Session 5.

Before leaving the temple, Jack completes his deal with Kurychek by giving him the box, and Kurychek, after saying a quick goodbye, turns into a raven and flies away.
Bryn bonds with Malissa, the half-orc bard from the night before, while the others decide what stops to make, and in what order. They decide to stop by a store to pick up some general supplies before going to the One-to-Go, and Bryn leaves a letter for her sister with Brother Buron.
On their way through one of the many gates within the city, they ask the guards if anyone is allowed in or out of the city, and find that no one is let in or out, unless they have a special pass to do so. These passes come mainly from the council members themselves.
At the store, Bryn picks up more healing kits, which Myetharia and Jack insist they pay for. Winry thinks about buying lock picks like Rayland's, but decides to wait.
 
Then off to the tavern they go. When they enter the grungy building, the barkeeper gives both Myetharia and Rayland a knowing nod, while looking at the others with suspicion. The two regulars make their way over to their informants, Petra and Krach, who are in their usual place, and greet them.
Both Myetharia and Rayland ask about ways out of the city, and after some discussion, it seems their best option would be to find the councilman Menash, and persuade him to give them passes out of the city. Petra warns them, with a smirk, of Menash's eccentricity.
Meanwhile, Krach seems to recognize Jack, despite the fact that Jack does not know him, and claims that he's been connected to Gabal in the past. The others press Jack on the topic, and he reluctantly fills them in that his school has always been at odds with Gabal's school, and it may have led to a few "practical jokes" being taken too far, but that is all they are able to get out of him.
The group is also informed by Krach, that there is a bit of a riot currently going on over at the school, as the townsfolk want the mages to hand themselves over to the inquisitors, so that their lives can go back to "normal".
After some discussion, they decide to go find Jack's headmaster, with the hope that he will give them an introduction to Menash. Myetharia bids goodbye to Krach and Petra, telling them to send their mutual friend, Rantle, in her direction if they can, before she leaves the city.
 
The group is let by Jack and Myetharia to Jack's school, but enter what seems to be another tavern with a few patrons inside. Jack asks Fimrall, the dwarvish barkeeper, where the president of Eralore Hall, Gratanus Helicomb, can be found, so that they may speak to him. They are informed that he went in to join in with the council meetings. And after some short discussion, they decide to go to where the meeting is being held, in hopes that they may run into him.
They cross the main square of the city and make their way to the council building as the clock is striking noon, and the members exit, breaking for lunch. Two men catch their attention. The first, a very well built man, is clad in clothes colored purple, green and gold, and the second man who walks beside him, though not as colorful, is still rather extravagant.
Jack approaches the pair, as he recognizes the second man to be President Helicomb, while the others stay back just a bit. After greeting one another, Helicomb introduces the former, and far more extravagant-looking man as the very councilman Menash they were looking for. Jack politely requests to speak to Helicomb privately, and as the councilman takes his leave, Myetharia inches closer to hear the discussion. She overhears that Jack was in fact sent on a mission for the Resistance, unbenounced to her, who believed that she herself had invited him along, and Helicomb knew all about their need to get out of the city. He agrees to make an introduction for them to Menash at his shop, reaffirming that he would be their best option out of the city, and leads the group away.
The group arrives at a garish shop, dressed in the same purple, green and yellows which the councilman had been wearing himself. After grabbing some lunch, and making some quick introductions, Helicomb leaves to run errands before the meeting readjourns.
The councilman Menash is quite an eccentric character, and Winry bonds with him over his style and favorite colors. Though Jack expresses wishes to get what they need and leave without delay, the others agree to take a tour of Menash's home, in exchange for his aid in leaving the city.
The manor is adjacent to the shop, and they make their way over. The tour, consists of Menash showing them his many collections of oddities, which he has created himself. Among these are weapons made to look like animals, and rather impractical at that.
However ridiculous his "adventuring gear" may be, Menash is almost overeager to share any rumors or news he had gained about the attack on the city. One such rumor was that a druid had taken the form of a giant eagle and drove off a red dragon from lighting the city on fire. Another was that an incursion had occurred at the north wall, but townsfolk had held them up long enough that guards could arrive and help. Yet another rumor spoke of an earth elemental rising up from the sewers near the houses of other council members, but they had been able to take it down. The last story he told was of the very wyvern rider they had encountered during the strike, and of how a group of unknown adventurers had left him tied up in the street for the guards. At this last account, his eyes seem to twinkle with an air of knowing.
After this discussion, Menash offers them to take one item from his wares. With that offer, the group not only walks away with a note for a Captain Herreman of a cavalry detachment, but Winry walks away with animal themed thieves tools, in a little bag designed to look like a frog. She offers to sell him paintings in the future, perhaps of frogs, which he happily agrees to.
 
As the group heads back to retrieve Torrent, they notice that a group of people dressed as city guards is following them from about 30 feet back. The uniforms they wear do not fit them quite right, so the group guesses that it is a ruse of some sort. The group slips into a nearby tavern and out the back, hoping to give their followers the slip. Unfortunately, as they go into the back alley, they are surrounded on both sides. They are told to surrender, on suspicion of being mages.
When the group stands their ground, with no intention of surrender, the fake guards draw their weapons for battle.