You easily climb the building's side. There's a smaller, shack-like hovel built atop the building proper, as there are so many in the Shingles, although everything else looks normal.
As Kroft had said, most of Midland has been overrun by the citizens of Korvosa who are on the look out for Trinia Sabor. The address which you were given is near the center of the masses, but you make your way through the crowds easily enough. It's an unremarkable building; two stories, and relatively thin fit in between other buildings around it. What do you do?
Apologies; I'm going to try to get back on schedule.
"You will be well-rewarded in gold if you successfully complete your mission, and there may be a future in a career as adventurers for the Guard, if you'd be interested."
"Excellent! You've doubtless heard the stories that the king's killer has been named. Yet there's something more going on here, I'm afraid. Queen Ileosa could have quietly had this killer, Trinia Sabor, arrested at any time, yet the way in which she revealed the information to the city seems to me like she wants the riots to come back. Certainly, with the mob and the Hellknights out on the street, the girl doesn't stand a chance at a trial-they'll lynch her the moment they find her. And even if she did kill the king, mob justice isn't the way. Worse, if she's innocent, the real killer can use this distraction to throw us off the trail forever.
"Before Trinia is executed, we need to be absolutely sure she did this thing. And that means we need to catch her before the mob. We know where she lives-a flat in Midland at 42 Moon Street-but soon, so will hte mob. The Hellknights don't seem to care as much about catching her as they do about containing the mob-something about the "order of law" makes it a greater priority for them to contain than a possible assassin. I can't say I disagree completely, but the problem is, the Hellknights are only making it worse. The mob's covering half of Midland now, and Trinia's flat is near the middle of the mess. I've got all available guards at work keeping things from getting any worse-and if I were to send them into Midland, they'd trigger a riot.
"I'm sure you can see where this is going. I need you to get into Midland, find Trinia, and bring her back to me so we can deliver her, safe and sound, to somewhere where she can be interrogated-preferably with magic, so we can be absolutely sure about her role in Eodred's death. Get in there, catch her, and get out without letting the mob get its hands on her. I'll have agents and officers nearby. If you can get her to one of them, we'll be in the clear. Any questions?"
The group of guards lead you out of the castle, down the staircases built into its side, and through the chaotic streets of Korvosa. Citadel Volshyenek is located in Midland, about a 45 minute walk away. As you arrive at the majestic building's gates its two guards nod in apparent recognition and open the doors. Your guides remain outside as the gates close behind you.
After a minute or two, a woman who you immediately recognize as Field Marshal Cressida Kroft comes down the staircase.
"Ah yes-you are the ones sent by Queen Ileosa. Greetings-my name is Cressida, and heroes of your caliber are exactly what Korvosa needs now. You've been on the streets. You know better than me how mad things are out there. It's breaking my heart to see Korvosa tear herself apart like this... the fire, the riots, everything! Every little bit of aid we can get from upstanding citizens like you helps. If you're willing, I'd very much like to retain your services as agents of the Guard. I don't need to say, of course, that you'll be well compensated for these services."
As Liandra walks closer to the queen, you see that Sabina's hands are on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
The queen slowly takes the brooch from Liandra's hands at appraises it briefly before speaking, "This brooch was stolen from me some time ago-I had not expected to see it again, truth be told. And yet, here on my darkest day, you come before me with kindness. The return of the brooch is a much more than honorable deed. It is inspiration. It is hope.
"I love Korvosa, as my husband did before me. His death has shocked the city as it has me, but I will not see his legacy destroyed in death, and I shall not see my city torn apart. All Korvosa stands at the precipice of of a disaster wrought by her citizens-these riots cannot continue. You have already done my heart a great service in returning this bauble to me on this dark day, and you shall be rewarded. Yet, perhaps you can serve your city more.
"If you s choose, I shall have Sabina see to it that you have an escort of guards when you leave here-they can see to your safe journey to Citadel Volshyenek..."
(the main fortress of the Korvosan Guard)
"... I shall send word ahead of you to Field Marshal Cressida Kroft to let her know you are on the way-the Korvosan Guard is stretched thin, and it can certainly use the aid of heroes such as yourself. Now, I need to retire to my personal quarters-my grief has drained me. Again, I thank you for the kindness you have shown me, and I hope your days of serving the crown are only just beginning."
The queen stands and leaves through a side door in the room.
Sabina walks over towards the door opposite the one through which you entered and leads you through it down a short but twisting hallway to stop before a set of grandly decorated double doors.
"Her Majesty is just through here." Sabina pushes the doors open and steps through.
Queen Ileosa Arabasti sits upon the aptly-named Crimson Throne at the far end of this amazing room. She is a vision of celestial beauty despite the black mourning veil she is wearing.
Sabina gestures to each of you in turn, "My lady, may I present to you Liandra Nightwind; Goburn, Son of Ogrun, the Rotund Ranger of Redcave; Vexiana; Algret Durthane, Priestess of Torag; and Skazzgrakk Stormborn, last of the Six Bears tribe. It seems that they have something for you."
KNOWLEDGE:(Let's just say that you all know this). Sabina Merrin is the Queen's handmaiden and bodyguard. She was trained by the famed weapons master Vencarlo Orisini, but she left his school after a bitter duel with her former master. Over the past four years, she quickly gained higher ranks in the Korvosan Guard until reaching her current position.
IN-GAME: Sabina mutters something under her breath which you can't quite hear before saying aloud, "Excellent. How would you wish to be introduced to Her Majesty Queen Ileosa Arabasti?"
ALGRET:
Spoiler:
You detect no nearby creatures other than your group, Sabina, and two people on the landing right outside.
You enter into a small, brightly-lit room. A human women dressed in full-plate armor and with a large sword hanging from her belt welcomes you, "Greetings. They tell me you've something that belongs to the queen. Is this correct?"
I assume that Skazz and Goburn have left their weapons.
"Excellent. Follow me, please."
The guard leads you up to the top of the pyramid staircase, and then turns to to lead you around the stairs which surround the castle's exterior. The stairs alongside the magnificent building lead up three flights before ending at a door.
The guard nods to you as he pushes the door open, "Madame Merrin, Her Majesty's bodyguard, shall lead you the remainder of the way."
Then you can go right ahead and create another profile if you'd like; maybe a name like "Algret Durthane, Priestess of Torag". You can just copy Algret's previous profile page and use the stats.
That being said, Corvin might kind of come and go as a DMPC. Algret should definitely stay, although she can be either a DMPC or a second character of a player, if anyone would be interested in that.
"Huh. Well then, I can't let you pass. Her Majesty has been under much stress lately and has requested that anyone without known business be kept out of the castle."
Queen Ileosa Arabasti is often whispered of, in shadows, as having ascended the throne for profit and power, and with little love for the city of Korvosa. She has publicly detested the city and its "lowly commoner inhabitants".
You can make your way to Castle Korvosa easily enough. The immense structure amazes you everytime; the sheer nobility and wealth of its design is staggering. The entire building sits upon a pyramid, built long ago by the Shoanti who lived here before Korvosa was founded. Although this lower structure is obviously older than the rest of the city, it has been well maintained over the years.
A group of ten or so guards stands at the bottom of the long staircase which provides the only easy way up the pyramid section to the castle itself. They are holding at bay a mob of forty or so people, mostly unarmed citizens, but you can't make out what any of the group are yelling.
"My goal is to defend Korvosa, and after how you took care of the goblins I think that you can probably do much more, especially in this time of sorrow. Perhaps you could try tracking down the king's killer, if that rumor is true; I would certainly wish to assist you in that task.
"As for how I can help, I am not yet entirely sure of my own new powers. I believe that I can identify magical items a few times a day, and I can manifest as I am now, but I know little else. I can certainly give you advice, but only when I create this image; at other times empathy is my only form of communication."
Zellara's eyes flash at Vex in anger, "You really don't understand, do you? My spirit cannot be put to rest unless the Harrow Deck of Many Things is formed.
"As for what happened last night... I have told you all that I know. I wasn't really, you know, alive when it happened, so all I know is that which I have seen through Skazzgrakk and what I had spoken of earlier in my Harrowing."
"Well... not exactly. My spirit is contained within the Harrow deck; what you see and hear now is an illusory manifestation, one of the many powers which my spirit has granted the cards. What you see is not a ghost but an illusion; my real spirit resides within the cards."
Zellara-or what was Zellara-moves and sits at the table with the rest of you. She draws a deck of Harrow cards out from a small pocket and begins to expertly shuffle them; the cards once again dance across the table as if by magic.
SKAZZ
Spoiler:
Suddenly, you notice that the Harrow deck has disappeared from your pouch.
A copy of Zellara's original story for Vex, or anyone else, to see
Spoiler:
“Why, Liandra, we all share a common enemy. The group of goblins which I have found stole my Harrow deck, an heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and which is also my sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it—I knew not at the time that they were goblins—my son, Eran, tracked them down. The goblins were in the employ of a cleric of Lamashtu, goddess of monsters, and in reward for finding them, this cleric murdered Eran.
“I sought help from the Guard, but they turned me away. And so I asked around. I paid bribes. I consulted my Harrow deck for advice. And recently, I was rewarded—I found out where the goblins dwell. They can be found in an old fishery north of here at Westpier 17, where the little devils count their stolen treasure.
“And now, I need your help. I cannot hope to face the goblins on my own, for I am growing older now and never was a warrior even in my youth, and the Guard moves so slowly that if I were to go to them, the goblins would certainly know of their coming well in advance… and these crooked monsters have evaded the Guard for generations of their lives. Buy you know of these frustrations as well, for I have heard that goblins have harmed each of you, too. So there we are. It is time for them to pay. What do you think?”
EVERYONE: Zellara begins to speak; her voice almost a whisper, "I didn't simply try to find out what had happened to my son, and when I found out about the goblins I myself went to the old fishery to try and recover my son's body; but I failed. I found a secret opening in the ship outside the building, and I went through a secret passage, but the goblins had seen me. As I entered into a hidden underground room, I felt an axe collide into my chest; I survived for only seconds.
"But it seems that, just as I lived by it, I also died by my Harrow deck. Being so near to it, my spirit sought out its familiar presence and I became, in some ways, a part of it. Does that make any sense to you?"
"My apologies; I assumed that if you knew you would not aid me. Provided you don't foolishly attempt to destroy me, I can explain everything. Please, sit."
For those of you who haven't seen it on the discussion page, Preston (Algret) has had a lot of trouble in Real Life recently and needs to refocus a little.
Yep; it seems like he's dissapeared from time to time. I plan to remove Corvin from the primary party (so he's backup if his player comes back) soon, but there hasn't been a good opening yet.
