DIDx11

With Ansell in tow, the party made their way over towards the burning storehouses, with the thick smoke clinging to the ceiling above them as they navigated the massive stalagmites and pillars to the northern central area of the village. Ahead, they could see Holis Ditani's mercenaries rushing around the storehouses, piling objects into carts to wheel down the side passage. They could see a Vesperkin man in a cloaked hood with a mask over his face barking orders at the mercenaries, and Junyall confirmed that they appeared to be after their resources. With that, the group ran forward to engage the mercenaries, and Shein immediately deals a critical blow to the leader before Zero manages to paralyze him with Hold Person. The group then shifted focus to dispatching the riff-raff, though they got in a few good shots on Zero. While the leader remained held, Junyall rushed forward and Shein shot him again, followed by a Toll the Dead from Zero. Still unable to move, Scarf scored a devastating critical blow on the leader with one of her Flow blades. The mercenaries continued their barrage on Zero, but they managed to maintain their concentration on Hold Person, leaving their leader helpless. Rainer then cast a Magic Missile, dispatching several of the mercenaries, before Junyall closed the distance with the leader and finished him off with a savage blow to his head with her axe, dropping him to the ground. With the mercenaries dispatched, the party made their way from building to building, using buckets of water to put out the fires. The damage was extensive, but the buildings were made of limestone and would survive. As they finished putting out the fires, laying low to avoid the smoke, Junyall commented that she thought that the battle was far too easy, and that couldn't have been all of them, suggesting that she stay to watch over the storehouses while the party would go to check out the eastern passage.

Proceeding to the eastern passage, it didn't take long for the group to spot a group of three Deepfolk stalkers pinned down on top of the roofs of some buildings near the passage leading out of the city by a number of mercenaries concentrating crossbow fire on them. Meanwhile, there appeared to be a Lynoxi man with a spear looking up at the Deepfolk with a look of satisfaction on his face as one of the stalkers was shot through the throat, falling dead to the ground below. As the group approached, the Lynoxi noticed them, and looked at them in annoyance, moving to intercept them. The Lynoxi suddenly rushed forward at blazing fast speed and stabbed Rainer in the chest with his spear while some of the mercenaries broke off to shoot at Rainer and Zero. Rainer managed to hit the Lynoxi with a Mind Sliver, and Zero put a couple of the mercenaries to sleep. The Lynoxi then put Rainer down for the count with a few quick jabs to his stomach before maneuvering around Zero to stab Scarf, critically wounding her. Toban popped out from behind a stalagmite with a devious grin on his face holding his harpoon, and fired, hitting the Lynoxi man with it and impaling him through the side. Toban then pulled on the attached rope hard, dragging the Lynoxi man to the ground and reeling him in a bit. He then ran behind the stalagmite to hide. The mercenaries managed to kill another stalker, and then Zero rushed over to heal Rainer, helping him back to his feet. Scarf ran in to take advantage of the Lynoxi's vulnerable position and savagely stabbed him on the ground, and Shein took out one of the mercenaries with a well-aimed shot. The Lynoxi man then stood and rushed at Zero, stabbing them twice. Toban tried to yank on the rope still attached to the Lynoxi again, but the Lynoxi was ready for it and resisted the pull, with the harpoon dislodging and clattering to the ground. So instead, Toban whipped a rock at the Lynoxi's head. The mercenaries moved to wake their sleeping comrades and continued firing upon the players and the last remaining stalker. Rainer managed to hit the Lynoxi with another Mind Sliver and Zero then got off a Hold Person, paralyzing the man. The remaining stalker managed to kill a mercenary, and then Scarf ran in to stab the Lynoxi on the ground again, now helpless to resist. Shein takes out another mercenary just as Toban runs out and jumps on top of the Lynoxi's limp body and savagely stabs him through the gap in his breastplate, earning a pained growl from the Lynoxi before Toban retreated back behind the stalagmite while giggling like a madman. The Lynoxi man managed to shake off the Hold Person and get back to his feet just as Rainer attempted to finish him with a Booming Blade, but overextended his strike and hit the ground instead. Finally, Scarf rushed forward and leapt at the Lynoxi, dealing a devastating double-handed attack through both sides of the Lynoxi man's neck, causing him to crumple to the ground.

After cleaning up the remaining mercenaries, the last living stalker hopped off the roof of his perch and made his way over to the group, where he thanked them for the assist before telling them that they should go to check on Jadrann Nylin at the sanctuary.