Things we learned during 'The Halls of Enchantment':
-Aerodus: Baby otyugh bites, though not as painful as adult ones, are almost as filthy and prone to infection.
-Baelgren: Unlike his companions, does not suffer from hallucinations when exploring Korvosan dungeons.
-Lucien: Is a fan of rainy, nighttime cliff-scaling expeditions.
-Lugo: Does not get the praise he deserves when fighting rat-men.
Their mission to deliver Skeener 'dead or alive' complete, the companions are left waiting on Laori to make the next move. Unsure of what to expect from the elven priestess, they take the time given to rest, heal wounds, and gather resources. Still wanted in Korvosa and beholden to a woman of questionable morality, Lugo in particular, wonders if his life will ever again reach a semblance of normality.
The days pass, with each 'hero' experiencing an interesting encounter that he may or may not have shared with his fellows. Regardless, just as the companions begin to wonder if they have been duped, Lugo receives a letter:
Dearest Lugo,
Soon, I shall be able to repay you for services
rendered. I would rather have you all to myself, but
will not try to dissuade you from bringing your
esteemed followers. Rendezvous at the Posh and
Turtle at dusk in two days time. I eagerly await our
(re)union!
L.
The Posh and Turtle, an inn bordering the Heights district, is reputedly the finest establishment of its kind in Korvosa, if not the whole of Varisia. The companions think it best to dress the part; foregoing their usual attire for a more refined appearance. They are greeted at the door by a regally dressed man sporting a fine rapier housed in an ornate scabbard. After collecting the entrance fee (1 gold sail each), he allows the group to enter. The inside of the inn is nothing short of
spectacular; the main feature being a thick glass floor in the middle of the
sprawling building overlooking a wide but shallow sea cave. In the cave is a giant sea turtle, lazily
munching on its dinner, oblivious to the activity above it. Apart from the cave, an enormous
and intricately carved bar spans the back wall of the room, and two large
staircases adorned with exquisite railings lead up to the second floor. A raised stage is located to the left of the entrance; currently empty of performers though many instruments occupy its space. Finding a seat in the crowded tavern, the companions order expensive drinks and wait several hours before meeting their contact, who ushers them away in a horse-drawn carriage of the finest construction. This is not to say that the time spent inside the inn was at all uneventful. Indeed, a week later, the regulars at the Posh and Turtle were still talking about the newcomers who charmed some young noblewomen (Aerodus, Baelgren, Lucien), out-dueled their dates with masterful skill (Baelgren and Lucien), then delivered an extraordinary vocal performance (Lucien) before mysteriously disappearing into the night.
The carriage takes the companions, in a roundabout way, into a large gated property. Here they are led into a building housing a large oval ballroom. The ballroom's ceiling is nothing short of amazing, with dozens of skylights housed between large ornate wooden beams. In the center of the room is a sinister-looking studded metal chair and an immense table. The table's surface is occupied with various bottles, breakers, candles, and other instruments normally found in a laboratory setting as well as sinister looking tools and two objects recently in their possession: the Book of Shadows and the Scourge of Pain. Laori enters with a flourish, attired in a tight black body suit of spiked chainmail armor. Wrapped around her waist is a long spiked chain adorned with ringed handgrips. Stopping before Lugo, she caresses his face with both hands before passionately and unabashedly embracing him in front of his friends. She states, "We'd best get started, this will take awhile."
The Shadow Pact ends some eight grueling hours later, and Lugo's three companions are numb at the atrocities they have not only witnessed but helped to commit. Lugo is a slobbering, bloody mess of human flesh; his mind and body pushed far beyond its limits. By the time they realized what the ritual really was- a complete submission of body and soul to Zon-Kuthon- the friends were powerless to stop it, to do so would only condemn Lugo to death or worse. On two seperate occasions, fearing they had lost him, Lucien was able to bring Lugo back with healing song. Through it all, Laori was a conflict of personalities, one moment a vile torturess, the other a soothing precense urging Lugo on with encouraging words..."Know this Lugo; the success of this ritual happens only with the holy grace of the Umbral Lord. Embrace him now and your rewards will be sweeter. Embrace him now and be forever empowered by pain and suffering. Embrace him Lugo and you embrace me! Do you submit?"
Step 1- As Baelgren sketches a rune on the floor according to the instructions on the scrolls provided them, Lucien begins chanting an altogether unsettling tune, the words to which he does not even comprehend. Once done the sketch, Baelgren transfers the 13 thick candles from the stands onto specific locations around the circle. The positioning of the candles creates an orgy of undulating shadow activity around Lugo, as if the barrier between the material plane and that of the plane of shadow were dissolving. Mysteriously, each shadow the candles generate seems humanoid in shape. Unconcerned, Laori motions to Aerodus for the first potion, an altogether sickly, bubbling concoction of liquid discomfort. She pours a small amount of the contents onto one of the candles and then walks up to Lugo, grabs his hair, then violently pulls his head back, slamming the potion to his lips and into his mouth. Lugo chokes and sputters but Laori forces his mouth shut and Lugo has no choice but to swallow the vile brew. Not missing a beat, Laori smashes the bottle over Lugo's head and begins to insult and intimidate, shouting obsenities and slurs. Several times she reaches for a piece of broken glass and threatens to gouge his face, stopping just shy before resuming her barrage of verbal abuse. This continues for some time. Towards the end she hits Lugo with a half-dozen open handed slaps that reverberate throghout the chamber. With Lugo clearly frazzled, she stops, leans down and says, "Submit!".
Step 2- Laori steps back from the chair and continues to back away until she is a few body lengths from the outermost candle. "See, the shadow circle and the first candle have been consumed, the Prince of Pain hears our pleas and approves!" Sure enough, the complex diagram drawn by Baelgren and the candle's flame had disappeared. Laori motions for the three helpers to begin anew. The second level of the Shadow Pact is much like the first, except Laori uses the much smaller amount of alchemical mixture only to sprinkle upon one of the candles, seemingly content not to force any down Lugo's throat. Again, she intimidates, using words and light physical abuse. At one point she utters a dark spell that so unnerves Lugo that he screams as he strains with all his might to free himself from the restraints holding his naked body to the cruel metal chair. At the end of this step, the candle Laori sprinkled with the potion fizzles and sputters, then flares unnaturally to a height of several feet before extinguishing itself with a loud pop followed by an eerie sound halfway between a moan and a scream.
Step 3- The ritual continues in much the same way for the remainder of the night. Aerodus concentrates on alchemy, Baelgren on runes, and Lucien on ambience; all the while trying to ignore the increasingly terrible mental and physical trauma Laori inflicts upon Lugo.
In this step, Laori uses the Scourge of Pain to accentuate the insults and slaps. The scourge, which is wrapped with barbed wire, broken glass and tiny fangs, not only leaves bright red welts on Lugo's chest ,but also rips out small chumks of flesh.
Step 4- At one point, Laori walks over to the table and rummages through the pile of tools, slipping on a pair of wicked looking brass knuckles. She then punches Lugo's face into a bloody, swollen mess. Poor Lugo looks like he has been worked over by an ogre.
Step 5- Laori pulls out pliers, clamping them to Lugo's genitals and sqeezing with barely contained glee. The pain is so great he cannot even scream, though he manages to empty the contents of his stomach all over himself. It is unlikely that Lugo will ever be able to produce offspring.
Step 6- Here, Laori applies a small dose of liquid to a knife, smearing some onto Lugo's open wounds. Within minutes he begins to sweat, convulse and froth at the mouth. The cindersnake venom very nearly kills him.
Step 7- Using a hammer, Laori crushes all the bones in one of Lugo's fingers. The finger is completely mangled and permanently useless.
Step 8- Retrieving the pliers for a second tour of duty, Laori rips half the nails from Lugo's toes...very, very slowly. Though not a life-threatening procedure, the pain is enough to cause short term blackouts.
Step 9- For their third tour of duty, the well-used pliers rip teeth from Lugo's pretty mouth. His mouth is no longer pretty.
Step 10- Laori pauses after picking up a long, thick metal needle from the table, obviously deciding where she wants to stick it. An eardrum wins the sadistic lottery. Permanent hearing loss ensues.
Step 11- Laori uses the rustiest knife the companions have ever seen to slice Lugo up. The dozen or so incisions are small, Lugo barely registers the pain. The damage will come later.
Step 12- As the Shadow Pact nears its final stages, Aerodus, Baelgren, and Lucien are horrified by what has transpired. Yet, despite their misgivings, the ritual seems to be working. At every stage, the rune circles have been consumed, the candles quenched in bursts of alchmical fire while the human-like shadows they had cast remain, swirling round Lugo's chair. Laori examines the table, carefully picking out a wickedly curved dagger and advances towards Lugo. Unlike each earlier step, Laori does not begin by hurling obsenities. Instead, she carefully examines him and gently speaks, "My poor Lugo, you've been so brave, much braver than that sniveling rat Skeener. It is little wonder my Prince of Shadows rejected him. We are close...so close, the Pact is near completion...do you still want it dear Lugo? Submit!" With fluid grace, she walks behind him, pulls one of his ears with her free hand and severs it with the dagger! Step 13- Lugo sits head slumped forward, gurgling incoherently and dripping blood from his mouth. Laori points to the shadows illuminated by the lone remaining candle. Lugo's shadow lies apart, clearly distinct from the others and is slowly siphoning all the remaining shadows into itself. When the last one is absorbed, it begins to unfurl, no longer an exact reflection of the rogue. it seems to spend the next minutes discovering itself; moving its arms and legs until it realizes it is still connected to Lugo. At first the shadow makes slow experimental attempts at pulling its legs away from Lugo, but quickly grows frustrated and tries frantically to free itself. Each time it does so, Lugo's legs move forward, straining at the straps holding them, eliciting painful grunts from the wounded man. Laori says, "Time to finish this, we must make haste, if the shadow manages to tear itself from your friend at this stage, all will be lost!" Aerodus and Baelgren complete their tasks as Lucien chants. Laori joins her voice to Lucien's as she grabs the last vial of alchemical solution, carefully pouring a drop on Lucien's forehead, then on the shadow, and finally the rest of the contents onto the candle. The candle flares to an unprecedented height, easily seven or eight feet, but unlike its predecessors, the eerie greenish flame does not fade. All are drawn to Lugo as he begins to scream, blood spraying from his mulitated mouth. His eyes are riveted to his feet; the skin is being pulled away gruesomely where it meets with the shadow, likely moments away from tearing off the muscle. Laori steps into view. Having unfurled the spiked chain from her waist, she starts twirling it into the air. "Last chance Lugo, do you truly submit heart and soul to the joyous misery that is Zon-Kuthon?" With Lugo's answer, Laori unleashes her cruel weapon, the blade ripping through the air unerringly to implant itself deep into his chest. The flame explodes with concussive force...all goes dark.
Knocked to the ground by the impact of the blast, it takes Lugo's stunned companions a few moments to regain their senses. When they do, they hear Laori utter a short incantation and light once more returns to the chamber. Drawing the serrated dagger, her face a stone-cold mask, she advances towards the chair. She kneels, cradling Lugo's face in her hands. Saddened by what they believe is the image of their deceased friend, Aerodus, Baegren, and Lucien are slow to realize that Lugo, though still caked in dried blood, has no fresh injuries. They connect the pieces when they see Lugo's eyes flutter open and hear him take in a long breath. He is alive! Laori stands, raising the dagger threateningly...and cuts the straps holding Lugo to the chair. "It's over Lugo, you succeeded, Zon-Kuthon has deemed you worthy. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are one of us now." She lets the words sink in before continuing. "In moments, things will happen that might make you question my...allegiances. All I ask is that you remember that things are not always as they seem." On cue, they hear footsteps and the doors part.
A host of armed men enter the chamber, numbering easily over a dozen and a half. Most are estate guards dressed in midnight blue tabards worn over armor and wielding crossbows or spears. Laori addresses the men, "I'm done here Selso. I've completed my part of the bargain. I would like my possessions returned to me, please have the hired help pack up my things...once you are done of course." With a playful grin, Laori leaves without another word.
Four men stand out amongst the group. Two of these wear the grotesque masks and clothing attributed to the Skinsaw Cultists. The third wears a gleaming suit of metal armor, while the fourth, the one Laori called Selso, is dressed in very fine clothing of the latest style. He is a short balding man with chubby cheeks and beady eyes. Lucien and Areodus identify him as Selso Salisfer; arbiter for the city of Korvosa, and head of House Salisfer, a minor noble house in Korvosa with roots in Cheliax. He speaks, " So you are the rabble rousers that have been killing my men and causing me no shortage of grief. It is good to finally have you within my grasp." Suddenly, the servant that met you at the Posh and Turtle enters, hastily squirming his way through the throng of guards towards Selso. He mutters something in Selso's ear and the two exchange words for several moments. Clearly perturbed, selso gives the man in the scalemail armor an angry look before commanding 10 of his guards to follow him outside.
Until now, the man in the armor has stood stock still, chin high, with both hands behing his back. As he speaks, he reveals the reason his hands were hidden from view. "You may not recognize my face, but I trust you will recognize this." He holds up a mask, similar to the ones worn by the cultists, yet distinct and unique. He continues, "Yes, we met that night many weeks ago in an alley. An unfortunate encounter that I am sure you have regretted ever since. I, though, must thank you. Were it not for your timely interference, things might have gone badly for me. Not only did I manage to escape capture, but you took the blame for what had occured! I could not have scripted it better myself. Too bad you had to ruin things by hunting down Skeener; had you just fled the city, you would not be in this predicament." During the dialogue, the two skinsaw cultists seem agitated, staring at the companions with thinly concealed aggression. It is not long before the man, named Danvid Klast, grows bored of conversation and orders his subordinates to attack. As the battle starts, a few of the group think they hear the sound of pitched battle coming from the grounds outside the ballroom. Despite being unarmored and weaponless, the companions account for themselves quite well. Lucien bolsters morale, while Aerodus throws his lethal alchemical bombs that quickly even the odds and Baelgren unleashes sorcerous missles of energy. Even Lugo, wielding the vicious Scourge of Pain, eventually enters the fray and scores, only to take a crossbow to the torso for his efforts. Lucien and Baegren pool their skills to prevent Lugo from crossing into Pharasma's realm. Near defeat, Danvid Klast makes his escape, but is forced back inside the ballroom minutes later, the Korvosan Guard at his and Selso's heels. With the help of Sergeant Grau Soldado and his soldiers, the group downs Danvid and forces Selso to surrender.
Relief, however, is short lived as Grau orders the companions to drop their weapons and surrender. A few minutes later, a giant of a man with a demon-maw breastplate enters and chuckles as he scans the prisoners. The man, the group later find out, is named Maralictor Drane, and he is a Hellknight belonging to the Order of the Nail. There are a few tense moments as Sergeant Soldado and Maralictor Drane argue over the custody of the prisoners. The Korvosan Guard win out, likely only due to their superior numbers, but as Drane leaves with his two remaining armigers, he clearly states, "This matter is not over Soldado, those four should be brought back to Citadel Vraid! We'll be talking again soon enough!"
Out of the fire and into the frying pan...
