Curse of the Crimson Throne III, Part 2: Old Korvosa (Wrath of the Arkonas)

[lostsole31]

Wrath Shall Reign!

The unnamed, cobbled together gang have taken the mission by Field Marshal Cressida Kroft to go to Old Korvosa. There, they made their way to Arkona Palace to seek there whereabouts of Neolandus Kalepopilus (the missing Seneschal of Korvosa), and Vencarlo Orisini (beloved local sword teacher). There, a smooth-talking Vudran - Lord Glorio Arkona - says that both are in his palace, but underground and his deal with his sister is that he never interferes with what happens belowground. He bids the party, though, because he doesn't know how soon the two "guests" of his sister will be put up for "the hunt."

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Character [Player]	Speech Color	AL	Faith	Race [Ethnicity] (Gender ID)	Side #1	Side #2	Campaign Trait
Avel'kerihal, House Aear’hunithneldth [NPC]	Green	NG (N)	Green Faith	Advanced Piper (m) [Elf]	Bard 2 [Cultivator]/ Bloodsong Heritor 7/ LA 1	Volur 10	Dropout [Framed]
Brad (Real Name: Muhbrad Gantir) [Buck Godot]	Blue	NG (CG)	Cayden Cailean	Eternal (m) [Garundi, Zombie]	Magus 10	Zombie 10 [8 SHD/ 2 AT]	Missing Child [Missing Sibling]
Duskwarp [NPC]	Gray	CN	Il'Surrish	Protean Attractor Eternal (m) [Keketar, Mummy]	Mummy 10 [9 SHD/ 1 AT]	Warpmind 7/ LA 3	Love Lost [Orphaned]
Saadmyrrh [NPC]	Teal	LN (N)	Green Faith	Oread (m) [Dwarf, Ironsoul]	Druid 10	Monk 10	Drug Addict [Personal Addiction]
Sophia Kadra [Buck Godot]	Saddle Brown	N	Pharasma	Eternal (f) [Vampire]	Fighter 10	Vampire 10 [8 SHD / 2 AT]	Love Lost [All Alone]
Yoon [NPC]	Fire Brick Red	CG	Lady of the North Star	Human (f) [Minkaian	Pyrokineticist 10	???	Unhappy Childhood [Religious]
TBD [NPC]	Indigo	???	???	???	???	???	???
TBD [NPC]	Dark Orange	???	???	???	???	???	???

[lostsole31]

The saytr-looking man casts a spell on his blouse, and it glows a nice soft white light. The very young Tian woman concentrates, and does something similar with her shirt, but giving an orange glow. The party then heads down the long spiral staircase to the area below. It is a wide ledge overlooking a deep drop, but it appears there is a ledge 15' below and a rope bridge extending from it, and another one as well.

[BuckGodot]

Sophia moves south towards the southern bridge. Brad will follow when he sees her begin to move.

[lostsole31]

With only a single move action (a basic walk), Sophia realizes that she is easily the fastest member of the party. In fact, several of the group - including her friend Brad - are particularly slow (20' speed).

"This place is WAY bigger than I was expecting for something under someone's house," says the Tian girl in an accent. "I'm Yoon, by the way."

[BuckGodot]

"It certainly appears to be bigger on the inside... Sophia... and this is Br-" she says gesturing to herself and then to Brad.

"Hi Yoon! I'm Brad! Nice to meet you! If there's anything I can do to lend a hand anytime, just say the word!" Brad interjects.

Sophia sighs as she waits for the others to catch up.

When they reach her position, she says, "Let's keep looking for a way down. I do have rope if needed."

[lostsole31]

"And this is Gom-Gom," says Yoon, holding up her doll. "Rrrawwr. I am Gom-Gom. Gom-Gom use bridge if it there. Gom-Gom no climb rope. Grrr."

[BuckGodot]

Sophia freezes, looking at Yoon baffled and trying to determine if this is serious or not, then glancing around at the others for confirmation that she heard and saw what she did...

Brad busts out in a belly laugh and says to Yoon, "Pay no attention to her... She's a bit stiff and crusty... Upper crusty..."

[lostsole31]

Everyone except the man with linen wrappings all around him seem to give sudden pause at Yoon's outburst.

"Strange," smirks the satyr-like man. "I am a member of an elven noble house, and she strikes me as a person whose crust has been cut off."

As Sophia leads the group, the lights in the party have revealed enough of this upper level for more description overall .... The air in this vast grotto is cool. An iron-framed flight of spiral stairs winds up through a hole in the ceiling in the northwest section of the room from the top of a semicircular ledge. The ledge winds down along the cavern’s inner wall to a series of rope bridges that descend even lower from ledge to ledge. The upper ledge is breathtaking and strangely beautiful—a tableau of all manner of odd-colored fungi, lichens, and molds. The fungi have been cultivated, shaped into symmetrical patterns normally not seen in nature, transforming the ledge into a sort of underground fungal garden. Here and there, unlit torches are burnt out in sconces above the fungi, while from somewhere in the darkness below comes the soft splash of water against an unseen shore.

[BuckGodot]

Remembering that this is a cultivated garden and not a cave, Sophia feels there is a slim chance the funghi is toxic so she carefully makes her way southwest still looking for a way down.

[lostsole31]

As she moves around the side of the ledge to the southwest, she sees that the grotto itself to the south actually extends inwards quite a bit.

[BuckGodot]

"Let's try to keep on task..." Sophia says as she continues SW.

[lostsole31]

The group gets to the single rope bridge extending north across to the north at this point.

[BuckGodot]

"Does anyone want to check this bridge? Although why someone would trap their own bridge in a basement garden is beyond me..." Sophia says.

[lostsole31]

The wrapped man finally speaks, and it is a strange, terrifying, powerful voice. "Do not, my friends, be addicted to your own goals that you ignore what else exists. There are several figures to the southeast slowly moving our way."

[BuckGodot]

Sophia nods to the wrap star and says, "Take cover and let us have the advantage of surprise." and she looks around to see where she can hide.


"Well, that's not very sportsman-like or sporting for that matter..." says Brad with a grin before he looks around to find cover.

[lostsole31]

There is no place to flat out hide behind anything outside of contours of the wall. Where do Brad and Sophia go ... exactly .... in distance and direction?

[BuckGodot]

"Right! Everyone, across the bridge quickly!" Sophia says as she draws her katanas and gestures to the bridge, turning to move

Spoiler: Technical Information

Show

FRA: Brad turns around and moves 30' (or his maximum move which I tried to look up but couldn't find) across the northern bridge.

Sophia waits and guards their crossing.

[lostsole31]

Begin Round One ...

R1T25-21: The satyrnine creature follows Brad, as does the green-stone-skinned dwarf-like man.

R1T17: Sophia, what do you do?