A bit past midnight on the 30th of Summertide
John heads to the Frothy Leprechaun to discuss the message

• Bumps into Koreloff, describes message and need to gather the crew
• Meet up with Koogel and Raylek, ask where Brethen is
• John looks for Brethen and easily finds him, hiding like a black cat on a snowbank
• Our group heads out to Leder’s, which is locked up at this time of night
• John insists on trying to wake this fine fellow in the middle of the night, eventually guard answers
• Jimick eventually arrives, dressed in studded armor with a sword
  • Jimick was asked by other folks what happened to Domico
  • Seems that Domico was asked by counsel to bring ransom to the army
  • Domico hasn’t been seen since, nor have his guards (about 2-1/2 weeks)
    • Jimick responds to question about the rune in Domico’s doorway, says it’s not uncommon thing to do
  • We are offered a job to find out what happened to Domico
  • The counsel was the group that inquired of Jimick about Domico
  • Jimick currently knows nothing about Domico’s departure, his party, or which direction he headed
  • Jimick provides us with a gold each to help us get started

We head back to our rooms for the night

• John inquires if anyone wants to try breaking into Domico’s estate during daylight
• We plan to do so after a little rest

The morning of Summertide Festival Day
A bit warm today with a light drizzle
Today is Freedom Day

• Koreloff inquires about the day, gathering at the slave market for the emancipation lottery
  • Brethen has submitted his parents names for the last couple years
• Supposedly, there is a carnival of some sort arriving tomorrow

We start out for Domico’s

• We try to identify which buildings are part of Domico’s estate
• Guards are at the courtyard gate, facing toward the street and watching traffic
• Our plan: walk around to “back” (riverside) and Koogel will move us through the earth into the courtyard
  • We successfully get to where we want in the courtyard
  • Koogel learns that he moves at half speed through stone
• Koogel enters the building and begins searching the inside of Domico’s place
  • Nothing of interest in the cellar
  • Nobody in the kitchen or parlor
• Koogel opens the stable doors to let us inside
  • We find no signs that anyone has been here for the past couple weeks
  • Up stairs leads to hallway with 3 doors
    • We enter library, find nothing in his desk
      • Variety of general books, but no specific area of interest is indicated
    • We enter the guest room, appears unused for months
    • We enter a large bedroom with large bed, lamp, a couple paintings
      • Wardrobe, nightstand are empty, no personal effects in this room
• Koogel mud warps to enter an adjacent building
  • Raylek follows after the outside door is opened
  • Building is slave quarters, cleaned out
• Koogel starts checking out adjacent buildings that are likely not Domico’s
  • One appears to be occupied, woman probably cooking, probably a residence
  • Other has stacks of vellum in the cellar
    • We recall that this is a bookstore
• It’s pretty obvious that Domico had planned an extended leave, probably not coming back

We head off to the slave market for the festivities

• We listen to the gossip, but nothing noteworthy
• Guards begin showing up in advance of the counsel members
• Eventually, about 10 guards are there when a very well dressed man and woman arrive
  • Ahmkin Coinick (slaver whose warehouse we invaded) and Anund Kott (counsel woman)
  • 5 names called, but none are Brethen’s parents
    • One new free man is one of the guards on stage (Beshrek Sayon)
    • One of the freed folks is seemingly not excited about his freedom
      • Seems concerned about getting employment
• We head back to the inn and practice our training

Later that night

• John hears a wolf howl
  • Treks out to meet wolfie
  • Wolfie says, “I found your mass of tasty two-legs,” points and indicates a “day cycle” distance
  • Wolfie somehow conveys that there are probably thousands in the army
• Koogel practices seduction, Brethen plays a bar, the others kick back and relax

The morning of the 1st of Highsun
Cloudy and showers most of the day
John inquires about the carnival

• Weather may not cooperate, but they should have a freak show and possibly a light show
• Will probably set up on the outskirts of the north end of west side of town
• On our way, a group has gathered around a magician performing something more than simple sleight of hand

We enter the carnival

• A number of attractions
  • Dwarves, man without arms / legs, eyeless fortune teller
  • Swordplay contest with 15 silver purse
    • Koogel obviously plans to participate
• Koogel discovers that the carnival came up from the south but had been in the east
  • They have not heard of Kokkor Hekkus
• There is a walled off area in the center of the carnival area, John shimmies under
  • In the nicest tent, John searches papers in a desk
    • Finds map of area
    • Finds plans to head farther northwest to Silvestress and back up to coast
  • Searching another tent, finds hammocks and chests
  • Searching a third tent, finds someone lying in hammock with another hammock empty
  • John exits, undiscovered
• We hear a scream from the center of the carnival
  • Someone almost fell on the tightrope
• Raylek discovers that they had heard of “problems” to the north (while they were at University)
  • Feuersberg had been sacked, so they stuck to the south
  • The conflict is probably still going on, and it is probable that it was Ulrich’s group
• Koogel is up for his sword contest
  • Koogel smacks down some local smartass with delusions of grandeur
  • With 2nd contestant, Koogel swings wildly at the air, fumbles and ends up stunned, losing the match

After we depart

• Raylek fails in getting any intel about Domico’s departure
• John goes to stock up for our trip at All Your Needs General Store
  • John notices a woman arguing with a man who has several burly men with him
    • Argus claims that he owns her building, she claims he’s lying
    • John, of course, sticks his nose into this, demands to see Argus’ copy of the contract
• Not surprisingly, John incites a conflict with Argus, the thief of buildings
  • Koogel whacks Joseph the guard, who fails to return attack
  • John clocks Argus in the head with his staff
  • Koogel easily takes out Joseph, taunts the other guards
  • Argus whips the horses, John attempts to pull Argus from the wagon as it starts off
    • John fails, Argus gets away
  • The woman provides a description of Argus’ home
• John and Koogel divert to Bercy’s General Store to avoid any investigation of their recent conflict
• On their way back, they stop by Argus’ house and look inside
  • Notice one of the guards from the encounter, the downed guard lying on a table
  • Coming down the back alley, they find another entrance with a dog tied up
• They mud warp into the cellar, enter the man’s home
  • Clumsily making his way through the house, John is stopped by a guard
  • Predictably, battle ensues
  • Koogel takes down a guard as the other warns Argus to escape
  • Koogel races up the stairs to find Argus
  • John scares the last guard into throwing his weapon and retreating from the house
  • Koogel chases Argus, who carries a leather portfolio, across the roof of an adjacent building
  • After Argus jumps to the ground, Koogel attempts to leap on top of him
    • Koogel crushes Argus to the ground, rendering him unconscious
    • Koogel grabs the leather satchel and purse from Argus’ inanimate body, fails in his attempt to climb back up
    • Koogel almost fails again, even with John’s assistance in climbing to the roof
  • Koogel finds 10 silver and 3 copper in the purse
• John and Koogel attempt to exit the same way they entered
  • They take a roundabout route back to the inn to avoid all the points of chaos they’ve initiated

Back at the Portly Boatman

• John orders two ales for himself and divides up the contracts for us to review
  • We find a contract for Shane Dormont to pay back 100 gold by working at rate of 10 / year
    • Includes clause for Potions Aplenty store, stating that the possession will revert to heir
  • John asks Brethen to give the contract to Jimick, so that he could deliver it to Miss Dormont