Sharn – A quartet of assassins tracking a VIP on the lightning rail route from Wroat to Sharn were thwarted by the quick thinking and tactics of a new organization known as the Accord Keepers this week.

Having been made aware of threats to the life of the being they were tasked to escort, the Keepers deployed several teams, each responsible for a handful of carriages on the train.  For their contact (codename ‘Lovejoy’), the team consisted of representatives of Houses Sivis, Deneith, and Orien, as well as a pair of very able warforged.  Having come aboard on a passenger car, the team first scouted their car to ascertain the identities of other passengers under the guise of a customer satisfaction survey conducted by Xtopher Robin the warforged.  They also received a complimentary breakfast delivered by the half-orc sous-chef Bertraned (who, while it may not be germane to the events that follow, should be noted brews a superlative carafe of coffee).

Having exhausted any leads in the passenger car, the party elected to continue towards the rear of their assigned group of cars, operating under the guise of a safety inspection by Asher d’Deneith and Paulon “Potions Provider” d’Orien (see accompanying advertisement).  Bertrand seemed to be managing a relatively inexperienced crew of four stewards.  Upon learning from them that the livestock car providing additional foodstuffs was the third car in their area of responsibility, the party continued on.

In the livestock car, the party encountered not only food animals but several circus animals bound for Sharn.  Xtopher, having natural rapport with animals, conversed with an elephant about the situation.  As they did so, they met the livestock wrangler, who turned out to be their contact and protectee.

Tactically, having determined that their VIP was at the rear of the group of cars, the party elected to provide a decoy to flush out the potential assassins from wherever they lay in front of them.  Thanks to a handy alchemical brew from Paulon, they disguised Cinque the warforged barbarian as the VIP, and paraded ‘him’ (Cinque identifies as female but the VIP is male) toward the passenger car, apparently under arrest for illegal cross-contaimation of animal species.

Upon moving through the kitchen car, the reason for the inexperience of the workers under Bertrand’s auspices became clear – they were far more adept at concocting poison than breakfast.  A melee ensued, in which one of the assassins was restrained and neutralized thanks to Xtopher’s superior bushcraft.  Two of the others were killed in the fracas (it should be noted that a kitchen car is full of highly flammable and sharp implements), and the last surrendered upon having no means of egress from the moving train.

On arrival at Sharn, the Keepers discovered that the five VIPs that they protected were in fact one VIP and a series of body doubles.  Investigation into the source or sources of the various attempts on his life are underway.