It Ain't Easy Being Green

Rah-Cerves is haunted all night by the specter of the cultist, who only he can see. The party write off to AI HQ to ask them what they should do with their newly-acquired magic sword and fire ring from the fight.

They are informed about the AIRS program - AI Item Rental Service: certain quests give AIRS tokens to rent registered magic items from AI for a short time. Submitting items to AI will make them available and will grant tokens. Items are submitted to the vault to AI. The party receive their next assignment from AI, to disrupt illegal shipments of weapons between Auth and Favor (north of Grace), at the request of the GUNDERSON MOUNTAIN CLAN. Bivouac gives some history on his clan and the party get preparing. Rah-Cerves disguises himself as an old coot and goes to ask Father Ruscolda about his suspicions about Harps by the River.

V does some research on her new sword, and on dragons. Zelle reveals the sword is memory-mythril, the crafter imparts memories of old weapons into it, and magical weapons can be broken down and folded into it, and it can morph into them later. V leaves it with Zelle to tinker. Meanwhile, Gorthanax appears back to Aurelia in a puff of smoke, large and thankful for the gifts he has received. He asks for a bear's soul next. He also reports he has killed many centipedes, and he can breathe fire like a dragon now. He is loyal to Aurelia, "the Dreamer", and takes pride in guarding the Landlocked Lady. The party acquire a set of shitty horses, since their last horses didn't fare so well, and head north along the road into the Creeping Grove. The road is well-traveled and protected by Wardens, as it runs directly to the capital, Favor. As they travel, a larger caravan approaches with a celebrating wedding party and toss them a beautiful, valuable wreath.

Later that day, they arrive at two enormous mountains, the Shields of Asha, with a prairie between and the walled city of Auth. The guards at the gate warn them they will be asking for papers on imports and magic items. V hurriedly stuffs her sword into Mama's bag, submitting it to AI just before they begin inspection. They pass through and find a figure, short, dark, and scruffy, a dwarf named Garth Gunderson. He's a newly minted intern here to stick it to the Green Mountain Clan on this mission. The Greens are running illicit weapons into the city. They head to a tavern, A Shot Between the Shields, and get drinks. He reports the Greens dropped off the weapons at a warehouse in town. Rah-Cerves and V convince Garth and Bivouac to go in disguised as Greens, get intel, and ambush them while the rest pose as prospective buyers. They don disguises and head to the warehouse in the middle of the night. As they arrive, they see two wardens posted at the front who weren't there before, either disguised crooks or crooked cops. Rah-Cerves approaches disguised as a formidable buyer Clancy Nadian, bribes their way in with a suggestion spell, and they head in. A group of dwarves are playing cards, but don't get up. A finely-groomed business dwarf steps down from the office, who Bivouac knows as their accountant and money guy, who is maybe associated with demons or devils, bargaining with them, Jebediah Green. He greets the party but doesn't buy the story, and sees through their disguises. Bivuoac draws his bow and shoots at the Greens.

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