We just started our CotCT campaign two weeks ago and had a blast. The characters in this story are:
"Fal" - human female rogue 2. A former Lamm's Lamb and a Shinglerunner, Fal is now a cat burglar who specializes in stealing jewelry. She looks startlingly similar to the king's young wife and does not remember her past before Lamm.
Niral - human male monk 1/cleric 1. A Vudran expat, Niral runs a small apothecary in Eastpier. He is small in stature and looks like an effeminate teenager despite being the oldest in the group (22).
Reia Kristane - human female paladin 2. Aside from recently assuming partial leadership over the small church of Iomedae in Korvosa, Reia cares for a very sick father (once a member of the City Watch), a grieving mother, and a traumatized sister. All of them were victims of Gaedran. She is tall, athletic, and fights with a greatsword.
Alexander - human male ranger 2. Descended from a long line of Sable Company Marines, Alexander is still an initiate who has yet to take his first tests. However, his skill with the bow matches or exceeds many of the current marines.
Hope you enjoy!
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Old memories bring past events to the surface.
It all began with Zellara's card.
I moved in for the final stroke. As usual, the break-in was a success and I stole away with the ornate jewelry box laden with the weight of its contents.
Anticipating a full haul, I was rather crestfallen when I found the box empty except for a single moth card. Labeled 'the Twin,' it flashed a magical message directing me to Zellara's for a brief moment before the inscription faded away.
I was intrigued. The message hinted at a way to defeat Lamm. In doing so, I would finally save the remaining children of their cruel fates, the cruel fate that I, too, had endured before I made my escape.
The next day, I went to the fortune-teller's home. There, expecting to find "others like me," imagine my surprise when a Sable Company Marine appeared! Yet we were all united in our commonality against Gaedren Lamm. Each of us nursed a hatred for the evil man that spurred us to strike against him at Zellara's encouragement. She wanted her stolen Harrow Deck and everyone wanted Lamm's demise.
Although it was dark outside, I convinced my new companions that there was no time like now to attack. The task would be difficult enough without suspicious guards watching our every move in broad daylight. Even then, the city was crawling with law enforcers.
We reached the fishery, Lamm's latest hideout, without incident. The paladin agreed to stay put (thank goodness! her clanking would have alerted the entire neighborhood. I don't know how it managed to stay asleep) while I performed the little operation that enabled us to enter the building.
In the fishery, the strange Vudrani man and I crept along the catwalk that supported the little hammocks. As usual, Lamm had cramped his little victims in disgusting quarters, forcing them to do his dirty work. The man never changed.
We were investigating when a hideous gnome guard whom we mistook for a child sounded the alert. Lamm's petty posse attacked us but the paladin and Vudrani monk turned out to be useful in a deadly way. Even the Company man played his part in defeating the bad guys.
Dirty work done, a smart kid, Kester, informed us of Lamm's whereabouts. He had a brave spark in his eyes that reminded me of Grau. He asked us to save his sister whom Lamm was abusing in his crude cruel ways. Poor Kester, his scars were worse than mine.
In any case, we had to revisit the rotton ship and make it past the man-eating spiders, find a hidden door, and face whatever else that awaited to ambush us in order to reach Lamm. It wasn't the most glamorous thing in the world, but Lamm's end would more than compensate for the ordeal.
Finally, we found him. He had drugged Kester's sister and leered over us in that insufferable way. The hideous crocodile threatened anyone who walked towards Gaedren in the pool that rimmed the boards leading to him. It didn't help that Lamm fired poisoned crossbow bolts at us and held the little girl hostage.
Miraculously, we rescued the girl and killed Lamm. We had the grim satisfaction of knowing that he recognized us before his death - he didn't forget those who had come to defeat him.
And I opened the hated treasure chest from long ago, revealing Lamm's guilty hoard for everyone to see.
As expected, it had many valuable trinkets. Even the queen's personal brooch was there!
Oddly enough, however, a faded blue dress caught my attention before the precious ornaments of higher caliber. It transported me back to that fateful day when lost, crying, and dissheveled, I roamed the streets until Lamm found me. He had forced me to wear the blue dress whenever I made excursions into the wealthier parts of town, scrounging as much as I could from the rich. True, I retain that habit to this day, but as a little girl conned into doing Lamm's bidding, it was intolerable. And as a naive, trusting little girl, I didn't know any better.
Adding to that day's adventures, Zellara's secret was revealed. Her harrow deck wasn't among the goods in the treasure chest, but there was a strange alcove with flies swarming around the curtain that covered it. Pulling the fabric aside, we found Zellara's head and her precious cards. Zellara's ghost materialized before us and she narrated her sad tale - how her soul was bound to this earth from Lamm's cruel torture and the fact that she now lived in her cards.
Zellara knew that the blue dress belonged to me. Perhaps when she completes a full reading of my fortune, I will learn more about my forgotten past.
23rd of Sarenreith, AR 4708
Now that the children are free, the task remains to find them suitable accommodations.
I decided that it was a good time as any to visit old friends and leave a mysterious letter asking them if they would assume responsibility for a child. If I got a little dramatic, blame it on Zellara.
Kester I wanted to recommend to Grau, but his habits conflict with serving in the City Watch. I don't blame him - I don't know why anyone would choose that path when it's much more fun to break the rules.
Maybe I'll take Kester under my wing, as my friends did for me, and keep an eye on him until he's sure to stay afloat by himself. There's no better teacher to keep him on his toes for hell knights and other law enforcers. With proper guidance, he's sure to stake a living for himself. And, as a victim of Lamm, Kester should have principles that prevent him from the path of twisted cruelty that he had to endure.
By the way, Zellara, I'm just kidding about that small statement! You're not gonna curse me, are you?
Azazel Fenix - male human sorcerer 2. Azazel is an exceedingly handsome young man with dark blue hair which hints at an otherworldly ancestry. He specializes in electricity magic and occassionally passes off static when shaking hands. He keeps mum about his past, but he was apparently a Lamm's Lamb at one point.
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24th of Sarenreith, AR 4708
As we stepped out of the fishery, chaos literally fell out of the sky when a hippogriff plunged into the base of a statue in the middle of Korvosa. Ruffians and thugs taking advantage of the situation greedily observed the carnage, fingering their makeshift weapons and planning to loot over cries of "The King is dead! Long live the queen!" or "Kill the usurper! Kill the Queen!"
Fire everywhere. Mobs, violence, screaming.
We were disoriented and shocked, particularly the sable company man, Alexander, when he recognized the dead hippogriff rider as his close friend. Enraged, he stood with his bow taut and ready, daring anyone to desecrate the body. Ruffians converged and the fight began.
They were only rowdy, untrained amateurs. In a matter of minutes, we disposed of a dozen thugs and rescued Alex's fallen companion.
We wanted to return the body to his poor family without further disruptions from crazed men, so I took the party in a detour through the smelly, obscure parts of town. Monsters lived under the streets to dispose of the city wastes, yet it appears that the riots weakened the concrete fortifications.
A gaping fissure tore apart the street as tentacles whipped out, lined with horrible teeth and the stench of fermented sewage. The monster was quick, more difficult to hit than its bulk suggested.
The paladin, Riah, employed her freakish strength against the creature while Niral, the slight, unassuming Vudrani man, unleashed a flurry of blows. Alex stood guard over his friend's body to the last, when help unexpected came out of the shadows. From behind us, an electric orb flung across the dark and clashed brilliantly against the monster's stinky form. Riah dealt terrible blows and yours truly gracefully inflicted the final blows that knocked the creature out.
Monster threat neutralized, we turned to face the stranger who had helped us.
Framed against the moonlit horizon, an impressive figure with silky blue hair stood, arms crossed and silent.
Niral made the first move and enthusiastically thanked the stranger for his help while Alex sulkily looked on. Riah and I approached the curious newcomer as Niral commented on his hair and flawless skin. Alex continued to sulk in the background.
As I drew nearer, I recognized that the stranger looked vaguely familiar. Maybe the atypical blue hair gave it away, but there was a boy long ago in Gaedren's clutches whom the girls often goggled over. I forgot his name, but he must have grown into this magic user standing in front of us.
The striking stranger introduced himself as Azazel. He wasn't very talkative, but Niral managed to draw out an agreement that we'd continue together in safety, marvelling at Zel's hair all the while. Riah, too, was enthusiastic to have him accompany us, the antithesis of Alex, who followed in surly silence. Well, you can't blame a guy for feeling insecure every once in a while.
Alex delivered his friend to the grief-stricken family. Riah gallantly assured the sobbing mother that her son's death was not in vain, for those left behind would secure Korvosa's stability once again. I wasn't so sure that I wanted to take this path. After all, it was against my very nature and old habits die hard. I've had to live for me, clawing tooth and nail for survival. But how could I yield to this reluctant impulse when I saw the heartbroken mother and daughter, crying over the loss of a beloved one?
I decided to see how things unfolded as we camped down for the night in Zellara's abandoned apartment.
25th of Sarenraith
I've never been the most devout of believers, yet I feel that Cayden Cailean takes an interest in my life for some obscure reason. There are parallels between our stories - unexpected turns that astound me as they probably astounded him.
Out of chaos, my life changed dramatically and irrevocably. I do not think that it will ever be the same again.
The next day, we identified Gaedren's pillaged treasures and exchanged the valuables for gold. But the Queen's brooch was hardly a commodity that we could dispose of in ease, especially amidst the turmoil of the city. The riots from last night continued in full sway, tearing the city apart in anarchy and ruin.
We decided to directly return the brooch to the Queen.
As we headed for the wall that divided the magnificent Korvosan Castle from the rest of the city, we confronted yet another mob. Although guards lined the heavily manned walls, they did not dare to break up the conflict in front of them.
An overdressed dandy brandished a rapier that looked more like an accessory than a weapon, telling the angry crowd that he was a pupil of the Grand Master Orisini, swordfighter extraordinaire. Everyone knew of the great man's reputation, but the petty noble in front of us looked like a pompous fool instead of a capable killer.
Laughing at the noble's theatrics, the mob was on the brink of attack when we intervened. Riah petitioned for peace when Alex, perhaps in retaliation for his friend's death the previous night, shot an arrow and beheaded a man when the crowd refused to listen. Another fight seemed inevitable when Azazel's hands rippled with electric energy and he quietly advised the men to flee or die. His cold eyes communicated this unyielding intent, and confronted with his iron will, the crowd dispersed in panic. As much as it galls me to admit it, it was a rather impressive display of power.
The noble, who lay sprawled on the ground and staring at his bloody tunic in horror ("my silk tunic!"), looked up at his saviors and pompously rose to his feet.
"Thank you for your assistance, though I could have taken care of the situation myself," he said to Zel. "Nevertheless, I know how to reward those who are... more refined than those boorish ruffians. Here, no need to thank me."
From his frilly handkerchief, the noble drew out a sack of coins.
"If ever you find yourselves in Old Korvosa, ask for ------ (his name was too insignificant to remember)" and the arrogant fool left. Sigh.
On the bright side, we continued to the castle with heavier purses.
We stood outside the gates of Castle Korvosa. The guards there appeared exceedingly nervous. When we stated our business, they admitted us (I suppose it helped that Alex and Riah came along. Did I mention that Alexander wasn't a full-fledged Sable Company rider yet?).
At the base of a staircase, we had to surrender our weapons. Of course, I forfeited my daggers and darts, but no one suspected my scarf and I took it along as we climbed the stairs to meet a beautiful, feral woman with flaming red hair and light armor. She was well-built and seemed completely at ease. I knew then that she must be the famed Sabina Merrin, personal bodyguard and sister to the Queen.
Sabina looked at me oddly and I wondered if she recognized my scarf as the dangerous weapon that it was. My fears were misplaced, however, for she simply asked for each of our names and announced us to the Queen. One by one, we flooded into the royal chamber where the Queen awaited on the Crimson Throne.
Alexander, who was first in line, gave the brooch to Sabina who, in turn, presented it to the Queen. Her voice was impassive as she thanked us for the return of her lost bauble and rewarded us with gold. She proceeded to ask us to continue to serve Korvosa, directing us to Cressida Croft for assignments in conjunction with the city's law enforcers. Then, bowing her head seemingly in grief, the Queen retired from the room. We were dismissed.
As we left the room, my companions stole sidelong glances in my direction. I pretended not to notice. Promptly, however, I was taken aback when Sabina asked me to stay behind. Was it the scarf?
When my companions were well ahead, Sabina's mild tone became hostile and she asked, "Who told you to impersonate the Queen? It's a crime punishable by death. I'll give you ten seconds to explain before I kill you."
Astounded and on the verge of panic, I strongly protested the false accusation, but my words seemed to flow out of her ears before her brain processed the information.
Sabina's massive sword swung up and I stared at her in disbelief, unwilling to accept the possibility that my life would end in such a pitiful manner, when a plump hand rested on Sabina's shoulder and a massive body floating on a conjured disk materialized from nothing.
"There, there, sister. She doesn't know a thing," said a cool voice from behind an angelic mask, out of place with his disgusting girth. His excessively embellished clothes rippled as he spoke.
That obese man dared to suggest that I could be a useful puppet to ensure the Queen's security as a disposable double. Needless to say, I refused and left after Sabina told me to dye my hair. Her royal I'm-so-beautiful-and-not-you-ness was apparantly jealous of her red hair and would not suffer lesser citizens like me to keep it. I'm not complaining, though - I was rewarded a hefty sum of gold pieces for my cooperation.
We walked to the Citadel with an impressive escort. Along the way, a drunkard stumbled out of the nearest tavern and looked up, haggard face unkempt and messy.
"Fal?"
The guards looked disgusted and muttered darkly about deserters. They urged us to continue, but I could not abandon my childhood companion and former friend who was once a brother to me, Grau Soldado. Fortunately, Niral's little apartment was close by and we dropped Grau off, putting him in an herb-induced sleep before we locked the door and left.
So I began my own personal Test of the Starstone and, against all odds, joined as an unofficial member of the City Guard.
Later that day...
We stood in front of Cressida Croft, a majestic lady with dark circles under her eyes. Tiredly, she welcomed us. Soon enough, however, a priest scrambled into the room and performed a minor restoration, promising to return in twelve hours. It was clear that Croft stayed awake for several days.
Rejuvinated under the influence of the spell, she gave us our first mission. We were to capture a former member of the City Watch who roused fellow deserters against the Queen. The traitors staked out at a butchery and they were wanted, preferably alive.
We waited outside the butcher's yard, watching as the men distributed meat to the populace. There was no evidence of their misdemeanors, but we snuck inside anyways come nightfall.
In my regular sleuth routine, I listened as the sound of three voices and something heavy dragging across the floor seeped through thick double doors. As much as I wanted to take them on, it was too risky to barge in without confirmation of the others' whereabouts. Instead, I admitted the rest of the party and proceeded to investigate upstairs.
There were three soldiers preoccupied in a game of cards. Hiding in the corner, I waited too long to strike and our ambush failed. They discovered us and a fierce battle ensued. The leader came out from behind the door and reinforcements from downstairs swelled their numbers. I was too busy, however, with the big honcho and avoiding his skilled spear thrusts. If it wasn't for Zel and Niral, I wouldn't have survived the encounter.
Alas, one of the guards escaped, another surrendered, and the main guy almost got away. With an amazing burst of speed, however, Riah swung her gigantic greatsword and bashed his head. Too bad the damage was nonlethal; Cressida wanted him alive for interrogation.
We collected our sizable reward with the promise of another assignment the next morning. Croft would introduce us to someone.
Meanwhile, the others prepared for slumber. It was late and we were tired, wounded from our previous mission. Nevertheless, Niral healed me with his clerical abilities and gave me the key to his apartment. I went to see Grau.
The scent of Jasmine pervaded the air. Niral didn't smell flowery for nothing. Grau was still asleep, but I shook him awake lest he parted on his own, without a word.Grau scrunched his face in pain from a massive hangover. Nevertheless, I berated him for leaving the guard and sinking so low. I was not in a generous mood.
Scowling, Grau explained that the flurry of recent events- King dying, riots, Queen taking the throne- was too much for him. He could not stand obeying a spoiled monarch and serving in the Watch anymore. He brooded over his rotten luck, that service in the City Watch, training from swordmaster Orisini, everthing had been for naught.
"Why did you leave your master?" I asked. Vencarlo Orisini showed mercy when Grau tried to pickpocket from him. Instead of sending Grau back to the streets, Orisini cared for and trained him until Grau became one of his finest students.
Reluctantly, Grau recounted the tale. He had nurtured an unsuitable attachment to Sabina Merrin, sister of the Queen. When Orisini chastised him for his feelings and for disrupting the school with complex relationships, Grau challenged his master and lost. Sabina stormed out, denouncing men, and Orisini cast him out, blaming Grau for the loss of his finest student. It struck me how interfering and tiresome affairs of the heart are.
"Anways, since when did you care so much about the Citadel?" Grau continued.
I could not answer at first. Yet the events from the past few days flooded my mind and I honestly reiterated my reasons for serving the City. Gaedren Lamm's corroding impact on my life and the lives of so many others, a family's grief over a Sable Companion's death, the chaos and death of the city riots, Cressida's tired face, everything touched a part of me that wanted to protect others from the pain that evildoers inflicted. My troubles and my life, once dedicated to alleviating the sufferering of others, would have new meaning and contribute to a brighter future, even if the city were only to return to its former state.
To my surprise, Grau was convinced. Instead of leaving Korvosa forever as he originally intended, Grau decided to return to the City Watch. Understandably, he was nervous about facing Cressida again. But the guards did not bar our entrance as we returned to the Citadel and continued to the Commander. When we pleaded our cause, Cressida shook her tired head but granted permission for Grau to return. He was demoted to a private, but he was back.
26th of Sarenreith
When we called on Cressida the following morning, she was not alone.
An elegant man with shoulder-length white hair and jet black regalia made room for us as Cressida introduced him. It was the famed swordmaster Vencarlo Orisini.
The two explained the delicate situation of a Chelaxian Ambassador's effort to dominate Korvosa, taking advantage of the City's desperation. We needed to collect evidence so that Cressida could act against him should he go too far.
Orisini's contacts informed him that the Ambassador visited Eel's End, illegal enterprise of the Spider King. He, too was a nuisance to Cressida but he evaded capture by restricting his activities to the ships and infallibly paying his taxes. Dealing with the Spider King for information against the Ambassador would be a tricky and dangerous business, but where's the fun without a little risk?
The swordmaster accompanied us to Old Korvosa where the Spider King operated and where Orisini also lived. Along the way, the courteous man attempted to converse with our silent group. They were powerful allies and good people, I admit, but that wouldn't be the case if they fought as well as they spoke.
Slightly frustrated with my companions, I talked with Orisini. I asked about his hand, why he lost the use of the fingers that hid under his black gloves. He told me about the legendary battle between himself and Sabina, how it lasted for days and ended in a draw. In turn, Orisini examined my bladed Varisian scarf with interest, as well as Riah and Alex's greatswords. Acknowledging the skill necessary to operate my scarf, he cordially invited me to visit his school along with the others. Coming from the greatest swordsman in Korvosa, it was a generous offer.
It would have to wait, however, until our duties were completed. We bid Orisini goodbye and continued to Eel's End. On board the largest ship, we passed the crowd of revelers, gamblers, drug addicts and headed for the emptier portion of the deck in the back.
Two guards blocked an entrance to who knows where. When we stated our business with the Spider King, they looked shifty and uncomfortable. We had not arrived with a scheduled appointment. It only took a little persuading to convince them to let us through.
They led us down a corridor covered with spider webs, loaded with the minuscule critters. A single strand detached itself from the ceiling with a spider that crawled down to meet us. Everyone avoided it, especially Mr. Gorgeous. He didn't want the little guy to mar his flawless hair.
Eventually, we reached the end of that hallway and ducked under a thick network of spider webs, into a room that used to the the captain's chambers. In one corner, a bird cage contained a tiny, malnourished dragon that fluttered around in its confines. Niral seemed to take the poor creature's plight to heart, but there was nothing we could do about it.
Beyond the cage, a long table filled the room. The Spider King sat at its head, surrounded by his cronies. The strange man had the pale skin of one who hid from sunlight. His black hair and leather clothes only highlighted his palor; the chains that criss-crossed over his chest, the spiders crawling over his bare arms and face, did nothing to improve his image.
After exchanging the usual pleasantries (Spidey offered dried flies and some foul liquid, which we declined for obvious reasons), we presented our platform for negotiation with 30 platinum pieces. It was not enough, however. In order to coax the letter that contained evidence against the Ambassador, Spidey challenged one of us to a game of Knivesies.
Niral took up the offer. The poor guy looked tiny next to Spidey's thug. Another thug tied up thier left hands and dropped a dagger at their feet.
The object of the game was to incapacitate the opponent, knock him off the table, or gather all the gold coins scattered across the tabletop before the adversary.
Fortunately, Niral was quicker than his huge opponent and struck the first blows. The big guy bullrushed Niral to the edge of the table, attempting to knock our little champion off. Niral stood his ground and delivered an impressive series of punches and kicks that knocked the giant of a man unconscious!
Clapping, the Spider King commended Niral. But it wasn't over. This time, he summoned two thugs to flank Niral at once in Knivesies, promising us that if Niral won, the letter would be ours.
As we huddled around Niral in encouragement, we urged Zel to protect his comrade with mage armor in secret. Thus fortified, Niral stepped on to the table.
Two men, one of their arms tied to each of Niral's, each had daggers by their feet. Once again, Niral struck the first blows. The man at Niral's right collapsed from the fierce onslaught and his partner picked up the dagger, stabbling at Niral with the eyes of someone already defeated. Niral quickly doged the attack and knocked the thug on his left unconscious with the efficiency of a master.
A standing ovation followed this performance. Spidey gave us the letter with good will, offering Niral a job if ever he needed one.
We made to walk out, but the purple dragon caught Niral's eye. He paused, then asked Spidey for the creature, offering his strange Vudrani dagger for the exchange.
Spidey examined the fine dagger and pronounced it worthy of the transaction, licking his new prize, the disgusting man. Once free, the little dragon cuddled Niral and offered its services for a year in gratitude for its freedom.
We walked out, safe and sound, and delivered the letter to Cressida. She read it, laughing at the Ambassador's folly. It was perfect.
And so the encounter ended well.
27th of Sarenreith
After operation embarass the Ambassador, Cressida dismissed us until further notice. She called us back the next day.
The riots started to die down with Cressida's strenuous efforts. It seemed like all would be well when riots all over Korvosa burst out in full strength yet again.
The Citadel was in an uproar. Guards dashed about, the Sable Companions covered the city sky, and we rushed to Cressida's office. Cressida was her usual tired self. Stress seeped into her face, but she welcomed usl and promptly relayed the situation.
Evidence suggested that the King's murderer was an artist who was recently commissioned to paint his portrait. Cressida suspected that the Queen secretly incited the riots by spreading this rumor all over the city instead of quietly capturing the artist. Amidst the havoc, the accused would be murdered by the mobs without a proper trial. If she was innocent, the true killer would use the confusion to escape detection.
The accused murderer was Trinia Sabor, my former sister in our shingle days long ago.
Our mission was to reach Trinia before the rioters did. We would bring her back to the Citadel for her safekeeping against the mobs. Shocked and appalled, I decided to ask Grau to accompany us. He would be desperate as me to save our childhood companion.
Later that day
We went to go get Grau.
Grau and another guard were stationed outside the tax collecter's. In any rioting case, whether he was innocent or not, angry mobs flocked against the most hated man in all of Korvosa.
This time, the citizens had upgraded their pitiful toothpicks and managed to get their hands on weapons that could actually do some bodily harm. As a group of... about twenty (gimme a break. i can round up, can't I?) people edged closer towards the guards, the biggest thug of the lot stepped up and had the temerity to tell Grau to move aside. They had "business" with the tax collecting Magistrate. Grau calmly told his companion to go inside and lock the door. He would take care of everything.
Balancing his sword in his right hand, Grau stood ready. Heavily outnumbered and surrounded by the raucous crowd, he somehow appeared very serene. The leader of the thugs stepped up menacingly and – with one smooth stroke, Grau beheaded him. Continuing the fluid movement, Grau used the flat of his blade to knock out two others. The ruffians behind slashed at Grau but he immediately switched his stance and maneuvered his sword like a shield to block their vicious attacks, rapping his sword grip against their ugly faces. Unfazed, Grau reassumed his offensive stance and disposed of three others. Seeing ten of their comrades fall in about twelve seconds, a handful of thugs bolted. Grau took care of the rest. Watching the whole thing, I felt a swell of pride – and relief that I wasn’t Grau’s enemy. That was one sweet fight.
The door to the tax collector’s opened and the guard stepped out.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“It was no problem,” Grau said, as he tied up the unconscious bodies. His friend joined him as we approached.
I asked Grau for a word in private and Grau left the tying to his partner. “You can take credit for the whole thing,” he said.
When we explained the situation to Grau, he joined our expedition to save Trinia as soon as we confirmed that Cressida approved. Nevertheless, he warned me ahead of time that he was rusty with the whole shingle-hopping business. Grau was cumbered with his armor and he was never as good as Trinia and me in the first place.
When we reached Trinia’s apartment building, the landowners seemed reluctant to provide any information about our quarry. Clearly, Trinia had befriended them; they wished to protect her.
We managed, however, and ran to her door. Grau and I pounded against the sealed frame and called for Trinia, to no avail. Riah stepped up and said that she’d handle it; with inhuman strength, she tore the door off its hinges with her greatsword.
We saw a sleeping Trinia on her bed in a small room with windows wide open. I leaned to shake Trinia awake but my hand passed through her incorporeal form and the illusion vanished. I glanced up and managed to see a fleeting figure dart across the rooftops.
My companions and I raced across the shingles but they easily fell behind as I closed the distance with Trinia. Even Grau, who spent his childhood here, seemed to have a difficult time; it must’ve been harder for the newcomers.
We ducked around corners, climbed walls, ran across precarious ledges, leaped onto dangerous landings in pursuit of Trinia.
The shingles were a dangerous place. Pseudo-dragons, imps and horrible choker monsters with long arms did not make it a hospitable place, nor was it easy to navigate through. It was the only reason why Trinia was still alive.
I almost reached her, but Trinia turned. For a fleeting moment I thought she recognized me. Instead, Trinia cast a spell that clouded my thoughts. Too late, I remembered that my hair was brown and suddenly, I was incapacitated in laughter. As Trinia raced ahead, Alex slipped past me.
Niral’s purple dragon attempted to communicate telepathically with Trinia but she was too panic-stricken to converse with. When it tried to stall her, Trinia somehow cast another spell and continued her escape.
Fortunately, she ran into a trio of thugs. While she was convincing them to leave, we made steady progress. Alex grappled her as she leaped past him and pinned her down until the rest of the party (Zel and Niral followed from the streets…) caught up.
Trinia broke down and started sobbing about how she never hurt the king, how she never dreamed of it. In the middle of her pitiful lamentations, she recognized Grau and me. We explained the dangerous situation and how we wanted to keep her safe at the Citadel. Still trying to calm her down, we tied Trinia up and carried her to the Field Marshall.
Cressida thanked us for our efficiency. She assured us that Trinia would be safest in the Citadel, away from mob rule and tried quietly before the Queen could discover her whereabouts. How wrong she was.
28th of Sarenreith, a little after midnight
Grau accompanied Trinia to her cell and served full duty as her personal guard. He tried to comfort her as the shock and terror of the day took its toll.
Suddenly, a door materialized out of the air and a fat man floating on a disk glided out from nowhere.
"My, my, I was looking for you," he drawled.
Grau immediately stood on guard and asked the round foe what he meant.
"Why, her, of course!" he said, pointing to Trinia.
Grau told the man that he wasn't allowed there, warned to leave immediately. When he would not comply, Grau ran at the obese puffball, but his sword hit an invisible barrier and Grau was thrown twenty feet against the room. He hit the wall, hard, and crumpled.
The floating man drifted closer, gathering green energy in a whirlwind of destruction. Bits and pieces of the wall started to gravitate toward his hand and as he lowered it, Trinia cried, "No! Grau!"
Before the fatal blow, a real door slammed open and Field Marshall Cressida Croft rushed forward with her spear. Pointing it toward the man, she yelled at Togomor to back off.
That odious pig silkily said that she was committing treason, and when Cressida said that she answered to the Seneschal instead of the Queen, he replied, "But I am the Seneschal."
"Why are you doing this?" Cressida demanded.
"We need a scapegoat," said Togomor. "The people should have somebody to get angry at for the death of my beloved sister's husband. Now lower your spear or I shall have you court marshalled for directly disobeying your superior."
"This isn't right, Togomor," Cressida asserted as she tilted her spear point away.
"I decide what's right."
Togomor magically bent the bars to Trinia's cell and, floating all the while, grabbed her terrified form and vanished.
Grau, still crumpled against the wall, stared numbly with eyes unseeing. Face white with shock from the abduction of one of his best friends, he moaned to Cressida.
"I wasn't able to do a single thing to help her. I couldn't do a thing."
Meanwhile, we were exploring Korvosa's markets. I was excited to purchase a mithril chain shirt when I remembered that I now owed Niral a small fortune in gold pieces. The mood continued to plummet when I learned of Trinia's abduction.
Cressida sincerely apologized. She never anticipated difficulty from her superiors. What could we do? Grau was nowhere to be found, secretly nursing his pain while I walked around in a daze. I considered visiting Master Orisini's school but it wouldn't be fun without Grau. In any case, Grau showed me a deep scar that marred his chest and he said that the next time Orisini saw him, he threatened to leave more than a scar.
"If you think that I'm a good swordsman, Vencarlo is the god of war."
It was too dangerous to risk Grau's life even if I knew where he was.
Later that day, Cressida summoned us to her office. An old Shoanti man with milky eyes proudly sat next to her, hair intertwined with bones. Cressida introduced him as Chief A-Thousand-Bones, a leader of the Shoanti faction of Korvosa. She recounted the difficult history between Chelaxian invaders and the existing natives as Chelaxians struggled to build Korvosa on Shoanti territory.
Bones maintained that his people sought to maintain peace, but each aggressive Chelaxian move only solidified their impression of Chelaxians as a bloodthirsty, violent race. Furthermore, rioters murdered Bones' grandson and desecrated his death by selling his body to a necromancer. If his family could not retrieve the boy's body and give him a proper sending to the next world, Bones' son would lead a rebellion that he would be unable to control.
The Shoanti took death very seriously and they would fetch the body from the graveyard themselves, but Chelaxians would view it as an act of aggression and an excuse to harass their people. We had to retrieve the body lest Korvosa engaged in a bloody fued between the races.
When Chief A-Thousand-Bones made his exit, Cressida apologized for his slightly hostile behavior (I'd be hostile if my grandson died) and informed us about the renegade necromancer and how to identify the Shoanti youth's body.
We arrived at the cemetery, a lonely burial site for pitiful wretches who rarely left anyone to mourn their passing. Alex spotted faint wheelbarrow tracks heavy with the weight of its unholy cargo. He also noticed small feet with four toes, a detail that reminded me of little devlish men with three fingers and four toes. Legend has it that they kidnap people and perform bizarre experiments on them. Sometimes survivors stumbled back from captivity and recounted nightmarish torture....
We followed the trail to a tomb. The single casket in the middle of the chamber was incredibly light as we pushed it aside to reveal an underground passage.
We walked to the crypt, a creepy room supported by four pillars. Two staircases led to a hollow piled with bones, most of them human. Skeletons surrounded us, embedded in the mud walls. I hid in shadows while Niral conjured dancing flames to illuminate our path. Riah looked like she had a migraine.
A strange tapping sound scattered across the walls, circling us several times. All of a sudden, skeletons from the walls and the bone pile converged towards us on all sides.
It was my first experience against undead, but I drew my morningstar and tried to whack at them. I couldn't use it half as well as I flailed my bladed scarf, but we managed. Riah and Niral were very efficient.
Although a few bones lost their morale and cowered against the walls, Riah insisted that we annihilate them all.
We stood, victorious, looking toward the dark door that led further into the underworld.