Before setting out from Cleverest, the group takes some time to attend to personal projects. Cookie paints a mural on the church wall using a mixture of mud and feces (though not her own) that depicts a sun radiating down upon a field of wheat. Any resemblance to tentacles is purely coincidental. Klarh sets to repairing the furniture cannibalized for Thunder’s weapons while the dwarf drinks heartily with the local farmers. Meanwhile, Maren receives permission to build a small shrine to Auril in a clearing near the church. The dwarven woman spends a few hours gathering choice stones from the area to construct a small fire pit in an area of perpetual shade. Before departing Cleverest, she instructs the farmers to pile firewood here and leave it ready to light. On the night of the winter solstice they should light some kindling from a hearth fire and bring it here to ignite this sacrificial flame. Once the blaze is roaring they are to douse it with handfuls of snow, using their bare hands while offering the warmth of blaze and blood alike to the Frostmaiden. While the quicker races busy themselves with the locals, Briel sits in quiet contemplation in the nearby woods, studying woodland creatures and contemplating her growing connection to the land.

The first day’s travels go by with little more than a passing rain shower and a particularly short message from Mawrbryn. As our intrepid heroes draw closer and closer to Waterdeep’s southern gate, they come upon a curious scene on the road ahead. A small wagon has tipped over, trapping the hind leg of one of the large dogs that were pulling it. One halfling tries to keep the other draft dog calm while another futilely tries to free the pinned canine. A third halfling is straddling the torso of an unconscious teenage human and is wailing on his face over and over again with bloodied fists. As the group rushes in to intervene, they see that a number of the wagon’s crates have broken open in the fall, spilling a hefty amount of pungent spices onto the muddy trail. The group learns that these halflings are spice traders from distant Calimshan, though with the silly attire they are wearing and their odd accents, this point is fairly obvious. They also discover that the boy was part of a mischievous trio of young men who attempted to distract and rob the small folk as they made their way towards Waterdeep. While his brothers Theodoor and Symion managed to escape into the woods, Alveen was caught by the halflings and “got what he deserved.”

Cool heads, helpful magic, and strong backs see the cart righted and both the boy and dog healed without any more punches thrown. Unfortunately, Alveen makes a break for the woods as soon as he is awake. Though Maren and Cookie try to keep him from running, he evades their grasp and a crossbow quarrel as he dashes into the underbrush. Thunder imbues Klarh with magical speed and the ranger takes off into the woods in pursuit of the young thief. While Briel repairs wheels and boxes with her Mending spell, Maren and Thunder help reload the cart as Cookie plays in the spilled spices, making angel patterns. Klarh overtakes the boy so quickly that he catches Alveen completely off guard. After a stern talking to, Klarh brings the would-be thief back to the halflings and pays for the damages, sending Alveen on his way towards Cleverest with two gold coins and a chance at starting over. The remainder of the trip back to Waterdeep passes without incident.

After paying an “unwelcome tax” at the gate for her faith, Maren and the rest of the gang enter Waterdeep’s South Ward. With darkness and a day’s travel weighing upon their shoulders, our heroes take The Way of the Dragon, one of the two main avenues of the South Ward headed towards the Armored Pig in the North Ward. While passing one of the slightly-dilapidated two-story buildings along the way, the party is knocked off their feet as the upper half of the buildings explodes in a huge gout of flame. A limp body comes soaring out of the inferno, slamming into a building across the street and falling to the ground. Klarh and Thunder move in to assist, finding a woman with burned off clothing and intact magical warding. As the fire rages a griffon-mounted guard high above blows a horn to alert the fire guards. Within moments two members of the Watchful Order arrive and begin to douse the flames. The woman comes to and shouts in protest, mumbling something about “her wards.” The flames begin to sputter and hiss as steam and smoke billow from the building, followed quickly by mischievous laughter!

Like a cloud of locusts descending on a field, a cluster of small creatures come flying from the conflagration, their laughter filling the air as they begin to swoop and dive after the fire guard. They are mephits, impish creatures formed from the combination of two of the primordial elements. Following closely behind the steam, smoke, and magma mephits is a raging fire elemental that erupts from the building and heads right for the two Waterdhavian magicians. Fighting the instinct to run, Maren bravely turns around to mete out Aurilian justice to creatures born of elemental fire, followed closely behind by her companions. An epic fight ensues, culminating with Thunder unleashing Thundercracker on three mephits simultaneously. As the dust settles and the City Watch moves in to secure the scene, the naked woman is revived and apprehended to pay for her crimes. The members of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors thank the group for their assistance and take down their names. Though the fight takes only moments, it drains the group of what little energy they have left. By some miracle they arrive at the Armored Pig without further interruption, ready for a well-deserved rest.