Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 14 [RPG]

[12 Desnus 4708 A.R., continued]

After receiving fervid thanks for their visit from Tayce Soldado (and a promise to return the favour someday from Grau), the group leaves Trail’s End in the company of Ishani Dhatri.  Ralph has offered to assist the young acolyte in convincing his superiors to take reports of the plague more seriously and to allow for the provision of free healing—even though that violates the core tenets of the Abadarian faith.  But as the group reach the white marble walls of the Bank of Abadar, they realise the issue has clearly come to the church’s attention in the form of a small mob!  Although much of Korvosa is still unaware of the disease, dozens of citizens pock-marked with red sores have climbed the steep stairs leading up to the temple’s great bronze doors and are trying to press their way in while clamouring for healing.  And when they catch sight of Ishani’s and Yraelzin’s clerical garb, the two men are almost trampled when the crowd rushes over to them, begging and pleading for aid.  Ralph manages to help carry Ishani to safety while Goldcape is forced to tear Yraelzin from several grasping hands.  The two priests are battered and dishevelled, but together they reach the safety of the temple.

The main hall of the temple is clearly given over to the business of banking, with a few small shrines and counselling chambers in alcoves along the side.  Ishani leads the group to one of these alcoves and asks them to wait while he gets changed and petitions for a meeting with the Archbanker.  When he returns about a half hour later, he says he managed to secure a brief meeting for the group.  As Ishani leads them through the temple’s luxurious hallways, he says apparently some of his fellow priests have come down with the disease, and that it has been nick-named “blood veil” on account of its visible symptoms.  Reports indicate that it’s spreading quickly, and that the city’s other temples have been mobbed as well—especially the Temple of Sarenrae, since it serves as a public hospital as well as a place of devotion.

The group are shown into the offices of Archbanker Darb Tuttle, but meet with a frosty reception.  He scoffs at Ralph’s suggestion that the origins of the plague could be the ship that was sunk in the river, and says that Bank policy when it comes to healing is not open for discussion—especially with outsiders.  But in what seems more of a bid to get the group out of his office more than anything, he says he’ll requisition some magical potions that allow one to temporarily breathe water so they can go investigate.  A request by the group to allow Ishani to accompany them is flatly denied, as Archbanker Tuttle says all hands are needed to combat the plague.  After the group leave Tuttle’s offices, Ishani thanks the others for their help, and says he’ll try to keep in touch.  It’s clear the young Vudrani man wishes he could do more to help those afflicted by blood veil even if they can’t afford to pay.

Ralph decides to see if the Temple of Sarenrae can be of more assistance.  Forced to use a rope and grappling hook to climb up into a back window because of the mob out front, he manages to speak to an earnest priest.  The priest says the faith is doing everything it can to help, but even with all its preparations for a plague, they weren’t prepared for something that seems to spread so quickly.  He says if Ralph’s team can find anything on the origin of the disease—where it came from, how it spreads, and so forth—the temple will find that information valuable in trying to concoct a cure.  After meeting Yraelzin outside (forced to hide in an alley to avoid another scene), the two walk towards the shops at Eodred’s Walk to meet up with Goldcape.  Along the way, the pair notice several people clubbing rats in the streets and hanging up their corpses in front of their houses—apparently, gossip on the street is that the disease is spread by rat bites and displaying the bodies serves as a “warning” for other rats to stay away!

Inside the archery shop named Trapper’s Hole, Goldcape’s friend Jope Chantsmo has a different theory—his is that as long as you bathe regularly, you can’t get sick.  When Goldcape explains that she’s planning an underwater mission, Jope says he’s never heard of a magical enchantment that allows a bow to fire underwater.  And when Ralph and Yraelzin arrive and he spots the latter’s underwater crossbow, he kicks the priest out—everyone knows there’s nothing Jope hates more than crossbows!  With the sun beginning to set, the group agree that Goldcape should try to hurry to an alchemist to buy some anti-plagues so they’ll be prepared for the underwater mission to look at the wreck of the sunken ship—in case there is something there that spreads the disease.  Goldcape flies on Rocky’s back and makes it just in time, only to learn that old Ledbetter has already sold out of anti-plagues.  He says he and his assistants will be making some more in the evening, and customers can try again in the morning.

That night, Ralph (in his disguise as a drunk rambler) and Goldcape (flying overhead) return to West Dock in the hopes of spotting some sign of Rolth Lamm or his accomplices.  They notice that an old warehouse in the run-down area is being renovated into the “Hospice of the Blessed Maiden.”  But it’s in an alleyway behind that building that fortune smiles on them—they catch a glimpse of a woman with long blonde hair slipping into an open sewer grate!  As the figure matches the description of Rolth’s sometime partner in crime Jolistina, Ralph finds a good hiding spot to don his Reckoner guise, and together he and Goldcape wrench the sewer grate open again and enter the sewers.  Goldcape’s magic lights their way, and they manage to follow the sound of footsteps splashing through the muck down one branch of the tunnels.

But although they try to follow silently, their approach does not go undetected.  “Naughty, naughty boys and girl!” calls out a voice mockingly.  A long game of cat-and-mouse follows, as Jolistina relies on invisibility potions, smoke bombs, and similar tricks to try to confuse her pursuers while teasing them constantly.  But Goldcape and Rocky take on the aspect of the wolf, and are able to pinpoint Jolistina’s exact position every time!  The Reckoner’s hammer and Rocky’s sharp claws wear down the harlequin-clad criminal as she makes multiple attempts to flee, but each time her escape is blocked through good teamwork.  Finally, she tries to scurry through a narrow sewer pipe but The Reckoner catches up to her and brings his hammer down hard on her legs!  The punishment is too much for the half-elf to take, and she dies instantly from the blow.  Goldcape is annoyed with The Reckoner for disposing of another potentially valuable source of information, but he says she was too dangerous to take any chances with.

A search of the small alcove that Jolistina had been using as a hide-out uncovers some valuables, and an invitation to a party at Carowyn Manor in just a few days’ time.  The Reckoner expresses hope that with the body, perhaps Madame Carrington could tell them something about where Jolistina had been recently, but Goldcape says they’ll get arrested if they’re caught with a body on the streets of Korvosa!  For now, The Reckoner hides the body in a sewer pipe and he and Goldcape go their separate ways.  Ralph returns to the Burnt Honey Inn for a well-deserved night’s sleep, while Goldcape is treated to a warm bath and hot tea at the residence of Wynda Giotorri, Old Lady Cloggins’ best friend.  Wynda says there’s no need to worry about “blood veil” anymore—her favourite perfumery has just invented a miracle cure called “Lavender’s Luxuriant Linament”!

Isolated, unnoticed cases in the past few days have suddenly erupted into a full-fledged plague.  Will the Harrowed Heroes manage to help contain it, or will they fall victim to it themselves?

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GM's Commentary

I liked the scenes of the desperate crowd swarming visible priests, including Yraelzin.  Rescuing them made for some exciting moments that couldn't just devolve into standard combat encounters.

I had to improv the bits with the Bank of Abadar and the Temple of Sarenrae.  This AP does a better job than many published campaigns in explaining why those in power can't just step up and solve every problem, but that doesn't stop PCs from trying.

Lots of seeds for future events are planted here--the rats, Carowyn Manor, the Hospice of the Blessed Manor, Lavender's ointment, etc.

In the published AP, Jolistina isn't encountered in the way that took place in this session.  The PCs were diligent in searching for her and (if I remember right) rolled a natural 20 on that search for her, so I went with it.  I try to reward players for exercising agency rather than just waiting for stuff to happen.  Capturing her in the sewers probably wouldn't have been possible without Goldcape's "Animal Focus" class ability which allowed her and Rocky to use Scent; often these utility powers are overshadowed in gameplay discussions by stuff with pure combat applications, but they can really make a difference.  It's too bad The Reckoner doesn't use his hammer more judiciously sometime--capturing a source like Jolistina could have given them some valuable info early.