The members of The Salvation Times had made contact with the sphinx FLAMEWIND, an expert in the Draconic Prophecy in Morgrave University. But they were dismayed to find the Oracle of War appeared to be broken and inoperable.

To find someone to repair it, they went to meet a criminal contact known by Lanfear, a half elf named IVELO D’MEDANI, who was known to frequent to King of Fire Tavern in the Middle Dura district.

On the way to the tavern, the party encountered an Aereni diplomat named LADY LYSANTHIR. She appeared to be lost and asked for directions to Shae Lias, an elven neighborhood in the Northedge district on the other side of town. Fearing that Lady Lysanthir looked too much like a tourist who was likely to get mugged, the party accompanied her to the elven neighborhood.

Once they arrived in Shae Lias, an upscale residential area made up of elven homes growing and intertwining with the trees, Lady Lysanthir thanked them for their assistance. Since the members of The Salvation Times didn’t have anywhere else to stay in the city, she invited them to stay at her diplomatic residence, the penthouse floor of a tall tree tower, in gratitude for their kindness.

The members of the newspaper staff now had a base from which to operate in the city. But by the time they arrived at the tavern in Middle Dura, evening had fallen and Ivelo was nowhere to be found. When the party asked the barkeep, they learned that Ivelo had met a group of adventurers who looked exactly like the members of The Salvation Times, and together they had gone to a rundown tenement district in Lower Dura.

The party rushed to the tenement district where they saw a lampkeeper, who was revealed to be a spy. The party was ambushed by the lampkeeper and a group of attackers sent by an unknown faction. The members of The Salvation Times fought and defeated their would-be assassins, and soon after they discovered Ivelo tied up in an alley. The party took him back to their penthouse flat to recuperate.

Once he had recovered, Ivelo thanked the heroes and, when they had explained their trouble with a broken artifact, he offered to help them find someone to repair the Oracle of War. Ivelo introduced the party to SEBASTIAN, a half-orc mechanic who had a gambling problem and owed money to the Boromar Clan. Sebastian offered to take a look at the Oracle and repair it if possible in exchange for a promise of safe passage out of the city—away from the debts owed to the Boromars. The party agreed to the deal and took Sebastian back to their penthouse flat.

At the penthouse, Brynhildr proceeded to boobytrap the entrance and windows with magical wards, fearing a nighttime attack. Her fears were confirmed later that evening when the windows shattered as part of the wards exploded and the party was ambushed by a group of sky raiders riding upon soarsleds, led by a rakshasa who had come for the Oracle of War.