| Alex Y |
We are formally kicking off the Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path using 4E rules this week! I hope to devote at least an hour a week to this thread; the first post comes from the player of the Hellknight Haras (and my DM for my previous thread on the Rise of the Runelords). Enjoy!
***
A simple gold ring.
It was all that remained – a band of shining metal, where once there was a quick smile, bright eyes, and warm breath. She is gone and all I have is this gold ring.
We came to this city to forge a life together. We wanted a better life than living with the tribe, something more, something better for our children. We thought we would find it here: Korvosa, the shining beacon of civilization. But it was a lie.
Korvosa, the city of lies. It lies about its laws. It lies about its protections. The citizens are just dogs running in the street, shitting and eating wherever the fancy takes them. The thieves, the murderers, the cheating merchants, the corrupt courts: all lies. Like dogs, they should be taught their place, brought to heel, or – if they cannot be taught – put out of their misery.
She went to gather flowers, in the park. She said she had seen some wild roses by the pond. I was to stay awake and wait for her after my shift, but she did not return even after the noon bells tolled. I went looking for her, but found only roses…scattered, their petals stained a dark crimson. Amidst the stinking mud and bloody roses, I found a large tooth, curious and dull. I followed the muddy tracks, calling upon skills I thought I would never need to use again, but lost them in the sewers. Blindly, I wandered in those dark, stinking tunnels, finding nothing. Nothing but rats and shit.
Still stinking, I went to the guard. I told them of what had happened. I filed a report as a good citizen should do. But I could see the lies in their eyes. I could see them laughing at me, a tribesman in the city, asking them for help. I heard the laughter as I left the office. She was just another victim, in a city full of them.
Knowing that no one would help me, I began my own search. I wandered the streets, looking for clues, asking questions of anyone who would speak to me. I lost my job, and spent what little money we had saved on “fees” and bribes. My searches led to a crooked merchant, a man who sold cast-off trinkets. Among his stock was the ring. The ring I had given her to pledge my love. Enraged, I asked him where he had gotten it. He told me it was Gaedren Lamm who sold it to him. I had heard rumors of this man, a man that profited from children and murder. A man rumored to have a pet crocodile. I asked the merchant how he could profit off of murder, how he could take something from such a man. He answered that money is money. I flew at him, arms flailing, causing the ring to fly into the air. As if time slowed, I watched as the ring landed in a black mailed fist.
Standing next to me was a vision from the Hells: his helm was horned, his limbs were spiked, and a gigantic face glared at me from the center of his armored chest. A Hellknight. I knew of them, but never had met one. And here I was, assaulting a Chel.
The merchant began babbling at the Hellknight. He claimed that he did not know that the goods were stolen. The knight said nothing, and almost gently placed the ring in my hand. While the merchant begged for mercy, the knight pulled four long, iron nails from his pouch. From his belt he slowly pulled a hammer.
The merchant passed out before the first nail was hammered in.
***
I found the rigid strictures of Citadel Vraid comforting. I knew what was expected of me every day. If the penalties for failure were harsh, they were no more than I deserved. The days were easy, but the nights were unbearable. At night, we were left in our bare cells to contemplate what we had learned during the day. But all I could do was stare at the simple gold ring. Hellknight Mortigan had given it to me when he brought me in. He said that it would either strengthen me or break me. And he was right. It was breaking me every night.
A simple gold ring. Perfectly round, flawless, but weak. Like me. Melt me down and re-forge me in iron, I prayed, but nothing answered my prayers. And nothing dulled the pain.