Well hey kids, what happens when your party mate goes berserk and kills one head of a penal colony? One who was recently revealed to be from a race of kidnapping, cannibalistic dragon worshippers? (elves) If you guessed that guards swarm in and try to work out what happened, you’d be right!

In the aftermath something becomes clear, the party are aiding in the investigation. Loremaster rolls a nice search of Liserra and grabs a nice magical item; two brass bells tied together on a string. This is how she did her “little birds” act. The bells when rung, allow the user to see through the eyes of a simple creature. Neat! A few herbs and an alchemist knife round off the loot, which is a nice haul for the Dwarf.

A bright eyed young guard looks up at the loremaster with hope after his search, asking his thoughts. Barack decides to tell the kid what happened, though his telling makes it out like he just puzzled it out based on his search. The young Imberian looks up at him in awe.

Our Spellknight Lucien De Perisian, found a pseudo scroll. Not quite a book not quite a scroll – it’s smell when unrolled reminded him of his training, he could practically see himself casting his first spell. It’s script was almost indecipherable, but after focusing the ink seemed to rearrange into his grandfather’s calligraphy. It seemed to be a list of names and occasionally where they resided. Strange such a simple thing would be hidden in a hidden compartment of the fireplace, if Sid hadn’t been looking for the strange smell they might never have found it.

Barack then looked at the documents on the desk, trying to find something that was not destroyed by the alchemic ingredients spilled over it by Markus’ in his rage. In the end he came out of it with a list of names, many with “confirmed” “suspected” or “???” written next to them in messy handwriting. Only the names Puth and Matron with “Confirmed” next to them stood out to him though.

The guard captain arrived, Oren. The Osiran who Barack had previously spoken to. He demanded to know what took place and Barack told him. A story that he didn’t take so well.

“So you mean to tell me your thief from earlier went crazy and managed to kill a High Wizard? Who is apparently now an elf?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of thief did you find Loremaster?”

“I work with the best, he was a killer.”

“Truly, not only do I have one administrator dead, our other high wizard is in a coma and another administrator is missing, disappeared into a puff of smoke you said. Enjoy explaining this at the trial.”

“Well I would not have to explain it if you weren’t so incompetent and actually caught the thief earlier when I reported it to you an hour ago instead of staying in the tavern and drinking…”

He looked over to Lucien and implied that if he was this guy’s bodyguard he wouldn’t be getting much sleep. To which Barack replied; “Lucien this man has threatened my life, kill him.”

VS

In front of 4 guards, over the corpse of an administrator just killed by one of his ex associates. To clarify something the party were confused about; Oren was simply trying to say pissing off the people protecting you is not smart. He tried to say it in a way he wouldn’t lose face in front of his men and had completely failed his composure roll. In short; wasn’t actually a threat.

But combat was joined and boy was it bloody.

In a city under lockdown, with guards lining the streets, our party just engaged combat with the captain of the guard. Luckily he had brought the greenskin back before he was betrayed, before he tried to threaten the party, before combat started or the numbers might have been too much.

It was a very bloody battle, but for the sake of not making this a novel I’ll summarise.

The opening moves were pretty even; Barack buffed the party – the guards swung a lot.

Abulawe took massive damage, and had to resort to using his affliction offensively to take out one guard – but the rot didn’t kill him until after he was cut down by the three opponents surrounding him (had to use a fate point as enemy crit put him on -11)

Aeyla surrendered after a bit of fighting, she got backhanded aside before the guard fighting her helped gang up on Abulawe.

After they were removed from the fight, Oren managed to score a nasty hit on Barack, almost piercing him right though with his spear.

Coughing blood into his beard and faring far worse than his knightly friend – he summoned basalt.

She promptly roared right in Oren’s fucking face, absolutely furious her friend and master almost died to him.

The Osiran simply spat blood out his visor and grinned, almost bouncing on his feet in anticipation of the challenge.

And as Basalt began tearing down the roof, causing a young stable boy outside to gasp – Lucien chopped his fucking head off. (1-15 crits for Lucien’s weapon and he rolled a 2; got a 20 on 1d20 for damage and a Strength bonus of+5)

Luckily this turn happened just before the reinforcements started flooding in, but in short;

So with a decapitated head, Barack tells the two dwarves that as Loremaster he has been intimidated and threatened from the moment he arrived. That this place was so corrupt it’s captain of guard tried to kill him. Taking the spear form the Osiran he bestowed it upon one of the Dwarves “Rull” appointing him captain of the guard.

Clutching the spear, he swears he will do justice for the Hammer. (Dwarven Emperor) And begs Barack to flee because he doubts he can take Yugnir (Oren’s Lt.) in combat. Channeling the Kool Aid man again, Basalt gathers everyone on her back and smashes through the wall – where a young stable boy (New PC Roderick Gelt) is waiting. He says he knows a safe place and they leg it. Across the trial field to the outer wall. The knight and Loremaster using shape earth to seal the wall behind them.

The trial field is home to two guards building some gallows and ⅔ of the remaining administrators, a lie from Roderick and a lovely nat 1 sends everyone except Administrator Puth and a hooded man running. On the way Lucien gets a glimpse under the hooded man’s hood – noting that his left hand clutched a decapitated head and the right a mangy old crossbow.

A brief teleport spell across an abandoned outer wall and the party were home free. Out West of the city they hugged the wall to get to the South/Main gate and headed East from there, to the stable of one Andelette Gelt mother of Roderick Gelt. Backstories were spilled, Gelt requesting to be the squire of Lucien and a deal was struck between Barack and The Guild of Free Minds.

The Guild agrees to send it’s best man Brother Nulerion (whom is the man Barack met in the desert and gave him the ritual to contact the guild) to serve Barack in the meantime. But cannot commit to a full on conquest without the sanction of the hammer – else it’s invasion of territory belonging to both the Dwarven Emperor and Martessian High King which would break the contracts of neutrality they have. However, once Barack shows the Deorlas antler and says it’s on the table if they conquer the town; his tone changes and he assure Barack he will leave to get the sanction personally as soon as he finishes temple business in two days.

Forzcety meanwhile is the site of a bloody coup, due to The Spider and his minions having almost all of their opposition dead, in a coma or gone thought there would never be a better time. All were caught in the struggle, victim, participant, child, adult, old, young, able, infirm, convict, tradesman, rebel or loyalist – all were drawn into the struggle. It was a massacre, and many NPCs rolled to not die, some did well others less so. But when an NPC crit failed a magic roll? Well then shit got real for those fighting.

Lucien had a lovely talk with the boy’s mother, telling her he agreed to squire him. She asked him to be careful and shared some history – before requesting that should the worst happen; make sure he is treated with respect and returned to the sisters’ embrace. (means buried, the Sisters of Hurlei are Goddesses of the land in Martessian myth) A Hurlei worshipper would treat their family not being buried slightly below murdering them yourselves. But hiding her worry and fears, she quickly goes to finish stabling the more exotic beasts leaving Lucien to do a wander of the perimeter as Barack tested out his new bell.

Both of them notice the smoke has thickened above Forzcety and that a sickly smell of vinegar is floating through the air, so strongly it practically makes the mouse Barack is mind hopped into sick. His very good roll gives him a bonus on a memory roll.

He passes… remembering how his mother died, remembering stories of that sickening vinegar and smoke smell, remembering the tales of a powerful and fearsome beast that is attracted by magic…

He opened his eyes, snatching his senses away from the mouse in a panic. He knew one terrible truth, not only had a riot or civil war broken out in Forzcety – the magic had attracted the attention of a Drake.