With the vampire defeated the party returns to the city and finds that the town guard thinks this is neat but not necessarily awe inspiring or worth additional payment beyond the currently specified agreement. After some badgering, the captain of the guard agrees to a moderate payment increase that might buy a cure moderate potion. The party goes shopping and again realizes that they can't afford most of their shopping list.

So downtime. The party wander around the city looking for more work, relatively unsuccessfully as the party has mixed feelings following up on working for the local crime syndicate that was working in the caverns and they have no idea where the local crime syndicate is located. So they start to follow up on random things. They go to the dwarven temple to check in on the dwarf who owned the bathhouse who is now dead. This makes it hard to apologize, though they give back the decanter. Loskid looks into how to start a carpentry business and finds it will cost more then currently has. He decides to not open a business at this time.

Loskid and Melgarin get themselves worked up over news reports and go find the local newspaper. The paper office is located in the city slums in a shack that is on the verge of falling over. The editor doesn't seem that concerned over the arrival of angry adventurers and directs them to a divebar where his freelance reporter is located. Going to the bar they find the reporter talking to a group of other adventures. Hilde and Elenor have no interest in getting into hijinks with the reporter and this other group of adventures and start drinking. Lelenia watches the door. Loskid and Melgarin try to get the attention of the reporter and in the process get into a literal pissing match with the other adventures. We find out the group sitting with Tyson is the Stormblades.

The Stormblades leave Tyson when Loskid and Melgarin approach. They talk to the reporter to set the story straight. This may have had the exact opposite effect. Hilde and Elenor kinda shrug, this is basically on brand for the party at this point.

In the process the party learns of various events that will happen during the flood festival next week, including contests of strength, drinking, and swimming. They tentatively plan to participate. Before that happens the head cleric of the church of st. cuthbert comes with an urgent communique that a senior cleric is under attack at an inn a days ride away. The party is dispatched to the inn.

Arriving at the inn the party decides to split up with Loskid, Melgarin, and Hilde going in the front and Elenor and Lelenia going in the the back. The party in the front finds they can't unlock the door. The party in the back find a giant baboon man with minions. The party in the front starts running to the back while Elenor throws fireballs into the room. A fight ensues and the baboon-men don't have the best of days. The party prevails and pretty much trashes the room between fireballs and acid sprays.

Shackled City Home
Last time: Session 18
Next time: Session 20