Hail the Conquering Heroes (Date 1/6/4)

With the Duergar defeated, all that remained was to gather the spoils and the wounded and head for the surface. A long, slow day of descent had been followed by a few intense minutes of battle and then concluded with an agonizing climb back to the sun. By the time they reached the surface, night had fallen, but even the dim light of the moon was a welcome change from the cavern depths.

While traveling, Justice discovered that Shelby had given orders that the Duergar women and children be targeted by the soldiers, and he hated her for it, even going so far as to make arrangements to have himself removed from her command.

Shelby seemed shaken by her rescue at Marty’s hands and looked upon the young priest with new eyes. After the party returned home, she made a visible appearance at temple.

Despite the influx of ore and gems from the mine, the kingdom was suffering a financial shortfall. An emergency council meeting was held and changes were made. Euwyn was named to the office of Magister and Lexington became the new Marshal. A change cheered on by Relania, who had recently discovered a shared joy in politics with Lexington. In fact, it seemed the two had a lot in common, with the rogue monopolizing much of the lady’s attention for that evening.

With their coffers dwindling and the kingdom’s needs rising, Lexington decided that more farmland was an imperative, and plans were made to expand south into the lawless lands.