The Fireball Gazette

A Plea for Help
Inside the cathedral, the party witnessed a rather upsetting conversation between Elio and a very distraught red-haired woman named Marina. She was pleading for a séance to contact her deceased sister, but Elio, with a heavy heart, explained he couldn’t spare resources for non-emergencies - so sorry about that, eh? However, sensing how much she was struggling, the party offered to assist Elio, who shared his worries about some quite rude terrorist attacks in Port Elgin, allegedly led by Moon Church separatists. Mad Matt agreed to help find some information, though he emphasized, with much humility, that the party definitely wasn’t in Port Elgin when the attacks happened, eh? Before they could continue, the Paladin entered, whispering a bit of an apology to Elio regarding a mysterious barrel delivery.

Explosive Discovery
Curious, the party inspected the barrels outside, noting they were tightly sealed with liquid inside - quite a bit of a mess waiting to happen, eh? Selah and Matt already feared the worst, believing these barrels might be the same ones from Port Elgin, so sorry to say. With the help of a bird, Deva tracked down a nervous monk managing a cart nearby. As the party began interrogating him - pardon the bluntness - he muttered a spell, and moments later, an explosion rocked the cathedral. A few assassins in dark robes suddenly attacked, quite rudely casting off their disguinsing and striking down unprepared monks and paladins, eh?

Vines and Greataxes
Deva summoned some vines to ensnare the assassin, transforming into a horse to tackle him from above - what a feat, eh? Meanwhile, Marina, startled from her hiding spot, charged out with her greataxe and went after the assassin. Despite an initial miss - so sorry about that - she landed a second blow, wounding him quite badly. She pursued him relentlessly, eventually ending his flight down a staircase with one final, albeit somewhat intense, strike, eh?

Defending Elio
Ace took a strategic position near the cathedral, but an assassin managed to slash him before he could find cover - how terribly sorry we are about that! Off by the entrance, Mad Matt rushed to protect Elio from a crossbow attack, which was quickly thwarted by Ace’s expert shot, eh? Horse-Deva corralled an assassin into a corner, ensuring Elio and the Paladin could retreat back inside safely.

The Assassin’s Leader Emerges
Rachel Boon, leader of the assassins, stepped into view, declaring her intent to destroy the cathedral - how very impolite, eh? With a grim flourish, she ignited barrels placed around the area, sending waves of pinkish-blue flames across the cathedral grounds. Selah, using her ki, climbed atop a tree and enveloped the courtyard in magical darkness, adding a new layer of chaos to the battlefield, so sorry for the lack of visibility, eh?

Battle in the Darkness
The party fought blindly in the dark - it was quite a bother, eh? Matt, positioning himself to intercept Rachel, managed to wound her with his black tendally just as she advanced. Ace fired a well-timed crossbow bolt, striking her in the abdomen - pardon the precision! Nearby, Deva, still in horse form, stalked her remaining target, delivering powerful kicks until he succumbed. With Rachel down and the darkness dissipated, Deva transformed into a bear, finishing off the last assassin with a fierce final blow, eh?

Inside the Cathedral
The party captured a chi-blocked assassin and Rachel herself, rushing them as well as a critically wounded civilian inside - so sorry for the commotion! They were quite worried that the Paladin might be a double agent, but it became clear he had been defending Elio all along, thank goodness, eh? Grateful for their help, Elio healed the wounded and attempted to interrogate Rachel, who, quite stubbornly, refused to answer. He ordered her and the assassin to be held until judgment, so sorry to the captives, eh?

Revelations and Rewards
Thankful for the heroes' intervention, Elio agreed to conduct a séance for Marina. However, even with twenty candles and deep meditation, he couldn’t contact her sister, Luna, from beyond the grave - what a real shame, eh? There could only be one explanation for this - Luna was still alive!
When Ace tried to offer Elio a vial of liquid gold to aid repairs - so very kind of him - he politely declined the gift, insisting on paying 200 gold for it instead, eh? Knowing Selah’s interest in relics, he invited the party to visit the Northern Cathedral’s treasury, promising a guided tour of the church’s most treasured artifacts the next day… so sorry to keep you waiting, eh!

– TO BE CONTINUED –