As they are making their way deeper into the forest, Puk suddenly notices something weird: “Hey, Sjo,” he laughs, “doesn’t that blanket on your foot bother you?”
The big man looks down. An old blanket has been stitched to his right heel. Elvira makes an even weirder discovery. Sjo no longer has a shadow. Balian offers to cut the piece of cloth off and swings his greatsword, slicing away most of the blanket, but leaving some scraps attached to the healer’s heel. Sjo is puzzled, but then he realizes that he is not feeling so well; he is very tired. Using his tracking skills Balian finds out that the blanket has only been attached to Sjo’s foot for a few yards. Broken twigs suggest that something came down from the trees above. Elvira looks up and makes out a birdlike shape in the boughs. He looks like an owl, although he seems quite big. Then he flies up, tearing through the foliage with no more sound than a whisper. Balian activates his winged boots and sets off in pursuit, but the birdman proves too fast for the ranger.
“Hey, owlman!” Elvira calls out. “What is this all about?” “Yeah, come back down!” Sjo adds in a loud voice.
“Why should I?” the owl screeches back.
“Have it your way, then”, Elvira sighs and mutters the words of a hold monster spell. The owlman freezes in full flight and plummets down, his crash being broken by the branches. He makes a hard landing on the forest floor, where the party easily overpowers him. They propose a simple deal: if he returns Sjo’s shadow, he can go.
Elvira even spots a struggling bag on the creature’s belt. She hands it to Sjo, who grabs out a wrestling shadow. Before he can get a good hold, it slips from his grasp and flies off, but Balian reacts promptly and catches the shy shade just in time. The owlman, who calls himself Embor, sews it back to Sjo’s ankle. Elvira wonders why he steals shadows in the first place, but he claims he can’t help it. Compulsive behavior, the wizardess concludes, although she gets Embor to swear not to steal from them again. She hopes that playing the Owl card will help convince him. She also confiscates his needle and thread, just in case …
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White marble walls, stained with age and overgrown with thorns, surround a park in the middle of the forest. Biyo claims this is the Prophet’s Garden. An open gate leads into this weed-choked enclosure. Once this garden must have been immaculate, with colorful beds of flowers and blooming fruit trees. Today, brambles and vines have overgrown everything. A winding path leads through the brush.
A ragged lawn features a stagnant, gray pond to the right. A pear tree, bizarrely colorful, in full bloom and heavy with fruit, leans over it. In its shadow a unicorn and a goblin argue loudly. The fabled horse has a pear stuck on the tip of its horn, and the goblin is making feeble attempts to grab it. “Please, let me have my pear. I’m so hungry. Give it back. It’s mine. I picked it myself.” The unicorn’s answer seems to be no more than a stare.
“Can we help?” Elvira offers.
“Yes, get me my pear!” the goblin shouts in frustration. “I haven’t eaten all day! I’m starving.”
The unicorn turns to the party. Now they hear her voice in their heads. “This goblin is an evil creature. There is nothing wrong with denying a wicked one food – ideally we’ll create a better world with fewer goblins.”
“But how can you be sure this goblin is truly evil?” Elvira ponders.
“It’s a goblin, they are inherently evil.”
“Well, that’s just racial bias!” Puk complains.
“Do not doubt my judgment, tiny man. I am always right”, the unicorn sends back.
“More bias”, Puk grumbles.
“Oh, come on,” the goblin interjects, “just look at innocent little me, do I seem evil to you?”
“You don’t have to look it, when it is in your nature, it’s in your nature”, the unicorn replies telepathically.
Sjo is tired of this discussion and digs through his pocket. He takes out an old scrap of bread. “Here, eat, goblin”, he says.
The unicorn looks insulted and treads off to the side. Elvira follows her. “So, if he’s evil, why don’t you kill him?” she asks.
“I’m against violence.”
“But you don’t mind starving someone to death?”
“That’s the natural course of things, if you don’t eat, you die.”
Elvira does her best to try and change the mythic creature’s mind, but nothing she says helps, even after playing the Unicorn card.
Meanwhile Sjo interrogates the goblin. “What is your name, silly creature?”
“I am ‘Hungry Goblin’.”
“That’s not a name. I’m Sjo, or Shaoban in full. That is a name.”
“Well, amongst my people you earn your name through your deeds. So I’m Hungry Goblin.”
“That’s a stupid name.”
“Well, you can call me ‘Hungry Pear-lover’ then.”
“Whatever. You wouldn’t happen to have a coin, one with a hole in it.”
“Me? I don’t have any money, not with a hole, not without one. Why? Do you expect me to pay you for the food you gave me?”
“Nope, can you tell me what else I can find in this garden?”
“Well, there’s this pond, and the pear tree here. And that bothersome unicorn, of course.”
“And back there?” Sjo points deeper into the garden.
“There’s no trees back there, no food. I don’t go there.”
“But what IS there?”
“I … I really don’t know. Say, you’re a strapping fellow, would you mind lifting me up so I could pick a new pear?”
“Let me just ask the unicorn”, Sjo answers. “Oy, horsie, can I pick a pear?”
The unicorn eyeballs Sjo for a minute, then she sends: “You can eat a pear, if you want to.”
“I don’t want to eat a pear. I want to pick one and give it to someone else.”
“If you want to give it to the goblin, my answer is no.”
“Thought so … Do you know why this … orchard … is called the Prophet’s Garden?”
“I do not.”
Balian is getting tired of the discussion and draws his greatsword. “How about I just cut the tree down?” “NO!” his friends shout jointly. They believe there must be a better solution. Hoping that taking the goblin out of the garden might appease the unicorn, Elvira charms the little bugger and leads him away, claiming she knows a whole orchard of pear trees in the direction of the sun.
The horned horse is indeed content to see the goblin leave. She tells her new guests to please take a pear. Sjo picks one and sinks his teeth into it, while he enquires about coins with holes in them. “If it’s not dangling from my horn, I don’t have it”, the unicorn states. When Puk eats a pear as well, his skin turns slightly colder and gets a momentary blue sheen. He wonders if Sjo felt the same, but the healer didn’t notice anything special. Balian is the last one to bite into the fruit. He suddenly grows to twice the size. Puk asks if these weird effects are normal, but the horse doesn’t know, or so she claims. The halfling is not sure whether to believe her, but she says that her kind never lies. Anyway, just a minute later Balian returns to normal size.
Talking about lying, Sjo wants to know who might be living deeper in the Prophet’s Garden. “Not the liar, perchance?” he asks, showing the Harrow cards with the lamia – half woman, half snake. “No liars here, like I said”, the unicorn replies. “I haven’t gone deeper into this garden yet, to be fair.”
“So you’ve been living here for ages and still you don’t know what is back there? I find that incredibly hard to believe.”
“Ages? That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I remember getting here … like … this morning? Like … when that obnoxious little goblin was here, trying to steal a pear.”
Sjo understands. This Harrow creature is locked in its personal tale. It cannot think beyond its own spot in this realm. “So you don’t know of any winged serpents, peacocks, lost undead or mute hags either?”
When he mentions the mute hag, the unicorn twitches her eyes for a second, but then she says: “Never heard of any of them.”
“So no mute hags here?” Sjo enquires again, holding up the corresponding Harrow card. Again the unicorn turns her eyeballs around. Then she gives the same answer: “Don’t know of her.”
“So if I go over there”, Sjo points to the cluster of trees and bushes in the middle of the garden that blocks sight to the second half of the park, “I won’t see this witch?”
“I already told you, I don’t know!” the unicorn spits, as she turns her back and walks away agitatedly.
Sjo hails his friends over: “I feel a bit tired. Let’s lay down over there”, he points to the trees. Making his way over, he peeks between the vegetation. The second half of the garden looks even more dreadful than the first. It is not overgrown, but withered, instead of trees and wild bushes, there are big copses of fungi. A ‘forest’ of stone columns encircle a stone dais, where the companions see a single dark figure: a hag!
The adventures wait for Elvira to return with a disappointed goblin. “I’m sorry, I don’t seem to recall the exact location of these pear trees. Maybe you should just convince the unicorn to give you one here. You’re a pretty convincing guy, after all.”
Sjo informs the wizardess, then plays out the Mute Hag, and takes his friends over the mossy cobblestones to the hag’s terrace. The blotchy crone stares at the visitors with her empty eye sockets. Her dark gaze speaks of bitterness and hate and fills the companions with a chills of unease.
“Begging your pardon, ma’m”, Sjo greets her.
A sinister voice rings out in the party’s minds, giving them goosebumps: “Yesss?” Like the unicorn, she communicates telepathically; but her mental utterances feel like an invasion.
“We’re here about your coin.”
”What coin? Gghhmm … I don’t have … a coin.” Again her voice cuts through their heads.
“So who holds the coins, then?” Sjo wants to know.
The hag leans closer now. “Gghhhur. I cannot hear you … young man … move closer.”
“This is as close as I want to get to you, hag!” Sjo grumbles, as he conjures a flame strike over her head. The pillar of fire that rains down from the sky doesn’t even harm her. Instead it splits apart around her. Puk tumbles forward and plunges one of his sword into her flesh: “Looks like you cannot resist this!” Balian charges as well and open up a big gash in her side. She steps back, suffering another slash from Balian’s blade, but seemingly undaunted, she sends forth a cone of freezing magic from her crooked fingers, engulfing everyone but Puk in the cold. The frost bites deep, chilling everyone to the bone. Elvira barely survives, but still uses her last strength to grant greater heroism to Puk. Sjo follows her and heals the worst frostbite with cure critical wounds.
Spyder, who also took the full brunt of the blow, licks himself to start the regenerating process. Balian and Puk now rain down hell on the hag, spilling her blood all over the dais. Grievously wounded, the crone repositions herself once more and blows out another, albeit less powerful cone of cold over Elvira, Balian and Sjo. Elvira does not want to suffer any more attacks from this enemy and casts haste on her friends. Sjo has to choose: does he heal one of his friends or does he try and take out the source of their trouble first? The old witch definitely looks weakened. The healer takes a gamble and lashes out with his mace. Fire flares through the weapon as it connects. Bursting out in flame, the hag drops to the floor, screaming a silent death wail. As her form begins to melt, Sjo notices that the scarf around her neck does not liquefy like the rest of her; it really burns. He pulls it out of the fire and extinguishes the flames. It is a kapenia, a Varisian scarf, with eight tiny gold rings in one side. This must be Sonnorae’s scarf, to which the blood coins must be attached.
After the battle Sjo burns through a wand of cure light wounds to heal everyone. Then they return to the unicorn, who has resumed her discussion with the goblin over a pear. Balian hacks his greatsword into the pear tree in sheer frustration, but fortunately he doesn’t cut it down in one swoop. “PWOOOO!” The sound of a horn suddenly rings through the sky, after which Spyder attacks Balian. The ranger ceases his tree-felling effort and Spyder stops biting him. “Let’s go”, he says. “There’s nothing for us here anymore.”
With no clear destination to go to next, the party decides to make for the place where the the sun and the moon rise from. After several hours of travel the forest slowly changes to a rotting swamp. From behind a tree a playful green light appears, some distance away. Sjo taps the Demon’s Lantern and watches the sickly green light change to a warm yellow. The drifting orb now also moves in a more controlled manner. The heroes decide to ignore the light and continue their journey.
About half an hour later the metal arm at the horizon bearing the sun cranks down again, sinking behind the trees and being replaced momentarily by the artificial moon. The companions look for a dry spot to set up for the night. The yellow light reappears and Elvira calls out “hello” in every language she knows. The orb flies closer, nervous at first, but gaining confidence quickly. Elvira stretches out her hand and the light carefully settles on it, sending tiny tingles through her fingers. Then it spins around the enchantress and flies out of the camp, inviting the young wizard to follow. Elvira shakes her head and points to the moon. “We need to sleep.”
The light grows a bit brighter, swoops around Elvira and flies into and then pulls at her skirt, again beckoning her to follow. This time the party caves. The will-o-’-the-wisp leads them through the fens, choosing only dry land to walk on. The trek ends at a real path. The light speeds down the trail and burst out in a bright flash at its end. Darkness now falls over the party as a nightly blanket.
Elvira conjures up some dancing lihts and slowly walks down the path. Suddenly she picks up a humming sound, a beautiful, but soft female voice breaks the silence, part lullaby, part dirge. The song oozes sadness; it brings a tear to Elvira’s eye. Sjo joins in with his baritone, perfectly complementing the melancholy melody. The road rises ever so gently, before stopping at a frigid-looking lake. Two wooden posts support a rope bridge across the water, leading to a rocky island. Between the post is the source of the elegy, a serpent with colored, albeit it somewhat dull wings: a sobbing, singing couatl. Sjo pulls out the card ofthe winged serpent and continues humming along. Elvira addresses the creature in Celestial.
“Aaah,” the couatl sniffs, “you are undoubtedly here to offer me comfort. I am so sad.”
Elvira translates, then asks the angel-snake if she speaks Common as well. Fortunately, she does. Sjo immediately offers to brighten the mood and begins a more cheerful tune. Puk taps on a flat rock to accompany his friend on the ‘drums’. The serpent sways along with the melody, her scales and wings gleaming with a bit more brilliance.
“Hmm, don’t you just love how music can ease your suffering and feed the soul?” she sighs. “It brings me back to the time when I was known as ‘Radiant Sunrise’. Once I tended this lake as its mistress, but after a terrible disaster I became ‘Mourning Choir’.”
“I’m so sorry,” Elvira offers. “Can you tell us what this terrible event was?
Mourning Choir only stares and sighs, but says nothing.
“She remembers the past,” Sjo whispers to Elvira, “doesn’t that mean that she is one of conspirators?”
Elvira speaks up again: “Did you do something wrong in the past? Does it have something to do with … blood coins? If you tell us what happened, you might unburden your soul.”
Mourning Choir looks even more disheartened, then she sobs: “I … I admit to an awful crime. I allowed myself to be coaxed into betraying our Maker, the charming Sonnorae. I helped kill her and after we did, I consumed her heart and with it her compassion. A great sadness and feeling of guilt came over me, so I fled, distraught. I eventually crashed into this terminus and vomited up my meal in disgust. Ever since I’ve been trying to soothe my broken heart.”
“Did you take a coin as well?” Elvira prods.
“I did take a blood coin, but it was a permanent reminder of my sin, so I gave it away, to relieve myself of its burden.”
“Whom did you give it to? We need to retrieve it … to try and erase your sin.”
A glimmer of hope returns to the couatl’s face: “The Barrow King, over the bridge, on the island in the lake where the dead are buried.”
“Will you let us pass?”
“I will, but I must warn you: when the Barrow King took my burden, he took some of the compassion as well. Now he overflows with deep sorrow for the dead and tremendous hatred for the living. He will attack anyone who approaches the island as anything other than a mourner.”
The companions take her advice to heart, but decide it is better to be safe than sorry, so they prepare some buffs, hide from undead, greater heroism and barkskin. Elvira also cast mirror image on herself. Then they step unto the rickety bridge, ready to retrieve their third coin.
When the companions carefully make their way across the ancient suspension bridge, something stirs in the water. With astonishing speed a huge tentacle bursts out and slams into Spyder. Balian can hear his loyal canine’s ribs shatter under the impact. “No!” The ranger burns with rage and hacks into the slimy feeler, cleaving right through it. “With me! Quick!” Puk shouts as he leads the dog to the island at the far end of the bridge, closely followed by Elvira. The enchantress’s eyes go wide when she witnesses the rest of the giant lake monster break from the surface. More tentacles come rippling out of the dark waters and El praises her foresight to create some mirror images as two of them get smacked into thin air by groping arms. Another tentacle wraps around Sjo’s chest and starts crushing him. The big man thanks the gods for his full plate armor, because without it – he fears – he would have been squeezed to mash in an instant. The biggest horror, however, is reserved for Balian. In front of him a giant maw rises from the muck. The stench of a thousand rotting corpses bellows out. The many fangs in this monster’s mouth chew down on Balian, but the ranger somehow manages to pull free before the gobbling gullet swallows him. While trying to resist the squashing force of the immense arm’s embrace, Sjo grabs his Harrow deck. With his breath pushed out of his lungs, he fights off the black dots that trouble his sight and pulls out the card of the Fiend[/]. “Huughff!” For a second he can withstand the overwhelming pressure, breathing in just a whiff of air. Balian cries out in rage, planting his feet firmly on the bridge. “Woosh!” His first swing cuts right through the creature’s head. He brings his sword around for a second blow and again cuts deeply into its flesh. Even more monstrous arms rise up, slapping with incredible force into Puk and Elvira. The halfling reels from the impact, but the wizardess is more fortunate. Another of her [i]images takes the blow.
Noticing his master in dire straits Spyder does not hesitate and plunges into the waters, snapping at one of the tentacles. Puk is inspired by the dog’s example and steps back on the bridge despite his broken bones, nicking away at another appendage. Elvira crawls over to the island’s shore and pulls out a scroll. Her eyes glaze blue as she completes the words of the incantation. A bolt of lightning] springs from her fingers and crackles into the beast. A second of its eight limbs goes limp. The other tentacles continue their onslaught, however. Sjo cries out in pain when his plate is being denting inwards. The healer is in a tight pinch and can only send fire through his hands to burn the squishy flesh wrapped around his chest. More arms swoop at Balian; one glides around him and lifts him into the air. The ranger twists and turns, barely managing to pull free. “Gods dammit!” he cries out, landing back on the swinging bridge.
The seething fiend in the water is a true behemoth, but he still is “just a monster”, Elvira reasons. She utters a hold monster and – praise Irori – her spell succeeds. The host of snaking limbs and the hungry maw freeze in place, but only for a second … just long enough to stave off a new bite from the glistening head. But before Balian can even take advantage of its immobility, the creature breaks free again. Sjo blows more fire through his fingers, almost happy that he cannot breathe and smell the reek of burned flesh. From the corner of his eyes he sees how Balian loses his grip on the wet wood of the bridge. Struggling to regain his balance, the ranger’s clumsy swings bounce off the terror’s leathery hide. “Get a grip!” Sjo squirms out, oblivious to the dripping tentacle behind him. With tremendous force it smacks into the back of his head; his neck muscles strain. Many dripping arms still dance on the water like dervishes. Puk tries to slash one from the bridge, but it pulls out of his reach. Spyder, braving the churning waters, dives right into the turmoil and sinks his teeth deeply in another appendage. It quivers with a final twitch and drops below the surface.
Still the creature pushes forward. It hammers down on the halfling, not once, but twice. Wood splinters under the rogue’s toes as he summons his last courage to keep to his feet. To his left Balian suffers another crunching bite from the toothy maw, but again he can pull free before being swallowed. “Freeze, you goo for brains!” Elvira hurls another hold monster at the leviathan, but nothing happens. Meanwhile Sjo moans in pain: “Die already!” Once more he bathes his hands in flame and digs his fingers in the sinuous flesh. This time the muscle slackens, the snake-like arm slips off the healer’s body and glides back into the lake. “Free!” Spurred on by his friend’s success, Balian pushes down on the balls of his feet, using the spring force of the bridge as a trampoline. He leaps in the air, sword clenched tightly in both hands. In a powerful overhead blow he bears down on the monstrosity. The slimy flesh parts in a wide gash, slicing through its forehead and maw, essentially cleaving the front of its face in two. Now all the tentacles go limp and the abomination slinks back below the waters, coloring them even darker.
Sjo calls his friends over for healing and recasts hide from undead. Then the party heads to the island. Flickering fireflies mark a maze of graves. A weathered stone sarcophagus stands in the center, two candles burning on its lid. Behind it, a grim figure dressed in heavy armor and a helmet laments the death of lost souls in a low, humming chant. Suddenly his head jerks up and he looks around suspiciously, feeling that something is amiss. Ascertained that Sjo’s spell works and they are indeed invisible to their foe, Puk and Balian sneak over and flank the armored undead. Despite their best efforts to be quiet, the creature seems to sense their presence. It draws its greatsword and cuts through the air in front of it, hitting only the two candles, that drop to the ground. Puk waits no longer and strikes, now visible to the master of the dead. Elvira throws in a haste spell, while Sjo tries to counter any potential spellcasting by covering the area around the Barrow King in silence. What happens next could be a scene from the most horrifying of horror tales. From the earth, hundreds, if not thousands of skeletal arms break free and clutch at anyone on the island. Like a mass of entangling vines they try to grapple the companions. In her long gown Elvira forms an easy victim. Bony fingers claw into her calves and grab hold of her, pinning her in place. The corner of Puk’s mouth curls into a smile as the halfling dances between the grasping hands, but in doing so, he loses sight of the bigger threat. Being the only opponent who has lost his invisibility, Puk suffers three tremendous strikes form the Barrow King’s greatsword, which drop him to the ground, bleeding. It turns out that this Barrow King is no spellcaster at all, but a highly accomplished knight. “No one disturbs the rest of the dead!” he moans.
Balian invokes the power of instant enemy to mark the Barrow King as his favorite prey, and strikes. Twice he connects, twice he misses, but his two hits do serious damage. Then he lifts off into the air, just out of reach of the clawing fingers. Spyder hurries over to Puk’s side and licks one of his gashes, starting the slow process of regeneration, just in time to save the halfling’s life, because the skeletal arms tear at his unconscious body. Elvira cannot break free and shouts back to Sjo to draw the Harrow card of the Beating. The young wizardess feels a new surge of energy flow through her veins and now she can pull out. Going over the combat in her head, she remembers that the arms burst out of the ground after the Barrow King knocked down the candles. She calls out to her friends: “Relight them, relight the candles! Hurry!” In the meantime Sjo darts forward to Puk and fills the halfling’s corpse with a wave of healing magic. While the arms continue grabbing at them, the heroes pick up the candles and light them once more. The arms immediately disappear in the earth and peace returns to the island. Sjo uses up his last wand of cure light wounds. Now only Balian’s wand remains, but the ranger feels it will be of better use in Sjo’s care, so he gives it to his healer friend. Elvira digs through the Barrow King’s remains and uncovers the third blood coin. She suggests clearing the site as soon as possible. The party retraces its steps and sets up camp for the night in a spot that looks safe and dry. This time their rest is not disturbed.
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2 Rova 4708
In the morning the moon cranks down and the sun shoots up in the sky again. The only target the companions can spot from their location is the mechanical arm that bears the sun, so they head in that direction. After a few hours they leave the swamps behind them and continue their trek through the dense forest. They are not alone though, for they easily pick up the sound of someone else ploughing through the brush.
“Hullo, there, I say”, a voice shouts out. With more noise than a bull a man in a shining plate and flowing cape walks up, the thorny bushes scraping at his heavy boots, breaking loudly, but doing little to slow his pace. “I greet you, mighty travelers, my name is Algon, also known as the Ever-Seeking. I sense you are good people, but more importantly, I feel you have something I need.”
“And what might that be?” Evlira asks suspiciously.
“You have in your possession a number of tokens that I require to complete my quest.”
“And what is your quest?” Balian wonders. “And how long have you been on it?”
“I am on a holy quest to hunt down and destroy a vile tyrant, Zavon, the great Kah. I’ve been working at this goal for a long time now, I can’t say how long, exactly, but it feels like an eternity.”
“Well, then we have the same goal, sir knight”, Sjo says. “Why don’t you join us?”
“Yeah, why don’t you?” Balian adds mockingly. “And while we’re at it, how many ‘tokens’ have you reclaimed in 200 years?”
“Huh? 200 years? Are you mad, sir? Like you I am just a man, I don’t live that long. But to answer your question, I haven’t found any yet. That is, apart from the ones you have.”
“Figures”, Balian sighs.
“I am willing let you join me on my quest, but only if I can be the token-bearer. All my life has been dedicated to this one task. I cannot let this chance to slip through my fingers.”
“Agreed,” Elvira says as she hands the paladin the three blood coins. “In return for our trust, sir knight, what can you tell us of this place? We’ve been to a circus and we have just left the moors … oh yeah, and we went to the Prophet’s garden too. What other places are there?”
“Iomedae bless you!” Algon looks at the coins as if he has never seen one before. “Hmm, coins”, he muses. “Err … other places, you say? There is the theater, of course, and the factory. And I suppose that you already know about the volcano, as you are heading in that direction …”
“We are headed towards the sun”, Balian clarifies.
“Well, then you’ll have to walk through the volcano … or over it, more likely. It is straight ahead, beyond the edge of the forest.”
“So, the forest does end?” Elvira inquires.
“Of course, beyond the forest is the desert, the Trackless Dearth, not nearly as hospitable as these woods”, Algon answers as he pulls through the briars.
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It takes the party a few more hours to make it all the way to the edge of the woods. Algon preaches the glory of Iomedae and is overjoyed at the idea of finally completing his life’s work with his new friends’ assistance. Despite his more extensive knowledge of the Harrowed Realm, it is obvious that he does not realize that he is locked up in a pocket dimension, cursed to repeat his quest in an endless loop, implying that he is definitely not a conspirator.
When the forest finally ends, it gives way to parched earth that stretches out as far as the eye can see. Balian was hoping to see the border of the Harrowed Realm clearly from here, guessing that the transition from the sand to the blue dome would create a distinct line along the ‘horizon’, but no such ‘borderline’ is visible. The mechanical arm on which the sun rests stands directly behind the only feature that breaks the landscape in front of the heroes: a lone, steep volcano that rises from the sands a few hundred yards out of the forest. As they approach, the party members see pipes of copper running down the mountain side at bizarre angles and disappearing below the ground in every direction. The pipes are warm to the touch. Elvira thinks they provide some sort of ‘underfloor heating’ to this realm. She has read about a comparable technique that was used in ancient civilizations. Thassilonian nobles liked warming their villas with a system of central heating. It worked by raising the floor of a room off the ground on a series of stone pillars, thereby allowing hot air and smoke to be filtered under it through holes leading to a fire and, consequently, supply a steady stream of heating to the house, she explains. It was quite an ingenious system.
A set of stairs cuts through the flank of the volcano, leading to a stone building near the top. Climbing up, Elvira sees burning shapes at the end of the stairway, jumping over the stones and setting an avalanche into motion. As a sea of stones crashes down the path, Elvira quickly draws the avalanche card, but then she decides not to wait for the stones and use her magic instead. “You guys fly up there”, she hisses to Sjo and Balian, as she grabs Puk, Spyder and Algon and dimension doors up the mountain. The burning men turn out to be azer, brass-skinned dwarves whose head and shoulders blaze with a mane of fire. The creatures laugh heartily at their ‘prank’ and Elvira picks the Brass Dwarf card from the deck, but again it does not seem to serve any purpose. She waits for her flying friends to arrive, while asking the dwarves what is in the building behind them. They say it holds an inn, pointing at the name tag above the giant-sized front door: “The Thirsty Break”.
Balian walks up and knocks on the door. “It’s open!” a loud voice shouts from within. Reaching for the handle Balian pulls the massive door open and enters a giant-scaled public house, which definitely looks past its prime. Two men are seated on oversized chairs at one of two chin-high tables, the tankards in front of them are as big as buckets. Behind the bar, that looms even over Sjo’s head, stands a stern giant with only one eye in the center of his head: a cyclops. He bends over the counter, staring down at his guests and booms: “Look what the cat dragged in! Small folk … now get out. This place caters to giants only!”
Elvira can’t help but laugh: “Giants? You only two patrons don’t look like giants to me.” She eyes the two men at the table more closely and notices that, despite the contrast in their attire – green and red – and hair color – white and black – their faces look very similar. Looking through the Harrow deck she pulls out the card of the Publican displaying the cyclops and the Twins, with the white- and black-haired men. She immediately senses that the hostile atmosphere lessens a bit.
“Those two are guest of honor, you silly”, the cyclops grumbles.
“And how do we become guests of honor as well?”
“If you can get those two to invite you, you can stay”, the bartender smiles.
“Excuse me, sirs, for interrupting your drink. Would you so kind as to invite us to sit at your table? Elvira coos, bashing her long lashes at the two gentlemen. The white-haired one pulls his heavy eyelids up, smiles down on Elvira complacently and lisps: “To sit at our table, you must first prove yourself clever enough, lassie.”
“Fair enough.”
“Just solve this riddle … and Voricose over there”, he mutters, pointing at the bartender, “will make you ‘honorary giants’ for the day:
Two brothers are we, one is dark and one is fair.
In twin towers dwelling we’re quite the pair.
One from the land and one from the sea.
We make things better, who are we?”
Sjo, Puk and Balian look puzzled, but Elvira ponders the riddle for a second, before saying: “Of course, salt and pepper!”
“Huh?” Sjo goes.
“Correct, clever girl. Voricose, these visitors are now our guests, treat them kindly!”
The companions join the twins for a drink (or at least a few sips from a bucket) and a meal. “What is behind yonder door?” Elvira asks her new friends.
“Oh, that door leads to the forge, but it’s cold”, blondie replies.
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know … Voricose?”
The bartender shrugs. “The azer prefer working outside, is all. More space, more air, you know …”
“Anything else back there? Elvira presses.
“Of course, you silly. As if you don’t know that.”
“Be a dear and remind me again.”
‘The machine room.”
“What’s the machine for?
“Well, it keeps everything running, obviously.”
“Mind if we go back there and have a look?
“Guests of the twins are my guests. Do as you please.”
“Thank you.” Elvira jumps of the giant seat and walks with her friends to the door.
It opens up in a workshop. A dead forge sits to the left, next to another door. Over to the right a massive head pokes through the wall. Its face appears to be made of iron, its hair is copper. Elvira notices it radiates magic. She places her fingers on the metal; it is cold to the touch, almost icy.
“Maybe we should light a fire”, she suggests. Balian pulls the large lid off the forge, seeing that it is filled with coal. “Your turn”, he nods to Sjo. The half-Shoanti smiles and blows a sea of flames from his hands, igniting the coal. He motions for Balian to work the bellows and a cozy fire lights up the room. But it isn’t until Elvira draws the forge card that the flames turn into a searing blaze, making the temperature in the chamber almost unbearably hot. The only thing that stay cool, cold even, is the giant head in the wall. Borrowing a shovel from the azer, Sjo ships some burning coals over to the head, but the fire dies out immediately. Elvira wonders if the card of the Mountain Man would be of any help and finally decides to draw it. When she does, the mouth in the head opens wide and a raspy voice crackles through it in Giant: “Coooooooold”.
Sjo now tries filling the open mouth with the burning coal and it works. He quickly has a blazing fire going. The metal heats up and even starts to glow a little. Then the earth rumbles and quakes. Stones burst out of the wall and the floor, as the head comes to life and pulls out of its stony prison. A huge shape lifts itself from the rubble, towering over the companions. “FREE! AT LAST!” It is a fire giant, but he is humongous, even for his kin’s standards.
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Having just freed a huge fire giant from petrification, the companions now find themselves facing this roaring brute whose sword flickers in searing flames. Sjo activates the magic to understand the creature’s tongue. It screams for vengeance on someone named the Ticktock Man, keeping its eyes firmly fixed on the last door in the chamber. Puk leads the way into the final room of the complex. This mammoth chamber houses a great machine with countless handles, buttons and lights. Puffs of smoke escape from tiny cracks in the machinery, while an irregular rattling sound creaks from the tired gears. The halfling approaches cautiously, but still fails to notice a lithe cloaked figure that springs into view and hacks away mercilessly at the surprised rogue. His blade slashes through Puk’s abdomen like a knife through cheese. In the same fluid motion, he hooded man turns towards Ongaur, the fire giant in the adjacent room, shouting at it in an unknown language that everyone can somehow understand. While Elvira ponders on the magnificence of Truespeech, envious that she cannot master this universal language, Ongaur’s thoughts shift to a completely different mindset. “It is not I, but these strangers who are your enemy!” the Ticktock Man convinces him. The fire giant’s gaze becomes cloudy as he seizes up the competition around him, rather than focusing on the real enemy.
Sjo draws the Locksmith from the Harrow deck and attempts to dispel the suggestion that clouds up Ongaur’s mind; unfortunately he fails. Algon, the Harrowed Realm’s single-minded paladin, wastes no time and crushes the giant’s knee under his hammer. Puk clutches his arms over his bleeding stomach, trying to keep his guts from spilling out as withdraws to his friends’ side. Balian covers his escape by stepping between the party and its deadly foe. “Snap out of it, big guy”, Elvira has another go at dispelling the mind controlling magic on the giant, succeeding where Sjo just failed. Ongaur’s anger peaks even more now he has regained his sanity: he bellows in rage, almost deafening the heroes, and squeezes through the door to the machine room. The Ticktock Man sees the threat and fires off more magic in an attempt to turn the fight in his favor: this time both Balian and Ongaur resist his enchantments to freeze and control them. Sjo patches Puk up with cure critical wounds, enough to allow the rogue to resume the fight. Walking through the fire giant’s legs practically unhindered, the halfling tumbles into the cloaked figure’s back. Balian takes full advantage of his flanking partner and Elvira’s haste spell and slashes into his adversary. Each time his blade hits true, connecting in full force with some kind of metal plating under the creature’s robes. His crushing blows cause damage, but no blood drips from the wounds. The Ticktock Man retaliates, focusing his strikes on Balian whom he considers the most dangerous enemy. He slashes the ranger across the chest and pierces his left side, but now the creature finds himself sorely pressed. Puk’s blades pierce his defenses, Spyder teeth grind into his leg, leaving it up to Balian to finish the job and claim the killing blow. Ongaur bursts out in cries of victory as the Ticktock Man drops to the floor. The corpse is an iron case, filled to the brim with gears and technology. The giant reaches for the limp body and crushes it in his humongous palm. A blood coin drops, while the rest of the Ticktock Man’s body squeezes through Ongaur’s fingers like butter. Algon reaches down to pick up the coin and joins the heroes outside.
“Congratulations, my friends. We have more sites in the forest to visit, the factory and the theater. I suggest we start with the first one.”
“Lead the way”, Elvira nods.
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The trek takes the party back into the thick of the forest. Balian, who is getting quite attuned to this new dimension, realizes that their journey will take them straight through the heart of the forest, the Midnight Circus. He suggests taking a slightly more southern course, which will take them past the Korvosan rebels’ camp instead. This way they can reconnect with their allies before continuing their quest. The rebels are doing well, and after a short meal with his fiancée, Sjo is extra motivated to resume the adventure.
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It must be around 8 in the evening when the companions finally reach the ‘factory’. Greasy smoke reeking of soot and rendered fat belches forth from the tall chimney high above this plump industrial building. The front sports a few tall windows, all barred and boarded, as if they were meant to keep something out … or in. Sjo readies the Waxworks card as he approaches the front doors. They are locked, but nothing Puk’s nimble fingers can’t handle. A few moments later the companions step into the entry hall. Five white wax statues decorate the far wall, each depicting an ancient scholar, philosopher or writer. There are two doors, one to the left and one to the right. The one on the left leads to a small storage room, filled with wax sculptures of people of all stripes and flavors. The right one opens into another exhibit room with two more statues. The temperature is noticeably hotter in here, causing the wax pieces to sweat slightly. Balian examines the space more closely and finds a secret door in the left wall, leading to a room with a burning stove. The searing coals heat up a large vat, which ends in three scorching tubes that runs along the ceiling of a narrow hallway. The heroes follow the pipes around the corner, only to find that the corridor abruptly ends in a stone wall. At the same time one of the pipes overhead belches out a cloud of scalding smoke, burning everyone’s skin but Sjo’s. Algon channels positive energy to heal everyone, before Balian opens another secret door in the blank wall. Again, there is an exhibition room with three wax statues of the same Varisian woman: the first shows her untroubled, the second one looks worried, while the third expresses true fear. The sound of labor comes from behind the one door in his chamber. The party pushes it open and steps into a vast workshop. Noxious fumes emanate from four enormous vats of molten wax. The floor holds at least a dozen squirming, undulating worms the size of a man’s arm. A dwarven woman with a kind countenance looks up from her perch above one of the cauldrons, whereas a giant ant is modeling a wax bust into a shape resembling a tengu, presently working on the beak. She skitters around nervously and the antennae on her head flutter restlessly as if trying to taste the threat in the air. Her hind legs crawl across the surface, bringing her closer to the companions, who stand their ground and hail her respectfully. Like lightning the queen mother’s front legs shoot forward and grab the bizarre grubs at the party’s feet. She carefully scuttles back and places the larvae well out of reach of the visitors.
In the meantime Sjo pulls the Waxworks, Queen Mother and midwife cards from the Harrow deck and Elvira starts up a conversation with the dwarf and the giant ant. The midwife explains that the ant queen, Marzalee, understands what they’re saying, but she can only emit chittering sounds, which the dwarf offers to translate. Elvira also notices that the midwife has an amulet of Pharasma, goddess of birth, fate and death, around her neck, marking her as an important link in this realm’s cycle of rebirth. The enchantress explains that they have no hostile intentions, but they need Marzalee’s blood coin to leave this realm, as they hail from another dimension. The dwarf has trouble understanding Elvira’s account of other worlds, but the ant queen confirms she comprehends. The insectoid agrees to give up her token if the adventurers help her out first: she wants them to kill the nightpeddler, a thief. Sjo requires a bit more information; apparently the nightpeddler lives in the desert and steals Marzalee’s babies before she can mold them into their old form. Even though Marzalee just gives birth to a new worm after the theft, her maternal instinct is deeply hurt every time she loses one of her offspring. The heroes agree to take care of the Nightpeddler and return when the deed is done. The midwife is happy, she claims that Marzalee will eventually rebuild the Nightpeddler as well, but she will make sure his resculpting is a slow and excruciating process.
Algon claims the party still has ample time to get to the theater today, explaining it is just under an hour away. And indeed, the sun is still as high as ever in the sky when the companions reach the colorful building that houses the performance hall. Closer inspection reveals that the once vibrant paint is peeling and the ornaments are crumbling under years of neglect. The massive double doors are crowned by a threadbare banner, spelling out in faded letters The Sanguine Playhouse. The heroes enter the lobby and notice that the red velvet carpet is worn beyond repair. A cracked mural on the ceiling depicts debauched acts between satyrs and all manner of mortal women. Two sets of double doors lead deeper into the building; between them a small creature flutters around in the ticket office.
“Welcome, welcome, dear guests, it’s been too long since we’ve seen visitors here. Come in”, the tiny creature chirps. He has an elven upper body, two long antennae protruding from his forehead. His lower body is that of a cricket, complete with spindly legs and a pair of gossamer wings.
Sjo plays the cricket card and addresses his host kindly: “We are honored, kind sir, and humbled by your generous reception. Do tell us, are we still in time for the show?”
“Well, I don’t believe there is a show today. Our theater is not really equipped anymore to put on a production of worth.”
“I’m sad to hear that”, Sjo offers.
“Well, that is what happens when you do not recognize talent when it is right in front of you”, the fey grumbles. “Not good enough, that is all I ever hear, Mr. Softshoes is not good enough.”
“Really? You look quite … skilled … in my eyes, Mr. Softshoes.”
“I do, don’t I?” the fey jumps. “Not good enough? So listen to this …” Striking his legs against each other like a bow to violin strings, Mr. Softshoes plays a merry tune, which sends the companions into a joyous dance. Elvira and Sjo are not affected by the giddy fiddling magic, but dance along anyway; Sjo even manages to impress with a fine performance. When the healer and enchantress start getting tired, they quit the dance, but their friends cannot stop and go into an ever wilder whirl. “That will do, Mr. Softshoes! You’ve proven your worth”, Sjo barks.
“Ooops, forgive me, I got carried away.” The fey stops playing and offers a ticket instead. “Just one gold piece to get in”, he smiles.
The party pays the fee and is allowed entry. The bulging auditorium offers an excellent view of the stage. Dust and cobwebs cling to every surface. The massive open space stands remarkably empty with just a handful of seat that are dwarfed by the sheer volume of the hall. On stage are two actors, one dressed like a jester and the other one barely a child, who waves his wooden sword in the air. Sjo sees the resemblance with the Carnival card and pulls it from the deck. The comedians ignore the visitors and continue their slapstick number, in which the jester orders the child around, but the small actor sabotages every assignment he is given. The level of their performance is mediocre at best. When they are finished, they take a bow and the party gives them a mild applause.
“Greetings, travelers, welcome to the Sanguine Playhouse. My name is Balimor, and this little guy is my colleague, Balio”, the jester says. “Are you art lovers, or art makers?”
“Well, both, really”, Elvira replies.
“If you are here to appreciate art, I’m sorry to say that we are not performing right now. You are welcome to watch us rehearse, of course. But if you are here to partake in making the art, then you have come at the right time. We are in need of some extra artists.”
“We all have some experience on stage”, Sjo claims. “A bit of singing, dancing, acting … you know.”
“Yes, if you need anyone to shout ‘Fire!’, I’m your man”, Balian interrupts. “I like your names, by the way, Balimar en Balio, my name is Balian.”
“You’d make a fantastic threesome”, Sjo chuckles. “Are you two alone here, or are there any other fellows in your company?”
“There is ‘her’, naturally.” The jester looks slightly annoyed when he answers.
“Oh, I see, someone else … a female. She’s no good, is she?”
“I wouldn’t put it like that … what do you say, Balio?”
“Well, no, not exactly, she is … how should I put it? Wonderful? Excellent? Marvelous?” the little actor goes on.
“She’s good”, the jester sighs.
“So why don’t you like her?” Sjo wonders.
“She’s got a bit of an ego, like … a lot!”
“Did anyone need me?” From behind the curtains a gorgeous woman steps on stage. She moves with incredible grace and oozes glamor with every breath she draws. “Are you here for the auditions?” Her voice is smooth as silk.
“Yes, we are”, Elvira nods and pulls Sjo on the podium. Drawing upon her wide knowledge of studying plays, she launches into a part of Hamlet, playing the part of Ophelia, while Sjo tries to improvise Hamlet’s responses. They both shine in their little unrehearsed enactment of the famous play. Sjo sees that the ‘diva’, Eliara, starts off with a smile on her face, but her look gradually changes to irritation and finally outright jealousy. When the two young actors finish their play, Eliara motions for Balio to “go ahead and do it”.
The smallest of the two comedians steps forward and points his wooden toy sword at the visitors. [i]With a crack of thunder, the theater vanishes into the cold night. Driving rain pours down, cascading over the stone dais beneath the heroes’ feet. They recognize their surroundings as the Prophet’s Garden, but there are no signs of decay yet. From behind the stone pillars around the dais shadowy figures appear, laughing and mocking while they draw close with ravenous eyes. One is the shape of a man with a crocodile’s head, another one sports two long ears. There is also a winged snake, a giant insect, a woman with the lower body of a serpent, a cloaked man, a sphinx and a thin man with pointy ears. As they move to strike, the vision fades. The heroes are back in the theater, surrounded by a different set of enemies: the beautiful woman, who has grown her legs into a green snake tail, the two comedians, Balimar and Balio, and no less than four featherless roosters: cockatrices! If only the companions can avoid these hideous birds’ beaks, because they can turn a man to stone
Deep within her mind the mighty warrioress feels something stir. An old promise, once made by her mistress, the Lady of Bones, to watch over a handful of mortal heroes and guide them in their quest to fulfill their destiny. She stares out over the wide courtyards filled with monuments and graves, her attention drawn to a simple tomb in the distance. Unfolding her wings, she lifts off the ground and with just three powerful feathered beats makes her way across the Boneyard to the humble sepulcher. Her hand, clasped in metal, swipes over the lid to reveal the remarkable stone carving under the dust, a spread of fortune-telling cards. She lets her fingers rest on the depiction of a dwarven woman holding a baby, the midwife, a loyal follower of the Gray Lady. Those Korvosan heroes are certainly keeping this servant of birth and rebirth busy, forcing her to pick up her role in that crazy Harrowed Realm’s cycle of life and death. But now more than the Harrowed creatures’ demise lures around the corner. Closing her burning eyes, the Steward of the Skein, herald of Pharasma, focuses. Although her goddess is generally averse to interfering with death - instead making no decision whether a person’s end is just or not, and viewing any soul appearing before her with a seemingly uncaring attitude - she sometimes leaves room for ‘interpretation’. This instance might just prove to have some margin. The heroes find themselves in a peculiar dimension where death has no real power and is never final. Maybe they will get the opportunity to share in the Harrowed Realm’s endless cycle of immortality. The Herald’s attention is drawn to another card, the theater. Gently touching it, she feels her gaze shift to a stage which is about to witness its greatest performance in ages: a dance of death.
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Dressed in his silly jester’s costume, Balio seems quite harmless, but Puk quickly discovers that appearances can be deceptive. The clown leaps at the halfling, letting his fists fly faster than the eye can follow; pummeling the little rogue over and over again. Puk buckles in the knees as the realization sinks in that this will not be an easy fight. Elvira jumps off the stage and flings haste over her companions, while she watches the smallest of the two actors, Balimar, summon seven mirror images of himself. The monstrous snake woman towers over Balian, her two scimitars gleaming with the power of ice and fire. Eliara laughs haughtily as her curved blades connect with the ranger’s flesh: one, two, three and four gashes leave him bleeding profusely. Only one element in this fight turns out favorably for the party: the cockatrices do not live up to their devastating reputation and rarely manage to peck true. Even when they do, their beaks hardly even pierce the skin and their petrifying powers are easily resisted. So these featherless chicken pose no threat, unlike the other opponents.
Spyder crosses the stage and provides Puk with flanking on the jester, while Balian proves to the mighty lamia that she is not the only one who can dish out a ton of damage. Sjo pulls three cards form the Harrow deck, the theater, the liar andthe peacock and transfers some much needed healing into Balian’s battered body. Algon shows his worth as an ally by blasting out a wave of healing energy. Puk can breathe a little easier now and slinks between most of Balio’s next attacks. Only one of the fool’s fist hits him across the head. Time for some payback! With Spyder on the other side of the jester, the halfling goes for his opponent’s soft spots: the artery on the inside of his thigh, the underside of his ribcage, his armpit and the pulsing vein in his neck. With speed and precision the rogue delivers his cuts, the puncture wounds and gashes seem small, but the blood flowing from them is almost endless. Balio’s face goes white as his life’s blood spurts from his body. The floor beneath him becomes a slippery mess of red fluid which no longer supports his feet. Crimson drops splash over Puk’s face as his adversary hits the wooden planks. One threat has been eliminated!
Elvira establishes that Eliara is immune to her mind-affecting tricks when she sees her hold person go to waste. This pitiful attempt distracts the lamia not even in the least and the serpentine woman keeps her full focus on Balian, swirling her scimitars in deadly arcs that draw more and more blood. The eight shimmering images of Balimar wiggle their fingers, igniting sparks that leap out from the small actor in a line of fire that carefully snakes its way across the battlefield, targeting only the heroes with its searing magic. Balian’s body can no longer withstand the many attacks; the stubble on his chin smokes with the terrible smell of burned hair as he hits the floor. Sjo pulls his ranger friend back from death’s door with a mass cure light wounds, and Algon follows up with another channeling of curative magic. Elvira now attempts to dominate Balimar, but like his mistress, the small caster turns out to be immune to such magic. Eliara is hardly even annoyed by Balian’s timely recovery; two more swipes of her curved swords suffice to cut him down again. Now she advances on Sjo, since taking out the healer is always a sound option in combat.
Puk and Spyder surround Balimar and start hacking away at his illusory doubles. Sjo turns his attention to the lamia towering over him and swings his mace at her, hitting her but once. Behind his back Algon bursts out in even more healing. “This won’t last forever!” the paladin pants desperately. Still, his cures suffices to bring back Balian, who immediately finds himself the victim of more of Eliara’s attacks. This time he miraculously survives the onslaught. Reaching blindly, his hand slips around the hilt of his greatsword. “Why won’t you die!” he screams, thrusting his blade upwards. The metal plunges in and out of her abdomen, but still she stands! Sjo tries to smash her again with his heavy mace, but leaning back on her snake tail, she dances just out of reach.
Balimar does not like being flanked and dimension doors to the other end of the podium. Puk hurries over there as well, getting almost across, ending up at Eliara’s side. With a backhand swing he plunges his small shortsword in the lamia’s side, pushing up until the tip of his weapon reaches her heart. “You … tiny … pest”, she grunts, before her humanoid upper body tumbles forward and crashes to the floor, next to Balian. The ranger can already smell the sweet scent of success, even more so when he sees Algon switch from healing to attacking and take out a first of the cockatrices. Leaning on his greatsword, the wounded warrior climbs to his knees. The only threat left standing is Balimar. With his childlike body, the small caster does not look like much of a threat at all. Balian smiles, this will be over soon. Maybe even sooner than he thinks … because Balimar does not relent, on the contrary, he pulls out all the stops. Arcane words spill from his lips, he stretches out his hands and blows forward a storm of hail and ice. The cone of cold smacks Balian and his friends in the face. An intense chill enwraps the ranger and bites through his skin. This is more than his poor heart can bear. The organ tenses up in a final spasm and the white whirl in front of his eyes turns to black. Suddenly Balian is no longer in his body, but floating above it, staring down on the battlefield, no longer a part of it. So this is it? The fight was almost over, almost won … and then this. What a stupid way to go, at the hands of a ginger-haired child … So this stage just featured his death scene with no audience to appreciate it. Somehow, the ranger had always imagined his end to be more glorious. He glances about, the fight below him seems to have frozen, not because of the frosty magic, but it feels as if time itself is standing still. Isn’t there supposed to be a bright light somewhere that should take him to the other side? If there is, he cannot see it. All he can make out are two intensely blazing fires; like burning eyes staring at him from beyond. “The Lady says you still have a part to play in the show that is life, dear Korvosan. Your performance is not over yet.” Balian is perplexed. Shouldn’t he reach for the eyes? Aren’t these the fires of Hell waiting for him, a fitting fate for one failing to save his sister? But only Pharasma weighs souls and decides where they should go. This time she has decided he is not going anywhere but back into his body. Suddenly things start moving again, time resumes and with a loud gasp Balian gulps for air, returned to his mortal coil once more.
Spyder, enraged at seeing his boss fall, tries to make for the childlike sorcerer’s throat. His teeth only manage to find Balimar’s shoulder. Still, the dog is the first one to hurt the small actor. The next moment Balian draws breath again. Shaking off the icicles, the ranger regains his feet. He stumbles forward, raising his greatsword high with a cry for vengeance. Sjo lays his hand on Balian’s shoulder and channels healing magic into his cold frame, hoping to prevent the ranger from falling on the field of honor again. Still, by doing so, the healer completely disregards his own bad health. From the corner of his left eye, he sees how Puk completes the siege on Balimar. The small caster has been forced into a corner and is now being pressed from all sides by enemies. Behind the half-Shoanti’s back Algon cuts down another cockatrice. This cannot go wrong anymore, can it?
That is when Sjo feels the force of Balimar’s detonate wash over him. Another blast of cold spills over the stage. This one draws the final breath from Sjo’s lips. As his soul now slips from his body and hovers over it, he senses he is not alone in this ghostly shape. Spyder is there as well, but the dog has died before and seems to know his way to the afterlife. He jumps through a rift in time and space, but as Sjo moves to follow, two red eyes stare him down from beyond. “Your time has not yet arrived, proud healer. Finish what you started before you seek your way to the Lady’s Boneyard.” Then Sjo’s soul is sucked back into his body and the healer stirs again. He glances up at the fight and sees how Balian’s sword hacks into the small sorcerer. But no blood flows. Instead the wide gashes reveal that Balimar is stuffed, like a doll. A doll that staggers on its feet. Slowly Sjo rises. Stuffed dolls burn! But pressed into the corner, his enemy leaves no room for a fireball or a flame strike. So our fire-wielding healer resorts to one of his oldest spells, burning hands. His fiery blast sets the curtains on fire. Somewhere in the inferno Balimar’s shadow stirs for the last time. Then he topples over. Finally, this terrible fight is over. Puk and Algon finish off the last two cockatrices and the heroes take a few minutes to process what just happened and heal up.
Afterwards they find a blood coin in Eliara’s boudoir backstage. That makes five. Three left: one in the waxworks on the ant queen, one on the nightpeddler and one on the sphinx. It looks like the desert is the companions’ next destination. They decide to take some rest, but would prefer to do that in the volcano, next to the Trackless Dearth. Elvira teleports everyone to the Smith’s Caldera, where they spend the night in the cyclops’s tavern.
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The next morning the party heads into the desert. With no clear destination they travel in the direction of the mechanical sun. Suddenly Balian makes out a trail going from right to left. The companions follow it and a few hours later they track down the person who left the footsteps in the sand: a centaur. Sjo pulls the card of the wanderer and Elvira immediately feels at ease, since this creature represents her soul card. The equine being introduces himself as Eveready Jocob, a merchant of sorts. He wanders through the desert to try and locate the mysterious clients of his greatest rival, the nightpeddler, hoping to make the deal of a lifetime. His merchandise looks quite poor, though. The best item he carries is a spyglass, but when the heroes inquire about the price, he suggests a stellar 10,000 gold pieces. Sjo realizes that this jealous trader will only help them find his rival when he strikes a good deal, so he haggles the man down a bit and exchanges a ring of protection +2 for the spyglass. Happy at the transaction, Jocob now leads the companions through the sands and by late afternoon he drops them off at the Nightpeddler’s camp, a colorful collection of tents and wagons. Dozens of humanoid figures walk around, dressed in long hooded robes. Puk can clearly hear the rattle of chains.
No one halts the party’s approach. When they clear the distance to the camp and move between the tents, they throw a glance beneath the figures’ hoods. Their faces are malformed, like molten wax. These must be the ant queen’s children who were stolen by the Nightpeddler. Balian thinks he catches one pair of eyes glowing from one of the hoods that looks more intelligent, but he ignores it, following his friends to the biggest tent instead.
Inside they find a humanoid creature with thin features and a purple skin. He is dressed in rich velvet robes. His hands end in clawed fingers and Elvira cannot shake the idea that he is hiding a tail under his clothes. Searching her mind for knowledge on the planes, the wizardess recalls having read about the otherworldly realm of Leng, whose denizens can travel to other planes freely, constantly seeking new breeds of slaves or trading gems for unusual services or magical treasure. When she confronts the mysterious Nightpeddler with these facts, he admits to being able to leave this demiplane and visit other worlds, where he sells off Maralee’s unformed grubs as slaves. When he offers to sell some of these unfortunates to the party, Balian is offended and draws his sword. As on cue six robes figures step into the tent behind the adventurers. Throwing off their hoods, their faces are not made of drooping wax, but their features are canine. These are six gnoll guards, armed with scimitars. Elvira smiles, this time the opponents will not escape her mind tricks. She sees how Sjo burns four of them in a flame strike, before catching the dog warriors in her own confusion. While the gnolls start tearing into each other, Balian charges the nightpeddler. His hit strikes true, but the creature is made of sterner stuff and manages one tremendous bite with his monstrous mouth on Sjo, that drains some of the healer’s dexterity as well. This feat also turns out to be the Nightpeddler’s last, the heroes focus their attacks on the mysterious trader and a few moments later he lies dead at their feet, quickly turning to wax. Some of his equipment does not melt away, however, and the party recovers some fine loot that must have come from other planes, including a magical belt, cloak and ioun stone. There is also a wand of cure serious wounds, which might come in handy in the adventures to come.
---------
In the Boneyard the Steward of the Skein turns her attention to other matters again. Being the Herald of Pharasma is a busy job, no time to waste, even in a realm that knows no time like other planes. Souls arrive here constantly, needing to be guided to her mistress. Like this dog. His canine eyes blink at her in sign of recognition. Yes, she recalls, this hound has been here before. He is a proud warrior, although, he is also simply cute. She pats him on the head. “Follow me”, she says, “let’s go see our Lady.”
With the Nightpeddler defeated, the malformed wax slaves are free to return to the Waxmolds. In the far corner of the encampment the party spots a prison wagon. Through the wood paneling Elvira can make out an eye staring at her. When she talks to the creature inside, it identifies itself as the Sphinx. Recalling their vision in the sanguine Playhouse, the heroes know that the Sphinx was one of the original conspirators. She is also in possession of a blood coin and is willing to give it up in exchange for her freedom … and the answer to a riddle. When she confesses that she feels sorry for conspiring to kill Sonnorae, Elvira agrees to her terms.
The first riddle is quite easy:
"Cut my skin, I’m not going to cry,
But you will, who am I?"
Elvira has no trouble figuring out that she means an onion. The sphinx hands her blood coin through the cracks of the wood and is freed in return. She turns out to be a magnificent creature, with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower half of a winged lion. She says that she can give her saviors more information about this realm, if they manage to answer more of her puzzles.
Elvira wants to know if the Great Kah, the blue dragon that rules over this place, has any weak spots.
“Then riddle me this, young magician: what gets wetter the more it dries?”
After conferring with her friends Elvira answers: “A towel.”
“Right again, the Kah has no real weak spots, apart from his unfaltering self-confidence. He does have some strengths you might want to know about.”
“Then let me answer another of your conundrums to find out about his strong suits”, Elvira smiles.
Imagine you are in a dark room without doors. How do you get out?
This time our friends need a bit longer to figure it out. Finally Puk gets it: “You just stop imagining!”
“Indeed, you do. The dragon emits an aura of fear, he can spew forth lightning and can dry out a creature just by looking at it. Do you have more questions?
“Where can we find the Striding Fortress?”
“First answer me this, then”, the Sphinx replies, obviously amused by this exchange of wits:
“A poor farmer went to the market to sell some peas and lentils. However, as he had only one sack and did not want to mix peas and lentils, he poured the peas in first, tied the sack in the middle, and then filled the top portion of the sack with the lentils. At the market a rich innkeeper happened by with his own sack. He wanted to buy the peas, but he did not want the lentils.
There was no room to pour out the seed without spilling and the innkeeper did not want to trade sacks. Obviously, the poor farmer did not want to cut up his only sack either. How could he transfer the peas to the innkeeper’s sack, without losing his lentils?”
This time Balian comes up with the answer: “First pour the lentils in the innkeeper’s sack. Then turn your own sack inside out and pour back the lentils in the other end. Go into the sack, cut through the cord and release the peas from the bottom of the sack into the innkeeper’s one.”
“Once more your insight serves you well”, the Sphinx nods. “Since the Fortress walks around and is perpetually shrouded in a dust cloud, it is extremely hard to pin down. But I noticed you carry a very powerful item, the Harrow deck to which this realm is tied. Play the card of the Cyclone and the whirlwind will take you there.”
“Hmm,” Elvira wonders, looking through the deck. “We already figured out that these cards represent allies of the Great Kah”, showing the cards of the Marriage, the Teamster and the Inquisitor. “Are there any more allies of the Tyrant hidden within these cards?”
“Well, dear lady, you look like the bookish type, so first tell me this: Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?”
“That’s easy enough, incorrectly!” Elvira answers.
“Good, this card also shows one of the Tyrant’s pets”, the Sphinx says, picking out the Courtesan.
“I see, are there any more potential allies for us left in the deck?” Sjo wants to know.
“Then tell me: There are a few trees in a garden. On one of them, a pear tree, there are – quite logically – pears. But after a strong wind blew, there were neither pears on the tree nor on the ground. How come?”
Again the companions have to think it through for a while before Elvira comes up with the solution: “There were only two pears on the tree. The wind blew and one of them fell, so there was only one pear left on the tree – one pear means no pears – and one pear on the ground.”
“True, there are no allies left to serve you, but I can rule out some of the cards you’ve missed: the uprising was tied to the crowd in the circus tent, the empty throne, the betrayal, the sickness, the idiot and the trumpet all belonged to the Prophet’s Garden, the snakebite could have protected you from the couatl’s bite, whereas the dance and the vision would have been of use in the Sanguine Playhouse.”
Sjo nods. “Interesting, can you also tell us what will happen when we kill the Kah?”
“I can, if you first solve me this: Three people check into an inn. They pay 10 silver shields each to the manager and go to their rooms. However, the manager is feeling generous and wants to give a discount, bringing the total price for the rooms down from 30 to 25 silver pieces. He sends the bellboy with 5 silver pieces to return to the guests, but the boy reasons that 5 silver shields would be impossible to split among three people, so he pockets 2 silver pieces and gives each of the guest just 1 silver piece.
Now each person paid 10 silvers and got 1 back, so they actually paid 9, totaling 27 silver pieces. The bellboy has another 2, adding up to 29. Where is the remaining silver shield?”
Sjo is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but being responsible for the party funds, he has developed a keen sense for finances. “This riddle is a scam”, he scoffs. “The 2 silver pieces the boy kept, come from the 27 that were paid. Each guest got 1 silver back, so that is 3 times 1, which is 3, plus the 27 paid. 3 + 27 equals 30.”
“That is an astute analysis, young man. You are correct. I apologize for trying to trick you. Only when you kill the Kah, will you be able to leave this realm.”
“I figured as much”, Sjo sighs. He looks through the remaining cards again. “There are two cards still unaccounted for, the eclipse and the Big Sky. Do eclipses happen more often around here?”
“I will grant you this final question, if you tell me first what word describes a woman who does not have all her fingers on a hand?”
This time the companions are puzzled. Sjo makes some joking remarks, like handicapped or Bertha Nine-Fingers, which finally leads them to the correct answer. “Someone who would have all ten fingers on one hand, might actually be considered ‘handicapped’, so someone with just five fingers on her hand would just be called ‘normal’ instead, I guess.”
“Normal it is, for who has all ten fingers on just one hand?” the Sphinx agrees. “Now, about the eclipse, there has never been one before, so I could not tell you what this card refers to. Once again, I thank you for freeing me. I’ll be on my way now, it has been so long, time to spread my wings again!” The next moment the mythic creature lifts off the ground and flies off in the distance.
“Time to move for us as well”, Elvira concludes. She gathers her friends around her and teleports the party to the Waxworks. Marzalee, the ant queen, already knows that the Nightpeddler is dead. When she learns that 33 of her stolen children are making their way back to her, she is even happier. She gladly hands over her blood coin, completing the set of eight. Elvira carefully attaches each of them to the scarf, restoring the kapenia to its original form. Once she finishes, she sees that the scarf now emits a strong magical aura. Examining it, she can determine its effects: it acts as both a headband of charisma and a cloak of protection. The charisma boost equals Sjo’s circlet’s, while the resistance buff is even more powerful than the cloaks the companions are already wearing. Elvira also learns that you can wear the kapenia either as a headband or a cloak. Sjo drapes it around his shoulders, but hides the female accessory under a neutral mantle.
Using a scroll of teleport Elvira returns the party to the Nightpeddler’s camp, where the companions suddenly witness the moon rising on its mechanical arms, slowly shifting in front of the sun. Once the eclipse is complete, a pair of shady hands burst from the sand and two shadows tear free. Drawing the cards of the Big Sky and the Eclipse, Sjo learns that his friends are now able to ignore the creatures’ incorporeal status, but upon knocking both shades out of existence, the heroes find out that more rise from the sands again, using their foul ability to drain strength. Sjo quickly draws the Cyclone to summon the whirlwind. An enormous air elemental appears: “What is your bidding, master?”
“Take us to the Striding Fortress! Quickly!”
“Your wish is my command”, the whirlwind blows, as he picks up the party and transports them with incredible speed across the desert. A cloud of dust still surround them as the heroes get dropped in the sand. To their left and right are two humongous metal legs that support a large plateau. This must be the Striding Fortress.
The party springs into action when they see another shadow hand burst from the ground. Elvira grabs Algon the paladin and dimension doors up. Balian activates his flying boots, while Sjo summons his fiery wings to fly up as well. In the meantime Puk is climbing up one of the legs using his slippers of spider climbing.
Elvira and Algon appear on the edge of some kind of courtyard, where four ogres are strolling up and down. One of them has a gnome rider in his neck. Elvira plunges them in confusion, perturbing three ogres, but failing to influence the gnome. Sjo arrives as well and draws the Striding Fortress and the Teamster from the Harrow deck, while casting a fireball on the enemies. The gnome suffers the burns and counters with a dispel magic, taking down Elvira’s enchantment over the ogres. His large pets attack, but their brutish clubs miss their targets. Elvira realizes that the small rider is the biggest threat and tries to charm him, but again he resists. Algon jumps into the fray, shortly followed by Balian who kills an ogre. The gnome is impressed with the ranger’s battle prowess and dominates Balian with his next spell, ordering him to kill his companions.
Sjo casts another fireball, while Elvira uses one of her own dominate spells to regain control of Balian. One of the doors flies open and a large blue woman exits, covering Balian and Algon in a cone of cold. Fortunately Sjo was fast enough to recognize the marid from the marriage card, his own token card. He draws it just in time to grant the party a certain amount of resistance to cold and fire. Algon topples the ogre that is carrying the gnome and Balian continues slashing into the small fallen rider. Finding himself in dire straits the gnome dimension doors himself up to the roof, while an efreet now exits from the same door the marid came from. Wielding a giant scimitar, it bears down on Balian. Sjo continues throwing fireballs, helping Puk to further thin out the herd. One of the ogres returns the kindness and whacks away at the flying fire thrower. The struggle goes on, with first one and then the second of the two remaining ogres going down. The efreet refrains from using magic and just hacks away with his blade and his fist. The marid casts a few more cones of cold, while the gnome throws down a fireball and two chains of lightning. Algon and Sjo have to fall back to healing again to keep everyone alive, but in the end the heroes prevail. Sjo draws out his new wand of cure serious wounds to nurse his partners back to health. Having definitely spent some, but not all of their resources, the companions decide to press on. After all, back home time is of the essence.
Only three cards remain in the Harrow deck: the opponents the heroes have yet to face: the Inquisitor, the Courtesan and the Tyrant. Standing in the courtyard of the Striding Fortress, our friends have three ways to go, the structures to the left or right, and the central part of the building in front of them. Sjo casts resist energy on everyone to ward them form electric attacks, while Balian checks out the door on the righthand side. He picks up a muffled noise, which sounds like it is coming from somewhere further than just beyond the door. He opens it and discovers a small chapel. Elvira can’t quite place the icons on the altar, but Sjo tells her that these symbols do not refer to any existing godhood, figuring that they are made up, like so many things in this dimension. A set of stairs leads up, while another door waits to the right. Balian steps into the room to check it, when Algon suddenly places his hand on Elvira’s arm. “I sense evil in there!” he warns. Looking closer Elvira notices that the candles burning on the two candelabras next to the altar shed a rather poor amount of light. The flickering flames create more shadows than brightness.
From the dark corners of the room a dusky shape tears free, extending its hand across the room to Puk’s head. The surprised halfling is startled, but manages to fight off the malicious touch. Fortunately, Elvira understands, because the shadow was trying to take control of his body! Two more shadows appear, attacking Balian and Puk. The first shade waves to one of the candelabras, causing it to float up in the air and shoot Balian like a spear. Elvira casts haste, Sjo draws the card of the inquisitor, while Balian, Puk and Algon take on the shadowy zealots. The ranger also withstands an attempt to take over his body as well, and suffers some minor scratches, but when Sjo joins the fight after casting his first divine favor ever, it does not take long for the heroes to cut down the opposition.
After some quick healing Balian discovers the source of the sound he heard earlier behind the door. In a small kitchen, Biyo, one of the first storykin the party met in this realm, is preparing food. The cowardly young man does not remember meeting the companions at the circus a few days ago, nor does he recall leading them to the Garden of the Prophet. He can provide some information, though. The courtesan is not actually ‘one’ lady, but ‘four’ beautiful women. They reside in the main building behind the iron door, where they … take baths … naked. Elvira can’t help but sigh when she notes the sudden hint of urgency in her male friends. She still manages to get them to peek in the left structure first, which is a good thing, because there is a prison room upstairs. Locked away in an iron cage is Zellara, the party’s spiritual guide, although she is not a ghost in this dimension, but a real person.
After having freed their friend, the companions tackle the main building. Behind the iron door is some sort of bath house. Silk curtains hang from the walls of this damp, warm chamber. Bathing in a large, steaming pool in the center of this lounge are three gorgeous women. A fourth beauty lies on a couch to the right. “Please join us.” The women in the bath beckon the heroes to step into the water, but the men resist their charm … barely, doubting if they even need magic to be lured in the tub. Balian and Puk charge the girl on the sofa, but they are too enthralled with her looks and nakedness to actually hit her. She weaves a spell and becomes ethereal, sinking into the ground before their eyes. Elvira and Zellara shrug as they realize how stupid their companions are: the women in the pool aren’t human at all, they are succubi, evil deceivers from Hell! Sjo tries to fool one of the seductresses in the pool that her charm on him worked, but she sees right through his bluff and grapples him, pulling him into the water. Electricity charges through his body as he is submerged, but fortunately his protective spell saves him from the brunt of the damage. Algon distracts one of the succubi on the other side of the pool, while Puk and Balian focus their attacks on another target, quickly cutting her down. One of the women has retreated to the center of the pool and continues her efforts to lure victims in. Zellara grinds her teeth trying to bolster her allies’ resolve with the courtesan card from the Harrow deck and her song to inspire courage. Her attempts pay off, as both Puk and Elvira resist the charm. Elvira tries some enchantment magic of her own, hideous laughter, but her spell is resisted in turn. Struggling underwater to get out of the succubi’s grip, Sjo bursts out in flames. His opponent is not even dazed. The healer wonders whether it is the watery environment or the creature’s hellish background that makes her withstand the fire. Puk now dives into the pool himself to provide aid to Sjo, who barely manages to pull away when the devilishly seductive woman tries to kiss him. Conjuring up the image of his love Larella in his mind, the half-Shoanti continues the struggle, but he cannot break free. When the temptress endeavors another kiss, he can no longer avoid her lips. With her sensual embrace she does not only rob the young man of his decency, but of some of his life force as well. While Puk and Sjo remain in the water, electricity continues to tear through their bodies. If it hadn’t been for Sjo’s resist energy, they would not have survived. With Algon and Balian’s help the other succubi go down and the shortest and tallest member of the party can finally crawl out of the pool.
Again the party heals up and Sjo also removes the negative effect of the kiss with restoration. “Once more into the breach, dear friends”, he grinds, as he charges up the stairs to confront the dragon, while exchanging a quick glance with Algon. “Time to fulfill your destiny, paladin.”
The stairs give way to an immense library, stuffed to bursting with tomes and scrolls. Kah Zavon, the draconic master of this strange realm, dominates the center of the chamber. “Ah, guests from the other side, I have been expecting you! Your foray into our world will prove to be my way out. Surrender yourselves and the blood coins to me or face my wrath.”
“I’m afraid we’ll have to decline your offer,” Elvira replies, “as we’re feeling kind of peeved ourselves.”
Balian turns his puzzled gaze on the caster. “Huh, we’re what?”
“Angry, like really angry …”
“Pissed off, you mean, so I can hit it now?”
“If you survive this”, the dragon retorts as lightning washes from his mouth and engulfs the party. When the blue light crackles out, everyone is still on their feet, although Balian and Algon have taken quite a burn. Elvira gives everyone haste, while Sjo heals his ranger friend and Puk runs around the great Kah to get into an advantageous position. He suffers a bite for his risky maneuver, but now he can deliver his mighty sneak attacks. Balian denotes Zavon as his favored enemy with his instant enemy spell and besieges the creature from the other side. Inspired by Balian’s shining example and Zellara’s words of encouragement from the stairs, Algon also digs into his own arsenal and uses smite evil on the Tyrant. Finally, Sjo also joins the fight and now the heroes assail the dragon from all side. Despite the majestic dimension of this grand library, the humongous reptile has no room to fly of flee, so he focuses all of his attacks on his most formidable opponent, the ranger with the bloody greatsword. He claws and bites away at Balian, and even tries to hit him with his wings and tail, but lacks the maneuverability to make those attacks strike true. Elvira calls out the powerful words of hold monster, but the Kah resists. Puk finds out that this dragon’s armor is the hardest to pierce of any of the defenses he has ever faced. Four times out of five his swords bounce of the creature’s hide. Algon has slightly more luck, determined not to let this unique opportunity slip through his fingers. Balian stands a hero as well, but when the dragon continues his assault, the ranger goes down. It dawns on Elvira that she has lived through this scenario too often in this cursed realm: her spells fail time and time again, while Balian is knocked to the floor in almost every combat. Summoning all her willpower she spits out another hold monster. “I will not let you take my friends, you fiend! Now FREEZE!”
As the dragon turns to face this challenger, his movements suddenly halt. Paralyzed, the creature can only stare as Puk and Algon unleash hell on him. A final look of horror fills his eyes before he sinks to the floor in a pool of his own blood. Sjo rushes over to Balian and pulls him back from the edge of death with a breath of life. The ranger reaches for his blade and jumps up: “RAAGH … oh, I see it is done. The beast is slain.”
“Yes, we waited to bring you back until we finished him off. It’s getting embarrassing to see you fall so fast and so often. We wanted to spare you further humiliation”, Sjo smiles.
“Well done, friends.” Algon grabs Sjo and Balian by the shoulder. “The Tyrant, the great Kah finally lies defeated! HURRAH!”
Standing over the defeated dragon’s corpse, Sjo feels something stir on his shoulders. Suddenly the Varisian scarf around his neck comes to life and floats into the air, draping itself across the invisible neck of a humanoid shape that now manifests as a translucent figure. She looks like the mute hag the companions defeated in the Prophet’s Garden. The eight blood coins dangling from the [i[kapenia[/i] start radiating with energy. From the first coin a ghost of a bright blue light tears loose, taking the form of the crocodile-headed rakshasa. Opening his mouth, he breaths out a beam of pure force which rapidly consumes his whole essence. The beam hits the ghastly hag in the mouth. Next the second coin lights up and manifests in the spirit form of the rabbit prince. He impatiently dances in place and then launches himself at the hag, turning into a ray of energy that connects with her feet. In response the crone stands straighter, taller. In succession, the other conspirators appear and turn into a brightly pulsating power that returns to the spot it was stolen from: the couatl beams to the heart, the ant queen to the hands, the lamia renews the hag’s beautiful hair, while the Ticktock man gives her back her eyes and the sphinx her brain. Finally, the eighth coin brings forth the Nightpeddler, whose energy floats back to the crone’s ears, but still the restored figure is not complete.
The dead body of the blue dragon now lights up. His skin turns into energy that tears away from his corpse and embraces the hag like a comfortable blanket. As her flesh grows back, she becomes solid. Before the companions stands a middle-aged, but still very elegant and attractive lady, clearly of Varisian blood. This is Sonnorae in her full glory; she smiles warmly.
“Dear friends from Korvosa, ever since you set foot in my realm, I have been aware of you and what you’ve been doing here. I owe you my gratitude for freeing me from my centuries’ old torture.”
“Well, we were just trying to get out of here, actually”, Elvira smiles sheepishly, “getting you out was a … byproduct … a little extra bonus, so to say.”
“I know, but that does not make me want to thank you any less. And with gratitude comes reward”, Sonnorae beams.
She takes the kapenia off her shoulders. “To you Sjo, I gift this scarf, but since it does not fit a masculine warrior of your stature, I will adapt it to fit your form.” The bard closes her eyes, opens them again and shakes the scarf, which grows to the length of a cloak. The eight blood coins have now been worked into the golden embroidery in the bottom hem, which climbs up the lower half of the red cloak in the form of golden flames. As she bends forward to clasp the mantle around the tall man’s shoulders, she whispers in his ears. “If you wish it, the cloak will burst out in flames … or an illusion of flames, to be exact. They won’t hurt anyone, but they will look fantastic!”
“For the rest of you I have no tangible gifts, as you have learned, just about everything in this realm is made of wax and will start to melt away the second you try to use it, even this bountiful cache of gold.” The bard steps back and kicks open a door, revealing the Kah’s treasure room. “But there are other boons I can grant you.”
Sonnorae steps up to Puk. “To you, courageous halfling, I grant the boon of foresight. Three times in your future, when you feel you are going to fail at something you’re attempting, you will get a chance to renew your effort to try and succeed.”
Next she walks up to Elvira. “For you, my dear, I have a magical present, the boon of spontaneous casting. From now on, you’ll be able to assign three spells per day which you can cast spontaneously by swapping out another spell of the same strength you studied.”
Then she approaches Balian. “I know the loss you have suffered. For the second time you have had to say goodbye to your loyal canine friend. Since the brave animal died in my realm, I can sense where his soul drifted off to, and I can give you some great news. Spyder is up in the heavens, among the angles of a higher order. He is happy there, you should be proud of him, but he will not return to the mortal life anymore. Still, by drawing the cards of the Paladin, the Winged Snake and the Trumpet from my deck, you will be able to summon him to your side for the duration of an hour, but do not be surprised, because he is now a hound archon who goes by the name of Esphydriel.”
“For the rest, I offer you my hospitality. You are free to stay here as long as you want, but I already sensed that you will want to get back as soon as possible. You see, I was not only able to follow your actions in my realm while you were here, my power of insight also allowed me to glean your past and your current quest. You have undertaken the tremendous challenge to put a stop to the evil of your ruler and her sentient crown, the fangs of the blue dragon Kazavon. I never realized that this mighty artefact lay hidden beneath the city, but now that I do, it makes perfect sense. I now see that it was the dragon’s influence on artistic minds - which has given our city so many fantastic, albeit very experimental artists - that inspired me to craft the Harrow Realm, a wonderful, but quite ‘extreme’ work of art. By the same token, it was the dragon’s sway that took a hold of one of my creations, the Tyrant, a blue dragon like Kazavon himself. My tyrant of wax came to think of himself as Kazavon reborn and took his name as a title of honor, the great Kah Zavon. His first goal was to take control of the Harrowed Kingdom. Using the help of eight conspirators, he easily obtained that objective. By slaying me and usurping my power Then he wanted to return to the real world, where he wished to reclaim Kazavon’s throne, I suppose. But even while wearing my skin, the Tyrant never figured out exactly what it took to escape this demiplane, and so he remained trapped here.”
Sonnorae pauses for a minute, closes her eyes and concentrates. Then she smiles at Zellara and goes on: “The ghost of my sister in the art of foretelling the future, Zellara, will be bound to the Harrow deck until you fulfill your quest and set Kazavon’s evildoings in Korvosa right. During that time, the four of you will be able to cast Zellara’s bardic spells as if they were your own, by holding the deck and concentrating on the magic.”
Elvira gives Zellara an appreciative nod. “So in our world you’ll be a ghost again. Will you still be able to help us as you were supposed to? To locate the remains of the Shoanti shaman?” “I will”, the fortune-teller affirms.
“Then all that is left, is getting back to the world of the living”, Sonnorae concludes. “When you are ready, let me know and I will drop you and all your guests off in any location of your choosing within the city of Korvosa. You have aided me greatly, but I have just one final request to make of you. When all of this is over and Zellara’s soul has moved on to the Great Beyond, could you make sure that my Harrow deck ends up with another talented Varisian soothsayer? That way I can continue my legacy and hand on my knowledge to new generations.”
Sjo looks Sonnorae in the eye. “I promise.”
The party accepts Sonnorae’s offer to drop them and the rebels off anywhere within the city of Korvosa, finally deciding on Glorio Arkona’s garden as the safest spot to arrive The group is welcomed heartily and Lord Arkona promises food and shelter for the refugees. He also has some bad news. Since the heroes robbed the queen of her grand show in the arena by freeing the very people she wanted to sacrifice to the beasts and gladiators, she has come up with another devious plan. She kept a select number of important rebels in the Longacre building and now she has decreed that every night one of them will be executed, until every rebel in the city surrenders and every trace of resistance has been eradicated. Two people have already lost their lives: Cyril Fordyce and Siri Leroung. Elvira is shocked, since she knew the Leroung family well: professor Fordyce was an expert on history and the chief publisher of the Korvosa Herald. El saw him often when she was working in the Leroung library. She wasn’t as familiar with his second daughter Siri, but she recalls an innocent and kind-hearted young woman, certainly not someone who deserved to die. Lord Arkona says that the executions are carried out by none other than their former companion Quint, assisted by the blue dragon that has been guarding the Longacre building for several days now.
Glorio even has a list with the next victims, claiming the government has distributed these all over town. Tonight’s sacrifice is to be Sirtane Leroung, professor Fordyce’s sister-in-law and Siri’s aunt. Sirtane is the alchemy professor who concocted the cure to the plague and quite a good friend of Elvira’s. Next on the list are Aisha Leroung, the opera star, Wyland Leroung, the next lord of the house, Valdur Bromathan IV; lord of his house, Christina Leroung, the acting head of her house until Wyland comes of age, Vencarlo Orisini, the fencing master, high priestess Keppira d’Bear of Pharasma and finally field marshal Cressida Kroft. Sjo can’t help but feel that this list has been tailored to draw him and his friends out. Normally nobles like Valdur IV or Wyland should be more towards the end, because their political value is higher than someone like Vencarlo. But these valuable prisoners matter less to the companions, and since Quint knows who they care about, he has decided to save the best for last.
“I smell a trap from a million miles away,” the healer grunts, “but maybe we have some surprises up our sleeves that Quint is not familiar with”, he says, eying Elvira. “How long do we have before Sirtane is killed, lord Arkona?”
“I’m afraid time is already running out”, Arkona replies. “Each sacrifice is made at sunset, you have maybe three quarters of an hour, no more, I fear.”
“I wonder if Lady Zenobia can help us”, Puk scratches his curls. “She is the city’s head judge and works from the Longacre building.”
“That is a fine idea, let’s pay her a visit. No time to waste”, Balian looks over to his wizard friend. “Elvira, can you teleport us there?”
“Buh, I don’t know where she lives, to be honest.” It is not the first time the young mage feels bad for not knowing the city better.
“Maybe I can be of some assistance”, Glorio offers. “I have one teleport at my disposal that I can use to get you to the Hanging Judge.”
Just a few seconds later the party arrives in Lady Zenderholm’s living room. After Zenobia’s spinster sisters have recovered from the shock of seeing people ‘pop out of nowhere’, the judge reconfirms her support to the rebels and tells the heroes that the prisoners are being kept in the prison block underneath Longacre. While she still works as the main judge in the courthouse, Zenobia is thoroughly abhorred at Ileosa’s self-righteous behavior, playing judge and executioner at the same time and bypassing the legal system completely. Furthermore, the two people who were already executed were her family, since she is married to professor Fordyce’s brother. She is not allowed into the dungeons herself, so she does not know anything about the place’s defenses, but there definitely are Gray Maidens down there.
The heroes plan a surprise attack on the cell block first, using the planned execution of Sirtane as a distraction. Fortunately the companions have been in the dungeons before, so Puk can use the dimension door powers of his cloak to get the party there, figuring that the Zenderholm house is close enough to the courthouse to make the jump. Afterwards Elvira can use her magic to get everyone out. If there is still time left, they can try to pluck Sirtane away from the executioner’s block as well before it is too late.
The party buffs up, turns invisible and dimension doors to the Longacre underground dungeon. Four tunnels branch off from a central hall, each holding more than dozen cells. Eight Gray Maidens and one barbed devil guard the floor. Realizing that the spiked fiend is their biggest threat – as he can mentally contact all his fellow devils in the city through telepathy in the blink of an eye, who can then simply teleport to his side – Sjo decides to use one of his new spell: dismissal. His spell takes the devil by surprise and forces it back to the planes of Hell. At the same time the other companions lash out at the Maidens. Elvira uses spells like confusion and mass suggestion to disrupt the warriors’ tactics, while her friends swing their blades and Sjo joins them with his mace and a well-placed fireball. One by one the Maidens go down, each exploding in a splash of blood upon death.
Most cells in here seem to hold a wide variety of prisoners, but Elvira runs straight for the prisons that hold their allies, and – using teleport and dimension door – transports them safely to the garden of house Zenderholm, from where lord Valdur Bromathan IV leads everyone into his own mansion, which borders on the Zenderholm backyard. It has stood empty since the party freed his wife and son a week ago, so it will be safe to spend the night there.
With the sun about to set, the window of opportunity to save Sirtane Leroung is closing quickly. Elvira rejoins her friends and they prepare for their second rescue attempt of the evening. Balian draws upon the new powers of Zellara’s deck to cast the fortuneteller’s spell of invisibility on everyone. Next Elvira drops the party on the outside balcony of the Longacre building, where Dark Quint is just finishing his speech to the people of Korvosa that traitors deserve to die. A blue dragon looms over the bard’s shoulder and immediately notices the heroes’ presence, despite their cloak of invisibility. Standing on the front of the balcony is Sirtane Leroung and another of Ileosa’s barbed devils. While the companions make their way to the butcher’s block, the dragon breaths lightning over them and snaps at Balian with his enormous teeth. Fortunately Sjo has warded the party with resist energy, so no one suffers any damage, while Balian’s armor withstands the crunch of the dragon’s fierce bite. The ranger reaches out for Sirtane, forming a chain with the rest of his party,giving Elvira the chance to port them all away. Poof! Fast and smooth. Ambush averted. This mission is a success!
After their daring rescue mission in the Longacre building, the companions take their time to reconnect with some of the rebels they saved. Vencarlo assures them that he can get everyone safely to the Arkona manor in the morning, when curfew ends. He knows the darkest allies and most unseen corners of the city. He also agrees to join the party as extra back-up – since Elvira can now teleport herself and four other people, a fifth hero would be welcome.
Christina Leroung is even angrier at the party then before. She still blames them for the death of her mother, who was assassinated during their earlier ‘rescue’ mission from the library, an operation that was absolutely unneeded in her eyes. Now her father and her sister have been executed as well, so she holds the heroes responsible for that as well. Her aunt, Sirtane Leroung, shares her grief, but not her anger. Being a science professor, she is more rational, and understands the necessity of what the companions did, even though she regrets the terrible cost.
Cressida Kroft is still recovering from the terrible ordeal she suffered in the temple of Asmodeus, where her fighting prowess was being siphoned to the bloodclones by the horrid draining device which the Asmodeans referred to as the Akaruzug. Still, she claims that she is ready to resume control of the Korvosan Guard when the party takes out Ileosa. Archbishop Keppira d’Bear says that she will be at the heroes’ disposal to provide aid before or after their battles.
4 Rova 4708
After spending the night in the abandoned Bromathan villa, everyone follows Vencarlo to Old Korvosa. Sneaking through back alleys in the poorest quarters of the city, the sword master leads the group north. Sjo wonders how they will be able to cross the Narrows of Saint Alika, the channel of water that cuts off Endrin Island from the mainland. The nifty fencing teacher takes everyone into the sewers and opens a secret door to a tunnel under the channel. The rest of the trip to the Arkona Palace is easy walking. Lord Glorio is as gracious as ever when even more guests arrive in his house.
After everyone is settled in and the party has enjoyed a heroes’ feast for breakfast, they prepare for the next step in their quest: finding the legendary Shoanti shaman’s bones. Keppira d’Bear does not only conjure the meal, she also enhances some weapons and suits of armor with her divine magic. Vencarlo is completely outfitted with gear, including his old Blackjack rapier, which the heroes still carry around in their bag of holding. Next, Elvira teleports the ‘strike team’ to the catacombs underneath the Kendall arena, notably to the edge of the sinkhole. This is the area where the bones of Coja Eyes Aflame are supposed to rest.
A stone set of stairs dives down into the dark pit, hugging the sinkhole wall. Using Zellara’s deck, the heroes risk a little light, so Balian and Vencarlo can see. The steps are steep and as they descend, the companions feel the temperature drop and the moistness in the air rise. About thirty feet down they find an ironbound door in the wall, about midway to the bottom of the pit. Sjo confers with Zellara, who feels that the remains of the old shaman are located somewhere behind this door. Puk fails to open the intricate dwarven lock, but Balian does not. The door leads into a rectangular stone room with two other exits, both of which have been barricaded with a mountains of rocks. Balian and Sjo get to work and remove the pile, freeing another ironclad door with a dwarven lock, which Balian also picks. These doors were barricaded to block the ankhegs tunnels that still riddle the earth under the arena. Although the Scions of Puris, the band of heroes who tackled the ankhegs problem 129 years ago, cleared these warrens of most of the giant vermin, they ended up retreating after their leader, Mina Kendall, fell to the foul beasts. To protect the arena from a future ankhegs invasion, the dwarves shut off the tunnels. Now, for the first time in over a century, someone is setting foot in them again. Following Zellara’s urges they delve deeper into the burrows until they come across a large cavern where the clicking sound of insectoids already welcomes them. Four giant six-legged monsters fall upon them. A brownish chitinous exoskeleton protects their backs and bellies and their mandibles look strong enough to snap a tree. Balian and Vencarlo find it hard to pierce the ankhegs tough armor, but Puk -aided by Elvira’s haste and greater invisibility – becomes a true killing machine. Ducking under the monsters’ acid spits, he finds the tiniest gaps in the carapace and finishes off one of the beasts. Sjo throws two fireballs into the fray and the battle quickly tips in the party’s favor. Finally even Balian manages to kill off the last monster, but the mandibles, claws and acid have done their work on him. Sjo and Zellara’s deck provide the necessary healing, before the companions delve deeper into the earth. The tunnels seem to end here and Zellara feels they are almost in the right spot, but the bones are lower, she senses, at least twenty feet below them. Since they are not equipped to dig, the heroes decide to leave this level and explore the bottom of the sinkhole to find out if there are more tunnels down there.
They return to the stairs and follow them all the way down. A foul pool of sewer water fills the area, but in the ripples Elvira notices something green and slimy moving. An enormous green slime draws closer, which the enchantress recognizes as a bog scum, an ooze whose acid is so acrid that it eats through wood and metal. The creature is also immune to slashing and piercing damage and precision-based attacks, making Vencarlo’s, Balian’s and Puk’s weapons useless. Fortunately, the blob is vulnerable to fire, so Sjo unleashes a fireball on it, while his friends draw back or take to the air. The half-Shoanti also strikes out his fiery wings and flies over the ooze, which is trying to lash out at Elvira, simply slipping through the fingers of the forceful hand she summoned to keep it at bay. Hanging above the green slime, Sjo tries out his new fire seeds spell. He creates eight holy berry bombs which he drops, calling out Ignite! to make them burst into flame. The explosion is fierce and burns the ooze into a crisp, sending a wave of heat and smoke through the air. As Sjo lands he smiles: this was the biggest single hit on an enemy anyone in the party has ever dealt. Not bad for a ‘simple’ healer.
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Elvira consults Zellara’s cards, who indicate that the remains of the ancient Sun shaman lie somewhere to the left. The pool which covers the bottom of this sinkhole seems to veer off in that direction. The mage uses her flight magic to investigate, but she only finds a small cave ending in a blank wall, while Zellara tells her the bones are ahead of her. Elvira figures that there must be a way through under the water level and sends out Balian, who is the best swimmer in the party.
The ranger jumps into the foul waters and searches around in the dark, finally discovering a hole in the ground and a submerged tunnel, which leads into the right direction. He informs his friends and decides to dive through, taking along the end of a rope. The tunnel is quite tight, but not terribly long and takes the hardened warrior to another cave. This definitely looks like a natural grotto, with dozens of stalactites hanging from the ceiling and a number of stalagmites rising from the water. At the other side of the cavern a slope of fallen rock leads up to a tunnel. Balian swims to one of the standing pinnacles to secure his rope around it, so his friends will be able to use it as a guide through the tunnel. However, when he reaches the stone, it suddenly cracks open, revealing a big toothy maw that bites down on him. Four tentacles also lash out and numb the ranger’s muscles. Wounded and weakened, Balian flees out of the cave again, relying on Sjo’s healing magic to regain his strength.
Going by Balain’s description, Elvira identifies the monster as a roper, a dangerous ambush hunter from the Underdark, which looks remarkably like a stalagmite while in hiding. The heroes prepare with some spells, water breathing, heroism, shield other, lead blades and mirror image. If possible, they want to traverse the cavern under the surface of the water, but they will need light to do so. Elvira uses magic to turn on a dozen lights in the roper’s den, making the creature furious. It lashes out in wild anger with its tentacles into thin air and it strikes blindly into the water. Since the creature is to the right of the tunnel exit, the heroes choose to follow the left wall, but from under the water they see a second set of tentacles weaving about. So there are two of these monstrosities! Ones of this creature’s strands plunges into the water and narrowly misses Vencarlo, but when Sjo closes the line, the roper notices the reflection of his armor and the fight is on. Three tentacles strike the healer and sap his strength. Balian bursts out of the water, invoking his instant enemy powers to mark the roper as his favorite enemy. His greatsword tears a wide gash in the stony hide. Sjo restores his lessened physique and summons his fiery wings to rise up above the water level. Elvira casts haste, giving Puk enough movement to make it to an advantageous position and Vencarlo also joins the fray. Balian and Sjo suffer more tentacle attacks, while the roper uses his great maw to crunch Vencarlo’s shoulder. Still the creature cannot escape the many blades cutting into its frame from all sides and quickly perishes. Elvira tries to take control of the second aberration as it crawls closer, but her hold monster cannot penetrate its spell resistance. Sjo attempts a fireball, but has the same problem. Fortunately, the combined efforts of Balian, Vencarlo and especially Puk suffice to bring it down. Sjo restores everyone to full health and the heroes climb the slope to the tunnel ahead.
Inside they discover a first Shoanti grave, belonging to a Sklar Quah jothka. When alive this man must have stood at least six feet ten. The painting and writing on the wall identify him as Markun Skyfire, a hero who singlehandedly defeated a mammoth. Around his wrists are a pair of beautiful gold bracers. Elvira sees they radiate magic and uses Zellara’s deck to learn their powers. They provide extra strength to the one who wears them, but they work better on someone with Shoanti blood, so Sjo decides to don them for now, promising himself to return them to the Sun clan when their mission is over.
Deeper in the tunnel is a second grave. Wall paintings tell of a battle against a dragon in an enormous castle. This must be Coja Eyes-Aflame, the ancient shaman who fought against Kazavon. Finally, the heroes have found him. Suddenly Sjo begins to shine brightly, fire pouring from his eyes. He approaches the skeleton and bends down over his skull. The burning flame that Sun shaman Arunan Lives-of-Fire instilled in Sjo’s body flows from the healer’s mouth and enters the skeleton, which burst out in fire and bathes the tomb in bright white and yellow light. When the intensity of the glow diminishes, the bones are gone. Instead a burning figure floats in the air, dressed as a Shoanti mystic. His voice sounds like a burning inferno.
“You who breathe fire into my frame are not of pure Shoanti blood, though I sense the blood of my kin running through your veins. Much has changed since my bones were laid to rest if I am awakened by strangers in my own lands. Have my descendants finally failed in their holy duty? Tell me, why you disturb the rest of the dead?”
Sjo feels humbled by the mighty shaman’s presence. “Honorable mystic, I fear I come bearing bad tidings. The evil of Kazavon has returned to these lands and we seek your aid and advice in fighting it.”
Coja seems annoyed by this news: “Just as in my time the voices of the desperate call out for the might of the sun to combat evil. Truly, the blue dragon Kazavon was the greatest horror to plague this continent in ages. The arrival of Zon Kuthon’s champion was the work of the fool Andachi, who was too weak to defend his people against the orcs and in desperation turned to the dark god. The fool got what he deserved: Kazavon, Zon Kuthon’s champion and torturer, flayed him alive and ate his skin in front of him while he died. The count had paid for his stupidity, but nonetheless he had left a legacy that threatened the entire region.
And so it befell to others to right Andachi’s terrible wrongdoings. Word reached me that a Lastwall paladin called Mandraivus was looking for heroes to combat this azure menace. He asked me to join him, so I kissed my wife and children goodbye and left for Scarwall to stand at Mandraivus’ side.
The paladin’s faith was unwavering, his will was strong as iron and he wielded a mighty weapon, the blade Serithial. But even that did not suffice to defeat the dark servant of Zon Kuthon. So I bound Mandraivus with the power of the sun to allow him to break the dragon’s horrific reign. Still, when the monster lay dead at our feet, its bones still tried to return to life. Mandraivus ordered his surviving companions to each take one piece of the dragon’s remains and hide them in all the corners of the world. The paladin remained in Scarwall to guard it from evil. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the orcs to run over his small force of defenders.
I was given the task to watch over the dragon’s teeth, the Fangs of Midnight. I carried them with me to these shores and buried them deep in the mastaba, Masha-saht-Puyuhoke. From that moment on, guarding the mastaba became a holy task for my people, a duty that your kind apparently ended with blood.
Your ancestors’ ignorance has now given Kazavon a new chance. As his evil resurfaces, you need our help once more. So it is with mixed feelings that I aid you. But tough times demand tough measures, as they once did. I do not differ from you in the fact that I also want you to stop Kazavon’s evil, for the good of your people and mine alike. That is why, like Mandraivus before you, I bless you with the power of the Sun. You will have three days to fight the forces of darkness, before the magic fades away. Make the most of it, for if you fail, many will pay for your weakness.”
The Sun shaman gives the companions one last look, before exploding in white flames that wash over the them and burn in their arms and torso. When the fire disappears, Coja Eyes-Aflame is a lifeless skeleton again.
Elvira checks her arms and sees the glow of Shoanti runes in her flesh. Using her mastery of the arcane, she figures out that their true power will be activated by the rays of the sun and then wane rapidly, becoming less powerful with each sunset, until they die out and fade away after the third day. The sun runes will bolster the heroes’ abilities to fight evil, strengthening their attacks, their spells and their potential to withstand evil magic. They will also be able to expand all the energy of the sun runes in one big cleansing explosion, which will heal their wounds and purify them of all evil effects that hold them in their grasp. Using these fires of purification will immediately end the sun rune enchantment, however.
The party wonders what to do next. It looks like the end game is upon them. One goal remains before they can confront Ileosa, finding her infernal contract and destroying it, cutting the queen’s ties to the forces of Hell and ending the potent boons the deal provides. Elvira is confident that the hellish powers that enhance Ileosa’s abilities would dissolve; she is less sure, however, about her infernal servants. Will they be sent back to Hell upon destruction of the contract, or will they be able to choose whether or not they want to remain? After all, when not bound by a pact, the will regain their free will. They might just as well opt to stay here, albeit to follow their own agenda’s, rather than Ileosa’s.
Anyhow, finding Ileosa’s version of the agreement will prove hard. Where has she hidden it? It seems logical that the document will be somewhere in the palace, but the castle is huge and the companions have no clue where to find it. All they have is a partial sketch of two of the palace’s floors that Quint explored, the rest of the building remains a mystery. Vencarlo interjects that this is not necessarily the case. They could consult someone who knows the castle inside out, its former seneschal, Neolandus Kalepopolis. He would surely be able to draw up a full map. The man still resides in Janderhoff, the dwarven sky citadel. That would be an excellent place to go to right now, the hold is hidden inside the mountains, safe from sunlight, so it won’t activate the sun runes yet. Moreover, the party could use the opportunity to sell some loot and gear up for the final battle.
Elvira teleports everyone to the streets of Janderhoff. They clean up and find Kalepopolis, who immediately sets to drawing the required maps. Sjo also settles the party’s debts and sells off the loot from the Harrowed realm and the arena, giving the party a budget of over 50,000 gold sails to work with. After all, every little bit of help will be welcome.
While former seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis uses his extensive knowledge of castle Korvosa’s lay-out to draw some detailed maps, the heroes get some upgraded equipment in the Janderhoff forges. Puk buys a better shortsword, Balian gets a new breastplate with a higher magical protection and a scabbard of keen edges for his greatsword, while Sjo uses the rest of the money for a better buckler, some scrolls of neutralize poison and a few wands of cure light wounds.
After a couple of hours Kalepopolis presents his new maps to the party and points out which areas of the castle are likely to be more crowded or better defended than others. He also reveals the existence of an unknown sibling of late king Eodred: his half-brother Venster, a tiefling who was kept from the world because of his bastard heritage. When queen Domina came to Korvosa, she did not only bring her son Eodred with her, but also another child she had conceived with a devil. Despite Cheliax’s infernal bonds, tieflings are regarded as second class citizen there. If one is born into a noble house, it serves as a mark of shame on the family, so its existence is seldom revealed. Sometimes such children are killed at birth, sent away (or even sold off into slavery). If they are lucky, like Venster, they are just hidden from the outside world and raised in secret. When Domina took the Korvosan throne, a tiefling son would have seriously hurt her claim, since tieflings are even more rare and mistrusted in this ‘Chelaxian colony’. So she concealed him in his private quarters in the castle attic. Only a handful of people were aware of his presence there, the seneschal among them. Kalepopolis has only seen him once or twice, and never spoke to him. As far as the seneschal knows, only Domina and Eodred paid the unfortunate soul regular visits. Ileosa also knew about him, but she never liked the idea of her bastard brother-in-law. Disgust is probably the best word to describe her feelings about him, which could possibly turn him an unexpected ally to the rebels’ cause. Sjo also wonders if Venster could be put forward as Eodred’s official heir to the throne. Kalepopolis does not rule it out, but thinks it is highly unlikely that the noble houses and citizens of Korvosa would accept a tiefling as their king.
Studying the maps, the companions single out three locations where Ileosa might have hidden her infernal contract: her private chambers, the treasure room in the vaults and Domina’s tower. Kalepopolis points out that his last spot, a small tower on the southern battlements, was used by Eodred’s mother as her private study. The place was off-limits to everyone, probably well protected by magic, and has stood empty ever since Domina died. Eodred maintained the order to ‘stay out’, and – as far as the seneschal knows – never even went in there himself. So Kalepopolis has no idea what is inside the tower, but it would make an excellent location to hide something. Of course getting in will prove difficult, especially since its entry is located on the battlements where guards patrol, also well within sight of the castle’s fiercest defenders, the horned devil and the red dragon who oversee the rooftop and towers. The heroes would do well to distract them before attempting an infiltration there.
Elvira concludes that the maps give her an excellent understanding of the castle’s lay-out, figuring that she will be able to use them to dimension door into specific rooms. Kalepopolis confirm her theory, magically protecting an area as large as castle Korvosa from teleportation is almost impossible. Key locations might be warded, though, especially with a powerful wizard as Togomor residing in the palace.
In the evening the party teleports back to Glorio Arkona’s palace, where the heroes reunite with the rebels and ask Keppira d’Bear to prepare some buffing spells for them tomorrow.
5 Rova 4708
In the morning the archbishop of Pharasma provides a heroes’ feast, some magic vestments and greater magic weapon spells. She also casts a magic circle against evil over the party. Vencarlo Orisini guides them through Korvosa’s back alleys and hidden corners to the streets around the castle. There Elvira clouds everyone in an invisibility sphere and scours the walls for the windows to Ileosa’s private quarters. She singles out the bathroom window and gathers her friends around her to make the magical jump inside.
The chamber is dominated by a lavishly decorated marble bath. A large mirror hangs on the wall above a counter covered with vials of expensive perfume, unguents and grooming tools. A planter box gives a leafy green vine a place to root, its vines growing along the walls. Deep crimson flowers fill the room with a sweet floral scent. The stained-glass window features the Arabasti crest. Fortunately, there is no one inside. Elvira does pick up a magical protection that keeps scrying eyes out.
A door leads to the royal foyer, a cozy room furnished with carpets and some fine mahogany benches. A table displays three silver platters of cheeses, fruits and bread. Minor magic helps these dishes keep any foodstuffs placed upon them fresh and unsoiled. A half-filled crystal decanter of deep red wine sits next to the platters, along with two empty glasses. The cupboards hold more silverware and glasses. The door leading in and out of the queen’s quarters is magically locked and displays the Arabasti crest as well, but since the heroes are already inside, they do not need to use this door.
The final chamber in the queen's apartments is the royal bedroom. The walls are paneled with darkwood planks and decorated with elaborate tapestries and hanging silks. A canopied bed looms against the far wall, while a desk stands in front of the stained-glass windows. The wardrobe contains a broad selection of exclusive dresses. The companions search the room extensively, finding the secret door behind the bed, which was also marked on Kalepopolis’ map. It connects the royal quarters to the room of Ileosa's most trusted bodyguard, Sabina Merrin, also rumored to be her secret lover. The party wisely decides to steer clear of the door, not wanting to risk an unnecessary confrontation with the head of the Gray Maidens. The papers on Ileosa’s desk are mainly books, scrolls and notes on the mastaba’s original occupant, Runelord Sorshen, who ruled the Thassilonian Realm of Lust, Eurythnia, from this very spot. Unfortunately, there is no sign of Ileosa’s infernal contract.
The heroes leave the rooms in the same order they found them, trying to hide any trace of their passage. Their next destination is the treasure room in the vaults under the castle. Since these vaults are part of the original mastaba, it is hard to gauge how deep within the structure they are located, so blindly dimension dooring into them is risky at best. Kapepopolis has told the party, however, that only one entry into this level exists, hidden away behind a secret door in a storage room and in handyman Scotty’s workshop. Elvira calculates the exact location of the storage room and hops the party inside. The storing area contains an orderly stack of firewood, a dozen kegs of tallow and numerous jars of oil. According to the map this room connects to another storage room, a wine cellar, which leads into a guard room. Listening at the door, Balian picks up the muffled sound of female voices, talking in Infernal. This confirms Quint’s earlier findings – before he was turned into ‘Dark Quint’ – that this level houses Ileosa’s ‘dark angels’, her Erinyes allies. Fortunately, the party is looking for another way out.
A well-hidden secret door sits in the northern wall of the storage room, but with Kalepopolis’ guidelines, the heroes have no trouble locating it. A small set of winding stairs leads down into the mastaba proper, and up to what must be gnome Scotty’s workshop. The party goes down and finds out that they go much deeper than they expected, easily fifty feet, if not more. It is also immediately apparent that they have entered to ancient mastaba itself, as the walls here are made of a different material: massive dark stone blocks, which connect to each other almost seamlessly. Kalepopolis suspected the vaults to be deserted, as only a few people know they even exist. He did point out, however, that the treasure room itself is guarded by an iron golem.
When the party finally reaches the bottom of the stairs, they come across a weird pillar in the center of a high-ceilinged circular room. The huge green column feels cool to the touch and – despite its apparent age of at least ten thousand years – it is complete unblemished. Not a single nick mars its surface. When Balian tries to scratch it with his dagger, he fails to even dent it. Elvira also discovers that the pillar seems to extend through the floor. While this weird phenomenon is puzzling and intriguing, it has nothing to do with the heroes’ current quest, so they move on. The hallway turns to the right and ends in a solid iron door. Elvira picks up protective magic: both an alarm spell and an arcane lock secure the entry. Sjo tries to get rid of the alarm with dispel magic, requiring two attempts to succeed. Elvira readies her knock to temporarily suppress the arcane lock, checking if everyone is prepared to face the iron golem inside.
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Elvira strengthens Puk and Balian with heroism and casts haste on the party, before opening the iron vault door with a knock spell. The rogue and the ranger rush into the treasure room and surprise the iron golem inside. The construct only manages two slams on Balian before it is hacked to pieces. So much for a powerful guardian, Balian utters, smiling over his adamantine greatsword. The vault is filled with piles of coins and two chests, containing gems and jewelry. In the back-wall Elvira discovers a secret door, very well hidden, but there are signs of it being opened fairly recently. Behind the door is another ancient vault. The ceramic floor and walls are lined with light brown tiles that form gentle geometric patterns. Resting against the far wall is a simple coffer atop a low plinth of stone. The lid is open, revealing only a bed of roughly woven cloth with fang-shaped imprints. This must be where the Shoanti stored the Fangs of Kazavon for safekeeping. The chill in the air is all that remains of the ancient relics.
The heroes search the treasury for Ileosa’s infernal contract, but the document is nowhere to be found. They do decide, however, to take as much of the treasure with them as they can carry. Obviously, the money belongs to Korvosa and its people, but they want to keep it safe from Ileosa and her cronies. Once the queen realizes that the party is coming after her, she might decide to flee and take Korvosa’s money with her. Elvira estimates that the loot they gather is worth about 120,000 gold sails, but they still have to leave heaps of coins and small change behind.
Since they haven’t found Ileosa’s contract yet, the companions decide to explore the rest of the vaults, looking for the elusive document. Apparently Ileosa has uncovered more secrets down here, since one of the blocked passages that Kalepopolis marked on their map, has been cleared. It leads into a dark chamber, but just beyond the entrance seven dead bodies of castle servants and soldiers lie in the dust. Peering inside, Elvira picks up several large statues of kneeling men with oversized heads. Bas-reliefs cover the walls, but from a distance it is hard to tell what they depict. Warned by the corpses, the heroes refrain from entering. Sjo and Elvira can see that three of the dead bodies have had their heads smashed in violently, while the other four look as if they were completely dehydrated, their parched skins preserving their dying screams. More bones and crumbled equipment seems to cover the floor, the remains of other fools who tried to enter this place in ages long past, thinking themselves brave enough to face its defenses. At one moment Elvira even thinks she sees one of the statues moving. Whatever this chamber holds, is not the party’s current quest. Perhaps they will return here one day to uncover its secrets, but not today.
Rounding the passages to the royal crypts, the heroes pass several empty rooms, but the final of these chambers has its doorway bricked up. The brickwork looks no more than a couple of months old. Was this entry closed to contain some ancient threat? That seems unlikely, a wall this thin would simply not suffice. A more plausible theory is that the wall was meant to lock a person in, who was never meant to come out. Elvira listens closely at the stones, but hears nothing. As she turns away, however, a cry sounds through her mind: “Help me.” A few hits from Sjo’s heavy flail easily bring down the brick wall. A horrid smell assails the party’s nostrils, emanating from a partially decomposed corpse, mouth agape in desperation, that lies slumped against the entrance. The body, clad in a rich, dark purple outfit, is one of a thin man with a pair of vestigial horns sprouting from his brow; clearly a tiefling. This can be only one person, Eodred’s bastard brother, Venster. Elvira tries to pick up other mental messages, but comes up blank. Sjo summons Zellara from the Harrow deck, having learnt from the sun shamans that ghosts are the best way to communicate with other spirits. The shimmering fortune-teller spreads out her hands in an attempt to connect with Venster’s essence. For a single moment, her eyes turn white and she whispers one word in a strange, masculine voice: “Attic.” Elvira has read about restless souls before, remembering that often their bones have to be returned to a certain spot to give the spirits peace. It seems like Venster wants his remains to be taken to the attic, where he used to live.
The companions carefully pick up the tiefling’s cadaver and head into the last chamber on this level, the royal crypts. Five sarcophagi bear the name of a deceased king or queen: Arabust, Eodred I, queen Domina and Eodred II. Separated from the other graves is king Cardraith, the Porphyria lord who briefly usurped the Arabasti throne. All of the older tombs have been pried opened, their monarchs disrespectfully plundered of all valuables. The sarcophagus of Eodred II is the only one that is closed, but when Balian moves the lid aside, he finds the decaying corpse of the late king buried without ceremony, still wearing the stained nightshirt in which he died.
Elvira teleports everyone to Janderhoff, where they brief Kalepopolis of their findings and leave the seneschal in charge of Korvosa’s treasure. Invisibly the party jumps back to the streets of Korvosa, off to the north of the castle, in clear sight of the corner which holds Venster’s apartment. Just as they arrive, a duo of gossiping ladies bumps into them. Elvira scares them away with some ghostly howls, before she teleports the group into Venster’s private quarters.
The room is dusty; no one has been here for months, but it shows an unexpected level of comfort and luxury. A large bed sits in a corner, next to a teak wood desk with an armchair, leading up to a showcase with at least fifty Harrow decks on display. The rarest and most beautiful cards stand upright behind their leather, ivory or wood cases. Although the cards depict the same themes as Zellara’s deck, the styles range from all over Golarion. The hearth hasn’t been lit in many weeks, but the big bear rug in front of it still exudes a sense of warmth. Another corner holds an antique dining table with two leather-span chairs, right next to an overloaded bookcase. On the wall between the bed and the dining table hangs the portrait of an attractive noble girl, who Elvira identifies as Venster and Eodred’s mother, queen Domina, in her youth. As Sjo respectfully places the tiefling remains on the bed, he is drawn to the painting and touches it. The wall behind it clicks and swings open, revealing a smaller, secret room with another bed. A misty green ghost hangs in the air and sighs:
“Aahh, finally my bones have been freed from that horrible dark place. I thank you, strangers. My name is Venster Arabasti, and I am – or rather was – Eodred’s half-brother, the first son that Domina gave birth to in Cheliax, after mating with a being of otherworldly origin, as my horns clearly demonstrate. My mother, and my brother after her, chose to keep me hidden from the outside world by keeping me confined to this attic, with only my books and cards to keep me company.”
“You’re welcome”, Sjo nods. “And perhaps you can help us as well, we are looking for a copy of Ileosa’s infernal contract, which we suspect to be hidden somewhere in this castle.”
“An infernal contract, you say? So my devious sister-in-law has made a deal with Hell, has she? I didn’t know that, but it doesn’t surprise me. Although my undying essence has been locked up in my private quarters, I have experienced occasional flashes of the dreadful events occurring in this castle. I may have devil blood running through my veins, but the diabolical influences seeping through these walls of late, are indeed overwhelming, even for me. Ileosa herself burns with an evil that defies belief, so I take you at your word. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I too played my part in this corruption.”
“What do you mean?” Elvira wonders.
Venster looks away, ashamed. “Since she arrived here over five years ago, Ileosa slowly wormed her way into my heart. She possessed, as you probably know, a knack to wrap men around her finger … I mean, just look at how easily she got my brother to marry her. But it was a marriage without love, so Ileosa looked me up frequently, searching for some comfort and friendly company in these cold castle halls.
Still, a couple of months ago her demeanor suddenly changed: her step became more sure and her eyes gleamed with a cold stare they did not have before. That is when she came up with her grand scheme: she wanted to get rid of Eodred and put me in the spot I rightfully deserved – the throne of Korvosa – to which I was entitled as Domina’s first-born son. She would join me there as my queen.
I was blinded by her promises and got carried away in her murder schemes. She provided a colorless and odorless powder, which I had to apply to Eodred’s cards when he visited me for our weekly card game. My relationship with my brother had always been peculiar: I despised him for his pure blood and his freedom to move around as he pleased, but at the same time I needed him, for he was the only one who cared for me during many of the lone years I spent up here, and as such for a long time he was my only link to the outside world, at least until he brought in that snake in the grass.
I guess a malformed loner like me was an easy victim. I am ashamed to admit it, but I became a willing tool in her murdering hands and I was the one who administered the poison that slowly drove my brother to the afterlife. Needless to say that Ileosa did not honor her promises when her husband died. Instead she had me bricked up underneath the castle, where I spent my last living days in rage and remorse, until thirst finally claimed my life. Only then did I realize that I had allowed myself to be manipulated by that insidious serpent to commit one of the worst crimes imaginable: fratricide. But all my remorse and guilt could not bring my brother back, or even break through the walls that confined me. So my soul refused to find peace after I had drawn my final breath. Now you know the truth: Ileosa had her husband killed, but I was the hand that committed the crime. May the gods have mercy on my soul.”
“Well, confessing your crimes to us, admitting your guilt and feeling remorse for your actions are definitely an important step”, Sjo muses. “Perhaps with your remains restored to you, you can soon make the journey to the world beyond.”
“I hear what you say and am certainly grateful for your understanding, but I fear that I will only find peace when the evil is defeated. Perhaps you are up to the task and I will help you any way I can. You say that Ileosa has hidden a contract somewhere in the castle, well, if she did, I suspect it is in my mother’s tower, queen Domina’s personal bastion on the southern battlements where no one was allowed to enter, not even her own children. Domina’s tower stood deserted after her death, but in these last few months I have repeatedly felt Ileosa’s presence in there. Her evil even seemed to peek while she was inside. Maybe that is the place where you will find the secrets you need to aid you in your quest.”
“Domina’s tower was indeed next on our list”, Puk states.
“Good … still, you have to keep in mind that the tower is well protected. You can only get into the lower floor through a magically sealed door. There you should find a portal that will take you upstairs. I have never witnessed this myself, but to activate it, you need this.” Venster walks over to the table and points at some finely carved wooden coasters. They bear the Arabasti family crest. “With my house’s emblem, you should be able to pass through.”
Elvira nods appreciatively as she puts the coasters in her bag. At the same time Balian picks a handkerchief off the floor next to the bed. As he wants to put it back on the bed, something catches his interest. He shakes his head and holds up the white piece of cloth to Puk and Sjo. “Do you recognize this?” he asks, pointing at the embroidered letter “V” in the corner.
“That is the same handkerchief that Quint wore for a diaper.” Sjo frowns and turns to Venster. “A friend of ours wore this as a baby. But we don’t know where it came from. Is it yours? Might he be your son?”
Vencarlo and Elvira are puzzled by Sjo’s words. “What are you talking about, Sjo?”
“Well, Quint and I were both raised under the terrible reign of a petty criminal, Gaedran Lamm, thinking we were orphans, not knowing who our parents were. You know the old courthouse, where we fried those Acadamae imps to ashes? Well, when we got into the courthouse for the first time, back when it was still haunted, we discovered records of the Key-lock Killer, a serial killer, whose first victim was called Leana Castel.”
As Sjo says the name, Venster gasps, eyes wide.
The healer continues. “This Leana woman was killed in her room, while her baby lay next to her in his crib. The toddler was left unharmed, and afterwards one of the guards assigned to the case took him home. Records say that the baby had a mysterious birthmark of a scorpion on his shoulder, just like Quint did. The dates of her murder matched with Quint’s age, so he must have been that baby. We traced the soldier who took in the child and found only a demented, drooling old man. But his wife remembered the baby and told us that her husband had sold him off to a criminal to finance his drinking habit. She never forgave him, but she had one thing to remember the child by, an embroidered handkerchief with the letter “V”, that served as the child’s diaper. The same as this one here, with a “V”, as in Venster?”
The tiefling stares into the empty air, his eyes speaking both of wonder, amazement and shock. “My acts in this attic have not always been evil. You might know that my brother was a famous womanizer before he met his wife. He even had a private harem. In 4691, five years after our mother passed away, there was ‘a little accident’. One of the girls hadn’t been taking her herbs regularly and got pregnant. Naturally, having a baby with a common girl would have been a mark of shame for a king of noble blood. Without our mother’s guidance, Eodred hesitated what to do and found no better answer than to lock the girl in a room here in the attic. That is how I met her, my sweet Leana. I often kept her company and when I was with her my dreary hours finally came to life. She was so lovely, so beautiful.”
A ghostly tear runs down Venster’s cheek. “When the child arrived at last, there was no one here to help, except me. It is hard to describe how or why, but when I held the newly-born in my hands, it felt like I was holding my own baby, not my brother’s bastard. I gave Leana some of my handkerchiefs to use for diapers.
When I next met my brother, I told him that Leana had given birth. Eodred was in shock, it was as if he had tried to block out Leana’s situation, hoping that forgetting about the problem would make it go away. But now his son was actually born. I pleaded with him to allow me to raise the toddler as my own child. Just like me the little ‘bastard’ could live up here in the attic, hidden from the outside world. Eodred shook his head and stormed off.
He drank heavily that evening and when alcohol had clouded his mind, he stumbled upstairs to ‘solve the problem’, he claimed. I tried to stop him, but even a drunk Eodred was much stronger than me and he knocked me down, making me lose consciousness.
When I came to, I hurried to Leana’s chamber. She was sitting on her bed, sobbing, cradling a little bundle in her arms. I feared the child was dead, but then I heard it cry. Leana turned to me and told me he had burned himself. Eodred had stormed inside a couple of hours earlier, threatening to throw the baby in the hearth’s fire.
But as selfish and drunk as he was, Eodred was no killer. When he stood in front of the flames, he shrunk back, hesitating. The baby slipped from his grasp and fell in front of the fire, instead of into it. The child landed with his shoulder on the ironwork that shielded the hearth. A scorpion that had been worked into the ironwork’s decoration seared into his flesh, marking him for life. If your friend truly bore this ‘birthmark’, then he is Leana’s son … and Eodred’s. Where is he now?”
“Well, he’s inside the castle, actually”, Sjo replies.
“Huh? He already knows he is the king’s son, then?”
“No, at least I don’t think so. But I fear it’s worse. One of Ileosa’s most fearsome devil servants has … taken possession of him. A rare and little-known creature, called a belier devil.”
Venster shivers in horror. “By the gods, no. A bdellavritra? Then I fear his soul is already lost. As you might suspect, I am well versed in all things infernal, my mother had tons of books on the subject and reading was pretty much all I could do. If he has been claimed by such a foe, then he is damned for all eternity. Oh, Leana, will your misery never end?”
Sjo swallows audibly, then he composes himself again. “So, what happened to Leana? Did Eodred let her go?”
“Hell, no. I realized that Leana had been lucky at Eodred’s temporary cowardice. But if he didn’t have the balls to kill the baby, he would surely send another to finish the job. I decided to help the girl escape before it was too late. I took her down to the game room and from there to the battlements, from where I lowered her to the streets. She fled into the city and that was the last I ever saw of her. Turns out my actions didn’t help her, then. She didn’t make it, butchered by this Key-Lock killer, you say. Only her child lived to finally suffer an even worse fate. Damn you, brother, perhaps I served justice after all by killing you.”
Venster looks distraught. He motions for the companions to give him some peace. “I’m sorry, but I need some time to process this. Feel free to look me up again in the future. I will offer you what help I can. The attic is abandoned, so you can come and go here as you please. Just make sure to avoid the upper gatehouse gallery, for that is where that red dragon that guards the roof has made its lair. Leana’s room is across the main attic, you can visit it, if you want. Your friend’s cradle is still in there.”
Venster sits down on his bed. “If you want to gain access to my mother’s tower, you will have to get in through the door on the battlements. Several guards have been stationed there, along with this red dragon and a large winged devil who patrol the sky above. You’ll have to tread carefully if you want to avoid being seen. The window from the ravens’ aviary looks out over these battlements. From there you might find an opportunity to sneak in. I wish you the best of luck. My prayers go with you. Please rid this earth of Ileosa’s evil. You will grant more souls than just mine eternal rest, including your own, I suspect.”
“We thank you for your honesty and the insight you provided us into things that were unknown to us”, Elvira says. “Still, I would hate to leave you like this. Do me one favor, play a game of cards with me, so you can take your mind off things. After all the evil that has plagued you in the past, you should know that you are now contributing to setting some of the wrongs right. I would feel better if I knew you were okay before we left you.”
“You are right, I guess.” Venster sits down at the table and at a wave of his hand a Harrow deck with Vudran patterns and figures flies over. He deals the cards and launches into a game with the enchantress. Although she sets out to let him win, Elvira does not have to throw the game to do it. Venster is so skilled that he easily claims victory. Elvira is content to see a glimmer of happiness in the ghost’s eyes before she leaves him.
The party crosses the main attic, which is used as a large storage room for discarded items, and checks out the room where Quint was born. His cradle is indeed still there, as is the iron framework with the scorpion motif, confirming Venster’s story. Next they move over to the aviary. Since Venster was the one wo looked after the birds, no one has been here to feed them in months. All the ravens that were inside the cages have died, but some birds were not locked up when Venster disappeared, so they have been coming and going, flying into the city to find food and returning here to sleep. Six ravens flutter around the attic and the aviary. Vencarlo can even take one on his hand and pet it. These regal birds have obviously been domesticated.
Using vanish to appear from sight, Elvira walks up to the window and peers outside. Four Gray Maidens man the battlements on this side. Their attention is set towards the city, so with luck the companions might be able to sneak behind their backs. With luck, or with skill, Balian wonders, looking at Sjo in his heavy armor. With both, Elvira laughs, and with a touch of magic.
Puk climbs to the edge of the roof with his slippers of spider climbing, covered by Elvira’s invisibility spell. The dragon is resting atop the roof on the other side of the building, so he won’t be able to see the heroes on the other side of the wall one floor down. He cannot spot the horned devil, though. Elvira explains that her knock could possibly open the door, but she would have to cast it in a loud voice. She explains that even magically locked door can be picked, the magic just makes it harder. Balian, who is the most skilled at tampering with locks, decides to give it a go. He is also made invisible and flies down to the door quietly. In the meantime, Elvira covers the rest of the party in an invisibility sphere and Puk prepares to jump everyone over with his magic cloak once the door opens. Balian is both skilled and lucky and opens the lock in mere seconds. As he slowly pushes the door in, Puk makes the jump, taking everyone to the space in front of the door. Unfortunately, one of the guards around the corner notices something and turns to walk over. The heroes hurry inside and Balian manages to close the door just as the Gray maiden rounds the corner. Puk hears her footsteps walk up to the door and then past it. She asks the guard on the other side if she heard something. The answer is: “It must have been those damn birds up there.”
Elvira scans the empty room. Her detect magic shows her the shimmering outline of something in the shape of a doorway on the far wall. Now, let’s find out if Venster’s coasters are all we need to get up, she muses as she hands out the wooden disks with the Arabasti crest.
BALIAN, CG Male Human ranger 12 (urban ranger)
Init +5; Senses Perception +18
AC 29, touch 17, flat-footed 26
hp 139 (10 HD)
Fort +14, Ref +14, Will +12
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee holy adamantine greatsword +1 (two handed) +20/+15/+10wo handed) 2d6+10/19-20)
Melee holy adamantine greatsword +1 (two handed, power attack) +20/+11/+6 2d6+22/19-20)
Melee dagger+2 +20/+15/+10 (1d4+8/19-20)
Ranged masterwork longbow (composite/strength rating+4) +16/+11/+6 (1d8+4/x3)
Base Atk +12/+7/+2; CMB +18; CMD 35
Ranger Spells (CL 9th):
1st (3/day) (DC 14) - lead blades (2), longstrider
2nd (3/day) (DC 15) - barkskin (2)
3rd (2/day) (DC 16) - instant enemy (2)
Abilities Str 23, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 17, Cha 7
Special Qualities Favored Community Korvosa +4, Track +6, Trapfinding +6
Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Favored Defense (human +3 AC and CMD), Following Step, Furious Focus, Iron Will, Power Attack (-4 atk, +8 dmg/+12 dmg on 2-handed), Step Up, Step Up and Strike, Weapon Focus (greatsword)
Skills Acrobatics +14, Climb +9, Diplomacy -2, Disable Device +17 (+22 traps), Heal +7, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (Geography) +2, Knowledge (Local) +12, Perception +17, Perform (Act) +3, Ride +7, Sense Motive +3, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +17, Survival +7, Survival (Follow or identify tracks) +12, Swim +9
Possessions holy adamantine greatsword +1; ring of protection +3; mithral breastplate +4; amulet of natural armor +2; belt of physical might (str/con) +2; cloak of resistance +3; wand of cure light wounds; dusty rose prism ioun stone dagger +2; masterwork longbow (Composite/Strength Rating+4); winged boots, headband of inspired wisdom +4
Favored Community Korvosa (Ex) You gain a +4 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (local), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks. An urban ranger traveling through his favored community leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (although he may leave a trail if he so desires).
Favored Community Kaer Maga (Ex) You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (local), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks. An urban ranger traveling through his favored community leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (although he may leave a trail if he so desires).
Favored Enemy (Human +6, Undead +2, Evil outsider +2) (Ex) You gain a +6/+2/+2 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks when using these skills against humans/undead/evil outsiders. Likewise, you get a +6/+2/+2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against such creatures.
Favored defense (human+3) You add half your favored enemy bonus to your CMD and as a dodge bonus to AC when attacked by favored enemy (human).
Push Through (Ex) An urban ranger is never slowed by difficult terrain in his favored communities. In addition, he can move through the space occupied by local citizens as if they were allies. This does not apply to creatures intent on harming the ranger. Areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect him.
Quarry (Ex) You can, as a standard action, denote one target within your line of sight as your quarry. Whenever you are following the tracks of your quarry, you can take 10 on Survival skill checks while moving at normal speed, without penalty. In addition, you receive a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls made against your quarry and all critical threats are automatically confirmed. You can have no more than one quarry at a time and the creature's type must correspond to one of your favored enemy types. You can end this effect at any time as a free action, but you cannot select a new quarry for 24 hours. If your quarry is killed, you can select a new quarry after waiting 1 hour.
Track (Ex) Add half your level (+5) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks.
Trapfinding (Ex) At 3rd level, an urban ranger can find and disable traps, as the rogue class feature of the same name: +5 to perception to find traps.
Trained actor You trained as a child to be an actor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (act) and Perform (act) is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in Perform (act).
Child of the Streets You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Reactionary You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.
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PUK, CG Male Halfling rogue 12 (swashbuckler)
Init +7; Senses Perception +14
AC 29, touch 21, flat-footed 29, uncanny dodge, improved uncanny dodge
hp 110 (10 HD)
Fort +11, Ref +18 (evasion), Will +7, +4 morale bonus vs. fear, +2 racial bonus vs. fear
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
Melee main hand silver short sword +2 (small) +18/+13 (1d4+2/19-20) and off-hand short sword +1 of shock (small) +17/+120 (1d4+1+1d6/19-20)
Base Atk +8/+3; CMB +8; CMD 29
Atk Options Sneak Attack +6d6
Abilities Str 10, Dex 24, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 14
Feats Acrobatic Steps, Dodge, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Lucky Halfling, Martial Weapon Proficiency (Halfling Sling Staff), Nimble Moves, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (short sword)
Skills Acrobatics +24, Acrobatics (Jump) +20, Appraise +10, Bluff +15, Climb +11, Diplomacy +8, Disable Device +16, Disguise +11, Escape Artist +18, Intimidate +6 (+2 vs. medium-sized), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +6, Knowledge (Local) +6, Linguistics +4, Perception +14, Perform (Percussion Instruments) +8, Ride +7, Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +15, Stealth +21, Use Magic Device +6
Possessions small short sword +3; small silver short sword +2; expeditious mithral chain shirt +2 (small); shortbow (Small); halfling sling staff (halfling); small masterwork sap, amulet of natural armor +2, ring of protection +2, ring of featherfall; cloak of the Pixie King (+2 on saves, Dimension Door 1/day), belt of physical perfection +2, slippers of spider climbing, dusty rose prism ioun stone
Sneak Attack (Ex) If you can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from your attack, you can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Your attack deals 6d6 points of extra damage.
Bleeding Attack (Ex) A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue's sneak attack. Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Resiliency (Ex) Once per day, a rogue with this ability can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the rogue's level. Activating this ability is an immediate action that can only be performed when she is brought to below 0 hit points. This ability can be used to prevent her from dying. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute. If the rogue's hit points drop below 0 due to the loss of these temporary hit points, she falls unconscious and is dying as normal.
Opportunist (Ex) The rogue can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity for that round and can't be used more than once per round.
Unwitting Ally (Ex) A rogue with this talent can spend a swift action to attempt to make an opponent act like an ally for purposes of providing a flank until the beginning of the rogue's next turn. The opponent must be able to hear and see the rogue, and the rogue must succeed at a Bluff check opposed by the opponent's Sense Motive. If the check succeeds, the opponent acts as an ally for the purpose of providing a flank. Whether or not the check succeeds, the rogue cannot use this trick again on the same opponent for the next 24 hours. If the rogue fails the check by 5 or more, she cannot use the unwitting ally ability on any opponent within line of sight of the failed attempt for 24 hours.
Fast-Talker You had a knack at getting yourself into trouble as a child, and as a result developed a silver tongue at an early age. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is always a class skill for you.
Personal Addiction You were the addict. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins, and you have a +1 bonus on Fortitude saving throws.
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ELVIRA 'EL' CAMPERT, NG Female Human (Taldan) enchanter 12
Init +5; Senses Darkvision (60 ft.), Perception +22
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 14
hp 92 (10HD)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +14
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee masterwork dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Ranged masterwork crossbow (light) +8/+3 (1d8/19-20)
Ranged masterwork dagger (thrown) +8/+3 (1d4-1/19-20)
Base Atk +6/+1; CMB +5; CMD 18
Wizard Spells known (CL 12th):
0th (4/day) (DC 17) – Detect Magic, Resistance, Acid Splash, Spark, Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Light, Ghost Sound, Message, Haunted Fey Aspect, Daze, Mending, Flare, Dancing Lights, Arcane Mark, Open/Close, Prestidigitation
1st (6+1/day) (DC 18) – Charm Person, Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self, Enlarge Person, Hypnotism, Mage Armor, Memorize Page, Memory Lapse, Mirror Polish, Shield, Touch of Gracelessness, Vanish, Ventriloquism
2nd (6+1/day) (DC 19) – Air Step, Alter Self, Blur, Darkvision, Daze Monster, Glitterdust, Hideous Laughter, Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Knock, Mirror Image, See Invisibility, Summon Monster II, Touch of Idiocy, Whispering Wind
3rd (6+1/day) (DC 20) – Blink, Deep Slumber, Dispel Magic, Displacement, Enter Image, Fly, Haste, Heroism, Hold Person, Invisibility Sphere, Suggestion, Water Breathing
4th (4+1/day) (DC 21) – Charm Monster, Confusion, Crushing Despair, Dimension Door, Geas (Lesser), Invisibility (Greater), Moonstruck, Phantasmal Killer, Rainbow Pattern, Stoneskin
5th (4+1/day) (DC 22) – Dominate Person, Feeblemind, Hold Monster, Mind Fog, Permanency, Seeming, Telekinesis, Teleport, Wall of Stone
6th (3+1) (DC 23) – Forceful Hand, Greater Heroism, Mass Suggestion
Abilities Str 9, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 25, Wis 12, Cha 14
Permanent spells Darkvision, Detect Magic, Read Magic, See Invisibility
Feats Bouncing Spell, Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Persistent Spell, Spell Focus (Enchantment), Spell Penetration, Toughness, Scribe Scroll
Skills Acrobatics +1, Appraise +11, Bluff +18, Climb -1, Craft (Glass) +13, Diplomacy +22, Escape Artist +1, Fly +1, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Arcana) +22, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +14, Knowledge (Engineering) +14, Knowledge (Geography) +19, Knowledge (History) +19, Knowledge (Nature) +16, Knowledge (Nobility) +15, Knowledge (Planes) +22, Knowledge (Religion) +15, Linguistics +22, Perception +22, Perform (Act) +7, Ride +1, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +22, Stealth +1, Survival +1, Swim -1
Languages Abyssal, Ancient Osiriani, Azlanti, Celestial, Chelaxian, Common, Daemon, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Infernal, Kelish, Osiriani, Shoanti, Tektrianin, Thassilonian, Varisian, Vudrani
Possessions amulet of natural armor +2; bag of holding (type I); eyes of the eagle; headband of vast intelligence +2 (bluff skill bonus); ring of protection +2; belt of physical might (str, con) +2; cloak of resistance +3; pearl of power (1st level); pearl of power (2nd level); 2 spellbooks; masterwork dagger; masterwork crossbow (Light)
Arcane Bond (Su) You have selected to establish a powerful arcane bond with an object, a mirror that is part of your amulet of natural armor +2. When attempting to cast a spell without your bonded object worn or in hand, you must make a concentration check or lose the spell (DC 20 + the spell's level).
Aura of Despair (Su) As a standard action, you can emit a 30-foot aura of despair for 12 rounds per day. Enemies within this aura take a -2 penalty on ability checks, attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Dazing Touch (Sp) You can cause a living creature to become dazed for 1 round as a melee touch attack. Creatures with more than 12 hit dice are unaffected. You may use this ability 10 times per day.
Enchantment School You have chosen to specialize in enchantment spells.
Divination and Necromancy Opposition School You have chosen divination and necromancy spells as an opposition school. Preparing an divination or necromancy spell takes up two spell slots of the same level. You take a -4 penalty on any skill checks made when crafting a magic item that has an divination or necromancy spell as a prerequisite.
Enchanting Smile (Su) You gain a +4 enhancement bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Perform (act) skill checks.
Sonnorae’s boon of spontaneous casting (Su) You can dedicate three spells per day to cast as spontaneous spells. You don’t have to study them, but you can substitute a studied spell of the same or higher level for these spells.
Student of perception You have studied the art of perception in depth. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception checks and Perception is always a class skill for you.
Natural born actress You have a natural knack for acting. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (Act) skill checks and the skill is always considered a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in this skill.
Natural charm You possess a natural charm that makes it easy to talk to others. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy and it is always a class skill for you.
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SHAOBAN (SJO), LN Male Human oracle 12
Init +1; Senses Darkvision (60 ft.), Blindsense (30 ft.), Perception +2, Clouded Vision
AC 30, touch 13, flat-footed 29
hp 111 (10 HD)
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +14
Speed 30 ft. (4 squares)
Melee cold iron mace +2 (heavy) +16/+11 (1d8+6+1d6+6)
Base Atk +9/+4; CMB +13 CMD 26
Known Oracle Spells (CL 12th):
6th (4/day) (DC 24) – cure moderate wounds (mass), fire seeds, heal
5th (6/day) (DC 23) – breath of life, cure light wounds (mass), flame strike, raise dead, spell resistance, summon monster V
4th (8/day) (DC 22) - blessing of fervor, cure critical wounds, dimensional anchor, dismissal, restoration, wall of fire
3rd (8/day) (DC 21) - cure serious wounds, dispel magic, fireball, invisibility purge, prayer, remove blindness/deafness, remove disease
2nd (8/day) (DC 20) - align weapon, cure moderate wounds, hold person, remove paralysis, resist energy, restoration (lesser), shield other, silence
1st (8/day) (DC 19) - burning hands, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, divine favor, hide from undead, magic weapon, protection from chaos, remove fear, shield of faith
0th (at will) (DC 18) - create water, detect magic, detect poison, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, spark, stabilize, virtue
Abilities Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 26
Feats Armor Proficiency, Heavy, Combat Casting, Dazzling Display; Lightning Reflexes, Toughness, Weapon Focus (Heavy Mace), Acrobatic steps, Elemental Spell (electricity), Nimble Moves
Skills Acrobatics -4, Bluff +16, Climb -2, Diplomacy +23, Heal +11, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (History) +3, Knowledge (Local) +0, Knowledge (Religion) +14, Linguistics +0, Perception +2, Perform (Act) +12, Perform (sing) +14, Ride -4, Sense Motive +13, Sleight of Hand +1, Spellcraft +4, Swim -2
Possessions cold iron mace +2 (heavy); ring of protection +2; full plate +2; amulet of natural armor +2, Sonnorae’s cloak (+4 cha, +4 to saves), buckler +3; belt of physical might (dex/con) +2, Shoanti bracers of strength (+4), wand of cure light wounds, wand of remove disease
Clouded Vision Your eyes are obscured, making it difficult for you to see.
Flame Mysteries You draw upon the divine mystery of Flame to grant your spells and powers.
Touch of Flame (Su) As a standard action, you can perform a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of fire damage + 1 per two oracle levels (1d6+6). Alternatively you can use this power to ignite your weapon as a free action, adding the same amount of fire damage to each of your weapon attacks during that round. You can use this ability a number of times or rounds per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier (10).
At 11th level, any weapon that you wield is treated as a flaming weapon, adding 1d6 points of fire damage + 1 per two oracle levels.
Molten Skin (Ex) You gain resist fire 20.
Wings of Fire (Su) As a swift action, you can manifest a pair of fiery wings that grant you a fly speed of 60 feet with average maneuverability. You can use these wings for 1 minute per day per oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1 minute increments.
Cinder Dance (Ex) Your base speed increases by 10 feet. At 5th level, you receive Nimble Moves as a bonus feat. At 10th level, you receive Acrobatic Steps as a bonus feat.
Trained actor You trained as a child to be an actor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (act) and Perform (act) is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in Perform (act).
Child of the Streets You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Ease of Faith Your mentor, the person who invested your faith in you from an early age, took steps to ensure that you understood that what powers your divine magic is no different than that which powers the magic of other religions. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is always a class skill for you.
The portal works just as Venster said. One by one the heroes touch their disk with the Arabasti emblem to the wall and instantly find themselves in Domina’s study. Large bookcases line the walls, a small lectern holds a single leather volume. Elvira walks up to the tome, while her companions spread out over the room to check out the bookshelves. Before they even have time to do any investigating, a new individual appears in the middle of the room, outfitted like a dandy. It is Quint! Sjo, Puk and Balian stare at their former friend with horror as they notice the glow of ultimate evil burning in his eyes.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my rebellious comrades. Infiltrating unnoticed, all the way to Ileosa’s sanctuary, are you? Nifty. Those are tactics that I didn’t expect from the likes of you, no doubt the influence of the new girl. Because without me the three of you don’t even share enough of a brain to tie your own shoelaces. Miss Campert, it looks like I underestimated you. A good thing I am here to rectify the situation.”
Quint leaves no mistake about his intentions, he means to wipe out the party. As he finishes his speech, a barbed devil pops up, wielding a rapier with obvious grace. The creature notices Vencarlo and immediately charges at the old fencing master: “Let us determine once and for all who is the finest dueler,” it screeches, “the old Blackjack or the new.” The heroes think back on when they returned from the Cinderlands to Korvosa recently. One of the first encounters they had was with an imposter, posing as the city’s caped crusader, seemingly aiding a few citizens against a group of thugs, who were actually in cahoots with him. This devil must have been that pretender. His skill with the blade is clear, and he immediately presses Vencarlo into the corner. Elvira throws a blanket of haste over her friends, but instead of moving with extra fluidity, the companions suddenly freeze in place when Quint barks words of blasphemy over them. A second barbed devil appears, who grabs the paralyzed Sjo in a big hug and pushes his vicious barbs through the healer’s plate armor. Meanwhile the false Blackjack hacks away at an unmoving Vencarlo, but in his boastful enthusiasm he misses one of his strikes, which skids off the veteran’s leather.
Quint continues his assault with an acid fog that fills most of the room in a sour green mist. Fortunately, the biting fumes stop just in front of the bookcases, so none of the books and scrolls get eaten, except for the volume on the lectern. Still, the leather cover proves thick enough to protect the contents from the corrosive mists.
Vencarlo and his impersonator engage in a graceful dance of death, but the green fog slows their movements and obscures their elegant swirl from view. Puk is the only one who joins in the fight and witnesses their display of style with his own eyes. He takes advantage of his flanking position to stab away at the devil as well. Sjo is still caught in a deadly embrace with the barbed devil’s and vainly attempts to dismiss the creature. More and more blood pours from his barb-pierced skin. Quint meets with the same bad luck, when he tries to summon waves of exhaustion defensively. Pulling away from Balian’s greatsword, he overextends his hand and his spell is spoilt. Elvira, who recognized Quint’s fizzled magic, praises her good fortune, she would not have survived it: her strength would have been completely drained and her heart would have stopped beating as a result.
Balian now engages Quint, who mocks the ranger’s poor aim. Still, the greatsword draws blood from the bard. Puk and Vencarlo are slowly getting the better of their opponent, but Sjo is still struggling in the other barbed devil’s choking hold. Coughing up blood and unable to make the proper gestures to use his own magic, he manages to force his hand down to his pocket and grab Zellara’s Harrow deck. He prays the fortune-teller to heal him, so he can prolong his life until his friends can come to his aid. Quint is also in the market for a longer life and when Balian’s blade cuts through his flesh again, he blinks out of the room. Elvira bumps into the devils’ spell resistance when she tries to hold them, but as she sees that her companions are gaining control of the battlefield, she grabs the book on the lectern and withdraws to the corner of the room, just out of reach of the mist. The tome contains the complete instructions on how to create bloodclones, including the manual on building the akaruzug construct who was instrumental in the blood extraction.
Puk and Vencarlo finally cut down the rapier wielding devil and the fencing master also finishes off the other barbed devil. Sjo casts a mass cure moderate wounds to keep everyone out of death’s reach before dispelling the acid mist, succeeding on his second attempt. The other heroes start looking through the books in a hurry. They suspect it won’t take long before Quint sends in more devils. Vencarlo discovers some loose pages tucked away in other books, but they are not Ileosa’s contract. Still, they contain divine spells, so he hands the scrolls to Sjo. Elvira strikes gold when she examines another section of the bookshelves. She digs up Ileosa infernal contract from under a heavy tome. She pulls the contract devil’s copy out as well and holds the two parchments out to Balian, so he can destroy them with his holy sword. With a leaping swipe he hacks into the documents, but their infernal nature wards off most of the blow. Balian knocks them out of Elvira’s hands instead, managing just the slightest nick on the top of the pages. Sjo continues healing, as Elvira places the contracts on the lectern. She suspects that Balian will have less trouble cutting through them on a hard surface. However, the ranger is distracted when a new adversary suddenly appears in the room: a giant winged devil with a great set of horns on his brow lashes out with a spiked chain which burns into Balian’s flesh. The ranger tears free of the impaling shackles and stumbles to the pedestal. His greatsword chops down on the contracts, cleaving the lectern in two, but still the parchments survive, having only been sliced down to the middle. Two erinyes devils pop in next, one tries to catch Puk in her entangling rope, but the lithe little rogue glides out of the cord. Her sister attacks Balian with her longsword, narrowly missing him. The horned devil has less trouble hitting the ranger and draws more blood, laughing maniacally. Elvira replaces the contracts to one of the remaining halves of the pedestal and for the third time Balian hacks into them. This time his blade cuts all the way through. The infernal documents burst out in blue flames and burn away into nothingness, leaving not a single speck of ashes. The cornugon slows down; Elvira finds it hard to read his expression underneath his antlers: is he horrified or relieved? The next moment the horned devil and his two fury allies burns away in blue flames as well. Ileosa’s deal with hell has been broken! Her devil servants are gone!
The heroes realize they have achieved an important victory. With no devils at her beck and call, Ileosa will think twice about sending in more troops into Domina’s tower. That will at least buy the party some time to examine the library before they leave. Tucked away in various volumes, the heroes recover a number of divine scroll, containing several restoration, greater restoration, heal spells and even one true resurrection scroll. Locked in the corner closet Balian discovers an illustrated copy of Love and Death, a popular novel, which contains two loose documents. The first is a report to the king from the Field Marshal of the Korvosan Guard, dating back to 4,690 AR, eighteen years ago. It mentions a soldier, Bornan Ragus, the man who the heroes know as the Key-Lock Killer. His captain described him as an eccentric and a loner who mutilated himself and was fixated by blood. Early in 4,690 he had been very rough, even violent, while arresting a couple of people and if it hadn’t been for his colleagues, he might actually have killed one. The report ends with the advice to relieve this sadistic soldier of his duties. The second document is a purchase invoice from the Gilded Orrery. It concerns a magic bell, similar to a chime of opening which was bought on the third of Pharast 4,690, only three days before the Key-Lock Killer committed his first murder on Quint’s mother, Leana Castel. These two pieces of paper seem to confirm the eerie suspicion that the party already had: Eodred was involved in creating Korvosa’s infamous serial killer.
Having used quite a few teleports and dimension doors already, on top of some buffing and fighting spells, Elvira has burned through much of her magic and suggests retreating to Arkona’s mansion to rest up. This will of course give the queen the time to organize her defenses, so her friends question her decision, but in the end they agree to head back to Old Korvosa to discuss the matter. It takes all of Elvira’s will to break through the protections woven into Domina’s study and port the party out to the streets. From there Vencarlo leads them back to Endrin Island and the Arkona estate. The party informs Lord Glorio and the rebels of their success, a message which is met with cheers and happiness. Glorio Arkona also realizes that Ileosa has been cornered and offers his help for the next stage. The queen will muster all of her defenses and there is no telling what she will do when pushed to the edge. Lord Arkona is ready to fight at the heroes’ side, or, if necessary, strike at a different location to create a distraction and draw off some of Ileosa’s troops. After all, the queen may have lost her devils, but she still controls of host of enemies: three dragons, an army of Gray Maidens, a gang of Red Mantis assassins and some powerful allies like her seneschal Togomor or the leader of her troops, Commander Sabina Merrin. She hasn’t been beaten yet!
After deliberating the party decides to risk another strike at one of Ileosa’s powerful allies. Only Elvira, whose spell arsenal is almost drained, stays behind, but the rest of her allies is still good to go. In the enchantress’s stead Glorio Arkona joins the young friends, since he can also perform a dimension door and teleport. Vencarlo Orisini comes along as well, to guide the party through the streets of the city. They want to check out the Longacre building, to find out whether the blue dragon is still there.
While making their way through Old Korvosa’s back alleys, Puk suddenly sees a pseudodragon swooping in. The little critter flitters in the air in front of the halfling, clinging a message in its front paws. Sjo realizes what this creature is: the modifiedbird feather token that the heroes gave to Ileosa months ago. With it, she could summon a pseudodragon that would deliver a message unerringly to the heroes. Puk takes the small scroll from the tiny dragon, which promptly disappears in a puff of smoke. The message reads: “So, here you are, suckers!” At the same moment, Sjo’s blind sense picks up several invisible creatures flying in. Seven Red Mantis assassins attack from all angles, their vicious sawtooth sabers drawing blood from everyone. Vencarlo goes down almost immediately, Arkona turns invisible and flies off. Balian also suffers grievous wounds and drops to the cobblestones in a pool of his own blood. Puk realizes that this fight is hopeless, looks off into the air in desperation, hoping that Glorio Arkona will save them with his magic. Thinking on his feet, the halfling grabs Balian’s greatsword, which has fallen from the ranger’s grasp when he passed out. Sjo delivers some emergency healing to the dying ranger, but there is no time to save Vencarlo as well. Next, the unseen lord of House Arkona dives down to the heroes and extracts them from the claws of death with a dimension door.
Puk, Balian, Sjo and Lord Arkona pop up in an abandoned building in Old Korvosa. Vencarlo did not make it. “I’m sorry,” Arkona says with a streak of grief in his face, “but my magic is only powerful enough to take three others. I couldn’t bring master Orisini along.”
“That means our hide-out in your manor will soon be compromised”, Sjo groans. “If our enemies revive Vencarlo, they will make him talk, through torture or through magic, and have him tell where we are staying. We should evacuate.”
“We should, indeed,” Arkona agrees, “but we still have enough time to launch a strike before we run. I say we go on with our plan first.”
Puk nods. “Let’s hurry, to the Longacre building, I say. Time for some revenge, let’s hunt down that blue dragon.”
The halfling scouts ahead and manages to guide his friends past the Gray Maiden patrols. However, when he gets to the courthouse, he finds no blue dragon on its roof anymore, there is just a guard detail of the queen’s troops. “Figures,” Balian sighs, “with the most important prisoners broken out of the cells, there is no need to keep the dragon around here any longer. I fear her majesty has called it back to the castle.” Puk can quickly confirm this theory. Climbing one of the taller buildings, he can make out Castle Korvosa in the distance. There are two large shapes gliding through the air above it: the red dragon has gained some much needed back-up! The party feels ill equipped to tackle on two dragons at once and wonder if there is another target they can take out to weaken their enemies.
“I say we get even with those bastards who just ambushed us. Let’s give those Red Mantis a taste of their own medicine and ambush them in turn. If our information is correct, they should be on the third floor of the castle, in the bar area. Do you know the place, wizard?” Balian glances at Lord Arkona.
“I do. The third level of the castle was sometimes used for parties. But I’ll need more magic to get us out again, I only have one teleport studied today.”
“Elvira has a scroll. Let’s go and get it. We can also tell the rebels to get ready to evacuate.” Sjo turns around and starts heading back.
In Arkona Manor the heroes get ready for their surprise attack. Balian and Puk receive true seeing, Elvira cloaks her friends in invisibility and wishes them luck for their mission. Sjo blesses everyone with fervor and Glorio Arkona gives himself some mirror images, before casting greater invisibility on Puk. Now the halfling will be able to sneak attack to his heart’s content. Arkona reads the scroll of teleport and zaps himself, Puk, Balian and Sjo to the third floor in the castle.
The grand salon has a high ceiling which is draped like a hanging forest of red silk draperies. Near the walls these draperies reach he floor in foamy cascades of deep crimson. A big hole with a balustrade in the center of the floor looks down on the stage in the hall below. In a comfortable seating area are two Red Mantis slayers, their helmets removed. With their pointed ears they don’t look human, but elven of half-elven. Puk and Balian pick up two more assassins sleeping in the hanging draperies, which are being used as hammocks. This time the party has the element of surprise.
Puk and Balian sneak over to the sleeping Mantis in the closest hammock and strike. She is badly hurt, but not yet defeated. Sjo follows up with a fireball and lord Arkona shoots a ray of disintegrate at another killer-for-hire, but this one resists most of its damage. Puk and Balian refocus their attention to a second Red Mantis, ignoring the one they left bleeding. Seeing no fast and easy way out, the wounded woman cuts Sjo up in retaliation, just as the first of her allies bites the dust. She doesn’t survive for long, however, when the healer brings his heavy mace down on her. Puk and Balian continue their slaughter, while a door behind them opens. From the bar area a dwarven woman steps into the room. Her armor resembles the assassins’ garb and she also holds a sawtooth saber, but the magic she wields identify her as a priest of Achaekek, the Mantis god. She casts blasphemy, temporarily weakening the heroes and dazing Puk. Her self-confidence is quickly shaken, though, when she sees her last two allies slain. Balian charges her and hits her hard as she tries to step out of his reach. She still manages to shout the words of the devastating destruction spell, but the ranger resists the worst of the magic. “Now it’s my turn”, he smiles. “Join your foul god.” His greatsword cleaves and ends her life.
From below Sjo already hears alarmed voices and the clanging of armor. “Time to go,” he grunts, “but we shouldn’t be impolite. I’ll leave a gift.” He pulls out a handful of holly berries from his pocket and dropping them down into the stage room on the level below. As the fireseed berries explode, Arkona uses his teleport spell to return the party to his house. “Two can play that game, filthy assassins!”
The companions discuss tactics with their allies and try to decide on what to do the next day. They conclude that going for the big kill is probably best and put queen Ileosa’s throne room on their target list. They also convince a number of powerful rebels and servants of Arkona to come along. There will be three teams in all, led by three magic-users who can cast teleport or dimension door: Elvira, Glorio Arkona and Selena, Glorio’s spy master. Lord Arkona will bring Hazif and Indra, two of his Vudran bodyguards, and his pet tiger Tao. Selena will take Keppira d’Bear, Illrem Bromathan and Aldrick, a Pharasman paladin. Elvira is in charge of her companions and Cressida Kroft. Balian will also summon Esphydriel, the angelic reincarnation of his late dog Spyder.
Before they go to bed, Sjo receives word from Thousand Bones, whose old voice crackles through his head: “Ah, you’re back. Our army left this morning; We’ll be in Korvosa in ten to fourteen days. How are you?”
Sjo replies: “We’ve received the sun shaman’s blessing and are on our way to fight the ultimate evil tomorrow.”
So, the Shoanti are coming down to Korvosa, in force. Their arrival can no longer be halted. The heroes had better not fail if they want to avoid war.
6 Rova 4708
The three teams prepare themselves and head towards the castle through the streets of the city. When they get close, they notice a barricade, closing off the road. Arkona tells the heroes to wait. A moment later arrows fly at the Gray Maidens manning the blockade. Several cloaked figures jump out of nowhere and engage the guards, before running off, drawing the patrol after them. Puk figures these sneaky assailants are members of the Cerulean Society, the thieves’ guild.
With the barricade deserted, the elite force continues its trek to the castle. Finding an angle that shows the great stained-glass windows of the throne room, the casters start their buff spells, including a mirror image and displacement for Elvira, greater heroism and stoneskin for Balian and Puk, topped with haste, blessing of fervor and a greater invisibility for the halfling. At exactly the same time the three teams port into the castle.
Seated comfortably on the crimson throne is the lovely Ileosa Arvanxi Arabasti. The dark red color of her robes matches the silks decorating the throne and the walls. The queen has prepared as well: more than two dozen Gray Maidens stand guard over her and her two trusted advisors, Dark Quint and Togomor. As soon as her enemies arrive, she smiles: “My friends, it has been too long since last we met. I’m overjoyed to …”
“Shut it, you manipulative snake,” Sjo growls, “we are not planning on letting your sweet tongue lure us into obeying your orders! Your time has come!”
Togomor, the overweight wizard, belies his girth and acts first. With a wave of his hand and a string of arcane words he drains the heroes of the moisture in their flesh. Elvira responds with a persistent confusion on the Gray Maidens in front of the throne, but Ileosa jumps from her chair and counters the magic. Puk, Kroft and Balian have no talent for spellcasting, so they engage the maidens between themselves and her majesty, while Sjo digs into his arsenal of fire spells and blocks off the left side of the room with a wall of fire. Quint responds with blasphemy, freezing both Cressida Kroft and Esphydriel in place. He also launches into his famous satire, trying to undermine his former friends’ confidence with words of mockery. The queen’s elite troops fight back hard as well and both paralyzed allies, the Field Marshal and the hound archon, suffer grievous wounds. Togomor notices their weakness and finishes them off with a chain lightning. Kroft drops to the floor, while Esphydriel simply blinks out of existence, returning to the heavens until his master summons him again. Elvira tries to dominate a maiden, but fails to gain mental control of the female. In the meantime Ileosa unleashes a spell at Balian. The ranger has to dig deep into his willpower to resist. He makes it, fortunately, because Elvira identifies the spell as an unwilling shield, which would have given half of Ileosa’s wounds to him. The queen also speaks words of encouragement to her troops. Realizing that the true threat comes from behind the wall of maidens, Puk slips through the women to confront Togomor, while Balian flies over them and assaults the queen herself.
At the far end of the room Lord Arkona and archbishop d’Bear lead the charge of the two other teams, holding back the enemy from that side. One of the Maidens takes a step back and pulls down the curtain to the royal reception room. Behind it is Ileosa’s blue dragon, which breathes a line of lightning over the teams. Glorio orders his pet tiger to jump forward and attack. With Arkona’s offensive magic and d’Bear’s healing, they are an even match for their adversaries, at least for now.
Puk rains down hell in the form of multiple vicious cuts on the wizard. His swords tear through the portly magician’s flesh easily, making the man bleed and spill his guts. Sjo shakes his head in disbelief when he sees the mage survive this barrage of blades and throws a fireball into the mix, targeting everyone around the throne, including Balian and Puk, trusting his friends’ luck and resilience. The halfling ducks under the flames and Balian manages to avoid most of them as well, but the half-Shoanti wreaks havoc among Ileosa and her protectors. This time Togomor does not make it. Burned and scorched, he drops to the floor. Dark Quint realizes that the invisible halfling is an incredible nuisance and returns him to sight with glitterdust. He does not succeed in blinding the rogue, though. Ileosa already finishes her current performance with a deadly finale on Puk and Balian. Puk fools her into thinking that Dark Quint is a sudden threat to her, giving him the opportunity to hit her several times in vulnerable spots. Before she has time to draw back, Balian is upon her and whacks his greatsword into her flesh … once … twice … three times … With a fourth swing he cleaves through her torso, tearing her open from the waist to her shoulders. Then something happens the adventurers did not expect. Instead of falling dead to the floor, the queen simply explodes in a splash of blood. What is this? This woman on the throne was not Ileosa at all, but a copy of her, a blood clone?!
The teams slowly gain control of the battlefield. Sjo catches more Maidens in another fireball and casts a second wall of fire behind his first, locking the victims there between two burning barriers. Dark Quint knows it is better to be safe than sorry, so he uses magic to get ‘the hell’ out. Glorio Arkona loses one of his bodyguards to the defenders and wonders if they should get out as well. He worries for his tiger; the animal has hurled itself at the blue dragon and is now locked in a deadly embrace with the monster. Their claws and teeth tear into each other. “We should push on!” Sjo calls back. “We’re winning!” Elvira glances about the room. Her back is to Sjo’s fiery wall and one of the maidens still threatens her, but a successful dominate person turns this enemy into an ally. Then the enchantress notices Togomor’s corpse. His blackened face still trembles slightly. One eye turns to her. “Elvira”, he whispers. “Elvira … my room … my notes …” The wizard gives his dying breath to the woman of his dreams, urging her to check his room for clues. Then he dies.
Just as Glorio considers Sjo’s suggestion to press on, another enemy appears. A large shadow obscures the large stain-glass windows for a moment, heralding the arrival of the red dragon, which burst through in a shower of shards. The creature breathes fire over everyone in front of it, friend and foe. Several of the Gray Maidens go down, but the heroes do not feel comfortable continuing the fight and pull out. Elvira gathers her friends – Balian also collects Kroft’s body – and teleports them to a safe place. She also takes the dominated maiden along. Sjo digs deep into his healing resources to nurse everyone back to health. But there is no salvation for Kroft. Perhaps Keppira d’Bear will be able to return the dead field marshal to life tomorrow.
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The party wants to follow up on Togomor’s dying words and ports to the wizard’s quarters in the castle. The seneschal’s room is filled to the brim with numerous volumes on a wide variety of topics. His bookshelves also have hundreds upon hundreds of scrolls with private notes. Some have been scribbled with strange runes and symbols in a mysterious language, obviously copied from somewhere. To these writings he has added tons of personal annotations: theories, hypotheses and analyses. Three books hold the wizard’s spells, while one book contains extensive notes on how to create an akaruzug, including which spells you need to build one (enervation, magic jar and unhallow or limited wish when this divine spell is not available). There is also a copy of the wizard’s infernal contract and a small book with a simple brown leather cover, containing Togomor’s private experiences and thoughts. Elvira puts as many notes as possible into her bag of holding and blinks everyone away again to a safe place. There she takes her time to study the documents in more detail.
The mysterious runes on the many scrolls prove too hard to read, but the personal notes in the diary might reveal more. The following passage draws Elvira’s attention:
“The year was 4,686, the year when queen Domina died and her son Eodred II claimed the throne of Korvosa. His bride-to-be – our current queen, Ileosa Arvanxi – hadn’t even been born yet until the next year. I gathered some companions to form what most would call a ‘band of adventurers’, and set out into the world.
My fellow venturers were Erroll Heidmarch, a ranger hailing from Andoran, and his wife Leesa-Marie, a Taldan archeologist, who came to Varisia to study the ancient monuments from the days of Thassilon. The couple’s son is actually more famous these days than they ever were, Sir Canayven Heidmarch, who founded the Pathfinder Lodge in Magnimar with his wife Sheila. I met the parents in Korvosa when the son was still a youth, after completing my training in the Acadamae. They had come to my city to study the mastaba, the Pillar Wall and the Gatefoot. Our fourth companion was Kiernan Halfman, a jolly halfling priest of Cayden Cailean, who we met in Kaer Maga some time later.
Leesa-Marie assumed that there had to be more ruins of the forgotten civilization between the Thassilonian landmarks in Magnimar, Korvosa and Kaer Maga in the unexplored swamplands between these three cities. The Mushfens, as the marshes along the south coast of Varisia are known, were famous for the many dangers they held, but Leesa-Marie believed they held more.
Our travels led us to one such lost location. According to our sources, we had to find the Greenrust Reef, a rocky outcropping off the coast in Conqueror’s Bay, due west of the southern reaches of the Fenwall mountains. The reef is located at a few hundred yards from the coastline and is a common reference point for passing ships. Its verdure hue does not originate from moss-covered stones, but a giant copper-hulled vessel that stranded on a sandbank thousands of years ago, Leesa-Marie informed us.
From the reef we traveled north, into the swamps. The Mushfens are a trackless wilderness filled with many unpleasant creatures. They encompass the region south of the Yondabakari River, from the south-westernmost tip of Varisia, the Lady’s Cape, all the way to the aptly named Fenwall Mountains in the east. The fens did not exist as a swamp until the earth-shattering cataclysm that destroyed the Thassilonian empire 10,000 years ago, the Earthfall disaster. Before this time the area was a land-locked part of the realm of Eurythnia. The earthquakes and tidal waves caused by the impacts of the Starstone caused the majority of that kingdom to sink below the waters of the Varisian Gulf. Over the course of millennia, the drastic lowering of the waters on the countryside, combined with its proximity to the sea, turned the land into the swamp it is today.
The shifting nature of the swamplands makes it impossible to have any permanent pathways there, yet we still managed to find a ‘path’. Our track took us along a sort of pilgrimage trail of the local inhabitants, the toadlike boggards. The route was marked by round white stones leading past massive stone statues in the shape of squatting, humanoid frogs. We came across the first of these statues to the northeast of the Greenrust Reef, some 500 yards from the coastline. We continued our march along the Trail of the Frog, reaching the fifth and final statue deep in the swamp. We scouted the region and discovered a large boggard settlement to the east. Despite her mastery of ten languages and her knack for negotiations, Leesa-Marie was not equipped to face the chief’s delusions of grandeur. The fat frog overlord on his slimy throne would not listen to reason and it took us a ridiculous amount of resources to escape with our lives. We did learn one thing of note, though, from this encounter: the mire north of the last frog god statue was off-limits to the boggards. The Heidmarchs deduced that something powerful had to be there, frightening the toadmen, but peaking the Heidmarchs’ attention.
Exploring the marshes took several weeks and if it weren’t for the divine powers of our friend Kiernan, we probably would have succumbed to some swamp diseases or other threats. But finally, we reached our goal: an imposing pyramid, capsizing into the Mushfens at an angle of about 20 degrees. Three metallic horns topped the structure, seeming to claw at the sky like the talons of a gargantuan monster drowned in an abyss of mud. The south side of the pyramid, barely dented by the elements after millennia of neglect, bore a giant relief of a beautiful, standing, naked lady: Runelord Sorshen! Even though we had spent weeks to find this ‘Sunken Queen’, I calculated that it lay straight north of the last frog god statue, at a distance of about four miles. It must have been another fifteen miles to reach the Fenwall Mountains from here.
The wonders of this place were as great as its dangers. The entrance, completely drowned below the waterline, was guarded by a beirawash, a humongous devilfish that had a lot in common with a kraken. When the creature finally lay dead at my feet, it had taken the lives of my three companions. Canyaven Hiedmarch never learnt how or where his parents died. Even at a young age he already displayed a lot of curiosity, which would later lead to the founding of the Pathfinder Lodge in Magnimar. I’m glad I never told him about the Sunken Queen, for if I had learned about it, he and his followers would surely have taken over the place. No, I chose to keep the mysteries that were hidden there for myself.
I explored the pyramid on my own. The submerged entrance hall held four alcoves, sealed with glass. Behind each window, a hulking figure, over 20 feet tall, floated, its skin blue and its attire decorated with shells. These were ocean giants, the mythic servants Sorshen had presumably fished out of the sea to help build her colossal monuments. My magic taught me that they were in a state of stasis, and I wisely opted to keep it that way. At the end of the hall I found a magical shaft that I finally got to operate by feeding it my blood. And so I reached the second and third level of the pyramid. All the walls were covered in mysterious runes and symbols which made no sense to me.
I carefully copied these writings and spent the rest of my life studying them, but the secrets proved almost impossible to fathom. It wasn’t until I met Ileosa that I had a breakthrough and grasped certain principles. The power of the Sunken Queen was based on blood magic. Sorshen was the Runelord of Lust, one of the seven cardinal sins on which Thassilon’s rune magic was built. This Lust magic still lives on in today’s school of enchantment, but Sorshen added the might of blood magic to it to lift it to a higher level. I suspect that Kaer Maga’s bloatmages still wield a much-lessened form of this hemotheurgy, but they can by no means achieve the same miracles Sorshen could.
Sorshen’s blood magic must have been powerful indeed. Through Ileosa’s most fearsome devil servant, Sermignatto, I recently gained access to the Truths of the Sihedron, an immense volume in Infernal, reeking of brimstone, which was penned by the belier devil himself. It chronicles the various cruelties and torments inflicted upon the people of Thassilon by their rulers, the seven Runelords. The author dedicated one chapter to each of them, but the one portraying Sorshen was by far the largest, so I cannot escape the feeling that Sermignatto had a personal connection to the Runelord of Lust. Unlike the other Runelords, Sorshen had managed to prolong her reign to the full thousand years of the Thassilonian empire. While her colleagues died and were succeeded by new mages (who often killed their predecessor before assuming both their names and thrones), the same Sorshen ruled for a full millennium.
The secret to his long life lies hidden in the Sunken Queen, I believe. Sermignatto mentions the Everdawn Pool, an artifact that provided Sorshen with eternal youth by siphoning the life blood of thousands to her core. The empty basin on the top floor of the pyramid likely served this purpose. It is no surprise that Ileosa has developed a keen interest in this knowledge, ever since I shared my findings with her. Although she aided me greatly in creating my own bloodclone magic, I suspect she has unveiled more of Sorshen’s mysteries than I ever have. Without her insight I would never have been able to construct the akaruzug which allowed me to produce the perfect Gray Maidens. Still, I can’t help but wonder where the queen gets this level of understanding from. The crown of Fangs has to play a role in it, I do not doubt that, but that Sermignatto devil is somehow involved as well, I feel it in my bones. Sometimes I even question who serves whom: is Sermignatto subordinate to Ileosa or is it the other way around?
Sorshen’s power lives on in Korvosa in other ways as well. Her influence still slumbers and finds purchase in an Acadamae enchantment student once every generation, who is then exceptionally blessed with magic and easily surpasses her colleagues’ abilities. In this generation, I attribute this inspiration to Elvira Campert. My fascination for this beauty far exceeds her physical form. That is why I used her blood in one of my first bloodclone experiments, but my attempts at creating a stable clone failed. From my failure I gathered that I required more blood, and that the clone could only live if the donor died. I couldn’t even bear the thought of testing this theory on Elvira, even when I realized that I could have made this copy into my personal love slave.
---
More recent notes mention that Ileosa has been absent from the palace more often and for longer stretches during the last few weeks. Togomor has a bad feeling about it and fears that his influence has been slipping in favor of Sermignatto. He even suspects that this devil somehow got involved with Togomor’s bloodclone production without informing the mage and almost seems to be happy that the rebels stopped this practice. Since a week or so, Ileosa has returned to her throne and hasn’t left it since, but now she prefers the company of her latest toy, the bard Quint, to that of her seneschal. She is distant to Togomor and the Acadamae professor already wonders if his role as master of the castle has come to an end.
Togomor’s notes also include a map, showing the way through the swamp. Elvira figures she could use it to calculate the exact position of the pyramid, using the notes and geographical maps of the area. So, Ileosa seeks life ever-lasting, following Sorshen’s example. The Sunken Queen pyramid should be the heroes’ next target. They have one day left on their sun runes, tomorrow the runes’ power will diminish even more, but it will still be there, before fading away forever at sunset. One more day to find Ileosa! One more day to kill the queen!
Level up: level 13
After having studied Togomor’s notes, Elvira has traced Ileosa’s current location to the Sunken Queen, an ancient Thassilonian pyramid in the Mushfens. Based on Togomor’s precise descriptions she knows exactly where to find this pyramid. She will be able to magically jump to it directly using her new greater teleport spell. Since she has room for a fifth person, she decides to take along the dominated Gray Maiden, whom she dubs ‘Sarah’.
Before the heroes turn to their beds, Zellara offers to read their fortunes: “I feel your toughest challenge ever is right in front of you. Allow me to read your cards one last time, so I can guide your destinies once more.
First the fortune-teller allows everyone to draw one crown card, as this reading is tied to the suit that represents charisma, the most powerful weapon of their nemesis.
Elvira draws The Tyrant. Zellara explains: “The blue dragon determines the fate of all its subordinates, without mercy or compassion. It causes evil and harm out of self-interest, trying to gain control of the world. You have discovered its evil. You know what is expected from you now. Do not hesitate, do not fail, or the tyrant will truly arise.”
Puk’s hand falls on The Unicorn. “You will need the purity of the unicorn to defeat the evil of the crown. Will you be strong enough to safeguard your innocence and identity when facing the greatest temptations? This card encourages you to remain true to yourselves and to not be tempted.”
Sjo picks The Empty Throne. “If you succeed in defeating Ileosa, the throne will be empty. Who will sit on it? Who will you support to take control of Korvosa? Because your success will leave the city leaderless. Consider your options wisely.”
Balian gets The Courtesan. “The courtesan manipulates, weaves a web of intrigue and tries to guide fate to her needs. Even without the Crown of Fangs, Ileosa wore the courtesan’s mask and played her game of influence. You have seen through her disguise, now go forth and pull off her mask for the world to see.”
Next Zellara starts the second stage of the reading, spreading nine cards over the table to gain more insight into everyone’s past, present and future. She starts with Balian. “The Tangled Briar reflects on the personal misery you experienced in your past, especially your five-year slavery on a galley and your sister’s death. Still, you managed to overcome those hardships and untangle the briar.
In the present we see the Tyrant reappear, as it looms over your head, closer than it has ever been. The blue dragon’s evil continues to threaten Korvosa, but the misaligned position of the card indicates that you and your friends stand a chance of stopping it. The way in which you will contribute to this challenge, is shown in the bear card. Like the bear you rely on your strength, strength that Ileosa thought she could tame, but you proved her wrong.
With the Liar we dive into your future. The serpent that threatens you at the moment, will need to be defeated, but you should be watchful, because new liars might arise to take her place. The misaligned position of the card suggests that you will have a good chance of overcoming these new challenges as well.”
Next up is Elvira: “The Twins literally represent the former division of your body, when Togomor’s foul blood experiments split off an unknown ‘twin’, your clone. Still, you uncovered this duality, made your peace with it and defeated its malignant source, freeing you of the devil on your back.
In the following hours you will have to be like The Owl and use your wisdom to face and conquer the challenges ahead. The needle and thread in its beak are your power to repair the torn fabric of this city’s fate.
The Hidden Truth turns up in your reading’s future. It tells us that even more secrets will cross your path, requiring your insight to reveal them.”
Then it is Puk’s turn: “The misaligned Cyclone points out that you overcame many hard choices and challenges in your past, leading to a renewed life and destiny. The Cricket is a being that is fast, both in body and mind. In the tests you’re about to face, your quickness and initiative will play a decisive part. Be ready! The poison of The snakebite appears in the darkest corner of your reading. It warns you that even the purest minds can be misled. Be careful in the weeks to come, for those who present themselves as a friend, might actually be a snake in the grass.”
Finally Zellara lays out the Harrow cards for Sjo. “The Hidden Truth shows up in your reading as well, but not in your future, as in Elvira’s, but in the past. It tells us that your own history was once a mystery to you. But you have clearly accepted and claimed your legacy. Now it is time to harvest the fruits of your labor.
The Betrayal weighs heavily on your present. The worst form of selfishness and envy corrupts the queen’s mind. Her blackened heart could lead to total destruction of all the good you know, so it is up to you and your companions to prevent this.
The Coutesan indicates that political intrigue will continue to overshadow the future, even if you succeed in defeating the queen. The mask embodies the social etiquette that various players in the political conflict will use. But when the mask falls, negotiations could turn sour and have unforeseen consequences.”
7 Rova 4708
The party and their newest ‘member’, the dominated blood clone Sarah, get ready for the final stretch of their adventure. Keppira d’Bear prepares a heroes’ feast and provides a number of buffs. The Elvira casts her greater teleport. The next moment the companions find themselves in the marshes. An enormous pyramid stands in front of them, half sunk and tilted in the muck. Ominous metal horns on the structure’s peak claw into the sky. The front of the pyramid bears a colossal relief of a stunning, naked woman: Sorshen. Her body covers the complete height, ending just below the top. Her knees have sunk into the murky waters below.
Sjo gives everyone resist acid energy, while Elvira provides water breathing. Balian and Sarah dive into the water and discover a submerged open door under Sorshen’s feet. The party swims in and finds the entry level as Togomor described it. There is one big difference, though, the four huge ocean giants, who had been in stasis for millennia, have been freed from slumber and are ready to stop anyone from entering. One of them wields two axes, the second one holds a trident that is as tall as a house. Behind these two soldiers stands a more regal looking man with a white beard whose sword shines with an aura of cold. At his side is a woman, her robes sway in the waters as she prepares to cast a spell.
Balian struggles forward and immediately experiences the sheer force of the bearded giant’s attack. Sjo conjures a wall of electricity right through the enemies, but it fails to harm the ocean beings in the slightest. Elvira hastes the party, but when the female giant throws a cone of cold over everyone and the two giant soldiers unleash on Balian, cutting him down in seconds, she realizes that different tactics are required and evacuation is in order. Before she manages to dimension door the party out, Puk gets cut up pretty badly as well and Sjo learns that he can set off fireballs under water if he concentrates hard enough.
The companions reappear on the flank of the pyramid, where they heal up and prepare for a new confrontation. Balian uses a Harrow card to summon Esphydriel, Spyder’s angelic form, for a second time, to aid them in their quest. With renewed buffs, the party enters once more. Puk leads with a powerful alpha strike, heavily wounding one of the soldiers. But it is Elvira’s magic that takes control of the battle: she confuses the three males, leaving only the woman as a threat. Sjo throws around even more ’steamballs', as Balian cuts down the wounded soldier and everyone else focuses on the female caster. She conjures another cone of cold and follows up with a heavy sonic blast. The heroes assault her from all sides, but it takes many wounds to bring her down. Sjo keeps moral up with mass cures, while the two confused ocean giants who are still alive, start hacking away at each other. The heroes easily finish off the one who remains. Sjo heals everyone, while Elvira figures out how to operate the magic shaft up with her blood.
Arriving on the second level, the companions find themselves out of the water again. A large room looms in front of them, dominated by a huge black dragon with a Gray Maiden rider on its back: this is Sabina Merrin, Ileosa’s personal bodyguard and most trusted servant. “This is where your journey ends!” she shouts, directing her dragon to breathe acid over the party. Fortunately, Sjo’s acid resisting magic prevents most damage. “Now arise and finish them off!” Merrin continues, as she waves at the corpses of four Gray Maidens who lie to the left and right on cold stone beds. Elvira notices that they wear finer armor than most Gray Maidens, even the blood clones. Their armor also looks a bit more well-worn, making Elvira suspect that these were four of the original bodyguards Ileosa received five years ago. Each of these armored women rest on a blood-covered stone slab: they have been bled dry. Yet still they move at Merrin’s command and rise, brandishing their swords. Merrin herself throws her shield into the air, where it floats defensively in front of her, freeing her two hands to hold her bastard sword.
Elvira does not like the odds: a dragon, Merrin and four undead maidens might be too much to face, so she uses her magic again to turn the odds in her favor: with a persistent dominate she takes hold of Merrin’s will. She directs the queen’s champion to drive her sword in the dragon’s back. The creature roars in anger and confusion when its rider attacks. While Balian tries to hold back the undead, the rest of the party and Elvira’s two ‘puppets’, finish off the dragon. With Merrin at their side, the heroes quickly overpower the opposition and one by one the undead go down.
While Sjo patches up everyone, Elvira wonders if she should take Sarah and Sabina Merrin up to face queen Ileosa. The party will need all the help they can get, but will the young enchantress be able to remain in control of her puppets or will Ileosa’s will overpower her and regain the allegiance of her maidens?
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Elvira deems it unwise to take Sabina Merrin up to face Ileosa. With such powerful magic at her disposal, there is no telling what the queen is capable of. If she breaks Elvira’s dominating hold over Merrin or counters it with a similar spell, the heroes will have to face another powerful foe. Sarah, the dominated blood clone, poses less of a threat, so the potential of her helping the party is enough of an asset to take her along.
Elvira and Sjo cast some last second buffs: haste, blessing of fervor, greater heroism, greater invisibility and blink. Then they activate the blood lift to teleport them to the upper floor of the Sunken Queen. The point is arrival is not what they expected, however.
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Sjo steps into the open air. The vast landscape stretches to the horizon, revealing nothing but dry stone and sand. The camp, however, bursts with life: dozens upon dozens of healthy Shoanti walk about between the yurts that form their nomadic homes. Sjo’s dress matches the people around him: well-fitted yellow, orange and brown leathers and fabrics which allow for unhindered movement. The camp buzzes as a group of horseback riders approaches, squawking and howling loudly. The Burn Riders end their wild run in front of Sjo, greeting him with respect as their Sun Shaman. They dismount and surround him, smiling broadly and patting him on the back.
From a nearby yurt, a woman stands up. She cradles a baby in her arms, resting him atop of her swollen belly which betrays another child is on its way. As she looks up, her auburn hair blows out of her face, revealing the beautiful features of Larella Semyr, Sjo’s wife. She is dressed as a Shoanti as well. She steps up to her husband and wraps her free arm around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. The burn riders pick up their howl and complete the circle with a big group hug. Sjo bursts out in flame, but his fire does not burn the people embracing him, it comforts them. As the warmth flows out of him, they welcome it into their hearts.
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Balian opens the door of his shop, letting in the street air. He doesn’t know what he loves most, the fresh smell of the street that promises new and happy customers, or the perfume of worked wood that fills the workshop. He turns inside again and smiles at his sister, who is carving a new statue: the stately posture of a man wearing a fine crown. Quint is his name, the king’s son and heir. The prince visited the woodwork shop last week with his mother, queen Leana, and was very interested in Alika’s carvings. He stayed for hours, talking on end and proving pleasant company. When he left, he had whispered something in Balian’s ear: “In another life, we could have been the best of friends, I’m sure.”
The prince’s visit did not go unnoticed and attracted many new buyers. In only one week Balian sold more than in the last six months. Only yesterday seneschal Kalepopolis, who was a well-known patron of the arts, came in to purchase the biggest piece his sister had ever made, Saint Alika rising from a whirling mass of Chelish and Varisians colonists, locked in a fierce dance with Shoanti warriors. Actually, the statue still has to be delivered to the castle. Trying to pack the huge sculpture in a box is what his father is trying to do at the moment in the back. “Let me give you a hand there, dad”, Balian offers, seeing that his aging father cannot even move the heavy piece.
“Thanks, son.” Dad’s eyes generate a warmth that only family can emit. “Just push there.” Balian strains his muscles and pushes. He feels the statue move ever so slightly. But it takes all of his strength; it almost feels as if he transmits his vigor into the exquisite artwork as he forces it into the box.
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Puk leans back in his sofa and puffs his pipe. He cannot believe how much he loves the good people of Heavengard, the lovely apple-growing halfling village along the shores of the Jeggare River. Since he freed the community of its corrupt major, Ossy Applebottom, who was trying to drain the swamps to sell as fertile land in Korvosa, he has been lauded as a local hero. Sir Puk, they started calling him, and they offered him the major’s seat and home, which he happily accepted.
Since then the daughters of the various households have been coming to his door at night, bringing him freshly baked apple pie and other comforts. “Knock, knock.” There they are again. He hops out of his seat and walks over to the door, straightening his shirt over his growing tummy. Gone are the days when he was skinny; life has been good to him. “Ladies, welcome!” Puk radiates pure joy when he throws the door wide. “Come in, please.”
Three young halfling girls stand on his porch, giggling. Their shyness exhumes an aura of attraction that city folks just don’t understand. The middle girl is holding a steaming pie that smells absolutely divine. As the girls enter, their shyness makes room for more initiative. They push their host back in his seat and nestle up to him, breaking off small pieces of pie and handfeeding them to the object of their affection. As Puk swallows down one piece after the other, a feeling of comfort and laziness takes a hold of him. He might be losing his fitness by indulging in these pleasures, but he enjoys them so much that right now, he does not care.
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Elvira’s fingers glide over the tomes on the shelf. She loves the smell of books, she revels in the feeling of almost swimming in books, that only a library can offer. Every wall is filled with bookcases, from top to bottom. Every inch on every shelf has been used. Books and scrolls are simply everywhere. This is the greatest treasure you can ever find, riches of the mind.
Elvira pulls out one hefty tome with an exquisite gold-encrusted cover: “Sorshen’s Secrets Laid Bare” by Elvira Campert. She carefully puts the book down on the writing desk, opens it somewhere towards the end, where the text passes into blank pages. The last letters she wrote are elegant, a pleasure to read. ”Just wait until I finish you”, Elvira whispers to the book. “Then enchantment will hold no more secrets for me.” She dips her pen in ink and sets to writing. Even though her letters remain as gracious as ever, the speed with which she writes increases steadily, until she is writing frantically. The ink on her pen has long since dried, but the feather is now drawing blood from her veins to use as ink. It is as if the ghost of Sorshen herself has settled on Elvira’s shoulders and pushes her forward to write, ever faster.
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Sjo fights the urge to burn out his energy. As he opens his eyes, he finds himself in a stone room, back in the Sunken Queen. The flames that were seeping from his skin in his vision, are - in reality - drops of blood that drain from his veins. These droplets float through the air, to a pool of swirling blood at the other end of the room. Hidden in the mass of blood he can vaguely make out the curvaceous shape of a woman.
At Sjo’s side, his friends and allies fight off the vision as well, halting their own bleeding process. Only clone Sarah reacts differently to standing in front of the Everdawn pool: she simply explodes in a splash of blood, which is subsequently absorbed by the sanguine blob over the pool. As the other heroes recover from their eerily wonderful dreams, they notice Dark Quint stepping out from behind the pool. The bard calls down his annoying blasphemy over the heroes again, but since they have last met, the companions have grown stronger, so the devastating paralyzing effect of the spell does not affect them anymore. Still the magic leaves them weakened and Sjo is temporarily disoriented as well. To top his spell, Quint starts a discouraging satirical performance, mocking his old allies into clumsiness.
Next, the blob of blood opens up and reveals the beautiful face of queen Ileosa: “You wretched stubborn fools, don’t you ever quit? I will give you one more chance. Submit to my authority right now! Serve me and do my bidding, no matter what I ask of you. Only then will I spare your pitiful lives … But if you do not bend the knee, I will destroy every one of you and every single creature you have ever cared about.” Before the window in the blood closes again, Ileosa casts mirror image, summoning ten illusory copies of herself, and launches an inspiring bardic song.
Elvira is the first to shake the haze of the vision. She grabs Puk and Balian by the shoulder and teleports to Quint’s side, catching the evil bard between her two deadliest allies. Behind her, the mass of blood melds into an opening once more, like crimson curtains which are briefly drawn and then closed again. Ileosa can’t hide the disappointment in her glare when she sees that only Sjo and Esphydriel are left standing in front of her. A booming greater shout rises from her throat and beats down on the healer and the heavenly hound. The waves in the air slam into them and leave their ears ringing. At the same time Puk lashes out at Dark Quint, hurting him badly. Pinched between two killers, the bard does not linger and simply zaps out of the room. Balian turns to the churning blood, which suddenly bursts out of the pool and overflows the room. Esphydriel is dragged down by the flood and hits the floor. At the same time the bloody mass in the basin starts to morph into a dragonlike shape. The crimson beast uses its wings to continue shielding Ileosa from harm, while it unleashes its terrible breath weapon on the rogue, the ranger and the wizardess, chilling them to the bone with his cone of negative energy.
Elvira buckles on her knees. She watches the fainting glimmer of the sun runes on her arms and decides to burn their final energy in the fires of purification, healing all her wounds and restoring her drained strength. She also conjures up her latest and mightiest spell, prismatic spray. Seven shimmering multicolored beams spring from her hand like a rainbow, in a display of power. The yellow beam strikes the dragon, but the electricity glides off its form without hurting it, while the violet ray penetrates the blob and hits Ileosa. She is not even dazed by it. Elvira falls back cursing, what is she to do if her greatest spells don’t even dazzle her enemies? The queen sends a brief look of disdain at the enchantress, but then turns to Balian: “Stop annoying me, puppet. Just … dance for me.” Balian, whose flying boots lift him just above the red sludge on the ground, starts shifting his feet in the air and twirling his body. “That’s right, puppet, obey me, you shall!” At the same time she directs the dragon to sink his bloody teeth into Balian’s flesh.
Esphydriel jumps to his master’s defense and challenges the dragon, hacking his blade into its skin. His weapon leaves a gash in the creature’s side. Puk follows the hound archon’s example, he tumbles to the dragon’s other flank and stabs it with his short sword.
Sjo is the next one to say goodbye to his sun tattoos and also uses their healing powers to regain his health and strength. Feeling renewed, he tests the dragon’s resilience versus his fireballs, but he cannot bypass its magic resistance. Elvira invokes the advantage of flight and joins Balian in the air, seeking a safe corner to hide in. Meanwhile Balian, who has only just recovered from the frantic dance, learns that he is Ileosa’s favorite target. She tries to get him to share her damage with unwilling shield, but he resists her attempt, at least for now. Below him his former pet keeps attacking the dragon, while at the same time laying hands on himself the heal the worst of his wounds. The heavy-hitters now all focus on the blood dragon, temporarily ignoring Dark Quint, who teleports back into the room in the company of three bearded devils. The heroes need to get to Ileosa quickly, if they want to win this battle, so the dragon is in the way and must be slain as soon as possible. Both Balian and Puk get lucky, hitting the sanguine creature again and again, until it explodes in a sea of blood. Is the battle finally turning? It might be, but it isn’t over yet! From the blood on the ground another bloody servant arises, this one vaguely shaped like a woman. Her claws reach for Balian, but the ranger pulls away just in time.
“Go back to whatever Hell you came from!” Sjo shouts at Dark Quint, trying to banish the devil possessing his former friend from this plane of existence. His spell bounces off the laughing bard like water after which Sjo also takes to the air with his burning wings to gain some height and safety. Elvira manages to catch one of the newcomers, a bearded devil, in her confusion, but notices that Ileosa falls back on similar mind-affecting magic and obscures Puk’s mind with her song of discord. Then the queen rises off the ground as well.
Puk now has his mind clouded, occasionally making him attack whoever is nearest to him. Of course, if this nearest being is an enemy, the spell has no ill effect for the party. The halfling lashes out at a bearded devil. His swords seem to move at the speed of light and cut the fiend to shreds in mere seconds. As it dies, it pops back to its home plane, leaving no trace of its passage. Balian and Esphydriel are trying to hold back the blood servant and the ranger has to activate the fires of purification as well to heal up.
Sjo swoops around Ileosa, whose ten mirror images still shimmer around her. “Too many innocent people have died at your command, evil queen!” he shouts. “It’s time to pay for your crimes! Away with your protections!” With a wave of his hand Sjo dispels the images, leaving only Ileosa’s true form. “You cannot flee our justice any longer! Get her, my friends!”
Inspired by her burning airborne ally’s example, Elvira attempts to hold Dark Quint in place, but his devilish possessor proves too hard to control. “Let me show you how it is done”, Ileosa mocks, turning her attention from Elvira to Balian: “Puppet, obey me and kill that fool with his fiery wings!” The ranger’s eyes suddenly lose their lucidity as dominate person takes hold of him. “As you command, my queen.” He rises higher to where Sjo is flying. The healer shouts at him to stop: “Easy there, buddy, it’s me. Just stay …” WHACK! Balian chops his greatsword into his friend’s chest. Blood spills from Sjo’s lips. This is bad.
While Puk and Esphydriel take care of the two remaining bearded devils, Quint casts greater invisibility on himself. His footprints in the blood still betray his position, but his other intentions are now hidden from view. More powerful magic is invoked elsewhere in the room: Elvira takes control of Balian’s actions with her own dominate person, making the ranger’s glassy gaze shift to Ileosa. Sjo calls forth a pillar of flame strike on the queen and her bard ally, but only a trickle of the divine energy seems to hurt them. Ileosa is infuriated at losing command over Balian because of Elvira’s meddling. The queen hates being outshone, definitely by other women (especially ones as good-looking as Elvira): “This is how you freeze someone in place, little witch, now don’t you freaking move!” she commands. Elvira feels her muscles tense up, not able to resist Ileosa’s hold monster. Only her mind continues to work: “I’m not the monster here, you harlot, you are”, shoots through her head. “I have to fight this. Damn, Togomor, you fat toad, if you thought me Sorshen reborn, I should have the power to fight this.” Fortunately, the enchantress can still use her mind to steer Balian’s actions and exact her revenge. Trying to hit the queen, he finds it hard to strike true, managing to do so only once, but with great effect. He deals the queen a large gash in her side.
Footsteps in the bloody muck show that Quint moves to Puk’s side. The two invisible opponents now engage in a dance of deadly steel while Esphydriel is still fighting the blood servant across the pool. Sjo flies to the hound’s shoulder and reads out one of his scrolls of heal, restoring the archon to full health. Quint’s final act is his token maneuver from the days of old, he tries to fill Puk’s mind with a blaring cacophony of discordant sounds. “I know your tricks, bard”, the halfling breathes, “they won’t work on me.” Studying where Quint’s feet are planted in the blood, the rogue estimates where his invisible opponent is and strikes, feeling his swords sink into flesh. With a splash Quint drops in the blood. Puk sees how an unseen body slips away below the sanguine surface. “Forgive me, old friend, may the gods have mercy on your soul.”
Balian and Ileosa are still engaged in aerial combat. She ends her bardic performance in a deadly finale, making several companions bleed profusely, including Balian. The ranger still has a hard time getting through her defenses, seeing that she has even more crazy powers. The few wounds he inflicts on her are already starting to close; like trolls, she possesses the gift of regeneration, but hers works at an incredible rate. Her magic arsenal seems infinite as well; again she attempts unwilling shield on Balian and this time the spell takes hold. From now on he will share half of the damage done to her …
Puk is without an opponent again and the magic that still controls him, urges him to seek his nearest target. Fortunately, his companions have been smart enough to choose their positions on the battlefield strategically, so he now turns his attention on the blood servant who is fighting Esphydriel. Between the two of them, they have little trouble defeating the monstrosity. Sjo plays to his strengths and quells everyone’s bleeding with a mass cure light wounds.
Balian is finally getting the hang of it and hits Ileosa three times. Every time his greatsword tears into her flesh, it also opens up bad wounds in his own body. He’ll need healing if he wants to stay alive to defeat her. Behind him, he hears Elvira finally break free of her hold monster. She immediately counterattacks with her own hold person on Ileosa, but the queen proves impossible to affect. Singing to herself in encouragement, Ileosa draws her weapon, a sleek rapier, and slashes at Balian, who needs Sjo’s penultimate heal scroll to survive. Elvira realizes her magic is not powerful enough to influence her enemy, so she changes strategy and flies over to Puk. How hard can it be to lift this little guy up into the air so he can reach Ileosa as well? She grabs him under his shoulders, but staggers as she lifts off. Too hard, if you lack the strength, it seems. Sjo burns through his cure spells to keep Balian alive, as Ileosa is starting to look rough as well. In a sudden flash she disappears and pops up in the middle of the pool again. As she reappears, every last drop of blood spilled in the room is sucked up into her form, healing her of all wounds.
Puk leaps at her and stabs, but his invisibility has worn off and he only manages the tiniest of wounds, so small that it doesn’t even transmit half to Balian. “That’s how we have to do it,” the halfling jokes, “death by a thousand cuts, so Balian doesn’t have to share her wounds.” As the other short-term buffs drop as well, Elvira recalls her haste spell and recasts it. Balian presses the attack on Ileosa, hurting himself just as much as her. Sjo cannot keep up with his cure critical wounds and starts getting worried. Dispelling magic done by such a skilled caster is next to impossible, healing is his only viable option. “You won’t be able to keep up, Shoanti scum!” Ileosa spits at him. “Once your dumbass fighter is down, you are done with, all of you! He is not the only one who can wield a blade, nor are you the only one who can cast haste”, the queen cries out, fixing her eyes on Elvira. Words of magic spew from her lips and Ileosa’s movements quicken as well.
Balian hits again, twice. His own chest tears open under his breastplate. “Let’s see how much you can take”, Ileosa smiles wickedly, slashing him with her rapier as well. Sjo reaches for his final scroll of heal, timing the spell just before Balian takes too much damage. The healer’s hope that this will be enough is quickly crushed, though. As Puk and Balian both slash at Ileosa, the ranger’s health drops again, fast. Ileosa simply finishes the job with her own rapier. Her actions have one unforeseen effect, however. Now her opponents don’t have to be careful about attacking her anymore, since none of them will share her wounds. Esphydriel steps in to provide Puk with flank. Unfortunately, both of them miss their mark. Sjo uses his last breath of life, pulling Balian back from the clutches of death. The ranger is on the ground, his greatsword under him. He cannot get up, because Ileosa would only cut him down again. His hands close around the pommel of his sword. If he cannot get up, he will just have to strike her from down here! He thrusts his blade up, stabbing blindly at the figure in front of him. He feels his greatsword tear through muscle and bone. This is the chance Puk has been waiting for. Using his rogue’s talent for an opportunist’s attack, he lunges forward. Ileosa, whose attention is firmly fixed on Balian, feels the halfling’s sword glide into her back. She gasps and drops.
A wave of relief descends on the party. It is as if the weight of the world has just been lifted off their shoulders. They have done it! The evil queen is dead!
As Ileosa body hits the floor, the crown of fangs falls from her head. It does not roll over the ground, though, it just slams to the stones like a brick. Immediately the heroes hear a voice in their heads. “Elvira, I’m yours, take me …” “Sjo, claim your prize …” “Balian, you were born to lead …” “Puk, no one will see you coming, but with me you will rule them all …”
Elvira pushes Balian. “Hey, that holy sword of yours. Can you use it to lift the crown into my bag of holding?” The ranger hooks the tip of his greatsword behind one of the fangs on top of the crown. When the metal touches the dragon tooth, it hisses and gives off smoke. “There, now close your bag, quickly!” the ranger shouts, letting out a sigh of relief when Elvira draws the artefact into another dimension. “Let’s make sure this b!tch doesn’t come back to haunt us”, Balian continues. He grabs Ileosa’s head by the hair and chops it off in one clean stroke. “That takes care of that!”
The heroes step back from the now empty basin. This entire room radiates powerful magic, as do many of Ileosa’s and Quint’s items. Elvira gathers every piece of equipment that is magical, finding some magnificent things in the loot, even stuff that will serve a wizard well.
Sjo sits down for a moment, whispering to himself: “Coja Eyes-Aflame, great Sun Shaman of the Sklar-Quah. I can only imagine the horrors you have faced in Scarwall when fighting the terrible fiend Kazavon. We only had to deal with his teeth and look how we had to struggle. I thank you for lending us your strength. Without it we would not have succeeded.
Then the healer stands up and looks at his companions: “We have done it, my friends, we fought, we struggled, we lost”, he says, glancing at Quint’s body, “we shared grief, but we also learned to lean on each other, trust each other, and we persevered. And now, the queen lies dead, the crown is contained. We have succeeded, we have won! Long live Korvosa!”
“Long live Korvosa!”
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This marks the end of our Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign, at least for now. It was a fantastic experience, a truly superb adventure path, so my thanks go to the authors: Nicolas Logue, F. Wesley Schneider, Richard Pett, Michael Kortes, Greg A. Vaughan and Tito Leati. Of course, we cannot forget the AP’s leading man, James Jacobs. Even though I sometimes veered from the original storyline, I cannot applaud you enough for writing such a wonderful adventure.
I know many people work on an adventure path, from developers over designers to artists and dozens of others. I’d like to give all of you a big hand of applause. I tip my hat to you. Thanks.
I was also inspired by other GMs who posted about their games on these boards. I’d like to recommend everyone who plays a Paizo AP to check the boards closely, because many good ideas get thrown around in there, giving newer GMs inspiration to adjust the game to their own table's taste. I’d especially like to send a word of praise to Moonbeam, whose Curse of the Crimson Throne journal I mined for great thoughts. It comes highly recommended for anyone who wants to master this adventure, as well as for anyone who likes a good read. (Obviously, if you still want to play the AP, don’t read it, because it contains spoilers, but then again, so does my journal.)
This journal also triggered my newest hobby, posting pictures on my DeviantArt page about our adventures, using my ever-growing collection of minis and scenery. If you like my page, I encourage you to check it out in the future as well, because I will be posting more photos that did not make the cut or the adventure. I might also make more pictures of our new Way of the Wicked campaign, in which I am a player and Sjo’s player is the GM.
For the next couple of months we will be delving deeper into the land of Talingarde, performing all kinds of evil. That does not mean this adventure is over and done with. I have a follow-up story ready, which will pick up where we left, but first it is time for a rest.
Of course, I cannot give thanks without mentioning my players, who made the adventure into what you can read here. It's been an honor playing with you, gentlemen. Bedankt.
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who’s been reading my log. I hope you enjoyed it. Likewise, I hope to see you again in a few months to read how our adventure continues in Long live the King. Cheers!
Ding, dong, the queen is dead! A sense of fulfilment comes over the party, followed by a growing feeling of curiousness. Balian has already bagged the crown for safekeeping, but what other precious magics might have adorned the queen’s body? Elvira finds out that Ileosa spared no expense to outfit herself. She is wearing the strongest versions of an amulet of natural armor, bracers of armor and a belt of incredible dexterity. On her finger she has a powerful ring of splendid security. Other items are not quite as stellar, but still very nice. The heroes have joked about ‘fat loot’ before, but this treasure embodies that concept to perfection.
Quint’s body carries various magical items as well, although these will mostly end up in the hands of a trader. The same goes for Sabina Merrin, who is still on the lower floor, caught in Elvira’s dominate spell. She willingly surrenders and accepts to be bound.
The companions contemplate on where to go and finally decide on Janderhoff. There, they will be able to inform seneschal Kalepopolis of their progress, but they will also find a safe place to rest and a market to sell off their spoils of war.
Elvira casts one of her last remaining spells to teleport the party to the dwarven citadel. Neolandus Kalepopolis is overjoyed to learn that Ileosa has been beaten. He immediately starts planning the return to Korvosa. He tells the party they will have two major goals; restoring order and restoring power. There are still two dragons and a fair number of Gray Maidens in the city: over 200 blood clones and at least the same number of real human soldiers. Although there might not be a clear chain of command anymore, the blood clones are highly effective in combat, so 200 of them are a force to be reckoned with. Elvira wonders if they could use Sabina Merrin to get the Maidens to surrender. But that will present another ethical question: how do you deal with these clones? They are unnatural beings who have been infused with devil blood and evil, so can you allow them to live? On the other hand, the Maidens were made from the blood of innocent sacrifices. Their current form resembles their former appearance, so can you just kill them? What will their parents think? It will be like killing their daughters all over again.
Restoring power might be easier: Kalepopolis says that the small council of the seven major noble houses assumes control when the king or queen cannot rule, so the seneschal will have to call a meeting of that body as soon as possible.
Another matter threatening the peace is the arrival of a Shoanti army in Korvosa. Sjo feels he is best equipped to approach his kinsmen with the news of the queen’s death and the retrieval of her evil crown. He will try to negotiate a nonviolent passage of warriors. Kalepopolis will lend him a hippogriff and three Sable marines to make the journey. The other survivors of the Sable company, 20 in total, will fly to Korvosa tomorrow. Dwarven troops will join them there, clan lord Ragnar Ironfist has pledged 250 of his best men and women to aid his Korvosan allies.
After plans for the immediate future have been forged, the party members visit the temple of Torag to do some ‘magical shopping’.
8 Rova 4708
The next morning Sjo leaves for Kaer Maga to track down the Shoanti army, while his friends teleport to Korvosa, taking Kalepopolis and Sabina Merrin with them. They arrive in Glorio Arkona’s garden where the rebels meet them with open arms. Lord Arkona explains that something remarkable happened yesterday: all the clones in the Gray Maiden army exploded in a splash of blood. The nobleman already suspected this occurrence coincided with the queen’s demise. The two dragons have also fled, either realizing that their fight was lost or being freed from Ileosa’s compulsion to serve. The remaining human Gray Maidens have disappeared from the streets, seeking shelter in their barracks or other locations. Some of them were even assaulted by citizens, who were looking for swift justice. So Ileosa’s forces have dwindled away to almost nothing in just a few days!
The party meets up with the leaders of the rebels and gives another report of yesterday’s events. They make sure to omit the location of the Sunken Queen, fearing the pyramid’s powerful magic might inspire the wrong people. The less is known about the place, the better. The rebels suggest bringing field marshal Cressida Kroft back from the dead, a feat archbishop Keppira d’Bear can accomplish later today. Korvosa will need a military leader to steer the Korvosan Guard into retaking control of the city. Kalepopolis says he will contact the noble families to call a meeting of the council tomorrow. He invites the companions as well to retell their tale once more and assures Glorio Arkona that his concern about Ileosa’s crown will be addressed there too.
Afterwards the party returns to their villa. They bring in Tayce Soldado to clean the place and prepare a meal. They wash up and take some well-deserved rest. Elvira invites Sjo’s fiancée Larella to talk about a funeral for Quint. Before he was possessed by the belier devil, Quint was a devout follower of the goddess of beauty, Shelyn, so his burial should be handled by her clergy. Moreover, the temple of Pharasma was destroyed, so a service in the Grand Cathedral is out of the question at the moment. Elvira also suggests writing a new issue of the Korvosa Herald to explain Ileosa’s treason to the common man.
9 Rova 4708
The next day sees the party in Castle Korvosa again. The council has gathered in the reception room, happy to hear the news that Cressida Kroft and her Korvosan Guard have resumed control of the street. Neolandus Kalepopolis opens the meeting by welcoming the heads of Korvosa’s great houses: Aaron Endrin, Mercival Jeggare, Valdur Bromathan IV, Christina Leroung, Zenobia Zenderholm, Glorio Arkona and Toff Ornelos. He also introduces the heroes and invites them to give a full report.
Elvira takes the floor, again being careful not to give away too much about the Sunken Queen and the Everdawn Pool. Toff Ornelos is curious about the Crown of Fangs, but the enchantress assures him that the evil artefact is safely locked away in another dimension. Ornelos insists that the council be included in the decision on what to do with the crown. Elvira affirms that it will, as will be the Shoanti, who are coming to the city “as we speak”. Sjo has already set out to meet them: his goal is to avert war, but the council should realize that the Shoanti are on their way to claim their legacy: protecting Kazavon’s Fangs and returning to the lowlands of Korvosa. A diplomatic solution will be required!
The heroes are asked to leave while the council continues debating. Kalepopolis rejoins the party two hours later:
“Dear friends,” he sighs, “the council has declared itself incompetent to decide on the city’s future. Without a monarch Korvosa is ungovernable. So they have decreed to gather the Grand Council to appoint a new ruler. Eodred’s predecessor, his namesake Eodred I, was given power by the same institution. Legend says he was so popular that the people gave him the throne, but Korvosa wouldn’t be Korvosa if it didn’t have a multitude of laws and charters to follow. The royal title may have been requested by the people, but it was granted by the Grand Council.
This political body exists mostly on paper, it hasn’t gathered since the days of our first king, but in theory it includes all noble families, so not just the big seven, but also the Carowyns, Fordyces and Jalentos. Next all the leaders of Korvosa’s most influential religions have a seat: so the highpriests of Abadar, Pharasma, Sarenrae and Asmodeus are there. Furthermore, every settlement in the Korvosan lands sends a representative, as does each district in the city, with the exception of the Gray district, because the clergy of Pharasma are the only ones who live there and they are already represented by the archbishop. Finally, there are some honor seats for the military: one for the Hellknights and one for the Field Marshal of the Guard. I succeeded in getting you, the city’s saviors, such a seat as well, although you’ll get only one vote between the four of you. But you all have permission to attend.
I haven’t got a clue yet who will present him or herself as a candidate for the throne. I don’t need to tell you that this person will have great impact on our future. It is of the utmost importance that we choose the right ruler, so I advise you to consider your options carefully. Who should be our next monarch? Candidates can make themselves known during the Grand Council, everyone who has at least two council members backing his candidacy will be accepted in the election. The Council will vote on it, whoever gets a majority of the votes, wins. I will lead the Council, but I do not get to vote; my role is to remain neutral.
Finally, you may have already gathered that some council members are very worried about the Shoanti, fearing that our ancient enemy might be more dangerous than Ileosa ever was. Someone – I do not have to tell you who – even suggested we give the matter in the hands of the Hellknights, but there can be no doubt how things will evolve if we allow that to happen. Fortunately, I have convinced the council that the four of you, especially the one who is not here right now, are best placed to lead the negotiations with the Shoanti. But I should warn you, the nobles expect a peaceful resolution, if not, I cannot even begin to count the number of ways the situation could turn into a catastrophe.
We will reconvene in ten days’ time, at three in the afternoon. You have until then to prepare.”
8 Rova 4708
The morning of the same day his friends return to Korvosa, Sjo leaves with three Sable Company hippogriph riders for Kaer Maga, hoping to meet with the Shoanti tribes and inform them of his party’s success. It is not the first time he cruises through the sky on the back of a regal flying beast, but the experience still thrills him. His limited sight prevents him from seeing the ground, but the three rangers lead him in the right direction. Well into the afternoon his guides tell him their destination is within sight. They report a dark, dusty mass at the feet of the great cliffs, which turns out to be an enormous encampment of thousands of warriors. Three birds of gargantuan proportions hover over the tents, while in the background a colossal mastodon is being lowered with an ingenious almost weblike system of ropes and pulleys.
One of the rocs flies closer, making the hippogriphs look like little chicks next to its massive frame. Sjo’s Sable Companions ask him how he wants to approach the Shoanti woman on the giant bird’s neck.
“Kel grish, cousin”, Sjo shouts to her, “I have come seeking an audience with Arunan Lives-of-Fire, great shaman of the Sklar-Quah.” The woman motions for Sjo to follow her as she lands in front of the sea of tents. The healer and his three companions touch down as well.
Sjo dismounts and hears the tramping of horse feet closing in on his position. At the edge of his field of vision, a group of Burn Riders appears, headed by a wild warrior weaving a flaming spear. He charges in and jumps to the ground in a fluid motion at just fifteen feet from Sjo. He is dressed in leathers and furs, which form a sturdy armor around his frame. His head is bald and his face is caked with a mixture of chalk and oil, shaped like the sun. “Can you fight?” he growls as he closes the last few feet.
“I did not come here to fight, but to deliver wisdom to the jothkas and shamans, or do you doubt the words of one who was named ‘nalharest’ by none other than Arunan Lives-of-Fire?” Sjo returns.
“The question was not IF you came here to fight, but whether or not you CAN fight!” the Shoanti throws back, while thrusting his spear forward, piercing Sjo’s shoulder. “Prove to me that you can fight! Prove yourself worthy!”
Sjo steps back and bites down the pain, reaching for his heavy mace and uttering the words to a divine power spell. The warrior does not relent. He starts foaming at the mouth as he weaves his spear through the air, hammering Sjo in the chest and throwing him off his feet. With the air knocked from his lungs, lying prone on the ground, Sjo snarls in frustration. This warrior might be small for a Shoanti, easily four inches smaller than Sjo himself, he still is strong as an auroch.
As Sjo scrambles to his feet the burn rider’s spear cuts him again. But then the healer takes the offensive: he swings his mace with amazing speed, hitting the warrior in the stomach. Not allowing his opponent time to recover, Sjo’s next swing crashes off the fighter’s shoulder and still our friend pushes on, smacking his adversary across the face.
The warrior spits out blood, bearing his red teeth in a wicked smile. “Har, haha!” he laughs. “He can fight! He IS Shoanti!” Turning back to the other burn riders, the spear wielder shouts again: “He IS Shoanti! And he is MY SON!”
Sjo tries to make sense of it all. Of course! That is why this warrior is smaller, he is a she! She is Aithne, his mother. The warrior grabs him in a warm bear hug. “Mother?” Sjo asks.
“Indeed, my son, welcome. I will take you to our jothka. Follow me.”
The Shoanti woman jumps on her horse again and precedes her surprised son into the camp. Unfolding his fiery wings, Sjo jumps up and flies closely behind her, drawing breaths of amazement from the onlookers.
Aithne leads her son to the war yurt and tells him to enter. Inside he is greeted by the leaders of the Shoanti army, recognizing people like the war leader Valkur Burns-in-his-Veins, the Sun shaman Arunan Lives-of-Fire and Thousand Bones. “I come bearing good tidings!” Sjo smiles. “The evil queen is dead and Kazavon’s evil has been stopped.”
Valkur nods in approval. “You bring good news, indeed, cousin. But what of the Fangs of Midnight?”
“We have them secured, safely tucked away in another dimension for now.”
A sigh of relief escapes from Arunan Lives-of-Fire’s lips. “Thank the spirits you were able to halt this evil, but how are you planning on containing it?”
“I’m not sure. I was actually hoping you might be of help here.”
“Well, as you know, my forefathers attempted everything within their power to destroy these vile teeth. They failed. So, guarding them was their only option. If necessary, they will have to guarded once more, but a permanent solution would definitely be better. How does your new jothka, erh … queen – that’s what you call it? -, feel about this?”
“Well with the last queen dead, there is no leader anymore. We will have to appoint a new one, a king or queen, that is.”
“I see”, Arunan hums.
“Still, there is another thing I need your help with as well”, Sjo continues, using the momentum of undivided attention he has been granted by the Shoanti command. “Your army is fierce and impressive. I fear its presence might scare many Korvosans into irrational panic. It might be better if the brunt of your force remains here until we settle matters with the leaders in Korvosa. Might I suggest you send a delegation of a couple dozen men to the city around the mastaba, instead of marching into these lands in full, daunting force. Fear is a bad advisor, and scare the Korvosans you will, if you invade these lands with thousands of warriors. In the interest of a peaceful solution, the better option would be to approach with care, rather than force.”
“If you had been born among us, I do not doubt you would have followed in your grandfather’s footsteps, Yundur Firestorm was a great shaman. Like him you are a wise man! We will consider your words”, the great jothka Valkur assures Sjo.
“And as fellow shamans, we would have talked to the spirits together”, Arunan continues, “as I think we should do now. Do you agree to consult the ghosts of our forefathers with me?” The Sun shaman stands next to the fire in the centre of the yurt. As he hails Sjo over, the other Shoanti get up and leave the tent. They might be the undisputed leaders of this immposing army, but their respect for their people’s traditions is clear.
“Look into the fire, Shaoban.” Peering into the flames, Sjo picks up shapes that look human, appearing and disappearing again. He realises he is staring at all the Sun shamans who have guided the tribes since the days of Coja Eyes-Aflame helped defeat the evil of Kazavon. Then he notices that he is no longer in the yurt, but out in the open, in a wild landscape, atop a stone construction. He is standing in front of a bonfire on the grand mastaba, in a time prior to the Chelish colonisation. Wilderness still claims the lands and the sea in his back crashes freely on the cliffs. Only Arunan is at his side. The Sun shaman approaches the flames, reaches in and lights up like a torch, turning into a burning figure, before melting into the bonfire completely. The flames burst out, reaching ever higher, as they blaze up into the towering form of a phoenix. Like the bird of legend, this proud avian being is given life by all the ashes of Arunan’s predecessors, who now speak as one.
“Shoaban, blood of Aithne Burn Rider, blood of Yundur Firestorm. You are not only the son of the Sklar-Quah, you are a child of Korvosa as well. As such, your soul combines two peoples, two cultures which have been at war with each other since they first met. War cuts into our hearts, it claims our sons, makes our wives widows and our children orphans. War brings only utter destruction.
You have made the first step in avoiding this war by killing the false serpent who was wielding the Fangs of Midnights. It is up to you to finish this quest for peace and unite our peoples. You are the perfect mediator to bring Korvosans and Shoanti together. You must claim the throne on the mastaba and heal the wounds between our people.
It is time for you to fulfil your destiny and become who you were meant to be: Shaoban One-Maker, the Bringer of Peace!
But be warned, as long as the Fangs of Midnight remain, they will be a threat. So, we also call upon you to find a long-lasting solution for Kazavon’s legacy. Only then can true peace be found.”
The next moment the phoenix is sucked back in the flames and Sjo is inside the yurt once more. There is no trace of Arunan, although the glow of the bonfire suggests the Sun Shaman might be in there.
Sjo walks outside and finds Thousand Bones. “I have spoken to our ancestors. They have given me a holy mission. Arunan will explain it to you. I have to go. Bid your jothkas farewell for me. We will meet again shortly. May the spirits guide you until then.”
And at that, Sjo leaves the Shoanti war camp, joining the Sable Company men again and flying back to Korvosa, where he arrives the following evening.
9 Rova 4708
Sjo joins his friends in the villa in the South Shore District. He tells them about his encounter with the Shoanti and their suggestion that he be the one to claim the throne in Korvosa, so he can forge a peace between the people from the Storval Heights and the lowlands. Elvira admits that the same thought had already crossed her mind and she agrees with the shamans: Sjo is the perfect man to unite the two peoples. Moreover, he has been pivotal in saving the city from Ileosa, he has always been as law-abiding as circumstances allowed and he is a charismatic and diplomatic person. Korvosa should be honoured to have him for its ruler. She cannot think of a better candidate.
Sjo also adds that the spirits of his ancestors want him to take care of the Crown of Fangs, preferably in a permanent fashion. Elvira says she will look into the matter. With the arcane possibilities available to them that the Shoanti never had, they might find a solution that was not within the shamans’ grasp. The Acadamae holds some great scholars and ancient knowledge that could provide an answer to this problem. Talking about the Acadamae, Elvira adds, she dreams about cleansing it from its infernal influence. That would probably entail removing Lord Ornelos from the reigns of the institute, so it will be a tremendous feat to realise this, but she feels strongly about it.
Still, Elvira agrees that finding a solution to coexist with the Shoanti is on top of the list right now. She starts planning on how to promote Sjo to the public before the Grand Council convenes. They could write a new edition of the Korvosa Herald, in which they reveal how the queen was defeated, highlighting Sjo’s role in these events. They could also use the speech on Quint’s burial to spread the word about their deeds and gather support among the common people. Seneschal Kalepopolis informed them earlier today that any candidate to the throne needs two supporters in the council. The wizardess immediately thinks of two staunch allies, Field Marshal Cressida Kroft and high bishop Keppira d’Bear of Pharasma. They will approach these two women tomorrow.
That night, Sjo reunites with his fiancée, Larella. They also decide on a date for Quint’s burial, the 16th.
10 Rova 4708
The party looks up Keppira d’Bear, who is overseeing the early stages of the reconstruction of her goddess’s cathedral in the Gray District. She wholeheartedly agrees to support Sjo. Field marshal Cressida Kroft does the same.
The heroes also pay Neolandus Kalepopolis a visit in the castle. The seneschal can help explain how procedures work when choosing a new ruler. Despite the need for neutrality which is required of the president of the Grand Council, he finds it hard to hide his satisfaction at Sjo’s candidature.
When the party has returned to the villa, Elvira starts thinking ahead. There is more than enough room left in the Korvosan hinterlands to house the Shoanti tribes. Large stretches of land remain unexploited; there is still a lot of wilderness left. Of course, these lands eventually border on the territories that have already been claimed by Korvosans, people who belong to the various holdings scattered across the lowlands. If they want Sjo to win the throne, they will have to gain the support of the representatives of those settlements in the Grand Council. So, if they can negotiate a good treaty with the Shoanti, which ensures that both parties get what they want without threatening the other one’s integrity, they could have a strong ace up their sleeve. The Shoanti should be able to live in freedom, but they should abide by a certain number of base rules if they want to be accepted here. They shouldn’t hunt farming animals or plunder farms, obviously. They could instead provide protection to the settlements from roaming monsters or evil humanoids. They could trade meat and furs for food and goods, but they should accept that they cannot rob those things, even if they could. For those who do not want to trade in any form of freedom, there are other options: the Bloodsworn Vale is also Korvosan territory, but it lies deserted. In the days before the Chelish invasion, Shoanti used to live there as well. So, some might return there to live, unbound by rules. Negotiations will be hard, but they should be possible.
Elvira gathers her friends and teleports them to the Shoanti camp, at the foot of the Storval Heights, under the gaze of the staring stone faces that line the edge of Kaer Maga’s walls.
SHAOBAN (SJO), LN Male Human oracle 13
Init +1; Senses Darkvision (60 ft.), Blindsense (30 ft.), Perception +2, Clouded Vision
AC 33, touch 13, flat-footed 32
hp 120 (10 HD)
Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +14
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee cold iron mace +2 (heavy) +16/+11 (1d8+6+1d6+6)
Base Atk +9/+4; CMB +13 CMD 26
Known Oracle Spells (CL 13th, concentration +21):
6th (5/day) (DC 24) – cure moderate wounds (mass), dispel magic (greater), fire seeds, heal
5th (7/day) (DC 23) – breath of life, cure light wounds (mass), flame strike, raise dead, spell resistance, summon monster V, true seeing
4th (8/day) (DC 22) - blessing of fervor, cure critical wounds, dimensional anchor, dismissal, restoration, wall of fire
3rd (9/day) (DC 21) - cure serious wounds, dispel magic, fireball, invisibility purge, prayer, remove blindness/deafness, remove disease
2nd (8/day) (DC 20) - align weapon, cure moderate wounds, hold person, remove paralysis, resist energy, restoration (lesser), shield other, silence
1st (8/day) (DC 19) - burning hands, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, divine favor, hide from undead, magic weapon, protection from chaos, remove fear, shield of faith
0th (at will) (DC 18) - create water, detect magic, detect poison, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, spark, stabilize, virtue
Abilities Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 26
Feats Armor Proficiency, Heavy, Combat Casting, Dazzling Display; Lightning Reflexes, Spell Penetration, Toughness, Weapon Focus (Heavy Mace), Acrobatic steps, Elemental Spell (electricity), Nimble Moves
Skills Acrobatics -4, Bluff +17, Climb -1, Diplomacy +24, Heal +11, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (History) +3, Knowledge (Local) +0, Knowledge (Religion) +15, Linguistics +0, Perception +2, Perform (Act) +12, Perform (sing) +14, Ride -4, Sense Motive +14, Sleight of Hand +1, Spellcraft +4, Swim -1
Possessions cold iron mace +2 (heavy); ring of protection +2; full plate +2; amulet of natural armor +5, Sonnorae’s cloak (+4 cha, +4 to saves), buckler +3; belt of physical might (dex/con) +2, Shoanti bracers of strength (+4), runestone of power (level 3), wand of cure light wounds, wand of remove disease
Clouded Vision Your eyes are obscured, making it difficult for you to see.
Flame Mysteries You draw upon the divine mystery of Flame to grant your spells and powers.
Touch of Flame (Su) As a standard action, you can perform a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of fire damage + 1 per two oracle levels (1d6+6). Alternatively you can use this power to ignite your weapon as a free action, adding the same amount of fire damage to each of your weapon attacks during that round. You can use this ability a number of times or rounds per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier (10).
At 11th level, any weapon that you wield is treated as a flaming weapon, adding 1d6 points of fire damage + 1 per two oracle levels.
Molten Skin (Ex) You gain resist fire 20.
Wings of Fire (Su) As a swift action, you can manifest a pair of fiery wings that grant you a fly speed of 60 feet with average maneuverability. You can use these wings for 1 minute per day per oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1 minute increments.
Cinder Dance (Ex) Your base speed increases by 10 feet. At 5th level, you receive Nimble Moves as a bonus feat. At 10th level, you receive Acrobatic Steps as a bonus feat.
Trained actor You trained as a child to be an actor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (act) and Perform (act) is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in Perform (act).
Child of the Streets You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Ease of Faith Your mentor, the person who invested your faith in you from an early age, took steps to ensure that you understood that what powers your divine magic is no different than that which powers the magic of other religions. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is always a class skill for you.
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ELVIRA 'EL' CAMPERT, NG Female Human (Taldan) enchanter 13
Init +5; Senses Darkvision (60 ft.), Perception +24
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 14
hp 99 (10HD)
Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +15
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee masterwork dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Ranged masterwork dagger (thrown) +8/+3 (1d4-1/19-20)
Base Atk +6/+1; CMB +5; CMD 18
Wizard Spells known (CL 13th, concentration +22, caster level check 1d20 + 17):
0th (4/day) (DC 17) – Detect Magic, Resistance, Acid Splash, Spark, Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Light, Ghost Sound, Message, Haunted Fey Aspect, Daze, Mending, Flare, Dancing Lights, Arcane Mark, Open/Close, Prestidigitation
1st (7+1/day) (DC 20) – Charm Person, Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self, Enlarge Person, Feather Fall, Hypnotism, Mage Armor, Memorize Page, Memory Lapse, Mirror Polish, Obscuring Mist, Shield, Touch of Gracelessness, Vanish, Ventriloquism
2nd (6+1/day) (DC 21) – Air Step, Alter Self, Blur, Darkvision, Daze Monster, Glitterdust, Hideous Laughter, Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Knock, Mirror Image, See Invisibility, Summon Monster II, Touch of Idiocy, Whispering Wind
3rd (6+1/day) (DC 22) – Blink, Deep Slumber, Dispel Magic, Displacement, Enter Image, Fly, Gaseous Form, Haste, Heroism, Hold Person, Invisibility Sphere, Slow, Suggestion, Water Breathing
4th (6+1/day) (DC 23) – Charm Monster, Confusion, Crushing Despair, Dimension Door, Geas (Lesser), Invisibility (Greater), Moonstruck, Phantasmal Killer, Rainbow Pattern, Stoneskin
5th (5+1/day) (DC 24) – Dominate Person, Feeblemind, Hold Monster, Mind Fog, Permanency, Seeming, Telekinesis, Teleport, Wall of Stone
6th (3+1) (DC 25) – Forceful Hand, Greater Heroism, Mass Suggestion
7th (2+1) (DC 26) – Prismatic Spray, Greater Teleport
Abilities Str 9, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 29, Wis 12, Cha 14
Permanent spells Darkvision, Detect Magic, Read Magic, See Invisibility
Feats Bouncing Spell, Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment), Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Persistent Spell, Spell Focus (Enchantment), Spell Penetration, Toughness, Scribe Scroll
Skills Acrobatics +2, Appraise +14, Bluff +20, Climb 0, Craft (Glass) +16, Diplomacy +24, Escape Artist +2, Fly +2, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Arcana) +26, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +17, Knowledge (Engineering) +17, Knowledge (Geography) +23, Knowledge (History) +24, Knowledge (Nature) +19, Knowledge (Nobility) +18, Knowledge (Planes) +26, Knowledge (Religion) +18, Linguistics +26, Perception +24, Perform (Act) +20, Ride +2, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +26, Stealth +2, Survival +2, Swim 0
Languages Abyssal, Ancient Osiriani, Azlanti, Celestial, Chelaxian, Common, Daemon, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Infernal, Kelish, Osiriani, Shoanti, Tektrianin, Thassilonian, Varisian, Vudrani
Possessions amulet of natural armor +2; bag of holding (type I); eyes of the eagle; headband of vast intelligence +6 (bluff, perform (act) and sense motive skill bonus); ring of protection +2; belt of physical might (str, con) +2; cloak of resistance +3; pearl of power (1st level); pearl of power (2nd level); 2 spellbooks; masterwork dagger
Arcane Bond (Su) You have selected to establish a powerful arcane bond with an object, a mirror that is part of your amulet of natural armor +2. When attempting to cast a spell without your bonded object worn or in hand, you must make a concentration check or lose the spell (DC 20 + the spell's level).
Aura of Despair (Su) As a standard action, you can emit a 30-foot aura of despair for 13 rounds per day. Enemies within this aura take a -2 penalty on ability checks, attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Dazing Touch (Sp) You can cause a living creature to become dazed for 1 round as a melee touch attack. Creatures with more than 13 hit dice are unaffected. You may use this ability 12 times per day.
Enchantment School You have chosen to specialize in enchantment spells.
Divination and Necromancy Opposition School You have chosen divination and necromancy spells as an opposition school. Preparing an divination or necromancy spell takes up two spell slots of the same level. You take a -4 penalty on any skill checks made when crafting a magic item that has an divination or necromancy spell as a prerequisite.
Enchanting Smile (Su) You gain a +4 enhancement bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Perform (act) skill checks.
Sonnorae’s boon of spontaneous casting (Su)[b] You can dedicate three spells per day to cast as spontaneous spells. You don’t have to study them, but you can substitute a studied spell of the same or higher level for these spells.
[b]Student of perception You have studied the art of perception in depth. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception checks and Perception is always a class skill for you.
Natural born actress You have a natural knack for acting. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (Act) skill checks and the skill is always considered a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in this skill.
Natural charm You possess a natural charm that makes it easy to talk to others. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy and it is always a class skill for you.
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BALIAN, CG Male Human ranger 13 (urban ranger)
Init +5; Senses Perception +19
AC 31, touch 19, flat-footed 28
hp 153 (10 HD)
Fort +16, Ref +16, Will +14
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee holy adamantine greatsword +1 (two handed) +21/+16/+11 two handed) 2d6+10/19-20)
Melee holy adamantine greatsword +1 (two handed, power attack) +21/+12/+7 2d6+22/19-20)
Melee dagger+2 +21/+16/+11 (1d4+8/19-20)
Ranged masterwork longbow (composite/strength rating+4) +17/+12/+7 (1d8+4/x3)
Base Atk +13/+8/+3; CMB +19/+14/+9; CMD 38
Ranger Spells (CL 10th, concentration +13):
1st (4/day) (DC 14) - lead blades (2), longstrider (2)
2nd (3/day) (DC 15) - barkskin (3)
3rd (2/day) (DC 16) - instant enemy (2)
Abilities Str 23, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 17, Cha 7
Special Qualities Favored Community Korvosa +4, Track +6, Trapfinding +6
Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Favored Defense (human +3 AC and CMD), Following Step, Furious Focus, Iron Will, Outflank, Power Attack (-4 atk, +8 dmg/+12 dmg on 2-handed), Step Up, Step Up and Strike, Weapon Focus (greatsword)
Skills Acrobatics +14, Climb +10, Diplomacy -2, Disable Device +21, Heal +7, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (Geography) +2, Knowledge (Local) +14, Perception +19, Perform (Act) +3, Ride +6, Sense Motive +3, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +18, Survival +7, Survival (Follow or identify tracks) +13, Swim +9
Possessions holy adamantine greatsword +1; ring of splendor (+5 AC and saves); mithral breastplate +4; amulet of natural armor +2; belt of physical might (str/con) +2; cloak of displacement (minor); wand of cure light wounds; dusty rose prism ioun stone dagger +2; masterwork longbow (Composite/Strength Rating+4); winged boots, headband of inspired wisdom +4
Favored Community Korvosa and Kaer Maga (Ex) You gain a +4 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (local), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks. An urban ranger traveling through his favored community leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (although he may leave a trail if he so desires).
Favored Community Janderhoff (Ex) You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (local), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks. An urban ranger traveling through his favored community leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (although he may leave a trail if he so desires).
Favored Enemy (Human +6, Undead +2, Evil outsider +2) (Ex) You gain a +6/+2/+2 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks when using these skills against humans/undead/evil outsiders. Likewise, you get a +6/+2/+2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against such creatures.
Favored defense (human+3) You add half your favored enemy bonus to your CMD and as a dodge bonus to AC when attacked by favored enemy (human).
Push Through (Ex) An urban ranger is never slowed by difficult terrain in his favored communities. In addition, he can move through the space occupied by local citizens as if they were allies. This does not apply to creatures intent on harming the ranger. Areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect him.
Quarry (Ex) You can, as a standard action, denote one target within your line of sight as your quarry. Whenever you are following the tracks of your quarry, you can take 10 on Survival skill checks while moving at normal speed, without penalty. In addition, you receive a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls made against your quarry and all critical threats are automatically confirmed. You can have no more than one quarry at a time and the creature's type must correspond to one of your favored enemy types. You can end this effect at any time as a free action, but you cannot select a new quarry for 24 hours. If your quarry is killed, you can select a new quarry after waiting 1 hour.
Track (Ex) Add half your level (+6) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks.
Trapfinding (Ex) At 3rd level, an urban ranger can find and disable traps, as the rogue class feature of the same name: +6 to perception to find traps.
Trained actor You trained as a child to be an actor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perform (act) and Perform (act) is always a class skill for you. You also gain a free skill point in Perform (act).
Child of the Streets You grew up on the streets of a large city, and as a result you have developed a knack for picking pockets and hiding small objects on your person. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sleight of Hand checks, and Sleight of Hand is always a class skill for you.
Reactionary You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.
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PUK, CG Male Halfling rogue 13 (swashbuckler)
Init +9; Senses Perception +14
AC 33, touch 21, flat-footed 33, uncanny dodge, improved uncanny dodge
hp 106 (10 HD)
Fort +10, Ref +20 (evasion), Will +7, +4 morale bonus vs. fear, +2 racial bonus vs. fear
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee main hand silver short sword +3 (small) +21/+16 (1d4+3/19-20) and off-hand silver short sword +2 (small) +20/+15 (1d4+2/19-20)
Base Atk +9/+4; CMB +8/+3; CMD 31
Atk Options Sneak Attack +7d6 + 7 bleed
Abilities Str 10, Dex 29, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10
Feats Acrobatic Steps, Dodge, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Lucky Halfling, Martial Weapon Proficiency (Halfling Sling Staff), Nimble Moves, Outflank, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (short sword)
Skills Acrobatics +26, Acrobatics (Jump) +31, Appraise +11, Bluff +11, Climb +10, Diplomacy +10, Disable Device +18, Disguise +12, Escape Artist +20, Intimidate +6 (+2 vs. medium-sized), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (Local) +6, Linguistics +4, Perception +14, Perform (Percussion Instruments) +8, Ride +9, Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +17, Stealth +23, Use Magic Device +6
Possessions small short sword +3; small silver short sword +2; bracers of armor +8; shortbow (Small); halfling sling staff (halfling); small masterwork sap, amulet of natural armor +2, ring of protection +2, ring of featherfall; cloak of the Pixie King (+2 on saves, Dimension Door 1/day), belt of incredible dexterity +6, boots of striding and springing, dusty rose prism ioun stone
Sneak Attack (Ex) If you can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from your attack, you can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Your attack deals 7d6 points of extra damage.
Bleeding Attack (Ex) A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue's sneak attack. Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Resiliency (Ex) Once per day, a rogue with this ability can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the rogue's level. Activating this ability is an immediate action that can only be performed when she is brought to below 0 hit points. This ability can be used to prevent her from dying. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute. If the rogue's hit points drop below 0 due to the loss of these temporary hit points, she falls unconscious and is dying as normal.
Opportunist (Ex) The rogue can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity for that round and can't be used more than once per round.
Unwitting Ally (Ex) A rogue with this talent can spend a swift action to attempt to make an opponent act like an ally for purposes of providing a flank until the beginning of the rogue's next turn. The opponent must be able to hear and see the rogue, and the rogue must succeed at a Bluff check opposed by the opponent's Sense Motive. If the check succeeds, the opponent acts as an ally for the purpose of providing a flank. Whether or not the check succeeds, the rogue cannot use this trick again on the same opponent for the next 24 hours. If the rogue fails the check by 5 or more, she cannot use the unwitting ally ability on any opponent within line of sight of the failed attempt for 24 hours.
Fast-Talker You had a knack at getting yourself into trouble as a child, and as a result developed a silver tongue at an early age. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is always a class skill for you.
Personal Addiction You were the addict. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins, and you have a +1 bonus on Fortitude saving throws.
The heroes have teleported to the Shoanti encampment at the feet of the Storval Heights, far below the looming city of Kaer Maga. They are immediately taken to the war yurt, where the Shoanti leaders have gathered. Everyone treats Sjo with the highest regards and listens attentively when he speaks. He explains that the lowlands of Korvosa still offer enough unused space to house all the Shoanti clans, but there will have to be some ‘rules’ on how the tribesmen interact with the various settlements and farms that dot the landscape.
Valkur Burns-in-his-Veins agrees that for the first time in history there is an opportunity to come to a peaceful solution. Despite the hostile feelings that still live among his people and among the Korvosans alike, it would be folly to go to war and loose hundreds of lives just to fight out old feuds. He promises to consider whatever Sjo proposes, but suggests that the party talks with Thousand Bones alone first to make a first draft of this proposal. As a former diplomat in Korvosa, Thousand Bones understands more of the way of the lowlanders than any other Shoanti in the council.
Thousand Bones takes the party to his own yurt, which is decorated with skulls and bones. They quickly agree that a treaty will have to contain an understanding on various topics: food, justice, defense, taxation, the right for Shoanti to visit ancient sites of their people and a representation of the clans in the Korvosan council. A justice system for matters that concern both Shoanti and Korvosan interests will probably work best with a mixed court, although the punishments administered could come from the perpetrator’s side of the law. There could also be an agreement on mutual aid to defend the land against roaming monsters and humanoids, or foreign invaders. At the moment, this would mostly mean that Shoanti help Korvosans, but there might be times or situations when the aid extends the other way. This initial duty of protecting the land could even be a replacement for paying taxes, Balian suggests. Every clan should also have a representative in the grand council and there should be at least one diplomat in the small council (possibly with veto right on Shoanti issues). The Shoanti also need free access to their heritage – ancient sites like burial mounds – including the right to look after these places. Finally, there is the problem of the Hellknights of the Order of the Nail, who have only one big goal: erasing the barbarian presence from Korvosan soil – and preferably from any soil. Their presence clouds any peace agreement, so they will have to be disbanded.
There will also be different options for Shoanti who want to leave the Cinderlands for more fertile grounds, depending on how much they want to adapt to new ‘rules’. Tribesmen who want to continue living in freedom can move to the Bloodsworn Vale. The green and fertile valley will be a fresh and welcome change from the arid lands beyond the Storval Heights. There would be no new laws to obey there. The uninhabited lowlands between the Yondabakari and the Ashwood, in the northwestern corner of Korvosa, could house clans who agree to live by the new treaty, while still retaining a great measure of the freedom they are used to. They won’t be able to slay cattle or plunder farms, obviously, but they can trade with the Korvosan settlements, as long as they respect each other’s possessions and traditions. Finally, Shoanti who want to integrate fully in Korvosan settlements of cities can do so as well, although they have to accept the full letter of the law as it exists in Korvosa.
Thousand Bones will take these ideas to the chiefs and defend them, dubbing them the nalharest pact. He expects the jothka’s to discuss these proposals for several days, since they also have to get their tribes to agree, and to complicate matters, this issue is intertwined with the discussion on whether or not to invade the lowlands in full force. The old shaman promises to contact Sjo with a message spell as soon as he knows more.
The sun has already set when Elvira teleports the party home. Upon arrival in the city, the heroes learn that Lictor Severs ‘Boneclaw’ DiVri has arrived with 50 Hell Knights. Their presence slightly worries the heroes, although they do realise that the Lictor is one of the people who has a seat at the grand council.
11 Rova 4708
The next day the help that Janderhoof had promised arrives: 250 stout dwarven warriors who can man the walls and support the depleted forces of the Korvosan Watch.
Elvira starts working on the new issue of the Krovosan Herald. First she convinces Christina Leroung to let her use the printing press. Christina is reluctant at first, she still blames the party for the loss of her parents and sister, but Elvira was not yet involved with the party when they got Christina’s mother killed. Moreover, she can fall back on the good bond she created with the family while working in the Leroung library for several years.
Elvira finds it quite hard to find the right tone for the articles, but still composes very decent texts. A big article gives a more or less truthful account of recent history, disproving Ileosa’s earlier ‘fake’ news and sketching the rebellion’s fight against the castle and the hunt for Ileosa. She makes sure to highlight Sjo’s involvement in these events, portraying him as a brave hero and a great leader. She also composes an article on the future of Korvosa, stating that the Grand Council will elect a new ruler. In another article she addresses the Shoanti issue, stressing that for the first time in history a peaceful solution to the conflict is possible. Finally, she announces the burial of Quint on the 16th, inviting people to say goodbye to this tragic hero.
12 Rova 4708
Good news for the Sable Company. At the city docks two ships from the Korvosan navy arrive, which means that more Sable marines are still alive! These troops are normally housed in Veldraine, the sea port that guards the mouth of the Korvosan Bay. There used to be around 200 strong, but about half of them gave their lives over the last year, fighting off Ileosa’s dragons, who were sent to lay waste to the Sable Company.The ones who survived – 97 marines – fled to Magnimar. Now they have returned. Half of them remained in Veldraine, while the others man the two warships that have made port in Korvosa. Their leader is Captain Julius Henderthane.
15 Rova 4708
On the 15th the Herald is published. Elvira is hesitant about the effect the newspaper will have, doubting that she is the right person to be a reporter. She guesses tomorrow will show her how many people she inspired to attend Quint’s burial.
16 Rova 4708
The small temple of Shelyn is the site for Quint’s funeral. Sjo’s fiancée, Larella Semyr, who is the local priestess of the goddess of the arts, leads the service. Several noble families are present, Endrin, Jeggare, Bromathan, Zenderholm and Arkona. Neolandus, Kalepopolis, Keppira d’Bear and Cressida Kroft are there as well, as are some personal friends of the party, like Vencarlo Orisini and Tayce and Grau Soldado. About one hundred citizens have also come down to bid the bard farewell. Since they can’t all fit into the small temple, they follow the last rites from the street.
Sjo gives an inspiring speech, praising Quint’s bravery and brilliance in the fight against Ileosa. His end was tragic, though, he ventured into the castle on his one to try and stop the evil queen, but was defeated and possessed by one of Ileosa’s most formidable allies, a powerful devil who used his body as a puppet and soiled the final days of his presence on this earth with deeds of evil. Sjo manages to say goodbye to the bard with dignity and emotion, leaving not an eye dry in the house.
After the service, the heroes mingle with the nobles who attended, trying to gauge their plans for the upcoming grand council. Lord Arkona makes no secret about his intention to run for king. The other families are more secretive, trying to steer around the topic. Still, it is clear they are up to something. Balian and Puk also notice some local entertainers among the crowd, probably former colleagues of Quint. These ‘influencers’ might be good messagers to spread the word of Sjo’s inspiring speech.
Afterwards Quint’s remains are cremated. His friends hang on to the ashes for now. If Sjo makes it to king, they can add Quint to the royal crypts under the castle, to lie at his father Eodred’s side. If would be a suitable resting place for the bard.
17 Rova 4708
Thousand Bones contacts Sjo through a sending. He tells him things are moving in the right direction. The Shaonti army will remain in Kaer Maga. Only a delegation will make its way to the city of Korvosa. He expects them to arrive in seven to ten days.
19 Rova 4708
At three o’clock on the 19th of Rova all members of the Grand Council gather in the throne room of Castle Korvosa. Seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis introduces everyone.
There are a number of familiar faces at the table. The ten noble families of the city are represented by Aaron Endrin, Mercival Jeggare, Valdur IV Bromathan, Christina Leroung, Zenobia Zenderholm, Glorio Arkona, Toff Ornelos, Ausio Carowyn, William Fordyce and captain Artan Jalento. Darb Tuttle, Keppira d’Bear and Ezekiel Sollux are here for the temples, as is a new face, a man named Urdo Charthagnion, who has just arrived from Cheliax to lead the Church of Asmodeus. Field Marshal Cressida Kroft and Lictor Severs ‘Boneclaw’ DiViri, leader of the Hell Knight Order of the Nail, have a seat as well.
The party also meets the representatives the districts of the city and the delegates from the various holdings in the Korvosan hinterlands.
Hugo Barvoets operates the most popular tavern in East Shore, the Shoreline Drinkhall, a place that caters to off-duty garrison guards, longshoremen, warehouse managers and dock bosses. Theodoric Bandor hails from the Heights, where he owns The Wise Dragon Inn. Most of his patrons are students. One of Midland’s merchants is Dermot Hallaer, a self-made man who trades in wool and textiles. The elderly halfling Orkatto is the spokesperson for South Shore, where he has a menagerie which sells exotic pets and birds. Lord Arkona is one of his biggest customers. Two representatives are people the heroes have met before. Syl Gar, the popular Magistrate of Expenditures, speaks for North Point, while Baris Trenchlow, manager of the Ironworks, is here for Old Korvosa.
The delegates from Korvosa’s holdings are all unknown to the party. Mother River Raindance is an old hippie from Abken, a commune of peace- and nature-loving freethinkers. The settlement is best known for its production of ‘pleasure plants’ and for its reluctance to pay taxes. Walder Baslwief stands for the mining village that carries his name, since it was one of his forefathers who founded the town. Puk knows a fair number of halflings lives there, many of whom have escaped slavery in Cheliax. Mining copper, iron and rarer metals Baslwief provides enough competition with Janderhoff to keep prices of ore affordable in Korvosa. After the dwarves ceased trading with queen Ileosa, it was Baslwief that had to provide all the iron needed for the Gray Maiden’s armor. Alan Fisk is a stout fisherman from Biston. The inhabitants of Biston have a strong sense of independence, which led to a revolt fifty years ago. Korvosa responded in full force, executing many separatists and installing army rule. Fisk’s grandparents were among the people killed and he still recalls the martial law from his youth, which was maintained for more than three decades. Ranch owner Janka Melchior is the acting mayor of Harse, a town known for its horse and livestock breeding. The lake town of Melfesh has sent its harbourmaster, Deskin Orfman. The heavily-fortified settlement controls the mouth of the Yondakari River into Lake Syrantula and uses its massive drawbridge to charge taxes on ships traveling between Janderhoff and Magnimar, although it shares these earnings with the dwarven city. One of Korvosa’s most important holdings is Palin’s Cove, which can be identified for miles around by the cloud of black smoke rising from its many factories which produce war machines like catapults, ballistae and trebuchets. Xandrina Dunstone is a young, but very successful entrepreneur hailing from this place. The shabby town of Sirathu has sent the landlord of its only inn, Erlo of the Hare. The gaunt man seems to be overwhelmed by the riches in the city and its castle. Finally, there is captain Julius Henderthane, the commander of Sable Company’s naval component, who normally lives in Veldraine. The city at the mouth of Conqueror’s Bay controls entrance to the Korvosan waters and houses and trains the city-state’s Navy. A few days ago Captain Henderthane led a decent force of surviving Sable Marines, who managed to escape prosecution by Ileosa.
When everyone has been properly introduced, Neolandus Kalepopolis opens the meeting: “Dear Council members, you know why we have convened. The tyranny of the usurper Ileosa has ended. You have been called to help us find a new ruler. The decision will be yours by majority rule. And so I ask you, do any of you aspire to succeed king Eodred II?”
The first to answer is Glorio Arkona: “I, Glorio Arkona, stand for king of Korvosa.”
“And who supports your claim?” Kalepopolis asks.
Baris Trenchlow from Old Korvosa rises: “Old Korvosa stands for Glorio Arkona as king.”
“That’s one,” Kalepopolis nods, “and who is your second?”
There is a short moment of silence, before Toff Ornelos sighs: “House Ornelos stands for Glorio on the throne as well.”
“All right”, the seneschal continues. “Are there any other candidates?”
This time Sjo raises his hand. “I want to run for king.”
Kalepopolis smiles. “Fine. And who is here to support your claim?”
Field marshal Cressida Kroft bangs her hand on the table. “I stand by you, Sjo. No one here is more deserving! The Watch is behind you.”
“As is the church of Pharasma”, Keppira d’Bear adds.
The seneschal looks around the table. “So we have two contenders for the throne, Lord Glorio Arkona and Shaoban. Ladies and gentlemen, the choice is you…”
Mercival Jeggare coughs to interrupt the Kalepopolis. “Excuse me, lord seneschal, but I’m afraid there are more than two candidates. I, Mercival Jeggare, descendant of Montlarion Jeggare who initially explored these lands and gave his name to the river, stand for … Aaron Endrin as king in Korvosa.”
“And with him House Bromathan”, Lord Valdur Bromathan exclaims. “Add House Leroung to the notes as well”, Christina Leroung says, throwing a glance of contempt at Sjo and his friends.
“Erh … Aaron Endrin?” Kalepopolis hesitates. “Lord Endrin, I suppose you accept this nomination?
“I do”; the young lord Endrin answers. “I, Aaron Endrin, son of Commander Marcus Thalassinus, do indeed stand for king of Korvosa.”
“Good,” Neolandus picks up, “are there any other candidates? No one? Alright, then we can continue. Lord contenders, the floor is yours. Tell us why you should be king.”
“Why don’t you let the youngster begin”, Glorio teases.
Aaron Endrin is the first to take the floor: “Ladies and gentlemen, for over three centuries House Endrin has served Korvosa. Waydon Endrin was but a simple sergeant when he defended Fort Korvosa from the fierce Shoanti attacks. His bravery and valor finally resulted in the title of commander, bestowed to him by Field Marshal Jakthion Korvosa himself. His endless zeal and exemplary discipline solved the tensions between the marines and the other soldiers, finally molding them into the Sable Company and the Korvosan Guard. His men loved and respected him and the settlers trusted him to watch over them. Until today he remains one of the most popular heroes in our history, with statues and memorabilia all over the city.
No House has provided more commanders for the Sable Company and field Marshals for the Guard than Endrin. In no House have more fathers, uncles, aunts, sons or daughters given their lives in service to the city. My own father, Marcus Thalassinus Endrin, was the first to see through the evil ploys of Ileosa and paid for his efforts to stop her with his life.
Personally, I fought in the front ranks of the rebellion to free the city. Just like my ancestors, I do not recoil in the face of danger and risk my blood and life to defend Korvosa. My House’s history is intertwined with this city. It was Waydon Endrin’s courage that got my family its noble title, an honor my family only enjoys in this city. The walls of Korvosa have been strengthened with Endrin blood. The citizens live, breathe, drink and dance because of the undying vigilance of my line. Now allow me to watch over the people of Korvosa as their highest commander. I swear to serve the city-state loyally. Grant me your trust and I won’t shame it. Make me king, and I will accomplish the task as it was always meant, not as everyone’s lord and ruler, but as everyone’s servant!”
Next it is Sjo’s turn. “My claim for the throne is not stapled in history, like lord Endrin’s. I look ahead and want to help guide this city towards a better future.
Unlike lord Endrin, I do not have a pedigree to fall back on. Still, my ancestry might be of even greater importance than any of yours. As you can clearly tell from the way I look, I am partly of Shoanti blood. This heritage never meant anything to me. I was left in this city as a baby and grew up on its streets, in poverty and hardship. If anyone knows what it is like to be a hard-working citizen, it is me, so you can all call me a true Korvosan in every sense of the word, except maybe my blood.
But since growing up, I have reconnected with that blood. The Shoanti have accepted me as a friend and brother, not so much based on my heritage, though, but on my actions. I have proven myself to them and gained their respect, so now I have their ear.
You have all heard the stories that thousands of Shoanti have entered our lands, bent on reclaiming it, knives and spears at the ready. How can we have a future when our oldest enemy has slipped into our beds? The answer is simple. Let’s not be enemies anymore and let’s build a brighter future together! I have already convinced the Shoanti not to invade. They remain in Kaer Maga, awaiting the terms of peace I will bring them.
So this is what I have to offer you all. A future! We have to build and rebuild, renew, rethink who and what we are, and yes, we have to unite! If you vote me king, this is what I promise you, a long-lasting peace so you can live out your lives free of monsters like Ileosa and the threat of a cut throat at the hands of enemy barbarians. Together we stand strong! Together we can build a better and safer Korvosa!”
Sjo speaks with words that burn with the same passion as his weapons in combat. His speech definitely makes an impact.
The last one to speak is Glorio Arkona. His gaze glides over the people around the table, the corner of his lips playfully turning up. “Respected council members, I would like to thank my fellow candidates for their inspiring words. I hope you have some energy left to listen to the ramblings of a somewhat older, and who knows … possibly wiser man.
Some of you will no doubt wonder why I stand for king, Glorio the Eel, Glorio the Sly, Glorio the strategist. I have asked myself that same question and arrived at one single answer: I have no other option that to apply for this office.
For, what makes a good king? Is he a warlord who is prepared to fight and bleed for his people? Perhaps he is, but which people want to drown their own history in blood? Is a good king not someone who tries to steer his people to peace instead, like Sjo suggested?
I have nothing but admiration for my fellow candidates. They have proved themselves true heroes in the trying times we experienced, ready to lay down their lives. And trust me, we need such heroes, because without them we wouldn’t be here. All of us are proud of them, and they deserve it; we cannot praise them enough.
But is that also what we expect of our king? Does Korvosa want a king who can fight well, or does it long for a king who can rule well? Do the people want a leader who faces adversity with a weapon in hand or is Korvosa better off with a ruler who anticipates such trouble and defuses it before it drags us all down in chaos?
Many of you know the part I played in the fight against Ileosa. I saw through her malignant intentions from day one and used all resources available to me to stop her. When our great heroes were still working to consolidate her position – and, I’m not ashamed to admit, Ileosa’s deceit was convincing – it was only Glorio Arkona who tried to undermine her. If they had been at my side at the time, as I asked them, things might have taken a turn for the better much sooner.
It is no secret either that I entertain certain relations with the Cerulean Society, which mud-slingers like to label as the thieves’ guild. The Society is not a gang of thieves. Its members do not steal, they do not burgle your houses, nor do they kill our citizens. They only act where our Watch falls short, they protect our artisans and merchants against others who steal, break in or murder. In fact, you could call them the commoner’s private guard, but not one that costs our coffers money, on the contrary, by paying vice tax they contribute to our city’s resources.
During Ileosa’s coup d’état I invested my personal fortune to enlist the Cerulean society’s aid. They know how the common man lives and what he feels, so they were ideally placed to call upon our citizens to raise their voice in protest. If only that voice had been heard loud enough, a lot of misery might have been avoided.
Over the course of months, I continued my efforts for a safer Korvosa. I provided shelter for the seneschal when he was a wanted man and asked me for help. Later I made sure he could escape to Janderhoff with our heroes, where he could ride out the storm that we were facing here, only to return when we had achieved victory and the coast was clear once more. I also housed the rebels when they had nowhere else to hide, as I’m sure some of you can confirm.
In the end I even joined the battle in this very throne room to vanquish Ileosa’s evil. A necessary deed, I fear. But I do not ask you to praise me for that. Save your idolatry for others, if you feel the need for it.
After all, I do not stand for king because I joined the battle, because I risked my fortune and life to save others. I do not stand for king either because I was the first to see through Ileosa’s deceit and treachery. Nor do I stand for king because my family is probably the richest in the country and I can use my personal funds to drag the city from the mire. I do not even stand for king because I have been providing the poorest of the poor with housing in my district for many years now.
I do stand for king because I am Glorio the Sly, someone who wants to handle our affairs with insight and intelligence. Someone who realizes good governance has nothing to do with courage and blood, but with getting informed, listening, analyzing, negotiating, feeling the pulse of the common man and making the right decisions at the appropriate time.
At this very moment thousands of Shoanti have gathered at our borders. Korvosa’s archenemy knocks at our door. Do we receive them with weapons or with words? Let’s be fair, not even the highest walls will protect us if we choose the first option. We need someone who can negotiate a solution, not someone who reaches for the sword at the first time of trouble, nor do we need someone whose loyalties towards Korvosa can be doubted. We could certainly use your aid in establishing a peace with the Shoanti, lord Sjo, but your position makes it hard for us to tell where your loyalties to Korvosa end and where your service to the Shoanti begins. I agree with you that we need peace, but I will always have Korvosa’s best interest at heart in achieving that goal. Will you as well?
So, dear members of the council, to sum it up. I have wielded a blade myself from time to time, with skill, I might even add. You may honor me as a warrior if you so choose, but I’d rather see you give this praise to others. The true heroes of our city are obviously at the other end of this table. They excel in battle so much more than I ever could or want to. But let each of us shine in our own field of talent. Aaron Endrin is still young, even though he can fall back on an impressive family tree, and he has already proven his own correct intentions and prowess. Let him henceforth prove himself as the new commander of the Sable Company, that is where his history lies, and – I guess – his heart as well. It is certainly where his talents lie. Let our heroes rebuild the city’s defenses. Let them be the broad shoulder behind which our citizens can feel safe again. Let them help us achieve a peace with the Shoanti as well. But leave the dreary bureaucracy and dull politics of office to the strategist among us. Make me your king and I will not drag you into our next war, no, I will lead us all to peace and prosperity!”
Glorio Arkona’s speech also resonates well with the people at the table. The sly fox hit the right strings.
Neolandus Kalepopolis concludes the meeting. Everyone has three days to consider the candidates. The council will reconvene on the 22nd of Rova to vote. If no one achieves a majority, the top two candidates will go on to a second round.
As everyone gets up from the table, Glorio Arkona approaches the party. He congratulates Sjo on his wonderful words and intentions and invites him and his friends over for dinner tomorrow at his manor, to discuss some matters further. Then he takes his leave.
20 Rova 4708
During breakfast, the party members deliberate which votes they might be able to secure, when suddenly somebody knocks at the front door. It is their dear friend, Vencarlo Orisini, with five pretty girls at his side. The girls look just young enough to have escaped Ileosa’s recent draft for the Gray Maidens. Balian invites them in and is charmed by their request, which is simply buried in giggles. They are here to invite the heroes to a big parade that the people of Korvosa are spontaneously organizing. Festivities start tomorrow at three on Kendall Plaza and our friends assure the girls they will be there.
After this little distraction the party starts its round through the city. They have chosen a number of council members who could possibly be swayed into voting for Sjo. Their first stop is Zenobia Zenderholme in the Longacre Building. The judge is a very rational and – obviously – lawful person, and the heroes approach her with a request for legal advice, rather than asking for her vote. They explain that their pact with the Shoanti will contain arrangements on how to pronounce justice. Zenderholm understands that a compromise is necessary to get both parties, Shoanti and Korvosans, to agree, but warns that over time rules that are built as ‘exceptions’ could become a problem. A special court for cases that involve people from both groups looks like a perfect solution at short notice, but who knows what will happen one or two generations down the line. Maybe there will be more people like Sjo, of mixed blood, who could use the letter of this law to their advantage to claim special treatment before the courts.
Sjo also wonders about the lack of support for Glorio Arkona among the noble houses. Apart from Ornelos, who seemed reluctant at best to back Arkona’s claim for the throne, the other nobles aren’t on Glorio’s side. Zenderholme sees two reasons for this: Arkona does have a reputation of having ties to the underworld, and he is also one of the richest people in town, which makes him a direct competitor for the Jeggare family. Still, Mercival Jeggare realizes that running for king himself could elicit a similar reaction among the voters, who might think he is already powerful enough. So he has put forward the inexperienced Aaron Endrin, an honest and trustworthy young man who could become Jeggare’s little puppet on the throne. Of course, there is no telling how far the strings to this puppet will stretch, after all, Endrin wouldn’t remain inexperienced forever.
When the heroes say goodbye to Zenobia Zenderholme, they feel like they made a good impression on her.
Their next destination is the Bank of Abadar. Archbanker Darb Tuttle is eager to speak with Sjo and listens attentively to his exposé on how the influx of thousands of new inhabitants will create enormous challenges and opportunities for commerce. He also sees a pivotal role for the church of Abadar to help integrate the Shoanti into civilized society. The alternative, war with the clans, is not an option, as it would be the downfall of Korvosan civilization, which cannot happen. Sjo concludes that the nalharest pact would definitely benefit from Abadar’s insight and support.
Darb Tuttle seems charmed by these suggestions, but raises a different matter that the future ruler of Korvosa will have to address. The government owes substantial debts, most of which were built up by queen Domina. The amount exceeds half a million gold sails, the Archbanker claims, and almost half of that is owed to the Bank of Abadar. Sjo admits that he wasn’t aware of that, but agrees that controlling this debt will have to be one of the government’s priorities. Fortunately, the party discovered almost 200,000 gold pieces worth of coin, gems and valuables in the crypts under Castle Korvosa, which they didn’t claim for themselves. Although they don’t reveal this fact to Tuttle, the knowledge that the new ruler will not have to start empty-handed, makes them feel a little better.
After swinging by the seneschal’s office to pick up a list with addresses of where the out-of-town council members are staying, our friends pay a visit to Erlo of the Hare, the representative of Korvosa’s poorest holding Sirathu, the town closest to Kaer Maga and the Shoanti army. Erlo is staying in a cheap dive in the harbor. He is very worried about the Shoanti and fears that they are too wild to be controlled by a pact. His settlement is not even protected by a palisade and has suffered countless Shoanti raids over the years. It is easy for city folk to claim they can protect everyone from the safety of their fortified walls, but living on the frontier is a whole nother story. Changing the worried man’s mind turns out to be too hard for the moment.
At noon the party stops by Tenna’s, the luxurious bed and breakfast, where they stayed themselves until recently. Now two representatives have taken up lodgings there: Walder Baslwief, the mine manager from Baslwief, and Deskin Orfman, the harbormaster from Melfesh. They all have lunch together while discussing various matters. Elvira draws the Shoanti card again, explaining that she and her friends entertain strong ties with the Shoanti and are working on a pact that will avert war and stipulate the conditions of living together peacefully. Melfesh will certainly be influenced by the return of the clans to the lowlands, as the city is on the southern edge of the unexploited lands that would house many of the tribes. Still, unlike Sirathu, Melfesh does have walls to protect it and harbormaster Orfman seems to be more at ease at the image the party is painting. He does have some worries of his own, though. Melfesh levies tolls on ships traveling between Magnimar and Janderhoff. He wants to be reassured that the depleted treasury in the capital will not lead to a plundering of his city’s coffers. Elvira does just that, by promising “no new taxes” and predicts even more business for the lakeside city when trade with the Shoanti picks up. Walder Baslwief is less concerned about the Shoanti – his city won’t be affected as much by the newcomers – but he says that Ileosa built up quite a bill with the mines when she ordered all iron ore to be delivered to Korvosa to forge the Gray Maiden armors. When Sjo learns this bill is ‘only’ 6,000 gold sails, he smiles. Paying won’t be a problem at all.
When they have finished their meal, the party looks up Janka Melchior, the rancher from Harse. They inquire about their friend Jasan Adriel, who lives near the settlement and is still taking care of their former lambs friends and Trinia Sabor. Janka claims that Jasan was doing fine when she saw him last. She is worried about the Shoanti, though. Her town used to be Shundar-Quah territory and the landscape is still dotted with ancient Spire Clan sites, mostly graves. Sjo nods understandingly, telling her that he and his friends cleared one of those tumuli of its bugbears inhabitants a few months ago. This experience ensured that the nalharest pact they are working on contains a clause on how to deal with Shoanti heritage. Janka Melchior is happy to hear about that, but it does not soothe all her concerns.
The final stop on the party’s round for today is River Raindance. The old woman is staying in Eel’s End, and the heroes find her in the Dragon’s Breath Corridor. Puk, a recovering addict, decides not to enter the drug den, but his friends do. They meet up with the old hippie in the smoky hold of the ship, where she is sipping from Cabbel tea. She welcomes the visitors at her table and offers them a cup, which they graciously accept. It almost seems as if River Raindance likes the Shoanti better than the city folk from Korvosa. She definitely admires their sense of freedom. When talking about the nalharest pact, she wonders why the settlements don’t get their own pacts as well. Abken would certainly like its own set of rules, tailored to its private situation and needs. Elvira understands Raindance’s point and says there might be opportunities to work towards such deals with someone like Sjo in charge.
When the heroes return to their villa to get ready for the dinner party at the Arkona palace, they find a note from an old friend, Amarice, who used to be in Lamm’s lambs with Sjo, Balian and Quint, and even saved their lives way back when. Although it seems like an eternity ago, it has only been a couple of months since our friends recommended Amarice to lleosa and Sabina Merrin for a post in the Gray Maidens. Now their old ally is in trouble, hiding from angry citizens who are out for vengeance against Ileosa’s former troops. She has taken refuge in the building that now sits in the same place where the old clog shop used to stand, the site where they all suffered under Lamm’s hard hand. She is not alone; four other maidens are there with her. When the party looks her up, they find her in the cellar of the house, which has a weathered chalk cross on the door. Whoever lived here after the house was rebuilt, died in the plague.
Amarice explains that the city is no longer safe for her sisters and her. They all used to be members of the Korvosan Guard who enlisted in the Gray Maidens, but they were among the ‘nice’ maidens, the ones who guarded the gates or patrolled the streets. There were two other sections of Gray Maidens, the ones who came from Cheliax (most of whom have fled back, she suspects) and the ‘enhanced’ ones, who all suddenly died a few days ago. Amarice and her sisters are prepared to face justice and allow Elvira to teleport them to Citadel Volshyenek, where Field Marshal Cressida Kroft locks them in a cell, but promises to keep them safe until they can stand trial.
From the Citadel our friends make a lovely evening stroll through the city, enjoying its refound peace and quiet, as well as its rekindling ‘joie de vivre’. Around eight o’clock they arrive at Arkona palace in Old Korvosa. As they approach the gates, a coach passes them. Through the window Elvira and Balian spot Ausio Carowyn, one of the lesser noblemen who also has a seat on the council.
Glorio Arkona welcomes the party in his exotic garden, where several brightly-colored birds sit in the trees, all specimens he acquired from the halfling Orkatto, who is South Shore representative at the voting table. Arkona looks as cordial as ever and offers his guests a tasty aperitive that seems as exotic as the garden itself. He toasts to the pleasures of life and ponders on who might vote for whom at the next meeting. He hopes that the representative of his own district, mastersmith Baris Trenchlow might still have his back, and feels that Lord Ornelos will support him as well, since the sour old wizard likes the other candidates even less. Furthermore, he expects the halfing Orkatto to vote for his best customer. Apart from that, he is not sure of any vote, he claims, he just hopes that his speech yesterday convinced a lot of people.
Lord Arkona admits that Aaron Endrin’s candidacy took him by surprise. He had expected the other noble houses to mount a counteroffensive, but Mercival Jeggare was on top of Arkona’s list of possible competitors. As it turns out, the head of the Jeggare family is playing it smart by hiding behind an innocent puppet that no one in their right mind might object to. This way he also ensured the support of the other noble families, except maybe for Ornelos. When Elvira interjects that Endrin will not have any support among the other council members, Arkona disagrees. The head of house Bromathan is a priest of Sarenrae, so he can easily sway highpriest Sollux’s vote. Hugo Barvoets’s inn in Eastshore is actually Endrin property, whereas Dermot Hallaer from Midland was saved from pirates by Aaron’s father Marcus a long time ago. Captain Julius Henderthane from Veldraine is a Sable Company man, who probably feels honor-bound to endorse the candidacy of the son of his former friend and commander. So Endrin could actually have a large portion of the voters in his pocket.
Moving to the dining room the conversation switches to the Shoanti. Arkona realizes how much of a threat an army of 4,000 Shoanti poses, but he is confident that the heroes will find a good solution for this issue. He stresses that the pact they are negotiating does not require Sjo to sit on the throne. So, if Arkona wins the race, he still hopes to work with the heroes for the benefit of all Korvosans. After all, he’s never wanted anything but to cooperate with the party, so why would that change now? Lord Arkona sees an important role for all the heroes in Korvosa’s future, just not as its king.
Elvira raises another, more sensitive question. Lord Arkona is already king, she claims, of another realm: Korvosa’s underworld. She does not see how the two dominions can co-exist. Is Arkona prepared to give up one seat of power to mount another? She doubts it.
Arkona smiles at her accusations: “I remember another of your gang accusing me of something similar, not so long ago, right before turning his own coat and working for the enemy instead. I have never made it a secret that I use the Cerulean Society’s services. When I do, I pay for them, handsomely I might add. After all, the society is a legal enterprise in the city. I believe that you and your friends grossly overestimate my interactions with them. You definitely have a misguided concept of who I am. What has ever given you the impression that I am a crime lord, other than rumors? Believe me, if I was, I would have spent the last few months very differently. Just think on the hundreds of opportunities I passed on to make coin in a time of crisis. Why would I do that? I’ll tell you why, because I have Korvosa’s best interest at heart, not my own.
As far as my seat of power is concerned, I am indeed at the head of a very successful and lucrative business empire. I am the lord of a powerful noble house, I already try to do a lot of good for the poor in my district, so I feel the throne is just the next logical step. My sister can take charge here, she has been working at my side for many years now, so she knows the business inside out.
It is like I told you yesterday: becoming king is the only option I have.”
The party is still in Old Korvosa, having dinner at palace Arkona, their main competitor for the throne. During the main course lord Arkona wonders if Sjo has any idea who will be voting for him, but the healer avoids the question. Then Arkona proposes a deal; if he doesn’t make it to the second round, he will support Sjo if the half-Shoanti commits to the same. Elvira thinks it is still too early to make such promises. Her friend’s main concern is guarding the unity of Korvosa and spreading that harmony to include the Shoanti. Arkona agrees that she paints a beautiful vision of the future, but reality might prove harder than those dreams. As dinners ends the heroes say goodbye to their gracious host, who whispers to Sjo as he shakes his hand: “May the best man win.”
21 Rova 4708
The next morning Puk, Balian and Elvira are alone at breakfast. Sjo has decided to spend the night at Larella’s and hasn’t returned yet. Suddenly a carriage pulls up in front of the villa. The horse-drawn coach is painted black with several red highlights and gold-covered details. Two men in a silver-colored breastplate and a flashy red cloak dismount and open the door, allowing the passengers to step out. The first is Urdo Chartagnion, the newly arrived high-priest of Asmodeus, followed by a dwarf and a robed woman, both with fiery red hair.
Elvira greets them at the front door. The priest coughs: “Good morning, we met the day before yesterday at the council, but I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself properly. I’m here to rectify that … and some other matters as well, I guess. Anyway, my name is Urdo Chartagnion, priest to His Dark Highness, and these are my associates, inquisitor ‘Chain’ Kain and Lydia Halcrest, both from the personal entourage of Her Infernal Majestrix, Abrogail II of Cheliax.
We have learned that your gang of … heroes – is that what they’re calling you here? – played a pivotal part in the battle against Queen Ileosa and her ally Highpriest Orhner Reebs of Asmodeus. Both Ileosa and Reebs hailed from the motherland, Cheliax, where they were part of high society. Their deaths raised many eyebrows and even more questions back home, so I have been sent here to investigate the circumstances of their demise.” As he states this, the slender man produces an official document, bearing the royal seal of queen Abrogail. “It seemed only fitting that I look you up to give you a chance to explain yourselves.
Elvira hushes back Balian, who feels insulted by these veiled threats. She shares his sentiments, but realizes that diplomacy might be the best way to handle this situation. She explains in some detail that Ileosa Arvanxi fell to the overpowering influence of an ancient evil, Kazavon, a general in Zon-Kuthon’s forces. Kazavon was once a mighty blue dragon, the worst of his kind ever to set foot on Golarion. When he was done with Ileosa, she was no more than a puppet in his claws. He included other pawns in his vile practices, like Highpriest Ornher Reebs, forcing the man to make hundreds of blood sacrifices, innocent lives stolen from Korvosa’s bosom, knowing full well that such dark deeds were forbidden in the city. Ornher Reebs came to Korvosa with Queen Domina, straight from the heart of Chelaxian society. She probably was the last true and honorable power on the throne and she strictly forbade Reebs from making human sacrifices several decades ago. So when he started making these new offerings recently, he was well aware it was against the law. Ileosa didn’t lift one finger to stop him, on the contrary, she encouraged him because she needed the blood.
So Elvira’s friends had no other option than to step in. If the so-called queen didn’t ensure that the laws were being obeyed, someone else had to, even if it meant fighting the government. Of course, a government controlled by an evil entity is not entitled to its power anyway, so the party did what was necessary. They weren’t alone in their protest either, they were part of a larger organization, that included the Arkonas, Endrins, Bromathans, Leroungs to name only a few. They also had the support of head judge Zenderholm, the churches of Sarenrae and Pharasma, the seneschal, the Field Marshal of the Korvosan Guard and the survivors of the Sable Company. Even the priestesses of Asmodeus who were not enthralled backed their actions. It is true that it was by their hand that Ileosa and Reebs perished, but the fight was only part of a larger civil war, much like the one the Thrunes fought in Cheliax to restore order to a land devastated by chaos.
Another great example of the party’s respect for the law is the fact that they didn’t just seize the throne when they could – after defeating Ileosa – but fell back in line and followed procedure in an official bid for the ruler’s seat. Elvira is sure that the other noble families will confirm that they only acted in the best interest of Korvosa and the law. Chartagnion says he will consider her arguments and talk to some other witnesses to corroborate her story, but she gets the impression that he is more or less on board.
When Sjo returns to the villa, his friends tell him about the inquisition as they walk to the citadel of the Watch to meet up with captain Artan Jalento, one of the voting members on the council. The minor nobleman is eager to talk with them and leads them to the battlements overlooking the river to have a quiet conversation. Elvira asks if he has a preferred candidate for tomorrow’s vote and he answers truthfully: he still doubts between Sjo and Aaron Endrin. He knows he owes Sjo and his friends a lot, they saved his son several times. On the other hand, being a military man, he cannot help but feel connected to Aaron Endrin. If Endrin becomes king, he will put the army first and Jalento agrees: it is paramount that the city repairs its failing military forces as soon as possible. There is no way Korvosa can stand up to the Shoanti at the moment, so much is clear, so peace will have to be brokered, and while Sjo offers the best chance to achieve this, one has to be realistic as well. If the Shoanti return to Korvosa to live in ‘peace’, there will still be incidents along the line between them and the Korvosans. The Guard will be important in controlling these occurrences and Endrin offers the best chance of making the army a priority. So who should he choose? Sjo for saving his son and closing the deal with the Shoanti, or Endrin for ensuring that the peace will endure? Elvira understands his dilemma, but cautions him, there will have to be peace first before it can be maintained. Moreover, Field Marshal Cressida Kroft is one of the party’s closest allies and staunchest supporters, so the Korvosan Guard will not be forgotten if Sjo becomes king. Not by a long shot.
Next the heroes make their way to the Heights to pay a visit to Theodoric Bandor, the district’s representative in the council. On the way Elvira picks up a couple of lead boxes, which she uses to contain the Crown of Fangs and the various infernal contracts the party still has in its possession. When everything is securely locked away, she puts the boxes back into the bag of holding.
The Wise Dragon Inn is still rather quiet during these early hours, with just handful of lone students pouring over their study notes. Innkeeper Bandor is cleaning up behind the bar. “Ah, important guests in my humble establishment. I’m honored”, he muses. “Can I offer you some morning tea?” Elvira congratulates the man on gaining a seat in the Grand Council and asks him if he’s going to vote for the right candidate. His response is hesitant, suggesting that someone might be forcing him to lend his support. Elvira assumes Bandor is being pressured by Toff Ornelos, whose powerful Acadamae influences much of what transpires in the Heights, and insinuates that Lord Ornelos might not be at the head of the Acadamae for long, not if she has anything to do with it. Bandor is surprised by this, House Ornelos is incredibly powerful and will never relinquish control of the Acadamae to anyone else, he says. Moreover, the family is pretty big, and each Ornelos is as ambitious as the next. If the current lord were ever removed from power, another Ornelos would just step in to take over. Elvira shrugs, House Ornelos doesn’t have the monopoly on wielding wondrous powers. They are just very unscrupulous when using them, like their ally lord Arkona. His hands are also far from clean. Theodoric Bandor seems to agree, but fear apparently keeps him from saying so. When Elvira spots this, she makes a simple statement. Every council member can vote as he pleases; the vote is secret, so no one else will be able to tell who supported which candidate, even if the voting member was pressured. A glimmer of hope appears in Bandor’s eyes. As Elvira takes her leave, she compliments Bandor on his business. Being a former Acadamae student, she knows how important the inn is in the academic community. If Sjo becomes king, Elvira will be right there at his side to ensure that Korvosa’s various colleges continue to bloom and all businesses affiliated to them will bloom alongside, she smiles.
Around noon the party joins the Magistrate of Expenditures, Syl Gar, in a restaurant close to city hall. Although Syl Gar is the city’s most popular magistrate – he spends a lot of its money after all – he is a complacent man as well. He has already acquired Lord Arkona’s promise that his office will grow in the future. Balian laughs at this: with a city in need of rebuilding, it is obvious that a lot of gold sails will flow through his hands in the near future. Sjo doesn’t want to enter a bidding contest, so he leaves the man to bathe in his own smugness.
On the way home Elvira tries to draw up the balance. She anticipates that Endrin has the biggest group of supporters he can effectively count upon, most likely eight, but his chances of pulling in extra votes are much lower than the other two candidates. Lord Arkona’s starting base is much smaller, probably four, but he is much more talented at swaying other people’s minds. Likewise, Sjo has at least four votes he can be sure of, but Elvira estimates that he has the biggest chance of pulling in extra votes. She predicts eight, so four plus eight makes twelve! Not a majority – you need sixteen votes for that – but definitely enough to make it to round two. She also wonders if there are any Endrin votes Sjo could ‘steal’. Ezekiel Sollux, the highpriest of Sarenrae, might fit the bill. Maybe they should look him up tomorrow, before the council starts. But now it is time to return to the villa and prepare for the festivities.
The parade is set to leave at half past three in the afternoon at the Kendall Plaza next to the Amphitheatre. When the party arrives, a crowd has already gathered there, most of whom are dressed up as figures from Korvosa’s recent history. Many wear the attire of common men and women, but others are disguised as Gray Maidens, plague doctors, Sable Marines. There are also three versions of Ileosa and one Eodred. The heroes meet quite a few familiar faces among the characters: their dear old friend Trinia Sabor is back, Sirtane Leroung is present as well, as is Aaron Endrin and almost the complete cast of The Passion of Saint Alika. Director Touran Palastus is the master of ceremony. There are five floats, two large ones and three smaller vehicles. The large wagons represent the stage of the Marble Dome and the throne room, whereas the smaller ones display the royal bedroom, a balcony with an executioner’s block and a laboratory. The heroes are led to the throne room wagon, which will be the final station in the parade.
They can see the parade take off with lots of music and dancing. The first wagon shows an ailing Eodred in his bed with a wicked Ileosa at his side, administering poison. The next wagonless station demonstrates the chaos in the city. A group of angry citizens protests the illegal accension of the new queen. A mad prophet moves through them, raving about impending doom.
Next is The Passion of Saint Alika, set upon the Marble Dome float. The original cast of the opera brings the highlights of the show. Behind them follows the wagon with the balcony and the executioner’s block. While Ileosa crowns herself, she looks down on the executioner and orders him to kill Trinia Sabor, who is suddenly saved by Blackjack.
The next station is a group of infected citizens, who are made even sicker by doctors wearing beaked masks. They are immediately followed by the laboratory float, where Sirtane Leroung concocts a cure which heals the sick as if by magic.
Next in line are the Sable marines, who are either being arrested or killed by Gray Maidens. Some of the actors are walking on stilts and have some kind of bird suit around their waist and legs, representing their hippogryphs. The terror of the Gray Maidens continues in the following station, which shows the queen’s troops forcing laborers to forge suits of armor and build giant statues. Other red-cloaked fighters commandeer young women to serve as ‘new troops’, ignoring the pleas of desperate mothers. This part of the parade, though fairly simple in execution, generates a lot of reaction from the bystanders. After all, it represents the recent woes and troubles of every citizen in Korvosa.
The brutality of the Gray Maidens is countered in the next scene. Here, rebels fight the hated soldiers in a thrilling show of swordplay, led by Aaron Endrin and Illrem Bromathan. But the most impressive station is the final one. A large wagon, drawn by a dozen horses, has been converted to a magnificent float of the castle’s throne room. On one end Ileosa towers above her guard, standing on a dais, her royal seat behind her. The other end of the wagon sports the imposing puppet of a blue dragon, a work of art constructed by Dargo, the ‘Hump’, the master of special effects in the Marbledome opera house. The party has been given a prominent place in the center of the float. Touran Palastus instructs them to practice fake swordplay, as they did in the opera, fighting off the queen’s Gray Maidens.
The parade slowly crawls from Kendall Plaza over Ramp Boulevard towards the castle. Thick rows of people cheer the spectacle on, yelling even louder when the final wagon passes. At first, Balian spars a bit with the actresses in armor and red cloaks, but the party soon realizes that the crowd just wants them to wave, so that is what they do. A sea of children flocks behind the final wagon, following with gusto.
After bending around the grand mastaba, the heroes’ float halts for the first time on Domina Square, north of the castle. The half-completed statue of Ileosa, already reaching at least 50 feet, has been anchored down in a web of ropes. At the far side of the square stands a straw puppet of queen Ileosa, bearing a target on her chest. The crowd calls for the heroes to take a shot. Balian jumps down, grabs a bow and fires. Bullseye! And the crowd goes crazy.
The tour picks up on the Crest Circle East, moving along Academic Avenue and Dead Shoanti Way to Jeggare Circle, where another giant statue in honor of queen Ileosa was being constructed, this one even bigger than the one on Domina Square. The figure is also draped heavily with ropes.
In front of the giant stone feet, a man dressed as a fool stands on a wooden stage. As the party’s float pulls to a stop, the merry jester shouts to the crowd: “Behold, ladies and gentlemen, the heroes and saviors of Korvosa! What do you say? Do you want to know if they have some tall tales to tell? Shall we challenge them to a bragging contest?”
The people chant loudly: “BRAG! BRAG! BRAG!”
The jester hails the party over. “Who amongst you possesses the sharpest tongue?” he inquires. Sjo steps up, seeing Lord Arkona is already waiting for him next to the stage.
The fool explains how the contest works. The bragger has to entertain the spectators for five minutes with a tall tale. First, he has to present himself as someone to be respected, possibly even feared. Next, he has to spin a wonderful story in which he features as the protagonist, ending his speech with a gallant word of gratitude to his audience. Afterwards the people will decide on the winner.
Reaching up to pat the tall half-Shoanti on the shoulder, the fool cries out: “Our heroes do not recoil in the face of a challenge. Please give Lord Sjo a hand! And please welcome his contender! Here is the hero of Old Korvosa! Give it up for Lord Glorio Arkona!”
Lord Arkona jumps on the podium and shakes Sjo’s hand amicably. The fool comments: “Sure, now they are still friendly to each other, but let us determine once and for all who is the greatest hero of the city! Lord Glorio, the floor is yours.”
“Lord Glorio? Lord Glorio, you say?” The nobleman draws his blade and swirls it around with flair. “We’re on first-name basis now, are we? You’d better learn your place, mister jester. It’s lord Arkona to the likes of you! Only my true friends, like all of you,” Arkona gestures to the many onlookers on the square, “get to call me Glorio!”
“So, my friends, allow me to tell you a little story about the time I visited the distant shores of Vudra. I’m not sure if you have ever heard of the Vudran goddess Chamidu, but if you haven’t, she’s a voluptuous jewel with six arms and four faces, each one more attractive than the next.” With a wave of his hand, the lord of Old Korvosa summons the image of the exotic Chamidu out of thin air.
Anyway, one day I was allowed access to her temple, where six of her priestesses, her so-called six arms, were guarding her sanctuary. Each of them was as pretty as the stars on a moonless night and I was smitten.
Because I wanted to know which one of these six was the most beautiful, I slipped back into the temple the following night. By the giant lotus I encountered the first of them. I seduced her and after the best love-making ever, I was convinced that she most exquisite woman I had ever known. Trying to sneak out again, I ran into two more priestesses. I turned on the Arkona charm, explaining why I was inside, and before I realized, we were making love in the drizzle of the fountain. This confused me, because these two were also the loveliest creatures that had ever crossed my path.
Dazed I looked for the way out, when I suddenly noticed the final three ‘arms’ by Chamidu’s altar. I still don’t know which magic beguiled me that night, but half an hour later, six sweet hands were caressing my body under the Chamidu statue’s approving eyes. By now I was completely lost, they were all equally stunning. When I finally limped out of the temple in the morning, I was none the wiser. But, my dear friends, I can assure you. No one in Vudra has ever been blessed like I was that night!”
Glorio’s cheeky story easily wins over the crowd. As the people laugh and clap, the nobleman takes a bow: “Honored listeners, that’s it for me, I’m afraid. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and attention. I wish you a lot of fun with my opponent’s tale.”
Sjo smiles at Arkona and takes the stage confidently. “Greetings, dear Korvosans. They call me Shoaban Onemaker, a common man of the streets, found in the river as a baby, turned hero to protect all of you! I am the son of the sun and your future king!” As Sjo cries out these words, he unfolds his burning wings and lifts off a few feet, awing all present.
“Only a few days ago the evil queen Ileosa was still wearing her crown, when a group of brave rebels fought their way into her throne room, me and my comrades among them. We defeated her wizard, chased away her dragons, laid waste to her Gray Maidens and finally struck down the witch herself, but it wasn’t the real queen we had conquered, no, it was but a simple clone!
And so, while people like Lord Arkona believed the evil vanquished, we knew better. We tracked the real Ileosa down to an ancient temple, dedicated to none other than Runelord Sorshen herself, hidden deep within the moors. This time I was there with just my three trusted companions at my side, Balian the Brave, Puk the Piercer and Elvira the Elegant. We battled our way past mythical sea giants and the finest of the Gray Maidens, including their unrelenting commander Sabina Merrin atop her Black dragon steed. But the worse was yet to come. Bathing in a pool of blood, drawing power from every innocent life that she had claimed in our beloved city, was the usurper, Ileosa Arvanxi, the deceiver. From the blood she summoned a colossal dragon to protect her, while generals from the legions of Hell appeared at her side. No words exist to express the fierceness of our battle. Puk and Balian cut down one devil after the other, only to see each one replaced with two more. Elvira wielded the strongest magic to assist them, while I relied on my mastery over FIRE to fight Ileosa back.” At the same moment Sjo unleashes a burning pillar at his side. “Three times Balian fell to the devils’ claws, three times I dragged him back from the edge with my healing spells, but in the end there were none standing but the cackling hag Ileosa and me. She tried to use her wiles to overpower my mind. I resisted! She tried to cut me down with her vicious rapier. I survived! When I finally got close to her, I was on the brink of death, but I did not give up. Inspired by how hard my beloved Korvosa had fought to stand up to her evil, I knew this was our only chance. So, fighting back unconsciousness, I wrapped my hands around her throat and squeezed … squeezed until life left her! Squeezed until her breathing ceased, until her false words could no longer deceive us. I squeezed until light left her eyes and she lay dead at my feet.
That is what I did for you, my friends! I thank you for giving me the strength to push on, the inspiration to overcome my worldly limits and the dedication to fight for what I love. That is what I did for you, Korvosa! A free Korvosa!”
Once more a thundering cheer bursts out from the crowd. The fool steps forward again and tries to determine who has the most supporters: Arkona or Sjo. He stands between the two contesters, holding their hands, judging the reaction of the people.
The fool shouts out, as the people quiet down, now holding their breaths. “People of Korvosa! They have bragged bravely. And the winner is …” Then he lifts both lord Arkona’s and Sjo’s hand into the air. It is a draw! The crowd eats it up.
A few minutes later the parade is on the move again. It goes down the first part of Northgate Avenue, before taking a right turn to Sunrise Boulevard, continuing along Harborview North and South, finally reaching the Gold Market on Eodred Circle. The whole city has come down to see the spectacle. Rows upon rows of Korvosans cheer the wagons on. Even more people have gathered on the round square. Yet another incomplete statue of Ileosa is strung up in heavy rope. A large stage has been constructed in front of the shops. While all the characters from the parade gather in the square, the floats pull away. Many spectators congratulate the heroes, pat them on the back in appreciation, hug them or even try to sneak in a kiss.
A Varisian theatre company appears on stage. Sjo and Balian immediately recognize Alan Terdal in the role of king Eodred. The warm-hearted gypsy treated them so kindly when they were just children in the employ of Gaedran Lamm. His pretty daughter portrays Ileosa. The play is a heavily improvised version of the party’s adventures against Ileosa, containing more fantasy than fact. It even hints at a budding attraction between Balian and the queen. Still, the piece is very entertaining, and the crowd is extremely pleased. More civilians approach the heroes to toast to their health, pay them homage or gratitude, touch or kiss them, some just even want to be close to them for a while.
At three o’clock the second grand council starts. The candidates get a new chance to defend their ideas. This time the seneschal asks them to focus on their projects for Korvosa.
Aaron Endrin kicks off again: “Honored members of the council. Three days ago I already explained to you that I’m willing to serve the city loyally if you choose me as its king. My first priority would be rebuilding our military strength. Ileosa’s intrigues have left our defenses ruined. The current Shoanti threat painfully illustrates how weak we are. And so we all hope to resolve this conflict peacefully. But what if other enemies close in on Korvosa? Hit her while she’s weak? We cannot waste any time. We have to regain our strength as soon as possible.
First and foremost, we have to restore our forces, both the Korvosan Guard and the Sable Company. The Janderhoff dwarves have been so kind as to offer their aid, but we cannot rely on them forever. Once our forces are rebuilt, allowing us protection from outside threats and guaranteeing order and peace inside our own walls, the economy will follow. Safety will be the cornerstone of our economic recovery.
Moreover, I want to involve the council of nobles more closely in my work. I propose increasing the frequency of our meetings from once to twice a month. On top of that, I will call upon all of you during a grand council twice a year. You can bring the questions and worries of the common man to me, so I can govern for the people, and not live in an ivory tower while deciding what is best for all Korvosans. The past has given us too many bad examples of this type of ruler. It is time for a change; I want to offer Korvosa a safe future where everyone’s opinion matters. That is what I offer if you elect me king.”
Neolandus Kalepopolis thanks lord Endrin for his inspiring words and asks the council members if they have any questions for him. Elvira wonders if this future grand council would include Shoanti. If they become our compatriots, they will, Endrin ensures.
Captain Henderthane wants to know who Endrin sees at the head of the Korvosan Guard and the Sable Company. Field Marshal Kroft should stay in place, while Illrem Bromathan, the former leader of the rebellion and the highest-ranking officer left in the Sable Company, should assume control of his troops.
Zenobia Zenderholm inquires about Endrin’s plans for Ileosa’s supporters, like the surviving Gray Maidens. Endrin says he trusts in the city’s legal system and its head judge’s fairness. He has a harder time relaying Darb Tuttle’s worries about the city’s debts, since his plans to hastily rebuild the military will strain the coffers even further. Still, he is sure the economy will pick up after that and more funds will flow back to replace the ones spent. Endrin is not a defender of guilds, though, so when Baris Trenchlow inquires about them, he gets a disappointing answer.
The next to address the council is Sjo. He mainly stresses the importance of a smooth transition when the Shoanti re-integrate in the Korvosan lowlands. A well-balanced peace treaty with the tribes from the Storval Heights will be key in Korvosa’s future. The Shoanti are returning to the lowlands, there is no stopping that! Let’s make sure they do so as friends, not as enemies, not as rivals, not even as annoying neighbors. Their presence will be a boost to our economy, they can help us defend the nation against outside threats, but they can just as well protect an isolated farmer from a roaming bear or a rogue wolf. None of the other candidates has the right connections or authority to treat with the clans and strike a mutually beneficial deal that both side can and will honor.
After his speech Sjo answers some questions as well. Urdo Chartagnion wants to know what Sjo would do if he and his companions were found guilty under Chelish law for the murder of Ileosa and Orhner Reebs. If necessary, Sjo says, he will submit to the law. The new highpriest of Asmodeus continues his query. Korvosa is currently not equipped to safeguard the Crown of Fangs. This evil artifact should be taken to Cheliax, where it can be kept safe. Elvira assures him that the crown is safe for now and, as soon as opportunity allows, she and her friends will start looking for a way to destroy the corrupting relic permanently. The help and advice of Shoanti sages will be invaluable in this effort, Elvira continues, but Cheliax’s aid will not be required. All the empire needs to know is that the Fangs of Midnight will never be a threat again. Chartagnion does not appear to be happy with Elvira’s response, but he does not press the matter.
Toff Ornelos believes the companions should be held accountable for the deaths of a number of the Acadamae’s guards, just a couple of weeks ago. Elvira turns the table on him and states that Ornelos himself will be accountable to the city for the role he played in Ileosa’s rise to power. That seems to shut him up.
Darb Tuttle and Syl Gar wonder about Sjo’s economic policy, and again he projects that the Shoanti will have a great influx and impact on trade. Even if they don’t necessarily use money, exchanging goods works just as well. When Baris Trenchlow asks if guilds fit into this system, Sjo cannot give a definitive answer, much to the mastersmith’s chagrin. The man concludes Sjo is quickly turning into a politician, making hollow promises.
Last, but not least, Glorio Arkona takes the floor: “Three days ago I already told you that I want to govern the city of Korvosa, not its military forces. Of course the Guard and the Sable Company have to regain their strength, but I’m not sure quantity and speed are primordial in this recovery, I favor quality. It’s not like we will be able to raise an army in two weeks’ time, to fend off the Shoanti. I’ve never believed in fighting and death. If the last couple of months under Ileosa have proven anything, it’s that these don’t work. More than 3,000 Korvosans have been killed by her disastrous regime. How many more lives do we have to lose before we understand that war is not the answer? Peace is. Let’s make that our priority, peace and stability!
Let us also focus on our economy. And let me set your mind at ease immediately, master Trenchlow, Korvosa’s pet peeve, that guilds are forbidden, is outdated. We will be crushed by our competitors if we stick to our ancient principles. Guilds are the best way to allow our craftsmen and traders to grow. We have some of the finest artisans in the world, making the most exquisite products; we have direct access to the Chelish market, which is insatiable, believe me, friends, the opportunities are ripe for the taking. If our economy grows, we will all benefit. More work means more money for our people. In time, it will even serve the city’s coffers, because more money also means more taxes, especially if we can levy guild taxes.
Guilds also imply new power players in the city. Guild masters will assume control of the economic playing field. Should we fear that? I am at the head of one of the city’s most powerful families, having gathered all its wealth from trade. Do I fear competition? No, I do not. A growing economy will benefit all of us. It will also force us to re-evaluate how we work and improve our efficiency. Competitors can drive you to become better. A monopoly for the noble houses is out of date. Time has come for change, so everyone can share in our prosperity.
Another of my projects will be aiding the poor. On the one hand, I hope that by bringing prosperity to Korvosa, more people will get jobs and escape poverty. On the other hand, I want to expand the work I’ve been doing in Old-Korvosa – getting the poor affordable housing – to the rest of the city. I hope that the church of Sarenrae can aid me in this effort.
So these are my plans: make sure there is peace and stability, stimulate the economy, allow guilds and take care of the poor. Elect me king and I will give Korvosa prosperity and peace, so it can realize its true potential.”
After his speech, Arkona also answers questions. He, too, wants to keep Cressida Kroft in her seat as Field Marshal, but he would rather see Aaron Endrin at the head of the Sable Company. He’d make a fine successor of his father, doing both what he does best and doing what he loves.
He addresses Lady Zenderholm’s question about the Gray Maidens, saying they should not be punished for Ileosa’s crimes. If they can prove their hearts are true, they should be granted amnesty. After all, most of the girls who have remained in the city are our own daughters, our sisters, our neighbors or friends. Arkona does not feel like closing the Ileosa age with yet another bloodbath.
Next, Arkona eases Tuttle’s concerns. Paying off public debt has to be a priority, although it will require a long-term policy, something the church of Abadar will be able to help with.
Finally, Alan Fisk wonders what Arkona’s plans for the poor and the common man entail. Arkona says he has always honored the principle that those who are well off have the responsibility to look after the less fortunate. His family provides social housing in Old Korvosa for the poor. With the aid of the church of Sarenrae and anyone else who is interested, he’s hoping to see how he can bring welfare to all districts and all settlements. He cites Sirathu as an example, referring to the shabby Erlo of the Hare at the table, who is probably Sirathu’s wealthiest inhabitant. Most people in this village have little more than dust to eat. If Korvosa can set them up with seeds and equipment to work the land, they will be able to grow their own crops and in the long term even contribute to society as a whole. Every pauper who can be lifted from his misery, will grow to become a valuable member of society, to the benefit of everyone. That is the kind of world that Arkona wishes to build.
Now, seneschal Kalepopolis says, it is time to vote. Every voter has three colored stones to choose from: a black one for Endrin, a white one for Sjo and a red one for Arkona. One by one the council members deposit one stone in an urn. Sjo does so for the party. Then Kalepopolis gathers the urn and starts counting the stones. There seems too be a lot of red and white, but only a few black ones. The final result is five for Endrin, eleven for Sjo and fifteen for Arkona, which means the lord from Old Korvosa misses just one to have a majority. Endrin and his entourage seem taken aback by the result, especially lord Mercival Jeggare. Neolandus Kalepopolis declares that Sjo and Glorio Arkona will go head to head in the second and final round, in three days’ time.
Before he retires, Lord Jeggare regains his composure and turns to the heroes. “Congratulations, I have to admit this is not what I had hoped for, nor what I had expected, but being as it is, I think we have to talk. I would like to invite you to a party I’m throwing at my museum, the day after tomorrow, at seven o’clock in the evening. The city already celebrated Ileosa’s defeat yesterday, I think we should do the same, but not with the whole city present. Something small, you know, a hundred guests maybe. I’d love for you to be there as well. It might even be an excellent opportunity for you to do some networking. I reckon you will need it, after all, Arkona only needs one more vote to win.”
When the play is finished, it is time for the climax of the evening: the toppling of the statues. Hundreds of Korvosans, not just able-bodied women and men, but children and elderly people as well, all of them side by side, shoulder by shoulder, walk over and pick up the ropes, ready to start a tug-of-war with the gigantic obsidian image of Ileosa. Alan Terdal, acting as master of ceremony on the square, invites the heroes over to the stage and shouts out to the crowd: “People of Korvosa, the usurper is gone. Now rid the city of her memory. Tear down these hulking effigies and prepare for a new dawn! When the fireworks go off, all four statues of Ileosa will fall at the same time, on Domina Square, Jeggare Circle, here on the Gold Market and on Eodred’s Walk.” Several barrels are revealed, filled with rows of big, brightly colored skyrockets. The tubes all end in fuses that have been combined in one central wick.
“Now, let us count down!” Alan booms over the square, encouraging the crowd to aid him. At the same time, the Varisian entertainer gives Sjo a wink. “Light it”, he whispers. The big man smiles as flames erupts from his fingers. “Here we go”, he says, as the fuse starts burning. “TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!”
The next moment a loud bang fills the stage with smoke and sends a lone rocket screaming into the sky. It explodes into a thousand orange sparks. “PULL!” resounds from the square, as more rockets take off, now whirling in a purple spiral. Even more smoke fills the stage, slowly obscuring the party.
Balian wants to jump off the podium to join the people on the ropes, but his head twirls for a second. He bites off the wooziness, licking his lips and realizing that one of the girls who just kissed him must have slipped him some kind of poison. Elvira notes that the smoke on stage takes on a red hue, too deeply colored to be a mere reflection of the bright explosions overhead. Red mist, she figures, dear gods … the red mantis are here!
Balian’s instinct warns him as well, he pulls out his blade just as a shadow breaks from the ever-denser mist and attacks him. The two opponents hit each other at almost the same time, both drawing blood. On the other side of the podium more figures in red carapace armor close in on Sjo. Two of them strike him with their serrated blades, while another one summons half a dozen mirror images and a fourth one boosts his brethren with haste. The smoke and red mist make it hard to pinpoint the exact location of the enemies to everyone but Sjo, whose blindsense has no trouble spotting where the assailants are. He catches three of them in a column of fire that he conjures from above. Elvira, who is extremely vulnerable in close-quarter combat, sees an assassin charging and takes a vicious cut from his sawtooth sabre. She cannot allow him to unfold the full force of his swirling blades on her, so she quickly spits out a spell to take control of his mind. The man halts his attacks immediately and when she orders him to attack the nimble red mantis who suddenly appears in her back, he complies.
Balian and Puk team up to try and take out the attackers one by one, but this leaves Sjo exposed to the fury of four assassins. Their blades hit him like a rain storm, buffeting off his armor from every angle with incredible speed and sometimes finding purchase. Fortunately his shining full plate protects him well enough to weather the downpour, if only just. The half-Shoanti steps back and lets his most powerful healing spell flow through his veins, bringing himself back to full health. Those bastards will not beat him so easily Elvira casts hold monster on another foe, freezing that one in place for a mere second, before she breaks out of the paralysis again. At the far end of the platform Balian and Puk are progressing slowly, slaying a first and then a second enemy. As always, both red mantis bodies turn to red mist before hitting the wooden floor. Elvira’s new minion unleashes hell on his former colleague, slicing her up so badly that she is forced to retreat and flee. Sjo is still in the thick of the battle and barely survives another barrage of cuts. He has to rely on more healing to remain standing, but this gives his friends the opportunity to continue picking off red mantises. Slowly the odds shift in the party’s favor. Balian and Puk’s work starts paying dividend as they cut down the assassins one by one. Sjo now steps in behind them to provide healing. As number three and four fall, the last surviving killer tries to get away, but Balian interrupts his flight. In desperation the man morphs into a giant locust, but this does not protect him from biting the dust.
As the smoke clears, a joyful cheer from a hundred voices resounds when the statue of Ileosa finally keels over. “Hurrah! Hurrah!” It looks like no one even noticed what just transpired on the stage and the heroes decide to leave it like that. They generously say goodbye to the crowd and retire to the villa. Tomorrow will be an important day, after all.
Back at home, Elvira orders the dominated assassin to take off his mantis mask. His features identify him as a half-elf. He goes by the name of Matteo, but he doesn’t know who ordered the hit. He is just a soldier following orders. The leader of his squad, Vashian, is the one who fled after he badly cut her up. She probably knew more. Apparently, they were teleported here earlier today from their hidden base in the South. The crimson killers are known for their tenacity, if they fail their mission – a rare occurrence – the organization is honor-bound to return and complete the job. Still, Matteo cannot tell whether today’s attack was a first or a second attempt. Sjo has a hard time figuring it out too: this is actually the fifth time they have faced red mantises. First at Vencarlo’s academy, then in the Cinderlands. More recently they clashed twice in Korvosa, first there was the red mantis ambush in the streets and then the party’s counterstrike in the castle. So today was number five, but it is hard to determine in which instances the party was the intended target. Matteo offers no further insight, so Elvira commands him to guard her while she sleeps.
22 Rova 4708
The next morning the heroes awake to a decisive day: today the council will vote on the new king – at least, if they can find a majority. There are two council members left whose support Sjo might still acquire: Ezekiel Sollux, highpriest of Sarenrae, and Alan Fisk, fisherman from the town of Biston.
After attending the morning service to the Dawnflower, the party talks to sunlord Sollux and his fellow cleric, Lord Valdur Bromathan, who is present as well. The heroes always presumed that both priests would be voting for Aaron Endrin, but now they aren’t sure anymore. Bromathan is quite vague and evasive about his support for Endrin and avoids being questioned on the matter, whereas Ezekiel Sollux openly states that his vote is and never was bound to Bromathan’s preference. Elvira sees an opportunity to plea Sjo’s case and points out that Sarenrae and the Sklar-Quah, the Sun Clan, share a common goal: their beliefs both revolve around the sun. This great kinship will play a crucial part in integrating the largest of the Shoanti clans in Korvosan lands, she claims. She also expresses her concerns about Arkona, whose true nature might be a lot darker than he lets out, and about Endrin, who does have a good heart, but lacks the experience to be a ruler.
Sollux invites Sjo for a private walk down the aisle and asks him about his plans for the common folk and the poor. Sjo points out that he himself comes from the poorest background imaginable, having been raised in the gutter, but that he firmly believes that everyone in Korvosa has the chance to become whatever they aspire to be, if they work hard enough. Sollux agrees, but states that many never succeed in elevating themselves from poverty. What does Sjo plan to do to help those people? Sjo is certainly sympathetic to their plight, he responds, but what is or isn’t possible will depend on the means available.
Meanwhile Elvira tries to get through to lord Bromathan. She fondly remembers their shared experiences in the rebellion, mentions the fact that Sjo and his friends freed the Bromathan family from house arrest and prison, and mentions Arkona’s darker side. Still Bromathan evades her probing and excuses himself. He has more tasks to see to in the temple before he has to leave for the council.
The final house call the heroes make is to a simple fisherman’s hovel in Trail’s End, the collection of houses on the east shore of the Jeggare River, outside of the city walls, where their friend and housekeeper Tayce Soldado lives as well. Alan Fisk, Biston’s representative in the council, himself a fisherman by trade, is staying here with some friends. He graciously joins Elvira and Sjo for a walk. He informs them that Glorio Arkona already sought him out and promised him not to interfere in Biston matters if he is be voted king. Biston is one of Korvosa’s westernmost settlements, nestled on the shores of Lake Syrantula, and it is keen on its freedom. The settlers there have always envied the people from Ilsurian and Whistledown, two towns further west along the lake’s shores. Both these towns are independent and are thus free to govern themselves without Korvosa or some other city telling them what to do. They do maintain decent relations with Magnimar to the west and in times of trouble, they could probably call upon that city for aid. Some fifty years ago, before Fisk was even born, Biston tried to break free from Korvosa. The attempt failed when Korvosa sent an entire regiment of the Guard to regain control and punish the separatists. Martial law was installed and maintained for more than three decades. Fisk still remembers the day the soldiers finally left as one of the most glorious he ever experienced. He is not a fan of Aaron Endrin, since this soldier’s background reminds him too much of the military oppressors from his youth. He feels much more positive about the Shoanti, finding kindred spirits in them, who also crave freedom. When Sjo talks about his strong ties with the Shoanti and mentions the many ways in which the tribesmen and the people from Biston could coexist, live and work together, trade, defend each other when needed and so much more, his arguments seem to resonate with the fisherman.
Seems like my last two posts got switched. I'm sorry, they should be the other way around.
Having come out of the vote in second place guarantees Sjo a place in the next round, for a head-to-head battle with Glorio Arkona. The companions try to figure out who they should talk to first, since there are still a few hours left. They finally decide on today’s losing candidate, Aaron Endrin, but when they arrive at his door, they find out he’s not there. The same goes for Lord Mercival Jeggare, but when the heroes call on Lord Valdur Bromathan, they are successful.
Lady Merisse Bromathan invites the companions to join her family for dinner, but when they question her husband about the votes for Arkona and Endrin, he remains as evasive as this morning. Elvira picks up a growing frustration in his wife, who finally bursts out and shouts at her husband to tell the truth. These heroes might actually be able to help them, she claims. The lord and lady ask their guests to join them in the study so they can talk in private, away from their children’s ears. The matter requires the utmost discretion, Lady Merisse explains. She confirms the rumor that her oldest daughter, Aurelia, “found herself in the family way” unwantedly and left for Magnimar to have her baby in secret. The child’s father is the Elven ambassador, Perishial Kalissreavil, a notorious womanizer. Puk remembers meeting him once at the Carowyn party, where he was trying to get into Julia Ornelos’s pants. Anyway, the baby, Fendro, has been kidnapped and Lord Valdur is being pressured into voting for Arkona if he wants to see the child returned. Since they want to keep the child’s existence a secret, the Bromathans haven’t reported the kidnapping. Although she has no proof, Lady Merisse is sure that the Cerulean Society, Korvosa’s thieves’ guild (or rather Arkona’s personal pets), is behind the abduction. Also, having heard how many votes Arkona received today, she doesn’t rule out that other council members were forced to vote for the shifty nobleman as well.
When Elvira asks for more details, she learns that someone approached Lord Valdur in the streets late last night. A cloaked figure grabbed the lord by the collar and whispered a short threat in his ear. “Fendro is ours, if you want to see the boy alive, you will vote for Arkona.” That was it. They haven’t even talked to their daughter Aurelia, who is still in Magnimar, where the baby was taken. Fortunately, Elvira says, Magnimar is only a teleport away. Taking her friends and Lady Merisse, the wizardess magically jumps to the city of monuments. There they learn from the distraught young mother that the story is true: Fendro was stolen from her hands at yesterday’s market. Aurelia has already dispatched a messenger to warn her parents, but obviously the courier hasn’t arrived yet. Lady Bromathan decides to stay with her daughter, while the party returns to Korvosa.
As far as they know, the heroes have only ever been in touch with the thieves’ guild once, when Arkona set up a meeting with guildmaster Boule to reveal to them what the guild knew about the Acadamae and the Breaching Festival. Naturally, Lord Arkona would never grant them the same curtesy today if their only goal was to thwart his evil plans for the election. So they will need a different approach. Puk and Balian assume that other underworld characters in the city might at least have an idea of where to find their fiercest competitors. The party knows two such types: Devargo Barvasi of Eel’s End and Girrigz, the leader of the wererats. Since their relationship with the latter is better, they decide to look him up. Balian still recalls how to navigate the sewers and easily finds the wererat lair.
Girrigz is happy to see the heroes, since one of his men is very ill. He remembers how Sjo saved his gang from the plague several months ago and calls upon the healer again. In the back room a young man has been strapped to a bedframe. He is caught midway in transformation to his hybrid wererat form, struggling, screaming and foaming at the mouth. Girrigz says his name is Burnold, a young wererat who went into the city during the festivities with his brother Fernal. They were stupid enough to buy drugs from a shady dealer and reacted very badly to the stuff. Initially, they just felt like they were drunk, but that mood quickly changed to aggression, causing them to start attacking other wererats in absolute fury. Both brothers were restrained and tied to their beds, their rabies-like condition only growing worse into a terrible fever, which claimed Fernal’s life in a matter of hours. Sjo examines the surviving patient and pulls out a scroll of neutralize poison to cure him.
Feeling better, the young wererat can now tell his saviors what happened. He bought his drug, flayleaf, from a man named Ornaut, who has been very active selling product since Ileosa died. When asked about it, Burnold does indeed suspect that Ornaut is a member of the thieves’ guild. He can tell the heroes where to find him: he usually conducts his business from the Creaking Hammock, a popular inn in the harbor district with a strong nautical theme. Ornaut is a loud type, with dark, curly hair and a goatee. He has a claw-shaped earring in his left ear, which is made of silver. Being a wererat, Burnold claims he can sense the presence of this metal, pointing at Puk’s silver dagger to prove his point.
Since the evening is probably the best time of day to find Ornaut in the Hammock, the companions make their way over there immediately. The taproom is crowded, but at first glance our friends do not spy anyone that fits the dealer’s description. There are, however, a number of private booths, cloaked behind red curtains. While enjoying a drink, the party studies the place. Seated around a large table in the center of the room are six rowdy sailors. Behind them, at the far end of the taproom, Elvira notices a man nervously trying to sneak out from behind one of the curtains. As he skitters away, two of the tough seamen get up and enter the same booth he just left. The noise in the inn does not conceal that they start shouting. Balian and Puk walk over to the bar to eavesdrop and pick up part of the conversation: “… sold rubbish to one of our brethren yesterday! It made him go mad, forcing us to put him down! But blood is repaid in blood! I name you, Ornaut, prey of the Rough Beast! By fang and claw, let the hunt begin!” An angry growl follows. The next moment Ornaut bursts out, running straight for the door. The two sailors leave the booth as well, more composedly, nodding to their colleagues when they reenter the taproom to get up and leave.
Balian tries to grab the dealer as he pushes past him, but the man ducks and slips under his grasp. Next, he narrowly manages to leap over the chair that Puk kicks at him, but as he reaches the front door, he falls under Elvira’s dominate spell. “Go outside and wait around the corner”, she orders him mentally. Seemingly more at ease, the six sailors leave the establishment as well, following Ornaut around the corner. The party is hot on their heels and sees how the men suddenly shift into werewolves, sniffing and growling as their bodies twist and morph. Forced to remain here at Elvira’s command, Ornaut backs up against the wall, fear pouring from his eyes. Sjo throws up a wall of fire around the pack, neatly trapping them in a burning circle. At the same time Ornaut realizes he waited long enough to obey Elvira’s wish and takes off again. Balian activates his flying boots to cut off the man’s escape, but the thief is nimble and slides past the ranger. Meanwhile, Elvira tries to calm down the situation with the werewolves by suggesting that they give up the hunt, resume their human form and go back inside for a drink. Half of the pack agrees, but the other half jumps through the flames and heads off in pursuit of their prey, running on all fours like wolves. Balian catches up and tries to cleave through the three wolfmen with his greatsword, but he misjudges his swing. Ornaut now throws every caution to the wind and breaks out into a full sprint, darting off through the streets. Two wolves give chase, while the third unleashes his fury on Balian, claws gashing through the ranger’s flesh. Balian hits back even harder, leaving the creature barely alive, making it an easy job for Puk to finish. Sjo heals his friend and then unfolds his fiery wings to keep up with the target. Elvira, who has taken to the air as well, catches the two remaining werewolves in a confusion enchantment, taking out yet another pursuer. One werecreature resists once again, however, and continues to pursue Ornaut, who has just opened a sewer lid and jumped down the manhole. Elvira flies in as well at the head of her party. Up ahead she sees Ornaut fleeing down the sewer, hitting something on the wall as he rushes past. The final werewolf is close and doesn’t even notice that the wall that Ornaut hit is slowly moving. Elvira is tired of exposing her dominated thief to danger, so she uses dimension door to zap her party over to Ornaut’s position. “Now stay with me”, she commands him, as Balian and Puk take care of the last lycanthrope. The movement behind them turns out to be a huge ooze, that slowly blobs over. Sjo tries to scare if off with a fireball, badly burning the dark slime, but the creatures doesn’t possess the ability to think and acts purely on instinct, so it simply closes the gap with Balian and slams down on him. Flight seems like the wisest option, so the party rushes off, quickly putting enough distance between them and the black pudding to shake it off their trail.
Now Ornaut leads them further through the sewer system. Although he has to obey Elvira’s request to lead her companions to the Cerulean Society, he advises against it, saying that the thieves’ guild is well protected. He can tell his new mistress that there will probably be about three dozen people in the guildhall, but he has not heard of any kidnapped baby. He can confirm that guildmaster Boule is often present, however. During the trip through the stinking tunnels Balian gets a bit nostalgic, thinking back of his childhood days under Gaedran Lamm’s thumb. He spent many hours with Sjo and Quint in the sewers, hunting rats for that horrible alligator Gobblegut. Now, five years later, they are still here, even with Sjo on his way of becoming King. After about half an hour, Ornaut stops, turning to the wall. Puk, Sjo and Balian see nothing, but Elvira makes out the slightest hint of seams in the stone: a superbly well-hidden secret door. Ornaut opens it, revealing a stately corridor with bas-reliefs on both walls, depicting endless variations of giant guardians with runes on their bodies.
The corridor ends in a stone dock at the edge of a vast underground water reservoir. Several stone pillars rise form the water to support the vaulted ceiling. Here, the terrible smell of the sewer is gone, so Elvira suspects the water to be clean. There is a rowboat tied to the docks, which the companions use to get across. Balian gets even more déjà-vues, having spent several years at the oars as a galley slave. As the party advances, lights suddenly ignite from the left and right, revealing two huge alcoves with stone guardians. Their eyes light up and they jump forward, easily clearing the distance to the boat.
Seeing how two powerful golems assail her friends in the boat and realizing that these constructs have excellent defenses against her magic and Puk’s sneaky attacks, Elvira decides not to waste time and casts dimension door to take her party across the water, past the door behind the docking area. The party ends up in an entrance hall, where a welcoming committee of rogues awaits them. Unfortunately for these wretched thieves, they are no match for our heroes and quickly fall. When reinforcements arrive, Sjo decimates them with a fireball and summons a fire elemental to clean up the rest. Even two more accomplished archers don’t stand a chance: one of them drops under Balian’s blows, while the other one falls under Elvira’s suggestion to bring the ‘visitors’ to guildmaster Boule.
As the companions traverse the complex, they marvel at its beauty. The walls and floors are made of white and pink marble and bear bas-reliefs of various scenes from the days of ancient Thassilon. The central hallway also holds a magnificent statue of Runelord Sorshen. The archer under Elvria’s sway ignores the side doors and leads the party straight ahead, through a war room, where Balian finds a baby’s rattle, and on into the ‘throne room’.
There are five people inside: a halfling, three elves and a human. Two of the elves carry rapiers on their hips, the third wears wizard robes. The only figure the heroes recognize is the human, who is seated on the throne at the far end of the room, a large axe across his knees. This is guildmaster Boule. “Since you’ve made it this far, I guess you might just as well come in, so we can talk like civilized people”, he sighs in his deep voice. “Last time we met, you were a lot more respectful, but then again, your heads weren’t filled with delusions of grandeur back then, were they, wannabe king Sjo?”
“Who is the uncivilized one here?” Balian sneers as he throws the baby’s rattle at Boule’s feet. “We have come to put an end to your and Arkona’s blackmailing schemes.”
Boule feigns ignorance. “What we do for Lord Arkona is none of your concern. Unless you have come to offer me a higher paycheck, perhaps.”
“The only pay you’re going to get is this blade through your chest!” Balian barks back.
“So be it”, the guildmaster replies as he gets out of his chair and, with a wave of his hand and a few mysterious words, summons seven mirror images of himself, while grabbing his large battleaxe. His allies also draw their weapons, but Elvira suggests that they drop their arms and go stand against the wall and sing a song. Only the elven wizard resists her magic, while the other two elves and the halfling obey her command. Sjo calls down a flame strike on Boule, but the big man simply evades the fire. Backing away into the far corner, the guild’s mage stretches his hand towards the invaders and shoots chain lightning at them. Boule charges the companions and focuses his attacks on Sjo. His axe bites into the healer’s flesh and sizzles him with frost. Balian counterattacks, but only hits three images out of existence. Puk is slightly more successful, managing to hit the leader of the Cerulean Society twice, while taking out more images as well. Elvira bolsters her friends’ confidence by giving them haste, while Boule’s final illusory doubles are taken care of. The guildmaster keeps hammering down on Sjo. “You weakling, you’re no king of mine!” he growls. Behind his back, the elven wizard fires off a sickly green ray at Sjo, burning a hole through his plate and threatening to disintegrate him. It is only through some divine miracle that the half Shoanti survives total devastation and drops to the floor, unconscious. Balian is furious and presses the attack, striking the guildmaster twice. Elvira focuses on the elven pest in the corner and freezes him in place with hold monster. She sends her dominated minion Ornaut to finish off the wizard. She also notices that the look in Boule’s eyes has lost a bit of its cockiness and displays a growing frustration, although what happens next still takes her by surprise. The mob leader throws his axe to the floor and cries out in anger. Wisps of blue magic evaporate from his skin as his body contorts and twists. His hands flip, his thumbs now appearing at the wrong side of his palms. Fur spurts from his skin, in orange, white or black hues. His mouth becomes a jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth. At the same time many of his wounds close: his transformation clearly invigorates him. Breathing into Balian’s face is now a formidable rakshasa with a tiger’s head. It seems like the Arkonas imported more than just goods from Vudra!
The tigerman smacks Balian in the head, stunning him with the force of his blow. The ranger drops his greatsword, trying to shake the wooziness. Without the aid of his flanking buddy, Puk is at a serious disadvantage, so Elvira cloaks the halfling in greater invisibility. His small unseen swords slash open many wounds in the rakshasa’s flesh, giving Balian the chance to regain his composure and pick up his weapon. Boule sees his fortune turn in just a few seconds. His claws suddenly miss accuracy as desperation takes hold of him. Balian’s sword cuts through his stomach and into his shoulder as Puk plunges his invisible swords into his lower back. The rakshasa gives out one last howl of pain, before falling to the ground and burning away in ashes.
Balian uses a healing wand to bring Sjo back to consciousness and then assists Puk in tying up the three thieves who fell victim to Elvira’s suggestive magic. In the meanwhile, the enchantress’s permanent detect magic draws her attention to two powerful items: a small-sized shortsword that the halfling dropped and a ring on the dead elven wizard’s finger. The sword is a luckblade with two wishes remaining, while the ring is an piece of jewellery that dates back to Thassilonian times. It allows its wearer to convert up to three spells or spell slots from his own arsenal into lightning spells. As she dons the precious little thing, she immediately realizes that it was forged for people like her, enchanters, who might need an alternative when facing opponents who are immune or highly resistant to mind-affecting magic. She almost feels as if the ring has been waiting for her for millennia. Not a bad feeling at all!
With Guildmaster Boule defeated, the heroes have just cut off the head of Korvosa’s thieves’ guild. Balian suggests that Puk takes over, but Sjo is not a fan of running an illegal organisation. However, if he becomes king, there might be room for a secret service, and this magnificent complex might be an excellent base of operations. Still, the party came here for a reason, to retrieve the kidnapped half-elven baby Fendro. Sjo casts true seeing, making out a cleverly hidden secret door behind Boule’s throne. With Puk’s help he opens it, revealing a luxurious bedroom.
Inside they find a graceful young girl, who looks surprised when the companions walk in. She gets up and poses herself between the new arrivals and a cradle. Sjo, Balian and Puk recognize the woman as Marguerite Jeggare, who was once lauded as the most beautiful lady in Korvosa, before she left the public scene to join the Gray Maidens and hid her lovely face behind an iron mask. She is not wearing her armour anymore, though. When she realizes the intruders are not a threat, she explains that she is hiding here from the wrath of the people in Korvosa. She has seen several of her colleagues being torn apart by lynch mobs in the streets and she was offered sanctuary in this underground complex by the guild and its master Boule, who told her that she couldn’t return home because the authorities were waiting for her there. Yesterday Boule asked Marguerite to return the favour by having her take care of this baby. Marguerite has no idea who the child’s mother is, but she performed the task of looking after the boy admirably. When the party informs Marguerite that the guild was actually using her to blackmail her father and that there is absolutely no police force waiting for her at home, she agrees to accompany them to her father’s estate.
Before they leave, the companions do a quick search of the rest of the complex. They find a treasure room with a private exit, which was probably only known to Boule and perhaps his closest allies. From the various chests they gather coin and gems, worth 53,000 gold sails. The rest of the den includes a kitchen, storerooms, bedrooms, a training room and a prison, but it now lies completely abandoned. Whoever was here when the heroes first arrived, has left. During the exploration Elvira even discovers a mechanism to control the two golems guarding the entrance.
In the war room, Balian and Puk study the maps more closely. It looks like some locations in the city have been marked with a pin, including House Bromathan, Jeggare and Endrin, but also the Shoreline Drinkhall in East Shore and The Wise Dragon Inn in the Heights, both ventures run by voting members of the Grand Council. On top of that, numerous small businesses are coloured in red, indicating which of the city’s enterprises pay protection money to the guild. More details are in a ledger containing records of all the payments made.
It is already well past midnight when the party returns Marguerite Jeggare to her father, who is overjoyed to see his daughter alive. Lord Mercival claims that the guild approached him earlier today, after the vote in the council, and ‘urged’ him to give his vote to Lord Arkona next time, lest his girl be released to the vengeful hands of the crowd. He also adds that lord Aaron Endrin will be equally glad to learn Marguerite is safe, since he has a romantic interest in her.
Before going home, the heroes pass by the Guard in Citadel Volsheynek to hand over guildmaster Boule’s three personal bodyguards, who were enchanted by Elvira during the fight. They will be detained there until they can face justice in a court of law. Finally, the party retires to the villa for a well-deserved rest, after what turned out to be a long and eventful day.
23 Rova 4708
The next morning, after sleeping in, the party takes baby Fendro to his grandfather, lord Valdur Bromathan. The nobleman feels awkward around his grandchild, never having laid eyes on the child before today, but he seems to warm up to his offspring quickly. Valdur is also very happy to learn that the Cerulean Society has been taken out. He asks Elvira to deliver Fendro to his mother in Magnimar, which she does promptly by teleporting there. She returns Fendro to the care of Aurelia, and takes Valdur’s wife Merisse back to Korvosa. Lady Bromathan no longer agrees with her husband’s decision to hide baby Fendro’s existence from the outside world and will make it her personal crusade to convince her spouse to let Aurelia and Fendro come home and live in Korvosa once more, scandal or not. To her it has become clear that Aurelia will never give the child up, so she might just as well care for it openly. Moreover, Merisse would love to be able to step in and help babysit her first grandchild.
Following the Cerulean Society’s trail, the party visits several council members who were being forced to vote for Arkona and tell them that the thieves’ guild no longer has any leverage over them. Lord Aaron Endrin is relieved to hear Marguerite is safe and that the guild can no longer hurt her. He leaves immediately for the Jeggare estate to see her, after promising his support to Sjo. Theodoric Bandor of The Wise Dragon was being put under pressure by the guild’s enforcers, who threatened to trash his place if he didn’t endorse Arkona. Now he is free to vote for whomever he wants, Sjo smiles. Hugo Barvoets of the Shoreline Drinkhall claims no one is blackmailing him, but then Elvira discovers that he is under the influence of an enchantment spell. When Sjo dispels the dominate effect, Barvoets suddenly realizes what happened to him. Someone must have enchanted him two nights ago, he thinks, and although he doesn’t remember who, he does recall voting for Arkona yesterday, while he has always been convinced that he backed Endrin for king. He is dazzled at what magic can do to your mind: how can you be so sure that you put a black voting stone in the bag when it was a red one? Feeling betrayed, he now promises to cast his next vote for Sjo.
In the afternoon Elvira retires to the villa to pour over Lictor Severs Divri’s infernal contract. She manages to work her way through the layers of legal mumbo-jumbo to get the gist of the document: the leader of the Hell Knights made a deal with Hell to get a powerful, magical hand, to replace the one he lost to the Shoanti in battle. Compared to the benefits Ileosa got from her contract, this seems meagre, but Elvira understands that Ileosa’s deal was rather exceptional, stemming from the tremendous power and potential she had already gathered before bartering with the infernal forces. She had clearly negotiated from a position of strength, while most fools turn to the devil when they are weak and desperate.
Meanwhile Sjo continues his house calls, stopping by lord Carowyn and Fordyce first. Both men have been promised power and standing by Arkona if they support him, so Sjo leaves them to their misguided ambitions. Making false promises is a political game that this candidate for the throne would rather avoid. Captain Artan Jalento needs little convincing, he will vote for Sjo, despite Arkona’s promises to give his son preferential treatment in the army and quickly promote him, even though he doesn’t deserve it. Jalento believes this is the worst favor he could do his son.
Next, Sjo passes by the Bank of Abadar. He makes a donation of 53,000 GP – all the money the party recovered in the thieves’ guild – to pay off part of the public debt. By doing so, Sjo ensures that the city’s indebtedness drops below the symbolic barrier of half of million gold sails. Talking to Archbanker Tuttle, Sjo also learns that Lord Arkona has promised him two magistrate posts, one of which is the magistrate of expenditures, a seat that is currently occupied by Syl Gar. Sjo is sure that Gar won’t be pleased to hear of this treachery. He makes the magistrate, who is North Point’s representative on the council, his next target. As soon as Sjo reveals that Arkona plans to give his department of expenditures to the clergy of Abadar, Syl Gar explodes in anger and rushes off to confront Darb Tuttle about it. Another vote for Arkona thwarted, Sjo figures.
Sjo finishes the evening by reassuring himself of Cressida Kroft’s, Keppira d’Bear’s and Zenobia Zenderholm’s support. He also hands over all criminating evidence his friends uncovered in the Cerulean Society headquarters to the latter, to allow the courts to prosecute former guild members. Zenderholm gets quite excited about it all, which is quite uncharacteristic for the normally so stoic judge.
Meanwhile Elvira pays a visit to Christina Leroung. The young noblewoman still blames Sjo and his companions for the untimely deaths of her mother, father and sister. She doesn’t like the fact that Elvira is working with them, although she doesn’t hold the enchantress responsible for her family’s misfortune, since El only joined the party after they got the Leroungs in trouble. So, Elvira still maintains friendly relations with Christina, whom she has known since the time she worked in the Leroung estate as a librarian. Changing Christina’s mind is not in the cards, however. She voted for Endrin in the last round, but now that he is no longer eligible, she shifts her support to Glorio Arkona, whom she considers the lesser of two evils. Elvira feels that there is little she can do to sway Lady Leroung’s opinion.
24 Rova 4708
Elvira studies another infernal contract, the one that Toff Ornelos signed, but she cannot make sense of it yet. Sjo uses the morning to talk to Walder Baslwief and Alan Fisk, feeling that he can convince both of them to join his cause. He has less luck with Erlo of the Hare, who has apparently struck a deal with Arkona to get a house and a lay-back job in the city, so he can leave the ragged town of Sirathu to its own devices. Sjo despises this kind of betrayal and wastes no more time on the man.
He has a better meeting with captain Julius Henderthane, who has no love for the sneaky, manipulative ways of the Glorio Arkonas of this world and clearly seems to favour the more honest and down-to-earth manner in which Sjo operates. Xandrina Dunstone, the businesswoman from Palin’s Cove, on the other hand, is straightforward about her preference for lord Arkona, whose mercantile contacts in Vudra can open up completely new markets for her warmachine-building enterprise. Still, Sjo is content with the number of voters he has drawn to his side since yesterday.
Sjo uses the rest of the day to talk to more potential voters. Ezekiel Sollux, the highpriest of Sarenrae, seems disgusted when he hears what the thieves’ guild did for Glorio Arkona: kidnapping Margueritte Jeggare is a serious offense. Valdur Bromathan, also a priest of Sarenrae, overhears the conversation and adds that the guild also kidnapped a baby to pressure its grandfather to vote for Arkona. Then he reveals that HE is said grandfather and the baby is his daughter’s child born out of wedlock, but he has decided to reveal the truth to the outside world and he asks Elvira’s aid in bringing the mother and child back to Korvosa. His wife has convinced him that hiding the baby will only lose them their daughter, while Sarenrae believes in new chances. Elvira is happy to hear that and agrees to meet with the nobleman later today at his home. When Sjo assures Sollux that a social program for the less fortunate in the city is also on the top of his list, he feels that he has won over the man’s heart and vote.
Deskin Orfman from Melfesh is glad to hear that the heroes have already started paying off the city’s debt, giving him more hope that Korvosa won’t call on his hometown’s coffers to fill its own financial pit. Dermot Hallaer, the wool trader, acts like an accomplished merchant, remaining secretive about his support and keeping his options open. He admits that he has also paid protection money to the Cerulean Society in the past, but clarifies that they actually made sure his business was safe in return. Mother River Raindance, the free-spirit from Abken, is easily swayed. When she hears that the agreement with the Shoanti to allow the tribes ample freedom when they come and live in the lowlands, could easily extend to Abken, she is content, unless it’s the drugs that are making her mellow ... Janka Melchior, the mayor from Harse, still sides with Sjo, who offers the best guarantees that the Shoanti will not overrun her horse-breeding hometown to reclaim their tribal grounds.
In all, Elvira calculates that the majority of the voters is now on Sjo’s side, ensuring his victory, even if Arkona manages to steal one or two of the swing votes. Sjo also wants an update on the Shoanti negotiations concerning the Nalharest Pact, so he asks Elvira to teleport him to the plains below Kaer Maga. He is greeted by his mother and speaks to Thousand Bones. The old shaman says that things are moving in the right direction. The quah-jothka’s have been talking to their own tribes about the pact, trying to get their warriors to set aside their hatred and open up their hearts to a new peaceful solution. It is hard to wipe away century-old grudges, but the chiefs are slowly wearing down resistance among their people.
Upon returning to Korvosa, Elvira makes good on her promise to Valdur Bromathan and teleports back and forth to Magnimar to get his daughter to come home with the baby. It is a happy reunion.
In the early evening, the heroes prepare for the feast in the Jeggare Museum. Elvira and Sjo respect the dress code, putting on their finest clothes. Puk choses to wear his chain shirt under his vest, while Balian decides to go in full armor, figuring that the future king’s bodyguard has the right to arm up. They take their fancy coach from the stable and have Ornaut drive them to the museum. Upon arriving, they make a donation to the King Eodred foundation at the front door, where several Janderhoff dwarves guard a strongbox filled with dozens of heavy pouches. As the party steps into the grand entrance hall, a herald announces their arrival, and all conversations fall silent when the guests welcome the heroes with a round of applause. Mercival Jeggare, the host, walks up and thanks his guests of honor again for saving his daughter. He has already talked to judge Zenderholm, and they have agreed that Marguerite can remain to live at home until the time of her trial for being a Gray Maiden. There are over a hundred guests here tonight, all of the noble families and many other people of note, including all voting members of the grand council.
By 8 o’clock the herald invites the guests to move to the Korvosa Hall for dinner. This part of the museum houses numerous important pieces of the city’s history, like the original imperial charter which permitted the settlement of this area, field marshal Korvosa’s armor, the figurehead of the frigate the Merciless, which played an important part in saving the early settlement from annihilation, three burned stakes from the palisade that surrounded the original fort, a ring that used to belong to Saint Alika and so much more. A dozen tables have been prepared, each seating up to ten people. A servant leads the party to a table with Field Marshal Cressida Kroft, Vencarlo Orisini, seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis, Sjo’s fiancée Larella Semyr and her niece Fayne, a young Shelyn acolyte.
When everyone is seated Lord Mercival Jeggare addresses the crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, I welcome you all. Today we celebrate victory, victory over an ancient evil that threatened to tear our civilization asunder. For centuries the crypts below Castle Korvosa housed a great evil, placed there and guarded by the Shoanti. It was an evil artefact, containing the wickedness of a cruel dragon. When queen Ileosa uncovered it, it revealed her true nature and almost destroyed us.
Many have tried to fight this evil in their own way, but salvation finally arrived at the hands of heroic adventurers, who faced the corruption in all its guises with no regard for their own safety. Puk, Balian, Lady Elvira and Lord Sjo, could you please stand up so we can drink to your health?”
Everyone rises and raises a glass. Most guests do so with gusto and pride; but some people show less enthusiasm, even though they still join the toast. Lord Jeggare continues:
“Field Marshal Korvosa and my own ancestor, the gentleman-explorer Montlarion Jeggare would have been proud to witness the glory of the city they founded and the bravery of all the men and women who have fought for its freedom. And so I invite you to enjoy what we fought for, this meal is well deserved. Please enjoy!” Next an army of servants appears to bring everyone a plate of Alikan oysters.
When the second course starts, the herald rises again: “Dear guests, I hope you liked Korvosa’s specialty. All of you know that Korvosa is looking for a new king. Two candidates remain, both of which are here tonight; Lord Glorio Arkona and Lord Sjo. Because a king has to be wise to rule his people with insight and understanding, we want to present them with a little challenge.
To determine who has the sharpest mind, we have a riddle for them and the ‘royal’ council at their table, who can give them advice. The first one to solve it, proves himself the smartest contestant. So here is the conundrum: a city is being plagued by out-of-town bandits. The lord decides to place guards at all the gates and agrees on a password with everyone who lives there.
One of the bandits, bent on picking some pockets in the market square, wants to get into the city walls, but to do so, he has to get past the new guard at the gate. Since he doesn’t know the password, he hides under the bridge, eavesdropping while others enter the city. A first citizen approaches the guard, who says ‘twelve’, to which he replies ‘six’. A second person seeking entry answers ‘six’ with ‘three’. So the bandit thinks he understands, steps unto the bridge and when the guard asks him ‘ten’, he replies with conviction …”
“FIVE” some people in the crowd call out. “Five, indeed. But then he is arrested and thrown in jail. So, what was the right answer?”
The guests at both tables share their thoughts, but Elvira is the first to see through the problem. The answer is ‘three’ she says, for the number of letters in the word. Sjo shouts the answer the herald and it is correct, granting him the honor of being the smartest. After another round of applause the next course arrives, Korvosa soup.
The main course comes in on several big silver platters, covered in cloches. At the sign of Lady Jeggare, steaming boar roasts are revealed underneath. The roasts are so heavy that two servants have to balance each platter. As they walk past Puk, one of them stumbles. The halfling reacts as fast as lightning, holding the plate up before it even starts tilting. Lord Jeggare smiles at the incident: “It looks like our heroes come to our rescue again, more gratitude to you, master halfling. In times of prosperity Korvosans have always been able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Let us honor that tradition and usher in the prosperous times that are in front of us with this delicious roast!”
As the guests are finishing up the main, there is some commotion at Arkona’s table. He shares it with the clergy of Abadar, who have started chanting: “Glorio! Glorio! Glorio!” Everyone looks over to the embarrassed lord from Old Korvosa. “My friends here seem to think that a good king should not only be smart, he should be strong as well. Apparently, they want me to enter in a contest of arm-wrestling with Sjo to prove who is the strongest. Being a mage, I fear I am at a disadvantage, but I guess I have to comply with their wishes, at least, if you agree, Lord Sjo?”
The healer nods and the two contestants for the throne face each other at a small table grabbing the other one’s hand. Glorio sneers at Sjo, but the half-Shoanti’s burning gaze makes him shrink back. Slowly but surely Sjo pushes Arkona’s hand down, until it hits the surface, earning Sjo even more praise from the spectators.
Some time later Mercival Jeggare announces dessert: “Martha and I hope you had fun tonight. I’d like to offer you our final course for the evening, dessert. My wife and sister-in-law have worked hard to prepare it. I hope you like it.” The lord points to the doors, where servants pull in a cart with an enormous cake, shaped like the great mastaba and castle Korvosa. Balian is asked to cut the cake with his greatsword, while opera diva Aurelia Lazanne sings a lovely ballad about heaven. Urdo Chartagnion, the new highpriest of Asmodeus, joins the party during this part of the meal. He claims to have investigated Orhner Reebs’ rituals and confirms that his human sacrifices were a clear violation of Korvosan law, which vindicates the party. He has more qualms about Ileosa Arvanxi, who was a noblewoman. Taking justice into your own hands against a person of nobility is definitely frowned upon in Cheliax. Moreover, Chartagnion needs to know more about the Crown of Fangs. Its evil influence might have been to blame, not Ileosa, who might have been saved and brought to justice in a court of law instead of perishing on the field of battle.
Elvira states that the crown’s evil is so immense that there was nothing of the original Ileosa left. Also, the final confrontation did not leave any room for negotiation. She explains how the fight unfolded, without revealing the location where it took place. Chartagnion is adamant that such a dangerous artefact cannot be protected here and should be brought to Cheliax, but Elvira is just as resolute. Moving the crown to Cheliax is not an option and the subject is not open to discussion. The abomination will have to be destroyed. Chartagnion is disappointed by Elvira’s answer, but he still seems to keep an open mind when it comes to their justification of facing Ileosa.
After lord Arkona announces the result of the collection for the Eodred foundation, 13,670 gold sails, the evening ends in another competition, where couples dance until the best pair remains. Balian manages to convince Aisha Leroung, who played the leading character in the opera The Passion of Saint Alika, to be his partner, while Sjo asks Larella. Puk dances with Larella’s niece Fayne and Elvira accepts Vencarlo charming invitation. Both Sjo and Balian make it to the second round, but there they are bested by Glorio Arkona, who is dancing with Selena, his Vudran assistant. For a few hours, Arkona deserves the title of ‘his majesty’, the dancing king. Sjo tells him to enjoy it, because it won’t last long. Tomorrow’s contest will bring another winner.
25 Rova 4708
So, today is the big day, today the Grand Council will elect a new king for the city. Will it be Glorio Arkona, or will it be Shaoban Onemaker? Just a few more hours and it will be decided.
Elvira uses the morning to get the gist of Toff Ornelos’s infernal contract. It turns out he has negotiated the right to have unlimited access to the knowledge of the Fallen Fastness in Dis in the pits of Hell, the most extensive library anywhere, said to contain a copy of all texts ever recorded. She immediately realizes the potential: if anyone ever wrote down how the Fangs of Midnight could be destroyed, this would be the place to find it.
By three o’clock the final meeting starts. Everyone has gathered in the castle and there definitely is some tension in the air. Elvira focuses her permanent detect magic to ascertain that none of the voters have been enchanted, and is happy to find none of their minds have been tampered with.
When everyone is seated, seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis opens the meeting: “Dear members of the Grand Council, I welcome you on this crucial day in our city’s history. Before we start today’s procedure, there is something else. As you all know, we have had a visitor from Cheliax, highpriest Urdo Chartagnion of Asmodeus, who would like to address this council today.”
The priest of Asmodeus rises and glances around the table before speaking: “People of Korvosa, I know you have gathered here to choose a new leader for your city-state, but I need not remind you that, ultimately, you still fall under the authority of Her Infernal Majestrix, Abrogail II of Cheliax. The somewhat misplaced title of ‘king’ or ‘queen’ you use for this office is a small slip, which Her Majesty is prepared to overlook as a frivolity, even if the title of ‘steward’ would probably be a better fit. Anyway, our ruler has ordered me to investigate the acts of Sjo and his companions versus Highpriest Ornher Reebs of Asmodeus and Ileosa Arvanxi Arabasti, both of whom died at their hands. I have completed my investigation and am ready to let you know my ruling.
For the murder of Ornher Reebs I absolve Sjo and his companions. Reebs’s deeds were in clear violation of Korvosan law. The man sacrificed over a hundred innocent women to serve his malicious needs. At the start of his career here, Queen Domina already set him straight on a similar matter, so he knew very well what he was doing was wrong, and thus he deserved his fate.
Yet, in confronting him, Sjo and his party did not act within the bounds of the law, for their actions were not sanctioned by the government. Nonetheless, I feel what they did was necessary. Still, I would like to caution everyone about taking the law into your own hands, for when people do that, there effectively is no law anymore.
The second accusation is a more complicated nature, as it concerns a case of regicide. Sjo and his companions killed the ruling monarch, who also belonged to one of the noble houses in Cheliax, where her family now demands a fair ruling.
For the murder of Ileosa Arvanxi Arabasti I find Sjo, Puk, Balian and Elvira … not guilty. Considering the extraordinary circumstances in Korvosa at the time, they took it upon themselves to end a … well basically, messed-up situation. Although they didn’t act legitimately, I cannot condemn them for their actions. Still, they broke Chelish law when they acted unauthorized, so they will be sanctioned for that offense From now on, they are no longer welcome in the home country.
That leaves one more issue: the source of this evil, the dragon’s fangs which Ileosa forged into her crown. On behalf of Her Infernal Majestrix I would like to insist that this council decides to send the artefact to Cheliax, so Her Majesty can take precautions to keep it safe for all time. Korvosa has proven itself incapable of doing so, but the home country has the means and magic required to meet the demands of this humongous task. I strongly urge you to convince your new king to take my advice.”
Chartagnion sits down again and the seneschal continues: “Thank you, lord inquisitor, for your fair judgment. So now it is time to proceed with the matter at hand. Ladies and gentlemen, today you will decide who mounts the Korvosan throne. We have two candidates left, one of whom will leave this meeting as our next king. So, for the last time, I will give both contenders the opportunity to speak. Lord Sjo, if you would go first.”
Sjo readdresses the same issues as last time, making clear his intentions with regard to the Shoanti and his plans for the city. He adds that the negotiations with the tribes are going well, so he hopes to reach an agreement shortly. He also hints at the dirty tricks Lord Arkona has been using to gain votes, without explicitly calling them out, but his subtle suggestions are not lost on his audience. In the end, he expresses the wish that everyone can vote freely, without outside interference or influence.
Glorio is next. Nothing in his demeanor betrays that Sjo is ahead in the poles. He looks as confident as ever. “Dear members of the Grand Council, today YOU will decide our city’s future. That puts all of you combined, but each with your individual voice, even higher in the hierarchy than the king himself. So I hope you have given this decision sufficient thought.
I will no longer trouble you with the reasons why I consider myself the best man for the job. I’ve spoken about that at length during our last two meetings. Suffices to say that I don’t see myself as a military leader, but as a man of compromise and peace, who wants to do right by the city and its people.
So, who faces me today? A hero? Korvosa’s savior? Perhaps … he played a part in our salvation, to be sure, as did so many others, like most of you at this table. Aaron Endrin witnessed his father’s death at the hands of Ileosa and took up arms in the rebellion against the usurper, with the aid of the Bromathans, the church of Pharasma and many brave souls, at a time when our ‘heroes’ left the city to chase other ambitions in the Cinderlands and beyond.
Field Marshal Cressida Kroft manned her post as long as she could to contain the queen’s corrupting influence, and after she had been seized by the Gray Maidens, Captain Jalento did everything within his power to ensure the Watch survived without being forced to turn against the people.
Houses Jeggare, Leroung, Carowyn, Fordyce and Zenderholm made sure our city’s institutions and economy still functioned in these very troubled times. All the districts’ representatives played a large part in that as well, just like the churches of Abadar and Sarenrae. After all, even in times of extreme hardship, life goes on. The men and women of Korvosa needed to work to feed their children and, ultimately, to survive. This kind of battle is not as glorious or triumphant as chopping down evil with your blade, but without any of you, there wouldn’t have been a city left to save.
Well, I have to make a small side note: the only one at this table I can ascribe little merit to, is you, mister chairman, our all-important seneschal who had the legitimate power to depose the queen. You went into hiding on day one, even ending up at my doorstep where you refused to aid me in my quest against Ileosa. Afterwards you fled to Janderhoff, where you stayed until the city was saved and you could return to help your friends claim the throne. Fortunately, you do not control this council, so I have faith they will make a wise decision.
So you see, members of the council, our so-called heroes are not the only heroes in Korvosa, even if they walk away with all the honor. Moreover, their reputation is not exactly as pristine as they would like you to think. When Ileosa was fresh on the throne, they actually helped her secure that position. Their would-be rescue attempts in those days cost the lives of several innocent citizens and people fighting to oppose the new queen.
They drove ambassador Amprei from the city, who represented our neighbor and ally Cheliax, and had him banished for inciting violent protests against the queen. In hindsight it is hard to condemn this act of rabble-rousing, but there’s more. The accusations against him were false, because it wasn’t Amprei, but I, Lord Arkona, who called our citizens to disobedience. And while in those early days I was already opposing the queen, our ‘heroes’ basked in Ileosa’s praise and reward, being appointed to the Order of the Pseudodragons, getting a villa in Southshore and even a seat in the royal council. They even tried to gather more fame in the city opera, by getting on stage to sing, but let’s not forget, they only did this to temper the negative feelings for Ileosa.
Now, to be totally honest, they weren’t the only ones to be misguided by Eodred’s widow’s initial charm, and we certainly cannot deny that they contributed in fighting the plague that killed thousands of Korvosans, even though most credit for this should go to House Leroung. After all, it was alchemy professor Sirtane Leroung who came up with the cure to defeat this horrible disease.
But I digress, let us take stock of what else our heroes did. They invaded Old-Korvosa, threatening and murdering several local citizens who were trying to retain some kind of order after Ileosa left them to die in chaos. Afterwards, I invited them into my house and begged them to aid me in the fight against Ileosa, but they were more interested in setting their precious friend, mister scaredy-pants Kalepopolis, free, and, lacking the courage to save the city, take him to a safe place where he could rest on his laurels, the Dwarven Safehaven of Janderhoff.
Later on, our heroes struck out into the wilderness, visiting the barbarians on the Storval Heights, plotting and conspiring with them to have a wildling army attack our lands. Sure, Sjo can help us reach an agreement with the Shoanti, but he is also the one who called them here in the first place, let’s not forget that.
And now I stand accused by these ‘heroes’ of manipulations. I do not deny hiring the Cerulean Society to back me in the fight against Ileosa. The guild hasn’t always been uncontested in its actions, I know, but I can safely say that they were the only ones who supported me from the very beginning. When I asked our brave heroes for their aid, they were too busy getting into Ileosa’s good graces. What choice did I have but to turn to the guild? They were among the few who fought the good fight from the start, when the usurper seized power.
It is possible that, out of some misguided sense of loyalty, they undertook certain deeds to help me gain the throne without consulting me. I don’t condone these actions in the least, but I would have liked to see the culprits answer for their crimes in front of a jury, yet, lo and behold, that won’t be possible anymore because once more our heroes have been playing judge and executioner at the same time.
And, of course, I cannot deny that in my campaign for the throne I have talked with several of you and perhaps even come to some kind of agreement here or there, as has my competitor, by the way. Are those manipulations and dirty tricks? I already told you that I stand for a better Korvosa with a strong economy and extra care for the poor. Do you blame me for trying to convince others to join me in this journey? Is that a dirty trick? I cannot rebuild Korvosa by myself, now can I? I need the support of friends, allies. So I have consulted with some of you, and included you in my plans. Is it a crime that it will benefit you as well? We’re talking about a win-win-situation. What’s good for Korvosa, is good for most of you as well. At least, that is the idea, if you ask me, that all of us benefit. Anyhow, I guess some people think better with a blade in hand than with their heads or their hearts.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. I never accused anyone during these meetings, not until today. If you think I should be blamed for manipulating matters, you force me to stoop to your level. If I take stock, I can easily see which way the balance tips. I hope the Council members have the same clarity and come to the same conclusion.
And what can we conclude? Is our hero really such a hero? Did he always fight for the good of the city, or for his own gain? Is he the perfect liaison to talk with the Shoanti, perhaps he is, perhaps he isn’t? Will he lead us to peace or is he the one who is leading our ancient enemy into our homes under our very noses? I leave it to each of you to draw your own conclusions. Just know this: Korvosa is Korvosa because we allow our laws and charters to guide us. I do not know how a barbarian fits into that. Let us remain objective and judge each candidate on his merits and demerits. If you do so, dear colleagues, you have but one choice. I pray to the gods you make the right call and I thank you for hearing me out.”
The seneschal, although shaken by Arkona’s misrepresentation of him, thanks both contenders for their speeches and asks the people at the table if they would like to add anything before voting. Elvira asks to speak. She says that Arkona’s arguments were nicely spun, but he did leave some gaps in his fantastic tale. He forgot to mention one of his initial supporters when praising everyone for their contribution to saving the city. He did not thank Lord Ornelos, because the man and his family never helped, on the contrary … Arkona also hid his own crimes: kidnapping, extorsion, magic compulsion, those are the means of a criminal to win an election. She sees that Kalepopolis cannot hide a smirk as she sets Arkona straight.
And so, it is time to vote. Again, each member of the Grand Council dumps a stone into a large urn, red for Arkona and white for Sjo. Afterwards, the seneschal counts the votes. Sjo immediately takes a small lead, jumping one, two and even three votes ahead, then falling back to just one. Then the gap widens. When the count stands at 15-11 in Sjo’s favor, the healer only needs one more vote to win. Kalepopolis reaches into the urn and pulls out another stone for Sjo. Several people at the table burst out in a loud cheer. The seneschal continues the count, ending at 18 for Sjo and 13 for Arkona.
“Lord Sjo, I guess congratulations are in order”, he says with a broad smile on his face, “you are our new king. Long live the king!”
“Long live the king! Long live Korvosa!”
Everyone walks up to Sjo to compliment him on his victory. Some, like Cressida Kroft and Keppira d’Bear do so with gusto, while others, like Ornelos, cannot hide their disappointment. Glorio is the last in line to wish Sjo the best. As always, he does a far better job at hiding his distress than Ornelos. Elvira, who has always suspected that Glorio was behind the recent Red Mantis attempt on Sjo’s life, suggests that whomever took out the contract, had better end it now. Arkona agrees, but denies being involved himself.
Kalepopolis immediately draws Sjo away to prepare for what is to come. He recommends keeping the momentum going and not delaying the coronation ceremony. Sjo concurs and they set the date for the 28th, in just three days.
26-27 Rova 4708
The next two days allow Elvira to decipher the basics of two more infernal contracts: Akmelek Ornelos, Lord Toff’s grandson, bartered for a devil servant. Elvira recalls the annoying imp he invariably keeps around and doesn’t understand why anyone would sell their soul for such a meager price. She does figure out, though, that Akmelek’s Hellish helper can grow more powerful if he does as well. Still, not the best deal, Elvira figures. It has become very clear to her that the terms of the agreement strongly depend on how powerful the person is who closes the deal. Akmelek was far too young and incompetent when the made an agreement with the devil, victim to his own impatience. Compared to Ileosa’s contract, which was extremely powerful because she was at the peak of her powers when signing it, Akmelek’s document pales.
The other document she studies is the one belonging to Acillmar, the Hellknight paravicar, Lictor DiVri’s right-hand man. His contract stipulates that he cannot die by mortal hand and that he will attain immortality. Acillmar obviously was a better negotiator than Akmelek.
Sjo receives word from Thousand Bones that the clans have agreed on the terms of the Nalharest pact. He is glad to learn that Sjo has won the elections and happily accepts the invitation to join the coronation ceremony.
Balian pays a visit to his neighbor, the halfling Orkatto, who sells exotic animals. The ranger is looking for a new animal companion and wants to go over the possibilities. He likes the idea of getting a puma.
28 Rova 4708
At noon, Sjo is to be crowned the next king. As is customary, this ceremony takes place on the terraces of the castle overlooking Ramp Boulevard. Sjo and Balian recall the first time they were there to witness a royal event: Eodred and Ileosa’s wedding. Now they will be on the other side. The streets are already packed and everyone seems to be impatient in anticipation of the festivities.
Sjo has asked Archbishop Keppira d’Bear of Pharasma to lead the proceedings, preferring her over Darb Tuttle of Abadar. Elvira uses several teleport spells to bring in some honorary Shoanti guests: Thousand Bones, D’ari Firehair and Aithne, but also the great Shoanti leader Valkur Burns-in-his-Veins is present with his son Saamesh, Sun shaman Arunan and an elite bodyguard, including Krojun Eats-what-he-Kills.
At twelve o’clock the show starts with the ringing of all the bells in the city. Keppira d’Bear strides down the terrace, to the end which looms over the street as a balcony, allowing everyone to bear witness to this glorious day. The crowd on Ramp Boulevard cheers vigorously.
D’Bear mounts the small stage and raises her hand to ask for silence. When she speaks her magically enhanced voice booms out over the city: “Dear citizens of Korvosa. My heart bleeds when I think of all the lives that were lost under Ileosa’s rule of terror. In her blind rage she destroyed everything that got in her way. You have all suffered. You have all lost, but those days are over!
From your own ranks arose a couple of young heroes, common people like you, who found within themselves the courage to save us all. For stubbornness is in our core. No adversity is so bad that we will not rise above it. No loss too great, or we learn from it and use it as a source of strength. Because that is our fate, my fellow Korvosans. If doom and misfortune threaten us from every angle, we do not quit and always search for the light!
That is what these heroes did as well. They rose when Ileosa had us beaten down. They defied the queen and triumphed. And now one of them chooses to serve us even longer. He is prepared to carry the burden of being king and lead us to a better future.
If there is no heir to the throne, by law the rule over Korvosa passes to whomever the Grand Council deems fit. Who is better suited than someone who comes from the city’s underbelly? Just like you, Shaoban grew up in these streets. He knows your hardships, he shares your worries, your sadness, but also your joys. Who is better suited than a man who put everything on the line to save us all from certain doom? Because if it hadn’t been for ‘Sjo’ and his friends, Balian, Puk, Elvira and the late Quint, Ileosa would have sucked us into the depths of Hell by now. Who is better suited than someone who can ensure that we will finally find peace with the Shoanti, after three centuries of violence and hate? For Shaoban has both Korvosan and Shoanti blood flowing through his veins. With him in charge the war will finally be over!
And that is why, people of Korvosa, I ask you to bear witness to what happens here today, under the eyes of the gods. Because it is from your hands that the king receives his crown. So let us become one hand that anoints, one voice that blesses and one will that crowns. Citizens of Korvosa, become one heart that welcomes your future ruler!"
Following protocol, d’Bear now raises her hands to the heavens and the crowd bursts out in cheers while Sjo steps into view and kneels in front of the Archbishop of Pharasma. With her palms held up to the sky, she solemnly proclaims: "Lord Shaoban, do you swear to govern the whole of Korvosa according to its charters and customs?"
Sjo replies: "I do."
"Will you to your power cause law and justice to be executed in all your judgments?"
"I will."
"Do you promise to maintain and honor the laws of this city to the utmost of your power?"
"I do."
The highpriestess approaches Sjo, dips her hands in a chalice of oil and anoints the kneeling healer on the forehead, the temples and wrists, while declaring: "The almighty and ever-lasting gods pour their spirit in your soul, judgment and actions. May you govern this city with wisdom, keep the peace and serve its people and lands."
As the young man rises, Balian steps forward to drape the red robe of state over his shoulders. In the meantime d’Bear has taken the crown and shows it to the crowd. Then she turns towards Sjo and holds the crown above his head: "Lord Shaoban, may the gods who have given you this royal honor in their divine providence, grant you the wisdom to banish all wrongs from Korvosa, to lead your people to prosperity, to bring comfort where it is due and to serve the laws of this city." Then she places the crown on the new king's head, raises her hands to the skies and calls out: 'In the name of the gods and the people, I crown you, Shaoban Onemaker, king of Korvosa and all her inhabitants, you and no other!" Next she kneels at his feet: "Long live the king! Long live Korvosa!"
Everyone on the terrace drops to his knees as well and repeats the words, as do the citizens in the streets: "Long live the king! Long live Korvosa!" Then a cheer arises as was never heard in Korvosa.
Finally Sjo turns to the crowd and speaks: "People of Korvosa, today marks the first day of your future! No longer will we dwell on the misery of the past. We will look ahead with great anticipation and hope. We will welcome what comes with a smile on our face. We will grab new opportunities with both hands and thus our future will be glorious.
I plan to serve you to guarantee that this vision of the future comes true. You can count on me to care for you like a father. I know, I am still young, but fatherhood might be on my horizon sooner than we all think. I gladly announce that Priestess Larella Semyr of Shelyn has agreed to become my wife and we plan to marry in one month. I sincerely hope this marriage will be blessed by the gods and that me may soon break the curse of the crimson throne by producing an heir.
But that is tomorrow! Today we celebrate! My people, I am proud to be your king. Now make me even prouder by showing me you have rediscovered your lust for life! Let the festivities begin!”
Level up: level 2
-----
The next three months
Since Sjo was elected king, on the 25th of Rova, almost three months have gone by.
The Nalharest pact has been working wonders. Several tribes have moved to the lowlands, some even relocated to Bloodsworn Vale, while others preferred to remain in the Cinderlands. Sjo’s mother Aithne has settled down in Harse, where her training as a Burn Rider serves her well in her contacts with the horse breeders. She has also become a symbol for integration, and the Harsians are extremely proud to count the mother of the new king among their number.
Thousand Bones is the new Shoanti ambassador in Korvosa. Since he wanted to reconnect with the shamans of old, he has requested to live in the castle, on top of the mastaba. He’s been granted quarters in the former lower guardroom, with easy access to the dungeon level in the real mastaba. There he has been speaking to the spirits of the forefathers, trying to figure out what to do with the Fangs of Midnight.
One month into his reign Sjo got married to Larella Semyr, giving his people yet another holiday full of happiness and festivities. He also used this day to pardon the Korvosan members of the Gray Maidens, after they had already been on trial and absolved of any true crimes (the deeds of cruelty and violence the Gray Maidens committed, were all done by blood clones or the Chelish recruits, never by the small group of real Korvosans), but still ended up in prison for having belonged to the wrong organization.
The situation between Korvosa and the Hellknights has reached a stalemate. The Order of the Nail was ordered to leave the country, but so far has refused. The Hellknights have withdrawn to Citadel Vraid, while the government has stopped financing and supplying the organization.
Elvira has been studying the infernal contracts. She also investigated the private library in Domina’s Tower at length, discovering amongst others the former queen’s notes on the Hellknights and Citadel Vraid.
Her first focus, however, was finding out what to do with the Crown of Fangs, more specifically, trying to discover if there was a way to permanently destroy the artefact. So far, she has found little. The Shoanti taught her that their attempt to destroy the teeth with acid and fire proved futile (not just on the teeth, by the way, but on all remains of Kazavon).
Musty tomes in Domina’s Tower or the Leroung Library sometimes do tell tales of mighty artefacts being destroyed, but the process is always exceptionally difficult and requires much more than simple acid or fire spells. Moreover, it is never clear whether these stories are fact of fiction. Some legends claim evil artifacts can only be shattered by even bigger evil or extreme goodness, possibly even by a combination of the two. Other myths speak of nigh impossible deeds. The artifact has to be buried in the heart of the world, cast into the endless sea by a man who has never set foot on land, broken by the love of a woman who has killed all she has loved, melted in the fiercest fire on the surface of the sun, dipped into the fountain of youth, devoured by the dragon at the end of time, smashed by a titan who has never trampled anything underfoot, crushed by the gates of Hell, bathed in the light of truth, cleansed by a thousand chaste souls … None of the volumes mentions any of Kazavon’s artefacts, though, so there is no telling how to destroy the dragon’s teeth. Maybe divination can offer more insight, but it will have to be of the most powerful kind. Another option might be the Pathfinders or Toff Ornelos. As Elvira recently discovered, the Acadamae’s headmaster traded his soul for access to the most extensive library on all the planes, the Fallen Fastness in Dis. If any information on destroying the Fangs of Midnight was ever written down, this would be the place to look for it. Elvira still possesses the devil’s copy of Toff Ornelos’s contract, which she could possibly barter for said information, but that would cost her an important bargaining chip when she plans to take over the Acadamae. Still, ridding the world of Kazavon’s evil ranks higher on her list of priorities than becoming headmistress.
Queen Domina’s notes on the Hellknights also provide welcome insight in the Order of the Nail and their headquarters in the Southern Mindspin Mountains. During her reign over the Chelish colony of Korvosa, Queen Domina Arabasti (ruled 4,667–4,686 AR) sought to secure her position by petitioning for the support of several of Cheliax's most powerful Hellknight Orders. She offered to commission a massive and impregnable fortress as a reward for any order that would relocate to Varisia, having already procured the aid of a Hellknight visionary and master builder, Saem-Kyrs, who had found the perfect spot for such a citadel. Moreover, Korvosa's proximity to the native Shoanti lands offered the perfect place to enforce one of the order's prime directives: the destruction of the indigenous “primitives” who threatened civilization.
The Order of the Nail's high commander at the time, Lictor Voltarios the Scourge, accepted Domina's offer in the spring of 4,682 AR. He first relocated to the city of Korvosa with his Hellknight troops, starting his crusade against the Shoanti, while leaving complete control over the castle's construction to paralictor Saem-Kyrs.
Saem-Kyrs was considered a paragon of incorruptibility, making him an ideal choice to oversee the design of the Order of the Nail's new fortress. At first, the paralictor's draconian leadership guaranteed the project stayed on time, but as Saem-Kyrs spent increasingly longer hours amid the foundations of the growing citadel, he grew gradually more erratic and excessive. He began openly disputing his superiors, insisting they lacked the insight and courage to build a mighty citadel that could stand as the heart of a Hellknight empire, and soon many of his underlings began to question his sanity. However, a small cadre of Hellknights shared his fervor, and together they plotted to seize the construction site. The project fell further and further behind schedule, and workers fled the site in droves. Finally, driven beyond reason by unknown forces, Saem-Kyrs rallied his allies and tried to seize Vraid by force in the attempt to create a new Hellknight kingdom.
Ironically, Lictor Voltarios, who still resided in the city of Korvosa, not only anticipated the rebellion, he secretly encouraged it, hoping to purge his organization of all those who dared oppose him. The very evening that Saem-Kyrs declared his coup, Voltarios's elite forces quickly slew him along with several dozen renegade Hellknights who had rallied to his support, crushing the incipient rebellion with ease. Shortly after the incident, Voltarios burned all records of Saem-Kyrs, as well as the castle's floorplans, blaming the destruction on the insurgents and ensuring Citadel Vraid's layout remained a secret.
After the death of Saem-Kyrs, Voltarios came to Vraid to oversee the final phase of the castle's construction himself. The work was plagued by frequent and deadly accidents, and it took various master builders and scores of slaves and workers nearly 3 more years to complete the citadel. Rumors surfaced that construction of the citadel's foundation revealed remnants of a long-buried Thassilonian temple, and that the project was corrupted by the long dormant rune magic buried there. Others suspected some curse was behind the delays, caused either by vengeful Shoanti spirits or Saem-Kyrs's lingering madness.
Yielding to pressure from others in his order, Voltarios commanded his signifers to purify Citadel Vraid of any latent corruption. Meanwhile, Voltarios grew increasingly paranoid, believing a secret rebellion sympathetic to Saem-Kyrs caused the project's delays and banishing all suspected insurrectionists to the Hellfast, an expansive dungeon beneath Citadel Vraid. Soon, many whispered that Voltarios's mind was as poisoned as Saem-Kyrs’s had been. Whatever its cause, Voltarios's inquisition threatened to tear the Order of the Nail apart.
Voltarios's purge ended abruptly in 4,685 AR, on the eve of the citadel's inaugural ceremony. On that night, tremendous bolts of storm-borne lightning struck the citadel's metalclad spires, shaking Citadel Vraid's very foundations. The armigers guarding the walls reported strange, glowing crackles of energy flickering up the exterior of the castle's bastions. The next morning, guards found Voltarios's battered corpse skewered upon the spire of Lictor's Keep.
Following Voltarios's grisly death, the Order of the Nail appointed Severs Boneclaw DiVri as the new reigning lictor. DiVri believed that Vraid had indeed fallen prey to foul magic. He immediately called off Voltarios's inquisition, insisting those with sufficient dedication to the Order of the Nail had nothing to fear from barbarian sorcery or the dormant magic of a long-dead society. Yet for all of Divri's noble intentions, the legacy of Voltarios continued. During the most violent mountain storms, faint spidery shocks of mysterious emerald energy still traced Vraid’s outer walls, remaining a source of superstition, causing many within the Order – including the lictor – to believe the castle is haunted.
Using one of her new spells, vision, Elvira tries to learn more about the Fangs of Midnight. Unfortunately, the spell reveals nothing on how to destroy the dragon’s teeth, she only gathers a clearer picture of what kind of tyrant Kazavon was and how he was destroyed by a cabal of heroes, led by a Lastwall knight named Mandraivus, who slew the dragon with his blade Serithial. Coja Eyes-Aflame, the Shoanti shaman who survived the ordeal took the fangs back to his people and hid them in the mastaba, where they lay dormant until Ileosa unearthed them and forged them into her crown. So, despite her powerful divination, Elvira cannot gain the information she needs. She figures that, for divination magic to reveal this level of secret knowledge, no single spell of that school will suffice, but a joint effort of several mighty magic-users could possibly do the trick.
The enchantress looks up Norva Allesain, the head of divination in the Acadamae. Since Elvira is still in possession of Allesain’s infernal contract, she has a bargaining chip. Still, she finds the dean very agreeable. The diviner will look into the matter of a super divination ritual and will happily participate in it, even more so if she’ll get the devil version of her contract in return. But she also adds that she hopes to continue her cooperation with Elvira afterwards. After all, Elvira is one of the most talented wizards ever to graduate here and Norva Allesain claims that working with her will be an honor. She will contact Elvira when she knows more about how to conduct such a ritual.
23 Kuthona 4708
Puk has slowly been building a new secret service and has actually found his first secret mission. He meets the new king in the throne room and tells him that a package has arrived for him in the stage hall, just across the hall. A wooden box is waiting for Sjo on top of the podium. Inside is a simple wooden plank, which looks just like the board that Sjo had when he was a child, the scrap of wood that carried one single word: his name in Shoanti runes. The board in the box also has his name carved into it, but it holds a date as well: 23 Kuthona 4,688. Twenty years ago to the day! Is this his birthdate?
“SURPRISE!” dozens of people glance over the balustrade of the balcony in the ceiling of this room. First among the cheerers are Sjo’s mother Aithné and his new queen Larella. Aithné says she realizes that her son never knew when his real birthday was, but she did. She has remembered his birth in secret every year since leaving him behind, and now she finally has the opportunity to share it with everyone. Larella is happy as well to see her husband kick off his teenage shoes. The party that ensues is rather casual for a royal birthday, with music, dance and drink. Sjo mingles with all the guests; all of them are friends and allies from the Shoanti tribes and from the city.
Some two hours into the party, the cook brings in an enormous birthday cake, topped with a colored layer of marzipan, depicting Sjo’s personal Harrow card, the marriage. Larella explains that there couldn’t be a more fitting card for Sjo. The marriage of a fire and water elemental represents the union of two cultures, Korvosan and Shoanti, culminating in a child that carries within himself the best of both worlds, just like Sjo. Moreover, the card’s suit is the crown, fitting a new king. She hands her husband the center piece of the cake, and when Sjo starts eating it, he discovers that there is a real Harrow card inside his food: the midwife, showing a woman delivering a new baby. This card shows Sjo’s future, Larella explains, as she has another surprise: she is pregnant! The good news is received well and the partygoers toast to the king’s fortune: “May he finally break the curse of the Crimson Throne!”
The feast continues merrily until suddenly a gut-wrenching scream pierces the grand salon, where most guests have gathered. The sound came from a side door, leading up to a wooden catwalk on the wall outside. Balian runs out and sees traces of blood on the planking. Soldiers, manning the main entrance landing below, call out, shouting that a body just plummeted down, hitting and then sliding down the roof of the throne room and then falling deeper to a spot at the foot of the castle walls. Balian flies down, while Elvira glances up and notices a shadow up above, just as it slips over the edge of the roof. She immediately investigates, but finds nothing. Whatever of whoever the shadow was, it is now gone.
Meanwhile Balian discovers that the crashed body is that of the elven ambassador Perishial Kalissreavil. His frame is broken from the fall and covered in bruises and blood. Carrying the corpse in his arms, Balian returns to his friends. While Cressida Kroft, seneschal Kalepopolis and Vencarlo try to calm the guests and urge them to go home, Sjo calls upon his divine powers to raise the elf from the dead. The ambassador’s bones reset, his wounds close and when the ritual is complete, he opens his eyes and gasps for breath. After he has recovered from the shock, he explains that he was lured outside by a sensual servant girl, who bit him in the neck as they were making out. As he pushed her off, he lost his footing and feel to his death. He doesn’t know who the girl was, but she was quite young, sensual and had lush dark hair. The party suspects she was a vampire, which would also explain how she clung to the wall like a spider and was able to disappear into thin air, probably literally turning into gaseous form.
Tayce Soldado, who now works in the castle, says that the description of the girl fits Mikki, a flirtatious kitchen maid, who hasn’t turned up for work in two days. Since she hasn’t been sleeping in the servant quarters, the companions head over to her parents’ house in the city to ask if her father or mother have seen their daughter recently, but they haven’t. Back in the castle, Tayce’s daughter Brienna, the young girl Sjo saved from Ileosa’s plague, confesses she has seen Mikki go down into the basement on several occasions, with a guard. And no, not always the same one.
Our heroes go down to investigate, but first they decide to stop by Thousand Bones’s room, since his new quarters are next to one of the only two entrances leading to the basement stairs. The shaman is present, but he is not alone in his room, the towering Krojun Eats-what-he-kills is in there as well, standing in the middle of the room with his klar and earthbreaker in hand. His head is turned away slightly and his gaze seems to peer into infinity, although his breath betrays that he has noticed the party’s arrival and the tension in his muscles leave no doubt: this barbarian is ready for a fight. Thousand Bones is standing across the chamber, behind the table. On a chair in front of him is Aithné, Sjo’s mother; with a blank look in her eyes. The shaman has draped his hands on her shoulders, gently stroking her neck. He sighs and speaks, talking much more fluently in common than he normally does; very melodically as well, but lacking the contemplative air his speech normally carries:
“I was afraid this would happen. That stupid kitchen wench could not control her urges, I told the master as much. I warned him not to let this lustful floozy wander about freely, but he rather seemed to enjoy the idea. It took me many years of shamanistic training to learn and keep my urges in check perfectly.”
Glancing at the shaman’s lips in the flickering candle light, Puk and Balian see his upper fangs have grown longer than normal. He is obviously a vampire and the strange way in which Krojun is behaving, probably means the big man is dominated.
“It is funny how I studied death for my entire life”, Thousand Bones continues, “but I never gleaned the depth of insight into its true nature until the master showed me.”
Sjo is horrified, but fears for his mother’s safety, caught helplessly in the vampire’s grasp. He also finds it hard to confront Thousand Bones, who has always been such a staunch ally. “For the sake of our old alliance, I’ll give you one chance and one chance alone,” he grunts, “leave now and never return.”
Thousand Bones nods and smirks. “Actually, I will take you up on that offer.” Keeping his eyes locked on Sjo, he recedes to the door, half walking, half floating, and heads over to the arrow slits in the next room, where he turns into a cloud of gas and disappears. Using a greater dispel magic Sjo removes the dominate effect on Krojun and shakes his mother’s shoulder to snap her out of the fascination. Both Shoanti are shocked that the respected shaman of the Skull Clan has fallen prey to his worst nightmare, the undead existence of a vampire.
Since Thousand Bones has been spending a lot of time in the basement as well, lately, trying to reconnect with the Shoanti spirits of old, the party knows where to head next. They descend into the cellars, which are actually rooms in the original mastaba. They arrive in the circular chamber with the huge green pillar in the center. To the right of this column is a body. It’s a dead guardsman with bite marks in his neck. The pale color of his skin suggests he was mostly drained of blood. Elvira tells her friends to drive a stake through his heart, just to be sure.
The heroes make their way to the one place in this dungeon they never explored: the elongated chamber with a thick layer of dust and debris on the ground, four stone statues of kneeling guardians with oversized heads lining the walls. When they first discovered this room while exploring this level in their fight against Ileosa, the heroes were careful not to go inside. After all, it looked like Ileosa had only recently opened up the hallway leading to this room and the servants and guards she sent inside, all lay dead just a few feet across the doorstep. Three months ago Thousand Bones sealed off this ancient and perilous passage again with a wall of stone, but a new hole was recently melted in the rock, easily big enough for a full-grown person to step through.
Peering into the dark, with only the light of Elvira’s torch, the companions try to assess the threats in the room beyond. The desiccated corpses of Ileosa’s minions point at some kind of magical trap, something along the lines of horrid wilting, Elvira assumes, which is a very potent and dangerous spell. Puk and Balian step inside and advance carefully, checking for traps but finding none. Still, nothing and happens, not even when Sjo joins them, but when Elvira enters, Puk suddenly notices one of the stone statues tremble. At the same time the walls shake and send forth a blast of dust, drying out the heroes’ eyes, making their mouths dry as cotton and evaporating much of the moisture in their bodies. Elvira looks at her hands, the drought has left them wrinkled as if they aged by fifty years. But despite the terrible effect of this spell, at her core she remains as strong and young as ever. Her heart skips a beat, though, when she sees the four stone statues tear free from the wall and attack her friends, smashing their fists into Sjo and Puk. She glances up ahead and notices another chamber, one holding a tomb. She pulls her friends close and magically jumps them into this room with dimension door. Behind them the statues break off their attacks and return to their original positions, giving Sjo the time to heal everyone.
The floor of this tomb is covered in dust as well, although the layer is not as thick as in the antechamber, and it also seems to grow thinner as you progress deeper into the tomb. Footprints clearly indicate that someone has been in here recently, wearing some kind of leather slippers, like many of the Shoanti do. The tracks also suggest that this person walked into and out of here unmolested. The room contains a single huge limestone sarcophagus. Its heavy lid lies broken on the floor and used to bear the carved image of a noble-looking man. An inner coffin of basalt was smashed open as well, the lid shattered in a multitude of fragments. Investigating the shards, Balian comes to the disconcerting conclusion that the coffin and sarcophagus were broken from the inside. There is no sign of the occupant, but Puk finds a few drops of blood on some of the stone fragments, no more that a couple days old. Studying the writings on the tomb, Elvira learns that this was the grave of someone called “Kusasfa, Sorshen’s first consort”.
The party figures that if they are indeed facing a vampire, such creatures go out hunting at night, only to return to their coffin during the daylight hours, so they decide to come back here tomorrow at noon, hoping to catch the ancient vampire asleep. They teleport to the throne room, where Elvira summons a mage’s magnificent mansion. Sjo sends the staff home and retires with his friends in the demiplane that Elvira conjured up, finding it safe and peaceful, but also completely and utterly luxurious.
Returning to the tomb the next day, the heroes find it as deserted as last night. But a search of Thousand Bones’ room reveals a new important clue. Spread out on the table is a map of the complete kingdom of Korvosa. A bloody fingerprint singles out one location: Citadel Vraid in the southern Mindspin Mountains. So maybe the rumors of an ancient Thassilonian temple near the Hellknights’ homebase were not so farfetched after all. Is this where Kusasfa went? The evidence certainly points in that direction.
24 Kuthona 4708
So, Kusasfa has gone to Citadel Vraid? That might be a curse and a blessing in one. After all, the Hellknights are a problem that needs to be addressed as well, but how will Kusasfa interact with them? Will he treat them as allies or enemies? Anyway, facing a perilous vampire threat, the heroes stock up on scrolls of death ward, since Sjo cannot cast that particular spell.
Elvira teleports the party to the gates of Citadel Vraid. Rising from the rugged peaks at the edge of the Mindspin Mountains, this gigantic fortress looms over anyone who approaches its entrance. The citadel consists of three distinct structures, connected by wind-swept bridges over treacherous chasms. It is easy to see why people say no army could ever take these perfectly defendable walls. But what about a single vampire?
The first fortress, Bastion Dominus, is said to represent Asmodeus’ ideal of slavery. The intimidating gothic structure imbues visitors with awe. Devil faces leer down from the ramparts, steel-shod towers protrude upwards like pikes from the heart of the citadel. As the heroes make their way to the front doors, no one is there to greet them. There are no guards, apart from the howling wind, the place is eerily silent. Sjo looks up at the words written above the entrance: “This is Citadel Vraid, home to the Order of the Nail, the wheel upon which savagery is broken and the anvil upon which civilisation is reforged.”
“Let’s see if anyone is home”, Sjo murmurs, knocking loudly. The heavy door swings open under his hands. A small beam of sunlight penetrates the dark interior. Balian and Puk peek inside, but see no one. They enter the building carefully; in their wake Elvira lights up a small stone. She sees no one down the long hall, except for some shadows moving along the ceiling. El throws the lightstone down the hall and makes out the source of this movement. Sticking to the vaulted ceiling like spiders are dozens of hulking shapes, clad in full plate, shifting with surprising agility. The nest of vampires reacts quickly, climbing down the walls and swarming the party with shrieks of horror that echo through the chamber. On a balcony above, a familiar face appears, although his skin is pale as death and his teeth protrude from his mouth like fangs. This is paravicar Acillmar, the head of the Order’s magic-users and Lictor Divri’s right-hand man. Calling upon his mastery over magic, he blasts out a cone of cold over the intruders. Biting of the freezing cold and shaking the frost from her hair, Elvira grabs Puk by the shoulder and zaps with him to the balcony with dimension door, right next to the paravicar. Puk wounds the man badly, but then the high-pitched screeches from the swarm mess with his mind and confuse him. Sjo and Balian are left facing the swarm, although the ranger has brought along his new puma Vex for its first real combat. As his war cat pulls over one of the ravenous undead, Balian’s blade swings through them in bloody arcs. Sjo conjures up a fire storm to tear through the Hellknight ranks, frying many of them in their armour, before the disturbing cries from the spawn’s throats puts him off track as well. Balian throws back the horde biting and scratching at his flesh, realizing that his next move will decide the outcome of the battle. His sword carves through the lines of the bloodthirsty Hellknights, dropping them by the dozen until none remain. When the screeching ends, Puk and Sjo regain control of their minds. The rogue waits for the war cat to leap up onto the balcony to get into flanking position, before making his finishing move. His off-hand blade slips between the plates under Acillmar’s chest, making the vampire buckle over. Puk seizes the opportunity and drives his other blade into the paravicar’s face. “Should have read your contract more carefully, Hellknight! Immortality does not mean invulnerability! Say ‘Hi’ to Asmodeus for me when he crushes you beneath his heel!”
After a few seconds the defeated vampires turn to smoke, leaving their armours empty on the floor. It takes the party the next hour and a half to heal up and search Bastion Dominus from top to bottom and locate the regenerating vampires in their resting places. This time the end come in the permanent shape of a wooden stake.
The party crosses the bridge to the second keep, Bastion Tyrannous. Before entering, they uses four scroll to ward themselves against death effects and energy drains. Here, the front doors are closed, but a knock spell provides an easy solution. As they peer inside, the companions are accosted by the iron smell of blood and see dozens upon dozens of dead bodies on the floor, Hellknights, but also others, servants or slaves, and even prisoners. The corpses are covered in blood, limbs have been torn from torsos and not a single neck looks intact; most have been torn open viciously. As they enter and study their surroundings, the heroes pick up a distinct clip clop sound from around the corner.
Elvira quickly casts haste and Sjo drops a blessing of fervor over the party. At that time a centaur slips around the corner and charges Balian. Elvira remembers hearing about the Mistress of the Blades, Maidrayne Vox, a valuable member and leader of the Order of the Nail, responsible for training the troops. Like the other Hellknights, this centaur is wearing a full plate. She casts smite chaos on Balian and stabs her halberd in his side. Elvira jumps back, surprised by the creature’s speed, and hides Puk from view with a greater invisibility, only to witness something far more shocking next. The corpses on the floor stir and suddenly pull together, forming one enormous undead mass of corpses, many of them heavily armed and armoured. A slushing sound heralds a crushing slam on Balian, whose death ward guards him from more harm. The ranger calls upon his instant enemy spell to give him an edge against the bloodthirsty horsewoman. Three times he slips through her defences, wounding her badly. Sjo throws out a mass cure moderate wounds, which heals Balian and hurts the warsworn mass and the vampiress even more. He is just in time to boost Balian before mistress Vox unleashes hell un him. The ranger staggers backwards, where Elvira gives him the protection of displacement. This does not ward him against the sudden burst of kinetic energy, however, that erupts from the warsworn. Only Sjo can resist the force of the blow by digging his heels in the ground, but all his friends are flung against the wall like ragdols. Elvira gets up first and attempts to slow the opponents, but they shrug off her spell. The mangled mass of rent flesh and broken bodies presses forward, trampling the heroes facing it. Puk and the puma, Vex, disappear in the pile, but Balian manages to slip out in the nick of time. Lifting his greatsword, the ranger calls out in rage. His first hit knocks down the centaur, his next attacks slash through the warsworn again and again, splitting the blob down to the center as he advances. Sjo realizes that the warsworn is vulnerable and engulfs it in holy positive energy, burning it from existence. The young king is both shocked and relieved. Shocked at the horrors he has faces in here, relieved at having overcome them. So far, at least …
After having faced the monstrosities that Kusasfa created in the first two castles of Citadel Vraid, only the third one awaits the party, Bastion Ferox, the smallest of the three. The bridge leads up to a huge gate and allows all who walk across a look upon the final keep’s atrocities. Trenches have been dug up against the walls, 20 feet deep and covered with heavy iron grates. These crude holding pens, also known as the Hives, normally house tortured and starving prisoners, mostly of Shoanti origin. But now only blood, gore and torn cadavers remain of the captives, mixing the stink of human filth and excrement with the stench of rot and death.
The heroes prepare by casting buffs, before opening the entrance doors, but only find an empty hall beyond. There are stairs leading up, but Balian follows the trail of blood to a door that provides access to the dungeons. The party hurries down and finds its way to the ‘Hellfast’, a subterranean devil-locker which serves as the venue for the Order’s most secretive rituals. The trail leads through an unlit passage, into a chapel with a vaulted ceiling. A huge pentagram covers much of the floor; a raised stone dais with an altar cuts to its center. This is obviously a summoning chamber, as the six bearded devils in full plate armor clearly demonstrate. On top of the altar is Lictor DiVri, who has also been turned into an undead. “Well, well,” he smirks, “if it isn’t the Shoanti bastard who fancied himself a Chelish royal. It is time to pay for the savagery you invited into these lands. The Order of the Nail demands justice, in the name of civilization.”
“Lictor knows best”, Sjo mocks. “It looks like smearing your walls with blood and gore is the latest fashion your civilized court has to offer. I don’t even mind, as long as you use your own Hellknight fanatics to do it with, but I won’t stand for it if you hurt my people. I ordered you to leave Korvosa three months ago, and you disobeyed my decree, unlawful Lictor. So, I have come here to enforce the law myself!”
Balian storms in and lashes out at the devils, but quickly finds himself surrounded by them as they ferociously throw themselves at him from every angle. Realizing that denizens of Hell do not fear the scorch of flames, Sjo calls down a pillar of holy energy, but replaces his token element of fire by electricity. Puk takes advantage of the last seconds of Elvira’s greater invisibily spell to slice away at one of the barbazus, but witnesses that DiVri masters the same spell as he disappears from view. Elvira uses her ring of lover’s lightning to cast chain lightning over the devils, killing one of them in the process. Meanwhile Balian opts for a more careful approach and tries out his new shield of swings fighting style to bolster his defenses. This gives Sjo enough time to heal him, but this intervention forces the healer to open himself up to DiVri’s stabbing halberd. Elvira supports her ranger ally further by giving him displacement. Now Balian can breathe a bit easier in the face of four bearded hellspawn. Slashing his blades in deadly arcs, Puk takes down a second devil, and switches his attention to the unseen entity of DiVri next to him. “I could use some help”, the halfling cries out, encouraging Elvira to cover the Lictor in glitterdust. Now the rogue can properly do his job, badly wounding the Boneclaw vampire. “Enjoy your time in Hell!” Sjo shouts as he bursts out in holy energy. The glowing light heals his friends, but also burns away Divri’s undead flesh. “Master … aahhh …” the Lictor screams in pain. Then his armor drops to the floor as his body morphs into a cloud of gas which immediately floats off. Puk and Balian make short work of the remaining devils.
While taking a few minutes to recuperate, the heroes check out a hole in the back wall, which was put up to block off and hide a complex from another era, Thassilonian in design. Every surface of the chamber beyond is covered in geometric patterns and runes, which look incredibly intricate. Balian and Sjo shake off the desire to study the writing, but Puk becomes totally entranced, ignoring his friends and insisting to keep on reading until he understands everything that is written here. Elvira, who is the only one in the group who can actually decipher the runes, cannot grasp the complexity of the message right away, but feels no compulsion to continue studying like her halfling friend. She has Balian remove Puk from the room, before using an old scroll of break enchantment on him. Once he is freed from his obsession, Puk explains what he experienced. Although he didn’t understand anything about the mysteries written on the walls, he couldn’t help but try and analyze them with complete and utter fixation.
Once she knows her friends are safe, Elvira returns to the chamber to pour over the enigmatic message. Scrutinizing the data she learns that anyone who gains full comprehension of the writings, will attain architectural brilliance, but at the same time be driven mad with the need for perfection and overanalysis of every aspect in life, turning the reader insane with paranoia. Now she understands what drove the Hellknight builders of this citadel mad. Still, the enchantress figures out enough of the runes to reveal another function they hide. Tracing her fingers over certain patterns, she reconfigures them to open up an incredibly well-hidden secret door in the back wall.
In front of her looms a long hall, decorated with over a dozen bas-reliefs of monumental structures. She recognizes several of them, like the mastaba, the pyramid of the Sunken Queen, the Pillar wall and humongous statues of Sorshen holding up a torch to act as lighthouses along the coast. There are other buildings as well, grand palaces and temples devoted to lust. Yet Elvira does not see any Thassilonian landmarks that still exist today outside of Sorshen’s former realm, marking this as a place of tribute to the greatest monuments in Eurythnia only. Each of the scenes has the same mark in the right bottom corner, the Thassilonian rune ‘Cavuhl’, which translates as talent of architect.
The ceiling in this long hall is decorated as well. It is painted to resemble the night sky, showing the constellations which are still visible today, but with enough difference to date them ten millennia back in time. As she points out the various groups of stars in the cosmic caravan to her friends, like the Mother, the Wagon and the Rider, the enchantress notices that they are encased in powerful magic. She urges Puk and Balian to look for some kind of defensive set-up and with her guidance the two of them discover a magical trap, but as they attempt to disarm it, they accidentally set it off. Suddenly gravity reverses around them, flinging them to the ceiling where the stars change into laserlike blades that whirl and twirl. Puk manages to grab onto a ledge in the bas-relief, but Balian smashes into the ceiling and the merciless blades. Activating his boots of flying, he quickly floats to safety, and about a minute later, the trap stops, but the magic is still present, Elvira confirms. Taking extra security measures by securing themselves with ropes, Puk and Balian undertake a second attempt to disarm the trap. This time they succeed, but they realize that their deactivation is only temporary, so they hurry to the doors at the end of the hallway.
Beyond is the final chamber in this ancient complex. The place bathes in colored lights, emanating from a strange contraption at the far end of the chamber. It looks like some kind of complicated machine, built to house something big in the center, thrice the height of a man, but there is nothing there but the Cavuhl rune on the floor surrounded by three holes in the stone around it, worn out by something pointed and heavy. The light reflects in the many silver runes that have been written over the walls, sometimes accompanied by bas-reliefs. Two metal statues of knights in armor, line the walls, one male, bearing a halberd, one female, wielding a sword of energy. These statues are clockwork soldiers, who animate as soon as the heroes enter.
Balian and Puk open hostilities by alpha striking the male construct. Their adamantine weapons cut through its heavy plates, inflicting enormous amounts of damage, and make the metal defender stumble on its feet, but it doesn’t go down yet. It retaliates with the same efficiency, using its halberd as a meat grinder on the halfling rogue, who only remains on his feet thanks to his resilient nature. The female construct joins her male counterpart, using her ‘lightsaber’ to finish the job on Puk. She continues her charge on Sjo, who has taken on the form of a huge fire elemental. Seeing his ally dead on the ground, the healer invokes the power of breath of life, to drag Puk back from the clutches of death. Elvira grabs the barely alive halfling by the collar and dimension doors him to safety of the corner behind Sjo, where he receives more healing. Balian takes out the male construct and engages the female one.
“Damn, you’re big”, Elvira shouts at the huge fire elemental who is Sjo, as she fires a sickly green ray just past his waist into the remaining clockwork defender. Her blast disintegrates the right upper half of its torso, revealing all kinds of gears inside. Puk jumps in and stabs his blades in the exposed mechanism. The construct staggers, sinks to its knees and falls over. As soon as the energy sword slips from its grip, the blade disappears, leaving only the hilt behind. Balian picks it up and finds he can make the blade of brilliant orange energy reappear with a simple mental command. The weapon feels like a greatsword, perfectly balanced, although it lacks the weight that slows down its wielder’s arms as he gets tired from swinging it. Elvira identifies the weapon as a force blade which has the same efficiency as Balian’s adamantine sword, without the holy ability, but with more base power and the added capability of ‘debuffing’ an enemy.
Even more interesting than this fantastic blade, though, are the runes on the walls. Elvira can decipher them as easily as if they were written in common, and reads them out to her friend, who can use the various bas-reliefs accompanying the words as cues. The writing sounds almost like a prophecy:
“In sweet Eurythnia did Sorshen's thirst
A stately pleasure-dome decree.
Through which a living river ran
To cavern measureless to man
And down into a sanguine sea.
So deep beneath her house of stone
A paradise of lust had grown
With first a garden, green and fair
To house the creatures
She thought rare
And all the features
That were there
Were fresh and natural, breaths of air
As cleansing as a morning prayer.
Next in line the carnal court
Where pleasures of the flesh were sought
For it was ruled that deep within
These halls Her all-time favorite sin
Should be practiced, day and night
With lewd perfumes and candlelight.
But please be prudent
Don’t forget
Don’t be a student
Of regret
Be wise enough to think ahead
Of all those who were called to serve
Few did so with the grace and verve
As her fine guardians from the sea
Who watched her in idolatry
For her they were prepared to bleed
Fulfill her every whim and need
Requiring fee nor salary
Still in her gushing gallery
And then on to the artery
A corridor of martyry
Through which the lively river runs
To grant once more life to the ones
Who waited on her and now rest
On call to be pulled from their nest
Devoted to her evermore
This is what they are waiting for
But oh! Be still my beating heart
For down the waterfall we go
Into a paradise enchanted
By the finest work of art
That as we all too well do know
Is just as often beauty haunted.
Into the gorge the flood is forced
By mortal heartbeats it is sourced
Through rock the living river ran
To cavern measureless to man
It spills in one smooth fluid motion
Its contents in the sanguine ocean
To feed the everlasting well
Her cold, undying citadel
For once our ruler heard a call
Predicting that the sky would fall
Called down by masters veiled and scorned
But luckily, she’d been forewarned
Of when calamity would strike
On all that she could ever like
And plunge the world in darkness deep
Half of her realm the sea would sweep
Up in one unforgiving wave
And so she went down to her grave
Eternal rest in Paradise
Lost to the practice of Her vice
So up above her consort stayed
To come to his sweet Lady’s aid
She taught him how he later could
By carrying out the rites of blood
Revive her from the grave’s embrace
And bring her back to splendid grace.
So finally it came to be
That her most loyal devotee
Entombed her with the utmost care
And afterwards required of me
Forever to confine her there
And so she sleeps in deathless night
Beneath the weight of malachite
The path by stone and magic blocked
Until again it is unlocked
By one whose love for her is true
Three times he will call out her name
His love and lust he will proclaim
In order for him to get through
Then walk round the stone plug thrice
To open up the way anew
To his sought-after paradise
A price will then again be paid
By those who walk the earth above
The gift of blood once more be made
To end the icy slumber of
The paragon of lust and love.
And when she opens up her eyes
The runelord once again will rise!”
25 Kuthona 4708
The party spends the night in Elvira’s Magnificent Mansion, which she summons inside Castle Vraid. That gives the party the opportunity to do three things: recover from the battle, stake Lictor Divri as his vampiric body returns to his room to regenerate and study the prophetic poem they discovered in the Architect’s tomb closer.
The poem describes how Sorshen went to sleep, to hide from the foretold calamity of Earthfall, the meteor shower that destroyed half the world 10,000 years ago. She was locked in an underground complex by the Architect, who put the plug in place that the heroes know as the green malachite pillar in the cellars of Castle Korvosa. Kusasfa, Sorshen’s first consort, was meant to wake her up again when the dust had settled, but it looks like he took his sweet time doing so …
The poem gives a fairly detailed description of the lay-out of Sorshen’s so-called ‘Pleasure Dome’. First there is some kind of garden or menagerie, housing all kinds of exotic animals. Next is a brothel, where the sin of lust could be practiced. The third stage holds the formidable ocean giants, who served as Sorshen’s guardians. The heroes already faced four of these fearsome protectors in the Sunken Queen, huge combat-ready paragons of physical perfection who had been in stasis for millennia, but fought with the alertness of a cat on the prowl. This part of the complex, referred to as the ‘gushing gallery’, houses even more of those sea titans. Number four is called ‘the artery’, a place where other servants of Sorshen make their ‘nest’, which makes Elvira believe there are vampires, like Kusasfa. Through this ‘artery’ a river runs, most likely made of blood. This river then becomes a waterfall that flows into a paradise with haunted pieces of art, before it drains into a lake of blood, where Sorshen rests in her grave. Might she be a vampire as well? It would certainly explain how she managed to live so long, even before being entombed. The sensual nature of these bloodsuckers also fits perfectly with the idea of lust and Sorshen’s reliance on blood magic.
In the morning the party returns to Korvosa. After selling off the loot and acquiring a few extra scrolls of death ward and freedom of movement, they head to the castle. As they descend into the basement, they hear the loud TINC TONC sound of heavy metal hitting stone. Balian draws his new force blade and leads the way. What he discovers next to the green pillar is something he has never seen before, a weird construct walking around awkwardly on three large metal legs. The automaton is artfully covered in beautiful golden plating, covering all of its body, except for its torso, which is made up of crystal container holding a skeleton floating in fluid. The creature has four arms, ending in sharp metal claws. Two bulbous globes on top of its heads reflect the light like the compound eyes of a fly.
The bones inside the glass stir as the construct turns to face the intruders and lays its hands on the stone walls. The Architect’s magic does its work, as the three small corridors leading up to the central pillar room suddenly stretch out endlessly and somehow, a fourth corridor of equal boundless length appears, making the pillar room the intersection of four stone hallways that extend as far as the eye can see. The heroes find themselves scattered over the various tunnels, suddenly facing not one, but two identical versions of the clockwork reliquary.
Elvira hides in a crowd of six mirror images and steps back into the hallway, keeping a safe distance from the Architect in front of her. Balian and Puk are less inclined to shy away from close-quarter fighting and flank the creature. The ranger finds that his new force blade slices through the metal plating with relative ease, while Puk smashes a mean crack into the glass container with his luckblade. In their back, Balian’s war cat Vex keeps the other version of the Architect busy, but it lacks the strength to hurt its opponent. Puk’s cocky smile at a successful opening of the hostilities is soon wept off his face, as the damage on the Architect promptly disappears. Next the mechanic left arms sink into the wall and warp the stone, making the wall bulge out at Puk and smash him into the pillar. The halfling is now wedged between the gray and green stone, which keep pressing on each other. Elvira is too far away to get her ally out and can only provide haste for the rogue and the ranger. This does not help the small scoundrel squeeze out of the crunching stones, though, and while Balian hammers more gashes into the clockwork’s arm and leg, the damage vanishes in an instant. Sjo, who has just cast true seeing notices that the other Architect version flinches its limbs slightly as its duplicate repairs the wounds to its arm and leg. Neither of these two versions is an illusion, so much is clear now, and they somehow keep each other intact.
“Attack them both at the same time!” Sjo shouts. “Maybe then the damage will stick!” He moves towards Puk and touches the rogue’s hand, that sticks out from the crushing wall and pillar, casting freedom of movement from one of the scrolls. Now the halfling can easily slip from the stone grasp and move to the other Architect. Meanwhile the first copy has started to mangle Balian with its sharp claws. Elvira dimension doors next to Puk and gives him greater invisibility, so he will be able to use sneak attack, but the Architect’s bug eyes can see through this illusion and the halfling only manages to nick the machine. At the same time Balian gets in some heavy hits, but only the small amount of damage that Puk did sticks, on both versions! At least the heroes have figured out how to defeat their opponent now. Still, the Architect has more tricks up its sleeve. Version two plunges its claws in the ground, making the floor in front of it turn to mud. Vex and Elvira sink in the muck, but Puk’s freedom of movement allows him to walk on the sludge like elves walking on snow in the legends of old. Elvira uses another dimension door to get Puck and herself behind the second Architect, so the halfling can flank it with Vex. Now Puk can live up to his potential, finding his way behind the plating, cutting through wires and gears. Balian continues to bear down on the other version of the Architect, enjoying the suppleness with which he can wield his new sword. This time both constructs sustain serious damage. But the machine is not done yet: its claws slash at Puk and Elvira. As her own blood soaks her gown, Elvira realizes why she normally stays so far away from the heat of battle. Puk handles his wounds differently, they only serve to inspire him even more. His blades now swirl in a dance of vicious cuts in what has become the rogue’s signature style. Balian’s technique is less elegant, but no less efficient. His force blade smashes both metal and glass to splinters. The Architects are now wobbling on their three legs. Sjo figures that the skeleton inside the construct is an undead and thus vulnerable to positive energy. He bursts out in a mass cure spell that heals his friends, but also burns the bones behind the glass. With a sharp SCHWING the crystal shatters and the Architect tumbles to the floor. The four endless corridors return to the normal three-way lay-out of the basement, while the two piles of scrap metal become one again.
The heroes heal up and Elvira studies the pillar with her arcane insight, noticing runes hidden in its surface that look like they were recently activated. She recalls the writings from the Architect’s tomb on how to open the plug:
And so she sleeps in deathless night
Beneath the weight of malachite
The path by stone and magic blocked
Until again it is unlocked
By one whose love for her is true
Three times he will call out her name
His love and lust he will proclaim
In order for him to get through
Then walk round the stone plug thrice
To open up the way anew
To his sought-after paradise
.
She tells Puk to perform the ritual. Bringing forth his best performance, Puk cries out: “Sorshen! Sorhsen! Oh … Sorshen! I love you! I want you!” Then he walks around the pillar three times. Runes start to glow in the green stone. By the time the halfling completes his last round, the whole pillar lights up and becomes transparent. Elvira steps inside, followed by her companions.
They are all beamed down, ending up in an entangling mass of dead bushes and branches. Elvira concludes that they have landed in a big domed hall which is completely overgrown with wood. Mulling his foot in the dirt, Balian kicks up the end of an old bone. Whatever creature this once belonged to, it must have died a very long time ago. Pricking up her ears Elvira hears a female voice casting, barkskin. She casts a spell of her own on her friends in response, haste, and flies up, digging through the branches. Balian takes to the air as well and when he breaks through the dried-out thicket, he sees the looming shape that fills most of the room, a humongous tree. Although the drab colors of its bark and its leafless branches suggest the wood is quite dead, the tree shakes as if alive. Its trunk tears open in a wide grin; two black holes above this gaping mouth look like hateful eyes that stare with the dark fury of death.
The crooked plant flails around two enormous branches like arms, as Balian closes in. The ranger swoops under the slamming arms and whacks his forceblade forward with all the strength he can muster. He hits the undead treant on the lower half of his mouth, splitting his bottom lip all the way to the ground. Puk is still under the effect of freedom of movement and slips between the branches to the foot of the tree, where he notices the source of the female voice Elvira heard: a dark green dryad with a malicious glare. Sjo pushes towards the tree as well and when he is close enough for his blindsense to pick up the tree, he hurls a fireball at it. The tight tangle of branches crowning the tree, then pushing up against the ceiling and climbing back down along the dome, catch on fire like lamp oil. The dryad and the tree scream out simultaneously in pain and anger. The fey no longer possesses a tangible form, she is incorporeal, like a ghost. Her insectoid wings lift her off the ground too, and her hands begin to glow with sickly green energy. She points at Puk and Balian and unleashes beams of green and black energy on them. Dark power tears through their frames and Puk continues to burn in verdant wildfire. The distraction is enough for the tree to hammer down on the halfling as well. The rogue buckles under the slam and is now infested with mold. Elvira tries to engage the dryad by firing a disintegrating ray at her, but her magic fails to hurt the fey creature, who in turn blasts out more witchflames at Balian. Sjo rushes to Puk’s aid and heals him, closing his wounds, resetting his bones and burning away the mold and witchfire in the process. Balian chops into the trunk again and again, until the tree croaks its final cry and its arms drop to its side; its crown of branches still burning brightly up above. The dryad screeches in sheer hatred; her hands flaming with the same witchfire energy, she claws at Balian’s chest. Sjo has to support his comrade again with healing, so he can uphold the onslaught. But the dryad is relentless and with Puk and Vex unable to reach her in the air, it is up to Balian to take her out. His blade swings high and low, forcing her back. Elvira waits for the right moment and angle before spewing out a cone of cold over the ghostly fey. The snow storm blasts the incorporeal creature from existence, forming the antithesis of the inferno that the room is turning into.
Fortunately Elvira notices a doorframe along the wall. Puk examines it for a mechanism, but Sjo’s true seeing reveals that he can step right on through. The party enters a beautiful chamber, filled with a lovely perfume in the air and an agreeable temperature. A refreshing fountain gurgles in front of them, behind it is welcoming bath, surrounded by marble pillars. Sjo quickly patches up everyone, as, from an archway in the wall to the left, a shapely woman walks in. Her gorgeous body sports big leathery wings that are folded over her back like an elegant, pink cloak.
Stage two in Sorshen’s pleasure dome is called the Carnal Court. With a sexy succubus appearing in the doorway, the nature of this chamber leaves little to the imagination. With a coy smile on her lips, the beautiful demon welcomes the party: “Finally, guests. It’s been too long. Please, come in and rest your weary heads. I can see … and smell … you have been through ‘hell’ to get here. Is that fire and brimstone I detect there?” she sniffs.
“We do command powerful magic,” Sjo responds with an undertone of suspicion, “fire among it.”
“Nothing a fresh bath can’t fix, fortunately”, the succubus smiles. “Get comfortable, please, my sisters and I will be glad to assist you.” Two more winged women step into the room, also oozing charm and sensuality with every move they make.
“We appreciate your kind offer,” Elvira coughs, “but we are in a hurry. If you would be so kind to show us to the way out.”
“No, no, it’s not good for your health to rush all the time, you should take a moment to unwind, relax, maybe have some fun before you continue on whatever important mission that drives you.”
“There will be enough time to relax afterwards”, Elvira throws the demonic temptress a look of urgency. “Do you mind if we look for the exit ourselves?”
“Of course not, feel free to roam. Our home is your home. But you, dear sir knight,” she coos, laying her hand on Balian’s arm, “perhaps you would like to wash off the filth of battle while your friends look around. We can massage the ache out of those battleworn shoulders as well.”
“No, thanks you”, Balian grunts awkwardly. “I don’t think my girlfriend would like that.”
“Well, I won’t tell her … and, after all, what will she do to a strong man like you?” the nymphomaniac brushes up against the ranger.
“Hahah, you obviously never met D’Ari Firehair before.”
In the meanwhile, Elvira moves around the bathhouse. To the left an archway opens up into even more chambers, while an iron door blocks the way to the right. As she walks over, the pink dressed succubus addresses her: “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.”
“Why not?”
“The one behind that door is not as nice as we are.”
“Is she your enemy?”
“Enemy is such a primitive concept, we’ve been here for so long … I don’t even know what to call us and her anymore.”
“A long time indeed”, Elvira answers, “ten thousand years!”
“Whatever, we are happy to have visitors after all this time. Let’s not spoil it by disturbing our less-than-friendly neighbor.”
“All right, then do you mind if we go in there instead,” Elvira inquires, turning around and pointing through the archway across from the iron door, “the rooms you and your sisters came out of?”
“Not at all, I’ll even give you the grand tour, if you’d like. There is another bath in there, if you prefer some privacy from your friends”, the alluring demon whisper. “I can comb and braid your hair too, if you’d like, there are some twigs in there, if I’m not mistaken.”
“No, thanks. I just like to browse before I buy.”
One of the succubi enters the rooms as well. Underneath her long black hair and leathery wings, she is completely naked. She walks into her boudoir, where she sits down and starts combing her hair in front of the mirror. “We can do whatever you want, hair, make-up, I can even mend that pretty dress of yours. It must have been gorgeous once, but it clearly has seen some rough times lately. Or do you prefer something more physical? My sisters and I are exceptionally experienced at giving pleasure to someone of the same sex, after all, we’ve only had each other to practice on for the last … ten thousand years, it was?”
“It was … is ... has been … ehrr. But we are not the first ones to come in after all this time, are we? Haven’t you just had the company of two others? A Shoanti and a … well, we’ve never seen him, actually, a vampire.”
“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of those Sjo-wan-tee you speak of.”
“An older gentleman, with bird bones in his dress. And that vampire, I suppose you know him better than we do, Kusasfa’s his name, Sorshen’s first consort, surely you’ve heard of him. Have you seen these gentlemen?”
“I can’t say I have, sorry”, the succubus pouts. Elvira tries to gauge if she’s telling the truth, but finds it hard to read her. Everything that comes out of her mouth sounds so, well, ‘fake’ is probably the best way to describe it.
By now the wizardess has checked the rooms in the left wing, finding no way out. “I guess we’ll want to visit your lovely ‘neighbor’ after all.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Well, what I don’t understand,” Elvira wonders, “is why you haven’t got rid of her yourselves yet? There’s three of you against just one of her, isn’t there? Ten thousand years is long enough to kill her a million times over.”
“It’s not for lack of trying, but - as the story goes - ‘sometimes they come back again’ … only, in her case ‘sometimes’ is every bloody time. The same goes for us, by the way. So after a few millennia, you grow tired of killing each other over and over and over again, and you start looking for more convenient ways to cohabit, like ignoring each other, which is exactly what I advise you to do right now. Just leave her be.”
Elvira shrugs: “Looks like we don’t have a choice.”
The party gathers in front of the iron door. Balian pushes the handle down and steps inside. The room holds yet another bath, but he sees no occupant. Suddenly the door is pushed shut behind him. An intricate lock in the center of the metal turns and clicks, sealing the ranger inside with a four-armed woman who appears from behind the door, two curled horns protruding from her brow. She reaches for the trespasser, but Balian sidesteps and drives his forceblade forward, invoking his instant enemy power to get the better of her. The sword bites into her flesh.
On the other side of the door, Puk tucks on the collar of his cloak of the pixie king, activating its dimension door ability, but the iron door blocks teleportation. Elvira attempts a knock spell to open the lock, which works! Sjo pushes against the iron, but Balian seems to be blocking the door from the other side. There is just enough of an opening for the healer to squeeze through. Puk follows, slipping through without any hindrance. He tumbles around the demon, so he and Balian have her flanked. She tries to capture Balian’s mind with a foul spell, but the warrior proves stubborner than she expected, and more deadly too. His weapon slashes a wide gash in her side, then he strikes a powerful blow between her neck and shoulder, slicing through flesh and bone. As she gasps for air, the ranger makes a full circle and drive his blade into her chest. She drops to the floor, disappearing before hitting the ground. Her destroyed black dress, covered in her blood, is all that remains.
“She wasn’t that hard to beat”, Balian notes.
“But she’s a lot harder to get rid of forgood, impossible even”, the succubus sighs, “although it was thrilling to see a man like you in action. Won’t you show me again how you did that?”
“Enough with the flirting, woman,” Elvira interrupts, “there is no way out of here either, just another pool.”
“I hate to be the one to tell you ‘I told you so’, but …” the succubus teases.
“So, you really can’t show us how to proceed? You must have helped Kusasfa, why not us?”
“If you allow us to pamper you, we’ll allow you to move on.”
“So, you DO know how to get out of here. I’ll make you a deal, if you tell us how to leave this place, we’ll help you escape as well. You must be dying to get back home after ten millennia.”
“This place is pretty nice, nicer than where we originally came from, actually. Anyway, unlike you, we cannot get out.”
“We have some experience breaking infernal contracts”, Elvira offers.
“Huhhuh, contracts, that’s so Hellish. We hail form a different realm, milady. If we are told to stay here by our masters, they hope we don’t obey, so they can tear us apart for the next 10,000 years. Believe me, this place might be boring as Hell, sigh, as boring as boring can get, but at least no one bothers us here, except maybe that seraptis you just killed. Can you blame us for wanting to have some fun with you before sending you on your merry way? And you’ll have fun too, you know, win-win.”
“I wonder if the poem holds the clue to getting out”, Elvira muses. “What did it say again?
Next in line the carnal court
Where pleasures of the flesh were sought
For it was ruled that deep within
These halls Her all-time favorite sin
Should be practiced, day and night
With lewd perfumes and candlelight.”
“There you have it,” the succubus explains. “Like I told you, seek the pleasures of the flesh and you’ll be out of here before you know it. What about you, big man?” She turns to Sjo. “You look like a strapping fellow. Handsome too. Nothing like a bit of pleasure to get the juices flowing and fill you with renewed vigor.”
“I’m married”, Sjo points at his wedding band. “Sorry. Can’t do that to my wife, certainly not with her being pregnant.”
“She’s expecting a child? All the more reason for you to indulge, it will be a year, or longer, before your wife lets you ‘get some’ again … if ever.”
“I can’t, matter of principle”, Sjo says.
“Yeah, he’s quite big on principle, that one”, Balian interjects.
Next, the succubus turns to Elvira and Puk. “You two, then?” she asks. “We don’t discriminate. I’m afraid love is the only way out of here.”
“Love? You call that love?” Sjo shakes his head.
“Making ‘love’, as I said. That is the key.”
“Okay,” Elvira groans, “give us a minute to talk it over amongst ourselves.”
“Take your time we’re in no rush, we have all the time in the world. A few more minutes won’t matter after ten millennia”, the demoness smiles.
“C’mon, Balian, you’re the one we turn to when things get close and personal, when they get physical”, Puk suggests.
Silence follows. “Alright then, I’ll take one for the team”, Balian finally says.
“Lovely,” the succubus cries from the other end of the room. “Do you have a preference? My sisters? Me? All of us?”
“I’ll take the one with the long black hair, please”, Balian answers.
“Tsss, a shame that you’ll let all this pass you by”, she teases, curving her body.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s get on with it.”
Balian joins the black-haired succubus in a private bathtub and some grunts and sighs later, the other members of the party, who are waiting in the main hall, see a ne portal appear on the wall opposite the entrance.
As soon as he’s finished, Balian rushes over to his friends, putting on his clothes while they prepare some buffs. “Looks like we’ll be facing ocean giants once more”, Elvira concludes going over the next part of the poem in her head. “Let’s use that water breathing scroll. So, how was it, Balian?”
“Well, I do indeed feel invigorated, just like that lady said we would.”
“Hmm, I have heard about such a thing, prophane gift it is called, if I am correct”, Elvira recalls. “Looks like you’ll be a bit stronger from now on … at least, until she takes the gift away, that is. Are we ready? Then let’s go.”
“Bye bye, don’t be afraid to visit us again”, the succubi wave.
As the party steps into the portal, they find themselves in a new elevator beam, drifting down an extremely high chamber. To the left and right of them are huge metal spheres, protruding from the wall, two to the left and two to the right, with a new ball below them, row upon row upon row. There is something green in the center of the sphere. Elvira sees it is a window and tries to peek at what is behind the glass. Floating horizontally in green fluid are ocean giants, with their heads facing the window. The huge men and women from the sea are unmoving. Some are clad in armor, others are bare-chested. Elvira gets the impression that their shoulders look old and bent, not like the big muscled frames she witnessed on the ocean giants in the Sunken Queen pyramid. As they descend deeper down the chamber, though, the view inside the pods changes. The giants move, or rather writhe, as if in pain. The further down, the stronger the giants appear, with the muscles still intact. And then, the party reaches the bottom.
Once the elevator beam dissipates, the humming sound of a machine greets the companions. A strange contraption, pulsing with energy, spews blood into a pool, which then drains into a canal, leading off into a dark tunnel. The smell of irony blood is heavy in the air. Glancing back up, Elvira sees how the pods just disappear into the darkness above her. On her way down, she must have counted over twenty rows, at four pods per row, that makes around 100 giants whose blood is being spilled. The draining process started at the top, slowly making its way down. Only the two bottom rows still look undisturbed. The eight giants behind the glass are still asleep, unaware of their looming deaths.
Suddenly the second row clicks into action. The giants inside the pods jerk and contort in pain, as the blood engine produces a new, stronger flow of red fluid. Their spasms are vehement at first, but gradually grow weaker as strength seems to leave their bodies. Now there are only four undisturbed pods left.
BANG! A giant hand slam against the glass next to Elvira’s head. The wizardess startles and sees the person inside, a woman, struggle in the water. She looks up to see through the glass, her eyes wide with fear.
BANG! Again she smashes against the lid. Elvira turns to her party. What should we do? Help the woman get out? Last time we encountered ocean giants, they weren’t friendly.
BANG! Yes or no? In or out?
BANG! Guys???
BANG! CLANG! The lid pops open, and at the same time, the other three pods on the bottom row react as well, their doors are flung open too. Sea water gushes out. Elvira, Balian and Sjo take to the air to avoid getting soaked, but Vex is swept away by the salty flood and Puk has to hang onto the edge of the pool to avoid the same fate. A huge woman glides out of the first pod. Seeking support against the wall, she rises to her feet. Her wet robes cling to her frame. She is as fast as the lightning that crackles around her fists. Slam! Slam! She hits Balian who is floating in front of her. The force makes the ranger spin around his axis, and he barely hangs on to his sword. He orders Vex to flank the woman and retaliates, but she is fast indeed and dodges most of his attacks.
From the other three pods three more giants emerge. One shoots chain lightning at Sjo and Elvira, who has just provided Puk with greater invisibility. Then the giant stands up, greatsword in hand. The other two wield humongous tridents. Sjo catch them in a fireball, which hardly phases them. As the healer flees to safety, the giant with the greatsword hits him with a backhand swing. Elvira tries to use confusion on the attackers, but is sliced by another attack of opportunity from the same opponent. Her spell fizzles. She also retreats, getting slashed again. Bleeding profusely, she seeks shelter behind Sjo’s broad shoulders, seeing that her healer friend already sustained some serious damage of his own.
Balian is pummeled again with a flurry of blows from the first giant. Vex tears into her back, but it will take a lot more to bring her down. Balian’s health is getting dangerously low too, so he focuses on his defense by wielding his blade in a shield of swings pattern. As a consequence, he only manages one hit on the huge monk, giving her the equivalent of a paper cut. Puk is the only one who is doing his normal job. He cuts the giant in front of him in the achilles heel, climbs up his enormous thigh as he drops to his knee and jams his little swords in all the delicate spots. Sjo shouts out to Elvira that Balian needs his aid, pronto! But his own health is so low that he won’t be able to get to the ranger through the attacks of two giants. Elvira covers him in greater invisibility as well, so he can reach Balian unmolested and heal all his wounds with his most powerful curative spell. He is just in time, because the monk continues her barrage, laughing that this will only prolong her fun. At the other side of the pool, the invisible Puk keeps climbing over his enemy like a bug, stabbing him where is hurts. Finally he crawls over the giant’s chest and slashes his shortsword across the behemoth’s throat. Schling! The huge greatsword drops from his grasp and hits the floor. CLANG! Then the giant follows. FFDUUUFF! One enemy down!
Elvira regrets not studying more mind-affecting spells. She prepared to face undead and constructs, focusing on damage instead of enchantment. She has one confusion left in her arsenal. She places the magic in the air so it encompasses two giants; they both fall victim to the mental bewilderment. Elvira retreats into the tunnel with the blood canal, just a little too deep. At the edge of her darkvision she spots two alcoves, opposite each other. A shadow slips out of her field of vision and she hears hissing from the darkness. Oops, she’d better not get too far down this tunnel …
The monk facing Balian is still a problem. She keeps smacking him around. When Sjo throws a fireball at her, she leans backward just in time to avoid the flames. Puk jumps through the pool of blood to help his friends, leaving the other two confused giants to face their own demons. Finally Elvira sees a chance to give her friends haste. Now the combat turns. Bolstered with magical speed Balian lashes out at the monk, who drops to the floor, ending her guardian duty to Sorshen after ten millennia of faithful inactivity.
Now it is just a matter of taking down the two final lumbering fools, an easy job after a few very close calls. After the fight, Sjo immediately starts getting everybody back to full health with his wands, burning through their magic quickly. Balian flies over the pool and looks at the pumping blood engine. “Let’s fix this problem as well”, he grunts, lifting his blade.
“Hold your horses”, Elvira cautions him. “That might be dangerous. Just let me …” She studies the machine briefly. Then she presses a button, pulls a lever and VHHOOhooom … bzzzz … click. The engine stops.
“I do not mean to worry you, guys, but this tunnel in front of us, with the blood flow, clearly the ‘artery’ from the poem, is full of creatures, vampires most likely. Looks like a big nest, a swarm like the one we faced in Citadel Vraid”, she says.
“Well, after these giants, they might actually be an easy challenge”, Balian flexes his muscles, eager to go on. “Maybe just some buffs, before we go in.”
“Good idea.”
It turns out Elvira’s suspicions are true. The artery is indeed filled with a nest of vampires. They hiss and growl, fill the hallway completely, not just on the ground, but on the walls and ceiling as well. Like a tidal wave they crash into the heroes. But Balian’s suspicions turn out to be true as well. While Puk, Vex and he take the brunt of the crash with the troop, they tear into the enemy with gusto. Sjo throws some fireballs in the mix, but it is the slashing power of his party’s vanguard that brings the nest of vampires low. As they hit the floor in bunches, their vampires evaporate into a cloud of mist that floats to the various coffins in the alcoves. As soon as the take on corporeal form again, our friends are there to drive a stake through their hearts. This time they burn to ashes. There is no coming back from this.
“Let’s move,” Sjo says after healing up his friends, “we already gave Kusasfa too much of a head start. This Sorshen may have been an all-powerful ruler in the days of Thassilon, but those days are gone. It’s time to show her there is a new king in Korvosa!”