IV. b. Hunter or Hunted?

General Summary

Cerdsday, 5803 Midsky 3

Miles below ground in the ancient, abandoned city of Yis'tilah'ste, you find yourselves facing off with a Fist of the Black Hand, and potentially outmatched. The tides began to turn in your favor and before long you have two of your five opponents down and a third one paralyzed.

You must have had them cornered because one of them, a female elf, ordered her other comrade to abandon Bernard because there was nothing they could do. She apologized to him before using a scroll that spirited away the remaining member of the Fist. Alone and paralyzed, Ash ties him up before Dreamhawk's paralysis wears off.

During the interrogation of Bernard, talk turns to torture and once it's clear he won't talk, his fate is decided. Max took the pleasure of goring him to death after he made disgusting racist insults at Ash and himself.

When the horned disembowelment was done, Boran ran back to the tailor's shop to find black cloth and dye, as well as a cloak for Max. For a few hours, you walked near-aimlessly through what appeared to be a large residential area with mostly moderate size homes.

When the sound of music, chatter, and laughter reached your ears, Ash used her skills to heighten your stealth capabilities, allowing you to sneak past what appeared to be a Kobold village that had over-taken a section of the residential area - but not before Boran left a quickly scribbled note in common with 5 ancient gold pieces, asking for information on the Black Hand.

You passed many more homes before arriving at a plaza, whether it was a park or something more, you couldn't 't be certain. There were a handful of gazebos scattered amongst benches and statues, but it was the largest gazebo, off to the side and further in, that caught your attention.

Upon approaching it, you saw that there were more gears and some kind of mechanism with switches and levers. While everyone was exploring the gazebo for anything interesting, Tort began playing with the mechanism, much to everyone's displeasure as you all got a little singed. Boran, through more fiddling and just a little more pain, eventually made the mechanism react.

Everyone but Ash was a bit surprised as the gazebo began to ascend. Up and up you went until you eventually passed through stone before arriving in another plaza, smaller but somehow grander than the one you'd just left. Here, you find estates and manor houses. It doesn't take long for you to pick out one of the closest and largest to be your resting place for the evening.

Can you pick up the trail again? Are the Black Hand even here? Who can say?