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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Old Fezziwig" data-source="post: 1233487" data-attributes="member: 59">PrologueArchenbridge, 7 Marpenoth 1372Ext.—Marketplace, around the Butcherbar—Mid AfternoonAlzhedan prickly pears were a delicacy in Archenbridge.  Of course, Beppo had no idea if they were actually from Calimshan or Amn, but it didn't matter.  He could slap an exotic place name on horse manure and the aristocracy would buy it in bulk.  So far, he'd moved five bushels in three hours and he still had seven hours left in the working day.  More than likely that he would run out of the pears well before he closed up for the day.Just as he was about to sell another bushel of pears (plus a bunch of Aglarondan water grapes, or at least something he called Aglarondan water grapes), he heard a crash come from the stalls north of him.  A huge two-legged insectoid creature with chitinous plates burst from the ground and started hammering away at the support columns of the Maavu warehouse.  Also, a minor riot seemed to break out in the crowd to his right.  By the time he turned back to his customer, he had lost his sale and the rioting crowd started moving towards him.  Grunting, Beppo started to push his cart down the Butcherbar.Ext.—MarketplaceWhitman groaned.  It was bad enough that the party had to come back to Archenbridge.  The last thing they needed was to be caught up in a brawl in the middle of the city.  Before he could voice his opinions to anyone else, he saw Drona and Saam charge down the street, barreling through the crowds, weapons drawn.  He sighed.  Past experience had shown that this style of problem solving would only lead to more trouble later.  Following after them, he yelled at the crowds to get clear of the marketplace while he looked around for the rest of the party.Fealys was well ahead of him, some thirty feet in front of Thas.  She had an arrow sticking out of her shoulder.  Meanwhile, Thas was pulling another arrow out of his quiver.  Whitman blinked.  That wasn't right.  He could see Zerrassa underneath a nearby window, a baby perched on the ledge, its mother nowhere in sight.  He couldn't find Fagan anywhere.  Judging by the sounds he heard ahead of him, Drona and Saam were having a fairly easy time of it.  Only Fealys seemed hurt so far.  And, now, she was running as fast as she could back away from the melee.  Thas, eyes wide, couldn't seem to pick a target—the elf kept on moving his bow from person to person, muttering to himself in Elf.Shaking his head, Whitman again tried to get the crowds to move away from the monster.  Hopefully that would make Thas less of a menace.  Ahead of him, he could see a fruit merchant struggling to push his cart away from the crowds.  Random townsfolk were grabbing melons and apples off the cart and throwing them at each other.  Scuffles were breaking out all over the place.  Whitman was sure that this was what the people of old Chondath would have called a donnybrook.Ext.—Somewhere Else in ArchenbridgeMeanwhile, Fealys had run as far away from the fight as she could.  She didn't feel quite right.  A bit out of her head as if she weren't controlling her actions.  When she stopped running, she turned to her right, drew her sword, and decapitated a commoner.  Her head suddenly clear, she started running back towards the fight.Ext.—Marketplace, around the Butcherbar—Beppo's Fruit Cart  By the time Whitman reached the fruit cart and started helping the merchant push it away from the crowds, he noticed a well-armored dwarf standing next to him.  "Come to help, Drona?"  That was when he felt the dwarf's axe cut into his shoulder.Ext.—Marketplace—outside Maavu's WarehouseSaam grunted as he felt a blade glance off his breastplate.  Raging, he sliced the insectoid creature in half, turned, and ran his sword straight through the half-orc.  Only when the body hit the ground did he notice that he had killed a member of the city watch.Ext.—Marketplace, around the Butcherbar—Beppo's Fruit Cart"What in the Nine Hells was that for, Dro—bloody Hells, quit hitting me with the damn axe."Ext.—Marketplace, around the ButcherbarZerrassa frowned, watching the baby teeter over the ledge.  She ducked into the building, but there were too many people inside for her to reach the stairs up.Meta Zerrassa's player had been looking to join the fight.  Then I sprang this on her.  This led another player to comment, "Will Zerrassa give into her maternal guilt?  Or is she a career paladin?"Ext.—Marketplace, around the Butcherbar—Beppo's Fruit CartWhitman began to feel light headed as Drona's axe bit into him a third time.Ext.—Marketplace, around the Butcherbar...then the baby fell.  Zerrassa, coming back out of the building, saw the baby fall.  Twenty feet.  Fifteen feet.  Ten feet.  And safe, into her arms.</blockquote>

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