The Crimson Throne - Story
The story so far …
The Crimson Throne - Story
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» The Crimson Throne - Story
Summary:
A telling of the events from our Crimson Throne campaign.
Three characters, Katerina (a young woman who has been serving a basic martial apprenticeship with the Church of Aradar) Osric (a young man was once a street child who was rescued by the church of Sarenrae) and Dorian (a ex-addict dwarf, who found his salvation through obsessive practice with a bow) each received a Harrow card, in really strange circumstances, inviting them to a meeting.
They all turned up at the right time to find themselves at the workroom (and home if truth be known) of an Varisian fortune teller called Zellara. They discovered that they had common cause against a Fagin like minor crime lord, called Gaedrun Lamm, and that Zeellara had discovered his whereabouts. After much humming and hahing, they decided to go check the place out and see if they could bring him to justice.
They checked the place out to find an old fish processing plant along with a rotten fishing ship. Eventually they entered the building where they found young children shovelling and processing the leavings from the fishing trade. Apparently the fish slurry created goes to make the Dock Dumplings that feed the poorest part of the Korsovan community.
After an angry exchange, they defeated the children’s task masters in battle and picked up an ally from amongst the street children (a young half-elf called Larry) who accompanied them on then rest of their mission. While Hookshanks the Gnome was trying to intimidate children into attacking the party with pitchforks, Larry managed to talk them into running away into the city.
Eventually, they found Gaudrun Lamm in a concealed room below the main building, along with his pet alligator. Lam was ready, he had heard the commotion upstairs, and he launched his attack as soon as the party stuck their head around the door. As they made their way carefully around a narrow walkway the alligator tried to attack and Lamm used a hand crossbow - but all to no avail. Soon the old man was dead, and his body floated out onto the river as alligator and shark food.
Two of Lamm’s Thugs had died of their wounds - so they joined their master in the river , but the third (an evil looking gnome) was a live and tied up. As they debated how to deal with this still living enemy, Larry solved the problem by rolling the trussed and unconscious gnome into the river. He had absolutely no compunction about taking the life of a thug who (in the past) had beaten at least one of the smaller children to death.
They also found Lamm’s stash, mostly generic items whose owners would be untraceable - but also a magnificent brooch that was of such fine workmanship that it must belong to a noble house or a very rich merchant. They also discovered a hatbox with a woman’s head in it. It was Zellara’ head. The Varisian fortune teller who had drawn them together in the first place, along with a harrow deck that detects, quite strongly, of magic.
Trying to understand this, they set off to take Zellara’s head back to her home - but when the got out to the street they could shouts that the King was dead - and it sounded like a full blown riot was going on …
There really was a full blown riot starting. There were buildings set alight with smoke columns rising in the distance. Through a gap in the building opposite, they saw a Hellknight unit deal harshly with a group of looters. A Sable Company airborne patrolman crash landed a few streets over - and the rest of his patrol didn't even stop to see if he was OK. So they decided that discretion was the better part of valour and decided to head down to Zellara’s house and spend the night there. They almost got away with it, and only had a single brush with the disturbances. A group of dockers had a young aristocrat in their sights and were going to take it out on him. However, the party intervened, chased the thugs off and carried out a rescue. It turned out he was called Amin Jallento who lived on the other side of the river, the party handed him over to a Hellknight patrol and received a Platinum Piece each for their troubles.
Zellra’s house had changed - where previously there had been furniture and hangings - now it was obvious that the place had been left unattended for weeks and most of the furnishings were missing or damaged beyond repair. Still, the barricaded themselves in, and saw the rest of the day and the night through playing games and eating a single trail ration between them. However, Zellara appeared again (apparently now haunts the Harrow Deck and can manifest once a day) and described how she had tried to take on Lamm, but he had caught and killed her. She also told them that in her new state she could see magical auras and might be able to help them identify what use magical items could be put to. Larry, so recently child slave labour, just sat with his mouth open and said nothing.
Next morning it was quieter, so the party made their way outside. There was a strong military presence on the streets and everybody trod softly. First they took Zellara's head to the Pharasman's for burial and even paid for a small plaque bearing her name. Then the went to the market to sell some of the items that had taken from Gadrun Lamm’s treasure horde. After some discussion they sold the bulk of it for 1200 gold pieces – and absolute fortune for all of them. They each took 50gp in cash and then took a chit to draw on the bank of Abadar for 1000gp. They also discovered that the expensive brooch belonged to the queen and that there was a reward for it.
First it was food from the market, and Larry bought a bagful for the kids, who he guessed would make their way back to the fishery. There were a few children there, and Larry delivered the food and promised them more later if they went out to collect up the other kids. Then the Party headed up to the heights, to return both the holy symbol of Shelyn and the royal brooch. The Holy Symbol was returned to a couple of clerics who were concerned about soot and scorch marks on one of their frescoes and promptly got the blessings of the god (+2 on a single skill roll to be used sometime that day), then it was off to Castle Korvosa to return the brooch.
Surprisingly, telling the guard they had a brooch to return got then ushered straight into the castle and into the presence of Sabina Merrin the queen’s personal bodyguard and companion. Eventually they were ushered in to see the queen herself and given a reward of 1200gp in gold bars and told they were heroes of Korvosa. Indeed so impressed was the queen that she arranged for the group to be sent directly to Cressida Kroft, Field Marshal of the Korvosan guard. Larry is still standing quietly, amazed at the way he has risen from pickpocket to one of the Queen’s Chosen in less than 24 hours.
Quickly they are escorted across the city where they meet with Field Marshal Kroft and, rather than being inducted directly into the guard, are assigned the task of fetching in a renegade sergeant for a defined reward - 1000gp alive or 500gp if he is dead. They get dinner in the barracks (well at least Larry and Dorian partake of the basic fare available) and are promised accommodation at The Three Rings from tomorrow when Field Marshal Kroft will have time to set it up.
Back on the street they collect more food and head back to the fisheries where about 20 of the children are gathered waiting. Katerina and Osric speak of the orphanages and manage to convince the children that they would be better growing up there than on the streets. After lunch, the kids are escorted to the North Point orphanage where Katerina knows the warden. After a short negotiation and a donation of about 80gp the children are accepted into the orphanage, where they will have a proper bed and half decent food and, eventually, training that will get them a career in the military – should they choose to take that option up.
Then it is off to the shops.
They zigzagged across the City, Dorian wanted to visit the Trapper’s Hole to buy a new bow - and he came away with a brand spanking new Composite Longbow of master work quality - that had even been built for someone of his strength. Pleased, he passed his old short bow over to Larry.
Osric wanted some new armour, so the made their way up to The Dock Trade where he met with some Dwarven traders. They has some Scale Armour that they modified to fit him,, and he even managed to sell his old armour to one of the other traders in the market.
As this was going on, Katerina was accosted by a drunk, who insisted she was al old friend from Sandpoint – a town that she had never visited. After trying to shake the man off for a while, they realised that he was one of the guard sergeants - a man called Grau who both Dorian and Katarina knew vaguely. Eventually Dorian half carried him down to the Citadel, where he was taken home by a guard patrol.
It was back to Zellara’s for the night, Although they stopped off at The Old Fishery to collect the bedding that the thugs had used. After a bit of presdigitation, they were clean enough for Larry and Dorian to sleep warmly and comfortably.
In the morning the shared an Oliphant’s Ear for breakfast as they headed up towards All The World’s meat. They had been tasked by Field Marshal Croft to bring in Sgt Vancaskerkin and his men who were holed up there. Dead or Alive, although Croft would prefer Vancaskerkin alive - and the reward would be better as well.
They got to the right area, and found a queue at the door waiting to be collect meat. They quickly established that the meat was given freely, and that the best stuff went in the morning – however, there was normally something available, even if it was tripe, right the way up to midday! Dorian got in the queue, always after any sort of free food, only to find himself turned away. The guard at the door told him that if he could afford an expensive looking bow like that, he could afford to buy his own food. It was something the ex-down and out wasn’t expecting He was clearly finding it hard to adjust to all of this money that he had now.
However, they went around the back and found a second, unguarded entrance and Larry was boosted over the wall. Soon the gate was open and the party were inside the butchery’s yard. They found a cart and a single cow awaiting slaughter – as well as a double door into the building proper. Katerina caused the door to swing open magically, but no one stepped into the room, and one of the occupants just closed it, attributing it to a sudden gust of wind. When she caused the second door to swing open, it was, again, closed, but this time was barred from the inside.
So they found a second set of doors, tried the same thing, to find a corridor. Then as Osric stepped through he was peppered with crossbow bolts. There was a brief battle where three of Vancaskerkin’s men were killed and the fourth knocked unconscious.
The bodies were stripped, the unconscious one bound and returned to conciousness. He told them that Vancaskerkin was upstairs and then bargained his freedom for some treasure. They were sceptical, but sure enough there was quite a treasure horde buried under a pig trough – so they kept their side of the bargain and releases the man. In some ways it was a shame they didn’t ask where these thugs had got that amount of money.
Upstairs, Vancaskerkin put up a bit of a fight before he surrendered and was eventually down to the Citadel to be handed over to the guard. However, when they collected the rest of the loot (a bag of silver) from downstairs he was surprised at the amount of money his men had - and he didn’t even know about the gold or the gems. Most of the gear on Vancaskerkin and his men were clearly guard issue - so those were left for the guard to collect. Dorian, however, took the six joints of meat that were still hanging on hooks in the meat store.
Back at the citadel they got their reward, a 1000gp in currency bars, and were preparing to leave when Dorian tried to trade some of his joints of meat for to the cook, in return for the others being cooked and a couple of dock dumplings. However, Dorian’s constant quest for food from the commissary had irritated the cook - and when he looked at the meat he started to get angry. Two of the joints were beef, two were pork, but the others weren’t. And it didn’t take long for him to realise they were humanoid. Dorian didn’t seem to understand the severity of the offence of having humanoid meat prepared as food – he argued and demanded he be allowed to keep at least one of the joints. Eventually, the guard turned on him, and the others only just managed to get him out of there in one piece.
It will be interesting to see the reaction to him when they return to talk to the field marshal in a couple of days time.
Then it was time to visit The Three Rings. While Field Marshal Croft wouldn’t put them up at the citadel, she had arranged accommodation for them. The Three Rings is a tavern run by an ex-adventurer (now more matronly) and is protected by a full blood Shoanti barbarian house-guard! The Field Marshal has chosen well. If anyone in town can handle a bunch of neophyte adventurer, vigilante, militia men - it is likely to be these two.
They shown to a loft apartment - well more of a sophisticated bunk room really. There are five discreet alcoves - each with a single bed, a small table and a curtain across the front for privacy. At the end is a ten foot square area with a table chairs and a small fireplace. And it comes with food! A light breakfast, of tea and cake, in the morning and a filling meal in the evening - so long as the group are around when food is being served.
The bedding is basic, but with the addition of their bedrolls and the cleaned up gear they took from the fishery – it really isn’t a bad gaff. If they spend a few gold on minor fittings and furnishings - like window curtains, draught excluders, lantern, kettle, toasting forks - it could be quite comfortable.
Now they have a couples of days to kill before they are due to see Field Marshal Croft again.
Things are starting to settle down in Korvosa generally and for the party specifically. They have moved into their new digs and get a dinner of braised oxtail with bread to mop up the gravy and even a pot of nettle tea delivered to their door. The lads decide to go out for a drink, which Katerina decided to stay home and have a quiet evening, perhaps with a few drinks in the three rings itself. Damian wanted to go to a bar that was known for fights between the guard and ex-prisoners, but Larry and Osric vetoed that. So they set off for Jeggy’s Jug in Old Korvosa but seemed to get side tracked to the Laughing Wave – where Larry and Damian set about drinking their weight in Dwarf Ale, and Osric shook his head sadly. Ironically, it was Dorian who felt the effects most and was the one who was being half-carried home.
But things hadn’t quite settled down completely, and the sight of three drunks making their way home alone attracted the attention of a small gang of imps, who decided to take advantage of the situation. One of the imps was wearing some sort of amulet, and all three of them seemed to be immune to the attacks our brave heroes could muster - but help was at hand. Suddenly a squad of pseudo dragons appeared from the roof tops, knocking the Imp’s leader unconscious and driving the others away. Gratefully, the three stripped the amulet from the imp and threw the unconscious body into the river, hoping that it would drown, before they made their way back to their new home.
Next morning they got Five-Corner Cakes and more nettle tea for breakfast and their old dishes were taken away. They decided they could get used to this new life style.
Then it was a day of shopping. Katerina wanted a chain for the amulet the boys had taken from the imp (which had turned out to be a magically protective amulet) so they set off for the jewellers by the Gold Market where they had sole their previous haul. The chain was easy to come by, and the jeweller triedto sell Katerina both a magical brooch and an Ioun stone. He said that after their previous haul, and now this special amulet, Katerina was clearly an up and coming young woman. Someone destined to achieve great things. Although he appeared to think Larry and Darian were her body guards and Osric her personal priest. He also offered to give them an introduction to Mrs Careva, who is (apparently) the city’s best seamstress who lives in the heights and makes special clothes for all the nobles and casters.
As they walked around buying up minor resources and the occasional minor magic item, the four talked bout their futures. Osric expressing an intention to learn how to create magical scrolls which, in turn, encouraged Larry to start learning how to make potions. If nothing else, that would set up a good living for the pair of them. Dorian decided to follow the instincts of the eternally hungry, and got some basic cooking gear, so he could develop his culinary skills. Katerina was undecided - however, she did insist that both Dorian and Larry got themselves some new clothes. Then she stopped by the Town Hall and made enquiries about the Old Fishery - for she had found an old sign there that described it as Fysher's Pier and she wanted to know if it had belonged to her parents.
Then the four found the local baths - just one silver for a private bath or a couple of coppers for the communal plunge pool. Katerina paid two silvers for the luxury bath with sweet smelling soap and fluffy towels - although the three boys all settled for the one silver bath with coarse soap and basic towel.
Then it was back home for dinner in their new digs, before heading off to see Field Marshal Croft in the morning.
After breakfast, they went down to see Field Marshal Croft , only to walk straight into a full scale bollocking. Not a woman to mess about (if she had been she would not have risen to one of the highest positions in Korvosa) she laid into them for the incident with cook from earlier and warned Dorian that he would be behind bars if she ever caught him trying to get humanoid remains cooked again. Then she went on to impersonating a member of the guard, and wanted the wanted the documents associating them with her back - because she believed that had been abusing them.
Still, that came to a close when there was a knock on the door and a tall athletic, aristocratic looking, man joined them. He was introduced as Vencarlo Orisini, a duelling and sword master, who was a friend and confident of the Field Marshal.
Between them they went on to describe a plot by the ambassador from Cheliax to discredit Korvosa and disrupt trade with Cheliax, a plan which he intended to use to buy up large parcels of land in the city for next to nothing. However, they believed was some information the city could use to discourage the ambassador, but it was held by a minor criminal, Devargo Barvasi, known as the King of Spiders who runs a den of iniquity, called Eel’s End, in Old Korvosa. They were given 1000gp to buy the evidence, with instructions that they could keep the rest. They caught the implication that the Field Marshal wouldn’t be too concerned if the Barvasi fell in the river and drowned. Then Vencarlo walked with them up to Old Korvosa, gave then directions and invited then to come along for a free lesson or two, before leaving them to their own devices.
There was a bit of planning, which resulted in splitting the coins into 100gp pouches and walking up to ask for a meeting - which was refused. However, they did get to see the layout of Ell’s End. Five boats moored at the end of the pier, with each serving a different purpose. There was a Gambling Hall, a Drugs Den, a Flop
House and a Brothel - not of the highest quality but they seemed to attract a constant stream of drunken sailors, dock workers, other miscreants and even a few nobles.
The next plan was to visit Vencarlo and get a description of the Ambassador, although he insisted they take up some fee tuition while they were there. He gave them the description, so they could check him out, should he visit Eel’s End – but warned that was accurately quite a rare occurrence. Other plans included Dorian asking for a job as a cook and Katarina sending a message inviting the King of Spiders to meet her at the Old Fishery. Neither worked too well. However, while they were there the following day, they were recognised and granted an interview with Barvasi.
His ‘office’ was the old captain’s cabin at the rear of the fifth ship – although it looked more like a throne room than anything else. The man itself had spidery baldric and a web of chains across his chest – while many of the walls were covered with spider infested webs. The whole thing was set off by a purple pseudo-dragon dangling from the ceiling in a gilded cage. There were also a bunch of potential new guards sitting at a table eating and Dorian edged his way over towards them as Katerina started negotiating. It was a hard bargaining session which took up almost all of the gold they had been given and still needed a few games of ‘Knivsies’ (a Riddleport pirates’ game) to convince Bavari to hand over the evidence. This turned out to be, embarrassingly frank, love letters - that had been exchanged between the ambassador and the young wife of one of his superiors.
But as he went below to get the evidence, Katarina jumped up on the food table (which Dorian was already gorging at) to inspect the Pseudodragon in a cage - which promptly asked her (telepathically) to free it and promised a year of service if she did so. The guards demanded that she get down from the table and Dorian demanded that she stopped steeping in the food. The when Bavari returned, she demanded the Pseudo dragon’s release. She was told she could buy it for 5000gp, otherwise to leave it be. She wouldn’t, so when Barvari asked his guards to escort her away, Dorian asked for the job and escorted her away from Eels End.
Dorian stayed as Eeel End as a guard, the other three took the papers back to Field Marshal Croft and were rewarded with another 500gp and the Order of the Pseudodragons’ Mark - making them official Heroes of Korvosa.
Now Katerina, Larry and Osric plan how to free the little dragon – but this time they have a man (well a dwarf really) on the inside to help them out.
They had a few days to wait until Dorian got a day off and could brief the party on guard plans and rosters. Larry managed to find a couple of vials of a ‘Sleeping Draght’, although he had to pay over the odds to get it. Then he took advantage of Vencarlo Orisini’s offer of some sword lessons, and Katerina joined him for a couple of sessions as well. She was surprised to meet Amin Jellento (The young noble they had rescued a few days before) practicing his fencing there. She even asked Orsini’s opinion of Eel’s End and its proprietor and got an unequivocally negative response. However, she got no response at all when she rashly approached the issue of his removal - just another lesson in swordplay.
Eventually the day came, Dorian managed to spike some of the guards’ food with the sleeping draught, and the rest of the party turned up at 5am – insisting that they had 5000gp for Devargo Barvasi, which let Dorian blag one of the other guards into waking Barvarsi up. He met them in his throne room, but he was not best pleased with their timing and as Katerina handed the money over he triggered a trap in the cabin deck, hoping to drop her into the spider filled room below. However, she managed to jump out of the way as the door opened and a mass combat started with Barvasi calling for his guards. Some came immediately, while Dorian managed to hold the rest off with his bow. But they managed to wound Barvarsi enough that he threw himself down the hole in the floor into a web-covered room.
That gave them a moment to free the pseudodragon and start to investigate the trap – but as they did so a lasso made of spiders web caught Orsric’s scimitar, but the cleric managed to hold on as the antagonist tried to drag it out of his hand. That was when the spiders came, which were quickly followed by an ettercap - and the fight started again. Bavarsi returned, just a few moments later, invisible and healed. Fortunately for Osric, the King of Spiders must have slipped to miss such an easy initial attack. It was tough for a while, but even the freed Pseudo-dragon (called Majenko) joined in by killing one of the spiders.
Now the ship really was theirs – and a trip below stairs found drugs brewing ready for sale, as well as a few ready made doses. Those all went on the fire and the door shut quickly. None of them were going to suffer the effects – and it was probably a good job that the wind wasn’t blowing the smoke across the city ….
They found Bavarsi’s room, and his ‘nest egg’ - which included some of the sacks of coins they had bribed him bought the letter with earlier. They threw the corpses overboard as shark food, before making their escape.
The plan now is to lay low for a couple of days.
The very first morning with their new ‘friend’, Majenko the pseudo-dragon, in the house with them caused a bit of a stir - with the maid trying to chase him out of the room. Still they quietened her down before they went about laying low.
Dorian went down to the Ranger’s Hole and arranged a commission to make arrows - taking away the materials to make 60 arrows he had to return 40 - he spent a couple of days on the task and earned himself 20 arrows. Katarina went off selling loot around the market and buying a few bits and bobs, Larry went for fencing lessons and Osric went to church. They got a bit stir crazy with games that included shooting at apples and plates and Majenko proving he could use plates to dive-bomb dwarves. And they started hearing rumours that the king had been murdered - by an artist, no less!
In the mean time Katerina went to the Administrative Building to check on her claim to Fysher’s Pier and discovered that it had belonged to her parents, and that she could claim title for 150gp. She ‘ummed’ and ‘arred’ for a bit, but eventually paid up. After that she employed a locksmith and carpenter to secure the building for her. Then most of the party joined in helping clean up a bit, even Osric popped in occasionally.
Then they were disturbed one afternoon by Field Marshal Kroft, who told them more about the Artist and the King - the Artist was a good looking young woman who had been commission to paint the kings portrait. A number of people said she had behaved oddly, and one guard even confessed he had seen her slip something knot the king’s drink - before he committed suicide by jumping from the highest tower in the Castle Korvosa. The Mo were after her, and the Field Marshal wanted her brought in for a proper investigation and trial.
Dodging the crowds wasn’t too hard, but they did discover an excited Otyugh that had burst out of the sewers looking for easy pickings, once it heard the mobs returning. However, it wasn’t a match for them and they soon dispatched it.
Then onto Trinia the Artists house. There was a small mob surrounding it and they seemed to follow the party around the building trying to chase them away. Irritated Dorian climbed a building a few doors down and started across the rooftops - only to discover a mugging in process. That was fairly quick to resolve, before he got to the right building and looked in through one of the upper window - to see a woman sweeping. She tried to drive him away with a broom, and convinced him that she wasn’t Trinia. And eventually allowed hi to leave by her stairs. There he noticed a second flat on that level.
Sure enough the door was held closed with piles of furniture, and as Dorian pushed the door open he discovered it was the artists studio, Larry and Majenko were with him by this time, and they saw the girl sleeping on her couch. It only took a moment or two before they realised the sleeping girl as an illusion, and they finally spotted her creeping away across the rooftops. The chase was on. Dorian, Larry and Majenko started chasing her across the rooftops, while Osric and Katerina tried to keep up at ground level. They started to get close, but she turned around and dazed Dorain with a spell from a wand, then kept running. Eventually everything went to plan - Dorian got her with a tangle-foot bag at about the same time as Majenko caught up with her and Osric got a Hold Person spell off. Soon she was tied up with a sack over her head, waiting for the guard. Majenko attracted the attention of a Marine on Hippogriff back and soon she was safely in the marine’s custody.
The party sorted themselves out and made their way back to the Guards’ Keep to report back in and claim their reward – only to find an old Shoanti talking to the Field Marshal. Apparently his grandson had been killed and the party has been tasked with finding the young Shoanti’s body.
The Field Marshal had already gathered as much information as she could. They had the man who transported the body in custody, and he had told her all he new. Little more than a courier working for a necromancer called Rolth, he had been paid coppers to deliver the body to a mausoleum in the Bone Yard. That seemed to match up with the location that the old Shoanti had been told when he had contacted the spirit world. So even though it was getting on for evening, they set off.
However, before they left, Dorian negotiated a wheelbarrow with a rolled up carpet in it, so that it looked a bit like they had a body to bury, and they set off for Potter's Ward in the Gray District otherwise known as The Bone Yard. They found the mausoleum fairly easily, and as the went inside, Dorian quickly discovered a secret trap door which, when opened, lead down into a large chamber that glowed with a dim light. The light come from a strange glowing mould, and has an eerie effect which lit the place up a bit like cold weak moonlight - but it means those with night vision could see almost normally.
The first chamber was an ancient Ossuary, a place to collect the bones of the slain, and an ideal place for a necromancer to make skeletons - and true to his calling Rolth had done so. It was a tougher battle than it should have been, for most of the party were armed solely with slashing and piercing weapons - which hardly seemed to damage the skeletons at all.
Then onto another chamber where there we two small blue humanoids with white hair playing a game called Squish Rat - which involves a clay maze, a live rat, a hammer and a pair of pliers! They soon fell to our intrepid heroes and the rat was released from its maze to find freedom in these warrens - although as it ran it was clear that at least one leg had been broken and part of its tail had been crudely amputated with the pliers. And there were four sleeping pallets - so they decided there would likely be two more of the Derro (although they were known as Smurfs for the duration of the session).
The next chamber had another Derro using Stirges to suck the blood out of a recently dead body, and the stirges probably proved to be more of a challenge that the Derro was - but again they fell to the party with only Cassandra weakened by the blood sucking stirges. Both Majenko the pseudo dragon and Dorain the dwarf took a stirge body as a snack - Dorian eating his directly from the arrow that he had shot it with as if it was a Satay or lollipop. Then they found the midden - a pile of body parts – all serving as food for an Otyugh that had been lured here from the sewers. As soon as it saw them it shouted 'Warm Food!' and started attacking. However, the party had met one of these before and defeated it handily. They did spot the battered legs and hips of a Shoanti, which they took to return to the Field Marshal, but they decided not to explore the rest of the area looking for treasures.
Then there was a magical trap chamber, - a corridor lined with skulls (that spat acid) that was protected by a Skeleton Snakes. Again they proved more of an obstacle that they should have done - because of a lack of bludgeoning weapons.
They discovered a damaged alchemy lab – and a boarded up door with something behind it - but left that for later as they pushed on into the complex. There they discovered a simpleton Ogrekin guarding six people from the city – a mix of itinerant workers, street girls, pick pockets and tramps that no one important would worry themselves about. They were all weak, and once the guard had been defeated, needed help to climb out of the pits they were being held in. However, the party expended charges from their wand of Cure Light Wounds to heal them up to a point that they were able to walk by them selves - then told them to wait for an escort out while they cleared the rest of the dungeon.
There was a Library containing books on necromancy and diseases, and a work room with an inanimate Flesh Golem on a bench - and it had the Shoanti's head. Then they found Rolth's apprentice – a Derro necromancer called Vreeg. That was a tougher battle - he took to the air to stay out of melee combat and dropped various small items that turned into Skeletons and Zombies to battle on his behalf. He remained above and cast ranged spells. It nearly worked and both Katerina and Osric were forced to retire from the combat to sort themselves out before they could return. Inside the room they found the torso of the Shoanti, still with one arm attached and twitching badly. Dorian sorted the twitching out with a couple of arrows - but it still left them an arm short.
So back to the boarded up room - where they cautiously removed the bars to discover a store room that had been used to imprison a deranged Carrion Golem. It attacked as soon as the door was open - swinging at Katerina with a large fist and attempting to beat her with an arm that had been pulled directly from the Shoanti's body. Kateria was the only one who was damaged by the Carrion Golem, and she would we well advised to look to her health in the morning.
Now, with the body of the Shoanti, and six possible witnesses against Rolth the necromancer, they are ready to report back to Field Marshal Kroft.
They put the body parts in one wheelbarrow and loaded the other up with various bits they wanted to take from the necromancer's lair, assembled the people they had released from the pits and set off back to see the field marshal. Where they were debriefed and claimed their reward.
They found out a little bit about the people they rescued - one was a farmer who had been in town selling his cabbages, another was a half-orc vagrant and there were an older couple (one a travelling entertainer, the other a pickpocket) who were bickering about the best way to travel to Magnimar. The final couple were youngsters - Ettie, the girl, had been associated with Gaedrun Lamm, and was currently trying to make a living in Old Korvosa - while Abner worker as a casual porter and messenger. They had clearly struck up a mutually caring relationship while they were in the pit and fearing for their lives.
Katerina offered Ettie and Abner jobs acting as caretakers and general servants at Fishers Pier.
Next day as they were selling off their accumulated treasures and buying in new gear, they got a messenger from the Field Marshal. Trinia had been found guilty, by the Queen's Personal Court and was sentenced to be executed that evening at the Public Square at the palace. She had sent four invitations to the execution, stating that they should come in their best clothes, as all the highest ranking people in Korvosa would be there.
However, the execution didn't go as planned. Blackjack – Korvosa's masked vigilante hero appeared, nearly killed the executioner, denounced the queen and rescued Trinia. Although he seemed to take his eye off of the ball, and the executioner managed to regather his axe … but a shout from Dorian (perhaps) alerted Blackjack to the danger, and he was able to run the executioner through before completing his rescue with a swan dive from the high walls that surround the courtyard.
The party snuck away quietly, and got on with their business - hoping that in the confusion no one had taken any real notice of them. Over the next few days they went about setting them selves up in Fishers Pier. Larry got an Alchemist set and is starting to sell potions of Cure Light Wound and vials of acid, Osric visits the temple and has set himself up to make scrolls and Dorian has found some casual work as a cook.
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