Stonebrow watched the tiny twin hulled sailing boat approach the docking tower during his watch. The sails came down and one of the crew of tiny humanoids used a speaking trumpet.

“Morning New Town, the pirates are on their way!”

Then the little guy joined his crew and the triangular sailed boat turned to the south and was soon speeding away.

Stonebrow grumbled to himself but pulled the cord to ring the signal bell. Half an hour later he did so again.

Down below in the watch room Havenot the unwary slept on.

Mairee silkybeard stormed into the watch room after the third time the bell sounded. “What the hell are you doing you useless shale headed moron, why do I have to be woken three times by that hellish contraption you lot call a bell?” she shrieked.

Several dwarves gathered for the show, Mairee was entertaining if you weren’t the object of her ire.

The hulabaloo went on for some time until once again the signal bell rang. Havenot heaved himself to his feet and stumped out of the room. “Gotta go see what old Stonebrow wants.”

“Only now, that’s the fourth time that thing’s rung and only now you have to see what Stonebrow thinks needs telling?” Mairee screeched in ire just as the alarm bells started to ring.

Tankard Strongarm who had been leaning against a wall in the back of the crowd enjoying the show had jerked upright at Mairee’s last statement and started dashing up the dock tower’s stairs when the alarm sounded.

Tankard Strongarm puffed his way onto the dock tower and stopped on seeing Stonebrow lying on the deck. He heard a chuckle behind his back, he spun round and saw a mage standing at the side of a griffin, then he knew nothing as darkness claimed him.

The mage maintained his position as one of the sleek privateer ships docked and its augmented crew spilled out and poured through the open gate at the top of the docking tower. Down below confusion reigned as the dwarves awaited the return of Tankard. Havenot tired of listening to Mairee left the tower and headed for the tavern.

The thunder of feet on the stairs caused some of the warier amongst the dwarves to retreat to the entrance to their under-mountain dwelling just as the privateers burst into the room with bared blades and started killing all those present. A handful of the more cautious amongst the dwarves were able to flee and slam the doors behind them.

The Privateers barricaded the door to the caverns, looted the bodies of their water breathing and moving enchanted items before moving out to grab hostages in the underwater settlement in what was obviously a meticulously planned operation as they knew who to target and where to find them in the early morning hours.

Captain Hackam the bloody handed had a third of his men hold their hostages with knives at their throats, clerics and mages had been fitted with mage masks as he addressed the inhabitants of New Town.

“Good adventurers, have no fear, just carry out the task decreed by the munificent Baron Ferr Galdon and all will be well. All the good Baron is asking is that you escort the fleet commanded by Baron Alkadees and protect it from attacks launched from the deeps.”

Captain Hackam smirked, “Once you have left with the fleet we will take your loved ones into the dwarves tower where they will join the dwarves and when you return from this patriotic task you will be suitably rewarded by the Baron and be able to release your loved ones.”

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Mary was getting irked, she was back in the police interrogation room with her lawyer, the cops, most apologetically it must be admitted had hinted that the charges of excessive force dreamt up by the state prosecutor would go away if she cooperated with the feds. In the first place they apparently wanted her to take a full medical and then... well they didn’t know what then.

Mary was currently resting, observing and mining Bluey for whatever she could as her lawyer negotiated. She had come to the conclusion that Flip didn’t know his lawyers as this individual while pleasant seemed somewhat lacking.

Blue screens flashed passed with information on enchanting, dungeons, domains, companions, soul gems, beast cores amongst innumerable one simply stating “information not yet available” or other similar messages.

The two annoyances behind the two way mirror were particularly annoying and she tried everyway she could think of to read them. Her task got much easier when they started jabbing the air infront of their faces. Mary managed to keep a straight face with difficulty.

Finally she agreed to the medical in return for a signed statement exempting her from prosecution for excessive force. She gave her lawyer a dubious look and determined to seek another more competent lawyer.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Rachel Rourke and Mat Yamaoka were feeling frustrated, thanks to being the ones to have discovered the sinkhole they were pulling more than their fair share of guard duty while it was fenced off and the undergrowth cleared from around it. A metal staircase protected by a steel cage was installed leading down into the hole and there was talk of a lift.

Some guys had gone down with tranquilizer guns and fetched up two more of those Tasmanian thingamabobs and now there were these bored looking characters from the Australian Consulate. Amazing how they switched from boredom to enthusiastic interest when the press showed.

* * *

“So what exactly do we have under that park, and how come it’s managed to kill one of my guys?”

“We don’t know, the damn thing doesn’t make any sense at all, we have a series of caves that seem to be dimly illuminated with abundant vegetation, some of it hostile, that’s what got George, a damn vampiric liana grabbed him. Then there’s the fauna and that is all aggressively hostile.”

“What about those Tasmanian Tigers?”

“The first two that we captured are doing well at the zoo, as is the second pair. The Australians are interested in acquiring them. They seem to exist in the first two or three caves and the caves seem capable of recreating them if we withdraw overnight.”

“You mean like those dungeon things in those stupid RPGs my kids are constantly playing.”

“Those games are... Well maybe? We certainly have no explanation as to what is going on down there anyway. Nothing down there makes sense.”