Dear Sneffles: Korvosa

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

The story thus

far . . .
The king is dead. Many suspect the beautiful young queen of the deed. Her forces have locked down the city of Korvosa while things shake out. Meanwhile, a newly formed team of heroes have been recruited by the military to ... do what? Clear the queen and find the real killers? Implicate the queen in a plot to steal the throne? Or something stranger still?

The Curse of the Crimson Throne is a Pathfinder Adventure Path role playing game published by Paizo Publishing under the terms of the Open Game License. It provides a rich backdrop for a group of “heroes” as they slowly uncover the mystery of who killed the king and why.

This blog represents the letters of the least of these characters, Cordobles, to his good friend Sneffles, a girl he grew up with on the mean streets of Old Korvosa.

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Cordobles

made at IMVU

Rogue. Gaedrun Lamm’s bastard, Cordobles was never acknowledged by his father, which is probably just as well. Raised by his mother, who did chores for Lamm, Cordobles learned early how to live on the street. His one good friend during this time was a younger girl named Sneffles, who later became a high-priced companion in The Heights, a better part of town. Cordobles also escaped Old Korvosa after the death of his mother and currently resides on the docks across from the East Side with his recent companion from the hinterlands, Redcullin.

Redcullin

Shoanti Barbarian. Grew up out in the sticks where he lost his family at a young age. Taken in by a shaman who could summon spirits but not get rid of them. While raised to hate the barbarians’ traditional orc enemies Redcullin came to believe the ghosts who told him he would one day fall in love with a half-orc woman. At seventeen he headed for the big city, Korvosa, to find his fortune, followed by several of his ghostly companions. While his companions remain Recullin mysteriously vanishes without paying Cordobles his share of the rent.

Non-Player Characters

Jasan Adriel - Along with Vencarlo Orisini, the last surviving member of the legendary gang the Blackbirds. Currently semi-retired on his Blackbird Ranch north of the shithole known as Harse.

Amprei – Chelaxian ambassador to Korvosa. Cressida Kroft hired us to buy dirt on him from the King of Spiders.

Ileosa Arabasti – Queen of Korvosa. Not liked by many commoners. It is said she married the king to advance her own station, assassinating him to boot.

Ramoska Arkminos – Nasty vampire researcher operating on live victims to find ways to make the Blood Veil more virulent.

Glorio Arkona (Rakshasa Bejor) - Heir of House Arkona, this sick bastard stirs up trouble wherever he goes. Rakshasa are incredibly powerful "evil spirits that cloak themselves in the guise of a person. When not disguised rakshasa wear an animal head, which reflects their personality. Rakshasa scoff at religion, seeing themselves as the only thing worthy of worship from the mortal races."

Vimana Arkona - Glorio's sister, wife, and enemy. Very rakshasa to boot.

Ash Dancer - Eldest and most experienced shaman of the Skoan-Quah barbarians. Leader of the fabled boneslayers.

Asyra - A chain demon associated with Laori Vauss, Sial, and Zon-Kuthon. A chain demon is an animate gaggle of bloodthisty chains looking for a good time.

Devargo Barvassi (King of Spiders) – provides protection and pays the vice taxes for a collection of seedy establishments called "Eel's End" moored at a pier in Old Korvosa. There is something “odd” being kept below decks.

Blackjack - Local Korvosan legend. Some say he has been around for hundreds of years. The People’s hero, he recently put the kibosh on Queen Ileosa’s farcical execution of Trinia Sabor.

Carnochan - Majordomo of House Arkona. Known behind his back as "Old One-eye."

Cinderlander - Mean old booger who has dedicated his life to revenging himself on the Skoan-Quah barbarians.

Dark Sphinx - Mean but clumsy.

Dr. Davaulos – One of the queen's "Healers."

Marcus Thalassinus Endrin – Commandant of the city’s hippogriff-mounted marines, the Sable Company.

Amin Jalento – Orisini's student and "Dudesboy." He puts the Dudes up for the night before they put the squeeze on the King of Old Korvosa. A month later he burned his couch to rid it of bedbugs.

Cressida Kroft – Field Marshall (i.e. top dog) of the Korvosan City Guard. She is even-tempered but somewhat frowned on by many Korvosans—mainly because of her penchant for hiring adventurers and mercenaries to do her dirty work. She has hired us to do some of that work.

Eries Yellow Eyes – wererat who has a congenial relationship with Kroft. He asked us to help put a stop to an uprising being planned by Grizzig Razor Claws.

Gaedrun Lamm – Scum of the earth and low-life criminal, whose evil schemes have touched everyone. He’s dead now.

Grizzig Razor Claws – wererat and associate of Eries Yellow Eyes. We thwarted his attempted to organize a group of wererats and direrats intent on avenging the death of one of their companions.

Neolandus Kalepopolis (AKA "Squarehead") - Korvosan seneschal, which makes him an important dude and the only one who can legally depose the Queen. Rescued by the Dudes and currently knocking around north of Korvosa.

Krojun Eats-What-He-Kills - Skoan-Quah boneslayer and unlikely ally of the Dudes.

Majenko – pseudodragon liberated from the King of Shadows. Slain while fighting Urgathoa's hordes

Sabina Merrin – Personal bodyguard to Queen Ileosa Arabasti. Fiercely loyal to the Korvosan crown and rumored lover of the Queen.

Mithrodar -
One-Life - Chief of the Skoan-Quah barbarian clan.– necromancer behind the spread of ever more virulent strains of the "Blood Veil" plague.

Vencarlo Orisini – Owner of the renowned Orisini Academy, a fighting school near Korvosa. He is an outspoken critic of the Korvosan government.

Ready-Klar - Leader of the Skoan-Quah village of Flameford.

Rolth - Necromancer extraordinaire.

Ruan – young musician hired for an ill-advised upper crust event who survives the ravages of Blood Veil only to be kidnapped by the Queen's agents to find out why.

Thousand Bones – the Shoanti ambassador to Korvosa. Threatens to burn down "the whole effing city" if his brutally murdered grandson is not returned to him for burial.

Salvatore Scream – maker of violent and disturbing Blood Veil related art.

Shadowcount Sial – Lame but vicious follower of Zon-Kuthon.

Pilts Swastel - King of Old Korvosa by proclamation (his own). Last seen feeding House Arkona's crocodiles.

Laori Vauss - Young elven devotee of the god of pain, death, whatever--Zon-Kuthon. Devastatingly powerful sorcerer and hand-to-hand fighter, this elven lass is all anyone can handle.

Vendra – owns a perfume shop in the Heights. During the Blood Veil outbreak, she tried to sell a bogus cure and was arrested with our assistance.

Zellara – the woman who clued us in to Gaedrun Lamm’s whereabouts and whose head later turned up in a hatbox, now making ghostly appearances and helping us through her Harrow Deck.

Shadow Characters

Pooter - Szechuan's boyhood pet.

Dale Cooper – Zong farmer safely outside the city limits. Finarfin's future father-in-law.

Shelley Cooper - Owner of a popular tavern, The Frothy Flagon, follower of Callistra, and Finarfin's main squeeze.

Sneffles -
Young woman who grew up on the mean streets of Old Korvoso with Cordobles. She learned at an early age the value of flesh and the advantage of proper technique. She currently resides in the Heights as courtesan to several very rich and powerful men.

Toodles - Cat adopted by Finarfin. "With a tear in my eye, I bent over and scooped the little bugger up."

Renovation

The Curse of the Crimson Throne

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Korvosa

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