[boxed text from the adventure -- Copyright 2002 WotC]
The mood at the Golden Stag is boisterous, almost festive. Although the simplicity of the fare reflects the long, hard winter, there is plenty to drink -- and where there is ale and a lighthearted crowd, music, laughter, and games of chance quickly spring up. o many are crammed into the Golden Stage that the common room cannot contain all the guests, and tables have been set up in the stableyard to accommodate the overflow. Several open fires have been lit, to hold the wintry chill at bay and grant a cheery atmosphere. A fiddler plays as guests chatter and toss dice.
The crowd is mixed -- a few wear the red of Morgase's supporters, a few wear white in opposition, but most don't openly display any affiliation. Those who have chosen sides avoid the compnay of their rivals, gathering in clusters at opposite ends of the stableyard. But Master Ferrin has forbidden any open strife on his property, and his men seem to have the muscle to make the order stick. So far, the antagonists have been content to shoot the occasional hostile glare across the yard at one another, avoiding more serious confrontations.
Until now. Strangers all in a strange city, you had found yourselves engaged in light conversation among yourselves. But the festive chatter of the crowd is suddenly silenced by an angry shout. Two men, one in red and another white, are closing upon one another as one of Master Ferrin's toughs moves to break up the fight.
"Only a coward turns his back on his Queen!" the man in red cries.
"Burn me, you'll eat those words!" replies the man in white, as he reaches for his dagger.
But before the fight joins, a bouncer grabs the man. The furious combatant struggles to turn his knife on the tough, but before he can draw blood the powerful bouncer hurls the man at the stable wall. He crashes against a shed door, tumbling through it as it splinters apart, to land in a heap on the floor within.
There's a gasp from the hushed crowd, but the unconcious man in white is no longer the focus of attention. For within the shadows of the shed, a dark form is shifting. Taller than a man by half, its bestial head swings toward the open door. Light glints off monstrous fangs, and disturbingly human eyes survey the crowd as a low growl emerges from its throat.
The creature brandishes a crude, curving sword and steps toward the doorway. Behind it, more such creatures stir in the darkness.
[end boxed text from the adventure -- Copyright 2002 WotC]
<Notes--
1) Lila Sedai left a good fifteen minutes ago. There is little chance she will be back in time to help.
2) Pedron had to duck out of the way when the bouncer tossed his victim at the wall; the creature is right next to him, and would get an AoO if he made a run for it.
3) Yuri, Jain, Shalimar, and Sersei recognize the creatures as Trollocs. Yuri, Jain, and Shalimar have seen them before, and Sersei has studied the creatures. The others have no idea what just broke into the inn.
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