Allarion scratches his head. "I too know of no enemies save this Lamm. Let us go in. At least our curiosity will be fed." Allarion draws his short sword, readies himself and steps into the building.
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The door was ajar so when pushed it opens all the way.
The cozy chamber within this small home is filled
with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice.
The haze comes from several sticks of incense
smouldering in wall-mounted burners that look
like butterfly-winged elves. The smoke itself seems
to soften edges and gives the room a dream-like feel.
The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries,
one showing a black-skulled beast juggling
men’s hearts, 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, a flaming sword held 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 throwcloth and several elegant tall-backed chairs. A
basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table.
You see a note on the table.
Thank you for coming. I
had to step out for a
bit, but shall return
shortly. Please, have a
seat while you wait. The
basket under the table
contains bread and drink
for you.
"For a trap this is quite odd... almost innocent. And the mythological decorations are a strange touch".
Andreas examines the tapestries, rubbing his chin with gloved fingers.
Then he looks around the room and mutters "Aperite strigona" while crossing his left hand fingers in a complicated pattern.
Thelix, learning of the notes contents, takes the seat facing the door, and begins a brief blessing of the food before all set down to eat.
"This food seems good" Thelix States. "I am Thelix Moody, chosen of The Lord of Iron". "It is unfortunate that so many have been wronged by Lamm, but I am glad we have been able to gather to perhaps right these wrongs".
"With whom do I share this meal"?
"I am Inros Har. Lamm kidnapped Tara, my cousin, and I will do whatever it takes to get her back."
I eye the food a bit suspiciously, but I am hungry. I was so nervous and excited after reading the note in my room that I skipped evening meal. After seeing Thelix eat, I decide to take a bit of bread from the basket. And some more. And pour a glass of wine.
"And after Tara is safe, I will destroy Lamm!"
Allarion takes his turn. "My name is Allarion. Lamm had my wife killed, for what reason I do not know. I aim to see him to justice." Finishing this, Allarion takes a portion of food and begins to eat and drink.
Berel moved over to the self-proclaimed "chosen", and offered a hand in greeting. "My name is Berel Zanderholm, and it is a good thing others have committed to seeing this man stopped."
The exotic woman who has been completely silent until now, responds to the question with, "I am Sun Fei and I too seek revenge on Lamm."
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"For a trap this is quite odd... almost innocent. And the mythological decorations are a strange touch".
Andreas examines the tapestries, rubbing his chin with gloved fingers.
** spoiler omitted **Then he looks around the room and mutters "Aperite strigona" while crossing his left hand fingers in a complicated pattern.
For Andreas
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Around the wooden table are the several elegant tall backed chairs, seven to be exact. It is quiet except for the small chatter from persons in the room. The door is still open and a nice breeze is blowing though making all of you a little more comfortable. The food is nourishing and quite tasty which also helps calm your nerves at this strange meeting. After some time has gone by a lady steps through the door quietly and says Good you are all here, I was a little worried that not all of you would come. “Thank you for coming, my friends, and for putting up with
my unconventional method of contacting you. I have reason to
remain hidden, you see—a terrible man would see great harm
done to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. This is a man
you know, for he has done something terrible to each of you as
well. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man whose cruelty
and capacity to destroy the lives of those he touches are matched
only by his gift for avoiding reprisal. You see, a year ago, his thieves
stole this, my Harrow deck, from me. It is important to me, an
heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my
sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it, my son, Eran,
tracked them down. The thieves were in the employ of Gaedren
Lamm, and in reward for finding them, Gaedren murdered my son.
“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 Gaedren dwells. He can be found in an old fishery
north of here at Westpier 17, where he trains his abducted
children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures.
“And now, I need your help. I cannot hope to face this man
on my own, and the Guard moves so slowly that if I were to go
to them, Gaedren would certainly know of their coming well in
advance. Even if they did arrest him—what guarantee would I
have he would be punished? This criminal has evaded the law for
decades. But you know of these frustrations as well, for word on
the street has it that Gaedren has wronged each of you, too. So
there we are. It is time for him to pay.”
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Thelix, learning of the notes contents, takes the seat facing the door, and begins a brief blessing of the food before all set down to eat. ** spoiler omitted **. He then takes a moment to consider the tapestries;
** spoiler omitted **
"This food seems good" Thelix States. "I am Thelix Moody, chosen of The Lord of Iron". "It is unfortunate that so many have been wronged by Lamm, but I am glad we have been able to gather to perhaps right these wrongs".
"With whom do I share this meal"?
For Thelix
Overly excited at getting this close to Lamm, I ask our host, "Did you find out who any of the children are? Was Tara there?"
for Zoom:
Fool, as if she would know such specifics, I think to myself...
Calming down a little, I continue, "What are we waiting for? This looks to be a capable lot. Do you know if he has any fighting men at this place, or just the poor children?"
Thelix listens to the womans statement without comment. When she finally stops to take a breath, he puts down his goblet of water and scrutinizes the woman. How is she dressed, does she look well fed, can he trust her.
"Well first things first". "Who exactly are you"? "And how did you find us"? "And for that matter how do you even know who we are"? "Not to be rude or anything".
Berel nodded. "Well, in either case, Lamm is a coward at heart, as far as i could tell. He would not gather so many people who wish to see him out of business at the least. Picking them off one by one... sure."
He pursed his lips for a moment. Was there anything strange with the womans story? He almost felt as if there was, but... it was just a fluke, probably.
"Greeting to you and to our mysterious benefactor... I wonder if I could ask how you knew of us all. I indeed hate Lamm, I am Andreas Skie, wizard and hunter of devils". I have the trader card, so I guess there is an alliance coming... if you have a plan which would involve Lamm's slow and meticulous skinning". He sits down and pours some wine.
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Oh I am sorry, I forgot to introduce myself silly me. I am so focused on getting Lamm taken care of I forgot my manners. My name is Zellara. Please sit everyone and I will answer your questions. She waits till everyone is seated and then begins. Master Inros, I was not there long enough to find out who the children were but there are a bunch of them there so your Tara might be one of them. Lamm does have some help but I am not sure to what extent. Master Thelix, has I said my name is Zellara, I am a fortune teller using these harrow cards Zellara pulls out a deck of cards similar to the ones you each recieved and begins to shuffle them as she keeps talking. You can easily see the skill she has with the cards as she moves them around in her hands like a magician. I used the cards to find you all, I knew there had to be others like me who wanted Lamm to pay for what he has done. All the cards did was pointed out who he has hurt and who might be interested on seeing justice done. I really did not know if any of you would show up or not. Master Hal, as far as I am aware Lamm is to busy to know about us and he thinks I am dead so he would not be looking for me. You are the first that I have contacted to take care of this business.
So here is the group to take down Lamm: She points to each of you as she moves around the table and asks for each of your cards back at the same time. A warrior, Inros, the cricket. A sword mistress, Sun Fei, the dancer. A holy man of nature, Allarion, the theater. A man of the arcane, Andreas, the foreign trader. The sneak, Hal, the peacock. The knight, Berel, the paladin. And the holy man of iron, Thelix, the owl. I welcome all of you on this quest to seek justice! Be at peace you are almost at its end. If you have no futher questions I will give you all a harrow reading to guide you on your way, free of charge of course.
I turn to Sun Fei, "Lady, what has Lamm done to you that you seek revenge?"
And to Zellara, "You certainly have found a group that has a shared goal. If the readings help us with Lamm, then let us found out what the cards have to say!"
Berel smiled. "It would be a pleasure." He nodded to the woman. She seemed quite sincere in her plea... and it was all for the good cause. So there was not much else to say.
"Harrow, I would have never expected that small Varisian art had so much reach... All right, lady, consult the fates and let us make our own."
Thelix, knowing how fickle fate can be, trusts in his faith in Gorum and reaches for the last card drawn. "Lets see what fate has in store?.
OOC: (Draws Number 9)
I turn to Sun Fei, "Lady, what has Lamm done to you that you seek revenge?"
"I, uh, he.. rather I have seen too many of his poisons drowning the youth of Korvosa. The drugs he sells to children, hooking them young, is despicable. I will see him and his operation taken down." says the woman. She is obviously not telling the whole truth, though there is conviction in her words.
Allarion sits, broodingly, still muttering to himself. He draws card #3.
Berels hand hovered over the cards for a moment before he finally decided on one of them, taking the last card still present from the spread. "Lamm, like any living creature, deserves a chance. In his case, one at the point of a knife. If he throws that away... well, then he can only hope for some gods mercy. He is a vile, despicable man."
Inros decides to take the fifth card, the middle card.
Berels hand hovered over the cards for a moment before he finally decided on one of them, taking the last card still present from the spread. "Lamm, like any living creature, deserves a chance. In his case, one at the point of a knife. If he throws that away... well, then he can only hope for some gods mercy. He is a vile, despicable man.""Lamm deserves a chance? He has spent a lifetime spreading misery and death. Why would you want to give him another opportunity to escape again? What more convincing would you need that he warrants death."
"He is correct. Does the cat give the mouse a second chance before it strikes? Does the ratcatcher pity the rat? We must strike, and be hard as the stone of the city, and make certain that this Lamm pays his price for his evils."
Andreas takes the first card with his black-gloved hand, saying quietly... "I hope there is no Acadamae trick in this sorcerous enterprise, though Lamm would probably cower at the notion of a mage".
Berel nodded "We will. I am not speaking of letting him get away with anything. It will cost him his life - but i would rather see him working to heal some of the damage he has done than just to see him dead."
His hand still on "his" card, he added "Not that i expect him to understand this... or be too interested in it."
Sun Fei reluctantly picks the 4th card.
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Zellara sees the first card flipped over and says Ahh the Crows She looks at Andreas and then begins to tell him about the card. The Crows are a dangerous bunch who indicate violence, taking that which is loved. They indicate murder and thief. So this card indicates you are in some way connected to a murder and you lost something because of it.
She then looks at the second card drawn and looks at Hal. Your card is the Cricket, it represents speed and quick passage. It seems you have been travelling for a long time, not staying in one place to long but you see the peach next to the Cricket on the card here represents treasure so when your journey is done you should find riches at its end.
She moves to the next card from the choosing. Your card master Allarion is the Avalanche, it means disaster, unthinking, unreasoning thing that overruns all who get in the way. You seem to have been walking in a disaster most likely due to what Lamm has done to you recently, you have a chance to overcome this but its going to be real hard on you.
She smiles next to Sun Fei and says You card is the Demon’s Lantern, this card deals with traps and tricks, sleight of hand and sleight of mind. You were tricked into a trap of the mind by Lamm and are just now surfacing but you could easily fall into the trap again if you are not careful.
The next person in line at the table is Inros who she addresses next. You my friend have picked the locksmith, it deals with keys of course and being able to unlock you destiny. It grants you the tools to access a new location, clue or treasure. It does not grant you the insight into how or where to use the tools though. And you might think that you have found the treasure but that just might be another clue into where you must go.
She carefully looks over the next card taking an extra moment to gather her thoughts. Master Berel your card is the Rabbit Prince, he is battle personified and nothing if not capricious. This card also represents younger members of royalty or other powerful households. You must fight to overcome what is troubling you but be ready because any combatant can fall in battle, no matter how brave or skilled.
And last but not least is Master Thelix who has chosen the Juggler which represents fate, the gods, or those who play with the lives and destinies of others. If you can keep the rhythm and juggle all that is around you may have the chance to play a key role in the upcoming events. You past will help motivate you and point you in the right directions but you must keep the rhythm.
Zellara takes all the cards back and shuffles them together again. she lays them out and begins to say.....
Inros looks reflective as the seer's words sink in. "The cards affirm what we must do. We must destroy Lamm. It is his fate and our destiny."
"Madam Zellara, what else do the cards have to tell us?"
Thelix, all to familiar with chance, and with the Harrow for that matter, takes time to remember the card associated with each of these people thrown together by fate. "I've been juggling things to stay on top all my life". "I wouldn't know how to live any other way". "Proceed Old one", Thelix says with a grim smile, "I'd know what else the lord of Iron has in store for me".
"Cards or no cards, I know my destiny: it's killing Lamm. He must pay in blood for what he's done, no question. I take no pleasure in it, but it must be done. If you have information for me, woman, give it over. Else I have hunting to get back to." Allarion glares around the room.
"We will see. Either way and any way, we have to pay a visit to him." Berel replied, trying to cut down on the knife-carving while at the same time retaining the focus of the group. Each had his own reasons for wanting to bring Lamm down, and getting too close now might be more conductive to infighting than anything else.
After their revenge... when they were less under steam, they might be more accessible.
Sun Fei simply nods when she hears the old woman's Harrow reading. The Harrow deck had provided her with insight in the past, and the truth of the cards has convinced Sun of the veracity of the old woman's words. She waits patiently as the others speak, hoping to hear more from the Harrow reader.
"This meeting is the closest I have come to finding Lamm. I have never seen him, and only have heard vague descriptions. As for how best to confront him, I have to rely on those of this group that have direct experience with him"
"Same here." replies Sun in responce to Inros' statement.
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"The card you left at my home was a peacock. What does that signify?"
Zellara smiles at Hal and states,
It signifies a sudden personel shift in attitude or social change. She then shuffles the cards some more and then lays out the spread before all of you. 3 columns and 3 rows, 9 cards total. And then she begins to read over the cards making sounds and tapping the table under each card as she tries to gleam all she can from the read.The first column is all of your pasts combined, the first here is the Avalanche which we already know brings disaster to all. Each of you have in some manner had this happen to you. The next card is the Tyrant, and we all know who this is, he brought all of you here today. And the next card here is the Beating, the tyrant has hurt you mentally and physically. The next column is the present and the first card is the Vision, which says to me you will encounter a crazy person soon but you will be indecisive as a person or group wavers between very different options, its sorta unclear the meaning between the two as your card here is the Twin. The last card in this column is the Midwife, she see that all of you can see the good in even the worst situations and might even inspire much joy.
The very last column is the future and all the cards together talk of unrest and violence in the streets and that you are fated to become heroes of Korsova. The first card here is the Courtesan, she deals with political intrigue and she is a women in power who shapes events. It does not say if she is helpful or not. The next is the Lair, new relationships begining although disguised as something much less beautiful. And the last is the Rabbit Prince who is battle personified. You all have much to do in the days to come and I feel after this reading Korsova is going to need you even after you take care of Lamm, he is just the first step to all of your personal healing.
"I gotta say...I like that Lamm is our 'first step.' Do we begin tonight? Where is he?"