Chapter 9: Assassins at Court
Soon after returning to Hogasun, the fabulous few departed for Arlenport to seek aid from the Duke Arnulf Lorens. After arriving, they cleaned themselves up at home to prepare for their ducal visit and headed for castle lorens. Soon after negotiations began, a shadow blotted out the large stained-glass window in duke arlen's court and shadowy dark elf assassins emerged in an attempt to assassinate the duke. The duke was stabbed by an elf assassin, but Jolkottr healed his wounds and the changeling used their magic to render him invisible so he could escape.
As battle continued, several of the duke's guards were slain as they valiantly attempted to fight off the assassins from below. Before long, the assassins were dead and silence returned to the court. Duke Lorens, who had previously had the demeanor of a starry-eyed boy, suddenly became very serious and pledged to send 50 men and two cannons to Hogasun to aid in their defense. Upon the party's recommendation, he messaged the capital to request further aid. The group left the castle and decided to stay in the city for a time as they had over two weeks before the giants would arrive.
The changeling visited the mage's guild seeking an apprentice to care for their home while they were away and found a young boy named Toryn who had just recently been expelled from the guild. They took him on as an apprentice/groundskeeper/assistant and began his "training." While in the city, the group visited a magic shop called "the portable shop" run by the gnome Fenzik Fizzlesprocket. They sought a prosthetic eye to replace those lost by Kelthar and the changeling due to the mind flayer tadpole. He suggested they visit a coven of hags in the lakewood and return with their eyes. The group left for the wood the next morning, and with Jolkottr's magical help they found the coven in a cave. The trio of women, named Putrid Mother, Aunty Maggot, and Vile Sally, were busy pulling out entrails from a dead deer in a haruspex ritual. They already knew what the group was there for, and requested a newborn child in return for the eyes. When the group refused, they suggested stealing the newborn child of a dark elf matriarch in the great below. Not willing to return there, the group attacked the hags and slew them. They took the hags' heads and returned to the city.
Back at the shop the next day, Fenzik was able to install the eyes and return the changeling and kelthar's vision, also allowing them to see through the eyes after removing them or see through eachother's eyes. But the eyes were cursed, having been removed by force, and twisted their vision to show ugliness, death and decay everywhere. They also smelled a faint odor of sulfur everywhere. The group left the shop and discussed how to spend their time in the city. Jawhara spent a week researching Surtr and his sword, learning that he was the king of the fire giants of Muspelheimr and opposed to the frost giants of Niflheimr. His sword was spoken about in the northman legends of the end of times (Ragnarok). During Ragnarok, Surtr would use his sword to destroy the world tree Yggdrassil as the final act of the end times. The changeling spent their time impersonating a noble and robbing them, and managed to steal 50 gold from them by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Kelthar studied the ways of the paladin with Magni and Jolkottr collected stray cats and fed them at the house.
At the end of the week, they instructed Toryn to maintain their home (and feed the cats) and returned to Hogasun. There, they found the palisades surrounding the town in 15-foot walls with wooden towers. Defensive structures dotted the area, along with traps such as hay bails to be set aflame. The soldiers from Arlenport as well as the dwarves of khazad-nogaak had arrived already and set up in town (with the dwarves settling in an abandoned mine outside the walls). They reported back to Jarl Jorunson and joined a feast that evening...
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