Curse of the Crimson Throne: Seven Days to the Grave [IC]

[meemaas]

Kaul listens carefully, until Eta mentions his history with the EE. It is at that point that his composure breaks and he bursts out. "We two are on bad terms for a reason. My history with Epsilon Prime is a stain I was trying to erase. I have no anger against you personally, but I wish to be kept away from Prime at all costs, up to an including being left out of any reports you may make towards them."

Beta laughs a little, and moves to pat Kaul on the back. "I thought you looked familiar. Kappa, was it? How long has it been? Two years? Three?"

Kaul slaps his hand away and growls. "The name is Kaul. Please don't forget it."

Kaul nods when Zeta offers to read his cards for him, having gone silent after his previous outburst.

[PSinger]

Phi thinks for a second after the outburst (and Beta's attempt to defuse the situation), and then adopts a business-like attitude of one who is a superior officer. (Of course, he has no rank, so that might be hubris.) "Lieutenant Plat ... for that is how I know you and how I shall address you unless you desire otherwise ... Field Marshal Kroft didn't know of your association with Epsilon. She mentioned you because of the natural philosophies Zeta here said we needed. I recognized your name. In the spirit of disclosure, I was the one that told her of your past association with the fraternity of the Epsilon Elite. I recommended you for this position because of, not in spite of, your past association with the brotherhood. It is because of your unique skill set and the fact that you are a proven soldier - because we will be going into danger, make no mistake - that made me feel confident of my request."

(Pause.)

"As for my reports ... please forgive me, but I cannot honor your request. I write as I speak: the truth, without desire to conceal or obfuscate. Had I offered my team's services simply as concerned and able-bodied citizens, one could argue otherwise, but I didn't. I stepped forth as one of the captains of the Epsilon Elite. With as much objectivity as I can, I write those reports that deal with missions and exceptional encounters. The very fact you have been assigned to me as our Korvosan Guard Liaison instantly putsyou those reports. Other than forms of address, my briefings shall be written nearly identically - the one to Epsilon Prime, and the one to Field Marshal Kroft. If Epsilon Prime has any issue with that, it is his own failing. Zeta here read your aura, and she has seen that you are a good and moral man, though perhaps flexible in matters of ethics, but not wildly so. Focus on the mission at hand.

"You have nothing but allies here, and perhaps soon, friends. You spend your days in a room looking into deaths that have already happened, issues already past, and only resolution of death. Others act on that information to enact justice. Now, you have a chance to be proactive in the fight against those who would fill your morgue. Now, you have a chance to dust off your Waerlochian skill set if needed, but otherwise to provide us with the science we may lack. Now ... lieutenant ... do you have issue with this? or, are you willing to clasp forearms as a measure of friendship, resolve, and dedication to helping the greater good?"

Phi holds out his arm to Kaul ...

[lostsole31]

"No, I'm sorry, Dušana," shakes Zellara's ghostly head, "but you already know the answer. Ruor is tied to your fate, and destiny must smile on her through you. The fate of animals is not guided by destiny, but their innate connection to their sapient masters and to the magic of the land."

Zellara looks to the ghostly Anaximander, who until now has looked upon the proceedings dispassionately. "I am sorry, sir, but Fate's fortune is only for the living, and you must be able to physically touch the card that might otherwise have guided your role. You are alive to maintain the fortunes of House al-Din. One could argue that you are an agent of Fate itself to intercede on their behalf to keep their line going even if you cannot help them individually. A very boon in itself as you seek to ensure a form of immortality not unlike your own."

She shuffles the cards (or rather, she makes a motion of shuffling and yet they move) and spreads them, that Guru Shyamal may choose any card for his role card. Like Ishani Dhatri before him, the card becomes immaterial as he grabs for it. "Gruhastha says that enlightenment comes from within, that we make our fate even as we unmake ourselves. I accept the Harrow's decision."

"Do not sit idly by while the city falls down around itself. You fear to show your true powers that your harmony might become disordered; that is disordered thinking itself. Help where you may," says Zellara. "But be warned, Guru ... Fate has chosen these men and women to be the heroes of their time. If you interfere beyond guidance, no matter how well intentioned, the metaphysical inertia in place will be disordered. Power will rise to match your own, overwhelming your charges, and without them, it will overwhelm you as well. Teach them, guide them, but do not act with them. Let your separate tasks help in other ways in other places in the city."

The Guru nods his head in understanding a few times. "I understand this, and accept this as well, though my sons might again be taken from me."

[meemaas]

Kaul takes Phi's hand and shakes it softly, before returning to listening. He clearly isn't completely happy, but he keeps any further displeasure to himself. Turning to Shyamal when he finishes speaking, Kaul speaks up to him next. "I may work among the dead more so than the living, but I shall still promise you this. None of this company shall fade while I yet draw breath."

Alpha looks carefully at Zellara. "Who decided that it has to be us?"

[PSinger]

The forearm that was offered with the hand gets only the hand, but Phi learned that not all accept such an ancient salute so he has learned to set it up as a handshake, but with openness from the body in case anyone wants to do the forearm clasp. Kaul took the hand ..... softly.

"None of the company shall fade while I yet draw breath."

Alpha looks towards the Varisian Harrow-spirit ... who faded while Kaul was drawing breath.

Alpha was probably in the middle of asking his question, but Zeta answers. "Zellara overstayed her power in being able to read the cards for everyone. She can only do this so many times a day. You see, her will is bound to the deck in the same way that some extremely rare weapons are imbued or possessed by an intellect. I do not know her end purpose, but she serves the wielder of the deck with an illusion that she can control, and through that she can speak properly. Her stay-time seems to have been vastly greater than normal. I guess it was because it was in line with her purpose.

"As to your question, Alpha ... how does the leaf of a mountain laurel find its way to the ocean? The choices, the events, the alliances, the enemies ... all of these things that we witness, experience, and interact with in our past lead us to our future. These events are upon us will you or no. You cannot hide in your room and say, 'Not I, I will prove myself my own master,' and expect that the world will create a protective bubble around you. Better that you control your fate by meeting it on your terms. No man has ever outrun his destiny; he's only run toward it."

Spoiler: Harrow Deck of Zellara

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So, in "Edge of Anarchy" Paxre & Co. helped Zellara find rest (she had been murdered), but not entirely. She is like a magic weapon, but a magic Harrow deck instead, in that she provides mental stats. The deck has a purpose power of major image. The fluff is that the intellect of the cards can be called on by invoking the illusion and allowing the deck to control it as the vision and voice of Zellara. All of that card reading stuff went way beyond any duration possible, so the DM just handwaves it to work because .... plot stuff. That, and not taking a week for everyone to draw cards. It just made sense that as soon as the last person's Harrow was read, she would peace-out.

But I love how perfect Kaul's phrasing about the fading was. Awesome.

[meemaas]

Now that Zellara was gone, and without a shadow of a doubt as to what was needed next, Beta stepped up to the middle of the room and faced the new members of the team...or maybe it would be better to describe them as the new team he was joining. Looking forward, he starts to speak. "You four did slay Girrigz, finishing the mission that my team had set out to complete. Now we should find the one who requested we seek him out in the first place. Unless one of you has been visited by Miss Eries Yelloweyes, of course."

Now that Beta has started talking about this topic, Alpha drifts away to a quiet area to meditate, wishing to restore his own power so as to feel a bit safer before meeting with another Wererat.

[lostsole31]

They found Girrigz & the fallen EE by accident, so continue ...

[PSinger]

"So," says Phi, "any plan of action? You see, there's more than just 'fate of our little corner of the world' at stake, to be open and upfront. The city is quarantined. This means no merchant shipments. If I do nothing, then we House al-Din's Korvosan offices might as well contract the disease and die. So ... who is this Miss Yellow Eyes? What were the original parameters of your mission?"

[meemaas]

"She said she had information about the Blood Veil, but she never gave us a location to find her. I believe I can remember her scent, at least somewhat, so I might be able to track her down...if I'm lucky. Of course, I'll need at least one of you with me, since you were the ones who did the deed." With that, Beta started off out the door. Kaul chose to follow, the information intriguing him. Once out into the city, he starts towards the River, remembering that scent from their meeting.

Spoiler

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Gonna try to track her, starting from the River. Alpha is remaining behind

[PSinger]

Phi will go, as will Zeta. Eta will stay behind. She has business to conduct and she wants to spend time with the children.

"What of Alpha?" asks Zeta. "Do we wish to allow him to finish his meditations in the quiet room? He was one of the ones that met with Yelloweyes as well, wasn't he?"

[meemaas]

As they walk, Beta answers Zeta fairly calmly. "He was, but he's a bit of a weird one. He's as smart as they come, but has a hard time focusing. On top of that, he appears to be...well, functionally naked, if you know what I mean. Would you go out without your magic or armor?"

[PSinger]

Zeta chuckles. "My magic's name is Eta, and my armor's name is Phi."

[lostsole31]

The group gets back to the EE house (as compared to the al-Din house of the EE). Beta tries to pick up Eries Yelloweyes' scent, but it has been too long and she didn't spend much time there. So, he doesn't even have a starting point as far as scent.

What now?

[PSinger]

Already fascinated by the oread's attempt to use a sense of smell on someone he barely knew that was in the house a few days ago, Zeta looks at Beta and asks, "What do you remember about her? Did she have any particular smells that you remember, even if you can't pick up her actual scent? Do you know her profession, even if you don't know her location?"

[meemaas]

Beta shakes his head. "All she told us was that she was a Wererat herself, but one that didn't live in the sewers. She never told us how we could find her. In fact, it was implied that she would find us when we were successful. It may be that we would have to wait for her, if you would be willing to wait with me here for a while."

[lostsole31]

It is later that evening that the servant shows in a mousy, jaundiced woman of about 50 ... Beta recognizes her as Eries Yelloweyes. She looks around and only sees Beta's face as familiar (besides the servant). She stands before the giant of a man, the quiet albion half-elf and her wolf, and the muscular man in the heavy metal armor.

"Are you three of them? Are you the ones that did not stop the slaughter with my kin?" she asks with tearing eyes before she looks away with a half-nod, half-shake of her head as she shuts her eyes and steps back. She takes a moment and turns to Beta, "It is done. I agonize that one of those killed was a nephew of mine, but that could not be helped. And when Girrigz Ripperclaws sent our impressionable youth and dire rats and rat swarms to infect the poor, that is when most of our people had to turn our backs on them. That is how I knew, stone-man, that you and your friends had failed - for it must have been borne of anger and vengeance for a failed attack, as it was too rash even for Girrigz. My people are sorry for this, and we police our own. I accept the loss of the misguided ones that followed Girrigz even to their own doom. I fear that this will only create even more paranoia and mistrust with the populace and they will set pogroms against my people."

She leans in a little to Beta, "Stone-man, I do not wish to be indelicate, but my anguish is still heavy and I cannot bear to be in the same room with them out of sorrow. Even if these people work with you, out of respect I ask that I talk with you alone about holding up my end of the bargain."

[meemaas]

Beta ushers her in to another room to speak with her alone. Once alone, he speaks first. "I understand your pain. We tried to negotiate, and we attempted to fell him and simply disable the others. However, we were not prepared enough, and he and his followers fell a number of my team. While it doesn't make their actions better, they were not affiliated with me before they took him and his followers out, and had no knowledge of what I knew. I humbly apologize for their actions, but it is thanks to them that we got the bodies of our fallen back, alongside my brother, who was surprisingly still alive." Beta bows, and then sits down, allowing the wererat to speak now.

[lostsole31]

Eries Yelloweyes smiles meekly. "Thank you for your kindness. For this, I have come to give you the information I promised you. Fortune has it that several sewer tunnels empty into the Jeggare River below the Wall of Eodred. The night a black-sailed ship was sunk before reaching the harbor, several of my brethren were watching. They saw nothing on the ship except for a yellow light, but once it sank, strange debris drifted from its hull. Tracking down some of the flotsam, they discovered a few small boxes filled with dead rats and a few pouches of silver coins conveniently bound to floating timbers. Suspecting that something was wrong with the rats, and scenting some foulness upon the coins, my people kicked the debris back into the river. I do not know much more than this, but I don't believe that the ship’s sinking, the strange flotsam, and the advent of the plague are mere coincidence.

"If you wish to learn more about the sunken vessel, I can point out exactly where in the river it sank. I also knows an alchemist’s shop with a hidden tunnel in the basement, which my people often pilfer for medicine and supplies. If you wish, I can have my children fetch you each potions of water breathing for half the normal price ... 375 gp."

[meemaas]

"I appreciate the offer. For the time being, it's safe to assume we may need them, but would you be offended if it turned out we didn't after you obtained them? I'm not sure of the capabilities of any of my new team members just yet, and would need to speak to them about it too." Whether or not she agrees, he asks her to obtain them, and asks her to meet with him tomorrow to show him where they were going and deliver the potions. Afterwards he escorts her out, and once she was gone, returns to the rest of the party and explains to them what he learned, and asks them for their opinions.

[lostsole31]

"With trade dying in town, if you don't want the potions it will be too hard to sell even at that cost and the risk wouldn't be worth it. No," she continues, "I would need you to commit to a quantity and a decision to purchase."

[meemaas]

Beta sighs, and then thinks for a second. "Six, probably, if we're gonna get all of us in there." After that, he continues on like he had planned before.

[lostsole31]

Eries agrees that you will seek to obtain six potions of water breathing from her- each to be sold for 375 gp apiece for a total of 2,250 gp - and that you will purchase them regardless of actual use. "What time tomorrow do you wish to meet? Do you wish me to meet you here?"

[PSinger]

For the sake of moving forward ... whenever Beta would mention what's-what ...

Eta, who can't swim, will again be left home. There might be water breathing options available, but not knowing how to swim still means not knowing how to swim. Besides, it is good for a living person (not Ani) to mind the store. She is entirely speech-focused, or needs air to blow her instrument, and water breathing doesn't impart any special ability to speak underwater, and I don't feel like getting spell components wet.

Ruor will be left behind to keep her company. Not only does she not know how to swim, but she as an animal it is asking to much to try to get her to go against her nature with something spooky like water breathing.

Zeta: "After the battle with the rats, the spirits of the land have blessed me with greater power, enough that while I am a savant of stony menhirs I still have power over air and water as well. Besides, I can change my form into a beast of the water. I will not have much magic available to me at that time. I can only just cast water breathing myself, and it will last as long as a potion - about 10 hours. Water breathing doesn't give you special swimming abilities, so if you can't swim at all, I can meditate with the spirits of the harbor for a spell called touch of the sea that will allow one to swim as quickly as they can walk. However, such a spell would only last five minutes ... not a lot of time. We are probably set to walking along the bottom."

Phi will go, of course, and he's an excellent swimmer, and he'll be ordering Bur to accompany him.

[meemaas]

Once the entire party is back together and speaking with each other, Beta starts. "Save your magic. We have no knowledge of what we might come into contact with, and we have access to the potions which will do the job just as well."

Kaul steps up and interrupts Beta. "I'm not going in the water. I don't feel safe out there without my armor, and there's no way I can swim that with it. I'll still buy a potion though. You never know when potions will be useful, and that's one that I can't make anyways."

Once that has been said, and the remainder have had their say, Beta counts down the number of people that are going, and suggests a time to meet up before Miss Yelloweyes would return to the house.

Spoiler

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Alpha's veils are set for tomorrow, and Beta will do his buff routine for tomorrow

[PSinger]

Phi says, "I shall hand over 1125 gp in gems and Chelish coin in a pouch, personally. I understand her issue, but if she wants our half of the money (and it is quite a considerable sum), then she deals with the buyer. And not before Zeta vouches for its efficacy. Otherwise, no deal from us, and you have to deal with the fact you made a deal with the devil for a prince's ransom. I also don't want to know its origin.

"LT Plat, you are welcome to enjoy the company of my house while we are on mission."

Unless Beta takes issue with Phi's partial counter and requirement to inspect goods, we should be good.

"We can meet at your place at ten o'clock."

Spoiler

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Sheets updated for tomorrow's journey.

[meemaas]

Kaul agrees with Phi for a moment. "I'll come with also. I am skilled with potions, and will be capable of verifying it too. I'll also accompany you folks, at least as far as the water goes."

Beta smiles at the group. "You're certainly not out of line for your terms. I had no reason to expect you to give me your money." He turns towards Kaul. "Same goes for you." Kaul nods in agreement.

[lostsole31]

For the remainder of the day, dinner for the group (and Lt. Plat is invited) is at House al-Din.

Since Zeta will be without Ruor for the first time on a major challenge since she attracted her, today is a good day to strengthen that bond. Eta, when not in meetings or with her children, will be focusing on mastery with her flute and with dance, and this might even include a post-dinner performance in the salon. A retired member of the Sable Marines was hired to help tutor Burçin on long-range sniper training.

At the chapter house (Alpha & Beta's home), Shyamal invites Kaul Plat and Phi to sit in on meditative exercises and other things that can help steel one's mind against foreign influences as he tutors Alpha and Beta.

---

13 Gozren 4708 (Sunday, Day of Worship)

Sunday is a day of worship, and a day off for working people. Typically at House al-Din, Eta would conduct a generalized worship service for Shelyn, and many of the servants and guards of the house also benefit from Zeta's words regarding nature and Desna. Bur is an Erastilian, and would actually go to an early morning service at one of the farms.

Everyone that is supposed to meet at the chapter house shows at 1000. Eries arrives on time, and produces six flasks of identical elixir. Zeta actually concentrates using her scythe and casts detect magic and studies the potions, and is able to tell that they are in fact, potions of water breathing. Even Kaul, despite not carrying a lab to conduct tests, can emphatically, unequivocally, and natural 20-ily support this.

I have to ask this question, do you all pay? or, is there any shakedown nonsense?

[PSinger]

No. Other than handing over coins and gems, he trusts Zeta's validation and this is Beta's show. Phi is going to even back away some to respect her but also so as not to hear anything he doesn't want to ... such as how the potions were acquired (if it comes up).

[meemaas]

Beta, Alpha, and Kaul each hand over their share too. Little else is said of the potions, and Beta starts to speak to Eries, waving the rest back a bit. "We thank you for the help. Now all that is left is to lead us to the site of the wreckage. Would you be willing to escort all of us, or would you rather just myself?"

[lostsole31]

With that, Eries hands the potions over to you and leads you from the house down to the Jeggare River and describes as best she can where the ship went down, pointing in that general direction.