The face off in the Guard Tower Plaza continues. The crowd is moving like a surging wave before the frightful rampage of the flailing, roaring ogre. Davros bellows at it, “Go! Get out of here! You’re free! Get outta here before they kill you!” This seems to finally get through to its dim intellect. It looks to the north and runs off in that direction, scattering protestors, and knocking some to the ground with its flailing chains. The ballistas on the roof fire two more bolts at Mishok. They miss their mark and shatter instead on the cobblestones, sending jagged shards of wood and metal into the crowd. The screams of the injured add to the chaos, as does the sudden emergence of Wendella, Carver, and Ursula’s contingent from around the back of the tower. They have subdued some of the guards, and others are being driven before them. Their flight becomes more desperate as before their eyes, the already fierce Ursula transforms into an enormous brown bear. She drops to all fours and charges with a roar towards the ogre. The two hulking figures – the pursued and pursuer pass beyond a crowd that has now lost cohesion. They disappear as they run toward the Champion Square. 

The guards are distracted by the growing chaos in the plaza, and Sartan takes the opportunity to run up the staircase to the doors of the Mayor’s quarters. They are locked, but with a kick, Sartan splinters them off their hinges, and forces his way in. He finds himself in the empty, marble-floored lobby where they had first been escorted into the mayor’s presence some days ago. It seems to be deserted. He heads up the central staircase to the balcony level where he is confronted with another door – one he knows will lead into the Mayor’s office. He pushes this open with ease and enters the office where the Strongbows had first presented his team with the problem of finding their daughter. This room too is unoccupied. But there are stairways curving around the perimeter, one heading up and one heading down. Contemplating which way to go, he is shortly joined by Cycek, who has followed him into the tower.

Outside, the pressing mob surges aimlessly. Mishok finds himself shoved apart from Davros who has positioned himself in a defensive crouch at the top of the stairs. The Dwarven cleric tries to keep his feet while turning his attention to the antagonists atop the tower. He asks Divoc for the power to neutralize those guards who would so wantonly risk injury to the citizens they are sworn to protect. He calls down divine fire upon the one of the three guards manning the ballistas, and with a shriek the man is laid low. He is pushed farther from the tower, barely keeping upright, but he manages to also conjure a spectral morning star at the top of the tower. At his direction it clubs the other two guards into submission. They disappear behind the battlements, just as Mishok is pushed to the ground and trampled.

Inside the tower, Sartan heads up the stairs while Cycek heads down. Sartan comes to a landing with a door on his right, and a barred window on his left. The window looks out over the river to the north. The sun is coming up and starting to illuminate the interior of the stairwell. He hears the peals of a horn. But his attention is elsewhere, listening at the door for any sound of occupancy. Meanwhile, Cycek heads downward, finding himself at a dead end. He too is near a window. It is barred and glazed with opaque glass. He smashes the glass with the hilt of his sword. Cold air rushes in. He sees that his face, and the window are just at ground level. He can see feet rushing back and forth, trampling the landscaping around the base of the tower. Frustrated with the inability to explore further, he turns around and heads back up.

Davros, from his position on the stairs, catches sight of Wendella and calls to her. “We have the door open! Help us find your father!” She runs to him, and together they run into the lobby. “I don’t know for sure, but they are probably holding him in the cell at the top of the tower!”

Sartan thinks he hears movement behind the door. He opens it and peers inside. There he sees what what appears to be a living room. There is a fireplace, and a variety of chairs and tables. There are also two heavily armored guards across the room. He orders them to stand down. “It’s over! Donnwald is dead! Throw down your weapons, and you won’t get hurt!” They refuse. One of them throws a spear. Sartan moves his head aside just in time. It sails past and out the window behind him. Sartan yanks the door closed and listens. He hears the guards scrambling forward. He shoves the door open again, smashing it into one of the guards and knocking him to the floor, and sweeps Demonsbane at the other, delivering a wicked wound. He again declares, “I don’t want to have to kill you! Stand down! Your boss is dead!” He throws Donnwald’s head to the floor. The guards recoil momentarily in horror, giving Cycek the opportunity to push his way into the room. He crosses the room and fires and arrow at the second guard who has just climbed to his feet. Sartan continues to battle with the first guard. He takes a bloody slash from the guard’s dagger, but manages to fell his fearless foe.

Davros and Wendella barrel up the stairs, passing by the combat in the living room. Wendella directs Davros to keep going up. He does, but comes up short against a blank wall. He is confused, and turns to go back. But Wendella catches up to him and shouts, “What kind of a rogue are you? It’s a secret door you fool!” She shoves it hard and runs into a stone chamber. Davros follows and the two are confronted by another pair of heavily armored guards. They can see a walled-off portion of the room to their left. There are iron bars, and they hear a voice weakly calling “Help us!”

Back in the tower square, Mishok is able to get back to his feet. The crowd thins enough for him to move toward the front of the tower. As he runs toward the front door, he consider the possibility of entering via the guards entrance around at the southeast face of the tower. This is where they had taken the body of the fallen assassin their first night in Shadowfurst, and also where they went on a follow up visit the next morning before heading to the blufflands.

In the top chamber of the tower, Davros and Wendella realize that they have found her parents. She rushes forward, raging with emotion, and hurls an eldritch blast at one of the oncoming guards. Green light and shards of pure celestial energy splash off his heavy armor, and he staggers back a step. Davros commands the other guard, “It’s all over! You’re beaten! Throw down your weapons!” The guard refuses, yelling back, “We have authority here! Not you! You are intruders and you will submit to arrest, or die!” Davros steps forward and finds an unarmored place to thrust his rapier. The guard bellows with pain. Wendella throws another bolt of energy at the other guard, crumpling him to the ground. Davros demands again, “Give up! It’s over!” The guard sighs, looks down, throws his sword with a clatter, and drops to his knees. “I submit,” he says.