6/1/2022 As the party started their morning, they noticed that rats and squirrels and all manner of rodents were rushing down the street in the same direction. Likewise, the cityfolk in the street seemed to be heading the same way. Igny cast Speak With Animals and conversed with a rat who revealed that everyone was going to see Mittens the Morokanth. Mittens had upset the locals with his "herd" of humans, and the rodents were eager to see the townspeople kill Mittens as he was responsible for them losing the ability to talk (with the help of the infamous Fourth Honor Company). The party followed the crowd to a packed square where Mittens and his "herd" stood along with the seneschal. Igny cleared a path through the crowd for the party to approach Mittens. The crowd was angered by Mittens' "chattel," three humans who milled around mindlessly grazing on grass and dirt. One woman in the crowd, Nancy, had become the spokeswoman in speaking out against Mittens. After some back and forth, Mittens agreed to free the humans and restore them to the prior mental state, on the condition that Nancy and the seneschal took responsibility for them afterwards. Mittens, Nancy, the seneschal, the chattel, and a handful of city guards all proceeded through town to the city limits, where Mittens tied the chattel to the ground and then performed a spell to restore their mental faculties before promptly leaving. As the spell took effect, it became clear that the three humans were in fact hardened criminals. One identified as Reynold the Red, an infamous killer, the second repeatedly shouted that he would "kill you all," and the third simply laughed maniacally. Despite Nancy's pleading to "let the poor people go," the seneschal had the city guard transport the three to the prison. Just then, a guard approached the seneschal with a note. The seneschal read it carefully, and then looked quizzically at the party. The Duke sought an audience with the party the following evening at the King's Inn south of town. The party decided not to delay, and to head to the inn immediately. At the inn, the party learned that the Duke's Knight Martial, Reginald, wished to speak with them first, before they spoke with the Duke. That evening, while waiting idly at the Inn, a Knight by the name of Charles led in a bedraggled man who the party recognized as the Prince, the former Whamperi who the party cured in the ancient complex. The Prince was very happy to see the party again, and told Charles that the party was his saviors. He had apparently survived the collapse of the complex, although just barely. He wished to go by a new name, and suggested we call him Helegan, which he was called as a child. Igny used Lay on Hands to heal Helegan. Helegan agreed to journey with the party for some time, but did not want to adventure indefinitely. Helegan also told the party the activation words for the ancient power crystals the party had recovered. The party then waited at the inn until Reginald arrived. Reginald hinted that the Duke had received some instructions from the King that concerned the party. While Reginald wouldn't divulge what the instructions were, he did tell the party that the Duke was very conflicted. Reginald and the Duke had devised a plan that might satisfy the King's instructions, and Reginald asked that we keep an open mind when the Duke told us of the idea. When the Duke arrived, he shared a letter from the King. The King had been informed of the transfer of 250,000 Wheels into the Duchy. In light of the expense of the ongoing war in Hemen, the King planned to levy a 50,000 Wheel tax each year for the next five years to ensure the Duchy's newfound wealth is put to proper use in ensuring peace and prosperity in the realm. The Duke expressed extreme discomfort in seizing the party's funds as he viewed that as unfair. His proposal was to instead collaborate with the Duke of Chagna Fel, a personal friend of his. The party would become a Count in Chagna Fel, and with the assistance of local military forces, retake a castle recently seized by halflings as a jumping off point to Hemen. The party could then invest their considerable funds in their new county, and thereby keep their wealth. The party could wrap up loose ends around Ivy Shade, and merely had to arrive in Chagna Fel in 14 weeks. After some deliberation, the party agreed to this plan. Before taking leave of the Duke, Chance wagered his enchanted necklace for the Duke's crystal dagger and won. After meeting with the Duke, the party headed back to the valley of Bob the dragon to continue their quests around Ivy Shade. As they explored the valley, the party encountered a group of gnolls and decided to use the tried and true method of charging straight at them. However, this time the plan failed! Xaris and Igny were quickly surrounded by gnolls. One gnoll cast a spell on Xaris causing him to become frozen and unable to move. Xaris quickly went down and the gnolls started to focus on Igny. Chance, seeing the battle going against the party, used the ring of three wishes to teleport the party to the top of the cliff with full health. The party again went down into the valley, but were more cautious in their approach this time around. As they were approaching the entrance to some sort of temple, Bob the dragon came down to chat with the party. He was happy to see the party again. Nothing new came of the conversation, except for the fact that the entire gnoll complex was alerted to the party's presence. Bob flew off, and the party prepared for combat. Gunther cast a spell causing a dust storm at the temple entrance, causing the gnolls to retreat back deeper into the complex. And with that the session ended. TLDR: The party had unimaginable wealth for all of a day before the King decided to steal tax it away, but the Duke of Kernan's plan makes the party nobles instead. And the party got the crap beaten out of them by some gnolls and is looking for revenge.