Off With Her Head!

The campaign is coming along nicely. The first book of 6 has been finished, and now things start to get ugly for the citizens of Korvosa...

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 8: Blackjack returns

We continued our exploration of the Dead Warrens, but found no sign of the necromancer named Rolth. We did encounter a couple of his lackeys though - a huge brute of a man who was hideously deformed, and a powerful spell-wielding Derro. Both, however, were defeated, thanks to Reg's holy power, Adam's deadly fists, Reda's bow, and Kemar's elemental power.

We also managed to find the remaining pieces of Gaekhen's body. His head had been attached to a hideous creation of mismatched body parts to create a humanoid monster. His torso and right arm had been partially animated, and we found it thrashing helplessly on a workbench.

And so, with a gruesome collection of severed body parts, we returned to Field Marshall Kroft to tell of our success. She thanked us for completing the mission, and then told us of a development that we had missed while being in the Dead Warrens. Trinia Sabor, the young artist accused of assassinating the king, had been found and was due to be executed at sunset. It was to be a big gathering of nobles and important figures from across the city in the public courtyard of the Palace. The Field Marshall felt that something was not right, and wanted us to attend the execution.

We pushed our way into the Palace courtyard. Filling the space were the upper class, the high priests, the generals and captains, and all of the cream of Korvosa's citizenry. In the centre of the square was a platform, on which stood a masked executioner wielding a large axe.

A lone trumpet sounded from above, and looking up we saw Queen Ileosa and her bodyguard appear on a balcony. The trumpet sounded again, and murmers rippled through the crowd as Trinia emerged from a door, surrounded by royal guards. She was lead up to the platform and forced to kneel before the executioner's block. The Queen stood and delivered a speech about how the execution of this assassin would help the citizens of Korvosa to move on and help rebuild the city after the riots. She then gave the order for the execution to commence.

As the executioner raised the axe, he stopped. He reached round to his back, and brought his hand back suddenly. From our vantage point, we could see that his hand was covered in blood. He twitched again, and slowly he dropped to his knees and fell face first onto the platform, two daggers sticking out of his back.

Suddenly, running through the crowd onto the platform came a masked and hooded man dressed in black. "By the gods, it's Blackjack!" someone shouted. Excited chatter filled the crowd as Korvosa's hero stood on the platform, releasing Trinia from the block.

Let me tell you of the hero known as Blackjack. Over 150 years ago a masked hero appeared in the city of Korvosa, rescuing the wronged, and dealing out justice to those who deserved it. He has been seen in the city ever since. No-one knows who he is. Some believe he must be an elf, or some other long-lived race to have been around for so long. Others believe that the role of Blackjack has been passed down through the generations, and has been a number of different people. Either way, Blackjack had not been seen in the city for over a decade.

As Blackjack released Trinia, he looked up at Queen Ileosa, calling out that she was not the heir to the throne, and that Korvosa would be better off without her. Looking momentarily shocked, the Queen rose from her chair and fled inside the Palace with her guards. The crowd began cheering and yelling. Some wanted Blackjack dead. Others were agreeing with what he had said and were crying out for the Queen to be removed from power.

Blackjack stood, waving to the crowd, almost like a showman acknowledging his adoring public. What he didn't see was the executioner, standing up again behind him, and raising his axe above his head. I suddenly felt a strong wave of heat pass over me, and noticed that Kemar's eyes had flames in them. He looked at the executioner, and a ghostly hand composed of ethereal fire appeared above the executioner and gripped his axe. Surprised, the man could not bring his axe down on Blackjack, for the ghostly hand held it fast. Blackjack heard the man's sound of surprise, turned, drew his rapier, and stabbed the executioner through the chest. With a gurgle, the executioner dropped to the platform once again.

With a graceful movement, Blackjack scooped up Trinia and deftly climbed the courtyard wall. Once at the top he turned to face the crowd and saluted. It was almost as if he was saluting at us. Then, with a graceful bow, he and Trinia disappeared over the wall and away.

Trinia had been rescued, and the Queen had been publicly humiliated. This would be something the people of Korvosa would be talking about for a very long time. However, it wouldn't be long before something else would be occupying their thoughts...