The Crimson Echo IC - Season Two

[Inspectre]

Much like only a fool fights in a burning house, staying down in the flooded cargo hold where the elementals were in their, well, element was madness.
And with Elliana safely extracted, there was no reason for Silas to stay and so with a quick leap backwards he bid adieu to his current watery sparring partner and splashed his way over to the rope ladder.
As he began to ascend the ladder, the other elemental took exception to this and swung a watery fist at his head, but a quick duck saw him safely out of harm's way for that one, save for a few droplets of water that sprayed down onto his head.
As the elemental gathered itself up for another lunge, the tiefling rapidly ascended out of the hold, followed immediately by Gavin.
Seeing both of his lumbering allies get to safety, Jakkin likewise made his escape from the cargo hold via the doorway, allowing the spreading water to pull him out into the hallway beyond before starting to ascend the nearby steps back up to Devargo's throne room.

Up in the throne room, Atavian nods at Dalen's suggestion, but pauses to see if further reinforcements would be necessary - and thus does not bother sending in a wave of dolphins after all, as everyone escapes from the cargo hold smoothly.
At Aliani's comment of "for now", Devargo smirks and takes this as permission to leave.
Still hefting a large trunk over each shoulder, Devargo staggers over to the door leading out onto the deck of the listing ship, and kicks the door open.

"Oi! I could use a hand 'ere!"

The crime lord calls out, frowning as no one answers his call due to the deck of the ship now being completely deserted.
Growling a curse under his breath, Devargo starts struggling to simultaneously slip out through the doorway with both trunks still on his shoulders, but freezes when Elliana calls out after him, "Wait!"
The crime lord glances back over top of the trunk on his right shoulder, eyeing the queen's handmaiden who has to brace herself against his throne in order to keep on her feet.

"What about Lamm?"

Devargo gives a short bark of a laugh at that, shaking his head.

"You certainly are one single-minded lady!"

Devargo glances over the rest of the group, clearly weighing his options.
He must not have liked his odds, because after a moment he speaks up again.

"Lamm's meeting the other heads of Korvosa's underworld at midnight beneath the Kendall Ampitheater. Security at the theater itself is likely to be tight, making an attack on Lamm there suicide - hence why I figured you could deal with him afterwards when he's on his way back to whatever rock he lives under now. But since I'm not going to be at that meeting now, you're welcome to take my place, try to convince the other syndicate heads not to throw their lot in with him, or just shiv Lamm the moment he shows his face. There's a compartment in the left armrest of my throne there - should be a small silver spider bracelet inside. That'll let them know you're there on my behalf. And now, our business is done."

Without hesitation this time, Devargo smoothly twists and slides through the doorway, disappearing out into the night.
By the time the group has made it to the doors after him, the crime lord is out of sight, lost in the panicking crowds dashing every which way on the docks beyond Devargo's sinking base of operations.
Although still a bit unsteady on her feet, Elliana seems to be becoming more focused with each passing moment as she gestures out at the docks.

"Well, shall we be on our way to the Ampitheater? If we get there early, we may be able to get there before Lamm does and set some kind of trap for him!"

[Darvin]

"First things first, let's get off the sinking ship," Dalen deftly strides towards the crime lord's throne and opens the compartment to grab the bracelet and quickly stows it.

Once the party and Elliana has reached a safe respite, and Dalen is reasonably certain that there is no one snooping, he speaks, "an ambush is useless against someone expecting it, and if Devargo's description of this affair is accurate then just about every attendee will be prepared for such chicanery. You were lucky with King of Spiders; if you tried something like that beneath the theater tonight you'd have a dozen daggers in your back before you were halfway through the incantation," Dalen raises his finger to preempt the protests he fully expects from Elliana, "subtlety and patience, handmaiden. When the time is right, Lamm will be cornered and surrounded and can be eliminated at our leisure. Acting before our opportunities are ripe will only waste them,"

He then turns to his allies, and back to Elliana, "and just so you know, we are acting on Sabrina's behest. Her majesty's political opponents are moving against her, and she needs to return before dawn. If I am reading the situation correctly - and I usually do - then her majesty is in relative safety right now. She would want us to do as much damage to Lamm as possible before safely returning you to the castle to appraise her of what has transpired. I'm not wrong, am I?"

[Stelio Kontos]

Aliani's face reddened visibly at Devargo's information. "****" he muttered, in the tone of a man who had just been told his replacement wasn't coming in to work and he'd have to stay another few hours. He slumped against a wall in the alley, trying to gather his thoughts, or at least get the beginnings of a will together in his head. He really should put that to paper soon.

He looked at Dalen with a mix of incredulity and anger. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

"First of all, we have no damn idea where the queen is and if we don't find her we're screwed that way. Second, she is obviously in no condition to be wandering into ANOTHER death trap, so someone needs to take her directly back to the castle, now, which we don't really have time for. but it has to be done. Third, we either need an entire goddamned army, in like an hour, or we need to somehow get in there and stop this thing before it happens, tonight, and the best idea I have for that is only probably suicidal so it's an improvement on the army plan. Fourth... I don't even know if there's a fourth, but it feels like there should be. Start thinking about who you can get down there at short notice. We're putting a stop to this, somehow, because it's not happening, not in my theater of all places, so start walking and we'll come up with a plan on the way."

"I don't know, maybe I can sneak in there, in disguise, if you give me the bracelet, and make the argument or probably take TWO dozen shivs to the back, that'll be fun. Do we have anything that we can use that can act as proof that Lamm was behind that, I mean we know he was, but we need more than that, need to make them fear him more than the profit of what working with him would give, right?"

[Darvin]

"As I said, subtlety and patience. That applies equally to you, by the way. No, we will not be fighting, and none of us are getting shivved in the back; any battles to be fought will be with words," Dalen retorts to Aliani, "as to the question of the Queen's safety, I am certain that would be Elliana's highest priority if it were an imminent concern. The fact that she is still focused on Lamm tells me all I need to know. I am certain that Sabrina would want us to return with Elliana promptly, but I suspect the Queen would disagree, and much as I don't relish crossing Sabrina I am not in the habit of denying the wishes of royalty. What the royal guard doesn't know, can't hurt her. Elliana can correct me if I'm wrong, of course,"

[THEChanger]

"If we show up at this meeting, there will be fighting."

Gavin emptied the second of his boots of the water it had collected fighting in the hold and straightened up. "From what I have gathered, Gaedren Lamm has a decent enough bead on each of us to know if we're waltzing into the meeting, it's bad news. Frankly, I doubt he intends on keeping the meeting peaceful even if it's just a meeting of criminals. He attacked Eel's End. With summoned elementals. This isn't Gaedren's normal way of operating. From what I knew of him, he was a coward. He wouldn't take a risk unless he knew it was a sure bet. This...this isn't that. This attack was reckless. He's confident enough in his position that he thinks he can attack another boss' base of operations without suffering repercussions. Or he just doesn't care anymore, and I have no idea what he will do if he found his spine. As much as I hate to say it. And I hate to say it. We should let this go. Maybe, maybe do some reconnaissance. If Lamm's sloppy enough, one or two of us might be able to trail him from the meeting, get some information about where he's staying. But we're spent. We've been working, what, since sun-up? Didn't we just have an argument with Cres-with Field Martial Kroft that pushing oneself that hard was foolish? We need to rest. Marshall our resources. Come at Lamm with an actual plan, instead of running from one crisis to another like a bunch of chickens with our heads off."

Gavin sighed, and turned to Elliana, bowing. "My lady, I appreciate your zeal for apprehending the criminal scum plaguing this city. But, as impressive as what you accomplished tonight was, my associates and I are not in a position to keep you safe, and I am concerned if you attempt to seek Lamm out alone it could end in your death. If, as Dalen suggests, the Queen is in safety, it would be my honor to serve as your escort back to Castle Korvosa."

[Stelio Kontos]

"So he hired some goons to do it, or spent the ambassador's coin on something that could produce it. It's only reckless if he was here. Hiding behind others is pretty much the definition of a coward, isn't it?"

"But you're right, both of you. If WE go in, looking like this, there's going to be a fight, which we are spectacularly ill-prepared for. And if Lamm sees us, there's going to be a fight, which we are spectacularly ill-prepared for.

"So we send one of us in, in disguise, with the bracelet, as Devargo's representative, and battle with words, and put a stop to it. We have to try; this is not the time for 'bide our time and wait for the right moment'. If we ignore this, tonight, he gets stronger, everything gets harder. Maybe this is the right moment."

He looked pointedly at Dalen. "So, are you going to do it or am I?"

[PiccadillyPi]

"No need to be so formal about our Cressida, m'dear."

Silas limped behind Gavin, pulling a stray hair from the former hellknight's armor as he passed him by only to have it cling to rather than drop from his sopping fur. After a moment of shaking his hand to rid himself of the foreign object, Silas chimed in again.

"Elliana, you're a capable sort. Now that we are all aligned, I see no reason we cannot... tally forth together? Fealty to our queen aside, I do promise Gavin will follow through with his word - before dawn."

The tiefling winked at the vengeful servant before turning his attention to Aliani. Silas gave him a soft look as he took up one of the actor's hands.

"Darling, you are a wonderful talent. You know we all admire your abilities. Having said that... you'll botch this performance before Lamm opens his cursed gob. I can see the thumping of your heart through your sleeve already."

With a final squeeze, Silas released Aliani from his grasp. He twirled a set of whiskers as he turned away to feign deeper thoughts.

"I too am ill suited for that reason - if not also for my unquestionable good looks that no disguise could diminish... But you're right!"

The dandy attempted to wring the river water from his clothes while awkwardly avoiding any disturbance to his more serious injuries.

"If we don't intervene now, Lamm will gain a significant foothold in select sections of the underworld. If that happens, there will be no stopping the current course he has set this city on. I expect, given his latest efforts, that he may use this attack as leverage to threaten or otherwise show strength to the other leaders. He's already consolidating power in ways none of us would have ever thought he could. Unfortunately we do not have the privilege of time, so our rest will have to be brief."

[Captain Jak]

Jakkin stand quietly as is his wont when he doesn't have anything particularly pertinent to add to the discussion at hand; below many people's line of sight, he can often hear a surprising amount of things if he doesn't draw attention to himself. He himself is good to go should things get dicey, but he can understand that those of his companions that tend to tell reality to go stuff itself sideways are pretty tapped out from the day's events.

Going in boldly in disguise and trying to manipulate matters with honeyed words? Not really his skillset.

However.

"Security will be tight, but no security is perfect," he inserts into the pause. " Sounds like this is our best bet for making a difference; but going in alone could be hugely dangerous, should things go sideways – or if this is a trap of Lamm's. I can slip in, be there as backup should things go wrong," he offers, absently touching one of the vials looped into his bandolier. Could be this is the time to use that particular elixir.

Or, should the opportunity present itself, a chance to end Lamm once and for all. He keeps that to himself, however.

[Darvin]

Dalen sighs as Silas finishes talking, understand all too well the tiefling's subtext, "yes, it should be me to go. I don't relish taking the stage there without knowing the disposition of the others present, but I can wear a mask better than any others here. We have some time; let me make my preparations,"

"Yes, I would appreciate having someone to back me up," Dalen nods at Jakkin, "and as for the rest of you, don't be idle. Keep a watchful eye. I'm sure every party involved here will have lookouts. Don't pick a fight, just observe,"

[Inspectre]

"You don't need to worry about Her Majesty, Mr. Rose - she's safe! Queen Ileosa is not stupid enough to go charging into a den of thieves, so she sent me in her stead!"

Elliana interjects, chuckling airily for a moment before she stumbles over a loose board, which seems to jar her still somewhat addled mind back into focus.

"Unfortunately, Devargo was more stubborn and surly than I expected! Should have known he’d be too thick-skulled to appreciate my offer.

Elliana seems to note the state of her hair at this point, and spends the next minute or so fussing over it, running her hands through it while muttering incantations to remove all of the remnants of spiderweb out of it while also changing the color of her hair from the odd flame-red back to her customary raven black. Perhaps it’s merely exposure to the night air as your group continues to move away from the ongoing chaos at Eel’s End, or perhaps it’s the small vial of liquid that Elliana extracts from a satchel under her cloak that she sips periodically on, but the handmaiden also seems to become more clear-minded with each step you take further away from Eel’s End. She finally speaks up again as the relative merits and dangers of interfering in Lamm’s plans again tonight are discussed.

“If we do nothing, Lamm wins. Again. We can’t just let that happen! We just can’t, or today . . . today will have been for nothing!”

Elliana argues, touching her side with a wince as perhaps she recalls the apparent shark attack at the Old Fishery.

“I know that we’re all tired, but there has to be something we can do to stop him! I . . . I was going to kill him, at least try to, but I will admit that seems much more difficult in the midst of a meeting with all of Korvosa’s underworld! But if we try and get the Guard involved, I’m sure they’ll either bungle it or tip off these criminals somehow, and they’ll just go to ground and hold the meeting somewhere else, somewhere that we won’t know about. And then Lamm will convince them to join him or kill them all or whatever he’s planning. No, if we are going to stop him, we need to go to this meeting and stop whatever he’s planning.”

Elliana nods at Dalen.

“You are a brave man for volunteering to go in alone, Mr. Rittle, but are you sure that you and Jakkin will be able to handle this if Lamm has further violence on his mind? If we’re outside the Ampitheater, I don’t know if we will even be able to know that you are in danger, let alone be able to reach you in time. Surely it would be better if we all went together?”

Elliana pauses, and then blinks as she seems to suddenly realize something.

“Wait, Mr. Rittle – didn’t you say something earlier about her Majesty’s political enemies moving against her? What did you mean by that – I’m afraid I was a little distracted during out departure from Eel’s End.”

Elliana looks around nervously, suddenly on high alert.

“Perhaps we should get off the street and discuss this in some dark tavern back room. That’s where clandestine matters like these are always discussed, aren’t they? Does anyone know a discrete tavern nearby here that would work for that?”

(OOC: Streetwise DC 15 to know of a nearby tavern that would be seedy enough, and yet safe enough, for such a task.)

Spoiler: Aliani Only

Show

You are aware that, being in Old Korvosa, only a few blocks away there is the Sticky Mermaid, where you and Miz in a previous life had met Jack to plan your raid on Jeggare’s warehouse. Given that you are now recognizable by the barman, you should be granted entry, but you don’t know how Jack will feel bringing your whole motley crew into his would-be hangout. It’s also not really the sort of place that you think a lady like Elliana would appreciate, but it certainly matches the seedy, discrete requirement Elliana is looking for.

[Darvin]

"I can't say there's much selection in tavern in this part of town, but there is something nearby that should suffice. Beggars can't be choosers," Dalen responds to Elliana's request for a tavern by leading her to the Sticky Mermaid follows the party to their destination of choice for a quiet conversation. Once they have sat down, Dalen recounts the situation in detail, explaining the events of the morning raid, the summons from Sabrina, everything the royal guard related to them, and the circuitous path that lead them to finding Elliana.

"... needless to say, 'Seneschel Andaisin' is a worrisome prospect. The Queen would know better than I what her aims may be, but given what we know I find such an appointment... problematic, to the say the least. As odious as Lamm is, he is not the only threat at the moment," Dalen tents his fingers as he leans over and continues speaking quietly to Elliana, "and Lamm's Derro allies are another matter entirely. Possibly the tip of the iceberg, it really just reveals how little we know. As it stands the best we can do is to continue disruption and try to corner him at an opportune time,"

[Stelio Kontos]

Aliani, with his stomach leading the protest, quickly demurred at the mere mention of the Sticky Mermaid. "Please, let's not. That's the place you'd like to go if you want to be seen discussing things without others knowing. Look, I live but a few blocks from the Ampitheater; if we're to discuss matters privately, that would be a much better place."

"But Dalen's right, as he often is. We need you to tell us where the queen is so we can get her back to the castle, unless she's already gone back there and this is truly a wild goose chase we've been sent on. And you as well, because I would rather Sabrina not kill us when we return without you. And we will do what we can with this, this ... convention of criminals. At the minimum, you need to stay here in my apartment until we return. I do appreciate your enthusiasm, I really do... but it's not going to be safe in there, and one wrong word and it's big trouble, and if the queen's handmaiden lurking about doesn't arouse suspicion and alarm, nothing will, so you need to stay out of sight, like ACTUALLY out of sight. And Dalen and Jakkin can get inside, work the verbal magic and keep an eye on things. I can think of nobody I have ever met that would be better suited for such a task as they."

"And the rest of us can try, somehow, to get some clue as to who's attending this thing, and who maybe isn't."

[Captain Jak]

Already mentally half-planning a stealthy approach, Jakkin nonetheless has a little more to contribute to the debate.

"As much as the Queen relies on you to get things done that she can’t, I don’t think she ever meant for you to put yourself in, ah, this much danger," he tells the tall, attractive elfmaid.

"You know you can count on us to get the job done and keep quiet about it," he goes on, taking her hand and folding it around something. "You also have to trust those with the right skills to employ them; whether it’s diplomacy, stealth, or even just authority." He shrugs and steps back – unless they’re going to tie her up and stick her in a sack, she’ll do what she wants to.

He smiles slightly. Headstrong women are always the most entertaining ones.

Spoiler: Elliana only

Show

Jakkin gives her back the missing prosthetic ear that he pocketed while everyone else was scrambling to get past the elementals and up the ladder.

[THEChanger]

Gavin snorted. "Well, if nothing else, you're right about the Guard, my lady. I have made my objections clear, but if it is the consensus of the group that we must act, then I will do my part. I agree with Mister Rose that it would be best if you remained somewhere safe, Lady Ellianna, but far be it from me to issue commands. If you wish to accompany us, you have my word I shall do everything in power to keep you safe."

The Hellknight took the potion he had received from Sabrina and passed it to Silas. "Drink up, Mister Rata'da. We must all be in as close to fighting shape as we can get, for what is about to happen. Mister Rose, you know the lay of the land better than anyone else. Do you have any suggestions for where a few of us could remain hidden nearby, while Misters Rittle and Longshanks engage in diplomacy?"

[Stelio Kontos]

"Well..." Aliani mused in response to Gavin's question, crunching his brow in thought.

"Forgive me, I haven't given the matter much aforethought, but it seems there would be a couple of adequate hiding places on opposite corners of the Ampitheater, we could pass for homeless or drunkards and sit down in the alleys -- it'd be good enough to keep at least a decent view on anyone entering from all four sides. From a distance, of course, so you're not going to see a whole lot, but enough to catch comings and goings. That would leave one person free to rove about if need be, because the other two won't be able to communicate anything to each other. Inside... can't recommend that. It's all a maze of interconnected hallways down there, half the doors are in disrepair... not exactly a lot of good hiding places. I haven't really gone down more than to the second basement storage a few times, and it goes a fair bit farther down than that."

"And I think, if you want a part in this Elliana, keeping watch from my bedroom upstairs here could be quite useful as well. There's a great vantage of my street down a good two blocks both ways; it's not very heavily traveled but there's a chance you could see something coming, from a rather closer distance. You could keep the curtains mostly drawn and there should be a few candles by the nightstand; if you spot a large gathering coming you could open the curtains and the light should be visible and we'll know to be alert. And I have a first aid kit in the kitchen drawer, you might want to get that ready just in case we need it. Keep the door locked, I just had a new bolt system put on, and don't open it for anyone."

"Understand, this would be for observation only. No fighting, okay? Just hide, watch, and report back once the meeting's concluded. Because if you go looking for trouble you'll probably find it, and I don't think I've much left to patch you up with. It would be an awful waste of your respective talents to be cut down on this."

He paused to stifle a yawn; it had been a long day already, and wasn't about to get shorter. "I'm going to put some tea on. Anyone want some?"

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas lurched onto a chair once safely within the confines of l'Appartement Rose. Having run around the city and been beaten beyond the endurance of most others, he was thankful for the moment of reprieve. He was not attuned to the theatre as the folk around him, so he left the planning largely to them. Rather, he needed time to centre himself so that he might not feint from his extended activities.

He hardly noticed Gavin's gift until after he had drank it. They could have given him sewer water and he would have downed it all the same. Immediately he felt a surge of relief. His mind came back to him, and his body felt more itself again.

"Tea sounds lovely."

[Inspectre]

By the time you have all arrived back at Aliani's house, Elliana seems fully recovered from her ordeal. She even manages a sly smile at Aliani as she steps inside, remarking quietly to him.

"Well, Mr. Rose. It would appear that I am the latest of your fans to view the inside of your home. Alas, I will need to return to the castle in a few hours, else poor Sabrina will have a nervous breakdown."

The handmaiden quickly returns to a serious expression as Dalen explains the entirety of your long day, starting with the revelation of the derro supporting Lamm and ending with why Sabrina sent you out to find her and the queen. Elliana sits quietly for a minute or two before she speaks up, her tone carefully neutral.

“Perhaps this news is actually a blessing in disguise. Her Majesty knew that the Council of Nobles would be convening soon to determine a new seneschal, and by extension her own fate, but Andaisin being a frontrunner for seneschal is a surprise. In light of recent revelations, I can understand you all having reservations about Ambassador Andaisin becoming Senaschal Andaisin, but she has always been an ally to Her Majesty. Given the widespread sentiment in Korvosa against Her Majesty, it seems likely that if anyone else is elevated to seneschal, their first action will be to officially depose Her Majesty. Then the civil war between the Noble Houses to determine who next gets to sit on the Crimson Throne can begin in earnest, and Lamm won’t even have to lift a finger to watch Korvosa burn. Weighed against that, surely whatever abuses of power Senaschal Andaisin might do are an acceptable risk?”

The way Elliana trails off into silence at the end of her argument makes it clear that question is rhetorical – even she has strong reservations about what sort of “bright future” Senaschal Andaisin would bring to Korvosa. Perhaps in an attempt to convince herself, she adds another argument a few moments later.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. While Her Majesty is allowed to speak on behalf of her preferred candidate to become seneschal, the Council of Nobles won’t consider the opinion of a trophy wife “whore queen”. Why would they, when most of them are already plotting what to do the moment after she is officially deposed by the new seneschal? We do not have any evidence to support such an accusation, and . . . Lady Andaisin knows devastating secrets of Her Majesty that, if brought to light, will ensure Lamm won’t have to lift a finger to end her life. The Council of Nobles will do it for him by tearing her apart right there in the council chambers!”

Elliana sighs and rubs her eyes, speaking quietly to herself at first, and then louder as she returns her attention to the group.

“I just wanted to do one more good thing before the end. Taking revenge on Lamm seemed like the most fitting thing I could do, and yet today has been a complete disaster. I simply can’t do what seems to come naturally to all of you. Can’t investigate – I fell through the floor and nearly got eaten by a shark. Can’t coerce people – Devargo laughed at me and told me to get lost, before he just shrugged off my magic and dropped me into the hold, anyway. Can’t even fight – that spider . . . man . . . thing toyed with me before it finally just tied me up and hung me off the wall like some godsdamnned trophy! I’m useless . . . maybe I should just return to the castle and wait for tomorrow to end it all.”

It’s at this point that Jakkin interjects and folds the handmaiden’s right hand around something, which she glances at briefly before slipping into one of her pockets. She nods her thanks at the halfling, and seems to reach a decision as she turns to Aliani.

“Mr. Rose, do you have a powder room or similar where I could have some privacy? I’m a mess and would like to touch up my make-up. Some tea would be lovely, although I’m not sure watching and waiting for your return from your bedchambers is entirely appropriate.”

She flashes a dazzling smile at the playwright, and then turns her attention to Gavin.

“Sir . . . Gavin, was it? When I come back from touching up my appearance, I will be sharing some closely guarded secrets of Her Majesty. I need to know that you can be trusted to keep those secrets, otherwise I would ask that you step outside for a few minutes until I am finished.”

Gavin’s reply that he will keep them so long as they don’t either endanger the Order’s interests or break the law seems to satisfy the handmaiden who nods at him.

“Very well. Stay here then – I will be right back.”

The handmaiden retires to whatever room in his house Aliani directs her to, and is gone for the next several minutes while Aliani works on heating up a pot of tea and the group discusses various minutiae of keeping watch on the Amphitheater without leaving the outlooks completely exposed. When she returns, it is not Elliana who steps back into the room, although she is still wearing the handmaiden’s clothing. The flame red hair and flawless alabaster skin, now cleaned of the smeared darkening make-up would perhaps be enough, but the jagged metal crown now resting on her head leaves no question as to her identity.

“Allow me to re-introduce myself. I am Queen Ileosa Arabasti of Korvosa. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas stood from his seat abruptly, both spitting and spilling tea all at once.

"I knew it - ah! Hot!"

Shaking the tea from his fur, he placed the cup down to greet the new presence in the building. His greetings were usually violent as certain members of current company already knew. However, perhaps because of the regal title, or perhaps because he was not fully recovered, he approached her with soggy grace.

"I am so glad you felt you could trust us, dear queen. You honour us."

If someone didn't chime in quickly, the tiger was likely to pounce in excitement. Aliani had experience in this when he was grappled and shaken by the dandy.

[Darvin]

Dalen avoids sighing as Ileosa makes her appearance, "a pleasure as always, Queen Ileosa Arabasti, the hope of Korvosa," Dalen gives a courteous bow, "I appreciate your desire to speak plainly and directly in these circumstances, and I hope you will allow me to indulge in the same"

Dalen walks into the center of the room, "You are brash and idealistic, my queen, but perhaps too impatient. Your mishaps today all follow from your zeal, reaching too far and too soon, grasping at unripe and sour fruit. You are not a merciless or brutal despot, I have seen as much, and this means that in present situations you act from a position of weakness. If Seneschel Andaisin is inevitable, then perhaps the solution is to embrace her. Speak honeyed words into the schemer's ear, let them erroneously believe the Queen a naive and useful pawn. It will at very least buy you time, if not giving you opportunity to put your ears to their conspiracy,"

Dalen sighs, before continuing, "if you give me no other instruction, I will seek to thwart Lamm tonight and blunt him. But there is another path available, should her majesty deem the consequences acceptable. You could make a counter-offer, give Korvosa's underworld a reason to be vested in the continued reign of Ileosa Arabasti,"

[PiccadillyPi]

"A chel on the throne? I'd sooner lynch myself than allow others the pleasure."

Silas gestured widely to his hair and horns to remind his fellows the possible future for his kind under Chellish rule.

"Oh, you ruined the moment! We couldn't have one round of celebration? Hardly six seconds go by and - oh, blast! Mr. Rose, some tea for our queen!"

The cat huffed at the situation more than Dalen. He wished for a moment's reprieve with the revelation, but this day was not so easy.

[THEChanger]

There is an awkward thud as Gavin Dimir plummeted to one knee, face bowed as low as it was possible for him to do so. While his body was still, if anyone could see his face, they would see it had gone paper white, and his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Oh gods oh gods I've laid my hand on the queen I've touched the queen of all the terrible things that could have happened she's going to have my head oh gods I called her my lady-

The kneeling knight to be coughed, raising his head slightly to address Her Royal Majesty Queen Illeosa Arabasti. "My most sincere and humble apologies, Your Majesty. Had I known to whom I was speaking, I would never have been so familiar. I-" Eyes peeking up just a little, Gavin looked around and saw his companions were...not doing this. "You. You all should. She's. She's the queen. You should bow."

[Stelio Kontos]

"Not so many as you might hear" was Aliani's initial reply, given with a broad smile that indicated he knew well the rumors of his ... fans.

That smile soon disappeared.

"No, no Elliana, that's all wrong! Look, yes, the nobles are a danger, but ... I mean, you've seen her basement. You know what kind of person she is. Furthermore, she's not... she's an official representative of a foreign government! How is... how is anyone supposed to be able to represent Korvosa's interests in such a position? It's not possible, is how! Frankly, you should be suspicious of whichever of those nobles nominated her in the first place! Who are THEY working for?"

He drew back slightly, before continuing. "Look, I... I think you're a good person, with a kind heart, and so has the queen from what I've seen so far. Your actions speak volumes. But... well, let's put it this way: if anyone came to you and suggested 'hey, let's have an undead worshipping representative of a country that heartily endorses slavery and cruelty against its citizens be the person in charge of deciding if the queen gets to stay in power or not, oh and did I mention she's PERSONALLY FUNDING THE PERSON TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE CITY THAT YOU JUST TRIED TO KILL TODAY', and that person WASN'T a close personal friend, you'd think it was a terrible idea.

"You know what the right thing to do is. And it's not that. If she has to have the crown, find another way. There's always another way."

At the request for a powder room, Aliani pointed to the stairs. "The master suite's upstairs, help yourself" he replied, a bit more curtly than he usually spoke.

He sat while waiting for her return, sipping slowly at the tea, which was more a device to avoid having to speak than to serve as an actual mechanism of refreshment. His face was turning redder and redder as he continued to sip, and it wasn't even particularly scalding.

When she returned, he looked up and slowly put his cup down, looking her up and down and finally putting the pieces together. "Well. I see. Very clever." He let out a huge, soft sigh. "Well for whatever it's worth, I hope Elliana relayed my last message to the queen before she 'departed'. I believe it to be important."

"And Dalen, I know you're a smart person, but that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard anyone say. It's not inevitable. There's always another way. And you might stop to consider, both of you, whose honeyed words are manipulating who here."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, if I'm to go running out into the night, as a lowly citizen of Korvosa unworthy of actual representation, to risk my life for the third time today, I think perhaps it best if I lie down for a while before I say anything that shall get me beheaded. And forgive my lack of genuflection; the day's events and my hospitality shall have to suffice in showing my allegiances, and my back is rather sore."

He got all of about four steps up toward his room before returning to the bottom of the stairs. "You know what the right thing to do is, both of you. So do it."

[Captain Jak]

Jakkin snorts.

"Not my Queen," he points out with a shrug.

The others can all have their plots of politics and concerns for the city and suggestions regarding Seneschals; but when it comes right down to it, he couldn’t give a damn about the politics of this one particular nation.

"You all can wrangle over this as much as you want, but don’t be forgetting our immediate objective. Lamm," he hisses, his eyes hard. The drug-dealing criminal scum is why he's missed his ship and is running around getting into fights instead of being out on the ocean where he belongs.

Politics. Phaugh – he’s here for the man.

[Darvin]

Dalen chuckles as Aliani calls his idea stupid, "this morning we very well could have ended one of the greatest threats to Korvosa; we had him cornered with our blades, an opportunity we shall not soon have again, but should we have pressed them you would have almost certainly died. There may be a way to stop Andaisin here and now, but there will be a price - likely the queen's own throne, from what she has said. And then what? What happens if Andaisin's conspiracy is merely temporarily delayed? What if, with the queen removed, the nobles decide that this populist 'Lamm' fellow sounds like a dashing idea?" Dalen scoffs, "the so-called right thing to do is never as clear as you'd like, but blindly charging into a situation with unrelenting zeal is liable to get you thrown into a dungeon filled with crawling arachnids or worse. We are not acting from a position of strength, we are continually reacting from a position of perpetual weakness. That must change,"

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas rolled his eyes as he poured a fresh cup from the pot. Handing it to Gavin, he pooh poohed the overt formality.

"If she wished us to bow in the privacy of Al's abode, she would not have gone about as she did. Our due respect tonight is to treat her as a friend - as she has treated us. Come now, serve the queen her refreshment. She's been through a great deal more than most these past few weeks. And Jakkin, we shall avenge our losses tonight."

His demeanor turned sour as he watched the halfling. Their politics would decide the fate of the region. Allowing Andaisin to become Senaschal was akin to turning the city into a hellmouth for Avernus in Silas' eyes. The tiefling fumed at Jakkin's disdain. He huffed at Dalen's measured considerations. Even Gavin's face annoyed him for whatever reason in that moment. He considered going up the steps to spoon Aliani as one might a large dog under a thunderous sky. Thinking again, he instead sat back down and sipped what remained of his cup with a wistful expression overtaking him entirely.

[Inspectre]

*Earlier*

Elliana flinches at Aliani’s outburst, but merely listens and nods along. She quietly thanks Aliani for indicating which room she can retire to and quickly flees the room. Those particularly attentive might have heard what sounds like a sob as she leaves.

------------------------------
*Now*

A red-eyed Ileosa smiles at Silas’s flattering greeting, but the smile quickly fades when the tiefling expresses his opinion on having a Chel on the throne.

“You realize that I am a “Chel”, Silas? But I have seen how people like you are often treated in Cheliax, so I understand your concern.”

Ileosa says with a pained expression, before her eyes drift over to Gavin who is kneeling with his head bowed, causing the queen to gape with surprise.

“Oh, please, Sir Gavin . . . that’s really not necessary here. You saved my life today. Perhaps in public such displays are proper, but here in private they really are not needed. Please, stand!”

Ileosa urges, reaching down to grab one of Gavin’s hands and gently tug him back up onto his feet. Her attention is then taken up by both Dalen and Aliani, and she looks back and forth between them as one might perhaps gaze at the angel and devil sitting on each shoulder, one urging to do the right thing, and the other the smart but self-serving thing.

When Aliani turns to go and retire upstairs, Ileosa again adopts that pained expression as she steps after him, reaching out briefly as if to grab him by the hand as she had done with Gavin a moment before, but she stops well short of actually touching the playwright.

“Please don’t go! Um, there is something that I wish to speak of to the entire group here . . . a confession, you might say. And . . . I don’t know if I will have the strength to speak of it again. So, would you mind staying here for a few more moments? Please?”

Whether Aliani agrees or not, Ileosa then retires to the kitchen table that the group has loosely gathered around, gratefully accepting the cup of tea offered to her. She daintily sips at the tea for a few moments, her other hand idly reaching up to pull out the small medallion tucked under her tunic, running her thumb over the symbol of a little girl surrounded by wolves emblazoned on its face. Finally, she speaks.

“Everything I told you that day in Ambassador Andaisin’s basement is true. I was born an orphan on the streets of Westcrown. I would have died an orphan if not for the kindness of three people – the acolyte of Lorris the Savior Hound who gave me this medallion, my good friend Elliana – whose face and name I now use as a disguise to honor her memory – and . . . Lady Andaisin.”

Ileosa grimaces and pauses to take a large sip of tea, wincing at the heat or perhaps at the idea of what she is about to say next.

“So, with that confession alone, Andaisin – and now, you if you so chose to reveal this publicly – holds the power to destroy me. There is not a drop of nobility in my blood – I have no more right to sit on the Crimson Throne than Gaedren Lamm. And if the nobles of this city were ever to learn this, while there may not be a specific law against a “common-born whore” sitting upon the throne, they would never accept it. I would be deposed in an instant, and probably dragged through the streets in disgrace to my death as an example of those who would dare humiliate the nobility. But that’s not the worst of it!”

Ileosa’s voice breaks, and she pauses to take another sip of tea, struggling to get the next words out. As she does manage to eventually force the words out, she picks up speed, bringing the final awful truth out in a rush.

“I . . . I am everything . . . that they say I am. I am . . . I’m a whore. Lady Andaisin . . . she raised me to be a proper lady - how to sing, how to dance, which fork to use when during a meal. But she also taught me how to seduce, how to . . . please . . . someone, which honeyed words to use when needing to manipulate or coerce. I suspect the intent was always to find a rich noble to fleece of their money and power, but one day Andaisin spoke of a great opportunity she had been made aware of, across the Great Sea, in distant Korvosa. And so we came here, and I . . . I put all of my training to work. I seduced Eodred, got him to become infatuated with me, to marry me, and eventually, to listen to my council. And all the while, the words I whispered into his ear were first whispered into my ear by Andaisin. So you see, the idea that Andaisin is the one funding Lamm, the man who killed my husband, is ludicrous to me, because she already had the ear of the king through me. And if it is true, that she is the head of a conspiracy to murder King Eodred and overthrow Korvosa, then through my intimate link to her, I too am part of this conspiracy. I too, am responsible for my husband King Eodred’s death.”

This final confession seems to take the last of Ileosa’s strength, and she sweeps her tea cup aside to make space on the table to place her arms before burying her face in them and sobbing uncontrollably. It’s quite difficult to make out whatever she cries out next between being muffled by her arms, but with a bit of effort one could probably make out bits and pieces like “Please don’t let it be true”, and “I can’t do this anymore”.

[Captain Jak]

While there isn’t much he cares to offer for a political discussion, this is a matter in which Jakkin has an opinion. Hopping up to balance on the edge of her chair, he ignores the propriety between commoners and royalty – even royalty from common stock – and stretches his arm about her shoulders.

"There, lass, it’s all right," he tells her soothingly, giving her the comfort of another’s touch. "There’s no harm in letting it all out, you’re wi’ friends here." After such a confession, she will clearly need the release before she can think about anything logically.

[THEChanger]

As Queen Illeosa Arabasti reached down to pull Gavin back to his feet, the young man's face went from pale white to beet red. He quickly pulled back, stammering. "I, ah, as you will, Your Majesty."

As Illeosa confessed the tragedies of her life, Gavin slowly relaxed, the look on his face going from one of discomfort and embarrassment to concern. As the monarch fully broke down and spilled her tea, Gavin took Silas' advice and, looking to Aliani for permission, set the cup down beside her. Standing at her side as Jakkin comforted her, Gavin looked away from the sobbing monarch. "If it is Your Majesty's wish we conduct ourselves as friends, then let me first say...I can understand a part of your pain. To feel as though your life is outside of your own control, that you have caused harm to people you cared deeply about. To feel like a fraud. Those are all things I have felt, and suffered by. I think everyone here, to some extent, has. But you cannot hold yourself responsible for the actions of others. If Andaisin is, as these gentlemen suspect, responsible for funding Gaedren Lamm, then that is her choice, her actions. It seems that you cared a great deal for Eodred. I doubt he would lay blame for this at your feet. As to the rest..."

Gavin took in a deep breath, and set down the tea pot. "You are Queen Illeosa Arabasti of Korvosa, Sovereign of the Crimson Throne, Regent of the Bloodsworn Vale, First of Your Name. Whatever else you were, that is true now. What matters now is what you do with what you have been given. If you wish, later, we can discuss what can be done about Andaisin, and the other nobility. After what I have seen tonight, I can confidently say I would much rather have you on the throne, who is willing to take decisive action to help her city, than any of those bloodsuckers. And I suspect that Lictor DiViri would feel the same, if you wished to avail yourself of the Order's aid."

[Darvin]

Dalen sits down opposite of Ileosa and snaps his fingers to get her attention, "you know what the difference between a whore and a noble is? The former gets ahead by sleeping with powerful people, the latter got ahead because their parents slept with powerful people. Let them have their notions of what is proper and right, and pretend that their obsession with pedigree is any more refined than dog breeding. Keep up appearances as necessary to placate their delicate sensibilities, but in the solitude of your own mind give them only as much consideration as they deserve, which is none," Dalen tents his fingers and looks her in the eye, "and as for our ambassador, I do not know to what degree her schemes overlap with Lamm's, whether they are tangential or merely related. But do not think for a moment that you are responsible for any of their actions. Even as monarch there are precious few things in this world under your control. You are not an omniscient god, nor even a powerful archmage. To fault yourself over things beyond your sight or knowledge is to descend into useless self-flagellation,"

[Stelio Kontos]

The scowl that Aliani shot in Dalen's direction at the mention of the basement could have killed most normal men, or at least made them question their choices of words. He was in no better a mood when Ileosa asked him to stay. "Fine" he snapped, leaning against the corner wall at the base of the stairs with an air of *well, get it over with*.

He softened somewhat as she spoke, though he was clearly by no means happy. It was only as the others chimed in, one by one, that his face began to de-color from the angry red he had sported a minute before. "That's more like it" he murmured at Dalen's words, or at least the first of them.

When he finally spoke, all the anger had gone, and his voice was calm and steady and powerful, almost practiced in its measure.

"Nobility" he began, with a slight pause for effect, "has two meanings, of course. The first, the one that those who hold much power attempt to demand, is of course the aristocracy, the wealthy. That they would suggest that a leader -- be it a king, or queen, or a simple appointee -- be one of their own is nothing but a self-serving grab at power. There is no requirement that a leader be one of them. That they suggest the conflation of the nobility required of a leader with the mere title is merely a usurpation, to protect their increasingly unearned status.

"There was a time when the 'nobility' meant something, perhaps, a time long gone in our world, when the second meaning held sway. A nobility of character, of purpose. When the content of their soul meant infinitely more than who their parent was or how much money they had laying around going to waste. When what refer to today as the noblesse oblige was taken seriously. So if you want to show yourself to be noble -- be noble of spirit. Do that, and you shall have twenty thousand Korvosans behind you, and what the noble houses say won't matter."


He let those words linger, before giving a quick nod to Dalen. "And what he said about dog breeding rings true. I know it is difficult to accept, from the inside, that Andaisin has done little but use you, with the honeyed words you are all fond of speaking. But you must, you simply must. There's... well, you are familiar with the song I'm sure. I often find that, well, the reason I enjoy what I do is that if one strips away all the grimness and the machinations, and breaks things down to the simplest moral level, it's easy to know the right thing to do.

When you look in the mirror, you do not see yourself. You see her pet. Something she owns, by virtue of what was to her a simple investment that took you out of that gutter in Westcrown. You see yourself guilty of her crimes. It's is forgiven, though, you must understand. It is forgiven. You were young. You didn't know the truth, the chains of servility that she wrapped you in tight as any slave in Cheliax.

But you aren't that child any more. From here on forward, you are guilty of your own crimes.

That mirror, that stands between that what you know to be true, and the feelings you have for her? Only you can shatter it. But we can help, if you'll but listen. This royal test that she has put to you need not be a burden. It can also set you free of her, once and for all, and you can just be that girl with the decent heart. Don't let her possess you any longer."

He bowed his head. "I'm not good for a whole lot, especially in present company. I'm not strong, or fast, or especially bright, and I find I bleed quite easily when it comes to a fight. But what I am is a good judge of character and talent. You've no idea how long I've sat, and watched, and prayed that someone with decency, no ... nobility is the only word for it, would come along. And I believe you to be noble. But if you can't break that mirror... well, will she let her pet be noble? I rather doubt it. It's against her interests.

"I believe you can, but, if you can't... well, I shall be most disappointed, is all I can say, for the best opportunity Korvosa has had in a century or more lies on your shoulders. That's all it is, an opportunity, and I am but a bit player in the decision. If it's wasted..."

He stopped, and shrugged. "Just, please, don't waste it. But I'm not going to surrender. And neither should you.

It's your life, not hers, not those nobles. Do something with it. Do what you know to be right."