In Episode 17 - 'Deception' - the party got some dire news from a lackey of the local crime lord, Zoya. It turns out, the party finally became too sharp a thorn in the side of the Twisted Fang[1] and they had finally put out a bounty on the heads of the party. Of course, much of the Tarinous[2] eagerly took up the opportunity, promising to attack and capture the party if presented with the opportunity in exchange for a hefty sack of gold.

Despite that impediment, though, the party still had a task at hand - back in Episode 16, they had finally gained the upper hand by dispatching Valyah[3]. While Ymitri’s former friend, Sarah, also fell by the party’s hand as a result of the raid, the party had little time to mourn the loss of this conflicting frenemy - for they knew that Valyah’s absence would be discovered soon, and they knew they needed to infiltrate her study in the Aftercrypts[4] in order to get as much information as they could.

But of course, things wouldn’t go as planned. When they got to her study, they found some guards posted outside the door, guarding a heretofore unexpected meeting. Milo, by posing as Valyah, managed to sneak his way into the meeting - finding Calix[5] and several members of the Ash Claw[6] in attendance. The situation was tense, but due to quick wit and a sharp tongue, Milo managed to bluff his way through the tense encounter, gleaning an impressive amount of information on the machinations of the enemy along the way - including the party’s moniker assigned to them by the Fang: The Despicable Six.

As part of Milo’s plot, however, Pyotr volunteered to throw himself under the metaphorical bus - posing as Valyah’s prisoner, and quickly getting taken out the back door by one of Calix’s lackies for some “enhanced interrogation” techniques involving a giant hammer. During the interrogation, Pyotr seeded some false information by telling Lallie that their warehouse was in the Brinestone district. Then, before the abuse got to be too much, Pyotr feigned passing out - luring the lacky into a false sense of security.

That said, by this point things were going all but smoothly. Milo knew he had to balance a razor’s edge to avoid getting captured, Pyotr looked likely to get captured by someone who made no hay when it came to conveying the contempt he held for Pyotr, and the party found a bunch of highly trained Ash Claw warriors between them and any hope of coming out of this situation with all of their party members.

Fortunately, with a bit of good luck, the party managed to sneak past the Ash Claw as they left the meeting, meeting up with Milo just a few hundred feet behind Calix.

But, just before the party managed to reconvene and ambush Calix - potentially making it out of this harrowing situation intact - Pyotr would hear something that would send a chill to his very soul. Apparently, Calix had done something to Sasha[7] - and if there’s one thing Pyotr puts above all else, it’s Sasha’s safety.

So, it’s with that ominous cloud hanging in the air that we look to Episode 18. Will Pytor contain himself long enough for the party to catch up and aid their ally? Will they successfully face down a foe as powerful as Calix? And what will they do even if they do escape, given the entire city will soon be out for their blood?

Find out on our next episode! Only on Twitch, Wednesday at 5:30 PST!

Mini-Glossary

[1] Twisted Fang: human sympathizers with the Ash’kin cause

[2] Tarinous: several groups comprising a privatized police force. Calix[5] in particular belongs to the Clipped Wing tarinous.

[3] Valyah Irraloyn: A member of the Ash Claw[6] who seems to have been behind many of the actions taken against the party.

[4] Aftercrypts: Vast, underground catacombs built under Aquilla after the Wild Wars to house the dead. Currently, the forces of the Twisted Fang have made a hideout of the crypts, given that few pay much attention to the crypts, even as they have entrances and exits scattered throughout the city.

[5] Calix: A local higher up of the Tarinous, who has a long and complicated past with a few of the party members, especially Pyotr.

[6] Ash Claw: the enforcement wing of the Twisted Fang, to which Valyah belonged.

[7] Sasha: Pyotr’s adoptive, half-orc daughter. While she has a sassy streak and frequently acts several times her age, she’s recently shown a more vulnerable side through her complicated young romance with Mako, Calix’s son.