The ghetto itself is quiet, filled with many trellises along the sides of buildings and plenty of open squares lit by modified continual flame spells that flicker and move like dancing lights. A few buildings have been damaged by fire, but children still play in the streets despite the recent danger. No one accosts them, but the elves seem very unfriendly.
Makeighla discovers the carpentry shop (a two-story brick building) has a fake front door, and the windows are just wooden frames painted to look like curtains have been pulled. The chimney is exhaling smoke, a sign that someone is there, but there seems to be no entrance to the building. The only creature present is a simple rat rooting around for food.
As the party gathers for a plan, a raven approaches and speaks. It's on a quest to retrieve the case, it doesn't care about the contents, it just needs the case it can open the door and scout for the party. Lord Robert attempts to detect evil, which the creature stays out of range of. The party threatens the bird, it flees.
A dark pact:
Makeighla is sent back to investigate the door, the raven approaches her with the same offer, with a rich bonus when she delivers the case. She agrees. The tells Makeighla the trick to opening the door. The raven disappears and says it will re-visit her for the case.
An ode to a badger:
The 50-ft. square room is dimly lit by a roaring fire in a fireplace against the left wall, filling the building with modest warmth. Casting shadows throughout the room are nearly a dozen doors, propped up by metal frames, all of them unfinished. Tools hang around the walls, stacks of wood are piled beside the fire place, and sawdust covers the floor. It looks like the workshop of a carpenter obsessed with doors. A staircase leads upward in the back right corner, and one of the doors stands at the foot of the stairs. Three celestial badgers snooze around the room.
Makeighla reports this to the group, a plan is made for the elves to sneak in and assassinate the badgers. Makeighla does her's, while Fen just anger's his target. A quick battle ensues, while the party rushes into the room.
Truce & vows:
A voice calls down... A negotiation... The elves are convinced to part with the case on the condition that an elf accompanies the party to Lyceum and is allowed to copy whatever information is in the case, and take it back to Shahalesti.
Leaving Gate Pass:
As the party prepares to leave with the case, the elves get word that the council
has agreed to the Ragesians’ demands. The council has made it clear that, until they come to a decision, no one is to leave the city, on threat of death. They do not want the Ragesians to have any pretense to renew their attack.
The city is eerily silent, the air crisply cold and tainted with smoke. People cautiously step out into the streets, looking for news, and so as the party sets out to travel, it’s impossible for them not to hear the rumors.
The Gate Pass defenders drove back the initial assault, but the attack cost many lives, and even now the men on the walls report that the Ragesian attack was only a small portion of their entire force. The invading army has demanded that a group of inquisitors be allowed into the city, and threaten to renew their attack if they do not receive a prompt agreement from the city leaders. Amid these mutterings, one consistent (albeit petty) complaint is that the city has cancelled the parade for the Festival of Dreams, intended to celebrate the new year. The streets are scattered with burnt or trampled decorations that had been set up for the city-wide party, now indefinitely postponed.
Torrent suggests they seek out Councilman Erdan Menash to confirm the rumors and solicit his help in finding a way out of the city.
A few members go to warn Diogenes at Gabal's school. He thanks them for the warning. He and some remaining students intend to remain and guard the arcane treasures locked in the vault. He wishes you luck.
Erdan Menash:
Councilman Erdan Menash is one of the more colorful characters in the city council, a former merchant and tailor who used to sell well-crafted but horribly unfashionable gear to adventurers, with the goal of making sure everyone knew he was the one sponsoring their heroism. Torrent does not know him personally, but she does know he is a member of the Resistance.
Erdan’s manor is a three-story building inside a low iron fence, located a few miles east of the tower depository, in the same district as a 90-ft. statue of Emperor Coaltongue. The outer walls are painted vivid green, yellow, and purple, and the two guards he keeps for protection are forced to wear tabards of the same colors. The guards meet visitors at the entry gate and offer to let guests stay inside to wait for the councilman. When the party arrives, Erdan happens to be out but his guards say that he’ll be home soon.
When Erdan arrives he is frustrated, complaining in a high-pitched, wheezing voice about the nincompoops in charge of the city. He does a double take when he sees the party, surprised to have guests. He asks the party for their names and their business, and is especially interested in details of what happened to them during the attack the previous evening. He is easily distracted and starts giving a tour of his house’s many oddities.
Erdan lives alone with a home full of his bizarre creations. Exotic weapons of all sorts adorn the walls — whips, urgroshes, double axes, double swords, monk weapons, a heavy repeating crossbow designed to look like a porcupine; everything but the now-trite spiked chain — made more exotic by unorthodox decorations like red and yellow frogs on pommels, or axeheads in the shape of bunnies. The first floor consists of a greeting hall, a dining room, a kitchen and store room, a waiting room, and three galleries. The entire second floor is a workshop devoted to elaborate and garish decorations that Erdan had hoped to use in the Festival of
Dreams, such as a bear mask for the giant statue of Coaltongue in the center of the city, swords made of woven flowers, and dresses made of candy. He lives on the third floor, in a bedroom with a wonderful view of the grand square. Looking out of it, he sighs and shakes his head, sad that he won’t get a chance to use his decorations.
Erdan is willing to talk about what has happened to the city, providing some interesting and exciting stories to help put the party’s actions in perspective:
• The griffon riders, aided by a druid who took the form of a giant eagle, were able to drive off a massive red dragon that was setting fire to the city, and they captured two of its riders.
• An incursion through one of the northern walls was held up by armed townsfolk, who lasted long enough for actual soldiers to arrive and slay the Ragesians.
• The western-most district caught fire and has been nearly gutted, but the troops have kept fighting – even some who suffered terrible burns.
• A huge earth elemental rose up from the sewers near the houses of several city council members and managed to kill them while the bulk of the city’s defenders were at the walls.
• A wyvern-rider crashed into a house and killed a family, but a group of unknown heroes tracked him down and slew him.
The party presses for help with escape. He offers to call in a favor from a Captain of the city guards. Captain Herreman runs a small cavalry detachment that regularly patrols the southern border. The message will include a note asking Herreman to take the party along.
He offers to trade for the Ragesian armor, and further offers "The heroes of Gate Pass" a selection of one item each from his collection.
When the party is ready to leave, Erdan gives them the note for Captain Herreman and directions to his post (located one district to the east, less than a mile away, near a large stable and barracks), begs them to send aid as soon as they can, and bids them good luck.
Guards?:
The party notices some city guards... the appear to be tailing them. After a few minutes, two guards use alleys and side streets to get ahead of the party and approaches the party from the front, while the other four come from behind to block escape. They say they are taking two characters in the party for questioning on suspicion of being mages.
Lord Robert says they are welcome to accompany them to Capt. Herreman's barracks a they are headed that way. This makes the guards nervous. A prisoner caravan approaches from
the west, heading for the central district. As you talk to the guards, A dozen soldiers escort a pair of wounded and bound orc soldiers wearing the uniform of Ragesian infantry — scale mail, a red tabard with a half-crescent fireball on the chest, and a heavy winter coat of bear furs. One of the orcs glances at the party through his one good eye, the other half of his face scarred from an old burn wound. As the convoy marches by, the guards become suddenly subdued, afraid of drawing attention to themselves. One half-heartedly congratulates the soldiers.
The party decides to push on to the barracks. The guards attempt to block the way. A fight ensues, one guard is killed, the rest flee. The guard is found to possess a Black Horses armband. As the party rides off, someone brings one of the sham guards out from the alley, claiming "Don't worry citizens, I've captured the brigand."
Capt. Herreman's Barracks:
Consisting of several three-story buildings with attached stables, the barracks are lodgings for a hundred soldiers. Each district has a similar set of barracks and number of soldiers.
Guards greet the party at the barracks, the Captain receives the group in his ready room. Captain Herreman is a grim half-orc edging toward middle age, with a thick beard that he thinks hides his orcish tusks. He’s very loyal to Councilman Menash, and fondly carries a dagger designed to look like a peeled banana, a memento of when he was an adventurer sponsored by the crazy merchant. Upon receiving the letter from Menash, he efficiently gets the party gear that will let them pass as members of his unit (studded leather, longswords, and light
crossbows), acquires light warhorses for each of them (with military saddles and winter
blankets, but no barding), and then gathers eight men that he can trust for this fake mission.
As things are made ready, a local hero delivers a prisoner. Tall, dark-haired, and roguishly handsome, by his goatee and massive greatsword you recognize this man as the local folk hero Rantle, a scoundrel and defender of the common man. Despite his light chain armor, his smirk says clearly that he thinks he’s invincible. He greets the Captain and the party. He mentions he's heard about the dustup at the Poison Apple pub, and that he needs their help.
Rantle says his sister, Katrina has a tendency to get into such trouble that I have no choice but to save her yet again!” She disappeared a little over a week ago, just before news of the approaching Ragesian army arrived. His sister is a pretty competent sorceress, he says, though she did manage to burn a few of their homes down over the years. Rantle worries, justifiably, that she might be in trouble. The last he heard of her, she was planning to head to Lyceum to get to safety, and Rantle knows enough about Torrent’s activities to guess that’s where she and the party are heading.
Rantle asks the party to deliver a scroll tube to his sister if they see her. Rantle describes his sister, “She’s about five and a half feet tall, with long red hair, and she looks too good for her own good. In short, she’s pretty much the stereotype of a fire mage. It’s kinda embarrassing.” The scroll case Rantle asks them to deliver is sealed with red wax.
With a few hours to kill before the patrol begins, the party does a bit of preparations. Near sunset (when Herreman’s regular patrol is scheduled), they ride to the gate. Along the way, a single bell at the west of the city rings out ominously and mournfully, and Herreman guesses that this means that the inquisitors have finally been let into the city.
Herreman hurries to the gate and hands over his orders to the gatekeepers, and the gatekeepers usher them through, wishing them good hunting. Ostensibly they’re supposed to be looking for a Ragesian necromancer who is desecrating graveyards by raising the dead, a dramatic tale that Councilman Menash thought would give the mission enough urgency that the guards would not be suspicious.
Once they’re outside the gates, Herreman suggests that going any further at night might be dangerous, and directs the party to a safe camping spot two miles from the city, in an abandoned tower that once was a watch post for the city, but is now in disuse.
Ambush:Following the road through the cliffs towards the fire forest, the party sets a deliberate pace. The horses are sure footed on the icy terrain.
The morning passes quietly and uneventful. Lunch in the saddle brings better spirits, it appears that none follow from Gate Pass.
The party is surprised by the explosion of thunderstones very near their horses. ' horse bolts forward terrified of the noise. himself is deafened by the great boom. Archers on the cliffs above begin to fire crossbows at the horses.
Mike leaps off his horse and begins to climb towards the men, Kah'less attempts to regain control of his mount, the rest dive for cover. As ' horse charges around a corner 3 mounted men charge forward. A battle ensues that ends with Fen chasing the leader with his flying sword. One of the ambushers is captured... he's a member of the Black Horses.
Interrogation:
The captured Black Horse reveals that the Ragesian army offered the group 10,000 gp to return the case to Ragesia. They also decided to try to capture the party alive for some additional coinage. The Black Horses have a base not too far, it used to be a cave where they placed the 'wish pots' during the festival of dreams. Additional Black Horses are en route. The Ragesian army could be close behind them as well.
Planning an assault:
The Black Horse base is well defended and not easily reached. The cliffs and valleys provide only one direct path from which the party would be easily spotted. The alternative would be to climb up and down a dozen cliffs to attempt a stealth attack. Torrent pressures the party, they MUST get the case to Lyceum Black Horses (however annoying) be damned. The party decides discretion is the better valor in this case and proceeds...
To the Fire Forrest!
Farm and a strange girl:
About a mile from the edge of the fire forest, the sky ahead begins to glow faint red and orange, and the air smells of ash. The frigid winter temperatures warm noticeably, and red flowers dot the roadside amid yellowed grass. Cinders drift in the sky. Soon the cliffs alongside the road turn into craggy hills, and the forest fire itself comes into view, tall pine trees stretching down into a valley that burns to the horizon. A steaming river
marks the border of the fire forest, and a vast field of ash coats the ground for the last quarter mile leading to the forest.
Fen and both feel a strengthening of fire magic.
Just before the ash field, about a half mile from the forest fire, the party spots a small farm, consisting of a two-story stone house and adjacent barn, and what looks like a pair of simple stone cairns. The farm is on a slight rise to the left of the road, and a young woman stands in clear view, dark-haired, eyes wide and blue, holding a slender black staff.
When the party is close enough to speak with her, it is clear that she is looking off vacantly, but she speaks to them, saying, “The Scourge comes, and the skulls of the dragon pursue you. I saw it in a dream.” Then she shakes her head as if coming to her senses, then meekly apologizes.
She introduces herself as Crystin, and says that she needs their help. She and her father, Haddin,
are magic-users, and they know the Ragesians are coming. Crystin says that she has visions, and she believes that wherever the party is going, they can protect her and her father. She wants to go with them. At the very least, she says, she can offer them a place to rest before they head into the forest fire.
Lord Robert ever suspicious and disrespectful of the commoners detects no evil in this girl. Makeighla recalls and recounts following tale about the girl's father Haddin as they follow the girl to the house.
"Twenty years ago, Haddin was a skilled artist and respected citizen of Gate Pass, but his half-orc half-brother Mandragore was a notorious criminal. One day, suddenly, Mandragore turned over a new leaf and began working to redeem his name. Rumors eventually arose that Haddin was mentally dominating his brother, and an investigation revealed it was true. Within weeks, amid protests of countless people who believed — right or wrong — that Haddin had likewise dominated them, Haddin’s reputation was ruined. His brother tried to defend him, but was killed by rioters, and Haddin fled the city in disgust, taking his wife and newborn daughter.
Occasionally people would see a young woman who closely resembled Haddin’s wife come into town to get supplies, her expression distant. The stories — true for once — say that this is Haddin’s daughter, dominated by the bitter old mage."
The party arrives at the house and is let in by Crystin. Aside from a few old cloth decorations, all
the furniture here is made of stone, looking to be magically shaped. A small hearth crackles with too-bright fire, and beside it an old man sits on a stone bench, perusing a spellbook and coughing incessantly. A finely-crafted warhammer hangs on the wall, surrounded by countless beautiful paintings.
The man regards Lord Robert with contempt... "As crass as you are arrogant are you boy? In my day people had manners and respect... No more it seems." After a brief discussion, the party decides to leave Haddin and Crystin to their fate. Just as the party prepares to leave the odd couple, a voice booms from outside...
Inquisitor Boreus:
Clad only in leather cords, bearskins, and a carved bear skull, this orc looks savage. A three-pronged metal claw is strapped to his right hand, and fire seems to burn in his eyes.
His voice feral and commanding, demanding Haddin
come out and turn himself over, and threatening to
kill the old mage if he doesn’t surrender.
The party peeks out the windows... in addtion to the cleric another orc, 3 Ragesian soldiers, 6 skeletons and a goblin occupy the area infront of the house.
A great battle erupts, Mike nearly dying twice, Fen being attacked by an invisable goblin, an enlarged orc whielding a great axe, an elf who twiddled this thumbs, and the home owners disappear.
Assaulting an elf:
After the battle the Shahalesti elf is attacked for beign a coward. He defends himself, but stops attacking when the paladin interrupts. He explains that his horse was spooked as was ' and that he wasn't given any orders in the recent battle. He's a soldier trained to be in a mage driven army, being in the wrong place is deadly when fireballs rain down.
The party is uninterested in his explanations. He is stripped of his armor and weapons (save his bow) and is told that if he should be seen again he would be mercilessly attacked and killed. The party also takes his potions that would protect him from the fire forest. Rivereye defends the elf and is disgusted with their behavior. Torrent is torn, she disagrees with the party's decision but needs their help to get to Lyceum.
The group parts ways:
The elf and gnome venture off alone to recover before braving the fire forest. The barbarian quietly follows them. Confident that the immediate threat is gone, Torrent recommends they rest again before heading on. When the party is finally ready, they send the horses back to Gate Pass, and then cross a charred bridge over the river into the fire forest.
The Fire Forest at last!
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