Oh... my heavens...
Carina's eyes widen as she looks over the burnt buildings of the town. She wasn't used to seeing the Garrison & the Cuthbertines walking about like they owned the town. The sight of the sheriff's office, now a burnt-out husk of a building, makes her shiver.
As the crowd gathers around the party, she looks around at their faces. "Um... excuse me, but may I ask what happened while we were gone?"
Astraden goes up to the door and knocks. "Hey wizard! We're back! We saved Lambere, no thanks to you."
"Is it just me, or does Diamond Lake look like more of a s@+$hole than usual?"
While walking through town, Eben raises an eyebrow at the signs of disturbance. "Looks like we missed a party..." he says. At Carina's worried glance towards the wreck of the sherrif's office, he reassures her, "Cubbin's always been a corrupt jerk, don't shed any tears for him whatever might have gone down..." His nonchalance is belied by the concerned look he gives in the direction of the Emporium; after all, he still had friends there...
At Allustan's, he happily greets Grifter, feeding the horse a couple of dried apple slices he'd been saving from his trail rations. "Hey, buddy. You been a good boy for Allustan? Did you get to kick anyone's ass in all the fighting?" He reaches over and ruffles the horse's mane.
Carina nods at Eben. "I know. Still... I just hope nobody innocent got hurt..."
No mistaking it--Diamond Lake is barely more attractive a place to live than Hell. Still... I imagine there's enough innocent people who live here to warrant worrying about them...
As the crowd gathers around the party, she looks around at their faces. "Um... excuse me, but may I ask what happened while we were gone?"
The townsfolk look amongst each other nervously. One woman steps up—it's Venelle, the archery shop owner. "The mayor's dead," she says flatly. "So's the Prince."
Astraden goes up to the door and knocks. "Hey wizard! We're back! We saved Lambere, no thanks to you."
The door opens. Allustan looks the group over. His eyes are narrowed. The middle-aged wizard doesn't say anything.
Cuetzpalli observes the destruction in Diamond Lake with growing concern. Is this really going to be the end of the world? It seems like chaos is spreading everywhere. He follows the others to Allustan's house, keeping a close eye on anyone who comes near the group. When Allustan doesn't even greet them, Cuetzpalli says, "Can we come in? I think we need to talk. We've got more news about the..worms..."
Astraden stiffens, averting her eyes from the wizard's gaze. He was still rotten. Allustan's still a prick. I mean . . . he wouldn't even spring for a reincarnation for his own brother? He's got no right to mourn.
Allustan clears his throat. "Please, Cuetzpalli, come in. And bring your beast—Spiny, right?—in with you. I'm not entirely sure he's safe out here in the current...climate."
The wizard's home is as neat as ever, though perhaps a bit dusty.
Tanith’s more than a little surprised by the level of destruction but can’t but be relieved that Carina was out of town when the violence had started.
”We should move further into town and see if there’s anything we can do to help.”
Eben gives Grifter a final pat and walks over to the door, clearing his throat awkwardly as he goes. "I'm sorry for your loss, Allustan. If it's any consolation, we sorted things out at the keep and Marzena is going to be alright."
"So I got that the mayor's dead, but I still don't think anybody filled us in on what exactly happened. Mind helping me out?"
"Oh, er, my condolences by the way." he adds, belatedly remembering Allustan was the mayor's brother.
Astraden squeezes back out through the crowd, disguising herself as a Bronzewood ranger as soon as she's free. She heads north of town towards the Land residence.
Carina is quiet when she hears of the Mayor's death. She looks down at her feet before meeting Allustan's eyes once more.
Astraden... you could've been a little more sensitive.
"I'm sorry for your loss as well, sir." She says, her voice soft.
She glances over at Tanith as Cuetzpalli is invited in. "Do you need my help for this?" She nods in the direction of the rest of the town.
Allustan nods grimly. "That's good to hear, Eben. I knew you all could handle it."
He turns to Carina and Farrukh. "The matter is...resolved. More or less." The wizard clears his throat. "A few weeks ago, word of Dourstone's and Smenk's involvement with the cult of the Ebon Triad leaked out. More-or-less. I was too involved in my studies to notice, but twisted claims about the mine managers were being fed to a populace that didn't know what to believe."
He rolls his eyes. "At first, my brother...encouraged it. He was enjoying a brief period where he was once again treated as 'in charge', and he was eager for things to stay that way. He didn't know what he was unleashing. About a week ago—about the time you were arriving at Lambere—Moonmeadow made an ill-advised remark about the human race while passing through town. It wasn't even particularly offensive, by his standards, but it started a fight."
Astraden slips away from the crowd. As she passes by Neff Manor, she sees that the place has been thoroughly trashed. A large buzzard stands hunched over the carcass of one of Neff's guard dogs.
She sees the Dourstone Mine nearby. It's difficult to tell from the distance what its condition is.
Allustan goes over and pours himself a glass of wine from an open bottle. "Drunk miners against trained soldiers. Even a few of the elves looked a bit squeamish at the mess that followed. And that set something dark off in Diamond Lake." He takes a sip, offering the bottle to the heroes. "Shambling Vineyards. It's a good year."
Regardless, he quickly continues. "Riots. Bloody, stupid riots. Moonmeadow's mansion was attacked, and the poor fool of a princeling got his head mounted on a pike and mouth stuffed full of holy wafers. My brother Lanod sent out his men to help, but they arrived too late to do more than massacre some stragglers." The wizard's eyes narrow. "And the idiots left the jail unguarded."
"Quite honestly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."
"It was going to happen eventually", Tanith says with a bit of a frown. "I'm sorry your brother was the one that ended up paying the price."
"Anything we can do to help while we're here?" the big man asks.
Eben listens along, astonished at how much had happened in so little time. He accepts a glass of wine when offered, but otherwise has little to say until Allustan mentions the jail being left unguarded. "Crap. Smenk. He got free?"
Astraden's still kind of shaken by the realization that she caused all that. "I don't believe in me," she whispers to herself, and as she ducks down into the bushes above Dourstone's mine her form fades from sight.
Carina looks into her glass of wine, remaining quiet while the others talk. The idea of Smenk escaping prison causes her to almost drain her entire glass in one swig, as if to chase the idea away.
When Tanith asks if they can help, Carina looks up, her expression mirroring Tanith's.
"Yeah, is there anything we can do?" the Olman asks, adding to the offers of aid. DL was always a s~~+ hole, but it doesn't desrve this. Besides, in its current state, it's simply asking for Kyuss Spawn to invade it and take it over.
"It was going to happen eventually", Tanith says with a bit of a frown. "I'm sorry your brother was the one that ended up paying the price."
"Anything we can do to help while we're here?" the big man asks.
"Frankly, I think your skills are best-placed elsewhere." Allustan frowns. "After the incident with Moonmeadow, the rioters turned to the sheriff. They were oddly...focused. That's when I showed up." He coughs. "And after that, the Garrison moved in to fight alongside peculiar allies: Jierian Wierus and his cult. Those two are the major powers left now, and I know you haven't endeared yourself to Wierus. Nobody in town can agree on whether you're heroes or villains, and some are so passionate about their beliefs they're willing to fight about it. I doubt you'd be in danger, but some folk here are dangers to themselves at this point."
Eben listens along, astonished at how much had happened in so little time. He accepts a glass of wine when offered, but otherwise has little to say until Allustan mentions the jail being left unguarded. "Crap. Smenk. He got free?"
Allustan nods heavily. "The moment the jail was left unguarded, Luzane Parrin made her move. But when she and her men arrived, they ran into Smenk on his way out." He raises an eyebrow. "He was accompanied by two zombified bugbears and a scrappy, weaselly sort of man. Parrin's men were killed, and she was badly injured.
He takes a sip of wine. "She's being held at the Garrison now. Many of the crowd think she and Smenk were in it together, so it's for her own safety as much as anything."
Astraden's still kind of shaken by the realization that she caused all that. "I don't believe in me," she whispers to herself, and as she ducks down into the bushes above Dourstone's mine her form fades from sight.
[dice=Perception]10+8 [dice=Stealth (invisibility)]10+3+20
Astraden approaches the Dourstone Mine. As she nears it, she finds it virtually undamaged. It seems the rioters steered clear.
The gates are shut.
"I think we've met that man that helped Smenk escape - the one with the undead bugbears. We ran into him when we were exploring the cairn", Tanith explains. "At the very least we should make sure Smenk and his friend are dealt with before we leave. Any idea where they're hiding?"
"I've tried to look into it. I've had...small success." Allustan raises an eyebrow. "But we should prioritize. What did you encounter at Blackwall Keep?"
"A lot but I can't say I understand it all. It looks like there's a dragon working to turn the lizardfolk tribes on the Free City and she's the one spreading those worms around. She'd formed an alliance with one of the tribes and as a 'sign of good faith' left one of her eggs in their care - except it wasn't an egg. It was a hollow shell full of those damned worms. We managed to save most of the eggs and set things straight with the lizardfolk but we've got to find this dragon."
"We were on our way back to the Free City. It's possible there's another Ebon Triad cell operating there."
The cleric shrugs and passes on, hiking up along the track until she reaches the turn for the Lands' farm. She creeps through the copse of deklos, stopping to check that Alastor's grave is still undisturbed, then climbs up to the house. She conjures a thin gravy with bits of potatoes and scoops it up with flatbread, trying to clear her head.
It was right to kill the managers, and the mayor was as bad as they were, and the enforcers were pretty bad, so why should I worry about it? Even if a hundred were lost in the battle, it was worth it to free the rest. And they'll be free, as long as the mob doesn't go after the good elements. Yes. They'll definitely not do that.
She sighs and looks up at the ceiling. "Olidammara, what do I do? It feels like I haven't smiled in ages. Marinn didn't smile when she saw me. And Diamond Lake, which once rang with the laughter of drunkards in the taverns and urchins in the streets, is quiet and angry. Will liberation come in time?"
"And then there was an infestation of worms at both the keep and Lambere. Looks like this has been brewing a while- turns out the wizard that Marzena replaced a ways back died of worm infestation, not... whatever they claimed. The garrison there managed to lock him away, but he got out during the fighting and killed and turned a few of the soldiers. And Lambere... that was just ugly. Just one of those worm zombies managed to kill and convert a quarter of the town in no time."
Astraden hears something approaching from outside.
Allustan nods. "I'd feared as much. Not the dragon and such, of course, but I'd been concerned the spawn would find a way to spread."
He turns to Tanith. "I understand the creeds of your faith, Tanith, but I don't think it would be smart to pursue this dragon. Any wyrm with access to magic like this probably has powerful allies at the very least. Your group is skilled, but dragons are a whole other level. Even I would be afraid to do battle with one.
"That said, going after the cell might be a good idea. The Free City is what you might call a 'hot item' right now—I have a colleague there, a sage by the name of Eligos. He's an expert in ancient lore, and a powerful agent of the wizard Manzorian. He has resources I lack, and might be able to shine some light on this matters. He may be able to explain more about this dragon you seek, too.
"In addition, I think the Free City might be where Smenk fled. It's where Filge is from, at any rate, and that man never did like to stray."
"Good to know. Well, if there's nothing we can do for Diamond Lake, we should be on our way. Time is of the essence. I fear the dawn of the age of worms prophecied by that mad grimlock has already arrived."
"I really hope you're wrong, Cuetz."
Astraden puts one hand on a scroll and fishes out her dagger with the other. She creeps downstairs.
"Ah, there you are."
Astraden sees Raddle, the halfling priest of Olidammara, walking up the hill. "Thought I might find you here."
"Ah, it's you. I thought you'd be back to Greyhawk by now," Astraden says, leaning out the window.
She turns and opens the door. "Come in I guess."
He didn’t like the idea of being powerless to help but the situation in Diamond Lake was certainly something his talents weren’t going to be able to solve and the idea of catching Smenk and giving him another beating was too tempting to pass up.
”At the very least we should check on Lady Z and make sure she’s okay”, the big man suggests.
The halfling enters. His locket glints in the sunlight as he enters. "You know, I was going to. But then I hear this interesting spin about a cult, and these managers what helped 'em along." The little priest leans against the windowsill. "Well, I couldn't rightly pass that bit of excitement up. You know how it is."
Astraden laughs (nervously, though she's trying to hide it). "Yeah; I wish I could've been here to see it go down. But we had a gig down in the Mistmarsh. Some monsters eating through Lambere and the lizardfolk, though we stopped 'em."
Carina, having been oddly quiet the whole time, finally speaks up. "We could do that."
She has a small blush on her cheeks.
"Mm-hm. I read that." Raddle raises an eyebrow. "So, it everything you hoped it'd be?"
Astraden struggles for half a minute, trying to figure out how to answer. "It's good that they knocked down that poncey Prince. And the sheriff was pretty rotten too. The mayor . . . well, he wasn't a saint, but all he did was stand by as others killed. I've done that plenty of times. I wish the people had gone for, say, Tilgast and Parrin instead. Ripped out the roots of corruption." She shrugs, avoiding Raddle's gaze. "What happened to Cubbin's people? And Lanod's? Moonmeadow's?"
The group makes its way to the Dourstone Mine, their crowd of followers dissipating as the destination becomes clear.
This place is not as battered as the rest of Diamond Lake, but they notice some conspicuous scorch marks on the entrance. Seeing the heroes' approach, the miners hurry to the residence and fetch Zalamandra.
The sorceress and owner of the Emporium is smiling her catlike smile as she leads the heroes into her home. She's as beautiful as ever, but has a conspicuous black eye. "It's lovely to see you all again. It truly has been too long." She frowns. "Where's Astraden? Did something..."
Astraden struggles for half a minute, trying to figure out how to answer. "It's good that they knocked down that poncey Prince. And the sheriff was pretty rotten too. The mayor . . . well, he wasn't a saint, but all he did was stand by as others killed. I've done that plenty of times. I wish the people had gone for, say, Tilgast and Parrin instead. Ripped out the roots of corruption." She shrugs, avoiding Raddle's gaze. "What happened to Cubbin's people? And Lanod's? Moonmeadow's?"
"Cubbin's and Lanod's folk mostly got away. Chickens, the lot of 'em." Raddle chuckles. "Most of the elves got killed like Moonmeadow. I mighta glimpsed a couple pointy-eared ladies running for the hills, but I was a bit distracted with their silver. I gotta say, if all your jobs work out this lucrative for me, we oughta consider a partnership."
"Ha. But that's good. Cubbin's men were bad but they were just following the pay, and we've spared worse than them. That's good. Not too much innocent blood on Diamond Lake's hands, yeah?"
Tanith initially smiles when he sees Zalamandra until he spots the black eye.
"I'm not sure where Astraden's run off to - she didn't say. I think she had other business in town."
"Don't tell me the miners turned on you too?" he asks with a nod at her blackened eye.
Carina winces at the sight of Zalamandra's black eye. "Ouch..."
"Um... need some help with that?" She asks, her hand already reaching into her haversack.
Eben frowns. "Boss, please tell me whoever did that is enjoying life as a frog now..."
"Ha. But that's good. Cubbin's men were bad but they were just following the pay, and we've spared worse than them. That's good. Not too much innocent blood on Diamond Lake's hands, yeah?"
"Heh. You're young still." Raddle raises an eyebrow. "You raised a mob of drunk scared miners and pointed 'em at trained killers. Trust me, there was blood. Some hundred or so bodies are buried off by the river. A few yokels tried to rob Tidwoad's an' it ended with two dead gnomes and five dead men. Shops like Venelle's what sell arms ain't allowed to sell squat now, so she's out of work. An' Moonmeadow may've been a damn bigot, but he never hurt a one of his workers. I ain't tryin' to criticize, but I ain't quite sure what you really wanted with this. I don't think you are, either."
Zalamandra nods at Carina. "Please. I'd just go buy a healing spell, but the Heironeans are a bit pressed as it is and the Cuthbertians...well.
"No, it wasn't the miners." She frowns. "It was during the riot, though. I was hurrying back to the mine when five thugs jumped me." She rubs the area around the eye, looking irritated. "They were led by that...the half-orc, the one who works for Smenk. It got close. Luckily, a few of my boys showed up to help out in the clinch." She smiles slightly. "You know, for ex-criminals and debtors, Dourstone's ex-employees have proven very loyal workers. Probably just happy no one's beating them anymore."
As soon as Zalamandra asks for it, Carina's mixing up an extract for her. She finishes once Zalamandra has finished speaking.
"Here ya go--should fix ya right up!" She says with a smile, handing the flask of light blue liquid off to her.
"Thanks, Carina." Zalamandra returns the smile as she quaffs the contents of the flask. The black eye fades until it's nearly invisible.