched hand, then down to the floor to sniff around.
Prax joins Amandine in casing the joint.