Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
JollyDoc's Curse of the Crimson Throne: Updated 1/29/10
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 4722275" data-attributes="member: 9546"><p>FRAGRANCES</p><p></p><p>Cressida was appalled when she received the report of the undead activity, especially when Michael suggested that the carters might have been under the mental control of the vampires. She promised to send a squad to do a thorough investigation and also to enlist the aid of the Abadarians to undo any lingering effects of domination. As the group left the Citadel, however, a familiar voice called to them, and they saw Ishani ascending the stairs towards them.</p><p></p><p>“I heard about your discovery in Racker’s Alley,” the priest said. “Terrible. I wonder if there is any end to the travesties of these days. Speaking of which, I know you’ve only just returned, but I have another favor to ask of you. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Lavender.”</p><p>“The perfume boutique?” Katarina asked.</p><p>“The very one,” Ishani nodded. “As you know, it has quite the reputation for its brazen promotions, most notably the ‘free imp with every purchase’ campaign. Fortunately, much of that could be attributed to avant garde marketing, but this time Vendra Loaggri has gone too far.”</p><p>He took a flier from his robes and handed it to Kat.</p><p>“‘Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment,’” Kat read, “ ‘the everyday elixir of the common Korvosan. It wakes you up in the morning and calms you down at night. It soothes aching joints, tired feet, sore hands, and throbbing heads. It takes the pain out of cuts, burns, bruises, and blemishes. It smells like chastity, confidence, and respectability, and tastes like honeyed dewdrops over snow clouds. Most miraculously, though, Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment dispels blisters, minimizes swelling, calms the complexion, and erases all symptoms of the common blood veil complaint.’”</p><p>“Sounds like snake oil to me,” Valeris snorted.</p><p>“Precisely,” Ishani said. “If this is indeed a sham, of which I have no doubt, then it must be stopped. If people are buying into this, then they aren’t seeking legitimate sources of aid, and thus are at greater risk of succumbing to the affliction.”</p><p>“By ‘legitimate,’ do you mean the so-called Queen’s Physicians?” Valeris asked.</p><p>“I’m withholding judgment on that for now,” the cleric said, his mouth tightening, “but regardless, we want the people to get proper assistance, and this is not it.”</p><p>“You’re right, of course,” Kat said. “We’ll head down there and see what’s going on.”</p><p>___________________________________________________________</p><p></p><p>A queue of eager Korvosans stood in a line that stretched nearly four blocks from Lavender’s distinctive amethyst-shaded windows. Many of them looked healthy, but several bore the obvious hacking, blistered symptoms of blood veil. </p><p>“What’s going on here, citizen?” Ratbone casually asked one of the patrons as the companions joined the queue.</p><p>“Haven’t you heard?” the pock-marked man said excitedly. “Vendra Loaggri’s found a cure! It’s a miracle!”</p><p>“You believe it works?” the druid asked. </p><p>“Oh yes!” the man nodded enthusiastically. “My sister’s cousin has a friend who knows someone who took it and their symptoms vanished immediately!”</p><p>“I see,” Ratbone said. “Well then, I guess we’d better buy some ourselves.”</p><p></p><p>A menagerie of heady scents twisted throughout the cramped but stylish perfumery once the companions threaded their way through the line. A dizzying assortment of bottles, from gaudy ceramic containers to graceful crystalline vials, lined a variety of lace- and ribbon-strewn tables, shelves, racks and an eye-catching display in the wide front window. Across from the front door’s orchid-tinted glass panes ran a long counter, stacked high with hundreds of simple clay phials bearing round, magenta stoppers. Behind the counter, violet flourishes swooped across a sign reading, “Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment: Either You’ve Got it, or You’ve Had it.”</p><p>Three men dressed in chain shirts, and with heavy saps hanging from their belts, stood around the perimeter of the store, eyeing the steady line of customers, while a lovely woman with black hair and blue eyes stood behind the counter.</p><p>“You run this place?” Valeris asked as he stepped up to the display. Herc, O’Reginald and Michael stood behind him. Katarina waited outside the door, a large dog at her side.</p><p>“Yes,” the woman answered with a disarming smile. “I’m Vendra Loaggri. How can I help you?”</p><p>“They say you’re hocking some sort of cure for the blood veil,” the duskblade sneered. “What’s your game?”</p><p>“It’s a true miracle,” Vendra answered, her smile never faltering. “I came upon the mixture quite by accident, while I was researching a new fragrance.”</p><p>“Figured that out all by yourself, did you?” Valeris asked. “My, but that is a miracle, especially when all the alchemists, physicians and priests in the city haven’t been able to do the same.”</p><p>“She’s tellin’ the trooth!” said an old man who’d been quietly perusing the rest of the store’s stock. “Used it meself when I broke out in the pocks! Not only cured my rash, but made my bum leg stop achin’ too!”</p><p>“You see?” Vendra asked. “An unsolicited testimonial.”</p><p>“Convenient,” Valeris smirked. “Let me ask you this: if you’re so benevolent, and want to help people, why don’t you just give me the recipe for the cure, and I’ll start making it for free and give it to those who need it?”</p><p>Vendra chuckled. “My dear man, I’m a businesswoman. Is it wrong for me to make a modest profit on my discovery when the Abadarians are charging almost one-hundred times as much for their prayers?”</p><p>“But you’ve got something even the priests don’t!” Valeris snapped. “You’re mass-producing a cure! Surely you’ve made enough by now that it wouldn’t hurt you to show a little charity. Am I right, folks?” He turned to the crowd, and a murmur began rippling through those waiting.</p><p>“Sir,” Vendra said, her smile thinning, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re disrupting my business, and delaying the delivery of a cure to these good people. Are you buying, or not?”</p><p>As she spoke, the three toughs started edging closer. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m buying alright,” Valeris said as he smacked two coins down on the counter and grabbed one of the vials, “but I’m going to take this to a reputable alchemist and find out what’s in it. Then I’m going to start making it myself and give it away for free!”</p><p>“As you wish,” Vendra said coldly. “A pleasure doing business with you. Goodbye.”</p><p>The toughs stood menacingly around the duskblade. He grinned at them as he backed out of the store, his companions following.</p><p></p><p>During the interaction between Valeris and Vendra, Ratbone and Kat took the opportunity to slip unobtrusively into an alley behind Lavender. There they found a door leading into the back of the building. Ratbone sniffed around the edge and snorted once, letting Kat know that he sensed no one on the other side. The door was locked, but the beguiler’s Varisian heritage came in handy, and she quickly picked the lock, then slipped inside with Ratbone before closing the door behind her. Delicate wall hangings, artistically shaped candles, and the fine scent of cherry blossoms filled the well-decorated apartment beyond the door. A table sculpted with swirling ivy leaves bore a fragile porcelain tea service and an exotically curved hookah in a kitchen nook. A door adjacent to the kitchen opened into a bedroom furnished with an antique armoire and a bed sheeted in purple silks and heavily laden with round pillows. Ratbone quickly began nosing around the room, momentarily put off by the abundance of strong fragrances. He paused in the back corner of the bedroom as he felt a slight breeze near the floor, and detected the faint scent of mold. He began pawing at the wall, attracting Kat’s attention. When she joined him, and began examining the corner, she found a faint seam running from ceiling to floor. She worked her fingernails into the crack and pulled. The whole section of the wall gave way, opening onto another room beyond. Bits of broken crates and barrels covered the floor of the dilapidated apartment on the far side. A tun of oily liquid, its lip level with a man’s chest, filled a corner of the room, a well-used canoe oar sticking out of it. Next to it squatted several large casks of murky water and two stacks of boxes, one holding dozens of small ceramic vials with magenta stoppers, the other holding a mismatched collection of delicate perfume bottles. The apartment’s kitchen nook held another crate, filled with broken shards of multicolored glass. Despite being in shambles, the apartment smelled delightful, a mixture of spices, flowers and exotic oils.</p><p></p><p>No sooner had they entered, than a low growl started in Ratbone’s throat, and his hackles rose. Kat tensed as she saw a figure step out of the shadows. It was a man, clad in the same type of chain armor worn by Vendra’s guards. When he saw her, his hand went for the sap at his belt, but Kat was faster. Her fingers moving in a blur, she quickly wove an enchantment, and as she spoke the words, the man’s eyes glazed over and his jaw went momentarily slack. </p><p>“Now then,” Kat said calmly, “what were we talking about?”</p><p>The guard blinked several times and shook his head.</p><p>“I…I don’t remember,” he said.</p><p>“Ah yes!” Kat snapped her finger. “You were telling me what a foolproof scam we were running.”</p><p>“Oh…yeah. Right,” the guard nodded. “Vendra really outdid herself this time.”</p><p>“She sure did,” Kat agreed. “Say, is that the ‘liniment’ you’re cooking up there?”</p><p>“Yep,” the man said, turning to look at the barrel. “A potent healing mixture of river water and leftover perfume! Oh, and for this batch, I took the liberty of relieving myself in it, to!”</p><p>Kat laughed along with him. “You’re such a scoundrel! Why don’t we go get a quick drink? Nobody’s going to know. You’ve been at this for awhile now.”</p><p>The guard looked dubious. “I dunno. If Vendra or one of the boys comes in here and I’m gone, there’ll be Hell to pay.”</p><p>“Ratbone’ll cover for you,” Kat said. The guard looked, and blinked, certain he’d just seen a dog where a large, burly half-orc now stood. “If someone comes, he’ll just tell’em you went to stretch your legs. Come on! What’s a quick drink?”</p><p>“Well…I am a bit parched,” the guard said. “Ok. Let’s go, but let’s be quick about it.”</p><p>_______________________________________________________</p><p></p><p>Kat and the guardsman ducked out of Vendra’s apartment and down the alley, but not before the beguiler had cast another quick spell, allowing her to send a quick, whispered message to her companions, telling them to fetch Ishani and Sergeant Grau, and meet her at the Three Rings Tavern. Ratbone stuck around just long enough to be sure they were gone, then he slipped out as well, resumed his canine form, and followed at a safe distance. </p><p></p><p>When the pair reached the tavern, Grau and Ishani, both in civilian garb, were waiting.</p><p>“I’d like you to meet a couple of Vendra’s new hirelings,” Kat said to the guardsman by way of introduction. “They haven’t had a chance to learn the scam yet, so I told’em you’d fill them in.”</p><p>Once more, the mercenary looked doubtful. </p><p>“I understand,” Kat said. “Let’s just have a few drinks first and get to know each other.”</p><p>The drinks flowed, time passed, and eventually, the guard’s tongue loosened. He told the whole sordid tale of how Vendra had come up with the idea of hawkingg a phony concoction of water from the Jeggare with old perfumes to the desperate citizens of Korvosa. When he was finished, Grau nodded, stood up, and then slammed the man face-first to the table, wrenching his arm behind him.</p><p>“You’re under arrest,” Grau snarled. </p><p>The guardsman struggled, but his inebriated state made his efforts moot. Within minutes, a squad of soldiers swarmed into the common room and hustled the ruffian away.</p><p>“That’s the evidence we needed,” Grau said, turning to Katrina. “We’re in your debt…again.”</p><p>“Valeris also has a vial of the so-called liniment,” Kat said.</p><p>“So much the better,” Grau nodded. “We’ll take it from here. I’ll take my men and go to Lavender. We’ll have it shut down by nightfall, and Vendra and her goons clapped in irons. The Field Marshall will know of your deeds here.”</p><p>As Grau and his men left, Ishani turned to Kat and took her hands in his. </p><p>“I can never repay you and your comrades for this,” he said. “You’ll never know how many lives you may have saved today. Now we can get these people the help they need and deserve. Thank you.”</p><p>Katarina nodded. “Unfortunately, I think our work here is just beginning.”</p><p>__________________________________________________________</p><p></p><p>Ratbone browsed some of the food stalls in old Korvosa, his stomach rumbling at the mixture of intoxicating aromas that drifted through the air. </p><p>“I would not think that you had such a refined palate,” a voice suddenly spoke from behind him. The druid turned and found a mousy woman with jaundiced, yellow eyes standing nearby. </p><p>“Yes, I’ve heard of you, ‘Ratbone,’” she chuckled, “and I know of your nocturnal activities. I’ve also heard that you have a soft spot for the less fortunate among Korvosa’s populace.”</p><p>“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure…” Ratbone said, cocking his head inquisitively.</p><p>“I am called Eries,” the woman said, “Eries Yelloweyes.”</p><p>“Yelloweyes?” the half-orc asked. “An unusual name. What is it that you do?”</p><p>“I’m a fishmonger,” she said, “and I suppose Yelloweyes is no stranger than Ratbone, wouldn’t you say?”</p><p>“I would indeed,” Ratbone chuckled. “So, seeing as I’m not in the market for fish at the moment, to what do I owe the pleasure?”</p><p>“You and I are not unalike,” Eries said, lowering her voice. “I, like you, am a shapeshifter.”</p><p>Ratbone raised one eyebrow. “Truly?”</p><p>“Perhaps not in the way that you think,” Eries answered, “but the essence is the same. I am a lycanthrope…a wererat.”</p><p>“Ah…,” Ratbone nodded. “I had a recent…unfortunate…encounter with some of your kin.”</p><p>“The Atchers,” Eries sighed. “Beila and Vernon. I hope you realize that they are not representative of my kind.”</p><p>“I would make no assumptions about an entire people based on the actions of a few misguided individuals,” Ratbone replied. </p><p>“Having said that,” Eries continued, “I’m sorry to say that I have come to you regarding yet another renegade. This time, however, his actions may be more justified, though no less misguided, than the Atchers. Recently, a mob of Midland citizens, bend on giving voice and violence to their fear of this plague, discovered a foolish, alley-prowling wererat and publicly executed him with a silver axe. Their unfounded vigilantism quickly extended to a few drunken dockworkers braving the sewers to hunt wererats, blaming their problems on the lycanthropes believed to dwell below. Used to fear and abuse, most of my people responded to the attacks by abandoning their dens and hiding elsewhere in the city. One, however, a firebrand named Girrigz Ripperclaws, has refused to do so, instead calling upon our kin to war against the weakened humans above. I’ve lived a double-life in secret for more than fifty years, and I’ve seen much suffering in my time, including devastating government-directed rat-purges, a return of which I fear Girrigz’s warmongering ways could quickly incite. My efforts to talk sense to him and his gang have failed. Something must be done about him before more lives are lost. I would ask that you speak with him and, if necessary, offer him an example of the force the city will doubtlessly employ should his rebelliousness continue. I beg you, however, do not kill the others of my people who have joined him, if it can be avoided. If you do this for me, I offer you something more valuable than gold…information. Specifically, I think I may can tell you what might be the true reason for Korvosa’s plague.”</p><p>“It is not my wish to engage more of your people,” Ratbone said, “but I see the truth in your words. I will gather my companions, and we will go to Girrigz and try to convince him of the error of his ways. Know that I will hold you to your word, however, as the safety of this city is foremost among my concerns.”</p><p>_____________________________________________________________</p><p></p><p></p><p>Through the disgustingly visible haze of noxious sewer reek, the flow of unmentionable slop through the sewer tunnel’s filth-slick channel unexpectedly forked. Most continued on its expected path, but a small stream of ooze diverted off through a wide cleft in the moldy masonry wall. The man-sized crack cut deep into the rock behind the wall, and wisps of thin white smoke issued forth.</p><p>“Have I mentioned how much I love this city’s sewers?” Valeris asked.</p><p>“We’re here,” Ratbone said, ignoring the duskblade’s grousing. </p><p>“Perfect,” Valeris said, scraping sludge from his boots with the point of his sword.</p><p>Single-file, with Herc leading the way, the company threaded their way through the twisting cleft. The flow of sewer filth oozed into a rough-hewn stone cave, pooling near its center before continuing through a crude channel in the far wall. Fat black mushrooms and other disgusting fungus grew thick around the pool of slime. Several low alcoves were cut into the walls, each filled with moldering hay, filthy furs, and tiny bones. Many things happened at once as Herc stepped through the crack. A large, sickly purple mushroom on the far side of the stream suddenly opened a trio of orifices on its cap and began emitting an ear-splitting shriek. Simultaneously, several snarling, fur-covered creatures leaped from the shadows, rapiers in their hands, their yellow teeth grinning. Giant rats swarmed among their feet. </p><p></p><p>Chaos erupted as the ratmen surged among them. Herc ripped his sword from its sheath, the blade gleaming silver. He hacked the hand from a nearby wererat, and the creature screamed as the metal cauterized its flesh. He battered with his shield at several of the rats that nipped at his heels, then swung it in a wide arc at another charging ratman. Unfortunately, the wily creature ducked beneath it, and the shield embedded itself in a wall, stuck fast. The big mercenary quickly loosed the useless weapon from his arm and gripped his blade in both hands, readying for the next wave. </p><p></p><p>More ratmen streamed in through other entrances, and the six companions stood back-to-back in the center of the cavern. Valeris summoned raw power into his weapon in the form of crackling electricity, and cut down one of the oncoming lycanthropes. Ratbone tore rats apart like a wolf hunting rabbits, and O’Reginald called down hails of stone among their assailants, crushing more vermin, as well as a trio of wererats. </p><p>“Try and take the lycanthropes alive!” Kat cried as she hurled a wave of debilitating force at an oncoming ratman, sending him tumbling head-over-heels. </p><p>“Frack that!” Valeris snarled as he cut down another. </p><p>The duskblade readied his blade to do it again, but Ratbone leaped in front of him and landed with all four feet on the chest of the wererat, driving him to the floor where he struck his head solidly on the stone and went limp.</p><p>“Godsdamn your bleeding heart!” Valeris screamed as his spell expired. He sheathed his sword and drew the silver dagger he’d kept all that time. With it, he slashed at a nearby ratman, only to have it bounce harmlessly off the creature’s hide as if it were made of stone. Cursing, Valeris cast the useless weapon into the slime. </p><p></p><p>As the last wererat fell unconscious beneath another blast of Kat’s magic, an ear-shattering howl filled the chamber. At the far side, a hulking, heavily muscled wererat entered, clad in chain armor, a glowing, silver rapier in his hand. Valeris stood weaponless before him, and Girrigz Ripperclaws drove his blade into the duskblade like a hot knife through butter. Valeris reached down and grabbed the rapier with both hands, channeling electricity through it. Girrigz howled again as his fur stood on end. He drew his blade out of Valeris’s belly, and then, quick as lightning, slashed the duskblade viciously across the throat, sending him sprawling to the floor, gasping.</p><p>“No!” O’Reginald cried as he hurled arcane bolts at the wererat. </p><p>As Girrigz reeled, Ratbone leaped for him, but the wererat leader was as fast as a snake, and he turned, stabbing his rapier completely through the druid’s foreleg. Blood gushed as a vital artery was severed. Crying out in raw fury, Herc charged across the floor, silver blade upraised. Girrigz ducked beneath it and came up behind the big warrior, slashing three times, bringing Herc to his knees. The wererat raised his rapier to drive it through the mercenary’s throat, but then Katarina and O’Reginald struck simultaneously, a combination of stone and force. Girrigz collapsed beneath the bombardment, buried in rock. His rapier tumbled from his nerveless fingers. </p><p>__________________________________________________________</p><p></p><p>“I’m…sorry,” Ratbone told Eries. “It was…an impossible situation. Casualties were…unavoidable.”</p><p>“I understand,” the old woman said, sadness in her voice. “You did as I asked, and now it’s time to uphold my end of the bargain. As fortune would have it, several sewer tunnels empty into the Jeggare River below the Wall of Eodred. The night a black-sailed ship was sunk before reaching the harbor, several of my brethren were watching. They saw nothing on the ship except for a yellow light, but once it sank, strange debris drifted from its hull. Tracking down some of the flotsam, they discovered a few small boxes filled with dead rats and a few pouches of silver coins bound to floating timbers. Suspecting that something was wrong with the rats, and scenting some foulness upon the coins, my brethren kicked the debris back into the river. Make of it what you will, but it is my belief that the ship’s sinking, the strange flotsam, and the advent of the plague aren’t mere coincidence. Furthermore, I can tell you exactly where the wreckage of the sunken vessel lies.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JollyDoc, post: 4722275, member: 9546"] FRAGRANCES Cressida was appalled when she received the report of the undead activity, especially when Michael suggested that the carters might have been under the mental control of the vampires. She promised to send a squad to do a thorough investigation and also to enlist the aid of the Abadarians to undo any lingering effects of domination. As the group left the Citadel, however, a familiar voice called to them, and they saw Ishani ascending the stairs towards them. “I heard about your discovery in Racker’s Alley,” the priest said. “Terrible. I wonder if there is any end to the travesties of these days. Speaking of which, I know you’ve only just returned, but I have another favor to ask of you. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Lavender.” “The perfume boutique?” Katarina asked. “The very one,” Ishani nodded. “As you know, it has quite the reputation for its brazen promotions, most notably the ‘free imp with every purchase’ campaign. Fortunately, much of that could be attributed to avant garde marketing, but this time Vendra Loaggri has gone too far.” He took a flier from his robes and handed it to Kat. “‘Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment,’” Kat read, “ ‘the everyday elixir of the common Korvosan. It wakes you up in the morning and calms you down at night. It soothes aching joints, tired feet, sore hands, and throbbing heads. It takes the pain out of cuts, burns, bruises, and blemishes. It smells like chastity, confidence, and respectability, and tastes like honeyed dewdrops over snow clouds. Most miraculously, though, Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment dispels blisters, minimizes swelling, calms the complexion, and erases all symptoms of the common blood veil complaint.’” “Sounds like snake oil to me,” Valeris snorted. “Precisely,” Ishani said. “If this is indeed a sham, of which I have no doubt, then it must be stopped. If people are buying into this, then they aren’t seeking legitimate sources of aid, and thus are at greater risk of succumbing to the affliction.” “By ‘legitimate,’ do you mean the so-called Queen’s Physicians?” Valeris asked. “I’m withholding judgment on that for now,” the cleric said, his mouth tightening, “but regardless, we want the people to get proper assistance, and this is not it.” “You’re right, of course,” Kat said. “We’ll head down there and see what’s going on.” ___________________________________________________________ A queue of eager Korvosans stood in a line that stretched nearly four blocks from Lavender’s distinctive amethyst-shaded windows. Many of them looked healthy, but several bore the obvious hacking, blistered symptoms of blood veil. “What’s going on here, citizen?” Ratbone casually asked one of the patrons as the companions joined the queue. “Haven’t you heard?” the pock-marked man said excitedly. “Vendra Loaggri’s found a cure! It’s a miracle!” “You believe it works?” the druid asked. “Oh yes!” the man nodded enthusiastically. “My sister’s cousin has a friend who knows someone who took it and their symptoms vanished immediately!” “I see,” Ratbone said. “Well then, I guess we’d better buy some ourselves.” A menagerie of heady scents twisted throughout the cramped but stylish perfumery once the companions threaded their way through the line. A dizzying assortment of bottles, from gaudy ceramic containers to graceful crystalline vials, lined a variety of lace- and ribbon-strewn tables, shelves, racks and an eye-catching display in the wide front window. Across from the front door’s orchid-tinted glass panes ran a long counter, stacked high with hundreds of simple clay phials bearing round, magenta stoppers. Behind the counter, violet flourishes swooped across a sign reading, “Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment: Either You’ve Got it, or You’ve Had it.” Three men dressed in chain shirts, and with heavy saps hanging from their belts, stood around the perimeter of the store, eyeing the steady line of customers, while a lovely woman with black hair and blue eyes stood behind the counter. “You run this place?” Valeris asked as he stepped up to the display. Herc, O’Reginald and Michael stood behind him. Katarina waited outside the door, a large dog at her side. “Yes,” the woman answered with a disarming smile. “I’m Vendra Loaggri. How can I help you?” “They say you’re hocking some sort of cure for the blood veil,” the duskblade sneered. “What’s your game?” “It’s a true miracle,” Vendra answered, her smile never faltering. “I came upon the mixture quite by accident, while I was researching a new fragrance.” “Figured that out all by yourself, did you?” Valeris asked. “My, but that is a miracle, especially when all the alchemists, physicians and priests in the city haven’t been able to do the same.” “She’s tellin’ the trooth!” said an old man who’d been quietly perusing the rest of the store’s stock. “Used it meself when I broke out in the pocks! Not only cured my rash, but made my bum leg stop achin’ too!” “You see?” Vendra asked. “An unsolicited testimonial.” “Convenient,” Valeris smirked. “Let me ask you this: if you’re so benevolent, and want to help people, why don’t you just give me the recipe for the cure, and I’ll start making it for free and give it to those who need it?” Vendra chuckled. “My dear man, I’m a businesswoman. Is it wrong for me to make a modest profit on my discovery when the Abadarians are charging almost one-hundred times as much for their prayers?” “But you’ve got something even the priests don’t!” Valeris snapped. “You’re mass-producing a cure! Surely you’ve made enough by now that it wouldn’t hurt you to show a little charity. Am I right, folks?” He turned to the crowd, and a murmur began rippling through those waiting. “Sir,” Vendra said, her smile thinning, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re disrupting my business, and delaying the delivery of a cure to these good people. Are you buying, or not?” As she spoke, the three toughs started edging closer. “Yeah, I’m buying alright,” Valeris said as he smacked two coins down on the counter and grabbed one of the vials, “but I’m going to take this to a reputable alchemist and find out what’s in it. Then I’m going to start making it myself and give it away for free!” “As you wish,” Vendra said coldly. “A pleasure doing business with you. Goodbye.” The toughs stood menacingly around the duskblade. He grinned at them as he backed out of the store, his companions following. During the interaction between Valeris and Vendra, Ratbone and Kat took the opportunity to slip unobtrusively into an alley behind Lavender. There they found a door leading into the back of the building. Ratbone sniffed around the edge and snorted once, letting Kat know that he sensed no one on the other side. The door was locked, but the beguiler’s Varisian heritage came in handy, and she quickly picked the lock, then slipped inside with Ratbone before closing the door behind her. Delicate wall hangings, artistically shaped candles, and the fine scent of cherry blossoms filled the well-decorated apartment beyond the door. A table sculpted with swirling ivy leaves bore a fragile porcelain tea service and an exotically curved hookah in a kitchen nook. A door adjacent to the kitchen opened into a bedroom furnished with an antique armoire and a bed sheeted in purple silks and heavily laden with round pillows. Ratbone quickly began nosing around the room, momentarily put off by the abundance of strong fragrances. He paused in the back corner of the bedroom as he felt a slight breeze near the floor, and detected the faint scent of mold. He began pawing at the wall, attracting Kat’s attention. When she joined him, and began examining the corner, she found a faint seam running from ceiling to floor. She worked her fingernails into the crack and pulled. The whole section of the wall gave way, opening onto another room beyond. Bits of broken crates and barrels covered the floor of the dilapidated apartment on the far side. A tun of oily liquid, its lip level with a man’s chest, filled a corner of the room, a well-used canoe oar sticking out of it. Next to it squatted several large casks of murky water and two stacks of boxes, one holding dozens of small ceramic vials with magenta stoppers, the other holding a mismatched collection of delicate perfume bottles. The apartment’s kitchen nook held another crate, filled with broken shards of multicolored glass. Despite being in shambles, the apartment smelled delightful, a mixture of spices, flowers and exotic oils. No sooner had they entered, than a low growl started in Ratbone’s throat, and his hackles rose. Kat tensed as she saw a figure step out of the shadows. It was a man, clad in the same type of chain armor worn by Vendra’s guards. When he saw her, his hand went for the sap at his belt, but Kat was faster. Her fingers moving in a blur, she quickly wove an enchantment, and as she spoke the words, the man’s eyes glazed over and his jaw went momentarily slack. “Now then,” Kat said calmly, “what were we talking about?” The guard blinked several times and shook his head. “I…I don’t remember,” he said. “Ah yes!” Kat snapped her finger. “You were telling me what a foolproof scam we were running.” “Oh…yeah. Right,” the guard nodded. “Vendra really outdid herself this time.” “She sure did,” Kat agreed. “Say, is that the ‘liniment’ you’re cooking up there?” “Yep,” the man said, turning to look at the barrel. “A potent healing mixture of river water and leftover perfume! Oh, and for this batch, I took the liberty of relieving myself in it, to!” Kat laughed along with him. “You’re such a scoundrel! Why don’t we go get a quick drink? Nobody’s going to know. You’ve been at this for awhile now.” The guard looked dubious. “I dunno. If Vendra or one of the boys comes in here and I’m gone, there’ll be Hell to pay.” “Ratbone’ll cover for you,” Kat said. The guard looked, and blinked, certain he’d just seen a dog where a large, burly half-orc now stood. “If someone comes, he’ll just tell’em you went to stretch your legs. Come on! What’s a quick drink?” “Well…I am a bit parched,” the guard said. “Ok. Let’s go, but let’s be quick about it.” _______________________________________________________ Kat and the guardsman ducked out of Vendra’s apartment and down the alley, but not before the beguiler had cast another quick spell, allowing her to send a quick, whispered message to her companions, telling them to fetch Ishani and Sergeant Grau, and meet her at the Three Rings Tavern. Ratbone stuck around just long enough to be sure they were gone, then he slipped out as well, resumed his canine form, and followed at a safe distance. When the pair reached the tavern, Grau and Ishani, both in civilian garb, were waiting. “I’d like you to meet a couple of Vendra’s new hirelings,” Kat said to the guardsman by way of introduction. “They haven’t had a chance to learn the scam yet, so I told’em you’d fill them in.” Once more, the mercenary looked doubtful. “I understand,” Kat said. “Let’s just have a few drinks first and get to know each other.” The drinks flowed, time passed, and eventually, the guard’s tongue loosened. He told the whole sordid tale of how Vendra had come up with the idea of hawkingg a phony concoction of water from the Jeggare with old perfumes to the desperate citizens of Korvosa. When he was finished, Grau nodded, stood up, and then slammed the man face-first to the table, wrenching his arm behind him. “You’re under arrest,” Grau snarled. The guardsman struggled, but his inebriated state made his efforts moot. Within minutes, a squad of soldiers swarmed into the common room and hustled the ruffian away. “That’s the evidence we needed,” Grau said, turning to Katrina. “We’re in your debt…again.” “Valeris also has a vial of the so-called liniment,” Kat said. “So much the better,” Grau nodded. “We’ll take it from here. I’ll take my men and go to Lavender. We’ll have it shut down by nightfall, and Vendra and her goons clapped in irons. The Field Marshall will know of your deeds here.” As Grau and his men left, Ishani turned to Kat and took her hands in his. “I can never repay you and your comrades for this,” he said. “You’ll never know how many lives you may have saved today. Now we can get these people the help they need and deserve. Thank you.” Katarina nodded. “Unfortunately, I think our work here is just beginning.” __________________________________________________________ Ratbone browsed some of the food stalls in old Korvosa, his stomach rumbling at the mixture of intoxicating aromas that drifted through the air. “I would not think that you had such a refined palate,” a voice suddenly spoke from behind him. The druid turned and found a mousy woman with jaundiced, yellow eyes standing nearby. “Yes, I’ve heard of you, ‘Ratbone,’” she chuckled, “and I know of your nocturnal activities. I’ve also heard that you have a soft spot for the less fortunate among Korvosa’s populace.” “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure…” Ratbone said, cocking his head inquisitively. “I am called Eries,” the woman said, “Eries Yelloweyes.” “Yelloweyes?” the half-orc asked. “An unusual name. What is it that you do?” “I’m a fishmonger,” she said, “and I suppose Yelloweyes is no stranger than Ratbone, wouldn’t you say?” “I would indeed,” Ratbone chuckled. “So, seeing as I’m not in the market for fish at the moment, to what do I owe the pleasure?” “You and I are not unalike,” Eries said, lowering her voice. “I, like you, am a shapeshifter.” Ratbone raised one eyebrow. “Truly?” “Perhaps not in the way that you think,” Eries answered, “but the essence is the same. I am a lycanthrope…a wererat.” “Ah…,” Ratbone nodded. “I had a recent…unfortunate…encounter with some of your kin.” “The Atchers,” Eries sighed. “Beila and Vernon. I hope you realize that they are not representative of my kind.” “I would make no assumptions about an entire people based on the actions of a few misguided individuals,” Ratbone replied. “Having said that,” Eries continued, “I’m sorry to say that I have come to you regarding yet another renegade. This time, however, his actions may be more justified, though no less misguided, than the Atchers. Recently, a mob of Midland citizens, bend on giving voice and violence to their fear of this plague, discovered a foolish, alley-prowling wererat and publicly executed him with a silver axe. Their unfounded vigilantism quickly extended to a few drunken dockworkers braving the sewers to hunt wererats, blaming their problems on the lycanthropes believed to dwell below. Used to fear and abuse, most of my people responded to the attacks by abandoning their dens and hiding elsewhere in the city. One, however, a firebrand named Girrigz Ripperclaws, has refused to do so, instead calling upon our kin to war against the weakened humans above. I’ve lived a double-life in secret for more than fifty years, and I’ve seen much suffering in my time, including devastating government-directed rat-purges, a return of which I fear Girrigz’s warmongering ways could quickly incite. My efforts to talk sense to him and his gang have failed. Something must be done about him before more lives are lost. I would ask that you speak with him and, if necessary, offer him an example of the force the city will doubtlessly employ should his rebelliousness continue. I beg you, however, do not kill the others of my people who have joined him, if it can be avoided. If you do this for me, I offer you something more valuable than gold…information. Specifically, I think I may can tell you what might be the true reason for Korvosa’s plague.” “It is not my wish to engage more of your people,” Ratbone said, “but I see the truth in your words. I will gather my companions, and we will go to Girrigz and try to convince him of the error of his ways. Know that I will hold you to your word, however, as the safety of this city is foremost among my concerns.” _____________________________________________________________ Through the disgustingly visible haze of noxious sewer reek, the flow of unmentionable slop through the sewer tunnel’s filth-slick channel unexpectedly forked. Most continued on its expected path, but a small stream of ooze diverted off through a wide cleft in the moldy masonry wall. The man-sized crack cut deep into the rock behind the wall, and wisps of thin white smoke issued forth. “Have I mentioned how much I love this city’s sewers?” Valeris asked. “We’re here,” Ratbone said, ignoring the duskblade’s grousing. “Perfect,” Valeris said, scraping sludge from his boots with the point of his sword. Single-file, with Herc leading the way, the company threaded their way through the twisting cleft. The flow of sewer filth oozed into a rough-hewn stone cave, pooling near its center before continuing through a crude channel in the far wall. Fat black mushrooms and other disgusting fungus grew thick around the pool of slime. Several low alcoves were cut into the walls, each filled with moldering hay, filthy furs, and tiny bones. Many things happened at once as Herc stepped through the crack. A large, sickly purple mushroom on the far side of the stream suddenly opened a trio of orifices on its cap and began emitting an ear-splitting shriek. Simultaneously, several snarling, fur-covered creatures leaped from the shadows, rapiers in their hands, their yellow teeth grinning. Giant rats swarmed among their feet. Chaos erupted as the ratmen surged among them. Herc ripped his sword from its sheath, the blade gleaming silver. He hacked the hand from a nearby wererat, and the creature screamed as the metal cauterized its flesh. He battered with his shield at several of the rats that nipped at his heels, then swung it in a wide arc at another charging ratman. Unfortunately, the wily creature ducked beneath it, and the shield embedded itself in a wall, stuck fast. The big mercenary quickly loosed the useless weapon from his arm and gripped his blade in both hands, readying for the next wave. More ratmen streamed in through other entrances, and the six companions stood back-to-back in the center of the cavern. Valeris summoned raw power into his weapon in the form of crackling electricity, and cut down one of the oncoming lycanthropes. Ratbone tore rats apart like a wolf hunting rabbits, and O’Reginald called down hails of stone among their assailants, crushing more vermin, as well as a trio of wererats. “Try and take the lycanthropes alive!” Kat cried as she hurled a wave of debilitating force at an oncoming ratman, sending him tumbling head-over-heels. “Frack that!” Valeris snarled as he cut down another. The duskblade readied his blade to do it again, but Ratbone leaped in front of him and landed with all four feet on the chest of the wererat, driving him to the floor where he struck his head solidly on the stone and went limp. “Godsdamn your bleeding heart!” Valeris screamed as his spell expired. He sheathed his sword and drew the silver dagger he’d kept all that time. With it, he slashed at a nearby ratman, only to have it bounce harmlessly off the creature’s hide as if it were made of stone. Cursing, Valeris cast the useless weapon into the slime. As the last wererat fell unconscious beneath another blast of Kat’s magic, an ear-shattering howl filled the chamber. At the far side, a hulking, heavily muscled wererat entered, clad in chain armor, a glowing, silver rapier in his hand. Valeris stood weaponless before him, and Girrigz Ripperclaws drove his blade into the duskblade like a hot knife through butter. Valeris reached down and grabbed the rapier with both hands, channeling electricity through it. Girrigz howled again as his fur stood on end. He drew his blade out of Valeris’s belly, and then, quick as lightning, slashed the duskblade viciously across the throat, sending him sprawling to the floor, gasping. “No!” O’Reginald cried as he hurled arcane bolts at the wererat. As Girrigz reeled, Ratbone leaped for him, but the wererat leader was as fast as a snake, and he turned, stabbing his rapier completely through the druid’s foreleg. Blood gushed as a vital artery was severed. Crying out in raw fury, Herc charged across the floor, silver blade upraised. Girrigz ducked beneath it and came up behind the big warrior, slashing three times, bringing Herc to his knees. The wererat raised his rapier to drive it through the mercenary’s throat, but then Katarina and O’Reginald struck simultaneously, a combination of stone and force. Girrigz collapsed beneath the bombardment, buried in rock. His rapier tumbled from his nerveless fingers. __________________________________________________________ “I’m…sorry,” Ratbone told Eries. “It was…an impossible situation. Casualties were…unavoidable.” “I understand,” the old woman said, sadness in her voice. “You did as I asked, and now it’s time to uphold my end of the bargain. As fortune would have it, several sewer tunnels empty into the Jeggare River below the Wall of Eodred. The night a black-sailed ship was sunk before reaching the harbor, several of my brethren were watching. They saw nothing on the ship except for a yellow light, but once it sank, strange debris drifted from its hull. Tracking down some of the flotsam, they discovered a few small boxes filled with dead rats and a few pouches of silver coins bound to floating timbers. Suspecting that something was wrong with the rats, and scenting some foulness upon the coins, my brethren kicked the debris back into the river. Make of it what you will, but it is my belief that the ship’s sinking, the strange flotsam, and the advent of the plague aren’t mere coincidence. Furthermore, I can tell you exactly where the wreckage of the sunken vessel lies.” [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
JollyDoc's Curse of the Crimson Throne: Updated 1/29/10
Top