Kulan: Knightfall's Crisis in Bluffside Game [OOC]

Tuck is 100% certain that creatures he saw are not normal rats (and not even dire rats) and they're not the same rats he dealt with before. They are probably magical beasts with a higher level of intelligence and there was a malevolence in their eyes. They could be wererats or be something more exotic. He won't know without facing off against them.

What he knows for sure is he probably won't be able to bribe these creatures away from the bakery for another food source. It might take coins or other wealth to make them give up their lair. Tuck might have to ask the city's Rat Catchers if they've had any strange experiences with rats lately. Their guildhall is in the Undercity.

Regardless, he and Akos should not try to tackle them on their own. There are probably more of those "big rats" in the sewers below the bakery. If they are intelligent, what could be their motives?

The staff of Stormgrove Manor has heard many rumours/details about the Renegade, mainly due to Terger's previous involvement in trying to track the sorcerer down when (or if) he's not hiding away in his planar enclave. (The general assumption is that he hasn't left the enclave in some time, but the truth isn't really known.) Most of what they've heard is that the man is thought to something beyond human... that he's been changed due to the corrupting influences of his innate magical abilities. These rumours have spread throughout the city in hushed tones and there is a great deal of fear regarding the man. Most of the staff don't like to think what the man's motives might be just that he be caught and executed for the destruction he caused in the district of New City.

The only places he is known to have spent considerable time are the places he visited before he and his Loyalist followers caused the New City Disaster. This was during the time he pretended to be Felix Yoxell and worked as the manager of The Winsome Heart in New City. Phelix pretended to be Lord Rande Mateû's friend and confidante, as the lord tried in vain to get the small inn up and running. Phelix opposed the previous adventurers when they answered Lord Mateû call for help. (The inn's under-cellars were infested with something that was killing workers and some previous adventurers. Phelix was likely responsible.)

The renegade sorcerer tried to have the adventurer's killed and attempted to burn down the The Winsome Heart. He went into hiding after he was thwarted by the adventures. The adventurers tried to track Phelix down and discovered he had a house near a local attraction known as Bay Divers (also in New City). The adventurers didn't find him there but were attacked by some of the man's Loyalists. Those men set a nearby building on fire, as a distraction. It's not known if they were aware that there was a illegal fireworks shop in the building, but the fire set off the fireworks in a massive explosion that destroyed part of the district's exterior wall and Phelix's house. Much of the district caught on fire as a result of the explosion.

(All of this was before Terger joined the hunt for Phelix, but it all became public knowledge after disaster, so it would be reasonable that Tuck might have heard versions of this story before now.)

After the disaster, Phelix became the most wanted man in Bluffside, although some initially thought he was killed in the explosion. The renegade's Loyalists were rumoured to have been spotted near the Gardens, which lead to the discovery of Phelix's makeshift laboratory/workshop in the Old Growers' Tower and the nearby portal to his enclave. (Your characters have the crystalline flower needed to activate the portal and Akos is 99.9% certain he knows the correct phrase that will get you all into the planar enclave. He's not sure about getting out, however.)

Several key members of the staff know this information because Big Tim, Terger, and their previous allies discussed this information openly together when staying at Stormgrove Manor the first time Big Tim visited the manor. They also know that the Renegade had been in the inn known as the Golden Lantern, which is located near the Gardens because that's were he set up a fireball trap to catch anyone speaking his true name. (This is the main reason Custodio started calling him Waldo.)

One member of the staff, a footman named Humphrie, believes he saw the Renegade once out on the streets of Old City. Or, at least, he saw a man who looked exactly like the drawn picture of Phelix on the numerous wanted posters plastered around the district. He saw this man coming out of a magic shop located near the Rooftop Inn in the southwestern part of the district. The shop is known as The Blind Gargoyle. Humphrie never got a chance to mention it to Terger since his master was called away to other matters beyond the city. (The bulk of the staff are not aware that 'Master Klaus' is a member of the Dark Lanterns who work for the city, and they would be shocked to learn that their master has a secret life. They simply think he likes adventure and excitement. Gerey knows the truth, however.)

One of the maids (named Miriam) thinks that she might have seen some Loyalists out on the street once late at night near Stormgrove Manor, but she isn't 100% certain. This was soon after Master Klaus was called away by his uncle. She never saw them again. She told Gerey about it and he said he'd tell the Regulars.

No, they don't know about the missing guards. None of them have heard of the Aceron Family, which likely means that family isn't very important in Old City.

Rupert has heard of the Suggitt Family, however. They were once a well-respected noble family that had dealing with the Miners and Burrowers Society. However, the last Lord Suggitt (he doesn't remember his name) was discovered to be taking bribes from a foreign mining guild and the family fell into disgrace. The family's old manor house in Old City was seized by The Five and the lord, his wife, and three young children were ostracized from Bluffside. The other Suggitts left in Bluffside lost their titles and were forced to find work in either the Undercity or out on the floating canal city of Sordadon. A few found a way to keep their homes in Old City but most of them were forced to live in the poorer parts of New City. Geoffrey is likely from a lesser branch of the family.

Most of the female staff members have heard of the Crossed Candles. While the wax shop is considered relatively new in Old City, in a short period of time, it has gained a great reputation for anything to do with wax goods and other exotic fare. The shops candles are highly fragrant and many young noblemen shop there to find gifts to woo their lovers. (The shop's prices are reasonable but usually beyond what a maid could afford.) The shop is almost always busy and has a staff of around ten.

The owner is an affable but foppish man named Barclay Winton who came to Bluffside several years ago. He is always well dressed and loves to wear fancy hats. His origins are a bit of a mystery, but he is obviously of noble blood. He sometimes gets invited to balls and other social gatherings and is quite beloved by his new peers. There is a whispered rumour he was forced to flee his home in the southern lands after an indiscretion with another man's wife and his sister. When asked about this rumour by a young, hot-blooded noblewoman, he just smiles and puts a finger to his lips.

• The attractive half-orc maid, Glasha, goes on to tell Tuck that the thieves' war in the Undercity is a new conflict between the Golden Sabers and the Hammers who control the streets and canals of Sordadon. It seems they are trying to take over territory in the Undercity as well and are fighting a nocturnal battle between them and another guild that has existed in Bluffside for centuries. That guild is high secretive and its leadership isn't know. (Tuck has heard of this "Shadow Guild" and it is believed to be quite ruthless to its enemies.)

• There is a rumour going around Old City that Lady Samantha Pomander might be pregnant and that the father is not her close friend and love, Sir Nathaniel Froste. The father is rumoured to be a foreigner from the Eastwatch Barony and is currently staying at the barony's embassy. If true, Sir Nathaniel will likely challenge the man to a duel, as he is a bit of a hothead. (Lady Pomander is the adventuring group's patron, through the Lord Commander, and once had a close relationship with Terger and his wife.)

• The location-shifting magic school known as Redhurst Academy has appeared just outside the northern wall of the Wizard District. It has an agreement with the Wizard council to appear there every five years, but the school is early in its arrival and the campus seems to be deserted. Could it's staff and students be in peril?

• The strangest rumour is that a brand new church of unknown origin sprung up in the middle of the Temple District. This temple is called the Cathedral of Vymdros and is dedicated to an ancient deity that is believed to predate not only the founding of Bluffside but the Little Ice Age that befell Kanpur over 2,000 years ago. The temple has no visible doors and its only four large windows are near the top of a massive central spire. The windows are filled with a blue-green glow that lights up the sky at night. Vymdros is believed to have been a dragon or serpent deity that died in a planar war.