[i][h3]The Vale[/h3][b]The Town,[/b]
[b]Currently[/b][/I]

With the party marching on and soon finding themselves before the gates, having followed only the faint path through the rolling grassland that still existed, they discovered the town was indeed as quiet as they had seen from an hour's walk away. Their hail never found an answer, as unusual as that was, so when they came to push open the gates, they discovered those too were unlocked and open. Both giant wooden doors, heavy and great as they were, swung inward and allowed the heroes to witness the calm of the town. It was as strange as anything else, but the clear signs of inhabitance were here; a few carts loaded with hay, a few wooden merchant's stalls with their wares gone for the evening, baskets and pots set out in stacks.

Yet not a soul to be seen...

Not initially at least until a ways down what appeared to be the main road, a very small figure dressed in rich purple robes ran from one end of the street to the others, darting between buildings. Before the wardens of light could even react, the tiny person was already gone - until of course a kaleidoscope of colors erupted from where he ran and he again crossed the street back toward where he came. This time, now ready for whatever was going on, they noted the figure wearing an equally purple, albeit absurdly tall and pointed hat near as large as he, and sprinting for his apparent life back the other direction after whatever magic just happened. His hands in the air during his flight, they could faintly make out him yelling incoherently.

In his wake followed a gang of shadows, but not just any shadows, several of them large enough to be the size of a man and all of whom were wielding longswords and armored shields made out of inky blackness that fit the rest of their unsettlingly humanoid look. They chased him back from where he came across the street in their mob, with one lingering further behind the rest, seemingly staggering around dazed and confused.

[i]"Someone!? Anyone?! Help!"[/i]

The voice peaked louder and clearly as another rainbow eruption occurred throughout the town in a burst of light and twinkling sounds; bits of glittering color drifting wildly. It seems the gnome was in desperate trouble and they had arrived none too late. The real question was, what now would they do? Time was short to think and act.

[hider=Effects]
[i]A Gnome in Need[/i]
The party witnesses what appears to be a wizard fighting off very unusual shadows in the abandoned town. He is badly outnumbered and is apparently seeking help. He does not seem aware of the party. If the party wishes to engage, the first player who rolls for initiative puts the rest of the players into combat.

[i]Wick and Katia decide that they need to act to defeat the mysterious shadows. They put the rest of the party into initiative order.[/i]

[b]Score[/b]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1P4Z7HimuU]Countdown[/url]

[b]Map[/b]
[url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/map.html#id=4370]Town[/url]

[b]Initiative Order[/b][list][*] Katia (20)
[*] Wick (19)
[*] Thea (18)
[*] Haemar (17)
[*] Cesar (14)
[*] Theodore (12)
[*] [i]Shadow Soldiers (3)[/i]
[*] [i]Violet Gnome (2)[/i]
[/list]
[/hider]
[@Big Dread], [@Cu Chulainn], [@Gordian Nought], [@Hekazu], [@JBRam2002], [@Zverda]