Drulissa's Domain

 "Move the damn dire wolves," the man snapped at the two handlers, "and bloody keep them quiet!" The wagons arrived in Thundermist Village in the middle of the night, rented a large barn, and proceeded to unload their deadly cargo into the barn. They just had to wait here a day for the wagons that would take the wolves inside Qeynos to come, and their part of the deal would be done. "They're hungry," the female wolf trainer said, her face pale and drawn. "I don't care if they're starved," the man snapped. "We're not feeding them anything, and if you have to, feed them something from the wild. No villagers." "Yes, sir," the trainers said, their voices barely above a whisper. "How's our guest?" the man asked, staring at a cage. "He's not going anywhere," the second trainer said, wiping his brow. "Good," the man said, his eyes glinting in the dark. "I want him awake when ...

"What is this about?" Royal Guard Asuka said as she adjusted her gold armor, having hastily gotten dressed in the middle of the night. She walked towards Qeynos Castle with the rest of Alustrae's group, dedicated servants of the Qeynos Ministry of Justice. The elven sisters Angelaya and Kaliaya walked ahead of her, meeting Lady Alustrae and her daughter Opalynna at the end of the bridge over the castle's moat. "Security breach at the castle," Alustrae said. "The Queen is calling us all in." In moments, the group stood in the Royal Reception Room as Queen Antonia Bayle entered, her anger apparent. "There has been a security breach," Antonia said, her voice filled with authority. "Someone entered the Queen's Chambers. Information was shared with me by a trusted source, which gave me reason to doubt the effectiveness of this entire investigation." Alustrae and her team were quiet, as was the rest of the group, who stood nearby....

Ophyila stood on the deck of the ship, staring out at the open sea. She could hear the waves crashing against the hull, and the smell of saltwater filled her nostrils. She looked back at the crew, a group of burly sailors who were working to keep the ship afloat. "So, what's the plan?" she asked. The captain, a grizzled human, grinned. "We drop you fools off at Dead Mines Island, and then we wait, but not too long. Got another shipment of goods to pick up from Freeport." "Sounds good," Ophyila said, turning back to face the ocean. The ship sailed towards the shore, and she could see the island's outline ahead. It was a small, barren place, with little vegetation. As the ship drew closer, she could see the remnants of a ruined city, long since abandoned. "Rich in iron ore," Captain Ashvale said, "Very little else here. It is rumored that the ancient dwarven city of Karanath was here before the Sundering. There is an old dwarven fortre...

 She watched the river lazily flow by, sitting in the darkness under the covered bridge leading to Qeynos. She heard the wagons approaching on the road and waited to sense the minds that she felt were there and were slowly approaching. Tiny fish darted about under the water, and she relaxed, preparing her mind for what would come next. The hooves of the horses drawing the first wagon began to cross the bridge above her, each hoof fall making a loud thud, and then the wheels started to cross the bridge. Tali closed her eyes and sensed the occupants of the first cart, trying to tell the brokers apart from the mercenaries they hired to protect this load. The brokers knew something; the mercenaries did not. There were six minds. Two minds were those of the brokers, their greed and arrogance evident. The four mercenaries were a mix of human and orc, their minds hardened and experienced, and their loyalty to the job bought. "Are you sure we can trust this person?" One of the broker...

 Reports came in from the Harbor District that a small, local candle shop specializing in custom candles had exploded, taking out the first floor of the shop and damaging the row houses above. No casualties reported, but injuries have been reported. The shop's owner and staff are still reported missing. Queen Antonia Bayle and the Qeynos Department of Justice are working closely with the Mage's Guild to determine the cause of the explosion. Qeynos City Guard is currently on scene, investigating. The area has been blocked off, with city laborers and those a part of the City Construction Guild assisting in cleanup efforts. Some say that the candleshop must have had specialized crafting stations for working on magical candles, and an accident while crafting led to a severe feedback loop, causing a chain-reaction explosion. Rumors from ships in the harbors, and visible on the docks, indicate that the most severe damage is isolated in the back of the shop, which some say was o...

 Alustrae rode across the windswept plains of the Thundering Steppes, a scarred, torn, and hammered land full of craters hundreds of feet deep, and cut in half by a massive canyon filled with the dead. It was a dangerous land, a place of ancient battles and fallen civilizations, a testament to the power of the gods and their wrath. A place that should be avoided at all costs, but where the wickedness had decided to make their home. Somewhere out here, an evil soul had hidden a group of hunting dogs, crossbred with dire wolves, and trained to hunt Ratonga. And she was not the only one searching for them. The Qeynos Royal Court and the Crimson Inquisition were working together, trying to find the evil menace, but so far, no luck. But now, two suspects leaving the Festival of Unity had entered the Stepps, and her team was following them wherever they went. Two Freeblood vampires, by the name of Cainan and Saphra Duskthorne, had left the Festival and, by chance, managed to ...