The Grayhaven City Gates

The guard puffs up a little at Elowin's smile, and her calling him "mister" like he's somebody important. "Oh! Well, I, uh...we don't have a guild for all merchants, but there are many guilds with halls near the Merchant Square. What sort of work do you do...?" The other guards laugh at him. "Hey, Lugo, why don't you leave that poor girl and her little sister alone? She doesn't want to talk to you! Ha-ha-ha!" Lugo flushes and mutters "Welcome to Grayhaven!" before hurriedly turning away. "WHAT? She asked me a question!" "Yeah yeah, and you always need to answer the questions of pretty girls...!"

The party makes their way past the guards with no further inspection as they continue to rib Lugo while processing the next group entering the city. Everyone is relieved, although both Adran and Findal are also a little offended: "Sister! Little sister?! What did they mean by that?" Then they see each other and laugh with relief and embarrassment. "You thought they meant you??"

There is a lot of foot traffic in the small plaza here. Cheap taverns and stalls set up to sell all kinds of stuff to new arrivals fill your vision, and hand-carts and horse-drawn wagons trundle past in multiple directions, carrying goods, people, or waste. The smell of the sea is vaguely discernible under the heady aroma of many foods, spices, perfumes, smoke, many bodies, petrichor, and grime. Hawkers shriek advertisements for various wares and services. A main avenue leads further into the city, while side streets open off of the plaza in half a dozen directions. Dogs trot past, darting between people's legs, sniffing for offal or other edible scraps. Morik and Elowin notice that there are various icons in evidence, both around people's necks and in little shrines festooned with flowers and ribbons. Though most people carry
small knives or daggers for everyday use, Bramlin notes that there are only a few other warriors in the crowd: mostly bodyguards, the guards with their spears, but also a couple of bravos with rapiers at their hips. Pigeons and gulls vie for the skies above the rooftops, while far above the flight of hippogriffs drifts in lazy circles.

Elysia and Eozindra arrive in the plaza from Tanner Street just as the party stops to take their bearings. What brings them to the plaza?

Looking around, there is no sign of Gunter. But the party of five - Findal, Adran, Bramlin, Elowin, and Morik - and the pair - Eozindra and Elysia - all spot each other at the same time. Those that know each other recognize them immediately, both from distinctive appearance and distinguishing music signature.

Pleasantly surprised to see familiar, friendly faces from Mara here in Grayhaven, the half-elves meet the rest of the party in the plaza.

But then there is a shriek of pain and a shout of alarm as a pair of horses pulling a carriage go wild. The driver is thrown from the buckboard and the carriage careens out of control down the road, straight at you.

Each PC must make a DEX saving throw, DC10, as the crazed horses plow through the crowd and people race to fling themselves out of the way.

The driver of the carriage is barely hanging on to the side as the horses tear forward, panicked and out of control. Many people are screaming and throwing themselves out of the way, but you think you also hear a cry from inside the carriage as it bears down on you. Adran manages to leap to one side, but most of the others leap in the other direction...not far enough to get out of the way of the horses, who clip them as they gallop past. Those who failed the DC10 DEX save take 3 bludgeoning damage and will roll their attempt to get on the carriage (if they choose to) with DISADV.

As the carriage thunders past, you can see that if it isn't halted, it will trample others and crash soon thereafter, either into a stall or a building.
Any character who wishes to can attempt a DC10 STR Athletics check to grab the carriage as it passes and climb aboard.