(Any goodbyes from Tommy or Keldar would go here.)
And so, Tarag departs the company, disbanding the Taragateers.
Now short a cleric and two paladins, Tommy and the Terrible Two devise a plan to enter the tunnels as soon as possible, before the bandits catch wind of their leader's absence. Consulting the mapbook, they choose a discreet entrance near one of the control hubs.
Their resources and strength gathered, they make their way to the sewer grate near one of the wizard's towers. At Tommy's instructions, Keldar has just opened the grate by means of moving a false bar when suddenly the wall of the sewer, which seemed solid, slams open on a hinge.
Out of the opening emerges a man in a robe wearing silly helmet, much like the one Tommy wore when he deciphered the mapbook. Indeed, the helmet is one and the same, and you vaguely remember his face as that of one of the librarian wizards from that victorious day in the library.
His flesh is singed and burned, and his robe is bloody and torn in a few places, but his expression is one of grim satisfaction. He sees our heroic trio opening the gate, and he raises his staff as though about to attack, but then he suddenly recognizes the group from the library. "Well met, gentleman" he says with a thin smile. "Going in after them? That... will not be necessary, unfortunately for us all. Come on through, the way is clear!"
From the opening, a train of wizards pours out, each wounded somehow, and trailing behind each is a floating disk, so heavily laden that the disks hover only a few inches above the ground. Atop the disks lay men and women, halflings and elves, unconscious and wounded. Some are clad in robes and others in gear more suited to thieves and rogues. As the train files past, you see that some disks are piled high with armor, and weapons, some with bags, mountains of books, and boxes, and some with knicknacky looking relics.
The leader watches his allies wearily. "It was not the wisest notion, but when you discovered that entrance in the library, some of our students could not resist the temptation to explore. They prepared for the worst, and I dare say they encountered it." He watches a disk float by with two robed bodies on it. "Had we not discovered their little expedition in time..."
"But gods below, did they have a treasure trove of ill-gotten things! Do you know how many books we have had taken from us over the years? We keep detailed records, but we had no idea the store of knowledge these thieves managed to sneak away! They nipped plenty of other valuables, too, and not just from us: from the clerics, as well. And this is just what we managed to find after they fled. Who knows what artifacts they may have made off with out the other entrances?"
"I only wish we could have organized the effort with the aid of the authorities..." He heaves a sigh of deep regret and, leaning on his staff for support, continues, "But it seems that what villains crept through these hidden catacombs have flown the coop, so to speak. We will have to make the best of this."[/b] The last disk floats by.
"The city council is going to have a conniption when they discover this heap of stolen goods. I am glad that it will not be I who am sorting out the ownership of it all." He closes the sewer wall easily, and you hear a loud thud as some massive lock falls into place.
The city is thrown into chaos for the next few days. Before the council can make an official announcement, news of the secret network of tunnels behind the walls travels like wildfire. The council is forced to pass an emergency edict, forbidding the demolition of private property under penalty of imprisonment, in response to a house collapsing on its inhabitants after they beat through their own walls, searching for the hidden passages.
The official statement finally comes: A centuries-old secret society has been ousted and ended. The Archeologists, as they called themselves, evolved from a guild of glorified tomb-raiders, who went from stealing from the dead to stealing from the living. They had connections with four wealthy families (who, for the protection of the possibly innocent, shall remain anonymous for now), and they used their money and influence to fund the creation of an incredibly clandestine network of tunnels throughout the Fallonese crater. They recruited from the best and assassinated those who knew too much with impunity. With their skills and vast knowledge of the city, they managed to escape the law for many years, but now their leader has been captured and their members scattered.
A large quantity of stolen items has been recovered, and those who believe they may have a claim may make one at the Hall of the Gods. In depth exploration of the tunnels is on-going, and as soon as is reasonably possible, maps of the tunnels will be made public, in the interest of safety for the citizens of Fallon.
As things settle down, people turn out of the woodwork to claim stolen items. The line stretches for hundreds of people, and even with every public servant vorking over time, there looks to be no end to the chaos in the immediate future.
Fortunately, Fimble managed to get his father to the front of the line, as a result of the wizarding college's relationship with our heroes. Though he does not recover all of the family fortune, Fimbus II manages to turn up a few things of his father's: an engraved short sword and shield from his time in the Medibarian War, and a journal as well. The little family is overjoyed.
"Truly, I can't thank you enough," Fimbus II says through misty eyes. "I've been waiting my whole life for this. You, my son, and your excellent company of friends, solved the mystery years after I'd given up hope. Thank you!"
As promised, Fimbus II grants the party 10,000 gold pieces. "That's 2,000 for each of you who brought me the shovel. I'll leave the paladins' money with the temple of Halina; they can hold it until such time as they return from their journey."
"And now for recovering these treasures!" He turns to Fimble, who grins hugely. "For Tarag, when you see him next, bring him this diamond. He's a dwarf, he'll know the meaning of it. For Tommy, a black star sapphire, for your love of the arcane. And it goes nicely with your robe, I think! And for you, Keldar, a fire opal, for your boundless energy and outrageous courage. These are from my father." He pauses for a moment, and then, "And this is from me!" He jumps up and grabs both Keldar and Tommy in a tiny hug. "You've done so much for my family, really. I wish I could go back with you, but I think Fallon needs all the help it can get just now. Say hello to Tarag for me, when you see him."
In addition to the Gibbons family gifts, the four heroes who brought down Vlad Turket, the devil-touched leader of the Archaeologist's Guild, along with the wizard who led the expedition into the tunnels to save the students, are each honored by the city with a gold badge and the title of Honorary City Marshal.
Your friend the first mate from the Diligenza is at the docks when it comes time to leave Fallon. He has just returned from his first trip to Orussus, and he offers you a free ride back on his second trip. "Of course, you be protecting us from the pirates, yes?" Despite his joke, your journey back is uneventful.
Back in Orussus, you immediately trek to Grenton to pay a visit to Thyrin, as you promised you would, what seems like ages ago now. He's excited to hear everything that happened, and can hardly believe that the thieves would travel so far from home to invade his tower. "I do wonder what they thought they were after... Hm. Well, I guess we'll never know, now."
While visting your wizardly friend, he receives a message by carrier pigeon. As luck would have it, a colleague of Thyrin's in Fallon recovered a huge body of magical research that was thought to be lost in a fire. "Huh! Turns out it was actually stolen! Poor old man, his mind has been going for years, and it was all he could do to remember things long enough for him to write them down. When he lost all that work, I thought he'd give up the arcana forever, he was so lost. Looks like you boys have made more than a few old men happy!"
He reads on. "And apparently he feels he owes each of you no small debt of gratitude! Well then, how about the same deal as last time? I'll see what I can cook up for you in my lab. That should cover my and his debts to you, no? With the moneys of my friend, I can certainly afford to give my brave adventurers another 3000's worth of magical items for each of you that completed the task. And I'm sure you will accept half the difference in gems again?"
"This Fimble lad, I will correspond with my friend to get him his due. And Tarag as well, perhaps I'll send a pigeon to Orussus to see what he would like. As for you two, what's your pleasure?" Thyrin invites you to stay in Grenton while he works on your items, and he does indeed dispatch a messenger bird to Orussus to get the dwarf's order. Upon completion, he gives you both thanks again and asks you, "Do keep in touch. And I'm always happy to have visitors. Tommy, if you ever need an arcane laboratory, know that mine is at your disposal. Farewell, my brave adventurers! Farewell!"
At long last, Keldar and Tommy head for the Red Dragon Inn. What left as a band of six now returns as a band of two. The past few weeks have been wild. And now it's time for the Marshals to come home.
OOG: XP has already been awarded, but add 3 more months of time XP, for a grand total of 13 months since the last award. That is, L5 gets 3250 time XP, and L6 gets 3900 time XP.
Your other rewards are as follows, for each of you:
* 1 gold badge, indicating your status as an Honorary City Marshal of Fallon
* 1 letter of commendation, signed by the Grand Councilor of Fallon and the City High Constable, for "exceptionally valorous conduct in performing heroic deeds in service of the City of Fallon"
* Armor, weapons, and/or wondrous items with a combined market value of up to 3,000gp, with one half the difference redeemable as gems. (For example, for a magical dagger worth 2,302gp, you would receive the dagger and (3000 - 2302) / 2 = 349gp in gems.)
Additionally:
* Tarag: 1 diamond, worth 2,000gp
* Keldar: 1 fire opal, worth 2,000gp
* Tommy: 1 black star sapphire, worth 2,000gp
All gems, should you choose to sell them, are perfectly liquid. That is, they may be redeemed for their value in gold at any time.
Please add any in character comments you like, and record your magical item selections here. Then, return your characters to the RDI. Thanks once again!
