Xnauth’s Cowhide – Part 5

Xnauth’s Cowhide – Part 5 (June 24, 2011)

Pharast 30 (Wealday)

We get a message from Cressida Kroft. On the way to the Citadel, Davian almost gets robbed. After weighing his extremely one-sided options, the thief decides to join the Korvosan Guard. Wherever you grab, you find volunteers. Nice.

For the first time, we enter Field Marshal Kroft’s audience chamber. It has a big wooden desk, lots of banners, and tall windows all around. She says things are settling down a little, but there are plenty of rumors. Shoanti and Varisians supposedly had something to do with the king’s death. These wild stories are stirring up attacks. We get decorations from the Korvosan Guard for our services. We are to take a few days off. I offer to patrol and am told to report to Captain Berrek. He assigns me to the unit led by Sergeant Vorce, a Taldan. His initial arrogance wears off over time, and I get him to explain a few things about the city. The unit has four soldiers and the sergeant. Looking at these scrawny guys, I’d say with me we’re more like seven.

Gozran 6 (April)

Rumors at the Three Rings Tavern say it is now certain that the king was murdered. The murderess supposedly “did” the king before the murder. Painted his portrait too, they say. She’s said to be hiding in Midland. Lady Kroft confirms the rumor shortly afterward. This is her first visit to us at the tavern. If I’d known Lady Kroft was coming, I wouldn’t have dropped so many crumbs at breakfast. Luckily, there are important events to report as a distraction, and they need all my punching power:

• A woman named Trinia Sabor supposedly poisoned the king. She’s the artist everyone is talking about.
• A guard claims he saw her pour something into the king’s cup several times.
• She lives at 42 Moonstreet. The mob will lynch her unless she is taken into custody soon. The rabble doesn’t know where she lives yet.
• We are to catch her and hand her over so she can enjoy the warmth and kindness of Korvosan justice.
• The queen had this information made public. Field Marshal Kroft doesn’t understand why the queen did it. There will be a senseless witch hunt. The riots are already flaring up again.

Tyrion is suspicious. The guard should have stepped in earlier or kept his trap shut. The whole thing sounds like a trick. Now that he mentions it, it seems fishy to me, too. I wipe away my daydream of driving a mob down Moonstreet with my club and a pretty young thing over my shoulder. Something stinks about this Trinia business. We have to find the girl before the others do. Lady Kroft wants to find out the truth, too, because the queen’s behavior is strange. So we are to bring her to the Citadel first.

On the way to Moonstreet, some members of the rabble crew block our path and wave pitiful little knives around. There are women among them, too. They get no chance to regret their mistake. Syrandor makes the ground slippery and sends some of the rioters tumbling.

We quickly get inside the house and look for Trinia’s apartment. We find her in bed in her plain room. She doesn’t respond to Zyraso’s demands. He’s just too nice. But it soon turns out she left us a trick for the eyes and took off across the Shingles long ago. Plenty of roof shingles lie between us and her by the time we see through the illusion.

Trinia moves across the roof like a cat. We give chase. I go after her like a shot from a catapult. Here’s a rundown of what we had to get past:

• Balance across narrow wooden planks, thin and slimy gutters, tattered rope bridges, narrow roof ridges, crumbling or cluttered rooftops, and clotheslines
• Squeeze between chimneys and gargoyles
• Climb over walls
• Yell Shingles marketgoers and beggars out of the way (Davian’s specialty)
• Jump from roof to roof
• Smash through wooden shacks
• Look for hidden shortcuts in the middle of a wild chase

A choker abruptly cuts Calista’s lead short. I steer clear of their fight, only to find myself facing two imps later. Luckily, I can shake them off. Their magic can’t do a thing to me either. A look over my shoulder while I balance along the gutters tells me my dear companions have found other ways to amuse themselves besides chasing. Little scraps have broken out with imps and a choker. A slip here and there also livens up the dull old chase. They’re acting like a bunch of schoolchildren on a ropes course. Only Tyrion manages to stay anywhere near our heels, but an imp is giving him a hard time. The little devil is clearly trying to perforate him. By the time he gets here, he’s not much use. Trinia’s magic tricks put my will to the test several times. But my rage has filled my head with lead. Every bit of magic splatters harmlessly against my forehead. If a pretty big spider hadn’t taken our side, she would probably have been over the rooftops and far away. It attacks Trinia as she passes a chimney. That gives me time to catch up. I wrestle with her while the spider happily punches holes in my back. I have to let go of the brat to train the spider with my axe. Trinia seizes her chance and is off again. No way around it. We’ll have to knock her out. I catch her again. Once the rest of the pathfinders finally show up, we can nab her.

Pretty badly banged up, we find a tent in the Shingles. Tyrion uses his powers to tend to our wounds. Trinia wakes up and swears she’s innocent. She agrees to let Abadar’s holy gaze rest on her. She didn’t murder the king. That’s the truth. She didn’t have an affair with the old skirt-chaser either, though he would have been willing. Her lover is Marceleno Zenderholm. Davian wants to let her go. But I trust Lady Kroft and side with the others against it. Especially since Zellara told us we could trust her. After a long argument, we decide to bring her back. Lady Kroft is to pick her up at Zellara’s house.

Syrandor and I set off for the Citadel. Still as clueless as little lambs, we enter Lady Kroft’s audience chamber. Word of our mission has clearly gotten around while we were away. All at once, the city’s entire justice system has packed itself into this room. A clean-shaven Chelaxian in a red judge’s robe and a woman in full plate are waiting for us, along with two Hellknights and Lady Kroft. They are Chief Justice Pretonikus Jeggare and Mistress of Blades Maidrayne Vox. Thanks to our unbeatable acting skills, they realize at once that Trinia is in custody, and the whole procession rolls off toward Zellara’s house, no stopping it. Every attempt to warn our companions in the house fails. Field Marshal Kroft puts a stop to them all. Trinia is led away without a fight.

We head back to the Three Rings Tavern with our heads hanging. On the way, we spot two Hellknights laying into two defenseless people with their swords. One of them is a Shoanti. Furious, I charge, but come to my senses at the last moment. I’ve lived in this city long enough to know how stupid it is to attack a Hellknight. The Hellknights caught the two trying to break in. Tyrion heals us and the remaining burglar. He convinces the Hellknights to hand him over to the Korvosan Guard.

That evening, I wash down the day’s defeat with Davian and Syrandor. During the night, some troublemakers break into the tavern and attack Thauk Par. Zyraso rushes to help him. I’m still far too drunk. I can’t even get my boots on. Luckily, the scoundrels are driven off.