Ayedah had kept a worried eye on Alandra, desperately trying to think of what she should do. She understood the girl's need for vengeance after what Verik had done to her, but it was how Alandra would take it that worried her. Part of her wanted to take the matter out of Alandra's hands, another demanded that she be allowed to face this on her own as a Shoanti.
It was that dilemma along with her fears for Sozite that drove her to take Gern up on his words. "I would speak with him before it is too late." She suspected that he would have nothing to offer her that she didn't know already, but she had to be certain. She wished Zalen was still there. She could confide her worries in him, at least.
She stepped forward to drag the man out of the crate.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Verrick was still out cold when they removed him from the confines of the crate he had been stuffed into. He looked none too healthy, truly. His face had taken on a strange hue, and his breathing was low, subdued even.
The twilight of the fishery was all too apt for any kind of dark dealings. As Alandra florished her newest acquisition, he stirred just slightly.
Alandra:
Alandra looked at the other three. "Do you want to ask him anything? My Lady is waiting."
Alandra knelt down next to the helpless Verik. "Do you remember me Verik?" she whispered softly to him in Common, then paused. "I was just a small girl. No matter, it is time to meet my Lady of Graves." Then in Infernal she hissed "To Hell you are going!"
She tried to slit his throat but at the last second Verik squirmed, and in her excitement Alandra botched it.
Coup de grace attempt: 2d4+2=4
Second coup de grace attempt: 2d4+2=7
DM:
"Aye then, tis a done thing." He places a hand on Alandra's shoulder and gently steers her away from the body. "Time te let it go now Lass, and focus on what's comin'"
Turning to Ayedah he sighs and frowns deeply, saddened that she couldn't find more about her missing friend "We'll get to her lass, dinnae fear that. It just be takin' a might longer than you was hopin' for is all. Patience is what's needed"
Lastly he looks up at Krek, "Let's get rid o' this 'ere piece of meat afore it starts te reak the place up. Ifn' I recall, there was a big ol' Jigsaw shark in tha river nearby. Might be it's got hungry since it's regular source 'o food has gone. Into tha drink with him."
Alandra's performance was about what Krek expected, though he wondered if she'd muttered a curse upon the man at the last minute.
Agreeing with Gern, Krek helped him heave the body into the water.
The execution, bothched as it was, went on without any disturbance anyway, with Verrik not being able to put up any more fight despite his life ending.
Zalen returned from his scouting mission without any danger or other problems. He had found the slaughterhouse abandoned, hastily plundered and left without bothering to lock the doors behind them. The other deserters had to have felt their chances without their leader were all too good.
Gern thumped the wall in frustration at Zalen's report "Damnable cowards!" he ground out between clenched teeth. He took a few moments to control his temper before turning to the young rogue.
"Did ye' get a chance to fully check tha place Zalen?" he asked, his voice slowly taking on the calmer tones he was using back in his Uncles house. "Mayhap the drogny left somethin' useful behind in their hurry. Soemtimes even tha simplest slips o' paper can prove a boon to someone as knows what they're lookin' fer"
Ayedah only quietly said "I know..." when Gern tried to comfort her, but it wasn't just thoughts of Sozite that were bothering her. She approached Alandra and hesitantly placed a hnad on her shoulder. Killing Verik had been a slow and ugly thing, just as she feared. She wanted to believe it was Alandra being unskilled in killing that had made it so, but the shadow of doubt and the echoes of Alandra's confessed fears still weighed on her mind. "It's over, Alandra." she offered. She didn't know what else to say.
When Zalen reported his findings, she cursed. "Damn! Will we have this night hanging around our necks forever then? Or can Kroft clear our names with the Guard?" She had hoped that turning in the remainder of Verik's men would have taken care of that problem.
"It's over, Alandra."
"Yeah, it is." Alandra says in an uncharacteristically subdued tone, wiping the blood off her new knife and hands. "I made a big mess. But that's another one gone from my list."
Then she says. "Gern is right, we should go search that butcher shop."
The old fishery's shadows remained deep, and the sound of the rivers pushing against the foundations of the dilapidated buildings mixed with the puddle of blood forming around Verrik's remains.
Zalen quickly filled in the blanks in his early report - he had only been able to examine the outside of "all the world's meat", both because he did not wish to kept the others waiting all too long, and also because an in-dept examination was not the wisest thing to do if you went alone - an ambush or trap would be fatal.
Alandra:
"You're right Gern" Zalen replies "There might yet be aught to find. Now that we've disposed of our garbage, let's go see what we can find" Placing a comradely hand on Alandra's shoulder, Zalen merely nods in understanding at the young Cleric and leaves to lead the group to their next destination.
Ayedah kept a concerned eye on Alandra on their way to the butcher's shop. She kept close to Zalen as they drew near their destination, whispering, "How are we going to do this, Zalen?"
"Well, I aint much o' one fer stealth, ifn' you'll recall from our first time together" Says Gern, smiling a little at his own ineptness in this region. "Once ye'v entered, I'll come barelling along behind, te make sure ye 'aint interrupted in yer searchin' o' tha place." He hefts his axe to emphasise the point he trying make.
The party made their way through the darkened streets of Korvosa, and this time found themselves favored by good luck once more - the one patrol that nearly crossed their way instead turned into a side street, and slowly shuffled along without paying them any mind. The two guardsmen and one woman looked like they were more asleep than awake either way.
All the worlds meet lay gutted before them. The front door towards the sales room stood wide open, but no lights were burning anymore. Neither light nor sound was emanating from the building, and it seemed entirely abandoned.
What's with all the women accompanying the guard patrols now? Gern thought to himself. Then he shrugged and kept moving with the group, clanking his way behind them.
When they arrived at the shop, he noticed the darkened rooms and made a suggestion.
"Per'aps me 'n Krek should go in first. We can see right fine in tha dark and it may be if any thing is left behind we may have an advantage again' it with no lights burnin'" He looked around at the others before adding "Course they'll hear me comin' a mile away so any advantage we have'll be only for the light rather than the stealth. Your call big Z"
Ayedah kept her eyes open, eager to get inside and out of sight. She did not want to place any guards in a difficult position if it could be helped.
"Whatever we do, we had better hurry." she whispered.
Still not entirely comfortable with the role of leader which seems to have been draped on his shoulders, Zalen nevertheless agrees with Gern's words and nods to the always wise dwarf. "Sounds a good plan Gern. Not that I imagine the two of you would need it, but holler if there's any trouble or let us know if the coast is clear. We'll keep a watch out here."
Zalen then helps the others find places they'll be most out of sight and settles down to wait a bit, half his attention on the street, the other half on the noises of Krek and Gern from within.
The group entered the abandoned slaughterhouse, through doors wide open, and flooded into the storefront. The days income had been been looted. The meat on display had attracted a few more flies which were lazily buzzing as the light woke them up. The smell had turned marginally worse than before, but remained relatively subdued.
Beyond the room, an unremarkable floor with just some bloodstains hinting at the nature of the slaughterhouse opened, with a stairs up towards the higher floor, and a door on the left-hand wall. This door led to the real meat of the issue, quite literally. The meat locker was still stocked, despite a day of generous donations. Cuts of all kinds and qualities were hung up to dry.
Knowledge: Nature DC 15
Knowledge: Nature DC 25 or Heal: DC 20
The ribs hanging from a heavy cast-iron hook likewise only fit a humanoid female. Probably a gnome or halfling had "contributed" these.
Gern's thought's
Gern's stomach lurched as he realised what some of the meat in the hanging room came from. He suddenly realised what happened to the people that these fallen guards "dealt with". The ladies they had saved earlier in the evening were lucky indeed, otherwise they would probably have ended up on this mornings meat menu.
He didn't openly tell the others, paricularly trying to prevent Ayedah and her kind heart from knwoing what had happened here. He would certainly use the information to lay proper allogations if the time came however.
"Lets get outa' this room" he says, unable to truly mask the revulsion he's feeling. "I'll go fer upstairs. Me thinkin' bein' that's where Verik woulda' been usin' as his private quarters. Away from all this...butchery and all" The dwarf moves up the stairs, the boards creaking under his weight and heavy feet.
Ayedah covered her mouth, disgusted by the foul stench. Gods and spirits, don't they know how to treat their meat? she thought. She couldn't quite place some of the cuts. Maybe they're serving those shark things from the river... "It is a wonder if no one has gotten ill eating this rotten meat." she whispered.
She followed closely after Gern, wanting to be near if he found any trouble.
Alandra notices nothing unusual about the cuts of meat.
Zalen, being too unskilled in either natural or healing lore, can't identify one piece of meat from another. But knowing what to expect inside, he still feels his stomach churn with revulsion and avoids looking at the meat too closely. Instead Searching around the floor and everywhere else for something that may have been missed.
His roguish nature preventing him from being able to leave a locked door in place, Zalen stops and says, "Just a moment, can you bring that light over here. I want to see if this really is a meat locker or not in there." (assuming Someone has a light source in here)
(If opened)
Before he opens the door Zalen says "You may all want stand well back..." placing himself along the door jamb, Zalen takes a deep breath and opens the door just enough so that he can take a peek in.
"Here Z., Avenger will give you light." Alandra mutters softly and the dagger glows with a silver light.
Gern made his way upstairs while Zalen began tinkering with the door, and trying to get it to open. He found a hastily ransacked room, with several lockers hastily emptied out. Blood-smeared clothes littered the floor, were tossed over the table, trash and mementos of no real value where strewn about.
Zalen on the other hand was soon rewarded with a "click" as the door unlocked. It began to move upen on its own, probably hanging unevenly in its hinges to begin with.
Ayedah took in the scene, whispering to Gern in disgust, "They were certainly in a hurry. There is not much hope of catching them now, is there?" The city seemed to be a maze at times. She had difficulty imagining being able to track the men down at this point.
She eyed the door to the south, and moved over beside it, waiting for Gern to declare that he was ready for whatever may still be in the next room.
Upstairs, Gern quickly gave the all clear signal. He scanned the room looking for anything useful or unusual . He then waited patiently at the top of the stairs while Zalen opened the door below. He wanted to ensure this group didn't completely separate in the confines of this butchery. It was teamwork that kept people alive in these situations. He had been taught that by his father fighting goblins in the lower tunnels back home.
Edit: Gern motions for the big Shoanti girl to wait before opening the next door. He nods his head downstairs and makes a funny sign indicating Zalen is twiddling his thumbs and holding everyone up, hoping to bring about a smile to girl in this tense situation.
Motioning for Alandra to join him quietly by the side of the door so the light from her dagger can illuminate the just unlocked room, Zalen draws his rapier and, still holding his breath, gently and slowly pushes the door open wider
Alandra holds the dagger forth so she and Zalen can see into the room.
Ayedah smiled despite herself, nodding back to Gern. She didn't like leaving the room unchecked and behind her, but their disastrous attempt at an ambush earlier had her erring towards caution for the moment.
She moved back towards the stairs, ready to dash down at the first sign of trouble below.
The room upstairs was ransacked rather completely, only single silvers and coppers were left scattered among the trash. Sorting them out would require some time and effort.
Downstairs, on the other hand, things had become much more interesting. As the door slid open, it revealed the killing floor of the slaughterhouse. A large room in plain stone. Bits of blood and gore where present - they were responsible for most of the oppressive smell, it seemed, judging from the waft of stench briefly passing them as they opened the door.
Yet all that paled before the crustaceans who scampered among the floor, devouring bits of the remains of meat left on the floor. Reefclaws. One of the more deadly delicacies of Korvosas seas. Their hugely grown crusher claws had meat tender and tangy - but these same claws had the strenght to cut steel and smash bone with ease. The three animals turned as one towards Zalen... hissed at the intruders.
A quick glance among the room showed three of the monsters, and an unlocked grate leading to the sewers below. There had to be a major trail of water below All the Worlds Meat to allow them to penetrate so deeply into the city.
Handle Animal OR Knowledge: Nature DC 15, only those downstairs:
After a moment of hearing nothing from downstairs, Ayedah pointed at the door and gave Gern a quizzical look, holding her earthbreaker ready in her other hand.
"Close the door Z!"
From his vantage point at the top of the stairs, Gern sees and hears the urgency in Alandra's voice. "I swear, that boy'd be able te find trouble anywhere" he grumbles to himself as he motions for Ayeda to follow him.
As he moves to the bottom of the stairs he calls to the other two "What's it yer found then?". In his excitement and haste to provide a strong arm in defense of his new friends, he forgets about the need for stealth.
Closing the door as fast as he can and putting his back to it, Zalen breathes a quick sigh of relief. "Reefclaws." he answers Gern, his voice slightly shaky. Taking a quick deep breath, his voice steadies as he continues "I counted three of them. They seem to be scavenging on the leftover...meet" He rapidly charges his words with a quick glance at Ayedah. "They must have come up through the sewers or maybe there's a direct route to the ocean here. Either way, I'm not sure we want to mess with them. On the other hand, there May be evidence in there we need. But we can't know for sure without checking. Seems to me that someone may have let them in on purpose just to clean up such evidence. What do you say gang? Maybe we should check the rest of the house first and come back later to see if they're still there?"
Sense Motive 16
Although he tried hard to hide it, it seemed Zalen was more anxious than seemed warrented about the crustaceans... it was almost as if he had some sort...Phobia...but about Shellfish??
Ayedah rushed downstairs after Gern, hoping the others were safe. She was grateful they were, though Zalen seemed rather worried about what lay beyond the door at his back. She listened intently as he explained the matter.
Reefclaws? She had heard of them before, but had never seen one. The way people described them, they seemed like giant insects. Ayedah had to wonder just what they tasted like, if Korvosans made meals of them regularly.
Zalen seemed a bit unnerved by them. She could sympathize; she still shuddered at the idea of fish large enough to eat a person. It just didn't seem natural. She smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder, whispering, "It is alright. When we come back, Gern, Krek, and I can charge in to clear them out."
She was curious to see what they looked like. Anything to take her mind of the foul stench of the place.
Gern listened to Zalen's description of the crustaceans before answering. "Ifn' we can avoid any trouble with the things right now, then we leave 'em be I reckon. If nothin' else turns up in tha place, then mayhap we have te go back in there and tear 'em up. Might even be able te sell the meat te someone."
He suddenly looks grim as he looks around the rest of the meatworks "As fer evidence, there's things I've seen 'ere as would place these drogny on the hangman's pole, no fear o' that."
"I'm fer checkin' the rest o' upstairs then clearing the downstairs a bit more. Once we've secured this place, we can go over ever' inch o' it more carefully and maybe deal with yer big prawn thingies"
"Yeah, lets do that. I don't like those things."
"Right!" Ayedah started for the stairs, intending to take her position by the unopened door she had held only a few minutes earlier. She gave Krek a quizzical look, wondering if he wanted to charge ahead or to check upstairs as well, though she suspected she knew the answer. The worshippers of Gorum always seemed eager for a fight to her.
The last room had an official look, a combination of office and bedroom, it seemed. It was neat and tidy - obviously the thugs had not looted it. Probably they either had been in too much of a hurry, or else plain did not remember.
It had a strangely ordered, almost tranquil quality. By an extinguished candle, a letter lay sealed with his captains insignia.
It looked important.
I decided this needs to stop. This is why I have not returned with you tonight. I have done horrible things in my life, and can never undo them. I kept to the guard to repay some of my guilt - and to give back to the city.
Remember why we left the guard in the first place: We wanted to help the city. Provide food to the poor, and have no part in Illeosa's schemes. We did not want to become legbreakers and much worse. Think about yourselves for a second. What have we been reduced to? Roughing up whores, at the best. But I found out about what happens after. How could you? Has she bewitched you so much, friends?
I wish you long lives, because you will need all the time you can find before facing Pharasma.
Do not look for me, I beg of you.
Verik Vancaskerkin
Gern grabs the letter and tears it opem, not standing on ceremony. He quickly skims though the contents of the letter and frowns slightly. Inside, a stab of guilt drags at his heart, before the fighter quickly crushes it. This man took a path that led him against his firends. It was the death of him. So be it.
He placed the open letter on the table for any of the others to look at and then began to methodically search the room. "We'll need te be thorough ifn' we hope to find anyhitng. There's some coins scattered in the room behind us too. May as well take the time te gather them as well."
"Bah, I cannae tell head nor tail o' this place. Ye lot search, I'll go gather up some o' them coins".
Alandra picks up the letter and reads it, then hands it to Ayedah (forgetting she cannot read).
"Oh dear Pharasma," she says "What have I done? Why was he with them?"
"Right." Ayedah responded to Gern's call to speed through their task that night. She had completely ignored the note he crumpled and dropped, thinking it mere paperwork and nothing important. But when Alandra picked it up she paused. When she saw Alandra's reaction to the note, she worried.
Ayedah looked back and forth in confusion between the priestess and the note she handed over. It took her some time to read through it, as she sorted out which letters meant what in her head, but she tried to hurry through, to understand what had shaken Alandra so much. When she finished, her arms fell limply by her sides, a haunted look in eyes. "Gods and spirits...I don't understand...he didn't..." She looked lost, and the fight had gone out of her. He didn't know they were killing people? I thought he was their leader...I thought...
She placed an arm around Alandra's shoulder, trying to comfort the girl even as she herself looked to Zalen for reassurance. Gods please let him make sense of this. She held the note loosely and outward in her other hand, hoping either Krek or Zalen would take the damnable thing away from her.
She did not want to believe they had done murder this night.
Krek had accompanied Gern up the stairs, also not wanting to remain at the scene of the slaughter any longer than necessary. However, as they rifled through the quarters of Verrick up there, Krek thought back to his time under Lamm. Neither Verrick or Lamm had any lofty goals for themselves. A room to oneself above a butcher shop? An abandoned fishery all their own? He tried with futility to work his mind around those of the villains, the comprehension beyond him. Why did they do what they did? He became incensed as he thought of all the cruelty - needless at that - they enacted on himself and others; there wasn't even a purpose! Now the children like himself had been displaced without a place to belong. He made a point to himself to see them again.
But not immediately - the commotion from below brought him downstairs behind Gern. Reefclaws were something he'd seen a few times though never directly encountered during his time with Lamm. Nasty creatures, they'd slain more than a few children like himself. A threat to adults as well, he was sure. He wouldn't mind honing his blade skills, but Krek didn't want the trail to run cold on their targets.
"Right." Ayedah responded to Gern's call to speed through their task that night. She had completely ignored the note he crumpled and dropped, thinking it mere paperwork and nothing important. But when Alandra picked it up she paused. When she saw Alandra's reaction to the note, she worried.
Ayedah looked back and forth in confusion between the priestess and the note she handed over. It took her some time to read through it, as she sorted out which letters meant what in her head, but she tried to hurry through, to understand what had shaken Alandra so much. When she finished, her arms fell limply by her sides, a haunted look in eyes. "Gods and spirits...I don't understand...he didn't..." She looked lost, and the fight had gone out of her. He didn't know they were killing people? I thought he was their leader...I thought...
She placed an arm around Alandra's shoulder, trying to comfort the girl even as she herself looked to Zalen for reassurance. Gods please let him make sense of this. She held the note loosely and outward in her other hand, hoping either Krek or Zalen would take the damnable thing away from her.
She did not want to believe they had done murder this night.
Krek takes the letter from Ayedah, seeing the revulsion through her body. Not a fast reader, it took Krek a moment or two longer than it should've, but the letter's meaning was crystal clear. He glanced up to the shaken women. So weak! Devastated by doing the job they accepted? His mind raced to think of what he could say to keep them from breaking down - if they did, their hunt may end now.
"Everyone makes mistakes." He paused. "But that wasn't you tonight. Remember those women we saved from him? What had they done to deserve being captured by him?" His glance shifted towards the larger of the two. "There's some bad blood with the man anyway. He even admits to wrongs in his past before right in the note!" He takes a breath before handing Zalen the letter. "It might not even be true - something he hoped would "prove" his innocence were he caught.
Krek finally looks to the priestess, and, in a softer tone: "If you had not done the job, I would have. Don't feel like this was your fault; it would've happened either way."
"I know, I know. He deserved to die for what he did to me, and I have been waiting for a chance to kill him my whole life. Even Pharasma wanted me to kill him. But he was trying to be better. Maybe he could have become a good man if he was allowed to live?"
Taking the letter and reading it swiftly, Zalen too for a moment feels some pangs of guilt. Yet his natural distrust of people and his practical pragmatism quickly wash it away. Realizing his friends expect him to say something the rogue unobtrusively secrets the note in one of his many pockets and firms his voice and, attempting to be his most diplomatic and comforting (1d20+6=14), he says "Krek & is right. We did no wrong this night. Verik's death was based on his past actions and his fate had already been sealed. If this note is even true and not some attempt at deception, then, if he truly had undergone a change of heart, perhaps Pharasma shall judge him less harshly. But none of that is our concern. I find it extremely hard to believe that Verrik could have been completely unaware of what was going on under his feet. Anyone with eyes could see what was being done here. And without question, we did save the lives of those two women tonight. So, my friends, let us put the past behind us and move on, this night has been long already and we yet have more work to do."
Putting word to action, Zalen beings to do a thorough search of the office.
As he searches, Zalen thoughts continue to revolve again and again around one question 'Who is She??"
Ayedah still looked troubled, but the readiness in her limbs had returned. Krek and Zalen had a point about them having saved the two women earlier, but still the execution weighed heavily on her.
"Right...let us do what we came to do and be done with it." she said softly, though she kept a worried eye on Alandra. She hoped Zalen's words about Pharasma's mercy helped, she certainly couldn't think of anything to add, but she had to wonder what the priestess meant about her Pharasma herself ordering Verik's death. Did she recieve her own prophecy then? "Come on, Sister. Let's finish this."
While they are searching, Alandra is also puzzling over the other part of the letter. "'Illeosa's schemes', what could that mean?"