Book 1 - The Edge of Anarchy

[pringerbeam]

     "There is no power in the tapestries.  They are merely there to remind us."  An older varisian woman stands in the doorway  "To remind us of what dwells above..."  She points to the tapestry of the angels.  "What dwells below..."  She then gestured to a tapestry opposite the first which depicted a demon juggling skulls.  "And what will brings us to either destination."  She pointed finally to the back wall which depicted a skeletal figure in black robes holding a flaming sword.  "I hope you are all well.  I am Zellara, the one who called you all here.  I am glad to see you are all well and that you all answered my call."  She walks over to the table to sit in one of the open chairs.  "I am sure you all have many questions about why I called you here and what I can do to help you bring justice to Lamm.  Please, have a seat so that I may give what answers I can."  She sits with confidence and a welcoming air.  Her weathered features tell of an attractive beauty long since past, but she still wears her features with grace.  As she sits down she draws out a deck of harrow cards matching the cards which you have all received.  She absentmindedly shuffles the deck as she sits with an expectant look on her face.

There is no arcane magic associated with tapestries as far as you know.

[Oath]

The voice coming from the doorway surprised Eliora momentarily. A fellow Varisian woman was their benefactor? Her description of the tapestries was apt, and Eliora listened intently, hanging on every syllable. She studied the woman's weathered face, she seemed to look honest enough at a first glance.

"Thank you, Zellara for your invitation. I may be a bit hasty, but what made ya choose us? Surely there's gotta be more people Lamm has troubled. O' course I'm glad to be included in bringing the man to justice. 'Tis something I've dreamed for many years."

[pringerbeam]

     "I did not choose you.  The cards did."  With this Zellara nods to the cards on the table.  "I have no power of my own.  Only a gift from the spirits of my ancestors to read the cards.  So I sought their guidance in finding others who have also been wronged by Lamm and who might do together do what I alone could not.  The guidance of the cards brought me to each of you.  The fact that you have all answered the call heartens me.  The cards have never led me astray before but in such matters as these it is hard to keep faith.  There are always those who fight fate.  Especially those whom fate has brought into contact with Lamm."

[InhumanRonin]

Beldan was surprised to hear that this group of people were gathered merely to some cards. "I find it hard to believe that we have been brought together here by some mere cards. I feel you must have at least done some digging into our pasts yourself and judging by the group we have here for quite some time." Beldan takes a drink from is mug and continues to speak. "What I would like to know though is what did Lamm do to you for you to go out of your way to gather us up?"

[Mysticsage]

Aeraloth was not so skeptical as the dwarf. His own hidden abilities told him that magic did all kind of strange things that he could not easily explain. It did what it wanted to not caring about the laws of the mortal world. "And can you elaborate onto why your cards might have chosen us. There must be a lot of people wronged by that ghoul Lamm so there must have been someone better qualified then me I'm just a simple performer." This was partially a test to see how much these fantastical cards revealed to this old women. She seemed nonthreatening enough but he was never one to judge a book by its cover. He knew of performers who liked to embody their roles. A fortuneteller like this needed the show more often then not to attract costumers if she was the genuine thing then she would be rare indeed.

[pringerbeam]

     Zellara turned to Beldan and responded "You wear the symbol of your god do you not?  Faith and respect for those beyond our realm can be a potent force in the ways of fate and I would think you would be able to appreciate that while my ancestor spirits do not work by the same methods as your deity does not invalidate their ability to guide us.  As for why you all specifically were revealed to me, I do not know.  I can only hope that your reason for wanting to strike Lamm down is reason enough.  He killed my son and I can only assume that he has visited similar misfortune upon you all.  The cards did not tell me and I did not think it appropriate to pry into your lives.  Using the Harrow is a gift that cannot be abused lest the spirits decide to cease answering my call and delving into the pasts and futures of those who do not wish it can deem me unworthy of the spirits guidance.  If there were something important enough in your fates that the cards needed to tell me then they would have done so."

[SleepingSkeleton]

"What's it matter?"  Triss asked, lifting her eyes from the cards and looking around the room.  "What's it matter why the cards, or she picked us if we all want it done.  Anyone here not want Lamm dead?  I do, and I'm going to see it done.  You can all join in or not.  What matters is what else she has for us," Triss said, gesturing to Zellara.  "I'm hoping perhaps you, your cards, or anything else you know can help us out a little more.  I've been busy, but it's not easy to track people here, especially if they move a lot, and Lamm does."
Triss looked around at each of her potential allies.  The dwarf, likely a cleric, good, that would help people stay alive.  Eliora, unless she had changed significantly from when she had been with Lamm, a theif, perhaps good with a blade.  Likely less so with a bow unless that eye patch was for sure, and knowing it had probably come from Lamm, that was unlikely.  The foreign man, he looked strong, and focused.  No armor and a staff, possibly a spell caster, but he looked strong enough to be in a fight. Perhaps one of the mystics that the eastern lands were famous for.  The ... elf?  Half elf, perhaps, he was big for an elf, was hard  to read as well, again little to no armor, but more casual in his mannerisms.  Less poise than the man.  His instrument indicated the man as a bard perhaps.  Some of them had powers.
"I'll tell you why the cards chose me.  Lamm took me from whatever life I might have had.  Made me work for him, and then the bastard tried to burn me alive.  I intend to return the favor to him but to do it right."

[jammermoore]

"Lamm needs to be brought to the authorities, so justice can be served. So I am in." Shenzu listens to everyone else's reasons for being here, Triss's reason stood out the most.""Triss is killing Lamm that important? No one deserves to die by one's hand. Shenzu hopes to sway Triss's resolve but Shenzu is mental preparing for the worst to happen. The rest of the group doesn't seem to want blood on their hand but we are all here for one reason only, to see Lamm off the streets. "If the cards can show you us, can they show you were Lamm is?"

[Oath]

Eliora listened to Triss and Shenzu in turn. She found herself in partial agreement with Triss. Fire might not be her first option, but there would be a certain degree of satisfaction obtained by dealing with Lamm herself instead of letting him rot in a prison cell somewhere. The guy was so slippery for all these years that even a cell might not be enough to contain him.

"Not to overstep some boundaries or anything but ya know... The cards already say that Lamm's location is known. Perhaps it might be in ya best interest to brush up on ya common before ya get too deeply involved in tryin' to track down a man that's caused more trouble then any o' us really know. Ya can say nobody deserves to die, but can ya say the same to all o' the families that have been torn apart by this excuse of a man? The children that had the future stolen out from under their feet? The widows of the many men that turned up in some alley with a knife in their back? If ya really want to see justice brought to Lamm, ya gotta know that it ain't gonna end with him singin' a happy song. If he ain't gonna come peaceably.. which he likely wouldn't, I ain't gonna hesitate to stick 'em. He had no trouble doin' that to me."

After her speech, Eliora let out a deep breath and looked around the table at each of the assembled folks. "So. What's the story for you lot? Why do ya wanna see Lamm come to justice?"

[SleepingSkeleton]

"Ah ha ha ha ha," Triss laughed out, no humor reaching her eyes.  "You're adorable.  No one deserves to die?  Perhaps in the east you all live like they say, but here, in this town?  No.  Plenty of people deserve to die.  We have paid executioners.  Guards carry swords, or spears.  I walked here with this," Triss gestured at her crossbow, now leaning against her chair, "And no one questioned me.  People deserve to die, and everyone knows it.  And as far as I'm concerned, Lamm is at the top of that list.  We are sitting in a room with 6 people who want the man brought down.  I can tell you she got plenty of pain from Lamm," Triss gestured to Eliora.  "And last time I saw her before Lamm removed her, she had two working eyes.  He killed our hosts son.  He sold shiver to people who took it till they died.  I should know, I had to make the damn stuff for him, there is no way what he was doing was helping people.  But it wasn't ever enough.  No, he couldn't make the gold he wanted peddling those concoctions.  No, instead he takes children like us and has them steal or kill people, then steal from them.  No, Lamm deserves to die.  And that isn't going to happen unless we do something about it."
Triss had risen from her chair and began advancing towards Shenzu.  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew this was not the smart thing to do.  The man stood a foot taller than her, and outweighed her by probably double.  He was clearly stronger by an even greater difference.  But that was not important.  Killing the man who had done this to her, who had made her look like this, who had taken almost everything from her, that was what mattered.  And she was not going to let anyone stand in her way. 
"But what's really funny is you think bringing Lamm to the authorities will do anything.  No, he's just some two bit con man, a bit player.  There are so many more pressing matters for them.  Catching people loitering where they shouldn't.  Making sure we don't stare too long at our 'betters' or covet their lives of privilege.  Hell, if he murders some of the thieves, addicts, whores or other undesirables, so much the better for them."  Triss was standing almost toe to toe with the tall foreigner now, looking up into his eyes, her hate for Lamm burning forth.  The scars on her face seemed almost to glow red with the heat of her emotions.  "I will see him brought the justice he deserves," she hissed.

[pringerbeam]

     A worried look spreads across Zellara's face as Triss approaches Shenzu and she raises her hand.  "Please! Do not fight here.  I understand the pain you must feel but you must reserve that for when you confront Lamm.  We have all suffered from what Lamm has done but that should not cloud our vision.  Lamm has escaped justice for so long because none have stood together against him.  Here fate has brought us together to accomplish what many alone have failed for years at doing.  We can't let this chance escape us.  Please, I beg of you to try and restrain your hatred until the one who deserves it is before you."  With this she clasps her hands together and wrings them to Triss.  "And to you..."  She presses her palms together facing Shenzu and raises them before her face.  "I beg instead that you hear my plea.  By killing my son Lamm has ended my bloodline.  For this I deserve his life.  For his crimes he would be put to death by the guard if they were capable of proving his involvement but he has never been caught before and is careful in the way he has carried out his crimes.  I ask that you give him the justice that he deserves and end his life.  I realize that this might be a great deal to ask of you.  I do not know what has been done to you and it might not have been as terrible a crime as might have been visited upon others but I beg you to understand that what I require is his death.  If you require proof beyond my word mayhaps you will find what you need in his lair."  She lowered her hands and placed them upon the table palms down on either side of her harrow deck then turned back to Triss.  "A lair which I am afraid to disclose the location of.  You appear to be too desperate to slay Lamm and I fear that given his location you might rush ahead and not only die but give away the designs of those who also desire justice.  Lamm is a wily man who would change his location should he fear his lair no longer is secure.  So if I can not trust you to hold yourself back then I will have to ask you to leave.  This is a matter too great to put one's own need for vengeance above everyone else."

[InhumanRonin]

Beldan looks over at Zellara realizing he might have come across as too harsh "I apologize I may have been a bit too rash on my comment what I mean is I just dont think harrow cards readings would give you this kind of information whether that is true or not though doesn't matter to me now since you have gathered us here to go after Lamm" Beldan sat back and then listened to Shenzu, Eliora, and Triss speak their pieces and decided to voice himself after Zellara tried to calm the growing tensions in the room.

Woah let us calm ourselves her lass let us not do something that could upset our hostess. I get that Lamm is a very touchy subject for all of us here but its no reason to get angry at the others here regardless of how unserious one comes off as. While I do agree that he cant be left alive I see we have come to an impasse as to who gets to do the deed of putting Lamm down for good. Beldan sighed at bit then proceeded to take a breath before telling a bit about his story.

"Just like everyone else in here Lamm has taken something from me that I held dear to me and that was my father. It was just a few months ago that my father was out running errands for the forge he used to run. He was running a bit later then normal that day I recall so I closed up the workshop for him after getting home from Torag's shrine. It was not too long after that the guard showed up at the workshop to ask me to come and identify his body. Beldan clears his throat and takes a drink before continuing on. Now do I think he deserves to die for that and all of the other crimes absolutely. Do I think I have the right to be the one to kill him well that isn't for me to decide I personally think he should be hung in town square for all those he has harmed to see but I also can see that might not happen so as long as he is brought to justice in some fashion I cannot complain.

[Mysticsage]

Aeraloth had kept silently tense during the whole conversation allowing the emotions of the others wash over him. He was not the smartest of men of that he knew and he could not dream to think about what consequences enacting justice on his enemy might cause but that never stopped him from acting. He had seen the fruits of remaining a coward in fear of the darkness of others before. When he spoke it was with a ofrce that cut through the others and filled the small room. "I cannot say that I smart enough to judge others, even Lamm. However even I know that that man's hunger will go wild if left unchecked and if someone else suffered the same fate I was forced to live because I did not act when I had the chance. I would be a worse monster then he is. So I refuse to simply leave here knowing that I had the ability to do more regardless of what happens next. I need to see this through to the end weather I'm alone or with others."

He stared down the old woman with an intensity of conviction that was almost electric. He had delt with to much trying to compensate for the loss of his mother to back down when he was so close to the source of his pain. What he did to the man when he got their he would figure out in the moment. He would take stock of the choices then and there and charge forward down his chosen path.

Diplo check to assure her of his convictions

Rolled 1d20+3 : 8 + 3, total 11

[jammermoore]

As Triss approaches, Shenzu listens and looks over her. After Triss was done with her explain of what Lamm is all about, she is now toe to toe with Shenzu, as he is about to say something Zellara speaks up. Shenzu's attention focuses on Zellara, as she gives her explanation of what Lamm did to her family. After Zellara was done, Shenzu turns back to Triss, "I see what Lamm did to you, I just voiced how I feel about killing, if it comes down to Lamm or me to live I choose me. So lets get along for now to get this job done, this should be interesting." Shenzu watches Triss for a reaction hopeful he doesn't need to fight this young women at some point. "If this is the chosen path of the group I'll tag along to give my support to the group."

[SleepingSkeleton]

Tiss sighed, and stepped back.  Nothing much from this one.  Probably for the best.  "Passion does not preclude planning.  I am capable of both."  Triss walked back to her seat, pulling the hood of her cloak back into place.  She had not intended to fight the man, but his indifference had been irksome.  But if the others did not want to kill Lamm, that would leave him to her to take her long overdue revenge.   Triss took her seat once again.  Looking at the other faces in the room from the security of the shadow of her cloak again, she settled on their host.  "If you don't believe it, look into my recent past, miss Zellara.  Or if the cards cannot be so specific, you could look at the recent graves in the Gray.  A man named Garrik, a former enforcer of Lamms lies there now.  Lamm may know already, and may choose to move.  I am not sure how paranoid he is now, Garrik was often in fights about town over his leaf or smoke.  Still, it might be wise to move sooner than later.  So I'll ask again, can your cards help us any closer to Lamm?  We should decide how to find him and begin devising a plan.  What skills do you all possess?  I can craft a few potions, acid, and other alchemical tools.  I can also make some explosives to use against our enemy.  I'm a fair shot with a crossbow, nothing stellar though." 
Honesty was best.  Alchemy was no crime, even if some of her concoctions might upset their sensibilities.  Simply leave those out.  Shouldn't need them with Lamm.  She would need to know what they had though.  Garrik was stupid.  Lamm wouldn't be.  But with so many new tools, there might be a real chance.