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Sounds good to me, I think that the party is pretty well balanced as is, and that fifth spot has been hard to fill. I've been dragging the action a bit, waiting for Jericho to post, but I'll go ahead and move forward with the foray to Eel's End today. I'll probably DMPC Jericho for a little bit.
As Rutter leaves to scout out the lay of the land, Vencarlo speaks up "Mind if I walk with you for a while? My house is near Old Korvosa and I could use some conversation for the journey if you don't mind company." If Rutter doesn't object, he goes along with him most of the way, mostly making small talk, although Rutter does get the feeling that the man is trying to tease out some information about his past. When Rutter gets to the dock, he finds the situation to be accurate to the description Cressida gave. There are five ships tied up there: the Goldenhawk, which appears to be a floating inn; the Twin Tigers, a gambling hall; the House of Clouds, a brothel; the Dragon's Breath, a drug den; and Eel's End itself, which advertises no business, but is home to the toughs that keep order on the dock and Devargo himself. Patrons of many different social classes frequent the establishments and generally the place is kept orderly, the one fight Rutter sees is broken up quickly. At this time, it appears to maintain order better than much of the city.... Everyone else is able to outfit themselves well and when Rutter returns, he almost has to stifle a laugh at seeing the rough group dressed to the nines and resembling the sort of fops he's used to seeing hanging around the castle, hoping to catch some gossip.
Upon hearing Rutter's questions about the type of vices practiced at Eel's End, Cressida smiles "All of those and more are practice there, at last count, there were five ships pulled up to the dock, each specializing in its own breed of entertainment. Which one Amprei favors is exactly the sort of information that we're looking for... anything that we can use to discredit him publicly." Rutter:
You know that Eel's End is frequented by a wide array of people, anyone not associated with the Guard, Sable Company or Order of the Nail would be welcome there. Devargo is the master of the pier, anyone that pulls up to it to ply their trade pays rent to him, and you've heard tales of those who don't pay up having their barges cut adrift in the night, set on fire or overrun with spiders the size of a man's head.
Jericho has seen Verik with a Vudran woman on a few occasions, but has never been introduced. In fact Verik has made a point of avoiding Jericho when he was in her company. Copper can't recall anything further about Devargo beyond what Cressida said. In response to Copper's question, Cressida responds "We don't know too much about his habits, since he mostly keeps on the good side of the Guard. He spends most of his time at Eel's End and when he goes out into the city, he usually has several of his bravos with him as protection against his competitors in the vice trade."
A few days of rest and relaxation have done wonders for your spirits, and when you report again to the Citadel, it is with a mix of trepidation and anticipation. Your fellow guardsmen recognize you and usher you into Cressida’s office. In addition to Cressida, a handsome man sits in one of the chairs at her desk, and as you, he rises and bows. Cressida welcomes you ”Well then, if it’s not the Queen’s finest, a bright spot in my day, finally. This is Vencarlo Orisini, Vencarlo, this is the hand-picked squad that I’ve told you about.” Knowledge (Local) DC 15:
You know that Vencarlo is one of Korvosa’s most respected and renowned teachers of the honorable arts of fencing and swordplay Vencarlo gives you all a wide, disarming smile and introduces himself to each of you in turn. Upon hearing each of your professions, he offers a compliment. He comes across as a very well-spoken and intelligent man who is never at a lack of words. He speaks to all of you as a group after the introductions are done. ”Well, I’ve heard much of your brave deeds, if Korvosa had more fine folk like you, we’d already be out of this mess.” He appears to be about to continue on and say more, but Cressida cuts him off. “As much as I would enjoy continuing the conversation, I fear we just don’t have time. Vencarlo has often come to me with news of important changes on the streets, and this is no different—indeed, what he’s learned could degrade into sanctions, embargos, or even war against Cheliax if we don’t act now. This problem is a man named Darvayne Gios Amprei. You might have heard of him—he’s an ambassador from Cheliax whose disdain for Korvosa is well documented, and yet he’s taken great pleasure in what our city has to offer. Even before this recent unrest, this man was ready to recommend to his government a sanction on trade, or perhaps even an embargo. Vencarlo has learned through his own considerable sources that Ambassador Amprei’s actual goals are to undermine Korvosa’s economy to the point where he can buy up large portions of the city from desperate landholders and establish himself in a position of power here. Whatever the ambassador’s reasons, we can’t let his bias or personal plans hurt Korvosa. Yet neither can we take drastic action—not only would killing him be wrong, but it’d simply martyr him in Cheliax’s eyes.” “Fortunately, Darvayne has his foibles. Again, Vencarlo has learned that Ambassador Amprei has been making fairly regular visits to a place in Old Korvosa called Eel’s End. This den of vice is run by a dangerous man named Devargo Barvasi, better known in Korvosa’s alleys as the King of Spiders. I’d love to put Barvasi out of business, but he pays his vice taxes regularly and never causes any problems—in fact, since he keeps his business constrained entirely within the five ships moored at Eel’s End, he’s actually one of the least of my worries. Truth be told, I can’t decide whether Devargo is a stirge or a kraken. He seems like a bloodsucking pest most days, but sometimes I fear just how far his tentacles have wormed their way into our great city. In this case though, his insidious web stretching across Korvosa’s underworld might prove to our advantage.” “Devargo would never let someone he recognizes as an ally of the Guard into Eel’s End, but your group’s a different case. I’d like you to pay a visit to Eel’s End and secure an audience with Devargo. Find out what he knows about Amprei, get proof of any illicit goings-on the ambassador might be involved with, and bring that proof to me to use to undermine any forthcoming attempts by him to get Cheliax to cut us off. Devargo might not be willing to part with his information easily. I’ll supply you with some gold to bribe him, and whatever’s left over you can keep for yourself. Remember: the man is dangerous, but so are you—if things get violent, I wouldn’t mourn his passing.” She lets her orders and explanation sink in for a moment and then asks you for any questions, as she draws a purse from one of her desk drawers.
Jericho, regarding shiver, it's up to you. The dungeon would have provided you with the opportunity to detox if you wanted to. I imagine that the physical addiction is broken, but I'm sure that a strong mental pull remains.
For those attending the interrogation:
Cressida leads you into a small, windowless room where Verik is bound to a table. Beside him stands none other than the young Tian woman that accompanied you to the warehouse where you took your revenge upon Gaedren Lamm. A flicker of recognition crosses her face, but she doesn’t greet you in any other fashion. The questioning begins in a straightforward manner, Cressida asking questions, using threats to Verik’s health and his kin as coercion once it is obvious that he will not willingly cooperate. All that he reveals is that he was gathering an army at the butcher shop, although he lets slip mention of a woman that inspired him to do so. It is also obvious that he was in some sort of romantic relationship with her. However, he realizes that it was a mistake to mention her and quickly clams up, despite further threats. At this point, the questioning gets uglier, as physical torture is applied to coax further information from the man. The questioner uses standard torture equipment (thumbscrews, heated irons, etc.) and soon Verik’s howls of pain fill the small chamber. After several minutes of this, Verik loses some of his willpower and lets loose a curse of ”Wish I’d never met that Arkonan wench!” As soon as this is uttered, Cressida turns sharply to you and dismisses you ”It’s time for you to leave now, the further questioning will be confidential.” Two other guards in attendance usher you quickly from the room, although you can still hear Verik’s cries echoing through the door.
Copper: You know that the Arkona family is one of the oldest and most powerful in Korvosa due to their trade ties with the distant country of Vudra. They are de facto rulers of Old Korvosa and seem to turn a blind eye to the vice there, which leads to them being viewed as heroes by the lower class of Old Korvosa and troublemakers by the rest of the city.
I'm fine with the medium dagger = small shortsword houserule. After all, if it works in LotR, it should work here, right? ;)
Sorry, I should have stepped in before all the math got done, but the silver dagger is going to be a bit hard to price accurately. Since it radiates magic, but Zellara is unable to identify it.
When Neva calls upon Zellara's spirit in the Harrow deck to identify the magical items, she is easily able to determine the properties of the arrows. However, when she examines the silver dagger, Neva waits for several uncomfortable minutes before Zellara's voice echoes in her head once more. "This aura is strange, it is unlike anything that I have ever seen before and try as I might, I can't make heads or tails of it I'm afraid."
It's a potion of cure moderate wounds. Also, remember that Zellara's Deck can use Identify three times per day.
Once you arrive at the Bank of Abadar, they eye you suspiciously at first, but once they see the writ that Cressida gave you, they are happy to give you the gold.
Cressida raises an eyebrow at Copper's request. "Well then, if you feel that you have the stomach for it, I suppose that it can be arranged. A questioner is being brought from the royal palace tomorrow, come back in the morning if you want to witness it." She once more thanks the group and dismisses them unless anyone has any further questions. You have a few days to put things in order, sell loot and buy any supplies before you are to report for duty again.
In response to Senjin’s probing about his “army”, Verik laughs ”What does anyone need an army for these days? To protect themselves against that usurper to the throne, Ileosa! But I suppose King Eodred’s death doesn’t bother you too much, since you’ll be well in her good graces after bringing me in.” As the group leaves the shop, there’s a substantial crowd gathered, but they appear to be regular townsfolk, not the rough men that Verik has been gathering and they keep a respectful distance. You hear whispers and murmurs as you lead Verik out, ”... look at that, they took down the Cow Hammer boys...” being the most common sort of thing overheard. You march Verik back to the Citadel, where Verik is promptly taken away to a cell. Cressida greets you and is very pleased that you’ve brought Verik back alive. ”Well done! I see that your letter of recommendation from the Queen was well deserved. You’ve earned your reward and a few days of leave. Report back here in two days time and we’ll discuss your next assignment.” She presents you with an elaborate note, with the seal of the Royal Guard that entitles the bearer to draw one thousand gold from the Bank of Abadar.
Verik watches the group thoroughly loot the shop, sighing a bit when Rutter discovers the stash under the water trough where most of the gold and jewels are stored. As he waits in his bonds, he mutters sarcastically to whoever is guarding him "I see that you're quite concerned with getting me off to questioning promptly. Sometimes I wonder whether the Guard or the criminals they chase are the bigger thieves."
The two fallen men have indeed expired on the floor while the fight raged about them. After no response is received from up the stairs, the group cautiously climbs the stairs. There they find two rooms, one that is evidently the sleeping quarters for the men and the other is a simple office bedroom that doubles as an office. The window in the office is open and apparently Beldrago escaped through it over the rooftops. In the office, you find an unfinished letter, it has no addressee, and the reason for that quickly becomes apparent. The letter details the various forces that Verik has apparently been organizing in Northgate, there are close to a hundred men that he counts as reliable and trained. The intentions for such a force are unclear, but ominous thoughts run through your heads as you read the letter. With Rutter’s keen eyes and instincts alongside Copper’s magical ability, searching the shop turns up the following items: 40 gp from the two men’s pockets
Just FYI, as soon as you get Verik back, you'll all be advancing to 2nd level! Keep your 1st level stats around for the moment in case anything happens while you case the butcher shop, but I wanted to give everyone the heads up so they can get their stats done over the weekend if they want to.
Copper finds some rope that was used for lead lines on the livestock that were led to the slaughter. You bind Verik tightly, he remains stolidly silent, not responding to Jericho’s taunt. Rutter notices that there is a bit of a crowd of curious townsfolk gathered out front, drawn by the sounds of battle, but they are jumpy and give a fair bit of space, especially if they see anyone leaving the shop.
Seeing the halfling drop his defenses as he rises, Verik takes advantage of the opportunity to drive his spear deep into Rutter's side.
Staggering under Senjin's blow, he is dismayed to see Rutter still on his feet. He sees Senjin grow stronger under Neva's ministrations, with Jericho surely to follow soon. When another bolt of magical energy slams into his right arm, it finally breaks his resolve. He throws down his spear and surrenders "No more! Surely whatever the Guard has planned for me is better than dying in this god-forsaken place!"
Verik discards his bow and whips his spear from its sheath on his back. He drives it towards the halfling lying on the floor behind him, yelling "Who's dying now?!?" Attack:
Round 9 Summary:
Rutter runs up the stairs and vaults over the railing to get behind Verik. As he leaps from the stairs, his trailing boot catches the top of the railing and he tumbles ungracefully to the floor.
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Verik sees that the odds are against him, but he believes that more guards wait outside. Seeing his would-be captors wounded, while he himself is untouched, he decides to try to fight his way out. ”Ah Jericho, when will you learn to give up that toy and use a man’s weapon?” He steps back and fires another arrow at Jericho, but this time Jericho sees it coming and the arrow sinks harmlessly into the wall behind him. Attack (-2 for partial cover):
Round 8 Summary:
As Jericho rushes Verik, he is not quite quick enough to avoid the arrow that Verik had at the ready and takes the blow in the shoulder. Attack:
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Baldrago, seeing his sword in the vicious halfling’s hands and his companion at arms fled, decides that this fight is no longer for him. He swings his shield in a wide arc between himself and Jericho, stepping backwards and then fleeing up the stairs and through the door at the top. Verik reaches for another arrow, aiming it briefly at the fleeing Baldrago, but decides it could be put to better use. He levels his drawn bow at Jericho and Rutter, but does not loose yet. He steps backwards and glances towards the front of the shop. Then he responds to Copper's threat "If you had more men, why didn't they help you while you were dying on the floor? And Jericho, why are you with this group of louts? You were always a good hand with the blade and I could use you here."
DM Rolls: P SM
Round 7 Summary:
Attack of Opportunity:
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The man struck by Copper’s last missile, having a barrier between him and the kukri-wielding halfling in front of him, staggers backwards and takes off running towards the front of the shop. Verik yells from the top of the stairs ”Malder get back here! Baldrago, hold the line, or the next arrow goes into your back!” Verik descends the stairs to get a better line of fire and looses an arrow at Senjin. Attack (-4 cover): Baldrago, intimidated by his commander’s threat, turns back towards Senjin and aims a blow at him, digging deep into Senjin's neck, but being stopped by a lucky bit of armor before it could prove immediately fatal. Attack (-2 partial cover):
Round 6 Summary:
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A well-built man wearing the uniform of a Korvosan guardsman appears at the top of the stairs, everyone instantly recognizing him from Jericho’s description as Verik Vancaskerkin, the man they seek. He has a longbow in hand and an arrow knocked, he sights down the shaft at Jericho, but a look of surprise and recognition in his face, he re-directs the arrow at Rutter. However, in his haste, he fails to aim properly and the arrow flies well over Rutter's head. Attack (-4 for soft cover): The two men, emboldened by their commander’s appearance, continue to hold the line at the doorway, hacking away at Jericho and Rutter. Rutter ducks the blow, but the other bites into Jericho's side. Attack:
Round 5 Summary:
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Seeing Parn fall to Jericho’s blade and smarting from Copper’s magical onslaught, the two men fall back. One yells up the stairs: ”Verik! Help us! They’re strong and they’ve got magic!” They both aim blows at Jericho before backing up.
Round 4 Summary: Senjin is rejuvenated by Neva’s healing and moves to defend the priestess against the new arrivals.
The new arrivals are wearing chainmail and wielding longswords and heavy shields. The shields have a crudely drawn cow skull and hammer on them. They might be same men that were up front, but the group didn't get close enough to get a look at their faces when they were casing the joint. However, they certainly have the same rough look as the men that you saw through the window in the front.
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The pair of double doors fly open and two men in armor burst into the room, swords at the ready. Seeing their fallen comrade and Parns's wound, one of them yells back over his shoulder: ”Verik! Karralo’s down!” Parns laughs as Jericho’s attack fails to find purchase in his armor ”Shiver got your sword arm Jericho?” He recklessly swings his hammer hard at Jericho’s head once again.
Round 3 summary:
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The butcher who struck down Senjin seems to be taken by bloodlust. Shaking off Neva and Copper’s attacks, he rushes at Rutter, swinging his blade and screaming ”You’re next runt!”
Parns grunts in pain and yells over his shoulder ”Hurry up! There’s a lot of them!” He swings his warhammer at Jericho, barely missing an opportunity to bash in Jericho's skull, and backs up towards the doors to the north.
Everyone can hear a clash of metal on metal and a raised voice coming from behind the doors to the northeast.
Round 2 summary: Senjin falls to the sword of the butcher, lending more blood to the floor of the killing room.
Round 1 summary and NPC round 2 actions coming soon.
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Jericho:
As Jericho closes with the man, he recognizes him. Jericho knows him by name as a young recruit to the guard named Parn, but hasn't ever spoken with him except in passing. The butcher that Jericho had approached seizes a large hammer from where it lies against the table and swings it at Jericho's head.
The man that Senjin had charged grins at seeing his blow fly wide and draws his sword as he steps toward the Shoanti: "Lemme show you Marines how the real warriors do it..." Attack:
Round 1 summary: The party had expected a couple of butchers plying their trade, but the butchers responded like trained warriors, shaking off Copper's spell and firing crossbows at the party as they entered the room. Senjin took a bolt in the shoulder and charged the man that shot him, but slipped at an inopportune time and his blow went wide. Jericho couldn't move into range to attack either man this round, but moved up next to the other butcher, forcing him to engage in hand to hand combat. Rutter is circling the action, looking for an opening. Neva is taken off-balance by the sudden action, her old skills perhaps dull through disuse. She fires at one of the butchers, but her bolt flies wide. Copper is a bit annoyed that his spell didn't work and moves into a position to bring more of his magical resources to bear.
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