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An epic story is about to begin in Korvosa, an independent city-state in Varisia. Situated at the mouth of the Jeggare River, Korvosa was once simply a colony of a distant empire. Built on land sacred to the native Shoanti peoples, the history of the city is one marked in bloodshed and strife. Today, Korvosa is a major mercantile player in the region. Yet tensions abound. King Eodred II is reputed to be in poor health and hasn’t made a public appearance in months. An army of giants, apparently summoned by a wizard of legendary power, is being amassed far to the north. Discrimination and outright hostility against the nomadic Varisians and tribal Shoanti serve as reminders of the city’s bloody origins. And the gap between rich and poor only seems to widen as the city grows.
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| Priests of Razmir, like Yraelzin, are not popular in Korvosa. |
[14 Gozran, 4708 AR]
It starts in the early afternoon of a normal spring day. Scattered across the city, utter strangers to one another, the four fated figures return to their respective homes to find a cryptic message containing an address and a promised opportunity to bring Gaedren Lamm to justice! Goldcape finds the note in her backyard treehouse on Pillar Hill in the city’s Midland district. After a hasty lunch with her friend and benefactor (known locally as “Old Lady Cloggins”) she heads to the address on the note. Tharl does likewise from his tenement flat in the city’s rundown Bridgefront area. After disguising himself as an old man, Ralph Blackfeather departs from his lodgings at the Burnt Honey Inn in North Point. Yraelzin sets off from Leftover’s, an inn in East Shore.
Ralph arrives first and takes up position on a bench across the street to surveil the area. Tharl—clad in heavy armor and wearing a greatsword strapped to his back—sits down on the same bench. Down the street, Goldcape easily scales the wall of a building and stands on the roof to have a look around—much to the delight of some passers-by who laugh and point at the exotic simian. All three hear something of a disturbance from around the corner—Yraelzin has taken the opportunity to preach the glories of Razmir, the Living God, to the almost wholly uninterested citizens of Korvosa! The afternoon passes slowly, as no one comes in or out of the small, single-story house. Locals report that it’s the home and shop for a fortune-teller named Zellara, but that she hasn’t been seen in months. Finally, the sun begins to set and the four figures enter separately.
The interior of the small, humble home consists of a single cozy chamber filled with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice. The aroma obviously comes from several sticks of incense smouldering in wall-mounted burners that look like butterfly-winged elves, with the smoke giving the room a dreamy feel. The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries, one showing a black-skulled beast juggling human hearts, and another showing a pair of angels dancing atop a snow-blasted mountain. A third tapestry on the far wall depicts a tall, hooded figure shrouded in mist, holding a flaming sword in a skeletal hand. Several brightly colored rugs cover the floor, but the room’s only furnishings are a wooden table covered by a bright red throw cloth and several elegant, tall-backed chairs. A basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table, while on top of it is a note held down by a stone paperweight. Goldcape glances at the note and pulls out the basket, uncovering it to reveal a fresh loaf of bread and a jug of water.
As the four stand around, waiting for something to happen, they quickly realise they’ve all come in response to an identical note! The mystery of who summoned them begins to lessen when a Varisian woman with long, dark hair and her face covered with a gauzy veil enters the room. She produces a deck of fortune-telling cards from her pocket and begins to idly shuffle them—they seem to float and dance between her fingers, leading Ralph to correctly surmise this is no ordinary seer—but The Harrower, a reclusive figure known for intervening with perfect timing to stop terrible crimes just as they’re about to start.
The woman nods at the four strangers and motions for them to sit at the table before taking a seat herself. “Thank you for coming. I also thank you for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you. I have reason for our meeting to remain hidden, you see—a vicious man would see great harm done to all of us if he knew I was reaching out for help. This man has done something terrible to each of you as well. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man whose cruelty and capacity to destroy the lives of those he touches are matched only by his gift for avoiding reprisal. This criminal has evaded the law for decades. But you know of these frustrations as well, for word on the street has it that Gaedren has wronged each of you, too. Some of you may know me by reputation as The Harrower. I’ve always tried to help the people of this city through my gifts of foresight. Once, months ago, I tried to apprehend this infamous criminal on my own—a foolish mistake, for which I paid the price. Gaedren fled, and established a new hideout with his gang somewhere in the city. It took me months of searching, but finally my efforts were rewarded—I know now where Gaedren currently dwells. He can be found in an old fishery north of here, at Westpier 17, where he trains abducted children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures. So there we are. It is time for him to pay. But I am now in no condition to fight, and the Guard moves so slowly that Gaedren would certainly know of their coming well in advance and escape yet again. Thus . . . I’ve assembled the four of you in the hopes you could accomplished what I could not, and finally bring this criminal to the justice he so richly deserves.”
After the four agree, the Harrower tells them she’ll look to her cards in the hopes of assisting their risky quest. She proceeds to conduct a Harrow reading—first for each individual, and then for the group’s future as a whole. Ralph draws The Peacock, a card indicating a sudden personal shift. The Harrower looks at him and nods knowingly. Yraelzin draws The Crows, a card indicating the taking of loved ones or items. It seems to fit the victim of theft perfectly—and also offers the opportunity to set things right. Tharl draws the Rabbit Prince, a card that traditionally refers to the capriciousness of combat. The Harrower suggests it means the holy warrior will meet difficulty in the battles to come, but ultimately prevail. Goldcape draws the Demon’s Lantern, a card that indicates a seemingly impossible situation is to come her way. The Harrower looks stricken, but reminds those assembled that the cards only foretell possibilities, not certainties, and fate can be changed. Last, she conducts a more involved reading for the table that looks at the past, present, and future in more general terms. The results seem particularly ominous, as the cards indicate a sudden reversal of things, darkness instead of light, and chaos instead of order. But The Harrower can offer nothing more specific beyond general advice that in times of turmoil, relying on one another may be the only way to survive. With a final significant glance and an invitation to return after the potentially bloody business with Gaedren Lamm is concluded, The Harrower shows the foursome out.
In
the darkened street outside, the strangers-turned-allies discuss how to
proceed. Ralph Blackfeather suggests he
stealthily reconnoitre the place first and then return for the others. But Goldcape’s natural climbing and sneaking
ability could also prove an asset, and so the decision is made for both to
scout (separately) while Tharl and Yraelzin wait at The Bailer’s Retreat, a
disreputable tavern which is just down the street in Midland from the fishery
where The Harrower says Gaedren Lamm is holed up. Before everyone sets off, however, Ralph
Blackfeather asks everyone to swear an oath of loyalty and secrecy. When they do, he removes his “old man” disguise
(which Goldcape had seen through earlier) to reveal his middle-aged self. In addition, he hints at another secret that
the others will learn about soon enough.
There’s an eerie stillness in the streets of Korvosa, a portent perhaps
of the veritable calm before the storm.
As Goldcape looks around the perimeter of the Old Fishery, Ralph
Blackfeather dons a mask and girds himself with heavy weaponry in his costumed
guise as The Reckoner. He then scales
the sides of the building and up to the roof.
The Old Fishery is a creaking, dilapidated structure built on the banks
of the Jeggare River, with most of the structure extending out over the water
on wooden pilings. From the outside, the
place looks dark, quiet, and boarded-up tight.
The reek of brine and week-dead fish permeates the air as Goldcape
decides to swim the calm waters of the Jeggare to see if there’s a way into the
building from underneath. She finds a
dense array of pilings under part of the structure that are difficult to
squeeze between, but she manages to do so and sees an opening above! Seconds later, she emerges into a chilly room. Most of the “floor” is taken up by the open
water, but a narrow walkway around the pool contains room to squeeze past a
collection of old cabinets, lockboxes, and shelves filled with all manner of
detritus—likely the results of petty theft and violent assault. Goldcape can see a large shape in the water
some yards away, but her attention is focussed on a man shuffling about the
walkway above, deep in thought. The man
is jaundiced and bent from old age and he wears a filthy old suit of gray
padded armor. Instantly, Goldcape
realises who this is: Gaedren Lamm himself!
Gaedren Lamm has already
evaded justice--until now
Goldcape
tries to swim away quietly to summon help, but Gaedren hears a splash and
turns. Saliva bubbles between his lips
in surprise, but then he gathers his wits.
“You! The girl-monkey!” he
shouts, reaching for a nearby crossbow.
“Your friend shoulda left the back door of that theatre open like we
asked. He paid the price, dearie, and
now you will too!” But in a surprising
twist, the notorious criminal doesn’t shoot at Goldcape—instead, he calmly
fires at the dark shape in the water, calling out “Gobbleguts, get her!” His first bolt misses, but when the second
hits, the dark shape lunges out of the water with a roar from its toothy maw—an
alligator! Gaedren wished to provoke the
creature to a terrible rage, and it has certainly worked! Goldcape desperately swims away but at first
can’t squeeze back out from the narrow pilings.
Is it the “impossible situation” foretold in the Harrow? Just as the enraged alligator searches for a
target though, Goldcape manages to slip through to the other side—and
safety. She hears a terrible scream from
behind, and can only surmise that Gobbleguts took his anger out on the only
other victim available.
Meanwhile,
from his position on the Old Fishery’s rooftop, The Reckoner has heard the
shouting and screams from somewhere below.
He decides to break a hole in the roof with his warhammer and makes an
entry point with just a few powerful blows.
Through the jagged hole, he sees the main floor of the fishery. There are large vats of foul-smelling slurry,
barrels of finished product, over a dozen small hammocks filled with
just-awakened, terrified children, and doors to other parts of the
building. Poised for war, however, The
Reckoner immediately spots the most immediate threat: a large, one-eyed
half-orc holding the very same flail he doubtless uses to punish “disobedient”
orphans! The Reckoner drops skilfully
through the hole and onto a catwalk, while the criminal known as Giggles gives
a roar of surprise and anger and rushes to repel the intruder. The two foes are evenly matched as they duck
and trade powerful blows.
But The Reckoner wasn’t the only one who heard the sounds coming from
the Old Fishery: waiting outside the nearby tavern, Yraelzin and Tharl realise
that the others have started without them!
Both rush toward the front door of the building. It’s locked, but Tharl quickly hacks through
with his massive greatsword only to start in surprise as a grizzled dog emerges
from under a desk, growls, and launches itself at Yraelzin! The bombastic priest screams in a
high-pitched voice as the dog takes a chunk out of his arm. “Kill it, kill it!” he shouts. Tharl manages to subdue the dog, and
Yraelzin’s hands glow with magic that knits his torn flesh back together. Then, with his ungainly-looking “underwater
crossbow”, he joins Tharl in advancing into the building’s front office. But the dog’s barking has alerted another
member of Gaedren Lamm’s gang that trouble is afoot. From an inner room, a sneering, sour-faced
man with short blond hair and expensive clothing is here. He holds a silver wand casually in one hand
and curls his lip when he sees Yraelzin and Tharl. “More grist for the mill, I see,” he says in
an aristocratic accent before flicking the wand in their direction—but nothing
happens! He tries again and again, to no
avail, before throwing it away in frustration.
Tharl recognises the man as Yargin Balko, Gaedren’s right-hand man and
combination advisor, assassin, and fence—and one of the criminals responsible
for making his own childhood so miserable.
Yargin discovered using a
wand is harder than it looks!
Battles ebb and flow all throughout the Old Fishery. Goldcape briefly explores a rotting sailing vessel moored alongside the building, but is forced to retreat from a venomous spider that had taken up residence on board. The Reckoner, trapped in close combat with Gaedren’s chief enforcer, finds himself overpowered and slides into unconscious accompanied by the brute’s girlish giggling. But, of all people, the pompous Yraelzin starts to turn the tide by magically triggering first Yargin’s and then Giggles’ flight reflexes, sending both men fleeing in terror! Soon Goldcape makes her way to the front of the building and joins her teammates inside. Yraelzin gives a brief but annoying sermon on Razmir as he casts healing magic on The Reckoner to bring the man to consciousness. Even after the magically-induced fear wears off, Yargin decides to continue to flee and starts tugging on the nearest door, but Giggles returns to the fight. Tharl and Goldcape are first into the fray, but once The Reckoner gets to his feet, he lives up to his name by delivering a stunningly-powerful smash with his warhammer that kills the bruiser instantly!
Four
previous victims of Gaedren Lamm’s depravity have learned that they’re stronger
together than they are apart. Yet the
fighting is far from over, and The Harrower has predicted chaos and sudden
reversals. Will her predictions come
true? And if they do, will the four
justice-seekers stand together or fall apart?
----------------------------------
GM Commentary
This first recap is a long one, but usually they'll be shorter--there was a lot of exposition and set-up to cover.
This campaign started near the end of May in 2020. I happen to live in a part of the world (regional Australia) that has had the good fortune to escape the worst of the pandemic, and we've been able to play a weekly, in-person campaign with only one or two brief interruptions.
This campaign is the second Pathfinder AP I've run. The first, Rise of the Runelords, ended with all the heroes dying in the final battle. To do that ending justice, the Runelord Karzoug is alive and well at the start of Curse of the Crimson Throne and starting to send his giant armies to conquer Varisia. We'll see the ramifications of this throughout the campaign.
When this campaign started, there were three players. My son, 9 at the time, had some experience with Pathfinder and came up in a great character with Goldcape (a vanara hunter with the roof-runner archetype). I had briefly played some other game systems with the guy who ran Tharl (a half-orc paladin), though we'll see that RL medical issues force him out of the campaign in a few sessions. I had never met the guy who runs Ralph Blackfeather/The Reckoner (human vigilante) before this session, but he's been a mainstay of the campaign. I run Yraelzin (human "cleric" of Razmir") as a GMPC (since the AP is designed for four players), and have enjoyed the challenge of giving him a bombastic personality and evolving character arc while simultaneously staying out of the group decision-making process. As I write this commentary on Session # 1, we've just finished Session # 45 and are well into Book 4.
The very first encounter of the campaign was almost the last one for Goldcape! I hadn't (and I imagine the writers didn't either) expected a character to swim right into Gaedren Lamm's lair! Things could have gone very, very badly, but I played everything straight (I never fudge dice rolls) and Goldcape made a narrow escape while Gaedren got some off-screen justice from his own alligator. The Reckoner got knocked out in this session, but pretty soon he'll be a truly fearsome foe with that earthbreaker and come to dominate battles. Yraelzin really did make an impact, as simple cause fear gave the group time to regroup. Having another martial character in Tharl was useful too.
Close readers will note I changed some of the details of Zellara. Since I knew Blackjack would be an important NPC and we'd have a PC named The Reckoner, I thought it would fun and interesting to continue the theme by turning Zellara into The Harrower, a magic-focussed crime-fighter. However, I keep most of the rest of her background (including her present . . . condition).
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