Painted Desert

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 17: Into The Cinderlands, part 1

The Cinderlands - a vast stretch of barren, rocky land, baked dry by the relentless sun. No shade, no water, very little life. A desolate place to travel. But travel we did. Somewhere in this vast desert were the Shoanti barbarians, whom we had to talk to about Kazavon, the being that had taken over Queen Ileosa.

We had one lead to start us in the right direction. One of the tribes, known as the Skoan-Quah, was settled in an area called the Kallow Mounds - an ancestral burial site for the Shoanti tribes. We also knew that Thousand Bones - the Shoanti ambassador whom we had helped retrieve his grandson's body - was a member of the Skoan-Quah, and would be at the Kallow Mounds when we got there.

We were met with suspicion as we arrived. We were classed as Tshamek, which means foreigner. We encountered a young barbarian named Krojun, who hated all Tshamek, and he challenged Reg to a peculiar tug-of-war. The match was a draw, but Krojun left the tribe distinctly unimpressed with us.

We also met Thousand Bones, and he greeted us warmly. When we told him that we needed to know about Kazavon and the events surrounding him, we were informed that the only people who were allowed to tell of the history of the Shoanti were the Sun Shamans. Unfortunately, the only tribe in the area to have sun shamans were the Sklar-Quah, and they would certainly not tell their history to Tshamek. Then how were we to find out what we needed to know to save Korvosa? The Skoan-Quah chieftan had an idea...

Many years ago, a member of the Sklar-Quah was banished from his tribe for killing his brother. Determined to return to them, he said that he would return reborn, and that his past sins would be forgotten. The barbarian went out into the desert and encountered a creature known as Cindermaw, and he was promptly eaten by it. However, he emerged from it and returned to the tribe. The Sklar-Quah agreed that he had been reborn, and so was welcomed back. We were told that the only way the Sklar-Quah would accept us was if we reenacted this story. However, this wasn't going to be simple. We needed to find a Truthspeaker - a man who has never told a lie and is respected by all other tribes. The Lyrune-Quah had one, and they were due to meet at an ancient temple soon. However, we couldn't just walk into the Lyrune-Quah camp and ask to borrow their Truthspeaker (that would have been far too easy). We had to first receive a magical mark that would command respect from the tribe.

So, our task was to first head to a ruin known as the Acropolis of the Thrallkeeper, where an ancient relic would give as the magical mark we required. We then had to travel to the Temple of the Moon, to where the Lyrune-Quah would be, show them the mark, and then borrow their Truthspeaker. Then we had to head out into the desert, find Cindermaw, and one of us get eaten by him but emerge from the creature unharmed. Finally, we then had to find the Sklar-Quah, let the Truthspeaker tell them that we had reenacted the legend, so that they would tell us the information we wanted. We were going to be in this accursed place for quite a while.

The next morning, our barbarian escort lead us out into the desert towards the Acropolis. On the way we discovered we were being followed. Through magical means, we realised it was Krojun and his men, following us from a distance. When approached, he and his men just rode away. We also encountered Shoanti heads on poles, with crossbow bolts in their eyes. Our escorts told us of a person known simply as the Cinderlander, who killed lone Shoanti for no known reason.

After a few days, we arrived at the Acropolis. We got their just in the nick of time, as a huge black cloud tinted with lightning and fire was swiftly approaching. Our ranger recognised it as an emberstorm - a particularly dangerous storm that appeared only in the Cinderlands. Hastily we made our way inside.

To our surprise, we were not the only ones there. Firstly, we had a close encounter with a pair of Red Mantis assassins. They were easy to deal with. We then met a priest of Zon-Kuthon by the name of Sial. He told us that his colleague, Laori (that strangely cheerful woman who helped us find the painter, Salvatore), had told his organisation about us, and that we shared a mutual goal. We both wanted the Fangs of Kazavon removed from Queen Ileosa, and that he had been ordered to follow us and maybe form some sort of alliance. Reg was not happy with this, so Sial said he would just follow us, not get in the way, and would offer us assistance if we needed it.

So, we explored the ruins and found a relic shaped like a globe depicting our world. Adam and Kemar succumbed to its magic, and they were both given the magical mark that we needed. Now it was on to the Temple of the Moon and the acquisition of a Truthspeaker...

Rescue Me

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 16: Rescue and Retreat

Vimanda the rakshasa stood among us, laughing. She was finally in control of House Arkona. She boasted about how she would rule over the people of Old Korvosa as her brother had done. An evil demon lording it over part of Korvosa. It was more than Reg and the others could stand. So, with swift movements, Vimanda was cut down, her reign ending before it had even started.

We now had to return to the Vitrified Labyrinth and find Neolandus. Now knowing how the labyrinth worked, we were able to bypass the many traps and manipulate the rotating areas with ease.

We unlocked a throne room, and came face to face with the monster of the labyrinth. It was a half woman, half lion, with large, demonic horns, clad in spiked armour. The creature roared at us and attacked. She was a fearsome opponent. Her claws were lethal, as Adam was to discover. With a sudden swipe of her hand, Adam's chest was opened. With a look of horror and a gurgle of breath, he collapsed dead to the floor. Sabelle used her magic and sent the creature back to its home plane. Once it was gone, Baster called upon the power of Sarenrae, goddess of healing, and returned the life back to Adam's body.

We heard a weak cough from a dark corner, and we turned to find the real Vencarlo Orisini hanging by manacles attached to the walls. He managed a weak smile as we released him and healed his wounds.

Once he was rested, Vencarlo told us that Neolandus was being held in the torture chamber beyond an illusory wall. We followed the old swordsman through the wall and into a large room. Strapped to a rack was Neolandus, Seneschal of Korvosa, the only man who could officially end Queen Ileosa's reign over Korvosa. However, standing by him was a tall, beautiful woman. This woman was another Vudran devil, as she had six arms and three faces! She attacked us, each arm wielding a lethal scimitar. But she was no match for the group, and soon she had vanished back to the Abyss from whence she came.

With Neolandus rescued, Vencarlo suggested we leave the city. We were all considered fugitives, and the Queen's allies would no doubt be looking for us all. So, we stole a boat, and in the cover of darkness, we sailed away from the city and began our journey to the town of Harse, where Vencarlo knew of a place we could hide while we worked out what to do next.

A few days later, we arrived at a ranch just outside Harse. There, Neolandus told us what had happened in the Palace. Queen Ileosa had been a spoilt brat of a girl, horrifed about being in Korvosa. But then she had emerged from the basement of the Palace wearing an unusual crown made of bones, and with a completely different personality. She was cruel and manipulative. She killed the king and took over his reign.

Neolandus believed that Ileosa had found the Fangs of Kazavon within the basement, and had been taken over by Kazavon's spirit. Kazavon was an evil being who had lived over 300 years ago. He had eventually been killed, and his bones scattered across the world and hidden. His teeth had been buried within an ancient Shoanti pyramid, and guarded by the Shoanti tribes for generations. However, the Chelaxians had then come along, driven away the Shoanti, and built Korvosa, with the Palace built on top of the pyramid.

Our task was clear. Kazavon had been defeated before, so could be defeated again. We had to find the weapon the killed Kazavon the first time, and use it against him again. But the only people who knew of the history of Kazavon were the Shoanti barbarians who guarded his tomb.

So, the following morning, Vencarlo and Neolandus headed for the dwarven city of Janderhoff to plan their next move, and we said goodbye and headed into the Cinderlands to seek help from the Shoanti barbarians...

You spin me right round

Lots of games sessions cancellations due to the weather, but now we're back. And with a sunday afternoon special coming up, expect an influx of blog entries!

So, let's get this party started...

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 15: The Labyrinth

We descended a spiral staircase that lead into a cavern. The cavern was more like a shaft, with a ledge running around the outside, and rope bridges attached to ledges that descended the shaft. The sound of water lapping at a shore echoed from the darkness below.

A well tended underground garden spread before us. Brightly coloured molds and fungi grew on the ledge, each patch beautifully shaped and manicured. Our druid gasped at the beauty of the vista.

However, with every beautiful scene, there has to be something to counterbalance it. Out of nowhere appeared three large zombie-like creatures covered with fungi and mold. They attacked us ruthlessly with with large scimitars and asphyxiating spores. Reg waded in with his mighty sword, Veyron's dinosaur companion (who had grown a great deal since I had last seen her) leapt at another, and Adam launched an assault at the third with his fists.

Soon the fungus zombies were destroyed, and we were able to continue our descent.

On one of the ledges Reda discovered a secret door. Beyond was a narrow corridor.

The corridor eventually lead us to a large set of doors, decorated with tiger motifs. As Reg touched them, they swung open silently, revealing the entry to the Vitrified Labyrinth that Bahor had told us about.

The labyrinth was a complex of rotating rooms and lethal traps. Adam took the brunt of the biting tiger head trap, but managed to avoid the spinning blade fountain. Sabelle succumbed to a painful magical symbol on the floor. Zonda (the dinosaur) fell foul of a deadly corridor of wailing maidens.

What perverse pleasure did Bahor get out of this place? Was he watching us and laughing? Was he placing bets as to which of the group would die first? He was a twisted man.

Suddeny, as we entered another room, we encountered our friend Vencarlo Orisini. His clothes were tattered and he looked exhausted. He told us that Bahor had more than a twisted mind. Bahor was a monster, hidden under an illusion of a man. Vencarlo insisted that we return to the palace above and confront and defeat Bahor.

So, we returned to the palace. Vencarlo said that Bahor was probably in his bath at this time, so we went upstairs. And there, in a beautifully decorated marble bathroom we found Bahor, without his covering illusion. He was a tall, muscular man, but his head was that of a tiger. He was a rakshasa! A demon from Vudra! We should have guessed, with the palace decorated in the Vudran style.

Vencarlo screamed at us to kill him, so we took arms and attacked. He was a powerful opponent. Despite wearing only a bathrobe, he was very difficult to strike.

Then Vencarlo surprised us. He let loose a ray of scorching fire from his pointed finger, setting Bahor alight. The rakshasa fought on, but he was seriously outnumbered, and Vencarlo let loose another scorching ray. The old man was full of surprises. I had assumed his was simply a well trained swordsman.

Suddenly, and without warning, Adam struck the rakshasa square in the chest with all his might. There was a sickening crack, and everyone stopped. Adam's hand was sticking out through Bahor's back, the rakshasa's heart in his hand. Even Adam looked surprised at his incredible attack.

Bahor's body slumped to the floor. The silence that followed was broken by Vencarlo laughing. Something was not quite right with his voice. It was too high. As he laughed louder, he transformed. This was not our old friend who had lead us here to kill Bahor, but another rakshasa. This one was a beautiful woman, but with the head of a fox. "At last!" she cried, "my brother is no more. The Arkona dynasty is mine to rule!"

We had been duped. What were we to do? Do we let this demon live and let her rule House Arkona in disguise? Or do we kill her and end her reign before it begins? A decision had to be made, and made fast.

What was that decision? When you return, I shall enlighten you...

Peasants and Kings

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 14: The Emperor and the Arkonas

As we emerged from Vencarlo's house, we were approached by a young man who seemed familiar to us. His name was Amin, and we realised that he was the young nobleman we had rescued many months ago from a mob during the riots. He told us that he had been a guest of Vencarlo's at his fencing school ever since the quarantine of Old Korvosa happened. He said that the school had been attacked by Red Mantis assassins and then burnt down. Vencarlo had fought off the assassins, but then fled. Amin said that Vencarlo had had several meetings with an artist known as Salvatore Scream, a man who was renowned for painting disturbing and horrific paintings, and perhaps we should seek him out as to the whereabouts of Vencarlo.

We found Salvatore's studio down by the river. The house was in disarray, with signs of many people entering the house. We also discovered a rather unusual woman sat waiting for us. She was an elf named Laori. She was clad in figure-hugging chainmail, which was adorned with spikes, and she carried a spiked chain as a weapon. She smiled cheerfully at us, and said that she, too, was seeking Salvatore, but he was not here, as he had been captured several days ago by the Emperor of Old Korvosa. She said she was interested in his muse, wanted to know how he came up with the ideas and inspriation for his art. Ever suspicious, Reg questioned her thoroughly, and was shocked to discover that she was a cleric of Zon-Kuthon, god of pain and darkness. She was a very cheerful person to be a cleric of such an evil deity. Reluctantly, the party let Laori join them. Laori then produced something for us that she had found in Salvatore's studio - a piece of cloth from a jacket. We recognised the insignia on the scrap - it was the jacket of the Seneschal! The man who could oppose the queen's rule had been here! We needed to find Salvatore at once and question him.

We made our way down to the docks of Old Korvosa, where the Emperor resided. We were soon invited up to his court by some of his lackeys. And there, on a rooftop overlooking the docks, we met the self-proclaimed Emperor of Old Korvosa. He was a weedy, unkempt man in theatrical robes to make him look like a king. He was pathetic. However, he was surrounded by a dozen or so men, and behind him stood a very ornate guillotine that looked as if it had been used many times before.

Our petition to the Emperor fell on deaf ears. Despite Reg's diplomacy and Adam's intimidations, the Emperor was not going to let us see Salvatore. Just when I could see that the group looked as if they were about to draw their weapons, the Emperor clapped his hands and gave us a proposal - we were to play a game of Blood Pig against some of his men. If we won, we could meet Salvatore.

Let me tell you of this barbaric sport that the Emperor had devised. On a flat roof, an area had been marked off for the teams to start in. At each end was a small cage, and a pit in the floor. When the game commenced, a live pig appeared in one of the cages. The idea of the game was simple - grab the pig and get it into the pit at the opposite end of the field. Of course, this wasn't as easy as it looked. The pig put up quite a fight, and wriggled and squirmed in the arms of the players. The other team also punched and kicked us as we tried to play. We also discovered that the pits each contained a ravenous wolverine! The poor pig was to be eaten alive all in the name of sport.

So, the game commenced. At one point, Reg picked up one of the other players and hurled him off the roof, which brought whoops and cheers from the crowd watching. In the end, it was Adam's quick reflexes that got us the winning point. Begrudgingly, the Emperor lead us to see Salvatore. The Emperor then made one fatal mistake - he accompanied us to Salvatore without any of his men. He was quick to defeat, and soon Salvatore was released from captivity.

Salvatore had much to tell us. Neolandus, the Seneschal, was his friend, and had turned up at his studio a few hours after the King had died. He told Salvatore that the queen had murdered the king, and had entered into a pact with the Red Mantis! Salvatore knew that the queen would be looking for the seneschal, so he suggested that he should seek asylum with House Arkona.

House Arkona was one of Korvosa's oldest noble houses. They had an exotic palace overlooking Old Korvosa. The Arkonas had always been champions for the poor of Old Korvosa, and they were highly regarded by the people on the island.

So, with this new information, it was time to pay our respects to House Arkona and enquire of the Seneschal. Before we left, Laori said her goodbyes and escorted the artist off the quarantined island and to safety. I had a feeling that we would see her again.

The Arkona's palace was immense. It was decorated in the style of the Vudran palaces that I had read about when I was a child. Peacocks, tigers, elephants and monkeys were carved around doorways and windows. The smell of jasmine filled the air. The place was very grand. The Arkonas were certainly very wealthy.

We were shown in to a waiting room. Eventually we were met by Bahor Arkona himself. He was a well dressed, handsome man. He was very polite and every bit the gentleman that we had heard. However, there soon emerged a darker side to him that came as a surprise to us all. Firstly, he refused to tell us anything until we had defeated the Emperor of Old Korvosa. When we told him that it had already been done, his eyes lit up and he was very excited. He then told us that the Seneschal was indeed in the palace, but he was being held in a place called the Vitrified Labyrinth, deep beneath the house. The man was a prisoner here! Bahor then said that if we wanted to see him, we should adventure down into the Labyrinth and find him. He warned us that a large monster lurked within the Labyrinth, and that parts of the dungeon moved and rotated.

What was going on? Why was the Seneschal being held captive? Was Bahor going to watch in amusement as we explored his Labyrinth? We had no choice but to enter the dungeon. And so we descended a secret staircase that lead to the Vitrified Labyrinth, determined to find Neolandus and escape this peculiar place.

Devil Woman

Finally, the last entry for our last mega-gaming sunday.

It's getting quite exciting...

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 13: Into Old Korvosa

A week after our discovery of a cure for Blood Veil, most of Korvosa was returning to normal. However, the island of Old Korvosa was still under quarantine, without any sign of it being lifted. No-one knew what was happening over there. The people must be running out of food. It was as if the oldest part of the city had been severed and left to rot.

Suddenly, we were told that there was going to be an announcement by the Queen - her first public appearance since the beginning of the plague. We made our way up to the Palace and stood in the courtyard with the rest of the cityfolk.

Queen Ileosa appeared, wearing a new crown, that seemed to be made of teeth or bones. Next to her stood Sabina, her bodyguard, now dressed in the armour of the Grey Maidens. Also with her was a fat, sweaty, balding man, whom I had never seen before, Field Marshall Kroft, and Commandant Marcus Endrin, head of the Sable Company - Reda's commanding officer.

The Queen made a speech about the plague coming to an end. She introduced the fat man as Togomor, the new Seneschal of Korvosa. She also said that due to the losses in both the City Guard and the Sable Company, the Sable Company were being disbanded and merged into the City Guard, whom itself would be under the control of the Grey Maidens. She announced that Sabina was now the commanding officer of the Grey Maidens.

She then asked for Commandant Endrin to hand over his badge of office to her. Marcus raised the badge and threw it at the Queen. Stunned, the queen looked at him aghast. And then, with a swift movement and a shout of "You must die!", Marcus Endrin drew out his crossbow, pointed it at the queen's head and pulled the trigger. For a moment Queen Ileosa stood motionless, a crossbow bolt protruding from her brow, a thin trickle of blood emerging from the wound. But then she reached up and pulled out the bolt. With lightning fast reactions, she grabbed hold of Commandant Endrin around the throat and lifted him off the ground. As he struggled to breathe, the queen took hold of the bolt that had been in her own head and with a sickening crack she thrust it into Endrin's head, between his eyes. His body convulsed, and he died right there in front of us. With a look of defiance, she turned to the crowd and said "This is what happens to all enemies of Korvosa!" As she said it, she looked straight at our group and glared at us. Then Togomor came up beside her, took her hand, and with a flash of magical energy they were gone.

Stunned by what had been seen, the populace returned home. We left the palace, not sure of what to do. A few hours later, we received a message to meet with Field Marshall Kroft.

Cressida Kroft was very agitated. She couldn't believe what had happened to her friend Marcus. She then told us that a few days beforehand she had received a letter from Vencarlo Orisini that had said that he had found some disturbing information about the queen. She may have made a pact with a devil! At first, the Field Marshall hadn't believed the letter, but after the show that the queen had given us a few hours earlier, she was starting to think it was true.

Vencarlo's letter had also asked for us to come and see him. However, his home and his fencing school were on the quarantined island of Old Korvosa. We were going to have to break the quarantine and get across to the island somehow.

So, in the cover of night, Reda used her hippogriff mount to fly us all over to a quiet part of the island where there were no guard patrols.

Old Korvosa had descended into anarchy. Food was almost gone. People were scared. Mobs and gangs had started to stalk the streets. We even heard that someone claiming to be the Emperor of Old Korvosa had taken control of the island. The cityfolk were in a desperate state.

We made our way up to Vencarlo's home. However, no-one seemed to be at home. Our knock went unanswered, and when we tried the door, we discovered that it was unlocked. Cautiously we explored Vencarlo's home, trying to find any sign of him. When we reached the upstairs rooms, we we ambushed by a pair of Red mantis assassins!

Let me tell you of the Red Mantis. They are known throughout the world as the finest assassins that can ever be hired. They dress in red and wear helmets that resemble insect heads. They are fanatics and promise that once a contract has been taken out on someone, that person will remain permanently dead.If a victim is raised from the dead, the Red Mantis seek them out and kill them again.

The assassins were no match for us, and they were soon disposed of. Searching Vencarlo's home, we found no sign of him. However, what we did find surprised us all. Hidden in a secret compartment in the bedroom we found a box containing a set of black clothes, a black cape and mask, and a silver rapier marked with a "B". Vencarlo Orisini was Blackjack!

Where was Vencarlo? Why were there Red Mantis assassins at his home? We were about to find out, and we were also about to have an audience with the new Emperor of Old Korvosa. But that, my friends, will be told in the next installment of our tale...

Thieves in the Temple

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 12: The End of the Plague

The City Guard had arrested everyone in the hospice, and it was time for us to descend into the hidden temple of Urgathoa beneath it. By this time, Reg was furious. "We're taking no prisoners" he told the others as we descended in the rickety old elevator.

The elevator opened into a complex of rooms that housed a number of the Royal Physicians and priests of Urgathoa. We also encountered the necromancer we had heard so much about - Rolth. He was experimenting on helpless cityfolk who were chained to their beds and injected with new and deadlier strains of Blood Veil. The fight with him was intense. He was a powerful wizard. And just when Reg and Adam thought they had him cornered, he cast a spell and stepped through a magical door that appeared behind him. In a flash he was gone. I had no doubt that we would meet him again.

Further into the complex we came across a huge room with three enormous metal vats. It was here that the priests were brewing the disease that had affected the city. With sword and spell the priests and physicians were dispatched. We had temporarily stopped the production of Blood Veil. It was now time to find the leaders of the operation.

We soon found one of them. He was experimenting on a young Varisian man. Ruan! The missing musician from the masked ball at Carowyn Manor. The man experimenting on Ruan was no ordinary man. When he turned to face us, we saw that we were up against a Nosferatu - a powerful vampire from Ustalav. However, as we geared ourselves up for a big fight, he calmly turned to us and began to talk. We discovered that he had been hired to help develop the plague, but had no interest in the evil plans of the Queen. He was merely interested in it from a scientific point of view. He even told us that he had discovered that 1 in 10 Varisians were completely immune to Blood Veil, and that a cure could be made from their blood. The vampire also realised that with adventurers infiltrating the temple complex, his experiments would be ending. So, without cursing us or attacking us, he simply collected some of his belongings and bid us farewell. Dumbfounded, we just stood there and let him leave.

At the far end of the complex we entered the main temple to Urgathoa. In the centre of the room stood a fountain with a statue of the Goddess of Disease - a beautiful naked woman with long blonde hair, but from the waist down she was just a skeleton. There to meet us was the high priestess who arrogantly introduced herself as Lady Andaisin. Reg was not listening any more, and with holy power, he charged toward her, ready to strike her down. She put up a brave fight, hurling spells at us all. But in the end, good triumphed over evil, and Lady Andaisin was struck down. The evil had come to an end. Or so we thought...

Suddenly, a ghostly image of Urgathoa appeared in the room above the high priestess's body. Unholy light shone from the goddess onto the body. With a hideous noise of cracking bone and tearing flesh, Andaisin's body tore apart, and from it emerged a ghostly figure of the high priestess, infused with unholy energy. We had just witnessed Divine Intervention!

Without a break, we had to fight on. The new Lady Andaisin was powerful indeed, but we fought with every ounce of strength and every iota of magic in our possession. Then suddenly, with a blow from Reg's holy blade, an unholy scream echoed through the chamber, and the ghostly figure vanished. We had finally slain Urgathoa's chosen one.

With the leaders of the temple dispatched, the production of Blood Veil came to an end. With the notes we had discovered, alchemists were able to come up with a cure for the disease. The party had become true heroes of the city. Even the Queen herself acknowledged our work and rewarded us. In time, the city would be free of any signs of the plague.

However, despite a cure being found, Old Korvosa remained cut off from the rest of the city. And a few days later, Queen Ileosa surprised us yet again, but this time with something more horrifying than the Blood Veil...

Down with the Sickness

Another super mega gaming sunday as occured, so there will be a lot of blog entries written in quick succession. I have a lot to catch up on!

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Part 11: Plots and Plagues

We arrived at Carowyn Manor, hoping to find someone who could tell us what had happened to the Varisian musician. A masked ball seemed to have been held a few days ago. It also seemed that every single person at the ball had died of Blood Veil. Bodies were dotted in the rooms, still wearing their masks and fancy costumes. We then discovered that not all of them were dead. Several of them had been raised as zombies, and were still going through the motions of being at the ball. They had been animated by a crazed elven woman named Jollistinia. When we encountered her, she tried to flee, but we soon caught her and interrogated her. She had been sent to the house to murder everyone in it, by a man named Rolth. Rolth? That name was familiar. Where had we heard it before? The Dead Warrens! He was the necromancer who had bought the body of Thousand Bones' grandson. We were told that the Varisian had been taken away by Rolth and the Grey Maidens to an unknown location. At least we knew he was alive.

While deciding where to look for Ruan and Rolth, we met a young woman who desperately wanted to see us. Nervously she told us a big secret - she was a wererat. Stories were told of wererats living in the sewers, but few people believed them. The woman told us that once the plague began to spread, several workers at the docks decided to go on a wererat hunt, for they believed it was they that were spreading the Blood Veil. The dockworkers, however, encountered a wererat who was not afraid of the humans. One by the name of Girrigz. Girigz was gathering a small army of like-minded wererats and were going to invade the city and take revenge. The young woman pleaded with us to find Girrigz and persuade him that what he was doing was wrong.

So, much to our disgust, we headed down into the Korvosan sewers. We found Girrigz and his followers holed up in a small cave system. He was not happy to see us. However, our paladin has a way with words, and managed to talk some sense into the wererat. He even managed to set up a meeting between Girrigz and Field Marshall Kroft so that the wererats could become a useful asset to the City Guard.

When this was completed, the young woman told us that some of her brethren had watched the ship sink in the river a few weeks ago. Soon after the ship had sunk, they found boxes full of silver coins floating in the river, but sensed that the coins were tainted somehow and pushed them back into the river. It was time for us to brave the cold waters of the Jeggare river and examine the wreck of the sunken ship for ourselves.

Using potions of water breathing acquired for us by the wererats, we swam out to the wreck. The ship was called The Direption. On board we found many boxes floating in the hold. Each box contained silver coins, each tainted with Blood Veil. We also found documents in the captain's quarters detailing that the ship belonged to none other than Doctor Davaulus - the new Royal Physician!

With all of our evidence, we met with the Field Marshall. She was aghast at what we had discovered - Queen Ileosa had hired Doctor Davaulus to spread Blood Veil across Korvosa to kill the entire population! Why did the Queen want to kill all of her subjects? The Field Marshall wanted answers. She told us that Doctor Davaulus and the Queen's Physicians had taken over a nearby warehouse and had converted it into a hospice for Blood Veil victims. We were to pay the doctor a visit and bring him in for questioning.

However, before we set off to confront the doctor, Queen Ileosa ordered the island of Old Korvosa to be quarantined. All of the bridges that linked Old Korvosa to the rest of the city were destroyed, except for one. This bridge was heavily guarded by the Grey Maidens. No-one was allowed to enter the island, and no-one was allowed to leave.

At the hospice we met no resistance to our intrusion (once again, thanks to Reg's excellent diplomacy skills), and we confronted Doctor Davaulus with the evidence. Under our interrogation, the man cracked. He told us that the Blood Veil had been created by followers of Urgathoa, Goddess of Disease and Undeath, and that a temple to the infernal goddess had been built beneath this very warehouse!

So, with the doctor handed over to the City Guard, we made our way down into the hidden temple of Urgathoa...