Interlude Three

Interlude Three

General Summary

On the deck of the Grey Maiden, you watched the chaos unfold in the city of Riddleport. Fires burned, people screamed, ships sank. And still, behind you, the sun continued to rise.
Valarius felt a presence standing behind him. He turned around, coming face to face with the elf that had been brutalized minutes before. His chest and stomach still bore the scars left behind from necrotic fires. Blood streaked through his platinum hair. Numerous cuts all over his body, not deep enough to be fatal but inflicted as a warming of more pain to come.
Still, the elf smiled at Valarius. “Thank you, brother.” He extended a blood-caked hand. “I am Kwava.”
Later, much later in the day once you had found a moment to rest, the elf slumped against a wall. He’d never left your side, offering what assistance he could, promising to explain himself once the situation allowed for it. Now, in the quiet moment of the evening, he took in a breath.
“I have been watching you,” he started.
“Well, not you exactly. Let me start at the beginning. I am a member of an order devoted to being the light against the coming darkness. We are protectors or try to be at least. My superior informed me that a renegade elf had fled the Mierani Forest, and may have fled to Riddleport to recruit the aid of one of the city’s crime lords. My assignment, my first with the order actually, was to scout the city and determine if any of the city’s crimelords had taken in a mysterious elven ally of late.”
Kwava slid to the floor, cross-legged, still leaning against the wall. “I’ve been sneaking into Riddleport after dark for the past few months, listening to conversations on the street from the shadows, trailing suspicious characters – which there is no shortage of in this city – and generally keeping an ear out for rumors of elf sightings.”
“Recently my investigation had begun to bear fruit, leading me to Bojask. That led me to the Gold Goblin.” He gestured in your direction. “Which, of course, led me to you. I had the misfortune of watching Bojask murder a dwarf in cold blood. A man he seemed to know. A man I suspect you knew also. Knowing the human I was dealing with, I had to find out if anyone else was involved in his dealings.”
“Naturally I followed you as you made your way throughout Riddleport. The lending shop. Boss Croat’s compound. The warehouse. From what I saw, and what I heard, I felt you were good people and were not involved in whatever Bojask was involved with. That is why I am telling you this at all.”
“But I fell victim to my own arrogance. I thought I had been undetected these past few months. That was not the case. I had never seen Bojask interacting with an elf, but I had been led to believe that he was acting as a mediary. It began to concern me that I never saw the elf he was certainly dealing with.”
“I found out why that was the case. As I was following Bojask, it the drow woman was following me. Not my proudest moment, I can assure you. I was ambushed, attacked by those brutes with the skull masks, and when I awoke I was being interrogated on the deck of the Grey Maiden.”
Kwava sighed. “She wanted to know how much I knew, if I had told anyone else, how many were with me. Then she simply stopped asking questions and went straight to torture for the sake of torture.” For a moment it seemed like there was something more, but he didn’t seem ready to share it.
The weight of the day began to weigh on you, and it was clear that it was weighing on the elf. He struggled to his feet. “I know this has been a… difficult day for you.” Kwava bowed his head. “And I am truly sorry for your loss. I am sure you have matters you need to tend to, as do I. I need to report what has happened to my superiors. Tell them my findings.”
With the back of his hand, Kwava wiped some of the dried blood from his lips. He’d salvaged a cloak from amongst the debris on the street earlier in the day. He pulled the hood up over his head. “I will be in touch. Good luck to you, and stay safe.” The elf placed a hand on Valarius’ shoulder. “Thank you for saving me.”
And with that, the bloody and beaten elf disappeared into the night.

Report Date

19 Mar 2019