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The dog rushes forward, leaping up and sinking its teeth into the old man's shoulder, clamping down hard and trying to drag him to the ground but he manages to beat it off somehow, but its still very obvious that the attack has left him weakened as the blood flows freely from the wound.
The assault does much to leave him off his guard, however, as the viper appears behind him. It lunges forward, sinking its fangs into his his side. He grabs at it, pulling it from him with a shaking hand, though even as he does he starts to cough until blood flecks his lips. He snarls out towards the half-elf, gurgling as he sinks to his knees. "Damn fool. This isn't over... Not.. over..." With those last words he falls flat to the floor, the poison coursing through his veins too much for his elderly system.
Shadowleaf sees GL go down with the snake bite and starts to worry, he still needs to know what happened to his son. He heaves himself out of the water and moves over to GL, "Don't let him die, I have questions". And tosses any weapons away from their opponent.
Fortune, also moves forward, in celestial "Keep him down, no more attacks, thanks" and continues in common, "Vallis, watch" (Vallis the raven will swoop outside the door and keep watch on the croc and outer door). Though his legs feel like stone, Fortune trudges forward, the elf is right, they need questions answered (and such a quick, relatively painless death was too good for that evil man). Starting with a stabilize spell, he will pull out his healers kit and using a bit of luck, try to prevent the bastard from dying. (+9 heal skill)
As the kid goes to work, Shadowleaf will tie GL's hands before moving back toward the croc. Pulling out his bow, he will put an arrow between it's eyes (coup if possible).
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Shadowleaf moves to the water and puts an arrow directly into the animals brain, killing it instantly. Fortune's skilled hands are able to keep the poison from flowing further in the old man's veins, and then a quick spell keeps his life from slipping completely from him, though Gaedren does remain unconscious.
The raven moves to the doorway to keep watch, as it gets there it starts to squawk excitedly, crowing an alarm in its poor common, indicating trouble from the street.
Fortune calls in the raven, "Vallis, slow down and speak clearly, what is going on?"
To Vallis, "Go keep an eye on it. Warn us if they head this way."
With GL tied up and SL with a kukri out, Fortune will get out the dagger and activate some positive energy, healing. "Didn't think you would see me again. Well you didn't kill me when you had the chance, your mistake. He would kill the older kids as examples before they got too big to be a threat. Now you're going to answer his questions, and then we will play a game." In an usually grim voice.
Shadowleaf has been putting certain facts together and is begining to look at Fortune with a questioning look. He asks GL "I am looking for my son, a halfelf of about his age. You bought him from the late Mrs Anne of the Harborview Orphanage." he says the last with a note of derision. "Tell me, what you did with him and I will make your passing easy. His name is Gar." And as a curious after thought, "Oh yeah, what's in the ship?"
Fortune was keeping an eye on GL, when the elf mentioned Mrs Anne, he thought, that's where I was from and when Shadowleaf mentioned his name, his jaw dropped.
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The raven takes off from the half-elf's shoulder, flapping over to land on top of the door again and watch up at the streets above.
Gaedren comes too slowly as the burst of positive energy washes over him. He blinks his eyes a bit blearily but as they focus they narrow and glare at the two above him. "Ah, such a mistake I have made, perhaps, but you have made it as well. I still draw breath and that gives me time to remedy my error."
The wiry man struggles for a moment against the ropes, though it looks as if the effort is near enough to put him back into unconsciousness. He stops though when Shadowleaf asks his question, grinning wide with his ruined teeth. His eyes give away nothing as he looks at the elf, though with his known cruelty he could well be speaking for Fortune's "benefit". "There have been so many children who have passed through my hands through the years. Do you think I would remember the poor little bastard who you discarded in a dumpster those years ago?"
He spits on the floor beside him at the second question. "Bugs mostly. Your kind like them, don't they? Perhaps you should go have a snack."
Shadowleaf just grunts, as if struck, when Gl says "poor little bastard who you discarded in a dumpster". Fortune quickly recovers from his momentary surprise. His reaction to Gl is less restrained and yet, carefully calculated. He takes the dagger and stabs Gl through the shoulder and while his victim is in pain (or falling unconscious) he hisses, "Now we can play my game, it's called, "How long can I keep you alive before you die". I have gotten pretty skilled at healing and I'll bet I can keep you alive for weeks, taking a piece of you at a time."
Shadowleaf quietly says "I really think you shouldn't do that, I believe the Dreaming Lady wouldn't approve."
Fortune ignores him and continues "But I have to start with your eyes, I promised a lady you wouldn't see another sunrise" and he twists and pulls out the bloody dagger. Gripping the dagger tightly, but hesitates. At this point Shadowleaf buries his kukri into GL's brain, "The knife of torture cuts the soul of the wielder more than the flesh of its victim. I cannot let you do this to your self. Your mercy and generosity are needed in this despicable world. We don't need anymore like him."
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Gaedren hisses when the dagger sinks into his shoulder, his eyes shooting daggers of their own back at fortune even as they start to grow unfocused from the pain. There is some sort of grim satisfaction in the feeble gaze though as he sees his words bit true to Shadowleaf and seem to have encouraged a true fury in Fortune.
The Kukri sinks easily into the man's skull, finishing him smoothly as the last wheezing breath leaves his chest and he fades into whatever dark oblivion waits for him.
Fortune just stares at the dead man, numb. He had so very much wanted the evil old man to suffer. He had fantasized about it, and now he was gone, the old bastard was dead. The elf's words "anymore like him" echoed in his mind as he looked at the bloody dagger in his hand and thought about the grim satisfaction in Gl's last gaze. Fortune realized that his Master had been right when he had warned Fortune about returning home, "Justice as directed by our Lady is good, but the path of vengeance is lined with peril." Fortune felt all dirty and wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide. But reality intruded on his overly selfish introspection as he heard Vallis squawk. There were kids up there who need direction and Desna knows what else is going on. But Fortune finds he can't move until one more matter had been cleared up. Without looking at Shadowleaf he says quietly into the silence, "I came from Harborview and my mother called me Gar. She said my father was dead, why else would he have deserted us?"
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This foul-smelling room seems to be a combination bedroom and study. A wooden bed with a lumpy mattress stands against the east wall, while a round table heaped with dirty plates, bread crusts, stained goblets, fruit rinds, and scuttling cockroaches sits nearby.
At the foot of the bed sits a large strongbox, a slighty rusted lock securing its lid. A sagging dresser filled with moth-eaten clothes well past their glory days is in one corner—what appears to be a wooden hat-box surrounded by a small cloud of flies sits atop this dresser.
A small sputtering candle burns on top of the dresser to provide dim light in the room.
Shadowleaf says quietly, looking embarrassed, "I was a young elf and had never been outside of elven society, I never imagined humans could change so quickly. It was only a decade of service, and when I returned to find her, she and you were gone."
Fortune will think quickly, then rise, bloody dagger still in hand. "Maybe you're my father, and maybe not. But now there are a bunch of kids above who need our help. We can talk about this later." He carefully uses prestidigitation to clean the dagger and himself, and as an after thought, clean and dry Shadowleaf. "I'm going to take the body to the boat. The kids need to see he is dead. At least I would want to know." He carefully begins to drag the body out of the room.
Shadowleaf grunts, "Wisely said, but wait," and he will search the body (hoping to find a key, but taking anything of value), "my dog has food in it's pack." Then as Fortune is dragging the body out, with a slight plaintiveness to his voice he whispers "I did travel all this way from my homeland to find you". He proceeds to toss (search/perception +6) the room, the kids will need stuff and that takes gold. He will search for traps on the strongbox before trying to open it. The hat box looks interesting as well.
Fotune will drag the body to the other side of the pool before resting, that spell trick can takes a lot of energy if you're not careful. He will drop a light spell on a rock to see if he can see (perception +4) Shadowleaf's hammer, throwing ax or polearm. If he sees them he will use mage hand to retrieve the hammer or ax (leaving them on the catwalk), and drop a light stone next to the polearm. Feeling a little more refreshed, he will finish dragging the body to the doorway, leaving it there for SL to put into the boat. Fortune will climb up the rope to see what is going on with the kids.
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Gaedren's room has very little of value scattered about it, and all he had on his person was the handcrossbow and dagger, both are of a fine quality even if they haven't been kept with the most care. He also has a small ring with nearly a dozen different keys on it.
One of the keys fits perfectly into the lockbox, which doesn't appear trapped, and it opens easily. Inside are a number of small 'treasures' wrapped in cloth and tied with twine. These treasures include:
A narrow teak cigar case inlaid with bits of jade.
A two pound gold ingot bearing the Chelish coat of arms.
A miniature gold crown.
A fist sized scrimshaw carving of a kraken with garnets for eyes.
A silver ring bearing the inscription "For Emmah- The light in my nights"
A highly realistic and scandalous statue of two interwined succubi
A masterwork shuriken
An adamantine arrowhead
An abalone holy symbol of Shelyn
A tiny glass tube containing some sort of oil
An obsidian wand
A crystalline vial with some sort of oil
A bejeweled broach with a broken clasp
Even to an untrained eye the broach is obviously the most valuable item in the whole collection. It depicts a pseudodragon and an imp coiled around each other in a yin-yang patter. The pseudodragon has an amnethyst for an eye while the imp has an emerald.
Shadowleaf:
By the time you get to the hatbox, Fortune has moved out onto the dock to begin his climb of the rope. However what is in the hatbox is rather shocking. Brushing away some of the flies from over it, opening the hatbox reveals a partially rotten severed head looking back at you. Its difficult to really take in the disgusting sight, but even with just a second glance you realize that the head is that of Zellara. From its state of rot it must be at least a week dead. A small wooden box sits inside the hatbox just beneath the stump of her neck.
Fortune:
Stepping out onto the dock to finish with the body and make your way up the rope gives you a better view of what your raven was going on about. It seems that in the time you have been exploring the fishery some sort of chaos has overcome the city. The sky is orange in places as if dawn were coming too early and smoke billows up to meet the moon indicating there are large fires burning somewhere. These streets which never truly empty seem to have lost many of of their merchants and instead of full of sleepy townsfolk stumbling from their houses to find out whats going on, groups of hellknights running along the docks and directing people back into their homes, and flights of griffons overhead that must be the sable marines. From outside you can hear soft cries in the distance that slowly getting closer and it seems that whatever riots are happening in this lawful city are moving this way.
To himself, with a sneer of disgust, "I thought only orcs and goblins desecrated the dead thusly." I have the right chosen enemy he thinks. Gathering up the loot and taking special care with the head Shadowleaf heads out, She seemed like a decent woman, she deserves a decent burial. He will stop and look for his weapons, if Fortunes search hadn't found them first. That was a decent hammer, it would be a shame to lose it. Getting to the body, he will load it into the boat and maneuver it out under the hole. Looking longingly at the secret door, Who put's a secret door in a boat, before climbing up. His curiosity is hard to ignore until he hears the children's voices from above. There are many young souls above that need him.
Fortunes wonders at what is happening and realizes he needs to get the kids up and moving. As he his head pokes through the hole he smiles and says "Hey Delbin, did ya miss me." If they aren't awake when he gets there he will wake them up, "Wake up sleepy heads, my name is Fortune and I've got some news." He will get the food from SL's dog and distribute it as evenly as possible. Which won't leave much for each kid, but it must be better than what they are used to, so smaller portions is probably a good thing. Keeping his voice light and chipper, "The dog's won't hurt you unless you hurt them, so it might be a good idea to just gather round and listen to me for a bit. Gaedren and I had a discussion about how he was treating you. The Goddess Desna was offended at his behavior and, well, he's dead now." With a wink and a smile to Delbin, "Boy, was he surprised. Anyway, me and a friend will be taking care of you for awhile and there seems to be something wrong in the city, so I need you to listen to me and do what I say. First, gather what you have and get ready to leave. You older kids, help the younger ones." He will try to get the kids ready to move when Shadowleaf arrives.
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Shadowleaf, looking around the area, one of your two throwing axes remain stuck in the crocodile and is retrievable but the other has sunk below and would require swimming to search for.
The children haven't yet woken, though Delbin still looks very nervous. Even more so then when you had last left him, he could hear some of the conflict below and seemed to be expecting that it would be Gaedren who would be coming up to exact some punishments.
The children wake up slowly, scared of these new people but the older children do much to help keep the younger ones calm. These children have learned well to obey and so are obedient and quiet as you direct them. When you step them out onto the dock, there are a series of shocked gasps at the sight of the body. The children have a look that appears to be one of veteran soldiers, hardened to the traumas of life though its clear that it will take some time for them to realize that they are out from under this man's thumb and to adapt to a more normal life. For now though they remain silent and obedient as they watch the ship sink with the body, following your directions almost nervously as if expecting that you were their 'owners' now, something that may help you direct them to where you wish them to.
Finishing a search of the rest of the fishery doesn't turn up much, you have passed through much of it on your way here. One of the keys you have found does open the cabinet in the first room and that has a number of pouches holding what looks like petty cash for the dock dumpling business. You find 400cp and 200sp.
As you get ready to make your way out of the fishery, you can hear the sounds of the chaos that seemed to have filled the rest of the city much closer now. From what must be the dock you hear a sudden breathless cry in the clear voice of one of Korvosa's heralds "The King is dead! Long live the Queen!"
Fortune's heart nearly breaks at how quite and fearful these children are. He remembers his time as one, the loneliness and constant fear of punishment. Then, he knew nothing different, only memories of his mother. Now, he as seen normal kids and families, and this is not normal. Fortune will force himself to remain positive and upbeat.
The kids will be given the address and assigned buddies (in groups of 2-3). The buddies are responsible for each other and if they get separated from the group, they are to make their way to that address and wait for us. As he is assigning buddies and such, Fortune will give the kids a cursory examination (heal skill 17) and make sure they have each had a drink of good clean created water.
Fortune will pray before they leave, "Let us ask Desna to guide us."
Shadowleaf and an older child who knows the city will lead off with the new dog. Fortune will be bringing up the rear, the 2 other dogs will be on the flanks and Vallis the raven will be aerial scouting. They will try to avoid rioting and fires and try to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Well, as inconspicuous as a group of 25 kids, 2 adults and 3 dogs can be. ;)
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Moving through the alleys and streets towards the fortune tellers home shows well just how mad the city is quickly becoming. Further cries of the heralds ring out proclaiming the king's death and queen's reign but now are often answered by ragged shouts of 'Hang the Queen!' and 'The usurper whore must die!'
One of the dark streets is lit by a blaze crackling in the timbers of a large home, a group or protesters holding back guards from helping with the blaze, calling out what seems to be wild accusations that its the home of a traitor. Even as you pass the protesters break into a fist fight among themselves over whether the traitor serves the queen or was challenging her right to rule.
Flights of the griffon mounted Sable Company Marine's pass overhead regularly and swoop down into the streets to try and break up packs of fighting crowds. As they make one pass overhead a splash of liquid rains down over the quickly moving group and it takes a moment for you to realize that it is blood and shortly after one of the griffons plummets from the sky, crashing into a building but in the chaos his squad continues onward without stopping to check on him.
As you near the home it looks for a moment that a company of hellknights is going to accost you, the large pack of children drawing clear attention. But as they begin to approach there is a crash of breaking timbers from a nearby alley as looters break through a set of shutters and the company turns and hurries to stop them.
It takes several loopbacks to avoid the most dangerous and obviously impassable areas, but with some travel you are able to safely make it to Zellara's with all the children. When you get there, the door is unlocked and the room itself is dark. Things inside are much as you left them, though the basket on the table is empty and strangely there is a fine layer of dust coating many surfaces. Several sets of footprints have disturbed the dirt on the floor.
Before they enter, Shadowleaf will try to tell if the tracks are his and Fortunes, or someone/thing else. (Survival +4 or perception +6)
Fortune is bewildered by the dust (SL hasn't shared the contents of the hatbox with him yet). But he will settle them in to rest as best they can for whatever remains of this eventful night. After they are all down he will say a prayer to Desna and use some positive energy to heal any scrapes and bruises they might have. Later, he will have a chat with Shadowleaf on the front steps, carefully avoiding the elephant in the room (parentage issues). "I wonder where Zellara is? I hope she doesn't mind?"
Shadowleaf hands him the box, "She's here, she won't."
Fortune will look inside and is aghast at the head. "So she was dead the whole time," he shivers, but not from the cold. "and I'll bet this is her harrow deck." Fortune will use mage hand to pull it out of the grisly box. "We really should give her a decent burial." He will open the box and examine the (I'm assuming) cards inside, he smiles, "I always wanted to learn how to use these. I hope she doesn't mind." Then he turns serious, "We have much to talk about, but it looks like tomorrow will be a busy day and unless I get enough rest I can't learn my spells. We will talk later." Leaving Vallis and 2 dogs with SL, Fortune will take Rufus inside and try to sleep.
Shadowleaf will try to get some rest on the front steps with the dogs for warmth.
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The tracks are from the two of you and look to be the only ones that have passed through here for several weeks at least.
The children settle in easily enough, piling up around in the main room and in the back room that looks like it once served as Zellara's bedroom to doze off with the resilience of soldiers on the battlefield. They fall asleep fairly quickly in exhaustion, curling up together, even the chaos of the sounds outside not seeming to affect them much.
The wooden box does indeed hold Zellara's harrow deck, a beautifully rendered set of the cards that are well cared for but worn as if passed down for many years. Just thumbing through them you may notice that the cards each of you were passed as your invitation to meet with Zellara have been returned to the deck, clean of the messages upon them.
As you touch the cards you see a strangely glowing light appear a few feat away from you, slowly taking form of a blurry outline of Zellara. There is some relief on her face as she looks over you. "I must thank you, my heroes. You have done myself and my son a great service, as well as aided the children of this city by ridding it of such corruption. I have a great tie to this harrow deck as it has passed through my family for generations. But my line has ended now and I wish these to be yours. I believe that I may be able to aid you in some ways with them, though truly speaking like this is very difficult for me. There is madness in the streets now, harming the city I love. It is not yet time for me to pass on to the next world for my fate here is not done. Your fate is not through yet either. The cards have said much. I believe that you will not simply be my heroes before all is done..."
As she speaks she begins to fade slowly and by the end you can see her words are becoming weaker. With the last sentence she disappears completely. You can feel a warmth remaining in the deck however, and it looks almost like the images on the cards move slightly as your eyes follow them as if they had their own life.
As she fades Shadowleaf asks, "Where do you wish to rest" patting the hatbox.
After Fortune has gone inside SL does a brief scouting trip around the neighborhood looking for trouble coming their way, any food stuffs and kids clothes. His masters voice said "For missions requiring speed, always travel light." Dear Desna, I won't be able to travel light for years. And what to say my son...
Fortune will whisper, "I have a feeling we will be seeing her again" looking at the deck in his hand, "ask her next time". Then he turns serious, "We have much to talk about, but it looks like tomorrow will be a busy day and unless I get enough rest I can't learn my spells. We will talk later." Leaving Vallis and 2 dogs with SL, Fortune will take Rufus inside and try to sleep.
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Yes, you can rest through the night. With shadowleaf keeping watch, none of the fighting hits you here and over the course of the evening it looks like the guard manages to get much of the city contained though there is still a very obvious tension as the supporters of different nobles right to the throne, those who support the queen, and those who simply hate the queen battle it out.
Points of fighting happen sporadically through the night and guard patrols are quite heavy, often carrying wounded or dead. By morning, the fighting for the moment seems to have exhausted itself for the time being, though the city has the feeling of being on edge. Shadowleaf can see an obvious look of concern on many of the passing soldiers faces, even among the hellknights who are generally much more rigid then the average military force.
Posted reply in ooc thread. Be back tomorrow.
Sl can smell the fear in his prey (humans). Taking some of the older kids and the new dog he will go buy food and clothes, and look for a larger temporary home. He will help instruct the kids he takes in stealth skills. Meanwhile, Fortune will keep the rest busy, cleaning and various busy work. One by one he will have a chat with them to see which ones have families they could be returned to, and recording their names on a piece of parchment (he feels responsible to check in on their progress later). Fortune knew that Gl was not above straight out kidnapping. He will also spend some time trying to identify various magic items (using detect magic to determine what's magic and what's not).
Later, while Sl watches the kids, Fortune will go have a chat with the priests of the temple of Saranrae and the shrine to Desna in the Pantheon of the Many to see if they have any suggestions on the disposition of so many orphans and if they want to help us care for them until we find them places to stay. He will also stop by a jeweler (and other appropriate businesses) and see how much the stuff is worth.
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The city is strangely quiet the next morning when Shadowleaf takes some of the children to the street, few shops are open today and those that are have several guards stationed at them to keep out any looters and ensure the stores safety. The only people walking the streets today seem to be those who have a true need to be out and they hurry to their destinations with their heads down. You are questioned by the guards several times as you move down the streets, but simply telling them that you are moving the the temple or a shop is enough for them to allow you to pass.
Several of the children are able to inform you of their families, though there are still about 20 that look to be orphaned or were too young when taken to know who their families may be. The temple of Saranrae and the shrine that houses the shrine of Desna are both nearly overflowing with people as you arrive, the multi-shrine filled with those preying to the many gods for a combination of hope for the future under this new rulership and curses against the new queen, the conflicting feelings show strong.
Saranrae seems much the same, though her worshippers seem far too busy to be simply sending prayers to their goddess as most of those injured in the chaos of the night before have been sent here for healing and care.
The shrine to Desna has no real infrastructure, particularly in the midst of all this chaos to take on any children. The temple of Saranrae however is willing to take over for finding the families of those children who do seem to have those, and can house up to five of the others. The best suggestion of both the shrines for the rest of the children would be the church of Abadar. While it is much like a state run orphanage it also it also is the most thoroughly overseen in the city and the children are most likely to have the stability and conciling they need as they grow up.
As for Fortune's day, he does well identifying many of the items and trying to guage just what value some of the more artistic treasures may hold. Jewelers, being seen as 'non-vital' merchants seem to be closed in the city today, however it isn't overly difficult to find a large merchant who also deals with jewelery.
I have gone through and sorted the items below for you, however the merchant's reaction is quite shocked when he is shown the broach.
The merchant blinks quickly as he reaches to take the broach from your hand to look at more closely. He inspects it carefully and shakes his head a bit, handing it back quickly. "I'm afraid I can't be taking this, my boy. That there is the heraldry of the queen. Any of us who deal in this craft in the city have heard about this, I wager. Heard it was handed over to one of my old competitors a few months ago, didn't keep his eyes open, no he didn't. Broach was snaked from right under his nose. Well the guard determined he ain't had nothing to do with it, but the su..." He catches himself before he lets that word slip out. "The queen weren't too pleased in her way. Been hunting for it pretty heavy, made sure none of us would pawn it. Figured that after this long it was sitting in the attic of some magnimarian collector, smirking at our guard's behind our backs. Anyway, I ain't gonna be the one who goes against the queen's decree, not then and not now what the queen has all the power. I was you, I'd run that back to her. She's been offering a pretty fair reward and all, I imagine she's pretty pleased with herself right now so you might even get it."
Items:
Treasure values-
Cigar Case: 25gp
Gold Ingot: 100gp
Mini Crown: 350gp
Kraken: 200gp
Inscribed Ring: 150gp
Succubi Statue: 450gp
Shelyn Symbol: 300gp
garnet amulet: 100gp
Masterwork Hand Xbow: 200gp
Masterwork Dagger: 151gp
small kukri: 4gp
light shield: 4gp
flail: 4gp
Keeper Items that needed Identifying-
* Glass Tube: Oil of Keen Edge
* Obsidian Wand: Magic Missile(5th Level, 23 Charges)
* Crystalline Vial: Silversheen
* Wand: Acid Splash(3rd Level, 28 Charges)
Other Keeper Items-
* A masterwork shuriken
* An adamantine arrowhead
* acid (3) -1 used?
* tanglefoot bag (2) -1 used
* thunderstone
* dagger
* light crossbow with 10 bolts
* disguise kit
Realizing he needs help with these kids, Fortune will consult with Shadowleaf and then take the offered advice, allowing the Temple of Saranrae and Abadar to take the children. Though if some of the older ones don't want to go, we won't force them to. Though he will try to convince them that it's for their own good. Then they will sell what they can (see the following list).
When Fortune had lived here as a kid, he had other things on his mind (survival, not being beaten, what he was going to eat) than what the nobility was doing. He had paid more attention lately, but had been distracted by his search for Gaedren. The recent chaos had made him aware of just how much impact 1 man, or woman, can have on a city. However, he has no personal feelings for or against the new queen. He will ask around about how they might return the brooch and collect the reward. But they will coordinate their story first, using the truth, but not the whole truth. They found it in the possessions of a dead man near the docks.
Shadowleaf will follow Fortunes lead in this unfamiliar environment and will wait for him to start the conversation about being father and son. It is enough for him that he has found his son.
1887gp
Keeper Items
* Glass Tube: Oil of Keen Edge
* Obsidian Wand: Magic Missile(5th Level, 23 Charges)
* Crystalline Vial: Silversheen
* Wand: Acid Splash(3rd Level, 28 Charges)
* A masterwork shuriken
* An adamantine arrowhead
* acid (3) -1 used?
* tanglefoot bag (2) -1 used
* thunderstone
* dagger
* light crossbow with 10 bolts
* disguise kit
* Masterwork Dagger
Shadowleaf argues the point of just chopping the brooch into pieces as being "nothing but trouble". But allows himself to be convinced that "having friends in high places" is a good thing. Fortune will remind him there is someone who knows we have, and "Do you want to be the one the queen finds out has destroyed it?" With a resigned sigh he agrees, "Like I said, nothing but trouble." Then thinks, the last thing I need is a bunch of noble women chasing me around pinching my bottom, "hurumph'.
Shadowleaf will donate/sacrifice 225gp to the shrine of Desna to thank her for her guidance on his hunt.
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The childrens compliance may not be a result of the abuses they have suffered, but it does allow for them to be guided in the ways that are best for them and none of them argue with your ideas. They seem to finally be realizing that you do mean the best for them however, and as you are getting them ready, Delbin will approach with a small patchwork doll and offer it to you. He looks nervous as he speaks. "I kept this from before... Don't remember much from then, but he always protected me then, and I thought he still would. Kept him hidden from the Master, since he wouldn't have liked it. Now though, you looked after me, and we're going to have a new family to take care of us. Maybe he can take care of you now too."
The cathedral of Abadar is closed for the day, following the riots due to the bank inside being an at risk target. Their priests are available however, and mentioning the children who have been orphaned in this time of chaos results in one of the lay priests being sent with you back to the house to pick them up for you. The man is Vudrani and in his mid-twenties. He is quiet and glances around anxiously as you move through the street, having you pause for a moment when he sees a soldier who looks as if he is standing wearily to step over to him to help him recover from his fatigue with a prayer to his god.
When he arrives, he will go and speak to the children quietly, trying to comfort them as he introduces himself, before turning to the two of you and giving a small bow. "I thank you for your assistance with these children, these are proving to be very trying times and the youth and convelensent often get the worst of it. It is good to see those who are willing to help rather then try for their own gains. You are truly kind men."
Asking around about the brooch, few people seem to have much of an idea how to secure a meeting with the queen, however anyone who has anything to do with a shop seems to have heard of the brooch and be aware of the reward involved. It seems to be well enough known that if you simply approach any of the palace guards and let them know you have it, they could direct you to the right person, likely the castle's senshal who works as the public face of the royalty.
To Delbin;
Fortune will thank Delbin for his gift, "I'm sure it will. And don't forget, Desna will be with you if you truly believe." Fortune plans on checking in on these kids, but will leave that as a surprise.
To Vudrani;
Fortune feels guilty inside about his previous vengeful feelings. He should have been more concerned with the children, so all he says is "Thanks. If you need any help, I am going to be in town helping with the Pantheon of the Many."
About the Brooch;
Fortune will do a bit of information gathering (diplomacy +6) about the Queen. Then the pair will head toward the castle to turn in the brooch. If stopped by a guard, the will say they have news of the brooch.
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[ooc]Just as a note, the priest is named 'Ishani'. Vudra is actually the region he is from, so he is a Vudrani person. Vudra is kind of the india equivalent of the world. I actually have an image of him here.
Ishani
Ishani nods his head and will give you a small bow. "Of course, my friend. I thank you much again for your assistance. I am certain that all of the gods of good will benefit from the services of a pair such as you. Do not worry, the children will be in good hands in the cathedral."
The Queen
Looking into the queen, you learn that she has always been something of a scandal and that many people in town have worries about her ability to rule. The king was always a womanizer but has never had an heir. As he grew older, he began to attempt to woo Ileosa who was visiting the city from her home in Cheliax. They married quickly and have remained so for about five years. She has yet to produce an heir for him. She seems to often be blamed for many of the cities financial woes as the king always maintained a very extravagant lifestyle for her, though if you make people really think back the king was always very bad with money.
When townsfolk are pressed to be truthful however, they seem to have trouble finding much real fault with the queen. She is a good public speaker and the various public works projects she has put her interest behind have gone well. Most simply seem to be against her because she is Chelish and seen as something of a harlot, being so much younger then the king was when they married. Asking around about her also gives you hints that it seems the seneshal of the castle has disappeared in the rioting just after the kings death.
A rumor is currently circulating that the queen had something to do with both the kings death and the seneshals disappearance, though the rumors seem to vary about it being everything from a stabbing to a poisoning, and other tales claim it is nothing to do with the queen at all but was instead a disease that not even the greatest churches in the city could cure.
The Trip
As you move along the city streets towards the castle, it is quite obvious that not all is quiet in the city. Occasional little pockets of riots have burst up now and then again and there have been clashes between the hellknights, guards and civilians.
On the trip towards the castle there is a crowd gathered in one of the squares around an old man missing patches of hair and having raw patches of skin standing atop a large crate. He is ranting angrily in a wild-eyed way about rambling topics, always seeming to return back to the cry that 'The Eye of Groetus has turned from the boneyard to look upon Korvosa!'
When you first enter the square, even from a long distance the man points to Shadowleaf, hopping up and down excitedly and then jumping down into the crowd and trying to rush towards you two, shouting "You! You are the one who appeared in my dream! You told me of my nearing death during a time of great sickness. This peril is to be Korvosas darkest hour. It will usher in a new age of writhing doom!"
When the man breaks free from the crowd he comes running towards the two of you as if trying to embrace Shadowleaf.
Fortune wonders if jealousy motives some of the opposition from the older members of Korvosa's nobility. Jealousy that the king had such a young pretty wife. And while he listens to the rumors about her involvement in the death, he has no opinion. Rumor needs no facts.
As they encounter the crazy old street preacher Fortune glances at Shadowleaf, "An old friend of yours?" But waits to see how he might want to handle this.
SL says, "Let's get out of here" and turns to leave, "the only friend of that one is trouble."
Fortune will respond, "I would be interested to know if he is mad or really a prophet?"
Sl queries "There's a difference?" SL will have the dogs go on alert, so even a crazy street preacher might think twice about approaching someone with some growling dogs. If he does persist, Sl will try to trip him with his polearm. He thinks, Why do the noble house fight for a cursed throne? This city is very strange.
Fortune will try to recall what Sl's fortune had been at Madame Zellara's, but comes up blank. He will try later as it is probably important. He raises his staff and crys "Halt. I am a cleric of the Lady of dreams. Tell of this dream."
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The man pauses a short way from you, calling out "My lord, bring to me your wisdom of our doom that I might prepare for the embrace of Groteus!"
He then suddenly dashes towards Shadowleaf, moving surprisingly quickly. You can make your trip attempt as part of a readied action when he passes the range of your weapon. If you do not trip him, he is going to try and grab you, so you will get an attack of opportunity then as well.
The man cries out again whether he grabs Shadowleaf or is knocked to the ground, but it is different to tell whether it is response to Fortune's question or just to the voices he seems to be filled with. "The shadowy eye of the lord of spikes looks down upon us, watching as death comes to our city. Sent on the wind, the flesh, the water."
1d20+3, 1d20+3=[1, 3], [2, 3], 1d20+3, 1d20+3=[10, 3], [4, 3]
Only an insane person would approach a pair of growling dogs, so Shadowleaf is unprepared for the mans attack.
Fortune will cast a grease spell(ref 15) to make him fall down.
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The man staggers against Shadowleaf, grabbing for him, the sudden rush forward bringing him too close for the polearm to be able to trip him. Still, the feeble man isn't skilled in the arts of combat as the ranger is and the elf is able to sidestep the grasp. Still the man has a wild look in his eyes and doesn't look ready to give up, raising his voice once again "Please, my lord! Let me be your servant!"
The rest of the crowd looks on curiously for a moment, but its almost as if whatever credibility the insane man had as he was preaching has faded away now that he is attacking a passer-by. The group of people slowly start to disperse, looking for some other sideshow to distract them from these stressful times.
Shadowleaf will recover "Aid...? Leave us alone. Boy hunting in the city sucks." Then looks at Fortune, and with a nod indicates he wants to leave while the man is struggling with the spell.
Fortune will just lean on his staff and comment, "You have a funny way of showing your devotion, trying to attack us. If you truly want to help, sit down and answer my question. What exactly did you see in your dream."
Shadowleaf gets nervous about the scrutiny of the crowd. Prey should not see the hunter, it was wrong.
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The old man fumbles around around in the grease for a moment, unable to get up to his feet. He finally just collapses in a fit of coughing, pleading with you. "The lord of midnight sweeps by on black wings, his eye upon us all. But he is not the only one who watches. Not the worst! It is but his greed that brings him here, for others it is hate!"
As he cries out the last he begins coughing again and doesn't look like he is going to come out of it easily, gasping for breath between fits. The coughing saps the strength from him, and without assistance it doesn't look like he will cause any more trouble but nor is he going to be much more help.
Fortune will take pity and channel some positive energy. Maybe this will calm him down. Then he will examine him to see if he can help with his heal skill (+7), does he have a poison or disease that requires more than just hp healing?
Will wait nervously while the kid does his thing, he feels so exposed here in the open. He scans the area and tries to keep an eye on the old human.
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Looking over the man, he does appear to be ailing from a disease in addition to his madness. Inspecting him carefully as he lays there, it appears he has some sort of variation of Cackle Fever. The disease is known to be able to cause some hints of madness in its victims, though normally they simply laugh wildly rather then having the frightening visions the man has spoke of.
As soon as he recognizes the disease, Fortune will cover his face and quietly tell SL "Find some guards, this man needs to be taken to a temple or medical facility."
It sounds like the guy is just rambling with fever, but perhaps later I will sort through the ramblings and see if I can divine a bit of truth, thinks Fortune. So, with SL keeping the man sitting, Fortune will try to signal the guard. He will inform them that this man is contagious with Cackle Fever and needs to be taken to the nearest appropriate facility using appropriate measures.
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The man eventually just lays down, wheezing slightly and is easy to control as you move off to find a guard. You find a group of the korvosan guard keeping eye on one of the local shops and when you tell them there is an ill man in the square, one of them hurries off to find a priest or doctor to deal with the ill man while two of the others come to keep the crowd back from him to make sure that the illness doesn't spread.
The guards give you an appreciative nod and tell you that you should have yourself checked to make sure you haven't caught anything, but while they watch the crowd they look rather on edge and distracted.
The guards don't expect you to remain behind and will allow you to continue on your way unless you wish to intercede further.