Blood in the Ballroom.

Keepers: Keepers: Barnelbus Caprenicus, Ratha, Gregorious Redmagic, Tommy and Tinkersdamn

Objectives: Gather information from the 60 Families, Sharn’s elite movers and shakers, and present a dignified and social presence of the Keepers.Mission: Mingle with the 60 most elite families at the annual Tain Gala

To this end, on the day before the Gala, we were thus afforded the finest in attire at Madam Web’s sartorial establishment, that is to say, some very nice threads so that we could attend a formal gathering known as the annual Tain Gala.  

On the day before the Gala, we tried to visit Mario’s Pizzeria, but when we arrived, it had been replaced by Waluigi”s, and a shadier place I never saw.  Obviously a front for organized crime of some sort, I spotted several no-neck thugs loading their pistols in plain sight of the entrance. Being more hungry than curious, we proceeded to the excellent Princess Cat’s Bakery instead. The next evening we arrived at the Gala with all due spit and polish.  

As a formal occasion, the Gala forbids the carrying of any arms or armament at all, so I was at a sever disadvantage. I could not even bring my Steel Defender, an insult not to be borne. I resolved then and there to make sure Roary would forever afterward be registered and tagged as mu emotional support Steel Defender, and never be parted from him again. But it was plainly too late for that so we all resolved to do our best under these harrowing circumstances. 

We had not been there very long before I noticed there was a rather large contingent of armed security guards in black uniforms, something I did not think about much until I spotted one of the thugs I had seen the day before at WaLuigi’s. And once again, he was checking to see that his pistol was fully loaded. As there was no disturbance or tumult, that was suspicious enough, but recognizing him as a mob enforcer, I resolved to investigate. 

I overheard Barnelbus speaking to the kitchen staff as he tried to slip into the kitchens past the suspiciously familiar guard, and the staff there said that they always had their own security, but for this event all the security had been replaced by an all-new crew. As I looked about, I noticed they all seemed to fit the same mold as the enforcer, so I succeeded in slipping in through another nondescript door from the ballroom.  

I took this narrow corridor past a storage room and another door to the kitchen to the last door at the end of the corridor. I opened this as stealthily as possible, mourning my missing Roary my Steel Defender, and found I had discovered the surveillance room. Manned by two guards and populated by multiple screens of the kitchens, the ballroom, the entrances and exits, the actual guards were lying dead in pools of their own blood under their chairs. Sitting in those same chairs were two more thugs. 

I immediately crept back down the hall to inform the rest of my fellow Keepers, telling Ratha and Tommy. Ratha cast some sort of communication spell so she and I could talk to each other silently. I vowed to keep her abreast of events and I returned with Tommy, perhaps the only one of us comfortable without weapons. As he and I charged into the surveillance room and slew the two guards there, we heard many gunshots and screams coming from the ballroom. I grabbed the pistol from the guard Tommy killed and then shot the last one right between the eyes.  

Tommy and I raced back to the ballroom only to discover that the door had been chained closed, so we went through to the kitchen and discovered that all the guests were being threatened by at least twelve of the armed thugs. Tommy and I did our best to attack the closest thug, Tommy kicking at his head, until I shot him with the pistol I was still holding. For some reason it did not occur to me that this noise would draw a reaction as three guards ran to our position. 

Perhaps it was genius after all, as I believe this distraction allowed Gregorious, Ratha, and Bartlebus to sneak into the higher, more elite balcony where the real rulers of Sharn were being held. All I know was I heard maniacal laughing, and then saw a man hurtle the 60 feet from the balcony to the ballroom floor and smash into it with killing force.  

The rest of the thugs quickly changed their direction and fled, unlocking the chained doors as they ran like the sissy-babies they were. 

I am sorry to say that while we did not gather much information, we were able to thwart a kidnapping and possible mass murder and hostage scheme against the rulers of Sharn. Now, of course, the investigation must continue as to who planned and organized this mockery of a society ball, and to what end. 

In service to Sharn,  

Tinkersdamn.