| Excerpt |
|---|
This bunch of heroes never cared much for Martin Shimlock. So, now he is a sniveling, bootlicking sycophant. And Brother Pelliton is reasonably scary. |
Setup
The party stands atop a small hillock about a mile from Highbridge. The outer wall of the city shows a huge scar where a hole had been blasted in it and then quickly repaired. On the far side of the High Bridge, Overtown has been completed destroyed and only rubble remains. The Farthing Yards are now filled with the huts and lean-tos of people from Overtown or farther east. This overflow of hastily constructed buildings extends outside of the Farthing Yards gates and a small village has grown up outside the gates. The largest building is the apothecary belonging to young wizard Pinna.
In the meantime, the flag over the city is no longer that of the Empire of Polonia, but is instead the red sun on a brown field of The Hate Incarnate.
First Off, Shopping!
The party meets the wizard Pinna as they shop for potions in her apothecary. Rhagal, apparently having eaten bad shellfish in the Feywild, is spewing from both ends and spends his time looking for an herbal remedy. While Corliss enlists Pinna in a joke to tell Rhagal that his condition may be permanent, the party buys her full supply of healing potions and gets two sleeping potions for free. Hurodash buys some herbs from the back room - apparently he feels the need to counterbalance his rages - while Ser Shadow tries his luck flirting with Pinna.
...
At the college, Valenna gets a recap of what happened in the Feywild and also explains what had happened in the city during the five years that the party were gone. She takes a copy of the A Guide to Etiquette for Ancient Ceremonies manuscript and haughtily informs the party that she will be informing them of her next set of plans for them.
Making Friends is Fun
The party returns to The Reluctant Pig and is enjoying a free meal - and in the case of Ser Shadow, enjoying the attention of the barmaid Stephanie. Then, the door is thrown open and Brother Pelliton strides in surrounding by a few of his cohorts and the sniveling, bootlicking sycophant that Martin Shimlock has become. At a gesture from Brother Pelliton, Martin strides forth and reads the following pronouncement:
...
Brother Pelliton quickly confronts the party and while Corliss makes a few choice comments before backing down, Pelliton still feels as if has cowed them into submission. A curious glance or three passes between Pelliton and Yornan, enough such that all notice it. Nonetheless, Yornan states that he knows Pelliton from before and offers no further explanation.
Things Go Boom
Close to midnight, a pink flash and an explosion light the night sky. The Reluctant Pig clears out as everyone rushes to find that Pinna’s apothecary is on fire and she is missing. Hurodash follows a set of booted tracks - perhaps numbering as many as fifteen - to the High Bridge. On the way, the corpses of city guardsman are found strewn about.
...