You think you're going places. What are your long term goals?

They're heroic by disposition, and seem trustworthy. If she had to guess their alignments from five minutes' interaction she'd peg the Tian as LG, Kasatha as N or LN, Samsaran as NG, and the Caydenite as CG.

She wants to say that they're experienced adventurers, they carry themselves that way. They have the casual ambition, the inimitable confidence born of unbreakable defenses, the implicit trust in each other you see in parties that have fought side by side.

But it's like all their experience is plumbing dungeons in the Maelstrom or First World.

She wants to keep a closer eye on them. And... she should get someone to spot-check her judgement and scan for enchantments, but based on her hunch she's inclined to trust them.

Are the four of you looking for work?

The Korvosan Guard was once the largest military force in Varisia.

There were 246 stationed in the city itself – One in fifty adult Korvosans.

But they took heavier causalities than even the general population.

Of roughly two thousand surviving adults, twelve are veterans of the Korvosan Guard.

13.

Auspicious.

The Gamemastery Guide suggests a settlement should have 1% of their adult population in the city watch. We have half of one percent. It's not enough manpower.

I’ll pay each of you 10 sails a day for the next five -

I’ll need to check with the Field Marshall whether I can hire you. I don’t expect difficulty there but may nonetheless be met with it.

I thought you were the Field Marshall?

You missed the show, dungeoneers!

King Edodred Arabasti was slain by shadows. His wife, Queen Ileosa Arabasti, nee Ileosa Arvanxi, ascended the Crimson Throne.

Ileosa chose her house-guard Sabina Merrin to succeed me as Field Marshall.

Those highly memorable names are certain to stick in my mind.

Then take your own notes, "Altronus."

Kroft’s too polite.

Ileosa publicly humiliated the most loyal and competent Field Marshal in living Korvosan memory without a fig-leaf of justification, in order to install her crony to the position, so said crony could install a scullery maid as Seneschal of Castle Korvosa.

This wasn’t a transfer of power. It was a coup, plain and simple.

Why not just scry Eodred’s shadow, kill it, and resurrect the man?

Uhhhhhhhhh sorry if that was rude. If you want I can avoid poking holes.

Besides, maybe there’s no one in Korvosa who can cast the spells, by the Dungeon Master’s Guide v 3.5 the strongest cleric in a large town like Korvosa should be level 4 or 7.

I know your job is a lot of work and don’t want to make things harder for you.

You’re wearing the robes of an Academae student.

That's true, I even have the feat.

I don’t know how they do it in the Academae, other than that it’s bad, and even worse than I thought.

But in the Korvosan Guard you will not be punished for having bright ideas. I will not be angry if you screw up my lesson plan.

If you have an idea, bring it to me right away.

I’m neither cleric nor a wizard. Like as not you’ve higher INT and WIS than me. Don’t assume I’ve thought of something that seems obvious to you, or a hidden good reason for seeming foolishness. Sometimes I’m just being stupid.

Pointing out when that happens doesn't make my job any harder. It makes it a lot easier.

(The poor kid’s confidence has been damaged enough. Kroft sees no reason to tell her she already planned on resurrecting Eodred and thought it shrewder to keep under wraps.)

I need to find Field Marshall Merrin, where is she?

While you were asleep we decided that Sabina Merrin is #not our Field Marshall. We came up with a bunch of nicknames, of which the most virulent was ‘Cave Marshall.’

It’s understated. Classy.

We play it off as a joke, but let me assure you that there is a real viciousness behind it.