As we arrived to Hillsfar, a notably racist place, our very first second within the tavern was greeted by the bartender being poisoned and a mysterious man in a red robe appearing. Azrael managed to save the bartender (but took with him wine for his payment) and the red-robed told us that Bert, the goblin who originally hired us to investigate the poisonings in the town, was arrested on suspicion of poisoning.

We were to exonerate him or the hatred of nonhumanoids would burn brighter and hate crimes against them would be on the rise.

Following where we were led, we came into a basement in the underdark. Defeating the goblins that protected the basement on Bert's orders, we investigated the area to see if we could find things to exonerate Bert. There were a great many clue, and among them, a squirrel which Ivor insisted to be important. We rounded it all up and headed to the courtroom.

Long story made short, it was an oblex, leading a slimey cult. It was assimilating humanoids and was puppeteering the prosecution, wanting to stoke more hate crimes so its own could go undetected. We defeated it, and though Bert had no gold which to give us, he did share some magic items.

Upon our arrival in Hillsfar—a city notoriously hostile to non-humans—we barely stepped inside the local tavern before chaos broke out: the bartender was poisoned, and a mysterious red-robed figure abruptly appeared. We managed to save the bartender’s life (claiming a bottle of wine as compensation), while the stranger informed us that Bert, the goblin who had hired us to investigate the town's poisonings, had just been arrested for the crime.
To prevent a surge of racial tension and violence against non-humans, we needed to clear Bert’s name. Our investigation led us into a subterranean basement connected to the Underdark. After defeating the goblins guarding the area on Bert's orders, we searched the hideout for evidence. Among numerous clues, a local squirrel was crucial to the case.
We gathered our findings and rushed to the courtroom. There, we uncovered the true culprit: an oblex leading a slimy cult. The creature was assimilating humanoids and impersonating the prosecution to incite racial hatred, using the chaos as cover for its own covert expansion. We vanquished the beast and exonerated Bert, who, lacking the gold to pay us, rewarded our efforts with a set of magic items instead.

There was that of a strange cult that we had to investigate in order to prove that of a goblin innocent of poisoning. When we got all the evidence to do it, and brought it for the man's lawyer, his lawyer quit and we had to defend him. After which a Giant Ooze appeared, which we killed rather quickly. They did not pay us like they said they would, so I will be sure if I see that goblin again, he will wish he was found guilty.

Sit Rep

Group:
Cyrus
Ivor
Azrael
Ssrin
Myself

Hilsfar. What a disgusting place. We arrived in the city and were promptly told that our contact had been sacked, and we needed to prove a goblin, Burt's, innocence. We went to his home, and were met by guards who would only let us in if we told them the password. They were goblins, so I grabbed the leader by the ankles to try to get the password. She held firm, before Azreal... walked through the wall. Combat broke out, and I told everyone to NOT KILL THEM. Fortunately, they listened.

Upon investigating, there were plenty of papers that seemed... forged. We also found an important Squirrel and a secret room that had... ooze furniture? And a journal with quite incriminating evidence of some ooze cult turning humans into... ooze? It was gross and way above my paygrade. We went outside, and met a different red robbed individual. Apparently the person we met who told us our mission, had been sacked. No one was safe. She, fearing for her life, hoped we could prove Bert's innocence.

So we went to the trial. Bert's lawyer left as soon as we gave extra evidence, so it was our job to save him. I realized the Squirrel saw everything, so could corroborate everything we were saying. Ssrin gave it the power of speech, and as soon as she did, the trial was over. A giant ooze thing exploded out of an evidence box, and tried to flee... fat chance.

We killed it, and ended fantasy racism.

Marpenoth 4th, 1502 DR

A last-minute change of our job sent us to Hillsfar, where I soon discovered the only charming thing about it was the name. While waiting for our contact, the bartender got poisoned. Fortunately, Azrael assisted them first, only to be jumped by a red-robed individual who tasked us with proving the innocence of a goblin named Bert.

We went to inspect their lair, but we were stopped by the goblin guard, and after a failed negotiation and putting them to sleep (literally), we went deeper inside. We soon discovered the racism and hatred steeped in this place, with enough evidence to prove Bert was set up and innocent, plus some suspicious ooze... and a squirrel deemed important.

We met with another red-clothed individual, and per the description and letters, it was clear they were an ally of Bert who ushered us to assist with the goblin's court hearing. After some daming evidence on our part, Azrael the lawyer, and an awakened squirrel with eyewitness proof, the goblin was proven innocent.

Unfortunately, we discovered the reason for the ooze cult existing... it was in the courtroom all this time, but an oblex was nothing compared to the rest of us, and we splattered it easily... earning almost nothing in exchange, aside from the need for a shower.

I despise Hillsfar, and I don't want to see it ever again.