Chapter Seven: The Stalemate At Loton's Cove

"Who hasn't?" she shoots back, a bit sharply. She sighs again and looks down. "Sorry. Two bards came through the other day, looking to write a song about it. The questions they asked...made me angry."

This is no child, Felor's brain helpfully informs him as the gnome introduces herself. He squints at the inscrutable diagram she presents. Some parts remind him of the strange honeycomb symbol on the stela in Pafthinel's lair.

Since you're split up, a quick recap of where everyone is at:

Domarc, Felor, and Zangua are at a table in the common room of the Ram and Sedge inn, with Annganne.

Leth and Mordred are at the blacksmith's shop down the street.

AA looks at Zangua and puts away the scroll. "As we say in the Warren, the Start Hole and the End Hole of it all is this: I'm here to help do this."

Casts Minor Illusion to put an image of the Six-Pronged Crown in her hands, then pulls it apart.

Remaining spell slots: (3)/4/3/3/1

"People like to hear tragedy. I understand that. But they asked me if I'd seen any of the survivors...or the remains that came back..." She shifts the weight of the hammer in her hand. "You get the idea. Who are you folk, anyhow? Why did you come to Solyhill?"

~meanwhile~

Domarc, Felor, and Zangua watch in bafflement as the gnome conjures and destroys an image of the Six-Pronged Crown.

PBO, can you give us a quick debrief on what we know about what happened here and the fallout from it? My recollection is that Gethro commanded a platoon of soldiers from Solyhill to march on the 6PC and get Martjan back, but they were attacked by a dragon(?) and decimated. Gethro is now wholly discredited and there is talk that the government of Hazard may collapse because of it. Is that the shape of it? I'm particularly interested in remembering:

1) Do we know it was an actual dragon or is that just a rumor we heard?
2) Do we know where Gethro is? Is he here or still in Hazard?
3) Do we know Martjan's status and/or whereabouts?

When you visited Hazard the first time, you met Gethro, the Hierophant's right-hand man. After Gorham attacked the mansion and kidnapped Martjan. Gethro met with you again and it was decided that the party would travel to Vorch in search of Pafthinel while the Hierophant sent the soliders at Solyhill to rescue Martjan and confront Gorham. They were able to scry his location because he left some clothing behind during the attack.

When you returned from Vorch, you heard the rumors that the soliders had been killed by a dragon. Back in Hazard, Domarc met with the Hierophant, who confirmed the rumors and informed him that there were survivors, and that Gethro had gone to Solyhill to investigate exactly what happened.

Because of the attack, and the fact that the Hierophant ordered it in secret, the public sentiment in Hazard is very much anti-Hierophant right now, to the point where many are calling for his position to be abolished and for Hazard to go back to the rule of kings. The Hierophant himself seems fairly unconcerned by this.

1. To the best of your knowledge, there really was a dragon attack.
2. According to the Hierophant, Gethro is here in Solyhill investigating the attack.
3. Witnesses saw Gorham fly away from Hazard with Martjan. When he appeared to you in the column of steam, Gorham told you that Martjan is alive and well and still with him.

The barman seems a bit nonplussed. He looks at Domarc, then over to the women, then back at Domarc. Then he nods and shrugs.

Domarc keeps his audience transfixed through the performance. While the barman stands stock still and watches impassively, all four women are quite visibly moved, with one letting out a heartbreaking wail around the end of the second verse.

When Domarc goes back to his seat, the barman resumes his busywork. "That was lovely," one of the women says.

~meanwhile~

"More investigators?" The blacksmith frowns. "Those weren't their names. It was...Warbler. Neol and Palma Warbler. Husband and wife. They played a little. Good technique. I didn't doubt they were what they claimed to be, I just didn't like them much."