After a couple of days helping the City to right itself after the Orc incursion and a major recruitment campaign by the
Agency the party return to solving cases. the first one is:
The Case of the Missing Treasure Hunter. An 18 year old lad has purchased a 'treasure map' for 10gp in the market. He has been gone 24 hours and his mother is gettting worried. This is the sort of case the Agency take on for a pittance because
(a) Elwin has a deep social conscience and (b) it has the word 'treasure' in it. The party identify and shake down the
market dealer in (probably bogus) treasure maps. The 'treasure' is in a cave not far from the City and turns out to be a
hungry Mimic impersonating a treasure chest. The party aren't impressed particularly as all the signs are that the Mimic has eaten the boy. They kill the Mimic and sweep up the gold coins lying around the chest. Elwin takes the sad news to the mother.
At this point it is clear that the map dealer has a few questions to answer. The party follow him to his home which is the
top flat in a tenement building. Unfortunately owing to a guilty conscience he climbs out the window and falls to his death.
Elwin has a word with the Watch to make sure that the ground is blamed for his demise rather than the crossbow bolt that seemed to have got lodged in his head. The party examine the dealer's possessions and find he has been making copies of three basic maps. Again Elwin's social conscience comes to the fore as he reckons these sights are undoubtedly dangerous
and their may be innocent people out there planning to visit them.
Further dangerous treasure sites have a way of accumulating 'treasure' even if there was none to start with.
The party travel to a graveyard situated some way from the community it used to serve and clearly now unused. Ignoring
the 'Danger Do Not Enter' signs they pick the lock of the gate and enter. Searching for possible undead and/or treasure
they come across a grave with freshly disturbed earth. Having never seen a horror film they do not associate that with
undead and are consequently surprised when a Ghast jumps out from behind a large tomb and tries to eat them. Disposing
of the Ghast they search the graveyard and the freshly disturbed grave and find a certain amount of loot.
This just leaves just one more site to explore which turns out to be a cave about 20 miles from the City. Entering
the large cave Milo finds out by talking to a bat that they have just walked into an ambush. A Bugbear appears and orders
his troop of goblins to attack the party. Nameless however appears to be extremely attractive to bugbears and he relents
on seeing her. He takes the party through a secret entrance to the goblins living quarters and then takes Nameless into
his own bedroom. At this point the date turns a little sour and he realises too late that she is, to be honest, a bit of a gold digger.
Nameless stabs him and takes his accumulated treasure. The goblins are also under No Name's spell and meet a grisly end.
The party have now eliminated the menance to any map holders but sadly any hope they had of riches as well.
The Case of the Unfortunate Portal. One of the
King's Magicians
comes to the Agency with an unfortunate tale. He seems to have accidentally opened a portal to one of the Nether Planes
while conducting illegal magical research on the side. He cannot close it because some inhabitants of those planes
have come through and although he was able to escape and seal his laboratory he would like the use of it back
particularly as he is not sure how long his wards will hold. The party dispose of a Dretch, two Quasits and a Shadow
Demon and are well rewarded by the magician with small magic items and the promise to sell them similar items at favourable rates.
The Case of the Betrayed Elf. Following the closure of the Elven Embassy an important Elf needs an escort
to Fairvale. For some reason she distrusts other elves and the Agency's new Elvish recruits are therefore unsuitable.
The party meet her at a secret rendezvous outside the City. She is disguised as an old woman but she makes it quite clear
that she expects trouble nonetheless. Towards evening she senses an ambush in the trees ahead and Milo and Arlon attack
the renegade Elf who she believes is sensing herself despite her disguise. He is, however, accompanied by a party of
Red Asps who proceed to rain down poisoned crossbow bolts on the client and Beorhtric causing critical damge to the duplicates that these two magic users have just created to draw their fire.
While Milo and Arlon overcome the Elf the client reveals herself to be a powerful wizard and blasts the unfortunate
Red Asps to oblivion.
The Elf is rendered unconscious but the client's instructions were to keep him alive and he is brought back from the edge
of death by one of Nameless's spells. Clearly formerly a close colleague of the client he confesses that he tried to kill
her because the Red Asps hold his son. He pleads with her to kill him but to rescue his son and she accepts the bargain.
Returning to the City stealthily the client now co-opts the Agency's elves to help her trace where her attacker's son
is held which they do with surprising efficiency. Now disguised as her attacker and his Red Asp helpers the client leads
the party to a Red Asp safe house where she tricks the guard into letting her see the son. The Red Asps, however,
have orders to kill both of them but the party intervene to slay two of them before leaving the safe house still in disguise. The client still wants
an escort to Fairvale and the party oblige dodging the military forces that have accumulated on the border.