The group went with Mahlanda to Lord Aris' place for a dinner. Afterwards they expected to meet with the head of the Veiled Alliance here in Altaruk.
The three brothers meandered through the hall playing their music to mostly positive reviews, mingling with the guests. There was a feeling of trepidation from the guards though the source of this was unknown.

Safi also noticed a strange tattoo on the neck of the elven merchant seated next to Lord Aris discussing a trade deal.

Mahlanda knows of a secret way out and urges the others to follow her to a safe place as they are likely suspects for the murder. She moves aside a statue and reveals a secret passage behind. She enters quickly and urges the others to follow which they readily do.

They find Birk easily enough and it becomes apparent he is not as crazy as was once believed, though sometimes it is not so evident. From him they learn that the smoke bomb cannister was likely purchased from the potter Polonious.

Polonious was scolding a young apprentice and was not in the mood to talk to the players. They failed to convince him otherwise and actually began to make a scene. Unwanting to draw too much attention to themselves they bided their time and Morhen was able to get from the apprentice Yonnoy that it was Yonnoy who had sold the clay pots for the smoke pots used in the assassination. Yonnoy also divulged that the chemical agents needed for the smoke bombs could be gotten from the tannery.

At the Tannery they meet Scalgow who, reluctant at first, agrees to give them information if they leave House Rees out of the conversation so as not to hurt its reputation. They learn that he did sell some weapons and chemicals to a group headed by an elf trader named Deevo. He did not know, however, that it would be used in an assassination attempt. He also suggested that Magistrate Alensia might help them out, with this new information.

In the meeting with Alensia, the magistarte the group thought they were making headway with the woman, in her plush office, when a guard burst in and explained that the prisoners were escaping.

The group tried pleading with Alensia that they were not involved, as they saw Deevo speed away with his associates in a crdodlu-driven chariot. Alensia though was not convinced and she attempted to prevent them from escaping with their lives.

Just as Alensia was surrendering to the group Mahlanda bursts through the door, she had escaped with help from House Wavir. Mahlanda instructs the group to grab a chariot and pursue the escaping assassin, Deevo.

While in pursuit a bolt of lightning shot out from the first chariot and struck a pillar on the side of the path. using a combination of strength, magic and skill the group was able to steer the chariot out of harm's way.

A tremor then shook the ground and caused their animals to become skittish. Before they could calm the crodlu they found themselves deep into a ravine filled with silt. Fortunately they were able to assist the crodlu in dragging the chariot about before they all choked to death on the suffocating silt. This did however allow their enemies to put some distance on them

On the other side though they found no sign of the assassin or his chariot. But then off a side trail the enemy rushed down and the two vehicles smashed together and battle quickly ensued. Though it was short as Deevo was flung from the cart to his death and the remainder had no stomach to fight since they were just hired mercenaries.

Entering the underground temple, the group comes across a room covered in fire and sun symbols but the room is dark and shadowy. The windows are ricked out and the braziers are shrouded in thick dark ash-filled smoke that curled up to, and collected at, the ceiling. There were sarcophagi at either end of the room and a large carving of the sun, covered in soot, at the center of the room.

The group was instantly set upon by a dwarven cleric and four shadowy elven archers. The group was able to cleanse the temple room by cleaning off the sun-symbol and  clearing out, and relighting, the braziers. They also dispatched the dwarf and his compatriots.