Arriving at the temple of Athena in the middle of the night, Garyn & Lukwind knocked loudly until the initiate on duty opened the door. Once they explained what they'd found in the crypt beneath Mage Hill, he went and roused the high priest of Athena, Simon Phrantzes, from his bed. A force of clerics and paladins was quickly assembled, equipped with potions of reduce person in order to navigate the narrow tunnels. They examined the adventurers and determined that none of them bore the taint of evil, then thanked them profusely for bringing such an important discovery to their attention.

The following day, Rohit & Lukwind were out shopping when they noticed that a large crowd was forming in the streets. The city was abuzz with the news that Lord Martok was returning, and all the citizens had come out to see him.

Soon enough, Martok, Elsa & Addric passed through the gates, accompanied by their followers as well as some soldiers of the March. They were led on a triumphal procession through the city, to Temple Plaza where a temporary stage had been erected. Martok was relieved that there wasn't a gallows or guillotine waiting for him, since all of this fanfare was completely unexpected.

Standing amongst the crowd, Gerald observed that people were standing almost exclusively in groups of their own race: there were patches of elves, of dwarves, human refugees and Dench's gang of half-orcs. However, there were very few groups where members of several races were standing together. He considered this most unusual, for such a multicultural society.

Richard Whitburn, the newly-elected mayor of Marchion, beckoned Lord Martok and his companions up onto the stage. He praised their accomplishments in the Entwood and the Peloponnesian Alps, finding the blessed ring of the Goddess Whose Name Is Life and rescuing the world from certain doom. It was clear that he had been hastily briefed on who they were, by someone with a penchant for embellishment. At the end of his speech, the mayor expressed the hope that the heroes would be able to deal with the orcs who threaten the city's livelihood.

At hearing that comment, Dench's gang became agitated. They began heckling,  grumbling that profiteering merchants like Richard Whitburn were the real problem with this city. The human refugees were outraged by such talk. One, in particular, accused the half-orcs of being in league with the barbarian hordes.

Lukwind took the stage, gaining the attention of everyone in the plaza. He urged them to listen to what Lord Martok had to say. All eyes turned expectantly in the direction of the young noble.

Clearing his throat, Martok said that he had seen first hand what the orcs were doing: burning villages to the ground, leaving corpses to rot in the sun, stealing livestock & grain that had been stored for the coming winter, even capturing peasants as slaves. Clearly, there was a serious external threat that demanded everyone to unite, not to bicker amongst themselves. Having been admonished thusly, the crowd began to disperse.

The mayor invited Martok to an emergency meeting of the city council, but the nobleman demurred, saying that he had pressing business to attend to. However, the mayor was not one to be put off so lightly. He insisted that Martok, Elsa, Addric & Lukwind should come before the council immediately and present what intelligence they had gleaned in their travels. With some subtle prompting by Rohit, Martok chose to comply.

Seated around a large table in the council chamber were a few personalities that the adventurers recognized, as well as many whom they didn't. Among the familiar faces were Lady Cecilia Redfern (Martok's aunt), Simon Phrantzes (priest of Athena), Thurstan Brightstone (priest of Hermes) & Glanhild Morefar (priestess of Hephaestus). In all, there were 3 dwarves, 3 elves, 3 humans, a gnome and a half-elf. One seat remained empty, reserved for whoever would be elected to the council by the Merchant's Guild. Standing in the corner were a trio of ominous figures wearing masks: one robed in red and two robed in black. Using his ability to hide in plain sight, Rohit accompanied his companions into the room.

Martok repeated what he had told the crowd outside, but added that there was a black dragon living in the orc camp. The councillors were dismayed to hear this: they might have sent the March to deal with a few hundred orcs, but there was no way they would sacrifice Marchion's sons by sending them to slay a dragon. Several times, Martok attempted to turn the council's attention towards the charges laid against him by the Imperial Inquisition, but none of the politicians were interested in discussing that. After Martok had told them all he knew, they sent him away. However, Rohit remained hidden to hear the remainder of their discussion.

The three robed figures, whom Rohit recognized as Inquisitors, petitioned the council to hand Martok over to them. They intended to extradite him to Therapne, the Imperial capital. The councillors assured them that their request would be considered, but in turn they asked the Inquisitors to contact the Emperor to ask for aid in dealing with the orcish menace. After that, they too were escorted from the room.

Over several hours, the councillors argued about the best course of action. Eirik Stonehammer, a dwarven merchant, was in favour of sending the March to attack the orcs, dragon or no dragon. However, Sephrandis Lellbereth, an elven wizard, doubted that the orcs posed any real threat. Neither faction was prepared to hand Martok over: the merchants saw him as an asset in the coming war, while the spellcasters saw him as one of their own. The mages of Marchion despised the Inquisition for its persecution of arcanists, and were happy to see it thwarted.

Elizabeth Dawngold, a half-elven bard, expressed faith that the Imperial legions would deal with the problem. Lady Cecelia Redfern proposed an alternative: why not send Martok to slay the dragon? It might prove to be a suicide mission, but at least then they would know that the threat was real. Alternatively, if Martok succeeded, then the March could be sent to deal with the orcs.

While they waited for Rohit to return, Gerald & Lukwind informed the others of everything they knew about black dragons. Gerald also identified the markings on the armor that Martok & Elsa had looted from the orcs they had fought. There were two different tribes: the orc scorchers and the skull chewers. It was unusual for tribes to collaborate like that, and highly suspicious that they should be found so many miles from the Goblin Wastes.

Martok wasn't too impressed when he learned that his aunt had volunteered him for a suicide mission, but Elsa was eager to kill the dragon whatever the reward. Gerald stated that he was a monster hunter, therefore this was what he did best. Rohit was mainly concerned for the victims of the orcish raids, particularly those whom they had enslaved. 

That evening, Martok, Elsa, Addric & Gerald went to dine at Cecelia's townhouse. As expected, she informed her nephew that the council had entrusted him with the mission of slaying the dragon. In return, the mayor might grant Martok a pardon. This wouldn't protect him outside the city walls, if for example he were to return to his family estate. However, relations between Marchion and Therapne were already strained. She tried to make Martok appreciate the stance that the council were taking.

"Will you stand alone before the fury of his armies?" Cecelia asked.

"...Yes." 

Meanwhile, Lukwind & Rohit returned to the Docklands, to speak with their allies in the underworld. Dench expressed anger that his people were being blamed for all of Marchion's woes. He knew who the orc scorchers and the skull chewers were, but he had never had any contact with them. He had no idea why they would risk attacking a village that was so close to a major city.

Before entering the Pickled Otyugh, Lukwind & Rohit disguised themselves as "Hobwind & Rohob," two hobgoblin pirates whom Deborah had recently hired. They presented themselves to the minotaur guards and reported for duty. They were relieved to see that Deborah wasn't in the booth, only a human whose teeth were filed sharp and who wore an eyepatch, and a hobgoblin who wore glass lenses over his eyes. The human asked what information they had gathered. Hobwind reported that Martok was back in town, and that orcs had blockaded the river Brallen to the east. Clearly, neither of these things were news to these two. The human ordered Hobwind & Rohob to find out where Martok was staying, then come straight back to tell him. If he wasn't in the Pickled Otyugh, then he would be aboard ship. Before they left, Rohob sneakily placed a marked coin inside the pirate's pocket.

Hobwind & Rohob exited the tavern, performed a discreet change, then reentered in their usual guises. Next they met with the halfling gang. Cadric Dewash seemed very happy about the orcish raids, but neither Lukwind nor Rohit were able to determine why. The hobbit invited them to a Noumenia party that would be held in 10 days' time. It was hosted by Elizabeth Dawngold, one of the councillors, and many prominent citizens would be there. He exhorted them to bring their friend Martok along to meet everybody.

Finally, they asked whether Axl's gang was at the tavern this evening. As it turned out, they were. The scruffy assortment of five humans appeared to recognize Lukwind & Rohit. Furthermore, one of them had bandages across his chest. They deduced that these must be the wererats they had fought the previous night. Lukwind was very diplomatic, but the damage was done. Half of Marchion's criminals were now their sworn enemies.

Once the adventurers met back at the Golden Axe, they began a heated discussion over what would be the best strategy for handling the dragon and the orcs. Eventually, it was decided that Garyn & Rohit should be sent ahead to try and find more information, while the rest stayed behind in Marchion to gather resources. Then, after giving the scouts a couple of days' head start, they would follow.

In the morning, Rohit returned to Marvo's Magical Miscellany to buy a pearl of speech, so that he would be able to speak orcish. Garyn purchased a scroll of sending, so that they could inform the rest of the party what they discovered. Thus equipped, they set out for the barbarian encampment. They covered 50 miles on the first day, until Garyn spotted a copse of trees where his horse could be hobbled. They camped there for the night.

Meanwhile, Martok went to speak with Eirik Stonehammer, the councillor who was in favour of attacking the orcs. Eirik was a wealthy merchant, and more than willing to fund any expedition which might restore the flow of trade. They discussed recruiting an army of mercenaries, as well as equipping the heroes with magic items that might counteract the dragon's abilities.

Over the next two days, Martok & Addric convinced about a hundred human archers to join the fight against the orcs. Lukwind recruited around 150 dwarven light infantry as well. Their force would be outnumbered, but hopefully the abilities of the heroes could more than compensate. Gerald & Elsa researched which scrolls and potions would be most useful in the battle against the dragon.

During this time, Rohit & Garyn had found a position about two miles from the orc village, where Garyn could observe without being seen. Rohit changed into his orc disguise and snuck inside.