Search Posts
"Do you think we could clean her up? Throw her in a cell, and let the poison work through her? We might be able to get better info out of her once she's no longer needing her fix." "Might be a good idea." Lyla nods in agreement. "And if she starts begging for another fix, we could use that as leverage..."
Lyla fetches herself some breakfast and starts chowing down. "Right--that we can definitely deal with. I mean, between you and Slim, tracking down where the rats went off to ought to be easy." She swallows and purses her lips. "Well, easier. And wait--" She looks over at Ortik. "--think you can maybe do something, too? Like, talk to the rats or something?"
The night passes as the party returns to Zellara's home to rest...
The smell that awakens most of the party is the same one that hangs over the rest of the city--rot and filth. Curiously, Zellara's home is untouched by the plague spreading so quickly through the streets. When Lyla rolls out of bed, with extracts prepared, she rests her hands on the kitchen table and clears her throat. "Right--lots of things to get done today. That rat-guy ran off with a bunch of silvers we were sent to collect. That, and there's still the shipwreck at the bottom of the harbour that we need to investigate, and who knows what else is going to happen before we get there. So, Chief--" She turns to Demitri and taps her foot. "--where to first?"
As if in response to the judge, a sharp *yawn* comes from Lyla's mouth. "She's got a point, ya know--can't we look for some trace of the rat guy in the morning?" The halfling says while rubbing her eyes.
Lyla groans. "Brilliant. Just brilliant, really." She starts running after Ortik, stopping short and pulling out a bomb filled with green fluid. "Here goes nothing..." She aims it and throws!
It manages to hit the wererat in the leg, exploding in a sticky green mess!
Althea folds her hands as she listens to Demitri's explanation. Lyla looks up at her and nods. "I mean, it's the least we can do for the kid. You wouldn't believe what we had to do to get all his parts back."
Lyla leads the party off the streets of Korvosa and up into the Shingles of Midland. "Right this way, folks. Watch where ya step." She leads the way across the boardwalks and bridges of the Shingles, the wind blowing through the high and cramped alleyways and across the weathered rooftops. The occasional cackle of a stray imp follows the party on the breeze, and the wind sometimes picks up into a squall that rattles the rope bridges the party uses to get around, but otherwise the trip is largely uneventful. Althea's home comes into view around a corner, across several rickety planks. The front door is closed and signs of activity can be seen through the front window--there appears to be a small family inside. "Well, here we are. Welcome to Althea's, where the cure for what ails you is in good supply." Lyla skips over to the door. "After you, Chief?"
This spell repairs damaged objects, restoring 1d4 hit points to the object. If the object has the broken condition, this condition is removed if the object is restored to at least half its original hit points. All of the pieces of an object must be present for this spell to function. Magic items can be repaired by this spell, but you must have a caster level equal to or higher than that of the object. Magic items that are destroyed (at 0 hit points or less) can be repaired with this spell, but this spell does not restore their magic abilities. This spell does not affect creatures (including constructs). This spell has no effect on objects that have been warped or otherwise transmuted, but it can still repair damage done to such items.
"You're right. But do you know anyone that can stitch the body up back together? Because I do not." Lyla puts her hands on her hips. "Well, if we're not pressed for time, I could take a crack at stitching his parts back together." She eyes the sack containing Gaekhen's parts. "That being said, if we are on the clock, we might be able to get away with putting him in a good-sized box and hoping Thousand-Bones doesn't ask too many questions..." Her eyes light up. "...or we could swing by Althea's!" She starts pacing. "Sure, she's getting up there in years, but her needlework should still be as sure as ever! Mixing cures isn't the only thing she taught me how to do."
The party departs from the warrens beneath the Grey District. The sudden influx of fresh air and sunlight is a well-earned relief, chasing away the reek of death, decay and viscera. The walk out of the district happens without incident. As the party is walking back to Citadel Volshyenek, Lyla walks next to Demitri. "Uh, hey, Chief... I'm just throwing this out there, but do you think Thousand-Bones would appreciate us just walking up to him with a sackful of his grandson's body parts and just handing it off to him? I don't think he will..."
Nadia nods. "I don't know why anyone would want to hurt her..." "Yeah, it's a mystery for the ages." Lyla shrugs. "Now, I like the idea of laying low for a few days--give folks time to adjust to Trinia going up in smoke, so to speak. I imagine Kroft's going to hear of this soon enough..." Trinia pales a little. "'Going up in smoke'? Uh... do I even want to know what happened?"
Demitri & Nalun's Perception:
Everything seems to be going well... nobody seems to be paying attention to you. Yet. 'Trinia' looks up in time to see the disguised party raising their blades and spells. Her face pales and her eyes fill with fear. She takes off running from the alley, but the commotion raised by the team finally catches the attention of the milling crowd. The guard patrol realizes what's happening and begins to move to apprehend 'Trinia', but the crowd forms a nigh-impenetrable circle around her, calling for her blood. Chanting cries of "KILL THE B%$~&!" and "MAKE THE KINGSLAYER SUFFER!" (among other, more colourful things) fill the air as the party closes in on her. From within the crowd, Lyla smirks. Perfect. Now, time for the big finish... 'Trinia's' eyes dart about, searching for a way out. The only way out is where the party is standing. She looks up and to the crowd, as if to plead for her life. And that's when 'Toff Ornelos' (that is, Ortik's) spell finishes. His eyes glow red... and two red beams strike 'Trinia' squarely in the back. She only has time for one final scream of terror and pain before her body is reduced to ashes. The crowd immediately stops with its howling... GM Rolls:
...and several of them begin backing away from the party, out of fear. "By the gods..." "That... that power!" "Let us through! LET US THROUGH!" The crowd is beginning to break apart. The guard patrol finally reaches the scene when Ortik steps forward, his magic conjuring forth a dense mist. The cloud covers the gruesome sight! "Right. Time to go." Lyla says to herself as she puts Zellara's deck back in her pocket.
Demitri's efforts improve Karri's disguise... somewhat. It appears her natural presence refuses to be suppressed so easily. The townsfolk of North Point continue as they always have--hustling and running about, focusing on completing their own errands and remaining ignorant of the affairs of the people around them. Nalun's, Demitri's and Ortik's disguises all hold up well--nobody accosts them, directs unwarranted praise their way, or so much as gives them a second glance. Even Karri's poor disguise goes unquestioned. Lyla cringes when she sees the team in their disguises from her hiding spot. "Oh boy... well, here goes nothing..." She slips the Harrow deck from her pocket and draws a card. She focuses on the card, thinking of Trinia... her frightened, disheveled face, the pounding of her footsteps across the rooftops... the raw, utter fear in her eyes... all these things were necessary to complete the effect. GM Rolls:
The sound of running feet near the party draws their attention... in the alley marked by the arrow, Trinia (or at least someone who looks like her) can be seen resting her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
Lyla sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Then I'll have to think of something later. Right now, this is the best plan I've got--and I'd rather have a good plan today than a great plan tomorrow." "And I figured you'd pass up the bounty money anyway..." She shrugs. "Anyway, if you need to get disguises together, go for it. Just light the arrow up when you're ready to start--I'll hide in the crowd and handle the rest." She points to the arrow Nalun stuck in the alley wall above the party. With that, Lyla turns and disappears into a nearby crowd.
Lyla stops and listens to Karri and Ortik, her enthusiasm dampening somewhat. Hearing Ortik's plan, she looks around some more. "Well... I'm not banking on Blackjack showing up to save the day--and having Trinia be disintegrated sounds like a stretch..."
Lyla's eyes widen as if she's had an epiphany. "Although... son-of-a--why didn't I think of this before?! I do know of a wizard powerful enough to pull that trick off." She puts Zellara's deck back in her pocket and looks at Karri. "Sunshine, you know about the Acadamae, right? Well, get this--the headmaster, Toff Ornelos, is a really powerful mage--perhaps one of the best in Varisia, if not the rest of the world. He'd be able to disintegrate someone with a sneeze." She sniffs and rubs her nose. "So if you guys want to get your hands on some disguises to pull this off, I'd say we've got time. And NOBODY would question someone as powerful as the headmaster of the Acadamae--not even the Hellknights would be that suicidal." Lyla grins. "I like the sound of that plan." "Well, as long as you don't mind the bounty money going to House Ornelos."
Lyla eyes the arrow, looking between it and Demitri before nodding. "Alright. I think that'll work--once I get into position, I--" She pauses, looking around the square. The sounds of marching footsteps approach, coming down Northgate Avenue--they come from an approaching patrol of Korvosan Guardsmen. Lyla smirks. "Alright. Thanks, boss. Okay, as I was saying, I'll hide in a crowd and get ready to conjure up 'Trinia'. Think you can stick that arrow above an alley, or something? I'll have her run from there, with you guys in hot pursuit." She starts looking around Jeggare Circle again, searching for a sizable crowd to hide herself in.
With a plan made, the party sets out for North Point. Lyla's hands keep diving for her pockets, trying to reassure herself that she didn't forget the key component of the plan--Zellara's Harrow Deck. Townsfolk give the party a few smiles and nods of acknowledgement as they move along. No one seems inclined to get in their way today. Once the party reaches Jeggare Circle, Lyla stops and looks back at the others. "Alright--anybody have a way of letting me know when to kick things off?"
The night falls...
It's a cloudy day today--no rain, but the sun is hard-pressed to shine through the clouds. It shouldn't be difficult to find a good spot to fake Trinia's death. Once Lyla's up and out of bed (after sleeping in, as she usually does), she wanders downstairs, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "I've got an idea for a spot where we can do this--Sunshine, ya remember when we swung by that goldsmith shop? Bluetide's something-or-other?" Lyla turns to Karri. "Well, here's where I think we should try." She hops onto a chair. "Jeggare Circle, in North Point. It's close to the entrance to the city, so it'll look like we managed to catch her before she skipped town, AND it's close to several shops, taverns and such. Meaning there'll be lots of witnesses." She starts rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "I've thought about using Endrin Square--or 'Otyugh Square', as I think someone's gonna call it someday--but I think there'll be too much work fixing the place going on to really be effective. Plus, last I checked the Sable Company's getting involved in overseeing the rebuilding efforts, and I doubt hippogriff riders will do anything to help our plan out." Perhaps it's for the best that Trinia isn't awake to hear this.
Lyla hops up on a chair and pulls out Zellara's deck. "Right! Now that we've got the plan settled, all that's left is the location. Let's find as large a gathering of people as we can--the more witnesses we've got, the more likely Ileosa'll buy it. Now to think of a good spot..." |
