Episode 12

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## Plot Summary

Starheart has been in Copperforge a couple weeks investigating her roots.  She discovers that her parents were miners named Flintborne.  Her mother’s name was Iris.  Her father’s name was Bak.  They were hired to mine the ore of the stearheart that fell 17 years before.  They were ambushed by the Iron Horn Bandits, who were in turn ambushed by the cult of Kloht.  Her family was killed by the cultists, but the bandits fled with Starheart.

Ora Stone had been hired by the Queen to investigate what happened in the Dungeon.  Ora quickly discovers that her companions were responsible via conversations with Meno and the Forgotten.  Ora finds Bask and hires him to cover up the crimes done by her companions.  She wants to find a scapegoat to pin the crimes on, maybe scum that the assassin’s guild could kill.  The job that Nitsuj and Bubo took from the mercenary’s guild was seemingly paid for by the cult of Kloht, given the similar binding of terms via a black coin.  Nitsuj has spent the last day reading about the history of Copperforge from the book he took from the library.

Starheart and Nitsuj are both at the Tequila Mockingbird, drinking their sorrows away.  Gleb, the barkeep, offers Starheart another, which she agrees to.  Nitsuj does a spit-take when he sees Starheart, and spits hot tea in Gleb’s face, burning him.  Starheart heals him and gets free drinks, but Nitsuj’s drinks are now double.  Starheart slides one of her dwarven whiskey shots to Nitsuj and drinks it, not knowing what it is.  Starheart explains that she has been searching for her roots.  Ora shows up in her royal guard armor and buys some rum.  She explains that she knows what happened in the Dungeon, making Nitsuj nervous.  A human bard, Justan LakeTimber (Justin Timberlake character drop), walks in and lightens the mood with some tunes.  Nitsuj breaks down and explains that he knows what happened but wasn’t there.

Shim, a royal guard, enters the tavern to get an update from Ora about her investigation.  Ora finishes her beer and leaves.  Nitsuj follows, as does Starheart and the bard.  Ora leads them to the assassins guild.  Justan follows them, singing their secret out loud.  Ora pays him to leave, but when he’s snide to her as he’s leaving, she grabs him by the neck and threatens him.  He promises to be quiet and leaves.

They use the tubes to travel to the Political level.  The assassin’s build is an ominous black building.  Ora knocks on the door and says “Bask sent me” and ducks.  Starheart tries to duck but gets punched when the door opens.  They enter an empty room.  Starheart detects magic.  Ora sees thieves’ cant, but cannot read it.  The door slams shut behind them.

Ora announces herself and a Quai appears immediately directly in her face.  His name is Hush.  Ora wants some cadavers to use an alibi.  Hush says that he cannot provide them unless she picks someone to kill for them.  Starheart tries to intimidate Hush but fails.  Hush suggests some of Gabber’s men or Meno and the Forgotten.  Hush explains that Meno was imprisoned in the Dungeon after escaping from the Prison for an accidental death.  Starheart doesn’t understand why they need bodies.  Nitsuj and Ora explain the plan is to frame someone for the crimes committed by Tenoch, Bubo, and Sylence.  Hush says they can also frame Meno and have the Queen execute him.

A green ogre (Shrek character drop) enters the assassin’s guild looking to hire someone to get people out of his swamp, including humans, a donkey, and his own wife.  Hush negotiates a price and the ogre leaves.  Starheart doesn’t like the idea of killing innocents.  They debate who to frame, the Forgotten, Gabber’s men, or Tenoch.  At that moment, a talking donkey (Donkey character drop) rushes in, a dagger sticking out of his side.  He wants Hush to kill the ogre, which he agrees to.  Starheart heals the donkey and takes the dagger, but gives it to Ora.

A scarlet dragon (character and monster drop) bursts in, holding donkey/dragon pups who have been stabbed.  She is mad.  Hush disappears and a battle begins.  A gingerbread bard (character and monster drop) arrives to help the dragon.  In the distance, they hear an explosion and the sounds of battle.  Starheart heals the puppies, while the others attack the gingerbard.  A fairy (character drop) magically appears and destroys the gingerbread man.  Starheart feeds the dragon and the puppies pieces of cookie.

Hush reappears when the danger is gone.  They peek outside to see Meno and the Forgotten using stolen weaponry to stage a revolt.  Hush offers to help stop the revolt with the rest of the assassins guild and Ora agrees.  Starheart has the dragon take her to Meno, who is bashing and goring his way through the royal guards.  She asks him why he is doing this and he explains that they need to get their prison bracers off to be able to leave the city.  Starheart leads Meno and the others to the tinkerer’s guild.  Ora calls off the assassins and the guards.

At the tinkerer’s guild they meet Fizz Binkle, and Ora commands him to remove the bracers from the prisoners.  She makes a deal with Meno to take the fall for the attack in exchange for being banished from the city.  Binkle is able to release 45 prisoners, but the battle is still raging on the lower levels.  They race to the Residential level and find the corpse of Gleb in the Tequila Mockingbird.  They are able to stop the violence on that level and free more prisoners.  The Central level is much worse off.  Klaxxon has released his automatons on the prisoners, but Ora convinces him to cease the attack.  There is carnage everywhere.  There are now 125 Forgotten free.

Continuing to the Forge level, the battle still rages.  They get Klaxxon to turn off his animals and they are able to call an end to the battle here too.  The Prison level is a different story.  All of the Forgotten on this level are dead.  The guards see Meno and draw their swords, attacking him.  Meno takes the attack, because this was not what he planned.  Starheart tries to calm emotions, but two guards still attack, regardless of Ora’s orders.  The guards are upset at the prisoners and the queen for creating deadly weapons.  The party convinces the guards to work together to figure out what happened.

After much debate, the group decides to take the guard, Geck, and Meno to the Queen.  Shem meets them at the Central level and says the Queen would like to see them, immediately.  The Royal Guard around the Queen is tripled.  The Queen is very upset.  Ora explains that the prisoners escaped after finding dangerous weaponry.  Because a lot of people were going to die, Ora brokered a peace in which the prisoners would lay down their arms in exchange for banishment.

Nitsuj reads the Queen’s thoughts, seeing fire and death, hearing thundering hoof-beats, a massive body carrying a torch, a broad back with gashed healed over to yellow scars.  There are villages on fire, farmers dead, there is a horde behind this figure.  It turns its head and it is a yellow-tusked orc on the back of a giant boar: Kurluk.  The Queen is terrified that they will lose the war and the entire West, which is why she was building the weapons.  Meno steps forward and accepts responsibility.

The Queen, Ora, and Meno take a walk.  Nitsuj and Starheart are locked in the next room with the guard, but they can hear the events transpire.  The Queen and the others board a floating disc that hovers over the Central platform as the Queen delivers a speech.  She praises her hand, Ora, and lays the blame of the sabotage of the weaponry on Meno.  She will let the Forgotten flee at the cost of being killed on sight if they return.  She also orders Ora to execute Meno.

Starheart frantically tries to figure out a way to interfere, but she is surrounded by guards.  Ora bows to the Queen and whispers to her and asks her to spare the man’s life, sending him and the other Forgotten to battle the orcs instead.  Meno refuses.  Ora faces him and cuts his throat.  He nods at her as he falls to his death.  The Queen has the doors sealed and the remaining Forgotten are rounded up.  She also identifies Fizz Binkle as the person who undid the prisoner’s bracers.  At this, Starheart tries to make it to the main floor, but is stopped by the guards.  The Queen orders Binkle to strap the prisoners with the “other” bracers and orders Klaxxon to execute any that resist.  They are now in the Queen’s army.

## Fun Moments

Danny has to sing “Bringing Sexy Back” as the bard Justan Lake Timber.

Danny has to do an impression of Shrek hiring assassins to kill his wife and Donkey.

Danny has to do an Eddie Murphy impression as a stabbed Donkey.