Shadows in the Stone
Arriving in the city after a grueling journey, the Veiled Vanguard seeks lodging at Bulgrad’s Bulging Barrel. They gamble, shop for enchanted gear, and make some extra coin before chaos erupts in the marketplace. Feral, corrupted dwarves attack the crowd, spreading a strange infection. Diablo, Valerie, and Naoki struggle against its effects while the party fights to survive. As the last enemy falls, Valerie barely shakes off the corruption, leaving Emelyne puzzled by its nature. They loot the bodies, finding valuables and a mysterious black shard before the city guards arrive, leading them away for questioning as they wonder what truly caused this horrific affliction.
Night fell as the party entered Rubealon after two full days of travel through the tunnels. Before teleporting away to her upper-level residence, Laurna suggested they seek lodging in the market district, prompting Valerie to flirt while secretly realizing she had failed to pick the sorceress's purse. Taking note of the heavy guard presence, Craum warned the group to avoid starting fights. Settling at Bulgrad’s Bulging Barrel, Emelyne arranged rooms, bought herbal wine, and joined a two-silver poker game where Valerie subtly swapped cards and pocketed a spare deck. Thalia emerged victorious, winning a massive pot of gold and a +1 Dagger of Returning. After Valerie topped up their inn stay for two nights by performing on the streets, Professor Leorcin provided a Sending Stone for communication and noted they would remain in the city for a couple of days. Inquiring about fighting arenas, Valerie learned the nearest options were back in Illnerya or the monster arenas of Borgeshun.
The next day in the market, Valerie advised Thalia to carry a decoy purse to thwart cutpurses before the group split up to trade. Craum sold his goods at an inner-ring tavern for 60 gold, while Valerie pawned the gold box of stone figurines to a jeweler for 225 gold, taking a 25-gold commission and adding 200 to the party fund. Visiting an enchanter, Emelyne purchased a Ring of Warmth for 120 gold. When Thalia eyed specialized cloaks, Valerie negotiated a bulk deal for a Cloak of Protection and a Cloak of Many Fashions for 240 gold total, then tricked the absent-minded dwarf shopkeeper into handing over 20 gold in "change."
Stepping back onto the streets, the party was thrown into combat as panic erupted around feral dwarves with dark, cracked skin. Diablo took a strike that immediately infected him with a spreading contagion, prompting him to pull back as he repeatedly failed saving throws. Emelyne raised a fallen dwarven civilian as a zombie, Valerie summoned three illusory duplicates with Mirror Image, and Naoki cast Spike Growth, shredding an advancing host that quickly resurrected as corrupted undead. Recognizing one of the feral attackers as a woman who had been kidnapped the previous night, Valerie dodged multiple blows that only destroyed one of her mirror images.
As the corruption spread, infecting both Naoki and Valerie, the party fought back furiously: Thalia felled a zombie with her bow, Naoki shook off the infection, and Valerie sliced a zombie open with Psychic Blades before Diablo landed the final blow on the last undead dwarf. Fighting off the affliction herself, Valerie’s shock-white skin returned to its normal color as the contagion receded, though Emelyne could not determine its exact cause.
Looting the fallen, the party recovered a bejeweled necklace, 3 platinum, 173 gold, 76 silver, 112 copper, and a strange black mineral shard outlined by a glowing red aura. As city guards approached, Diablo destroyed Emelyne’s zombie to hide their necromancy, and Valerie successfully convinced the guards they were innocent bystanders. After the guard captain executed the remaining infected dwarves, the party was escorted away for questioning, left to wonder about the nature of the dark affliction and whether it only targets the deceased.