Drawn to The Marlin, the classiest bar in Bohan, for different reasons, all the protagonists found a night of more or less enjoyable entertainment. Despite the prejudice against gypsies, Stella was allowed to sing at the end of the talent open house. During her performance (and throughout the evening), Nedro and her cousin Gino succeeded in lifting some purses from the audience. Unfortunately for Stella, the audience's attention was stolen by the fight that broke out between Gino and some intolerant patrons. The fight was quickly broken up by the three Crimson guards that were on the scene, particularly by the physically impressive Brum. The talent show was won by Harry and his trained chimpanzee Donovan. As the crowd filed out, however, a noble man re-entered The Marlin crying thief; his purse was stolen. Although fingers were pointed at Gino and Nedro, the purse was not found. Akron awoke in a small, clean, and austere room after barely reaching the safety of the Bubble with his life. By a stroke of luck, the Temple of the Old Order had nursed him and his horse back to life. The horseman thanked his benefactors and promised to return to do them a service. After checking with the temple's stablehand Bjorn that his horse was okay, Akron headed to the marketplace to find some food and information about his contact Laplace. At Josephine's, a well-to-do bar in the Old Noble District, an albino stranger bought Akron a beer---and Akron returned the gesture. The bar maid, Deanna, told Akron that she did not know about a trader's guild or who Laplace was---but the harbormaster Sir Albert might. Not knowing where the Port of Hope was in relation to the market, Akron headed back to the temple. On the way, the albino shadowed him and spotted a gypsy urchin pickpocket the horseman's purse. The albino gave chase; shortly thereafter, Akron noticed his missing purse and joined the pursuit. During the chase, Akron was tripped up by a beautiful gypsy musician; he marked her before resuming the chase. After collaring the kid the guard was summoned to sort out the mess. They reprimanded the kid, and pocketed the purse for themselves. Introducing himself as Rune, the albino walked with Akron back to the temple. At the temple one of the monks explained that Akron could do them a service by helping to track down information about a mysterious cult that had been attacking Crimson Guards of late. It started two weeks ago when a dozen cultists ambushed a guard. Fortunately, he was able to fight them off by himself. Although the temple had no funds to pay him for his help, the guard themselves were offering a large payment for information about the cultists. The cultists reportedly wear dark green clothing. The Crimson Guard was hosting a meeting at 7pm to make the announcement of their bounty. While they were leaving the temple, Rune offered crash space to Akron until he found a room of his own. Together Akron and Rune visited Sir Albert, who informed them that Lord Laplace could be contacted by courier at the gate to the noble district. By 6:20 they had walked back to the Old Noble District and sent a request for an audience to Lord Laplace. Shortly after 7pm Brum announced a hefty reward for anyone who brought in troublesome cultists---50cp per head, dead or alive. He described the "Gobblers" (the name of the cult, apparently) as always wearing green clothing with black trim. As the speech ended, the Gobblers appeared at the other end of the market place. Their leader said that the reward was unnecessary; simply hand over the Blasphemer (Brum) and they would be gone. In fact, they would even pay 5000cp for him. Brum tried to rouse the crowd to attack the two dozen cultists, but only Akron and Rune came forward and joined the half-dozen Crimson Guards. Stella drew the ire of the Gobbler leader by back talking to him, and three cultists headed towards her crowd of Gypsies to "silence her". After an unimpressive fight, the Gobblers fled despite initially having tremendous advantage in numbers. Rune, Brum, and the guard Captain fought well; only one of the Gypsies was seriously hurt. Following the fight, Brum made sure Akron and Rune were rewarded for their help (200cp each). From there, they went to Hank's, a rough and tough honky-tonk sort of bar in the Old Noble District. The owner, Hank McGruff, is a squat man with a scar running from his left temple to his jawbone. Brum recounted his history with the Gobblers, which Rune did not entirely believe. In the early hours Akron headed home from Hank's to Rune's place. On the way he was attacked by 9 of the Counts, a gang that dresses like the Crimson Guard except that their colors are purple. After a brief scuffle Akron escaped the muggers. Later that morning Rune stumbled home around 5, noting that there was some uncharacteristic graffitti on his building: "The Magi" plus 3 gold stars. Brum was awakened from his half-drunken bliss by Lt Audrey Grant with orders to report to Captain Daly. The Captain told Brum that Lord Blakely had a special "hush hush" mission for the Guard, and after last night Brum had shown he was up to the responsibility. A runner was sent to find Rune and Akron to help assist Brum. The three of them plus the gypsy Stella Jay met with Lord Blakely in his mansion in the Noble District. Lord Blakely explained that his 17 year old daughter Jenna was not in her chambers this morning. He was worried that one of his enemies on the Council (Lord Laplace and Lord Jeffries) were responsible, or that they would take advantage of the situation. Stella was put in charge and the group asked to discreetly find his daughter. Several servants from the household were questioned. Although Brum harangued the stableboy Hank, he ultimately knew nothing. Jenna's chaperone Bell knew a good deal more. Evidently, Jenna frequently snuck off estate grounds with the help of a porter named Jamie. Bell heard Jenna return in the early morning (3:30ish) with a man. Maybe an hour later she heard someone leave, and assumed that the man had left alone (although now she believes the man kidnapped Jenna). Jamie did not add a lot of information since his shift ends at 4. He did point out that the man who entered with Jenna was Rune! At this point the group decided it would be best to take the investigation away from the estate. During a quiet conference in Hank's, Rune told the group that he had left alone . . . but now that he thought about it there was no porter at the door when he left. Also, Jenna had given him a large ruby broach with an intricate gold setting as payment. After Stella studied the broach she decided to take Rune and find out about it. Meanwhile, Brum and Akron went back to ask Jamie who the porter after him should have been. Unfortunately, the guards Bill and Jeb at the gate refused to let him pass without some credentials (that Stella had). Oddly enough, a vegetable wagon leaving the noble district broke down in the gate and provided a distraction so Brum and Akron could sneak in. After all the excitement, the two arrested Jamie and placed him in holding in the barracks---and forgot why they wanted to question him! The Captain agreed to hold Jamie until dinner, despite Lt Audrey's protests that the Guard should not hold people without reason. Stella asked Marianne, one of the top gypsy traders, what she knew about Rune's broach. Marianne said that it was a very very very expensive item, and that several people in Bohan would kill to acquire it. It was most definitely the work of Louisa Stodgin, a jeweler who shared a house/shop with the rest of her family (all craftsmen). At her shop, Louisa told Rune and Stella that the broach was called "Red Angel", and was meant to protect Jenna. Lord Blakely had commissioned it when Jenna was born. Ironically, the broach has a twin piece of jewelry that can serve to locate "Red Angel"; Louisa was in possession of the second piece. After a brief speculation on whether or not Jenna knew what she was giving away, Rune and Stella left "Red Angel" in Louisa's possession. After finding Stella and Rune, Akron and Brum returned to the guard barracks and asked Jamie which porter takes over for him. Jamie informed them that Thomas Burke relieves him, and then was released from the holding cell. Just as the four headed into the Noble District, a runaway carriage beared down on them. Brum was unable to get out of the way and was run over---landing him in the infirmary at the Public Healer's (near the guard barracks). Akron heroically leaped atop one of the horses and brought the carriage to a stop. Rune milked the moment and accepted Lady Laplace's monetary gratitude. Showing restraint despite the youngish and attractive appearance of Lady Laplace, Rune did not seek *personal* favors. Akron and Rune drove Lady Laplace to her estate. There, Akron arranged a meeting with a brief meeting with Lord Laplace, who was concerned that he had not answered the message he (the Lord) had sent by courrier. While declining dinner and the Lord's hospitality for the evening, Akron accepted a lunch invitation for the next day. At the side door to the mansion, Rune collected some information from Stacy, the ceremony planner for the estate. Stacy told Rune (aka Felix) that the Lord has been meeting in private with a well dressed man about twice a week for the last two months, and that this man is not one of the nobles she has seen before. She knew nothing about Jenna Blakely. At the end of this conversation the sound of breaking glass came down the hallway. As they were leaving, Akron and Rune saw a man in a green and brown cloak gracelessly dive out a front window and flee the mansion. Having been separated from everyone else, Stella headed to the Blakely mansion and asked to see Thomas Burke. The head butler returned looking embarrassed and admitted that Thomas was nowhere to be found (although he had not been missed until now). Amid the flurry of the household starting a search, Stella talked with Sara Nex, the porter who manages the side door in question after Thomas. According to Sara, Thomas was not at his post when she arrived at 10 that morning. This was not altogether unusual since Thomas had recently met a lady friend and had occassionally slipped off duty a little early. Sara was concerned about the disappearance of Jenna and agreed to inform Stella of any information she came across. Leaving the Noble District, Rune and Akron were confronted by Lt. Audrey and 10 guards. They placed Rune under arrest for the kidnapping of Miss Jenna Blakely. Rune went peacefully and was placed in the holding cell in the barracks. There, Lt. Audrey encouraged Rune to divulge Jenna's location in exchange for being released (the deal being okayed by Lord Blakely). As evidence, Lt. Audrey cited reports by guards that had seen Rune enter the Noble District with Jenna early that morning, but that no guards had reported seeing him leave. Specifically, the guards Matt and Richie said that they did not see Rune---even though Rune claimed they had chatted as he left around 4:30. Outside the guard barracks Tettles joined Akron and Stella, telling them that he had been hired to guard Akron. When pressed for information, Tettles refused to disclose his employer. Needing to think about their next move, Stella and Akron filled each other in at Hank's while Tettles was asked to stand out of ear shot. Stella learned that Rune was in holding, and recounted to Akron how Thomas Burke was nowhere to be found, and nobody at the Blakely mansion knew where he was. More, there was a "secret" entrance into the sewers behind the Blakely mansion that had been used recently. Not trusting Tettles, Stella left the two to get information about the odd bodyguard (who looked familiar to her). After getting Tettles to buy his dinner, Akron let Tettles accompany him to the healer's where Brum was recovering nicely. While there Lt Audrey came in and contritely told Brum that the Captain wanted Brum's uniform, since he was keeping the wrong kind of company. She disagreed with the captain's decision, and even said that she knew Rune was not guilty. The guards Matt and Richie consistently take bribes from the Ruby Throne, and she suspected that a similar bribe had swayed the Captain into firing Brum. With the planted evidence though she had no choice but to arrest Rune. Rune was placed in the stocks at dawn, for a long day of suffering rotten vegetables and a relentless sun (not too kind on his albinism). Stella, meanwhile, headed to the Port of Hope in hopes of finding a guide to navigate the sewers. Lou, the head of sewer maintenance, informed her that none of the sewer workers ventured into the section beneath the Noble District---for about the last 10 years. Apparently, many workers had disappeared in that part of the sewer system. Stuck, Stella found Akron and Tettles in the marketplace and went to the library to find a sewer map. For 5 gold they hired the services of Jason the scribe to help them answer their research questions. The best map they found only gave the big picture of the sewer system; the small passageways were not completely drawn in. Out of ideas, Akron and Tettles went to Laplace Mansion for lunch. After excessive small-talk, Lord Laplace made the business offer that brought Akron to Bohan in the first place: the purchase of 200-300 well-trained war horses, within the next year and a half. Following lunch, Akron and Tettles asked Lord Laplace if he could arrange to have their (innocent) acquaintance Rune released from the stocks. Meanwhile, Stella returned to Blakely Mansion to look for more clues. All she turned up was a pile of ashes that a housekeeper had found in Thomas Burke's room that morning and that the Blakely records showed the sewer beneath the mansion had been lowered in level to accomodate the foundation. At a loss, Stella asked two stableboy's to open the sewer entrance in the garden. Descending the ladder, Stella noted some (largish) footprints in the passageway's sludge and then reascended. After lunch Akron checked in on Brum in the infirmary while Tettles went to a meeting with his mysterious employer. Following a lot of running around, Tettles was fired by his employer (the Ruby Throne), Brum "broke" out of the infirmary, and Rune was released from the stocks (and custody) by the guard. Lt. Audrey was surprised to not find keys (?) in the cloak she had given Rune to protect him from the sun. Calling it a day, Stella went home while Tettles, Rune, and Akron camped out in the Ruins. After dinner an old gypsy woman arrived to heal Rune. During the night Tettles heard some voices, and Akron had an encounter with a spirit asking for help. Meeting outside the library, Stella, Rune, Akron, and Tettles heard shouting and breaking glass coming from the west side of the Old Noble District, a couple of blocks away. Investigation turned up 8 Counts trying to break into the Stodgin shop. The group decided to thwart the looting and help Jack Stodgin repulse the Counts. The fight ended with Akron, Rune, and "One-Eye" Jack unconscious (despite his very impressive sword and armor), and most of the Counts dead. Stella ran to find the gypsy healer Francis, who was able to wake up the unconscious. The group quickly discovered that the attack on the Stodgin shop was far from an isolated incident. Indeed, the gangs (established and impromptu) were taking full advantage of many many children missing and rooftop gardens being turned to ash to loot and pillage. Outside the Noble District, a mob of Bohanians were about to attack the Crimson Guard out of frustration and anger at not knowing where to find their children. Luckily, Stella was able to placate the crowd with a song on her fiddle. Rumors flew that the Good People had kidnapped the children and used their magic to destroy the gardens. Stella decided that she owed it to Bell, Jenna's chaperone, to let her know that they had found Jenna's broach. After talking their way into the Noble District and meeting with Bell, the group overheard the end of an emergency meeting between the Council and the "Emperor" of the Ruby Throne. Apparently, the Emperor had agreed to help restore order to the city by supplying some of his men. Suspecting a connection between Jenna's abduction and the missing children, Stella, Tettles, and One-Eye Jack descended into the stench and sludge of the sewers. Using the light from a pebble Stella enchanted, Tettles was able to follow the tracks Stella had found the day before with ease, and led the group towards the center of the city. After a little distance the sludge lessened and the trail became harder to follow---in large part due to an increased amount of non-human foot traffic. Further on Tettles alertly was able to hide the trio in a side passage while five (?) somethings passed. At the Stodgin's Francis recovered enough strength to finish healing Rune and Akron. Feeling some allegiance to the others, they went to the Noble District to try and help. The guard unfortunately turned them away. Cries of fire and screams of dismay quickly brought the pair to the Wyld Wood to the north, which was burning. Rune saw glimpses of red men (?) in the woods in the moments before Akron was shot with an arrow. Seeking cover only brought more surprises. A well-dressed man in a dark green cloak with a blood red ruby clasp dragged them to a small alleyway and told them about Pohl McBell. Pohl was kicked out of the Mistletoe Society for trying to study the "wrong" kind of magic. Pohl then went to the Emperor of the Ruby Throne for patronage; if he had gotten support he could be causing the city's troubles... In the sewers, Tettles et al eventually reached the cleaner central section and the Exiles that lived there. Quick thinking and bluffing by Tettles avoided a fight and led to information about how there were lots of dead bodies in the sewers. Anyone that went towards the library ended up a corpse. Shortly thereafter the trio encountered many groups of dead bodies. While searching for valuables Stella discovered that all of the people were still---barely---alive. Puzzled and in discussion, the group was surprised by a dozen spirits that emerged from the tunnel walls pleading for life and warmth. Stella tried magic to ward away the ghosts, but that only attracted them more. Tettles, meanwhile, held a darkly humorous conversation with the spirits that revealed that they were the spirits of the near-dead. The group was saved by Stella pulling out Jenna's "Red Angel" broach which shot forth red light that formed into an angel and drove the spirits away. Rune and Akron, having decided to look for information about Pohl, headed to the Prison District. En route, Akron scared off a small group of young street toughs by crazily brandishing his bastard sword. Arriving in the Prison District, the pair quickly acquired three Throne guards who followed them. Pragmatically Rune asked them where a bar was, and was directed to the Pick and Shovel. Talk about a dive; Hank's looked great in comparison. The two were shortly joined by Gallenon, who told them it was customary to announce one's presence to the Emperor when coming to the Prison District. Finishing their drinks, Rune and Akron went to see the Emperor of the Ruby Throne. In the highly trafficked central sewers Tettles lost Jenna's trail. Now closer to Jenna, Stella was able to use the "Red Angel" to find a path to an enchanted sewer wall. Physical and magical fumbling resulted in the wall opening. Inside, the trio found a candlelit room filled with tables. Nearly-dead hildren filled the table tops. In the center of the room Jenna and Thomas lay together. Stella immediately placed the broach on Jenna. Concurrently, the room entrance closed, trapping the group in the room. Topside, Rune and Akron were cordially welcomed by the Emperor who knew Rune much better than Rune was comfortable with. Brief banter ended with the Emperor telling the two that a nearby restaurant featured vaudeville. Stella, Tettles, and One-Eye Jack were surprised by a pale, gaunt man named Pohl McBell. After a few minutes of pointless conversation on why Pohl needed the children as an energy source, the black-clothed man offered to let the trio out of the room, with the children, if they left him in peace to complete his ritual over the next hour. Fed up with the situation, Tettles charged McBell despite the mage's warning that he had bound the children's souls to him. Stella successfully sung a choking spell, making Pohl an easy target for One-Eye. Leaping from a table, Jack delivered a coup-de-grace to McBell---and then hit McBell several times for good measure. With relief the group found the children recovered and a red glow fading from around Jenna. The heros led the children back to the surface through the library stacks and were met with much applause. Beyond receiving a sizeable reward from Lord Blakely, Stella and Tettles were invited to a banquet at 8pm celebrating Jenna's return. The pair bought suitable outfits and headed towards the Noble District. En route, Akron and Rune found them and decided they deserved to go too. The banquet was a joyful success. Akron and Rune confronted Lord Blakely to get their share of the reward. Special entertainment was provided by the Black Mages, an electric rock band with Brum breaking it down on the drums. Upon request of one of the nobles Stella performed two songs on the fiddle and overwhelmed everyone with the music's beauty. Subsequently she received offers from multiple nobles and from the Emperor of the Ruby Throne to play at private parties in the future. Released from his contract with the Sinking Monkey, Spanner found temporary lodging at the Balancing Bear Inn and promises of a healthy income working as a hired sword for the Ruby Throne. As he familiarized himself with Bohan, Spanner could not help but notice that the city was permeated by stagnancy. A severe food shortage had tripled food prices (to the profit of the Merchant Guild). Looking for help to escort a trade wagon through the Bubble, Tettles sought out Stella in gyp-town. A little surprised to see him after 9 months, Stella nonetheless took him to see Jake Salois about hiring gypsy help and expertise. Before agreeing to help, Jake and Stella insisted on knowing what the cargo was. A little short on answers, Tettles could only answer that the wagon was full of "boom powder", and that it would solve the city's food shortages. Jake informed Tettles that he had been misled, since boom powder was a powerful, explosive weapon. Based on the very high value of boom powder, Jake agreed to send Stella, Luke, and George to help Tettles bring in the wagon---in exchange for 25% of the profits. Wanting another sword arm, Tettles met with Peter Dukas the next morning at the Ruby Throne and hired the experienced (and tatooed) Spanner for 500cp a day. Meanwhile, Stella went to see Sir Albert Mauritius to get tatooed. The whole group met at the northwest edge of the city, ready to head out. Tettles, Stella, Spanner, Luke, and George left the protective safety of the Bubble and found themselves in a broken land: the War Zone. Dark clouds rained heavy drops of blood onto barren terrain scarred by jagged hills, craters, and ravines. A magic-heavy battle waged to the south. To the north flame geysers and lightning strikes illuminated the darkness. Tettles immediately led the group northeast, between a ravine on the left and the Wyld Wood (spilling out of Bohan) to the right. Piercing shrieks warned the group that some shriekers had picked up their scent. Unable to reach the gypsy camp before being caught, the group put their backs to the Wyld Wood and faced the three shriekers. Terrified of the snake-headed wolves, young George soon fainted when Stella mimicked a shrieker's cry from the woods as a distraction. Tettles, Luke, and George were seriously wounded before the group managed to drive off two wounded shriekers and kill the third. The group managed the final 150 yards to the camp with Tettles carried between Spanner and Luke. Crossing the camp's 15 meter encircling trench, the group was met by Aladar who quickly sent for the healer Nadja. Inside one of the three large tents Spanner held open Tettles' mouth (while pinching his own nose) while Nadja poured a flask of thick liquid into it. Coughing and sputtering Tettles awoke feeling a little nauseous---but found the bite and claw wounds from the shriekers had magically healed. Luke and George were similarly healed, although George was not able to keep his stomach in check and had to run out of the tent. Stella asked Nadja why she was interested in the dead shrieker corpse and was "treated" to a 15 minute whirlwind description of dissection and alchemical properties of different shrieker organs. Supplied with extra rations, water, and four donkeys, the group set off east closely hugging the Wyld Wood to avoid a field of flame geysers. After walking for over an hour, everyone in the group felt a prick on their arms and awoke to find themselves looking up into bright green foliage and golden sunshine. Everyone was bound to logs with ropes with a leprechaun nearby. Once she magically silenced Tettles, Stella and Spanner were able to convince the leprechauns that they were not trying to stealing their gold---they were just passing by the Wyld Wood. Just to make sure, the leprechauns went to find Nadja to corroborate the group's story. Tettles managed to escape his bonds and freed his companions. Realizing they did not know exactly where they were, the group waited for the leprechauns to return. Arriving, Nadja backed up the group and even gave them a satchel bag of elixirs (prompted by Aladar). The leprechauns quickly led the group to the edge of the Wyld Wood and the War Zone. Splashing through lowlands covered by 1-3 feet of blood, the group felt a growing rumbling beneath them. Fleeing for all they were worth, they barely avoided an eruption of ash and boiled blood. Covered with blood-matted ash, the group eventually reached the low hills beyond the War Zone. The peacefulness of the grassy lands and brilliantly blue mid-afternoon sky temporarily mesmerized Stella. Resuming the trek, Tettles led the group to Bald Hill: a large hill overlooking the area. A ring of forest surrounded the base of the hill but left the top exposed to the elements. Following the written directions the group found the clearing where the wagon had been hidden---but the clearing only contained week-old wagon tracks, small humanoid footprints, and hoofprints heading east. Stella's early morning watch was interrupted by the sounds of a large animal sniffing through the nearby underbrush. After she woke the rest of the camp, Tettles and Spanner quickly investigated and discovered that the animal was a bear. Taking aim, Tettles lodged an arrow in the shadowy form, causing the black bear cub to cry out in pain. Which caused the cub's mother to rush into the clearing. Stella ran. Tettles fired an arrow. Spanner lunged, skewered the bear, and dropped it. While Tettles and Spanner cleaned the pelt and made bear steaks, George disdainfully left them and tended to the cub. When the group broke camp George followed behind, leading the cub. Easily following the wagon tracks, the group traveled east all day and finally came upon a forested valley between hills. Scouting ahead, Tettles and Spanner found a wide clearing with the wagon and at least 40 pygmies. Between 3 and 3.5 feet tall, the slim, brownish-red people were dressed lightly in furs. Five apparent leaders additionally sported headdresses fashioned after animals. Lean-to's were set up on the far side of the pygmy camp. Returning and getting Stella and Luke, the group entered the camp. Stella sang a song to calm the pygmies, after which Spanner began labored negotiations consisting of hand gestures and stick drawings. Hoping to impress the chief / shaman sporting a bear skull on her head, Spanner had Tettles and Luke fetch George and the bear cub. Bad luck ensued when the cub bit George's hand and escaped into the woods. Spanner still made a good impression by giving most of the bear steaks to the tribe. Concerned that the tribe was placing burning torches on the wagon holding the boom powder, Spanner demonstrated why fire should not be mixed with even a small amount of the black substance. Oddly, burning the powder only produced a bright flash without really damaging the ground . . . The next morning negotiations went much better. Two centaurs showed up in the clearing, and one acted as translator. After some haggling the pygmies agreed to "loan" their "temple" to the group in exchange for some pebbles that magically glowed. After an uneventful return trip across the plains, the group had crossed most of the war zone when they spotted a lone gypsy fighting for his life against three shriekers. There was only a little debate before everyone (minus George and the wagon) rushed to his aid. To a person, the group nearly lost their lives before killing one shrieker and driving off the other two. The gypsy turned out to be Aladar, who was protecting another gypsy who had already fallen. The wagon carrying the cargo and the wounded rolled into the gypsy camp. After being healed by Nadja, the group was surprised that Aladar was mad at them. Tettles traded a small amount of boom powder to Nadja (for experimenting) in exchange for 6 of her healing elixirs and Nadja's promise to share the experiment results. Moving out, Tettles took scout position in front of the caravan and spotted 3 men waiting in ambush just outside the Bubble. Leaving the gypsies to trigger the ambush and protect the wagon, he and Spanner set their own ambush for the 3 men. They made short work of two of them, and convinced the third (Roth) to give up the fight. Spanner struck a deal with Roth to come back tied in the wagon so he wouldn't alert the merchant guild too soon (his employers). While one of the wounded was beyond help (missing his neck), the other (Harlan) was stabilized and placed unconscious on top of the cargo. Back in the safety of Bohan, Stella and Luke led a blind-folded Roth away from the hiding area while Tettles and George maneuvered the wagon into the ruins and stashed half of the crates (30) in a small cave. Tettles, George, and Spanner hid the other 30 crates in the basement of Big Al's. Finally, the whole group cleaned up some and crashed at Big Al's for a few hours before rising early on the 5th and setting out to return the wagon. Pleasantly, the trip to return the wagon was relatively uneventful. Coming back through the warzone, the group successfully fled another minor volcanic explosion, losing only one donkey. During the passage from the gypsy camp to Bohan, Tettles spotted a half-dozen armored knights riding north from the battle area. The knights set up a patrol pattern in the area south and west of the camp. Timing their moves, the group tried to sneak along the Wyld Wood to Bohan without being seen. Unfortunately, George tripped and fell, impaling his hand on a stick. The ensuing scream brought the knights closer to investigate. Tettles quickly camoflauged George and Stella sung an area of silence around George. Hidden, the group managed to avoid being spotted. As the knights rode away Spanner noted that they bore the sign of the Mountain Forces---a golden eye on a black field. Inside the Bubble again the group split up to clean up, sleep, and run errands. Tettles went with Spanner to the Ruby Throne to pay for Spanner's services. The next day everyone ran their own errands. Having just arrived by ship, Akron bought lunch at Hank's bar and was shocked at the steep food prices. Come evening he went to Big Al's Tavern to see about a room and found Tettles there working as a bouncer. Following dinner he played darts with the flamboyantly dressed Xander, Spanner, and a balding old man. Darts was followed by Spanner and Xander playing chess. Late in the evening 5 well-armored men dressed in Homeland Security tabards came in and ordered drinks. Their leader, Erik Herrod, asked Tettles to talk in private about purchasing boom powder. Their price negotiations in the corner came to an abrupt end when the other 4 gang members started a brawl and drew weapons. During the ensuing fight Spanner killed a man for spilling his drink and Akron suffered 2 serious axe wounds that laid him flat. Questioning Erik and his comrade Tyrone revealed that their gang wanted the boom powder to increase their territory. As Erik left, Tettles heard the sound of hooves and wagon wheels coming around the side of the building, and Big Al shouted that his kitchen had been trashed. Running out the door, Tettles saw a wagon loaded with 10 boom powder crates and tabarded men heading down the dark street. While Tettles went to find information about the Homeland Security gang the next morning, the Crimson guard confiscated the remaining 20 crates hidden in Big Al's cellar (by order of the Capulets). Returning to find fully 1/2 of his valuable commodity now missing, Tettles quickly decided with Big Al to sell the other half to the Ruby Throne while they still had it to sell. He and Spanner met with Throne authorities and sold the final 30 crates for 300 cp each. Tettles proceeded to give 50% to Big Al and 25% to the gypsies, and a small fee to Spanner. Just after lunch Brian Billicks from the merchant guild showed up at Big Al's offering to buy the boom powder for 200 cp a crate, plus 150 cp each when they are sold. He was "upset" to discover that all of the merchandise had been swiped or sold and stormed out. Worried, Big Al went to the merchant guild that evening to smooth things over. He returned and said that unless Tettles helped the guild find the 10 crates taken by Homeland Security he would have to fire him to stay in the guild's good graces. So Spanner and Tettles agreed to find the crates and earn 1000 cp and the guild's good graces. Starting at midnight, Spanner and Tettles scouted the Homeland Security neighborhood and successfully snuck into their main warehouse. Inside they found broken pieces of wood painted with "B" and "P" and concluded that the boom powder was there, and may have been repackaged. They slipped outside before the lookouts they killed were found missing. Reporting to Brian Billicks early the next morning, they were promised pay once the crates had been verified to be in the warehouse. Despite the promise of 3000 cp for recovering the boom powder, Spanner declined to take charge of the operation (although he did offer to assist). Stella, Luke, and Gino arrived at Big Al's after dinner extremely distraught. Stella's 6 year old brother Ion had been kidnapped by the "Spider". In tears, she asked Spanner and Tettles for help. She had a note saying to meet in Vendetta Square at midnight. Tettles and Gino went to Slim Jim's, a real low-life bar, to find information about the Spider. Bubba, the barkeep, told Tettles how the Spider was Lord Sarkan, the fallen lord. Twenty years or so ago the Anarchists had burnt his estate (and family) to the ground; he had been overly strict in organizing the Crimson Guard to enforce the law. Sarkan went into hiding in the sewers; he now kills from time to time and binds his victims in rope cocoons. At midnight in Vendetta Square a small wiry man in black and wearing a spider ring on his right hand silently led Tettles and Stella (trailed by Spanner) to a 5th story tower room. The room was very dark with heavy black curtains over the windows and the whispering sounds of hundreds (thousands?) of spiders at work in the corners. Surprisingly civil, the Spider returned Ion (wrapped in a rope cocoon) in exchange for Tettles telling him who held the other 50 crates of boom powder (he had already found 10). At parting he offered Tettles a chance to help recover the crates from the Crimson Guard and put them to good use (e.g. blowing up the merchant guild or the noble's wall). Leaving, Tettles revealed Spanner's formerly-hidden presence on the stair landing---which caused Spanner to get angry. Recovering from yesterday's adventure the party breaks fast and heads their separate ways to shop, research and wander. Spanner picks up some sundries in the harbor district and heads for the Library where he will spend the rest of the day. Tettles goes shopping for new arrows better suited for hunting man and beast. Akron, still feeling tender, wisely looks into armor and Xander wanders aimlessly, taking care to avoid unpleasant encounters. Elsewhere, Stella now keeps a hawks eye on her brother, shuttling him to and from lessons. After being reasonably assured of his safety she heads to the Market place and performs, accompanied by various whirling dancers. Xander eventually sets his mind and his course on The Aces Wild, having decided that his purse is far too heavy. Upon arrival he finds that a cutpurse has already done his work for him. Still, having nothing better to do, he puts his main-gauche up as collateral, enters the casino, and leaves having beat the house out of some coin. Akron heads to the gates of the Noble District and hires a currier to get word of his arrival to House La Place (a rival of House Blakely). He thusly gains entrance and meets with La Place to discuss horse trading. He's given a letter of mark and sent on his way. Come evening Xander decides to head to Slim Jim's, muttering to himself the whole way. After some carousing with the riff raff, he leaves the gambling and drinking of Jim's for the wining and dining of The Marlin. His spirits improved, he strikes up a conversation with two well-to-do young ladies who are slumming there for similar ends. After an engaging yet odd conversation he strikes out yet again. At Josephine's, Akron finishes a fine dinner and prepares to leave only to find that his purse has been lifted. The saucy waitress, with the help of the burly cook, convinces him of the merits of a career in dishwashing. Back at Big Al's Tettles does his best to look menacing while the usual crowed of diners and rogues while away the evening. He's in a forgiving mood having spent the better part of the day gainfully attending his lessons after dealing with a crotchety old fletcher. Spanner is enjoying his meal and taking part in a spirited discussion of shipboard maladies when Markov, a messenger from the Ruby Throne, interrupts him to deliver a message. A scroll bids Spanner to present himself to The Emperor the next morning. Xander, presumably heading back to his room, is jostled by a noble youth on the street. He exchanges words with this Capulet and as a Montague, dispossessed or no, challenges him to a duel. They head to Vendetta Square and, after waiting their turn, engage in a highly spirited duel. Move after move the Capulet is refused and finally disabled. Victorious, Xander decides to let the boy live, but not before leaving his mark upon him. The next morning Spanner takes the standard breakfast of gruel and tea in the main room of Big Al's. As they pass in succession he bids Tettles, Xander, and Akron to return and meet him at noon. He may have some work for them. All but Akron will be able to make the meeting on time. Spanner proceeds to the Ruby Throne to speak with The Emperor. The Emperor desires a distraction this evening and details what he will need from Spanner. After conferring and agreeing on terms Spanner leaves to make arangements. Spanner heads back to Big Al's, stopping on the way at the marketplace to try to find Stella. He eventually tracks her all the way to her home where she informs him that she already has plans for this evening. He continues back to Big Al's Tettles, Xander, Spanner and eventually Akron meet to have lunch over a game of chess in the main room. In their usual corner Spanner begins to outline the job in hushed tones. There is a large banquet planned this evening at the Capulet Estate inside the Noble District. They are celebrating their current good fortune: the recent acquisition of a cache of Boom Powder. The Ruby Throne requires that at 10 pm this evening there be a commotion caused at both the dining room and the compound's front gate. As many witnesses as possible must be drawn to the dining hall and as many guards as possible must be lured to the main gate of the Capulet Estate. Spanner begins to outline the plan he's come up with, and with input from the other three a strategy begins to take shape. Xander and Spanner will be delivered into the compound via wagon driven by Tettles and Akron. The wagon (stolen) will be carrying a cargo including a box of equipment that Xander and Spanner will deliver into the main house. Tettles and Akron will then leave immediately and find a place to wait until the appointed time. At the banquet Xander and Spanner will suddenly present themselves as performers and begin a swordsmanship / comedy routine drawing in as many eyes as possible. At the same time Tettles and Akron will begin a run at the estate gate with the wagon, which is filled with combustibles. They will light the wagon and crash it into the gate. In the ensuing chaos all parties will escape into the night. This rough plan having been established, the quartette sets out to gather supplies. The first order of business is, of course, the wagon. Our heroes case the docks and find five likely targets. Of these, two are Capulet wagons each drawn by a two horse team. They settle on the empty one whose attendant is currently arguing with the first mate of a nearby ship. Cool as cucumbers, Akron and Tettles hop aboard the wagon and set off at a gallop. Shocked bystanders, including Xander and Spanner, unfortunately bar the teamster's attempts to peruse the wagon. Tettles directs Akron to Slim Jim's to get a hold of some fire water. After some honest to goodness haggling, Tettles secures two kegs of grain alcohol, which they load into the wagon. They continue to kit out the wagon to Spanner's devious specs, all the time wondering at their own safety in the contraption. The bed of the wagon is loaded with hay and the barrels are placed on the back end. The tongue of the wagon is rigged to break away at the pull of a pin. The idea is that they will drive the wagon toward the gate, light the hay and then loose the horses, turning the wagon into a torpedo. When the wagon hit's the gate or wall, inertia will take its course smashing the casks and drenching the burning hay. Akron is dubious about the plan's safety to say the least, but he oversees the retrofitting for the remainder of the afternoon. Xander and Spanner head for the Market Square. There they procure some descent low key garb to help them pass as servants, gaudy capes and hats, and a pair of masks. Xander also manages to procure a jar of greek fire via mysterious means. They will dress as servants and place their costumes and weapons in the delivery crate. With their shopping trip complete they head back to Big Al's to begin inventing lines and rehearsing sword moves in earnest. The crew tucks into an early dinner and by half after four they depart for the noble district, the shindig starts at five and it wouldn't do for them to show up too long after. Tettles and Akron breeze the wagon into the Noble District using one of the sets of passes that was delivered to Spanner during dinner along with a banquet invitation. Spanner and Xander ride in back with their box and the tarpaulin-covered cargo. All are adorned in nondescript cloaks. At the Capulet Gate Tettles directs the gate guard's inquiry about their business to Spanner. Spanner haltingly explains that they bear a gift from The Emperor that must be delivered for the feast. After a brief gathering of minds the guards let them pass directing them to the west side entrance. The wagon moves on and Spanner tells Akron to continue on around the back of the main building to the east side. The wagon slows and Xander and Spanner haul their cargo off the back. The house team enters via the east basement servants' entrance. The wagon team pulls away and spends the next 2 hours getting familiar with the streets in the Noble District and planning the gate run across the park facing the Capulet gate. This will involve traversing some hedges but they figure that horses properly motivated by fire can manage. Concerned that the Crimson Guard patrols have taken note of them, they leave the Noble District and head to the Market Square. Xander and Spanner move thru the corridor under the east wing until they find the stairs up. Spanner, grabbing a torch, picks a disused looking linen storage room as their hiding place. After donning their costumes and making sure they look convincingly like performers, they draw swords and begin practicing. Hurling insults, thrusts, and parries back and forth at each other, they continue to develop their routine until they move out at 9:30. When they are interrupted by a servant, Spanner flips a mental coin and decides that the young woman will live to see another dawn. He then explains that they are practicing their routine for later this evening. She asks if they were hired by "Annie" and Spanner tells her that he's not sure of her exact name, but that could have been it. The servant informs them that they'd better get a move on because it's getting late, to which Spanner replies that they're not supposed to premier until half after nine. Her curiosity sated, she leaves the dashing and handsome swordsmen to their work. Back at Market Square the wagon team continues to plot their run at the Capulet gate. While talking, they're approached by a guard patrol with questions about their wagon. The guards inform them of a wagon theft earlier in the day and Tettles tells them he's already heard since he's a Capulet currier. He show's them the previously hidden Capulet logo on the wagon and explains they're waiting for a pickup here in the market. Placated, the guards move on about their business. Things are about to become complicated for the wagon team. Deciding their time has come, Tettles orders Akron to move out and they make their way back to the Noble District. They're stopped at the gate and are accused of being in possession of a stolen wagon and casing the district on their last visit. No amount of protestations from Tettles and a nearly silent Akron will get them back in. It doesn't help that upon questioning Tettles doesn't seem to remember his own name. Akron is able to claim that his name is Rune, but in the process a number of the guards get a good look at him, cloak or no cloak. They finally are able to leave with Tettles threatening to contact Lt Audrey Grant of the Crimson Guard and report them. Incredibly Tettles then goes to the Crimson Guard main barracks to ask to see the Lieutenant. He's told that she has gone home for the evening. The wagon team then proceeds to Lt Grant 's house only to find that she's gone out on a date. Undaunted by Akron questioning his sanity, Tettles directs the proceedings to The Marlin where Tettles finds the good Lieutenant having dinner with none other than Rune. Tettles interrupts their dinner and tells Audrey of the plight of a noble wagoneer who, on simple business, has been denied access to the Noble District and been accused of theft. Upset with this simp for having interrupted her meal, but intrigued by his problem she asks if he has a gate pass which he does. Does he have delivery papers? No. Adding chaos to discomfort, Akron noisily enters the restaurant and riotously greets an already unhappy Rune. Agitated, Rune pulls Akron aside and asks if he's aware how long it's taken to arrange this dinner. Akron responds that he's innocently trying to greet an old friend. Rune tells Akron in no uncertain terms to make himself and Tettles scarce and punctuates the demand with a fist to the stomach. Her sense of duty getting the better of her, Lt Grant asks Rune for a rain check and heads out with Tettles and Akron. Akron has decided that very bad things are about to happen and before getting the wagon moving he announces that the combination of some bad milk and being punched in the gut has caused him to become quite ill. Audrey is doubtful of his apparently weak constitution but the point becomes moot as Akron disappears into the night. Left hanging, Tettles manages to get the wagon moving back to the gates despite having little idea of how to manage a horse team or wagon. He offers to pay for Audrey's meal; the Lieutenant refuses. Tettles arrives at the gate with Lt Audrey Grant (a Crimson Guard commander) and riding on a stolen wagon loaded with explosives. Lt Grant dismounts to talk with the guards and get a handle on the situation. Tettles again tries to fast talk his way thru the gate but fails miserably and ends up asking, "How could you possibly know that this is the Capulet wagon?" Lt Grant gives a signal and the wagon is surrounded. Seeing things have gone south, Tettles spurs the horses and the wagon takes off thru the closing gate. Not having even the remotest idea of how to drive a wagon he ends up in the wagon bed where he's greeted by the Crimson Guard Thornton. This irate guard was able to grab the wagon before it shot away and climb aboard. Tettles decides that the man obviously isn't there to help him back to his feet; in lieu of conversation a quick upper-cut sends the hapless guard flying off the back of the wagon. Back at the ranch the house team hears a clock striking a quarter after nine and they head out of their hiding place. They make their way up to the first floor into what looks like a staging area for the banquet. They stride confidently toward the center of the mansion without getting much attention from the staff. They enter the banquet hall and quickly scan the room seeing that Stella is in the room playing her fiddle to entertain the guests. Spanner motions and Xander takes position at the south end of the room with Stella. Stella, not wise to the plan and not having formally met Xander before does not recognize the disguised man and assumes that he's another entertainer who she wasn't informed of. They quietly exchange pleasantries. Spanner takes the north end, the head of the table. At the conclusion of one of Stella's songs and a bare twenty minutes before the appointed hour Spanner announces himself to the hall. "There is a villain in this room" he cries. The room falls silent. "And you are He!" announces Xander from the other end of the hall. The two costumed men begin stalking down opposite sides of the great table throwing comical and biting insults and taunts back and forth at each other. As they reach the center of the table they pause, continuing to jibe, and then leap atop the table, to the delight of the crowd. Spanner and Xander continue their routine and pad it out with copious amounts of flashy sword work. The distraction has begun. Spanner notices at one point that a messenger of some sort speaks with the host at the head of the table, perturbing him. Tettles manages to get back to the bench just in time for a bump to throw him back down into the bed, then off into the street. The horses clatter to a halt as the road dead ends in an intersection. Tettles, panting after a run, remounts the bench, looks back to see his pursuers far behind, and gets the wagon moving right, down the street toward the Capulet compound. After an otherwise dull night of checking in guests, the Capulet gate guards watch with curiosity as the wagon flies past the gate down the street. A group of Crimson Guards appears off a couple blocks to the north, panting and pointing, but unable to do much more. Inside, the performance continues with musical accompaniment from Stella. Spanner keeps exalting with more and more volume, even including the audience and servants in the act, in order to draw as many eyes into the room as possible. There will be no shortage of witnesses. He notes that guards have begun to pool at the entrances to the hall but since he doesn't seem to be their object of attention he plays on, undaunted. Tettles is having a heck of a time with the horses, understandably. He finally manages to get in position for his run. The approach of a large group of Crimson Guard has alerted the Capulet guards that something is up. Tettles stops the wagon and after a significant look at his pursuers, lights the hay. The horses, now spurred by the flaming wagon behind them, take off like a shot. Tettles nearly looses control but is able to direct them thru the park and into the open space beyond, hedges or no hedges. Crossbows appear at the towers bracketing the gate and take aim at wagon, horse and rider, the guards below look on, stunned. Tettles pulls the pin allowing the horses to pull away at top speed, never to be seen again. He then jumps clear of the speeding torpedo and hits the ground running. A single, errant, crossbow bolt flies out into the night before the juggernaut plows into the wall near the gate, exploding vigorously. In the banquet hall the host, brother to the head of the Capulet family, pulls a Plato and collapses face first into his dinner plate. Everything comes to a screeching halt and is quiet before a scream triggers full scale panic. Everyone but Spanner seems to be a bit surprised. Elsewhere, Tettles is still running and Akron (you remember Akron) is sadly regarding an empty glass of ale. Guards lock down the banquet hall and Stella begins to play a magically calming melody on her fiddle. The unaffected half of the room remains in turmoil (Spanner deliberately joining them), but guards near Stella begin orderly ushering people outside. The banquet hall is cleared and guests are directed to the front yard near the gate. A large building toward the back of the Capulet compound chooses that moment to unexpectedly explode, much to the consternation of onlookers since the concept of a building, or anything, exploding is rather a foreign one. Smaller scale panic ensues. Everyone but Spanner seems to be a bit surprised. Guests, now being ejected onto the street, are further perplexed by the presence of a wreaked burning wagon and debris and a number of injured guards. Stella tries to get a closer look at what's left of the building, noticing the sound of chimes, before being removed. She's paid off and sent on her way. Stella, Spanner, Xander, and a host of others make their way to the District gate where there is a delay as papers are checked and the heavy gates are reopened. There was apparently some sort of disturbance here earlier too. Akron finds his way back to The Marlin and interrupts Rune again! This time he's entertaining two gifted young women who are lavishing attention upon him. Rune is at a loss as to why Akron is even talking to him. He's tempted to hire someone to kill the horse smelling plainsman. Akron finally gets to the point and asks Rune to forget he was seen with Tettles this evening. Rune suggests he'd better take that up with Lt Grant . In the mean time Tettles has managed to evade myriad patrols and has found his way to a road that ends at the shield bubble. Having seen this spot in his earlier explorations he decides to use this as his exit from the district. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Tettles steps out of the shield bubble and finds that, as usually the skies are raining blood and crackling with unnatural lightning. He begins working his way northwest toward a safe entrance and thru a bog of blood and ancient ruins. Because his evening hasn't been going badly enough, a tentacle breaks the surface and lashes out at him. Discretion being the better part of valor he makes a break for the shield, hoping there's enough room on the other side to squeeze back in before the thing can get to him. He's able to jink and avoid being grabbed but is not fast enough and a second tentacle latches onto his ankle. Another does likewise and he's dragged under the surface. Tettles is able to lurch upward and grab a breath of air. He draws his broadsword and jabs at the tentacle, wounding it. One withdraws but the other stays as a cluster of horrid unthinking eyes breaks the surface. Another tentacle comes whipping for the sword but Tettles, tired of the direction his life has been taking lately, sunders it with one deft blow. He follows up by ruining one of the three eyes leering at him from out of the bracken. The creature retreats and Tettles is able to continue along the shield wall, more stealthily this time. Back at Big Al's, Spanner and Xander arrive and head to their rooms to change. Spanner comes back downstairs and orders ale from Big Al. A little silver is exchanged and Big Al mentions how nice it's been to have two such stout men as Spanner and Xander in the inn all evening quietly playing chess in the corner. Happily, Spanner heads to his usual table to do just that. Without further incident Tettles discretely re-enters the city via a disused road and drops into a horse trough to wash himself off. Tired, soot stained, wet with water and blood, he returns to Big Al's and his bed. When Tettles arrives at closing time Spanner announces that he's retiring to his room---throwing significant looks at Xander, Tettles and Akron. The quartet retires upstairs where they fill each other in on the progress of their separate missions. Spanner can only stare incredulously as Tettles concludes his part in the tail. Spanner tells Akron that he understands he needed to maintain his legitimacy because of his business dealings in the district, but he won't be receiving full pay. Spanner says that they've all done quite well and will be paid as soon as he is, but for now, "Get out of my bloody room, I'm tired." Tettles wakes up early to find, of course, that he's been bound and gagged. Spider and Coyote (a new acquaintance) interrogate him about the location of the boom powder. Once ungagged Tettles recounts all he knows until he gets to Homeland Security. Spider stops him there and tells him that they have those crates and they're just filled with dirt. Tettles insists on his ignorance and Spider is easily convinced. The two depart thru Tettles' window. The party goes about its normal morning activities. Stella overhears rumors of a rejuvenated garden and decides to investigate. Spanner heads to the Ruby Throne, and Crimson Guards show up at Big Al's looking for Tettles. Big Al stalls while Tettles and Akron flee separately. Spanner arrives at the Throne and Peter Dukas, impressed by who signed his contract, presents Spanner with a small chest of sliver. Ducas says there may be some crowd control work in the Market Square for Spanner later if he's interested. Spanner is amenable to the idea and sets out to take care of some loose ends. Akron heads for Place de La Place hoping to find some refuge there. He gets to the gates of the Noble District and asks entrance. They're about to send a messenger to check to see if he's wanted when he's recognized as one of the two on the wagon that tried to re-enter the District last night. He's asked to go to the guard barracks for questioning to which he agrees. Once there he is interviewed by Captain Daly. Akron presents himself as a simple teamster hired to drive a wagon for Tettles and he doesn't know the name of the man who hired him. When asked about getting cold feet on his "mission", Akron explains that it was a combination of some bad food he'd eaten earlier and being punched by Lt Grant 's suitor. Smiling at this last comment Cpt. Daly says he'll check out his story with the Lieutenant and apologizes for having to detain him a little longer. Finally, Akron is released an hour later when his story checks out. Tettles returns to Big Al's and is advised to make himself scarce, "shame to see a good bouncer go." Following this advice Tettles takes up residence in the ruins of the old wizarding academy. He'll spend many a cold night there lying low till the heat dies down. After he leaves Spanner arrives to settle his bill. He'll be moving to The Throne for a couple days till he's sure things are ok. Similarly Akron decides to stay with Lord La Place for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile Stella has found the miracle garden in question. The owner made a sacrifice to The Emperor of The Ruby Throne who blessed the garden. Buzz continues to grow until it is announced that The Emperor will be making an announcement in the Market Square at Noon. At the Market Square Stella finds a large portion of the city is assembled, from all quarters including many 'nobles'. Many seem to have brought animals to sacrifice. In the center of the throng an area is being kept clear by heavies from The Throne. In this area is The Emperor, an altar, and a few henchmen. He begins by saying that they've all now heard of the Miracle performed in one of the cities gardens and the rumors are true. Now, anyone who wishes to have their garden likewise blessed is invited to bring a sacrifice before The Emperor. People begin crowding in and one by one the many animals in the square are brought forward and slaughtered at the alter. The blood is collected in two barrels on either side and they're nearly full when all the gruesome work is done. The Emperor clears the dais and places a hand in each barrel, stirring them. He then holds up his soiled hands and begins intoning in a strange tongue. Spanner and Stella both recognize this as a magical tongue, and not a pleasant one. At the completion of his chanting he claps his hands and a sickening wave of magical energy sweeps out over the whole city. In its aftermath though, the air, the streets, the buildings all seem cleaner, as if something foul was just washed away. Stella notes that Jenna Blakely, who is present, is now surrounded by a red glow. The Emperor tells everyone to go home and see to their gardens. If anyone wishes a boon they can present themselves to the Church of the Ruby Throne and pay homage in the morning. The throng hurriedly disperses. Spanner begins to rethink his choice of lodgings. Stella heads home to find that her garden too is rejuvenated. She later receives a message from the gypsies outside the bubble that the sample of boom powder she left with them is actually called Bloom Powder. Leaving the library together, Spanner and Xander decide on a whim to follow the bald man in front of them and to taunt him. After trying unsuccessfully to lose them, the three men abruptly come upon two buring buildings in the Old Noble District. Baldy runs into a one-story shop while his tails quickly head into a burning residential building to save a baby. Heroically Spanner and Xander save two babies (one by dropping out a window) and a small boy. Baldy, who turns out to be Tettles, manages to drag the fletcher Hal Jenkins out of his shop before the whole building collapses. Tettles immediately pulls up his hood and continues away from the scene. Forestalling the grateful thanks of the parents, Spanner and Xander follow him and eventually catch up to him in an alley. During a short conversation Spanner asks Tettles to keep an eye out for weaknesses in the shield protecting the city, particularly in the area below the Ruins. Spanner expresses concern about the Mountain Forces / Army of the Eye who now seems to have patrols outside the city. Parting ways with Tettles, Spanner and Xander find a top tier tailor where Xander purchases a replacement cloak and charges it to his family's account. The pair next head to the Ugly Toe, a high class tavern that also provides a safe haven for information trading and shady meetings. Upstairs they meet with Rawlin, a cloaked and hooded man sipping wine at a corner table. At Xander's requests, Rawlin tells them that while the Capulet's blame the Montague's for last week's attack and half the Montague's are taking credit, he does not think the Montague's were behind the attack. He informs them that the Council is very upset about the raid. Someone had the gall to make a large direct attack on a noble family (albeit one not on the Council). The Council is considering taking action against the new Church of the Throne for acting unilaterally against the nobility. Leaving the Ugly Toe, Spanner tells Xander that supposedly the merchant guild had hired them for the distraction so that the Throne could stage a revenge strike to put the Capulets back in their place (after they had acquired several crates of boom powder). Given that the Council ultimately runs the merchant guild, the two speculate that either a) the Council is now using the Capulet attack as an excuse to go after the Church of the Throne which is quickly gaining a lot of power and money, or b) the Council did not know about the plans for attacking the Capulets. Soon after Markov finds Spanner and hands him a message from the Emperor, requesting his and Xander's presence to find out about a job. At the Throne the two are sent to the front of the line. In the meeting, the Emperor explains that Lord La Place is buying the land underlying the Ruins and wants any crevices explored; as such, he is hiring capable adventurers from the Throne. In exchange for quietly giving the Throne first pick of any discovered treasure, the Emperor is paying Spanner, Xander, and Tettles a nice little side bonus. Lord La Place will meet them at the Ugly Toe. Upstairs at the Ugly Toe Spanner and Xander rendez-vous with Tettles and Lord La Place. Within minutes Akron and Stella join them. Lord La Place explains that he is hoping to start building several large structures where the Ruins are currently, and would like to avoid any complications during construction. To that end, he wants the group to explore any and all crevices in the Ruins and clear out potential troubles. The group agrees, but is concerned about dealing with ghosts that haunt the Ruins. Lord La Place has no help to offer in this regard. The group goes to see One-Eye Jack and his sister Louisa to see if they have any weapons or protection against spirits. Neither has crafted items, but they inform the group that spirits fear obsidian and stay away from it. The dark gods in obsidian can trap spirits inside. For a few copper each person in the group takes some pieces of obsidian shards that Jack has lying around. The group agrees to meet at Big Al's the next morning for breakfast before attacking the Ruins. On her way to rendez-vous at Big Al's, Stella came across two teen punks beating Nanosh (a gypsy teen) unconscious and beyond. Relying on her bardic magic, Stella sowed confusion among the punks and successfully fled with Nanosh. After delivering him into gypsy care, Stella met Akron, Spanner, Tettles, and Xander at Big Al's. After she ate, the group headed to the Ruins. Tettles led the group to a narrow crawl-tunnel that lead down into a rubble heap. After Stella distributed enchanted glow-stones (on string bracelets) to everyone, the group crawled in single file. The order was set at Tettles, Akron, Stella, Spanner, and Xander. A good ways in the group was beset by rats nesting in the crevices of the tunnel. While the rest of the group hastened to escape the tunnel's confines, Xander froze and was swarmed by rats. Yanking unmercifully on Xander's hair, Spanner brought the dandy to his senses and bodily dragged him out of the tunnel. Once in the open space beyond the tunnel the group quickly slayed the rat swarm. Surveying the room, the group found an abandoned basement filled with debris and about a dozen human skeletons (all picked / gnawed clean). The door out of the room was blocked by a large pile of assorted junk. Poking around, the group discovered a hole beneath some skeletons that opened on a 20' deep crevice. Further investigation revealed the skeleton of Hugh Donelly, a nobleman who disappeared in the Ruins centuries ago while serving with the Crimson Guard. More immediately, his breastplate with the Donelly crest (a fish in front of a sun) was still quite serviceable (apart from missing straps) and was picked up. Stella rested while the big strong men cleared the doorway. Beyond the doorway a dusty but in tact hallway went left and right. Heading right, the group found a room with a large rat nest the size of a dining room table. After killing many rats and driving the rest into wall cracks, the group investigated the room. A modest amount of change was discovered in the nest / rubbish pile. Finding no other exits from the room, the team backtracked. At the other end of the hallway was a mostly empty room. Much larger than the other, the only contents were some crushed rat skeletons and some broken furniture. Closer investigation revealed many scuff (scratch?) marks on the stone floor and a hole in the far corner of the room. While Tettles searched for hidden passages / levers / anything useful on the walls, the rest of the group fanned out across the room. With little warning the majority of the floor collapsed, dumping everyone but Tettles into a lower sewer chamber. The group found themselves face to face with 5 giant rats measuring at least 4 feet long and weighing 150 pounds. A short combat ensued during which Akron pioneered the sport of rodent wrestling, Spanner sprayed Stella with rat brains, and Xander succeeded in further angering his rat without causing any real damage. Following the fight, Stella tended to her wounds while the manly men pawed through three rubbish piles. Their dirty labor was rewarded with the discovery of many valuables. In particular, Stella identified an amber pendant etched with a lion's visage and a smart-looking cutlass as magical. According to her, the cutlass was none other than Rebound, a Donelly family heirloom that was rumored to return to its owner's hand if knocked or thrown away. "I could use a sword like that," noted Akron. Double checking that there were no other passages reachable from any rooms, the group crawled back out the tunnel into the Ruins. Journal of Ibrahm Von Altdorf. Late Hyburn of the year of the Last Freeholds, three hundred ninety four I crawled out of the chute, returning to the surface and dragged the rope out after me. The bundle at the end, my pack and a portion of our haul, cleared the spider hole and made room for the next up out of the hole. By the time I'd finished brushing the filth off my tabard our party was back on the surface, and aside from some scratches and soiled clothing we were none the worse for wear. Xander was even able to speak in coherent sentences again. Tettles led us to a hide where we were able to cache the swag we'd found so far---at least the part of it that the gypsy wasn't keeping on her person. Tettles knew the location of another nearby underground space that needed to be checked out. It's a wonder that all the basements and warrens under these ruins haven't collapsed long since; it's been centuries since the explosion that ruined this place. We worked our way to the next site, over and around heaps and piles that used to be large residential dwellings, row houses, cathedrals. Little of the old roads can be scried from the landscape as it is, but there's certainly enough standing wreckage still after all this time to make it impossible to see more than a few leagues in any direction. After some scouting Tettles found a stair heading under a rubble heap. We all proceeded down the steps and I started periodically tapping the walls and ceiling to check for instability. Tettles and Akron went in first, followed by Stella, myself and Xander bringing up the rear. The stairs bottomed out in what looked like a dining room containing various ancient furnishings including a table and one wall adorned with graffiti ("The Magi"). A search turned up some miscellaneous dinner ware and a door leading to a collapsed room. While testing the walls with an appropriated chair leg, I found that one of the walls had a room on the other side. After considering using Akron as a battering ram, we used the table to batter a hole in the wall large enough to climb thru. Without further ceremony Stella leapt thru the hole. On the other side we found an office, which we immediately set about searching with the aid of Stella's glow stones. Only a couple of the books were of any shape to keep and most, though possibly Elven in origin, seemed to cover rather mundane topics. As Xander and I moved books, papers, and items of interest out to the dining room table, Tettles and Stella proceeded onward thru a door in the study. Hearing an unfamiliar voice and anxious questions from the group who'd gone on, I followed in their path. I found Stella and Tettles speaking with a rather unsightly specter, Jayna Bernot (wife of Elyndon), who was occupying a bedroom beyond the study. Becoming agitated the apparition leapt at Tettles who was holding an amulet of some kind before him. Jayna hit him and he seemed to absorb her somehow. Tettles collapsed, and we found that as a side effect of the attack his face had been hideously, almost sickeningly, altered. On the upside, the obsidian shards that Tettles was carrying appeared to work. I lost little time in modifying my chair leg by wrapping up a number of obsidian shards to its head using a scrap of bedclothes. We searched the room and found another void beyond the wall behind the head of the bed. We removed a post from the bed and used it as a ram to put a hole in the wall. The ceiling didn't agree with this treatment, so while Akron and Tettles widened the hole I shored up the ceiling with another post and scrap wood. The next room was a rather unremarkable bath and beyond that a hall. We found that the bathroom had another voided wall and while we were remodeling the roof above us started to cave in. Stella and Tettles dove thru the new hole and Akron and I dove into the bedroom. Akron and I rushed back to the dining room where I supposed there may be a way to find our trapped companions. Xander, having heard the cave in was already moving swag to the stairs out for quick removal. Akron and I heard Tettles yelling behind a wall. We decided to ram thru the intervening wall again, but first we shored up the ceiling as much as we could using the table. Shortly, there was another hole and the five of us broke for the surface with the basement falling around our ears. Stella and Xander had found quite a few papers and books to review later. After counting fingers and toes we moved what we'd found to the cache. It being only noon we set out again looking for another "cave". Without much effort we found another and entered it even more cautiously than the last. This one consisted of a stair of hewn stone descending into the earth. I began another structural inspection as I went down. I don't know what Laplace wants done with this place but he's going to have to contend with almost as much clearing downward as up. Here's where things became complicated. Akron and Stella discovered that below a turn in the stair there were two bone ogres standing guard over a door. Throwing caution to the wind, Tettles and Akron attacked. With a good deal of heroics and wounds we were able to subdue the ogres before they beat Tettles to a pulp. I recommended that we not salvage their weapons yet as they were large and we'd be back this way later. We entered via the door and were presented with an anteroom largely dominated by a stone counter. After a moment another specter appeared behind the counter telling us, in his rather odd manner of speaking, that to proceed we'd need to leave behind our weapons. With some grumbling on my companions' part we were disarmed. Out of medical necessity I kept my cane which had only recently been a chair leg, housing inspection stick, and ghost thumper. I wasn't really ready for what we found on the other side of the door. We entered a rather "lively" tavern called the Ghostrock Cafe. The spacious public room was filled with specters of various shape and creed and the space was overflowing with a cacophonous noise that seemed to be some sort of music. Things went quiet when we stepped in and the crowd got ugly. Uglier. Uglier that Tettles. Things looked bad. As we braced for combat Stella started singing something soothing and things changed immediately. Everything resumed and she was asked to sing some more. To give us cover, she did so. Acting casual we approached the bar and I asked for something that wouldn't kill me. I was obliged and struck up a conversation with the bar keep. The fellow, a satyr named Cassini, said this bar was a hangout for spooks from far and wide. The living are not welcome, but they're not unwelcome. Entertainers are in demand and they don't much care about what goes on outside as long as it doesn't effect the club. Tettles was informed that his condition was blessedly temporary. Also, coming to understand that the drinks here were effectively free Xander and Akron set about taking advantage of the fact. Speaking with Cassini I asked more about the situation at and in the neighborhood. It became apparent that I should talk to the magi; I'd been given the impression that they were high-rollers in this place. I asked where they were and was expecting to be directed to a back room but instead was pointed toward one of the alcoves that ringed the room. Stella, Tettles (who had shrouded himself by this time) and I went to their table. We found a group of four apparently living people in concealing robes, each a different bright color. We asked if we could sit and began questioning them. It soon became apparent that these were youths, quite surprised by our presence, who were just hanging out here. While we were speaking Stella recognized our hosts from her neighborhood and they her. In the end they told us that the proprietor was a loon who never left her office in the back. I spoke with Cassini again and found that he'd be much obliged if we were to help him be rid of the owner so he could take over the joint. With this last discussion we decided to leave. On the way out we picked up our gear with little ceremony, and the concierge told us that we'd be allowed back without any trouble on our next visit. We left, walking past two hulking bone ogres with nearly no marks on them from our confrontation of less than an hour ago. We decided at this point that we'd accomplished enough for one day. We worked our way out of the ruins, hitting the cache on the way. Reentering town we went back to one-eyed-jack's, Stella to show some of the papers we acquired, the rest of us to look into weaponry and defenses against spirits. Jack told us that, given some time, he could have something available. We decided that after we have a little more equipment with us we may be able to return to remove Lola from the Ghostrock Cafe. In the mean time we can keep searching and raiding the ruins. We headed to Big Al's for an early evening's rest. Spanner woke to find a note from One-Eyed Jack: "meet me this morning, Louisa and I have an idea." Once Akron, Stella, and Tettles arrived the group went to the Stodgin shop as requested. There, Jack told them that he and Louisa could make an item to solve the group's ghost problem---but they needed a magic item called the Phantom Prism to power the item. Stella and Spanner shared what they knew about the crystal: smoky interior, shining magical light on the crystal creates a silent play of shadow figures. The group immediately began recon work on how to swipe the Prism from the Brisbane's, a powerful noble family with ties to elite craftsman. (In fact, Jack's parents installed a "magic switch" 15 years prior to facilitate using the Prism.) At the end of day 1, they found that: a) the Prism viewing chamber is at the top of the dome in the Brisbane mansion; b) the Brisbane estate is surrounded by 12 ft. hedges instead of a wall; c) the estate is protected by a hedge maze whose walls cannot be scaled; d) the hedge maze contains other "guardians". Worried by the magical maze, the group spent the next day doing more recon. Spanner and Tettles skirted the Bubble to enter the back of the hedge maze. En route, Brum and Nedro were unceremoniously dropped from a flying pirate ship used by the Black Magi rock band. Apparently Brum's drumming skills were not up to snuff. Entering the maze, the four eventually found the back side of Brisbane mansion by having Tettles stand on Brum's shoulders to look over the maze walls. In the process, they discovered that a) the hedges grabbed at intruders, and b) a large 3-headed dog statue might be a guardian. And for some reason, Nedro took a crap in the guardian's plaza. Satisfied with their path of lawn divets, the 4 left the way they came. Stella and Akron found invitations to a theater event at Brisbane mansion that night. During the show Stella slipped out and snuck into the Prism chamber, only to find that the crystal was not there. Following the play the group planned to search the Brisbane noble quarters to find the Prism, and then toss it out a window to a waiting extraction team that would flee through the maze (using the divet path). After some debate, it was decided that Brum and Nedro should accompany Tettles on the extraction team. Xander agreed to use his contacts to get extra tickets for Spanner and Stella. The 23rd. In the morning Stella and Tettles learned from Big Al that Spanner awoke feeling very sick, and he went to the new Temple healer at the Ruby Throne. Worried, they arrived (with Brum) at the Throne and question Peter Dukas, who informed them that Spanner looked terrible and is currently in a waiting room while the priests figure out what the illness is. Peter took them to the room, unbarred it, and was set upon by a wild Spanner covered in greenish-yellow pox. Tettles pinned Spanner and Brum KO'd him with a fist to the head. Distraught, the group decided to continue with their plans (minus Spanner). Returning to Big Al's, Tettles found a note (and 2 tickets) from Xander (who was feeling under the weather and would not be able to help out that evening). Tettles, Brum, and Nedro skirted the Bubble to again enter the maze. Finding their trail mostly obliterated, Tettles used his tracking skills to follow the path to the house (while restoring the trail). In position, they are discovered by Bolly, a garden gnome that is quite upset with Nedro (for defecating in his garden and spitting on him), Brum (for calling him first a leprechaun and then a dwarf), and "whoever made all those damn divets that they [the gnomes] now have to fix". Bolly huffed off, muttering. The gnomes later exact revenge by turning on the sprinkler system. Meanwhile, Spanner returned to Big Al's, again sane and pox-free. He, Stella, and Akron go to the play at Brisbane's. There, Akron keeps watch while Spanner and Stella sneak into the nobles quarters. During the search Spanner triggers a magic alarm on a chest, but not before he and Stella check all the magic-aura items (none of which contain the Prism). They successfully sneak out through the alarm-induced chaos. Realizing that the gig is a bust, the extraction team AGAIN leaves through the maze---getting lost on the way out without a divet trail. At 10am the next day they arrive weary at Big Al's. After taking naps, Akron, Spanner, Stella, and Tettles reconvened at Big Al's in the afternoon to form a new plan on acquiring the Phantom Prism. They were greeted by Aladar, the gypsy from outside whose life they saved 3 weeks earlier. Without fuss Aladar volunteered to help the group. Spanner read through the research notes on spirits that had been delivered from the library, and shared the information with the group. By the next day the group had collected a little more information. Stella heard rumors of a strange fire that had burned down the Montague mansion; naturally the Capulets were being blamed. Worried about Xander (or perhaps just out of morbid curiousity), Tettles, Akron, and Aladar volunteered to sneak into the Montague estate and find out what happened. Stella met with Lord Emma Brisbane for lunch the next day. Brisbane asked Stella if she would teach at an arts academy, open to the general public, that Brisbane was hoping to open. After Stella showed interest, Brisbane hired Stella to help create a high-quality play to inspire more nobility to help fund the arts academy and public playhouse. Work would begin in a week. A subsequent discussion about possible storylines for the play led to Stella subtly probing Brisbane about the Phantom Prism. After some posturing to ensure Stella's discretion, Lord Brisbane revealed that she had traded the crystal for a magical protection ward from Green Mary to protect the Brisbane children 9 months ago (when children were disappearing). Immediately following lunch, Spanner answered a summons to meet with the Council. After he recounted finding a patrol bearing the mark of the Eye just west of Bohan, the Council asked him to reconnoiter the area and find out how serious a threat this Eye Army posed. Meanwhile, Akron, Aladar, and Tettles donned old clothes and headed east out of the Bubble to use the backdoor entrance to the Noble District. Before they could return to the safety of the Bubble the trio was ambushed by two crocodilian monstrosities called snolligosters. During the brief but violent skirmish one of the monsters flipped Tettles up and onto its back, where a large spike impaled Tettles' back. Akron ended the fight by decapitating one monster (the other fled). The trio hastily limped into the Bubble's safety. After scaling the Montague estate wall, the trio snuck around the mansion where they found workers hastily constructing a very solid looking stone hut. Eavesdropping by Aladar revealed that the hut was destined as a healing / quarantine hut. Additionally, fire damage to the mansion was limited to two rooms on the top (3rd) floor. Curious about the cause, three broke into the mansion via a 3rd story window. In the process Tettles KO'd an unlucky wandering gardener while Aladar dextrously picked the window's lock. Inside Tettles found that the room where the fire apparently started was boarded up. An adjacent sign read, "Do not open door under any circumstance. Send food through window in basket." Grunts and screams emanated from behind the boarded up door. Somewhat satisfied, the three climbed back out the window. Luck was not on their side, however, as 4 Crimson Guards spotted them and gave chase. Throwing caution to the wind, the intrepid adventurers sprinted to the wall and climbed over. More bad luck struck when Tettles sprained his ankle in a hole just before the wall. Nonetheless, he managed to throw himself over the wall before the guards caught up. The three met up with Stella and Spanner at Big Al's for dinner, and swapped stories. Plans were made for an excursion into the Blood Marsh to find Green Mary and the Phantom Prism. After buying equipment and food supplies, the group rowed out of the Port of Hope aboard a rented pole boat to the Blood Marsh. Only Aladar got seasick aboard the tossing craft. Stowing the paddles, they began the slow and laborious process of poling towards the center of the marsh---where they hoped to find Green Mary. Not long after entering the marsh Tettles noticed "something" shifting behind a large tussock of sedge grass. Bows at the ready, the group waited for an attack. Instead, something black with horns or large ears leapt and splashed away. Shortly before sunset, the group came upon a plant encrusted shipwreck with the bow and front half of the ship jutting out of the marsh. The group immediately began exploring the wreck, hoping that it would provide a safe and dry place to escape the blood rain of the war zone. Aladar's lock picking skills came in very handy in unlocking two foot lockers. Stella proved fearless (stupid?) in rushing to explore each cabin first. During the exploration, Akron heard shouts that no one else heard. When Spanner accidentally dropped a skeleton on top of Akron, he lost it and threw Stella over his shoulder, running for the exit. He snapped out of it when he slipped and fell. Meanwhile Tettles and Aladar were stowing the pole boat for the night when they noticed a small boat with two lights approaching. They shifted into high gear after Tettles recognized the voices of his dead parents on the boat. With the group's supplies safely stored inside and the exterior hatch closed, Stella looked through a porthole for the strange boat. Instead, she saw 5 will-o-wisps magically piling up ancient treasure chests on a nearby tussock of grass. The rest of the night passed uneventfully. All told, the group netted a couple dozen gems, some "girlie" pictures, several maps, a crate of coffee beans, a crate of fancy glass, two journals, a magic clock, and a magically sealed scroll case. Surprisingly, the journals suggested that the ship had last operated almost 1000 years ago (10 years before the Bubble). Although the magic clock's timepiece appeared to work, it also kept a year that read "5 PB". Heading out from the shipwreck where they had sheltered the night, the group soon found itself navigating through a thick fog. Stella enhanced the lookout's vision magically to make navigation feasible. Pleasantly, the blood rain had disappeared and was replaced by clean white snowflakes. After passing a large skeleton (carnivorous, about the size of a small house) without event, the group found a wide area of high ground and went ashore. Heading inland, ever towards the center of the swamp, the group discovered toads with bulging (pulsing?) eyes. Stella was the only group member to avoid making eye contact with the sentries. Everyone else fell under some magical command and followed the toads when they hopped straight into Green Mary's camp. The hag's reception was less than welcoming. Common sense prevailed, however, and a bargain was soon struck. She would give the group the Phantom Prism if they would open negotiations with a filthy group of trespassing fishmen west of her camp. To show her goodwill, she sent with the group a tiger-eye necklace (enchanted with a light spell) to offer as a gift. Back at the boat, Tettles asked the group to look for any extra packages in the boat. Aladar quickly found a wrapped parcel containing an unmarked water skin. Apparently, Mary had telepathically instructed Tettles to poison the fishmen's water supply. While circumnavigating the high ground, the group's pole boat was rammed by a snolligoster. The monster fled after a few seconds and some precision bow shooting by Tettles and Spanner. In a wild attempt to leap on the snolligoster and wrestle it, Akron discovered some strange lily pads that released spore clouds when disturbed. Akron also demonstrated rather dramatically that these spore clouds paralyze those who breathe them. Luckily Spanner and Tettles hauled his stiffly splayed body into the boat before he drowned. Despite this excitement, Stella continued humming to herself in the bottom of the boat while examining the necklace from Mary. As evening fell and the temperature dropped noticeably, the group made camp inside a giant turtle shell (25+ feet long) perched atop three rocks. With some ingenuity a fire was made inside using marsh grass as fuel. Stella left the necklace in the boat below the shell, saying that the necklace was some sort of listening device. Spanner read from the captain's log. Highlights included the fact that the magical scroll was probably a message from an oracle to the magic academy of Bohan, before the Bubble. The final entries suggested that the ship had been wrecked during a storm, and the crew taken by ghosts. Morning came, bringing yet more snow. A short distance to the north the group found the fishman camp on a patch of high ground. Pulling up alongside three small beached sailboats, Spanner hailed the camp. Immediately Spanner, and Akron recognized the symbol of rat and snake on the guard's breastplates: the sign of Zerumpere, a god of disease and poison. Stella likewise informed the group that fishmen have a reputation of eating sailors. After Spanner presented the necklace to the camp shaman, the heros were cautiously allowed into the camp and offered a mildly disgusting meal of steamed seaweed. Under pretense of refilling the team's water skins, Tettles poisoned one of the camp's clean water pools. Shortly after, a fishman crawled out of the pool with his dying gasp. For a moment fishmen looked at the heros, and the heros looked at the fishmen. "Surround them!" yelled the shaman, and full-scale battle erupted. During the fight Spanner and Aladar were severely wounded by trident bearing fishmen and fell unconscious. Tettles activated some hidden power in his sword, causing his image to blur and protecting him from attacks. Akron similarly escaped unscathed, despite several blows glancing off his new breastplate. After all the fishmen were killed, Spanner and Aladar were nursed back to consciousness. Spanner quickly decided that the group would take one of the sailboats and load the fishmen's crates as bounty. The other two sailboats were burned. The group returned to the giant turtle shell to hide and nurse their wounds. Pleased with the outcome, Mary turned over the Phantom Prism to the group the next day. She also bought one of the crates of herbs for 50 silver. Eager to get back to Bohan and opium, Tettles urged the group to make haste. Darkness fell before long though, and the group slept aboard the boats. The next day passed uneventfully; the group again found shelter outside the wrecked ship. During the second watch Stella and Tettles woke the others---a cloud of moths was closing in on the ship. Thinking quickly, Stella enchanted a copper coin with a light song and threw it into the night. The moths followed, leaving the group in peace. After another morning of snow and marsh poling, the group finally reached the edge of the marsh. Spanner carefully explained to the group how to handle the ropes and sail of their small sail craft. Despite some initials bumps and bruises from the boom, the group sailed their way back into Bohan. There, they rented a cart and horses to move their loot to Big Al's. Spanner and Tettles paid off the merchant who had rented them his boat, and struck a deal with him to let him rent out their new sailboat, in exchange for 50% of the profits. Almost immediately after Stella split off to see Ion, the group was attacked by a wild Bohan citizen covered in green and yellow pox. After knocking out the wild man, Tettles dragged him to the Ruby Throne for healing (which he desparately needed after traveling a dozen blocks on his back...). Tettles decided to join the church of the Throne to get a discount on opium. Meanwhile, Spanner, Akron, and Aladar unloaded the crates into Big Al's basement after assuring him that none of it was explosive. Elsewhere, in Gyptown, Stella learned that Ion had a new imaginative friend Charlie. The group spent the next day running errands and hawking the raw gems they had found. In particular, they took the Phantom Prism to One-Eyed Jack who managed to complete Beacon, a magical staff that could make ghosts solid (and hopefully prone to wounds from normal weapons). Stella had her first planning meeting for Lord Brisbane's play. In the afternoon Aladar noted that the Noble District had been locked down tight. That night Akron found himself a job as a bouncer at Slim Jim's---most of the pay coming as free beer. Second day of Brightleaf. After another morning play meeting, Stella returned to Gyptown to find that the external gypsy camp had been forced inside by a large force carrying the standard of the Eye. Unable to immediately do anything, she joined the others for another foray into the Ruins, to confront and kill Lola (the owner of the Ghostrock Cafe). The careful preparation paid off: Lola went down after a couple of blows and was absorbed into one of Tettles' obsidian arrows. Over celebration drinks, Spanner asked Cassini, the new bar owner, who the oldest patron in the bar was. The group then joined a pair of gypsies, one a storyteller friend of Stella (named Guaril), the other a fortune teller named Pesha. When asked what should be done with the sealed magic scroll (found in the Blood Marsh), Pesha said the group should hold onto it and give it to the head of the Academy. During the conversation, Pesha intermittently went into trances and told each person their fortune. Leaving the Ghostrock, the group reconned the next (and final?) crevice to explore. In the middle of a blackened crater, a large stone slab was chained down over (presumably) some sort of shaft into the ground. Magic runes covered both the slab and the large lock (which sported 3 keyholes). Short on time, the group temporarily restrained Aladar from trying to open the lock. After running their separate errands (including Aladar pickpocketing Xander), Aladar, Spanner, Tettles, and Stella met Akron at La Place's mansion for a meeting. (Akron arrived picking oatmeal out of his hair and walking gingerly.) La Place was eager that the group explore the covered shaft, and ecstatic about getting the deeds to almost all of the Ruins (minus the Academy and Ghostrock Cafe). Leaving, the group hired the (tobacco chewing) gypsy Bernice to help pick the massive lock the next day. Magical explosions reverbrated dully across the city at dawn the next day, as some powerful force attacked the city from outside. Despite unnerving the populace, no harm was done. With most of the city in the streets, there was ample evidence of the green-yellow pox spreading. Working together, Aladar, Bernice, and Spanner had little trouble picking the massive lock chaining down the slab over the shaft. With some heaving and cursing, they managed to push the slab to the side, revealing a deep well shaft into the ground. It was decided that Tettles would first climb down the ropes to the room below (so he could catch anyone that fell). In the funnel shaped room at the bottom, the group was attacked by 5 ghosts wearing robes. Despite the ghosts' liberal use of flame jets and magic smoke clouds, the group had little trouble in dispatching them. In the aftermath of the battle, the heros noticed that the shadow play from the Phantom Prism appeared to contain Brum's shadow. Watching closely, Brum traced a sigil to open a door, and was joined by a monkey. Together they played a game of chess. When Brum lost he threw the game across the room, which appeared to cause a huge explosion. Stella wasted no time in tracing the sigil on the wall, causing a door to appear. Going through the door, the group found themselves in a long hallway. The door shut behind them, and the ghost of a monkey appeared at the opposite end. The raving simian began furiously tracing runes and activating a series of traps in the hallway. With the group pinned down by flame jets and magical force pendulums, Tettles plugged the monkey with an obsidian arrow. Aladar then danced and tumbled past the hall's hazards, shattered the obsidian tip to release the monkey, and threatened and cajoled the monkey into turning off the magical traps. Boris (as the monkey introduced himself) was happy to stop once Spanner agreed to play chess with him. Spanner won the game, and Boris let them into the council room beyond. The council room contained a long table with 6 chairs below a high vaulted ceiling. While Spanner studied a purple tapestry woven into a star map (and the door hidden behind it), Tettles looked behind the black crushed velvet covers that protected paintings in the room. Most of these paintings were solid black. Three, however, turned out to be communication devices to outside rulers: the Sidhe court (red skinned elves), the Merfolk palace, and the centaur forest. Spirited and confusing discussion with these dignitaries was cut short by the appearance of a shade at the head of the table. Naming himself Arien Gilthoniel and the head of the academy, he conducted a short business meeting to discuss what new business the heros had brought to the council. After Gilthoniel failed to open the sealed scroll from the Oracle, he asked the group to wake him and the other Magi from their magic sleep. The pendant to do this was in his study, behind the tapestry. Akron asked why he couldn't do this himself, pointing out that he was able to interact with the scroll. Gilthoniel then tried to go to the study, but was unable to move past a certain point. Entering the study, with Gilthoniel yelling instructions from the council room, the group found a massive tome open on a table next to a lit candle. A cabinet, two bookshelves, and a cage with a ghost hawk filled the rest of the room. In no time the group was attacked by their own shadows. Or at least, they were until Akron smoothly lopped off the top of the candle with his sword, returning their shadows to normal. While Tettles and Stella struggled to keep Akron from bashing open the hawk's cage, Aladar picked the lock to the cabinet. Which triggered a trapdoor, dropping Aladar into a magically sealed cell below. Stella found the pendant in the (now unlocked) cabinet, while the others hauled Aladar out of the holding cell. Back in the council room, the group was confronted by a riddle to open the door into the Turnstile, where the mages slumbered. After others had guessed, Akron calmly answered the riddle and muttered 'Idiots' under his breath. The door opened before them, revealing a large circular room with a high dome ceiling. Dark, inactive magical portals covered the walls in this room. Seven mages stood frozen in stasis on the far side; above, a large demon with a katana was frozen in midflight. Stella handed the dolphin pendant to Gilthoniel's shade (solid from standing in Beacon's light), and he strode to the sleeping magi. Then: the quiet shatter of breaking glass, the magi fell forward gasping 'fools', so-called Gilthoniel's shade vanished, and the demon roared to life. During the long, drawn out fight that followed, Akron, Spanner, and Tettles repeatedly scored deep hits on the demon. Finally Spanner decapitated the demon to end the fight. Again, the magi gasped 'fools'. Above a dull explosion sounded, and the Turnstile shook beneath their feet... After being helped back to the Council Room, the Magi told the group that the demon had been powering the protective shield surrounding Deepgate/Bohan. The head of the Academy, Arien Gilthoniel, explained that the demon must have been able to project it's spirit and assume the guise of the headmaster. The Magi agreed to seek help from "the other worlds" beyond the portals---or at least try. In the intervening time the heros needed to prevent the Eye forces away from the portals; otherwise, the enemy would draw power from them and destroy all the worlds. After resealing and camoflauging the shaft into the Academy, the group hustled towards the Prison District where a battle raged. At the edge of the Ruins the group (minus Stella) ambushed 5 armored warriors sporting the sign of the Eye. The brief but intense battle with the knights and their demonic horses was punctuated with Aladar throwing knives into the enemies' eyes. The victors made haste to the Market District to muster as much help as possible. Amazingly, Spanner convinced the Counts (a gang) to help the Crimson Guard. Meanwhile, Stella ran to the Ghostrock Cafe where she inspired half the clientel to take up arms and help defend Bohan. She led the spirits to the Ruby Throne, where they turned the tied and drove away mounted knights and a pair of cyclops. After the battle Stella ordered the spirits to patrol the Ruins and let her know if the enemy tried to enter. From there Stella headed to Gyptown to find (not suprisingly) the gypsies were hastily packing to leave the city. Stella found the others in the market place, along with most of the rest of Bohan. Before the throng, the Emperor sacrificed a willing Throne guard and channeled the power in his blood to purge the pox from the city. The Emperor then called on the citizenry to bolster the defenses and repel the invaders. Repulsed by the Emperor's sacrifice ceremony, Stella hastened home to get ready to leave Bohan permanently. She arrived in Gyptown to find a mob of zombies (former gypsies) chasing some still-living gypsies. Challenging the mob, she quickly found herself surrounded in the middle of the street and somewhat outmatched. Moments later, Akron, Aladar, Spanner, and Tettles trampled the zombie attackers while riding a pair of demon horses. More zombies arrived to feed a frenzied battle, but the heros emerged victorious. Stella (and the others) ran to her house to find it empty with broken furniture everywhere. Nearing panic with fear for her brother Ion, Stella (and company) ran to Jake Salois' house to find it besieged by yet more zombies. After cutting them down, the heros learned from Jake that all of the children had run to the Ruins when the zombies started appearing. The heros hurried to the Ruins. Three blocks from the Ruins, a ghost appeared and told "General" Stella that a small army was invading the Ruins. Following the lookout, the group found many children looking through rubble of the Ruins. Tettles quickly realized that all of these children had been kidnapped months earlier by the mage Pohl McBell. Questioning the children revealed that a) they were looking for the Place of Power for the "Father", b) Ion was with the Father, and c) the Father was getting a book he needed. Thinking quickly, Akron helped Stella convince the children to go to the Ghostrock Cafe where they would be safe. The bar owner, Cassini, agreed reluctantly to watch the children. Leaving the Ruins the group was startled by Brum and a minotaur running towards them yelling "Incoming! Take cover!" The group and their mounts ducked into an alley just before a huge black egg crashed into the block of buildings across the street, leveling the entire block. Stella and Aladar ignored the large bug monster emerging from the black egg and rode to the library to find Ion. Tettles, Akron, and Spanner lagged behind to help the minotaur defind the unconscious Brum. While Spanner dug out Brum, the many-legged, many-eyed monstrosity snatched first the minotaur and then Tettles with its tentacles and swallowed them whole. Akron climbed to the top of the thing and did his best to pierce the carapace. With some difficulty the brave/foolish defenders slew the beast, only to have Tettles and the minotaur trapped inside. While Spanner cut them free with difficulty, Akron ran to engage a second bug monster that had spawned from the first and quickly grown to monstrous size. Eventually everyone was freed and all monsters were slain. Waking, Brum briefly suggested grabbing a beer before the minotaur reminded him he was late for a meeting with some gods. Akron, Tettles, and Spanner rushed to the library. Stella and Aladar arrived at the Library to find a group of zombies outside. Aladar charged their demon horse through the zombies, up the stairs, and into the Library. Stella and Aladar hastily barred the door and then hurried to the hidden room below the library. There they found some papers and books strewn on a table in the middle of the room. Entering, two cages magically appeared: one protecting the middle table, the other blocking the way out of the room. Above, a black vortex appeared and started draining energy from the intruders. In a matter of moments Aladar picked the 5 locks on the outer cage, allowing Stella and Aladar to escape to the sewers. Leaving the sewers, Stella and Aladar reunited with Akron, Spanner, and Tettles who were just entering the marketplace. Tettles quickly picked a trail of wet footprints that led directly to the Stodgin shop and household. Orange and red lights flickered from the windows. Inside, the group found Louisa and Jack knocked out, and Ion leaning down, touching Jack by the forge. Turning to the heros and speaking, Ion's voice came out as that of Pohl McBell: "One down, two to go." By the light of the forge Ion looked gaunt and pale---deathly. Before Stella could reach him Ion opened a gateway in the Rune Forge and summoned 8 minor demons to fight the heros. During the ensuing battle, the shop's roof was ripped off and Ion caused fire to rain down. Before Ion could be knocked out Tettles, Stella, and Aladar took a beating. The group pulled Jack and Louisa under the counter until the fire-rain passed. Despite looking pale and not having a pulse, the Jack and Louisa "awoke" as rational, friendly zombies. Following the fight, Stella sang a healing song to restore Aladar and Tettles. Jack affirmed that he and Louisa basically felt fine (despite being dead and all) and then went straight to business delivering Spanner some new gauntlets. Tettles paid for his breastplate. Heading out to do some emergency shopping, Tettles and Aladar found the shop surrounded by a ring of children---the same children that Cassini was supposed to be baby sitting at the Ghostrock. Fearlessly Tettles pushed his way through the line and ended up with three children hanging on him. Which led to his discovering that their touch sapped energy, much like the zombies the group had been running into. Throwing elbows and with Spanner firing flaming arrows into the crowd, Tettles and Aladar broke free. At the market place Tettles and Aladar found the group's abandoned demon horse stamping over a pile of zombie ash outside the library. Braving the horse's fury, Aladar remounted and took control of the horse. Both heros found the demon horse a very capable negotiater in getting good prices. They arrived back at the shop (riding forcefully through the kinder-line) to find Jack and Louisa carving glyphs into the shop's support beams to place a protective spell over their home until a new roof could be built. In a corner, Stella was singing softly to Ion to keep him from stirring and causing havoc anew. After a short deliberation the group decided to rush Ion to the gypsy healer, Magda, before he awoke fully. Akron took Ion and Aladar took Stella. Despite the fact that the kinder-line followed the fleeing horses (leaving the door unobstructed), Tettles and Spanner climbed to the rooftops and bounded along after the others. En route, Ion awoke fully and magicked himself out of the ropes, gag, and blindfold binding him. Tettles and Spanner crested a nearby rooftop to find impending chaos. At one end of the block, Stella was wrestling with a struggling Ion, with Akron looking on unsure what to do. At the other, a mob of 4 dozen children were heading single-mindedly towards their master, Ion. The rooftop knights notched arrows and began picking off children. Aladar, still astride a demon horse, moved the mount to be between the child mob and the struggling Stella. At that precise moment, things went from bad to nightmare. Ion sent a magical wave of terror through everyone in the area, causing both Tettles and Aladar to black out in utter horror. Spanner scrabbled to prevent Tettles from falling off the roof; Aladar was less fortunate. His horse sought blood and continued charging full bore into the crowd of children. Within moments both Aladar and the horse succumbed, their life energy completely drained. As Spanner cried "Aladaaaaar!", Stella and Akron KO'd Ion again and rode hard to Magda, with renewed urgency. The kinder mob ambled persistently after them. Spanner woke Tettles and descended to street level, to find Aladar dead in the saddle of the now-zombie demon horse. In desperation Tettles placed his Ruby Throne amulet around Aladar's neck. Nothing happened. In Gyp-town Magda reluctantly agreed to try to restore Ion to his pre-possessed and non-evil mastermind state. Jake Salois stayed in the room to help; Stella was forced to leave the room. Outside in the common room, jumbled conversation erupted when Aladar's ghost walked in through the building wall. Akron and Stella were so preoccupied that neither moved when the kinder mob surrounded the building and zombified the group's second demon horse. Seeing the building surrounded, Spanner and Tettles again climbed to the rooftops---this time with Aladar's body in tow. Using a table top they reached the besieged building and passed the body through an upstairs window. Aladar poked his head through the second story floor, unnerving the newcomers. Now hearing an evil laugh and a thud from the room with Magda and Ion, Stella opened the door to find Magda with her throat slit and Ion crying. Magda had succeeded in pulling the demon from Ion, but had instructed Jake to kill her before it could do anymore harm. Stella collapsed, weeping over her lost friend's body. In the common room outside Aladar gravely apologized to Tettles for failing to save his life (as repayment for Tettles saving Aladar from shriekers a month ago). Aladar continued to apologize, for betraying his caravan guard post years earlier to get the money to pay for sending his younger sister to a safer city. Tettles' parents had been guarding that caravan, and Aladar cut them down from behind. In a blind rage Tettles drew his sword and swung repeatedly through Aladar's disembodied soul, until he finally collapsed exhausted and wept. The gypsies in the common room gave Aladar the evil eye, signifying that he was banished. Meanwhile, the children outside had returned to normal and Akron ventured outside to collect his poor zombie horses. Spanner came downstairs after venting his frustration at pretty-much-everything on some furniture. Emotionally shell-shocked, Akron, Spanner, and Tettles hauled Aladar's corpse to the Ruby Throne (with Aladar's ghost tagging along). While trying to convince the guard to allow the two zombie horses inside, Akron inadvertently upset them. The horses both snorted fire at him, which he managed to duck. Unfortunately the flames turned both horses to ash. Inside, a priest agreed to try to revive Aladar. Realizing that nobody had reported on the giant bug-like monster that had nearly killed Tettles only a couple hours earlier, Spanner et al made a report to the Emperor in person. Everyone (living) collapsed for some much needed rest. Aladar's ghost headed to the Ghostrock Cafe to (*ahem*) live it up for the night. "Spanner, I had an eerie nightmare last night. We were leading a group of gypsies past the war zone to escape the city and mayhem!" Tettles stated as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Yeah, I had the same one, I believe," answered Spanner. "A ways out you snuck up over a hill to scout, and you saw a line of camp fires right?" "Exactly, then I decided the only way out was to go through the only crevassee wide enough for the wagon. Almost at the end of it we were spotted by a sentry. After I shot the torch out of his hand and you dispatched him, we made a run for it to the other end. Right into the enemy's trap." "And then you and I were the only ones who escaped alive," sighed Spanner. "Then I woke up," the duo uttered simultaneously. And that is how the day started. After Tettles and Spanner shared their dreams with one another, they sat in the room in disbelief. Stella entered the Ruby Throne Barracks. After she described to Spanner and Tettles that they would be well paid to help her and the rest of the gypsies escape, Spanner and Tettles upset her by not immediately offering to help. Akron, on the other hand, was of course in the mood to help and get the hell out of the city. Still sitting and thinking, Tettles and Spanner gave each other a sigh, and realized that if they didn't help, the gypsies would surely die. A recon mission would be the best thing for them to do! Off to find "someone in charge," they acquired a pair of horses to ride to the outer limits. On the way out of the Throne they ran into a head priest who informed them that the necklace around Aladar's neck was keeping his body here. After some confusion, the body of Aladar had harmed a few folks trying to bring the body back under control. Some Idiot had removed the necklace. Then the more important point was that they needed a small amount of blood from someone close to Aladar. Aladar's spirit mentioned that he had absolutely no family within reach of Bohan. Thinking back, Tettles realized that he was probably the closest to Aladar---Aladar had mentioned something about trying to save Tettles. Against his better judgment, Tettles gave up his blood to try and help Aladar---for they would need all the help they could get in the times to come. Only the future will tell what comes of Tettles and Aladar's "friendship" . . . So, the warriors and the one spirit set out to scout to the north east. To their amazement, only a few weird hoof prints a couple days old were all that was seen. After checking out the crevasses, the trio returned to gypsies town to let Stella and the rest of the gypsies know that they got Tettles and Spanner's help. The caravan planned to leave in an hour. So hope rises in the two warriors. Maybe there is nothing to that dream. They returned to the Ruby Throne to report to "someone in charge," and ask for the continued use of the two horses. Spanner decided that they should check on Big Al, and Aladar should check on "His Body." As the two started walking towards Big Al's, tired horses in tow, Aladar went inside to wreak a little havoc. As Spanner poked his head into Al's, he noticed only clean shaven patron's. None which were zombies, thankfully. Tettles followed Spanner to the bar to meet with Big Al. Who didn't seem comfortable with the presence of his friends being there. Staring at the window and reading the sign "Come in, we are 'open'" from inside the tavern, Spanner tensed as the oddly clean shaven patrons called Tettle's name and drew their swords. In just a short span of time, Spanner and Tettles had charged up the stairs, into a well known room, blocked the door and escaped through the window. An hour has passed and the caravan was heading out, consisting of Spanner, Tettles, Akron, Aladar (in spirit), Stella, 11 adults, 10 children, and one wagon. From gyp town to the edge of the city, luckily nothing serious happened. As Spanner tested out his new sword (bought before reporting at the Throne), the children and Stella were being obnoxious as usual. Taking the lead, Tettles and Aladar made sure that if there was anything out there, that the caravan would know to turn back. Not long into the trip, Tettles and Aladar found some hoof tracks. The same tracks that Tettles and Spanner had seen in their dreams. Sending Aladar back to report, he soon returned, the caravan plugged on. It was at that time that things started getting weird. Spanner had taken off to the right of the column, and Akron soon went off to the left. And Aladar was to the left of Tettles as well. Akron soon rode up behind Tettles to tell him and Aladar to come back for a meeting. In unison, the scouts returned from their prospective directions to meet up and discuss their findings. There seemed to be a host of Kanga-pi around them. With a front squad the convoy continued marching forward. Coming to the fateful hill from their dream, Tettles found nothing on the opposite side. Marching on, the group sent Aladar forward alone. Akron shot forward after Aladar in an almost charge. Tettles and Spanner came up shortly after to find the dead body of Akron next to a large hole, and the spirit of Aladar coming down the opposite hill. Loading Akron's corpse onto his horse, Spanner directed the wagon and gypsies around the hole. Meanwhile, Tettles and Aladar attempted to find out what was at the bottom of the hole. Not wanting to waste too much time, Tettles decided after the first try, to give up and catch up with the others. The ground near the hole seemed a little unstable. Riding up to the group, Tettles explained his fears and Spanner agreed. That is when the ground started to open up and swallowed one child, causing the convoy to charged forward. Realizing that there was a box that made a lot of noise in the back of the wagon, Spanner took it upon himself to leave that box behind and pulled it off the wagon. Stella didn't agree though. She attempted to place the box back onto the wagon, argument ensued, and then there was a hole beneath Stella. Spanner stopped in his tracks, and yelled for Stella at the bottom of the hole. Hearing the name of his friend, Tettles stopped and returned to the hole with Spanner starting to lower his rope. Quickly deciding that Stella was at the bottom of the hole and Tettles was lighter and better suited, Spanner anchored as Tettles descended into the hole for their friend. Reaching the bottom, Tettles found that Stella had died and tied her body to the end of the rope. As he tugged on the rope, it came down on him with a burned spot in the middle of it. Yelling for Spanner to send down another rope pronto, for there was something coming towards Tettles in the tunnel. Spanner quickly spliced another rope from Tettles backpack and started lowering it. At that moment something flew by Tettles head and up the hole. Forewarning Spanner, Tettles prepared himself to be at the bottom for a few moments. Not knowing what to expect, Spanner was then engulfed in flames. Rolling in the snow, Spanner put himself out and quickly took a defensive stance. As he stood he watched the second rope get pushed into the hole. Seconds later Spanner felt a tap on his shoulder, heard a jingly noise, and heard a voice in the wind that blamed him for her death. Taking a few swipes in the direction of the thing that tapped him on the shoulder, once with naked steel, the next with his obsidian encrusted scabbard, Spanner hit something---Stella's spirit in fact. Out of the blue, Aladar appeared telling Tettles that he could help---and proceeded to carry the second rope back up to the surface. Scrambling out of the hole, the trio rushed on after the wagon that had kept on going. Finally catching up to the Gypsies (who were camping), the three realized that all of the gypsies were in a deep sleep. Trying to wake a few, they came to realize that Stella, before her untimely death, had cast a spell on the gypsies to quicken their pace, and now they gypsies had now collapsed exhausted. Finally beginning to relax, Tettles, Spanner, and Aladar were met with the unwelcome sound of horses approaching---lots of them. Realizing that they had nowhere to go, the three took a stance between the sleeping gypsies and the oncoming horses. Fifty or so barbarian warriors crested the hill and stopped a short distance from the tired heros. The lead barbarian, a woman named Laria, came forth and explained that they were looking for Akron. Easing up, Spanner told them the story of Akron and showed them his body. Agreeing on camping terms, the three warriors started a fire and grouped the gypsies to keep them warm, as the barbarians set up their own camp. Worn out, the heros sat down to rest. Spanner's sword scabbard started making a jingly sound. Then burst into flames. Cussing, Spanner put the flaming scabbard out in the snow. Finding which stone was the beholder of the former Stella, Tettles and Spanner decided that they might want to bury that stone. Proceeding to the camp limits, Tettles and Spanner began to dig Stella-stone's grave, stopping and questioning if they were doing the right thing several times. When they had the hole about 3 foot deep the scabbard had burst into flames again. Once more Spanner doused the rest of the scabbard, and shoveled the remnants into the hole. Again questioning themselves, they turned to find the 50 barbarians approaching. With Akron's ghost in the lead. Circling the three, the barbarians drew their weapons as Akron pointed to Tettles and said, "he is the one!" As the barbarians charged, Tettles and Spanner awoke from their slumber. After waking in cold sweats, smoking, and confirming that they had indeed shared one hell of a weird dream, Tettles and Spanner were understandably reticent when Stella arrived to hire them (plus Akron) to scout out an escape route for the gypsies to leave the city. With much prodding and emphasis on money, Stella managed to convince them to scout out an east or northeast route. The group agreed to meet at One-Eyed Jack's to depart. In the interim Spanner hired a scribe at the library to find old sewer maps of Bohan (pre-Bubble) in the hopes that an escape could be found to bypass most (if not all) dangers. Akron borrowed the fastest horses the Throne owned, while Tettles agreed to sacrifice some of his blood to help resurrect Aladar. Aladar's ghost asked the Throne priests how good his chances of being resurrected were; they weren't terribly convincing. Everyone met at Jack's; before leaving Spanner purchased a new sword (that let him get brief maps of nearby lifeforms) and Akron bought his custom ordered daggers (made from the demon's horns). The scouting party had a slow start, since it took Stella quite some time to get the knack of a) mounting her horse facing forward, and b) convincing the horse to move in the right direction. Crossing the frozen wasteland was largely uneventful, excepting a minor scare of ice beginning to crack under the closely clumped party. Aladar used his ghostly powers to restabilize the ice and the group spread out, avoiding further problems. Reaching the fateful hill from the dream (near the star crossed crevasse), Tettles halted the group and asked Aladar (ghost) to invisibly scout out the other side. A little confused but willing to help, Aladar did so and found a vast army, bearing the symbol of the Eye, splayed across the land on the other side, reaching from horizon to horizon. Upon hearing this, the group returned to Bohan to find a different escape route. Near the city they came across the tracks of a half dozen horses, leading into Bohan. Fearing trouble, the group followed them. In the market the group asked some merchants if they had seen a group of riders. With prodding, one merchant informed them that they had gone to Hanks' for information (apparently after killing one of the merchant's relations). Spanner made a quick detour to the library, where he picked up copies of old sewer maps, before catching up with the group outside Hanks'. The bar was largely empty, although the trodden snow clearly indicated that horses had recently been hitched outside. The tracks continued on to the Wyld Wood to the north. Inside, Hank told the group that the cloaked men had asked where the magic academy was (under the pretense of looking for art or artifacts or some such) and had left when told. Spanner momentarily flipped and obsessively asked Hank if the strange men had "clean" hands. The group stopped Spanner from injuring Hank. Actively worried, the group rode hard to the Ruins to see if the intruders would find the sealed Academy and succeed in opening it. At the Ruins they snuck up on the 5 black cloaked intruders and their demon mounts, although Aladar did tip off the heros presence by accidentally spooking the horses. A fierce battle ensued amongst the rubble. The intruders were armed with strange natural bone outcorppings and long claw-like bone spurs. An opening salvo of arrows, careful tactics, and bad luck for the intruders led to them being prone or kneeling for much of the fight. One intruder did manage to momentarily paralyze Stella before Akron mounted a demon horse and directed to kick in the evildoer's skull. All fought with gusto; Spanner decapitated two, Aladar gave one a heart attack by seizing his heart, and Tettles barely killed his opponent before losing his own head. The group recamouflauged the sealed Academy and headed to Big Al's to analyze the maps. Akron opted to return the borrowed horses. Finding some promising routes on the previously unknown second floor of the sewers, the group rode their newly acquired demon horses to Gyptown. There, they informed the gypsies to repack to be able to move without wagons. After directing the gypsies to meet them outside the Ruby Throne, the group (minus Stella) went to the Throne to warn them about the secret passages into the citadel and to request passage into said tunnels. At the Throne, the heros ended up in a major debriefing session with Merrick, a fairly meticulous high ranking officer of the Throne. He, and his scribe, were bewildered by the shoddy debriefing regarding the old Academy, and the potential danger posed by the tunnels. ("And these maps were publicly available in the library? Make a note that we'll have to kill the library scribes...") Merrick agreed to let the gypsies pass into the tunnel system, provided everyone was blindfolded (offering some lame reason as to why this was for their own good). Early in the meeting Akron was pulled away by discussions about shooting down something and taking it as a trophy. Outside he found a half dozen guards aiming at a large golden eagle. Akron stopped them, and the eagle (previously belonging to his father, clan chieftain), promptly landed on his armored arm. Apparently, Akron was now chieftain, and the tribe was near. Akron sent the bird to scout enemy forces. Inside, Spanner and Tettles took a nap while Aladar decided to take advantage of his ghostiness while it lasted and explored the dungeon levels of the Throne to see what the real story was. Below he found several tortured bodies, one a red skinned elf with his tongue cut out. Invisible, Aladar levitated a writing quill and picked the cell lock, allowing the Sidhe to escape up the stairs. Outside Akron temporarily grabbed the prisoner, before Aladar convinced him to let the elf go. At about that time, Aladar's spirit was yoinked back into his body. When Tettles found out, he entered the ritual room and socked Aladar, knocking him out until the priests rehealed the recently raised Aladar. Throne guards led the (blind folded) group and the roughly 3 dozen gypsies to the lowest levels of the old citadel. There the escape party entered the old tunnels and headed northwest. Apart from a couple of collapsed dead ends and a brief encounter with a pair of insect men (handled by Akron quickly throwing one of the mysterious red pills and the bug men running in fear), the path was clear and uneventful. The tunnel finally ended in a white glowing wall. With a little trepidation, everyone passed through and found themselves standing on clouds far above Bohan. Akron's eagle deftly landed on his gloved hand, and began to talk. The Emperor of the Ruby Throne also flew up to chit chat with everyone. Once he left, Beakman (the eagle), gave the group the real story: the Emperor was a god, but so was Beakman and everyone who passed through that door. The Emperor was making a powerplay to seize control of the magical gates inside the Academy, to use their power to a) defeat the Army of the Eye, and b) subjugate the rest of the gods. At this very moment a pitched battle was raging between the delegation of the rest of the gods (led by Brum)---who wanted to destroy the portals---and the Emperor's forces. By concentrating the heros reprojected their bodies onto the mortal plane outside the Academy. In the Turnstile, the large beehive-like room with the magical portals, the group found Brum, Xander, and a handful of Crimson Guards fighting off twice as many Ruby Throne guards. The heros quickly evened the odds and took out the Throne guards. The Emperor then appeared decked out in crimson plate mail, wielding two great swords. He was slightly miffed at the group's interference and began drawing power from the portals, allowing him to throw eldritch bolts at the party and the Crimson Guards and to grow in size. At a key moment, however, Akron struck a mighty blow against the Emperor and bellowed a primal battle cry, temporarily paralyzing the Emperor. And then everyone pounded him good. In his last attempt to harm the party, the Emperor swung mightily through Stella---who magically was unharmed as the steel blades passed through her. Brum pinned the Emperor and Spanner delivered a death blow to his brain, via an eye. Under the instruction of the sole surviving Magi, Akron severed the god's head using the demon horn daggers when other weapons proved ineffectual. Prior to destroying the gates, Stella teleported to the market place and used her god voice to direct the people of Bohan to the Ruins, to escape. Eventually most of the citizenry escaped to another dimension just as the city was being overrun by the forces of the Eye. As rear guard, Tettles fired the obsidian arrow holding the banshee Lola before fleeing into the Academy. Lola, mighty pissed about her captivity and now being a god (after passing through the white door), wreaked all kind of havoc. Inside the Academy, the group learned that gods could not travel to another dimension. Trapped in this realm, they and Brum destroyed Beacon, which collapsed the myriad gates and the whole Academy. They next found themselves looking down again from the sky, wondering at the carnage caused by Lola. The day after their toppling of the Emperor, the heros were rewarded with godly banquet in their honor. Akron made quite the splash by insisting that his horse, fire breathing and all, have its own place at the banquet table. On the 7 of Brightleaf the heros led horse warriors of the Four Winds People in a brave and desperate battle against the Soul Devourer, an obsidian wyrm 1/4 mile in length. Although many warriors fell, Spanner and Tettles tactics combined with Stella's and Akron's battle wards ultimately carried the day. From that day on the Four Wind People worshipped Akron, second only to Werra. Soon after fighting ceased between the gods and the Army of the Eye because it was not yet time for the final battle. The Four Wind People quickly scattered, unable to confront the massive Eye Army alone. Three years of winter followed. Above in the realm of the gods, the divinities lived with decadent abandon. Spanner soon found himself wooed by many minor gods. Stella spent much of her time talking other gods out of killing Ion, who quickly developed into a rather good pickpocket (with minor magical powers to boot). It didn't help that all his friends were cheering him on. Shunned by the gypsy family he had known all his life, Aladar joined Akron and Tettles in their hunting expeditions to the wild and forgotten corners of the world. Akron's eagle, Beakman, was the one who made most of the kills, however. The three warriors spent most of their time arguing and ribbing each other (and hence scaring off the game). In late 981, after the third year of winter, the prophecy of Ragnarok was fulfilled. During a final, epic battle the gods took the field against the Army of the Eye. The gods fought bravely despite knowing that, ultimately, their end was nigh. Fighting as a unit, the heros of Bohan succeeded in slaying a squad of powerful cyclopean mages before being cut down. Victorious, the Eye destroyed the world and its gods; the land sank below the sea. The next day the snow stopped and a new idyllic world full of supplies rose above the sea. On the second day of the new world, a secret door buried deep beneath an uncharted mountain range creaked open. Huffing and puffing, Akron, Spanner, and Tettles stooped to catch their breath. Smiling out from a dirt-smeared face, Aladar boasted, "See, I told you I could pick the lock into the new world." Impatiently stepping past the others into the mountain tunnel, Stella said, "Come on, I want to see this place and get to world shaping." As the group moved out, Brum's deep voice echoed along the tunnel, "No kidding, I gotta invent beer so there's something worth drinking."