In the morning, Constance wakes the group up to introduce them to her friends; the Urban Cohorts. As part of training, the group will battle them. The Cohorts choose wooden swords as their weapons so as to give the adventurers a fighting chance. The training for the day is "Capture The Flag". It turns out to be entirely tiring and tedious but in the end, Guy manages to grab it for the win. Due to some slight miscommunication, the group thought that the captured flag had to be returned to their end (doh!). Constance comments that the group's fighting is not bad but their tactics, well, suck...BIG TIME. A student comes up to Constance informing her that Cerian wants to have a word with her. The rest of the party return to the dorm to wash up before joining Constance. In his office, Cerian pulls out a letter with an Imperial seal from Tribune Paulinus Grecus offering a transfer to Carsis Imperial Bardic College (C.I.B.C), an imperial military college. As Cerian is not all that happy with the group, he suggests that they take up the Tribune's offer. They decide collectively (save for Richard) to sleep on the decision and leave Cerian's office. While doing so, a bewildered boy with a wolf asks for Guy. Apparently, his name is Tannic and he seeks Guy to tell him his father is dying. Constance overhears this and compassionately gives everyone two weeks off to follow Guy to Vredi. Cierra apologises to Guy as she is not able to come along as she has to speak to her own father about the school thingy. Constance also gives them a homing pigeon and reminds them to feed it and give word when they are safe and sound. The guys and girls prepare their equipment before heading to The Silver Medallion (it took over The Cow's Coin). They see Tannic (was brought up by Ulfsarks but is Richesian) at the tavern who regretfully cannot join the group but begs Guy to thank his dad for his letter of recommendation at the imperial stables. They drink the night away, possibly trying to drown out whatever individual sorrows or burdens they might carry.

Next morning, some nursing hangovers, they travel forward. After not a short while, they reach Richese and try to buy supplies but nearly get into a fight with.....gasp!.....a SEVEN FOOT EARTHSHIELD! Luckily, they aren't very smart and they manage to flee and go hunt for warg's blood for Crummy. In on of the caves, he finds a dead warg but a sleeping dreg. Rayne squeals and stupidly shoots at it, much to the horror of everyone else. It, of course, wakes up. Richard uses his weapon to slice his paw in half and everyone makes a hasty retreat.

The group eventually reaches they point where they split up; Cierra, Solaris, Jesse, Rayne and Quin (notice how Quin goes with the girls? he's no playa, he's GAY) in group A while group B consisted of Guy, Crummy, and Richard. The three reach Guy's old farm and see that there are quite a few tents scattered around the house. A Denmother strolls up to Guy and says that they've stayed on the lands since she last saw him, which was when he left. It seems that the group was too late and Guy's dad is already dead. Denmother Chenin hands Guy a letter marked with the family seal and a ring bearing an inverted family crest (which is a round shield with two swords, one pointing up, the other down, with spiked chains wrapped around it). Meanwhile, back with group A, reach Cierra's father's house. A servant tries to stop her from going in but she just rushes past muttering that it wasn't a good time to stand in her way. Upon entering, they see her dad looking perplexed with the back of someone's head facing them, sitting on the couch. "I believe I deserve it after what they did to me", a voice says. Rayne's guns make a sfot clink when they try to inch closer thus giving their position away. The father stands up hurriedly and looks shocked to see them, especially when he sees his daughter. He blurbs: "I sent a message telling you to not come back...." They guy in white robes with a balck stripe stands up and turns around and is none other (dum dumn DUMMMMMMNN!!).....JON STORM! He has a scar on his irregular head, pale pasty skin and limps. Badly. His three "brothers" wearing brown robes with white stripes continue sitting at a nearby table nursing mugs. In a thin raspy voice Jon says that he wants everyone to be here before he doesn't anything. Back in Vredi, Guy reads (just barely) the letter and although not previously known, his father is very proud of him but wants him to find his mother who works at the Court of Law in Corrin. The letter reads that she never really wanted Guy in the first place and is in posession of a foot locker that now belongs to Guy. Her name is Lisen Redmane. They key to the locker is around one of the posts of Guy's dad's bed and Guy takes it, later hanging it around his neck.

Jon cackles with glee and calls Kanly (oh, how cuntly it is) Vendetta against all their families (and i mean EVERYONE) and leaves the household with the brown robes. Cierra's father, in dismay, moans that Jon might have a fief backing him and Cierra bursts into tears. The next day, Cierra's father urges them to leave while he tried to settle things down here. The girls and gay ask him about what can be done and he encourages them to join CIBC as it is a good offer; start off as officer instead of a grunt, good pay, protection. In the Vredi fields, Guy with nothing further to do, bids farewell to the Denmother and gets a blessing from an Ulfsark Shaman (he has yet to find out what it does). They all meet back at Venmoor where they catch up with Dwyrin and Constance who both offer their condolences. It seems that Dwyrin is being called for Kanly Vendetta as well. Guy speaks to Cerian and explains rather adamantly that he needs to follow Dayrin to Corrin Central to find his mum and is allowed to, on no pay leave of course.

THE KHAISTER SCRIBES!!

Sins of the brother.

The party looked around the room trying to decide to go up or down. Before they could decide, they hear the shuffling of boots above. Panicking Richard draws his spear prompting the others to do the same. Crummy crouched low, hoping to land an attack before they could notice him. His dog stood across the room, growling softly. Guy, swinging his chains was an avatar of determination. Face set in stone, he was ready to face anything. Amber and Solaris, winded and exhausted from the excessive use of their arcane prowess hung at the back of the room.

Just then a voice boomed up from above. “Drop yer weapons human. No need fer violence eh? We’re not here to fight.”. Just then a boot appeared, followed by a hobgoblin leg and the rest of him followed as he climbed down. He was followed by a few other Hobgoblins. Most were dressed the same way, standard hobgoblin soldier garb. But one had a sort of sash tied from shoulder to waist. Assuming that he lead the group of hobgoblins, Richard rounded on him and spoke, “What do you want hobgoblin? If you‘re here to kill us I‘ll let you know that your welcoming party has already tried to do so. Don’t see them around anymore do you?” A snarl formed on his lips as the words left him.

The hobgoblin Richard spoke to had a passive look on his face. It seemed as if he was assessing Richard and choosing his words carefully. After all, Richard was an intimidating individual. Especially so at the moment, with spear in hand and covered in blood. “That was… unfortunate. That was none of our doing I assure you. We are here to ensure that the above-ground delegates make it to the discussion. Two of the above ground delegates are already here, So I’ll introduce you to them shortly. Oh, how I forget my manners sometimes. My name is Baron Nogna.” He said, extending his hand. Ignoring his hand, Richard snarls and then growls “Lead on then.”.

With that Baron Nogna leads the party to a common room (lounge), where they are greeted by the backs of a male dwarf and a female Halfling. With that the hobgoblin announces “Here, I present to you, Lord Mortimer and the Lady Raille.” With that the two companions turn to face the party. The Halfling female, looks oddly familiar though. Lady Raille cast a sweeping gaze across the room to study the party, but her face suddenly contorted in panic. Whatever changed her mood, it certainly had something to do with Crummy.

Both Halflings stood staring at each other and for a moment it seemed like something was going to happen. Raille mouth agape and flustered, Crum confused and a quizzical eyebrow raised. Suddenly, the Lady Raille muttered a loud curse and bit down on her tooth, instantly disappearing.

“Facedancer.” Crum said with a half sneer. At that point Mortimer raised a hand and pointed an accusing finger at Crum “YOU! Who are you?! Nothing or no one I’ve known has ever fazed Raille that way. Just who ARE you?”. Crum then replied “Well… I am pretty intimidating ya know. Can’t you tell?” To that, Richard burst out laughing, rolling on the floor and clutching his stomach. “20 pounds of pure terror!” he said in between gasps of breath. Crummy looks at him sourly and says “I’m 38 pounds damn it.”. Richard bursts out laughing even louder.

After the party had managed to collect themselves (by “party”, we mean Richard), they gathered themselves round a table with Mortimer at the head. “Well, I’m sure your superiors have told you that I am to be in charge of this negotiations with the hobgoblins.” Mortimer started. Crum retorted “YOU? In charge? We weren’t even told about you much less told that you’re to be in charge.” Mortimer raised his eyebrows “Oh. Perhaps a slight oversight on their part. Nonetheless, I think it best if you hand me the trinket and allow me to handle the negotiations. The lot of you look much too young to have much experience with this sort of situations.” Crum snickers and says “Negotiations? You’re right, we don’t have much experience with that sort of thing. We’re really good at stabbing, smashing, killing, destroying and stealing though if you’re wondering.”

“So they sent a bunch of warriors to do negotiations? What were they thinking. In that case I really think it best if I hold on to the trinket.” Mortimer replies Crum, a slight urgency trailing his voice. Richard slides the trinket across the table but Crum caught it as it slid past him on its way to Mortimer. “Nuh uh. No deal bozo. We don’t even know you. If our boss had wanted us to follow your lead I think they would have definitely told us. It’s not something you just ‘forget’ to mention. Details like these are pretty important. No way, I say Richard leads.” Crum slides it back to Richard who snarls at Crum for pushing the responsibility to him. Crum seemed oblivious to Richard now that he was locked in a staring contest with the dwarf. Mortimer was first to break eye contact. He stood up with a disgusted look on his face and said “Fine then, I wash my hands off the matter. But if this negotiation goes awry,” He pauses and looks at Richard “Then it will be on your heads.” Richard definitely didn’t like the sound of that, and he tossed the trinket to Mortimer “Well, if you put it that way then fine. You lead the discussions.” Crum opened his mouth to protest but Richard shot him a look and Crum closed his mouth pouting sulkily.

Mortimer, happy that things had gone his way had a satisfied smile on his face. Just as the party departed the room, with Baron Nogna about to lead them to their quarters, Mortimer stopped Crumston and asked him “Who are you to Raille really? How is it that you managed to shake her like that?” Crum replied earnestly ‘Well…. We met once… during one of my killing sprees…” Richard interrupted “Mission damn it. Not killing spree.” Crum retorted “Right. Like there’s a difference. Anyway yeah we met once and she got to one of the targets before we did. I tried to shoot her to detain her but she ran away. Oh well, that’s done with I suppose.” he shrugged.

Mortimer studies Crum suspiciously and said “Still, to leave such an impression on Raille…” Richard butted in once again “She also called him ‘son’. Hahaha! Maybe she’s really your long lost mother Crummy!” At that Mortimer stumbled for words “S..son? Raille never said anything about a son.” Things were definitely getting interesting now. But Crum simply turned around and stalked off muttering “I don’t have a mother.” Richard caught up to him and jestingly replied “Oh yeah sure. You popped out from the ground like a magical bean sprout.” To which Crum retorted “NO! I AM MY OWN MOT..” Mortimer blocked the noises out. Heh. Definitely getting more interesting, he thought.

The day goes on and the party finds that it is uneventful. They head up to their respective rooms, the men on one side and the ladies on the other. After preparing themselves for sleep, they head to bed. Richard however, would have a surprise visit from some old friends.

Deep in slumber, Richard awoke with the feel of cold blade on his throat. “Hello Richard. Remember us?” The mysterious figure whispered quietly. Richard was about to scream in terror until he felt the “mystery guest” press down the blade. “Hush hush hush. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done so a long time ago. But killing you would be a kindness. We don’t want to end this game so abruptly now would we? Not after what you did to MY beloved city. Ah, besides I find this rather amusing. We brought you a gift though, just to remind you of us. I’m going now, but remember, no matter where you are we’ll never be far behind. Always. Watching. You.” With that the figure simply seemed to vanish.

Richard sat up, covered in cold sweat. He knew exactly who that person was. He knew exactly what he had done to their city. Breathing hard, he rolled over the side of his bed and grabbed his spear. He lurked on forward silently and cautiously, eyes darting. Something caught his eye at the doorway, he readied his spear. A silhouette of a man seemingly suspended from his arm by a rope hung there. “Rich… ard…..” The figure gasped in a raspy voice.

“QUINN!” Richard gasped. Richard ran up to his brother and with one neat slice of his spear cut Quinn down as he caught Quinn with his left hand. He proceeded to force a healing potions down his brother’s throat. As the majority of the cuts and bruises Quinn had seemingly vanished, Quinn managed to regain full consciousness. It was a bit odd though, being faced with his brother in a strange room. The last memory he had was of riding through a forest and then… everything blacked out. He had a sneaky feeling that this had something to do with what Richard did.

“Care to explain what happened bro? I don’t suppose someone decided that I was pretty enough to beThe a door ornament and decided to hang me by my arm, where you could conveniently find me hmmm? What’s going.” Quinn gave a questioning look to his brother. Richard bit his lip and explained that they were about to go on a mission, to negotiate with the hobgoblins and they were underground now, nearing the capital city of the Hobgoblin nation. Quinn stared blankly at his brother “That still doesn’t explain why someone mistook me for a wind chime and hung me up by an arm. Spit it out Richard. Now.” Richard then explained, albeit reluctantly, that he had destroyed a Taligari city by accident and they held a grudge against him. So they probably decided to get back at him by hurting his brother. Quinn was flabbergasted. Richard was a hothead, but to have done something like that was ridiculous. “Crum put you up to it didn’t he.” he jested, trying to keep the mood light-hearted. Richard however had a paranoid look on his face. He simply stood up and walked off, muttering something about Skulkers and Shadowdruids. As Quinn followed Richard into the room, he saw an awake Crumston staring blankly at the ceiling. “Hey Crum. How‘s it going?” Quinn asked, trying to sound chirpy even though he was in a little bit of pain. Crum slightly turned his head to get a better look at Quinn. He wore a nonchalant look on his face. “Hey Quinn. Ya don’t look so good. I couldn’t sleep what with all the ruckus you and Richard were making. We have an empty bed right under the one Guy is sleeping at. If you don’t mind the possibility of being crushed to death when the bed collapses, you're more than welcome to sleep there.”. Quinn shook his head. Few things surprised the little guy. Considering his sudden appearance, most people would have been shocked. But it seemed to him like the Halfling had seen a lot for someone his age. Sometimes like he was older than he actually was. Well. Sometimes. Most of the time, he was a moron. Quinn sighed. Trouble always seemed to follow the party….

A-hunting we will go!

Baron Nogna comes to visit the party the following day, as they gather in the men's quarters. He comes in to find Richard looking a little pale and dishrevelled. "Now then, there is a matter at hand that I need.." just as soon as he began talking he suddenly noticed Quinn, who was trying his best to look nonchalant. "What the? Did you guys like multiply in the night because I definitely see a new face." Nogna replied. Quinn smirked and replied "Richard over there is my brother. Some friends of his decided to pay him a visit last night and left him a present. Me. Unfortunately, I'd really have to say that Taligarians are really bad at transporting packages. I wouldn't hire them to deliver packages if I were you." Nogna raised an eyebrow at Quinn's explanation. Quinn added "Let's just say I was in less than perfect condition when I arrived here. Oh did I mention that all this was against my will and that it was as much of a surprise for me as it was for Richard. Maybe they mistook us for twins and thought we had the same birthday and so tried to surprise us both at the same.." Just before Quinn could finish, Richard snarled at him and said "Damn it Quinn. Shut up. You talk too much." Nogna intervened and cut Quinn off just as he was about to retort "Now now both of you. You can settle your differences later. As I was about to say before I lost my wagon of thought, you have to complete a task before you can enter the capital where the negotiations are held. You have to knock out a champion in one on one combat. Just knock him out of consciousness mind you, NOT kill." Nogna made sure he emphasized the last bit. Crum stated plainly "None of us have the restraint for that..". Baron Nogna smiled slyly and said "Well, there is one other thing you could do..." "Spit it out hobgoblin." Richard said. He was in no mood for games. "Right." Nogna replied "I need you to get rid of an Umber Hulk infestation. Only then can I allow you to enter the capital, seeing that you have done the city a favour meaning that you are friends to the city." The party quickly agrees to the task and is told that they are to enter the caverns and hunt a pack of Umber Hulks, about 4 or 5 and bring their heads back as proof.

The party gear up and head out, meaning to settle the matter as fast as possible. Not too long after, they were already in the caverns, weapons drawn and on high alert. Suddenly a low growl escaped the lips of Jarfang, Crum's riding dog. In the distance something growled back. Something that sounded oddly familliar... "EEPS! It's big ugly monster!" Guy screams and dives for cover behind a huge rock. The big ugly monster was none other than a Drogg. The party immediately fumbled for their ranged weapons in a bid to keep their weapons safe. A battle ensued. Solaris and Amber wielded their arcane magics in an attempt to hurt the Drogg. Richard and Crum with crossbows, Quinn with throwing daggers. The drogg was persistent though and tried to glomp down on Crummy. His reflexes allowed him to dodge but the acidity of its salivae melted a big hole in Crumston's boots. "Argh! Damn it!" Crum screamed as he scampered out of range from the Drogg. The Drogg however, was coincidentally fighting through the party, winning alot of ground. This meant that it was getting monstrously close to Guy, who was quivering behind a rock. Guy, who was absolutely terrified by now picked up the rock he was cowering behind and squealed "Get away from me you ugly thing!" and smashed the rock into the Drogg. The Drogg was wounded but it was also incensced at Guy for smashing it with the rock. It leapt onto Guy's chest, slobbering acid all over its armor. Guy was screaming loudly at this point. Amber shot a burning hands at the Drogg who then exploded, melting a big hole in Guy's armour.

The party had no time to recover. The explosion from the Drogg had attracted the attention of an even larger creature. It's roars echoed down the caverns, reaching the ears of the party. "Damn. I bet that's a Umber Hulk." Crum mutters, drawing his swords. "Yeah well... it definitely was not nice knowing you Crum." Quinn replied in jest. Before Crum could retort, an Umber Hulk with the carcass of another monstrosity in one hand (the cat thing they encountered earlier), charged into the battle. Fighting against the monster was no easy task. The group were soon scattered and found themselves almost easy pickings for the Umber Hulk as it smashed and swiped its way through the party. However, the party was saved by some quick thinking from Quinn, who grabbed the Drogg carcass and threw it on the Umber Hulk. The acid instantlt killing the Umber Hulk as it melted a hole through its carapace. "Hmmm.." Quinn mused. "This is going to come in handy." He said as he picked the Drogg carcass up and dragged it. Richard chuckles at his brother's ingenuity. He then proceeds to saw off the Umber Hulk's head and skin the carapace off the Umber Hulk.

The party walk on and find themselves around the corner of an entrance to a cavern. They hear noise coming from the inside and sent Crummy to check. The halfling silently moved from around the corner, and found two large Umber Hulks in their slumber. There was however a baby Umber Hulk, that seemed to be playing. Now if he could just get a good shot at the baby and take it down before the big ones wake up..... Crunch! He had accidentally stepped on some rubble. The sound was minimal but it definitely alerted the baby Umber Hulk, who in turn alerted the large Umber Hulks out of their slumber. They woke up and shoved the aby Umber hulk behind them and ushered it into another passageway, possibly leading into a bigger cavern. One of the bigger Umber hulks stood guard there. The other charged the party.

Richard held up his spear against the charge but the Umber hulk shielded itself with its carapaced arms. Richard winced as his (very expensive) spear smashed into pieces against the forearms of the Umber Hulk. The Umber Hulk then swiped Richard aside. Quinn threw three daggers at the Umber Hulk, all of which bounced off its carapace. Guy then smashed it with his spiked chains, warranting a loud roar of pain from the Umber Hulk. It now had its attention on Guy. With Amber and Solaris throwing their arcane might at it, Crummy who went unnoticed by the Umber Hulk, glided past them and swung both his blades in a cross motion, slicing off the Umber Hulks legs clean through. Frost formed at its stubs, as the Umber Hulk slowly dies from the excessive damage it took.

The other Umber Hulk tore itself from the Web that Amber had cast on it. Quinn grabbed a quarterstaff from Solaris and the carcass of the Drogg and ran past Crummy. He swung the Drogg carcass into the Umber Hulk's chest and once again the acid blood of the Drogg melted away the Carapace of the Umber Hulk. Killing it instantly. The party let out a sigh of relief.

Daddy's Home!

A bellowing roar in the not so distant tunnel immediately quells any idea of a brief reprieve from slaying two of the Umber Hulks. The volume of the roar did however make Quinn more than a little nervous, but he ran ahead motioning to Richard to help him drag the carcass of the last Umber Hulk to lay a desperate trap at the mouth of the tunnel for the Umber Hulk that was approaching them. The acid blood of the wild Drogg frothed and bubbled in the carcass of the Umber Hulk, eating away at the innards at a ridiculous speed. Quinn knew the plan wasn’t going to work but anything was worth a try. The roar did sound like it came from an especially large specimen.

As the party stood waiting, grim faces marred with the blood of the Umber Hulks and complimented by the bruises they had sustained for themselves, a very large silhouette appeared at the mouth of the tunnel. Emerging from the shadows, an Umber Hulk almost half again as large as the ones they had poached before lumbered into view. Its bellow an embodiment of its rage, it appeared ready to squash any opposition or eat them. Or both. Blood red markings seemed to snake and dance around its navy blue carapace, marking it the Alpha Male of the pack. The party had hit the jackpot. Only this time the jackpot was very likely to hit them back, probably harder than they could hit it.

At the sight of the Umber Hulk, Solaris panicked and broke formation. She wasn’t the only one who decided to turn tail, Guy ran off in the same direction and picked the quivering Solaris in the corner of the room to use her as a meat shield. Ignoring the two of them, the party charged into battle. Quinn charged forward and smashed the Umber Hulk at the back of its knees as it stumbled forward, Richard retreated and started singing to boost the party. Crummy rushed forward to take Richard's place and slashed the Umber Hulk. Amber and Solaris (recovered from her fear she manages to writhe out of Guy's iron grip) then proceeds to throw spells at the Umber Hulk. Solaris however, still feeling the after effects of a panic attack singes the back of all the party members in the melee front. She earns herself a couple of curses ("Are you like STILL working for the elves or something you idiot!" "Damn you slave girl!" "Argh! Damn it woman, when I thought you had my back I didn't think you'd mean it that way!"). Cursing herself she casts another spell but in her rush, failed a somatic component and it backfired again. This time harming herself and sending her flying against the wall. Amber shakes her head at the incompetence of her fellow spellcaster and continues the battle.

Quinn shows surprising competence with the quarterstaff. His melee prowess surpassed what they had expected of him. However, even with his unexpected contribution and with Guy rejoining the fray after being temporarily distracted, the Umber Hulk refused to back down and showed amazing constitution. Richard, dispossesed of his main weapon had to play a supporting role. Crumston was sneaking around, hitting the Umber Hulk where it hurt most. Amber and Solaris had come to the point where they had run out of spells to throw at the monster. The Umber Hulk seemed that it would eventually outlast the entire party. Just as Crummy stabbed its kneecap and the Umber Hulk staggered to one knee, Solaris threw a spell of desperation, a ray of frost and hit it square in its eyes and just like that, the Umber Hulk collapsed forward from sustaining too much damage. As its face hit the floor and its frozen eyes shattered on the rocks, brain matter oozed out of its eyes. They had finally defeated the Umber Hulk. After skinning the creature and beheading it, the party decided much to the chagrin of Crummy (We should go kill the baby one!) that they had had enough and should probably head back to Nogna.

O Noes! Trixed again!

Upon reaching the town and handing Nogna the heads of the Umber Hulk, the tired party learn that Mortimer had gone ahead for the meeting without them. "Why that no good stinking dorf!" Crummy cursed. They rush on after him after learning from Nogna the directions. "Damn it, I told you we shouldn't have given him that damn trinket!" a frustrated Crummy exclaimed to Richard "Now we can't even get in to the meeting area without it!" Richard looked at Crum and retorted "What has the trinket got to do with us going in?!" Crum replied "Oh damn it Richard! You weren't paying attention when we were briefed were you! That damn trinket is the key to entering the meeting room! Whoever holds it holds the trust of these damn Hobgoblins and are known as the official envoys of the surface world." Quinn separated the squabbling duo and said "No point in pointing fingers now. I say we find Baron Nogna and ask him for help to enter the meeting room." The group turn around and run to where Baron Nogna was last seen but were told that he had left not too long ago. The party rushed on towards the "lift" lobby and sees Nogna entering the lift. They shout for him to stop but he goes on ahead without them. They decide to go up with the other "lift" in an attempt to chase him down.

When they had reached their floor, they see the Baron Nogna entering the restricted area. They call out for him and he turns around, a puzzled look on his face. "Baron Nogna! We need your help in entering! We couldn't find Mortimer." Richard exclaimed. Nogna shrugged and ignored the party and went on ahead. As the party call out to him again and tried to rush past the guards, the guards asked Nogna, "Do you know these people sir?". The Baron looked at the party indifferently and said "No. I really don't" and walked on ahead. The party were speechless. What WAS going on around here? Something was definitely amiss. Why would the Baron try to stop them from entering that meeting room... unless.... he had his own agenda. Was Mortimer part of this?

The party then tried talking to the guards, who directed them to a female capatain. Apparently she was the officer in charge on that shift. Talks with her were.. unsuccesful to say the least. She was indiffirent to their plight. It definitely seemed to be happening a lot. The party decide to wait it out at the entrance. The female officer ended her shift and a greenhorn male officer replaces her. She warns him of the party and their troublemaking much to their chagrin. Soon after she leaves however, they see an undead human carrying lots of scrolls. He easily gains admittance with the guards. However he drops some scrolls as he is about to enter. Quinn, seeing an opportunity walks up to the undead human and asks "Need help with those?" as he helped him with his load. "Why thank you, yes I wouldn't mind some help." The undead lich said. With that the party enter the barred area carrying the scrolls. The guards tried calling out for them but the party hurry the lich on and enter the other "lift', that leads to the meeting room.

He introduces himself as the scribe and that he was sold as a slave here many centuries ago, before the humans lost contact with the hobgoblins. As they engage in casual chit chat, the lift reaches its destination. When they enter the meeting room, they are greeted by the sight of a slightly shocked Mortimer and a disturbed looking Nogna. "We're here with the scribe." Crumston announced. "Wrote us off didn't you Mortimer?" He chuckled at his own pun.

Mortimer recovers and replies "Ah. Good, where were you? I was waiting for you. Come, sit." He beckoned them. Crummy then tells him "Sit? Fine. Under.. one condition." Mortimer raised his eyebrow, "Oh, and what is that?" he enquired. "That you glamour into Richard." Crummy replied. "What? WHY?" Mortimer and Richard both ask at the same time. "For fun...." Crummy replied. Even Quinn was speechless. The halfling was still in the mood for jokes. Quinn guessed that he didn't even understand the severity of the situation.

After introductions were exchanged, the meeting started and water was poured into the bowl. However, when the party expected Prince Theodore to appear, a totally different man appeared, claiming to be Prince Theodore. Immediately Crumston jumped out of his seat and exclaimed "WAIT A MINUTE! THAT ISN'T PRINCE THEODORE!" The exclamation caused a huge uproar. Mortimer stood up and exclaimed "How dare you! That is the crown prince of Corin! How dare you affront him like this!" he said. "Stop the theatrics you stupid dorf! You and me both know that isn't Prince Theodore." Richard growled. "I want them out of here! They have no right to be here!" Mortimer shouted again. "Out!" Nogna echoed his sentiment. As shouts were exchanged and chaos reigned (ala Taiwan government meetings), Quinn shouted demanding silence. "Now," he said "I admit that I don't know what Prince Theodore looks like" at that point Mortimer shouted cutting him off "See he admits it!" to which Quinn replied firmly "Shut up. So far, I have conversed with you in the proper manner as a gentleman so i believe I am due the same right. Think about it people. So far we have yet to draw weapons, meaning that we indeed come with no ill intentions. According to my associates, who HAVE met Prince Theodore, that isn't the same man. I don't exactly know what is going on here, but I believe something is amiss." Crummy cut him off "Damn it, Prince Theodore gave us that damn bowl and Mortimer tricked us into giving it to him. I don't know what he's done to the bowl but that isn't..." He trailed off as he looked at the irritated Quinn who was getting very sick of getting cut off. "Thank you Crummy but I'll handle this." Quinn continued "So I am pretty sure that we.." He was again cut off by Nogna who approached Amber and snatched a piece of cloth from her pocket. "I have proof! That they have killed a blind seer!" Gasps were heard all around. Quinn replied "Didn't you give her that?" Nogna made an ill face and said "Even I would not presume to have such authority!" Quinn then recovered "Well then, seeing as to how you have planted questionable evidence on my assocaite, I believe that I have no choice but to leave. I believe it to be the best of course of action available to us. But bear in mind this day when you have spurned the envoys of Corin, and when you have realized the fullness of your follies do not sing of what could have been. We will take our leave." The guards tensed. Their weapons raised. The leader of the hobgoblins paused a moment before saying "Let them leave peacefully.". The disgruntled party shuffle off. Crummy, the last to leave his seat. His knuckles clenched, white with fury and teeth grit his eyes alit with anger and disgust. Mortimer chuckles and quietly addressed him "Your mother would have been disappointed." Crum paused, just as he was about to leave the room. "If she really is my mother" he paused "then you can tell her, that that makes us even." And he stalked off, leaving Mortimer to his devices.

Prince Theodore is like Donald Trump!

The party travelled to the surface where they found Cross to be larger than he was before. After a bit of rest, Richard breaks the phyllactery and the party finds themselves (including Cross) in the library. Old man Vernius sniffed the air in discontempt. "What... is that smell? What is a pig doing in MY library?" He asked. Richard whistled and feigned nonchalance. "Ugh fine. Go upstairs Theodore awaits you. I'll send the pig back to your college. Oh god it stinks." As they left Crum looked at Richard and said "What's he complaining about? Dead bodies stink worse than pigs.". Earning a chuckle from the bard.

In the room, they were greeted by Prince Theodore, busy scribbling onto a scroll. "Mmm. Sit. So seeing as to how I didn't get any contact through the bowl, I take it that things didn't go too well. So what happened?" The party explained their situation. At which Prince Theodore immediately screamed "WHAT! You gave the bowl to who?! All you were supposed to do was deliver the god damn bowl there! Ah damn it! Leave all of you. Just leave. I'll.... I'll take care of it."

As the party shuffled out of the room feeling sheepish, only Amber remained. Prince Theodore looked at her and raised his eyebrow "Well, what are you waiting for? Go." Amber bit her lip and said "But I live here... and I work here... I don't belong with.. them.". Prince Theodore replied "I think it best if you stick with them for the moment. Until we need you again. Frankly I'm deeply disappointed in you Amber. You were supposed to keep tabs on them. Turns out they've influenced you into being a foolish, reckless, loose cannon just like they are." Amber looked at him sheepishly eyes wide "Does that mean....?" "Yes, you're fired. I'm relieving you of your duties. For the moment anyway. Now go.". He told her. Amber on the verge of tears, runs out of the room.

So with Quinn, Richard and Guy mountless the trio decide to walk back to the bardic college. The girls had their horses with them so they decided to ride ahead. "Man, it's gonna take us at least 2 weeks to walk back." Richard muttered. "What do you mean US?" Crum replied as he rode off on his riding dog. "Why that no good little runt!" Richard cursed. Guy was oblivious as he dug into his bag of candy. Quinn smiled and said "Well I guess we better get started."

Return of The Clowns.

Riding hard, Crumston finds himself the first to arrive the Bardic college. He brings his riding to the stable and tends to Jarfang. Afterwards he walked up to the room. Kicking the door open as he tossed his travelling pack onto his bed and grabbing his toiletries. Oblivious to a gaping Jesse and a shocked Cierra and Rayne, he walks right past them without so much as a hello. Jesse fuming screamed at the top of her lungs "The whole lot of you left me to die!" Whistling to a tune he heard Richard play once, Crum replied casually "Whole lot? Do you see anyone else? I'm the only one alive. They're all dead." At that point the room fell silent except for Crummy's whistling. Jesse looked like she couldn't decide whether to throw up or to cry. "Even... Guy?" She asked. Crummy turned around at the mention of Guy just as he was about to shut the washroom door close. "Guy?" He replied "Oh no, Guy made it out fine but he fell into a trap and got stuck in a pit and I left him there to die." With that he shut the door close.

After a long deserved shower, Crummy came out of the washroom only to find a grim looking Constance and the girls all waiting for him. "Is it true? I heard..." Constance trailed off. "What's true?" Crum asked her back. "That they're dead." Constance replied him. "Hmm? Oh no. Not really." Crumston replied her flatly. Constance let out a huge sigh of relief. "I'm cutting off a week of your pay for that. Report to me once the others have returned." With that she left the room. Cierra looked at Crum and shrugged. Rayne flatly ignored Crum and went about doing her own things. Jesse however, was livid. "You...." She started but was lost for words after that. She was turning scarlet. Crum plonked himself on the bed and ignored her. He needed some rest.

The day after, Solaris and Amber arrived and were welcomed by the other girls. After introductions were made they spent alot of time together where Amber and Solaris spent clarifying to the others much of what happened (because obviously they can't trust Crumston to give them an accurate depiction). Crum spent the week after that feeding and caring for Jarfang and the magically teleported Cross. When the others had arrived and they were all gathered in the same room, Jesse rounded on the guys. "I want to know why everyone left me to die." she said. "and you better have a really good explanation.". She said crossing her arms. "Well.." Richard started "There really were like a whole lot of elves and like there were also a bunch of.." before he could finish Crum cut him off. "It's my fault really." Crum replied. "I convinced them that you'd probably be fine and we'd only get in your way. I was really hoping that you'd die, but I guess I'll have to wait till next time."

Jesse once again turned scarlet and at a loss of words only managed "YOU!!! ARGGH! Alachem! Stabbity! Foot! Now!" Alachem flew at Jesse's command and stabbed Crum's foot. "SONUVABEETCH!" Crum screamed.


Master Chef Crumston!

The party gathered with Constance in the centre as she briefed them about their curriculum. Apparently they had been out of school for far too long and the school was suspending them from missions. Richard, who was nursing a slight hangover snored quietly at the end of the class. The jail didn't have a very comfortable bed. Crum wore a chef's hat and an apron. Courtesy of The Ruby Gauntlet. There was a little backstory to that....

The day before:

Crum and Richard sat in the tavern gulping down drink after drink. "Damn, been a while since we've been back huh?" Crum asked Richard his speech slurred by the alchohol. Richard then replied "Yeah... hey Crum.. I've got... a genius idea." he paused "Letsshhh goo shee whatt my brothaaa and Cierra are doing.". Crum leapt off his seat, "Sounds good to me! But before that let me tell that couple over there a joke. Hey, hey you!" he called out to an elderly couple sitting at the centre of the tavern. He pulled out a chair and sat himself "Do you want to hear a joke? Of course you do. I'm in love with Jesse!" To which he guffawed uncontrollably. Pulling his chair in closer, "Now let me tell you about the most f*#$ed up Gnome you'll ever meet." Just as soon as he began, Richard dragged him and exclaimed "C'mon!!! We ish gotta find Quinn!" The drunken pair head off looking for trouble.

Cierra and Quinn sat in the Ruby Gauntlet, Cierra basking in Quinn's company. The evening was going really well for the both of them. Up until they heard knocks on the glass. When they turned around to check for the noise, they saw Richard and Crumston blowing their breaths into the glass and drawing heart shapes. Damn it. Quinn cursed. "I really hate them", He silently thought. In the blink of an eye however, the halfling was gone from the glass window and Quinn turned around to see him dragging up a chair to sit beside them. "Wait, how did you..." before Quinn could finish Crum cut him off "I'm sneaky that way. Now, wanna hear a joke?" "Have you been drinking Crumston?" Cierra asked stiffly. It was true. The halfling reeked of ale. "Of course you wanna hear a joke." he continued "I'm in love with Jesse." Stunned, Quinn felt like he was choking on his bladder. He suspected Cierra felt the same from the expression she wore on her face. The halfling burst out laughing. "Isn't that the funniest joke you've ever heard?! Ok now let me tell you about the most fucked up..." As the halfling went on blathering, Quinn motioned for the waiter. "He's picking up my bill for me. And that guy, outside doodling on your window is stalking me so kindly inform the authorities and take him away. Come dear, let's retire for the night and head back." He motioned for Cierra to come with him.

Fast forward the next day...

Richard found himself sprawled in a cell. "Oh what the hell happened!" he groaned as he clutched his head. Meanwhile, a dozing Crumston was rudely awakened by a guy in an Ecazzi accent. "Wake up you lazy pig! You filthy halfling! You're not done washing the dishes yet!".

The morning of the battle.
The next day begins, with the party awaking knowing that today was an outfield class. Richard gets up with anticipation of the day ahead. After all, compared to yesterday’s boring sit-in lectures of history and spell tactics today was going to be a circus. He had always been more hands-on rather than book smart. He glances at his tools of the trade and smirks as he daydreams about the possible activities they’d partake in that day.

Jesse gets up and heads towards the washroom… only to find it locked. “Hurry up, I need to get ready for class!” She hollers. “OOoo! Give Guy, 10 minutes! Guy not done giving Rubber Ducky his swim!” Guy hollers back. Jesse smirks in amusement and hollers back “Well, don’t drown yourself Guy or I’ll have to break down the door.”. To which Guy responded “But Guy not wearing any clothes!”. The sudden realization of Guy in all his natural glory hits Jesse and her face turns scarlet at the suggestion. Cursing her imagination, she hoped that no one saw her furious blushing. Especially that little scumbag Crumston. The nerve of him leaving her to die. She thought that even he’d have more honor than that. She shakes her head as if to clear her mind of his image. One of these days she’ll teach him a lesson in manners. One that he’ll be unlikely to forget, even with his daftness.

Quinn stood facing the balcony enjoying the view. He’d been up for awhile now, and he watched as the party shuffled across the rooms making preparations for class. He forgot how he missed the company of his classmates. His isolation from the rest had not really affected the fact that he got along with the others, his natural charm made sure of that. He chuckled as he thought of the prank he pulled on Crummy. The Halfling could take a joke as well as he dished it out though, and hadn’t really said anything much about it. The atmosphere sure was different here as when he was outfield with Merrick. His thoughts grew somber and his mood darkened. Damn it Merrick, he thought, don’t die on me. Be safe. At that moment, a hand on his shoulder startled him and he whipped around to find Cierra, concern plastered on her face. “Are you okay… Quinn?” The moment of shock was quickly washed away with embarrassment at his momentary loss of composure. His grimace melted into a mischievous grin and he replied “I’ve been told that I’m actually much better than just ‘okay’ actually.”. Cierra breaks out into a hearty giggle and slaps him lightly on the shoulder and walks away. Quinn’s grin slides off his face as fast as it had appeared. Trouble and danger all around him… and somehow on top of all his own problems, he had to keep Richard alive too. For their mother’s sake and for his own. Blood runs thicker than water. So many troubles.. And only one Quinn. “Sigh”.

Solaris and Amber sit in the common room, killing time as they await for the class to start. Amber tilts her head and sighs, a somewhat regretful melody accompanying the exhalation. “Don’t you find that these.. So called Bards to be such a pain in the ass sometimes.” she asked Solaris. “They.. Are rather mean sometimes.. But I have no one else. I could be with worse company.” Solaris replied. “Although that Halfling really gets on my nerves. If he tells me to sleep in the barn or make him coffee one more time, I will gut him like a fish and hang him out to dry.” She continued. Amber smiled, “Crummy?” She chuckles. “He’s quite endearing actually. Ah don’t you worry about that one. He’s harmless. A tongue quicker than his brain, but if you look past his roughness I think he means well.” Solaris raises an eyebrow and snorts “Means well? He enjoys killing as much as he’d enjoy an afternoon snack.” To that Amber waves away the discussion and says “Heh. Wonder how long till Old man Vernius recalls me. I’m pretty sure he’s missing me, even as we speak.” Solaris shakes her head as the other woman starts to daydream of her charm. Vanity, thy name is Amber Tilson. Solaris chuckles. The free world is indeed a wondrous place.

Rayne plonks herself beside Crumston and sniggers at the Halfling as he struggles to lace his boots. “A little tied up at the moment Crummy?” she asks with mock innocence. “Ah shush you. I’m just a little tired, is all. Damn night job keeping me from good rest. It’s pretty fun though.” He replied. Rayne nods her head, “So watcha think we gonna do today?’ A wide toothy grin appears on Crummy’s face “Maybe I’ll get to kill JESSE!” he roars and collapses on the floor laughing at something only he apparently thought was funny. Rayne smirks and says “Careful what you wish for Crum. From what I know, if you were ever alone in the same room as that one, she wouldn’t bat an eye as to skin you alive. I’d say that you might want to watch your back on that one old boy.” Rayne gets up, leaving a slightly worried Crumston to ponder on what she just said.

Guy is a pacifist.

The class is gathered round outdoors, ready to fulfill the day’s curriculum. Quinn standing, his posture all too sure of himself. Guy, sitting cross-legged happily slobbering over the candy that Jesse is providing him. Surrounding him the girls are seated on their hips, leaning either side depending on the hand they rested upon the ground. Richard is sprawled lazily on the floor, lit pipe in mouth and elbows resting on the ground. Crumston sat upright cross-legged. His manner spoke that he was on edge. Something was bugging the Halfling though he did not say what.

Constance eyes her class and decides that they had settled down enough for her to begin the class briefing. “Well class, listen up. Today you’re going to do something a little different than what we’ve done before. Today won’t be a strategy live-action drill or anything of that sort. Today I hope to review the individual use of your abilities. I’ve thought of several ways to go about it but I’ve decided that the best way to test you would be to pit yourselves against each other. The fact that you are familiar with each other’s abilities will help you formulate counter-strategies to your opponent’s moves. Ladies and gentlemen, rouse yourselves. Today, you will spar.”

“Here are the rules, you will be stripped of all your weapons, armor and items. In return you will be outfitted with the standard leather armor and blunt training weapons. Each fighter will be allowed one set of weapons, meaning one type of weapon, a pair or single. Use weapons that you are familiar with, or rather the ones that you currently use. We will have 3 sparring rounds each with two different fighters of my choosing. Now go and get prepared. First round starts in fifteen minutes.” Constance explains.

There is an excited buzz going around the group. Except for the Halfling whose quiet frown was peculiar considering the potential violence that he might be able to partake in. Richard walks up to him and ruffles his hair “Wassamatter Crum? Ya might even get tah fight Jesse.” he chuckles. The Halfling surprisingly looked worried and muttered “I think someone just walked over my grave or something.” With that, the Halfling stalked off leaving a puzzled Richard scratching his scruffy beard pondering amusingly at the Halfling’s sudden mood swing. Constance rounds on the group and eyes lighting up announced, “Well, I think I’ve got the perfect match for the first round. Something to warm up our blood eh? The first round will see Cierra square off against…. Ausranner.” Silence falls on the party and the only sound that followed Constance’s announcement was the soft ‘thunk’ as the candy Guy was unwrapping fell onto the grass.

There is a small buzz as the others try to guess the winner. Crummy snorts, “Guy will mop the floor with Cierra. Not that that makes a difference. She already looks like one.” Not surprisingly the comment earned him venomous stares from most of the party. And least surprisingly of course from Jesse and Quinn. Especially Quinn. Jesse starts unsurely “Although I’d really hate to admit with Crummy and I emphasize on the word hate and the name Crummy, I think Guy will win.” Richard smelling a chance to make some gold, gives her a sly smile. “Care to wager that friend? I’ve got 10 gold pieces on Cierra if anyone of you with galls enough to walk the talk want to wager.” Jesse sneers “You’re on.”

The two opponents faced each other in an arena of dirt. A somewhat bowl shaped hole in the ground, nothing fancy but boundaries of the ring were clear enough. A frowning Guy towering over a grim Cierra. The former held thick spiked chains, each hand gripping either side of the center of the chain. The latter held a spear. A perfect symbolification of their own fighting styles. Guy, unrelenting and a force unto himself always ready to overpower the opponent with brute force and surprising speed. Cierra, unassuming and slender yet in combat a graceful, whirling blade of death. The fight begins.

Surprisingly, it is Guy who moves first. Within a blink, the giant of a man was already within striking distance of Cierra. Having already utilized his big strides to great efficiency, he swung both ends of his spiked chains down once again displaying the formidable reach he was feared for. Surprisingly, his blow seemed… hesitant and Cierra needed no second invitation to move in for the kill.

Allowing the spiked chains to wrap itself around her spear, she twirls her spear at breakneck speed finally wrenching the weapon from the hands of its owner. Having disarmed her opponent, Cierra proceeds to use her left foot as a pivot, and the momentum of her body twirling the spear, to turn herself 360 degrees to land a kick square onto Guy’s chest. The momentum of the kick knocks even the seemingly unmovable man-mountain onto the floor. Cierra then moves 5 foot back and prepares herself for an attack, crouching low and finds… that Guy is still sitting on the floor looking sulkily at her. Before she could blink an eye, she hears the Halfling shout “Get off your ass you big oaf and sock her face in!”. Surprisingly, Guy continues to sulk and says “Guy don’t want to hurt girls… Guy gives up.” Cierra sighs and helps Guy to dust himself.


Meanwhile Richard goes up to Jesse and chuckles, “I believe you owe me 10 gold”. Jesse, obviously annoyed, though either at the loss of her gold or Guy’s loss no one can tell, shoves the 10 gold pieces in his outstretched palm and says “Fine.”

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water.

Constance having announced the first fight to be Cierra’s victory, proceeded to commend Cierra on her skills. Having done so, she gives Guy a pat on the back and tells him that however commendable his show of gallant chivalry, some ‘girls’ out there were not as nice as what he is accustomed to knowing and some might even be capable of killing him if weren’t careful. Guy however is completely absorbed in some toffee flavored candy that he was trying to unwrap, as one could tell from his preoccupancy (e.g. the lit up eyes and the licking of the lips).

Constance then goes on to ponder thoughtfully on the next round and after some time, the slightest curl of her lips indicated a smile meaning that she had come to her decision. “How about… if the two brothers go head to head? I’m sure that’s something that’s captured the imagination of all of us from time to time. I myself have always wondered if it really came down to it, who’d win if the two of you ever got into a scuffle. On one hand we have Quinn all swagger and charm, whose blood I have heard is made of ice when it came to battles. Never losing his temperament and always keeping a level head.” She pauses “ On the other hand we have Richard. If Quinn is ice, then Richard’s temperament is what keeps the world so bright in the day, eh Richard?” Richard snarls and Constance, who is OBVIOUSLY enjoying the free show she had planned goes on to say “Well then boys, what are you waiting for? Chop chop. Don’t waste curriculum time." Richard and Quinn make their way down to the arena, both set of faces grim with determination, yet a playful fire lit their eyes. If one looked carefully though, they’d notice that Quinn was not as sure of himself as before.

The two brothers and fellow combatants faced each other. Quinn armed with rapier in the right and defending dagger on the left. His stance, a deadly mix of arrogance and death. Richard on the other hand, held a bastard sword. His face no longer grim, now wore a mask that Quinn had seen more than once. A mask of emotions that Richard wore when he planned to fight till the end. A grimace that ended with a smile that never connected to his mad eyes. Richard was serious and Quinn was well prepared for the onslaught. Come. Quinn thought. Come at me with all you’ve got dear brother.

As soon as Constance announced the start of the round, both brothers began. Richard humming a tune and singing, filling himself with the sweet magic of his music. He was steady now. Calm. Quinn, seeing his brother utilizing the bardic ability to bolster one’s abilities through music, smirked and thought “Fool brother. You’ve given me an opening.” Straight away he summons the arcane magic at his disposal, cursing his brother with a magical laughter, disrupting him from prolonging his bard’s song.

Richard found himself laughing for no apparent reason and unable to attack. He cursed his lack of planning silently as tears rolled down his eyes from the laughter. Suddenly he was all too aware of Quinn rushing at him, the blunt rapier stabbing into him with force enough to knock the wind out of him and another blunt point, the dagger, stabs his shoulder. Quinn pushed on, landing two more blows before stepping back.

Meanwhile Rayne comes up to Crummy and offers to wager on Richard for 15 gold. “Normally,” Crummy replied “I wouldn’t give up on Richard this fast, but what the hell. Maybe Merrick’s made a man outta Quinn. We’ll see. He’s doing pretty well so far. I‘ll take you up on that bet.” Constance overlooked the fight with interest. Quinn was a skilled tactician indeed but she was waiting to see what the other brother could do. Don’t just use brute force Richard. She thought to herself. THINK Richard. THINK.

Richard grunting from the blows, finds himself recovered from the fits of laughter. Frantically he clawed through his mind for a counter attack as he saw his brother shift his stance lower, ready to charge for an attack. Time to play the ace up his sleeve, Richard thought. As his brother charged, he whispered the final words to his spell.

As Quinn charged preparing to stab his brother with his rapier, he found himself shell-shocked as his brother suddenly split into five copies. The shock caused him to miss his lunge, stumbling past Richard and his images. Cursing himself, Quinn recovers his footing and pivoted himself around and swung his rapier… at air. Looking down he finds five grinning Richards, all crouched and prepared to lunge.

Richard swung his Bastard sword upwards, hitting Quinn right smack on the chin and sending him propelling through the air. Quinn broke his fall with a roll and landed upright only to look up and see five Richards charging at him. Quinn stabs two of the charging Richards as they vanish. The remaining three Richards brought down their bastard swords on Quinn but he was better prepared now. He dodges the blades and readies an incantation himself. Muttering the words, he waves his hand in Richard’s direction as the images dispel leaving only one very dazed looking Richard. Quinn then proceeds to stab Richard with his rapier and dagger combination consecutively, earning several grunts from his brother. Richard quickly recovers and cast the same spell his brother did, halting his relentless attack. Richard then prepares another spell, intending to send his brother into a magical slumber. The spell rolls over Quinn though as he fights the effects of the spell through sheer will. Recovering, he resumes his stance and stabs Richard on the shoulder. Without so much as a flinch, Richard smacks the rapier out of the way and swings his Bastard sword, this time catching Quinn on the ribs. The force of the blow sends Quinn tumbling. Richard grips the hilt of his sword with both hands and waited for his brother’s next move.

Quinn, gasping for air clasped his bruised rib and eyed his brother warily. Suddenly he broke out in a grin and chuckled “I concede”. Dropping his weapons, he walked over to Richard and both clasped arms in a warrior’s handshake. “Good fight Richard.” with Richard breaking out in a grin as well and replying “Damn right brother.”. As both walk out the arena chatting, Constance announces that the point goes to Richard and commends both brothers on a well fought battle. With a sweeping glance to the remainder of the class, she already had in mind the last pair of combatants. And she waited , for the class to settle down.

A Battle of Wits

“I’ve decided on the last pair of combatants both of whom I’m sure will put up a decent show of the use of skills in a combat. Crumston, you and Jesse are up next. Come on now. Chop chop.” Constance ushers the both of them onto the ring. Not that Jesse needed ushering. She was there well before Crummy was. Just as she cracked her neck and stretched herself she spotted a tense Crummy approaching the arena. “Let’s get this show on the road Crum. Or are you going to wait till you put on a little more height? If that’s the case you might as well give up now.” she taunted.

Crum brushed off the taunt and let it slide. All day, he had been having a bad feeling something like this was going to happen. Umber Hulks he could deal with, heck he’d probably be okay with facing Fenrir himself. But this… this he was not ready for. What if he lost? To Jesse? In front of the entire class? That was something he couldn’t deal with. He stared at his nemesis. She’s so sure of herself, looking down on me like that. He eyed the dual kukris she twirled in her hands. So a fight between dual wielders eh? He tightened his grip on his own shortswords and eased himself into a defensive stance, ready to fend off his opponent’s attacks. A grim determination set upon his childlike face. Win or lose, he decided, he’s not about to give up meekly.

Jesse eyed Crumston as he broke into his fighting stance. Hah. The little twat was planning on defending. The second Constance uttered the word ‘fight’, Jesse drew upon the massive arcane powers that Alechem commanded and used herself as a channeling vehicle for the magic. As soon as her words of power were whispered, blue lights shot out of her hand and slammed Crummy in the chest. The Halfling, though shocked, responded almost immediately. Swiftly he pounced on her twirling himself and attempted to slice her with the blunt shortswords. Her reflexes managed to allow her to parry one sword but the Halfling’s trailing left blade left a bruise and a minor cut on her arm. She barely noticed it though, preoccupied with hurting the Halfling more than her own injury and slammed both kukris down in a slashing motion. Her kukris landed on the Halfling’s chest as he groaned winded and bruised. This was going to be fun.

Crum knew it wasn’t going well for him. Jesse had surprised him with the magic missiles. He had always thought Alechem was the magic user among the two. Not only that, Crum was finding out the hard way that Jesse was quite proficient with the blade. As the two exchanged a flurry of quick blows and parries, Crum once again found himself on the losing end. Argh! How did she cast that spell? No time to think about that, he thought. Suddenly Jesse retreated 5 steps back and whipped off her belt and threw it on his face surprising him yet again. “What the fuck?!” he retorted.

Richard glanced at Constance. “Why did you pick them to square off against each other Constance? Did you feel like watching a bloodbath today?” he asked. Constance chuckled and replied “Well, not quite. As you probably know, the both of them are among the best skill users of the party. They both tend to use everything in their arsenal in tricky ways. It’s a battle of tricksters of sort. Jesse is intelligent and mischievous. As poor Crummy there has found out, she has more than one trick to catch her opponent off guard with. Both of them are similar in combat style, though Jesse is more direct and Crumston uses his natural reflexes and dexterity more often than she does. Crumston to me, seems as though he still needs maturing, though I have heard that he can be deviously…. cunning as his surname suggests. That coupled with his will to win and lack of fear and respect for anything may one day make him one of the best stealthers this academy has produced.” she paused “IF he lives to see graduation. For today.. I still think Jesse will come out tops.”

Richard nodded. That last statement was obvious enough. Crummy was out of his element. After all he was a ranged fighter, as is Quinn. Which is why he probably won just now. Had circumstance been different… Crum was getting his ass kicked, that much was certain. Richard chuckled and muttered “Crummy boy, you’ll never live this down.”

“What the fuck?!” Crum retorted as Jesse’s flung belt hit him in the face. Slightly distracted, he barely noticed her chanting and only starting panicking after the belt began to animate itself. It begun to wrap itself tightly around his hands making him drop his shortswords. The final tug of the belt as it tightened itself was so forceful that he almost lost balance but rather than resisting the force, he allowed himself to sway in the same direction and he recovered his footing.

Weaponless and bound Crum was almost helpless. Jesse walked up to him as he struggled with his bonds and cupped his chin in one hand and began to lightly sway it as she teased him “Na nee na nee poo…” before she had finished her taunt she realized that the damn Halfling had spat in her eye. “Argh… What a sore loser.” she said as she wiped the slimy saliva off her face. She looked up to find Crum, teeth bared in murderous rage and eyes set with defiance. Before she could do anything, he managed to get a hand free and shoved her back as he dove for his shortswords and tumbled. “I haven’t lost Jesse. Don’t count your Griffons before they hatch. This is far from over.“ Crum stated, a dangerous tone underlining his message. It was clear then to her. Come hell or high water the Halfling wanted to win. Or die trying. This would be even more fun when she finally won. “Come then.” Jesse grinned.

Crum stood there thinking of his options. Fighting fair was definitely not going to cut it. He glanced at his surroundings and studied his battle ground. What could he use to his advantage here? There was only dirt. He cursed himself. Stupid dirt… and then a thought occurred to him. He could use the dirt and blind her. An old trick, but effective nonetheless. When he looked up however, he saw a grinning Jesse muttering an incantation to a spell. She stopped muttering and broke out into a toothy smile. She was up to something. Whatever it was he’d wipe that smile off her face permanently by the end of this fight. He crouched slowly and took a step back to pick up the dirt inconspicuously... And suddenly found himself tripping over something invisible. “Fuck!” he cursed. Jesse was one step ahead once again.

Seeing Crummy stumble, Jesse made no hesitation to run up to him and in an attempt to hack him. By the time she swung her kukris however, Crummy had managed to roll out of the way just in time. He was thoroughly worried now. His frown said it. She had caught him off guard at least thrice in the fight. A smug smile appeared on her face. Oh, how she was enjoying this.

Crum desperately chanted a Daze spell and threw it at Jesse. To his surprise it worked and a dazed Jesse stood there stoned. In his rush he miscued his swipe and missed her totally. He took a second swipe at her though and the shortswords connected with a sickening thud on her collarbones and Jesse growled in pain as she snapped to her senses. She then proceeded to swing the kukris and hit Crummy on his chest. The blunt kukris once more slamming and bruising him. It was obvious the Gnome was winning. A few more hits and the game’s over Crummy, Jesse thought. How long can you last? She chuckled.

Crum staggered back as the both of them exchanged blows. He had to do something soon. Had to find an opening. He was definitely not going to last any longer. Crummy cursed himself for letting her catch him off-guard that many times in one fight. That was it. He had to do something she didn’t expect. Her kukri smacked itself on his left cheek and once more he staggered back, losing ground. There! An opening! As he pretended to stagger back further and she advanced forward he shifted his momentum forward, slamming his entire body weight into her, while his right arm hooked her right leg.

Crummy found himself sitting on top the winded Jesse and placed both shortswords on her throat. “A single move Jesse and you’re dead.” Jesse simply laughed and said “Real scary Crum, considering that those shortswords are blunt.”

She braced herself for an attack as Crummy’s right arm raised itself high and straight… but somehow it simply stayed there. Crum had a devious smile plastered on his face and placidly raised his head to a puzzled looking Constance. “Correct me if I’m wrong Miss Constance, but seeing as to how we are supposed to emulate a real life situation, Jesse should have been decapitated by now.” Constance who up to this point had arched her right eyebrow in puzzlement had a wry smile forming on her face. She shrugged and said “I’m sorry Jesse, but he’s right. Point and match to… Crummy.”. At that point Jesse felt like screaming but keeping her teeth clenched was all she could do to keep the bile from rushing out. Crum… won! UGH!!!
Crum dusted himself and dropped his weapons, wearing a smug look on his face. Well, he thought. That’s that. As he ignored the fuming Jesse, Crum walks over to Richard and Quinn as they ruffle his black hair. “Smartass.” Richard said. “Teacher’s pet.” Quinn echoes. Crum simply smiles as Constance commends him and Jesse on a match well fought. And as she explained the importance of using skills to their optimum effectiveness in a combat, Crum’s mind trailed off to happier thoughts of the evening’s work to come at the Ruby Gauntlet.

So the group take the stairs at the farther end (there are 2 sets of stairs) and bump into Rebecca but calls herself Amber (this is Bryan's character) on this recon mission. Seeming trustworthy, they let Amber join the group and head down to the lowest level where they are greeted by a door. Just a simple door. Eventually Crummy picks the lock and inside the room is a simple wardrobe, bed, foot locker, and desk. Crummy tries to start a fire but Guy puts it out after noticing all the flammable tapestry about the room. In the next room they find plenty of parchments (identical furniture but the wardrobe has girl clothes instead of boys like the last one). Suddenly, Richard hears voices. He moves forward down the adjacent corridor. He casts 'light' on a stone and throws it toward the voices but only sees tables (much like a canteen) so everyone moves forward slowly. "SUPPPLIESS!!" it turns out to be a surprise party for someone else and so, of course, battle ensues where some lucky bastards got away. After the short battle, voices are heard again, "She's just about made it to the lower levels." As a figure darts around the corner, Richard grabs her and uses one hand to cover her mouth. Heroic Crummy tries to lure the elves around the corner but they grow wise to his plan and run away via the staircase. The crew find out that the girl's name is Solaris Thayre (Nadine's character) and she was a slave in this building surrounded by elves; who said something about "destroying the red one". The party brings her along and try their best to get out of the underground maze. In one of the rooms of the lower levels, Richard finds a letter for Lady Aenis from Shawn Aenis, her husband, saying that the place is good and they're going into full operation soon. Solaris breaks open a small wooden case with a rusty lock and finds a charm bracelet (+2 diplomacy). Always looking to be more diplomatic, she wore it right away. In the last room, they find a child-like figure in bed. Solaris tells the group that the figure gives off a bad vibe. With that said, she sneaks up and slits the boy's throat, not knowing it was only a boy. Crummy is appalled. Immediately, Guy ransacks the boy's limp body for candy but finds none.

Upon reaching an ornate door on basement level two, Guy opens the door to find (ah-HA!) Ekstrom sitting at the head of a long table. It seems that he was expecting the group and motions for everyone to be seated. Out of a side door, in walks Daria. Apparently, Daria works here as well as Ovario. Ekstrom informs them that this was all a test. He brings out individual folders of each person. On top of that, Ekstrom is an advocate of The Red Knight. He explains that she is trying to payback to society by being a god of solace and protection. The elves are rampant and it is vital to find a way to keep them back. Ulot Moneo has defected from The Red Knight's side and is working with the elves. A contract found in each of the folders states that there will be a monthly pay of 500GP and anything found on a mission can be kept. If they decided to break the contract then they would have to pay back their allowances and take a vow of secrecy. At that exact moment, Longshot steps in and announces that the place is swarmed. Ekstrom, Daria, and Longshot leave but Crummy manages to bum a phllactory (sp?) from Ekstrom that'll take the group back to the City of Colours. The adventurers decided to explore the place a bit more and find a spiral staircase.

As they reach the bottom, they find an abandoned excavation site with 3 faces embossed in the wall; each with a mouth of black marble. When Richard touches the first face, the black marble reads "This sentence is false". He touches the second and "A man was put to trial and he was permitted to make a statement. If it was false, he would be hanged. If it was true, he would be beheaded" appears. The third face asked "What is the biggest number you can write with 2 digits". Solaris answers the second one by writing in the mouth with some chalk "It's true i am to be hanged". The ground shakes and a tunnel opens only big enough for Crummy to enter. Being a good sport, he crawls in and reaches a campfire full of gnomes and halflings smoking weed. He quickly turns back but the tunnel has closed. After being tempted for what seems like centuries, he finally resolves to find a way out. He borrows a whatchamaycallit (for the life of me greg, i just forgot what those hook thingies were) from one of the gnomes and climbs up through the ceiling where he finds a smaller room with two bracers. He takes them and the buzzing coming from the room stops. He climbs back down to find the tunnel has opened again and he crawls back through. For the third puzzle, Richard writes in the black mouth "9 to the power of 9". Straight away a doorway opens and and he walks in. Inside, Richard finds exact clones of everyone in the group except himself and they all behave the opposite of their originals. Later on, Solaris and Crummy step into the room to check on Richard and the clones of them disappear. Crummy solves the puzzle by asking the Guy clone whether he likes candy and the room vanishes but a pair of boots appear and Richard takes them. Still stumped on the second puzzle, Guy suddenly gets divine inspiration from his god (actually the DM) and writes on the blackish marble "not possible". A passage opens and he walks into a small, dark room with eerie music. Guy touches the walls and they grow further apart. After trying for very long, he claps his hands in exasperation and the lights go on (i still say it's dumb). An amulet appears and Guy grabs it and runs out before the lights go off again. When he meets back with the rest of the gang, he's surprised to be holding a gladius. Richard appraises the items and finds out that the boots are made of human skin, the necklace has magical properties (WOW! noooo, really?) and the gladius is......a weapon. Hearing voices coming down the spiral staircase, Crummy breaks the thingamajig (fellectoree?) and they teleport out of the place.

Unfortunately, they teleport where there are four unkempt men and the group gets into a fight with them. Guy, more stupidly than usual, uses the gladius on one of them and he disappears in a blinding flash of light. Now there is no blade, only a handle and a scabbard. The crew fight the remainding bandits and loot their bloody remains. After much enjoyable looting the gang heads south downstream until they find an abandoned house with a dagger lodged firmly in the ground in front of it. Taking this as a bad omen, they group flee further downstream. The river finally leads to a lake with a small island joined by a sand bar with two buildings. In the lobby of the first building, they find an envelope with a letter inside that explains how the lodge belonged to a wealthy family (whose owner had died) and that whoever found it is the new owner. Attached to the letter is the deed of the island and two buildings. Happy with the good news but completely exhausted, the party rest for 3 days before moving ahead. Along the way a Richesian carriage passes by. Crummy stops one of the caravans and asks the driver to point him in the right directions. The party come across a drop-off point; the large city of Selbine before reaching their goal; Orathas, Corrin.