You spend most of the evening up in the Shingles, looking for imps, which also has the side effect of keeping you away from the clashes going on down below. As Dj'hân. Edmond and Majenko know, Korvosa'a imp population stems from attempts by Acadamae students to bind them as familiars. Their numbers are kept down by the city's pseudodragon population, the two tiny creatures sometimes fighting it out in pitched battles above the Shingles. The imp menace is probably overstated as the little devils could spread mayhem throughout the city if they chose, but don't seem to.
Your hunt is unsuccessful, however. Majenko steers you to areas he remembers as imp haunts, but you find nothing, although you think at times that you hear sniggering and the fluttering of tiny leather wings. But a foe that can fly and turn invisible can pretty much choose when to fight, and the imps, if there are any, choose not to tonight.
Dawn comes with a spread of red-tinged cloud, and the lingering smell of burnt wood. You return to Citadel Volshyenek to find the courtyard full of tired and wounded Korvosan Guard. Kroft, however, seems fresh and alert, but when you enter her office you find she is not alone.
A tall, rail thin Shoanti man, old and wizened, stands in her office, leaning on staff made from a long thighbone of some creature, topped with the skull of a great cat. He wears a shirt decorated with countless tiny animal bones, with a fur pelt over the top of this. He turns towards you as you enter, and you see that his face bears tattoos or warpaint in the shape of a skull. His eyes are the milky whiteness of a blindman, but he acts as if he can see you.
"Ah, Gentlemen," says Kroft. "May I introduce Thousand Bones, Waykeeper of the Skoan-Quah, Clan of the Skull. Um.. please take a seat, there's been a complication. It would seem that in last nights troubles, some citizens took it upon themselves to attack a group of Shoanti. Unfortunately, one young man was killed."
Thousand Bones clears his throat and speaks, his deep voice strained with anger.
"The young man was named Gaekhen, and he was my grandson," he says. "My people have worked hard to understand yours, yet it seems each day we see new examples of how your people work just as hard to foster old hatreds. My grandson is dead, beaten to death by cowards in your city street. I do not blame you, yet still Gaekhen is dead, and my son and his kin are not so forgiving as I. They wish to return to the Skoan-Quah in the Cinderlands, to join with the Sklar-Quah and rally to war against Korvosa. This would be disastrous, for both our peoples. Amends must be made.
"Our ways are not as yours. If a body does not go whole to the fires of the gods, the smoke of a warrior’s spirit cannot rise to the Great Sky. If I could send Gaekhen’s body to the Great Sky with honour and dignity, his father and brothers would listen to me and stay their wrath. The talks of peace between my people and yours can continue. But he was not just murdered.
His body was taken from the scene of his death, sold by a peddler of corpses to a necromancer named Rolth, a criminal to both our people. I have spoken with the spirits, and they have revealed to me that Gaekhen’s body has been taken to a place below your boneyard, a place the spirits call the Dead Warrens.
"With this knowledge, I could surely lead a group of my finest warriors into your boneyard to retrieve Gaekhen’s body, but this would be seen as an act of aggression by your people. No, it falls to you to make amends for what has been done. You must bring me Gaekhen’s body, lest we be forced to recover him ourselves. And although it pains my heart to say it, we will not be gentle if it comes to this."
Thousand Bones nods curtly to Kroft and leaves the room.
"I apologize for the abrupt nature of that," says Kroft, "But I basically agree with his assessment. We need this sorting out straight away. Ms. Sabor will have to wait. Oh, but that reminds me." She hands a sheet of paper to Edmond. "Take this chit to my deputy, it authorises the payment of 1000 gold sails for sorting out that business with Ms. Sabor. There's another 1000 for you if you bring back this Shoanti's body."
) but we need not play that out he just wants to make sure she is ok, thanks. [/sblock]
