11 // The Cost of Defiance and the Power of the Press

Interlude: Goals & Recurring Dreams

• Chappy, ever the showman, eagerly awaits the trial. For a man of many faces, his current expression barely contains his excitement.

• Fert dreams of fire: a forest in flames, his brethren lost, and a single green bud rising from the ash.

• Smurk relives the day his tribe was sacrificed—his family deceived and betrayed in the name of another power.

• Scraat, now clear-headed, is determined to take down The Ember Times and end its reign of propaganda.

• Templeton, always eager and loyal to his home town, is committed to defending Fey Ember so his father has a place to return, if he returns.

Tasks Given and Accepted, with a Special Gift

Before adjourning, each group is entrusted with a Sending Stone to maintain communication across teams as they pursue their distinct but interconnected missions.

• Swiftwind Team Objective: Rally and mobilize support within the Inner Guard, currently under the influence of Councilmember Gimble, to defend the city against looming threats—both from within and beyond its walls.

• Purple Dragon Knights Objective: Uncover the locations of enemy forces hidden within the city and develop effective countermeasures to neutralize them.

• Mayor’s Team Objective: Ready the city for the upcoming Trial of the Fey, including opening Fey Haven to the public, managing the associated festivities, and formally hosting the visiting Archfey and Eladrin dignitaries.

• The Flame Objectives: 1) Disrupt the influence of the Ember Times, 2) Investigate the mysterious death of Mavinda Yor, and 3) devise a plan to rescue the imprisoned protestors. Due to the complexity and danger of their task, the Mayor gifts The Flame the rare Ember Earrings—a set of five enchanted studs that allow seamless telepathic communication between their wearers.

The Ember Earrings is a set of five individual stud earrings, each adorned with a different gemstone—pearl, sapphire, ruby, emerald, and jet. Each hold six charges. Wearers can use a charge to cast the spell Sending to another wearer of an Ember Earing.

1:15 PM — The Flame Takes Flight

Answering the Mayor’s call, the Flame departs Adventure Hall en route to The Ember Times, determined to stop any propaganda that might sway tomorrow’s trial. They travel covertly, flying on the magic carpet. Chappy and Smurk coordinate illusion magic to make the carpet invisible to any onlookers below.

As they soar over the Adventure District and enter the Mercantile District, they notice a large crowd gathered around a familiar stone platform—the pedestal where a statue of Lurue once stood, honoring the Archfey founder of Fey Ember.

1:30 PM — Violence Against Those Who Oppose

Hovering above, the Flame sees the platform repurposed for public executions. A heap of lifeless Inner Guard members lies before it—many are harengons with green sashes around their arms. The executioners, clad in ornate gold armor, are the “Royal Guard” introduced by Gimble at his gala during Longscarf's liberation.

The crowd is split: the majority cheer, branding the dead as traitors. A smaller group weeps, pleading for the killing to stop.

Three Inner Guard members remain, awaiting their fate. The Flame hesitates, watching and debating. As one executioner raises his sword, Smurk casts a spell—teleporting the guard from the platform and into Fert’s lap on the carpet. Fert is shocked then stilled as he holds the guard. Scraat follows with a crossbow bolt, landing it precisely where the guard had stood.

The crowd and Royal Guard falter in confusion. Then, a commanding voice parts the sea of onlookers. The Mayor emerges, flanked by Lionel Lightfoot.

“How dare you!” the Mayor roars repeatedly, ascending the platform. “This execution is an illegal abuse of power!”

One Royal Guard counters, citing bylaws that grant the Inner Guard the right to execute its own traitors.

The Mayor pauses, mentally parsing the rules. Then, firmly and publicly, he declares:

“No more.”

The two remaining prisoners are escorted away without resistance. A tense silence follows.

Then, a powerful voice rings out above: “This is an insult to Lurue! It will not deter the Flame!” Chappy, lowering a sound-amplifying pod, delivers the words for all to hear.

As the Flame departs toward The Ember Times, the flickering of candles being lit begin to fill the surrounding windows.

They briefly stop in a quiet alley, leaving the rescued guard with gold and kind words. The man, still in shock, nods with gratitude and sinks to the ground, staring at nothing as the heroes vanish once more.

2:00 PM — Infiltrating The Ember Times

Arriving at The Ember Times, the Flame splits into two teams. Scraat and Smurk infiltrate from the second floor. Chappy, Fert, and Templeton pose as inspectors to distract the staff.

Scraat fires a grappling hook and climbs to a window, slipping inside silently. Smurk follows with acrobatic flair. Ever impulsive, Smurk assumes the mission is to burn the building down—until Scraat reminds him of their true goal.

Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Chappy, Fert, and Templeton enter the noisy facility. They flag down a worker and request to see the manager. Coincidentally, Caw, the owner, descends the stairs with a Royal Guard escort.

Chappy introduces himself as a head inspector, flanked by his assistants. Caw and Chappy lock eyes, but the bluff holds. Chappy instructs him to raise the machinery volume and gather workers to inspect their hands for ink. Fert, playing the role of a bumbling assistant, stumbles adorably through his duties—adding to the ruse.

Upstairs, Scraat and Smurk discover a pre-press draft of tomorrow’s edition. The front-page headline falsely claims that Fert poisoned Councilmember Mavinda Yor—and it reveals the names of Chappy, Scraat, and Smurk for the first time.

The two split up. Scraat finds a secret door leading to Caw’s private office. Inside, he uncovers letters—one from Gimble, confirming that the Onyx Order provided the Flame’s names, spotted with Mavinda before his death. Scraat’s suspicion grows: only Sylnna Yor knew they visited her father…

Meanwhile, Smurk sneaks across the printing floor, carefully reaching the type-block machine. The distraction holds—no one notices him. He makes subtle, precise changes to the paper.

Mission complete, Scraat and Smurk retreat the way they came, slipping out the window. Downstairs, Chappy, Fert, and Templeton finish the inspection. Caw, unknowingly duped, is relieved that his facility passed.