Spoiler: Gelećek
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(So I assume Gelećek is not concealing his somatic component.) As Gelećek begins casting, the rest of the bar glances over, curious. The half-elf leans back while taking sips from his mug. The card players pause their game briefly. Sinda leans forward on the bar with an expressionless look. The finely dressed human starts eating more slowly, eyes following Gelećek's motions. (Insight check.) His companion watches warily, one hand resting on the handle of his greataxe.

Twenty seconds into the ritual, everyone in the bar returns to their usual activities. (Perception check.)

When the ritual completes, an aura of abjuration emanates from one of the human card players. (Insight check.)

Spoiler: Astella
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The apparition shrugs. "At present, we archfey find it difficult to properly interact with your world. Only by divining the stars can I read the machinations of men. If it is details you seek, seek Lewinna, Consort of the Fire Lord, a lovely woman who is far too friendly with Cuinn and his servants, but knows well the map of mortal affairs. Mmm... Oh yes, your fellow mortal, Segeric Elswin I believe, is not as foolish as the rest of you. Perhaps you should try him. Or perhaps not. (History check.)

"I have reached into the fabric of fate, but I reached too far. I felt the presence of The Other. A perversion of the order of things. The most unholy mind and being. In comparison, the Lords of the Infernos seem tame. I withdrew to preserve my sanity, then followed a strand of this blackened fate back to my homeland. It hides in the mind of one too far gone, but I felt as well tens of thousands of minds connected to this one, their fates bound together by strands of corruption." The apparition stops and shudders, as if reliving an unpleasant memory. With a shake of his head, he speaks again. "Go to the city of trade, where the minds of mortals are preoccupied by silver and gold. If you look in the right places, you too shall feel the blight."

Spoiler: Guhzunthite
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"We were never rude—" starts a human man angrily, but the woman with the necklace interrupts him.

"This is acceptable to us," she says, handing Guhzunthite the necklace. "We'll strive for an end to these affairs which still satisfy our hosts at Arashk."

The lizardfolk militiamen head back to the settlement. After a few minutes pass, during which time the humans prepared for travel, only two lizardfolk return, the original militiaman who confronted the humans, and a different lizardfolk Guhzunthite has never seen before.

The latter speaks to Guhzunthite in Draconic. He says, "Off season, brother. Not many volunteers are willing to travel with you. The human city is a week away, with good weather." (Intelligence check with advantage.) He shakes his head. "I travel to supply Vazak with potions and other enchanted essentials." Vazak is the chief cleric of Arashk.

The militiaman says in Draconic, "I must join my brothers in defeating the swamp raiders. Best of luck. May Farlengh watch over you." He leaves.

"Farlengh," snorts the remaining lizardfolk. "A nonexistent god. How long has Kezhall been spouting that nonsense? It's no wonder Vazak is the chief cleric." Kezhall is the inn cleric. (Religion check.) "Matters not. Are you ready to leave? We must keep a brisk pace."

Spoiler: Theren
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Theren follows the guard with the globe through the gates, leaving the sputtering gnome merchant behind. The streets are bustling with trade and traffic, and Theren manages to hide among the crowd. Just in front of the guard with the globe, the thief girl being forcibly escorted by the two guards attempts to hide her face. Passerbys jeer and yell at her.

After a minute of walking, the guards escorting the girl arrive at a fortified tower. They enter with the girl and the door shuts behind them. There is another guard stationed just outside the door. The guard with the globe whispers to the guard at the door, who nods. (Perception check.)

The tower is on a busy street. There are businesses and stalls nearby, with many commoners and traders walking about.

Spoiler: Errich
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"Deny everything," says Herzfeld. "Deny spying on them. Deny knowing anything. Deny working for me. These are Order knights, not common bandits or smugglers. They won't attack you without good reason. Even if they don't believe you, they won't take serious action without concrete information. The other side of this, however, is that if you're found, you cannot contact me directly. If you can discretely message me your reports, that's excellent. If not, I'll understand. Be careful; if it goes against your gut, don't do it."

The room looks to be a cross between an office and an archive. There are dozens of shelves, locked behind glass and wood, of scrolls, papers, and folders, stacked densely and neatly, marked by dates and locations. There is a plush, cushioned couch and a lamp standing next to it. A sturdy-looking desk sits by the window. On the desk are blank sheets of parchment, quills, jars of differently colored inks, and a glass jug of spiced red wine with an empty tin cup next to it. The chair behind the desk is cushioned.

Spoiler: Stran
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(Persuasion check.) (1d20-1)[0]
(Waiting on results of roll.)

Spoiler: Evodine
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"Your cover is left to your discretion," says Pfeifferspiel. "If you need false identification, the quartermaster will requisition it for you. Or—" he grins "—you could just improvise in the field. That's what I did on my first mission. We were sent to infiltrate an Ostmarkian slaver camp, and my colleagues pretended to be traders from Prespes. They had papers and everything. Their papers were taken by the slavers as collateral, but I, on the other hand, went in pretending to be some village herbalist. No papers, as is typical of villagers, but my skills were needed to heal their wounded, so they let me in anyways. After our mission was complete, when we returned to Tolzburg, they got chewed out by the Commander for leaving evidence at the target site. The slavers managed to learn a lot by studying the forged identifications. They later tried to ambush my colleagues, but we anticipated that they would study the forged papers, so we ambushed them instead.

"Oh, goodness, I've kept you for too long. Sorry, sorry, I have tendencies to daydream of my earlier years in the Order. Just to be clear, it's never a bad idea to have a cover. Just be precise about where you use it." Pfeifferspiel stands up. "Alright, Evodine. I'll see you in a month, in one piece. I'm sure by then I'll have heard of what a success your mission was. Be safe, be smart. Don't take stupid risks."