With their victory over the hag still fresh, the party turned its attention to their home base. Audrey Rose suggested renovating their residence to make it more appealing to visiting clients. Acting on this, Audrey, Sabrina, and Zita visited House Cannith, where Sabrina successfully negotiated a deal to outfit the entire house with enhancements. Each party member paid 250 gold. As a result, dealings within the house now grant a +2 bonus to Diplomacy checks, while the eerie mask obtained earlier provides a +2 bonus to Intimidation when worn.
Sabrina turned her attention to social influence. She hired a bard troupe to sing scathing songs targeting the upper class for neglecting war orphans—especially the alchemists who had profited by selling chemicals during the war but offered no aid in its aftermath. She emphasized the hypocrisy of the university alchemists in particular. Sabrina then purchased an elegant noble’s outfit for 300 gold and spent time at a Skyway spa to mingle with high society. Afterward, she hired street urchins to spread word of the bard troupe’s performances across the city.
The group planned their next move: a journey to the remote town of Carrion Hill, located where the river narrows into a rainforest stream. The town is divided between the wealthy upper slopes and the poorer lowlands and is known primarily for the export of Middon Stone—a material processed from roaches caught by local goblins. The town is steeped in dark history, built atop a long-lost goblin settlement and the site of ancient wars. Legends say entities from the plane of madness once touched this place.
Before departure, the party met with Uncle Jonathan and Professor Erix Writen to share their findings. Among the contents of the hag’s journal was a troubling note: Professor Belleth Zenden had spoken with the hag about the Horn of Quintus, bartering two graduate students in exchange for information. The hag had directed Zenden to seek out Rupman Myre and Arlen Hyve in Carrion Hill. Arlen is a scholar of history who works at a Church of the Sovereign Host—but Audrey has heard rumors of his dealings on the black market, especially in poisons.
Charlie recalled that the Horn of Quintus had ties to Karrnath during the Last War. Professor Writen confirmed it was originally discovered in the ancient giant ruins of Xen’drik, and that it holds power over the undead—making it a highly sought artifact among various nations. Audrey inquired whether the university might want the horn for its museum, while Zita asked how powerful a creature the horn could resurrect.
Professor Writen agreed to provide the rest of the funding for their expedition. When Audrey asked what to do about Professor Zenden, Writen expressed a preference for her safe return, but gave the party permission to defend themselves if necessary—and to retrieve her university badge.
Zita wrote a letter to Cesseli to keep her informed. Meanwhile, Bosley went carousing to gather intel about Carrion Hill. He discovered that goblins in the region catch roaches to make Middon Stone paste and that they value unique trade goods. He also uncovered troubling news: livestock in the area—sheep and cattle—had been found strangled, crushed, and drained of blood, each bearing a circular mark the size of a dinner plate. Carsenni Rhun, a local hunter, believed the mark resembled a tentacle.
The next morning, as the party prepared to board the Lightning Rail, they received a package containing ten potions of moderate healing, four potions of lesser restoration, one application of dust of appearance, and two doses of insect repellent per person. Zita claimed two of the lesser restoration potions.
They secured two cabins with four bunks each and settled in for the daylong journey aboard the train, which rumbled along at a respectable 30 mph. While Audrey, Zita, and Sabrina played poker—Sabrina dominating the table and Audrey learning the rules—Bosley read Gone with the Goblin, London enjoyed the wind out the window, and Dahl wandered the cars.
During her stroll, Dahl encountered two halflings clad in scaly Clawtooth armor—the gear of dinosaur-riders. They were cousins on a walkabout, headed to Rote to visit their uncle’s hostel. Their family had ties to House Ghallanda.
Then came the chaos: shoes—boots, sandals, and slippers—began running up and down the train hallways on their own. Audrey Rose managed to catch a pair of knee-high boots, which Sabrina identified as only faintly magical. Still, more footwear kept appearing, running and prancing down the corridor. While Zita and Sabrina opted out of the madness, Audrey sat down with an alchemical journal, trying to ignore the mayhem.
The halflings joined the fun, each grabbing a rogue shoe. Dahl cast detect magic, but by then, the enchantment had faded. Zita, frustrated by the disturbance, tracked down the train steward, who was struggling under an armload of runaway shoes. She lodged a formal complaint.
Further investigation revealed a crate of brand-new shoes in the cargo car—and something stranger still: a small man in colorful pants and mismatched shoes, with feathers in his cap. A leprechaun.
Audrey Rose recognized him as a mischievous fae creature. Sabrina challenged him to poker, and both she and Zita were swiftly and soundly defeated. When Audrey Rose mentioned saving up for Celestial Armor, the leprechaun perked up. With a grin, he duplicated his flamboyant hat and handed the copy to her, then leapt from the moving train.
The hat radiated chaotic magic. A manufacturer’s tag inside read two nonsense words that struck fear into Audrey: Candy Cane. The hat functioned as a Wand of Wonder, three times per day. When Audrey tested it, beautiful butterflies poured from her mouth. When Sabrina tried it, a mouse with a long tail materialized midair.
Zita and Sabrina immediately voiced their disapproval. They didn’t want the hat—or its unpredictable magic—anywhere near the party treasure.
As the train thundered toward Carrion Hill, the party prepared themselves for the mysteries ahead—tentacle-marked corpses, a corrupted scholar, and whispers of an artifact that could shake the balance of power across nations.
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