Dr. Si's Curse of the Crimson Throne - Seven Days to the Grave

Neurotic · Oct 11, 2012

"Don't worry about you being listened to, Red. I'll write notes for all involved and I'll give you something they can recognize who you come from."

Edmond takes off his signet ring.
"Show this to Marshal Kroft. If you cannot get to her, either leave the message at her home or give the message to Lynn in All the Worlds Meat. At the temple, look for prelate Julius Brightshield. At my house, give the message to Kester or Jeremiah, the mage. Varisians, well, go either to mamusia Lela, that's the one renegatde wererat pack kidnapped, so I suggest you use your human form...or to sergeant Soldado. I'll give you enough messages. Feel free to decide how is the best to deliver it. Here is some gold so you can find or bribe somebody to take the message if you cannot get in yourself. Talk with miss Yelloweyes if you think you cannot do it yourself on time.

I suggest you go to Varisians first. They probably won't recognize the ring, but mamusia Lela should hear you out if you tell her you're coming from me. If not, tell her I told you Zellara brought us all together to oppose the plague and return the city to proper state. Mamusia herself said there was something in our group."

Come on everyone, we need to write those messages
To mamusia Lela
"Found hidden hospital with many Varisians in bad shape and experimented on. Doctors are spreading the disease, not interested in curing it. Maidens are guarding them, consider any and all of City Guard and Queen suspect until proven otherwise. Exception: Marshal Kroft in person. If you can, get us few able bodies men willing to risk the disease to Zellara's house. We will need field hospital and boats enough to transfer around 80 people.

P.S: You can trust wererats that say they are coming from The House of the Forgotten."

To Marshal Kroft:
"Found hidden hospital with many citizens in bad shape and experimented on. Doctors are spreading the disease, not interested in curing it. Maidens are guarding them, consider any and all of City Guard and Queen's men suspect until proven otherwise. Watch your back and try to make small core of people you trust to be around you at all times. You can trust wererats that say they are coming from The House of the Forgotten."

To the prelate :
"Found hidden hospital with many Varisians in bad shape and experimented on. Doctors are spreading the disease, not interested in curing it. Maidens are guarding them, consider any and all of City Guard and Queen's men suspect until proven otherwise. Exception: Marshal Kroft in person. Watch your back and try to make small core of people you trust to be around you at all times. You can trust wererats that say they are coming from The House of the Forgotten. If you can, spare few or even one priest to come to Lynn at All the Worlds Meat, she'll know where the patients are at all times."

To orphanage (Kester, Jeremiah, Brindom, Dj'ahn):
"Found hidden hospital with many Varisians in bad shape. Doctors are spreading the disease, not interested in curing it, don't let any in the house. Maidens are guarding them, consider any and all of City Guard and Queen's men suspect until proven otherwise. Exception: Marshal Kroft in person. DO NOT provoke them even if you have to let them into the house. Burn Anything they touch or give you. At worst, go into the sewers. Say you're coming from the House of the Forgotten. You can trust wererats that say they are coming from The House of the Forgotten too."

Several copies of similar content are made for Lynn, Yelloweyes and Soldado

"Here you go, Red. I'm giving all the code that you're coming from The House of the Forgotten. It will leak eventually, but for the time being, help anyone speaking the phrase. Let your people know on the way. I thank you and you pack for the aid already given and hope we can work together in the future. Tell Lynn where we are and that I pointed the priests to her for direction. Tell her I hope we can hold on together even in her new calling. She knows where Zellara's house is, you can use that as reference point. God speed."

Edmond clasps Red's arm and squeezes his shoulder.

"I hope we can live in peace in new and better Korvosa."

Dr Simon · Oct 12, 2012

Red looks Edmond in the eyes and twitches his whiskers. He nods once, and scurries off bearing the notes.

Meanwhile, Ignatius studies Doctor Davaulus' rapier and amulet. The rapier carries an enchantment designed to make it more effective against humans, whilst the amulet is protection of some kind.

Mhairi studies the desk in the Doctor's office. It is locked, but there doesn't seem to be any traps involved and she soon has it open. Inside is a large notebook filled with meticulous observations in good penmanship.

[sblock=OOC]
In other words:

+1 human bane rapier
+1 amulet of natural armour
[/sblock]

Axel · Oct 14, 2012

Mhairi

Mhairi leafs through the notebook quickly, seeing if she can understand the written language.

Dr Simon · Oct 15, 2012

Mhairi has no difficulty in understanding understanding the language in the book, although much of it is couched in medical jargon that she is less able to figure. The gist of it seems to be a report into the resilience of some Varisians to the blood veil disease. Davaulus is trying to find what makes some Varisians immune where others are not.

Axel · Oct 15, 2012

Mhairi

Disinterested, Mhairi puts the notebook on the table with a sigh. She gives the desk and it's drawers a thorough going-over, checking for false bottoms, things tied to the bottom of a drawer and hidden compartments. If there's anything valuable here, I'll damn well find it. There MUST be something to buy the food and medicines, surely???

At the end of her search Mhairi stands and, grasping the notebook, strolls over to Ignatius who downstairs and examining the patients still. "Here, have a look at this and tell me if it makes any sense," she said offering the notebook. "I can understand most of the words, but putting them all together for to understand a sentence might as well need magic as far as I can tell.

Kaodi · Oct 16, 2012

"Thank you, Mhairi," says Ignatius, slowly taking the notebook from her. He opens it and gives it a quick flip through. "Hopefully this will provide some context to the charts."

The ifrit takes the half-elf's advice and casts the spell that allows him to discern magical auras, focusing on the book. He takes one step to the side, looks up at her and smiles, and then heads back to to Davaulus office to compare the notebook to the other information.

Dr Simon · Oct 22, 2012

Ignatius examines Davaulus' notebook, which is not magical. There is something there, about a particular bloodline of Varisian who seem immune to the plague. Davaulus is trying to find the common bloodline, but with the aim of altering the plague to remove the immunity. However, it might be possible to reverse that and use the Varisians to help with a cure, but more specific information about the nature of the plague is needed.

Kaodi · Oct 22, 2012

Once he is done looking over the notes, the Ignatius heads out of the office to speak with the others. "Davaulus and his men were attempting to discover a particular Varisian bloodline which is apparently immune to the plague," he says, "With the aim of altering the Red Veil to overcome it. I am not sure how they hoped to accomplish this. If I am not mistaken, however, if we learn the source of their immunity we might be able to develop a cure for the plague. But until we know more about how the plague works to begin with, I do not think we will be able to do much."

The ifrit scratches his head momentarily. "If Davaulus has any allies that remain, we may have to uncover their treachery as well before we can put the Red Veil to rest."

Axel · Oct 24, 2012

Mhairi

"A cure hey? That'd be nice..." Mhairi mutters, her temper starting to fray after hours in the stinking slaughterhouse and late night.

"We can always chase up the other end of the business. The box we dug out of the river came from somewhere and was probably made by someone. It was definitely sent by someone who isn't that guy," she added, gesturing to the various corpses on the floor and Davalus' in particular.

"Or," she added hopefully, "We can follow the money. Someone must be making money out of this. They must be involved, surely?"

Neurotic · Oct 24, 2012

Edmond moved prisoners to an isolated room so they don't hear everything. After checking there is no way out of the room he locks it and leaves them for the moment.

[sblock=Prisoners - PC huddle]
People, do you think it would be better to tie them somewhere near the patients? If they free themselves, we may have hostage situation, but will have easier time guarding them in open space esp. if some patients are awake.
[/sblock]

"Not necessarily. They might want power in the city and they're definitely getting it. Or plenty of dead to raise an army of undead. Or throne puppet and they as gray eminences. Who made the box may not be relevant unless it was specifically made for this purpose. But if you can follow that lead, do it. We cannot ignore anything.

We wait here, see if we can do anything for the patients. Then we talk to mamusia and prelate Julius. At this point we assume all maidens know what's going on and that Queen is somehow influenced, most likely by some charm spell, or replaced by simulacra or doppelganger.

Essentially, we guard these people and then follow Red.

Mhairri, could you try to find some underground exit, even if it's through the sewers in the building?

Ignatius, Manachan, see which people can move by themselves, which may not be moved at all and which can be transported. Mhairri and I will look for the way out. Red, keep...ah...we don't have a lookout...OK, I'll keep watch until Mhairri finds a way out then she'll watch while I find a way underground."

@Dr Simon, Edmond would like to find underground way to Zellara's house (even if it's not fully basement to basement, just as little on the surface as possible and starting within this warehouse)