The fire on the roof of the Stoneyard’s headquarter building is spreading. The adventurers discuss their plans to free the Mayor, and they decide to pay a visit to the home of Carver’s mother. Wendella agrees that this is a good idea – she may very well provide them a safe place to stay and plot their next move. This place is clearly not a good place to linger. They hear a bell clanging from the south, and Wendella informs her companions that the fire brigade is based not far from the south gate. They head toward the north gate, with their three conscripted guards. Once outside of the Stoneyard, they discover city streets that are mostly empty. Mostly, but not completely. There is broken glass and litter strewn about. Raised voices can be heard from down alleyways, and furtive figures duck into doorways. The pillar of smoke rising from the Stoneyard roof is not the only one. Other smaller fires flicker their orange light down the streets of the West End, and send their own smaller columns of light skyward. Clearly there are pockets of unrest and petty vandalism – angry residents lashing out, however, they encounter no resistance in their journey to Lolly’s house. When they arrive there, they see a curtain move in the second-floor window above Lolly’s doorway. They knock and are greeted with silence. They shout and call for Lolly, but again receive no response. Davros attempts to pick the lock, but is unsuccessful. In frustration, Sartan kicks the door, and it immediately flies open. They see a one-room first floor, consisting of a common living space and a kitchen, and a narrow wooden staircase leading to the second floor. They think they hear a low growl coming from above. Cycek decides to go up the stairs, staying in the deep shadows cast by the street lamps. He moves silently, and when he reaches the second storey, the growling guardian there is startled by his sudden appearance. Cycek finds himself face-to-face with Ursula the werebear, in her human form. She rears back with a huge great axe, but stops herself just as she begins her swing. Her nose tells her the the truth more quickly than her eyes. She sniffs and realizes that this is Cycek. She remembers the kindness he had shown her, and their brief time fighting alongside each other. She motions to unseen others in the darkened room behind her and whispers, “It’s Cycek!” Then turning back to him, she asks, “And the others?” Cycek replies that yes, the others are waiting outside. Ursula urges, “tell them to get up here and off the street, quick! We thought you were guards, and we cannot have guards finding us here!” Cycek beckons his companions up the stairs, but alas, during this time, one of the guards has abandoned the team… first sidling away, and then turning and bolting. Now, one guard remains in their company. The rest of the team quickly moves into the house and up the stairs, leaving Davros and the guard out in front to keep their eyes out for trouble.

Upstairs, the team finds that the other occupants of the room include Lolly Oxcart and her son Carver. Wendella and Carver are absolutely delighted to see each other, and embrace each other, weeping in an outpouring of emotion. Wendella profusely apologizes to Carver and even more so to his mother for all the trouble she has caused. Both are very receptive to her overtures, and express that they are just so relieved that she is OK. Lolly asks if she has seen Harven (Hack) and Wendella does her best to reassure Lolly that the last she saw Hack, he was as well as he could be. He was unhurt, and had come upon great riches, and she can only hope that he is able to find happiness and direction in his life with his newfound wealth.

The two groups share their tales of the past few days, and Sartan reveals the death of Donnwald. Lolly, Carver, and Ursula express their relief that the evil Donnwald has been dispatched, but also their fear that their hiding place here in Lolly’s home would be discovered. The guards know of Lolly’s connection to the Strongbow family through Carver and Wendella’s relationships. She fears that they will discover that Carver has returned. This fear becomes more acute when Davros reveals that the other guard has fled. Mishok asks if there is anyplace else where they can hide, if their location in compromised. Lolly suggests that they call on her friends Findelis and Brit, a couple who lives a few blocks away with their three children. They agree to abandon Lolly’s house. They successfully sneak through the streets and find themselves on the doorstep of a single-storey wooden home. Lolly raps a coded knock on the door, and a corresponding knock responds from within. Lolly explains that many of her neighbors have been talking about raising the people of this city to throw down Donnwald and his thugs. But they are keeping it as quiet as possible, because not everyone is like-minded. The door is partially opened, and Lolly has a whispered exchange with the occupant. She turns to the party and says, “Findelis has agreed to have us stay here. He is taking a huge risk here, but he and his wife a good people. Come in quickly and quietly. We need to keep a low profile.”

This temporary safe house is just a couple of blocks away, and around a corner. They discuss placing lookouts on both Lolly’s home and that of Findelis and Brit. They identify a taller house midway between the two, where a lookout can see both sites from the roof. Cycek takes first watch, and successfully climbs the building without being seen. He does however set a dog barking. Thankfully this does not draw wanted attention. 

The rest of the group devises a plan for the morning. Lolly and her friends are heartened by Donnwald’s death, eager to reinstate the mayor, and enthusiastic to oust the thugs among the city guard. Mishok suggests that perhaps they could rouse a good mob of citizens to march on the guard tower, demanding Strongbow’s release. They could use the mob either to directly force the corrupt guards to relinquish control, or as cover for the team to free the mayor. Lolly’s friends set things in motion, quietly spreading the word throughout the neighborhood, that a crowd should be assembled in the West End before daylight. They should arm themselves and be ready to fight if necessary, but they will go to the guard tower and demand that the city be released from martial law and the mayor exonerated.

The night passes without confrontation, and before daylight, the streets around the safe house begin to fill with people. Some are uncertain, some are reluctant, others are merely curious, but many carry a sense of purpose. This can no longer escape the notice of the guards, no matter how corrupt or incompetent they may be, and as the crowd begins to move out, guards are seen warily keeping pace on the perimeter of the crowd. They decide to split into two separate groups. Wendella, Carver, and Ursula lead one group along the south riverfront, while the “Shadowfurst Four” lead the rest of the crowd down the central thoroughfare.

Traveling through town, the mob grows in size. They leave the impoverished West End and move into the heart of the city, where the crowd is joined by members of the middle class, and even some of the wealthy elites. This unity among different elements of society against a clear injustice seems to strengthen mob’s determination. They stream into Guardtower Square and form a circle of chanting protestors. There is a strong guard presence here, which is augmented by those who have accompanied the mob through the pre-dawn streets of Shadowfurst. More alarming is the presence of a frightful creature looming over crowd and guards alike. An enormous ogre blocks the entrance to the mayoral quarters. It’s wrists are bound in manacles from which heavy chains lead to iron cleats in the stone facade. It grunts and moans and struggles against the chains, becoming more agitated as people stream into the square chanting, “Free An-ton! Free An-ton!” The four adventurers lead the mob, coming as close to the front of the tower as they dare. They yell to the guards, “We demand the release of the mayor!” while the guards yell back, “Disperse or be arrested! This is an unlawful gathering!”

Before any headway can be made in negotiations, two guards step up to the cleats and pull the lynchpins, releasing the chains, and thus the ogre. The ogre roars and surges forward. The crowd shies away, pulling back out of reach, but the brave adventurers stand their ground. In doing so, they present targets for two ballistas on the roof of the tower. Guards manning the powerful weapons let fly a pair of wicked bolts, which narrowly miss their marks and splinter on the cobblestone streets, flinging shards of wood and metal into the crowd. More guards fling spears at the adventurers. One glances off Sartan’s shield, but he grabs it and returns it in kind, injuring the guard who first threw it. The ogre flails his chains. One whips past Davros’ face by a hairs breadth while the other one rustles Mishok’s beard. They recognize this ogre. It is the one who assaulted them atop the bluff where the stone labyrinth gave them entry into Xodar’s lair. Davros yells at him, “Hey! Ogre! Get out of here! You’re free! Go! Run! Get away from these people! We won’t stop you!”

Mishok tries another tactic. He exhorts the crowd to rise up and drive the ogre away. “Come on, people! Divoc is on our side! Let’s take them down!” But the crowd is frightened… uncertain. They look at each other, and instead shrink back from the ogre, whose thrashing continues to whip the chains in deadly arcs, perilously close to the front rank of protestors. The beast lurches back and forth, equally uncertain, but enraged. Cycek and Davros put a couple of arrows into it, as well as into a couple of guards, neutralizing a couple of them. But the situation is tilting into chaos… no longer a binary equation of force vs. force, but rather an unhealthy brew of rage, fear, aggression, and confusion. The four leaders of this mob begin to wonder how they can manage the situation and accomplish their goals.