LSG Summaries

[Daos]

Chapter 01:  A Day in the Life

On the morning of Agate 29th, Frostday of the year 312 in the village of Buho, everyone wakes up around 7 AM.

Ladonna wakes up early, studying her spells in secret, then hiding her grimore away. She greets her father with a hug. He's a bit cool toward her, but is quite the opposite with Ladonna's younger sister, Felicia. The family sits down to breakfast and Felicia talks up the upcoming Sandon Festival and how three of her suitors (a merchant, an artisan and a knight) will be there to meet her for the first time. Ladonna tries to persuade her sister to marry the artisan as he isn't as wealthy as the merchant or prestigious as the knight. Her mother, Amanda, announces that Ladonna will need to start paying her own way. An argument between them breaks out. She heads to the Lonely Pony for breakfast instead. She speaks with Gerald on how boring life in Buho is. Rebekah and Rivi then step out of the back room and join them.

Rivi gets up, studies a bit and eats, then heads out into the woods to exercise and train. He then heads back to the village, stopping by the Lonely Pony Tavern. He approaches Rebekah, the owner, and asks for her advice on becoming an adventurer. She advises him to find a good, trustworthy group that will watch his back. The two then step back into the common room and find Ladonna and Gerald talking, so they join them. Rivi announces he is going adventuring soon. Ryan shows up and orders breakfast. Gerald starts talking about a peasant uprising in Summerhill and this leads to talk of the Equalists. The five begin debating the subject. The reeve interrupts to warn them not to speak freely of the Equalists, as the church has declared an inquisition against them and it could lead to trouble.

Ryan gets up, studies/prays and complains to his mother during breakfast about his father not being around. She tells him she hopes he'll be by for the Sandon Festival. Ryan heads out to the village square, promising his mother to pick up some ink for her. He spots Tavos locked up in the pillory. Tavos admits he was snooping around the watchtower and asks to be released. Ryan refuses, citing that the watch wouldn't want him to. But does offer a drink of water. However, first he taints the water with herbs to make a laxative. Then he goes to Silas' Weaving and Tailor Shop to buy some new clothes. After that, he returns to the pillory to find children throwing rotten food at Tavos. Ryan chases them off. He then heads to the Lonely Pony for a second breakfast.

Zurgrim wakes up later on that morning, having been plagued by old dreams. After getting ready for the day, he heads to the Buho Inn and orders breakfast.

Ladonna heads to the barracks, curious to see if anyone was sitting in the jail cells. She finds them empty, however. So instead, she heads for the village square. She spots Tavos in the pillory, covered in rotten fruit and bruised up. He tells her he was caught by the watch snooping around the tower, that he was just curious about it and wanted to see the bell inside up close. Ladonna suspected he wasn't being completely honest, but frees him nonetheless. He thanks her and goes home to lie down. Several people witness the act, though, which hurts her prestige a little. She spots Jas approaching carrying a bucket of mud. Jas, a 7 year old girl, is upset to see Tavos has been released, as she wanted to throw muck at him. Zurgrim shows up, and tries to convince the child that throwing mud at prisoners is cruel. Jas has difficulty understanding and goes home. Zurgrim then begins speaking to Ladonna about her day.

Rivi decides to head for the weaponsmithy. There he speaks with the weaponsmith, Caerlon Osgood. They discuss whether bastard swords can be made of something lighter than steel, but aside of a few fairy tales, Caerlon doesn't know of any. Instead, he recommends short swords, as they are lighter and smaller. That, or hire a porter to carry his heavier stuff. Thanking Caerlon, Rivi then heads for the baron's manor. However, he is stopped by the pulled up drawbridge that prevents his entry. So instead, he heads to the grocer's place.

Ryan pays for his meal and heads to the village square. There, he spots Damon Auger throwing rocks at Tavos and being cheered by the children Ryan chased off earlier. Using a divine command, Ryan orders Damon to 'flee' and he does so, unable to resist. Tavos thanks Ryan but warns him that Damon is a powerful enemy. Ryan is not concerned and heads to the forest to search for herbs. He finds some fiddlehead ferns and camomile flowers, so picks them and brings them home. He then heads to the temple to speak with his mother at work. She reminds him of the ink he promised to get, which he had forgotten about. He hurries out, but is stopped by the kohen who demands to see him. Brought into his office, Ryan notices Damon is present, too. Damon accuses Ryan of using his divine powers against him, which Ryan confesses is true.

Zurgrim hears Hazel and Shanson gossiping about rumors of upcoming war with...everyone, really. Hazel thinks the elves are up to something and Shanson suspects the Equalists are the key. Zurgrim states the Equalists have some good ideas, which immediately puts him at odds with Hazel and Shanson. Kara, the waitress, joins them and manages to change the subject to the Sandon Festival. However, when she mentions that Damon, her betrothed, wants to become a hero like his father, Zurgrim interjects. He claims that being a hero often takes something horrible happening, so it's better not to wish for it. He also states that any veterans of the war who brag about killing goblins are acting poorly. Shanson especially lays into Zurgrim for these attitudes, claiming goblins are monsters, not people. Zurgrim almost loses his temper and storms out, running into Paul Locke (watchman and Kara's sister). Annoyed by the lad's rudeness, he heads to the village square. He spots Jas and Ladonna talking by the pillory and learns the former is upset that Tavos was freed. He tries to convince the child that throwing mud at prisoners is cruel. Jas has difficulty understanding and goes home. Zurgrim then begins speaking to Ladonna about her day.

Ladonna listens to Zurgrim complain about the small-minded villagers, but keeps her own views closer to her chest. After bidding him farewell, she heads to the temple. She spots Damon talking to Ryan and tries to nose in. Ryan quickly leaves, and when she presses Damon on what they were discussing, he's very vague. He mentions that word on the street is that she released Tavos and warns her she should be careful about who she associates with. Forgetting herself, Ladonna swears in the temple, causing a mild disruption. She apologizes, prays for forgiveness, then departs. Once outside, she runs into Ryan who explains the situation between himself and Damon and asks for her help.

Rivi quietly looks over the grocer's wares.

After listening to both sides of the story, Rorak sends Damon on his way, assuring him the matter will be dealt with. Once he is gone, the kohen then tears into Ryan. He points out that Damon is the son of a councilwoman and will likely one day be on the council himself, and how standing against him, especially in favor of a half-elf bastard, is bad politics. He warns Ryan he should apologize because if this matter is taken to the council, they'll likely vote in favor of Damon. And Rorak would sooner throw Ryan under the bus than risk making enemies with someone so politically powerful. Ryan agrees to this, and seeks out Damon. Damon claims he'll let this one go, if Ryan apologizes publicly at the meeting tonight and claims that Damon was right and he was wrong. Ryan agrees to the first part, but not the second. But Damon will not bend on this. Ryan walks out to think.

After speaking with Ladonna, Zurgrim heads to the Goblin's Tooth Tavern, the non-human tavern of the village and also his workplace. He sees Grat working on the books and babysitting his two year old, Groo. The toddler whaps Zurgrim in the nose. He then talks to Bula about the boy's future, as well as the upcoming Sandon Festival. Coha Terek joins in the conversation, hoping to compose some new songs for the fair. She asks Zurgrim to tell a story from the Battle of Buho and he obliges, but also laments it was neither glorious or glamorous. He insists that many people died other than Sandon and they should be remembered, too. Zurgrim also offers to babysit Groo sometime, which both Grat and Bula find quite amusing. He speaks with Coha about her desire to be a musician, despite it being 'un-dwarven' and tells her how he faced the same thing when he fell in love with a woman outside of his clan.

Ladonna heads to the Buho Inn and greets the Fryes and Kara. She asks if she can speak to Kara privately, so agrees to help her make up one of the inn rooms. Ladonna tries to persuade Kara to convince Damon to drop the whole thing against Ryan. But Kara doesn't like Ryan and thinks he deserves it. Ladonna also learns that the reason Tavos was put in the pillory is he was caught trying to break into the watchtower and ring the bell as a grand gesture to impress Kara. She returns to Ryan at the temple and tells him it didn't go well. Then she heads to the woodworker's place and speaks with Jacob and his daughter, Myra. She buys a large chest from them, as a gift to her father. As she is leaving, though, Myra chases after her and asks her advice on how to stop an engagement she doesn't want.

After Ladonna agrees to talk to Kara, Ryan heads to the trading post to buy the ink his mother asked for. Then he takes it back to the temple and notices his fellow acolyte, Garnet, struggling with a stack of books. He helps her, but she immediately starts having a painful vision of the future--all she saw was a fire, a single eye, and a great beast of fur and teeth. Ryan worries if the vision was of Buho or elsewhere, but Garnet isn't sure. Ladonna approaches and tells him she didn't have much luck. He tells his mother about what happened and how he's thinking of skipping the meeting. This makes Judy very nervous, as anything that hurts Ryan's standing will affect her, as well. Ryan agrees to just apologize, and Judy seems relieved. He then decides to head home and check on dinner really quick.

Zurgrim speaks with Bula and Grat about making a special brew for the upcoming Sandon Festival. He has the idea to mix strawberries into a beer and call it Sunbrew. The two half-orcs agree it's a good idea. He has two months to make enough for the festival. The three all wind up hopeful that it will be a big hit and bring in some much needed coin. He also talks Bula into attending the meeting tonight, even though last time she wasn't warmly welcomed. He then heads to the grocer and speaks with Ethen, who is a bit drunk. He finds Ethen has the ingredients he needs, but Zurgrim is lacking the coin. He offers what money he has, and three gallons of his own ale as trade. Ethen, a severe alcoholic, agrees. Zurgrim takes the ingredients home, then returns with the ale in hand. He finds Anara and Finbul, the local druids, at the shop. While Ethen eagerly takes the ale to the backroom, the three discuss Ethen. Anara seems to think his behavior will get him kicked off the council soon. Finbul thinks Zurgrim should run in his place. There are no non-human council members, and Finbul delights in the chaos it would cause.

Myra explains to Ladonna that she is engaged to Ingot Tenhammer, an Earth genasi. She's afraid of being married to something not entirely human. She heard Ladonna somehow got out of her arranged marriage and wanted to know how. Ladonna claims she just acted stubborn and found fault with her suitors. Myra tried that, even threatened to run away, but her father always called her bluff. Ladonna suggests she either speak with Ingot and convince him to call off the marriage, or use magic. Myra points out Ingot has no more say in things than she does. Also, she is freaked out by Ladonna using the m-word. Ladonna claims she knows of a secret mage in the village, which only upsets Myra further. Ladonna tries to change the subject, asking if it would help if Ingot fell in love with another. Myra continues to point out that Ingot has no more say in the marriage than she does. She gets frustrated with going in circles with Ladonna and gives up. Nevertheless, Ladonna volunteers to speak with Ingot--who again--has no say in the marriage. She heads to the blacksmith just as Mattin and his wife are leaving for the council meeting. They are surprised she wants to speak with Ingot and point him to the forge where he is working. She asks him about Myra, but he seems decidedly neutral toward the whole thing. Not sure what else to do, Ladonna heads to the meeting.

Ryan adds some salt to the boiling pot, then heads to the village square. He spots Norm Butin, the miller and a council member. He explains his situation with Damon and asks for his support. Norm agrees, but points out a single vote won't help him any. He'll need at least four. Ryan asks who else he should speak to. Norm points out that the other council members don't care about altruism, but rather are more concerned with following the rules. The exception is Sennah, but there was no way she'd vote against her son. Despite this, Ryan decides to try her anyway. It goes about as well as expected. Sennah becomes angry that Ryan would ask her to vote against her own son. She threatens to unleash the full might of the council if he fails to apologize like he promised. Ryan leaves wordlessly and returns home to check on his stew. He eats some then heads for the inn for the meeting. He orders an ale from Damon's girlfriend, who isn't too happy with him.

Zurgrim is intrigued at the idea of trying to join the council, although he specifies he isn't trying to cause trouble. Ethen returns from the backroom, and the conversation quickly dies. Zurgrim reminds Ethen of the council meeting, and the drunk decides he should start getting ready and shoos out everyone from his shop. Zurgrim heads home to groom himself a bit before heading to the inn for the meeting. He arrives early and starts to mingle with Keliath Firebeard, the local armorer. The two discuss the incident involving Damon and Ryan. Zurgrim feels it's just 'boys being boys' but Keliath feels Damon's pride is on the line. When Bula enters, Keliath becomes annoyed that the half-orc would join a meeting. Zurgrim decides to go join her instead.

The meeting begins and Ryan starts things off by picking up the battered helm of Sandon (thus giving him permission to speak) and apologizing to Damon for using a spell on him. Damon takes the helm next and makes a point that he only ran away because of the spell. With nothing to vote on, the council moves on. Shanson raises an issue with Rakit, claiming he sold most of the oil in the village to a stranger and raised his prices on what was left. The oil is needed for the festival, so Shanson wants the council to order Rait to give it for free. At first the council seems to favor Shanson, but Rebekkah brings up the fact that doing so would create a precedent (anyone could complain if they felt prices were too high). This causes the council to become deadlocked. Mattin is the swing vote and asks the kohen for advice. The kohen clearly favors Rakit, so Mattin does, as well. The kohen goes next, demanding people start paying their tithes or their businesses will be cursed by Gonto. He is interrupted when a woman, Kerna Kurtz, bursts into the inn with her two children, claiming her farm was set aflame and her husband killed by goblins. Zurgrim leaps into action, calling for volunteers--but as Ladonna points out, the village has a militia for this very reason. This causes a bit of a panic and everyone starts yelling out of fear or anger. Bula slips away in the chaos. Sennah manages to call for order and summons the reeve. The reeve takes over after getting the full story, and has the militia prepare to defend the village. However, she asks for volunteers to head to the Kurtz farm in the morning and search for any clues as to whether this was a simple raid or an advanced attack. Naturally, Zurgrim, Ladonna and Ryan all accept. The three each decide to go and recruit someone. Zurgrim goes for Bula, Ladonna for Tavos, and Ryan for Damon.

Ladonna visits Tavos' place and explains to his mother, Porrima, what is happening. However, Tavos is still violently ill from earlier. He agrees to help, but unless he gets better, he won't be able to. Ladonna decides to seek out Ryan, to see if he can cure the half-elf.

Ryan heads to Damon's place and asks him to join. Damon accepts, deciding he should be leader of the group, in fact. Ryan agrees, then goes shopping for some supplies. After he's finished, Ladonna arrives and asks for his help in healing Tavos. He agrees, as he was the one who poisoned Tavos in the first place. They head over to see Tavos and Ryan concocts him an antidote to the laxative he fed the half-elf earlier. Then Ryan and Ladonna head to the inn.

Zurgrim goes to the Goblin's Tooth. He finds Grat and Bula arguing about something in Orcish. He asks Bula to help, and at first she refuses. She states that she must stay and defend her family, since sooner or later the townspeople will turn on them, believing that they had something to do with the goblin attack. Zurgrim points out that helping fight against the goblins might help endear her to the villagers more. Grat also makes an argument, but it's in Orcish so Zurgrim doesn't understand it. But it seems to convince her. Zurgrim asks Bula to come with him to the inn to make plans. While they wait for the others, they discuss Zurgrim's family of brewers and the idea of destiny. After a bit, Ladonna and Ryan show up. Ryan announces that he recruited Damon, which worries Ladonna. Ladonna also explains how she recruited Tavos, or so she hopes. They decide to meet up at the village square in the morning and each go home. Ryan's mother is worried about him, but he brushes off her concern. Ladonna's sister gives her a staff that their father left behind, while her mother was suspicious of Ladonna's motives and agenda.

[Daos]

Chapter 02: War and Peace

On the morning of Agate 30th, Darkday of the year 312 in the village of Buho, everyone wakes up and after a brief breakfast, meets up with the group in the village square at around 7 AM.

Damon is disappointed in the group, which is not the elite force he had hoped for. Zurgrim takes exception and demands an apology, threatening to leave Damon behind otherwise. This angers Damon. Damon becomes even angrier when Zurgrim goes on to insult him, calling him a coward who is desperate to live up to his dead father's name. Damon threatens to have the Goblin's Tooth closed down if Zurgrim does not apologize. Zurgrim tries to reason with Damon, although at that point he's already too angry. He then tries to compromise, but has nothing to barter with. Both Bula and Ladonna become annoyed with Zurgrim, as they realize it's easier to just go along with Damon than to try fighting him over everything. But Zurgrim is far too proud and quits the group instead.

The party heads out to the Kurtz farm without him. Once there, they find the house largely intact. A third of the food is gone, but nothing else is missing. Examining the burned down barn, they find the corpse of Otto. He had been run through, but someone had haphazardly tried to heal him, to no avail. Not sure what to make of this, Ryan asks Tavos to look for tracks. The half-elf finds goblin tracks leading into the woods. The party decides to follow them.

The trail leads them to a small camp on the edge of the woods. There are half a dozen goblins present, including children and elderly, all badly sun burned. A leader steps forward, calling himself Ubisek, the chieftain of the Woodfang tribe. He calls for parley and explains. A monster that they call 'hizra-krontos' (he didn't know the Tardish word for it) attacked their lair and they were forced to scatter. Ubisek led half a score here and ordered a quiet raid on the Kurtz farm so they could survive. Not wanting to risk another war, he ordered his men to only take a little food (not all), take nothing else, and harm nobody. However, Otto discovered them and attacked and they were forced to kill him in self-defense. The fire was caused because Otto dropped his lantern when he fell.

Damon is skeptical, but the others believe Ubisek's story. Ubisek explains that if the party slays the hizra-krontos, he will lead his people back home and bother the village no further. But if they fail or take too long (a week or more), they will be forced to raid another farm for food. Damon isn't sure he believes them, but the others convince him it's worth checking out for the sake of peace. As a show of good faith, Ubisek gifts them a bag of Mrantas berries, which he claims have healing abilities, but only for a day.

The party sets off, deeper into the woods. Ladonna and Ryan find the spooky forest unnerving. Damon points out that Ubisek is likely the son of Gressek, the Goblin King who united the tribes against Buho twenty years ago. The others don't seem as concerned.

After a few hours of traveling, Tavos nearly tumbles into a hidden pit trap. Only his quick reflexes save him from being impaled on sharpened sticks smeared with feces. Damon notes the trap is of goblin make, and remarks on how the goblins failed to mention it. Realizing they must be getting closer, the party continues on. While they walk, Tavos asks Bula if she knows her father, as he does not--since they were both bastards, he was curious. Bula says she did know him, but he's dead now and implies she's better off as a result.

Tavos wonders about his own father, as he never met him and his mother won't tell him. Bula thinks it means he was bad news and he's better off not knowing. Damon points out that he's a bastard, so it wouldn't matter anyway. Ladonna says knowing might be good for him, while Ryan reflects on his own parents and how he does know them. Later on, they run into a fire beetle. Ladonna secretly puts it to sleep, letting the others easily kill it. With that taken care of, the party decides to make camp. Bula cooks the beetle, but some of the party are put off by the idea of eating a giant bug. Ryan harvests the glow glands, wanting to study them for later.

That night, during the second watch, a pack of hungry wild dogs came across their camp. The women woke up the others, and Ladonna threw some left over beetle meat to occupy them. Damon then tossed a flaming fist at the dogs, injuring them. A fight broke out, but Ryan ended it when he used a Color Spray spell (although he got Tavos, too). Damon was bitten in the leg, but otherwise there were no injuries. However, Ryan initially refused to heal him, wanting to teach him a lesson. Ryan felt like the dogs would have left them alone after eating, and Damon antagonized them. Damon believed the dogs were going to attack as soon as they finished eating, and so took them by surprise.

The rest of the night passed without incident, and the following morning Bula offered cooked dog meat for breakfast. Again, some of the party was put off by the idea. After breaking camp, they moved on and came across a wide stream. Ryan filled up his waterskins and everyone drank some. Tavos looked around and found enough berries and roots for him and Damon to eat, as neither wanted dog.

After moving on, they come to a stream. They happily drank from it, but a group of goblins emerged from the brush on the other side. They were not Woodfang, but rather Bloody Spear goblins from the hills to the southwest. They did not speak Tardish, but rather spoke to themselves in Goblin. Damon attempted to tell them that they are here by permission from Ubisek, but this caused the goblins to suddenly start shooting! The party dove for cover as the arrows flew above.

While the others distracted the archers, Ladonna got off another secret Sleep spell. This allowed Damon to get the jump on them. One got away and Damon killed all of the sleeping ones save one. Ryan tied him up to question him. However, the goblin wasn't very cooperative. He outright lied or just bragged of the party's doom. So Ryan had Damon cut the goblin's neck. It panicked and agreed to talk, so Ryan healed it. However, the goblin didn't really have anything terribly useful to say. Ryan then released the goblin and tried to make friends with it, but after being tortured, the goblin just made a rude gesture and ran off.

The party moved on, and eventually reached the cave they had been searching for. Inside, they found a dead goblin that had been mauled. Using the light glands Ryan extracted from the beetles, they went in deeper and found evidence of where the goblins had been living before they had been driven out. Ryan also found a decent cache of coin and split it up between them all, leaving some copper coins behind.

As the party attempted to depart, they found the entrance guarded by a massive brown bear. Was this the beast that Ubisek told them about? A fight broke out and Bula nearly died, but they managed to put down the bear once and for all. After Ryan healed Bula, the party decided to stay in the cave for the entire day and night for rest, despite the deadline hanging over their heads.

The following day they set out. They find a stream to drink from, but Tavos is unable to find them any food. A short time later, they find a tree that has been torn up, presumably by the bear they just fought. Tavos also finds a deadfall trap just before they trigger it. Ryan believes that someone set it for them and is in hiding, so he deliberately triggers it hoping to draw them out. However, nobody arrives afterward.

The party moves on, and near nightfall they come to a clearing filled with goblin bodies. Closer examination reveals that they were fighting an ettercap, and its tracks lead east--away from the village. The party decided not to pursue and to leave the goblin bodies without last rites or a proper burial. Instead, they were more focused on finding a good spot to camp for the night.

Once they find one, Tavos manages to scrounge up some more berries and nuts. Ladonna asks him how he learned to do this, and he admitted it was trial and error. He (and Damon) insisted it was nothing special, but Ladonna argued it was a sign of intelligence. Damon wonders if Ladonna has a thing for Tavos, the way she keeps trying to defend and talk him up. Ladonna accuses Damon of being jealous, but he insists he has a better girl anyway.

That night, during Ladonna's watch, she thought she spotted movement and immediately woke everyone up. Damon went to the edge of the camp to look around, but while he was doing so (and everyone was focused on him), four giant centipedes crept up on them from behind. Ryan and Tavos were paralyzed immediately. Damon rejoins the women and helps them kill the bugs.

The following day, they set out again. They reach the goblin's makeshift camp without further incident. They tell Ubisek the bear is dead and give him its ear. However, they mention nothing about the Bloody Spear they encountered. Ubisek thanks them and returns what is left of the food they took. He notices they found the stash of coin in his cave, but tells the party to keep it as a sign of good will. The goblins then depart, as promised.

The party heads into town, where everyone is surprised to find them alive. They report straightaway to the reeve where they learn that a funeral was going to be held for them the very next day. The party explained about the bear and the goblins and how there wouldn't be another attack. To reward them, the reeve paid each of them 50 gold pieces, then sent them home to rest.

Ladonna returned home to find her mother and sister surprised she was alive. Felicia was pleased to see her, although Amanda was mostly annoyed by the inconvenience. The two got into an argument over whether goblins were good or evil.

Ryan went home and quickly cleaned up and ate something while his mother worried over him. He then headed to the temple and asked the kohen about how he should use his reward money. The kohen told him he was expected to tithe 10% to the church. He then headed to the inn where he gave 12 GP to her to help them out. In return, he asked that they forgive the goblins for killing Otto and allow him to stay at their farm if he ever needs to.

[Daos]

Chapter 03:  Sandon Festival

On the morning of Sardonx 27th, Rockday in the year 312 at 7 AM, the party wakes up to the beginning of the annual Sandon Festival.

Ladonna joins her family for breakfast. Jealous of her sister's three suitors, she agrees to meet with them but in secret intends to sabotage her chances with all of them. She and her father then head to the inn to listen to war stories and mingle. Spotting Damon and Sennah, Ladonna asks them about Caerlon's well known exaggerations. She asks Sennah about her own experiences in the war. The councilwoman tells her how she made Flamefists for the soldiers, but otherwise stayed in safety at the baron's manor. She learns that Damon seems determined to have a great legacy, like his father. Spotting the McIntyre family reunion, she heads over to speak with them.

Ryan is eager to see his father today, as Clay promised to try and attend the festival. He and his mother hurry to the inn. Shortly after they arrive, so does Clay. Both Ryan and his mother are quite happy to see him. Clay says he is only in town for the day, because the church wants him to investigate some plague reported in the east (supposedly the elves are responsible). Ryan is eager to come with him, but Clay insists he stay in Buho until he finishes his training. Ladonna and Justin approach to speak with them, too. Clay suggests that he set up a marriage between Ladonna and Ryan.

Flinnton left home early and went near the Goblin's Tooth, looking to pilfer some firewood to whittle. He spots Ingot doing chores, and the genasi approaches. They discuss the festival. Reluctantly, Flinnton agrees to help Ingot with his chores.

Justin wakes up from a drunken stupor and decides to head into town. He reasons he can sell a few of the carvings he has whittled and earn a little coin. On the way to town, he runs into Queenie Farbough, who had come to check up on him. He flirts with her rather ostentatiously as they walk to the square. He then sends her off to fetch him breakfast while he hawks his wares. Rolf, the stablehand, approaches and asks if he has any carvings of 'horseys.' Justin offers him one for the cost of 1 gold piece, which Rolf pays. When Queenie returns, he offers half the money to her. She is reluctant to take it, as they are neighbors and childhood friends. She also lets slip that before he left home, her father considered arranging them to be married. He asks her to watch his vendor stand while he goes to the inn to speak with Damon.

Theron apologizes to his aunt for his recent behavior, which deeply touches her and she quickly forgives him. He then heads to Silas' shop to make some purchases and ask for a clandestine meeting for later that night. Theron then heads for the copse of trees outside the Goblin's Tooth and uses cantrips to change the color of the clothes he just bought, then attempts to use some cheese he purchased to lure out a squirrel. He hopes to use the squirrel in one of his acts. He then heads back to the square, the squirrel on his shoulder, and tries to pickpocket Tavos (but fails). Tavos is startled and acts very tense. Theron offers to buy him a drink later, but Tavos insists he has to finish setting things up for Damon first. Theron then starts setting things up for his 'magic' act. Rolf approaches but is scared by Theron's talk of magic, thinking he is speaking of actual sorcery. After convincing him otherwise, Theron heads into the inn. There, he spots Coha who he approaches (as it turns out, he has a longtime crush on her).

Ladonna asks to speak with Ryan in private. She tells him she is not interested in being married to him, but Ryan dismisses her, claiming there is no real threat of that happening.

Theron asks Coha about the recent party of unlikely adventurers who dealt with the goblin problem. Always happy to dish, she tells him all about Ladonna, Ryan, Damon, Bula and Tavos. This prompts Theron to ask if she would ever go on an adventure herself, and wonder aloud what it might be like if he did the same. He then asks if Coha would join him at the festival to eat and possibly discuss the capital city, as she knew some about it as her father (a merchant) visited it often. She agreed. Before they leave, though, Theron approaches Ladonna and Ryan and interrupts their conversation to ask them about their adventure. Damon steps in, telling the tale of how they were ambushed by Bloody Spear goblins by the river, from his own perspective. Ryan insults him and Theron pokes holes in the story. Finbul then steps in, bringing up that humans are to blame for all of the world's problems, and he and Damon almost come to blows over it.

Ladonna, Ryan and Theron refuse to takes sides, and the two just storm off. To break the tension, Coha steps up to perform her song--the idea of which she got from Zurgrim. It's about the unsung fallen heroes of the war. After it's done, Ethen has a fit and Shanson asks the party to take him home. Only Ladonna and Ryan do so, though. Theron circles around back to Coha and tries to cheer her up after Ethen's reaction to her song. Meanwhile, after Ladonna and Ryan get Ethen home, he tells them about his brother, Davion. After the war, he and his men went out on patrol in the Wildwolfe Hills and never returned. Unable to find closure, Ethen is content to just drink his life away. Ladonna brings up a funeral, but Ethen won't have it. The two head to the festival and quickly split up.

Katya arrives at the inn, just a little late. Due to some of her horses giving birth, she missed the war stories and finds the inn emptying out. Approaching the kohen and Garnet, she asks if she can join them at the festival. Once the three are out there, though, the kohen is only interested in harassing people for tithes and making sure they have permits. He zeroes in on Justin's wood carving stand. Katya tries to intervene on Cooper's behalf. Cooper manages to soothe the kohen with a small bribe, though, which makes Katya uncomfortable. She buys one of Justin's carvings to give to her mother later. She then notices Garnet looks ill and asks if she is having a vision.

Theron and Coha head out to the festival. They decide to split up. Coha will find a spot to sit, while Theron acquires the food. After a small diversion, Theron heads home to grab some bread before returning to the square to look for fruit. But first he pulls aside Ladonna for a quick, private conversation. Afterward, he gets the fruit and finds Coha.

Ladonna finds her sister and mother, as well as the three potential suitors for her sister. She meets the wealthy merchant Stenn, the salt of the earth craftsman Jomar, and the new knight Relken. After being introduced, she suggests that they split up and get to know each other better while enjoying the festival. She goes with Stenn, while Felicia goes with Relken and Amanda goes with Jomar.

Ryan spots Kerna and her two kids, Roland and Jas, speaking with Norm Butin. Speaking to them, he learns that Kerna is doing quite well, as is her farm, in large thanks to Ryan's donation a couple of months back.

Jherek is working at the butcher's stand with his father for the festival. After doing some brief business with Janna Farbough, Liala Lavellan approaches, wanting to know what's good to eat. He makes some double entendre about meat, and his father slaps him on the head for it. Embarrassed, Liala places an order. Jherek insists she has it for free, in apology. Then he goes back to working on a project for the reeve--a large boar dressed up to look like a worg. He is interrupted when Damon shows up. He tries to trick Damon into eating boar's testicles.

Lillian is standing off on her own, listening in on other conversations but avoiding direct contact with people. Gerald Chanteur approaches her as a fellow minstrel and asks if she is going to do any performances today for the festival. Lillian blows him off, though, much to his annoyance. He claims she should not bother, because he is such a superior musician, she would just look foolish to even try. Lillian claims she doesn't care and walks off.

Ladonna asks Stenn about himself and learns he was born a simple merchant in Deteris but quickly expanded his parents' business and intends to expand even further. He only wishes to marry so he can have an heir to continue the family business. Ladonna asks if he and Felicia (if married) would travel together, but he insists they would not. He only wants Felicia because she seems pliable and pretty. However, Ladonna suggests that Felicia is only a pawn to Amanda, who wants to seize Stenn's fortune. Stenn buys it, and becomes angry. Ladonna then meets up with her mother and sister again and switches partners, this time walking away with Jomar. Ladonna learns Jomar is a carpenter from Hart. His last wife died while pregnant with twins. So now the church is encouraging Jomar to remarry.

Theron spots Garnet having a vision, then returns to Coha. He tells her about the vision and wonders if Garnet actually sees the future or not. Coha relates to him Garnet's last vision about fire and how the Kurtz farm burned down. Theron questions why nobody prevented the fire from happening then. Coha explains that the future cannot be changed, that Gonto has a plan that must be followed, but sometimes the other gods interfere. Hence the visions. They aren't designed to warn, but to alter behavior in subtle ways. They also discuss Finbul, and how he often causes trouble. Theron excuses himself to get some water, and while he does so, he runs into Finbul. He suggests Finbul not yell at people to get his point across. Finbul, a bit drunk, accuses Theron of fraternizing with the enemy, as the dwarves enslaved the gnomes long ago. Theron insists that Coha is 'no more a dwarf than he is a goblin' and storms off. He returns to Coha and she tells him all about Deteris. They also discuss the gossip surrounding the royal family. Then they part ways, as Coha has to prepare for a performance later.

Katya watches as Garnet has a vision, claiming she sees a face hidden by a cowl, the dead walking, and somewhere very deep, like a mineshaft. Katya found this unnerving, especially the talk of the dead walking. She returns to her horse, Oliver, at the stables and deposits the carving she bought in his saddle bag while also retrieving her sword. She then heads to see Jherek, but finds him talking with Damon and Kara.

Damon doesn't fall for Jherek's offer, but before he can start anything, Kara shows up. Damon tries to convince her to buy some special Calabrian lamb. Damon wonders how Jherek procured it, but Kara points out a Calabrian caravan (led by Don Metizio) passed through the village awhile back. Damon tries to dismiss this, claiming the Calabrians are all thieves and pirates. Nevertheless, Jherek offers the lamb for 8 whopping gold pieces, which Damon finds outrageous. Kara tries flirting with Jherek to get a better price. Jherek agrees to only 3 gold, but Kara has to kiss his father on the head. But Katya gets angry and gives her a withering stare. Kara decides she isn't hungry and she drags a bewildered Damon away. Katya apologizes for losing Jherek a sale, but he doesn't mind. He leaves his vendor stand to his dad and joins Katya to get some strawberry ale. Katya commends Jherek for standing up for the Calabrian merchant. She tells him she is worried about Garnet's vision, but Jherek dismisses it out of hand. The two buy some strawberry ale from Bula. Jherek buys several in advance and Katya suggests they find help in drinking it all. So Jherek goes to speak with Theron. After discussing some business, he brings him over and introduces him to Katya.

Ryan, who had witnessed the scene with Damon and Jherek, congratulates the butcher. Jherek asks if his father is in town, and Ryan confirms that. Then he goes to get some strawberry ales for him and his parents.

Lillian spots Garnet having a vision. She hurries over and asks what Garnet saw. The kohen escorts Garnet to the temple to record her visions. Lillian moves on, and spots Ingot and Myra. Myra is clearly unhappy being in Ingot's company and quickly excuses herself. Lillian approaches Ingot and asks him about it. Ingot expresses confusion in pleasing Myra. He knows she does not wish to marry him, but he doesn't want her to be unhappy. Lillian suggests he find out what she enjoys, and do those things with her. Ingot inquires about how Lillian never married, and she explains her parents abandoned her and she was raised by someone who mistreated her before she ran away. Ingot points out that while her past was difficult, it did create a situation where she has freedom today. Lillian seems to appreciate that and the two part ways. She spots Tavos and Porrima and goes to speak with them.

Ladonna picks at Jomar's wounds over his dead wife, causing him to feel guilty. Jomar runs off to drink away his despair, and Ladonna goes to meet up with Relken, the last of the three. She learns Relken is a knight from Hart who serves the Count of Solanshire. However, unlike the previous two, Ladonna has difficulty finding a weakness to exploit. Eventually she is forced to rely on her magic and charms the knight.

While Jherek goes to get more ales, Theron asks Katya about how she met Jherek. When Jherek returns, he and Theron tell Katya the story of how they first met. Afterward, Theron leaves to take care of some business.

Lillian claims to be from the elven homeland of Ruara, which causes Tavos to become very curious about it. However, Lillian says she left it when she was very young and doesn't remember any of it, much to Tavos' chagrin. Porrima then goes to flirt with some milita boys, and Tavos hurries after her to keep her out of trouble.

Derica declares the annual bout is taking place, a battle royale fought with wooden swords and shields where anyone who is 'hit' is immediately out. The winner is the last one standing, and they receive a masterwork longsword worth a few hundred gold pieces. Aside from the reeve herself, Damon, Finbul, Ingot, Lenk, Marcus, Mattin, Paul, Bula, Stephen, Alistair, Jonas, Rolf, Jherek, Katya and Lillian all join. In the first round, Lillian attacks Jherek but misses. Katya retaliates, tagging Lillian out, but Rolf manages to tag Jherek out. Damon goes for Finbul, but somehow is tagged out by the halfling, to his chagrin. Alistair, Jonas, Lenk, Ingot, and Paul are all tagged out, as well. Jherek goes to speak with Alistair and Jonas and tries to start something. In the second round, Mattin, Rolf and Finbul are all tagged out. In the third round, Marcus and Bula are tagged out. In the fourth round, Stephen gets tagged out. This leaves only Walls and Katya.

Ladonna tries to convince Relken that Felicia is in love with someone else and doesn't wish to get married, but the knight is not swayed by this--marriage is not about love in Tardiff, it's a strictly political arrangement. So Ladonna changes tact and claims that Amanda and Jonas were always going to choose Stenn, and that allowing Relken and Jomar even try was just a ruse of some kind. Relken decides to challenge Stenn in an honor duel, but Ladonna convinces him not to, promising to speak on his behalf instead.

Theron goes to speak with Flinnton, then tries to visit a shop in town but finds it locked up for the festival. So instead, he returns to the festival and speaks with Finbul. Although he insists that he was completely in the right during their last altercation, he does apologize for his tone and asks Finbul for his help. Finbul turns him down, and Theron responds by insulting him and running off a second time.

Katya and Walls exchange some blows, but Katya's youth beats Walls' experience this time. Katya is declared the winner of the bout. Derica asks who Katya is, but when she answers that she is the daughter of Mereida, the reeve's attitude suddenly goes cold. Unsure of why, Katya goes to speak with Finbul. She tells him it was a good fight, but he insists it was rigged. Undeterred, she praises him for taking out Damon. She then goes to speak with Felicia, and meet her two suitors (as Jomar is not 'feeling well'). Relken congratulates Katya on winning the bout.

Jherek returns to his booth and relays to his father what happened during the bout, while finishing up his project. He then realizes he forgot to use his apron and is covered in meat and blood. While his father takes the pig to the banquet, he seeks out Ryan to use magic to clean him up.

Lillian speaks with Finbul and Bula as they are leaving the bout. Finbul insists the bout is rigged so only humans can win. Bula points out that Damon will seek out revenge against Finbul later. When Lillian sees Coha and Gerald preparing to perform for the dance, she approaches, even though she earlier told Gerald she wasn't interested in doing so. This surprises Coha, as Lillian never joined them in rehearsal.

Everyone starts heading for the dancing area. Ryan drags Ladonna off to dance. He tries to clean up Jherek, but is a bit drunk at this point and fails. Jherek turns his jacket inside out instead and offers to dance with Katya. Lillian tries to keep up with Coha and Gerald, but fails. So instead, she tries singing.

The dance begins, and people twirl around and switch partners often. Among one circle are Ladonna, Ryan, Katya, Jherek, Felicia, Relken, Damon and Kara. Most of them have fun, but Ryan--still a bit tipsy--makes several of the women uncomfortable by acting inappropriately toward them. Jherek becomes angry when he sees how Ryan is acting toward Katya, but she manages to hold him back. When the dance is over, the banquet begins. Everyone starts gathering some food.

Ladonna sat down with her family and Relken, eating and talking about the festival. Ladonna asks Relken to excuse himself so they can talk, and he does so, returning to the inn. Amanda mentions that Jomar got drunk and Stenn is demanding a contract before marriage to make sure he keeps all of his gold. Jonas also brings up the idea of Ladonna being married to Ryan. Ladonna insists Ryan wasn't serious, but Jonas points out that Clay was quite serious. And it's not like Ladonna has any other suitors lined up.

Theron finally shows up at the banquet and gets some food. He spots Tavos sitting with his mother, Porrima. He is ignoring her, instead looking wistfully at the table Damon and Kara are sitting at. Theron approaches, bringing up again the idea of buying Tavos a drink. He also overhears Porrima going on about Helen Escott, the baron's daughter, as Porrima is her handmaid. Porrima, a bit tipsy, is pleased to see Tavos has made a 'little' friend and seems to find him amusing. Tavos, however, seems rather nervous and guarded around Theron.

Katya and Jherek get some food, and Katya seeks out Finbul, taking Jherek with her. They find him by the Sandon statue looking glum. Finbul claimed that he had a problem with Theron, who he called an Uncle Tom. He also said Theron tried to trick him into some kind of scheme of his, possibly one meant to interrupt the graveyard ceremony that night. He also said he overheard Clay asking Shanson about Jherek about some Calabrians. Jherek dismissed this all, claiming Theron was actually something of a hero for equal rights. Finbul asks for some examples of this, and Jherek jokes that they help keep the watch distracted so other people can get away with stuff. Finbul is not amused, and says breaking the chains of oppression is more important than dumb pranks and jokes. Finbul tries to leave, but Katya calls after him in the halfling language, saying she agrees with him. The two have a brief conversation in halfling.

Lillian is approached by Liala as she is getting food. Liala asks her about the song she sang and where she learned it. Lillian tells her she had a mentor--a blind minstrel, from another town called Woodland Hollow. She also claims to have traveled quite a bit for five years before settling in Buho.

Everyone is interrupted when the watchtower bell begins ringing. A watchman calls out that goblins have been seen by the east gate. Derica, Damon and several others hurry in that direction. All of the PCs go, as well.

They learn that the goblins are in fact Woodfang tribe members, only a dozen or so, and are carrying a white flag. Ubisek is at the lead. Derica opens the gate and they enter. Ubisek explains that he has come with a warning. The Bloody Spear tribe wants revenge for Ryan's torture of one of them, and is mobilizing an army of 60 (or more) to march on Buho. The Woodfangs are still weak from the bear attack, and so can't offer any help. But Ubisek suggests sending a small team in to infiltrate the Bloody Spears' base in the Wildwolfe Hills. If they can neutralize the Bloody Spear chieftain, a sorcerer known as the Hooded One, the tribe would likely fracture and fall apart. Ubisek and his entourage then leave, back into the forest. Derica calls for any volunteers for this dangerous mission to meet her in the morning at the barracks. The village goes into high alert and starts preparing for a possible attack.

Katya immediately rides out to go collect her mother and Jherek's mother from their respective ranches outside the village. Meanwhile, Ladonna slaps Ryan, accusing him of being responsible for this whole mess. Damon and Theron agree. Ryan counters this would have happened anyway, and grabs and forcefully kisses Ladonna. Jonas shows up and breaks things up, sending everyone home. Gilly collects Theron and Jherek and his father head to the inn. Everyone else goes home.

After midnight, Katya returns. Jherek helps her take the horses to the stables. She reads his soul and asks him if there is anything he should confess to her. He admits he murdered three men in cold blood. She promises to tell nobody of this, and asks that he either gives up his life of crime...or she will do far worse than him.

[Daos]

Chapter 04: Consequences

On the morning of Sardonx 28th, Seaday in the year 312 at 7 AM, the party wakes up and heads to the barracks to see the reeve; the entire village is busy and tense. The volunteers consist of Ladonna and Ryan again, but with several newcomers--Theron, Katya, Jherek, Lillian, Ingot, Finbul and Garnet. Garnet explains that her vision showed that she had to go, although it is clear she is terrified by the prospect. Ingot speculates that Gonto herself must be blessing this mission then. The reeve steps out of her office with Damon. Damon looks embarrassed, and then leaves. The reeve invites the party in and shows them a map of the hills and gives them an update on everything.

The party spends an hour discussing how to proceed, then spend an additional hour getting prepared. Clay, Ryan's father, gifts them with three Potions of Healing, a vial of holy water and a stone blessed with Continual Light to help them on their journey. When they finally meet up at the north gate, Ryan is the last to arrive with three mules. Despite being told equines would not survive the journey, Ryan decided it would be worth the extra time they would save. After some argument over this, the others give up and agree to take them, and they set out.

The first day is largely uneventful. When night falls, they are nearing the river's fork, and the mule carrying Finbul and Garnet is exhausted. They decide to make camp near the river, nestled in the hills. Jherek makes a stew from all of the ingredients he brought with him, which everyone enjoys. They set a watch and then try and get some rest. Ryan and Theron take first watch, and speak briefly about marriage. Ladonna and Lillian take the second watch, and the latter asks the former for advice about the swamp. Ladonna confesses she's never been in a swamp before. The third watch is taken by Katya and Garnet. The former asks Garnet about herself and tries to reassure her she'll make it home alive. Garnet admits she has no choice in the matter, she does what Gonto wants and that's that. The final watch consists of Jherek, Ingot and Finbul. Ingot notes that Jherek's armor is Calabrian and the half-elf quickly changes the subject, asking the two why they came. Ingot feels it is Gonto's will and Finbul just wants to see the hills. Jherek also tries to give Ingot advice regarding Myra and on life in general, but the genasi finds Jherek's philosophy a bit blasphemous.

The next morning the party has breakfast and again discusses their next move. Katya calls for another vote, and wins again with the majority of the party agreeing to the swamp. Once they arrive, they send the mules on their way and begin crossing it, although none are particularly happy about it. By the time it is nightfall, they come across a small hill of dry land that can serve as a campground. When they emerge from the water, though, Theron, Ryan and Garnet find giant leeches on them, sucking out their blood. At the same time, six corpses emerge from the water and attack.

A fight breaks out as those with leeches try to remove them and everyone else deals with the zombies. Although Finbul traps a couple in an Entangle spell, after they are all that remain, Jherek insists he drops the spell so he can face them alone. He is nearly overwhelmed, until Katya moves in to help him.

Once the battle is over, the party wonders how the zombies were created. Ladonna recognized them as watchmen from Buho who went missing twenty years ago, after the war, and that the leader was Councilman Ethen's brother, Davion. The party decides to 'bury' the bodies on the island, by having Finbul cover them up with thorny vines so nothing could get at them.

The party sets a watch, with Katya and Jherek taking the first one. Katya reveals her divine powers to Jherek by healing Theron in his sleep, then confesses she is a 'chosen' of Crizza, god of luck and freedom. She also asked him for more details of the men he murdered.

The next morning, the party woke up after a miserable night in the cold, with wet clothes and no fire or cooked food. After a quick and cold breakfast, they set out and it starts to rain. After a few hours, they finally see the goblin settlement--a small village with a large mineshaft entrance near it. Garnet recognizes it as the same shaft from her vision and deduces the Hooded One is inside. However, Katya wants to explore the village. Theron and Jherek decide to sneak in to investigate it alone. While they are gone, Lillian comments on how scary Jherek is and Finbul notes that he is dangerous to those around him, especially Katya. Meanwhile, in the village, Jherek is spotted by a goblin woman with a baby. Theron kills her before she can cry out and Jherek decides to bring the baby with him. When they return to the party, Jherek spins a lie about finding the baby, but Theron confesses what really happened.

The party discusses what to do with the baby. Jherek insists they need to take it with them, into the mineshaft, then return home with it. The others point out the many ways this is a bad idea. Jherek becomes agitated, and threatens to murder the others. He starts blaspheming against Gonto openly. It seems things are going to come to violence, but Katya stands in and manages to calm Jherek down.

The party decides to take the baby with them, but to leave it with the first group of goblins that they knock out. They approach the hill and Theron climbs up and sneaks to the entrance, hearing goblins' voices within. But the baby starts to cry, alerting the goblins. Theron books it down the catwalk while Jherek runs up to defend him. But nothing comes out of the cave.

The party reunites, re-discusses their options, and eventually decides that the goblins are probably preparing for them in the cave, where they have the advantage and decide to head inside. Lillian agrees to hold the baby. They decide on marching order after entering, and Theron pulls out the stone blessed with Continual Light to illuminate the area and give goblins a disadvantage.

The first thing they find is an empty guard room. There is evidence the goblins have been gambling. Jherek snatches up their dice, while Theron grabs the winnings that were left behind. They press onward, but a pit trap drops open and Ingot, Jherek, Ladonna and Ryan all fall in and become injured. At the same time, four goblin guards come out of hiding, ready to ambush them.

A fight breaks out, with Katya moving forward to keep the goblins from throwing spears down into the pit. When one tries to ignore her and do so anyway, she slays him and he falls into the pit, as well. This upsets the remaining three goblins, who turn on Katya to get revenge. Ryan manages to climb out of the pit on his own, and throws down a rope for Ladonna. Jherek helps Ingot climb out, then climbs out himself. However, Katya falls to a lucky hit just as he does so. Jherek flies into a rage, but it seems to ruin his accuracy. Luckily, Ladonna manages to discreetly take two out with a sleep spell and Ingot knocks out the last one.

With the battle over, Garnet revives Katya and Jherek makes a scene as he kisses her all over. Theron discovers a giant lift up ahead to allow them to descend deeper into the cavern, but it's not big enough for the whole group to go at once. They decide on who will go first, then descend below.

[Daos]

Chapter 05:  Choices

The party is currently split up in two groups. Katya, Ladonna, Ryan and Finbul are still on the first floor of the Bloody Spear mines, while everyone else has descended on the lift to the second floor.

Up on the first floor, Katya and Ladonna pass the time by discussing the latter's father and his time in the war. Ryan heals up himself and Ladonna. After awhile, they hear the goblins moaning to the south, waking up. Katya urges them to wait and see what the goblins do. It sounds like they are arguing, but they don't make any attacks.

On the second floor, Theron and Jherek start scouting out the area. Ingot begins pulling the lift back up to retrieve the others. Katya urges everyone to board, so Ingot can take them back down. Once the two groups are reunited, they move deeper into the tunnel, coming to the first branch in the tunnel. The party waffles a bit on whether they should explore that branch, or another branch or turn back and ride the lift further down. Eventually they settle on the first option.

Upon reaching the end of the first branch, they find a dead-end covered in yellow mold. Jherek and Theron are curious and move closer to investigate. Theron pokes it with his dagger, causing a cloud of spores to spew out at them. While Theron manages to get away in time, Jherek inhales some and starts coughing severely. Even once he's away from the cloud, he looks a bit sickly as a result. Jherek wants to kill the mold in vengeance, but the others talk him out of it--mostly because they have no idea how to kill it without releasing more spore clouds into the air.

The party decides to move on, and Katya suggests they keep to the left wall to make sure they don't get lost. They come to another fork, and Theron decides to scout ahead. However, he runs into a swarm of giant rats and hurries back to the others, a dozen of them on his tail. Ingot and Katya bottleneck the rats to keep them from swarming the others.

Theron unleashes an Audible Glamer, making it sound like Jherek was screaming in attack. Ingot believes Jherek has turned on them, and turns to defend himself. The noise scares off most of the rats, but the few that remain are killed by Katya and Jherek while Lillian plays inspirational music. Theron runs off on his own down the south corridor, but then realizes he is by himself and returns. He explains he had made the sound of Jherek screaming at the volume of several adult men through voice mimicry, an explanation that Finbul doesn't buy. The two start to argue, but Katya steps in.

The party returns to the lift and again send down those with infravision (plus Ingot to operate the lift) down first. They find it safe, so send it back up for the others. Once reunited, they follow the only tunnel which opens into a massive chamber full of stalactites and stalagmites. As they walk across it, a group of piercers drop down on them. Wounded, the party bashes and slashes the pierces to pieces before moving on. Theron sneaks ahead and finds some kind of makeshift prison cell set up using the missing minecart railing. He reports back and the group goes to investigate.

They find a single goblin inside, and she is beaten up and bruised. She also speaks Tardish. She claims her name is Nak’skree and she is Ubisek's top scout, but she was captured. Although tortured, she has refused to tell the Bloody Spear anything.

Katya and Ladonna are nervous she is a spy, but decide to free her anyway. Theron quickly stops them, then tells Nak’skree they cannot trust her, as the Bloody Spear are untrustworthy, and demands she give them information before agreeing to release her. Nak’skree calls him out on his generalization of all goblins, and insists she will say nothing until she has been given food and water and then freed.

Katya and Ryan move the boulder blocking her, and she crawls out. Katya gives her food and Garnet gives her water. Then Nak’skree reveals that when she was first brought here, she was blind-folded. But they took her up a ladder on the first floor before taking her down the lift. Realizing they must have missed a secret door, the party heads back to the lift.

Katya drinks one of Ryan's healing potions and Jherek lends one of his hand axes to Nak'skree. However, the goblin points out she is badly wounded (1 HP) and is unskilled with a hand axe, so not to expect her to fight for them.

Once everyone is back on the first floor, they start searching for the secret door (all of the goblins and the baby are gone, save for the one Katya killed). Eventually Katya finds the door, ten feet up above ground, past the pit trap. Lifting Theron up on her shoulders, the two manage to open it. Theron finds a ladder inside that he lowers so the others can climb up.

They then carefully proceed forward, with Theron in the lead to check for traps. However, the bright stone Ryan is carrying long ago gave away they were coming, and someone in the next room calls for them to hurry up. All elements of surprise lost, the party comes across a large square room with two goblins in leather, four in scale, one in a hood and cloak, and an ogre.

The Hooded One recognizes Ryan from his description, and notes that the party is basically an invasion force with a known torturer, that they killed one of his men and a defenseless mother, and their presence is an act of war. But if they surrender now, he promises not to destroy Buho in retaliation. He also introduces the ogre, Thul, claiming he has made an alliance with the ogres to join his army.

Unfortunately, the party all decides to negotiate at the same time and in completely different ways. Katya tries to use sincere diplomacy, Ladonna attempts to intimidate him, Theron tries to deceive him by pretending they are actually on his side, and then Ryan just walks up to the front line and throws a Color Spray spell, starting a battle. Two of the scale mail goblins go down, but Ryan is immediately stabbed afterward and the ogre gets a critical on Jherek, taking him down in one hit.

Katya rushes in to avenge Jherek, and Ryan blinds the ogre with a spell of light. But then he gets cut down by a goblin. Katya then takes down Thul, so the Hooded One retaliates with a Color Spray of his own, which knocks out Theron and Ingot. This leads Finbul, Ladonna and Lillian to join the melee to make up for those downed.

Katya engages the Hooded One, but finds that he is hard to hit despite wearing no armor, due to some kind of magic. He stalls her until Ryan's Color Spray ends, and two of his goblins wake up. He then takes that opportunity to flee into the next room. Eventually the party defeats the last two goblins, and Jherek and Ryan are revived. Theron and Ingot likewise wake up.

The party discusses what they should do with the Hooded One. Ladonna and Katya wish to take him alive and bring him back to Buho. Ryan and Theron want to kill him. Finbul points out that the council will just execute Brakk-Ni anyway. Nak'skree then offers another option: Take him alive, but turn him over to Ubisek. This will give Ubisek leverage over the Bloody Spear, ending the possibility of war. Although Theron and Ryan still believe they should kill Brakk-Ni, the others all take to this idea, including Lillian who had remained quiet up until that point.

Katya smacks him with her sword, and he surrenders immediately. She ties his hands together and Ryan starts demanding to know the location of his spellbook, threatening him with torture (Katya forbids it) and setting fire to the place. The party searches the room. Theron uses Brakk-Ni's key to open his chest, revealing a lot of coins and gems that he and Jherek scoop up. Ladonna finds the spellbook but pockets it before anyone notices. Theron, likewise, finds a scroll and takes it.

Katya asks Nak'skree about what Ubisek will do with Brakk-Ni, and the scout admits she isn't sure. She explains after the war, Ubisek was captured in an adventurer raid and sold into slavery, where he toiled for 20 years. During this time, he learned how to speak and read Tardish, and how to use diplomacy and managed to stage a slave uprising, escaping. Because of this, Ubisek thinks and acts very differently from most goblins, who prefer to rely on brute force or might.

Garnet, taking Ryan's threat of arson seriously, tries to save the books in Brakk-Ni's bookshelf. After some more searching around, the party agrees to leave. When they return to the cave entrance, there are goblins waiting there. Brakk-Ni does as Katya bids him, and tells them to stand down. Although Theron threatens them, which nearly goads them into attacking anyway.

The party escorts Brakk-Ni to the north and they travel until nightfall. By this point, they are exhausted. After setting a watch, they get some rest. The next morning during a cold breakfast, Katya tells Nak'skree they arrived through the swamp and suggests they use it again to get back. Theron objects, though. He, Ryan and Garnet have grown even more ill and the rain isn't helping. Katya reconsiders and the party agrees to go around the swamp, even though it will take several days longer.

Ryan heals himself and Nak'skree, and the scout remarks on how the Woodfangs no longer have any clerics because Ubisek has rejected Renos. The party sets off, and Katya subtly heals Theron of his illness.

Shortly after that, they are suddenly attacked by a dreadspider--a giant type of trapdoor spider. Jherek is immediately bitten, but fortunately the venom is not lethal, just very slowing. The party manages to slay the spider without too much difficulty. Katya calls for the party to stop for the day, although it's only a little past noon. They find a hill to camp on and just sit in the rain for several hours. Realizing that things aren't improving, they move on and eventually make camp for the night.

The next morning, Theron is suddenly feeling better. The rain continues, though. They trek another day before making camp again. That night, Garnet has a vision of Ladonna meeting with the baron. Theron also sneaks over to Brakk-Ni as he sleeps and steals his ring.

The next morning, Brakk-Ni immediately notices his ring is missing, but everyone just assumes he dropped it, and refuses to go looking for it. They travel another day, running out of food on the way, and camping just as they leave the hills. Katya brings up the idea of the party taking a detour to stop at her ranch to bathe, stock up on food, and change clothes. There is concern, though that they'll be spotted and forced to turn Brakk-Ni over by the watch. Eventually, they decide not to.

When they reach the Hartwood forest, they are greeted almost immediately by Wood Fang border patrol. Nak'skree speaks for the party, and Ubisek is quickly sent for. He is surprised to see Nak'skree alive, having believed she was killed. He's even more surprised to learn the party is turning over Brakk-Ni over to him. Likewise, the party is surprised to learn Brakk-Ni is apparently Ubisek's half-brother.

Katya asked Ubisek about his past as a slave, and he gave some details. He was sold in Deteris and worked in a mine in Dragonwine. He claimed that the villkru responsible were all dead now, though. The revelation that slavery was legal at all in Tardiff disturbed Katya.

Katya brought up that the party should not tell anyone about the zombies, and instead claim that Davion's patrol was simply dead. Ingot was not comfortable about lying, which led to some of the party questioning his humanity (literally). Eventually the party agreed to tell the reeve the truth, but nobody else.

When they returned to Buho, they went straight to the reeve and gave their report. Afterward, most went home although Ladonna went to return Davion's ring to Ethen first.

[Daos]

Chapter 06:  Harvest Festival

On the morning of the Harvest Festival (Turquise 28th, Rockday, 312), everyone gathers in the inn for breakfast.

Katya quickly seeks out Ladonna and asks to speak with her privately. The two women head to the stables and discuss Jherek and his sudden change of attitude. The butcher now wants to settle down and raise a family, something Katya feels is a betrayal. Ladonna is fairly dispassionate about it, pointing out marriage is a business transaction and nothing more than that. Katya thanks her for the advice, and the two return to the inn.

Ladonna is upset to learn that despite her efforts, Felicia is getting married to Relken. She tries to convince Felicia to allow her to find a better husband, but of course, Felicia has no say in the marriage and her parents doubt Ladonna can find someone better. Before Ladonna can counter, Liala throws a drink in Marcus' face and runs out. Ladonna goes after her.

Katya notices Silas talking to Rebekah and goes to join in. Silas is upset that banditry is causing problems for business, not just from goblins and orcs, but the Wyld Boys, Lohman's Blades, and the Equalists.

Meanwhile, Theron quickly abandons his adoptive aunt to go speak with Lillian. He then gets distracted from Lillian when he sees Katya speaking with Silas and tries to eavesdrop on them. Eventually he joins in the conversation, but in doing so makes a rather large faux-pas and quickly excuses himself, but not before asking Katya where Jherek was (she didn't know). So Theron goes to see Jherek's parents and ask them. They tell him he abruptly left on a hunting trip not long ago and hasn't returned.

Ladonna finds Liala crying in the orchard outside the inn. Liala explains that she thought she had a future with Marcus, but because she's an elf it can never be. She laments that she cannot be 'normal' (read: human)...unless she can grow her magical strength, the way Ladonna has. Ladonna reveals she learned a lot on her adventures, so Liala asks that she be invited next time so she can grow in strength, too. Ladonna also offers to toss a little revenge toward Marcus for her, but Liala declines.

Ryan has a drink with his mother, who laments that Clay couldn't make the festival this year.

The kohen then makes an announcement. He has recently learned a new spell that can compel people to tell the truth. He intends to use it to force confessions out of criminals. Most people are pleased by the news, but Theron nervously asks Ryan if this is possible. Judy points out it is, and there are spells even stronger than that.

The church bell rings, signaling that the festival has begun, so people begin to file out of the inn and head to the fairgrounds. Ladonna, however, asks to speak with Rebekah privately, so the two head for the Lonely Pony. Theron, at the same time, sneaks upstairs to the second floor in an attempt to rob one of the rooms, but fails to get the lock open. Everyone else heads to the festival.

Katya looks around for Garnet or Finbul. The latter she finds arguing with Calvin the woodcutter about nature preservation, and the former she finds being pestered by Dawn Tenhammer for something. Katya asks if Garnet is okay, but the gnome is unable to say otherwise, so Katya moves on.

The trivia contest begins, and Ladonna, Theron, Lillian and Liala all sign up. Katya merely watches from the audience. Lillian fails in the first round, and Theron in the second. After that, Liala and Ladonna keep going for several rounds until finally Ladonna gets one wrong. Liala is given a potion of genius as a prize.

As the crowd disperses, a commotion begins. Damon has Tavos in a headlock. It turns out, Tavos 'accidentally' groped Kara, and Damon was extracting revenge. Katya, annoyed, walks away and finds Finbul alone at the well, drinking. Ladonna tries to get the full story, but is careful to avoid taking any sides, while Lillian watches on. Eventually Damon and Kara leave, and Tavos is left embarrassed by his mother treating him like a kid.

Katya tells Finbul that she and Jherek are over, to the halfling's surprise. They also discuss the kohen's new spell, and he tells her about Hart and how the whole place is run that way. She asks him about paladins, and he tells her any god can have paladins, not just Gonto. She brings up Dragonwine, and Finbul mentions he overheard a merchant from there talking about it.

Ladonna finds Norm speaking with Kerna and learns that the Kurtz farm is in danger again. The money Ryan gave them ran out, and she's worried about keeping the farm going for another year. Ladonna suggests that the community pull together to help, and Norm asks her to see if she can convince any other council members to agree to it.

Lillian finds Ingot and apologizes to him for her earlier comments about him not having feelings. He accepts her apology and asks that she help him find Myra, who asked him for a drink and then disappeared. Lillian agrees to look for her, and finds her hiding behind some crates by the grocery, kissing Flinnton. Lillian does not react in any way, other than to tell Myra that Ingot is looking for her and that she is going to escort Myra back to him. Myra is upset, because she is not only being forced to marry Ingot against her will, but she cannot even leave his sight, either. Lillian shows no emotion one way or the other to the girl's plight, and simply escorts her back to Ingot.

Katya tracks down the merchant, a halfling woman named Fendove with two dwarven bodyguards. It seems the last time she visited Buho, someone stole her great-grandmother's bracelet and she never got it back, so she brought guards with her this time. Katya is honest with her, saying she wants to buy her a drink and discuss Dragonwine. Fendove agrees, and she, Finbul and Katya find a place to sit and chat. Katya asks lots of questions, especially about humanoids, but Fendove never brings up slave camps on her own.

First, Ladonna seeks out Ethen. He has completely changed now, having sworn off drinking and learned to live life again. He is having an animated conversation with Sennah, and Ladonna draws him aside to tell him about the vote. Ethen immediately agrees, citing his great debt to Ladonna and promising to vote for anything she likes. Ladonna then visits Hazel. But the woman is put off by the idea of charity. Ladonna manages to backpedal and convince her it's not charity (despite having used the word herself), and Hazel reluctantly agrees if it's only a one time thing.

Theron overhears Coha having an argument with her parents. They are engaging her to Keliath's son in Hart. Upset, Coha runs off and Theron follows. He tells her he will somehow put a stop to the betrothal, to the dwarf's bewilderment. When Theron learns he has several months before the wedding takes place, he becomes confident he can pull it off.

Lillian approaches Katya, but doesn't seem interested in asking Fendove any questions. So Fendove thanks Katya for the drink before departing. Finbul asks Katya if she learned what she wanted to know, and Katya isn't entirely sure. They discuss the reeve for a bit, with Finbul wondering if Katya intends to become her successor. Katya decides to go check on Garnet, so says her goodbyes to Finbul.

Ladonna then finds the kohen. Although he does not have a vote, he does have considerable influence over the council. She offers to volunteer for the church to get on his good side, and then asks for his help with the vote. In a good mood, Rorak agrees to do what he can, but makes sure to point out he cannot make promises. Ladonna then returns to Norm and Kerna with the good news, but pulls Norm aside to ask him to ask for Felicia's hand in marriage. Norm is baffled and somewhat amused, as he's old enough to be her father. Norm also points out it would be inappropriate, as he used to date Amanda. Ladonna is stunned by this news. Before she can process it, Theron approaches.

Katya finds Garnet hiding from the crowds and sits with her. They start discussing the books retrieved from the Bloody Spear, particularly the one that was destroyed by the kohen. Garnet fills her in on the ridiculous lies the book told, and Katya questions whether it should have been destroyed or not. Garnet mentions that there seemed something personal about the kohen's decision to destroy it, so Katya decides to go speak with the reeve to learn more.

Theron asks Ladonna for help in breaking up Coha's marriage, hoping to trade in on the favor he had yet to actually complete of breaking up Ladonna's potential marriage with Ryan. However, Theron later decides he can do it on his own and leaves, so Ladonna goes to confront her mother. The two get into an argument, as Ladonna accuses Amanda of forcing marriage on her daughters because she is bitter that she didn't get to marry Norm (despite this being the norm in their culture and everyone behaves that way). The argument becomes heated and Ladonna threatens to move out, before realizing they have an audience forming and that disowning her family would make her a pariah. Ladonna quickly apologizes and promises to do better, surprising her mother. She then seeks out the Fryes to talk.

Katya questions the reeve on the kohen, and then outright accuses him of corruption, claiming he will use his new Zone of Truth spell to do great harm to the community. Derica balks at this, having grown up with Rorak, and insists he is a good man. Katya backs down, but privately decides she will watch the kohen closely anyway. She then walks off and spots her mother at a picnic table.

Lillian speaks to Finbul about the idea of leaving Buho. He suggests that it wouldn't matter, as his people are mistreated anywhere he might go.

Ladonna asks the Fryes about their marriage. She learns they didn't get along at first, and barely knew each other. But over time, they learned to work together and communicate disagreements without fighting. They also mentioned that Ladonna is on track to one day joining the council, if she continues working to be a pillar of the community. As they are talking, Ingot approaches. He asks Ladonna's advice in helping to win over Myra. Ladonna tells him he conforms too much, which confuses him. Instead, Ladonna decides to go and talk with Myra. She finds her moping with Coha, who is having the same problem of being betrothed to someone she doesn't want to be with. Ladonna tries to persuade her to just ride it out and hope for the best. Then she attempts to do the same with Myra.

Katya tells her mother about Finbul, and how combative he is. Mereida mentions that Finbul uses his position as village druid to say what he wants, and it will likely bite him in the butt at a later date. As they are talking, Katya spots Bula searching frantically for Groo. She says she turned her back only for a second, and he disappeared. Katya agrees to help find him. As luck would have it, she finds the toddler using a kidney pie to 'finger paint' on the base of Sandon's statue. Katya turns him over to Bula, and comments on the doll he has. It looks exactly like Ubisek, but Bula said she made it when she was pregnant, which was two years ago. Katya mentions this and Bula becomes very squirrely, returning home to put Groo to bed. So Katya goes to clean up the statue. As she finishes, Damon, slightly tipsy, walks by and starts musing on his father. Katya mentions she doesn't know her father, but her mother was a brave hero, too. Damon questions this premise a bit.

Myra isn't buying what Ladonna is selling, and storms off angrily over her lack of help. Ladonna then returns to Ingot to report things did not go well. However, Ladonna offers an alternative idea. She would be willing to marry Ingot. The genasi doesn't seem able to easily process this idea. He is also skeptical that his parents would accept the idea, as Myra is the daughter of a councilman, and thus more prestigious. But Ladonna seems certain they'll agree. She returns to her family to tell them the news. They are surprised by it, and her mother is suspicious, but her father agrees it would be a great match if it works out.

Katya says goodnight to Damon with a prayer, surprising him, then heads to the Goblin's Tooth. Bula notes she is not followed by an angry mob, so asks if Katya intends to blackmail her over her connection to Ubisek. Katya surprises her by saying that she actually rather respects Ubisek. So Bula tells her how they met, back at the slave camp. Bula and Grat were born and raised there, as slaves. They worked with Ubisek to unite the slaves and led a riot, that led to killing the guards (including Bula's human father, the high warden). The three escaped back to the Woodfangs, but after Bula got pregnant, she and Grat moved to Buho instead. Katya promises Bula she won't tell anyone this secret, then returns to her mother. On their way home, she asks about Meredia's time in the war, but she evades the topic entirely.

[Daos]

Chapter 07:  Lost History

It is Onix 6th, a little over a week after the Harvest Festival and things have gone south quickly. A terrible sickness has swept over Buho, infecting half of the population already. The party has been volunteering at the church to help the worst of the sick, but most people are confined to their homes because there is no room at the temple for them all. The entire village is under lockdown and word has been sent to Hart to send clerics strong enough to purge the sickness.

Katya asks Garnet for some kind of census data on the town's population, to make sure nobody is forgotten, and the gnome rushes off to get it. Ingot tries to bring his father soup, but his mother chides him for it. Liala stays by Marcus' side, despite their rather public breakup a week ago. The reeve enters and tells the kohen that the baron and his daughter have fallen ill, as well. Rorak grows frustrated, because the two are completely isolated from the rest of the village so there's no reasonable way they could have become sick, too.

Ladonna suggests they go to Hart themselves to retrieve the clerics, despite the fact that what is stalling them is red tape and bureaucracy. Lillian suggests the disease is not natural. Garnet returns with the census data, but suddenly has a vision. She sees an old temple, out in the wilderness, in ruins. She says the word 'Greywing' and both Rorak and Derica go pale. Derica tells the party to meet her in her office and leaves. Ryan stays behind to help the kohen.

In her office, Derica explains that there was once a secret cult of Crizzites in Buho and many of the members had infiltrated the town's government, including her own mother (the reeve) and her father (watch captain and a council member). They attempted to indoctrinate Derica when she was a child, so she reported the whole thing to the baron (the current baron's father). The baron sent for an inquisitor from Hart, who arrived with an army of clerics and paladins. They stormed the secret temple the Crizzites had built in the woods and killed them all, only sparing the children. The ruins of this temple are now in Woodfang territory. Derica believes the vision means there was some artifact still in the temple that could heal the sickness, and that the party should use their friendship with Ubisek to cross Woodfang territory to reach the temple.

The party agrees and grabs their gear before meeting up at the town gate. The lone watch member still with the strength to stand, Stephen, lets them out. The farmlands are mostly empty, partly because it is winter and partly because of the sickness. Once they reach the Hartwood, Ladonna and Katya call out to the Woodfang border scouts; the latter in Goblin, revealing she had learned it since their last adventure. The scouts emerge and agree to escort them to Ubisek. Liala is nervous about the whole thing.

The scouts bring the party to the cave where they originally fought the bear all those months ago. Ubisek, Nak'skree and Brakk-Ni all emerge. The party explains what they need, and Ubisek agrees to offer sage passage to the ruin. However, he warns them that several goblins have deserted and formed a group called the Rabid and are squatting in that ruin now. Katya puts together that they may be Crizza worshipers now. Ubisek sends Nak'skree to guide them, and so the group departs.

As they travel, the party asks Nak'skree about Brakk-Ni. She explains to them that Brakk-Ni, and the Bloody Spear, have sworn fealty to Ubisek and the Woodfang. This news makes Liala nervous, as the last time the goblin clans started uniting, the Battle of Buho happened. But the rest of the party assures her that won't happen. Although there is concern about Ubisek having no heir, so if anything should happen to him, the alliance could fall apart quickly.

When they reach the Greywing ruins, they come across a camp of a dozen goblins and a pair of hounds. Katya enters dialogue with them, but only Garnet and Nak'skree can follow the conversation. Eventually, Katya convinces the Rabid to bring the party inside the temple to meet 'Ghalt' some sort of person of importance. But only if the party surrenders their weapons. For obvious reasons, the party does not like this idea. But Katya reveals she is a paladin, and that is how she knows she can trust the Rabid. The party is taken back by this knowledge, and they all assume she means a paladin of Gonto, specifically. This changes their mind, and they all agree to place their trust in her, so surrender their weapons.

The party are led into the temple through the back, a path that the goblins claimed was safe from the monsters that roamed inside the temple. The reached a stone staircase leading down into a cellar. Katya had trouble getting Oliver to descend, but managed to do so and convinced one of the goblins to light a torch for the party.

They are brought before a figure wearing the vestments of Crizza. It's a strange, alien creature but it soon reveals it can read thoughts and shapeshift into any person, and Liala realizes it is a doppelganger. This creature, whom the goblins call Ghalt, reveals his plan. He is behind the sickness. He magically engineered it to take out anyone of authority in the town--clergy, nobles, council members and the watch. Everyone else, although infected, will eventually get better. But those in power will be killed. Ghalt offers the party a chance to join him, to take down Buho, Solanshire County, even all of Tardiff. The party balks at this at first, but are surprised when Katya announces this is all for the best and she supports Ghalt's plan.

A great deal of arguing takes place. Some of the party feel betrayed, others just confused by the whole ordeal. Katya tries to persuade the others to join Ghalt, but none of them seem able to get over the whole 'murdering people' hurdle. Likewise, the others try to persuade Katya to join them, but she is unwavering in her belief that Ghalt is doing the right thing, regardless of the cost of life involved.

Katya urges Ghalt to lock up the party and separate them so they aren't a threat. At the same time, Ladonna tries to convince Garnet to give a big speech to persuade Katya. But the gnome cannot handle that amount of pressure and also believes nothing she says will matter anyway. With no other choice, Ladonna quickly hatches a plan with the others and they attack, going all out to use magic to disable as many goblins as they can. Katya grabs her sword and fights against them. She pulls no punches, and even attempts to kill Liala, but Garnet is able to save her before she dies.

Ghalt, meanwhile, conjures up some kind of blue portal and steps through. A shockwave emits from the portal, causing the entire temple to start collapsing. The party, sans Katya, have no choice but to step through it. Katya and Oliver are left behind, as the place falls apart.

When the others emerge from the portal, they find themselves just north of Buho. But for some reason, the defensive thorn wall is missing. As they walk back to town, Ingot questions how Lillian, Ladonna and Liala all know magic. Liala claims she and Ladonna are self-taught. Lillian offers no explanation at all. Ladonna asks Ingot to not tell anyone, but he points out that lying is what led to this mess to begin with.

When the party reaches Buho, they are greeted by none other than Sandon Auger, the Hero of Buho! They quickly realize they have gone back in time, to Onix 291--about half a year before the Battle of Buho, around 20 years ago. They deduce that Ghalt has come here to change the timeline so history plays out different. Garnet is in a panic, because time travel is against divine law and they might be changing things just by being there. Ladonna suggests they split up, each checking on their families to make sure Ghalt isn't trying to erase them from the timeline.

Ladonna heads to her own house, and meets her mother (who is younger than she is now), and her past self (who is a toddler). She questions Amanda on if she's seen anyone acting strange lately. Amanda admits her husband has been acting odd, staying out late or sometimes not coming home at all until the next day. Ladonna suggests this behavior is actually Amanda's fault, for not trying hard enough to please him. She then heads over to the barracks and finds Jonas sparring (and flirting) with Derica. Ladonna questions them on 'anything strange happening' or 'bandit activity' but both insist Buho is quite peaceful, outside the occasional minor goblin raid. So Ladonna heads to the inn instead, while Lillian starts to question the pair on the same subject.

Ladonna bumps into past Lillian, but somehow knows she's not present Lillian and tries to engage her in conversation. But past Lillian is not interested, so Ladonna talks with Shanson about the winter festival coming up. She waits for over an hour for the others show up, before eventually present Lillian arrives. A short time later, Ingot arrives, claiming that Liala and Garnet went to the mill and never returned. The party hurries after them, but when they arrive, Ladonna suddenly suspects Ingot may be an imposter (but not Lillian). She questions Ingot on the past, but he's able to answer her question, so she asks him to go into the mill's cellar first, but he points out he cannot see in the dark. So Lillian goes down instead. Ingot then shoves Ladonna in and closes and bars the hatch doors.

Searching the room, Ladonna and Lillian find Garnet, Liala and the real Ingot unconscious there. It's around this time they realize someone has set fire to the mill above, and it's only a matter of time before the whole place collapses on top of them. With smoke filling the cellar, they wake up Ingot to break down the hatch doors. Once outside, though, they are immediately arrested by the guard for arson...and the murder of Sandon Auger (who they claim they have witnesses that say they saw Ladonna do it). Defeated, the party is dragged to the barracks and put in jail cells.

Once in jail, the party discusses their options. Ladonna suggests they find a way to stop the Battle of Buho from ever happening, and Garnet points out that would actually alter the timeline far more than anything Ghalt was doing. They also discussed what to do about the battle, but Liala pointed out it wasn't for another 8 months, so their priority should be to focus on stopping Ghalt. At this point, Rorak (still just an acolyte) arrives to serve as their barrister.

They convince Rorak to ask the kohen, a woman named Fannah, to cast a Zone of Truth spell on them before the trial (which is scheduled in a few months). They tell her about coming from the future, and about the doppelganger. Fannah sends Rorak out of the room and mentions that sending matter through time is against divine law and could spark a divine war. Ladonna mentions her suspicion of Ghalt taking Jonas' identity. Fannah devises a plan; she will convince the reeve to make Jonas guard the party. They then need to get him to expose himself by admitting the truth. Ladonna asks for them to be given their weapons back and released instead, but Fannah refuses.

After she leaves, the party discusses what to do. Lillian offers to pick the lock on the cell, despite having no lockpicks, but Ladonna points out they would just be arrested again on sight. Ladonna asks Garnet to 'fake' a prophecy, but Ingot points out that lying is a sin and this would cause Garnet to lose her clerical powers. Eventually, Jonas arrives to guard them. The party speaks with him, feigning defeat to get his guard down and tricking him into confessing everything.

Fannah and several guards appear, having hidden with a spell, and arrest Ghalt for murder and blasphemy. The party then asks to be released, but Fannah points out that Ghalt never confessed to the arson. This is really only a pretense. In reality, Fannah feels it is smarter to keep the party locked up until she can summon the high priestess to raise Sandon and figure out what to do with them. Ladonna proposes releasing them to find the time travel artifact in the ruined temple so they can use it to return to the present. But Fannah points out that the temple is in goblin territory and even if they find it, they don't know how to use it, and even if they can figure that out, it might send them further into the past or something worse.

After a couple of weeks, Fannah returns with the high priestess. They explain that Sandon has been raised and they now have three options to offer the party. The first is that they are humanely executed, so that their past counterparts can grow up normally and there are no further interference to the timeline. The second option is the party is placed in stasis to be woken up once their own time arrives the slow way. The third option involves a lot more risk. They will send their souls into the future (it is against divine law for matter to time travel, but souls are technically not matter) to possess their present counterparts (effectively killing them). The party discusses their options in private, until Ingot points out that Buho is still inflicted with the plague and the present they are returning to is doomed regardless. They stopped Ghalt in the past, but not in the present. Ladonna suggests they be put into stasis, return to the temple ruins, and dig them up to find the cure. Liala points out there might not be a cure, and Ingot points out it would take weeks to dig up the temple ruins.

Eventually, the party decide on a plan. They'll take option 3, but have themselves sent back a little early, to the Harvest Festival. Then they can hopefully find Ghalt and stop him from starting the plague in the first place. A few days later, the preparations are completed and the ritual begins. Upon completing, Ladonna and Lillian find themselves back at the festival. Ladonna is with her father, while Lillian is with Finbul.

Ladonna learns her family life is quite different. Because of her little talk with her mother, her father is now an unemployed drunk, her mother had left Buho, and her little sister was never born. Ethen helps fill in the details while he helps the semi-conscious Jonas back home. She and Lillian meet up at the well and spot Uchdryd Gibney, the son of farmers, poking around there. Ladonna notices him trying to dump the bucket of water back into the well and attempts to stop him. He stabs her, and Katya (who had been passing by at the time) jumps in to help.

After wrestling around for a bit, the watch arrives. But Ghalt shapechanges into Derica Walls, convincing the watch to arrest the party...again. However, by a stroke of luck, the real Walls shows up then. Katya punches Ghalt while he is surprised, causing him to shift back to his normal form. The real Wells has him arrested, as he starts ranting about Crizza.

The party returns home to rest, and later it is discovered that the Gibney family is all dead (murdered), and Ghalt is found guilty of murder and blasphemy and put to death.

[Daos]

Chapter 08:  Winter Solstice

It is Onix 25th, the Winter Solstice, and the party gathers at the inn to celebrate with their families. Or rather, Katya goes with her mother. Lillian has no family and Ladonna's father is too much of a mess to attend (her mother now gone from her life and her sister having been erased from the timeline).

Ladonna has a drink with Liala to talk about her adjustments to the new timeline, while Lillian seeks out Katya to speak with her. However, after Mereida asks Lillian about her family, she changes the subject and then makes an excuse to leave and go confront Liala about almost striking Katya back when they were fighting Ghalt at the well. Lillian argues that as long as Katya's intentions are good, her actions therefore must be, as well. Liala, however, argues that if Katya had the potential to betray them all and kill a bunch of people in the previous timeline, she could do so again in this timeline. Ladonna sided with Liala, although felt it was better to keep an eye on her and possibly blackmail if necessary to keep her in line.

Katya dodges questions from her mother about Jherek. Mereida expresses frustration that the church hasn't approved their marriage yet. Katya finally admits that she no longer wishes to marry Jherek. Mereida believes this is because of rumors that Jherek has a secret wild bride, and Katya lets her believe so as she feels it would be less damaging than the truth. Before they can say more, Ladonna interrupts, asking to speak with Katya. Once the two are alone, she apologizes for ignoring her the past couple of months. Katya says she didn't notice, but offers advice on dealing with Ladonna's father--that it isn't Ladonna's fault and she shouldn't shoulder that responsibility (although in truth, it very much is her fault).

Lillian finds Finbul arguing with Damon over whether Solstice is a human or hobbit holiday, originally. Although she stayed out of such disputes before, she openly sides with Finbul this time. Finbul is as surprised by this as anyone else. After Damon leaves, Lillian again brings up the idea of leaving Buho. Finbul remains skeptical that traveling from town to town would do any real good, as true change takes years of work.

Ladonna goes to get attention from the Fryes, but in this timeline they mostly ignore her. So after ordering some food, she sits with Derica and asks her to reinstate her father into the watch. Derica refuses, though, citing that it would be inappropriate and besides, it was up to the Council anyway.

Katya returns to her mother, who gives her a gift of a golden ring. It was meant for Katya's wedding to Jherek, but now that it will be called off, she wants Katya to use it to choose her own spouse. Katya then approaches Lillian and Finbul to give the latter his gift (some new gloves). Finbul is clearly upset by the breach in protocol, as he had not picked up a gift for her in return. He also notices the wedding ring Katya is now wearing and assumes it is a gift from Jherek. Katya reveals they are breaking up. Finbul believes this is good news, as Jherek is a criminal and anarchist--completely unaware that has nothing to do with the break-up at all. Katya then goes in search of Derica and overhears her speaking to Alistair. It turns out the baron wants an audience with Ladonna, Katya and Lillian. Katya is surprised by this but also gives Derica a gift of a pendant. Meanwhile, Lillian remains with Finbul and asks him about his opinion of Garnet.

Ladonna then seeks out Ingot. After his parents leave, the two talk about Myra. Ingot still feels bad that she is being forced to marry him, but he doesn't see any way out of it. Ladonna suggests they contact Ser Relken from Hart; since her sister no longer exists anymore that would make him available.

Katya rounds up Lillian and then Ladonna, telling them about the audience with the baron. They are taken to the baron's manor by the reeve, and brought to an audience chamber where Baron Escott waits. After introductions are made, the baron asks the three why they were willing to risk their lives to protect Buho, despite having taken no oaths to do so like the watch did. The three all answer that it was a matter of duty and loyalty. This pleases the baron. He tells them that he has a job for them. His daughter, Helen, is to marry the count's son and become the new Baroness of Buho. However, she must first go live with the count's family for a few years before the marriage is to take place. Escott wants the party to serve as her bodyguards and servants, to watch over her and make sure she stays safe. However, only Ladonna agrees. Katya and Lillian instead ask for time to think about it.

In addition, as Ladonna had been part of every single expedition to protect Buho in particular, the baron offers her a boon. She asks to be knighted, and he agrees. With that settled, the three are escorted back to the inn. Once there, they split up. Ladonna seeks out Ingot and Liala, Lillian looks for Finbul, and Katya heads to the temple.

At the temple, Katya had been looking for Garnet, having forgotten she was at the inn for the solstice like everyone else. She decides to pray to Crizza there, in the Temple of Gonto. Naturally, Crizza does not answer--but someone does. A massive knight clad in gold approaches her and chastises her for praying to her enemy in her own house. Katya mouths off to the goddess, fully expecting to be smote. However, Gonto merely tells her that her soul is divided and she needs to pick a side. She leaves out some of the details, obviously.

Ladonna tells Ingot and Liala about her knighting and her new job, while Lillian does likewise with Finbul. Ladonna decides to then head home to tell her father the news. Jonas decides to come with her, in hopes of building a new life in Hart, as he is disgraced in Buho and cannot find work.

Time passes and the snows melt. The party and their followers meet up at the baron's manor, in the courtyard, where a carriage awaits. Helen meets each of the henchmen, and proves quickly she has lived a very sheltered life, indeed. After saying goodbyes and packing everything up, the party drives the wagon out of town and toward the castle town of Hart.

Toward the end of the first day, they reach the bank of the River Dark. There is a bridge, but it's getting late, so the party decides to camp for the night and cross in the morning. However, shortly after making camp the party is surrounded by a group of bandits. It turns out they are Wyld Boys and are under new management--Jherek! He has sent them to kidnap the baron's daughter to ransom her. The party chooses to fight rather than turn her over, even after offered a share of the ransom.

Working together, the party fairly easily defeats the entire group. Jonas is shocked and upset that Ladonna is a witch--an unsanctioned, secret mage. Katya, meanwhile, is far more upset at the news of Jherek leading the Wyld Boys. She decides to go after him, abandoning her job to get answers. The party does not try to stop her.

Camp is set, and Helen asks Ladonna if she feels different now that she is a knight. Lillian jumps all over her for the question. Helen doesn't seem to understand what the problem is, but does note both women are being fairly rude to her (not even using her proper title). After Helen goes to get sleep, Ladonna then criticizes her father for drinking. The two argue, and he walks off, too. Liala points out that his current situation is technically Ladonna's fault, and she agrees to try a different approach later.

[Daos]

Chapter 09:  A New Beginning

On the afternoon of Dymin 19th, 313, the party arrived in Hart. After driving through the town, they reached the castle gate and were let in after announcing themselves. They left their carriage and wagon at the stables, and were greeted by Ser Redna Kellerman, the castellan, who offered to escort them to the manor and give them a small tour along the way. The party learned from Redna that she used to be an adventurer, has never married and has no interest in ever doing so, and has a long history of friendship with the count himself.

After reaching the manor, which is far larger than the baron's estate, they are brought into the dining hall to meet the Solan family and join them for breakfast. Helen is quite nervous, but Ladonna and Lillian help in calming her down. There are a few hiccups during breakfast, nevertheless. Lillian remains completely mute at first, which comes off as rude. Miriam tells the party they must stay in town, or perhaps the guesting house, but Helen wants them close to her. Eventually the count agrees to let Ladonna and Lillian share a room in the manor, but in exchange they must agree to work for him on any problems that come up later on. They also discuss the recent news, including the Wyld Boys, the Equalists and Lohman's Blades. After the meal, Joy (the count's heir and oldest child) agrees to show Helen to her room. Along the way, they pass by a private chapel with murals on the wall. One of them depicts the founder of the Solan family, Ethelred, accepting a holy mace from Gonto. Joy explains the mace has been passed down to each heir, and is currently wielded by the count.

Once they reach Helen's new room, Joy explains that the room for Ladonna and Lillian is being prepared and someone will let them know when it's ready. Then she departs. The henchmen decide to check out the guesting house to see if there are any rooms available, so Ladonna and Lillian decide to check out the harbor. However, they find the gate to it locked up. They are approached by the garrison commander, William Rolan. Rolan gives them directions to finding the offices of the steward and chancellor, as well as a brief summary of the people on the count's council.

The party splits up further here. Ladonna goes to speak with the chancellor while Lillian seeks out the steward. Ladonna gets confused by the fact that Winters' and Sern's offices are next door to each other, so winds up seeing the former first. She realizes, belatedly, that this is the same Fannah Winters who sent her and the others forward in time twenty years ago, back in Buho. Winters explains they learned a lot from that whole scenario, and are working on ways to prevent future incursions through time.

Meanwhile, Lillian runs into (almost literally) Foxmore as she's leaving her office. Lillian asks her for tips on becoming a better bard, and Foxmore suggests she stops by her office in a few days, once she's settled in, and she would see what she could do.

Ladonna then went to visit Quill Sern, the chancellor and almoner, as well as the court mage. At first he thinks she has come to see him about a donation, and then wonders if she is looking to court his son. Ladonna reveals she is a mage, and a former witch, and lets drop that her mentor was still in Buho. Sern finds this concerning, and thanks her for her honesty. They also discuss her parents, and she asks about her father joining the guard. Sern suggests Jonas should speak with Ser Rolan, the garrison commander. Ladonna is so taken in by the man's charm that she completely forgets to ask to be his apprentice, which was her primary purpose for visiting him in the first place.

Lillian goes to see Finbul, and finds him in the guesting house garden. He laments how the place is still run by humans, while the non-humans are relegated to mere servants. They talk a bit on how to change things. Lillian wants to avoid a violent uprising, but Finbul is skeptical that freedom can be won without violence of some kind. Lillian then heads into town, to the Dusty Road, a tavern for adventurers.

Ladonna goes to the library and meets up with Sern's apprentices. They are the kindly Zesk Gir, a half-orc abjurer and the cynical Norris Sern, a diviner and Quill's son. Immediately, Norris reads Ladonna's thoughts and makes it clear he doesn't think much of other people. Zesk on the other hand is unfailingly polite and apologizes for his comrade's behavior. Ladonna is reminded that she never asked to be Sern's apprentice, so goes back to his office to ask. He agrees and gives her a scroll with a new spell on it to study.

Lillian arrives at the Dusty Road and just takes a seat. A young man comes in wearing armor too big for him and asks for work, and the innkeeper offers to pay him to kill some rats in the basement. Lillian speaks with the young man, asking him about his life in Hart and as an adventurer.

Ladonna heads to the garrison and gets lost, but runs into a man who turns out to be the court marshal, Eric Talbot. But Ladonna is more interested in finding the garrison commander. Talbot tells her that it is William Rolan, which she already knew. But she doesn't ask where his office is and wanders off again. Eventually, she does find it. Rolan tells her that Jonas had already come to see her, but he needs a sponsor to afford the equipment and training to become a guard. This seems to confuse Ladonna, who can't quite wrap her head around the idea. She goes to see Redna for help in finding a sponsor, but the castellan points out that Ladonna shouldn't do anything until she's actually spoken to her father on what he wants--something Ladonna admits she hasn't even bothered to do yet.

Ladonna heads to meet with Eowin in his room. She questions him about how he feels toward Helen and their upcoming wedding. He seems happy by the news, and is more than pleased to let her run the barony so he can pursue his own things. As it stands now, he isn't allowed to leave the castle grounds by order of his father. Ladonna promised to, somehow, convince the count to let Eowin go on adventures with her. Although highly skeptical, the idea was very exciting to the young man.

Ladonna then went to find Miriam, and discovered there's a knitting circle consisting of all the highborn ladies and their handmaidens where they exchange rumors and gossip. Ladonna has difficulty fitting in, as she had no sewing skill whatsoever. Ladonna tells about her missing mother, and Joy promises to look into it. Joy also asks questions about Ingot, curious having never seen an earth-touched before.

Afterward, Ladonna went to see the count and asked him about Helen. She asked if Helen had any enemies, a question that the count found rather strange, if not unthinkable. Ladonna then returned to Helen, around the same time Lillian did. They then gave their reports. Lillian had nothing to report, as she had not done what Helen had asked at all. Ladonna told Helen about the sewing circle, about Eowin, about Quill Sern and Fannah Winters, and about the count.

The two then helped Helen bathe and prepare for dinner, and were dismissed for the rest of the night. They headed to the guesting house and met up with the others there. Ladonna told Ingot about how Joy was curious about him. Jonas asked Ladonna to be his sponsor, to her surprise. The others spoke of finding work themselves. Then Ladonna and Lillian headed up to their new room and went to sleep.

[Daos]

Chapter 10:  Poachers

A week has passed and it is now Dymin 23rd, Lightday. The party has tried to adjust to their new home, and they are summoned to audience with the count in the hall of justice. He explains that the nearby Sunwoods are mostly in his demesne and he has a warden named Sidhanar who watches over them. He recently received a report from this warden that a band of poachers have started squatting in the woods. He wants the party to help Sidhanar find and root them out.

The party decides to take all three henchmen and Jonas. Joy stops Ladonna before she leaves to tell her that she might have a lead on what happened to her mother, but will let her know when she gets back if anything shakes out.

Once on the road to the Sunwoods, Ladonna questions Liala about why she has not apprenticed herself to the chancellor. Liala reminds Ladonna she is lowborn and does not have the opportunity to just walk in on council members at her leisure. She is not even allowed in the manor without permission. Liala also tells Ladonna that their old mentor in Buho was found out and arrested; this was a result of Ladonna telling Sern that there was a secret witch in Buho, but Ladonna keeps that to herself. Instead, she offers to introduce Sern to Liala, which excites Liala. She hopes she can win over Sern's son, who she hears is handsome; and she really wants to land a human husband before she turns 30. Lillian states she has no interest in romance or family whatsoever. Liala doesn't approve of such a heretical lifestyle, but Lillian doesn't care.

The trip to the warden's cabin is only 50 miles, but it takes over two days for the party to reach it because Finbul's short legs slow them all down. On the morning of the third day, they finally reach the Sunwoods. Lillian forgot to bring food, so she's starving at this point. Jonas warns the party to beware of Sidhanar, because anyone who spends all day every day in the woods, alone, probably is a bit weird. The party knocks on the door of his cabin, which has no windows and they hear multiple locks being unlatched.

An elf with a heavy cloak on with the hood up opens the door and demands to know who they are and why they have Ruarans in their party (Liala explains that she and Lillian are actually Tardish; Lillian actually is Ruaran by birth, but she doesn't mention it). The warden, Sidhanar, criticizes the party for being so late and urges them to set out immediately, before the poachers move their camp. He predicts that if they keep a good pace, they can reach it in two days. However, the party's slow pace frustrates him and by the time they make camp that night, it is starting to look like it will take a week to get there.

Jonas and Ladonna get into an argument over her meddling with him trying to find a job. She refuses to apologize and keeps insisting that they both need to 'adjust' to the new situation.

The following day (the 29th), the party sets out again. Late during the day, they come to a clearing in the wood and pause to rest a bit while Sidhanar scouts ahead. Four giant skunks emerge from the woods and attack. The party fights them off, killing one and scaring off the other three, but every single one of them gets sprayed with musk by the time Sidhanar returns.

Sidhanar butchers the dead skunk for meat and then they press on to a nearby pond so they can clean up. The women bathe first, but before they do Sidhanar tells Ladonna he wishes to speak with her when she's done. For some reason, she interprets that to mean he needs to speak to her right away. So she rushes her bath and hurries after him into the woods. She hears the sounds of a wild animal, but Sidhanar finds her first and guides her back to camp, warning her of the dangers of the woods. Meanwhile, Liala urges Lillian to pursue Sidhanar romantically, but Lillian insists she has no interest in romance or anything else whatsoever.

Back at camp, Sidhanar suggests they start force marching from here on out to make up for lost time. Ladonna agrees to speak with the others about this. Although reluctant and thinking there might be more to Sidhanar's rush than he is letting on, the group agrees.

The next day they force march, which is downright exhausting; but they make great time. However, they carelessly walk right into an ambush as a result. Sidhanar is caught in a rope trap and a bunch of kobolds attack, throwing javelins at him. Their ire seems more focused on the ranger than on the rest of the party. Relying largely on spells, the party disables some and kills the rest. They tie up the ones who were disabled, but none of them speak kobold, goblin, orcish or anything like that. Lillian, however, feels she can try to communicate with them. It doesn't seem to go well, but it's hard to say for those watching.

Surprisingly, Sidhanar suddenly gets up and acts like he's just fine, much to the party's shock. He says his armor protected him, and he hadn't really been hurt. He suggests the party kill the kobolds and they hurry onward. Liala agrees with him. Ingot thinks they should be brought back to Hart and given a fair trial. But Ladonna, Lillian and Finbul think they should just be let go. The kobolds scurry away after being freed, surprised by the mercy.

The party force marches the rest of the day, but at the end, Ladonna and Lillian are too tired to continue on. They make camp in a copse of trees, but one of them turns out to be a treant named Truebark. Sidhanar recognizes him. Truebark offers the party some food and drink.

That night, during first watch, Ladonna nods off. Jonas wakes her, saying that something is moving toward the camp. As they wake the others, they hear a wolf-like howl. Ladonna immediately looks for Sidhanar, and finds him gone. She then checks the moons, and sees Ruse is full. She then immediately concludes that Sidhanar is a werewolf. Lillian agrees. The others have never heard of such a creature, though. Something approaches them, looking like a wolf-man hybrid. Nobody can seem to hurt it with any of their weapons. Ladonna casts Scare on it, and it runs away in fright.

The party is mostly confused as to why Ladonna and Lillian are so convinced that creature was Sidhanar. Lillian claims the kobolds called him a demon earlier. Liala points out the whole in that story, as earlier Lillian claimed she could not understand Kobold. Lillian doesn't refute her, just rudely ignores her instead. The party keeps a close watch out, but the creature does not return.

The next morning is Saffir the 1st. The party finds Sidhanar is still missing. Finbul manages to find his trail, and they track him a bit off, unconscious by a tree. Waking him up, he claims that there is a terrible beast that stalks these woods. He's been hunting it for years. He went off to find it, but failed, and must have passed out while waiting for it to return. He tells them that is why he was in such a hurry, he knows the beast lives in this part of the woods and wanted to get the party in and out before they encountered it. Neither Ladonna or Lillian believe this, but the others do.

The party continues westward until twilight, where they are almost hit by a pair of arrows with green feathers. As they take cover, Ladonna points out that green feathered arrows are Ruaran. They realize the poachers are not only elven, but apparently Ruaran, as well. The party takes a moment to consider the implications of this, then decide to have Liala turn Finbul invisible so he can go and disable them. This plan works well. Once the two scouts are entangled, the party begins interrogating them. They learn that they have children in the camp, and aren't sure what that means. Ladonna suggests charming them, but Liala points out the odds of that working on elves is almost nil.

Playing a hunch, Ladonna releases the scouts and surrenders to them, asking to be taken to their leader. The party is led to a camp of about 20 elves and 10 children; they seem more families than poachers or bandits. Their leader, Castien, explains they are political refugees from Ruara. He hints at some recent social upheaval there. He also explains that they are living in the Sunwoods because they are too proud to give up their culture and live under a human lord, the way the Tardish elves do.

Ladonna speaks with Castien in private, and convinces him to take his people to Hartwood and live among the Woodfang. Most of the party does not take to this plan, though. Jonas is concerned that failing the mission will damage the family name. Ingot does not approve of lying to the count, which Ladonna thinks is their best course of action. Sidhanar warns her that the count is a paladin of Gonto, so he can sense most lies. But extremely confident in her abilities, Ladonna is certain she can deceive him. Castien invites the party to rest at their camp for the night, and offers them food and water.

Before the party rests, though, Sidhanar says he needs Ladonna's help. He leads her a good distance away, revealing a very small and well-enforced cabin. He explains he has built these all over the woods, just in case, and warns her not to open it under any circumstance until morning. Then he locks himself inside. Jonas, who had followed them, witnessed this and strongly urges Ladonna to turn Sidhanar in. It might help soften the blow against her and her family if she's caught lying to the count. Ladonna, however, refuses.

Five days later, the party returns to Hart empty-handed. When Count Solan asks Ladonna where the poachers are, she lies and says they resisted and were killed. However, Solan sees through the deception immediately, to Ladonna's chagrin. She eventually confesses she let them go, but does not tell the count she sent them to Hartwood, or that they were Ruaran or elven. The count dismisses her in disgust, and decides to send a small contingent of soldiers to search the Sunwood instead.

[Daos]

Chapter 11:  Fall of the Mighty

A few months later, Ruebon 21st, Ladonna finally has a day off from her duties as Lady Escott has gone with the Solan family to their summer cabin. Times have been tough; Ladonna is completely out of coin, Lillian has been forced to move out to the guesting house, and Ladonna's reputation is in the toilet. She decides to begin her day by going to visit Liala.

Liala is at the guesting house, and the two speak of their difficulties in finding work. Liala mentions letter from Buho, and tells Ladonna about what's going on there. Namely, that the other potential henchmen that were left behind (Damon, Bula, Garnet, Coha and Tavis) have formed a party and are calling themselves Buho's Blades. Also, a band of elves have taken residence in the Hartwood, and Ubisek has placed them under his protection.

Ladonna questions Liala about her polymorphing ability, and whether she could use it on Ladonna. Liala admits she cannot, and that it would be dangerous even if she could, because without the proper training, Ladonna could lose her sense of identity. Liala admits she hopes to one day master her power, so she can permanently turn herself human and marry a human man, and have human children. She urges Ladonna to introduce her to some eligible human men. When Ladonna questions her rush, Liala admits her parents are looking for an elven husband for her, and she wants to beat them to the punch. So Ladonna agrees to introduce her to Norris Sern.

They find Norris in the library, but he's far more interested in discussing Ladonna's misadventures in the woods (and telling her 'I told you so' on their earlier conversation about how everyone lies) then even giving Liala a second glance. Liala keeps trying to start a conversation, and keeps getting ignored, until she finally blurts out something embarrassing and runs away. Ladonna goes after her and promises to find someone else to introduce her to.

Ladonna then goes to meet with Quill. He's considerably more distant than he was before, and when she asks for help in finding a job, he tells her he can't help her. So she moves on to the Sadduce, who offers to buy Ladonna's land (the land she was given by the baron when she became a knight) for 250 gold pieces. Ladonna, who has never even seen the land or knows anything about it, agrees immediately. She then heads to the barracks to find Jonas.

Jonas still has no job, thanks to Ladonna's recent disgrace, although he has gotten a bit more in shape (but not entirely). He tells her he has found her a potential husband, which ironically turns out to be the same man Felicia was going to marry in the previous timeline. Ladonna wants no part of this. She tells her father she is selling her land, which upsets Jonas. Ladonna feels she shouldn't be blamed for what she did, that it was in the past, and everyone should just move on. Jonas feels that Ladonna needs to understand that it's not just her own future she keeps putting at risk. Jonas is also worried, because Ladonna doesn't seem to have a specific plan, but just keeps assuring him she will 'figure it out' which is what she said about lying to the count. Ladonna finally agrees to at least meet with Relken, but only if she can cancel if she finds a better way.

She then notices a commotion on the far side of the courtyard; Ingot is sparring with some other man. Ladonna calls out to Ingot, distracting him, and he takes a hit. A red-haired half-elven woman calls out pointers to him. She introduces herself as Henna, a freelancer sellsword. She recognizes Ladonna's name and tells her she agreed with letting the refugees go. Ingot loses the duel, and the other man reveals he is Yarl Fritog, the count's weapons master. When he realizes who Ladonna is, he questions her about any interesting enemy tactics she encountered in the Sunwood, then bid them farewell.

They are then interrupted when Panola shows up to give a basket to Ingot, courtesy of Lady Joy. Panola says she is surprised Ladonna hadn't come to see her yet...about the whole thing with her mother? She tells Ladonna what she found out, that a woman using Amanda's old maiden name did come through Hart at around the same time Amanda left Buho. She apparently didn't stay long, and left for Deteris with a wealthy merchant named Stenn. In return for this intel, Panola asks Ladonna about Sidhanar. Was he well? Ladonna doesn't mention the lycanthropy, and just says he seemed fine. Panola appears satisfied with that, and so leaves. Ingot reveals that Joy had been sending him food regularly, and as Ladonna had not yet eaten, he offers to share it with her. They head to the guesting house dining hall to eat and talk.

Sadly, the conversation doesn't go well. It's clear that something is bothering Ingot and he wants to talk about it, but Ladonna dominates the conversation with her 'boost her reputation' talk. Ingot suggests she genuinely apologize, humble herself and try to be a better person, but Ladonna dismisses that idea, and doesn't seem to even understand why she would do such a thing. She then starts arguing that she did the 'right thing' even if it wasn't what she was told to do, a rather blasphemous thing for a Gontorite, so Ingot just excused himself and left. A halfling maid showed up to clean up after them. Oblivious that she had upset him, Ladonna then went to find Finbul.

Finbul was in the guest garden, using druidic magic to make a sapling grow. She asks him for advice on how to improve her reputation, as she's done with everyone, but Finbul has little to tell her, as he has no interest in human politics. He does tell her that Lohman's Blades were apparently reported heading eastward, which was making people nervous. The halfling maid from earlier shows up again, and Finbul criticizes her for working for humans. She seems quite interested in Ladonna's view on the matter, and leaves. Finbul wonders what a maid was doing in the garden.

Ladonna chases after her, and starts asking her questions about herself--who is she, what was she doing in the garden, where was she born, what skills does she possess. The halfling introduces herself as Amarantha Haywise, explains she's the daughter of servants and so is one herself, and otherwise claims to be just a humble maid and nothing more. However, Ladonna notices her answers are often technical truths or evasive. She lets her go and asks Finbul to keep an eye on her. She then heads to the scullery kitchen to visit Zesk.

Zesk is in the process of cooking himself a meal. He explains he enjoys doing things for himself, even cooking, despite the fact there are servants who can do it for him. They speak briefly on her future plans, beyond Deteris. Zesk mentions he has befriend multiple servants, and Ladonna asks him about Amarantha. He calls her Mara and claims she's a sweet soul, but that Norris doesn't trust her because he is unable to read her mind for some reason. As they talk, an older halfling walks in and seems to know Zesk. Zesk introduces him as Waleran Clayhanger, a trader in these parts. Ladonna asks him if he knows Stenn. Waleran knows of him, and mostly that he's very rich and successful.

After Waleran leaves, Ladonna speaks with Zesk about recent bandit activity. He mentions the old watch towers which have been abandoned since the Holy Knights were recalled to the capital. Somehow, Ladonna concludes from this that bandits are using the towers as bases, and decides to go see the garrison commander to ask if she can put together a party to go clean them out. However, he tells her he cannot approve such a thing without the count's permission, and of course, the count and his family are out for the day.

Disappointed, Ladonna returns to the manor and bumps into Mannan Klass, the count's herald. He's a dashing gnome who hits on every woman he meets, and that includes Ladonna. She agreed to a date in hopes of learning more about the count's past.

She then made her way to the manor garden and encountered Viondre Fuller, an Aasimar cleric of Gonto who strongly disapproved with Ladonna's lying to the count. Ladonna asked her advice on how to make things up to the count, and Viondre suggested tracking down the poachers she let go. Ladonna claimed that would be very difficult, which Viondre pointed out was the point. Ladonna said she would 'take it under advisement' then left.

Ladonna passed by the stables and saw none other than Sidhanar working the stables. He revealed he had lost his job as warden of the Sunwood, and this was the only job he could get afterward. Ladonna promised to find a way to make it up to him, and maybe somehow cure his curse.

Ladonna returned to the manor, and on the way to her room ran into a very strange, creepy gnomish woman named Unakite. She was the court jester. She spoke in riddles and seemed a bit mad.

[Daos]

CH. 12:  Mistaken Identity

On the night of Ruebon 22nd, Ladonna wakes up in her room to the sound of someone causing a clatter in the hall. Creeping to her door, she peeks out and spots two figures in black sneaking around. She waits until they reach her room, then quickly uses a spell to put them to sleep and ties them up with some bedsheets. Searching them, she finds a note that mentions Joy Solan and describes her (teen, human, red hair, etc.). Ladonna moves out into the halls and spots more shadowy figures. She tries to sneak up on them, but one sees her and a fight breaks out. By the time she is finished, she finds that they have already breached Joy's room and have someone over their shoulder. Ladonna tries to use Scare on them, but it just makes them climb down the window even faster. She then calls for the guards, but they are too late. She then runs into Joy, who is confused about the ruckus. It turns out, Joy and Helen were up late in her room talking, and Joy went to get tea. That means the kidnappers mistook Helen for Joy, and kidnapped the wrong person. Joy asks Ladonna to privately look into it, knowing her father would never allow Ladonna to do so.

Ladonna quickly puts together a group of herself, Finbul, Liala, Zesk, Unakite and Sidhanar. She fills them in on things in the kitchen, and the group heads to the area where the kidnappers were last seen. They find some clues pointing toward the docks. They realize that the kidnappers took Helen via boat. They either headed west toward the capital, or east. Ladonna decides they must have gone west, upstream, because they tried to kidnap a countess before. The others point out this happened in Foxshire, to the east, but Ladonna continues to insist they should go west, because the Equalists would want to be close to the capital to 'spread their message.'

The party treks the entire night alongside the river, heading west. However, by the time it's noon, the party is exhausted and there has been no sign that the kidnappers went this way. Undeterred, Ladonna had them make camp so they could continue that way the following night. A couple of hours later, they came across a large mud pool that was bleeding into the river. They walked around it, but as they did so, Ladonna noticed a small blue gem in the middle of it. She walked to grab it, thinking maybe Helen had dropped it. Upon doing so, however, four mudmen emerged from the pool and started attacking her.

The party is able to defeat them before she is completely covered in mud, and while her clothes are left ruined, her life is saved. The party moves on, and Liala discusses her plans to marry a human again. Ladonna has either forgotten most of this, or wasn't paying much attention the first time around, so Liala explains once again that her parents are setting her up to marry an elf, and she wants to find a way to polymorph into a human so she can marry another human instead. Ladonna questions the logic of this plan, despite having already once agreed to help her with it. She suggests possibly introducing her to Relken, once she meets him again (for the first time in this timeline).

She then notices Unakite bothering Sidhanar, claiming the ranger has many 'secrets and lies.' Ladonna intervenes, and Unakite accuses her of having the biggest, most forbidden secret of them all. Ladonna convinces Unakite to back off, and has a private conversation with Sidhanar. He tells her how he was exiled from his homeland; but would not say why, other than that it was related to his affliction. He seemed uncomfortable discussing Panola, who he said helped get him his job as a warden for the Sunwoods.

After midnight, the party comes across an old boat that has been shipwrecked on the shore of the river. Ladonna notices a chest in it, and sends Sidhanar to investigate. However, as soon as he touches it, five lacedons emerge from the water and attack. Ladonna sends Liala up close to use a fire spell, which works great--except Liala is then left defenseless and quickly cut down by the survivors. Fortunately, the party is able to finish them off and revive her before death claims her. Checking the chest, Ladonna finds over a thousand gold pieces and an arcane scroll. She keeps the latter and divides up the former among the group.

The party presses on. During their trek, Unakite starts arguing with Zesk, and then Ladonna, about ambition, and how orcs are lacking in it, and humans have it in abundance, despite the fact that orcs have more aggression. Ladonna then started speaking with Zesk about the Equalists, and how she might deal with them when they were found. Zesk mentions that priests of Gonto are unable to divine much about them, suggesting they have priests of their own that shield them.

The party makes camp at daybreak. The following night, they continue on. Unakite stares at Ladonna, and demands to know what she wants in life. Power? Ladonna agrees that she will acquire power if she saves Helen, but Unakite points out she stands to lose more if she fails. Ladonna, however, is confident that she can deal with the Equalists once they are found. Unakite points out that she has to find them first, and points out that it's been two days and they still haven't even seen any signs they are on the right track. Her confidence shaken, Ladonna speaks with Sidhanar who agrees that they should have found something by now. Finbul confirms this. So, Ladonna decides to turn around and start heading back toward Hart.

However, just then, they are ambushed by a trio of Koalinth. The party easily dispatches them, but they take down Liala, who has to be revived again. After looting the Koalinth, the party presses onward. Along the way, Zesk mentions his parents, and tells the story of how they met. His father is a minor noble, and his mother was her servant, and they fell in love. Ladonna stated she felt sorry for the woman and wanted to meet her. This transitions into a conversation about Norris, where Zesk reveals that he is the son of two adventurers and in fact, has been going on adventures since he was a child.

They are interrupted when they hear screaming ahead. Rushing forward, they encounter five travelers being dragged toward the river by water spiders. Finbul ensnares three of them, but two manage to reach the water and drag their prey with them. They then return a short time later. Eventually, the party defeats them, but two travelers drown. The remaining three thank the party and reward them. Ladonna inquires if they have seen any Equalist bases around, which of course, they have not.

The party continues two more days back to Hart. As soon as they arrive, Ladonna is recognized by the guards and told to report to Lady Joy, right away, in the manor. There she finds Helen has been rescued and returned by the count's soldiers, as she had been taken east, downstream, to an abandoned watchtower. Ladonna escorts Helen to her room where she can get some rest. Meanwhile, Liala and Finbul return to the guesting house, where they bump into Lillian and fill her in on what she missed.

[Daos]

Chapter 13:  Climbing the Ladder

It is Turquise 28th, the Harvest Festival. Ladonna and Lillian go into town to celebrate. They discuss the four contests (cooking, music, art and combat) and then Lillian asks to be introduced to Zesk and Unakite. The two search around and find Zesk playing with some kids and dogs. He explains he is entering the cooking contest, although he's never done better than fourth place so far. In the conversation, Norris is brought up, and Lillian asks about him, but is put off by his habit of reading minds. The pair leave and find Unakite putting on some kind of macabre puppet show. While she and Lillian discuss philosophy, of sorts, Ladonna finds her father, Jonas. He is back in shape, but still jobless because of their disgraced name. But he introduces her to Relken, a low ranking knight who is looking for a wife. Ladonna has already met him in the previous timeline--he was the man that was going to marry her sister, Felicia. In this timeline, however, there is no Felicia, and the two have not yet met.

Lillian opens up to Unakite in a way she never has with anyone else, discussing her past; how she was abandoned as a child by her parents and how her adoptive father was planning to use her in a demonic ritual. Unakite found the whole idea interesting, even favorable. So long as some kind of change was brought to Tardiff, she doesn't particularly care what shape it might take. Lillian says her goodbyes and then searches around for where Ladonna went.

After Relkan leaves to go speak with the count, Jonas asks Ladonna about her land. She had meant to sell it to the church earlier, but never got around to it, so it was still hers. Jonas had done some research and learned it was just a manor, a farm and a ranch. The manor was said to be haunted, so he suggested rounding up some adventuring friends of her to go check it out. The serfs who work the land also owe taxes, which could be a new source of income. Ladonna agreed to it.

Lillian joins them, and then they all head to the cooking contest together. As they walk, Ladonna criticizes Jonas for not giving her a chance to bring their reputation up and accuses him of not having faith in her. Jonas points out that she tanked their family reputation seven months ago and has done nothing so far, despite constantly claiming she had a plan (that she refuses to share). So he feels quite in the right taking steps to correct the problem on his own.

The conversation turns to Ladonna's mother, and Jonas blames her for abandoning the family, and Ladonna in particular. They sit down at the cooking contest, where Zesk is among those participating, and are joined by Sadduce Fannah Winters. She criticizes them for not attending services more frequently. Jonas and Ladonna promise to correct this, but Lillian admits she feels no connection to Gonto, and prefers Octhanus anyway. Winters is a bit scandalized by this. Conversation dies down, and they hear some locals gossiping about the Lohman's Blades, who have recently invaded Ransome Village, in the county of Deepridge, until they were driven off by the local knights. Jonas worries briefly if they should invade Buho, but Ladonna feels they can take care of themselves.

The contest ends, and Zesk wins third place, and a prize of 500 GP. He claims he'll probably donate it to a good cause, as he doesn't really need it. Lillian inquires about Norris, and Zesk mentions having seen him earlier. Ladonna decides to accompany her, to introduce the diviner. Upon meeting her, Norris doesn't seem impressed--although the bard does manage to block her thoughts from his probing with some willpower (and mentally reciting a really annoying song). The two are surprised to learn that Norris is joining the combat contest, and he tells them a bit about what to expect in how it works and how his mind-reading powers are actually quite useful in battle. Lillian decides to go practice for the music contest, and Ladonna heads over to where the art contest is going to start and spots Sidhanar with a painting under his arm.

Sidhanar is speaking with a beardless and very shy dwarf priest named Oskibor. Ladonna is surprised Sidhanar can paint. Lillian joins them, and Oskibor realizes he has heard of Ladonna and Lillian before--because of the controversy in the forest. The pair admit what they did, and Oskibor lets slip that Sidhanar was demoted to stablekeep because of it. They head inside the big tent where the art contest is being held, and spot Unakite. The gnome laments that painting is, ultimately, a static medium, but Ladonna points out that a painting can mean different things to different people, and is therefore dynamic. After all the paintings are set up, Ladonna votes for Sidhanar's and Lillian votes for Unakite's.

Afterward, they met some of the other artists, including Baron Tellmark, Lady Patricia Ainsley and Filkins. Lady Ainsley painted a self-portrait and tried to put on airs, but later admitted she didn't really know what she was talking about. Filkins was a commoner but a professional who hoped to open an academy that taught art--an idea criticized by Tellmark and Ainsley. The winners were announced, and Tellmark took first place, Ainsley second, and Filkins third. Filkins was outraged by this, disagreeing that the people should be allowed to vote on a winner, when the people know nothing about art.

Lillian went to find Finbul, and discovered him on a literal soap box, protesting human supremacy. Things were getting ugly, but Lillian jumped in and made it much worse. Ladonna then tried to intervene, further aggravating the problem. At the last minute, Lillian influenced the crowd into dispersing. Foxmore arrived, reminding Lillian that words have power, and can be abused, and she should be careful not to risk inciting violence in the future. Ladonna introduces herself, but Foxmore has to go and judge the music contest; and Lillian needs to participate in it. Ladonna and Finbul go along, too, to watch. Finbul tells the women that Damon's group, Buho's Blades, managed to take out both of the Wyld Boys' bases with the help of the Ruaran refugees and the Woodfang goblins.

Once they arrive at the music contest, they learn Liala is participating. Furthermore, they meet Mannan Klass (who reminds Ladonna of their promised date, and complements Lillian's beauty, but she is not impressed) and Qulara Ramot (the wife of Oskibor). Qulara bluntly asks Ladonna why she would lie in court. Lillian claims it was to protect the refugees, but Qulara points out that lying is what you do when you know something is wrong. Ladonna retorts she was in a bad situation; she could either tell the truth and be labeled a non-believer or lie and risk being labeled a liar, so either way, she was doomed. Qulara points out that by lying, she is now considered both a liar and a non-believer, so it was a bad choice. Lillian agrees. Ladonna isn't one for introspection, though, and feels everyone should just forget any mistakes she made in the past and 'move on.'

The music contest begins. Klass goes first and does fairly well. Qulara goes next, and really botches it. Liala goes third, and does even better than Klass. Lillian goes last, and manages to do incredibly well. In the end, Klass wins third place, Liala wins second, and Lillian wins first--giving her a whopping 3,000 gold pieces and a magical ring of refinement. Everyone is surprised by her talent, as they have never heard of her before. Foxmore points out Lillian could be quite an accomplished bard, if she did more performances. Lillian considers it.

Oskibor and Qulara get into an argument, with the latter accusing the former of sabotaging her somehow. Ladonna steps aside to speak with Liala, and Lillian with Finbul. Liala explains that a letter from her parents came in recently, and she is to meet the elf they want her to marry this winter, and have her marry him in the spring. She reminds Ladonna of her promise to help her out of this. Ladonna tells her there is plenty of time and not to worry, and maybe she can somehow convince Relken to marry her instead. Liala becomes nervous by Ladonna's casual attitude toward the whole thing, especially since it's very similar to her attitude toward fixing her family's name. But she agrees to be patient and let Ladonna handle it. Meanwhile, Lillian tells Finbul she plans to join him in his crusade for equality of the races. Ladonna also speaks with Mannan, promising him that date she already promised him before, if he could ruin Relken's reputation enough that Jonas would no longer want her to marry him.

The pair, along with Finbul, arrive at the combat contest and sign up. Ladonna and Lillian are surprised to learn they will face each other in the seventh bout. The first bout is between Jonas and Norris. Before it gets started, they meet a woman with two small children who are sitting next to them named Elin Hale, who shows an interest in who the fighters are.

The first bout is quite quick. Norris casts Sleep on Jonas, taking him out of the fight immediately. The next bout is between Ingot...and Elin! It turns out she is a paladin of Gonto. They both have high defense, but after ten minutes, Ingot finally wins. The third match is between Relken and a mysterious woman named the Midnight Bandit. The Bandit is dressed all in black, obscuring her face. Ladonna and Lillian speculate on who it might be, and consider Unakite as a possibility. The Bandit is fast and quick, and manages to defeat Relken. The next match is between Viondre Fuller and Panola. Ladonna is surprised to see Panola there. Panola, uses a mix of archery, magic and swordplay but Viondre is able to finish her off with her potent combat prayers. The next match is between Finbul and some unknown warrior with a face concealing helmet named the Knight Errant. The two fought to a stand still, but the timer ran out and the Knight was chosen as the victor. The sixth match was between Waleran and Henna. They fought to a stand still, but eventually Henna won just before the time limit ran out.

The seventh match was between Ladonna and Lillian. It was a short one; Ladonna cast Hold Person and Lillian failed her save. There seemed no bad blood between the two, however.

The final match of the first round was Oskibor and his wife, Qulara. Surprisingly, the lazy minter had some pretty good strategies, and defeated his enforcer wife. Qulara didn't seem happy, but was also quite surprised. Ladonna was then given her 300 gold pieces for winning her first bout, and everyone prepared for the second round.

First up was Norris versus Ingot. Norris handily won by using Color Spray to knock the genasi out. Second was the Midnight Bandit versus Viondre. At first, it seemed the Bandit would win, but Viondre used a Hold Person spell to end the match. Third was Henna versus the Knight Errant. Henna seemed to have the upper hand, but she knocked the Knight's helmet askew. The knight quickly fixed it, but Henna saw their face and immediately forfeited, to everyone's surprise. Fourth was Ladonna versus Oskibor. Ladonna felt confident about winning, until she realized that minters are completely immune to charm magic, which left her with precious few options. But she just barely managed to pull it off and defeat him. However, she lost her Armor spell in the process. Lillian recast it on her between bouts.

Next were the semi-finales. The first match was Norris versus Viondre. Ladonna skipped this fight to go find some rope to buy, but Lillian remained to watch. Norris tried to rely on reading the aasimar's mind, but Viondre proved too powerful and managed to knock him out with a crit. The second match was Ladonna versus the Knight Errant. She tried to put them down quickly with a sleep spell, but it wasn't potent enough. She then tried a ray of enfeeblement, which weakened them considerably. Now they were about equal in strength, putting them on a level playing field. Eventually, Ladonna is victorious. But she manages to knock the knight's helm off in the process, revealing his identity as none other than Eowin Solan, the count's son and Helen's betrothed! Count Solan is furious, as his family and court members are not allowed to participate in the contests as this creates a conflict of interest; meaning Eowin lied to get in. The lad tries to explain to his father he just wanted to prove he was a capable warrior ready for real battle. But Solan shuts him down, pointing out that he shamed the family and still lost to a mage with a stick. He has Eowin escorted back to his room under guard as punishment.

This brings us to the grand finale--Ladonna versus Viondre. Ladonna enchants the rope she bought with a spell and flings it at the aasimar. This tangles her up, but Ladonna isn't able to do any actual damage before it wears off. At that point, Ladonna forfeits, and Viondre is declared winner of the tournament. Ladonna is runner up and gets a thousand gold pieces.

As things settle down and the crowd disperses, Ladonna tells Lillian she plans to somehow make amends to Eowin, in hopes of currying his favor. Lillian tells Ladonna about her own plans to find a way to bring social justice to Tardiff for all the races. She then seeks out Finbul. He asks her who won the tournament, and for some reason she tells him it was Eowin ("Knight Errant"). She then outlines her plan to create true equality in Tardiff, with step one being to research and build a team of like-minded folk.

Ladonna goes to the manor to visit Eowin, but the guards won't let her enter his room without permission from the count. So instead, she seeks out her father and finds him flirting with Ser Kellerman. Redna quickly excuses herself to let the two talk. Ladonna is disturbed by the idea of her father having a possible love life. Jonas is concerned, because Relken hasn't shown up yet and it's not like him to be late.

Ladonna agrees to search for him, and the two split up. She finds him surrounded by an angry mob led by Mannan. The gnome herald claims he has proof that Relken is not who he claims to be, but is an imposter. It becomes clear that this is how Mannan plans to ruin Relken's reputation so Ladonna won't have to marry him anymore. She watches as Relken is escorted down to the barracks to be imprisoned for fraud. She then seeks out Ingot and finds him speaking with Joy. She learns he got a job as an apprentice under Grundar, the blacksmith of the keep. Ladonna explains to Ingot about Helen's kidnapping and Relken's arrest. Ingot offers to help on the second matter, but Ladonna isn't interested. It's at this point that Myra and her family show up; her father, Jacob, brought the family down to speak with Ingot about the wedding this spring. Ladonna immediately abandons Ingot to his fate, and goes to find Sidhanar.

After asking a couple of questions that she already asked before to the ranger, Ladonna then went to see Mannan. He was waiting for her in his room, wine at the ready and rose petals on the bed. He offers her wine to toast their victory, and then a song that he wrote for her. However, while he is playing it, Ladonna feels a spell of charming encroaching on her, and she forces it back. She then tells off Mannan and leaves.

Ladonna heads to the barracks and speaks with the bailiff, asking to visit Relken. She is taken to his cell and asks the bailiff for privacy, then asks Relken why he doesn't just clear his name. Relken admits that he is 1/8th elven. He didn't even know until after he was knighted, but if it gets out, it would ruin his reputation and probably cause him to lose his title. Ladonna feigns uselessness in helping him. But then suddenly, the bailiff returns with Mannan and says all charges are dropped and Relken is free to go. It becomes clear that Mannan is undoing his act because Ladonna rejected him. Not sure how to proceed--should she expose Relken's secret?--she opts to head to bed for now.

[Daos]

Chapter 14:  A Good Deed

After a week had passed, the party began to gather in the courtyard. Jonas was there first, and was joined by Ladonna and Lillian. Jonas was excited to see the manor, wondering if it was big enough to host a wedding. He explained to Lillian that Ladonna's wedding will be in the spring; but they aren't going to formally announce it until the winter ball. Jonas asked Ladonna what she will wear to the ball, and Ladonna asked what is wrong with what she has on now--her standard adventuring gear. Jonas pointed out that isn't proper attire for a ball. Ladonna stated that for a ball, she would need a formal gown...which is what Jonas was saying. Confused, he trailed off.

Liala and Ingot arrived, and Ingot now had a fancy new heavy crossbow. Shortly after, Henna (and her horse, Lissa) and Norris arrived. Norris and Ladonna discussed Viondre defeating them in the combat contest. Lissa became very frightened, and only once Lillian was a good distance away did she calm down. Panola and Unakite arrived last. Ladonna asked them to stay in the back with Lillian, to keep her company. Henna, meanwhile, rode Lissa ahead to scout.

As they walked, the party talked. Panola asked some questions to get to know Lillian better, but she and Unakite just wound up trolling her. Panola warned her that Lillian is something of a mystery to the court, and that leads to rumors and hearsay. Ladonna and Liala talked about whether they should have brought a cleric, or some kind of healer of any kind, in case the mansion is really haunted after all. They also discussed Ladonna's dislike of Relken, something that really baffles Liala. Ladonna hinted she likes an elven man, but Liala thought she was kidding, because she couldn't imagine someone of Ladonna's prestige could have 'fae fever.' Lillian told Panola a chunk of her backstory; that she was raised by a warlock who wanted her for some kind of ritual, but escaped and hid most of her life, until recent events sort of shoved her into the spotlight.

When the party arrived, nobody knows who Ladonna even was. When she announced she was the new owner of the land, this caused confusion. The local headman, an ornery man named Osbert, showed up and accuses the party of being the ones stealing food. When Ladonna introduced herself, he quickly deflated and took a more toadying disposition. He agreed to show her the farm and the ranch. When Ladonna asked why nobody is paying their taxes, he pointed out there is nobody to pay them to; Ladonna has owned the land for a year now, but this is the first time she or any representative had visited.

Upon reaching the farm, they are greeted by Osbert's wife, Eadburh, who seems a bit mad. She ranted and raved about pixies stealing her things and claimed the rancher's wife is a witch. Osbert moved on to the ranch, but claimed the rancher is a thief who has been selling his animals off the books and pocketing the extra profit. Upon meeting Aethan, the rancher, he explained that his animals are just vanishing into thin air. There were no footprints and the gate remained locked, but they disappear overnight every few days. He suspected a witch that is said to live in the woods was behind it. The party then met his wife, Dolores. She mentioned that in addition to the animals being stolen, food was being taken from the stores, too. Most suspect vagabonds, but Osbert believed lazy serfs were the culprits.

Osbert led the party to the manor gates, where a bunch of signs had been posted to warn people away. He handed over the key and suggested she stays away, too. Ladonna then asked Norris his thoughts on everyone they have met so far, knowing that he reads everyone's minds. At the same time, Lillian asked Unakite about her past. The gnome recited a dark and bloody poem that seems to suggest great suffering and tragedy.

Ladonna led the way, and opened the front door to the manor. All of the windows were covered, so it was pitch black inside. They entered a foyer, and she sent those with infravision to check out two of the rooms--a den and a parlor. They realized they need light, but while Henna had flint and steel, nobody had any torches or lanterns. Ladonna sent Liala into the den to look for one. She found a lantern, but screamed as something attacks her. Ladonna rushed in to save her, but it's completely dark so she tripped and fell. She saw a pair of red eyes that quickly vanished. Henna and Panola moved in and dragged the two out. They discussed what Ladonna saw, but weren't sure what it was. Henna lit the lantern and peered around, but there was nobody in the room now.

The party checked out the parlor next. There was a locked cabinet, but after Panola picked it, it turned out to just be filled with liquor. They moved on to the kitchen, where it looked like someone was once in the middle of preparing dinner and just abandoned it. Ladonna spotted some movement, and when she investigated, something in the shadows jumped at her, clawing her and draining her strength. Rather than fight back or flee, Ladonna simply fell to her knees and cried out. Lillian went to defend her, and she was attacked, too. She used an illusion to distract it, then the two fled the room. Undeterred, Ladonna insisted on continuing to search the manor. Norris was able to confirm the creature was undead, and Lillian made herself invisible and poked around in the kitchen, but the creature didn't seem to see her. The party decided to move on to the next room, which was an old music room. Ladonna wondered about a master bedroom, which most guessed is upstairs.

As Lillian was invisible, she volunteered to scout out the rooms on the second floor. However, this meant if she encountered any shadows, they wouldn't see her, and she wouldn't see them; leaving her unaware if there's any danger or not. She checked the room on the west side first, and found a guest bedroom. Then south of that was a storage room. To the north, she found the master bedroom and the adjacent bath. When she opened the balcony doors to the north, it flooded the room with sunlight from outside, revealing three more shadows.

A fight broke out, but didn't go well. Lillian attacked and turned visible again, and quickly went down. Several of the others rushed in to help, but found their weapons just passed through the shadows as if they were...well...shadows. The others looked to Ladonna for leadership, but she only offered vague commands. Jonas stepped in and took over, and coordinated a retreat, with Ingot rescuing Lillian and the others holding the shadows off while the magic-users blasted them. Two of the shadows were destroyed by magic, but the remaining one kept fighting until the party successfully retreated out the front door and locked it inside.

Ladonna and Jonas got into an argument over Ladonna's leadership, and her rule over the people here. They ultimately decided to retreat to the ranch and ask/demand shelter there. While the comatose Lillian had a surreal dream/memory sequence, the others discussed their options. By some luck, Kohen Hedra happened to be passing through, on his way back to Buho after meeting with his superiors in Hart. He revived Lillian, and offered to heal them up as much as they wanted (for a price), but would not go adventuring with them.

Ladonna decided to split the group into two, in order to investigate both the abducted animals and the stolen food. Her group consisted of herself, Ingot, Liala, Henna and Norris. The other group, led by Jonas, consisted of himself, Lillian, Panola, and Unakite. While Ladonna's group immediately left to investigate the stolen food, Jonas instead cautioned that his own group wait a bit for their drained strength to return first. Lillian thought this was laziness, and mentioned it to Unakite. Unakite urged her to challenge Jonas for leadership, as she hoped it will cause a lot of drama. However, Jonas listened to what Lillian had to say, and while rather skeptical, he agreed on the condition that he could step in if things went awry.

Over at the grain silo, Ladonna and her group found it locked, but Ladonna had the key that Osbert gave her. Once inside, they found evidence of entry, and a dried muddy bootprint. Ladonna noticed that the padlock was covered in scratches, suggesting it had been picked multiple times. She also recalled that nobody in the area--outside of the party--had been seen wearing boots--just sandals or cloth wrappings. Ladonna concluded the thief was living in the woods and thought the party should go investigate, despite being split up and wounded. Once there, Ladonna easily found a trail of bootprints. She concluded whoever made it may have intended to be discovered, meaning it might be a trap. She and the others returned to the ranch.

Lillian, Panola and Unakite headed out to the barn and investigate, while Jonas stayed behind to rest as he was wounded and drained. Lillian was also wounded (at 1 HP) and drained, but insisted this could not wait. At the barn, she found very large vulture feathers on the roof by the skylight and immediately concluded a roc was the culprit. The others had never heard of rocs, as they are rare and only live in the mountains, and there are no mountain ranges in Tardiff. Further investigation revealed no signs of struggle, suggesting the animals may have gone willingly. Lillian changed her theory, to a druid who was shapechanging into a vulture and freeing the animals. She and the others returned to the ranch.

Both groups returned and reported to Jonas. They decided to investigate the footprints in the woods first. Ladonna was very reluctant to pay the kohen to heal them up, but eventually caved. Once the party was at full health again, they set out together this time. They followed the trail easily, and began to suspect it's a trap. So they sent Panola to scout ahead. After half an hour, they grew worried and decided to look for her. They came across a small clearing, with a campsite but nobody around--save Panola, who was tied up and unconscious in the middle. Ladonna sent Unakite to 'scout around.' The gnome disappeared but didn't return. Several Equalists stepped out of hiding, and surrounded the party.

One of the Equalists was none other than the Midnight Bandit, who Ladonna faced in the tournament. Ladonna and Lillian criticized her and the other Equalists for stealing food from poor serfs. The Midnight Bandit pointed out that the only reason the serfs were poor was because the nobility exploited them. Ladonna tried to paint herself as a progressive noble, pointing out she had not collected taxes from the serfs in a year (but left out it was because she didn't know she could, and that she had come here today to collect what they owed her). Lillian even went so far as to call herself a 'bootlicker for Ladonna' in a rather amusing moment.

It was revealed that the Midnight Bandit was part of the cell that kidnapped Helen (by accident, as they were trying to kidnap Joy). The entire cell was wiped out, except for the Bandit. They also learned the Bandit then joined this cell, under the leadership of a big bear of a Crizzite man, Victor. Apparently the plan was to try and turn the party to their side, but it was clear that wasn't working. Instead, Victor decided to ransom the party. Ladonna claimed they were worthless (despite the fact that would mean the Equalists would have no reason to keep them alive!) but somehow the Bandit knew the party intimately well, and pointed out all the ways they would be valuable to the nobility.

Using her powers, Ladonna managed to convince Victor to let the party go, but keep her alone. The other Equalists objected to this, but ultimately did as Victor commanded (they kept the party's weapons, though). As soon as the party left, they also packed up camp to a more secure location. Ladonna tried to convince them to work for her, as servants, caring for her estate. They really weren't into the idea at all.

Meanwhile, Lillian, who had earlier expressed interest in leadership, was now thrust into that role fully. Unsure of what to do or how to proceed, she led the group back to the ranch and asked about weapons; however, the only ones Aethan knew about were in the manor, which was still haunted. The party argued over what to do, when Lillian noticed that Unakite was still missing. It was possible she was still scouting, or had followed the Equalists and knew where Ladonna had been taken. The group set back out into the woods and found the campsite again, but this time it was abandoned and all trace of tracks had been removed.

Meanwhile, the Equalists escorted Ladonna north to the river, then discussed their next move. They knew of a nearby orc encampment, and figured they can bribe the orcs to let them stay there for the night, knowing that nobody will think to look for them there. During the discussion, Ladonna managed to loosen her bindings enough to free her hands, but pretended otherwise while she waited for a good opportunity.

The party fanned out and searched the area, but couldn't find anything. Lillian was disappointed there's no trail or anything left by Unakite, but Jonas pointed out she's quite mad. This gives Lillian the idea to look for something less obvious. She found a carving in a nearby tree of a skull that was crying. She continued to find weird and strange markers, until they exited the forest and reached the shore of the river. There, she found Unakite's favorite doll, Mr. Tiggy-Winkle, dancing. Lillian attempted to pick up the doll, but some unseen force prevented her, and Unakite's disembodied voice demanded he finish the dance. It turns out Unakite was still invisible, and was making the doll move. After the dance finished, she told them, through Mr. Tiggy-Winkle, that Ladonna was 'safe' and 'where no one can get her' at an orc encampment not far from here. The party was disheartened, as they have no weapons and even if they did, are no match for so many orcs. But Lillian interpreted Unakite's statement to mean that Ladonna made some kind of deal with the orcs, who sided with her against the Equalists.

Lillian approached the encampment guards alone and tried to communicate but she cannot speak Orcish, nor can they understand Tardish. This led to quite a few misunderstandings, like the orcs thinking Lillian was offering herself as a slave. Lillian gave up and fetched Jonas, but he didn't speak or understand Orcish, either. He recommended she ask someone else in the group. Lillian returned to the group and asked if anyone can speak Orcish. As it turns out, Panola could. She never said anything, as she assumed Lillian did, as well. Panola went with Lillian and translated. The orcs had no idea who Ladonna was, but claimed a bunch of humans (the Equalists) paid them to make camp there. Lillian said they'll just make camp nearby and wait for her to leave.

Meanwhile, things were going quite poorly for Ladonna. She was put in Vincent's tent, then waited for him to relax a bit while pretending to sleep. She then used Hold Person on him and tried to run. Except she was in the middle of the Equalist camp, which was itself in the middle of the an orc encampment. So she was quickly caught. The orcs got involved, and Ladonna offered to pay them a handful of coins to free her from the Equalists. But the orcs don't want to get involved. Ladonna cast Sleep on several of them. The orcs took this as a hostile act, and the Equalists were forced to flee. They left Ladonna behind because they felt she was not worth the trouble. The orcs weren't sure what to do with her, but she persuaded them to let her go. They did so, but took her coin purse anyway.

Back at the camp, the party discussed how badly things had gone south on this adventure. Lillian mentioned the man who raised her, and Panola asked her a few details about him. She also asked about her parents again, but Lillian was almost aggressively disinterested in having a past or roots or connections of any kind, despite how important all of those things are to this particular culture. Panola wondered if the Midnight Bandit might have been right, that Lillian is a human bootlick and kind of proud of it? But Jonas jumped in to agree that she was right to think so, because Tardish culture is superior to Ruaran. This also upset Lillian, who snapped at the man. Then she claimed she will somehow change Tardish culture. Norris was highly skeptical that she had the ambitions or the means to pull it off, however.

Suddenly, Ladonna approached the camp. Jonas gave her a hug, but she seemed to be uncomfortable with it. She claimed the orcs let her go after she got the Equalists in trouble with them. Henna suggested they just call it quits on the whole thing; they've lost their weapons and they aren't getting paid. Jonas wanted to stay and clear out the manor, as they need it for the wedding. But Ladonna made it clear she didn't care about that, which upset Jonas. This, in turn, upset Ladonna. She agreed with Henna that they should just quit. They returned to the ranch for the night to sleep.

The following morning, before setting out, Ladonna went to speak with Osbert about back taxes. Lillian asked the others what they thought of the outing, and they all agreed it was a miserable failure. Lillian tried to spin it in a positive way, but then agreed it was pretty bad and they all started to sulk, but especially Jonas. After that, they headed back to Hart.

[Daos]

Chapter 15:  Winter Ball

Ladonna and Lillian arrive at the winter ball with Helen, who quickly ditches them to go see the count. Ladonna finds Relken right away, who seems anxious and out of place at a fancy ball. He was just a soldier until recently, after all, and has not adjusted to life as a knight yet. Ladonna admits she is nervous, too, because she needs everything to go right tonight after what happened on her land a couple of months back. Ladonna is taken back by how...sincere Relken is, and how eager he is to do right by her and the Marche name. She recommends he put in a good word with the count, meet Lady Escott, and perhaps get to know some of the higher-ups in the church. She also agrees to a dance later.

Lillian seeks out Finbul, who is annoyed at all the wasteful elegance of the party, pointing out that the gold spent here could have been put to better use. Lillian, who spent 700 gold on her dress, realizes he is right. She openly speaks of meeting the Equalists on Ladonna's land, and Finbul wonders what they are up to. Lillian also openly speaks of her plan to 'play the game' in order to earn a boon from the count, much like Ladonna did with the baron a year ago. Finbul mentions that Katya's mother, Ser Waelnod, is dying and since Katya ran off, she has no heir to pass the ranch to, meaning the future of the ranch (and Finbul's family, who works on it) is uncertain. Lillian wishes she could speak to the crippled knight and talk her into giving the ranch to the Padners. At one point, the halfling maid, Mara Haywise, bumps into Finbul and apologizes. Lillian recognizes her from a year ago. She claims she lost her footing in surprise, because she overheard Lillian talking about the Equalists, and warns her to watch what she says in public in a place like this.

Ladonna seeks out her father, who she finds in a very depressed state, drinking. Worried he might cause a scene, she asks him what is wrong. Jonas admits that he is just tired of fighting her on every little thing. They used to be a close team, but now she treats him with constant derision, and undermines every decision he makes, so he's giving up on even trying. Ladonna doesn't really know what he means, because she came from a different timeline. She does assure him she will marry Relken anyway, she just needs time to 'get to know him better.' She also suggests they find a way to hold the wedding in Hart itself, which Jonas is skeptical they can pull off, but agrees it would be a great boon to the family if they somehow could.

Ladonna and Lillian both meet up again, as they both go to see Fannah Winters. Ladonna asks her about her alternate past self, and Winters quickly sets up a silence spell so nobody can eavesdrop--pointing out that many nobles attend these balls solely to gather up blackmail information. She asks them what has changed from the previous timeline, having been under the impression they were exactly the same after the party defeated Ghalt. Ladonna admits that her family is quite different; her parents are divorced and her sister, Felicia, was never born. This alarms Winters, who had no idea. She suggests Ladonna speak with Sadduce Sern, Quill's wife (and Norris' mother) who wanted to speak with them about the temporal incident anyway.

Ladonna then sought out the Serns. Quill remarks how lovely she looks, and wonders if they should consider matching her with Norris, an idea he does not appear pleased by. Ladonna is simply amused, though. Quill introduces his wife, Voltera, a priest of Gonto. Voltera eagerly takes Ladonna aside, using another silence spell to speak privately, and asks her all about any changes to the timeline. It turns out that after the temporal incident, a secret order of priests was formed known as the Order of Historians, and their job is to preserve the timeline and prevent further temporal incursions. She cannot help Ladonna learn more about her alternate past self, but does offer to look into the idea of using scrying magic to learn more.

Lillian apologizes to Fannah for claiming to prefer Octhanus to Gonto at the harvest festival. Fannah accepts her apology, and suggests she publicly denounce Octhanus at the next church service, which Lillian agrees to do.

Ladonna seeks out the Calabrian dignitary, Barone Gerardo Amodeo of Pharabutto, who actually is just arriving. He is half-elven, which scandalizes the court. Ladonna, however, thinks him quite attractive. At first, he seems uninterested in even speaking with her, and detached from the party in general, calling it boring and colorless. But he seems to warm up to her a bit, and even some light flirting passing between them.

Lillian goes to see her mentor, Miranda Foxmore, who is telling an amusing story to some courtiers. She introduces Lillian as the winner of the music contest of the harvest festival. She asks Lillian if she's here for a match, and Lillian blurts out she isn't interested in romance or marriage, which causes a ripple of scandalized whispers among the courtiers. Miranda quickly tries to cover for her. Fortunately, a distraction occurs when the Calabrian dignitary arrives.

Ladonna meets up with Liala, who is with her parents, Tamen and Minril and her new betrothed, Ardis Sabris. Ladonna steals Liala away for a bit, and the two discuss how to get her out of the wedding set for this summer. Ladonna wonders if she can get Relken to help somehow, or even Amodeo. She also thinks Liala should maybe get used to the idea that it won't be possible. This upsets Liala, who decides to figure something out on her own. Ladonna intervenes, and instead offers to marry Liala herself, in addition to marrying Relken--meaning that technically speaking, Liala would be married to Relken, too. This would, of course, destroy Ladonna's prestige, though. Liala thanks Ladonna, and seems to be willing to trust her for now.

Lillian decides to approach Amodeo. He seems impressed that the Tardish would let an elf into a noble's ball that isn't a servant. She asks about his investigation into finding the one responsible for killing a Calabrian merchant, and he tells her he believes the prime suspect is Jherek Everfull, who has gone missing. Even when the Wyld Boys were wiped out, he was never found among the dead or captured. Lillian mentions Katya, but she has apparently gone missing, too. Lillian returns to Miranda and fills her in. Miranda suggests that if Lillian wants to extract info from Amodeo, she should speak with Mannan for tips.

Ladonna goes to speak with the count, and asks if she could hold her wedding here, in Hart Castle. The count points out this is unusual, as usually only VIPs can do that. Ladonna offers to help deal with the Calabrian dignitary, ensuring his mission is successful so he'll leave. The count agrees to let her host her wedding in the castle if she can pull that off. Pleased, Ladonna then goes to speak with Rekna to learn more about Amodeo and the Calabrians. Redna pretends (or does she?) to flirt with Ladonna to get privacy from anyone trying to eavesdrop. The two discuss the matter, then Ladonna goes to find Ingot.

Mannan isn't terribly pleased to see Lillian after their last frosty encounter, but nevertheless, Lillian tries to appeal to his vanity to get some tips. He suggests that if she is unable to get close to Amodeo, to instead get close to someone close to him. Taking this advice into consideration, Lillian goes to find Finbul. He's arguing with Baron Tellmark over deforestation. Lillian quickly sides with Finbul, which annoys Tellmark. He moves on, and Finbul and Lillian discuss Jherek and Katya, and what the Calabrians might do if they catch them.

Ladonna finds Ingot with Joy and Panola, but quickly forgets all about him as she talks with Joy instead. They discuss a number of subjects, and eventually Lillian joins them, as well. One subject mentioned is Ser Greymane, the court's verderer, who is technically a knight, but has no lands and is ugly and spends all of his time out in the wilderness. This makes him rather undesirable for marriage. Ladonna asks Joy about why, as heir, she is not already married. She explains that the count's standards are too high.

Ladonna and Lillian break away from the group and discuss tips on how to better fit into Tardish society. Ladonna suggests Lillian at least pretend to look for a spouse. Lillian agrees, and goes to speak with Lady Helen about it. Helen offers to help her find a spouse when she becomes baroness, but also points out she could join Ladonna's or the count's courts instead. Lillian finds that idea appealing. Helen also mentions something about Panola looking for Lillian's parents, so Lillian goes to speak to Panola about this.

Ladonna seeks out Eowin to apologize for humiliating him in the combat contest last festival. Eowin isn't really interested. She claims she can help teach him how to fight mages, which he finds intriguing, but is grounded and has an escort on him at all times, and he doubts his father will allow it. Ladonna claims she can get past his guards with magic, but Eowin is skeptical she can get away with it, and isn't sure why she would risk it. Ladonna assures him she just wants to get on his good side.

Lillian speaks with Panola, asking about her parents. Panola admits she hasn't found anything substantial yet, but has a few leads she is working on. She didn't want to get Lillian's hopes up, but in truth, Lillian hopes she finds nothing. She also offers to run background checks on any elves Lillian tries to marry, and maybe help her in finding an elven husband.

Ladonna then seeks out Tiral Greymane, the verderer. He's an awkward and shy fellow, who isn't great at conversation. Ladonna asks if he would be interested in marrying an elf, and while Tiral is intrigued, he doesn't believe the count would ever allow it. Ignoring that fact, Ladonna runs off and gets Liala to introduce the two.

Lillian then seeks out Unakite, who is entertaining as the court jester (but mostly just acting weird and spooky). She offers a creepy prophecy, claiming, "When the fourth child's soul is taken, and ultimate demonic power is achieved, the gates will fling open and all of Pandemonium will be emptied out into the world. From the east, darkness will spread, infecting all life, until death is all that remains, and the Demonic King rules over nothing." But then she implies it is all a made up story.

It's at this point the first dance is called for. Ladonna dances with Relken, but Lillian chooses the court jester, Unakite. Ladonna tells Relken the news about possibly getting the wedding held at the castle, and also offers to teach him how to flirt. Meanwhile, Lillian asks Unakite if it is possible to change the rules of the game by playing it, and the danger involved in truly being one's self.

For the second dance, Ladonna chooses Amodeo as her partner, while Lillian chooses Patricia Ainsley. Ladonna tries to probe Amodeo about his true motives in investigating Buho, but fails. Lillian teases Patricia about her true motives in asking her to dance.

For the third dance, Ladonna chooses Redna and Lillian chooses Amodeo. Ladonna and Redna discuss the job with Amodeo a bit, but also whether Ladonna can use her fun side to get closer to Amodeo. Meanwhile, Lillian complements Amodeo on his charm, which he takes a little too seriously, or seems to, anyway.

After the dance, dinner is served. Ladonna sits down next to Joy, and Lillian sits next to Ladonna (and also Baron Tellmark). The three women openly talk about the count, and Amodeo. Ladonna suggests Lillian might get close to Amodeo by pretending to be a love-struck fool. Lillian also inquires about Ladonna taxing her serfs, but Ladonna claims she could always lower their taxes later.

The count then starts off the announcements by formally announcing the engagement of his son, Eowin Solan, to Lady Helen Escott. Baron Tellmark announces his son, Reginald, will be engaged to Desiree Rolan, daughter of Ser William Rolan. Jonas, of course, announces Ladonna's engagement to Relken. Quill announces his son, Norris, will be engaged to Ser William Rolan's other daughter, Maryanne. And finally Tamen announces Liala's engagement to Ardis Sabris.

With dinner and the announcements over, the attendees start to file out, including Lillian. Ladonna seeks out Zesk. He congratulates her on her upcoming nuptials. She asks when it was his turn, and he sadly points out that as a half-orc, it is unlikely that will ever happen. Ladonna then leaves for the night.