Dr. Si's Curse of the Crimson Throne - Beta Group

See now that's a problem Edmond, Yargin's dead, had to kill him for lying. Thorson seems entirely unconcerned about the act.

Edmond Deathwish

Oh, damn. I knew he'll start killing left and right! What if he rages somewhere outside because some beggar touched his leg?!?!?

"You shouldn't have. He fell easily and it's understandable he tried to set us up. Obviously, he was braver then he appeared. But now, you have on your soul cold blooded murder of helpless man. Do you feel better for killing him?
Mighty warrior indeed!"

Edmond sneeres at that last one.

"Mighty you might be, but great no. Not until you learn to stay your hand when killing will just debase you."

Then he shrugs, it's not like death of Yargin pains him much, but he is worried about some of the kids taking bad example.
No matter.

Here little one, take this candy. You don't have to be afraid anymore.
He offers candy to the girl Hookshanks held and then extends his hand offering its content to other children.

After they took it he turns.
"Let's finish this, once and for all!"

The half-orc takes in Edmond's sneer and self-righteousness and attempts to sort out his emotions, anger figures prominently but the barbarian is also strangely relaxed, as if in the groove and just waiting to burst out at the right time. Finally he speaks and it is with the words of a philosophy born of pragmatism and violence experienced in Thorson's short life that emerge.

Hmm, you should be thankfully I only killed him, I promised him that I'd torture him to death if he lied to us, he lied. For killing him, I feel nothing, one would have to be some insane maniac to feel pride for killing an opponent who poses no threat. You can pretend that your hands are clean just because you've only killed in the heat of battle, but in truth, how does any of that matter? We are all stained with blood, I'm just more honest about it.

While we pursue Lamm, do you plan on protecting Hookshanks against these kids, they seem to wish revenge, what right have you to deny them?

But you're right, none of this really matters, Lamm is somewhere below, we still have him to deal with, and when we do, I shall remember Lynn's request, of Yargin, there was no such thing.

[sblock=ooc]While I've forgotten to mention it so far, In human years Thorson is really only about 15 years old. Half-orcs with their short lives and likely brutal upbringings, (Thorson's was) age quickly and with all the fights he's been in and such he looks older, but he's still limited to the experience of his short life span. Various books always emphasize human mercuriality, but to me, the savage races embody it with their extremely short lifespans.[/sblock]

After the murderous gnome had been delt with by Edmond, Lynn had busied herself seeing to the children, making sure they were all unharmed. She didn't noticed Thorson leaving with Yargin. It will be alright, no one will hurt you anymore, she had said to the gathered children. Lynn desperately hoped that was true.

When Edmond called for Yargin to be brought down she could only listen in growing horror to the conversation that followed. These men that worked for Lamm were truly terrible, she knew that. And the law in Korvosa had proved to be a total failure where it really mattered, so perhaps there was justice here. But that Thorson could do what he had done so casually frightened her deeply. She looked at the two men with her, and thought about the things she herself had taken part in already tonight. Was this the true evil of Lamm, that he corrupted all the lives he touched?

Lynn had nothing to say to Thorson, there was no taking back his actions and any little speech seemed insignificant next to that. Her eyes held for him though a mixture of fear, sadness and pity. Instead she turned to the children around her.

Is that really what you want? Revenge?

She walked over to Hookshanks and roughly pulled up on his chin so they could all see his face clearly.

On this pathetic little creature? Maybe you want to be just like him?

Lynn glared at the children, especially the boys who had suggested he be thrown to the sharks, with a fierce intensity.

Dj'hân watches events unfold in the lower vat room from his discreet vantage point behind the upper walkway doorway. When he sees Thorson leading Yargin away, the young urchin quietly pads over to the opposite door leading into the gore-filled room. Hiding behind the doorjamb, the young halfling watches as the burly half-orc pushes the man ahead of him into the empty bedchamber and closes the door behind them. Dj'hân listens to the pair's muffled voices during their brief conversation. The dialogue soon ends however with a loud thump followed by some grunting and bumping sounds. The boy hardly dares to breathe when the brutish half-orc opens the door, emerges and heads back downstairs; without Yargin.

Quietly returning to the doorway from which he'd been observing events in the lower vat room, Dj'hân listens in as Thorson reveals that he's killed Yargin and as Edmond admonishes the half-orc for the brutal act. As he so often has in his life, the young boy watches but doesn't participate, stymied as he is by his fear and uncertainty. The scene below seems frighteningly familiar to the Dj'hân. How many times had he watched a trio of adults casually discussing acts of violence while surrounded by young urchins? And the urchins themselves were hardly innocent either; most had grown hard and callous from years of brutal hardships. Seeing as they worked for Lamm, Dj'hân had grown to fear and avoid them as had Giggles, Yargin and Hookshanks.

Swallowing, the young urchin turns his attention away from the upsetting scene below to instead focus on his own long term survival. Perhaps there were things to scrounge at hand; things he'd need for later.

OOC: While the adults tend to the urchins and discuss plans, Dj'hân will search the upper vat room; there appears to be some furnishings around the south end. Did either of the other two upper rooms contain any furnishings worth investigating?

Something the three of you might wish to remember, Thorson addresses his companions specifically, Would any of us be here if the watch was capable of taking care of our problems? Think about it when you when you hand a murderer into their safe keeping. Think about the fact that we have already taken justice into our hands, and now you're just putting a spin on it. You've given someone else the obligation to execute them, and you've given it to a group that you already know is incompetent and corrupt, taking the blood away from your hands, but giving it to someone else you don't trust. Is that intelligence, civilization, wisdom? I will never understand you city people.

So don't be so self righteous. Think for a moment about who you really are, and not what you wish you were. If you live, there will be plenty of time to go over it, it would be better to be honest. At least with yourselves.

Lynn, you called this creature pathetic, with that, you have put down every child in this room who was unable to keep him away, everyone he had power over. You are high in your tower looking down on all of them, and yet you yourself attempt to control them while wearing a cloak calling itself their best interest. Look at it for what it is, don't be so busy seeing the hero in your mind. I'm not here to save children, I'm not here to make the world a better place, I'm not here for anyone else's plans. I'm here for revenge, and I will not pretend anything else for anyone, and if that makes me less in your eyes, then Goram himself show you that there is more to the world than the morals taught by the strong who wish to control the weak.

I fear I waste my breath, I'm going to find Lamm, if you're with me, he may survive, if you're not, you'll find him dead.

[sblock=ooc]Thorson is looking for a way deeper below the fishery[/sblock]

Kester looks between Edmond and Lynn. His shoulders seem to sag a bit.

"Ah, the lady's right," he says to his cohorts. "He ain't worth it. Let's split." The orphans head towards the lower door that Hookshanks was trying to escape through. Kester turns round for a last look at Edmond as the children file out.
"Well, see y'around, Ed," he says with a brief nod. And then the children have gone.

Thorson, meanwhile, finds that the opening in the floor [OOC the blue rectangle to the right of the map] has ropes and chains hanging over the side as a makeshift ladder. They lead down to a crawlspace beneath the Fishery, about 4 ft. of space between the river and the fishery floor, filled with slime-covered pilings. A wooden walkway runs at water level between a door back beneath the building on the bankside (where there is an undercroft area) and out towards the listing hulk (where a couple of skiffs are moored).

[SBLOCK=Dj'hân]
The upper vat room features a locked cabinet (did I mention Yargin had a key? I think I missed that detail...). The front room holds a desk and chair, plus a ratty pile of rags that eveidently served as the dog's bed. The bedroom features four tatty bunks (one of which looks unused) but nothing else. The room that Edmond entered through is an office of sorts, with a desk and (open) cabinet full of chalk slates and piles of scrolls.
[/SBLOCK]

[sblock=Dr Simon]You'd mentioned Yargin's key; Dj'hân has it in his hat. He'd have tried it in the locket cabinet. As for the other cabinet, Dj'hân would likely have glanced at the scrolls out of curiosity.[/sblock]

In which case:

[SBLOCK=Dj'hân]
Yargin's key fits the cabinet in the vat room. Inside are six small pouches of coins. A quick glance shows that four contain copper pinch, the other two silver shields.

(Although Dj'hân hasn't got time to count them all right now, to save time later there is a total of 200 cp and 100 sp).

The scrolls in the office all seem to bear manifests and ledgers for the buying of surplus fishing catch, and the sale of 'dock dumplings'.
[/SBLOCK]

Edmond Deathwish

I strongly suggest you go to temple of Irori. I'll be there shortly. Later we can discuss what next with the lot of you. Understand that there are no obligations here, I won't hold it against you if you don't show. I'd just hate to see you back on the street again and without Lamm's protection such as it is.

Turning to Thorson.
"I am here because city guard failed in it's duty. That doesn't mean they cannot take over once it is over and punish the guilty. It is their duty and they'll do it whether they will be executed or imprisoned is irrelevant here, it is not our decision to make. And corruption is not the issue here, but the fact that you killed helpless man. If at any time later that comes out either from urchins or from Hookshanks you'll be wanted man. Law may not be perfect, it's implementation may be even worse, but these are trappings of civilization and you cannot behave like you are hunting in the woods without consequences."