Preparations are underway at the church of St. Terragnis for their simulated funeral procession, and the departure of their pastor. They have constructed a casket in which to smuggle Livist out of town. Brother Thibalt instructs Mishok in the rites that they must observe to make a passable show of the procession. They craft a cover story in case they are questioned at the gate… a tale of a man who lived and died in solitude, who had no family in the city, and who is now being taken for burial on the land of his extended family outside of town. Thibalt provides a scroll containing a message that Mishok is to read to the congregation. He reads it, and contemplates what words he might add. Mishok, Brother Tibalt and the acolytes then settle in for the night in anticipation of what may be a dangerous journey to Blasingdell.
Across town, Sartan, Cycek, and Davros have gone to sleep in the Yur Inn. They wake up before dawn to the sounds of the work day starting at the Stoneyard. They step out the front door and are immediately met by two menacing figures. Two large men, dressed in long black leather topcoats over finely-tailored clothes, stand facing them. The larger of the two has an odd blue tinge to his skin, with curled horns sprouting from his head. He has a warhammer at his side and a crossbow strapped to his back. The other has black, slicked back hair, reddish eyes and carries a walking stick. It is this one, the slightly smaller of the two, who addresses the group: “Gentlemen. I am Mr Elthar and this is Mr. Venzia. We’ve come to discuss a pressing matter. You haven’t paid your security fee. And we’re curious where our associate Mr. Livist might be? Our records indicate that he had a visit scheduled here two days ago, and since then he has not made his appointed rounds. We hear that you gentlemen consider yourself tough guys. Killers they say. That makes us even more concerned about our associate. We’re concerned about his well-being. You might wonder about the well being of one of your associates as well. Hmmmm…. Where’s your employee… the woman, what’s her name? I wonder what’s become of her? Are you sure she’s safe in this dangerous city?
Sartan replies that they have just gotten back to town, they haven’t seen Livist, and that their bar manager, Lolly, is most likely at home preparing for her work day.
Mr. Elthar expresses his skepticism and goes on to say, “This organization will not have you interfering with our operations. If you choose not to pay for our security services… then you should be prepared to accept the consequences. But if we learn that you have had anything to do with Mr. Livist’s absence… well, I think we’ll have bigger problems to resolve. Now, we’ll, take our leave. But you’ll see us again. I suggest you reconsider renewing your security fee, and coming clean about Mr. Livist.
The two step back, signaling a close to the conversation. Mr. Elthar utters some unheard words under his breath. Mr. Venzia tosses a burlap sack at their feet, and says, “Oh, and we brought you your lunch.”
The two clasp hands and they vanish without a trace.
Sartan suspiciously prods open the sack and discovers 4 small parcels within. Cycek unwraps one and finds that it is a liverwurst sandwich. They pull them all out of the sack and realize that one of the four is not a sandwich after all. It is, in fact, a human hand. After the thinly veiled threats of the two mob enforcers, they have a sneaking suspicion that this hand belongs to their bar manager, Lolly. They agree that they must go to her house to check on her, however, first they must get to the church to participate in the mock procession.
They walk across town to meet Mishok, Thibalt, and company at the church. The get Livist into the casket, don their ceremonial stoles, and prepare to set out. They process through the streets with Brother Thibault in the lead, rhythmically swinging a censer and chanting. Most of the citizens in the street step aside and some bow their heads in respect for the dead as the somber procession passes. In time, they arrive in the vicinity of the South Gate, which is unexpectedly closed. Normally, it would be open at this time of the morning as commercial carts enter and leave the city. Today, there is a different sort of activity. A contingent of royal guards are at work fortifying the stone walls on the downstream side of the inner gate. They have several carts carrying stone and iron implements designed to crown the walls, giving them additional height and wicked iron spikes to deter any invaders that might cross the river.
The royal guards are too preoccupied to pay any mind to the procession, but a number of street toughs hang around, watching from the shadows of the nearby decrepit houses. Two city guards staff the inner gate. The guards allow the group passage with hardly a question, cautioning them that there is quite a mob at the outer gate. The Flaming Fist is enforcing order among the mob, but the guards advise them to clear the area as quickly as possible. Once the outer gate is opened, they do indeed see a large number of people clamoring for entry to the city. Several Flaming Fist officers shove these people out of the way, so the procession can pass through. One of the Fists asks them where they are going and whether they plan to return to the city. Mishok convincingly gives him the cover story. The guard reminds them that they will still need to pay the gate fee if they want to come back in… 10 gold pieces per person. The party is outraged, since they had paid the exorbitant fee just days before. They nod their assent and set out on their way, putting the gate, the mob, and the Flaming Fist behind them. They have no actual intent to pay the fee. Instead, they plan to sneak back into the city through the bandit trails that wind their way into the Stoneyard.
A mile or so down the road, they find a safe place to leave the road and make their way into the cover of the wilderness. They allow Livist out of the casket. He is stiff and sore having been in the box for well over an hour. He has been tied up consistently for two days. He has been beaten down, threatened, and torn from his role in the Stoneheaded Bastards’ protection racket. But he seems willing to stick with the program and faithfully accompany Brother Thibat’s mission to Blasingdell. They ask him a few questions about this morning’s visitors from the Stoneheaded Bastards. Livist explains that Mr. Venzia is what is known as a “tiefling.” Venzia is the only tiefling he has seen in the provinces, but understands that they are not unheard of overseas where society is much more cosmopolitan. A tiefling can be primarily human but with a trace of infernal ancestry. Elthar, on the other hand, is believed to be a “cambion” – a being with infernal parentage. He confirms that these two are very dangerous, and entirely ruthless. With a few final words of blessing and farewell, the two groups part ways… one westward into the wilderness, and one back toward the city.
The four adventurers, led by Cycek, find the hidden trails in short order, and are back in the Stoneyard by noon. They make their way to the Yur Inn, where they are greeted by a bar filled with about 20 individuals. This is somewhat frustrating, as Mishok had hoped to place a Glyph of Warding in the bar to protect against the return of Mr. Elthar and Mr. Venzia. Shaggi and Skids are behind the bar, and they wave the four over. They explain that this mob of street thugs came in claiming that Cycek had promised them a free round of ale. Cycek confirms that yes, these people are the same ones they had words with the night before.
The group mingles with the “customers” and seems to gain some tenuous rapport with them. Davros abruptly blurts out, “We got rid of Mr Livisit! We sent him out of town!” This gives the gang members some pause. They seem a bit shocked, but as they absorb the import of this news, they express some grudging respect for the nerve of these four to cross the big bosses. The four adventurers speculate among themselves whether they could actually develop some kind of agreeable relationship with these thugs. They decide to leave the bar in the hands of Shaggi and Skids for now, while they go to check in on Lolly. Mishok intends to get to the church and summon the congregation immediately afterwards. Davros decides to send word to Carver through his underworld contacts, that his mother is in trouble. He is hoping he might get Carver to return to the city, and perhaps serve as a liaison with the locals, and maybe get more of the local gang on their side. Perhaps another visit to Tarina at the Elfsong Tavern could be an inroad to contacting Carver. They also think about the giant statue – The City Champion – that currently sits unused in the Stoneyard’s back lot. They recall that the late Councilman Donnwald had attempted to force Professor Elchor Grafton to activate the statue to fight on his behalf. (Cycek, of course, had thwarted that attempt by way of a well placed arrow in Donnwald’s back). The four discuss these possible courses of action while they head toward Lolly’s house.