Yesterday a very large gang of brigands wearing shark bone masks attacked Crossing. After a lot of folks cleared the streets of enemies, the town guards started directing adventurers to cries for help from Crafting Societies, various shops, and Inns.

Perune lead his group to the Half Pint:


[Half Pint, Moonlight Suite]
A crescent-shaped, billowing bed dominates the center of this room. The ceiling is painted midnight blue, with glowing gems twinkling in rhythmic sequence like some perfect night sky. On the deep blue walls are depictions of the eleven planets and scenes of the Immortals who govern them engaged in feasting and merriment.
You also see a blue-tinted door and an etched frosted crystal door.
Also here: Sieban's Whirlwind Saphryna, Cannon Fodder Lagury, Rairken, Burden to Society Digmo and Ghust.
Obvious exits: none.


Digmo exclaims, "This messin around in the drinkin establishments has gotta be dealt with!"

You catch a strange movement out of the corner of your eye.

Ghust says, "There's a strange movement."

Rairken exclaims, "Nevermind what was that!"

(Everyone searches a lot.)

A cutthroat gestures.

The cutthroat leaps from hiding and ambushes Lagury!
A cutthroat leaps from hiding and ambushes Lagury!
A cutthroat feints low at Lagury. The broadsword lands a good hit to his chest!


Rairken exclaims, "I'll tackle um!"


The cutthroat laughs loudly! (After a lot of attempts to use magic in a warded room and failed attempts to kill him.)

Ghust asks, "Whats so funny???"

You ask, "Who are you!?"

Ghust asks, "Who are ya lookin fer?"

Ghust asks, "Or what?"

The cutthroat says, "You all fell for my distractions, but this isn't the last you'll see of us!"

Lagury draws a haralun flamberge at a cutthroat. The flamberge lands a heavy strike that cuts deeply into the fleshy part of the left palm!

The cutthroat gasps out, "You better...watch...your...back...."

Rairken says, "Now... what did they distract us for..."

Lagury says, "That was one mean cutthroat."

Saphryna gently says, "Good question."

Ghust says, "He seemed ta be smarter than th' other ones."

Digmo says, "Yeah, he was not rank and file."

Lagury says, "A lot tougher."

Saphryna gently says, "He did not leave anything behind."

Ghust says, "No more than anyone else anyway."

Saphryna gently says, "Perhaps we should have tried talking longer."

Rairken says, "That means they got away with whatever they wanted."

Ghust says, "Ah don think it would have mattered."

Ghust says, "Ah think all his posterin was jus that. Posterin."

Ghust says, "He WANTED us ta think he was up ta somethin when it was someone else."

You say, "They were in the societies for a long time."

You say, "I think they stole some goods."

Rairken asks, "Anything significant usually located in the Half Pint?"

Saphryna gently says, "Search the room."

(Engage lots of searching.)

As you search around, you notice tiny pieces of green glass near the bed.

You say, "Huh.."

(Perune looks under the bed.)

Rairken says, "I've looked everwhere around and under the bed."

Rairken ponders.

Ghust asks, "What was the green glass?"

Rairken picks up a tiny piece of glass.

Digmo picks up a tiny piece of glass.

Ghust picks up a tiny piece of glass.

You pick up a tiny piece of glass.

Ghust says, "So he broke a bottle."

You say, "Hmm."

Saphryna gently asks, "Will it fit together?"

You say, "Let's see."

Digmo says, "That's a thought."

You say, "I want to know what they broke."

Ghust nods in agreement.

You say, "Let's arrange the pieces."

(Everyone starts examining each individual piece.)

> look at glass
Though largely blotted out, you can make out part of what looks like a rat depicted on the glass.

Rairken says, "Ah... the marred one."

You ask, "A.. rat?"

Lagury nods to you.

Saphryna gently says, "Marred by dark smudges."

Digmo says, "Rat poison."

Ghust asks, "Rat poison? But why?"

Digmo says, "Mebbe."

Lagury asks, "They wanted to do us a favor and clear out the shipyard?"

Saphryna gently says, "Or rat plague."

Saphryna gently says, "He seemed a magic caster."

Ghust asks, "What if it was a potion he drank?"

(Perune attemps to arrange all the pieces together.)

As you re-arrange the pieces of glass, they look like they might have all come from some sort of jar.

You say, "Hmm, yeah, definitely a container."

Ghust asks Lagury, "Wait this aint some booze ya dropped is it?"

Lagury says, "I wouldnt waste booze like that."

You say, "Not sure, but."

You say, "Maybe there was something in it he wanted."

Saphryna gently asks, "With a rat on it?"

Ghust says, "We're missin somethin."

Rairken says, "Rat, green glass, mercenaries and ruffians clad in bone armor and weapons."

Saphryna rubs a piece of green glass marred by dark smudges.

Saphryna gently says, "Looks like it might need more cleaning."

(Everyone spends some time cleaning the pieces.)

> look at glass
You can make out part of what looks like the face and upper body of a rat depicted on the glass. Just beneath the creature, you see the letters "Sarh", but the rest looks like it has been broken off.

Rairken says, "Sarhali's Fine Carvings... we should check there."

You ask, "Know where it is?"

Rairken says, "Ahh... well that's far away."

Rairken chuckles.

Lagury says, "Muspari."

Ghust picks up a tiny piece of green glass with the letters "li" on it.

(At this point we collect all the pieces and Digmo ends up Gating us to Muspar'i.)

[Sarhali's Fine Carvings, Foyer]
Sarhali's studio carries a scent of newness, as if the walls have been recently painted and the floor laid with fresh sawdust. The tiny shop has an air of quiet pride and accomplishment, from the curtained archway leading outside to the baked tile floor of the gallery to the east. A S'Kra mannequin with its hands upraised as if in a dance stands gracefully in the center of the room.
You also see an ornate pedestal with a couple of things on it.
Also here: Burden to Society Digmo who is surrounded by a shimmering shield, Ghust who is surrounded by a shimmering shield, Cannon Fodder Lagury who is surrounded by a shimmering shield, Sieban's Whirlwind Saphryna who is surrounded by a shimmering shield and Rairken who is surrounded by a shimmering shield.
Obvious exits: east.

You yell, "Hello? Shopkeep?"

Ghust says, "SEEMS quiet."

Ghust asks, "Don' see Sarhali. Is he or she normally up front here?"

Rairken says, "Yeah..."

Rairken says, "Usually standing in the middle..."

You ask, "Hmm.. everyone have a mask?"

You say, "Put them on."

You put a shark skull mask on your head.

Ghust asks, "You think they do somethin?"

You whisper to Digmo, Ghust, Lagury, Saphryna, and Rairken, "No, I want to see how the shopkeep reacts to our presence in the masks."

You see a small rat run to the east.

Ghust says, "A rat!."

Digmo exclaims, "There went a rat!"

You follow Rairken east.

[Sarhali's Fine Carvings, Gallery]
The gallery is simple, its white walls unadorned but clean and the floor tiles likewise scrupulously swept but bearing no carving. The simplicity of the room leaves the onlooker unburdened by detail, the better to appreciate the quality of Sarhali's merchandise.
You also see a limestone pillar with an intricately carved sandstone gryphon with wings grandly spread in flight on it, a sandstone pillar with a playful sandstone hippocampus captured in mid-leap over a cresting wave on it, a marble pillar with a glossy black sandstone sea serpent with fiery carnelian eyes on it, a granite pillar with a deep blue sandstone wave crested with intricately etched white foam on it and an onyx pillar with an exquisitely detailed white sandstone lighthouse on it.
Also here: Sieban's Whirlwind Saphryna who is surrounded by a shimmering shield, Cannon Fodder Lagury who is surrounded by a shimmering shield, Ghust who is surrounded by a shimmering shield, Burden to Society Digmo who is surrounded by a shimmering shield and Rairken who is surrounded by a shimmering shield.
Obvious exits: west.

Rairken says, "Check all the pillars."

(After examining all the pillars for a while.)

A small rat runs by, causing a green glass jar to roll out from behind one of the pillars.

Ghust says, "Look."

Digmo picks up a small green glass jar etched with the visage of a rat.

Digmo offers you a small green glass jar etched with the visage of a rat. Enter ACCEPT to accept the offer or DECLINE to decline it. The offer will expire in 30 seconds.

You accept Digmo's offer and are now holding a small green glass jar etched with the visage of a rat.

> look in jar
There is nothing in there.

Digmo says, "Gotta be the same jar."

> look at jar
Below the creature, the word "Sarhali" is etched, then gouged out repeatedly.

Rairken asks, "Anything in it?"

Saphryna gently asks, "Really was rat poison?"

Saphryna giggles.

Rairken says, "Let Lagury drink it."

Digmo says, "Nothin in it."

Ghust says, "Don see nothin odd."

Rairken asks, "Anything written on it... or descriptive?"

You say, "Just the name of the shopowner."

Ghust says, "Okay, ah don think there is anythin IN the pillars. But it does mean that them intruders were here."

Saphryna gently says, "I think we just are in the right place for something else."

Saphryna gently says, "Though it is odd for a cutthroat to run around with rat poison."

Rairken says, "Or Sarhali is appart of somethin...not sure why the name would be gouged out so much."

Lagury says, "A shopowner from muspari, and cutthroats in crossing. i dont get it."

Rairken says, "A missing shopowner at that."

Ghust says, "Okay, this is gonna sound REALLY weird, but what if we broke it? Maybe its got somethin inside th' glass."

You ask, "Before you do that, can I see it?"

(Perune smells the jar and rubs his fingers along the inside.)

You say, "Going to look for any dust or remnant."

A stream of corrosive acid sprays you in the chest!

Saphryna gasps at you!

Ghust asks, "What th' heck??"

Lagury laughs!

Lagury says, "Well then."

Ghust asks, "Where did that come from?"

You say, "Yeah... I think its a rat trap."

You cry out in unbearable agony as the acid eats into your chest. It feels like molten lava slowly dissolving your flesh.

The small green glass jar suddenly dissolves!

Rairken says, "And there it went."

Ghust asks, "Were you tryin ta open a box? How did ya get hit by acid?"

You say, "The jar. Its a rat trap, I think."

You say, "My guess is Sarhali sells these, they made use of one for something else."

You say, "Its strong acid.. they used it to destroy or open something in Crossing."

Ghust says, "Thats why there were just remains of a jar."

You say, "Its meant to kill a rat, entirely. My guess."

Ghust asks, "Why are there rats runnin around in a place that sells rat traps?"

You say, "They probably smell the trap."

Ghust asks, "Plus, this place don seem like a rat trap place. You sure it came from th' jar an not from the shadows?"

You say, "Fairly sure, feel free to look around though."

(Everyone searches around a while longer.)

You say, "We're going to have to find out what they got from Crossing."

(At this point we Gate back to Crossing and I depart to attend the drawing for Rellecke's familiar alterations. The group, however, searches around the Half Pint some more before I finally return.)

[Personal] Your mind hears Digmo thinking, "<to you>" "you still in fest?"

[The Crossing, Dodgers' Row]
Feet tread the cobbled streets here, booted feet, sandaled feet, armored feet, rag-wrapped feet, all thumping against the pavement and reverberating off the closely-spaced, rundown buildings. In the slimy gutter, along the west curb, a pile of dry straw has been heaped up against a sewer grating.
You also see a Hanjora that is sitting, a curly tailed boarlike pig with a couple of things on it and a shattered wooden fence.
Also here: Ghust, Burden to Society Digmo, Sieban's Whirlwind Saphryna and Cannon Fodder Lagury who is sitting.
Obvious paths: north, south.

You say, "Sorry, I got into a fight with a merc outside the Empath Guild."

Digmo says, "I was tryin to get in touch, but you must have been in the festival grounds."

Ghust says, "Oh. Someone tell him th' news."

Lagury asks, "Theres some still here?"

Saphryna gently asks, "Did it speak to you?"

You say, "No, it tried to kill me."

You grin.

Lagury laughs!

Saphryna gently says, "Oh."

Digmo says, "Show him the cloth."

Saphryna offers you a scrap of cloth embroidered with a large platinum kronar. Enter ACCEPT to accept the offer or DECLINE to decline it. The offer will expire in 30 seconds.

> look at cloth
Depicted within the kronar is a black rat crouched in a fighting stance with two long dirks in its claws.

You say, "Huh."

Digmo says, "We have discovered that the symbol on the cloth is that of the presumed defunct Sewer Rat Gang."

Ghust nods.

You say, "I knew the rat symbol sounded so familiar."

You say, "Couldn't place it."

Ghust says, "And they have a connection between here and Muspari."

You ask, "Do you think Sarhali is in on this then?"

Ghust says, "Maybe."

Digmo says, "So, looks to us like the next step is to search the sewers, though I must admit i'm totally unfamiliar with that area."

(We did end up digging through sewer muck for a bit until we had to admit we don't know enough about the sewers to really begin a thorough search and most everyone had to start taking off anyways.)

What will happen with the rising gang of dregs? How many more Zoluren citizens will die? Find out next time on CSI: Crossing.

Saw the tweet on Twitter but had just crawled into bed! Thank you for the recap! CSI: Crossing? Hells yeah! Nicely done, mystery GM!