Oerthday, Coldeven 6, 575 cy (cont'd)

Lucian, who had been drinking in the common room of the inn, also heard the commotion from the second floor and followed the innkeep upstairs. There he found that a man from the neighboring guest room, and his son, had stepped into the hall to see what the disturbance was. While the group briefly conversed with the pair, who gave their names as Wyllum and Wyll Jr., the innkeep scampered back downstairs after discovering the bodies of the reptilian creatures.

When Frate then began to investigate what was behind the hidden panel in his inn room, he was nearly slain by the blade of a hidden assailant. As the rest of the Seventh Lance came to his defense, he staggered back into the guest room, clinging to life. Beyond the secret panel, the group found a dimly-lit hallway where a second man, armed with a dagger, came to the defense of the half-elf's assailant, and the two groups began to clash.

Inside the Lancer's room, Frate employed divine power to heal his wounds, while Jacobiz heartened his teammates with song. Enid, hearing the returning innkeep shouting from the main hallway for all guests to return their rooms, shut the door and conveyed the instructions to the rest of the team. Seconds later, the innkeep, dagger in hand, burst the door back open and stormed in, followed by two armed and armored individuals, one of whom threw a stone into the group as she entered. The space immediately became utterly silent as Lucian squared off against the mace-wielding man and Frate sparred with the innkeep, assisted by Jacobiz. Pursued by Enid, the female antagonist backed out of the room and then invoked magicks that caused the mage to become frozen in place, unable to move.

Meanwhile, the other half of the party swarmed the pair in the back hallway and cooperatively laid them low. At the same moment, a squad of five men in leathers and wielding swords emerged from a room across from the hall and filed into the Lancers' room, lending aid to the male antagonists and dealing a deadly blow to the helpless Enid as they entered. As the mace-wielding man was slain by Lucian, Mehmed returned to the room to assist his fellows and charged through the area with his spear set to skewer the female. Narrowly avoiding the attack, the woman positioned herself behind the newly arriving men, to escape the wrath of the druid. As the rest of the group returned to the room to assist, Meti set his wolfherder to guard the back hall.

In the Wyll's room, the female attacker utilized a hidden panel identical to the one in the Lance's inn room, to access the back hall. Kana immediately pounced on her, but she was able to fight off his attack and flee down the hallway. Following the woman, Lucian hurried through the room towards the open panel, while Wyll and Wyll Jr., armed with iron fireplace pokers, observed. Having had enough of the Golden Grain Inn by then, the Wyl's quickly packed up their belongings and fled down the hall.

After dispatching the inkeep, Frate noticed, through the open panel, the female antagonist streaking down the back hall, with Kana in close pursuit. The woman attempted to make good her escape through yet another secret panel at the end of the hidden hall, but was tackled by Meti's hound, just as she got the portal open. Frate, who had joined in the chase, and Lucian quickly restrained the the woman, taking her captive.

As the battle turned, two of the leather-clad aggressors attempted to flee down the main hall, but one was slain as he turned to run, so only one of the pair managed to escape. Shortly thereafter, the magicks affecting Enid released their hold, and she was able to move freely again.