npc inbox: arc iii | house of ravens

[groundrules]

NPC INBOX

Reach out to your (not-so-)favourite NPC here, putting their name in the comment header. Try to keep it to just quick text/audio/written exchanges or inquiries that can accept summarised answers, please!

Previous NPC inbox posts:

■ Arc I: Sa-Hareth

■ Interlude: Stairs of Sighs + Arc II: Taravast

■ Interlude: Ellethia

	HOK-SHINN WEISI Honoured, respected and inevitably feared mayor of Ke-Waihu. The velvet-gloved fist of the Hok-Shinn clan, amenable to peace-keeping through bribes and barter. Oily, corrupt, but reasonable and less prone to violence than his brother Sairen, who commands the clan's underground operations.
	HOK-SHINN TAKSUI No-good son of Hok-Shinn Weisi, lacking his father's polish or his uncle's efficient appetite for bloodshed. Slated to inherit a role as a high-standing member of Ke-Waihu. Leads a small, petty gang. Sullen, irritable. The party's liaison in Ke-Waihu.
	HYANG-TAI Blind priestess and unofficial leader of the serpent-seized wasteland that serves the fortune fetters. Soft-spoken, measured in her words, opaque. Believed by some to be holy. Could be 20 years of age, might be 80. Refuses pity or alms.
	HATISSE Revived witch of the Attaryl, partly responsible for the massacre of the Stairs of Sighs. Formerly a court witch of the Attaryl. Manipulative, vicious, a trained seductress. Formidably powerful. Buried with wards and injuries by her own sisters to prevent her return. Somewhat bound to Wrath.
	ASGEIRR The ghost of a scholar monk. Haunts the tattered execution cloak that the party stole from the La Rea bank in Sa-Hareth. Once a champion of equality and freedom, he faced ire for converting his followers against the regionally profitable trade of slavery. Soft-spoken but wise and just, slow to regain his strength. Will speak to those who visit his cloak in brief interludes. Favours necromancers.
	THE MERCHANT The patron saint of etiquette and the eastbound getaway expedition. Seems to largely trade information alongside wares. Appreciates spices, strategy and collaboration. Has an eerie and overly cautious manner. Committed. Defends the benefit of the many, to the detriment of the few.

OTHER CITADELS

	"HALTHAM" | ANURR The undead warlord Anurr, previously posing as gentle-mannered giant Haltham. An embodiment of Sa-Hareth's cold storms and wind, who regained his territory from contender Unhalad with the inadvertent help of the party in Arc I. Frostily rational and amenable to some negotiation.
	MACALUSO SPINA Earnest and moderate nephew of Bonaccorso Spina, now leading Doxe of Taravast. Adrift, following the betrayals of his family, Macaluso benefits from support from the witches of Bessis and seeks to rebuild the citadel he secured with the party's help.
	VANNOZZA SPINA Beautiful and fierce niece of Bonaccorso Spina, targeted by the old man for possession. Crafty, coy, strategic and cold, she now acts as adviser to her more idealistic cousin, Macaluso Spina after executing her grandfather.
	KARSA Currently unavailable | Sorceress, young (?). Employed by the Merchant and deferential to him. Talented but fiery and frequently impatient, intolerant of fools. She will get today's job done yesterday. Struggles to sympathise with men, objections and those who cannot absorb information quickly. Enchanted the group's translation devices. Furtively left the group, bearing injury, at the end of Arc II.

Comments

[sansdoute]

( She seems, at first, as if she might laugh, back and shoulders convulsing under a spell of harsh, irregular breath.

But no mirth leaves her, and then she is picking at the pheasant roasting before her, testing the meat, as if the conversation has long conceded what little appeal it once held. )

Our son was handsome. Strong. Gifted. You could already tell, by his ninth spring. He would be — extraordinary.

( For whatever measure of the word can be applied in a village such as Ke-Waihu. )

Then, the Brother bubbled and warmed, and the call came for the old giving. ( This turn, she does laugh, and it is a simple, strange thing. Shrill. ) And Hyang-Won, did I not tell you? He was not of the faith.

[blackscales]

[ Was, that's past tense. He tilts his head, thoughtful. ]

You took him anyway?

[ Revenge for a child would be a good reason to hunt someone. She may correct him if he's wrong, so it's worth guessing.

He thinks of the skulls, screaming in the volcano to be buried. The memories of those dragged there unwilling. ]

[sansdoute]

( Here, she shoots the man a scathing glance, betraying her objection. ) He was a good boy. Selfless.

( She took nothing, from no one. Requiring no force, no theft. No ambiguity of purpose. )

The House opened. He went. But we do not know if he was taken. ( If she were given to smiling, now would be her hour. It comes all teeth. ) So, stranger. Enough of your curiosity. We'll both sate ours when the House opens again.

[blackscales]

[ Interesting.

Still, there is something else to be said: ]

I ask questions to better understand, to avoid making too many mistakes. I'm not quite arrogant enough to believe I'll make none, but believing things without questioning them can be dangerous.

[ She likely knows the suggestion here, but he'll continue anyway. ]

I was always told, when I was young, that things were a certain way. That my family was dangerous, and I was the only one who was different. That I was different because I had been helped, in a way that the rest of my family could not be. It's nice to be special. I questioned other things, like the nature of the help they offered, the conditions around it, the way it was given -- but I never questioned the rest.

For everyone to be safe, I was told, the rest of my family had to die. I was afraid that if I didn't agree, I might be the next target. It might be proof I wasn't as different as they hoped. They are beyond help, I was told. Corruption has taken them. There is no way to free them of it. I believed it. My family were, after all, dangerous. There was no doubt about that, and people older than me assured me there was no way to get through to them. I helped make sure my family were all killed. That is what I was told had to be done.

[ And don't we all do what has to be done, in the end? He tilts his head, studying her. ]

Years later, I found a brother of mine. I thought I was the only one left, but he'd been living away from our family. The corruption had begun to call to him. I researched, and I made him something to silence it. He recovered. I sometimes wonder, now, if I could have made something stronger. If the rest of my family could have been saved, instead of sacrificed to protect people, if I had only asked questions earlier. If all that death, by my hand, could have been avoided.

[ Death is too often the first choice, rather than the last resort. He drops his eyes to the fire, turns the meat a little. ]

I hope for your sake that your son is still there.