Still soaking in the bathhouse, the Wild Rovers learned from Tommy Bahama that he had been promoted in the Myths & Weapons, in part for his work with improving and developing the shantytown on the outskirts of Lo’Thar. He had remained in touch with the musical healer Abezel, who previously restored Germier’s arm.
Tommy explained that Darius Kensington had become, in just the last few weeks, a very popular figure in Lo’Thar. Darius was responsible for a great influx of wealth into the city. He imported precious stones and gems from undisclosed sources and filled others’ pockets with them. Because of this, the powerful were becoming even more fixated on wealth, and prices of goods were inflating quickly. Tommy had also noticed — though he was unsure how it fit into the larger picture — that trade had increased between Lo’Thar and Whig, the large island across the pirate-infested Sea of Enemies. Despite what the Rovers knew of Darius’s destructive past, he seemed to many, from the outside at least, to be a decent, likable person. In exchange for all this, Darius had acquired a seat on the city council.
According to Tommy, Darius’s primary residence remained in Hi’Thar, but he still frequented establishments in Lo’Thar where he was very popular among the locals. At Vara’s suggestion, Tommy agreed to alert the Rovers should he become aware of Darius’s movements between cities through an intermediary using the signal words “Mr. Bahama sends his regards”. Despite being a man of the law, Tommy was apparently unfazed by the Rovers openly plotting to ambush Darius on the road. He warned, though, that Darius traveled with a retinue of orcs, gentlemen, and riffraff. To avoid speaking openly in the future of assassinating a very popular man, the group devised a simple and totally unconfusing signal of their own: Whenever they spoke of reading while also tugging on their ear, they would be referring to whacking Darius.
As the conversation turned to other topics, Vara and Urs casually recounted how Aengus had committed regicide and killed his two longtime friends. Their flippant teasing was enough to upset Aengus, and he marched out of the bath in the nude before eventually being convinced to return by Urs.
Fearing that Darius’s power grew daily, they determined that Tommy should keep an eye on Darius’s movements, and they should speak to Leon and Vitas about the matter very soon. More importantly, however, they had shopping to do.
Urs and Vara went to a fire-themed weapons shop called Super Smash Brothers to buy a new bow for Urs. They befriended the tortle shopkeeper, Bowser, and partied the night away at Death’s Door.
With the still-recovering Desmond sitting on Aengus’s shoulder as a chipmunk, the pair went to the magic district to purchase some equipment for Desmond — which was overpriced thanks to the recent inflation — and a new bag of holding — which Aengus bought at a discount thanks to it being incorrectly embroidered as a “Bag of Hooding”.
While they were still shopping, Tyresha reached out to Desmond through their paired sending stones for the first time since his return from the land of the dead. Still unprepared for a deep conversation with her about their future together, Desmond tried to hide the fact that he had been in town for most of the day without so much as notifying her by claiming they had just arrived by teleportation circle at the Arcanum. Tyresha eagerly said she’d meet him there right away. It was then up to Aengus to run the both of them twelve blocks across the city to the Arcanum. Huffing and puffing, Aengus arrived just in time for Desmond’s ruse to work before leaving again to give them some alone time.
Blissfully ignorant of his death and resurrection, Tyresha was very pleased to see Desmond again. The reunion quickly turned sorrowful, however, as she explained the troubles that had befallen her and Desmond’s brother, Mason, while the Rovers were away. Out-competed by new businesses arriving with the economic boom brought on by Darius, Mason was forced to close the Aquatic Concoction. He and Tyresha had moved to low-rent housing in the newly developing outskirts of the city, and Mason had taken to heavy drinking. Together they walked to the new residence. Mason was passed out on the couch; when he awoke, he explained that customers now demanded glitzier merchandise, and they just were not interested in his simpler wares. Though Desmond and the Rovers had left a large sum of gold when they last departed, without any other income they could not keep the shop open.
Desmond was consoling, suggesting that perhaps this was a chance to return to their original goal. The brothers had left their home to understand where they came from. From Vitas, they learned they were genasi, but they still had many questions about their origins which could not be answered by staying in Lo’Thar forever. Desmond confessed that he had died recently and been brought back to life, and now he felt more than ever that time should not be wasted.
In the Feywild, the entity called The Deep told him he could find answers in Shambhalah — the same place where Jade Eyes said a genie named Malaki the Humble could be found — the same Malaki whose wish-granting lamp their enemies sought. Could their genasi heritage stem from this genie? And from Gladys he had learned that his mother was imprisoned and would be executed in perhaps just a few weeks. Could she be at the infamous prison, Trazacal, on Whig? Without any remaining hard ties to Lo’Thar, Desmond proposed that they investigate these matters in parallel, with Desmond and the Rovers going to Shambhalah, and Mason and Tyresha going to Trazacal under Leon’s protection.
Meanwhile, Aengus wandered around town, futilely looking for the shuttered Aquatic Concoction, before finally rendezvousing with Madge, flowers and chocolates in hand.
The next morning, coordinating via Sending, they all agreed to meet at the Arcanum to seek out advice from Vitas…