Curse of the Crimson Throne Summary: Part 1

Book 1:

 

       The campaign begins as the PCs are drawn together by a common thread—a cruel old criminal named Gaedren Lamm. Given the chance to avenge themselves against him by a mysterious Varisian woman named Zellara, the PCs confront Gaedren in the old fishery that serves as his hideout. Therein, they find two surprises; a brooch stolen from Queen Ileosa and Zellara’s severed head. Zellara’s been dead for weeks, and now her Harrow deck serves as a receptacle for her ghost, creating a strange but helpful ally that will follow the PCs through the rest of the adventure path.

        When the PCs emerge from the fishery, they learn that King Eodred II has died, and the city of Korvosa has plunged into chaos. After meeting with the grieving queen to return the stolen brooch, they are recruited by Field Marshall Cressida Kroft to help bring the city back under control. After dealing with guards gone rogue, handling a delicate political situation involving a local crime lord, and coping with all manner of chaos in the streets, the PCs are called upon to apprehend a woman named Trinia Sabor, who might just be the one who assassinated King Eodred II. After capturing her and turning her over to the Guard, the PCs must recover the missing body of a Shoanti warrior before his kin declare war on the city. The adventure ends as the PCs attend the supposed execution of Trinia Sabor, only to become caught up in the chaos of her unexpected rescue by one of Korvosa’s most legendary heroes—a masked man named Blackjack.

Book 2:

        What begins as a simple favor for an old friend Grau

draws the PCs into a battle against a rampant plague that 

threatens to consume all of Korvosa. Once more working with Cressida and Vencarlo, the party 

must do all it can to halt the progression of the plague 

and save as many infected citizens as possible. They save numerous citizens by stopping a merchant selling a false cure, prevent a war between the ratfolk living below the city and brave the sunken wreck to find a lead. Through 

the course of their work, the PCs gradually discover the 

sinister groups responsible for the plague’s outbreak and 

the deaths of thousands: the Red Mantis assassins, the 

disease-worshiping church of Urgathoa, and Korvosa’s 

own genocidal queen. Through much struggle and the loss of one of their own Caled, they eventually manage to slay the high priestess of urgathoa and escape with the cure. Along with them, a nosferatu named Ramoska Arkminos escaped in order to seek a cure for vampirism elsewhere.

  

Book 3:

        The next step begins with the leader of the Sable Company attempting an assassination of Queen Ileosa - an attempt that backfires horribly as the queen reveals her newfound power. In the aftermath of this event, the PCs receive word that, on quarantined Old Korvosa, their old friend Vencarlo might have discovered something of great import regarding the queen. The PCs brave the anarchic streets of Old Korvosa only to find Vencarlo missing and his home transformed into a Red Mantis ambush. Following a trail of clues, the PCs learn that a strange artist named Salvator Scream likely knows where Vencarlo went, as well as what information sent the teacher into such a state in the first place. They also meet the cheerfully sadistic priestess of Zon-Kuthon who agrees to aid them in return for an audience with Salvator. Unfortunately, Salvator is now securely in the hands of a petty warlord who calls himself the Emperor of Old Korvosa.

 

        After killing the Emporer and Swift taking his place. and interrogating Salvator, the PCs learn the secret—the seneschal of Korvosa still lives! He, and likely Vencarlo now, is in the clutches of the notorious Arkona family, the self-styled rulers of Old Korvosa.  The PCs visit Palace Arkona only to learn that its patriarch has secrets of his own. In order to rescue Vencarlo and the seneschal and learn the awful truth behind the queen’s mysterious power and rising cruelty, the PCs must brave the infamous Vivified Labyrinth below Palace Arkona and then escape from Old Korvosa alive. However things don't go entirely to plan with Bahor's advice leading them into a lethal dead-end in the labyrinth. After braving several tests and trials of both body and mind, the party rescue first Vencarlo and later the seneschal by smiting down an exhibitionist devil. Trapped in the heart of the labyrinth with no easy way out, the party decide to roll the dice and leap through a mirror that could take them anywhere. 

        The mirror takes them to the underworld where the boatman, an echo of Charon, takes them to the Drowned Court in Abaddon. There they make a deal with a daemon merchant named Vulgrim and discover that Tegresin still has his hooks in Laura. After conducting business with the undead they are given safe passage back to a small town just outside Korvosa, named Harse. Inside a farmhouse they are reunited with Vencarlo, the Seneschal and Trinia. Here the Seneschal reveals the Queen's source of power, a crown adorned with fangs that she found in the city vaults. With regards to the origin of this item, the party is pointed in the direction of a certain Shoanti tribe, whos ancestors were originally tasked with guarding the pyramid on which Korvosa was founded.

The Last Stand of the Sable Company.

 Queen Ileosa announces another public address about a week after the defeat of the plague. In attendance at this address at the queen’s side are her bodyguard Sabina Merrin (clad in her breathtaking and intimidating suit of Gray Maiden armor), her new advisor and ally Togomor (whom she announces has taken up the duties of castle seneschal), the commander of the Korvosan Guard Cressida Kroft, and the commandant of the Sable Company Marcus Endrin.

 The Queen reports that the Order of the Nail has showed its true colors and fled like cowards into Citadel Vraid. Worse, both the Korvosan Guard and the Sable Company have suffered terrible losses over the past weeks. Neither group is fully capable of continuing as Korvosa’s protectors, and thus, to shore up this fault, Queen Ileosa names her newly created order of Gray Maidens as the new protectors of Korvosa, appointing Sabina Merrin as the new General of Korvosa. As a ripple of concerned whispers spreads, Queen Ileosa continues her speech, saying that she has decided to dissolve the Sable Company and that the remaining marines will be folded into the Korvosan Guard. At this point, she asks Commandant Endrin to step forth to surrender his badge of office.

 As Endrin does so, he trembles. He reaches for his badge, but instead of handing it over, he throws it at the queen, striking her in the cheek with it. Everyone (queen included) is shocked into paralysis for a few moments, long enough for Endrin to bellow out, "You have said nothing of the true heroes who cured the plague and who fought their way through your temple of death and decay. Caled, one of the finest members of my Company was murdered in your name! Your shameful reign ends now! Korvosa will be free again!” An instant later, his crossbow is in his hands, aimed at the still-shocked queen. Endrin pulls the trigger. His aim is true. The crossbow strikes Queen Ileosa in the temple.

 Yet she does not fall. With incredible speed, she regains her composure and yanks the bolt from her skull. Before the blood from the wound has time to run all the way down to her shoulder, she’s standing before Endrin. Her free hand whips out and seizes him by the throat, lifting him off the ground as she holds him up for all to see. An instant later, she buries Endrin’s own bolt between his eyes with a single powerful blow. As Endrin’s lifeless body crumples to the ground and Ileosa imperiously shakes his blood from her hand, she cries out in a strong, clear voice—“This shall be the fate of all enemies of Korvosa! Mark well his death! It is only the first!”

 A moment later, Togomor steps forward, taking Ileosa’s hand and teleporting her back into the Castle. The resulting riot is quelled quickly and brutally by the Gray Maidens. Shocked by the turn of events, Field Marshal Cressida Kroft flees to Citadel Volshyenek, stunned and horrified by what she witnessed, desperate to tell the only people she trusts anymore.

Laura's Research

Final Chapter of  'The Bringers of Light'

About 700 years ago, a brutal warlord of Zon-Kuthon named Kazavon conquered much of the Hold of Belkzen. His violent expansion and assaults against the neighboring countries of Ustalav and Lastwall quickly became far more deadly and horrific than petty skirmishes against orcs. From his castle, Scarwall, Kazavon threatened to engulf all who dared rise against him. His tactical brilliance, combined with his savage armies of orcs and barbarians, continuously broke every army Lastwall and Ustalav could throw against him. With none able to withstand his power, it seemed as if his reign of murder and blood would last forever.

Kazavon’s defeat was not on the field of battle, but in his own throne room. It was there that a secret cabal of heroes and mercenaries managed to do what armies could not. Using power and stealth and led by an unamed hero of Lastwall, they infiltrated Scarwall. The atrocities they found there tested them to their limits, and when they reached Kazavon’s throne room, a terrific battle took place. It was during this battle that they stripped away Kazavon’s human disguise, revealing the champion of Zon-Kuthon to be a blue dragon. In the end, the unnamed hero managed to lay Kazavon low with his legendary weapon, a magic bastard sword named Serithtial. Yet even in death, Kazavon’s body shuddered and grasped. Fire and acid destroyed much of the dragon’s corpse, yet seven fragments proved impossible to destroy. These grisly relics were so suffused with evil and malignancy they refused to burn or melt—even as the heroes watched, the bones twitched and writhed as they tried to return to life. The unnamed hero ordered his surviving brothers and sisters to each take one of these seven relics out into the world and go into hiding. None would know where the other members went, least of all their leader, who would remain in Scarwall with Serithtial to guard against it ever being used by Kazavon or his minions again.

Varisian Scarves

VARISIAN DRESS AND FAMILY SCARVES

Varisians favor scarves of all sizes and colors, but some
hold special significance. Most notable is the family
scarf, or kapenia. Children receive their kapenia upon
maturity; to own one is to be an adult. These long, heavy
scarves display elegant and complicated embroidery that
is incomprehensible to most outsiders. To Varisians,
though, the scarves show family trees. By tracing the
loops and whorls of a scarf, one can trace a person’s
history, back through her mother and father, her siblings,
grandparents and great-grandparents, as far back as the
family has knowledge.

Varisians wear their kapenia only on special occasions,
such as weddings or funerals. Most choose to be buried with
their kapenia, though some bequeath them to loved ones. It
is extraordinarily rare for a Varisian to bequeath her kapenia
to a non-Varisian, or even a Varisian not of her clan.
Varisians wear sensible but colorful clothes during the
workday. When performing, they dress in fancy gowns
and heavily embroidered vests and trousers and wear
excessive amounts of jewelry.

Varisians believe that certain colors carry specific
powers and choose their outfits to attract the right type
of energy. Pink is the color of love, kindness, and courage.
Red represents lust, long life, and inner strength. Orange
is the color of happiness and resourcefulness, and
adventuring Varisians often wear a touch of orange on
their travels. Green enhances wisdom and self-control.
Turquoise represents physical strength and nonverbal
communication, and most dancing costumes feature
it. Blue is the color of health, youth, and beauty. Violet
enhances intuition and divine inspiration, so most
fortunetellers and seers wear violet scarves.

Varisians love jewelry and favor gems over coins. Most
pragmatically believe that worn wealth is harder to steal than
wealth hidden out of sight in a tent or locked up in a box.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Backstory

Korvosa, the Jewel of Varisia, has long sparkled on Varisia’s southern shore. Established 300 years ago by Cheliax at the height of that empire’s expansion, the city now commands its own destiny. A line of Korvosan kings and queens emerged to rule the city, establishing an infamous seat power—the Crimson Throne. Rulers have sat upon the Crimson Throne for more than a century, and the city has flourished. Yet the monarchy always seems on the brink of disaster. The Crimson Throne is not a prize to be won—it is a curse. No monarch of Korvosa has died of old age, and none have produced an heir while ruling. Even though King Eodred II controls Korvosa more fully than any previous monarch, that control remains tenuous, and many secretly count the days until their latest king falls to what they call the Curse of the Crimson Throne.

The city of Korvosa began 300 years ago, in 4407 ar, when the Empire of Cheliax expanded north into Varisia. Here, the Chelaxians found a large tribe of Shoanti barbarians dwelling around an immense pyramid on the shores of a deep bay—a perfect site for a city. Much bloodshed eventually left the Shoanti defeated, driven back to the harsh Cinderlands, and the city that grew on the site was named after the field marshal who led his army to victory there. Yet even as Korvosa flourished and grew, surviving even the collapse of the Chelish empire, few bothered to ask why the Shoanti had dwelt here. None of Korvosa’s citizens, from beggar to king, realized that the Shoanti were guardians, that deep inside the pyramid destined to become Castle Korvosa hid a great and terrible evil: the Fangs of Kazavon, relics of one of Golarion’s most powerful and deadly dragons. For the past 300 years, Korvosa has grown, unaware that the city’s foundation rests on a history of evil and cruelty. Today, Korvosa’s reigning King Eodred Arabasti II is feared by all the right people. His rule is steady, even if his insatiate appetites drain the city’s coffers. His ability to navigate the rocks and shoals of Chelish diplomacy earned the city favorable trade agreements with the Old Empire, but rumors persisted of the king’s womanizing habits and his spendthrift ways. Despite his fondness for a soft touch, he has to date produced no heir to the throne, the latest in a line of rulers affected by the Curse of the Crimson Throne. Edicts proclaim Eodred II the Saffron King, likening his reign to one of abundance, in which honey and spice flood the markets. The city’s downtrodden have another name for Eodred, though—the Stirge King, a man whose squandering ways are slowly bleeding his city dry. Whispers of Eodred II’s taste for scandalously young companionship have dogged the king throughout his rule, and thus when he finally wed, it was no surprise that his bride was barely a third of his age. Queen Ileosa was a woman of breathtaking beauty, with red hair like the sunset, chaste alabaster skin, and features so fetching many claimed her mother must have been a nymph queen, as surely no mortal woman could give birth to a beauty such as she. Most of Korvosa’s nobles worry of the dangers of placing a trophy wife within hands’ reach of the Crimson Throne, but Ileosa’s interest in the city seemed secondary to the life of luxury—and with the more-than-competent Seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis guarding Castle Korvosa’s interests, these noble families feel they have little to worry about.

The queen was born Ileosa Arvanxi to one of Cheliax’s more successful noble families. When she came of age, most expected her to marry into a more powerful Chelish line, yet she scandalized her family by abandoning Cheliax and sailing to the city of Korvosa. For Ileosa was nothing if not ambitious—she didn’t see herself as the wife of an important Chelish dignitary or noble, but as a queen. She knew much of Eodred II’s tastes and desires before she arrived, so that when she presented herself to him, he fell in love immediately. The two were wed after a scandalously short courtship, and, perhaps the most shocking move of all, Eodred turned out his entire harem in favor of his new queen. Barely 17 years old when she took Eodred II’s side in 4704 ar, Queen Ileosa has managed a minor miracle in the past 4 years—she’s single-handedly shifted the dislike and disapproval away from King Eodred to herself with her open distaste for Korvosa (a city she’s been heard to call “a backwater colonial village” more than once).

About 2 months ago Eodred was struck with an illness and every physician that was summoned could do nothing to alleviate his condition or stop his health deteriorating. As this Adventure Path begins, Eodred still lives, but the illness has wreaked havoc on his health. He has spent the last several weeks in seclusion in Castle Korvosa, and despite the work of his staff, rumors of his ill health are spreading. Queen Ileosa has called for unity in Korvosa and is attempting to quell any talks of rebellion whilst promoting herself as a competent ruler in his stead.