After rescuing the young lady Hilda Lakana, the group returned to Luna and Hope and rested for the night. The next day, during breakfast, Harkin, Hjolmir, Gallow, and Sir Mintra discussed what to do next. Peach was there, but her attention was on the tale she was composing. Halfway through their breakfast, Rakhnar walked in and sat down at the table; the others looked at him, slightly shocked, and asked him what had happened. He told them in a few words, then ended the tale by stating he had gotten stronger. He then ordered some ale and finished the rest of the food. Eventually, they all agreed to talk to the Goliath mercenary Elgaht, the leader of the Red Blades. Traveling to the Dun’zu called Fish Town, they ran into trouble almost immediately as some urchins tried to pickpocket them. Harkin saw one of them attempting to snatch something from him and shouted out in anger and frustration for them all to back up. They scattered, and as they did, he noticed a thin green Dragonborn teenager. He shouted to the kids that they would pay him if he showed them around and keep the pickpockets away. Hjolmir then decided it would be a good idea to show the kid a bunch of silver coins. At this point, the kid’s eyes widened, and he ran to hide behind a building, as a rough voice offered to show them around. The group turned around to confront the voice of a broad, muscular red Dragonborn, an Orc, and a Half-elf. Together, the group convinced them that trying to play them would not be conducive to their health. The young green Dragonborn agreed to be their guide. After a few hours of talking to the locals and exchanging coinage, they learned the location of the Red Blades' mercenary headquarters.
The Red Blade Headquarters: Located between the High Shanty and Fish Town in the Dun’zu warehouse district was a two-story sturdy wooden building with a reinforced front door and a large double door in the back. Sir Mintra used his modified tools to open the locked door; upon entering, they realized that the door frame had a magical alarm spell on it and that they had between fifteen and twenty minutes to find what they were after.
The First Floor: The entrance on the first floor had a large desk, and behind it was a closed door. To the right of the desk were stairs leading to the second floor, with an empty and very heavy shoe rack flush against the wall that held the stairs. On the other side of the door was a small warehouse. Harkin, Sir Mintra, and Hjolmir searched the first floor, while Rakhnar searched the second floor. On the first floor, they found a secret entrance under the very heavy shoe rack, a ledger in the desk drawer, which they managed to damage. In the storage room, they found a dozen crates and barrels containing knives, saddles, traveling gear, and other items a group of mercenaries would need. In the secret basement, they found a trap on the strairs and a small room with a dirt floor and stone walls. There were chains attached to the walls, tools used for torture, and a small iron safe bolted to the stone wall. With the aid of Mintra, they attempted to crack the tumbler safely. However, during this, the young man warned the others that someone was coming and then ran away. The others locked the doors, placed something in front of the front door, and attempted to keep a group of individuals out, three of whom wore full plate armor and one who looked like a clerk. Eventually, they used magic to blast the door open, and Rakhnar, Harkin, and Hjolmir charged the armored individuals, trying to give Sir Mintra enough time to crack the safe.
Second Floor: While the others were downstairs, Rakhnar went upstairs to see what he would find; he discovered a large room with twelve beds and another door. He went to the door to check if it was locked; it was, and Rakhnar decided that the door might be stuck; with some force, he managed to break the door open. Gallow heard this and went up to investigate. There, she saw Rakhnar opening the door; he looked at her, smiled, and said, “I found it like this.” Groaning, Gallow shook her head and followed Rakhnar into the room. The room had a large bed, a heavy iron-bound chest with no lock, a closet, and a room that housed the latrine. They attempted to pick up the chest, but it was far too heavy; after Sir Mintra had opened the door to the storage room, he came up and tried to unlock the chest to no avail. Eventually, they became annoyed, and Rakhnar decided that it was a good idea to urinate in Elgath's bed and tamper with the small chests in the other room. Once done, they headed downstairs.
The Brief Confrontation: They charged and pushed the individuals clad in green full plate armor, while Gallow transformed into a small critter and escaped. As this was happening, Mintra managed to open the safe and quickly emptied its contents into his bag of holding. He ran upstairs and saw Rakhnar, Harkin, and Hjolmir fighting the armored opponents and losing badly. Knowing they were acting as a distraction, he quietly slipped out with his dog and returned to Luna and Hope Inn. He arrived to find Gallow sitting at one of the tables. Looking up hopefully, her face became crestfallen when she saw only Mintra. Mintra informed them that he saw them losing the fight and did not know what had happened. Sir Mintra joined Gallow, and they planned what to do next and how to help their new friends.