Episode 20 - Rats Come Calling

General Summary

25th of Sunfall, 1442

"Baron" Lazarus Craytin, Tonnath to some, had now escaped death twice; once when he first met Annabeth of Risevar on the road that fateful summer evening, and once again at the midnight hour when the noose awaited him at the hands of Beltran Dillestone's soldiers. Now he found himself again in a familiar state, on the road with a sackful of silver with no fixed address. He and Elrilla had paused their travels after his timely rescue for well-deserved food and lodging in a small settlement near the Barony of Bridemare. Elrilla had gone from their table to fetch a fresh round of ale, leaving Lazarus to contemplate the road that had brought him here. Then Yorath sat down across from him, grinning widely, seized his mug and drained what was left of it. "You and me, we're going to have ourselves a little talk."

4th of Harvest, 1442

Kain awoke with a start in the cramped, dingy boarding house room they'd found themselves in within the city around Castle Cole. There was a commotion in the alley outside his second-floor window, and when he glanced outside he saw Bexley staggering out of the shadows, clutching his wounded gut. When Kain tried to call out to him, Bexley vanished into the shadows, following several individuals that Kain didn't recognize. Concerned, Kain followed after him out the window, noting the trails of blood leading down into the sewers below Castle Cole... Amidst the filth and labyrinthine tunnels winding and wending their way below the city, Roan Cordelaine was running for his life. The footfalls of his pursuers were not far behind him, but despite his grievous injuries he was still able to haul himself into an alcove at the last moment, remaining hidden from Bexley's men as they passed him by. A minute later, a single pair of footsteps could be heard approaching, and Roan peered out to see Kain's familiar face amidst the shadows. Signalling to Kain, Roan slumped out of the alcove, leaning on Kain as the two of them made their way back out of the sewers. Knowing now that Bexley had gone rogue and the boarding house was no longer safe, Kain opted to take Roan to a second location he'd scouted out earlier that day; a nondescript brothel that asked little in the way of questions. *** Back at the boarding house, Jarvin Cadwalader and Iryval Ayvir returned from the evening sermon they had attended to behold an unexpected confrontation in progress; Elnor Portrain had Drosta at knifepoint as she protested her innocence to Bexley's plans. Sarischa Ravana was there as well, quietly mulling over the revelation that Gethin Sandoreale had sent a dozen men to overtake the House Ildrafn operation, beginning with an attempt on Roan's life. Iryval immediately went outside to see if any street urchins had seen what had become of Roan while Jarvin and Sarischa determined what to do about Drosta. She insisted that she had no desire to see Roan dead, and that Bexley had covertly sent messages back to Gethin to arrange the reinforcements he would need to cut out Drosta and the others before attempting to seize the missing heir himself. Agreeing to work together for the time being, Sarischa called off Elnor, and with Iryval's inquiries bearing fruit, the group set off to track down Roan. *** By the time Kain was able to bring Roan to the brothel, the poor man's condition had worsened significantly. Roan could barely perceive the silks, the ribald laughter and the feather bed he was dropped onto. Kain seized a cheap bottle of whiskey to pour over Roan's wounds and urged him to hold on... But it was too late. Roan slipped away in the bloody bed, drenched in whiskey. Cursing the dead man's fate, Kain realized that keeping him here would only complicate matters. Dressing up the corpse as best he could to conceal the knife wound, Kain hauled him downstairs and out into the streets... where Iryval, Sarischa, Drosta and Jarvin were approaching. The realization of Roan's death hit the group hard, and Kain suggested they conceal the body in the sewers before making Bexley their top priority. The crew said their goodbyes to the perfumed dandy Roan before laying him to rest within the sewers of Castle Cole, then broke to plan their next moves. Kain, Drosta and Jarvin would begin seeking out Bexley and the other Sandoreale agents he'd introduced into the fray, while Sarischa and Iryval went to the night markets to find enough rosaries and prayer tokens to adorn Roan with that he might pass as a believer in the Six Saints. Utilizing Drosta's knowledge of Bexley, the team began searching the docks for any signs of the man. They soon found the back alley doctor who stitched up Bexley's wounds, who then pointed them in the direction of a series of rented rooms above a fighting pit. Maneuvering into position, the team sprung the doors wide on the rented accommodations, only to find that Bexley and the majority of his men weren't there. Three of Bexley's men were, however, and Drosta strove to sway them back under her own authority by claiming Bexley had gone rogue. The conversation was tense and nearly turned to violence, but thanks to Jarvin and Kain's additional efforts in persuasion and intimidation, the trio of Bexley's men stood down before drawing steel. They informed Drosta that Bexley and the nine other men had gone ahead to Castle Cole, believing that Annabeth and Mair were sequestered somewhere within the old ruin under Ravenna Durant's protection. *** Having adorned Roan with all the trappings of a faithful adherent of the Six Saints, Iryval and Sarischa notified the city watch of the body's discovery. As they slipped away into the night, Sarischa revealed the next element of his new plan; go to Ravenna Durant directly, using Iryval's position as a legitimate member of House Ildrafn to gain an audience, to advise of Roan's death and see what she might know about the missing heir. As she is a loyal servant of House Oake , Sarischa reasoned that the ties between Ildrafn and Oake could be leveraged to aid their efforts. The duo approached the great portcullis of Castle Cole. Elsewhere in the night, Bexley and his men were preparing their own operation to find and abduct Annabeth and Mair. And Kain, Jarvin and Drosta were hot on their tails. The agendas of three separate Great Houses were about to collide in one evening. END OF EPISODE