AD&D Session 91 - Pixies aren't Toys
28th of Duscar, 835 PD
After arriving safely in Shadycreek Run the previous day, the party began orienting itself within the town’s dangerous political landscape. Local talk suggested that the southern road into the Empire was usually passable, though likely watched by Imperial patrols once beyond Shadycreek’s sphere of influence. The barkeep also pointed them toward House Mardoon as the safest faction to approach if they hoped to cross into Imperial territory unnoticed. At the same time, Enikas picked up two additional leads from tavern gossip: rumours of a profitable “secret club” somewhere in town, likely a gambling or fighting den, and word that someone present was seeking adventurers for a delicate matter.
The would-be client proved to be a none-too-bright member or affiliate of the Mardoon faction, mourning the loss of what he described as a “magical artifact.” As the conversation continued, it gradually became clear that the missing “artifact” was in fact a pixie he had somehow lost in Shadycreek’s clandestine fight scene. That revelation, combined with Koro’s recognition of the Mardoon name and her prior connection to one of its members—now apparently the family’s leader—turned the matter from tavern absurdity into a potentially useful political opening.
Treating the matter pragmatically, the party first explored a more conventional route south by asking around the market for traders travelling into the Empire whom they might join as cover. Keeping that as a fallback plan, they then proceeded to House Mardoon and used Koro’s connection to secure an audience with the family matriarch. There the true shape of the problem emerged. The missing pixie was no curiosity or pet, but one of House Mardoon’s own agents, sent to infiltrate the Trebains and evidently lost in the attempt. After negotiations, the Mardoon leader agreed to the party’s proposed terms: if they could recover the pixie operative, House Mardoon would arrange safe passage south into the Empire without the group being seen by Imperial patrols.