The day starts out for the party in the most mundane way possible. Outside the southern gates of
Pell's Hold a shanty town has grown up and Elwin Sandheaver has taken to doing small favours for that community in exchange for
information. While talking to one of his sources earlier in the morning he noticed a body by the side of the road and he wants the party to give it a decent burial. The party have been warned by Elwin to not wear visible armour,
only enter the huts of the shanty town one at a time and to never lean on the walls of any shanty town structure.
Thrilled by their new assignment the party trudge out to the shanty town but notice on finding the body that it
appears to have died by strangulation and also by the softness of the young man's hands that he appears to have been well born.
By questioning the animal night life they establish that he was killed in the last quarter of the night. Asking
around they end up questioning 'Old Annis' who appears to be the community's healer. They dont tell her the victim was
murdered but she tells them that she expected him to not last the week and that his problems were mental as much
as phyical. He was a victim of drug addiction and had been thrown out by his family. He had simply no longer
the will to live. The party, however, continue their investigations and suspicions falls on a newcomer to the
town, a 'lady of the night' who is somehow too attractive to be plying her wares in the shanty town.
The plot thickens when the party's spells identify the newcomer as a powerful fey and ii also appears that 'Old Annis' is of similar ilk. The healer warns them off, however,
from asking too many questions about the newcomer's connection to the young man's death. At this point the party
is uncertain as to how to continue with Milo and Beorhtric feeling nervous about interfering in the affairs
of the fey while the others want to continue investigating the murder. In the end they report back to Elwin who comes himself to talk to 'Old Annis'. The upshot is that the body is buried and that Elwin has a more important task for them lined up.
The party learn that one of the Lords of the Realm, Lord Finan, whose province lies on the southern coast, is
dying and has decided to make a confession on his death bed detailing his part in
Count Draku's schemes. In order to enter
his house in the Noble's Quarter unobtrusively the party (supplemented by Crow and Isadora) disguise themselves as carters delivering a large order of wine.
Things dont quite go to plan as they are informed at the gate to the Noble's Quarter that the whole quarter has
been shut down 'for security reasons' and no one is allowed in or out to further notice. A combination of charm
and bribery, however, allows the party through the gate and they make their way to the tradesmen's entrance
of Lord Finan's large town house.
The party split their duties between hearing Lord Finan's confession, guarding the door to his bedchamber and
keeping a lookout on the roof. Those in the bedchamber hear that Lord Finan has already written a letter to his eldest son and heir telling him not to trust Count Draku but to follow the lead of the Duke of Ragenport
on political matters. Crow promises that she will ensure the letter is delivered safely. Meanwhile
two members of the Red Asps approach over the
rooftops but end up shortly afterwards dead on the ground. Then the lookouts spot a large body of orcs approaching
from the direction of the palace. The party are still considering what to do when flames come from the direction
of the Southern Barracks.
The party can't quite believe their eyes but they think they saw a large beast, posibly a
dragon, amongst the flames so Crow goes off to investigate leaving the party to evacuate Lord Finan from the
building.
The party leave Lord Finan's mansion via a secret door to the sewers before recalling that the sewers
under the Noble's Quarter have been deliberately seeded with monstrosities. One of these duly appears starting
a quick game of pass the parcel which leaves Isadora carrying the frail lord. The tentacled monster is defeated
and the party transport Lord Finan through the sewers and other underground passages to the Agency. There
Elwin urges them to go quickly to the Watch HQ which was a target of the Orcs during the last incursion. There
they find a large number of Orcs already outside the building and trying to break down the doors with a
large battering ram. Lacking area effect spells the party have to take on the Orcs, which are clearly an elite
unit, in melee combat. After a tough fight the Orcs are defeated.
Crow returns saying both the Southern Barracks and all the mansions of the Lords have been razed to the ground
having been first looted by the Orcs.
The dragon then disappeared while Crow was trying to help some of the survivors and it appears to have left the
city. Casualties are high in the areas the dragon attacked (it was a very large dragon). In the morning it emerges
that three more Lords were killed in the attack (so only six still survive). A little later on rumours
surface that the Archbishop of the Church of St. James was also
amongst the casualties as were three of the four top generals of the army. The offical account is that
the dragon attack was part of a plot by the deceased lords to overthrow the government but that the dragon
double-crossed them.