Roan chimes in...

As Roan finishes cleaning the gore off of his blade, he stands and nods at Sir Kharuse's assessment. "Well... the way I see it, we ain't got but two advantages at this point; Jack and Shit, and Jack just left town."

Sheathing his massive blade in the scabbard on his back, the old soldier picks up his helm and looks at it intently. The sarcastic look that his face had bore as he spoke, quickly faded into a much more serious and somber visage. "We really do have to work fast. If I know anything about politics, it's that the enemy is going to use our attack to blame not only us, but anyone else they see as a threat. We need to get to Vencarlo a quick as we can. We need to see who he thinks are our most likely allies." A sneer crosses Roan's lips as he looks in the direction of the magic elevator. "At least we removed that piece of trash Doctor from the picture."

Snapping back to the matter at hand, Roan looks back at his brothers in arms. "For now men, we need to get out of this wretched place. Unfortunately, it looks like that means we're going to have to push forward into something even more ugly than what we've already faced." Roan chuckles to himself and looks up, "It's just like the old saying that was chiseled into the barracks wall when I first began training, 'When you're going through Hell... keep going.'" The familiar smirk that often graced the warrior's face as he spoke about combat returned. "Alright... Let's go kill some bad guys."

Sir Kharuse Responds!

Sword and shield still in hand, the deep hood of his heavy grey cloak thrown back, Kharuse takes in a deep breath. Without words, Kharuse sharply tilts his head towards his right -grimaces as old wounds crunch begrudgingly, with eyes still closed, rolls his head back and around to his left, then slowly tilts his head upright, as the old wound crunches again, this time with an audible 'cl-r-r-r-LACK!' Breathing in deeply, his great barrel shaped trunk rises under the traditional knight's tabard and heavy armor. Sword still held close in his right hand, he rolls his right shoulder in a forward short circular rotation twice, his quiet face grimaces as he breaths out through his nostrils with each motion. The knight's body shifts as he instinctively sets his right foot back into a balanced position of combat, his chin raises up and his blazing blue eyes open calmly as he faces his fellows, his gaze moving from one to the next, making direct due contact,
seeming to be both honoring and piercing to see within, the very soul of each of his companions, seeming to seek the truth of their spiritual being. Raising the finely balanced, long heavy blade of his sword and resting it back across his shoulder, Kharuse raises his voice to speak. His sense of purpose resonant in his words. "I'm with that plan, brother. We are as good as outlaws now though. We have by law, committed treason. We make our Way by the Old Catacombs and with great haste. For the sake of those who still have righteousness within them, we must not fail. By Aeroden's Call, let's hope this Sword Master still lives.'

Fatale Reflects...

Fatale rubs his temples and slouches in the mauled doctors chair, his feet up on the desk, next to the dusty red tome of research… after a minute he begins to speak, while his eyes remain closed…

"Well, friends what a bind we find ourselves in. The city has gone to hell around us while the government has descended into some mad scheme to kill all of its citizens. I would have left this desolate place long ago if I had not been forced to stay by the quarantine. The good doctor has been ripped to shreds and his apprentices are now dead or locked in the library. Serves him right given that Death's Head Coffer you found on his ship that spreads this horrid disease. The rumors of that filthy necromancer Rolth darken my already black mood. And my friends plight weighs heavy on my too weary mind.

Now we have uncovered a slaughter room with dark magic carved on the walls and doors with Calistria only knows what waiting beyond. The dark mistress? Rolth? The very gates of hell and all our dooms if our luck holds steady. And even if we manage to find Ruan and escape, then what? We will soon be known as outlaws, with the Gray Maidens and the city guard looking to deliver all our heads to her majesty, the damn fool Ileosa, Queen of Madness and decider of our fates which is all but sealed."

Fatale opens his eyes, sits up, and starts talking in earnest.

"If only we could rally the people to our cause, convince them that their rulers have turned upon them and are mocking them with their tyranny. For most likely poisoning their king to inflicting them with a pox that may well spell their doom, they have great cause to throw down this regime and side with us. But how to convince them? How to gain their sympathy and protection? If only we knew someone who was well respected amongst the common folk, yet not allied with the queen? Where could we find such a man?"

Suddenly Fatale slams his fist down on the book and jumps up!

"But Hark! The genius of Fatale has been sparked to life and burns once more! We have but to seek out the people's hero Blackjack and gain his alliance! We should at send a message at once to Vencarlo requesting an audience with the rogue so we may plead our case! And now, that I have the way clear in my mind, let us make haste, and discover the fate of my friend! What say you??"

Dr Davaulus Meets his Doom

The party meets with Arch banker Tuttle in the temple of Iomeade. He used buckets of purified water to pull the poison from Galt. After a short time, Galt recovers from his comba and begins turning back to a normal, somewhat less demonic, appearance. Arch banker Tuttle then left, and the party met back at Roan's house to sleep and recover from the events at carowyn manner.

The party decided to stow the deaths head coffer in a fresh grave in the gray district. Roan, Koramyr and Fatale did some recon, magic and sneaking, and decided to stick the coffer in a mossoleum. Sir Kharuse, Virgil, and Galt went to check on the barding for Fang, but it wasn't ready.

The party then joined up and set out for the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden based on information gained from the insane Jolistina that Fatale's friend Ruan was being held within. They believed the necromancer Rolth was behind the events at carowyn manner, the kidnapping of Ruan, and possibly the blood veil.

The party comes apon the hospice and sees a long line of people with the blood veil waiting for treatment. Kharuse, Roan and Galt entered the hospice while the rest of the party waited Galt's magic signal outside. After talking to a disinterested nurse in a small waiting room, they intimidated their way into the hospice saying they were looking for a friend amongst the sick. They see the plague doctors (queen's physicians) tending to the sick, and are approached by a pair of gray maidens ordering them to leave. Sir Kharuse refuses, and the maidens attempt to escort the trio out of the door, but sir Kharuse is far too brave to be expelled by a few women and draws his sword in protest. Galt lets the rest of the party know that things have turned uncivil and Virgil, Fatale, and Korymy storm in while Roan and Galt prepare for battle.

While Sir Kharuse and Roan engaged with the gray maidens, Fatale cast a spider climing spell on Korymr who headed up the rear wall to deal with the maidens in the catwalks who were raining down arrows. Fighting while avoiding the sick was not an easy matter. Eventually the party bested the doctors and maidens, and the remaining doctors attempted to flee. Fatale stopped those attempting to flee with his arcane magics. Killing all but one, the party bound the sole survivor and investigated the stairs leading up.

At the top of the stairs was an experiment room with plague doctors and very sick patients. On entering the room, one of the doctors put his knife to a patient and demanded the party leave or he would slit the patient's throat. The party knowing that these people were dying anyway put a stop to the dealings and killed or subdued the doctors. Then they heard the elevator gate open. Virgil being in the form of a bear, quickly sniffed out the activity and jumped into the elevator, with Roan following right behind. Virgil then mauled the escaper while Roan was pressed into an uncomfortable corner. Korymr and Fatale missing the elevator jumped on top and rode down in the blackness. By the time the elevator stopped, the bloodied corpse was identified as Dr Davaulus, head of the queen's physicians. When the doors opened at the bottom, they were met with a gruesome sight of a pile of dead hellnights. Wading through the blood, they saw doors on each wall of the room with dark magic runes etched apon them. They then returned up the elevator to report on what they had seen.

The party regrouped in the library and interrigated the bound queen's physicians. Fatale charmed the prisoner and found out many strange and dark things were going on. Rumors of a dark priestess Lady Andaisin and Dr Davaulus' research journal were found and considered.

The Fall of Galt and Carowyn Manor

Gaming session took place September 18th, 2010 at Dan's house. The adventure party was elven wizard Fatale (Hartzler), dwarven rogue Kormyr (Dan), human Varissian warrior Roan (Hybbert), human Varissian paladin Sir Kharuse (Kruse), and human Shoanti druid Virgil (Quinn).

The adventure begins just after the party has cleared out a wererat den in the sewers of Korvosa. They leave a message for wererat Aeries Yelloweyes to meet in the evening. In the battle with the wererats, wizard Galt (formerly Marcus), was infected with what the party believes to be rat lycanthropy. Leaving the sewers the party splits up; Kormyr and Sir Kharuse head to inquire about healing for Galt while Galt, Roan, Virgil, and Fang (Virgil's wolf companion) carry looted gear back to Roan's apartment in East Shore. After learning that the only priest that has the power to cure Galt's lycanthropy is in the Bank of Abadar, both Kormyr and Sir Kharuse return to Galt's house to share information with the rest of the party.

The adventurers then decide to return to the Bank of Abadar to pursue healing for Galt's lycanthropy. On their way to the Bank, Galt inexplicably collapses and when the party inspects they find his breathing shallow, heart rate slow, and his body breaking out in bloody pustules that resemble the Blood Veil. Sir Kharuse throws Galt over his shoulder and they rush him back to Roan's house. They place him on the bed and Virgil bandages him well and applies poulices to his wounds. Sir Kharuse tries to purify the disease from Galt by calling upon the favor of Iomedae, but this seems to agonize Galt and doesn't affect the disease. The party decides again to split up leaving Virgil to watch over Galt while Roan, Kormyr, and Sir Kharuse go to the Bank of Abadar to inquire about healing.

When they arrive at the Bank of Abadar, the party finds a near-rioting crowd being contained by Grey Maidens and the Bank's guards. Most people in the crowd are showing signs of Blood Veil and the crowd is preventing an easy entrance into the Bank. Kormyr and Roan decide to let Sir Kharuse make his way through the people because of his immunity to diseases and he makes his way through the crowd into the Bank.

Inside the Bank, Sir Kharuse asks for Ishani, the priest that he has dealt with before. Ishani is happy to see him and takes him to a conference room to see how he can help. Sir Kharuse lets Ishani know about Galt's condition and Ishani goes and brings back Darb Tuttle, the Archbanker, to see if he can do anything to assist. Archbanker Tuttle brings up the fact that he cannot use his greatest healing magic because it is on reserve by a nobleman named Ausio Carowyn via an Abadarian contract. He says that if a new contract could be signed by Carowyn, he would do his best to help Galt. He draws up a new contract, hands it over, and Sir Kharuse leaves.

Meanwhile, as Roan and Kormyr are waiting outside the Bank, they are approached by a young Verissian woman named Deyanira Mirukova. She seems to have heard of Roan from asking around the Korvosan Guard. She asks for help in finding out what happened to her brother Ruan. Ruan was last known to be heading to Carowyn Manor to play music for a party that the nobles were having there to escape the troubles of the plague. She offers Roan and Kormyr 100 gold pieces if they can help her find her brother, but Roan assures her this is not necessary.

The adventurers then regroup and return to Roan's house. After sharing information they decide that they will go to Carowyn Manor during the night after they are able to rest and recouperate. Sir Kharuse and Virgil settle down to sleep so that they can regain spells while Kormyr and Roan head off to meet Aeries Yelloweyes. From Yelloweyes they gain a Death's Head Coffer containing information that ties Doctor Davaulus to the naval ship Direption. This is the ship that the party believes brought the plague into Korvosa.

After resting, the heroes set out in the middle of the night to inspect Carowyn Manor. They bring Galt to the Temple of Iomedae for safe keeping. At the outskirts of Carowyn Manor, the party waits while Kormyr scouts out the area. To his disgust, he finds a window looking in on a table full of zombies sitting around a tied down elf. He also finds a balcony on the second floor that provides entrance to the manor. The party splits up, Roan and Kormyr going upstairs, Sir Kharuse, Virgil and Fang entering through the front door. They time their attack and burst into the house to find all the nobles dead. A majority of the dead nobles have been animated into zombies and many still carry on tasks as if they were alive. Some dancing, some playing cards, and some even enjoying the artwork.

Virgil, now in the form of a bear, and Sir Kharuse start to make their way through the zombies downstairs while Roan and Kormyr take care of the ones upstairs. Here the party also finds Jolstina Susperio, a "Harlequin-Harlet" elf that is seriously dimented. She appears from nowhere sneak attacking Roan with a crossbow bolt to the center of his chest and then immediately jumps down to the lower level. At this point Jolstina orders the zombies around the table to begin eating their captured feast, which happens to be Fatale, an elven wizard. While Virgil and Fang fight an army of zombies near the entrance, Sir Kharuse strikes a fierce blow to Jolstina but she manages to slip away. At this time Fatale exclaims "What the fuck! That was my ear! You will all BURN for this".

Roan and Kormyr hop down to the lower level and Roan engauges more zombies while Kormyr heads into the dining room to free the elf. Kormyr, now backed up by Sir Kharuse, manages to cut Fatale's bonds and he slips free. Meanwhile, Virgil, still in bear form, hears a window break and runs outside. Using his heightened sense of smell he tracks down Jolstina and chases her back into the manor. Back in the dining room, Fatale manages to get a spell off which leaves many of the zombies stunned and easily dispatched. Once inside, Jolstina scores another sneak attack on Roan, this time with a bolt through the right side of his neck. At the end of his rope physically and mentally, Roan bellows and charges Jolstina shoving his bastard sword straight through her right shoulder and into the wall behind her.

Knowing she is defeated, Jolstina (still dimentedly giggling) gives in and asks for mercy in exchange for information. Twisting his sword within her, Roan angrily tries to pry information out of her. At this time Fatale approaches, mutters some arcane words, and Jolstina appears to become very friendly toward him. She lets spill that Ruan was given to the necromancer Rolth to be taken to the Hospice. She also shows the party the zombie of Olauren Carowyn which she is particularly proud of. When there are no more questions to be asked of her, Fatale, still holding her hand, puts two bolts of magic energy straight into her head to end her.

Searching the rest of the manor, the party finds Ausio Carowyn alive but very psycologically unstable. They take him back to the Bank of Abadar and Ishani gets him to sign the adapted contract. Once this is done, Archbanker Tuttle leads the group to the Temple of Iomedae where the party has left Galt. Galt is now isolated from the rest of the patients and is now covered in hardening blisters. Archbanker Tuttle wastes no time in beginning his healing. He immediately starts to draw upon some of the greatest curative magic granted to him by Abadar. As healing power rolls from him into Galt... we stop until next time.