Figures in the Dark

> Things get a LITTLE more complicated.
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## Summary

The party finds an inn. Panne of the Silky Meadows tucks Fenix in first much to his protest. Hoopla tries to sneak away but Hyacinth catches her. Hoopla confesses to be worried about Simon but Hyacinth mentions that Panne will do a good job of that. Hoopla doesn't listen and wriggles herself free while going invisible. Fenix slips outside as Ronan begins snoring. Panne gives Simon a charm to help with bad dreams along with a glass of water.

Simon does ask if he locked the door on Panne how mad would she be. She responds by smashing a nearby table with her mace. She tucks Bata in next. As she stays awake, she notes that Simon isn't having one of those dreams so she goes to sleep for four hours.

When morning comes, Panne finds Fenix outside as Hoopla falls off the table in Simon's room. She tells him to come inside but he refuses opting to climb down. However he steps on a bad tile and falls but saves himself. The party heads into the main floor with Simon asking about the bandit attacks and the barkeeper calls them rebels going against Hawkguard. He also mentions that the residential area and the marketplace are the best spots to check out.

After breakfast the party heads to the marketplace first. As they head there, Hoopla, Panne, Bata and Ronan get the feeling that they're being watched. Panne notices a tuft of manmade fur. Ronan begins tracking some similar hairs heading in a different direction so he follows it with the group behind him. They arrive in the residential district and find someone on the roof of a house. Hoopla investigates but loses them.

The party then asks for help but struggles at first because of Simon saying that they were on the side of the mayor. Fenix ends up talking with Simon about how he was in a similar group a while back. Eventually the party hears snickering and Panne figures out that it was Ray. Bata gets Fenix onto the roof so Ray runs off leaping between buildings. Fenix feels challenged so he follows suit and even does a somersault. Ray is caught so much off guard that the party corners him. Ray yields so the party begins asking him why he was following them. Panne ends up intimidating him by smashing a wall with her mace. He does reveal that he ate his breakfast, but stays quiet. Eventually after more antics he leads the party inside a house.

Once they're inside he drops his friendly demeanor. He wants to see if they can trust him so he sniffs them all. He notices that Simon has Acharn's scent. Simon reveals his former ties with Acharn and Ray concurs as he reveals that the corners of his ears were burned and that he was a feyblood like Bata. Fenix and Ronan convince him that they hate Acharn as well so he leads them away. Hoopla ends up dragging Panne out of the house.

Ray takes the group to a secret passageway in the residential area. As they enter, they run into Ray's eldritch cannon, Uttu. He takes them to a pair of women looking over some plans. The one with tan skin and black hair recognizes Fenix. Fenix spins with her and introduces herself as Fenix's childhood friend, Kimirial. Toryn also introduces herself as the leader of the Belgate rebels, as well as being Hawkguard's daughter. As the party introduces themselves, she notes Bata's achievement in taming the goblins and is happy. Simon brings up the mayor's offer and Toryn scoffs at her father's request. Apparently he's been cutting off supplies to the people of Belgate. The sea monster was the perfect excuse to closing up the ports. Simon suggests that Hawkguard needs investigating while Panne suggests that Acharn is involved. He may even try to fix what he's done using human sacrifices.

The only think that Toryn could think of as to why he was doing this was religion. Simon recalled a skull being on Hawkguard's desk. It was also without a lower jaw which sets off Panne. She rushes out with Hyacinth following her. Apparently the people who worshipped that skull without a lower jaw killed Panne's former master. Even if Hawkguard wasn't responsible, he could know something. Kimirial quickly helps Hyacinth stop Panne explaining that going in angrily would get one killed. Panne weeps into Hyacinth's shoulder as everyone comforts her.

## Notable events

* The party rests at the inn.
* Ronan tracks down a stalker but the party loses them.
* Fenix has a short talk with Simon
* Ray reveals his true alignment and takes the party to the rebel hideout.
* The party meet Toryn and Kimirial and learn of Fenix's relationship with the latter.
* The party learns of the death of Panne's former master.