Dot?
"Hello, sailor."
.
You awake, prepared for another day of what you fear might be more fruitless searching for the location of Gaedren Lamm. You perform your morning routine automatically, only as you place your equipment on your belt your fingers brush something that shouldn't be there?
Carefully drawing it out you find a card from the fortune teller deck. The Harrow deck. In this case a card depicting a Peacock?
Written in bold ink on the back of the card is a message for you.
.
You awake, prepared for another day of what you fear might be more fruitless searching for the location of Gaedren Lamm. You perform your morning routine automatically, only as you place your equipment on your belt your fingers brush something that shouldn't be there?
Carefully drawing it out you find a card from the fortune teller deck. The Harrow deck. In this case a card depicting the card of the Twin?
Written in bold ink on the back of the card is a message for you.
.
You awake, prepared for another day of what you fear might be more fruitless searching for the location of of Sita. You perform your morning routine automatically, only as you place your equipment on your belt your fingers brush something that shouldn't be there?
Carefully drawing it out you find a card from the fortune teller deck. The Harrow deck. In this case a card depicting a Peacock?
Written in bold ink on the back of the card is a message for you.
.
You awake, prepared for another day of what you fear might be more fruitless searching for the location of Gaedren Lamm. Revenge might be best served cold, but you're not sure about tedious?
You perform your morning routine automatically, only as you place your equipment on your belt your fingers brush something that shouldn't be there?
Carefully drawing it out you find a card from the fortune teller deck. The Harrow deck. In this case a card depicting the card of the Theater?
Written in bold ink on the back of the card is a message for you.
.
You awake, prepared for another day of what you fear might be more fruitless searching for the location of Gaedren Lamm. The Bastard is very well hidden from you and the many others who no doubt wish him ill.
You perform your morning routine automatically, only as you place your equipment on your belt your fingers brush something that shouldn't be there?
Carefully drawing it out you find a card from the fortune teller deck. The Harrow deck. In this case a card depicting the card of the Wanderer?
Written in bold ink on the back of the card is a message for you.
.
A character who makes a successful DC 12 Knowledge (local) check or spends 1d3 hours asking around about the address given on the card automatically learns that it is the home and fortune-telling shop of a Varisian woman named Zellara.
What are you doing now?
Vedika is just tightening her girdle when she finds an unexpected Harrow card among her things. She holds it up between two fingers, then flips it over.
"Strange. A finger-smith must've been quite skilled to slip this to me yesterday without being noticed... and didn't take anything?"
She frowns, then checks her makeup one more time.
"Could this be blackmail?"
She slides a few shards of sharp metal inside a fold of her girdle.
"Well... if it is, they may find that they've gotten more than they bargained for."
She pulls on her brown cloak, pulls up the hood, and follows the directions on the card.
Coiling his whip onto his belt as he readies himself for another day, Nethen finds a small card tucked in between his two knives. Pulling it out he sees a stylised peacock overlain by the symbol of a key. He turns it over, reading the message on the back.
Intrigued by the offer of help in tracking down Lamm, despite the subterfuge with which the message had been delivered, Nethen gathers the rest of his things. He rolls up his sleeping bag and hides it away under a loose floorboard of the vacant house he's been squatting in then opens the door onto the noisy streets. "Lady of vengeance, guide my hand to deliver your sting," he mutters, praying to Calistria for guidance as he raises his hood and sets off towards the address on the card.
Vazhimort Nachipi awoke and greeted the day. The day greeted back in the form of someone the next room over banging on the wall and an accompanying voice telling him to make less (or no) noise. The chipper gnome climbs up onto his bunk to bang back his own good morning, and then goes through his usual morning routine before preparing to head down to the common room of the inn for breakfast.
Hefting his coin purse, he assesses that he won't be able to stay in this inn for too much longer. He'll have to find gainful employment if he wants to remain in Korvosa to continue his search for REVENGE! Maybe he can find a job as a cobbler. Or maybe a watchman! Oooh, maybe a Magistrate!
As he gives his purse one final heft, he feels something unexpected inside. Reaching in, he draws out a fortune teller's card with a depiction of a theater on the front.
"Ooh! I've been put-pocketed! In my sleep! In a locked room! How novel!"
The building is not one he recognizes, specifically, so he turns the card over to read the note from someone helping him to fulfill his quest for REVENGE! Excited at this sudden and unexpected progress, he heads downstairs for breakfast and to pester the innkeeper and the other patrons for 1d3 hours until he learns that the address is home to a fortune teller named Zellera.
He spends most of the rest of the day inspecting the various cobbler shops in the city before heading to 3 Lancet Street to arrive at sunset.
Having completed her morning practice, working through her meditation and combat forms, and getting dressed, Ariadne is surprised to find the card and note. Reading it through, she turns the card over a few times, studying the image of The Wanderer. She was definitely more than a little concerned that someone had managed to get into her place to leave the card, she'd have to get better locks, but she was also wary of a trap. Yet the chance to finally give that bastard what he so rightfully deserved was too much to pass up.
Slipping the card into her pocket, she buckles on her swordbelt, and dons her armor, heading out about her planned day, eventually making her way to what she determined was the shop of a fortune teller named Zellara.
Standing across the street, she studies the shop, looking for anyone going in or out or any overt signs of hostile or dangerous magic.
You all arrive at much the same time at the given address, a collection of strange and suspicious people lurking outside and looking the place over.
What are you doing now? You can easily see each other and you all seem to have the same destination in mind.
One of the conspicuous arrivals is a slim, dark-haired woman in a leather corset, though she has a hefty cloak to keep rain off. She eyes the various strangers who've arrived at the same place, clearly thinking over her options. Finally, she pulls out a Harrow card and holds it up, back facing out.
"Let me guess," she says. "You too?"
Nethen steps from a nearby alleyway as he sees other people clearly converging on the address he'd been given. He looks warily over the two women - one beautiful brunette and one scarred redhead - and the gnome as he approaches the impromptu gathering. He nods at the brunette's question, pulling his own card from his pocket.
"Yes. Me too," he replies, but offers no other information. Trust is hard to come by in Nethen's line of work so he waits for the others to respond first.
A very handsome half-elf approaches the group gathered at 3 Lancet Street. His shirt is half-untucked and his jacket sits on his frame slightly wrong, as if he rushed to put it on and still hasn't taken the little time it takes to adjust the fit. Still holding a Harrow card in his hand, he raises it as he sees others displaying and examining theirs. "You all here for Gaedran, too? My card said there would be others." He bends down and slips a finger along the back of his left shoe to let his foot finally slip fully inside; had he really walked all the way with a shoe only half-on? As he stands back up, he pops the back of his jacket and it settles over his torso; the fit is exceptional and accentuates his form well.
"Should we go inside?" he used his Harrow card to motion towards the door. "See if these cards mean more than just the words written on them? She is a fortune-teller, after all; I can't imagine she passed up the opportunity to add greater meaning to our summons."
The other, taller athletically built woman, dressed in scalemail armor, takes in the assembled group of strangers as they each produce a card like the one she found this morning.
Drawing her own card from her belt, she holds it up, the
wicked scar cutting like a river through the side of her face, all the way down to her lower jaw puckering slightly as she contemplates the probability of a trap. "I suppose if this is some kind of a trap, there are at least enough of us to have a decent chance of walking out of here." she says, drawing back her good and taking the time to look each of the others in the eye.
Vazhimort suddenly finds himself surrounded by four tall humans holding up cards very similar to the one he found in his room this morning. Wanting to fit in, he shows off his card, too. He then turns the card horizontal and maneuvers it in front of Vedika's skirt (because he's very short and doesn't want to be rude), and addresses the group.
"I've never been trapped before! Do you think that this trapper could be the fortune teller who lives here or someone else? Although, to be honest, I would have trapped me when I snuck into my inn room asleep and alone to place this card in my belongings instead of chancing that I would show up at a building across town in public and potentially with other people! It would have been pretty easy, I bet!"
Vazhimort shrugs. "But I'm not the expert! Let's go in and see how they plan on doing this!"
Iorghil nods, gives himself a once-over and catches the still-hanging tail of his shirt. He tucks it in and then approaches the fortune teller's door.
"You guys can call me Ghil, by the way. Good to meet you; hopefully this meeting is fated for results!"
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Vedika flips her card to show the Peacock.
"This isn't a trap, it's a conspiracy," says Vedika. "Someone went to the trouble of gathering all of us here under some excuse. Why put multiple strangers together like this if you want to blackmail them or exploit them? You don't want them comparing notes or forming a power bloc. Someone wanted us all here to see the same thing, something that shows that we have a mutual interest but not one to be discussed in the open."
She takes no apparent notice of Vazhimort's awkward placement.
If you knock there is no response, trying the door you find it unlocked and it swings open to your push.
The interior of this small, humble home consists of a single cozy chamber filled with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice.
The aroma comes from several sticks of incense smoldering in wall-mounted burners that look like butterfly-winged elves.
The smoke gives the room a dreamy feel.
The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries, one showing a black-skulled beast juggling human hearts, and another showing a pair of angels dancing atop a snow-blasted mountain.
A third tapestry on the far wall depicts a tall, hooded figure shrouded in mist, holding a flaming sword in a skeletal hand.
Several brightly colored rugs cover the floor, but the room’s only furnishings are a wooden table covered by a bright red throw cloth and
several elegant, tall-backed chairs.
A basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table.
Sitting on the table is a note weighted down by a smooth pebble. Handout two
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What are you doing now?
Vazhimort screws his face up in thought for a few moments before announcing, "I don't think this is a trap."
He tries some of the bread and wine.
Upon reading the note, Ariadne takes a step back, turning to face the door as she utters an arcane phrase, eyes emanating a green glow as her vision shifts into the magical spectrum.
Slowly turning she lets her enhanced vision play around the room, looking for anything out of place.
The entire chamber radiates Illusion magic.
Ghil studies the tapestries around the room, both interested in the content they depict and then what they might cover up. After seeing if he can connect them to any context he's learned about, he gently pulls each from the wall to see if they conceal anything behind them.
"Well we're back to a possible trap, or at the very least being decieved." Ariadne sayssays tersely. "Everything in here is emanating illusion magic. We can't trust anything we see. I'm Ariadne by the way."
As she continues to study the room, her hand settles on the hilt of her sword.
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"Hi, Ariadne! I'm Vazhimort!
"And I don't think that this is a trap! Because if it was, it's really inefficient and also it's not very good!
"This is the shop of a fortune teller, right? I know a little bit about maintaining an aura of mystery, and that seems like something someone who can divine things beyond the ken of the common man would be completely into! Creating a veil of ILLUSION seems like a great tool for this line of work!
"This bread is a little stale, but the wine's okay!"
"I definitely wouldn't have eaten that." Ariadne replies with a frown.
Vedika turns around in a circle, reads the note on the table, then brushes off one of the chairs and sits.
Nethen follows the others into the room, looking around at the unusual decorations, confused as to what any of it might mean. "If it is a trap, eating and drinking the stuff left for us by our mysterious host seems like an easy way to fall into it," he says to Vazhimort, an air of disdain in his voice. "I'm Nethen, and I'm still not sure why we're all here," he adds, his hand moving down to rest on the morningstar at his hip.
As you talk amongst yourselves, and look around suspiciously an attractive middle-aged Varisian woman with long, dark hair enter the building from the street.
She introduces herself politely to you all as Zellara Esmeranda, taking a Harrow deck from her pockets she sits at the table, idly shuffling the cards. Watching as the cards float and dance through her fingers you think she must be very skilled at using them.
Indicating that you should sit if you already haven't she begins to speak. “Thank you for coming, my friends, and for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you. I have reason to remain hidden, you see—a vicious man would see great harm done to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. This man has done something terrible to each of you as well. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man whose cruelty and capacity to destroy the lives of those he touches are matched only by his gift for avoiding reprisal. You see, a year ago, his thieves stole this, my harrow deck, from me. It is important to me, an heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my sole means of support. When Lamm’s pickpockets stole it, my son Eran tracked them down and returned my deck to me. But Gaedren had him followed, and soon after he left my home, Gaedren’s thugs murdered him."
She pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. “I sought help from the Korvosan Guard, but they turned me away. And so I asked around. I paid bribes. I consulted my harrow deck for advice. And recently, I was rewarded—I found out where Gaedren dwells. He can be found in an old
fishery north of here, at Westpier 17, where he trains abducted
children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures."
“But I need your help. I cannot hope to face this man on my own, and the Guard moves so slowly that if they were willing to help, Gaedren would certainly know of their coming well in advance. And even if they arrested him, what guarantee would I have he would be punished? This criminal has evaded the law for decades. But you know of these frustrations as well, for word on the street has it that Gaedren has wronged each of you, too. So there we are. It is time for him to pay.”
What are you doing now?
At Zellara's invitation Nethen sits in one of the high backed chairs at the table. The furniture is of much finer make than any he could hope to obtain for himself, and he admires the craftsmanship as he settles in.
Nethen listens to Zellara's tale intently, her plight resonating deeply with his own. Many aspects of her story are familiar to him - the struggle to get by, the lack of assistance from the authorities, the loss of a loved one. His hatred for Gaedren Lamm, which had smouldered within his chest for many weeks, burned brighter and hotter at that moment.
"Lamm has wronged so many, with no-one to hold him to account. It's time he faced the vengeance he deserves," he says, a growl of anger in his voice.
"That all sounds about right."" Ariadne says, settling into one of the chairs. "Lamm's been going about things the same way for year's. I used to be one of his minions myself...years ago...considers himself like a king over a criminal empire of kids that he doesn't give a rat's ass about."
Pickpocket? Is that what he's trying to turn sweet Cherie into? Ghil thought to himself, his face steeling with internal resolve. "I'm in," is all he says, simply.
Vazhimort unapologetically purses his lips in suspicion and considers Zellara for a moment before turning the same gaze on the other guests in the room.
"Most of you were awwwfully suspicious when you got here, but once someone said the name 'Gaedren Lamm,' that seems to have been tossed out the window. Maybe this is a human thing? I'm new to revenge."
Turning to Zellara. "Condolences about your son and all, but how about some proof? If a kindly fortune-teller found us, who's to say that Gaedren hasn't also found us? And I'm sure that there's plenty more people angry at him than just us? Why did you only gather us five? And also, how?"
"I'm no vigilante, though I have my motives," says the slim woman as she crosses her legs at the knee. "As to how she found us... she's a fortune teller. Magical divination is supposed to be pretty straightforward."
"Are you saying that I'm a fortune?" Vazhimort asks, eyes wide, suspicion momentarily forgotten.
Zellera smiles at Vazhimort's question. "I listen the the music of the city." She responds cryptically, "And the cards tell me more than they tell most!"
She shuffles her deck almost hypnotically through her fingers, drawing out 9 cards. "Please choose your card."
She is offering to do a Harrow reading for you. Tell me if you wish to select a card for the reading? If you do roll a d9 please.
Vazhimort scrambles to draw a card. Before he flips it over, he pauses and look at Zellera to say, "I'm still not satisfied with your answer," but then he look at her excitedly to see what she has to say about his reading.
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Hesitating for a moment, Ariadne leans forward and draws a card.
Nethen understands Vazhimort's scepticism but any opportunity to work against Lamm, as dubious as it might be, is one he feels he can't pass up. He nods as Vedika explains her thinking. "It's not hard to find certain people in this city, so long as you know where to look and who to ask. And Lamm has ruined so many lives that there are plenty of people who'd welcome the opportunity to bring him down," he says, reaching over to take one of the offered cards.
"Perhaps my emotions got the best of me. Indeed, making Gaedren pay may be blinding me. Your words are welcome, Vazhimort." Ghil reaches out cautiously and takes a card from the offered fan.
"So what do we do with the old cards?" says the woman as she tosses her Peacock onto the table.
Zellera smiles at Vedika. "You can keep it as a momento."
What are you doing now?
The young woman stashes the card somewhere in her corset and picks a replacement.
The cards you drew:
Vazhimort - The Theater.
Ariadne - The Uprising.
Nethen - The Courtesan.
Iorghil - The Bear
Vedika - The Inquisitor.
Zellera shuffles the nine cards and deals them in the standard Harrow layout. A three by three grid.
The first column of three stands for the past and holds:
The Forge - The Uprising - The Eclipse.
"The Forge represents strength through diversity. Uniting against a single foe! The Uprising represents overwhelming strength that draws you into something greater. The Eclipse represents loss of faith or purpose."
Zellera looks over the cards speaking of the past. She looks at Ariadne especially, "All the cards of the past speak of strength. That which you lacked, and that which you have found to set you on your current path. The Forge shows that you joining together will make you stronger. The Uprising shows that your training has made you stronger and will lead to greater things. The Eclipse warns you to stay true to your goals and not lose faith!"
The second or middle column stands for the present. The now. It holds:
The Inquisitor - The Demon Lantern - The Crows.
"The Inquisitor stands for an immutable object that cannot be deceived or influenced. The Demon lantern represents an impossible situation of traps, mind tricks, and sleight of hand. The Crows represents murder, theft, and the violent loss of that which is loved."
Zellera sighs with a deep sadness at the cards of the present. "Yes." She looks at Vedika, "Your eyes will be needed to guide you all through the maze of lies and deception that Lamm has hidden himself in! The Inquisitor is your role, the one who sees through deception. The demon lantern is what you are heading into traps, tricks and deception. The Crows is Lamm himself. Murder, theft and loss. In the past, now, and in the future if you do not stop him!"
The right column stands for the future or what might come. It holds:
The Courtesan - The Bear - The Theater.
Nethen, Iorghil & Vazhimort. Your cards are all in what may come?
"The Courtesan represents political intrigue and the superficiality of social niceties. The Bear represents pure strength that cannot be truly tamed or trained. The Theater represents prophecy, with a true prophet acting a part as the puppet of the gods."
Zellera looks very troubled by the cards that represent what may come. "Remember I told you that the guard would not listen to my complaints? It seems that Lamm may have allies in high places? Be wary of those with rank who become involved with your quest. The Bear speaks of staying strong, not being tamed or trained to the purposes of others. The Theater. It may sound odd coming from a Fortune teller but be careful of prophecy. Don't let it lead you astray! Korvosa is very unstable at the moment. There may be violence and unrest in the days ahead."
Zellera has given you what she can. She suggests you move quickly before Lamm has a chance to move to a new hideout. What are you doing?
Vedika stows her card and says, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have my reasons to follow this lead."