A Massacre on Demon Hill. There has been a massacre of suspected cultists on Demon Hill not far from the village of Durton. Normally it would be up to the Church of St James to investigate but as they have assigned the incompetent Guldar
the Fat to investigate the Church of St Erin have secretly approached the agency to assess the crime scene before
Guldar gets there. They meet Cran an old cleric of St Erin at a bridge near Durton and use a local river to move close
to Demon Hill. Stealthily approaching the hill to avoid patrolling
Geogoths they reach the site of the massacre. The cultists appear to have been surprised
and attacked from behind by a ferocious beast who has torn them to shreds. Cran, however, reckons they were
unsuccessful in summoning anything from another plane. They are no tracks of the beast climbing the hill. The party help
themselves to the dead cultists magical items and leave with Cran who thanks them for their help.
The Case of the Fleeing Fugitive. Edwin of
Brimmingstone has killed a man in a tavern brawl and fled the City. Watchman Kennard
is to be sent to Brimmingstone to arrest him but since Edwin comes from a large family of ne'er-do-wells the Watch
approaches the agency for temporary deputies. The party and agency new recruit Elarin are assigned to the job.
Travelling to Brimmingstone in a Watch cart Kennard and the party decide Edwin will be most vulnerable whilst he is out drinking and split up as they are not sure which tavern he is heading for. Unfortunately for him he heads to the one
where Nameless is looking for a chance to surreptitiously practice her bardic spells. Soon most of the tavern including Edwin and two of his brothers (and very possible the DM) are completely beguiled by her. She suggests that Edwin's brothers
return home while he travels back to the City with her. Soon they are leaving Brimmingstone in the cart with the party
and Edwin who has been persuaded to drink too much is senseless in the back.
Edwin, however, has five brothers and a father and uncle who are all unafraid of a fight and round about midnight
Beorhtric's owl familiar hears horseman approaching fast. Nameless and Beorhtric drag Edwin's (now invisible) body into
the trees while the rest of the party try to pretend they are camping by the side of the road. Edwin's family are
suspicious and when they hear a noise in the trees they send two of the brothers to investigate. They quickly run out
of the forest, however, having encountered a terrifying beast (who the rest of the party assume is just Nameless without makeup) and the whole clan ride off.
The party get back in the wagon with the comatose Edwin and travel on through the night. They stop at a village in the
morning for food and a rest and discover the Edwin's would be rescuers have just left leaving one of their number in
the village as a spy. Travelling on again and speculating where the clan have gone the party soon find out as they are
ambushed and questioned again by the rogue's family. Nameless, however, decides to deflect the conversation by
announcing that the party is 'very rich' which is always guarranteed to pique the interest of such individuals. Soon
the party are invited to hand over their wealth and a short but bloody conflict ensues. Perhaps Nameless should have
mentioned that a lot of the party's wealth was in fact in fancy weapons. Watchman Kennard advises against killing the
bandits ('repercussions') or arresting the miscreants ('use of illegal magic wont look good in court') and they are
healed and released (but not given their horses back). The party then return to the City and hand Edwin over to the Watch.
The Case of the Wizard's Hoard. A member of the
King's Magicians has (probably illegally) been researching the whereabouts of a
fabled magical hoard and believes that after many years he at last knows the location. The party are to provide an escort
with the understanding that the wizard will take the choice items and the party may help themselves to the rest.
The wizard leads them to a hillside and reveals an opening with stairs descending into the darkness. The wizard asks
the party to descend the stairs and points out when they are reluctant that this is why he hired them. Then he sensibly closes the entrances and waits to see what they discover.
The party descend the stairs and to their surprise they see a hoard that would befit a dragon king. 'This can't be real'
they think and of course they are right. Seeing through the illusion they discover roughly 5000gps, some minor magic items
which they hope the wizard will have no use for and a lamp. The lamp contains a genie which will grant one wish and the
party corectly surmise that this is what the wizard is after. The party, however, are starting to become a little
paranoid. Milo has lost telepathic contact with his pet owl which would either mean the magical cave is on a separate
demi-plane or that the wizard has eaten it. He decides the wizard has eaten it. Other members of the party start recalling
some dark folk tales about wizards and magical caves. So when the party return to the still mostly blocked entrance
they lie and say they have not found the lamp. The wizard is disappointed, refuses to let them out and sends them to look
again.
The party have come to the conclusion that if they hand over the lamp the wizard will just leave them shut in the
cave. Milo, however, being a halfling has started to feel an urge to rub the lamp come what may and is only just
prevented by the other party members. Returning to the entrance, however, they threaten that they will rub the lamp
unless the wizard lets them out. The wizard agrees provided they drop the lamp immediately they step out of the
entrance. Beorhtric throws the lamp into the cave entrance and the party run for it. The wizard leaps into the entrance
and closes it after grabbing the lamp. He is never seen again. The party reflect on a slightly weird situation which
has nevertheless increased their wealth.
The Case of the Escaping Elf. An Elf has been captured by the
Red Asps in am operation believed to be revenge for their losses while trying to
assassinate the female elven wizard who the party were hired to protect. Unlike other organisations in the City the Elves
have very good intelligence on the Red Asps and know where the Elven prisoner is held. The new Elven recruits of the agency
are to take the lead on the rescue attempt and the party are charged with planning cover for the rescue if as seems likely
the rescuers are pursued.
The Elves duly make their escape and duck into a manhole in the street with an eye to escaping through the sewers. The Red Asps are in hot pursuit when around the corner come some 'nightsoil' workers with their cart. Their horse is startled and
the cart dumps its load over the manhole cover. Cursing the workers but paying them little attention the Red Asps
run off down the street to try and find the next manhole cover.
Return to Ghost Cottage. The party accompany Hilda an abbess of the
Church of St Olwyn back to the cottage haunted by the ghost of Artie Fox's mother
with a view to setting her to rest. Hilda tells them that the Church have discovered that the cottage used to belong to
Black Aliss, a notorious witch who was believed to have died about fifty years ago. Hilda successfully performs the exorcism
and asks the party to search the cottage. They find a well hidden trap door and explore the passage underneath. The
passage leads a a large cave whose floor is covered in skeletons not all of whom are happy to be disturbed. After a
brief bone crunching melee the skeletons are returned to the floor somewhat damaged.
Hilda performs a ceremony to determine what happened in the cave while the party explore another passage which leads
to a somewhat choked entrance on the hillside above the cottage. Hilda reveals that a summoning ceremony took place in the cave which was successful but the summoners failed to control whatever came through the portal they created. The party
search the cave for loot and then escort Hilda back to the City.