Exonerated & Two Weeks Pass

Rhaan 22 - Sypheros 7, YK 999

A story was published on Rhaan 21 on the front page of the Korranberg Chronicle with the headline "Assassination Prevented in Trolanport." It detailed the events at the Platinum Theater, most notably that the real Wandering Wolves battled a group of doppelgangers who had attempted to impersonate them, and that Lord Kor himself had issued a pardon for the Wolves for the initial assassination attempt against the King. When asked how this affected the war between the Sigilstar Alliance and Droaam, Lord Kor indicated that they still weren't certain that the hags of Droaam weren't involved, given that one of the assassins at the Platinum Theater was a Briar Hag, but he did indicate that there would be a full investigation.

And so, after close to five months of being hunted as fugitives, The Wandering Wolves returned to Sharn by means of House Orien teleport circle. Though they had been exonerated, Lord Kor asked if they would keep a relatively low profile for a couple of weeks until they could get various things sorted. He also gave each member of the Wolves a letter of credit for transportation with either House Orien or House Lyrandar, allowing a round-trip ticket to anywhere in the Five Nations.

As promised by Lord Kor, the Wolves will be granted an expanse of land in the northern reaches of Breland, and promised help from Brelish industry to build a casino and base of operations named "The Wolves' Reward." He told them that come the next week in Wroat, The Wolves would meet with the King and be given their official pardon and grant of land, but agreed to give each a week of personal time first. Well, except for Pel, but more on that below.

Luggoth:
Luggoth returned to his apartment in Hareth's Folly and found it occupied. The door was unlocked, but there was no sign of vandalism or theft. When he saw who was waiting for him, a grouchy Luggoth muttered "I wish you were thieves instead. At least then I could beat you with a clear conscience."

The paladin Muroni and dragon prophet Maechen, representatives of the silver dragon Vuulaytherus, waited for Luggoth in his apartment. They explained that Vuulaytherus had sent them to Sharn about a month ago to come and find him, and they had been expecting him sometime in the autumn. So they had set up shop in his apartment until he returned.

"War is coming, Luggoth. You and the Wolves are going to play a key part in it, if our master is interpreting the Prophecy correctly. Our master has sent us to Khorvaire to do what we can to prevent it. We'll be looking for clues to the Prophecy throughout the continent, and we'll let you know if we find anything related to you."

With that, they prepared to leave, but Maechen stayed behind to "catch up what was going on with his former comrades-in-arms." After Muroni left, Maechen quietly informed Luggoth of one piece of information that Vuulaytherus hadn't wanted him to share.

"There was a vision that Vuulaytherus shared with us, but told us not to tell you. One of the oracles saw you with your hands around the throat of Jaela Daran, the Keeper of the Flame. He doesn't know when, or even where, or what it means. But if the Silver Flame learns of this, nowhere will be safe for you. Some of the members of The Chamber think you're an unwitting pawn of the Lords of Dust, and that you need to be watched carefully, and eliminated if necessary. I know that despite your anger, you wouldn't hurt that little girl, she's one of the purest forces of good in this world. So I think the vision isn't what it seems. But you have a lot of very nervous, very powerful people watching you."

As he left, he imparted one last warning. "William d'Deneith was a part of the Prophecy when he had his dragonmark. Now he exists outside of it. The Chamber doesn't know what this means, but they don't like it. William's role in The Prophecy has been changed by powerful, ancient magic, and he could easily lead you down the wrong path. Be careful around him."

After that, Luggoth can spend some of his time searching for Savannah and Borgath, or go with Lysander to see if he can find Arenydee and figure out what information she has.

Brand:
After checking in with Markus d'Orien to get himself reinstated in House Orien, Brand and Whitehearth returned to the Eldeen Reaches to see his mother and visit with Rorsa and her pack. His mother told Brand that she had gotten a message for him, passed along by a shifter from elsewhere in the Reaches.

"I know that last time, it turned out to be a trick by our Uncle, so this time I asked for proof. Your father must have expected that, because the shifter told me things that only your father and I knew. I believe this message is from him."

She handed Brand the message, a simple scroll, and added "I didn't read it. I felt it would be a violation of your privacy. But when you see your father... tell him I'd like to see him. Things can't be the same between us, it's been too long and I'm with someone else, but... well, I'd like to see him."

The message read:

"Hello, son. If you're receiving this message, it means you've come to visit your mother, and I'm assuming that means you've cleared your name. If that's not the case, don't follow the rest of these instructions, you'll only bring danger to yourself, your mother and me. One of us being a fugitive is enough trouble.

I've had discussions with some of the people I know and trust at Orien. They've assured me that my crimes, even if they were real, have been forgotten in the ensuing decades, and that if I can bring them something valuable, those crimes will be forgiven. That's enough for me, because once I'm back in at the House, we can work within it to bring down your Uncle.

What I'm asking of you might take a few weeks, but I hope you can spare the time, as I haven't had time to build up the same resources I had in Xen'drik. The shifter who brought this to your mother left some tracks. Most wouldn't be able to find them, but I'm confident that you can. Follow those tracks and you'll find me."

Brand and Whitehearth set off following the tracks, and they found them leading to a very carefully concealed teleport circle. When they stepped through, they found themselves standing in the middle of a swamp.

"There you are! I was starting to think you weren't coming!"

Brand's father, The Native, was concealed in a tree waiting for them.

"Welcome to the Shadow Marches. Ready to go dragonshard hunting?"

"I suppose a new field of dragonshards under House Orien control would be an excellent way to buy credibility for your return to the house," Brand said. "I wonder, will the Native's identity be maintained by your crew while he's out of Xen'drik? A secret identity of sorts? Or is it best to go public and thus avoid potential for blackmail?"

Traega mutters darkly that "it's a little late to worry about Aeromus blackmailing us, unfortunately" but does agree that his past in Xen'drik could be potentially troublesome, if there's any kind of trial related to him returning to the House. However, he also doesn't believe he could keep it a secret, and so his intent is to disclose everything when he returns to the House.

For the time being, the Native is a ghost, with his band of smugglers and information brokers operating as if he's still in charge, but in fact Medrea is now giving orders according to prophecy, with Saia, Yanesh and Tworock acting as the visible face of the operation. They are scaling back operations, and Traega confides that his plan is to bring them to Khorvaire when he is reinstated in the House to serve as his operatives on the continent. He hasn't run this by them yet, and he's not honestly sure if all of them will want to come to Khorvaire, as they all had their reasons for staying in Xen'drik.

Traega also tells you that his contacts in the House inform him that things have changed in the last twenty years, and that the House is much more open to marriage and relationships outside the House, believing that it brings new blood into the operation. "It's too late for me and your mother," he says, "But perhaps you and Saia will have a chance at what we never had."

While hunting for dragonshards, Traega and Brand train and fight together. Brand is sorry to miss the ceremony in Wroat, but he is sure that by the time he rejoins the other Wandering Wolves, he's sure to have new skills at his command and a stronger connection to his dragonmark.

Sheryn Wayfinder, Brand's mother, sends an animal messenger to a druid in Sharn, who passes the message along to the Clifftop Adventurers' Guild, and thus to the Wolves. It reads "Brand unavoidably delayed, wishes you well in Wroat and will rejoin you as soon as possible."

William:
William d'Deneith was met at the teleport circle in Sentinel Tower in Karrlakton, Karrnath by his mother, Sharri d'Deneith, who surprised him by warmly embracing him. She then took him on a walk around the fortress so that the two of them could talk.

Sharri told William that she had never intended to send him away, that she had wanted to keep him from meeting the same fate as her husband and her other son. She understands now that all she did was make him more determined to seek out danger, and that if she had kept him in Karrnath, surrounded by other Blademarks, he might never have suffered the ordeal he did. She offers him heartfelt apologies for what he went through, and expressed regret for the way she behaved toward his friends, The Wandering Wolves, especially in light of what they did to restore him to life.

She also told him that she would do her best to help him get a position within the Blademarks, Protectors Guild or Sentinel Marshals, but that some in the House didn't trust him, since his dragonmark had faded away. She asked if he would consider visiting with a cousin of hers, a man named Doren d'Deneith who is a healer assigned to the Protectors Guild, and someone with an interest in Draconic Prophecy. Doren believed that if he examined William, he might be able to figure out what happened with his dragonmark, and at the very least assuage the worries of some within the House.

Sharri warned William to be careful around the enclave, because there were those who had already decided that he was a danger, and if they had the chance, they might quietly disappear him. For the time being, she asked that he try to always stay within sight of her, Doren or a handful of attendants that she trusts.

William also found out that his Uncle Maresh is working on a job in the Mror Holds, overseeing security for a mining operation. Sharri assures him that while she was angry at Maresh, just as she was at the Wandering Wolves, she has gotten over it, and as soon as his uncle returns from the Mror Holds, he'll be ecstatic to see William again.

William is well pleased by his return to Karrlakton, his mother's reception and his (at least in his eyes) vindication. In response to his mother's apology for what he went through, however, William believes that if there is any blame to be laid for it, it belongs to himself. He fought recklessly and without regard for his father's Blademark legacy -- had he honored his training, he would never have fallen. As for the Claw's retrieval of his body, he and Pel have made peace on that score.

He will accept her apology for her treatment of the Wolves, however, and will bring that apology back to them when he returns.

William is trying to grow up: to take responsibility for his actions, to develop core moral beliefs, and to promote a personal code of honor.

He looks forward to reuniting with Maresh when that is possible. In the meantime, he works hard during his time with the healer Doren. Despite his fear, William descends into the dark and horrible memories trapped in his mind, reliving some of the events that occurred during his undeath. It will be some time before William can come to terms with all he has done (for he firmly believes that his actions can be blamed on no one else). However, perhaps as a result of his slowly returning inner peace, aided by Doren's magic and wisdom, William's Mark of the Sentinel resurfaces -- to his mother's vast relief. Doren trains William in the Eye of Alarm and Magic Circle rituals, and William feels some of his dragonmark's new power.

William returns to his mother and asks a boon: that he might join the Sentinel Marshals. He is driven to serve his House, but he believes he can best do so alongside the Wolves: the pack is always stronger than the individual. William believes that the travel and contacts he will make as a member of the Wolves will prove valuable to the Marshals.

William's visit to Karrlakton lasts for seven days, and the return of his dragonmark eases things considerably, so that by the end of his visit, he is walking the compound freely, meeting other members of the House and learning a little about the politics at the center of House Deneith.

Just before he is due to take the teleport circle back to Sharn, his mother comes to him with disappointing news. Her petition to have him instated as one of the Sentinel Marshals was denied. The acting council that promoted Sentinel Marshals pointed out that all who have become Sentinel Marshals have served for years as Blademarks, Protectors or often both, and have proven themselves valued and trusted assets of the House. William has not, as of yet, distinguished himself yet. Instead, they have made him a member of the Protectors guild, reporting to the Sharn enclave.

However, Sharri d'Deneith does offer two things that she hopes will ease the sting of disappointment. First is that she received a Sivis message from Baron Elvinor of House Phiarlan, who specifically requested that William be assigned to duty with Lysander d'Phiarlan. In effect, he will be getting paid to work with the Wandering Wolves, at least so long as nothing happens to Lysander. Also, she knows Lalia d'Deneith, one of the twins who serves as the leading Sentinel Marshals in Sharn, and she has gotten Lalia to agree to review William's case in six months. If he can prove himself an asset to the House, as well as give them reason to believe that he would excel at tracking down and bringing in fugitivies, in that time, Sharri believes William has an excellent chance of "jumping the line" to become a Sentinel Marshal in months instead of years.

Sharri suggests that William accompany the Wolves on their adventures, keep Lysander safe from harm and keep a journal of his accomplishments. Sharri believes that the Wolves are moving up in the world, and if William can contribute to and share in their reputation and accomplishments, she believes he can earn the promotion he seeks.

William also suspects that part of this is a test by the House leadership to see if he's willing to follow orders, and that the period of "training" may be even shorter than they are letting on.

Lysander:
While for many of the Wolves, the Wolves' Reward is either a theoretical place for the future or not really a concern, for Lysander it has been the focus of his days and nights since returning to Sharn. House Phiarlan was quick to sign on to the idea of a casino which could also host a theater and serve as a convenient place for various clandestine meetings of people from all nations.

Lysander has spent roughly two days in meetings with Baron Elvinor to figure out the role that the Demesne of Shadow can play in this new home, and another two days traveling by lightning rail up to Wroat (a 5 hour journey) to meet with those in the Demesne of Motion, to discuss dance and other physical arts, as well as to confer with agents of the Serpentine Table about their role. He then traveled by Orien teleport circle to Flamekeep in Thrane to meet for a day with the Demesne of Music. Throughout all of this, he has been meeting with Phiarlan architects who have notions for how to design the new theater, in conjunction with House Cannith, who will no doubt be doing much of the actual construction.

In addition, as Lysander always does on these travels, he hears a lot of information that has been making its way through the Phiarlan network. Of particular note are rumors that two of the Wolves' previous foes, the Emerald Claw and the Lord of Blades, have been especially quiet of late, with only a few smaller operations happening close to their homes in Karrnath and the Mournland. He also hears that House Thuranni and House Tarkannan are getting more employment of late, as political assassinations seem to be on the rise, and there are rumors that House Orien's little-known smuggling arm is involved in some shady business in Xen'drik and Droaam. No one knows the name Aeromus d'Orien when Lysander asks.

Lysander does get to spend one day with Arenydee, who stops in to see him during his stay in Flamekeep. She unfortunately does not have any further information about Cavoletta's whereabouts, but she is following up on leads in the Talenta Plains, Darguun and the Lhazaar Principalities in the next few weeks.

Lysander remembers that before the recent troubles and the resulting drain on their bank accounts, the Wolves had a personal banker assigned to them, Rochus d'Kundarak. He speaks with Rochus, who is in fact a security expert for Kundarak, and he gets approval from his House to take the lead on doing security work in establishing the Wolves' Reward, in exchange for considerations for House Kundarak. Details can be worked out later, but for now, the Wolves have a strong ally in Kundarak who expresses interest in helping them build a good, secure base of operations.

Pel:
Pel has seen little of the Wolves in the last week. Immediately upon his return, he was whisked to the crime scene where Viorr had been murdered, the tower garden where he had first met Viorr so long ago. Kalibar Jenks and Lord Kor were there as well, and since Pel is unable to cast rituals, they brought in Kalibar's priest, a halfling worshiper of the Sovereign Host named Delanna Moon, to cast the Speak with Dead ritual.

They learned that Viorr had been murdered by a changeling, who had come to his garden disguised as one of his agents. When the murderer had Viorr in a vulnerable spot, he shifted form into his natural changeling state, told him "Councilor Pel sends you to Dolurrh!" and stabbed him to death with a dagger. Viorr's spirit believes he was murdered because he had his agents, including Kalibar, looking into the "Wolves" assassination and attempting to figure out who was behind it. He explains that whoever was really behind it (and he suspects it was Tyrant One), they did him a favor, because he was dying of a curse inflicted upon him years earlier, and he was already facing a most painful death, which no healer he had found could cure. He asks not to be returned to life, and approves of Lord Kor's plan to have Pel take his place. He tells Pel where to find a key and a safe elsewhere in the city where Viorr kept all of his notes on his operations, and reveals the names of his five agents in Sharn.

With all the circumstantial evidence pointing towards the current Tyrant One as behind the attempted regicide of the King and Lord Kor, not to mention the assassination of Viorr, most likely Councilwoman Sava Kharisa and who knows what else, Lord Kor issues a royal decree on the spot that the Tyrant Council be brought in and interrogated. He also issues a warrant for the arrest of Councilor Pel, declaring in it quite clearly that the councilor is an impostor, a changeling who took the identity of the real Pel, a half-elven member of the Wandering Wolves. He leaves that in Pel's hands and says that he needs to head back to the King's Citadel in Wroat, and asks that Pel and the rest of the Wolves meet him there on Mol (the first day) of the next week to officially receive their pardon and the grant of land that they have asked for as a reward.

Kalibar Jenks remains to fill in Pel on the various duties, responsibilities and powers of his new role. Viorr is a lieutenant in the King's Dark Lanterns, although publicly he is known merely as a retired gardener who used to work in Brelish military intelligence. Kalibar knew him quite well, and will coach Pel on mannerisms and habits that will let him pass with his agents and others who didn't know him quite as well. Kalibar suggests that he play up Viorr's illness now that they know about it, staying secluded and only speaking with operatives.

Viorr is one of five lieutenants in Sharn, and he answers to Captain Vron in Wroat, who is also a changeling. Kalibar suspects that Pel will meet Captain Vron and tell him the truth of the situation next week. Kalibar doesn't know any of Viorr's other operatives were, but he knows that like him, each of them ran other operatives and freelancers who knew nothing of Viorr's involvement. Viorr's responsibilities are mostly making sure that none of the criminal organizations or individual threats in Sharn pose a threat to the crown. He didn't deal as much with sedition from The Swords of Liberty, terrorism by The Emerald Claw or any "cold war" activities by The Royal Eyes of Aundair, but focused most of his efforts on The Tyrants, The Daask and a few monsters in the Cogs. Kalibar was and is his inside man with the Boromar Clan, and he maintains a cover as a Boromar thief, which is the cover he was using when the Wolves first met him aboard the Golden Dragon.

Viorr has an expense account with House Orien and House Vadalis that he can use to provide travel to any city in the Five Nations, whether by lightning rail, horses or caravan. His account with House Orien also allows him to use their teleport circles up to three times per month without charge (and without record), and he has an account with House Lyrandar that lets him charter an airship without charge (and with minimal records) anywhere in Khorvaire. He can call upon the Watch freely by ordering them to provide troops, and if he needs something more elite, he can talk to Lieutenant Meira or Molin Kaine, the two lieutenants of the Redcloak Battalion in Sharn. He does not outrank them, so he must ask for their help rather than command it, but Kalibar suggests that both are loyal servants of the crown. Meira has a distaste for the Thranes and longs to be back in the field, so Kalibar suggests using her when the situation calls for action, while Molin has crossed paths with House Tarkannan and enjoys his posting in Sharn, so he is best used on quieter assignments.

Viorr also has accounts with House Kundarak (money), House Sivis (secure communication), House Deneith (mercenaries and bodyguards), House Jorasco (healing) and House Tharashk (finders). There are limits to what he can ask for, but in general, he can get any of these services free or at a highly discounted rate, and more discreetly than others who hire the Houses.

Kalibar suggests that, to fulfill Kor's orders to round up the council and Councilor Pel, they call in Lieutenant Meira and some House Deneith blademarks and make a plan, using Pel's knowledge of the Tyrants organization and hideouts for planning.

"Well, well, well. This is very interesting." says Pel, stroking his chin.

While speaking with the deceased Viorr, he has a few questions of his own.

1. Which agent was the changeling posing as? He might be compromised.

It was posing as Ghanis Taek, a half-orc in my employ within the Daask. His codename is Scar, and you'll find his dossier with information on when to make information drops and requests for meetings there. Much of it is in code, and we don't have time for me to impart that to you, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure much of it out. I should have been suspicious when Scar dropped in without a prior meeting arranged, but he was acting as if there was important info from the Daask, and given their involvement with Droaam and the war, I just got sloppy.

2. Get as close a description of the assassin as possible - admittedly a difficult task - but pay particular attention to the footwear and weapons used. Even the best spies often neglect to change these details.

Viorr describes the changeling, which is, as you'd guess, not terribly useful. He believes it to have been a male, but that's always fluid, and he had pale lavender eyes, white hair and white skin. The assassin was wearing dark brown leather armor that matched very closely that of Ghanis Taek and wielding a plain, average dagger, a not uncommon weapon for changeling assassins. The weapon was probably dropped in The Hilt and swept out into the Thunder Sea on the night of Viorr's murder.

3. Did Viorr have any personal relationships Pel should be aware of? Friends, family, lovers. These would need to be the most delicately handled, obviously.

Fortunately for Pel, but unfortuantely for Viorr, he didn't really have a lot of close friends. His wife and child died of illness while he was away fighting in The Last War, and he's taken no lovers since her death. In his role as a gardener, he knows a few people who bought flowers and bushes and other such things from him, but none of them know him better than his agents, who are trained to notice mannerisms. With Kalibar instructing him, Pel should be able to mimic Viorr closely enough to fool anyone he's going to meet.

Once the priest leaves, but before the body is removed, Pel takes the dead man's form, with Kalibar there to coach and critique.

He changed into Viorr's clothes and put on some bandages where Viorr was wounded, to help excuse any behavioral missteps and, in case someone's watching, make it look like the murder was indeed attempted but failed.

He'll spend some time in Viorr's abode, getting the feel of the place and the man that lived there.

Pel quickly gets his hands on Viorr's notes and files, and get to reading (and practicing Viorr's handwriting). His code is not unsophisticated, and no one, not even Kalibar or likely any of his other agents, knows what it means. Pel will have to spend some time deciphering them. The names of his agents are: Ghanis Taek, codename Scar (Daask), Kalibar Jenks - codename Wraith - (Boromar), Milos - codename Displacer (Changeling inside the Tyrants), Eranis De, codename Dragon (Half-elf inside House Tarkanan) and Jace Bartholoh, codename Basilisk (Gnome, operates as an independent bard, information broker and fixer in the Cogs). He has three information and equipment drops, one primary, one secondary and one emergency, for each of them.

Highlights, at least those that Pel can work out in only a few days, are that the Daask-Tyrant war appears to have been negotiated to a truce after the shake-up in the Tyrant council, that there's a new Tyrant One and an almost entirely new Tyrant council, a variety of jobs that House Tarkanan has hired for in Sharn and Breland, and a handful of names and places of criminal activity in the Cogs. Information on the Boromars is somewhat sketchy, as Kalibar has been spending most of his time helping the Wolves.

Kalibar gets one of his men in the Boromars to put a tail on "Councilor Pel," but unfortunately, he gets a quick report back that the Councilor had some sort of urgent business and left town two days ago, just after Viorr was murdered. No one has seen him since.

As detailed in the Sharn Inquisitive and by a report from Displacer, "Pel's" political career has been noteworthy in two aspects. One is that he pushed hard for the crackdown on the Daask, consistent with the work of Councilor Kharisa, but oddly enough, after the war with Droaam began, he started cataloging overzealous attacks on the Daask by the Watch, and, along with activists for "monster rights," was successful in revoking the "Kill on sight" order for Daask operatives and in doing some diplomatic outreach to the organization to try and ease some of their activities in his district.

Two is that he was a close ally of "The Boromar Block" of Bestan ir'Tonn (Upper Tavick's Landing), Thurik Davandi (Upper Menthis) and Ilyra Boromar (Lower Dura), which was in direct contradiction to the general voting of Councilor Kharisa. He was also an ally of Kilk (Lower Tavick's Landing), which doesn't surprise Pel at all, given that Kilk is the Tyrants' operative on the council, and is in fact a rotating identity used by various Tyrant members. His enemies on the Council included the plain-spoken Dalaina Ironhand (Middle Tavick's Landing), brothel owner and vocal disparager of the Tyrants and the Boromar Savia Potellas (Lower Menthis).

He was quite successful in his short run with his somewhat limited agenda. It's possible that there were more layers to his plans, but that would require a more detailed and long-term analysis of everything he voted on, argued for and against.

More related to the Tyrants, contact with Displacer indicates that he can get Viorr a time and place where the Tyrant Council is holding a meeting. Ever since the change in the Council, they've been meeting once a month, and the next meeting should be taking place sometime in the next month. Kalibar and Basilisk both suggest that a precision strike by the Watch with Redcloak support could capture the entire Tyrant leadership in one fell swoop, at which point they could interrogate them and hopefully get one of them to flip on Tyrant One for political advantage within the organization.

What's Next:
After a week of time off, with little if any contact between one another, The Wolves met up for lunch at the Drunken Dragon on the afternoon of Sypheros 1. Lysander was first to arrive, early enough to get in a little performance time with Beless, the bard from Elias Volan's adventuring group, which had taken on the name "The Young Wolves" and had a few adventures of their own in the past few months. The Dragon was crowded with well-wishers, all of whom assured Lysander that "they never believed those rumors." He was fairly certain that at least half of them weren't lying.

As Lysander finished a rousing, bawdy duet of "The Lovers from Fairhaven" with Beless that brought the house down, he spotted Luggoth walk in, go straight to the bar and order an ale. Luggoth lifted the glass to Lysander, who gave a bow and then leaped from the stage to go and sit with his friend.

The two of them found a table and sat, nodding and offering polite hellos the welcoming crowd of the Dragon. Mira d'Ghallanda came over, put a plate of cheese, meat and bread on the table along with a pitcher of wine and a pitcher of water, and then headed back to the bar, over which the Silver Holy Symbol of Vulkoor that the Wolves had gifted to her still hung. She also left a note on the table, which read "Brand unavoidably delayed, wishes you well in Wroat and will rejoin you as soon as possible - Sheryn Wayfinder," explaining that a druid had brought it in a couple of days ago, and said that any messages to be conveyed to Brand should be left with Mira to be given to the druid when he checked back in.

William entered a few minutes later, newly adorned with the regalia of his House, with his dragonmark once again shining brightly on his skin. He yelled out, "No! Fuck! Off!" to a scabby half-orc who was begging him for change, then he sat down at the table, grabbing a hunk of bread and a goblet of wine. "I swear that little piece of shit has been following me since I got back into town this morning. I gave him a copper to get rid of him, and now he keeps asking if I can spare a few more! By Kol Korran's belt, he's actually followed me in here?!"

The Wolves turned to see the half-orc beggar sidling into the bar, nervously looking around and then, possibly cowed by William's glare, going to bother another table across the way. William turned back to the table and told the other Wolves what had occurred in Karrnath, and they in turn shared news of their doings in Sharn and elsewhere. After a few minutes, Lysander remarked that it was odd for Pel to be late.

"I'm not late," Pel said, walking out from a nearby crowd as if from out of nowhere and stepping up to the table. "I came in with William. Here's your copper back." As Lysander laughed and applauded Pel's showmanship, William and Luggoth looked a little displeased at Pel's little trick.

"I'm working on slipping in and out of identities," Pel said. "I'll tell you why some other time, but suffice to say, if I could slip one past William, who knows me better than many, that was a good sign."

With that, the Wolves were more or less assembled, and they shared some conversation about the last week, including lots of information from Lysander about the Wolves' Reward, and then headed out to get aboard the private lightning rail coach Lord Kor had booked to bring them to Wroat.

The journey was a quick five hours, passed in luxury and comfort, and without a single delay or disruption, which earned William a bit of coin against Lysander, who had bet on some kind of trouble on the road. "Last time we rode this line, fire elementals and a fiend attacked us."

Upon arrival, The Wolves found themselves greeted by Aanna Ebinor, a beautiful young woman who introduced herself as their personal concierge for the duration of their stay in Wroat. She guided them to a horse-drawn carriage that took them through the beautiful city, over the bridge and into Brokenblade Castle. From there, they were taken to the Great Hall, and found themselves standing before King Boranel, who sat upon the massive stone-and-wood throne of Breland. He was surrounded by his court, which included his two magebred ghost tigers, his brother Lord Kor and his warforged bodyguard Three, who looked very tense, and had his hand on his weapon. There was a great deal of tension in the room, and the assembled court and onlookers seemed to be holding their breath.

It was the aged Lord Boranel himself who broke the tension. "You're not going to try to assassinate me again, are you?" There was a gasp from young Haydith ir'Wynarn, 17-year-old Karrnathi ward of the King, before Boranel's face broke out into a huge grin, and then a laugh. The laugh spread throughout the room, and the King motioned to the Wolves to approach. He handed a scroll of parchment over to an attendant, who walked down and put it into the hands of Lysander.

"Let it be known, by all present, that I, King Boranel ir'Wynarn, do hereby grant a full pardon to the adventuring company known as The Wandering Wolves for the charges called against them previously. These heroes, though slandered by vicious and clever adversaries and indeed hunted by Breland itself due to the cleverness of these lies, did not become bitter towards their land and their king. Instead, they sought to protect Breland's royalty and citizenry, to face dangerous foes and untangle a web of lies, all in service not to their own glory, but to the welfare of Breland and indeed, the rest of the Five Nations. In so doing, they not only foiled a conspiracy against the kingdom, but saved the life of my own brother, Lord Kor ir'Wynarn."

"My thanks for their deeds cannot be measured in mere words or gifts, but as some small token of appreciation, I have granted them a parcel of land in the northern part of Breland. This land belongs to them, and to their heirs. I expect that some of you have read in the Korranberg Chronicle rumors of what they plan to do with it, and if those rumors are true, rest assured, the King and his court will be spending some time at this new establishment, burning through some of the Brelish treasury."

This earns a hearty chuckle from the crowd, although both Pel and Lysander note that Prime Minister Ruken ir'Clarn and several other members of the Brelish Parliament seem less than amused by the notion of gambling with the nation's riches.

"Adventurers have little time for pomp and ceremony, and I confess that I grow weary of it as well, so let me once again express my gratitude for all to hear, and then we can begin the feast in celebration of these heroes!"

With that, a small army of waiters, cooks and attendants, including House Ghallanda spellcasters, produce a series of massive tables laden with foods, wines and decorations, and the Wolves are seated at the King's table, along with Boranel, his sons and daughters, his ward, Lord Kor and a few others. The conversation is lively, talk about what this means for the war with Droaam and anything the Wolves wish to share about the Wolves' Reward or anything else. Shortly after the meal begins, a comely half-elven woman approaches Pel and says "Milord, I would speak with you in the kitchen about a matter of urgency regarding Viorr?"

Pel, recognizing the code phrase, excuses himself and steps into the kitchen with the half-elven maid, who leads him out, around the castle and into the King's Citadel. The half-elven maid doesn't speak, not to Pel or to the various guards that they pass, but they all seem to recognize her, letting her pass without issue. Finally, they reach an office in a higher level of the tower, she motions for Pel to sit, and then her form shifts into that of a male changeling.

"Well, well. You're my new Lieutenant Viorr, hmm? My name is Captain Vron, and I'll be your superior officer in that role, which is of course now the most important role in your life. I thought we should take some time to talk about how you're going to be running your operation in Sharn."

After a long night of celebration, food and, in Pel's case, painstaking discussions about agents, budgets, operations and other intelligence work, the Wolves retire to The Golden Pear, a very expensive inn near the castle where they have been booked into private suites. Throughout the rest of the week, operating from there, the agreements surrounding The Wolves' Reward begin to take shape.

The property agreement is fairly simple, and fairly powerful. The Wolves are granted a parcel of land in the northeastern reaches of Breland, on the shores of the Silver Lake, about 50 miles from Orcbone fortress on the west and 50 miles from the House Vadalis village of Shavalant on the east. They're nearly a hundred miles from the nearest trade road, and over 300 miles from the nearest lightning rail station in Wroat. The grant provides that each of the Wolves (Lysander, William, Brand, Luggoth and Pel) has a 20% ownership in the property, and that they may transfer their share in its entirety (no splitting it up) to a designated heir by blood or legal adoption, or to one of the other Wolves listed in the initial contract, upon their death. If no heir is named, their share reverts back to Breland. The land cannot be sold or given to anyone else, although the contract stipulates that any of the Wolves who wishes to relinquish his stake may sell it back to the Brelish Parliament for a fee of 200 platinum (20,000 gold).

The agreements that take place for The Wolves' Reward are more complex. Over the course of a week, the Wolves receive visitors from many of the dragonmarked Houses. Lady Elaydren and her husband come to visit you, express House Cannith's support for this new venture, and to announce that they are expecting their first child in the early part of the new year. Cannith's Tinker's Guild will help build the casino and various other parts of it, and also enter into a contract to supply the new Gareth's Gear with the finest wholesale merchandise for sale.

Chervina the Architect from House Ghallanda comes and expresses her House's offer to help build the facility and maintain its hospitality aspects at a cut-rate price that shocks the Wolves, and leads Pel and Lysander to suspect some kind of ulterior motive or plan. Chervina also says that she believes she can get House Jorasco to build a healing house on the site.

Rochus d'Kundarak and several others express House Kundarak's financial support of the new venture (with generous loan terms), as well as a presence for the Banking Guild, Warding Guild and the Golden Door and Iron Gate to build a secure facility. He also promises the support of House Sivis, as Kundarak has a hard time operating without them.

Saal d'Orien and Gersi d'Lyrandar (both from Sharn) offer their House's support of the project. In exchange for monetary compensation, they will build and maintain teleportation circles to several cities as well as an airship tower.

Sitting down with Rochus a couple of days later, The Wolves see that the project will be costly but effective, and they could turn a profit on the casino in as early as two years. The money will always have to be split with the 8 Houses involved (Orien, Lyrandar, Kundarak, Sivis, Ghallanda, Jorasco, Cannith and Phiarlan), but in a few years, possibly when the Wolves have slowed down on adventuring, they'll be able to live off the income of the casino alone.

However, they also receive visits from ambassadors from various nations, including familiar faces like Aundarian Ambassador Neya ir'Krell, Karrnathi Ambassador Sedge Avadarrn and Mror Holds Ambassador Moris ir'Mroranon (father of Jalis, who ran Gareth's Gear for you). This seems odd at first, until they are presented with a proposal from King Boranel.

Given that the war with Droaam is going to have to end, and that the way it is ending, not to mention the way it began, is going to cause friction amongst the civilized (and not-so-civilized) nations of Khorvaire, King Boranel would like to ask the Wolves a boon. In exchange for donations from the member nations involved, he would like to build a floating embassy city above the Wolves' Reward, using the same magics that has kept the Aundarian city of Arcanix floating for over a thousand years. This embassy city would be occupied by, at first, an ambassador and staff from Breland, Aundair, Thrane, Karrnath, Zilargo, The Eldeen Reaches and The Mror Holds. Boranel hopes that it will welcome ambassadors from Droaam, to try to smooth out tensions from the war, as well as, eventually, ambassadors from Aerenal, Sarlona and maybe even Argonnessen. His notion, crafted with Brelish Parliament, is to create a place where the sparks that might ignite into a new war can be extinguished rather than fanned.

In practical terms, there are several reasons to do this. The first is the money. In addition to paying for all of the costs of creating this floating city, each nation sending an ambassador would chip in part of the fees to build the Wolves' Reward, which would serve food, entertainment and more casual meeting needs for the ambassadors. Which brings up the second reason, guaranteed clientele. Ambassadors and their staff need to entertain guests, and that means expense accounts flowing right into the Reward's coffers. Then there's the third reason, expressed to Pel through Captain Vron: Information. Ambassador almost always translates to spy, and that would mean a chance for the Reward to become a major hub for information-trading and covert meetings.

Given their neutrality, House Deneith would be asked to assign Blademarks and Protectors as the guards of the city and, if the Wolves wish, the Reward. The contract for these services would be shared by the member nations.

Rochus re-works the money with this new ambassador city overhead and tells the Wolves that if this works, the casino would be profitable in months, not years. In a few years, he suggests, you'd be "airship rich." When asked to explain this term, he says with a grin, "Rich enough to buy and crash airships as frequently as the Wolves would like."

So, the questions:

1) Does Luggoth tell the Wolves what he was told? Does he tell them he was visited by Maechen and/or Muroni?

2) What does Pel tell the Wolves, keeping in mind that Lord Kor specifically ordered him *not* to tell them that he was now Viorr?

3) Does Pel take Kalibar's advice and order the raid on the Tyrant council? If so, will he offer up his own insights into the Tyrants to make it go smoothly, or try to warn the Tyrants that it's coming? And if not, what alternative does he offer?

3) Does William accept his new assignment within the House, and if so, does he tell Lysander that he's now his bodyguard?

4) Anything you want to say or ask of the various ambassadors and House personages you speak to?

5) Perhaps most importantly - Do you accept the King's request for an ambassadorial city above the Wolves' Rest? Metagaming, I will promise you that I will not crash the city down on your heads - if Arcanix has floated for 1,000 years, you can reasonably and safely assume this new city would do the same.

6) Anything else that needs covering before Friday?