Whaaat? Zentharim in Port Ffirst? – 08 August - Menace

As the week draws to a close, Menace returns to Old Port to regale the urchins with his tales of adventure. This year’s Shieldmeet has come to an end, a full success it was in his books. But there is always more work, always more schemes to plot, more plans push along.



As Menace reaches the piers, he is greeted by the cheers from his faithful followers.

“Mr. Mace! Mr. Mace!”

He laughs, pads bony little shoulders, ruffles hair and winks at Carl, who is busy corralling the children into a half circle.

“Stories, Mr Mace! Tell us a story!”

Menace takes his seat on the steps and bids the children to quiet down.

“A story, you say? Well, let me first thank you for the story you told me!” his gaze scans the crowd and finds Sally.

“Sally here came to me with a rumour she had picked up, of that thief that had been locked up in the Countess’ mansion, but escaped? He then hurried off toward the Angelbark Forest, I was told.”

He pauses and smiles at Sally, who blushes from the sudden attention of the crowd.

“Alas, we did not find that thief, or his companions. In fact, my companions and I almost died in the forest.” He says, as the colour drains from Sally’s face, “but don’t worry Sally, you did the right thing. I want all of you to know that you can always come to me with a rumour! In fact, I insist you do.” Menace says with a toothy smile.

“What happened then Mr. Mace?” one of the smaller children asks, piercing the uncomfortable silence that ensued.

“Well, my friends and I, lets see, who was there, Igrainne the ranger, Stedd the fisherman, delightful Bubbles and Faye, as well as a roaring Gnome named Tiny Storm! And best of all, there was… A SPEAKING CAT!” Menace yells, to the awwws and ooohs of the children.

“We set out to find the escaped Zentharim thief from Faerun, but finding no clues at the Countess’ mansion, we followed the lead to the Angelbark Forest. There we encountered a group of frogmen, fighting swamp creatures! I swear, I am not making this up!” he says laughing, as some of the older children look a bit sceptical.

“We dispatched the creatures and the frogmen confirmed that we were indeed on the trail of a group of people that fit the description of the Zentharim. The frogmen led us to an old ruin in the forest that we thought they might be hiding in. But as it turned out…” Menace gesticulates, “…what we found inside was an injured Drow priestess that told us of a powerful and deadly artefact inside! Clearly, we needed to investigate, but were almost overcome by giant tentacles bursting from the walls!” The smaller children make big eyes and follow the tale in amazement as Menace begins to act out the fight with much drama and verve.

“The inner sanctum held a glowing orb. This was the intended target of the Drow priestess and her entourage as well, but as they discovered, and we after them, the thing had a life of its own. Tentacles burst from the walls, while Faye was ensnared by the orb’s influence. Hacking at the tentacles was all we could do to stay alive, and ever more seemed to keep coming! The gnome Tiny proved to be a vicious fighter when enraged, don’t let his size fool you, should you ever encounter that ball of fury on the streets! Igrainne let loose a hail of magical arrows, and the speaking cat Greebo, perched on my very shoulder shot off magic missiles from its tail! It was a sight to behold, alas, we could not stop the glowing orb inserting itself into the unconscious Faye…” Menace trails off, the children waiting with baited breath.

“When they woke up, they told us that they had seen an apparition speaking to them, imbuing them with great power and granting a boon in the form of a magical whip! Very strange to say the least… The Drow priestess later told us that the goddess Shar had bestowed Faye with her favour. A high honour, supposedly, but as you can tell from this story, magic is a fickle thing. Best to rely on things you can feel the weight of and count!” Menace says laughing, and hands out a few copper coins to each of the children.

“What next? What happened next Mr. Mace?” the children asked excitedly.

“Oh, we ransacked the temple and then went back to Port Ffirst. No sign of the Zentharim, but maybe that’s for the best after all.” Menace says with a mischievous spark in his eyes.

“But now, my little birds, having told you my story, do tell me of yours! What has happened here in my absence? What have you seen and overheard from the merchants? Did you see the Lenoirs’ boys? Or those of the Countess? What are they up to? Do tell me... eeeeverthing…” he says, catching up on the local news and rumour.




After the children have left, Carl lingers.

“I sense you want to ask me something.” Menace says.

“Well…” Carl begins, unsure of himself, “…you called out Sally for that rumour that turned out to be false.”

“Yes, go on.”

“But… you had asked me to spread amongst the children whether they had heard of it? Heard anymore? To confirm it?”

“I did indeed.”

“So… you knew that it was false? But you told it so anyway?”
Menace sighs, and puts a hand on Carl’s shoulder. The boy has grown and looks healthier since Menace has taken him under his wing, but he is still far from becoming a man.

“Sometimes, you have to lie to achieve a good end. I needed the other adventurers to believe that the rumour was genuine, and they wouldn’t have believed it, if it had come from me.”

“So…” Carl tests the waters, afraid that any false step may see him plunging back into the cold from whence he came, “...you used her to get what you want…?”

“I did. The priests in the temples will tell you that is a bad thing, that you should always tell the truth and act without deceit. But ask yourself, in all the time you have lived in the streets, when has that ever paid off for you?” Menace says in a fatherly tone. Carl thinks on this a moment.

“It paid off when I came to work for you, boss.”

Menace looks at his apprentice, his eyes showing equal parts of pity, respect - and affection.

“It sure did Carl. It sure did.”