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[17
Desnus, 4708 A.R. continued]
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| Unlike most Red Mantis assassins, Davaulus prefers the indirect approach--but on a mass-scale! |
The
invaders have to make a quick decision: should they try to continue below, or
first learn more about what they may be facing?
They pick the latter, and tie up Davaulus before searching him. A potentially valuable discovery is made:
notes on the potential source of Varisians’ partial immunity to blood veil
which could be useful in formulating a cure!
The decision is made to conduct an interrogation then and there. With Yraelzin’s assistance, Davaulus is
brought back to consciousness. Although
The Reckoner deals out some mild violence, none is necessary as the captive is
quite happy to haughtily explain himself.
He admits to being a member of a global league of assassins called the
Red Mantis, and says his organisation was hired by Queen Ileosa herself to find
a way to separate the “wheat from the chaff” of the city’s population! He says he doesn’t know for sure who killed
King Eodred II, but Ileosa tried to hire the Red Mantis to do it but was turned
down because the organisation has a firm policy never to target heads of
state. He claims that the Red Mantis
worked with cultists of Urgathoa (and their head priestess in Korvosa, a “Lady
Andaisin”) to formulate blood veil, and that a temple to that goddess of
disease and undeath lies right under their feet! He confirms that Rolth Lamm has been a useful
freelance associate, and is in the temple with several skeletons, zombies, and
even an ancient type of vampire called a nosferatu! Whether all, some, or none of what Davaulus
says is true or just another layer of insidious lies can’t be confirmed—but the
fact that he tried to magically ensorcel The Reckoner while speaking is certainly
proof that he can’t be trusted! Davaulus
is knocked unconscious again, and bound and gagged for good measure.
Although
keen to raid the temple said to lie below, the consensus in the group is that
it’s too risky to push further without rest and preparation. The Reckoner drags all of the unconscious
Gray Maidens and Queen’s Physicians into the main infirmary ward, promising the
scores of pleading patients that he’ll send aid for them soon. Davaulus himself is rolled up in a rug so he
can be carried outside without attracting undue notice. Goldcape flies off on Rocky to stealthily
deliver a note to Sergeant Clenkins at Citadel Volshyanek about the evils
conducted at the hospice and how there are patients in need of immediate help. Meanwhile, The Reckoner, Yraelzin, and their
captive walk to the abandoned fortune-telling shop that has served as an
occasional safehouse for the group. But
it’s been weeks since they’ve visited, and at some point someone has left a
nasty surprise for them! When the front
door is opened, a magical trap is triggered that results in a fiery
explosion! As the safehouse goes up in
flames, Yraelzin acts quickly and just manages to save Doctor Davaulus’ life.
Goldcape
notices the flame and hurries back to the group, and everyone quickly confers
about a place they can take Davaulus that will be out of the watchful eyes of
the Gray Maidens. Skaldwood, the forest
south of Korvosa that had (until recently) been used as a camping ground by
Shoanti clans, is chosen. Once there,
Davaulus is magically healed and interrogated again for a layout of the temple
and its defences. Again, Davaulus is
surprisingly—perhaps suspiciously—forthcoming.
A new dilemma arises: what to do with Davaulus? Murdering a prisoner would be an evil in
itself, but nor can they simply let him go or, with his asserted links to the
Queen herself, turn him over to the authorities without risk. The Reckoner’s instincts militate for the
first option, while Yraelzin still has trust in the city’s institutions. The group discuss the matter and reach an outcome:
The Reckoner will personally turn Davaulus over to Sergeant Clenkins. When he does so, Clenkins says he received
the note about the hospice and dispatched a team to investigate the claims. He says he’ll hold Davaulus pending any
evidence that can be gathered there. The
Reckoner persuades him to alert Field Marshal Kroft immediately.
[18
Desnus, 4708 A.R.]
Over
breakfast at the Giotorri household where she’s been staying, Goldcape is happy
to hear from fellow houseguest Old Lady Cloggins that her home is almost
repaired from the fire and should soon be habitable again. Meanwhile, Ralph Blackfeather wakes before
dawn and manually writes several pamphlets about the evils of Doctor Davaulus,
the Queen’s Physicians, the Gray Maidens, the cult of Urgathoa, the Red Mantis,
and more, all under the direction of Queen Ileosa. Signing them “The Reckoner”, he then asks
Majenko to drop the pamphlets over the city.
Alas, almost everyone who finds one of the pamphlets thinks it’s
ridiculous, just another one of the many conspiracy theories floating around
the city.
Yraelzin,
Ralph, and Goldcape meet up at Eodred’s Walk to purchase supplies for their
planned raid of whatever lies underneath the hospice. Ralph purchases two large barrels of oil in
case they decide to simply burn out the inhabitants—a plan made feasible by
Goldcape’s and Yraelzin’s magics that could insulate themselves against the
heat and smoke of such a fire. As they
walk toward the hospice, however, the trio come across a pair of Gray Maidens
walking down the street, throwing any of the pamphlets they find into a bag for
destruction. Ralph doesn’t even hesitate
before charging the Gray Maidens in broad daylight and cutting them down,
leaving one dead and one unconscious.
When
the group reach the hospice they see that Sergeant Clenkins was true to his
word. Members of the Korvosan Guard have
indeed been sent to the hospice, and have established a cordon around it. When questioned about the cordon, one of the
guards explains that there’s a bloody crime scene inside and that they’re under
strict orders not to let anyone in.
Goldcape decides to see if Grau could be of use in the situation, and
begins searching nearby taverns.
Meanwhile, Ralph heads to Citadel Volshyanek and seeks out Field Marshal
Kroft herself. He finds the
weary-looking woman in a courtyard where several bodies are laid out—the
results of the previous night’s raid.
Kroft is surprised to see Ralph given her request that their connection
should not be visible, but she acknowledges it may be too late for subtlety: if
the Queen’s Physicians are involved in a conspiracy to spread disease
throughout the city as the evidence obtained in the hospice indicates, it is
indeed possible the Queen herself is involved.
Upon request, she gives Ralph a writ indicating that the bearer and his
allies should be allowed into the hospice and that a small contingent of
Korvosan Guards should accompany them on a search of its lower levels. Ralph dispatches Majenko to try to find
Goldcape and deliver the message: it’s time to go in.
Interrogation
of a self-proclaimed assassin and other evidence indicates that the spread of
blood veil was an intentional plot to murder Korvosans! But is the Queen truly involved? And, if so, with witnesses to testify to
their intervention, how long can even being masked protect Yraelzin, The
Reckoner, and Goldcape from her retribution?
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GM's Commentary
I don't imagine most groups stop after capturing Davaulus, interrogate him, alert the authorities, rest overnight, and then come back the next day! But it actually made sense from a certain kind of perspective. The downside is they gave whatever is below the temple a *lot* of time to prepare (or escape). The benefit is the PCs ended up with a fair amount of intel about what to expect.
As a GM, it can be a bit tricky to decide how to handle the "getting help from the authorities" move. You don't want to make the guards seem callous or useless, but you also don't want to provide so much assistance that they displace the role of the PCs as the prime movers of the plot. I chose a middle-ground of assigning some low-level Korvosan Guards to accompany the PCs below, where they would be helpful but wouldn't steal the show.
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