Intelligence Report – Part 2

Intelligence Report of House Thrune on Elements C, G, L, Q, and V

Day 1 cont. – Kintargo (Rova 1, 4715)

After a contentious discussion, the fellowship decided to spend the night in the cellar of the Livery. The condition of several companions, along with the prospect of hauling stolen loot through the streets shortly before curfew, proved decisive.

Night watches were accordingly arranged and carried out, at least until the duty fell to Rexus Victocora. He promptly fell asleep counting the ruffles on his pants and was still slumbering blissfully when the rest of the gang awoke the next morning. The companions’ anger stayed within bounds; after all, one cannot expect much from Kintargo’s pampered nobility anyway. Q reported that the flute music had once again been audible during the night.

Day 2 – Kintargo (Rova 2, 4715)

In several small groups, the elements left the Livery and went to the Long Roads Coffeehouse, the place where Laria Longroad had been keeping Rexus Victocora hidden. One by one, the companions trickled in, and Laria offered them a bath and a meal upstairs in her establishment.

Refreshed and restored, V then made a grave mistake, one that will come back to haunt him, mark my words. For he revealed to Rexus that he was among them as a confidential informant for House Thrune.

AO: Send a memo to Tiarize Izone and flag CI V in his file as a double agent.

For a moment, several companions reached for their weapons, only to realize that V was exposing his unguarded flank here. He had been tasked by Tiarize Izone on the morning of Rova 1 with mingling among the rebels in Aria Park, worming his way into their confidence, and then delivering a report to her. She had held out the prospect of a successful future under House Thrune in Kintargo—provided he dutifully fulfilled the expectations placed in him—but had also sent him on his way with a warning. For she hinted that his girlfriend Valeria Victocora was in her custody and arranged a dead drop where V was to leave his information. In it lay a lock of Valeria Victocora’s hair.

V’s candor was received favorably by the majority. C even expressed her appreciation physically for V having cut himself free of the puppeteer’s strings, and together they decided that V should keep playing his role, but as a double agent, and in this way attempt to deceive the rightful rulers. A delicate undertaking, considering the cunning of House Thrune and the collateral it holds in the form of his Valeria.

Quinn, too, now revealed that his real name is Quell and that he is a wanted criminal with a bounty of 75 gp on his head since 4699, who came to Kintargo for reasons other than those he had given. His goals include tracking down his mother’s murderer, a dire corby named Cough. The companions considered it safe enough to call Q by his real name; the bounty (from House Sarini?) has likely been forgotten after more than 15 years.

Moved by so much candor, Laria Longroad now offered the companions her coffeehouse as a base for future operations, though she expressed the wish that they first see to her cellar. For there—hidden from prying eyes—lies an access point to the sewers, which can serve to smuggle people out of or into Kintargo. She had lodged a halfling named Naan down there, but had heard nothing from him since, and she asked the gang to find out what had become of him. This, however, was not to happen until the next day, Rova 3, since C had already spent various healing spells on the wounded fellows and needed to recover her strength. V, too, required the rest of the day for research and for learning spells at the Alabaster Academy. Beforehand, however, he revealed the secret of the magic items from the Livery: a cloak of elvenkind (which L won from Q in a game of dice) and 6 figurines of wondrous power (silver ravens), of which each element (incl. R) kept one. V tested and demonstrated the figurines’ function, including the command word; the companions were introduced to each other’s ravens, thus making them operational. Interestingly, on this occasion the flute music that had already been heard in the Livery’s cellar sounded once again. The remaining finds (money and pearls) were divided up.

Day 3 – Kintargo (Rova 3, 4715)

And so, on Rova 3, the descent into the sewers began. With his new spell, V quickly located the secret door connecting the cellar to the larger sewer system. Behind the secret door, however, dangers lurked. The companions found the corpse of the missing halfling, who had, however, partially served an albino alligator as a delicacy (halfling shank). The latter was anything but pleased that its meal was to be taken away and attacked L.

Badly wounded by the alligator’s bites, L tried to flee, only to be promptly sent back to the ground by a dire corby amid loud cries of “Doom!” V put the alligator to sleep, and Q threw himself into the fray, for he recognized Cough, his sought-after foe, in Lorax’s attacker.

Despite impressive injuries, the corby managed to keep fighting.

AO: This ferocity ability warrants further study and should be made available to loyal servants of House Thrune. Very practical.

In the end, Q struck him down for good and severed his head from his body as proof of his success (and, by his account, worth 250 gp). The alligator, woken by a bolt from C, escaped wounded into the sewers.

Further exploration of the premises revealed the presence of four more figures, all of them tengu “ladies” named Jay, Meggie, Treep, and Korva Fushi, who had been brought here from Korvosa by Naan (together with their adoptive father, the dire corby) and were now—after the deaths of Naan and Cough—stranded.

C decided to offer them the chance to act together against House Thrune. The tengus accepted the offer.

The offer to involve the tengus in the plans against Thrune did not meet with approval from every member of the fellowship. V in particular voiced concerns about involving unknown elements in the task ahead. At this point, however, Rexus interjected; he had translated some of the letters found in the Livery and showed them to be letters from Amyreid Juliac, priestess of Milani and member of the Silver Ravens.

AO: Add a copy of the letter to the files.

The letter, titled “How to Build a Rebellion,” explicitly recommends seeking allies in order to withstand a superior force and to operate more effectively. If C’s plan works out, then, the 4 tengu sisters will be the first recruits. Time will tell…

Day 4 – Kintargo (Rova 4, 4715)

On the morning of Rova 4, after what felt like 28 meals, the companions decided to visit and investigate several places that had been of particular significance before and during the Night of Ashes. Beforehand, V had left a message at the dead drop in which he described the attack on Nox on Rova 1, attributed the deaths of the Queensmen in the side alley and the attack on the hell hound to magic, hinted at his contact with the resistance, but also expressed the wish to have Valeria at his side, as this would considerably increase his willingness to cooperate.

The Thrashing Badger, a seedy dive, had once been built on wooden stilts and had collapsed into the river during the fire. Nothing was to be found there.

The rose garden and Hetamon’s homestead likewise yielded no new insights.

At the Silver Star, Shensen’s house, G discovered—through a fall and a fluke—an iron chest containing various scrolls and potions. G managed to recover it. Meanwhile, C and V distracted the Queensmen who were approaching the searching companions.

Buoyed by this success, the companions were now to tackle the primary objective of the mission. Element L had previously whined about being treated so harshly in the salt mines of the Aulorians and expressed the wish to kill or capture the overseer (a servant of Asmodeus who is allegedly enriching himself there unjustly), free the prisoners in the mines, and thereby make them part of the planned rebellion as well.

Whether this will succeed is doubtful. Time will tell…

To be continued…

Ex-CI V

H SR!