Episode 1

## Content Warning

This arc contains themes relating to parasites and slight body horror. This includes themes similar to pregnancy.

## Recap

> *A lawless town, a violent gunfight, and a fiery bounty hunter.  Our heroes find themselves on the Golden Route, caught in the wake of someone else’s storm.*
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### Part 1

The group begins in Goldstead, a town about two weeks travel on the Golden Road from Ciniath and situated well into the Painted Valley.

The side of the saloon in the center of town is riddled with bullet holes, and there are six individuals in trenchcoats and flat-brimmed hats standing outside, guns smoking - members of the O'Donogan Gang. The leader shouts towards the people inside the saloon to "send out the genasi boy," as the Gang has business with him.

Inside, Azzurum and Vincent are taking cover behind an over-turned table in the far back corner. They discuss possible plans, and Azzurum disguises himself as Renaer to avoid attention, since he is the only genasi in the room and the other patrons had seen him. The disguise is useless, however, as the gnome barkeep tells them that he knows Azzurum is the genasi, and he leads them the backdoor of the saloon. Dropping the disguise, Vincent and Azzurum follow the barkeep outside and make their way around to the front of the saloon to confront the Gang.

Outside, Lidara and Renaer are returning from their supply run when they hear gunshots. Although Renaer readies himself to rush in, Lidara urges caution. Renaer boosts Lidara up onto the roofs and they move closer.

In front of the saloon, Azzurum stands in the middle of the street, whirling the dust as his feet with wind and making eldritch energy spark down his whip. He cracks the whip on the ground, as Vincent, hidden, conjures the sound of thunder with Thaumaturgy.

The leader of the gang is unintimidated, and says that they are here to take the air genasi in, as the genasi had come through town and taken out a whole group of the Gang's men. They believe Azzurum is to blame, as not many air genasi pass through Goldstead. Azzurum insists it is their first time here and he is not responsible, but the leader pulls his gun to shoot at Azzurum. Lidara, quick on the draw, manages to pierce his shoulder with an arrow before he can fire.

A fight breaks out in the street, with Renaer wading in to close combat and the rest of the combatants sniping at each other from behind cover with arrows and bullets. As the leader moves towards the saloon, the doors are kicked open, and a tiefling emerges. They are wearing a black trench coat, and they have dark black skin and horns made of raw amber. The tiefling places a gun against the leader's temple.

Azzurum uses his whip to pull the leader away from the tiefling, knocking him to the ground, and the tiefling complains about Azzurum stealing her bounty. From the ground, the leader spits in Azzurum's face and uses the distraction to rise to his feet and take Azzurum hostage, his gun aimed at his head. Seeing the danger to Azzurum, Vincent casts Polymorph on the leader, turning him into a small turtle. At this point, several of the Gang members had fled, and the tiefling hogties one while Lidara leaps from a roof to kill the last one with her dagger.

With the battle over, the tiefling introduces herself as Bonnie, a peacekeeper around these parts. She had been hunting members of the O'Donogan gang for a bounty. She also explains the situation in Goldstead: the sheriff had been run out and his office burned to the ground, and most of the town was now under the control of Denton O'Donogan's "O'Donogan Gang." She confirms that a large number of the gang had been killed by an air genasi who passed through town a few days ago, and that they assumed Azzurum was the same genasi.

Knowing that the O'Donogan Gang would continue to pursue Azzurum, the party considers just leaving town. However, Azzurum quickly changes his mind when he feels the magic in his whip pulse, directing him towards the plains - he is reminded of some business he needs to take care of before he leaves. Bonnie agrees to lend them her wagon so that they may stay overnight, and the party plans to depart the next day after taking care of the business that brought them to Goldstead in the first place.

### Part 2

The party makes their way to a small local doctor's office, and it is revealed that Azzurum has been carrying a parasite (not a baby!) inside of him for several months. He had been infected while they were fighting a slaad (an extraplanar being) in the astral sea as they were saving a city (assumed to be Ciniath). The party has spoken to many experts on the subject, but no one was able to promise a solution in less than six months, which was too late to save Azzurum's life. Vajra, a powerful mage from the Ciniath Magist's Academy, recommended that the party seek out Doc Berry in Goldstead, as he was the only one likely to be able to help them.

Doc Berry is an attractive orcish man in his sixties, although he looks much younger. Berry is surprised to see them, as he had given up the more "extraterrestrial" ailments that he dealt with as the school nurse of the Mage's Academy for the quieter life of a small town doctor. However, Berry tells that party that he is indeed capable of removing the parasite... but he does not have the proper tools to do so. He had been robbed earlier that week by the O'Donogan Gang when he was unable to pay a toll, and for payment they took a bag of old tools he hadn't used in a while. The tool that Berry needed to help Azzurum was in that bag.

Berry guesses that the Gang members who had his bag were still nearby, too frightened to cross the plains to return to the main O'Donogan Gang camp. There had been evidence of some large creature in the plains, slaughtering cows and leaving behind massive tunnels, and Berry warns them to be careful. So long as they travel quickly, they should be able to avoid it.

Knowing that this was the only solution to Azzurum's little problem, the party borrows the doctor's wagon and two horses, Jill and John, and sets off to retrieve the bag.

## Featured Characters

### The Strings of Fate

* Azzurum Esen-Carr
* Lidara Mormaer
* Vincent Obra
* Renaer Neverember

### Debut

* Doc Berry
* Bonnie O'Donogan
* Kerry

### Mentions

* Vajra Safahr
* Denton O'Donogan

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW0PxTtugfU