The four adventurers decide to leave Livist tied up in the basement. Lolly is the only other individual who is aware of the situation, and they decide to leave it that way. They do not tell Shaggi and Skids of the situation, simply to keep the situation as buttoned-up as possible.
They discretely load up the cart with their cache of weapons, and head across town towards the Tower of the Guard. As they exit their decrepit neighborhood, they seek to avoid the vicinity of the South Gate and instead wend their way through a residential area. Keeping a careful watch, they notice hostile expressions on the faces of passers-by, and even spot a couple archers on rooftops, eying the group guardedly. Shortly, they are stopped by a group of 8-10 young thugs in the street. Their leader calls out, “Where do you think you’re going? You don’t belong here! Get your damned cart out of our neighborhood!” Davros retorts angrily, and the thugs at first stand their ground. Davros threatens them and it doesn’t take long before the intimidated gang leader stands down. He tries to save face, acting as if the gang is allowing the party to pass through their territory out of their own graciousness. As the cart passes down the street the thugs throw a couple stones and hurl a couple epithets, but the party lets it slide.
They arrive at the Tower of the Guard in the mid afternoon. They speak to the two guards at the grand staircase, and they are brought around to the loading dock at the back side of the tower. As they head around to the opposite side of the tower, they can hear shrieking and bellowing faintly coming from a basement window. Mishok surmises that it is none other than the captive Father Baird in the throes of whatever spiritual torment the unfortunate former-pastor is experiencing.
They wait behind the tower while the guard unlocks the dock door and ascends the tower to alert the mayor. While the four heroes wait, they take in their surroundings. The grounds around the tower are well appointed with cobblestone streets, ornamental trees, benches, sculptures, and tasteful landscaping. Their vantage point offers a view of the two rivers merging into one and meandering away to the southeast. The fall weather is turning cold, and the sun will soon be sinking behind the western bluffs, but for now the sky is mostly blue with some big billowing cloud banks. A movement catches Mishok’s eye – a dark speck, like a distant bird, flying so high that it is momentarily lost behind a cloud. Mishok points it out to his companions, as it emerges again from behind the clouds. It is hard to see clearly at such a distance, but it seems to have a long neck and a long flailing tail. “Uh oh…” Mishok mutters as the realizes that the black silhouette looks disturbingly draconian. It disappears again behind the clouds, and before they can see it again, the mayor himself emerges into the storage area, accompanied by a pair of his elite guards.
The mayor and his staff take possession of the weapons, locking them up in the tower’s storage chamber. The total delivery consists of:
- 1 mace
- 2 great axes
- 5 halberds
- 7 longswords
Once the weapons are secured, Mayor Strongbow brings the four up to his office to discuss business. The mayor is authorized by Countess Velnarion to pay them a total of 7,500 gold pieces upon authentication of the weapons. The mayor will send for professor Elchor Grafton, the local expert on regional history and lore. Meanwhile, he will pay them 750 gp (in the form of 75 platinum pieces), which will cover the cost of the weapons if they prove to be quality, but mundane weapons. He will pay the balance upon authentication.
The Mayor expresses his concern over the possibility that a dragon is prowling the skies in the vicinity. It add to the growing list of woes that the beleaguered city must content with: warring hobgoblins and gnoll armies are on the move in the south, New Elturel has reportedly been obliterated, refugees are clamoring for admittance, the Countess has gone missing and in her absence her Flaming Fist guards are exerting their power in an inappropriately heavy-handed manner, unexplained random murders are terrorizing the citizenry, and now there is potentially a dragon on the move. The mayor speculates that Elchor Grafton might have some expertise in the dragon lore.
Before the adventurers take their leave, they explain their Livist situation to the mayor and ask what he might advise. Mayor Strongbow is aware of the extortion racket, and has heard the name Livist before. He thinks that the group’s plan to have Livist accompany Brother Tibalt to Blasingdell might work, but he cautions that the gang leaders will surely notice that their “bill collector” has gone missing, and they will trace his route back to the last place he visited. Expect trouble from the Stoneheaded Bastards.
They say farewell to the mayor, leave their horse and cart behind the tower, and head toward the Chapel District on foot. They pass near the towering “Shafornath Champion” statue in the main city square. They notice that the base of the monumental sculpture houses the Shadowfurst Visitors Center and History Museum. They pass by and are shortly approached by a street “salesman” whom they had met once before. His name is Smenga, and he comes bearing news of an item that Mishok had inquired about months ago. It is a “Belt of Dwarvenkind.” Smenga extols the virtues of the belt, and offers it at a high price: 5,000 gold pieces. The party, of course, does not see the value and refuses to pay such a price. Smenga lowers the price to 4500 GP, but this is still far too much. He explains that he and some “business partners” went to great lengths to acquire this artifact. But, he’s not too concerned. He’ll find another buyer. Besides, he and his partners acquired another artifact, a fine antique shield, that they sold to a wealthy buyer, so overall his venture has been worth it. Mishok at this point realizes that Smenga and his partner must have been the ones who burglarized the Church of Saint Terragnis. Ever the salesperson, Smenga tries to interest the group in several other “wondrous” items, each for a mere 100 gold pieces: a Cloak of Billowing, a Wand of Scowls, and a Staff of Birdcalls. None of these are of interest. But these strange magical items remind Sartan of another purveyor or magic items: Frandlehooben – the gnome who sold him the Hypnotic Fidget Spinner among other things. He pulls out the spinner and spins it in front of Smenga’s face. The shill is immediately charmed, and the group takes the opportunity to relieve him of the belt, and the three “wondrous” items. Mishok is happy that he will be able to return the belt to its rightful owner. They press Smenga for information about the shield. The charm is wearing off and he seems disoriented. They demand that he retrieve the shield from the buyer. He now seems frightened and insists that retrieving the shield will be impossible. Under duress, he confesses that the shield was sold to Councilwoman Sareyes Vanthampur. They send a rattled Smenga on his way, and they continue toward the church.
In the street near the church, the purchase a newspaper, “The W.O.R.P. Word” fron a vendor. This paper is one of the few regional news sources available. It is published in the southern town of Rennet’s Cove. A quick perusal of the lead stories reveals the following headlines.
- Baron Rennet and Hobgoblin Clan Reach Accord.
- Montressor Wend Released from St. Elkirk’s
- The Strange Folks Travel to Xarador House
- Broadsheet Printer & Bindery Repairs Underway
They tuck the newspaper away and enter the Church of Saint Terragnis. Inside they find Brother Tibalt preparing for travel. He introduces his two travel companions: Acolyte Knowbull (the truthful) and Acolyte Neil (the prayerful). Mishok tells Tibalt of their plan to have Livist join them. Tibalt believes that it may be the hand of Divoc at work to put this man, Livist, in their midst. This may be part of a divine plan. He had originally planned to leave another day from now, but with the concern of spiriting Livist out of town, Tibalt agrees to move up his departure to first thing tomorrow morning.
The group discusses plans, and they decide to have the traveling party exit the city openly though the South Gate, rather than risk discovery by Stonehearted Bastards on the Bandit’s Highway. At Sartan’s suggestion, they will hide Livist in a crate rather than disguise him. In fact, the acolytes will fashion a casket, and they will carry Livist out in a traditional Divocian funeral procession. Knowbull is distraught at the deception, but Tibalt assuages his concerns.
Mishok returns the “Belt of Dwarvenkind” to Tibalt. He is overjoyed to see it again, as it is a centuries-old family heirloom. He is perfectly content to never see the stolen shield again – as it was an artifact that Father Baird had discovered in the catacombs. Tibalt no longer has any trust in ancient items found below the church.
With the plan of action decided, they prepare to leave the church. But first, Tibalt asks Mishok if he is prepared to take on the role of acting-pastor of the church in his absence. Mishok confirms, that yes, he will take on this responsibility. Tibalt tells him that he will leave a letter to his flock. Mishok should be ready to call the congregation together within a couple days after Tibalt’s departure. Ringing the steeple bells will summon the faithful to the church. Once he does so, he should read the letter and inform the congregation of Tibalt’s mission and that they should accept Mishok as their interim leader. Mishok assents to this plan, and they take their leave.
The group next heads to the north side of town to visit the Elfsong Tavern. They enter the establishment and take their places at the bar, where the proprietor, Alan Alyth, serves them drinks. He tells them a bit about the mysterious music that plays from time to time. Sometimes days goes by without a song, whereas other times the music becomes more frequent. The local legend is that the ghostly elvish voice is more likely to sing when there is a person of some consequence in the bar… someone with a unique soul or who bears some unusual significance. The group ponders this over their drinks while they discuss their quarry… the “informant” Tarina whom the Flaming Fist officers suggested they should interview. Supposedly, she has crafted a theory regarding the recent spate of murders. According to those officers, Tarina holds the view that the Cult of the Dead Three has taken root in the city, and that they may be behind the slayings. The group was lead to believe that Tarina spends time at the Elfsong Tavern, so they have come here to talk with her. They look around at the meager crowd, and wonder where to begin inquiring.