The Crimson Echo IC - Season Two

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas mimicked the wiping of tears from his face as the humming of his purr became increasingly audible. Rather than approach the queen with a hug, he left that task to Jakkin. Instead, he grappled Aliani as tightly as he could without hurting the man.

"Oh, darling! That was beautiful!"

It was a brief moment that the actor could feel a low vibration rhythmically fill his body. Whether calming or distressing, it ended abruptly as the dandy released him from his grip.

"But you cannot expect nobles to have a heart so golden as yours. I'm afraid the news is dark if that chel has dirt on our Illeosa - and yes, my queen, I know you were from there, but Korvosa is our home now. You and I might call ourselves refugees, but we are also citizens of this fair land. Our histories are not too dissimilar - granted, you're a queen and I'm a prostitute - but..."

Silas' words trailed off as he strode past Aliani, a graceful hand brushing his handsome shoulder. He placed himself behind Jakkin and the queen as his hands embraced their waists. The rumbling in his chest traveled through his palms into the two of them, lightly filling them with a low hum.

"We have to discuss our course of action for our queen just as she needs to consider what she truly wants. Does she... Do you believe in yourself? She is at a disadvantage that may feel insurmountable given the time frame. However, this secret would surely also destroy Andaisin, no? It would paint our queen as both conspirator and victim under the guiding whispers of an enemy agent - as long as we have a voice in the room. If this shared secret is revealed, both Andaisin and her would be incapable of taking the throne. That would leave it bare for another. The secret itself is somewhat a lit fuse that even if we were to rid Korvosa of chel influence, it might still slip into the hands of mal-intent. I hesitate to say continuing queenhood is the wisest of choices for you, my dearest, but I will support you for as long as you might call me friend. i'd rather not see the curse fulfilled again when one I call friend is sitting on the throne. Whatever your decision, as the woman you are now, you will have us beside you."

Just as he was more tightly wrapping his arms around the two in front of him, he released them and stood to pace the room.

"As I see it, we have few choices in the event that our queen cannot proceed. We could get ahead of the secret and reveal it in a dangerous manner for Andaisin, ensuring Illeosa is safe. As for who might take the throne in the event that we fail, we should consider not ourselves, but our people. I fear we are better council than we are kings. I would hope it to be an individual that we could convince to not punish our Illeosa for her unfortunate role in this conspiracy."

He could only think of so many that stood out, but there was only one he favoured above the rest. A duty-bound individual that could hold her own against court and council. Silas hesitated to say her name only because he thought he might blush through his fur.

[Inspectre]

Ileosa cries for several more minutes, but it's clear that she has been listening to what each of you have to say. Gradually the tears slow, and then stop as Ileosa sits back up, helping Jakkin dismount from the side of her chair with a brief smile and untangling herself from Silas with a squeeze of his hand.

"Thank you . . . all of you."

Ileosa croaks, wincing at the sound of her own broken voice and reaching for the tea cup that Gavin has refilled for her. She spends another minute alternatively sipping at the tea and dabbing gently at her face with a handkerchief to wipe the tears away before she finally speaks again, her voice steady this time.

"I am tired of being treated like someone else's pawn, to be used as they see fit. This life is mine, this throne is mine, and I will not surrender either. Andaisin is - was, my whole world for so long that I believed I was nothing on my own. Maybe that was true once, but I am Queen Ileosa Arabasti of Korvosa now, at least for one more day. And I cannot and will not allow her to ascend to a position as powerful as Seneschal of Korvosa - if I must, I will damn us both with the truth!"

Ileosa nods at Dalen.

"Mr. Rittle, ordinarily I would agree with your council. For better or worse, I am more practiced with honeyed words and taking action only indirectly. If we had more time, I might attempt to reconcile with Andaisin and learn her intent discretely over time, until I know the truth of her involvement with Lamm and see an opportunity to strike. But we do not have that time, and the amount of harm she could do as seneschal is immense. Furthermore, while I have desperately sought to convince myself that she has my best interests in mind, that is not the truth is it? Once she has the power of seneschal, she could easily turn on me and have me deposed, thus removing any voice that could reveal the truth of her actions in coming to Korvosa. Then she could use her position as seneschal to arbitrate the following civil war and help ensure whichever noble invited us here initially was elevated to the throne. Maybe that has been the plan all along, or maybe it is simply the fears of a foolish girl who can no longer trust anyone outside of this room - aside from Sabrina - I don't know. But it is a dangerous possibility, and if eliminating me is part of the plan then cooperating with it even to maintain appearances is tantamount to suicide. But Silas has raised a good point."

Ileosa turns in her seat and gestures at Silas.

"Andaisin can't expose me as a commoner without endangering her own position - we are too tightly associated for suspicions that she knew of my true nature not to arise, and she can't control what else I may confess under threat of torture and death. Not even an ambassadorship could protect her from the nobility's wrath if it were revealed *she* brought a commoner to seduce the king for her own personal gain. So, despite how devastating this secret might be, neither one of us will reveal it except as a last desperate attempt to destroy the other."

The queen turns to Aliani with a frown.

"I am afraid that also means that we can't back Andaisin into a corner politically just yet. If it is necessary to prevent her from becoming seneschal then I will do it, but I think I have a way to convince the council of nobles to reject her without destroying us both. That does not prevent her from revealing the truth, however, and well . . . I know her well enough to know that she will destroy everything if she feels she has nothing left to lose. I don't know if losing the chance to become Korvosa's new seneschal will be that point for her, but I imagine if she loses all standing within Korvosa including her ambassadorship that would be enough. I hope you can forgive me for seeking an intermediate position that, essentially, maintains our current status with me as queen and her as the Chelish ambassador for now, until we can figure out a way to prevent her from destroying me and plunging Korvosa into a civil war as a consequence."

Ileosa turns her gaze back to Gavin, who she favors with a bedazzling smile.

"Sir Gavin, thank you again for saving my life, and for your kind offer of the Order of the Nail's aid. However, you are unlike many members of your order who I have met thus far, for unlike them you seem more concerned with protecting the innocent than punishing the guilty - or those you believe to be so. You protected me in the hold of that sinking ship and ensured I made it to safety, rather than pursuing Devargo or that spider thing he had as a pet. Most of those other members of your order that I have met would have done the opposite, abandoning me to my fate. Can I call upon you to again set aside your desire to see criminality punished in favor of doing what is best for Korvosa and its people? Your assistance may yet be needed tonight.”

Ileosa turns to Jakkin and Silas, offering each of them one of her hands.

“And I will need your help as well, both of you.”

Finally, Ileosa turns her attention back to Dalen.

“Mr. Rittle, I believe that exposing Andaisin as a worshipper of Urgathoa will be sufficient in convincing the council of nobles to reject her. But we will need evidence to back up such a scandalous claim, and the evidence we found was destroyed in the fire that consumed her house. However, there is undoubtedly evidence available elsewhere, somewhere in Korvosa. I believe that if we can enlist the aid of someone in Korvosa’s underworld, we will be able to get a lead on that. I would ask Devargo, but I rather suspect he will not want anything to do with us. Fortunately, we know where a large number of Korvosa’s underworld are going to be in a few hours. So – I would like to come with you to this meeting, in the hopes we can . . . convince someone there to aid us. Reckless, perhaps. But we have little time left for a more discrete plan that will also ensure Ambassador Andaisin does not become Seneschal Andaisin.”

Ileosa looks at all of you.

“Will you help me with this attempt, and ensure that I survive the night to attend tomorrow’s council of nobles meeting?”

Spoiler: Dalen Only – Or Sense Motive DC 20

Show

Secret message from Ileosa via Bluff to Dalen: (She Takes 10 on her Bluff and auto-passes the check)
“Yo, I want to frame Andaisin for being an Urgathoan. Only someone in the underworld can probably come up with “evidence” of that overnight, so I want to make friends with someone at the Underworld meeting, charming or bribing them if necessary, into doing it.

[Captain Jak]

Taking the Queen’s proffered hand, Jakkin squeezes it for a moment.

"If yer willing to level such a charge, I’m sure the evidence can be unearthed," he replies dryly.

"Now!" he exclaims, releasing his grip and stepping back, "we’ve got a bit of time yet before the meeting, and it wouldn’t do to give my position away with an angry stomach. What have you to eat around here?" he inquires of their host with a grin.

[Darvin]

Dalen bows his head to Ileosa as she explains that she will directly engate with Andaisin, "it is your decision to make, your majesty, and if this is your chosen path then I will wholeheartedly support you in the endeavor," he listens on, "I see where you're going with this, and I concur with this course of action. Any leverage you could provide would be appreciated, otherwise I'll improvise something. I left instructions with Sabrina as to how I would contact her magically should we find you; should I have anything imminent to report I will use that method to do so. One last thing, though; would you prefer me to deliver the evidence directly to you... or circulate it anonymously among the noble houses so you can be... 'surprised' by the revelations?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Presuming no further changes, Dalen will use the downtime before the meeting to scribe Whispering Wind into his spellbook, prep it in a 2nd level slot, and prep Disguise Self in a 1st level slot.

This gives Dalen the following spells: Charm Person x1, Sleep x1, Disguise Self x1, Whispering Wind x1, Invisibility x1

[PiccadillyPi]

"As your majesty asks. I shall follow you through the dark so that we may restore the light."

Silas spoke with the slightest of cavalier undertones. He had concerns regarding her presence at the meeting, but did not mind her choice since it meant one more ally if a fight were to break out. The fear that the queen would be targeted in an underground encounter would come to him later. More than anything, he was preoccupied with the thought of where his daughter might be in the meeting, and how she fit into the current events.

[Stelio Kontos]

Aliani could do little but shake his head at the idea that Ileosa was proposing. "I've said my piece. If you're bound and determined, I'll wish you the best of luck. But your going in there is a stupid idea."

Jakkin's request brought a strange look to the actor's face. "I, um, well let me see. I wasn't planning for visitors, I'm sorry..."

Going into the kitchen, he returned after a bit of murmuring with plate holding a number of apple slices, all of which appeared to be well past their proper eating date. "It's what I have. It doesn't look like much, probably won't taste like much either, but I assure you you'll find them perfectly edible." To offer a form of proof, he popped one into his mouth and chewed it down. "If you've need of more, I did pick up a number of trail rations, the type that travelers would pack. I have them upstairs. Probably would hold more nutritional value. Do you want me to get a few? Anyone?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Happily, purify food and drink is among my memorized cantrips for today. ;)

[Captain Jak]

Jakkin’s bearded face is split with a smile.

"Do you forget I’m a sailor, friend?" he asks with good humour, taking the proffered plate. "I’ve eaten apples stored in brine to keep them from the rot before; this be no issue," he assures their host before tucking in.

Certainly, not a feast; but as anyone who actually works for a living knows, food is not to be scorned when the belly is empty.

[THEChanger]

For the briefest moment, Gavin's eyes narrowed as he watched the unspoken message pass between Dalen and Her Majesty. He understood the threat that Lady Andaisin posed, but this was beyond the pale, beyond what the Order would consider correct.

Yet, not illegal, not technically. It was within Her Majesty's right to do such a thing, it was in the end merely words. It stung, in a way Gavin would not have expected it to. If the Lady was what Her Majesty claimed, why would she not dispatch agents to acquire legitimate evidence?

Greater, more immediate need. One voice in his head whispered. While our forces are divided, Lamm slips away, or worse, strengthens his foothold. Yet Andaisin cannot go unanswered either. What does it matter if the evidence is legitimate or falsified, if the crime is real?

Expediency. A poor excuse. Another voice whispered. Order is what separates us from beasts and madmen. If the proper protocols cannot be followed, the evidence would be dismissed, and all gains made by it called into question. It is laziness and fear. It is unacceptable.

Gavin blinked, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He would need guidance on this, later. Right now, Lamm had to be his priority, and this was their best chance at disrupting his plans. The rest of this would have to wait.

"I am at your disposal, Your Majesty, whatever your feelings on the rest of my Order." Gavin allowed himself a grim smile. "I am charged with bringing the criminal Gaedren Lamm to justice, and given broad discretion in how I choose to pursue that goal. If this is how Your Majesty believes that is best served, who am I to gainsay you?"

[Inspectre]

“I am grateful for your assistance – and for your friendship.”

Ileosa replies, watching Aliani’s return with the proffered slices of apple with no small amount of interest. When he offers trail rations as well, the queen enthusiastically nods by reflex, then seems to catch herself and blushes.

“I . . . um, haven’t eaten today. I had expected to return to the castle after only a few hours, but then I nearly got eaten by that shark, and sort of lost track of time. And then . . . I don’t want to think about how long I was a prisoner of that thing in Devargo’s ship! But I certainly don’t want to inconvenience you further today, Mr. Rose, so these apples would be fine too . . .”

The queen picks up one of the apple slices, and after a brief examination of an overly ripe spot with her fingers, delicately pops it into her mouth and chews without a hint of revulsion. Given her station this might be remarkable, save that you all already know her childhood on the streets of Westcrown likely shaped her palette towards survival. She takes a few more of the apple slices available before leaving the rest for Jakkin, favoring the halfling with a slight knowing smile over his comment to their mutual host. She spends the next little while in contemplative silence, seemingly content to just quietly soak in the peaceful ambiance of Aliani’s home, but eventually she rises and moves towards the back room again.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just need to go ensure I look my best for the meeting.”

Ileosa offers, and sure enough ten minutes or so later Elliana is the one who returns to the kitchen table.

“I believe that I am ready whenever you are, Mr. Rittle. One thing though . . . I lost the only dagger I had to that spider thing in Devargo’s hold. Do you think I should have some sort of weapon so that I can try to defend myself in case we are attacked? I will admit that I’m . . . not very good at fighting, but if I’m unarmed won’t these criminals think that I am weak and am an easy target?”

**************************

With final preparations made, the group sets out for the Kendall Amphitheater shortly before the midnight assembly of Korvosa’s underworld. The group fractures shortly after leaving Aliani’s house, with Dalen and Elliana moving ahead on a direct course for the amphitheater, Jakkin a short distance behind them, and then followed by the others going to stand lookout at a greater distance.

At this time of night, the streets are all but deserted completely, with the party only encountering one other soul on the way to the Amphitheater. This being a middle-aged woman with long strawberry-blond hair who is sitting on the front stoop of a house along the main thoroughfare, and who bites off a sizable chunk off of the juicy fresh apple she is holding to noisily chew it while the group passes by in front of her, one small sub-group at a time. However, the immediate area around the Amphitheater proves to be notably more populated as Korvosa’s underworld has set up lookouts of its own.

There are no obvious guards standing at the building’s entrances, of course, but the trio of vagabonds playing a dice game in the mouth of the nearby alleyway, with a clear line of sight to most approaches to the Amphitheater itself, seems awfully convenient for someone aware that a secret meeting was about to be held beneath said Amphitheater. So too the young couple at a different street corner that appear to be having a quiet, intimate conversation with each other . . . and yet are looking everywhere but at each other. Or that pair of burly workers at the far side of the Amphitheater who appear to be working on replacing a wheel to a broken-down wagon, and yet seem to be making shockingly little actual progress towards fixing it. No doubt each of the disparate organizations that make up Korvosa’s patchwork underworld had their own people out here to keep an eye out for trouble while their chosen representative met below, and any groups that the party had not seen yet were simply better at concealing themselves in the shadows or were set up on nearby rooftops with crossbows.

For Dalen and Elliana, all of these discrete guards pose no issue – they simply go up to the front door where a man in the uniform of the Amphiteather’s private security (whether corrupt employee or criminal imposter) is waiting, Dalen displays the silver spider bracelet, and the man wordlessly escorts them inside. The group of lookouts likewise has no issue here, paradoxically, as all they have to do is find their own isolated point within sight of the Amphitheater and stake their claim to it – even if noticed by one of the groups of guards, the natural assumption will be that they’re just another bunch of lackey criminals here to cover their boss’s back. Instead, it is Jakkin who has by far the most difficult task this night, as the sheer number of eyes around the Amphitheater make an unnoticed approach a very difficult, if not impossible, task.

Fortunately, the sailor-turned-vigilante has several things in his favor – years of practice slipping beneath taller folk’s notice, a good bit of gloom to hide in with the moon waning to half-full this night, and a knack for scurrying up surfaces with surefooted confidence. To wit, Jakkin simply walked along down the main street openly to get close to the Amphitheater, while giving off the appearance of a halfling hurrying back home after a night out on the town. Seeing only a lone halfling who seemed more interested in getting home than the oddly-high number of people just milling around near the Ampitheater, no one seemed to pay him any mind even if they did see him. Then, once he was just past the Amphiteather and everyone’s attention fell off of him, Jakking ducked into a nearby dark alleyway that was thankfully deserted and bided his time. When a bank of clouds next rolled across the moon, darkening the night even further, he dashed across the intervening distance between the alleyway and the outer wall of the Amphiteather, easily scaling the rough brick exterior of the building. Waiting just above him along the second floor of the Amphitheater was an open window, too narrow to easily permit a full-grown man to squeeze through but which Jakkin’s trim frame had no trouble sliding through.

From there, he carefully followed Aliani’s descriptions of the amphitheater’s interior, which were lacking in details below ground but were quite detailed for the Amphitheater proper. Including most importantly, a likely unguarded route down into the catacombs beneath the Amphitheater – a trapdoor on the stage leading down into the crawlspace beneath it. Which in turn had a locked trapdoor that presumably led to the area beneath the Amphitheater. It was a simple matter to pick the old lock holding that secret trapdoor shut, but here was where Aliani’s knowledge ended and Jakkin would be completely on his own going forward. Still, even though he no longer had Dalen and Elliana immediately in his line of sight, he knew the meeting was going to be held somewhere down below, it was simply a matter of finding the right chamber, and managing to do so without blundering into any guards.

With everyone now in their designated positions, it was only a matter of time before the meeting between crime lords commenced, and the fate of Korvosa’s underworld would be decided . . .

Darvin

You and Elliana are led inside the Amphitheater by your uniformed guide, but it’s not until you’re actually going down into the basement of the structure that the man finally speaks up.

“So Devargo couldn’t be arsed to come himself, eh? Boss’ll be pissed about that.”

The thug-in-guard’s clothing opines, but doesn’t offer any further conversation as he leads the two of you down into the depths beneath the Kendall Ampitheater. It was common knowledge that many years ago the Kendall Ampitheater had been damaged by an infestation of ankhegs that burrowed into the foundations of the building and caused a partial collapse. What had been clearly exaggerated since then was the ongoing threat of a potential re-infestation as rather than crudely dug tunnels beneath the Amphitheater you found yourselves in still traveling through well-built and well-lit stone corridors. No doubt Korvosa’s underworld found the cover of monsters beneath the Amphitheater useful for establishing this secret haven, which culminated in a large circular chamber complete with large circular table and richly upholstered chairs.

Five of the six decadent seats were already filled by people – a stern-faced portly man in a sapphire-hued tunic, a red-haired half-elven woman in long duster coat idly picking at her nails with a dagger, a richly dressed halfling with a sea captain’s tricorn hat set down on the table in front of him, a weasel-faced man who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here and was consoling himself with frequent swings from his small hip flask, and finally a Varisian man whose face seemed vaguely familiar to you but was at this moment unplaceable. All five sets of eyes turn to regard you and Elliana with a mixture of surprise and suspicion – your guide had already melted away into the shadows and fled.

“Who the hell are these two people!?”

The weasel-faced man exclaims, a moment before taking another nervous sip from his flask as he awaited an answer. The stern-faced man glowers even more as his eyes catch sight of the spider bracelet, and after a moment gestures for one of you to be seated at the last empty spot around the table.

“It would appear, Wilhelm, that Devargo cannot be bothered to attend tonight’s meeting personally, and so he has sent these two . . . associates . . . here in his stead. I trust that you have been empowered to speak in his stead, as well as listen and report back?”

“Does it really matter one way or the other, Boule?”

The halfling captain speaks up, openly admiring Elliana and sizing Dalen up just as openly.

“I thought we were just here to listen to some nobody’s grandiose offer of splitting Korvosa up between us, despite the fact we’ve done just that already.”

“Not all of us can enjoy the stability of your smuggling business, Leblanque. For some of us, it’s crucial to remain aware of current events – like the fact that this nobody you are speaking of is on the cusp of igniting a revolution that could shake Korvosa to its very core.”

The Varisian man retorts, earning a snort from the half-elven woman.

“Some of us probably don’t even deserve a seat at this table, Vilas. Weren’t the Scarzni supposed to have abandoned Korvosa by now, given the crackdown led by Field . . . Marshall . . . Kroft!?”

Vilas winces, and then smiles as he fires back.

“It’s true that the Family has fallen on hard times recently. Much like the Dusters or so I hear, Marlessa. Betrayed by one of your own to the guard, no less. Such a shame.”

Now it’s the half-elven woman’s turn to scowl, as she stabs the tip of her dagger into the table and slaps both hands down against its surface in anger.

“My sweet Kynndor would never betray me willingly! He must have been bewitched! Or . . . or seduced by that harpy Field Marshall to –“

“Enough.”

Boule says quietly, and evidentially he holds the most power amongst the crime lords as all of them stop squabbling immediately, Vilas and Marlessa contenting themselves with trading glowers across the table. Boule, meanwhile, patiently observed both Dalen and Elliana, awaiting an introduction.

Spoiler: Boule

Show

Spoiler: Marlessa

Show

Spoiler: Leblanque

Show

Spoiler: Wilhelm

Show

Spoiler: Vilas

Show

Captain Jak

Now down beneath the Kendall Amphitheater, you were truly on your own as you sought to catch up to Dalen and Elliana. You weren’t entirely sure how you were going to manage that, but what you did know now was that the stories of monsters still lurking beneath the Kendall Amphitheater were just that - stories. Instead of winding crude tunnels dug through the earth by inhuman claws, you were exploring smooth tunnels of worked stone. And there was what saved you, because the hard stone walls did a good job reflecting sound, and though faint you could hear the echo of speech ahead of you. Using that as a guide, you eventually find your way to a large circular chamber, where a number of people – including Dalen and Elliana – were seated around a large circular table.

You nearly collide with your allies’ guide as he comes hustling around the corner out of that chamber, and only just manage to slip back into the shadows in time to allow him to pass only a few feet away from you. Unfortunately, you couldn’t just continue to sit right here - there was no guarantee that someone else wouldn’t wander past (Lamm didn’t seem to be here yet, for example), and while you were aware there was conversation going on in that chamber you couldn’t see or hear very well. You had a solution in mind for this, however, as you creep forward again to the edge of the room before hopping up and scaling the wall to quietly clamber up into the rafters. From up here above it all you would be able to easily peer down into the chamber, seeing and hearing everything clearly that was going on while remaining out of sight (nobody ever looked up, and even if they did, the heavy shadows up in the rafters should keep you unnoticed). The crimelords seemed to be done bickering amongst themselves and were looking to Dalen and Elliana for introductions now as you settled up in the rafters . . . only to discover that you were not alone after all.

Across the chamber from you, a shadow separated itself from the gloom – a tall folk in all black garb was likewise up here with you! But although he loosely brandished a handcrossbow in one hand, the figure made no hostile movement towards you – indeed, instead it playfully raised a finger from its other hand up to its mask-covered lips in a silent “ssshhhh” motion. Although black was a common color for those slinking around the shadows, you can think of only one person stupid enough (aside from yourself) to sneak into a meeting of the largest crimelords in Korvosa, and skilled enough to pull it off – the famous hero of the people, Blackjack!

Spoiler: Blackjack

Show

Everyone Else

You are keeping watch on the outskirts of the Amphitheater, hoping there would be no trouble and yet keeping an expectant eye out for any all the same. Everything seems to be calm, and all of the disparate criminal groups are keeping to themselves – so, of course, things go pear shaped without warning several minutes after Dalen and Elliana enter the Amphitheater. One minute everyone is just sitting around minding their own business waiting for the meeting to be over, then a sharp whistle cuts through the night and suddenly every group of thugs is under attack by their own small group of cloaked figures. This includes your own group as just shy of half a dozen figures come out of literally nowhere (Invisbility!?), only to stop at the last possible second before their staves met your flesh after their leader calls out sharply, “Hold!”

The leader then turns to Gavin and addresses him.

“Armiger Dimir, wasn’t it? What are you doing here?”

Meanwhile, the other cloaked figures stand around awkwardly, tensely clutching their quarterstaffs and glaring at you all with open hostility. The only thing each of them seem to be wearing for identification purposes is a small pin holding their cloaks shut, a heavily stylized eye gazing out lidlessly from the pin’s face.

Spoiler: Gavin Only

Show

That pin of the lidless eye stirs a memory in you, of a story that Maralictor Vulso once told you. Of a second secretive order of Hellknights headquartered in Korvosa - the Order of the Eye. Originally a branch of the Order of the Nail, the Order of the Eye schismed off a short time after the death of the Order’s founder. Rather than openly enforce the laws of civilization, the Eye kept a close watch on the darker corners of society. And when threats to Korvosa, emerged, the Eye would act quietly but decisively to end them. Of course, they were supposed to be just a story – what the hell were they doing here, and why the hell did this Hellknight of the Eye, if that is what he was, know your name!?

(OOC: It would be reasonable to assume that if the Order of the Nail is special forces – something like say . . . Spetznaz, for example, then the Order of the Eye would be spooks – something like the KGB.)

[THEChanger]

It would have been very reasonable for anyone to panic in this moment. A group of strange, armored individuals bearing the symbol of an unknown order of Hellknights appearing from nowhere and threatening death would shake the strongest of men.

Instead, solider replaced man as Gavin snapped to attention. The anger, the snark, the glimpse of kindness melted away, replaced by pure attention to duty. Right hand to forehead in salute, left hand on rapier hilt, feet snapped together, back straight, eyes unwavering. "Armiger Dimir, Scout First Class, sir! I am on assignment from Order of Nail command, working with mercenaries under contract with the Korvosan Guard on a joint project, sir!" Gavin's eyes flickered back to Aliani and Silas, for a moment, before continuing. "We are performing reconnaissance concerning the whereabouts of one Gaedren Lamm, known associate of the subject of my investigation. Before divulging further sensitive mission details, per protocol I must ask for your name and rank to ensure proper clearance. With respect, sir."

Gavin kept eye contact with the leader, praying to someone, anyone that the man had a low enough rank that Gavin could solve this with bluster and protocol. If not...well, they would just have to wait and see, wouldn't they?

[Stelio Kontos]

Aliani had seen this kind of move before -- albeit the thieves he was used to usually had badges of some kind. His one, slow move was not to his weapon, but to his belt pouch. "Take it, just don't..." he began to stammer ... before Gavin of all people seemed to draw their attention.

Why couldn't it have been thieves?

His jaw set, with a look of annoyance that probably wouldn't be out of place for someone on a mission of vital importance that had been rudely interrupted by some interloper apparently stumbling into the same thing. Which, actually, wasn't far off.

[Darvin]

A few blocks before approaching the amphitheater, where he's reasonably sure there wouldn't be much attention, Dalen casts his Disguise Self spell as well as refreshing his Message spell with his compatriots. Once prepared, he strides confidently into the building and ultimately the meeting room.

Dalen does not miss a beat, as he smoothly escorts Elliana into the chair. He then casts a wide smile at the others before speaking, "while we will be occupying Devargo's seat at this meeting, we do not do so on his behalf. I represent a different patron, one that has as much stake in the outcome of this debacle as any of you do, and the king of spiders has graciously stepped aside tonight to allow us to voice our position. I trust no one here has any objections to bending the rules," Dalen sweeps his gaze, sizing up the disposition of his audience before continuing, "you talk of carving up Korvosa, but Lamm has already made such promises to others. This is not the first secret meeting on this very topic that I've attended. You've doubtlessly seen the organizational manpower he fields on the streets, but that is the tip of the iceberg. My patron is also aware of a Chelaxian element, at very minimum linking Lamm to the the ambassador Andaisin. You may also be aware of the new drug 'shudder', but likely haven't yet met those responsible for developing and producing the substance. We don't know precisely what Lamm has already promised, save for that last group. Those zealots are very vocal about their aims, and once they get started they won't shut up with their slogan: the city will burn. I'm sure they will happily let you carve up the ashes that remain of Korvosa when they're done. My patron doesn't know or care whether Lamm agrees with this agenda or is playing with fire, for he's already dealt grave personal insult and injury to which there is only one response,"

Dalen breaths heavily, "I come here tonight to offer the status quo. The city as it currently is, in which each and every person seated here already holds a slice of power and sits atop an organization that insulates them from the ebb and flow of fortunes. It is a status quo where the worst that can happen to you is a single Field Marshal with too big a conscience to take a bribe and too small a budget to do more than round up a few of your employees. Whether you work with him or against him, Lamm is an existential threat to each of your organizations and to yourselves personally,"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Diplomacy check (1d20+19)[32]

I think this little speech has taken Dalen's arrogance and over-confidence to 11; we'll see if it works or horribly backfires.

[Captain Jak]

While he generally considers himself a fairly straightforward fellow, Jakkin has to admit he derives a certain degree of satisfaction out of slipping around undetected right under the noses of these so-called superior larger folk. It provides him entertainment at the best of times.

Under the effects of the elixir he had acquired for just such a high-stakes skullduggery expedition? It could quickly become addicting. His senses felt expanded, and intuition was heightened to an absurd level. He knew which board would have creaked even under his slight weight had he placed a foot upon it; he could tell immediately which of the shadows within sight would best conceal him from the creator of the echoing footsteps coming toward him; avoiding the notice of these criminal leaders and their goons? He likely could have done it with his innate skills alone.

Under the effects of the elixir? Child's play.

Which was, perhaps, what lead him to overconfidence as he rapidly scrambled up into the rafters before someone could stumble across his position, rather than taking it slowly to ensure he maintained the best possible concealment. Overconfidence in the sense that there was an unexpected part already in the rafters, who had noted his swift ascent!

Fortunately, rather than an enemy to raise the alarm, the presence of Blackjack is almost a relief; this extremely difficult task they had set for themselves might actually be slightly more doable, with a bit of unanticipated backup in the room!

A smile touches Jakkin's lips, and making sure of his footing he draws his own handcrossbow from where it hangs at his side and salutes the other man with it. They're not likely there on identical missions, but it seems they run alongside each other for now. Slowly and quietly, he draws and loads his bow before extracting another vial from his bandolier and holds it ready as the meeting begins to unfold below, Dalen spinning out his charming personality like it was a web of influence.

If Lamm actually shows his face, they'll see if they can spike his plans. And if Jakkin is fortunate, he'll get an opportunity to spike one of the bastard's eyes as well.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Crossbow ready to fire in one hand, Potion of Cat's Grace in the other.

[PiccadillyPi]

"Aaaaaiiiiieeeegh!!"

Silas grappled onto Aliani as he let out a terrified screech. It was just as Gavin addressed the group and Aliani's annoyed gesturing that he realized they were not in danger. Not immediately, at least. The cat man let go of the bard and straightened both his and his companion's attire while Gavin intervened with talk of protocol. Silas dared not say a word lest he break said protocol, deciding he'd rather stand perfectly posh as if he hadn't just filled the amphitheater with a frightful falsetto. He could only ready himself to draw steel if their current situation turned against them.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Your patience has been rewarded. You're all welcome for this beautiful post. Please clap.

[Inspectre]

Darvin & Captain Jak

For a group of squabbling cutthroat criminals, the assembled crime lords certainly are a polite bunch as they do listen attentively to your speech without interrupting. Well, Boule and Vilas listen attentively at least – Marlessa continues playing with her dagger, Leblanque looks bored, and Wilhelm looks back and forth between you and Elliana with open suspicion. Boule is the first to speak, his tone carefully neutral.

“I see. So what does your patron want us to do to maintain the status quo? Simply not support Gaedren Lamm, or throw our support behind him – or her – instead?”

Boule asks, his eyes flicking from Dalen to Elliana. Before Dalen can answer, Wilhelm asks his own follow-up question, albeit in a considerably less calm tone.

“And why tell us any of this!? What do you – or your patron, whatever – hope to gain in return for this information? We’re thieves! Whether it’s the Field Marshall or some Chel or even Gaedren ****ing Lamm, what does it matter to us who’s in charge!? This politics business is none of our concern!”

“And if Lamm’s associates get their way and burn the city down to the ground, what will you do then?”

Vilas interjects, only to get waved off by Wilhelm.

“Then we’ll go to ground and emerge after the fire has passed! I don’t believe this claim that Lamm intends to burn everything is anything more than hyperbolic rhetoric. Not without proof, anyway.”

“Would everything burning down to the ground by that bad, anyway? Korvosa could use a good thorough cleansing.”

Marlessa offers with a grim smile. But before Dalen can offer an argument to these challenges, the meeting is interrupted by the loud shriek of metal on stone. A shrieking which continues in periodic bursts of sound, as something is slowly dragged down the hall outside the chamber. As everyone’s attention turns towards the source of this interruption, Gaedren Lamm appears in the doorway with a wide smile. The criminal-turned-revolutionary moves into the chamber with an exaggerated limp, his injury either exacerbated by recent events or merely because he’s putting on a show for the assembled crime lords.

“Well, well, well. Are my ears burning or is everybody already talking about me?”

At the sound of Gaedren’s voice, Elliana’s hands clench into fists as she tenses up, and up in the rafters Blackjack tightens his grip on his own weapon. Unaware of either reaction, Gaedren shoots a curious glance at Dalen/Elliana as he limps around the circumference of the table, the rhythmic shrieking of metal continuing in the hallway outside.

“So, since we’re all busy people I’m sure, I’ll keep this brief. I’m Gaedren Lamm, I killed King Eodred, I’m going to kill his whore wife Ileosa, and when I’m done Korvosa will never be the same. You all can join me for a share in the spoils, or you can stay out of my way in which case you get to live. I see that Devargo isn’t here amongst this august body. Do you know why that is? It’s because I sent his little boat to the bottom of the Jeggare with him on it! Because he annoyed me. And that’s why he’s not here right now, not because he’s “standing aside” or whatever excuse that guy is trying to peddle to you.”

Gaedren says, waving dismissively at Dalen. The revolutionary claps his hands in satisfaction a moment later as two men enter the chamber a moment later, struggling to drag a large metal crate into the room, the metal bottom shrieking against the stone floor with each surge forward that it makes.

“Ah, here we go! I thought I would bring along a little demonstration of my power, just in case we have any doubters among us. Y’see, while Shudder does seem to have the unfortunate side-effect of driving people insane – we’re working on fixing that, by the way – it seems to be much more effective when used on animals and vermin. Like those spiders that Devargo so loves to play around with – sure he would have loved to see this, so sad he’s dead now.”

Lamm nods at the two men, who nervously flip a lever to pop open the cage-like front of the crate before leaping backward as a large man-sized spider throws itself forward out of the crate’s depths. The creature’s carapace is warped and broken open in places, and its fangs seem to be completely gone, replaced by a disturbing gaping wound to serve as its mouth that constantly drools a pale green liquid that hisses as it drips down to splatter on the stone floor. The spider turns left and right as if evaluating targets, then leaps over Dalen and Elliana’s heads to land on top of the table and start scuttling rapidly towards Wilhelm who gives an undignified scream as he tumbles back out of his chair. Lamm barks a single word that Dalen recognizes as having a similar linguistic root as the words spoken by the derro Vreeg to his pet cytillipede, and the spider immediately stops halfway across the table, turns around, scuttles down off the side, and returns to the interior of the metal crate. Lamm’s two associates immediately work the front place into place and lock it with a quiet mutual sigh of relief, while the revolutionary grins at his audience and Wilhelm picks himself up off the floor and returns to his seat with a scowl.

“So, you don’t have to decide right now, but you really should think long and hard about who you’re going to stand behind in the coming weeks – this city’s dying power structures, or me. Oh, yes, and as a further demonstration of my power, I’m going to rob the Bank of Abadar the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s impossible!” Leblanque exclaimed, starring at Lamm in pure disbelief. “The Bank of Abadar has impregnable security!”

“Not to me, it doesn’t. Now then, any questions?”

Stelio Kontos/PiccadillyPi/TheChanger

The apparent leader of this band of thieves/assassins/Hellknights returns a sloppy, casual salute back to Gavin’s precise one. Either this Order of the Eye was not much for formalities, or they didn’t have a lot of practice at going around formally addressing one another like the Order of the Nail did.

“Signifier Cyrus Almson. We’ve been briefed on your assignment . . . and your association with the Guard.”

The Hellknight assassin replies, sneering at both Aliani and Silas although it’s unclear if his disdain is professional or personal in nature. He does, however, make a gesture at the Hellknights with him, who lower their array of “non-lethal” weapons such as quarterstaves, clubs, and saps. Meanwhile the rest of the various lookout groups were swiftly taken down by their own small band of assailants, manacled together, and then left in the street as each group of attackers moved to reform into a singular force of over a dozen men.

“We are here to eliminate Gaedren Lamm. If we encounter your charge, we’ll be sure to transfer him into your custody after our objective is met. We will not be needing your assistance in this matter.”

Cyrus sniffed, turning from the three of you to gesture to the assembling Hellknights, clearly giving them the orders to proceed as the group begins to rush towards the Ampitheater, clearly intent on storming the place in search of Gaedren Lamm. And quite possibly catching Dalen, Jakkin, and Elliana/Ileosa in the cross-fire. Thus far the Order of the Eye hadn’t used lethal force, but could that be expected to remain the case once Gaedren Lamm himself was within their reach?

Spoiler: Gavin Only

Show

Signifier . . . even without further details that title did tell you a fair bit about this Order of the Eye interloper. First, that title meant that he outranked you . . . although not by much, making him effectively a sergeant rather than an officer. It also likely meant that he was capable of some level of spellcasting, assuming the Eye was anything like the Nail in its preference towards those capable of magic. It also meant that he was not a full-blooded Hellknight yet, as like you he had yet to undertake the final challenge of single combat with a devil.

[Stelio Kontos]

"Good, well, you'd better get him, seeing as you've managed to completely blow our cover" was Aliani's terse reply as the Hellknights began their departure. "He's probably in the basement." It wouldn't do to be completely unhelpful, of course, since they were supposedly on the same side -- but if there was a better way to be helpful without being helpful, Aliani couldn't think of one just then.

Lowering his voice, he gave a simple head nod to his comrades. "Let's regroup in the alley, stay out of sight for a bit while they clear the riffraff, maybe come at this from a different angle. Any ideas?"

[Captain Jak]

Jakkin's hand tightens slowly on his crossbow as Lamm appears. The man is only a few spans away from him, and has no idea he is there. The temptation to send a bolt into the man's neck is a strong one, and it's only a few minor facts like such an act could very well get the wrong people killed, up to and including a reigning monarch, and no sure knowledge that he could strike true enough to ensure the bastard's death that stay his hand. For now.

The demonstration of the mutated spider is troubling, of course, and the sailor is relieved when it's locked away again. If all hell does break loose, he'd rather that monster was safely caged away.

For now, he does...nothing. He's here as support and backup in case of worst case; it's up to Dalen and possible Ellaina to deal with the situation; if they can.

[Darvin]

Dalen is about to respond to the other crime lords when Lamm enters the room. He remains motionless and maintains his composure, only flinching slightly as Lamm reveals the shudder-infused spider. He rolls his eyes at the mention of attempting to 'fix' the insanity of shudder. He'd learned enough about the substance to start making a hypothesis on what was going on, and if he was right - and Dalen was becoming very accustomed to being right - then the madness shudder induced upon its victims was a feature and not a defect. Perhaps not in Lamm's opinion, but when dealing with eldritch entities your opinion seldom matters to them.

When the silence feel upon the room, Dalen couldn't help but break it with a chuckle. It was a number of things, all at once. There was the irony that both he and Lamm had come to this place confident that they didn't need the crime lords to prevail, but it would be most inconvenient to have to work against them. There was the matter LeBlanque's exclamation; Dalen had been raised Abadaran, and there were fables about men who boasted of unbreakable locks only to have a pickpocket steal the key. And then there was one last matter, that the source of Dalen's confidence could well dispel Gaedren's. He thought twice about revealing his hand, but he needed to answer Gaedren's imposing speech in kind in front of such company.

"Were I sitting in any one of these seats, I might be intimidated - just a little - by your bravado, Gaedren. The Abadarans might say you've been dealt a good hand, and I do respect that even if I don't respect you," he reaches into one of his pockets - a very specific pocket he uses for nothing else - and draws a single card from Zellaria's harrow deck and lays it on the table face down, "but such bluster doesn't work on someone who peeked at the cards... and knows what's coming in the next hand,"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Dalen is really overplaying just how much he actually knows - let me know if this crosses into bluff check territory - but Lamm should at very minimum recognize the deck and know that Dalen is aware that Lamm has a terrible fate. He just needs to shake Lamm's confidence, even if just for a moment, to shift the tempo of this situation.

[PiccadillyPi]

For as long as the Eyes were near enough to hear them, Silas remained as his more recent bodily attacks: silent, yet deadly. Once Aliani signaled a huddle of whispers, Silas became more accommodating.

"If they've done their job, Lamm won't escape. If they haven't, or are working for Lamm, then we should look around for signs of scowling, pale halflings. I've no idea what to do for the two of us in there."

The tiefling thoughtfully chipped away at one of his horns with a pointed claw. He was unsure of the... less lethal methods those creatures boasted. It left him quite nervous for the fate of his allies inside.

[THEChanger]

Gavin blinked a couple of times, and frowned. "Oh. I had been told the Order of the Eye was competent, fearsome defenders of law and order. Clearly the stories were exaggerated, if you can't even be bothered to keep to proper protocol when addressing a member of another Order." Gavin relaxed his stance, motioning for the other two to follow. "Better men have tried to capture him, Cyrus, but I wish you and your thugs the best of luck. There's a human mage, a half elf, and a halfling down there, posing as associates of Devargo Bravasi. They are personal agents of Her Majesty, Queen Illeosa. I am not at liberty to divulge their names, per instructions from the crown, but please take care not to harm them. I will already have to explain to Lictor DeViri why this sting operation was bungled, I would hate to also give the name and rank of the man who soured our relations with the crown even further."

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Intimidate? With Silas and Aliani assisting. (1d20+7)[19]

Once they were around the corner and out of earshot, Gavin slumped against a wall, steadying himself. "Well. That happened. Order of the Eye. Didn't think they were real. But here we are.
I. I suppose we should try and find where Lamm will sneak out, right? That's how he operates. He'll have at least one exit planned, in case things went sour."

[PiccadillyPi]

"I haven't prepared a disguise, so my appearance is a tad obvious. I suppose we'll have to step carefully if we wish to catch any quarry unaware. Good enough? Shall we start on the perimetre?"

[Inspectre]

Darvin & Captain Jak


Unfortunately, Dalen is to be disappointed by Lamm’s reaction, as he simply looks blankly at Zellara’s Harrow card, either not recognizing the deck or completely missing the implication. Which is quite odd, given Zellara’s Harrow deck is fairly distinctive – as part of his stash Lamm should certainly recognize it. The revolutionary looks up from the card at Dalen for a moment, and then a wide and entirely out of place smile splits Lamm’s face.

“Maybe you do, and maybe you don’t, but for such a clever spider I wouldn’t have expected you to get caught up in the web of the Usuper Queen’s plots and intrigues, Mr. Dalen Rittle!”

“Wait, you’re here on the WHORE QUEEN’s behalf!?”

Leblanque asks with a scowl, as the disposition of the room cools considerably at the idea that your previously hinted-at patron was Queen Ileosa herself. Dalen has no idea how Lamm penetrated his disguise so accurately, although perhaps he was able to surmise it given Dalen’s presence at each of Lamm’s political defeats thus far. Elliana shoots a sideways glance at Dalen and is about to contribute her own attempt at smoothing the situation over when that is rendered unnecessary by the unannounced arrival of a Cerulean Society member bursting into the chamber.

“We’re under attack! Some group of cowled *******s is up in the Amphitheater right now, and they’re cutting their way down here with a vengeance!”

Lamm mutters to himself under his breath*, and then more loudly announces his intentions to the room.

Spoiler: *Lamm’s Mutter, Perception DC 15

Show

“Mmmm . . . the False Eye is moving faster than expected. No matter, they are still just as blind as everyone else, flailing at whatever target is put in front of them and missing the larger vision entirely.”

“Well then, I imagine this concludes tonight’s meeting! All of you think about my offer, and I will reach out later to you individually for confirmation. Choose wisely, and choose quickly! Your time is running out . . .”

The criminal-turned-revolutionary then turns to limp towards the doorway out of the chamber, but is interrupted as a black cloaked figure jumps down from the rafters to land nimbly on top of the council table in front of everyone present.

“Gaedren Lamm – YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!”

Blackjack declares, the infamous vigilante already raising the hand crossbow clenched in one hand to point at Lamm. Without hesitation Blackjack fires the bolt over Elliana’s head to strike Lamm in the shoulder, the relatively small bolt hitting with considerable impact as Lamm screams and staggers. Blackjack moves to reload his crossbow, but is forced to abandon that plan and draw his rapier with a flourish instead to deflect the knife that Marlessa hurls at his head while the other crime lords alternatively gape in shock or dive for cover – underneath the table in Wilhelm’s case. This gives Lamm an opening, and he gives an indigent scream as he tumbles towards the iron cage with a sudden burst of agility, no longer hampered by his “lame” leg.

“Impossible! You cannot be here! It was not foreseen! But fine then, if you want to break the rules, then so will I!”

Lamm swipes the lever to open the cage, kicking the door open and shouting a different word in the derro tongue, which clearly is some variation of “Attack!” as the mutated spider comes scuttling out with a vengeance, charging towards the table as it works its mutilated mouth, clearly readying some sort of spit attack. And given Dalen and Elliana are currently in-between Blackjack and the spider, it’s entirely possible that they will be caught in the attack as well!

(Now that the “surprise” round is over, Dalen and Jakkin have a round of actions to take! Lamm is moving to flee up the tunnel, leaving his spider “pet” behind to make a mess of things, the crime lords are either taking themselves out of the picture or picking a fight with an infamous vigilante (Marlessa), Blackjack is clearly gunning for Lamm, and unknown assailants (the Order of the Eye as seen in the other group’s posts) are about to crash the party on everyone. In short, pandemonium!)


Stelio Kontos/PiccadillyPi/TheChanger

“Hmph. We have interest in only one man, Armiger Dimir, but out of respect to our sister organization, we will take steps to ensure the safety of the Queen’s agents. It certainly wouldn’t do for the Order of the Nail to be disgraced further, and exiled from Korvosa entirely.”

Cyrus sniffs, clearly viewing Queen Ileosa’s reassignment of the majority of the Order’s assets to border patrol to be an insult. The Eye signifier turned away then, clearly done with this conversation and moving to join the dozen other Eye agents flowing into the Amphitheater. That left your group alone on the street outside the Amphitheater, minus the various criminals who would likely be sleeping their bludgeoning injuries off until morning.

Given the extensive underground complex beneath the Amphitheater, and the fact that the meeting itself was below ground, it was obvious that any escape route Lamm or the other crime lords would employ would be underground as well. The only question was how to get down into those tunnels, and picking the right one to be waiting for Lamm instead of one of the random crime lords. The alternative was to simply follow the Order of the Eye inside to ensure Dalen, Jakkin, and Elliana’s safety, at least from them.

[Captain Jak]

Lamm is getting away. Fleeing, injured...and entirely within range. The urge to bury a bolt in the nape of the man's neck is nigh-overpowering, and Jakkin's finger tightens on the crossbow's trigger for an instant before he's moving with a stifled curse. Bare feet pattering almost silently on the rafter beam, he drops feet-first onto the scuttling spider with a crunch, rebounding to stand between the mutant and those he had come with.

As much as he wants his shot at Lamm, he's here to back up those who might need him. And by damn, they need him now.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Jump down feet-first on sensitive spider bits! Attack: 22, Damage: 7, Precision Damage: 9

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas viewed the amphitheatre, taking in the majesty of it as he considered their next move.

"Our three will probably be fine. Jakkin's there, after all. As for Lamm: I doubt there were eyes in the sewers. I'm already grungy, so unless anyone has another suggestion, we may as well go for a swim... again."

The pure disgust on his face as each word left his person was enough to encapsulate his experiences below ground. He wrapped up his suggestion with a great sigh.

"Unless someone has another idea? ANY other idea!"

[Stelio Kontos]

"We could always just take a bath" Aliani replied, with a wry smile.

"I don't think going round to the sewers is a very good idea. Apart from I don't know how to get down there, he'll no doubt have allies down there, probably more than we can handle. No, I think we have to trust that Mr. Rittle and the rest can handle whatever they've gotten themselves into. But I would like to know what the outcome of this Hellknight invasion will be. If we follow them down, discreetly of course, there's a good chance they'll have cleared out most of the trouble. You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm, but it's the second mouse who gets the cheese. Who knows, we might even pick up an ally or two along the way?"

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas' belly grumbled against the mention of cheese.

"Right, let's do that! If all goes well, we can all go to the bathhouses tomorrow! Early, before they're peed in."

[THEChanger]

Gavin grimaced. "Right. You two wouldn't have heard of the Order of the Eye. Following them, well, I don't disagree it might be our best bet, but you should know what we're dealing with." Gavin straightened up from the wall he had been slumped against. "The Eye are a secretive group that splintered from the Order of the Nail some time ago. Long enough ago that even in the Order of the Nail, their existence is mostly considered hearsay and rumor. Supposedly, they are the 'watchers in the shadows', those who take steps to eliminate threats to Korvosa before they actually become threats. They're supposed to be a terrifying secret society pulled from the best recruits the Nail has to offer. Full Hellknights talk about them with reverence and fear.
So. Be careful, I suppose? We should focus on not getting in their way. They will not hesitate to remove us if we do, and it would be quite painful."

[Stelio Kontos]

Aliani merely shrugged.

"If, as you say, they eliminate only threats to Korvosa, then we have nothing to fear from them. If they eliminate whomsoever they choose, then they're no better than Lamm or any other gang of street thugs, and we shall put them down just the same. Give them a berth for now, sure, but I don't trust them one bit. A bit of light shone upon them could do some good."

[Darvin]

As Lamm speaks his name, Dalen snaps his fingers and dismisses his disguise, then muses, "then you vastly underestimate my ability to get in over my head," he calmly picks the card up off the table and stows it, then jostles his robe as a little bird comes out of hiding to perch on his shoulders, "though I do find it odd that you'd boast of killing Eodred yourself in one breath... then call his widow an usurper in the next. Are you starting to believe your own propaganda? Or are you just trying to get a rise?"

At Leblanque's exclamation Dalen turns to him and in an ironic tone responds, "any servant of her majesty would vigorously deny that she has any knowledge of what is transpiring here tonight. Though it should stand to reason that she has no love for her husband's murderer and would handsomely reward anyone who delivered to her the knave's head. Whether the rest of this body is still attached to it is left to your discretion,"

Dalen is caught by surprise like everyone else by the sudden arrival of Blackjack. The situation causes his mind to burn like wildfire, quickly running through the possibilities. Lamm may have been working with an entity with access to powerful divination, but he was also a cunning curmudgeon and likely had an escape plan. None-the-less, opportunities like this don't come about very often, and he'd be remiss not to at least inconvenience Lamm. He reaches into his robes and procures a scroll.

"Your patron's clairvoyance is truly infallible," Dalen says mockingly, "did you also foresee what spell this 'clever spider' had prepared for you if given an opportunity like this?"

He proceeds to read the scroll. A flash of conjuration magic surges in the hallway ahead of Lamm. Perhaps the spell responded to his mental intents, because this horse that now occupied that hallway appeared to be a particularly ornery beast. Dalen gave it a hand sign to stay where it is, while taking a step away from the path of the spider.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sorry, the moment I thought of the quip about what spell the 'clever spider' would use, and then going with something else entirely, I had to go with it. Scroll of mount, summon a light horse to block the hall. Moving through its space is possible, but would require Lamm to move at half speed and succeed at two DC 22 acrobatics checks.

5 ft step away from the path of the spider.

[Inspectre]

Darvin & Captain Jak


Following Blackjack, Jakkin leaps down from the rafters feet-first into the back of the spider, driving it down hard into the floor before springing back and taking a defensively stance between it and everyone else in the room. Unfortunately, such a defensive posture does little to dissuade it from rearing back up and vomiting up a spray of caustic acid that splashes mostly over Jakkin’s head to rain down onto the southern half of the conference table. Vilas attempts to join Wilhelm underneath the table for cover, which only manages to get him struck full in the face with the spray of acid instead. Elliana ducks down in her chair and pulls the hood of her cloak up, which manages to largely protect her although a few droplets still splatter on the back of her hands prompting a hiss of pain. Meanwhile Blackjack simply leaps again, summersaulting over the spray to land off the table before dashing forward and tumbling over top of the spider in pursuit of Lamm. As he lands on the far spider of the side, almost as an afterthought Blackjack stabs backward at the mutated monster with his rapier, slashing a long furrow in the creature’s side but not quite managing to split its battered carapace open. The spider therefore continues to menace the party despite staggering about in a clear amount of pain now.

On the far side of the spider, Lamm looks back and forth between the horse suddenly blocking his escape and the vigilante now literally a step behind him. But rather than panicking instead the revolutionary simply starts to cackle maniacally as he utters an arcane phrase and mimics a sword drawing gesture, conjuring a scimitar made of pure flame out of thin air.

“Looks like you’re not the only one with a few tricks left, little spider!”

(Need reflex saves from Jakkin and Dalen, DC 15. Sadly a 5’ step by my calculations is not quite enough to move Dalen out of the massive 30’ cone. Jakkin does have flanking on the spider now. IT’S NOW THE PARTY’S TURN AGAIN!)

Spoiler: Spider Actions

Show

Standard Action – BREATH WEAPON! (30’ Cone of Acid)
Reflex DC 15 for Half/Evasion
Acid Damage: (4d6)[14]
Recharge: (1d4)[1]

NPC Saves
Vilas (Has Evasion) – (1d20+5)[7]
Blackjack – (Has Evasion) – (1d20+12)[23]
Elliana – (1d20+9)[19]

Spoiler: Lamm Actions

Show

Defensively Cast Flame Blade – Succeeds (barely!) with a 19. Sadly he doesn't get a free attack with it, so I suspect he's screwed.

Stelio Kontos/PiccadillyPi/TheChanger

Reluctantly, the three of you decide to follow the Order of the Eye Hellknights into the Amphitheater, hoping that your presence at least will ensure that Jakkin, Dalen, and Elliana don't end up as "unforeseen casualties".
As it turns out, following along in the Eye agents' wake is surprisingly easy - they are focused entirely on reaching the basement, and thus do not leave anyone behind to guard the doors they have crossed through.
You do end up stepping over a handful of unlucky thugs who got in the Hellknights' way, and thus are left unconscious and manacled to the nearest heavy object, which sometimes is each other.
From the other side, any criminal left untouched by the Order of the Eye is too busy fleeing for their own life to bother you, and thus you have a clear path all the way through the Amphitheater to the stage, which has its trapdoor down to the understage hanging wide open.
As you come within sight, the last of the cowled figures of the Eye is slipping down out of sight into the understage area.
From there, another trapdoor grants access presumably to the basement complex beneath the Amphitheater, and it's an unknown distance to where the crime lords are meeting with Lamm from that point.

Here one new problem reared its ugly head - while the Amphitheater is dimly lit, it's unlikely that the basement complex beneath it would be, especially for a clandestine meeting between criminals.
While this was no issue for Silas, it could be quite dangerous and awkward for Aliani and Gavin to travel further beyond that hatch into the basement.
Conversely, the use of any sort of light would probably be visible to the Eye Hellknights that you are attempting to follow discretely, and while they haven't left any guards behind thus far they may take an interest in a light that appears to be following them down there in the dark below.

(So, continuing on without a light source and having Silas guide you both by-hand/voice? Or using some sort of light - a light spell from Aliani or whatever - to allow the two humans to see, along with the hellknights to realize that they're being followed?)