Blackshield Broadbelly & Boulderback
Arriving in Mysteria, the Vanguard aligns with an opportunistic businessman while navigating a port crippled by the aftermath of the Tears of Toumas. Dressed to impress at Lord Gildergully’s high-society gala, the party steps straight into a web of dark Fey magic and criminal syndicate secrets. But as the evening's main display is unveiled, a shocking betrayal throws the parlor into total chaos.
Arriving at the freezing, poverty-stricken port city of Mysteria, the Vanguard received 250 gold from the captain while Emelyne was whisked away to a doctor due to her sickly, pale condition. Guided by a ragged elderly woman to an inn called the Brass Arcanist—a repurposed Noxerium refinery—the party secured lodging and paid for her meal. When a frail, masked mugger attempted to rob them, Sanasha snared and teleported him directly to her face using her ethereal grasping roots. She threatened to sever his head, but secretly slipped two platinum coins into his pocket before letting him flee in terror. Impressed by the display, local guards provided a letter of introduction to the city's owner, Lord Lionel Gildergully. Soon after, Erik Blackshield—a haughty dwarven businessman—and his stoic, glass-eating human companion, Zed, approached the Vanguard. During their exchange over drinks, Sanasha observed Zed eat his glass after finishing an appletini, taking piercing damage in the process. Erik proposed a joint business venture to present Gildergully with an alternate power source to restore the city's machinery, while also pressing the party for details about their past and the fate of their fallen companion, Valerie.
The following morning, Emelyne departed to attend to her own private business via a messenger, while an invitation arrived for Lord Gildergully’s grand "Eve of the Fey" gala. Sanasha coaxed the archmage Thain into creating high-fashion, urban-decay-themed Fey Court attire for the party, allowing them to arrive at the estate and utterly eclipse the cheap imitations worn by Fearna's finest. While exploring the parlor, Percy was confronted by Damien Stellion—a vampire from Craggy Rock connected to the Three Claws syndicate—who offered his card and future aid.
The gala reached its climax when Lord Gildergully unveiled his solution to the city's energy crisis: a massive containment cell housing a black-cloaked, owl-headed Archfey of the Dark Fey Courts, bound by iron cables siphoning its magic to power the city. Erik stepped aside with Gildergully under the pretense of discussing their private business deal, only to murder the Lord, grow a full foot in height with chalk-white hair, and shape-shift into Gildergully's likeness. Returning to the parlor in disguise, "Gildergully" signaled Zed, who shattered a window by tossing a gnome outside. As chaos erupted, the imposter popped the seals on the containment glass and vanished, releasing the furious Archfey into the crowded room as Sanasha screamed for everyone to run.