Aculeus

*"Now you approach the beast in its den. Can you bring them to justice?"*

## Event

*Keturah arrives at the Ironpeak Necropolis with you in tow.*

*With great caution, you sneak through the twisting maze of crypts and sepulchres before spotting a gathering of brigands amid the old graves, below.*

*You hide behind a headstone.*

*The Prince's thugs crowd around a cadaver.*

*Your stomach turns, but Keturah stays silent.*

*The corpse quite clearly belongs to one of the poisoner's victims. Aculeus himself stands off to one side, admiring his handiwork.*

*The body is bloated, its limbs twisted unnaturally from its final anguished moments. Aculeus clasps his hands together in triumph. "Dear friends, this may well be my masterwork. How does it feel to be in the presence of a true genius of the murderous arts?"*

**The Dealer draws a Poisoner of Greed and an 8 of Greed.**

*"I said, 'how does it feel', Cruel Keturah?"*

*Aculeus stares directly at your hiding spot.*

*"Couple of would be heroes, boss?" A bandit asks as he draws his daggers.*

*"This old woman isn't here to save Ironpeak." The Prince of Poison laughs. "She's here because she has a death wish."*

**The player enters Combat.**

*Keturah drops her blunderbuss and hobbles over to the Prince's body, blood oozing from a deep cut in her thigh. She drops to her knees and begins scrabbling at his mask.*

*"Come on," she whispers, "come on, you bloody bastard."*

1) Help her with it.

*You gently unclasp the face cover and lift it from the corpse's face.*
*Wincing, she lifts herself onto her hands and knees and drags herself over to the body.*
*Keturah stares at the killer's face and exhales.*
*A tear falls from her eyes. Then another, and then another.*
*"This isn't him."*
*The old woman's ragged sobs are carried away on the cold graveyard wind. Then she stops, wipes her eyes, and stares at the creases in her hands.*
2) Give her space.

*Her hands struggle desperately with the clasp. She wrenches at the mechanism until, with a metallic snap, the mask flies free and the old woman is thrown onto her back.*
*Wincing, she lifts herself onto her hands and knees and drags herself over to the body.*
*Keturah stares at the killer's face and exhales.*
*A tear falls from her eyes. Then another, and then another.*
*"This isn't him."*
*The old woman's ragged sobs are carried away on the cold graveyard wind. Then she stops, wipes her eyes, and stares at the creases in her hands.*
A) Ask what the culprit is supposed to look like.
*Keturah frowns. Her eyes dart about wildly, as if she had not been asked that queston for a very long time.*
*"He, it was definitely a he - or maybe it wasn't... I remember the eyes clearly. Those cruel, cruel eyes."*
B) Ask how long it has been since Tamar's death.
*"It's been too many years. Sometimes... it is hard to remember what she looked like."*
*Keturah stares blankly ahead of her.*
C) Ask what Keturah will do now.
*"You have held up your end of the bargain. I will offer what I can to this rebellion."*
**The player gains 12 Fame.**
*"Take his mask," Keturah says with a sigh as she rises to her feet. "Let's get our gold."*
**Visit the Ironpeak Ballistics Encounter Card to upgrade Keturah.**
**The player receives Mask of the Exile.**
**The player gains this card's Token.**
**Encounter ends.**
## Unlocked By

Acquire the token for Ironpeak Curatives.

## Token Unlocks

*For defeating the Prince of Poisons...*

* Setekh's Sting
* Mask of the Exile

*For claiming the Prince's bounty...*

* Ironpeak Ballistics
* Ironpeak Necropolis

## Notes

* *Aculeus* is Latin for "sting", "spine", or "thorn".