General Information/Events/Battle of the Merchants' Guildhall

From Westaven

On October 7th, 985, upon returning to Eneini from the successful journey to apprehend the bandits, the intrepid adventurers were instructed by Shimtalk to meet at the Eneini Merchants' Guildhall to "dissolve our company...even our accounts, and say a hearty farewell."

At sunset, Yule, Eaidig, Davlin, Heron--as well as a new travelling companion, James, who had taken up company immediately after the "Confronting Gharvsmin" event--reported as instructed to the guildhall.

Unfortunately, events took a turn for the worst. A guild guardsman allowed them entry, but said "no weapons may be admitted to this hall, by order of the Merchant Council." The group complied. Once inside, though, instead of Shimtalk they were met by the guildhall's marshall, Wovsy, accompanied by a total of six other men. Wovsy claimed to know their business, called them "damnable mercenaries," and ordered them to come along quietly, to "come...answer for your deeds in the proper time & place...You shall pay, mercenaries of Shimtalk!" When no argument would sway the marshall, Heron drew a concealed knife--and the battle ensued.

In this extended, bloody melee, Heron was downed by a crossbow bolt, and Davlin--who had used his magic to conceal himself in a column of darkness while he threw balls of flame--was mortally wounded by Wovsy's blade. Although James successfully ran into the weapons closet & retreived some arms, he too was soon downed as well by another crossbowman. Yule and Eaidig, however, managed to regain their weapons; they fought off the attackers. Yule even slew Wovsy with multiple blows to the neck.

In the aftermath of the battle, the two conscious survivors had the grim choice of which of their three unconscious companions to carry into the night in flight. They chose Davlin and Heron--although the former was so terribly wounded that he passed away around midnight. Heron, however, was healed by the women of the boarding house wherein Yule rented his room.

Although left behind, unconscious, James did survive: he was healed in a basement room of the guildhall by Marnor's command. Marnor treated him well, apologized, and freed him (see "James's Turmoil" logs Part One and Part Two.) This paradoxically kind treatment of James, coupled with Shimtalk's enigmatic role in the entire guildhall battle (plus his failure to pay the party for their earlier services), lead directly to the next sequence of campaign events: "A Tale of Two Merchants."