The Lakeview Chamber of Commerce The Tale of The Streets of Intrigue, Part the First Douglas B. Jackson 1/8/02 Cast of Characters: Golan Elderberry the Third, played by Douglas Jackson Assinthe Baumkocker, played by Martin Melhus Selma Velis, played by Andrew Walsh Game Master: John Sasso

I have started keeping this diary even though my superiors have forbidden any such record for fear of what it could reveal. I feel confident of the strength of the cipher it is written in and I will continue.

The name I am currently known by is Golan Elderberry the Third. With a little magic and makeup I have been able to pass myself of as one of the occupants of the city of Vindstadt. Of my real mission I will not scribe it here for fear that my superiors are correct. Instead I will write of my most recent adventure.

The day got off to a bad start. I was at the store bickering with a customer when a page waltzed in and presented me with a scroll bearing the seal of the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce. I tipped the page and had to spend more time with my customer before I could convince him that I was correct. When I was finally able to take a break I read the scroll, an invitation to the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce's action sub-committee meeting that very night. I closed up shop early and readied myself. I am one of the action members of the sub-committee; we specialize in working on zoning violations. We were to meet in Papa Lozano's upper rooms.

The meeting was fairly routine, mostly small messes; I noticed Assinthe and Selma nodding off now and again. When Papa mentioned the Blue Beetle Temple they quickly woke up. It turns out it was abandoned seven years ago, rumors of something bad happening, a prominent Aldermeister involved and some recent activity at the site. As a little background Papa said that the Blue Beetle Cult used to sell flowers, sometimes in the nostrils of severed heads. We of the action sub-committee have been tasked with investigating.

After the meeting the three of us went downstairs and out the back way, stopping at one of the many merchant's stalls littering the streets. Assinthe purchased two copper balls, Selma bought one jar of wraith ichor and I purchased a lovingly crafted dwarven belt buckle.

In what in hindsight might be considered a "bad idea" we hopped a rickshaw and had it deliver us to the front of the temple. Selma had the bad taste to flash some guards who were across the street. Guarding what we never found out, because they marched right over and asked Selma how much for here special services. Assinthe told the guards they must have misunderstood our friend and could he buy them a drink instead. They became outraged at his suggestion and drew their weapons. In the ensuing brawl we managed to accidentally stab one guard to death and behead the other. In a futile hope of not being noticed we quickly dragged the bodies into the alley behind the temple.

Selma found a boarded up window facing the alley and managed to slip inside and open the door for us. We dragged the Guard's bodies inside and for fun arranged them in a suitably entertaining manner. Looking around the room we noticed that there were footprints in the dust starting in the middle of the room and going through a doorway on the other wall. Curious, we followed them through the doorway and down a flight of steps. Here we found an old temple room full of old basic temple furniture, except for the three rat/trolls, they were new. We had just started fighting them when Assinthe yelled from his fight that we should be careful not to damage their gall bladders and spleens, it turns out those are good for sauces. I'll have to include some recipes later in this diary. We finished off the rat/trolls and that is the last thing any of us remembered clearly.

The next firm memory I have is of waking up up back at Papa Lazano's in the upstairs meeting room. Papa said that when he didn't hear back from us he sent some of his henchmen to sniff around the temple, that was two weeks ago.

With Papa's help I have remembered a little bit more, there was a magician in green vestments with a snake tattoo on his chest. He had looked very concerned when we walked in on him. He said "Fools, you don't realize what you've stumbled into!" Then I remembered the local Aldermeister wandering down the stairs and stepping over the bodies of the rat/trolls. The mage looked at him and the color drained from his face, he said "You, it can't be you!" The Aldermeister said nothing but he started to glow blue and strange rays shot from his eyes and struck the mage. The last thing I remember is the mage collapsing to the floor. I must have become unconscious at the point but I do remember hearing bodies being dragged and hideous laughter.

Papa says the temple has been re-opened. They are once again healing the sick and feeding the poor. The local Aldermeister has been seen helping out in the food line. We failed to stop the temple from re-opening but we did know more about it then we did before.