After reconnecting with Galin, Urs went to the bath house, Lathered Up, for a deep clean. The attendants knew Urs’s favorite scent and had plenty of lavender prepared. Urs gave his autograph to a young fan girl.
At the local blacksmith’s shop, Forge Ahead, Aengus helped Luke Shortarms with orders. Luke made a big show of Aengus’s work. Aengus got Luke’s permission to use his forge as a Word of Recall sanctuary.
Vara desired to establish a shrine or temple to Torm, so she went to Shalako’s nondenominational temple, run by Rev Run. While waiting to speak with him, Vara overheard a group praying in a beseeching manner about the kraken, in a tongue Vara otherwise could not understand. Curious, Vara approached and saw they were a group of drow and duergar, who rebuffed her questions and offers of aid, and mentioning they were trying to determine what the kraken wanted next. They later vanished when Vara wasn’t looking. Vara apologized to the reverend for her intimidating behavior when last they were in Shalako. The reverend agreed to let Vara set up a shrine to Torm in the garden. Aengus and Luke forged a (mediocre) emblem for Vara to place there.
Desmond went with Mason to confront the owner of the local apothecary, the Neurotic Compunction, whose name was an obvious knock-off of their Aquatic Concoction. The proprietor, who identified herself simply as Madame, portrayed her shop as an official extension of the genasi brothers’ enterprise. Mason was initially confrontational, whereas Desmond’s approach was more of a calm condescension towards “Madame Madame”. She laid out a sampling of her best products: a Potion of Halfing Stength, a Potion of Like, a Potion of Sitting, and a Potion of Air Breathing. The latter she gifted to them for being VICs (Very Influential Clientele), along with a sending stone that would enable them to receive her periodic newsletter.
In the evening, the Rovers regrouped at the casino. Staff passing out free drinks that seemed to make the patrons chill and thrilled to be there. They were invited to dine at either the Puke Bar Buffet or the Mind Flayer Cake. At the buffet, Aengus tumbled off Urs’s shoulders and onto the table as he was reaching over the crowd for food, landing sausage side up. Their old goliath acquaintance Dutch Henry cheerily plucked Aengus up, just as the dwarf burst out singing (a side effect of his beard oil). Urs and Aengus ate their fill. Vara, Desmond, and Tyresha went to the casino’s other restaurant, which served small and varied delicious dishes.
Vara checked out the casino’s “fighting pit”, perhaps eager for a tussle, but found it was actually a coin flipping gambling table. At the dice table, Aengus won one piggy-back ride from Urs, redeemable at any time.
Urs convinced the unenthusiastic entertainment band to play better by offering 1 gold piece for every person they could entice onto the dance floor. This was very successful, and everyone had a good time.
Desmond and Tyresha left the casino for Kitty Korner for their anticipated private discussion. “We’re going to have a baby!”, Tyresha announced, and Desmond promptly dropped out of the call shared in her joy. His own surprise for her was to use the Dream spell to show, rather than tell, Tyresha his adventures, especially those in the Feywild.