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I am starting this thread for my home CotCT game. I wanted to give my players a chance to earn a little extra xp with write ups after game, and to also keep the current goals of their adventures in mind.
Their first assignment will be to write their backgrounds here, as each of my players have a Paizo account. They will not be getting bonus xp but the first person to post and the best background will each get a bonus harrow point.
Players will be responsible and use spoiler tags when need be.
As for my title of this journal, well I'll let my players’ backgrounds fill you in on the joke.
DM Will
Nice "Special Victims Unit" eh? ^_^
Hope to see this develop soon.
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Nice "Special Victims Unit" eh? ^_^
Hope to see this develop soon.
Yeah it started with one player basing her Sable Company Cadet on Detective Benson on SVU and the other Lawful types started to follow suit.
Trust me Turin, just the idea of some of the characters are making me salivating to mess with their heads.
Here is the background for Lilia Calvinus, a paladin of Iomedae. This 22 year old blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty while admired for her physical appearance is more admired for her sense of justice, fairness, and compassion for the everyday citizens of Korvosa.
Lilia Calvinus
Lilia was born as the only child of a mid-ranking city guard member. After years of trying for a baby, Lilia was truly viewed as a gift of the gods. Her parents always told her that the gods smiled on her birth. Lilia grew up happy. She grew up playing with the children of other guardsmen and women.
She eventually fell in love with the son of a family friend. Andros was two years older and already a member of the guard. Lilia and Andros waited two years before formally announcing their engagement, as they were waiting for Lilia to turn 18 at the insistence of both sets of parents. The families were thrilled with the engagement.
Andros diligently worked to save money for an engagement ring and for a home for the two of them. One night, while on patrol, Andros was brutally murdered in an alley. The engagement ring that he had purchased in anticipation of formally announcing the engagement was missing. Lilia was devastated by Andros’ death. Her bright dreams for the future died in the alley with Andros. Lilia remained close with Andros’ parents and older brother, as they comforted each other through their shared grief.
Lilia turned to the church of Iomedae for comfort. After several months of intense prayer, Lilia became a holy warrior of the faith. Lilia also discovered an ability that she never knew she possessed. She could prevent someone from dying from an injury at a touch. She joined the city guard and began quietly investigating Andros’ murder.
Her investigations took some time, but she found the engagement ring Andros had bought on the day of his death for sale at a jeweler of dubious reputation. The shop owner admitted that a man named Gaedren Lamm had sold him the ring, but had no further knowledge of how Lamm found the ring. Lilia quietly began investigation Lamm hoping to find him or proof of his involvement in Andros’ death.
While continuing her investigations, Lilia became a beloved figure in her local patrol area, known for her fairness, compassion, and the fear that she inspired in the local criminals. Lilia hopes to find the truth behind her beloved’s death and bring those responsible to justice.
Background for Destrel Grange:
At around this time, Destrel is a 130 year old lawful good elven ranger. Those that meet her get an overall impression of an ambitious woman, set out to join the Sable Company and work her way up the ranks.
However, if one were to get past her many walls, they would lean that hers is a forlorn nature, stemming from childhood neglect. Not knowing her father, her mother has struggled with a long time addiction to shiver.
Destrel gained a natural mistrust of humans as one fed this addiction, which also led her mother to attempt to sell her to a brothel to pay off her debts. It was around this time that Destrel learned that hard work, wits and education was the only way for her to avoid her mother's fate. Running away from city life into more wooded areas, she developed a natural talent for empathizing with the wildlife as she had a harder time relating to her neighbors and most people. Despite her nature, she did manage to learn valuable skills from other rangers, one of which an upstart in the Sable Company. After being steered in that direction, Destrel finally gained a sense of purpose in this prospect for a better life, and with her sense of justice and drive, hopes to stop the dealer that enslaved her mother and others as well as work her way to the higher tiers of the company.
Sionan brooded and began to fill in the grave as the rain turned the dark soil into a muddy stew. Her arms ached from the repetitive motion and the ever-increasing weight of each shovel-full of mud, but anger fueled her determination to finish it herself. The afternoon was darkening and the rain whispered like wind through the trees of the Mwangi forests bringing with it the inevitable tide of memories. A half-forgotten song floated up, and she remembered Fea’s lopsided grin, sunlight glinting off her blond hair, and Fea staring into the light of the dawning sun. The morning sun was so bright across the treetops of the Mwangi forests that often her younger sister thought perhaps that was what a glimpse of the Brightness would look like.
Fea had sought the elusive elven enlightenment with an obssessiveness equal to a gnome’s, sometimes journeying long and far, and Sionan had always marveled at it, wondering why her sister couldn’t see the Brightness in herself. Then one day her sister simply hadn’t returned. Sionan scowled as she remembered the stories of the traders, and her mind seethed with visions of her sister captured by slavers, sold into the prostitution trade, driven into addiction as her owners sought a method of controlling her, and finally ending up here in Korvosa, dying in a dank hovel barely aware of her own name. Fea’s search had come to an end. Sionan hacked at the mud and cursed the Brightness as she swore an elf’s revenge against those responsible for Fea’s death.
I don’t remember much before I came to stay with Lamm, just that life was hard. I don’t remember my parents at all, not even what they looked like. I worked for Lamm committing petty crimes as part of his grand scheme. I can’t say that I ever saw any logic to it, it seemed he thrived on the chaos that he created and that was the only reason for what he did. I constantly tried to impress him to get in his better graces, but nothing worked. I always slipped up at some point and questioned his methods and reasons, which always resulted in a whipping. I still bear many of the scars on my back. One day when I was twelve, he told me to rob a house. He only wanted one item, a crossbow. It didn’t make much sense to me. He sent me in by myself, strange. And for one item, even stranger. Once I was in the house I quickly found the room he described. It looked like a small alter. The crossbow hung on the wall, but it wasn’t what caught my attention. The symbol on the alter, a key with an image of Korvosa on it. I knew this was a gentle nudge from Adabar to remind me what I was doing was wrong. But what choice did I have, Lamm would whip me again for sure if I didn’t come back with the crossbow. Knowing that I would lose all favor with Adabar if I took the crossbow, I ran off to the temple to pray. I prayed long and hard, meditating on what I should do. I decided that I should get away from Lamm and lead an honest and just life. I was high on life when I left the temple, ready to start fresh. He was apparently looking for me and spotted me as I was walking down the temple steps. I didn’t even notice him until the first blow was inches from my face. He beat me until I couldn’t move. I knew deep inside that Adabar wouldn’t let him get away with this much longer and that justice would find him. That thought comforted me. As he left me for dead, he ripped the holy symbol from my neck and broke it in two. Just before I passed out, I saw a priest from the temple coming to my rescue. When I woke, the priest that came to my rescue was watching over me. Once I told him my story, he invited me to stay at the temple. I served as his acolyte as repayment for his help. I spent the rest of my youth there learning to become a priest myself. Now that I have accomplished that, I will adventure out into the world to bring justice and order to those that are without.
What happened with this campaign?
Journal Entry 1
The city burns as I write this. The King is dead and the city is in turmoil with mass riots. As my companions and myself rest in the safety of the guard barracks before undertaking our next mission, I pray for the safety of my father and friends as they work to quell the riots.
Today started normally enough- did my patrol, filed my reports. I found a harrow card with a note on it mixed in with my reports. The note asked me to come to a house nearby to meet others who has been affected by Lamm as well. I arrived first as was shortly joined by an elf named Sionan, a Sable Company Cadet, Destrel, and a young priest, Adhemar. No sign of our host was evident. Our host made her self known shortly there after. She was an older Varisian woman who told us how Lamm had stolen her harrow deck and then killed her son. She knew where Lamm could be found and asked us to finally bring him to justice. She gave us a harrow reading that foretold dark times in the city- the Empty Throne card made me shiver as I knew that the King has been ill for some time.
My new companions and I left to go to the warehouse where Lamm was reported to be. Sionan did a quick scout of the building. Adhemar pointed out the one door that was likely to be the least guarded. While I have not confirmed this, I suspect that he was one of Lamm's Lambs in his past. I do not wish to pry into my companion's pasts with Lamm. As trust between us all grows, that would be the time to discuss our pasts. Sionan worked on getting the freight door open. Destrel readied her bow to cover us. Adhemar and myself readied to charge the door. Upon entering, a gnome shouted for help and threatened several children in the room into aiding him against the intruders. A large dog sprang to the attack from a side room. The dog and several children blocked our entrance briefly but Adhemar and myself rushed the room after the gnome. Adhemar tried to convince the children to flee, but instead they stayed to help us fight. The gnome fell as an orc ran into the room giggling. He started to attack Adhemar. One of the children, brave thing, tried to trip the orc and failed. The orc turned his manic gaze on the child and I managed to strike him down in righteous anger before the orc could cause any more harm. The dog fell to the combined attacks of Sionan, Destrel, and some of the kids. The children fled the warehouse with instructions to run to the Church of Adabar for aid.
We continued to search the warehouse and encountered a man that Adhemar identified as a fence for Lamm. We managed to capture him alive. I chained him up while he was unconscious and we continued to search for Lamm. While moving to search an old boat behind the warehouse, a shark attacked. Destrel, Adhemar, and Sionan made short work of the shark after it knocked me into the water. My companions helped me out of the water... I really need to learn to swim.... While in the water I saw what looked like a basement level in the warehouse. As we boarded the boat, an ominous creak was the only warning before I was dropped into the hold. Several drain spiders swarmed me and I tried to fight them off while my companions raced down from upstairs. The poison from the spider bites left me weakened but we were resolved.
We found Lamm in the basement of the warehouse. For a moment, the sight of this broken down old man stirred my heart to pity, but the knowledge of his evil drove us all on. I moved to engage him as my companions prepared their bows and crossbows. Lamm recognized me and taunted me with the fact that he had been the one to kill Andros. I heard my companions gasp at hearing this. One day, I'll tell them the whole story. He also recognized Adhemar and threatened him as well. Lamm fired into the water calling a large crocodile. As I engaged Lamm in combat, Adhemar, Sionan, and Destrel alternated firing at Lamm and fending off the crocodile. Lamm fell unconscious into the water. I moved to aid Adhemar with the crocodile. The crocodile retreated and attacked Lamm,killing him and ravaging his corpse. While all of us were horrified by the sight, Gods forgive me, part of me felt vindicated. As we watched, I felt tears streaming down my cheeks, as Andros loss seemed fresh again, even though his killer was brought to justice.
We searched the area looking for more proof of Lamm's crimes or links to his associates. We found the severed, rotting head of the woman who had gathered us and tipped us off to Lamm's location. She had been dead at least a week. I guess her need for vengeance called her back from the dead...... I'll ask about that one later.
We left to return our prisoner to the guard headquarters and turn in the stolen property. One of the items recovered was a brooch belonging to the queen of Korvosa. As we walked back outside, we walking into a living hell. The city was in turmoil.... . Riots and fires were everywhere.. Hellknights were riding down people in the streets..... i found a watch sergeant, drunk and despairing in the streets. We managed to convince him to follow us and got him safely back to guard headquarters. Ioamade, forgive me for the lies I told him. We safely made it back, turned over our prisoner, the sergeant and the stolen items. We braved the streets again for two last tasks- we returned the harrow deck and head of our "contact" to her home. My thought was to try to find any relatives she had and give her a proper burial once the city was calm. She appeared to us again, thanked us for killing Lamm, and said some cryptic words of us being chosen. Uneasy at her words, we left to return the queen's stolen brooch. We had a brief audience with her Majesty. I know the rumors about her, and the talk. While I do not know if she is sincere in her grief and love of this city, I sensed no ill intent from her. She requested that we report back to guard headquarters to help restore order to the city.
We have been asked to capture and return one Verik Vancaskerkin to guard headquarters. He is a guard member who is spouting rebellion against the queen and has managed to convince other guard members to desert from their duties. I am torn on how to proceed. Many of these men and women I may know. I pray that Ioamade grants me the wisdom to settle this matter as peaceably as possible.
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What happened with this campaign?
Turin we had a late start with the game, but it is officially under way.
As of now rules that I gave my players at the start of the game.
They have been told this is a way to gain bonus xp. After each game they are allowed to post a journal entry before the next game. The best entry will get 100xp, the second best will get 50xp and the others will earn 25xp. No matter what effort will earn reward.
As you can see already one person has already posted post game.
What happened with this campaign?
Turin we had a late start with the game, but it is officially under way.
As of now rules that I gave my players at the start of the game.
They have been told this is a way to gain bonus xp. After each game they are allowed to post a journal entry before the next game. The best entry will get 100xp, the second best will get 50xp and the others will earn 25xp. No matter what effort will earn reward.
As you can see already one person has already posted post game.
Excellent, glad to see this! :)
Journal Entry 1
I did not know what that day would bring, but I knew my life would never be the same when I saw the card by my whet stone.
I was training, as I always do. After working out, I felt the aching muscles with adrenaline. Sharpening my sword, I saw a card with a note. I did not see anyone place this. Come to think of it, I was the only one around.
I had a feeling that I had to walk to this address. Sure enough, I arrive to see a cleric, a sister elf of a more natural bent and a member of the city watch. An older woman soon arrives and I soon learn that we were all wronged in some way or other by Lamm. This woman wanted us to return her cards, as they were a livelihood, and perhaps, wreak a vengeance for the murder of her son.
No doubt, too many in Korvosa were wronged by this devil. I knew this, but voiced a desire to wreak a whole other form of justice to Lamm other than arrest as my company and the very law dictated. I say this with a City Watch in my company!
I did not get much of a chance to brood over this slip. No sooner than we arrive, we were attacked by dogs and children, no doubt kidnapped orphans forced to steal and work on pain of death from his foul adult denizens. Luckily, we were able to make short work of the dogs and minions while freeing the children, some of them attempting to aid us.
My heart felt in a near frenzy when I saw the devil face to face. All my memories came rushing back as I readied my bow. I forced the steely resolve and concentration as I shot at him, as I had to prove myself to my new companions as surely as I did to the Sable company before. I had to follow the letter of the law first and foremost and aid in his arrest. However, Lamm fell right into his own crocodiles, no doubt to scare his child slaves and guard his own foul grounds. A search of papers and other evidence told us that we avenged the death of the woman that led us to Lamm. I spoke to a spectre....yet, this did not unnerve me. I only wish I were able to restore her cards in life.
I did not have time to think upon this. No sooner did he fall, but the city was ablaze in a chaos that I never seen. The king succumbed to illness.
A lot was thrown at us, but despite our differences, we are on to something bigger than us. I must not let that get to me, as my duties to the company, the Queen, nay the city come first.
Dear Farellon,
The sun has finally set this day; perhaps it will quell the violence in the streets. The king has died here in Korvosa and this has touched off rioting all over the city. Maybe it will have quieted by the time you return from the Shackles, but if not at least you will have been fore-warned. It has been a long day, and an odd one.
You remember I told you of my hunt for my sister – well, I found her. Too late. She died earlier this week, I’m told, caught in the threads of the slave trade like a hapless fly. In the company of strangers I sought a man named Gadren Lamm, the one rumored to be the spider in the center of the web. Now that man is dead, but I feel no pleasure or sense of vindication. Just hollowness. Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Earlier today (could it have been only just this morning?) I was summoned to a house by a note left on a card. It had been placed in my backpack, and I’ve no idea who managed to put it there. Apparently three others had been invited – two humans and another elf – in a similar manner to my own. It seems all of us have reason for revenge on Lamm. (Interestingly enough one was a city guardswoman, another was a Sable Company cadet. The third was a priest. I’m sure you can appreciate the irony. Oh, and I’m now an Agent of the Guard. Hah! But that’s getting ahead again.) It turned out that our hostess, a woman named Velhara, had her own reasons for wanting Lamm dead and, of course, enlisted our help. She performed what she called a “harrow reading” with a deck of cards she claims is her treasure. I found it mildly intriguing as this was the first I’d seen a reading done. So, we set off to the warehouse which serviced as Lamm’s latest hideout and work facility.
Well, to put it short, we found and dispatched Lamm though we suffered a few minor catastrophes in the meantime. It seems odd to have a run-in with a shark so close to shore but it happened. Our guardswoman luckily found her armor to be adequate. I met a dog that was bigger than me – and I still couldn’t hit the thing. And don’t ask me about spiders. I hate spiders.
Those were the little things, though. If you had seen that place I know you’d have wept, since your heart is so gentle, Farrell. The priest, Adhemar, directed us to what was most possibly the best place to enter. There were more of Gadren’s slaves inside – just children. Starved, beaten. I felt my rage flare up again. Once we started fighting their captors, they headed out the door for freedom. Adhemar kindly directed them to the Temple of Abadar. I can sleep tonight knowing that they’ve no longer any worry of hunger or abuse. We dispatched the other captors and searched for Lamm – he was below the warehouse, on a level with the banks of the river. (Hence the spiders, apparently they’re fond of the drains.) Lamm wasn’t much of a fight, to be honest, and in the end it wasn’t even one of us who killed him. I take pride in knowing I got at least one good shot at him before he fell into the shallows – and into the jaws of a crocodile. So that ended our quest of vengeance. We scoured his rooms afterward and found a few unexpected surprises. One was a broach that was identified as belonging to the queen. The other was Velhara. Well… part of Velhara. She’s been dead for over a week, at least. Interesting. It made me want to check out her house again. Oh, and we found what she sought – her cards.
When we left the warehouse the city was in an uproar. I did manage to convince the others to visit Velhara’s house once more. I didn’t manage to convince them to stay. They wanted to find out what was going on, of course. Velhara, or her shade, or whatever you want to call it, appeared to us again. The harrow reading infers that the city needs us now and the others were quite willing to believe that. I kept my mouth shut. Well, after that, one thing led to another. We decided to return the queen’s broach, and, at her request, hastened thence to the Citadel. Not exactly the place I’d choose to visit, but it seemed prudent to follow my companions. Regard for law seems to have fled the city in any case now; I worry that shipping in the area could be blockaded or attacked, delaying or even possibly making impossible your return somehow. I miss you greatly.
At the citadel things became even more perplexing. I’ve been hired by Cressida Croft, the Field Marshall herself, to be an Agent of the Guard – we all were, so we’ll be working together. There is dissention among the guard, as in all other parts of the city, and she wishes us to find the leader of the rebellious faction and arrest him. Honestly, Farrellon, I didn’t really want to get involved – I’ve found and buried Fea. I just want to leave this accursed city and return to my homeland and to you. However, you’re still months away and in the meantime I need a job. It’s a better option than thieving on the streets and I can at least try to do some good. My new companions hold up well in a fight; working together we’ll be able to finish our mission faster. I hope when that time comes you’ll be here.
As always I will keep an ear open for news of your twin as well. May your sunsets always be red, my Farrell.
Yours,
Sionan
Journal Entry 2
We set out to "All The World's Meat" to confront Varik. I was hoping to avoid bloodshed as some of these men I may have served with in the guard. Alas, after trying to negotiate to speak with Varik things came to a fight. Varik's men were skilled, but with the grace of the Gods we prevailed but not without cost. Adhemar was knocked unconscious. When I managed to finally get to Varik again, I was very wounded, but determined not to let my wounds cause me to fail. As my strength flagged, Varik surrendered.While investigating the rest of the warehouse, we found that some of Varik's men were murdering people in the slaughterhouse. Varik seemed to break when we confronted him with this. We got him safely back to Kressida as well as his few surviving followers.
Our next mission was to get "dirt" on a Chelxian diplomat who was trying to discredit the city and mess with trade. Kressida sent us to talk with, Dvargo, a known vice lord who may have the information we needed. Spiders.... poor Sionan, I thought she was going to go crazy. The place was full of spiders. Destrel agreed to a game of Knivesies in exchange for the information. Luckily, she won. We tried to negotiate for the release of a captive pseudodragon, but I must confess I was slightly pleased when a fight broke out. Dvargo fled deeper into his ship. We followed after securing the door from his men. The hold was filled with more spiders, and some large spider-humanoid abomination. Dvargo was killed and we found that he was manufacturing shiver on the ship. I seized the ship in the name of the city, and Dvargo's remaining men left quietly not wishing to face arrest for Dvargo's crimes. I am thankful that one less evil now exists in Korvosa.
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18 Pharast 4708
Tonight I take advantage of my last candle. My wounds have been tended and I set pen to paper as my new friend, Majenko, preens himself nearby.* He is happily adjusting and healing after his imprisonment in the lair of that scum, Barvassi. Destrel appears to be healing slowly, Lilia is tired but well, and Adhemar worries over all of us in spite of the many injuries he sustained himself – both at Barvassi’s place and at Vancaskerkin’s slaughterhouse. It’s been a busy few days. Kroft has told us she has no more work for us, but none of us have yet made plans to part. I think we’re all still unsettled by our experiences since we met in the house of Zellara and seem to have an unspoken need for allies in an uncertain time.
We found Verik Vancaskerkin in the slaughterhouse he runs – which we could have found by smell alone had not Field Marshall Kroft given us directions. The fat cow in the window charmingly mis-advertised the squalor within. I wandered around as we approached looking for alternate routes of entry; I found a few side doors leading from the pens, but we ended up not using them to gain entry. Instead we used the front door and went as a group which upon hindsight was probably not a good idea. The purveyors within (who didn’t smell any better than the rest of the place) were not greatly moved to cooperation and only when Lilia displayed her City Watch badge did they respond – negatively. Just as one man started lunging at Lilia, the other yelled for company and suddenly we were in the midst of a fight in the worst of places – tight quarters. Lilia had charged through the first two, Adhemar on her heels, and Destrel pushed after him. I hung back. I checked on the man Lilia had dropped; there was nothing I could do.
Lilia fell. Through Destrel and Adhemar I passed her my only vial of potion hoping it would be enough. Vancaskerkin, it turned out, had trapped them by hiding on the stairs. As Lilia was getting back up, down went Adhemar. Lilia chased Vancaskerkin up the stairs and Destrel followed a couple of our attackers into the back room. I checked on Adhemar to re-assure myself that he was alive, and fled out the front door, remembering those side doors leading to the pens. I could help Destrel if any came back out that way.
I made it to the edge of the pens and, sure enough, could hear the tell-tale sloshing of a human running through mud. By the time I’d gotten over the fence, he was disappearing through another door. I followed him, and caught him up as he was unlocking still another door from behind which came the squealing and snarling of swine. I heard the lock click as I entered the passage, but the door didn’t open. I swiped at the man with my dagger; he swiped back. In the most inefficient knife-fight in history we traded non-blows while the boars on the other side of that door barreled into it in a bid for freedom. I managed to cut him once as the boars broke free; one of them tore into his leg. I kept up my attack, aware that at any moment those boars could turn on me. A door opened behind me; I half-turned to find Destrel, larger than life, sighting on the second boar. The man fell unconscious and bleeding and Destrel and I managed to corral the boars into their rooms.
I followed Destrel into what must have been the industrial part of the slaughterhouse. We had no time to explore, really, but something caught Destrel’s eye and she picked it up. It was a human tooth. Grimly, she showed it to Lilia, who was leading a man in manacles, and turned to search the storage areas. Destrel is strong, stoic, but I could see that the results of her investigation unnerved her. She approached the man in chains, who was indeed Vancaskerkin (what a mouthful), and confronted him, showing him the tooth.
“This is human.” She pointed to the meat storage. “In your storage areas are humanoid remains. What’s going on?” Vancaskerkin merely hung his head and muttered. Destrel caught Lilia’s eye with a look that said it all. There was no time to drag it out of him now, nor was that our job. Adhemar needed healing beyond what we could give at the moment and, frankly, I think we all just wanted to leave. We brought him back to the Citadel and received our thanks and pay from Kroft. I was glad to be rid of the stench of that place.
***
It too often happens that there is no rest for the weary and it certainly seemed that way when we were summoned again to Cressida Kroft’s office. There we met Vencarlo Orisani, a famed swordsman and teacher and a quite a charmer. It took a few minutes for Kroft to turn his attention to the matter at hand. As she explained it became apparent that now we were being involved in politics of some sort or other, and that’s always irritated me. We were to visit a man who apparently had some information about a leading political figure against whom Kroft wanted to find some leverage none of which I really listened to until it was mentioned that he was called the “King of Spiders”. After hearing that I wished even less to go, but stupidity must have taken over because I went with them anyway.
Orisani walked with us much of the way as he told us much of what we needed to know. He is a handsome man who obviously enjoyed being the in company of women and Destrel and Lilia were good conversationalists. I didn’t join in, but twice I caught Orisani’s eye. To me his look seemed more to be one of appraisal than charm, but I shrugged it off. Perhaps he wondered why a Mwangi elf would be in the employ of the City Guard of Korvosa. I was bothered more by the prospect of meeting Devargo Barvassi, the King of Spiders. I hate spiders.
Orisani’s parting instructions led us to the docks. Barvssi owned a collection of ships that simultaneously sported a brothel, a gambling hall, as well as a more innocuous hotel. In the midst of this quartet of ships, moored only to the others, was Eel’s End. A quick perusal of each ship brought us to the attention of a creepy little gnome who spoke with a lisp and seemed to have an affinity for Adhemar. Eventually we bribed one of Barvassi’s enforcers to allow us to speak to him. We stepped down into what would be the Captain’s cabin in any other ship. Devargo Barvassi had made it his throne room. Six other men sat around tables; we had interrupted dinner. Barvassi greeted us will ill humor and no grace. Our efforts to reason with him were less than stellar, but we happened to catch him in a good mood. While conversation was being exchanged, I stood rooted to the spot. There were spiders EVERYWHERE. Some of them were bigger than those we see in the Forest; others simply looked more menacing. I didn’t care. They were spiders. I was jerked out of my fright when a voice echoed through my head.
“Free me.” It came from a cage suspended over Barvassi’s throne. In it, a pseudodragon gazed at us forlornly, it’s hide punctuated with wounds and scars. From that moment I hated Barvassi. He easily picked up my fear of spiders; it amused him. While I was pre-occupied he had made a deal: he would exchange information for a bit of entertainment. Destrel accepted his challenge of a game called knivsies which she won. Her anger was no less than mine, spurred on, no doubt, by the vulgar suggestions directed towards us by Barvassi. The fight that ensued was a blur to me. Barvassi disappeared down a set of stairs to our right that I’d missed as we entered the room. My skin was crawling as the other three blocked the door; I freed the pseudodragon. Majenko was quite grateful and offered his services to me. Indeed, as we headed downstairs in search of Barvassi, he rode on my shoulder. We explored the rest of the ship, freeing a few spiders along the way, a gesture I could have done without. There was a space underneath the bow that was full of them; I backed quickly away. Two more rooms included sort of working area and a bedroom. Adhemar and I were examining a chest in the bedroom when Barvassi appeared and attacked. Well, now we were back in tight quarters. Adhemar took the brunt of the attack and was injured badly. Lilia and Destrel were left outside contending with the appearance of several large spiders and an ettercap that had emerged from somewhere. I was glad to be fighting Barvassi.
The fighting below didn’t last long but it left Adhemar and Destrel with serious injury. Destrel took a bite from a spider that seemed to affect her co-ordination; she was unable walk without falling. While I tried to help guide her steps, Lilia and Adhemar investigated the last room – in it was Barvassi’s main trade. It was a distillery, not of alcohol, but of the substance called Shiver. Lilia promptly took action, confiscating the ship and its surrounding businesses in the name of the City Watch, and dumping the drug overboard. It was a pretty brazen move on Lilia’s part to confiscate the place without backup, and whether any of its denizens headed her proclamation remains to be seen.
We trooped back to the Citadel with loot in hand and political blackmail in the form of several letters to hand over to Kroft. Their contents appeared to amuse her and she dismissed Barvassi’s death with barely a shrug. Politics simply annoy me. All I wanted was a quiet room in which to rest and heal our wounds. Getting Destrel back to the Inn almost required that we carry her; it was distressing to us all since still unsure whether she’ll be able to recover, though she appears to be making slight progress and just this morning managed to walk across the room without help.
My candle is burning low, so I will end this record now and retire to meditate. My friends and I have planned to visit the market tomorrow; I plan to buy a few more potions and perhaps a few sundry items of daily needs. Though I am uncertain what future we will find tomorrow, I take a kind of comfort in knowing that it will not be alone.
*
Waterfalls are in short supply in Korvosa unless you count the ones created by the inefficient drainage system and I don’t. I don’t like bathing in a tub of water but the river here is out of the question. The best I could do was to bribe the kitchen staff for a tub of it’s-almost-clean water and private place to wash. I took Majenko with me – after seeing the hideousness of his wounds and the many bites he suffered I thought it might be a good idea to wash them before tending to them. I stepped into the tiny alcove where my bath was hidden and reached for the cloth I’d put away for this purpose. Majenko was fluttering behind me. I reached down and started to dip him in the bath, the better to help with his wounds, when he suddenly turned into seven pounds of mincing machine. My thought was solely to help him get clean; his thought, apparently, was to avoid the water at all costs. I tried soaking the cloth to wash him with that, he clawed his way up my shoulder and clung to my head. I tried pulling him down; he tore into my arm. I have claw marks in places that would raise even Asmodeus’s eyebrows. It’s almost impossible to reason with a telepathic pseudodragon while wrestling his claws out of your hair and shouting random oaths as each effort results in serious laceration. I gave up. I finished what I could of my ablutions, dressed, and headed back to the room. Majenko sulked for a few hours, then finally deigned to hear my reasoning. Though he forgave me, he didn’t apologize. Neither did I. It appears we’ve allowed our battle of the bath to become a draw.
Forgot to post in character. Sorry.
As I write this, my soul and mind are in turmoil. I think I did the right thing, but......I am sworn to uphold the law and aided someone in freeing a prisoner sentenced to death by the Queen herself....
Kroft sent us to capture one Trinia Sabor. Trinia had been implicated in the death of the King. It appears as if his death was not as natural as it originally appeared..... Kroft wanted us to find Trinia and bring her in before an angry mob or the Hellknights got to her first. We went to her apartment, and saw her trying to flee across the Shingles. We kept up with her as best as we could, roof running is so not my thing. Eventually we brought her down with a few well placed arrows and crossbow bolts. I manacled Trinia's arms and then healed the worst of her wounds. She calmly came with us after I explained that Kroft sent us, and that we were trying to save her from an angry mob. She does not seem like the cold-blooded murdering type. Her eyes kept filling with tears as we escorted her through the city. I have a feeling that the poor child is being set-up... by who or what I do not know.
When we got her back to Kroft, another surprise was waiting for us. An old Shoanti was in Kroft's office. His grandson had been killed during the riots, and the body was sold to a foul necromancer. He asked that we retrieve the body for proper burial in order to help prevent war between Korvosa and the Shoanti. As a war is the last thing this city needs, I readily agreed. The trail led us to the Dead Warrens underneath the city's graveyard. The tunnels were filled with undead horrors and traps. The rumors of derro underneath the city are absolutely true.... foul little things. We managed to recover the body.......... it has been dismembered. While down there, we also managed to free two captives from the necromancer's clutches..... The woman we rescued was a thief and pickpocket who vowed to turn over a new leaf after her experience. My prayers are with her as she endeavors to be more law-abiding.
We returned the body back to Kroft having to lay the pieces in a wheelbarrow and cover them with a tarp so as not to panic any pedestrians in the street. When we got back there was horrible news waiting. The Queen had found Trinia guilty of poisoning the King. Kroft asked us to go witness the execution. The festival air of the execution was sickening. This poor girl was being used as a sacrifice to still the city's anger while the real culprits were covering their tracks. I felt ill as I listened to the Queen's speech. Before the sentence could be executed, Blackjack showed up and disabled the executioner. He pronounced Trinia's innocence and denounced the Queen. While I do not agree with the methods Blackjack uses, I respect and value his opinions and insight. He has always worked to better the city....
As he was talking, the executioner moved to strike at him from behind. Before I could even think, I shouted at Blackjack to duck. Well duck he did..... He managed to flee with Trinia, thank the Gods. I hope he gets her somewhere safe. I can only imagine the fallout from this... Blackjack is a hero to the city, and with him against the Queen, the unrest is far from over.
I need to come to terms with my actions. By rights I should have stopped him, but justice would not have been served if I did. I am not sure what is truly going on, but I will find out and see justice done. I have been too afraid to face my father as I fear seeing the look of disappointment in his eyes if he finds out what I did. This burden is mine to bear, I can only hope to shield my family, and friends from the repercussions of my actions.
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Rumors:
As of late there is still grumbling in the streets about the Queen.
The "Murderer" Sabor is still free and on the streets, and Blackjack has made his opinion clear on the whole matter. It is also mentioned that warnings were shouted at the execution. The general description was a Mwangi Elf female and a Blonde gaurds woman, but neither have been further identified.
Sabina has been seen at both the Citadel and Marine grounds recruiting young beutiful females, for a high profile project of the Queen's devising. Inquiring minds are anxiously awaiting the results.
The Acadame is now looking to for new aplicants . It is not odd at all except it is well before the normal application time. People wonder what their plans are.
The Arkonas have become the toast of Old Korvosa as they have opened their larders to the general populace during the riots with no cost to those in need. This lead to a record low number of deaths in the district.
Native Shoanti of the city have all started to leave the city. Does anyone really care?
Psuedo Dragons and Imps have been fighting more often than not, lately. Both in the City skyline and her rooftops. The population of rats have increased due to the many deaths on both sides. There is also a slight increase of infant and childern death as the habitas once frequented by the combatants have been abandoned and taken over by chokers.
Phrophets are preaching dark days ahead. Though many reply it is always darkest before the dawn.
Journal Log
It has been too long, and I must take down these thoughts racing through my mind. So much chaos has erupted in this city, as is the nature of the revolution the people appear to cry out for. Or is this just another excuse for base lawlessness and rumor mongering? I do not know, but as the world changes around me, I find myself questioning more and more. The letter of the law, the order of the land, maybe the order of my own mind.
I must prove myself both to my party and to my queen, rumors of wrongdoing aside. It was this that led me to the desire to best that fiend, DeVargo Barvasi. I won. None will call me a 'better bed whore' anytime soon, even though I was poisoned and briefly weakened. More importantly, he will not violate myself nor Lillia or entrap Sionan with his foul spiders, nor hold the poor pseudo dragon, now a companion to Sionan. Commander Croft understood that he would not surrender and thusly had to be dispatched.
I wonder if I could further prove myself, then not only would I have the esteem of peers, but that of Vencarlo Orsini. Yes, he would be twice my age or more if not human, but there is that careful way he handles his rapier. He would understand my need for perfection.
After handling Barvasi, I healed, and tried to gather my thoughts to record, but found that we were called to duty yet again. On top of petty robberies and thuggery increasing within the city walls, rumors of our late king meeting foul play reached the people. One such suspect was a guardsman that was involved in a previous plot to kill the king, but before ending his life, he named Trinia Sabor. We were ordered to find her before the mob, and after a struggle where my arrows helped strike her down, maybe a little too well, we managed to bring in the injured girl for questioning. She protested her innocence, that she was only commisioned to paint a portrait of the king. Her flat within the slums held such tools, her neighbors offered to watch her abode during this time and I do not think that they would offer such help if she were not speaking the truth of her innocence. Regardless, we were to stop a potential Shaonti riot as the nephew of a shaman were murdered and the body stolen by a necromancer. We set out to recover the remains of the poor soul now held by Rolph.
I think I might have proven myself, or taken steps in the right direction as my aim was near perfect. The mosquitos Rolph employed attacked Lillia mostly, but we survived and recovered remains of poor Geiken for his grandfather to bury.
Upon our return, we found ourselves upon the execution of poor Trinia, possibly a pawn and scapegoat in this game. She was rescued by one named Blackjack, and warnings were shouted at the execution. Rumor has it that she still walks the streets and was seen various places.
But if she were innocent, who did poison our king if he were so affected? The Queen was named, and if it were true, and she is the law in the land, what have we been supporting and aiding to restore order to Korvosa? I must put these doubts aside, for the law is the order and backbone of this land, and all citizens are subject to it. If Trinia is innocent, she will be vindicated. I have trepidation as to what the future will bring, but all the same, I look forward to the new challenges.
We had hoped that the tension in the city would have died down after the initial shock of the King’s death, but it wasn’t to be. Rumors of conspiracy have funneled through the streets, sweeping anger and unease before them. A guardsman confessed to poisoning the King before taking his own life. In his final notes he implicated others who knew of the plot, most notably a young woman named Trinia Sabor.
We sat in the tavern relaxing and listening to the current news when a runner from the City Guard burst in looking for us. He barely had time to give us the message that Field Marshall Kroft was looking for us when she appeared, imperiously demanded a private room from the innkeeper, and requested our attendance. I wondered what we’d done.
Well, it turned out that Kroft wanted us to bring in Trinia Sabor alive before anyone else decided to bring her in dead. Though privately I suspected politics were again at work, I shared my colleagues viewpoint in this venture. I refuse to allow someone to be killed without fair judgment and until proof was incontrovertibly given. It didn’t take us long to bring in Trinia, and Lilia and I wondered if we were doing the right thing. Kroft may want her alive, but for what ends?
We had no chance for discussion when arrived back at the Citadel. Watchmen were lurking about in the stance of those who know something awful is about to fall from the sky and they’re hoping it doesn’t land on them. We were ushered to Kroft’s office right away – it seems we’ve become her favorite people lately.
She was not alone; the man who joined her was taller than my uncle, Marisko, and his tattoos rivaled those of the Elders, so much so that I found myself suppressing the inclination to bow. Kroft introduced him as Thousand Bones, a Shoanti ambassador to Korvosa and shaman to his people. He spoke to us with careful restraint, pointing out the difference of “our ways” and those of his people. Korvosa has never trusted the Shoanti and the same could be said in reverse. The recent murder of the young grandson of this man has inflamed the hatreds between the two cultures, and Thousand Bones entreated us to find the body, which had been reportedly sold to a necromancer, and return him to his tribe – before the tribe decided to come after him themselves. Of course, we agreed.
The Dead Warrens aren’t a pleasant place by any stretch of the imagination, and the knowledge that a necromancer was working within made my blood chill. Undead are no better than spiders in my book, and I knew we’d be meeting one or a dozen. Sure, enough, undead skeletons were the first creatures greeting us in that place. It is well that we had a priest of Adabar among us. We discovered that the elusive derro were more than a rumor. In fact they were nasty little buggers who ticked me the heck off with their infernal darkness spells. One of them set some type of mosquito-like creature on us that annoyed Lilia particularly. Majenko didn’t think much of them, either.
In other rooms we were forced to contend with various traps (interestingly devised, though downright creepy) and to trawl through a “dump” for the body parts of this poor boy. We found his legs there; his head was attached to a monstrosity of the necromancer’s fancy. His plight reminded me of Fea – dying so far from home and not even left to rest in peace - and I fought for mastery of my tears and won.
Other areas remained to be searched – one particularly foul scene was of the boy’s torso and right arm still moving as if reaching to strike – in that room we found yet another of the deranged and demented derro. This one appeared to have a few necromantic powers of his own. He wore a robe which disgorged undead from the patches he threw at us and the wand he carried made me rather ill and unable to move for a bit. We had him cornered, though, and we wore him down as he tried spell after spell to defeat us. He must never have met elves before or he’d never have tried to cast a sleep spell on us. It caught Majenko – he fell promptly to the floor, bruising himself slightly. (I haven’t yet heard the end of his complaints over this.) Destrel’s skill with the bow was never more apparent than in this and the next stop on our scavenger hunt which included a humanoid (I can describe it no better) who apparently took a liking to the “pretty elf lady” (he must have been speaking of Destrel) and was constantly spewing suggestive comments, none of which were heeded. At this point I think all we wanted to do was to find the rest of this poor boy and return him home. Fighting all the monstrosities each room contained simply became a chore. We still lacked his left arm and looked in vain for it until we remembered the one room we’d left unexplored – with good reason. Someone had chased something else into it and then boarded the door up to seal it in. At first look we left it hoping we’d not need to reveal what it contained. Alas, it was indeed in this room that we found the boy’s arm. Fortunately we were able to make short work of the necessary fight in this room. We trundled the body back to Commander Kroft in a covered wheelbarrow and I implored the gods to bring him peace.
Commander Kroft took custody of the boy’s body when we returned and bade us yet pursue another urgent mission, that very night in fact. While we were down in the Warrens, politics had happened. Queen Ileosa had concluded the trial of Trinia Sabor and found her guilty. Sabor was to be executed at sunset. Anger soured my stomach; my intuition told me Sabor was innocent. Kroft bade us to be present at the execution, but I went with heavy heart knowing my part in her capture. Majenko rode on my shoulder, still complaining at intervals that I didn’t catch him when he succumbed to the sleep attack. I was too troubled to argue, and I think he sensed it, for he ceased before we arrived.
The mood of the assembly was more appropriate to an elegant ball than an execution. Many nobles of Korvosa were there, I’m told, though I recognized but a few. The situation still seemed wrong to me; I was not thrilled to be present at the death of someone I believed could still be innocent, especially within the atmosphere of such shallowness. The Queen made a proclamation containing anemic platitudes and poetic political pomp before giving the order for Trinia’s death.
The executioner was denied his moment. As he hefted his axe he stopped and staggered, clutching his back. The dagger had come from behind him and I turned to sight the attacker. I say attacker, but perhaps it should be avenger. It was a man in a hooded cloak, and around me the name surged among the crowd “Blackjack”.
He jumped to the block and cut Trinia’s bonds. The executioner lunged after him; Lilia and I simultaneously shouted warnings. Blackjack deftly stepped aside, grinned, bowed and flourished his rapier, and dropped over the edge of the wall with Trinia in tow. As he bowed I noticed his hand. The last two fingers appeared not to bend. I’d noticed this before. One of our recent contacts had the same affliction. As we scurried from what was now becoming a scene of panic, spurred on by various guards who seemed to think it best that we leave immediately, I wondered whether it would be prudent to voice my theory of this man’s identity to my companions. Perhaps it would be best if I could wait to talk to this man alone.
We crept back to the inn in the early morning. The others are troubled over their duties to the city and the repercussions of tonight’s events. I have no such feelings about my duties to the city – were Blackjack were to show up on my doorstep tonight, I’d bid him good luck and look the other way. This is the city that killed my sister. It’s “intrigues” and other polite words for politics mean nothing if injustice is committed under such terms. I sense the unrest here even in Majenko, who graciously forgave me my fumble when I agreed not to give him another bath. It seems only a matter of time before this city erupts in full. It unnerves me; Farrellon is still months away, and anything could happen. I wish only to see her again, and to leave this accursed place behind. My new friends have become my worry – I do not wish harm to come to them. My opinion is that it may be best if we all leave, but I know my companions would be adamantly against it. I stay here now for them and for Majenko.
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Panic hits Korvosa. Blood Veil has entwinded its grip upon the populace.
The Queen has sent her reply to the issue at hand. The Queen's Physicians and the Grey Maidens. Will they come to the city's aid in time? Either way they are the new law of the day and have every right to enter homes and remove the ill. Failure to coply leads to arrests and worse.
Temples are having a hard time dealing with the plague, and prices for healing the ailment has tripled, unless you wish to sign a contract with the Church of Asmodeus.
The hardest hit so far are the people of Old Korvosa and North Point though the poor are in general hardest hit.
This all in a matter of less than 10 days.
Rumors abound with miracle cure alls and the subsequent frauds and lynchings of said snake oil salesmen.
Rumors also tell the spreading of the illness by sinister wererats, or even worse Shoanti.
I do not know if I can stand much more. I feel as though I am losing my sense of law, fairness, justice, perhaps even my own mind.
I aided in the escape of Trinia Sabor, even though she is still a wanted fugitive. I had a sense that she was innocent. Her neighbors and friends would not watch over her home and possessions, I don't think.
I was told by the Sable Company to keep an eye out and not participate in any illegal activities, even if my newfound friends do so. They want to promote me soon, should I prove myself.
I know that I will and this thought excites me, but my actions in aiding Trinia still loom over me. I will say it was a sense of justice that drove me, but I know it is because VanCarlo asked me to aid her. I have a feeling that I might do anything for him.
This is dangerous, and an illness that could spread through me every bit as quickly as the red veil disease now sweeping Korvosa. It led to madness as chaos as the infirm used their remaining will and strength to mob the few clerics that were able to restore. This is the very plague that could end all the order that made Korvosa the mighty city it once was. We all must find a cure for this.....
4, Gozred
In her darkened room at Tenna's Inn, Lilia kneels on the floor in prayer. Outside, the tortured city sleeps.
"Iomedae,
Please bless Korvosa with your grace and strength. The blood veil plague is spreading fast, and I feel so helpless. Today, when faced with the angry mob it was all I could do not to break down and cry. There were so many people who needed help and there was nothing I could do to help them rather beyond escorting Ishari to guard headquarters. While Adhemar and I were able to quell the worst of the mob's aggression, as this plague spreads I fear things will only get worse. Please grant me the strength and wisdom to help the citizens of Korvosa.
I also beg for your guidance. The recent actions of the Queen are causing me to doubt her true nature. While quarantines may be needed to combat the plague the other measures will do more harm than good I fear, and foster more fear and anger in the city. I do not know what to do......
Field Marshall Kroft has seemed to place a great deal of trust and me and I want to be worthy of her faith and trust, but if she finds out that I helped smuggle Trinia out of the city..... I know in my heart that even though I broke the law and defied the Queen's wishes by helping Trinia, I could not let an innocent face execution for a crime. I hope that she has arrived safely at her new home.
Goddess, please be with me as I try to stand fast and be a light to the people in a time of growing darkness. Help me to protect my friends, family, and the people of Korvosa"
9 Gozreh 4708
Dear Farrellon,
Though your ship is still probably skirting the Eye of Abendego, I thought it might be prudent to warn you of plague in Korvosa. I’m not sure how long it will take this letter to get to you; hopefully, you will receive it in good time. There is a scourge here that has been burning fast through the populace, and panic follows in its wake. It is but nine days since we first heard of this malady, yet many now are sick and dying. I, too, have presented symptoms, but, thankfully, have been successfully healed (so far) due to the kindness of friends.
I remember Tribal Elders in times past who removed and healed such plagues with no magical help. I do not believe they could defeat this one so. Many rumors abound about how this sickness started, though I do not believe that either were-rats or Shoanti were the bringers of this disease. I do remember that on the day we first heard of this illness a ship came into port and caused a slight stir the midnight before. It returned no response to hails and presented a yellow light. Though you’ve told me before what that means, I can not for mercy’s sake remember it. Perhaps if I could we would understand more but, then again, it may not be significant to Korvosa’s current plight at all.
There are many other events I ponder tonight that cannot be easily set to paper. Perhaps soon I will get the chance to relate them to you in person. I often dare to hope you are closer than you probably are; brand me for a fool if you like. Majenko is still irritable over being called a vermin by a man we recently met. I counseled him to forget it – the man obviously knows no better – but he hasn’t. Fortunately, placating him has not been quite that hard. I find that he likes fish and to be scratched underneath the chin. Destrel has grown fond of him as well, and I believe he has both of us wrapped around his talons, though I still strive to remind him that I was the one who freed him so he should call me by my name. He’s quite a handful.
The light’s growing dim here and I’m trying to save candles, so unfortunately must end this letter and retire to meditation. I shall remember the salt spray off the Aearelen’s bow and the beauty of you as you sleep.
Goodnight, my Farrell.
Yours,
Sionan
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Another update. I've hidden it all as a spoiler, so you are warned.
Still more news from the front lines of Queen Iloesa's personal fight against the horrid Blood Veil...
The Queen's Physicians, have made leaps and bounds in containing the out breaks. The sick houses are crammed, but still have room for more, and many patients are slowly recovering.
Dr. Davaulus has stated, from his personal base of the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden on West Dock. "We have not come out of the storm as of yet. We still do not know from whence this plague has started, and drastic measures may need to be taken."
The Grey Maidens have shown great resolve and determination to help the citizens in general. They carefully patrol the streets and gingerly help the sick to the plague houses of the Queen's Physicians, for better treatment.
Other news about town...
A Mob caught a wererat prowling an alley way and blamed the beastly creature for their woes. he was soon beheaded by someone in possession of a Silver Axe. The City waits in baited breathe to see if the is repercussions for this act of fear.
Lavender's a prominent perfumery in the Heights, has been closed for selling a fraudulent cure all for the plague. The owner, one Vendra Loaggri, and two of her guards have been detained for trial for Robbery. Rumor also has it that Lady Loaggri maybe charged with multiple counts of Accidental Death.
Finally messages of graffiti have been seen to sprout up in lower income areas of the city especially Old Korvosa.
"Blackjack shall save us!"
"Sabor is free!"
"Death to the Whore Queen of Korvosa."
Field Marshal Kroft,
My full report of the results of the investigation and pending charges against Vendra Loaggri has been logged. There is another matter that should be brought to your attention. My companions and I were approached by a woman who asked us for our aid. This woman identified herself as one of the city's wererats. She informed us that with the recent lynching of one of their number,a troublemaker by the name of Girrigz had gathered a group of wererats together to attack the city. This woman asked us to speak with Girrigz and try to stop the impending attack. She begged us not to kill any of Girrigz's followers, as she felt that they were misguided and could be brought to their senses. In exchange, she offered to give us information as to a possible source of the Blood Veil plague.
While I must admit that I was a little leery of this woman due to her nature, I agreed to help her as an attack by angry wererats would not bode well for the citizens.
We confronted Girrigz in his lair. His men took out silver weapons that we had acquired when we arrived, however, I had a silvered dagger hidden in my boot, just in case. The party used their best logical and impassioned arguments as to why attacking the city was a bad idea. I thought we had failed when Girrigz ordered his men to kill us and left the cavern room we were in. To my surprise and shock, his men began to beat their weapons on their shields and moved away from our silver weapons. They nodded to us and left. We had no choice but to put Girrigz down, but the city is safe from the wererats.
True to her word, our contact gave us this bit of intriguing information- some of her people found strange debris from the ship sunk by the guard recently. On the debris were bound boxes filled with coins. Her people reported that the coins were foul, as if the coins themselves carried the disease. She told us a way to reach the sunken ship. We will be investigating the wreck soon and I will inform you immediately of our findings. If this plague was deliberately introduced.... I can not bear to think of what country or group could be so evil as to engineer this.
In service,
Sergeant Lilia Calvinus
The city walls themselves have been reflecting the city's mood as slogans abound concerning the whereabouts of Blackjack and Sabor and call for the death of the queen.
The city is still gripped by sickness. The doctors are adamant that progress against the disease is being made, but if it is, it's simply not evident. Every day I'm thankful that I've been able to prevent the sickness from going further. Being in the employ of the the city Guard has certainly not been detrimental in that regard though it has provoked a few mild insults, especially when we showed up to question Vendra Loaggri about her wares. Capturing her created an interesting diversion for a moment or two and I must praise Majenko for his excellent sting. I must remember to buy him some fish.
Though we investigated the death of a were-rat at the behest of one of his relatives and not under the auspices of the Guard, it would appear that our ties with Guard may have marginally helped in our dealings with them. That and our silver-tongued Sargeant who managed to talk the group down. We wanted only their leader. I thought we were quite dead for a few minutes, especially when their leader appeared, shouted at us for a few minutes, then gave the order to kill us, and left the room. They appear to mistrust their "leader's" extremism, however. It was the strangest "fight" in which I've ever been involved. We watched as they beat on their shields, yelling and screaming, yet all the while giving us a clear path as they retreated.
Griggiz (I can only approximate the sound of his name) was infuriated. He can do no more harm to the city. In gratitude our contact among the were-rats gave us information about the ship that came into port a few nights ago and I suddenly remembered what the yellow light meant. I hope that now we may find some answers.
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Madness has gripped the city of Korvosa and the plague has shaken the very core of the people.
By order of the Queen and enforced by the Grey Maidens the bridges to Old Korvosa have been destroyed, all except the the large stone crossings. These edifices of progress are blocked and patrolled by the Queen's personal guard.
Meanwhile some nobles have taken to private celebrations to lift their spirits. Masquerade balls and orgies of excess and debauchery is the rumors on the streets of the common. Why deal with the plague when you can drink you ills away.
I'm not sure how to gauge what would spoil anything in this and what not so I've just put the whole thing in one.
The ship had broken asunder and lay on the bottom of the river in two sections. The bow leaned heavily upon a rock; the stern butted up against a similar outcropping. I noticed a large hole in the side. It would be large enough for us to fit through, at least. We entered what remained of the bow first, and even my first impression of the interior told me the situation was strange. I expected to find bodies and personal effects of the sailors, food and drink… but there was none of this. We did manage to find six rather ghastly eels in the galley but could have done without them.
After dispatching the eels we concluded our short tour of the bow of the ship and departed to check the stern. We dispatched a sea hag who had taken up residence along with a shark or two. Finally we were alone on the ship and could search for our answers in peace. We found one body – a physician, possibly, since he wore the same type of mask. We also found a large number of intricate darkwood coffers, most of them empty. There were two un-opened ones that we took with us. We also took with us the body of the physician. Lilia and Adhemar seemed quite ill at ease and rather insistent that we take it along, too. So, we lugged it to the surface with everything else. I wanted to know what was going on, but kept my mouth shut until we made it to Field Marshal Kroft’s office.
She was escorting a woman out as we were entering and briefly mentioned our names and where to find us as she bid the woman goodbye. I reckoned the woman would be part of our next job. As we revealed our grisly cargo to Kroft she became gravely silent. In addition to various other documents one of the coffers contained a title deed to the ship naming R. Davaulus as the owner. The other coffer contained a rat and some coins; apparently this would be where the plague has its origins. Kroft threw the documents into the fire, assumed custody of the body, and let us know in no uncertain terms that we were to speak of this to no one. We were on our own. Nothing had happened.
That night I meditated longer than usual to clear my head for the morning. It didn’t really help. My mind is still struggling to understand a motive, and not just the superficial one of spreading an epidemic. I wonder sometimes about the sheer malice people direct at other people. It makes no sense.
That morning we were met at breakfast by the woman Kroft had instructed. Deyanira Mirukova pleaded with us to find her younger brother, Ruan, a gifted musician. According to her Ruan had been invited to perform at a party at Carowyn Manor and had not returned. Her attempts to ask at the Manor itself had gone unheeded; the place had seemed deserted.
This time Majenko and the hippogriff were able to join us and Majenko delighted in circling the larger beast just to show off. We came to the Manor and knocked, of course. No answer. I got tired of waiting and picked the lock – it wasn’t hard. We gazed down the hallway into a ballroom full of zombies. Dancing ones. I suppressed my laughter; the situation wasn’t really that funny. It was well we had a priest with us. Thanks to him most of the undead threat was abated before it became a problem, because we soon had another in the form of a quite live but completely maniacal elf. She was a piece of work. Her favorite trick was to drink a potion of invisibility and try to sneak around us. Right. We have a pseudodragon. After watching us chase her ineffectively for a few minutes, Majenko took her on himself. I could hear his gleeful “I got her!” ringing through my head just before I saw him plummet past the window with maximum hilarity as he got caught as she fell. She was decidedly unco-operative and more than a little strange, giving us little more than her name. I shrugged. We left Majenko and the hippogriff to look after her as we finished a search of the area, hoping against hope that perhaps Ruan may be hiding nearby.
Though we did find one person hiding in the cellar, unfortunately it wasn’t Ruan. In fact it was Ausio Carowyn, the owner of the mansion, who barricaded himself in a small nook and refused our overtures until I got bored and impatient and picked the lock.
The situations were unsettling me and the maniac’s cryptic sentences were no help. We knew after our meeting with Kroft that something had to be done with her here and now. Bringing her to the citadel was no option; we decided instead to meet at the very place we’d started and use our sanctuary at Zellara’s to hide her there.
I decided to find Vencarolo Orisini. I’d been harboring a few suspicions since we met with him last and something told me it would be best to speak with him alone. Alas, I could get no further than the docks. The Gray Maidens and the guard had sealed off the bridges. Old Korvosa was now under quarantine. I hastened to the home of Zellara to warn the others.
When I arrived Destrel was showing her violent side and getting the jester to speak. Lilia looked the other way but appeared uncomfortable. It certainly unnerved me. It was enough for Jolistina to spill what she knew. My apprehension and disgust grew the more she talked. Thankfully, Ruan was taken alive, but for how long and for what purpose, she didn’t say. It was enough to know that it had been Rolth, the necromancer, who was involved and the underpinnings of a bizarre plot began to emerge. As she talked we knew she was beyond saving; it would be too dangerous to the city to allow her to survive. It was Lilia who delivered the coup-de-grace, and I know that in her heart she suffered for it. Tomorrow may be a new day, but what solace we can find in it, I cannot imagine.
I know what I need to do, and have found the courage to do it. As we now know who brought the plague to Korvosa, it is time to bring him to justice. Kroft let us know in no uncertain terms that her hands were tied,but that we, as "free agents" could do something... and it is time to act. I told the others that I know what course of action I was going to take, and that I did not expect them to follow me in rebellion against a lawful authority of the city. Sionan immediately said that she would join me, I think that her involvement with Adhemar, Destrel and myself has been beginning to chafe on her nature, but I value her aid all the same.
As for Adhemar and Destrel, they seemed to be torn between their duties and their hearts. I will not judge them or hold a grudge no matter what their decision. I hope that they decide to join me and Sionan though... We started this together and I feel that we need to end this together.
I pray that we find Ruan alive, and can put a stop to this before more innocents suffer. If I find that Devalus was acting on orders from others, they can not run far enough or find a hole deep enough for them to escape their justly earned punishment.
I am torn by my sense of the laws keeping Korvosa together, all that is now tearing it apart and my ethics, my heart.
Do I wish to admit that it is my heart that troubles me? Should that same heart swell with pride that I helped dispatch that evil Urgota priestess both in life and undeath. She was working under orders from the queen herself?
Lillia wishes to push on, that she would bear no grudge if I or anyone else opted out. I want to follow her. It seems that in order to restore the law, it has to be broken several times over, it seems.
On the other hand, there seems an end to the plague and my new rank as Captain. One can't help but feel pride to such rewards!
Lila's personal journal
Well, we found a cure for the plague, thank the Gods. We also received confirmation that the cultists were acting on the queen's orders. Old Korvosa is still cut off and the Seneschal of the city is missing. If I can get to Old Korvosa, to House Arkona and get the head of their house out, the noble council can vote to remove the queen. Or, if we find the sensechal he can lock down the palace. Either way, my next move is fraught with danger, but I can't in good faith leave the queen in power to cause more harm to the people of Korvosa. I hope that my companions continue on with me in this, but Destrel and Adhemar have so much to lose by joining me.
I wish Andros was still alive for me to talk to. I miss him still after all this time, but the ache has lessened. I would give almost anything to have him back. It is so hard to not have anyone that I feel I can pour out my doubts and fears to. I have to be strong for everyone else. I know the path I am on is the right one, but well I will never show I am scared that we will fail.... With Ioamade on my side we will be victorious if we keep faith. I have felt at peace since I decided on my course so I know that it is the correct one.
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And so we ended Seven Days to the Grave. As such I will post twice. Once to close up chapter 2 of this AP and the second to foreshadow and prime my players for Chapter 3. I again thank all for checking this out.
With no further delay...
The plague is broken the coughs of the few recovering is slowly fading in rising sun of a new day, and there is much celebration. The cure has been found! The odd news is that it wasn't by the hands of the Queen's Physicians, but by adventures answerable to the Guard. For all their efforts these five are considered to be Saviors of the City. They are Lilia Calvinus, recently promoted Captain to the Guard; Destrel Grange, recently promoted Captain to the Sable Company; Sionan En Rois, a Mwangi Elf scout; Adhemar, priest of Abadar; and lastly one Inwë Melwasúl, a sorceress of some repute and beauty.
As such they were commended for their efforts and each was allowed to purchase an item of some worth on the Crown's coin, acquire a piece of equipment from the stores of Citadel Volshyenek, gifted by skilled craftsmen of the city free of charge, but most talked about was the grand feast held in their honor in Trail's End in which the neighborhood came out in all its Varisian blooded glory and welcomed these none locals as long lost family.
The Queen's reward was delivered to the Saviors by the Sable Company commander, one Marcus Thalassinus, as the Queen was not up to the task due to her attending to the return of the remains of Dr. Reiner Davaulus back to Egorian to be interned within his family's burial vaults.
Within all this great news there is a darkened cloud that hangs over the city.
First is the hunt for the Traitor Trinia Sabor the reward has been marked up to 10,000 Gold Sails for her capture, dead.
Second is the quarantine of Old Korvosa as it was the start of Blood Veil. The Gray Maidens, the Queen's personal guard, burnt down every wooden bridge to the isle and has placed guard post on the stone bridges to the isle. All the City can see now is the fires of rioters and looters and hear the screams of the mad, murdered and tortured. The city weeps as madness take the island.
Next is the disappearance of Seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis. No one has any idea what happened to him or where he may have gone, but many of the upper echelon of the Sable Company worry, as the Seneschal was once one of them.
Finally the darkest rumor of all that The Queen's physicians were behind the plague and even worse the Queen knew, but no one speaks too loudly of the matter, as the Grey Maidens are every where now.
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The city has been to the breaking point, and yet it has survived. Still what should have been life returning too normal has yet to happen. The general populace has been cowed. The streets are listless and silent. The people only seem to come out when the Markets open, and even then at a hurried and quiet pace.
The temples of the city are up to their elbows in the sick, injured and the dead. The plague has taken its toll upon the faiths, and even now, it shows, as the temples’ collective resources are not readily apparent.
The Acadamae still has its doors shut and its resources pulled inwards until such time that the dust has truly settled. The Diviners on the outside state that the day the Acadamae seeks has not arrived for the Stars are not aligned correctly as of yet.
The Order of the Nail has all but abandoned the city. They have all retreated to Citadel Vraid. It is rumored that Lictor Severs called them all back to plan an invasion of Korvosa, and that he will swell the numbers of his troops with the legions of Hell itself.
The worst is that between the riots and the plague both the Korvosan Guard and the Sable Company have taken staggering losses in their collective ranks. To add to this great misfortune, the Queen has all but pulled her support of them both to focus on her personal Guard, the Gray Maidens.
The Maidens meanwhile patrol the waterways surrounding Old Korvosa to keep the quarantine in and the rest of the populace away. The fires still burn and smolder, but not as often. The riots still happen as well but with the same ferocity as the fires.
After two weeks of standing at this proverbial precipice, the heralds and cries of the Crimson Throne announce through the streets of Korvosa. Announcing upon the end of the week Queen Ileosa Arabasti will bring forth great news to hearten the spirit of her beloved City and her proud subjects.
On the appointed day, the throngs of citizen, both rich and poor, gather in the courtyard of Castle Korvosa. Gay Maidens guard the perimeter and walkways casting their blank helmed stares towards the crowd as if looking for an excuse to slay them all.
Queen Ileosa enters the courtyard from the palace. Her beauty and grace accented by the form fitting, yet tasteful, green gown she wears. Upon her noble brow, rest a new crown. Made of the purest gold covered in the exquisite gemstones and what seem to be ivory fangs. Ileosa's movement and pace is of perfect measure. Every action is as if rehearsed, from a simple nod to an Arbiter to weak but friendly smile to an artisan and his family. Yet, The Queen does not move alone.
On her immediate right flank is Sabina Merrin, her personal bodyguard, dressed in the armor of the Gray Maidens. Her eyes keep scanning the crowd and the Maidens. Her hair cut in a short bob; Sabina is truly a commanding presence.
One Ileosa’s left is a fat sweaty man in voluminous blood red robes. His beady eyes scan the crowd yet his hands twisted and pull at one another like two dogs fighting over a scrap of meat.
Behind the Queen and her two escorts are Marcus Endrin, Commandant of the Sable Company and Cressida Kroft, Commander of the Korvosa Guard. They eye everything and everyone warily.
When they stop at a point that was predetermined Queen Ileosa raised her arms in triumph and speaks to the crowd:
“My beloved subjects. The plague has ended. We have won a great struggle and we should be proud of it, but we must also remember the cost to us all.
“Dr. Reiner Davalus gave his life to find a cure, and as such he shall be considered a hero of the city as even now his remains are being shipped back to his family in Cheliax. Our Queen’s Physicians are to disband. They have all earned a much-needed rest, so that they may continue upon their private lives again. We are eternally grateful for all your endeavors.
“ We have suffered another loss as Seneschal Kalepopolis has gone missing and is presumed dead. Thus we have no other choice but to assign a new Seneschal, and to our left he stands”, Ileosa points to her left to the obese man and continues. “ This is the Esteemed Master Togomor, and he is our Seneschal!”
The crowd applauds if not excitedly then with enough fervor to be supportive of the choices made so far. The Queen waits and continues.
“ We have also seen the true colors of our supposed “friends” of the Order of the Nail. By fleeing like the children, they are back to their Citadel Vraid to pull the wool from their heads. What is even worse is that both our beloved Sable Company and Korvosan Guard has suffered terribly over the past few months in their collective ranks. We are sorry to state that neither group is capable to continue as Korvosa’s protectors anymore. To shore up this fault we here by install the Gray Maidens as the rightful protectors of Korvosa, and appoint their leader Sabina Merrin as Korvosan High General.”
As Queen Ileosa gestures to Sabina the ripple of concern washes over the gathered crowd. Once the whispered talks silence under both women’s glares the Queen continues.
“ Sadly with this news we must dissolve the Sable Company and have all remaining marines be folded into the Korvosan Guard. Commandant Endrin if you would please step forward and return you badge to us.”
With shock, the crowd watches history and tradition turn on its ear in Korvosa. Commandant Endrin takes two steps forward and stops, trembling. He reaches for his badge, but instead of handing it over, he throws it at the Queen, striking her across her left cheek. The entire assembly goes into a paralyzed shock.
Embolden Marcus Endrin bellows to all whom can hear him, “ Your shameful reign ends now! Korvosa will be free again!” As he finishes, his crossbow is in hand and he looses upon the Queen. His aim is true and he hits her squarely in the temple.
Yet she does not fall!
With incredible speed and fury, she pulls out the bolt and even before the blood reaches her shoulder, she has Endrin by his throat raising him off the floor. An instant later, she buries the offending bolt, by hand, into Endrin’s skull, right between his eyes with a powerful blow that would seem to never to come from such frame.
Queen Ileosa drops the offend man without a care to his service to the City and shakes blood from her hands. Her clear and imperious voice carries over the shocked crowd, “This shall be the fate of all enemies of Korvosa! Mark well his death! It is only the first!”
Togomor waddles up to her quickly and takes her by the hand and they then teleport back to the Castle. As she disappears, the courtyard breaks into riot and the Gray Maidens pounce and quickly quell the masses. The City now knows their Queen.
Long live the Queen!
A most excellent pair of posts.
By any chance, is your group planning to convert to the PRPG Core Rules before your next session?
No more of this.
In my travels, I have come to learn that the very physicians of the Queen were behind the plague and that her highness knew about this.
Law is key, but not without justice. Without justice, I fear that rebellion will sweep the land, sinking it to a state of anarchy or worse chaos.
To preserve the law and order, sometimes the laws must be bent.
I fear that chaos will be the order of the day if we don't act fast. We are going to need a lot of help now that the Gray Madiens patrol our streets, arresting citizens or worse if they so much as blink the wrong way!
It was a grim proceeding but we knew it had to be done. I have to admire the steel in my companions; when it came down to no other alternative they took justice into their own hands knowing no one would thank them for it. Still, I could see in their eyes what it cost them to do it.
A few days after our capture and execution of that crazy elf, a messenger from Commander Kroft came to us just as we were finishing our morning meal and finalizing our plans to confront Davaulus. (Tace has generously given us a private dining room lately and it has been quite useful to hide from prying eyes.) Our messenger turned out to be a companion, Inwë Melwasúl – a sorceror. Kroft apparently sent her to join us and offer aid as necessary. Majenko seemed to be intrigued by her. Inwë agreed readily to our plans and we set off to the Hospice.
We didn’t expect a warm welcome and got even less. Though we managed to subdue the Gray Maidens and even Davaulus in relatively short order, we felt instinctively that the mystery of the plague lay deeper than we previously suspected. Literally, deeper, it seemed. Even in searching Davaulas’s notes, we could not discern much more of the disease’s origins; however, we soon found more answers. Below the main hospice were more tunnels, inhabited mainly by priests of Urgathoa, goddess of disease and decay. We ran into Rolth here as well, but the main surprise was yet to come. We had discovered a full temple of Urgathoa, not just a lab dedicated to the spread of disease. It was here, we found, that the disease itself was being “manufactured”. Vats of Veil-tainted liquid dominated the largest room, which also happened to contain one of Urgathoa’s most dedicated priestesses. She didn’t appreciate our intrusion.
As she prepared to make a stand against us, Lady Andaisin, or so she called herself, taunted us, implicating the involvement of the Queen herself in the plan to spread Blood Veil. Of course this did not go over well with my colleagues. We defeated Andaisin in life and undeath and yet were no closer to finding a cure. We sent Majenko off to deliver messages to Kroft and to Dhatri. It was Grau who led the detachment of the Guard to our aid, and well it was, since we were able with his help to persuade the few Varisians who happened to be immune to the disease to give blood to aid in a cure. Only then did we have a chance to start to undo the damage done by the scourge.
They call us heroes now. We’ve been given gifts, awards, feasts, and an official proclamation from the Queen. Lilia and Destrel each received well-deserved promotions, and the rest of us have been officially deputized as sergeants of the Korvosan Guard. Majenko is eating up the attention. In spite of the accolades, however, we tread and speak carefully. The Queen knows we are aware of her plans for genocide, but can, of course, do nothing overtly to harm the “Saviors of the City”. I believe it is only a matter of time before she acts against us.
I'm enjoying the story so far, and I like the idea that posts = xp.
Cheers,
Rudy
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I'm enjoying the story so far, and I like the idea that posts = xp.
Cheers,
Rudy
This is what happens when you have creative writers in the group. It also helps me see what the players are seeing or what they are feeling.
Also we have converted fully to Pathfinder RPG. Game has now gotten gross with all characters and NPCs.
Personal Journal Entry..
I am still catching my breath and preparing for our next round of Blood Pig. I never thought when I joined the city guard that I would be looking for a missing seneschal and playing a game involving pigs and two wolverines. Since we made our way to Old Korvosa, I am struck by how quickly the veneer of civilization and law fades. These poor people here were left to rot by the Queen, and now turn to petty warlords for comfort. I want to stay and help the citizens here after we find the seneschal, but I know that my duty lies in stopping the Queen from further tortuing the city under the guise of a protector. I can only hope that we find the Seneschal and Vencarlo alive.
Dear Farrellon,
So much needs to be said yet there is so little I can tell you. By the time this letter reaches you, no doubt, you will have heard much of recent events in Korvosa from your various contacts in Absolom. Our recent notoriety brought us changes both good and bad, and possibly deadly. Warnings of impending danger came to us on the very day of the Queen’s disastrous announcement. It was not unexpected; in fact, we were already making plans. We decided to seek out a man we’ve met and assisted before. He was already gone; it looks as though he may have already gone into hiding. It appears that the group you were telling me about – the one with the mantis – is searching for our friend. Obviously, it’s not good. Intuition tells me that it might be prudent for us to leave Korvosa, or at least lay low for a while
I don’t know how well we’ll be able to do that. We seem to have gotten ourselves into the thick of an unusual “combat” called Blood Pig. Don’t ask. At least it doesn’t involve spiders. Majenko kept a running commentary the whole time and made it hard to concentrate. Perhaps we’ll get the chance to look back on it and laugh.
As much as I look forward to your return, I urge you to please be careful.
May Gozreh give you fair winds, my Farrell.
Love and peace,
Sionan
It wasn't really a commentary, but more like tips for you not to get hit in the game.
Anyways these guys totally took the rules and wrenched them in their favor... talk about taking the law into ones own hands. I will not even get into what you, Sionan did to that little gnome. All he did was twitch and you just upped and shoved his jaw into his brain pan. You so lucky that the lawful types were either turned away from you, or like the priest, almost dead.
Next time you shouldn't leave my to talk to Horkin. All that beast can do is squawk, screech, and worry about it's next meal. Speaking of meals...
Majenko
There is a moon tonight. The light of it reflects off the surface of the narrows that divide Korvosa; here and there light glints off their armor as the Gray Maidens patrol the walls and the stone bridge, enforcing separation of Old Korvosa from those who have not been rejected by the Queen. Scream has kindly offered us lodging in his home tonight in gratitude for his freedom. I have taken advantage of the docks to meditate alone in the open air but I can find no peace, even in moonlight. I almost envy the humans’ ability to sleep.
I sit tonight with a letter written by my beloved. She is laying into port in Magnimar for a week and heading north to the land of the Linnorm Kings following rumors of her brother. I wish I were there with her, yet after all the events of the day I wonder if I still deserve her. Much has happened since our departure from the peninsula.
Our search for Orisini and the seneschal led us to the house of Salvatore Scream, an artist of considerable repute, and led to our acquaintance with a woman named Laori, a singularly strange individual who was both a cleric of Zon-Kuthon and devoted fan of Scream’s works. Scream had apparently been taken captive by Pilts Swastel, the self-styled, Emperor of Old Korvosa. Laori offered to help us free him. Since he was our best link for information of those we sought, we agreed, though warily. Laori seemed slightly too… perky.
Pilts was known to have favored a sport he created and his hand-picked team reputedly never lost. We decided to try to beat Pilts at his own game and agreed to play if, upon winning, we were allowed to speak to Scream. “Blood Pig” is best described as a brawl with pigs added, or at least it was the way we played it. Majenko’s play-by-play didn’t help, though he insists that he was only trying to keep me from getting hit. I suppose, “Damn, that gnome is mental” was meant to have been taken as a warning.
We did win, though at a high cost. The aforementioned gnome, a barbarian with limited intellectual capacity according to Majenko, had given Adhemar the brunt of his attack. Adhemar and Destrel nearly died in that arena. Near the end of the game, though I knew both were finally stable, I vented my anger on the gnome. Shamefully. He was unarmed and down, unable to defend himself, and I hit him with every ounce of strength I had. Then I tossed him to the wolverine below.
After we won the game, we still had decide how best to deal with Pilts. We were led below and took our opportunity at a glance from Lilia. I used my advantage to strike while he was distracted, and Laori finished him, attacking just after I hit him. His retinue fled. We then rescued Pilts’s various captives: one Ezekiel Morva, a wizard hailing from Absalom, and his servant, and Salvatore Scream. It was Morva who had brought my letter from Farrellon, and he and his servant accompanied us to Scream’s lodgings here on the waterfront.
Now that hours have passed I feel guilty for having attacked the gnome. It is this thought that gives me grief. I come again to wonder why I’ve remained in Korvosa, and tonight perhaps I’ve been able to begin to understand. My quest for vengeance ended with the death of an old man. In the end it accomplished nothing of significance to Korvosa, but it awakened a new sense of purpose in me. What that complete purpose is still eludes me, but I know this: I cannot abandon my companions after all we’ve accomplished. I cannot allow the voiceless of Korvosa to suffer the injustice of a maddened Queen.
Well the Emperor of Old Korvosa is dead. We freed Scream from his grasp and he pointed us to House Arkona as a possible place to find the Seneschal. We made our way to House Arkona and waited to meet with Glorio Arkona, head of the house. Feeling a bit uneasy with the situtation, I used my ability and sensed a great deal of evil coming from our host. We spoke with Lord Arkona and managed to get his agreement that he would aid us in countermanding some of the Queen's orders through his seat on the noble council. Lord Arkona also informed us that Vencarlo and the Seneschal were somehow thrown into an infamous dungeon... probably because he threw them down there....
We are making our way through this dungeon and besides all of the wonderful traps down here we have come across these beings that Adhemar has identified as rakhaska, evil outsiders with the heads of beasts. One of the was trying to impersonate Vencarlo when he found it... somehow throw the grace of Iomedae I saw through the deception. Poor Destrel, while I do not understand her obsession with Vencarlo, I can only hope that she can hold it together when we find him as I am not sure if he returns her feelings. For once it is nice to not have to worry about holding back, and trying to convince someone to surrender. I hope and pray that we find Vencarlo and the Seneschal alive and can leave this awful place. The stench of evil is thick and I feel sick being here......
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Beaten and broken our heroes leave the Vivified Labyrinth. With their lives and the lives of Vencarlo Orsini and Neolandus Kalepopolis. Now they travel into the countryside as fugitives of the crown, and only one option is left rebellion.
The road is dark and bleak but the companions are determined.
4 Desnus 4708
The sun is setting and we are preparing to make our way to a nearby town called Harse. From that point we shall have to see where events take us. Majenko has learned the value of cautious investigation and I have learned that curiosity and a rush to aid do not mix well. We have taken many injuries and are fortunate to have a healer with us, though our wounds are still mending. Many times this day I've thought it would be my last. For Destrel it nearly was so and was largely my fault for inadvertently trapping her in a room with... something disagreeable. We have been fortunate enough to rescue both Vencarlo and Kalepopolis during our escape (though I never want to see another rakshasa again) and have left Korvosa to its ills. I see the disappointment in the eyes of my companions as they stare across the river at the city that was once their home. They say nothing, but I know they’re wondering if they’ll ever see it again.
Vencarlo has told us he’s arranged things, which makes me wonder how long he’s been planning to leave. He is certainly a man of many resources and the possessions we returned to him confirmed my suspicions of his identity. We discussed such, briefly, on our way out of the dungeons, and his whispered proposals still ring in my ears as I ponder them. What he asks of me would demand I remain in Korvosa indefinitely and this I had not planned to do. Of course, it also assumes we’ll return to Korvosa; however, I think the question is of return is simply when, not if. I’ve a grim suspicion that it will somehow fall to us to aid in restoring the seneschal to power and bringing the queen to justice if it can be done. Even if we prevail in this, there are now the Arkonas to consider. Now that I’ve seen their true nature, I fear that if the queen were defeated she would simply be replaced by yet another evil power that cares nothing for its people. It saddens me to think of the injustice of it.