Damarra

hile fleeing the dangerous pixie, Halflinger, Aro discovered a goblin war band along the way to the companions' destination. With his wilderness expertise, he took his friends around the mysterious battle while making the best time possible on their quest to Dammara.

After successfully negotiating the dangers of elves, gnomes, owlbears, pixies, and goblins, the small band has finally found their new destination. Dammara, their refuge and possibly their biggest danger yet. Cresting a hill in their wagon, Dammara finally comes into view. Aro, Gnomer, Cleopatra, Marco, and Lukka discover the true extent of the surviving refugees of Harrah. It seems a quarter of the population of Harrah is camped outside the walls of Dammara in a wretched looking refuge tent city hugging the great walls of Dammara.

Arriving at the gates, the guards admit the refugees and direct them to the Soulforger's Mission, to register, and then to a temporary camp outside the city walls. The hustle and bustle of the over-populated city puts all but Gnomer and Cleopatra at edge. Gnomer immediately blends in, while in contrast, Cleopatra sticks out like a beautiful sore thumb. Both find safety in their comfort. Most do not notice the little theif slinking past, and the burley Cleopatra, while aloof, she does not look like an easy mark. Aro and Marco seem a little nervous and unsettled, busy sizing up everyone in the city all at once. Only little Lukka seems to be enjoying himself in this adventure. The chaotic mob all going in every direction at once making it nearly impossible to recognize any in the crowd.

At the Mission, Sister Doughna takes Marco and Lukka to the refugee registration. She directs the others to the nearest inn and an honest trader near the western gate. Soon Gnomer was haggling with Denver, the owner of the Rake Trading Post. Selling off loot from the stolen Rossari caravan and other discovered items from the trail, leave the party feeling mildly heroic. As they leave the Rake, Gnomer spots a familiar face in the crowd, which promptly hid down an alley. Gnomer led her muscle, Cleopatra and Aro into the alley to assess the risk of this memorable face. Suddenly, Gnomer found herself knife to knife with an old comrade, Lieutenant Danis; an officer of Thane Waltrich.

Lieutenant Danis led the heroes to Thane Waltrich's hide out. The thane and the heroes exchanged stories of their travels since parting at the fall of Harrah. The thane ended with his tale of woe at the state of Dammara. In his estimation, Dammara's leadership seems in league with the usurpers. Their lack of assistance to the refugees, their harsh curfew, and their detention of select refugees have the typically peaceful thane in the mindset of starting a coup. He quickly recruited the heroes to abduct the thane of Dammara as quickly and quietly as possible.

Gnomer led the band to a den of thieves to find assistance entering the keep, specifically the thane's chambers. The thieves seemed honored by the request and anxious to help, in exchange for a simple dirty deed. Hours later Aro has murdered a former neighbor, and the help of the thieves of Dammara has been secured. A thief led the party to a secret escape hatch in the hills, with a tunnel leading to the keep's servant's halls.

The escape tunnel was teaming with life, kobolds seemed to move in. One would expect a royal escape route would be clear and direct, but this was anything but. Cleopatra seemed quite in her element cleaving through kobolds. Remaining diligent to their task they ignored the kobold tunnels and went straight for the keep and abducted the sleeping thane and looted his chamber. After exiting the way they entered, Gnomer learned that one cannot trust a thief. The thieves of Dammara had set an ambush. Although they had under estimated the country bumpkin, Aro and the beautiful Cleopatra, who made quick work of the ambushers.

Soon the heroes and their captive were back at Waltrich's hide out. The thieves appeared to have double crossed Gnomer twice, as they also set the city guard on Waltrich's men. It was time to escape.