Deathhead Vault

The group was once again settling in for another night in Gaedren Lamm’s old hideout, the Old Fishery. They’d managed to rescue Vencarlo Orsini and Castle Korvosa’s Seneschal, Neolandus Kalepopolis, but seemed no closer to being able to overthrow Queen Ileosa. Neolandus had warned them that the Queen’s power might stem from some artifact she’d found in the vaults below the castle, something he’d heard called Midnight’s Teeth, but he had no idea what it might be or what power it could have given her. His only suggestion was to consult Thousand Bones, the Shoanti ambassador – his people had guarded the pyramid on which the Castle was built for centuries before the white men arrived, and he might know something helpful.

 

As the group shook out their bedrolls, the dust began to swirl around them, and a ghostly figure took shape. It was Madame Zellara, and her hollow voice called out from beyond the grave. “My friends – the spirits are calling to me. Allow me to perform another Harrowing to guide your path.” Wren pulled Zellara’s Harrow Deck out of her pack, and the cards began to shuffle themselves. “The suit of Hammers – that is what is called for now,” Zellara intoned as the cards sorted into suits. After each person had chosen a card, she reshuffled the deck.

“Let us see what we can learn from the past,” Zellara said solemnly as she laid down the first three cards: The Trumpet, The Tangled Briar, and The Teamster. “The Trumpet is a declaration of power, an aggressive force, while the Tangled Briar speaks of ancient deeds and The Teamster is an external force that drives events forward. We have seen the Tangled Briar before, and the spirits are reminding us that some force tried to exert itself in the distant past, and held such power that it still is driving the events that engulf you, and the city, to this day. The threat of today arises from the past, but so will the power to defeat it come from that past.”

“Let us now see what faces you in the present” Three more cards laid themselves on the table: The Peacock, The Carnival, and The Wanderer. “The Peacock represents great beauty, but here that beauty has been lost as the cockatrice tries to preserve it in stone. This card always presages a sudden shift, either personal or societal, as the Queen has suddenly revealed a different nature. The Carnival is a card of illusions and dreams. This could represent the illusion that Queen Ileosa presented of herself in the past, but in this position in the reading, I sense that it means more – you will find yourself facing things that are not what they appear. And finally, The Wanderer. This card appears to those who are clever enough to find true worth in something others ignore or treat as worthless. The Shoanti are treated as worthless by the people of Korvosa, yet your path has led you to seek their knowledge, and wisdom.”

“And now we look to the future.” Zellara dealt the final three cards: The Tyrant, The Sickness, and The Theater. “These first two cards have also appeared before. The Tyrant represents a force that is a blight upon those over whom he holds sway, but in this position, the cards indicate that the ruler might be able to be overthrown. When The Sickness appeared before, it prophesied the appearance of Blood Veil; now, it foretells yet another potential doom that could be even worse than the plague that preceded it. And last, The Theater. This is the card of true prophecy. It says that those who draw it are serving as the puppets of the gods. Here, in this position, it also indicates you should listen closely to any messages you receive from the spirits – they hold the key to your destiny.”

Zellara looked at the party as the cards returned themselves to their box. “This is a more hopeful reading than some I have seen for you in the past. You are well on the road to your destinies, but much still remains ahead of you, and all can still go awry. Tread carefully my friends – much is still uncertain.” Zellara’s form evaporated back into dust, and was gone.

The sun was already rising – they’d spent the entire night wandering the Vivified Labyrinth – so they slept most of the day away. Field Marshall Kroft had asked them to meet her at 10:00 that night at the Dead Warrens. As the next night fell, they discussed how best to get to the Gray District. They knew that Queen Ileosa had declared them “enemies of the state”, and they had no idea what the current level of patrols in the city might be; if they encountered any Gray Maidens, or even any of their former allies in the Korvosan Guard, they’d likely have a fight on their hands to avoid being arrested. After much discussion of various magical options, they decided their best bet was just to disguise themselves and hope for the best. They’d picked up a number of disguise kits during their adventures so far, and everyone set to trying on wigs, applying makeup, and putting putty on their noses.

“I’ve got this,” Jax said confidently. He dug around in his pack, and pulled out a ring they’d discovered in Pilts Swastel’s storeroom. They’d identified it as a Ring of Chameleon Power, and it was likely a holdover from his days running a theater. Jax slipped on the ring, concentrated on the look he was going for, and in a blink he looked like a short, plump washerwoman. Unfortunately, his hair had turned a vibrant shade of purple. Apparently Pilts had gotten his magic items from the same discount bin where he bought his props. Jax tried changing his disguise several times, but each attempt merely changed his hair color from one rainbow hue to another. At last he gave up, and pulled his hood as far over his head as it would go.

Disguises in place, they set off through the streets of Korvosa, headed south towards the Gray District. About halfway there, a squad of Gray Maidens suddenly marched around a corner, heading straight towards them. There were only a few other people out at this time of the evening, and they all immediately cleared the streets, pressing themselves back against the buildings and lowering their heads as the Queen’s shock troops marched past. The party followed suit; they drew a few second looks from the heavily-armored women as they marched past, but no one challenged them. Once the Maidens has passed, they hurried on their way. At one point they heard marching feet one street over, but didn’t encounter any more guards. However it was clear that patrols had been increased just in the few days they’d been out of the city.

They reached the Gray District, and continued south towards the mausoleum housing the secret entrance to the Dead Warrens. By the time they arrived, it was almost the appointed hour for their rendezvous with Cressida Kroft. Sure enough, she was waiting near the entrance, but when she saw this group of strangers approaching, she drew her sword. “This area is off-limits! I order you to leave in the name of Queen Ileosa and the Korvosan Guard!” As they threw off their disguises, she sheathed her sword with a sigh of relief. They started to call out greetings, but she shushed them. “Not here! It’s not safe – wait until we’re inside.”

She led them into the mausoleum and down the hidden stairs. At the bottom, instead of the Derro lair, all they saw was a wall of thick, dark fog. Kroft held out an arm to stop them. “The only way to enter is to say the password: ‘Blackjack’.” She spoke the word, and stepped into the fog, and the rest of the party followed suit. Wren took a moment to examine the area more closely; it looked to her like someone had protected the area with a Mage’s Private Sanctum, along with what she suspected was a Forbiddance spell.

Once inside, they found the area once used by the derros had been cleaned up and transformed: a large wooden table with several chairs sat in the center of the room, and a large map of Korvosa hung on one wall. “Welcome to the headquarters of the rebellion against Queen Ileosa,” Kroft announced. There were two people standing beside the table. One was a gray-haired woman dressed in the robes of a cleric of Pharasma. “I think you may already know Bishop Keppira d’Bear,” Kroft said by way of introduction, and the woman nodded, first to Wren, then to the others. Kroft then turned to a florid, heavyset man with receding brown hair and beady eyes; the expression on her face was one of barely contained disgust. “And this 

is Boule.” Jax and Tomas immediately recognized the name: ‘Boule’ was the name of  the reputed head of the Cerulean Society, Korvosa’s thieves’ guild. “And I think you already know this fellow,” Kroft continued, pointing towards the other side of the room. A figure stepped out of the shadowed doorway to the next room – Girrigz!

“So you found both Vencarlo and Neolandus?” Kroft said hopefully, and the party filled her in on everything that had happened over the last few days. “Neolandus is convinced that we shouldn’t move against the Queen until we know more about the source of her power,” Tomas said as they concluded their tale. “And he thinks the only person who may be able to help with that is the Shoanti ambassador, Thousand Bones.”

Kroft frowned. “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that Thousand Bones is still in Korvosa I know where he’s at. The bad news is that he’s imprisoned in Deathhead Vault, the prison below the Gray Maiden headquarters in the Longacre Building. He was declared an enemy of the state, just like you all, and arrested by the Gray Maidens.

“But this may be a blessing in disguise. My sources tell me that Marcus Endrin is still alive, and is also being held prisoner in Deathhead Vault. This presents us a golden opportunity: we could rescue Endrin and Thousand Bones, and strike at the leadership of the Gray Maidens in one fell swoop. And if you can recover any documents on the workings of the Gray Maidens, or what the Queen is up to, that would be invaluable to our cause. Also, see if you can find out anything about why Arbiter Zenobia Zenderholm has thrown in with the Queen. She was always a staunch follower of Abadar, and we don’t understand why she would become one of the Queen’s most rabid supporters – I worry that she’s being compelled in some way.”

“And you’re going to give us plenty of reinforcements for this mission, right?” Nat asked hopefully.

“Well, we’re giving you Girrigz,” Kroft replied. The wererat just sneered at the party.

“Are we supposed to just fight our way into the Gray Maidens’ headquarters and stage a jailbreak?” Erin asked skeptically. Kroft turned to Girrigz: “Tell them what you told me.”

Girrigz was in human form, but he’d never looked more like a rat than when he snarled at the party. “Most of my people are dead because I listened to you. If I’d ignored you, or better yet killed you when I had the chance, that Ileosa bitch would never have had reason to blame us for helping you. I’ll deal with you all later, but for now, I just want as much revenge on Ileosa and her Gray Maidens as I can get.

“There’s a secret entrance into Deathhead Vault, through the sewers. I don’t think the humans even remember it any more – no one’s used it in decades. But it’s there, and I can take you to it.”

Boule tossed Jax a key. “Once you’re in, that should open any cells you find, and maybe more. No need to thank me,” he added with a wink to Kroft, who responded with a curled lip. “And I’ve got another little bonus to bring to the party. The Gray Maidens’ second-in-command, Kordaitra Destaid fancies herself something of a codebreaker. I’ve prepared a set of ‘coded documents’ detailing the plans of the budding rebellion against the Queen. All fake, of course, but once they fall into her hands, I don’t think Destaid will be able to resist ensconcing herself in her quarters until she deciphers them, guaranteeing she’ll be there for you to take out in your raid.”

Nat turned to Shadow. “Just to be clear – ‘take out’ doesn’t mean on a date.” Shadow just winked at the wizard. “We’ll just see how it goes when the time comes.”

Erin didn’t think this was the time for banter. “What’s the state of the city?” she asked Kroft. “We saw a lot of Gray Maiden patrols on our way here – does the Korvosan Guard still exist?”

Kroft nodded. “Yes, as a shadow of its former self. We’re reduced to only the most basic police work, and I report to Sabina Merrin, the head of the Gray Maidens and City General. Almost all of our funding has been diverted to the Gray Maidens, and even with our losses from the plague, I’ve had to cut staff significantly. The Gray Maidens are rounding up anyone even suspected of disloyalty to the Queen, and are impressing citizens as slave labor for ‘public works’ projects the Queen is starting.”

“What kind of projects?” Erin asked.

Kroft shrugged. “Not sure. They’ve started erecting scaffolding around the Great Tower, and the rumor is they’re going to dismantle the whole thing. No one knows why.” The Great Tower was the former headquarters of the Sable Company, which Ileosa had disbanded so bloodily.

“What about you?” Erin asked, turning to Bishop d’Bear. “Are you in support of wiping out the Gray Maidens?” The rule-follower in her was still trying to come to grips with the idea of rebelling against the people ‘in charge’.

D’Bear nodded sadly. “I am, though it pains me. Queen Ileosa cannot be allowed to rule this city. Her role in starting and spreading Blood Veil, which the evidence you uncovered makes irrefutable, labels her a mass murderer of the worst sort. For that reason alone, she must be deposed, along with all who support her.”

“Well, there’s no time like the present,” Jax said. He was tired of talking and ready to move. “I say we get going now.” Everyone did a quick inventory of equipment and spells, and agreed they were ready to set out. Kroft stopped them before they left. “There’s one more thing I should warn you. I don’t have any idea what magical powers the Queen’s new seneschal, Togomor, has, but I have to believe that scrying is not beyond his abilities. The Queen has placed a price on your heads, and it’s going to be dangerous for you to spend any time in the city. This place is protected from scrying, so as long as you’re in Korvosa, you should try to stay here as much as possible. The good news is, no one – well, most creatures – can’t scry all the time, but any time you’re out in the city you’re taking a risk.” Everyone exchanged worried looks – you mean like the way they were going out right now?

It was after midnight as they set off through the deserted city streets. They let Grizz take point, creeping stealthily ahead and sniffing the air. At one point he scampered back and hurried them into an alley just before a Gray Maiden patrol passed. Other than that, the streets were silent.

The Longacre Building was across from City Hall, on Northgate Avenue well into North Point, but Grizz led them into an alley off Dead Shoanti Way, on the opposite side of Jeggare Circle. He pointed to a sewer grate, and Erin and Tomas wrestled it open. There was a ladder leading down, and everyone climbed in, closing the grate behind them. Grizz led them on a winding path through the stinking sewers before their way was blocked by a wall of rusty bars with an equally rusty gate. Ahead, they could see an opening in the wall of the sewer, leading to their left. “It’s just ahead,” Grizz whispered. Jax knelt and applied his lock picks; he as much had to force the rusty lock as pick it, but he managed to get it open, and the gate swung back with a loud squeal.

Advancing cautiously to the opening, he found a narrow passage, with stairs leading shallowly down. He followed the passage as it turned to the left, but came up short against a brick wall. Try as he might, he could see no sign of a secret door – Girrigz must have steered them wrong. Tomas was following him, and he had no better luck. Grizz snorted in frustration. “You stupid humans – are you blind? It’s right there!” With Grizz showing them what to look for, they were able to spot the entrance at last. Part of the problem was that it was overgrown with years of moss and lichen; as Grizz had said, it didn’t look like anyone had used this door in a long, long time.

When everyone was ready, Jax eased the door open. He found himself looking down a ten-foot wide hallway. The walls were set with polished ivory tiles, each of which bore a softly glowing circle of light, providing dim illumination to the area. Immediately to his right was a large set of double doors; at the far end of the hallway, it appeared to take a turn to the right. Nodding to Tomas to keep watch on the nearest doors, Jax crept silently down the hall. Peering around the corner at the end, he saw another pair of double doors. He listened, but heard nothing, and the doors didn’t appear to have a lock. He slipped back to inform the party of what he’d found. Tomas had been listening as well, but he too heard nothing.

The doors to their right were locked, and that alone was reason enough to try them first. After being careful to close the secret door and wipe up any muck they’d tracked in (so as not to alert anyone that they’d been there), Jax slipped Boule’s key into the lock. It fit perfectly, and turned easily. He pushed the doors open and saw a long hall lined with cells, dimly lit by the same glowing wall tiles. Each cell contained a cot and a chamber pot. The first cell was empty, but he could see a woman sleeping in the second cell in; he didn’t have a good angle to see into the others. Motioning to those behind him to stay quiet, he crept forward. Two more of the cells held sleeping prisoners, and both were women.

At the end of the hall he paused and peeked around the corner. The corridor continued, easily twice as long as the one he was in. The right wall was lined with more cells; on the left, he could see two different sets of double doors, and it appeared that the corridor made another turn to the left at its far end.

The others were quietly following him into the cell block. As he passed the first cell, Tomas did a double take. He could swear that he recognized the woman sleeping on the cot. She was bruised and emaciated, but she looked just like a woman who’d been a sergeant in the Sable Company.

“We need to let them out!” Wren hissed, and this started a whispered debate. Wren was all in favor of unlocking all the cells as they passed, so the women could get out. The others thought this was a really bad idea. “If they wake up and make a ruckus, it’ll alert the guards before we’re ready,” Jax argued. “And the last thing we want is to have a bunch of sickly civilians in the middle of a fight.” In the end, Jax was the one with the key, and he kept it securely in his pocket.

That settled (at least in Jax’s mind), Jax crept on down to the first set of double doors, and pressed his ear to the crack to see what he could hear. He could make out muffled voices on the other side, but not what they were saying. But the woman in the cell opposite the doors was awake, and when she saw Jax sneaking along, she rushed to the bars of her cell. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind not to make any noise; instead she mouthed the words ‘Are you here to free us?’

Jax nodded, and put his finger to his lips. He pointed back to the doors behind him: ‘How many?’ he mouthed. The woman knitted her brow in thought, then held up five fingers. But she also did a palms-up shrug – ‘maybe?’. Jax nodded, and gave her a thumbs-up, then continued down towards the next pair of doors.

Erin had seen this exchange, and approached the woman’s cell. She wasn’t as worried about stealth as Jax; “What’s your name?” she whispered. “Amelia” came the whispered reply.

“What’s through there?” Erin asked, pointing to the doors behind them.

“There’s a big room,” the woman whispered. “Part of it’s blocked off by bars. The stairs that they brought us down are through there. There are Gray Maidens in there – I think they have some barracks back there. And there’s an awful elf woman named Tisharue.”

Nat had come up to hear this part of the conversation, and he nodded in agreement. He was having a sick feeling of déjà vu, remembering the night he’d spent here (just two cells down) before being taken up to the gallows to be hung for murder. He shuddered, and tried to keep his fear under control. “Have you seen an old Shoanti man, or Marcus Endrin?” he asked quietly. The woman thought, then shook her head.

Jax returned from the second pair of doors. “There’s someone in pain up there,” he whispered, jerking his thumb back down the hallway. “You can hear them moaning and crying out. What do you think – do we go in here, or there?”

“I’ll bet that other door you saw when we first came in is a back door to this place,” Wren suggested. “If we go in that way, we might take them by surprise.”

“Let’s not do anything hasty,” Tomas cautioned. Let’s keep exploring, get the lay of the land, and see if we can locate Thousand Bones and Endrin.” So far, all the prisoners they’d seen had been young women.

Following Tomas’ strategy, Jax tiptoed back down the hall and peered around the corner. Another hall of cells, much like the first they’d seen, except this one ended with a cell, not a set of doors. He crept along the hall, passing cell after cell of sleeping women. But then, in the next to last cell, he spotted an elderly Shoanti man curled up on the cot. Nat had followed him, to provide magical backup if he needed. “Wake up, Father,” he called out softly in Shoanti. “We’ve come to get you out.”

Thousand Bones startled awake, his eyes wide at the sight of strangers in this place. Then a light of recognition went on. “You! I remember you!” he whispered, struggling to his feet. “Have you come to rescue us?”

Nat nodded. “Yes, but we have to find Marcus Endrin first – have you seen him?”

The Shoanti seemed confused. “The marine? No I have not.”

The cell at the end of the hall was empty; Jax poked his head in, looking for any secrets, but didn’t see anything. Unlocking Thousand Bones’ cell, he led him back down the hall, pausing to release Amelia as well; they didn’t want to leave her awake and locked up while they continued their search, and didn’t want to leave Thousand Bones alone. They led them back to the secret entrance, then into the sewer tunnel. They knew that the two would have no hope of finding their way back through the maze of sewers on their own, so they told them to wait there until they returned.

They returned to Deathhead Vault. Wren was still convinced that the other set of doors Jax had found might provide a back door to where the Gray Maidens were, so they filed down there. Jax listened again, but still heard nothing. Grizz pressed his muzzle to the crack between the doors and sniffed, then wrinkled his nose. “There’s something in there,” he said with a puzzled tone, “but I don’t recognize its scent.”

That gave them something new to worry about. Wren cast a quick Bless while Shadow pulled on his Red Mantis mask. When everyone was ready, Jax threw the doors open. The room inside looked like it might once have been an execution chamber. Four wooden benches sat on the floor, facing a upraised area on which an executioner’s block stood. Standing on the dais was an emaciated woman with thorny vines growing from her fingers and eyes; the vines surrounded her like a gown of thorns. She seemed to be in meditation, but the instant the door opened, she began to whip the vines around in a Dazzling Display that left everyone who could see her badly shaken.

Everyone, that is, except Erin; her faith in Iomedae left her fearless in the face of danger. She rushed into the room to close with the creature, but her sword missed. The writhing vines threatened to entangle her, but she skipped free of them. Jax began to enter the room, but as he met the creature’s thorny gaze, he was terrified. His sword clattered to the floor and he turned to flee, but Grizz stuck out a foot and tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor. “Coward,” Grizz thought, but then he took a good look at the room’s inhabitant, and seconds later was running full speed down the hall, emitting a series of frightened squeaks.

Nat had been around the corner when the door opened; he saw Grizz run past, and heard Jax’s frightened whimpering, but didn’t know what the fuss was about. As soon as he entered the room, he knew. He recognized the creature as a Pakalchi Sahkil, one of a race of creatures who had once served Pharasma, but had rebelled against their duties ushering souls through the afterlife. Now they existed only to instill terror and inflict pain. What had compelled this one to leave the Ethereal Plane and serve the Gray Maidens, he didn’t know, but he knew they were all in terrible danger. He knew Sahkil were resistant to many forms of energy, but he hoped its plant-like appearance meant it would burn like a normal plant, so he unleashed a trio of Empowered Scorching Rays. One splashed harmlessly off the wall behind it, but the others blasted the creature, leaving it horribly scorched and burning – but still very much alive.

Wren summoned a Spiritual Weapon, averting her eyes to avoid the creature’s gaze, but her weapon missed badly. Shadow had seen Nat’s rays shoot across the open doorway, and could smell the smoke from the result, so he ran into the room and fired off his own Empowered Scorching Rays. These, too, left it crisp and blackened, but still fighting. Tomas, though still badly shaken by the sight of the creature’s whipping vines, stepped into the doorway and fired an arrow; it hit, but barely penetrated the thing’s thick skin.

With a screech of fury, the thing slithered forward on its vines. One of them shot out at Tomas; he’d thought he was out of its reach, and the Sudden Strike caught him by surprise. The thorns slashed and stabbed, opening gaping wounds that bled profusely. Then it turned its full fury on Erin. It ripped at her with both of its claws, and three more vines whipped and slashed at the paladin. The thorns were sticky with poison, and Erin felt her head grow fuzzy from both the venom and from blood loss. She swung her longsword weakly, but the blow went wide.

Nat risked taking a good look at the pakalchi, sizing it up. It glared at him with otherworldly fury and his knees trembled, but he held his ground. He could see the pool of blood spreading at Erin’s feet, and knew she might not survive another onslaught. Hoping this would work, he called forth an Orb of Light, and threw it at the creature. It exploded as it struck, filling the room with blinding radiance and blasting the pakalchi into splinters.

Wren rushed to Erin’s side, casting Neutralize Poison, before the venom could do any further damage, then Lesser Restoration to counteract its effects. As she tended to Erin and Tomas’s wounds, Erin looked at the nasty slashes the thorns had made across her arms and legs, then she flashed on the scars disfiguring the faces of all the Gray Maidens they’d unmasked. With a growing horror, she felt she might know the source of those scars.

Jax and Grizz slunk embarrassedly back into the room, their panic subsiding. Nat was busily harvesting any magic off the corpse (as usual). There was another door in the room, beside the one they’d entered through. It was made of iron inset with a slot covered by a metal slat, but it could only be slipped aside from the other side. Tomas pressed his ear to the door, motioning the others for silence, but heard nothing, so he pulled the door open. He found a cramped room, with two writing desks pushed against the far wall. On this side was wooden cabinet, crammed with haphazard stacks of papers. Wren began going through the papers eagerly, hoping they were the sort of records of Gray Maiden activities that Cressida Kroft was looking for, but was disappointed to find that they seemed to be old records of executions, kept by the Korvosan judiciary for many years previous.

Convinced there was nothing of use in here, everyone filed out. Tomas took one last glance into the room, and stopped short. Something had caught his eye: almost indiscernible scuffs on the floor where it looked like the cabinet had been slid back, to where it would have blocked the door. He looked more closely, and spotted a secret door in the wall on the right; the cabinet would prevent its opening unless it was moved. He alerted the others. “I told you there was a back way up here,” Wren said proudly.

Opening the door revealed a short dog-legged passage, ending in the back side of another secret door. That opened into a hallway; directly across from them was a closed door, while the hall stretched a short distance to their left before forming a T with a cross hall. Tomas listened at the door in front of them while Jax crept up to look around the corners. To the right and just ahead were short halls ending in closed doors; to the left, there was another door, then the hall widened and turned right. He slipped down the hall and found that the wider area turned again, then went down a broad flight of stairs to a set of brass double doors.

So many options. Tomas had heard nothing at his door, so he risked opening it. Inside was an austere bedroom that didn’t appear to have been used in some time. Jax risked opening the door at the end of the hallway where the passage widened. The walls of the room inside were lined with shelves, holding dozens of scrolls. Shadow followed Jax in, and began thumbing through the papers quickly, and a smile grew on his face. There were records of dozens of women who had been recruited into the Gray Maidens, along with notes on their indoctrination and conditioning. His smile faded as he read the cruel and grotesque methods they used to ensure the absolute loyalty of their recruits, and the lists of those executed for their failure to submit. There were also extensive lists of citizens suspected of disloyalty to the crown, and records of prisoners kept in Deathhead Vault. There was far more here than he had time to look at, but he knew that Kroft would be pleased.

“Hey guys – we need you out here!” Wren hissed through the open doorway. They emerged to find Tomas with his ear pressed to the door at the very end of the hall. His expression was grim as he turned back to them. “You can hear someone being tortured in there. I’m betting this is the same room we found back in the cell block. It’s going to be a fight if we go in – do we do that, or clear out the one room still behind us?”

That was the room just across from where the hallways intersected. Jax pressed his ear to the door and frowned. “I can hear movement inside,” he whispered. “Someone or something is in there.” They were faced with a dilemma: whichever door they opened, if there was a fight it would likely bring trouble coming from the other direction. Faced with no good options, they finally decided to go with the quieter of the two rooms. Tomas took the lead, bow in hand, with Erin right behind him. After a silent three-count, he threw open the door.

He found a clean, well-ordered bedroom, almost devoid of décor save for a large landscape painting of Korvosa on the far wall. A woman was seated at a desk, pouring over a stack of papers and scribbled notes. She had short blonde hair, with angry red scars forming X’s across both eyes, and she wore the polished plate mail and scarlet cloak of the Gray Maidens. This had to be Kordaitra Destaid, second-in-command of the Gray Maidens. She looked up angrily at being disturbed, then her eyes grew wide and she leaped to her feet as she realized this was no ordinary interruption.

Tomas took advantage of her surprise and fired off an arrow that penetrated the plate mail. Erin pushed her way past him and slashed her with her longsword while Kordaitra was still drawing her own. Jax followed Erin in, jockeying  for position in the cramped room. By now, Kordaitra was armed, and she stabbed the rogue as he moved past, but she was still off-guard, and Jax’s own thrust slid under her arm and past her armor, causing her to gasp with pain. Grizz was right on Jax’s heels, slipping to the opposite side to flank Kordaitra. She swiped at him as he passed, but her reflexes were too slow. Like Jax, his blade sank deep, and blood was flowing freely through the seams in Kordaitra’s armor. Shadow, out in the hallway, tried casting Blindness on her, but the spell had no effect.

Wren had backed up to watch the broad corridor that led to the stairway, just in case any new danger came from that direction. Nat suddenly realized that he and Shadow were the only ones left in the hallway. The party’s brawn had Kordaitra bottled up in her room, but she was screaming at the top of her lungs: “Intruders! We’re under attack! Come help me now!” He was the only thing standing between reinforcements and their boss, and his hands shook as he leveled a finger at the door through which those reinforcements were likely to come.

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The PCs earned 3,200 XP, putting them at 85,510, with 105,000 XP required for level 11.