New friends, new foes- Shimmermene

There are no gates of Shimmermene. The terraced plains of your travels slowly soften into rolling foothills, upon which humble farmland is tended to by friendly farmers wearing little but shorts and bands of colorful gems. They also have straw wizard hats with extra long brims. They give friendly waves to the party as they pass. Slowly, as the road leads further in, they get closer to civilization. Dirt roads turn to cobblestones. Hovering gems float in the air near the road, jingling. One blinks with blue energy like a broken streetlight.  Along the way, several laughing students fly past on brooms. One drops a textbook that falls onto the front of the cart. I'm retconning this to fix, I'm very sorry. It's still cool! (it's called "Mastering the Weave volume 2, The Tace and Spargin Anthology of simple magical trinkets for everyday living- a DIY guide to save your coin purse - second edition - exclusive Southwest Fracisian edition, all content similar." Almost all of it reads like a terrible translation, so much so that's kinda difficult to understand to anyone who doesn't understand the Southwest Fracisian literal dialect. (maybe Narabi could help? If any of the players do speak Fracisian, they can understand everything.)  However, outside of general theory on the history of crafting, stylization, and a long tangent about oldfire's connection to the weave, there are a few sections that can be understood pretty easily. All of these items, once broken down in a digestible way like this, can be made with Nyk's channel divinity, Artisan's blessing, despite being magical. He'll still need to get materials for them, like cloth for clothes, wax for a candle, etc, but they're now easy to craft.
Easily understood sections- Crafting guides for Candle of the Deep, Cast-Off Armor, Cloak of Billowing, Cloak of Many Fashions, Clothes of Mending, Ear Horn of Hearing, Enduring Spellbook, Lock of Trickery, Pole of Angling, Prosthetic Limb
Hard to read- Pot of Awakening, Staff of Birdcalls, Staff of Adornment, Staff of Flowers, Dread Helm, Smoldering Armor, Ruby of the War Mage, Shield of Expression)
Now back to the regularly scheduled programming.
Towns of old french-european houses appear, littered with wizard towers. There's a guy laying on his roof picking petals off a blue rose.
Birds tweet, and sounds of home life can be heard all over. Voices of fathers and mothers calling to their children, children playing in the streets, stuff like that. These towns get denser and denser as they go, becoming a city. Gem-lights float all over, and people zoom through the streets on magic brooms. Knights in full armor walk the streets, talking while heating up a brioche with a small magical flame. They seem to be talking about a recent sports match, saying they're glad they have armor or they might've got hurt that game.
You get a good ways into the city in your cart. The streets are wide, and you have to go slow to give pedestrians time to move, but it works. Looking out the window, you can see the skyscraping tower that houses the Pax unita and hosts the council of hundred, tall, made up of mixed architecture from varied cultures, and adorned with symbols of each representative's homeland. As you get closer to the World District at the heart of shimmermene, it gets a little confusing as to where you should go. 
For those that have been here before, the roads have definitely changed and expanded since you were last here.. Roads branch off in different directions around a central courtyard filled with clovers and trees. Then, you see a group of people wearing blue sashes sitting at a table playing some sort of board game watching the cart. One stops for a second and stands up, coming to one of the cart's curtained windows.
"Where to?" "Okay. There's a telportation pad just up to the right, then down to the side. Your cart probably shouldn't go up there, there's nowhere to park it. If you go ahead and hop out we can watch it for you." He's genuine. He'll cast reduce on the cart to make it smaller, then keep it near the table. They can explore the city if they want, but assuming they go to the teleportation pad, they do so smoothly. They get to the teleportation pad, a small circular offshoot of the main road with a spell circle in the middle. There's a pregnant tabaxi woman, in later stages, probably in her thirties, with black fur, who's currently retracing the circle with chalk. "Here for the Pax?" she'll ask.
"Give me a second, this thing's heavy! I'm just finishing up the retracing so no one gets sent to a field somewhere." She goes around town drawing teleportation circles to make the city easier to traverse. (She has trouble walking around on the "living stone" walkways, soft stones that have a moss on them that makes them more comfortable to walk on, because her claws were born unretractable (a birth defect) so they catch on the moss and scrape on any hard stone. Teleportation is much easier)
She'll ask where they're from, ask why they're here. She'll say that if they need a place to stay tonight, she'd be happy to help. Her wife's interning in Hazelwood (as a pastry chef at molly's bakery!) and her husband stays with her, plus she's expecting twins. She'll have rooms for the three of them if they don't mind sleeping on hammocks.
Afterwards, she finishes up the circle and tells them that they can find her in the white cottage on Lazuli street, just past the music shop and pie store, just down the road. It's easy to spot. Oh, and they'll need to leave their weapons and armor if they're going in the tower. Everyone's got to, just a common sense safety rule. Pinna says she can take their stuff back to the cottage. Anyway, time to be off. The telepad will take them to the council's waiting room, they can head down to the Pax from there. Pinna says she'll go ahead and go to the cottage and let them do their things. She wouldn't mind some time to explore the town.
From there they're inside! It's a huge, wide-open room with high ceilings and magnificent art painting on the ceiling like a chapel. Images of (chinese-style) dragons, fiends, and huge floating unfamiliar stuctures contrast against a dark blue background filled with magical bursts of color. Each holding symbolic items, On the other side, the Sages are being struck down. Poelin's hammer has fallen from their hand, sparking as it falls. Bodies of sages pile up above in a majestic swirl of blood and light. Rowan cowers naked beneath their bodies, looking behind themself somberly, reaching their hand out towards the building's walls. The mural itself shimmers and moves as you look, swirling around like warring gods live on the very ceiling.
It's busy in here. People bustle around, talking politics and law or making small talk. Uniformed Pax Unita workers walk around, sharing stories. There are several archways, one of which is labeled with the Pax Unita symbol, denoting the headquarters. There's lots of workers talking around it, but it's fairly casual. Inside is an elegantly designed building with lots of corridors leading to offices. There's a small crowd of people moving through the front desk area, seemingly refugees from some small crisis that has since been resolved. The crowd quickly clears away, leaving the area almost completely empty. Then, Rendar, you see it. It's hard to recognize without the war paint, without the whir of explosions and machines and the blood on its chest, but this is the one. The one that did it. A humanoid machine, dressed in a buttoned-up white tunic and a trailing skirt, standing in your new home as if it didn't kill your mother. As if it didn't tear her ribs open with its bare hands and break her spine against a wall while you watched from under stacks of rubble. Here it is, in broad daylight, conversing calmly with the front desk like it's come to take this from you too.
Some notes about the scenerio that come to light after Rendar acts, blinded with hatred. • Ivellios Hanali is the man he's conversing with. Captain Hanali has been talking with the Warforged (Hollo) in Therapy, helping him rehabilitate himself. Hollo is there to join the Pax as a new agent. Hanali plans to grant the position to him.

Hanali has been secrelty meeting with many of Rendar's victims from before he was an officer. They've been protesting his position, saying a former member of a hate group shouldn't be allowed to be an officer. Hanali might tell Rendar that he knew that it was a bad idea to accept Rendar, just like he knows its a bad idea to accept Hollo. It's bad press all around. But he wants to believe people can change and do things right, change the stigma of people being defined by their past.

Hollo is fucked up, but has really been getting better. Hollo knows he was built for war, death, destruction, etc. but knows that what makes him special, what makes him different than a machine, is that he can reprogram himself. It doesn't matter what he was built for, what strings people pull, he can try to be better. He wants to use his strength to help others instead now.

Depending on how Rendar responds, several things could happen:

Hollo reverts to basic programming and shuts himself off in fear. "Retribution." he says, then powers down with a horrified emotion on his face. (Hollo might show up in a later session to help them, but pause at seeing Rendar and say "retribution. retribution." in fear before deciding to help them anyway.

Hanali gets pissed at Rendar and yells at him with some truthbombs. "You've lost yourself a promotion! Do you know how many people have been calling you to be removed from the Pact for this very reason! How many people I've counseled because of the blood on YOUR hands! And now you want more, you want to judge Hollo like you aren't exactly the same. You want to get revenge? Do your fucking job. I've spent too much time on you to be anything but dissapointed. Shit, I'm gonna have to talk to an ambassador about this to make sure you don't get kicked from the force entirely. God dammit, Ren, I don't wanna do this." he takes a deep breath. "You're suspended. I hope it gives you time to think about your goals in life. Hand over your signet and symbols. I'll talk to the others about the circumstances, but you should get out of here before someone who doesn't know you as well gets involved. For me and Hollo's sake, at least.

Hanali talks to Rendar as normal, Hollo doesn't recognize Rendar, and things go as they go. Rendar is able to turn in the signet ring, make a report to the Pax (who will send them to Star Ridge as requested) and gets promoted to Captain of the Heavyhanded, a group of Knight-Errants (wandering helpers, his previous ranking) that will remain in their host cities, but can be dispatched to a task on his command so long as time for their orders to arrive in letter form. (he has to send a letter). These 3 knight-errants can do minor tasks, and will eventually be open to moving into the stronghold.

After exiting the Pax Unita Officer arch, they see a familiar yellow cape lying on a bench near the Council of Hundred hearing arch. An older man, dark-skinned, adorned with white tattoos, muscly, wearing a loose toga, with dreads wrapped in a pony, stops walking when he sees the cape. He smiles and lets out a hearty chortle. He grabs the cape as he walks by and stuffs it in his satchel, then walks up to the front desk there. This area, unlike the others, is HEAVILY guarded with tons of animated golems wiedling spears and shields. However, this archway is not very busy, with no one ever really looking inside of it as there's not really a reason to. A young woman up front says, "Councilman Kinjo! Late for your own daughter's hearing?" "It seems tardiness is in our blood, I'm afraid. Besides, I know seeing her father's face would only scare my little Narabi. I'm just here for the vote. May I head inside?" "I think there'd be a problem if you didn't. The vote is split right now, It'll be another hour or so before they're done." "Wonderful, my friend." Councilman Kinjo walks behind a curtain and you can see just an endless row of terracotta soldiers unfolding their spears to let him through a long corridor. Then, they see something strange. After he passes through and the curtain starts to drop, it blows back open from the inside, as if blown from a strong wind. Looking closer and squinting, you can tell that the curtains slip over the force as if pushed by an invisible human, draping around shoulder and down arms. Then, only a moment later, it's completely gone with no trace.
Walking over to the area, the lady will tell that sometimes there's a backdraft and there's no way she's letting them into the council. She is, understandably, very wary of any sort of trickery that might lead to people getting into the council. The terracotta army has since closed its spears. However, in an area off to the side, a balcony overlooking the city, they notice movement. Outside, there's a series of steps spiraling down the tower that have started appearing from the side of the tower ,as if to meet someone who is walking down them. It's like a magical fire escape. The steps quickly dissapear as whatever this is is clearly moving with haste.
As soon as they step out to the balcony, they see a mage hand to their side pull a rope, dropping a metal gate through the archway that you can assume it there for safety reasons after hours. It is solid metal, so no contact with the other side. The rope has since dissappeared into a compartment. Looking down at the steps, there is one that has gotten stuck, so they can assume that the steps will form under them like they did for whatever it was that left down them. Below, they hear a muffled scream that sounds like it's coming from a middle-aged man.

They can rush down, but by the time they get there, it's already happened. A beuatiful man, with a perfectly trimmed orange beard, dressed in fancy wizard robes and covered in stacks of paper (notes for Taconimar's Tome of Tresspasses: Hymn's Dale.). He's bleeding out, barely conscious. He has time to say one last line, "Say nothing of this. There are plans in place that require my death, do not grant them that knowledge. I don't know how deep this goes. Theres- theres something happening in Star Ridge. Catch the assassin. (he coughs and blood is gushing out at this point. his eyes start to flutter.) Be careful who you trust." before he dies.
Just as he says that, a blurb of color shifts nearby. A robed hobgoblin tripped on the stairs, carrying a bloody knife, breaking his invisibility. He looks up, sees the party, and jumps to a nearby rooftop, medieval shale tile that scrapes away as he slides down to other rooftops. He starts to get away! Skill challenge! 3 failures lose, 5 successes win. If they catch him, it's combat! Two more assassins jump from rooftops. But before they confess anything, they will say "Glory to the Break of Dawn." and slit their own throats (or bite a poison capsule) and die.
If they go back to the council, the body has disappeared like it was never there. The stair retracted, and there's blood on the wall. Far beneath, they can still see pages of a manuscript floating in the wind, sailing away. If they ask about the hearing, they'll hear that councilman Ankiri Kinjo and his daughter checked out of the meeting soon after in a carriage returning to Bracestone. They seemed safe, though the guest for their next meeting, the famous wizard Tace, is late to his hearing. If they do tell them, nothing seems to go wrong... for now. The council is booked for a long time now, as they've already had to move on to their next meeting, but if they want, they can go investigate on their own since they're powerful adventurers and return on a set date. It's getting to be nighttime now in the city, the sun is over the horizon. Sleepy time.
Back at the cottage, if they tell Pinna about what happened, hearing that Tace has died crushes her. She will retreat to a bed and close the privacy curtain. If they need help, she'll help them, but she's mostly just going to sleep. She asks if Tace said anything about her when he died. She looks more determined than ever to solve this, but she has to mourn Tace first.
They can talk with the family there, everything is safe at the cottage so long as they didn't tell anyone anything big. They can also explore the city if they want, several shops are open late as this is somewhat of a college town. There's many magic shops, one owned by a feeble firbolg professor who wears a silk cardigan and has an affinity for studying Silman history. He has several artifacts, including a dread helm and a blood spear (from curse of strahd) that gives the wielder 2d6 temporary hit points when they reduce a target to 0 hit points with the spear. It costs 500 gold pieces, but the shopkeep is willing to haggle as he recongizes that he is a bit of a fanatic about this stuff. If they did tell them something big or if the assassins got away, they'll get attacked by two bugbear assassins carrying poisoned weapons.
Afterwards, it's assumed they'll head off to Star Ridge in their cart, which is still where they left it with a different set of guards now. They can leave the city without much interference.
OPTIONAL ENCOUNTER - During their travels, almost there, they hear a loud thunk. Their cart's wheels start whirring, and their stomach's sink. Looking out the window, the cart starts rising into the air. The sound of wings flapping whoosh whoosh shakes the cart before a mighty eagle screech rips through the air. Roll initiative in the air! The cart is stuck to the griffon's talon, and Pinna is having a panic attack inside. She knows featherfall to stop a TPK if needed, but this is the party's fight.
CUSTOM GRIFFON ENCOUNTER! Using 4e design. Another Griffon swoops in to aid its mate. Griffons have around 75 health, whatever is needed. When griffon is bloodied, it goes berserk, dropping the cart. Its movement speed doubles, and it gains an additional claw attack.
The cart is about 70 feet off the ground. The cart won't break entirely on a fall, but it will need a couple days of repairs before it's usable. 70 feet of the ground means 7d6 fall damage on a fall. Survivable, but not fun without a plan. If the fall really would kill them, have there be a small pond below. If they succeed on a dex save, they can fall in the pond for half damage. ONe griffon might swoop underneath them to bite. IF they make a strength save, they can catch the Griffon and pull themselves aboard.
when a Griffon gets low on health, it'll start to fly away towards its nest, preferably grabbing a player in the process. The nest is under a cliff near the town, just about an hour's climb up. Not too hard to escape, but it still shouldn't happen, as the grappled player can probably get out or be rescued. A low-health Griffon is "broken", allowing a player to gain control of it as a mount for 2 turns with a successful animal handling check. But if they're grappled, they can't do that.
After the Griffons are dealt with and the cart is destroyed, they end up just a few minutes walk from Star Ridge.
OPTIONAL ENCOUNTER END
They eventually pass over rolling hills until coming across a densely forested area with trees of all colors and cliffs of pointed, slanted shape. A wide, lazy river seperates the village from a vast forest leading up a nearby mountain. Moving through several small farmhouses with humble mandrake gardens, goats, and elk farms, you quickly arrive in the village sqaure
When you arrive at the town, everything seems pretty normal. People are chilling around, kids playing outside, etc. Its actually a very small village, definitely not a place you'd learn about as children. Its a little underdeveloped despite its natural beauty, with some houses being in a mild amount of disrepair like a broken and boarded window or a broken step on a porch (yes these are medieval fantasy houses with porches, I have to put my southern culture somewhere). Kids are playing kickball in a street by the square, and upon seeing Pinna, they perk up and run over with all sorts of questions. "where'd you go! Mommy says Daddy needs your potion to make Mommy happy. Why did you come back when the others haven't? Does this mean Linels coming back too! Do you have those crystal candies?" One bookish looking blonde girl with them rushes off to a nearby house. The kids just kinda follow Pinna around. They ask who the weird new people are and why two of them are wearing armor and have weapons. Are they going to hurt someone? An older man comes out of the blonde girls house with a huge smile on his face. "Pinna! Youre back! Where have you been?"
Pinna explains what happened with her and introduces the party. She makes sure to mention that she grabbed the heart of a spellstorm with some help. (If she doesn't know Tace is dead, she'll mention that she can't wait to tell Tace about it.) The man asks the party why they came here with her, etc. He asks why she came home and if she saw the others who left. He asks if there's just something wrong with the town that makes people want to leave. He says that they just finished building a new inn a few nights ago. They're hoping some nature tourism might revitalize the town after so many have left. If the party wants to stay there tonight, they can. The man whispers something to Pinna. Whoever is standing next to her can make a perception check. On a success, they get some amount of the following phrase, "Lord Parsel has formally claimed this town under his expanded influence. His emmisary comes tonight, be careful what you say in mixed company. Nobles of Brumor are not to be questioned in public before they have been questioned in the hearts of every citizen in their domain. Also, my wife would be ecstatic if you could brew a potion for me. The blue one, extra strength. I'd pay triple for the price of my uncouthness." Pinna says she'd rather go see her hut again tonight. She's a little homesick for that drab old place. Besides, towns are always better when you discover things yourself, she wouldn't wanna spoil the experience for the party. (her hut is kinda small. She has room for maybe one of them, but it wouldn't really be comfortable. You can see why she might have wanted something bigger.
Afterwards, the town is free range! However it's almost night time so most shops are probably going to close in about an hour. They could probably hit one or two or just go for a round about town and see what there is if they want. Use the map in the strongholds and followers book. There are a few changes, though:

The church of St. Gaed is the church of St. Galwin, the great king who ruled over eastern Nym before he was slain by the army of half-breeds in the Battle of the Cliffs long ago. The king sheltered his people and was genuinely a good king. When he died, he spread his power out among his people to keep them safe. However, the indigienous elves of the area seized the opportunity to overtake the area after his death, forming the city of Wyre. Withour King Galwin's influence, the people turned towards support of the elves, merging their culture with the indeginous peoples and becoming something entirely new. There are those who still worship St. Galwin for his great deeds, and there are those that see him as a colonist who, despite being a good person, built a society so dependent on his charity that when he died, the whole area was shattered and turned to darker sources of aid. Of course, there are many who blame the Faedriingites, and by extensions all modern-day half-elves, for killing him in the first place. Others blame the half-elves superiors, the elves of Tenlin, but no one sees them much these days. Father Beledrone, however, is a good person who blames no one for anything. He only wishes to use Galwin's life as an example for how we should all live. In life, Galwin also used his power to force devils out of thier hiding places in his land by magically forcing his people to tell no lies and hide no truths. As such, he is known as Saint Galwin the Confessor. He offers to act a therapist as he often does to the town, telling them he'd be happy to speak with them about their hardships and how they can move forward despite them.

The Reluctant Pig is called the Sly Swan Tavern and Inn. It's a comfy place with several patrons inside, and it's brand new. In fact, several boxes are still packed up in the corner and there's two women affixing a elk-horn chandelier to the ceiling. There's music though, always music, played by a small group of halflings with a box to beat on and a wooden flute.

At night time though, it's time to head for the tavern.
The door of the Sly Swan opens with a crash, and all heads inside the bar turn toward the entrance. A man in heavy armor stands in the doorframe, silhouetted and statuesque, a cloak hanging over his left shoulder, with his right hand grasping the pommel of his sheathed longsword. The knight strides in, with four armored warriors behind him, and surveys the taproom. A squire emerges from behind his cloak, unfurls a parchment, and declares, “Behold Sir Pelliton, Knight of Three Roses! The Star Knight bears a proclamation from your new lord: Parsel, Baron of Bedegar!8 Your lord demands the head of Bonebreaker Dorokor and the White Tusk orcs (Ty, you recognize this IMMEDIATELY as a former member), the lawless beasts that slaughtered the Baron of Bedegar and his family. The new baron promises the glory of noble title, uncontested claim to the region, and five hundred gold marks to whosoever brings to him the head of the orcs’ bloodchief.”
Sir Pelliton points sharply to the wall of the tavern, and the squire scurries over to hammer the scroll to the wall, covering up several previous proclamations. The knight now personally strides forth into the taproom. His mouth curls into a venomous smirk. “Now that you have all been duly impressed, let me tell you dirt-eating, dung-bathing peasants one evident truth: None of you will be knighted and elevated to my station. I shall find these beasts and subject them to my justice. I will be the one! And you will continue enjoying your joyless lives under my thumb.” Pelliton’s gaze falls upon you, and he saunters over to your table. Two of his flunkies follow him, while two remain at the door. He looks one of you dead in the eye and says, “Well what is that gleam in your eyes? Ratcatchers with delusions of defiance. How quaint. Come you seeking coin? Honor? Legitimacy? I have some. If you would take it from me.”
Pellington then takes food or drink from one of the players, consumes it, and slams the plate or cup back down on the table. He hums a little song to himself and prances off to another table to bully them as well. Either the party stands up to him, in which case he literally pummels them and leaves them alive as an example (though technically they can win if they get crazy lucky), or he remains there for ten unbearable minutes belittling and bullying other people.
If the players get in a fight with Pellington and his lackeys, the barkeep begs them not to kill anyone. Please, do whatever you want, just please don't kill anyone. The house of Three Roses is not known for its forgiveness. Without a title, all conflicts with nobles are considered treason of the entire peasantry.
After getting the crap beat out of them, either by going down or surrendering, pellington will deal out a gold piece onto each of their heads. "For the entertainment. What a wonderful show." He thens leaves with his lackeys.
As soon as they're gone, the barkeep will rush over and stablize the party, but Pellington and his men will have already ridden off on their horses by the time she can do that. She begs them to just stay at the inn tonight and rest up. She'll ask if, maybe, just maybe, they could accept Parsel's quest and keep their town from being ruled by that Tyrant. Lord Parsel will only be satisfied when claims are made under his terms.
The party gets a long rest that night, but around 3 am, they awake to a feminine scream and a chorus of bestial roars. The sounds came from the edge of town, from the edge closest to the forest. As the screams fade into silence, an explosion jolts the entire town in alertness. From out the window, you can see a towering purple flame erupting from the southernmost tip of the village. If you squint, you can see several hulking figures surrounding Pinna's shop and several more half-way across the river, far from reach.
And that's where we'll end our session tonight!