Awaiting our departure from the Crow-

As Lan has come to bring us back to the mainland from the crow, you are all discussing and deciding how to row ourselves back to shore.. Kagome moves to the stern of the small fishing ship to contemplate her feelings about the slaying of the demon. "was it necessary?" "what made him a beast?" "would they slay me if they knew what I really was?"... In her contemplative state Kagome finds herself scanning the horizon. She catches about a hundred yards to the north, out into the sea, a boat. The boat is larger than the normal fishing boats in the cove. It has a single mast and sail, and oar ports on either side. Kagome can see two men on the deck of the boat standing near the rail, one seems to be looking in our direction with a spyglass... They gesture to each other and speak, It seems to Kagome as if they noticed her observations of them, and then they moved below deck... She relays this to the party, and asks if anyone else can tell if the boat has any markings that may indicate who is aboard.

Return for a briefing...

Recalling that Sheila had requested frequent updates on your progress in the Crow, your group retreats from the lair of the foul-smelling demon who nearly killed Uli. "I wonder who bullied that thing?" Alejandro thinks to himself. Each of you takes note of the creature and other strange things you have seen, and hope that Sheila may shed some light on the denizens of this ancient ruin.

You all are sunk in thought as you fall back through the ancient laboratory and up through the dungeon to head to the Pathfinder Lodge.

You backtrack your way past the entrance to this deepest level that you have explored, and recall what some of you knew regarding how demons are spawned. You glance at the corpse of the maggot-like creature that attacked you as you arrived on this level, and you wonder if devils and demons are working together? Or is Garath mistaken?

You pass through the cavern in which "Clickylegs", the giant cave fisher, attempted to devour Lao Che, and Garath is still scratching his head. "That HAD to be a lemure..." Garath mutters to himself. "But it seemed rather intelligent. I must be mistaken. Or misremembering..." He shakes his head again.

As you rise up another level, you creep through the wreckage of the sleeping quarters of the mites, then past the tunnel into the throne room of their "king," Zugga. You recall the diminutive fey can’t help smile at the memory of the aggressive and delusional little fey. Of the other little blue fey creatures there is no sign, nor do you see any more of their mounts, the poisonous water spiders.

Krangk rubs a couple of scars ruefully as you pass the rooms where you fought them, recalling the burn of the spider’s venom that seemed to dissolve his strength.

Getting around in Magnimar...

The Bazaar of Sails

A destination for traders the world over, the Bazaar of Sails is the largest free market in Varisia. Anyone with merchandise to sell is welcome to set up a tent, booth, or wagon among the hundreds of other ever- changing shops that fill the dockside plaza. Crops from local farmers, weapons and metal goods, Varisian artifact s , Osirian spices, Chelish finery, Andoran quartos , and more exotic goods from a hundred foreign ports fill the market, with each day's offerings varying with the season, trade winds , and tides. As merchants eagerly trade, competitions, rivalries, and all manner of criminal temptations arise. Although the market welcomes all comers, the ever- changing crowd, shouts of exotic traders , and generally raucous bustle make the place a nightmare for the local watch to patrol and mete out justice.

Life in Dockway

Coming and going from your current headquarters, The Old Fang tavern, you all have become quite familiar with the Dockway district.

Dockway's most incredible feature is the sprawling Bazaar of Sails, yet the district itself is more than merely one enormous market. The waterfront is a constantly bustling scene of activity as ships bearing travelers and cargo vie for dock space, and even the neighborhoods farthest from the shore are noisy and raucous . The large number of fishing eagle nests amid the crags of the Seacleft are the source of the area's less common name, "Eagle's Quarter." The streets here are cobblestone, and buildings are an equal mix of stone and wood. Streets are patrolled regularly, yet the high volume of traffic and the district's close proximity to Underbridge make it difficult for guards and mercenary companies to always keep the peace.

Here are some spots some of you have become acquainted with: D1- Old Fang Tavern

D2- The Eyes of the Hawk - A statue monument that grants some powers... some of you know more about this

D5- The Bazaar of Sails - You all have passed through here several times, including when you were on way to first meet Fenster. Some of you had meat on a stick. But there's much more to the place than food vendors.

D6- The Captain's Club- A very upscale bar run by Leruu "Whitelips" Kantiki. Some of you have seen her and know more about this place.

D7- The Shucked Oyster - a brothel. none of you have been there, but some of you have had conversations with people about it.

D8- The Bronze House - a bronze-faced building with heavy doors emblazoned with sigils of three intertwined asps.

D9 - The Impound Yard- Ships for sale?

D12- Outcast Bay

A Spoonful of Medicine...

After throwing the bag to Uli, Sheila turns to leave and passes by Krangk, who is slumped against the wall of the study. She turns to face him and looks him up and down. Krangk is sweating profusely, and the rest of you notice for the first time that he is very pale, and he appears somewhat shaky as pushes away from the wall and struggles to stand erect, glaring defiantly at Lady Heidmarch.

“Spent some time in the sewers, did we?” she clucks unsympathetically. “Silly, silly. You really don’t look well, boy.” She shakes her head and places a hand on Krangk’s sweating forehead, then closes her eyes as if in prayer.

“Old gods and new,” she intones in a deep voice, “Heal this foolish mortal of his uncleanliness! Scour all impurity and filth from him! Wash him in righteousness and make him a new man!” Her head slumps to her chest and she exhales mightily, and her fingers slide slowly down Krangk’s wet face.

She glances up at Krangk a moment later, her head cocked to the side.

“All better now? No? Pity.” She shakes her head in mock consternation. “You really should get yourself looked at. I’m sure you’re all aware that the Keystone district has the most temples and shrines in the city. I’m sure you’ll find a healer there.”

A Gentleman never tells

The morning following the return to Magnimar from "the Crow", the group sits down for the morning meal to plan their next step.  Alejandro comes in to the common area of the "Old Fang" from outside with an extra hop in his step.

With a sheepish grin on his face, Alejandro says, "Well, well, well... I hope you all slept well last night.  I have made contact with a new potential ally here in the city.  You all recall the good Dr. and Lady Landis that we met following our heroic deeds at the garden party.  As it turns out, their very lovely daughter is something of an expert of antiquities here in the city.  I had the good fortune of bumping into her this morning.  I mentioned our exploits and specifically the fresco that we found w/in the Crow.  As I described what I had in mind for her, I might have gotten her juices flowing.  She seemed quite excited about the proposal I had for her.  I told her that I would be taking her out so she could handle the fresco directly once we finished clearing out "the Crow".  I'll definitely be feeling her up for more info in the coming days.  IN ADDITION, I found out that a known Pathfinder, Dr. Archisa Aparna, is in town.  For those that might not know, the museum funds the region-wide expeditions of renowned explorer, treasure hunter, and Pathfinder Doctor Archisa Aparna, who frequently lectures on ancient Varisian monuments on the occasions she is in the city.  They say that her lectures are quite the performance.  I'll definitely want to check her out.  Someone with her prestige could greatly erect our status in this region."

"In the meantime, I think we need to follow up on a few other contacts here in the city.  First of all, I suggest we seek out Sabriyya in the Bazaar of Sails to return the pendant that I believe once belonged to her father.  I think she would be a very attractive ally, especially in the Dockway.  Secondly, I would like to see more of Lt Kasadei.  I have a feeling that she might have large assets to share with us in exchange for clearing out more trash from the city.  I think it would be worth our time to try to get in her pockets."

"All of this hard work has made me thirsty.  I'm going over to the bar to see if the wench can service my needs." Alejandro gives a coy wink and a tip of the cap as he turns for the bar.  He begins to address the buxom barmaid. "Hola, hermosa..."