Having been on the defensive for a number of days (and sessions), the party decides to take the fight to the Gray Maidens in this session. The group decided that they need to find where the Gray Maidens are being “produced” and try to stop it. Unless this can be done, it sounds like the numbers will just continue to increase…not good as the Guard and Sable Company are already losing the civil war in Korvosa. Some scouting and other activities were first and then the party got some first hand experience of the chaos in the streets of Korvosa. Details below the break.
Everyone was in attendance. Although I do not think there are any specific spoilers for elements of the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path, there are potential spoilers regarding some of the movers and shakers of Korvosa. As usual, my GM comments are in italics.
28th of Pharast
- After Pop finishes his messaging with Divo, Stefaneto leads he and Darcy back to the “camp.”
- It is decided that the group needs to find out where the Gray Maidens are being created. It is decided that a disguised Aimar and Isabella will head up to the city to observe the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden.
- After explaining their plan to Stefaneto, he guides them to the surface in a much less circuitous route, although still hooded. He will also wait a few hours for them to return. If they need to enter the sewers elsewhere, Stefaneto suggests that they knock on the pipes with an agreed upon pattern and he will find them.
- Hiding in an alley, the pair watches the Hospice. There are about a dozen Gray Maidens on guard and patrolling the area. A pair of Hellknights are with them, standing guard outside of the building. The Maidens patrol a block or so around the Hospice. They are always in pairs.
- Isabella climbs up on a nearby roof to see what she can spot. She sees a Red Mantis Assassin lying on the roof of the Hospice, primarily keeping watch on the sky above.
- Aimar and Isabella come back into the sewers and join up with Stefaneto again.
- The group had also mentioned the smuggling tunnels that access the temple below the Hospice. Stefaneto found them and can show the group where they are when necessary.
- A couple of broadsheets were also recovered.
- One indicates that the Queen has imposed a curfew and all individuals are to remain in their homes or risk being arrested.
- The other has an announcement that beginning on the 29th of Pharast, women of the city can report to a variety of locations, between noon and 2pm, to receive food. These locations include: Castle Korvosa, Gilded Orrery, Hospice of the Blessed Maiden, Hospice of the Divine Matron, Korvosa Mercy, and Riverside House.
- The group is aware of all of these locations except the Hospice of the Divine Matron.
- After explaining their plan to Stefaneto, he guides them to the surface in a much less circuitous route, although still hooded. He will also wait a few hours for them to return. If they need to enter the sewers elsewhere, Stefaneto suggests that they knock on the pipes with an agreed upon pattern and he will find them.
29th of Pharast
- Pop messages Elvo to see if any potions are available yet. They are not.
- Elvo shares that the Hospice of the Divine Matron is in Old Korvosa (over near Merciless Way South). It just opened. The building was an abandoned manor previously owned by someone who made his fortune in smuggling.
- Elvo will try to negotiate with the Midnight Sirens (an all female gang in the Shingles) to send someone to keep an eye on things when women start to show for food.
- A couple of hours later, Elvo reaches out to let the group know that he has the potions.
- The potions are acquired and they help the party get mostly healed from their prior wounds.
- Elvo shares that the Hospice of the Divine Matron is in Old Korvosa (over near Merciless Way South). It just opened. The building was an abandoned manor previously owned by someone who made his fortune in smuggling.
- A bit before noon, when women are to show up for food, Stefaneto takes the group to an area near Korvosa Mercy. The group situates themselves to watch what happens.
- It is not long before women begin to queue in a pretty orderly fashion. Some Gray Maidens position themselves along the queues to help direct people and maintain orderly lines approaching from different directions. Other Maidens are alert in front of the orphanage.
- Soon, there are probably a couple hundred women queued up. At noon, the lines begin to move. Everyone seems tense, but all goes smoothly…at first.
- Aimar notices from his vantage that one woman in the line is wearing armor under her cloak. As she goes by one of the Gray Maidens directing the line, she yells, “Death to the Usurper!” and stabs the Gray Maiden in the neck.
- Chaos ensues as other individuals in line throw off their cloaks to show they are Korvosan Guard.
- Darcy, on a roof, spots at least a dozen hippogriffs plummeting from the clouds above. The Sable Company is attacking as well.
- The crowds panic and begin to flee.
- The party joins in the battle. The now elemental looking Mac startles the Guard member he comes to fight along side with, but he quickly makes it clear as to whose side he is on.
- Pop helps save a young girl who was in danger of being trampled by the crowd.
- Darcy spots a member of the Acadamae on the orphanage’s roof who starts casting at the Sable Company. The Company takes him out quickly.
- Aimar drags the Gray Maiden slain in the surprise attack into an alley. He quickly removes her helmet. She is pale, clearly bloodless, beneath. He finds that her torso was cut open and then sewn up rather recently.
- He slices the sutures and reaches in and up into her throat…the same location where the group had found a stone scarab beetle in Gaedren Lamm’s throat. There is nothing there but flesh.
- Looking a bit closer, he notices that her torso is filled with sand. Reaching in, he finds a small, hard item where the heart should be. He grabs it and goes to join the battle.
- He slices the sutures and reaches in and up into her throat…the same location where the group had found a stone scarab beetle in Gaedren Lamm’s throat. There is nothing there but flesh.
- More and more Gray Maidens pour out of Korvosa Mercy. It becomes clear pretty quickly that the battle is turning against the “good” guys.
- The Sable Company starts to extract the Korvosan Guard from the battle and all start to retreat.
- One Guard member is engaged with Maidens with some of the party. She yells for the party members to flee.
- Pop steps in and summons a wall of translucent bone, separating the party and Guard member from the Maidens.
- The group flees with the Guard member saying, a bit tongue in cheek, that they are all under arrest.
- Everyone regroups and makes it into the sewers along with the Guard.
- From around a corner, Stefaneto simply states that he does not have hoods for everyone.
- Pop steps in and summons a wall of translucent bone, separating the party and Guard member from the Maidens.
- Aimar notices from his vantage that one woman in the line is wearing armor under her cloak. As she goes by one of the Gray Maidens directing the line, she yells, “Death to the Usurper!” and stabs the Gray Maiden in the neck.
- Soon, there are probably a couple hundred women queued up. At noon, the lines begin to move. Everyone seems tense, but all goes smoothly…at first.
- It is not long before women begin to queue in a pretty orderly fashion. Some Gray Maidens position themselves along the queues to help direct people and maintain orderly lines approaching from different directions. Other Maidens are alert in front of the orphanage.
And that is where we ended the session.
Pop saves the day! Hey, wait a minute, he’s never cast that spell before. What’s going on?
This was definitely a session of letting the players drive things forward. They wanted to try and figure out where the Gray Maidens are being created. They already know that women are being taken from the streets and now the Queen is setting up locations for women and only women to come and get food. Could it be a coincidence? Hmm….probably not.
Of course, something like this would be quite well-guarded AND an opportunity for other enemies of the Queen. So…it resulted in a chaotic battle in the streets which also helped to show what the group also already knows. The Gray Maidens and the Queen are winning. They have the advantage. If that doesn’t change somehow, it is only a matter of time before this civil war is over.
We also have a new house rule. Greater healing is an epic power modifier. Why? Because we all forgot that in Savage Pathfinder, it just takes a bunch more power points to do as opposed to some prior SW editions where it was a power of its own requiring, I think, Veteran rank to take. So it has been days and days in game time that would not have happened if any of us remembered that Aimar could do this.
Also, making greater healing something that even a novice character can do, cheapens the wound system of Savage Worlds…at least to me. It is a design decision that moves the game to a more D&D…or Pathfinder…style of play where combat is intended to be the “core” pillar of the game. I play Savage Worlds because it is not D&D. I don’t want to keep making it more and more like D&D. As long as the party has a healer and can take a “long” rest, they can probably recover most wounds with the healing power as written. Just not what I want in the game.
