The Tie the Binds
Korvosa, like any city, has its share of undesirables. Cutpurses, thugs, thieves, burglars, assassins, and lowlifes of every sort can be found in waterfront slums, creeping in the sewers, or hiding in the tangled Shingles above. The Korvosan Guard does what it can to keep the city’s criminals from causing too much harm, but the cold reality is that they will always outnumber the law. And that means some crimes go unpunished and some criminals see great success.
Worst of these, perhaps, are the city’s crimelords. Dozens of them operate in Korvosa at any one time, from the sinister leader of the Red Mantis assassins all the way down to the Varisian Sczarni thugs who preside over a gang of a half-dozen friends and cousins. These minor crimelords are often, ironically, the ones who do the most damage to Korvosa’s law-abiding citizens, as larger organizations have little need to bother commoners. One such undesirable is Gaedren Lamm, a despicable low-life who missed his chance at being somebody big in Korvosa’s murky underworld. Well past his prime, the decrepit thief abducts orphans and forces them to support his despicable lifestyle with petty crime. Many of Korvosa’s lower class have had dealings with Lamm, and even a few of the city’s middle class and nobility have had their lives complicated by this foul old man. Yet no matter what he does, he always seems to slip away from the guards and avoid answering for his crimes.
Gaedren Lamm’s luck is about to change, though. For among those his actions have recently touched are several men and women destined to become some of Korvosa’s greatest heroes. And one of those heroes is you.
Even before Curse of the Crimson Throne begins, you and the other PCs have a shared trait—you’ve all been wronged, in some manner, by the despicable Gaedren Lamm. The campaign you are about to begin starts as you and several other promising young heroes are brought together to do what the city guards cannot (or will not) do—to see that Gaedren Lamm answers for his crimes, be that in a court of law or at the edge of a vengeful blade.
Presented here are five ties to Gaedren you can choose for your character, historical snippets that explain how this detestable crimelord has affected you in the past. Each trait presents an unfortunate event, painted in broad strokes so you can customize it to your needs, that helped shape your character. Once you’ve selected a trait, pick a benefit that matches your own concept for your character. Feel free to adapt and rework the particulars of your chosen trait to fit your history. So long as you have a reason to see Gaedren pay for his crimes, you’ll have a built-in reason to take up a life of adventuring and, more importantly, a reason to bond with your new companions.
Drug Addict
Someone you know has become addicted to shiver, a drug distilled from the venom of dream spiders. The drug induces sleep filled with vivid dreams, during which the user’s body often shakes and shivers, giving the substance its street name. Shiver is particularly dangerous for the desperate, for its promises of dreams and oblivion are often viewed as the only alternative apart from suicide for escaping a dreary life. You’ve always thought of shiver as a problem of the lower class, but then someone you know overdosed on the stuff. You’ve done a bit of investigating and have learned that the one who got your friend addicted in the first place was a crimelord named Gaedren. Unfortunately, the guards seem to be more focused on the bigger dealers. They don’t have time to devote many resources to what they’ve called, “a bit player in a beggar’s problem.” It would seem that if his operation is to be stopped, it falls to you.
Addicted Friend: The addict is a friend or lover who might or might not have survived the overdose. Your research into the drug scene and local politics has given you a respectable education in street knowledge.
Personal Addiction: You were the addict. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins.
Framed
Someone you know and love was accused of murder. A supposed eyewitness account from a local fisherman seemed to be enough to seal the case, but the accused had enough alibis that sentencing wasn’t immediate. Someone confronted the fisherman and discovered he was intimidated into providing false witness and forced into planting the murder weapon by the actual murderer—a local crimelord named Gaedren Lamm. Lamm’s thugs
killed the fisherman before he could recant his testimony. Although this removed the key witness and resulted in the accused being set free, the stigma was enough to badly damage his reputation. If you can find Gaedren, you’re sure you can find evidence that ties him to the murder and
can clear the accused’s name.
Family Honor: The person framed was a family member, perhaps a father or brother. You managed to trick the fisherman into revealing the truth with your skilled tongue.
Dropout: You were the one accused. Although you were eventually freed when a friend confronted the fisherman and got the truth, the damage had been done. You were forced to leave your school (perhaps the Acadamae) or church. As a result, you were forced to self-train and promised yourself you would become better at your chosen profession despite the spurning of your peers.
Love Lost
Someone you loved was knifed to death in a dark alley one night. You were called to the scene by the Korvosan Guard
to identify the body, and as rough as that was for you, you also noticed a ring was missing from the body. Whoever murdered your loved one stole that ring—you’re convinced of it. You’ve done some investigation on your own and recently found the ring for sale at a local merchant.
Although, to your great frustration, you can’t afford yet to buy it back, the merchant did tell you from whom he purchased the ring: a man named Gaedren Lamm. It seems likely this criminal is the one who killed your loved one, or at the very least knows who did. The only problem is finding him.
Orphaned: The murder victim was your only surviving parent. You had to grow up fast to take care of your siblings or to handle your family’s matters and were forced from an early age to support yourself.
Widowed: The murder victim was a lover. With your lover’s death, a part of you died as well, leaving you haunted, grim, and prone to dark musings.
Missing Child
You suspect that a child you know has been abducted by Gaedren. Whatever the relationship, you’ve heard rumors about Gaedren’s “Little Lamms,” and of how the old man uses children as pickpockets and agents for his crimes. You’ve even heard rumors that the child you’re looking for has been spotted in the marketplaces in the company of other known to be cutpurses and pickpockets.
Although the Korvosan Guard has been understanding of your plight, yet it has its hands full with “more important” matters these days, it seems, and has not yet been able to learn anything more about Gaedren. No one else is interested in bringing Gaedren down and rescuing his victims—that task falls to you. Yet where could the old scoundrel be hiding?
Missing Sibling: The missing child is a brother or sister. Although everyone else has given up hope, you believe your sibling still lives out there. Your constant search for the missing sibling has developed into great skill at rumor mongering and finding information from others.
Missing Son or Daughter: The missing child is your own son or daughter, a niece or nephew, or the son or daughter of your superior or employer and one you had been charged with protecting. The child was abducted during a trip to the market or some other daily event.
Unhappy Childhood
You spent a period of time as one of Gaedren’s enslaved orphans. Maybe you were abducted from your parent’s home or during a trip to the market. Perhaps the irresponsible matron who ruled your orphanage traded you to him in return for a desperately needed loan of money. Or perhaps you, like most of Gaedren’s slaves, were merely a child of the street who succumbed to his promise of regular meals and a roof in return for what he said would be “a little light work.” Whatever the case, you spent several years of your life as one of his “Little Lamms” before escaping. You’ve nursed a grudge for the old man ever since.
Tortured: Gaedren tortured you and left you for dead on a garbage heap after you made one too many errors. Your scars and memories have
honed your reaction speed and make you rather jumpy.
Religious: You found a holy symbol of the god you worship today while on a job for Gaedren and, intrigued by it, you snuck off to attend services. When Gaedren found out, he beat you to within an inch of your life and broke your holy symbol. Your faith let you block out the pain, and you escaped his control and took shelter in the church, where you spent the rest of your youth.
Ties that Bind: Gaedren Lamm
Ties that Bind: Gaedren Lamm
Curse of the Crimson Throne GM Bennies: 3/6
Lost Colony GM Bennies: 7/6
Dark Frontier GM Bennies: 6/6
Lost Colony GM Bennies: 7/6
Dark Frontier GM Bennies: 6/6
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