Master Shyamal says, "I need to go out and view things myself, so I will contact them personally, Dane."

With that, he sees the heroes(-to-be) out, being sure that they understand how to get to Citadel Volshyenek if they don't know.

Once the PCs get to the citadel, they might be shocked when they arrive to see the place so understaffed. Only one guard stands at the citadel entrance, and none train in the large inner courtyard. The citadel halls are silent and empty, with refuse and trash scattered here and there, dust gathering in empty barracks, and an overall state of creeping neglect hanging over the place like a pall.

Cressida Kroft looks haggard and tired when the PCs arrive; she ushers them into the central keep quickly, leading them into a smaller meeting room in the depths of the keep to a doorway that, when opened, reveals what appears to be a room filled with fog. Beyond is a plain-looking chamber with a single long table (on which sits a small closed coffer) and enough chairs for the PCs, their two cohorts, and herself.

After everyone is seated, she speaks in a low voice. “Korvosa is dying. No, strike that. Korvosa is being murdered. Killed by our queen. The evidence you’ve uncovered that links her to the plague is damning enough, but now that she’s disbanded the Sable Company and reallocated our own funding to the Gray Maidens, she’s more in control now than ever. I dare not move against her, as my guards would be executed to the last fighter by her Gray Maidens before sundown. But she must be stopped. And I know of no one else but you to do this deed.

“Whatever foul magic the queen has wrapped herself in is obviously of the highest order. Endrin’s aim was true, and his shot should have dropped her. I had feared he was going to take matters into his own hands like this, but hoped he would find it within himself to find a better route. If only he could have waited.

“You see, just this morning, new information came to me. Vencarlo Orisini’s been one of my most trusted sources of information regarding the public; it’s hard for an officer of the Korvosan Guard to get honest opinions from the citizens, and Vencarlo’s observations on these topics have been a godsend, particularly since the plague started. When the queen quarantined Old Korvosa, I’d feared his messages would end, yet he managed to find ways to smuggle updates to me every day. Recently, he wrote of discovering something of vital importance regarding the queen. He mentions something about dark magic and a pact with a devil, but until the events of this morning, I found his claims difficult to believe. But even more astounding, he hinted he’d found a lead on Seneschal Kalepopolis, and implied the man might still be in hiding in Old Korvosa!

“That was the last I heard from him. It’s been several days, and I’ve started to worry for his safety. The rumors about riots and gangs seizing control of entire neighborhoods in Old Korvosa are disturbing. Certainly, the plumes of smoke we all see rising from fires on the island are proof that as bad as things are elsewhere, they’re probably worse in Old Korvosa.

“I can see a time in the near future when the Korvosan Guard is disbanded as well. Even now I lack the resources to mount my own investigations. Which is where you come in. Trusting Dane and Vivino .... and their predecessors ... may have been my best decision over the past several months, for you hold the possibility of Korvosa’s salvation. I ask you to seek out Vencarlo in Old Korvosa, and to learn more of what he’s discovered about the nature of our queen’s increasingly violent and destructive turns of personality. Ironically, you should actually be safer in Old Korvosa, since the queen’s quarantine has cut off the island entirely, and word on the street is that she plans on leaving it to rot. She won’t think to look for you there if you maintain a low profile and avoid confrontations with the Gray Maidens. Once you contact Vencarlo, we can only hope what he’s discovered will suggest a course of action we can take to save the city!”

Cressida suggests that Vencarlo’s home near the grounds of the Orisini Academy (she can give directions) should be their first stop in attempting to track him down. She’s heard rumors about a new leader who has risen to power in the streets and is calling himself the “Emperor of Old Korvosa,” but hasn’t yet been able to determine who this man is. If Vencarlo’s not in his home, a meeting with the island’s new self-appointed ruler might turn up the swordmaster’s trail, but Cressida prompts caution here. Whoever this “emperor” is, he’s likely a dangerous man indeed.

Cressida goes on to say that as important as finding out what’s befallen her friend Vencarlo is to her, discovering what actually happened to Seneschal Kalepopolis is of even greater concern to the city. Not only might Kalepopolis have valuable insights into what’s going on with the queen, but his return may well give those who oppose Queen Ileosa a legal way to, if not remove her from the throne, at least wrest away some of her power.

"I can't 'pay' you, but I small cache of potions and wands I am willing to give those of you willing to undertake this mission into Old Korvosa. Will you take this burden upon yourselves?"