The night before the First Hammer’s return to Clefthome, Urs was telepathically contacted by the recently ascended deity that he was cheating on Balador with. Tobias was bored with the studies and trials the Seldarine was subjecting them to as part of their training, and they were envious of Urs’s adventures. Tobias offered Urs a new power, to blast enemies with light when he hit them, provided Urs issued a light-based pun with the strike. They also suggested that Urs decorate his shield with carvings of lavender sprigs.
In the morning, the gang checked on Desmond, who was showing signs of slow recovery. Jani indicated that she wanted to return to Lo’Thar so that she could research the journal they had found more closely. They hoped to stay only a short time longer in Clefthome to sort out the small matters of royal succession and governance, then possibly head south to rescue Aengus’s cousin Gren, after which Jani could teleport all of the Rovers to the capital city. In preparation for this, Aengus messaged Tommy Bahama and learned that the destroyer of Valonara, Darius Kensington, had already joined the city council and was loved by the leadership. Aengus also messaged Gren and learned that he and others were abandoned by their captors, remained chained up, and were vulnerable to some encroaching monstrosities. Fearing time was short, Aengus asked Kryxis for an emergency air taxi later that day, but the dragon was too far away to help.
They went to see Ammun and found First Hammer Rosa had arrived from her pursuit of the king’s kidnappers. Upon hearing about Gren, Rosa offered to send some of her best fighters immediately to rescue the enslaved people; the Rovers were happy to accept this help. It was agreed between Ammun, Rosa, and Aengus that the council of elders should be convened that evening, and Aengus was to explain what had become of the king.
The council members listened to Aengus tell the story of how they discovered the king’s body, the trap placed upon it, and the body’s disappearance. Despite coaching from the other Rovers, Aengus admitted to touching the levitating body when pressed by Misras, a brooding dwarf who glowered at Aengus when he first returned to Clefthome and again this night. She appeared to recognize the spell that held the king in stasis, but after Aengus’s confession she seemed content and did not cast blame on him for what happened. The council discussed and argued into the early hours of the morning, with Aengus looking on, until they arrived at a plan: They would tell the dead king’s young nephew and heir to the throne, Thalgrum, of his uncle’s death; they would give him a crash course in good governing over the next weeks; they would wait some time before notifying the clan of the new leadership, and they would leave decisions about the prohibition of magic and Ammun’s place on the council to Thalgrum.
With that problem settled and with a rescue team already on its way to Gren, the Wild Rovers realized they were free to pursue their other goals. Jani teleported Aengus, Urs, Vara, and a nearly recovered Desmond to the Lo’Thar Arcanum where she bid her employers farewell. The Rovers did what they always do in town: take a lavish bath. As they soaked in lavender scented water, they were pleased to see Tommy also enter for a bath. Kensington was not the only one moving up in the world; Tommy too was climbing the ladder of law enforcement. Other good things were happening in town as well, such as the healing and development of the blighted land on the city’s outskirts.