Sylvia followed with Shor with her friends, and they were soon in the Castle Ward. Of course, it didn't take long for Sylvia to notice the differences between the Castle Ward and the wards they were just in. This was probably where the nobles lived or frequented. She also noticed how the guards here look better equipped and people here had finer clothes. She ignored the people who looked at them and whispered to each other. But at the back of her mind, seeing them whisper reminded her of her time in middle and high school.

She shook off the thoughts when she noted the large sword. It was funny...for a bit, she had forgotten that was there, but now that she saw it again, she felt awe once more.

She certainly wasn't ready for what the temple had in store for her.

When she got there, her jaw dropped and she couldn't help but ask out loud, "This is a temple? This looks more like a university!" As they walked on and Sylvia saw the fireball, the golem, and people actually flying through the air, she couldn't help but voice her awe and laugh (though she did try to keep her excitement hushed and quiet so as to not disturb anyone),

"Oh wow! Did you see that?!"
"Oh, That is so cool!"
"Ohmygosh! They're flying! They're actually flying!"

She felt like she just stepped into Hogwarts...and it was much more beautiful than what anyone had imagined. She felt like a child coming to an amusement park for the first time.

She then noticed that some other cat like familiars had approached Dinah, and she chuckled "I see you're meeting some new friends, Dinah," She then looked to Pylia, only for her smile to fade.

Pylia had that stony expression and she had her hand on her weapon. Sylvia calmed herself down from the excitement of what she was seeing in this university, and she asked her friend in concern, "Pylia? ...Are you okay...?"

Pylia seemed to snap back to reality when you spoke to her, and she crossed her arms as if she was trying to hide her hands. "I'm fine... It's been a while since I've been here. The temple... Sure did grow a lot since I've last seen it. Like a whole lot... Hard to remember that I've been gone for almost twenty years." Pylia motioned towards one of the buildings. Compared to the others, it looked rather plain. It was a tall four story building with basic red bricks, wooden window panes, and a flat roof. The most notable thing about it was the symbol of the Maker over the front door. "That the orphanage. Doesn't look like much has changed aside from the new windows. Though, I'm not sure if it's even an orphanage anymore." Soon the guards at the door finished speaking with Shor and Dimos was escorted onto the campus. However the rest of the group was not. Shor looked to you all with a frustrated look. "Well, good news is that Dimos will be safe here. But... Well, apparently they're doing something here at the temple, so outsiders can't come in. Just as well, not like we need to take a tour of this place. Let's head back to the barracks and share notes."

Sylvia noticed Pylia hid her hands, clearly uncomfortable with being here. As Pylia spoke, Sylvia remembered what Pylia had told her. She grew up here, and this may be where she met her friend...and possibly those damned necromancers. She looked to the orphanage as Pylia pointed it out. Sylvia murmured in response thoughtfully, "So that's where you grew up..." Before she could say anything else, Shor came back, while Dimos was being escorted away. She was glad to hear that Dimos would be okay, but she raised an eyebrow at the fact that they weren't allowing outsiders to come in.

That didn't sound weird or suspicious...at all...

Disappointed that they couldn't take a tour of the place, she agreed, "Sure. Let's get going," It was probably for the best anyways, considering that Pylia was clearly not comfortable being here.

The group would leave the castle ward without much fanfare, though people still stared and gawked at them. You could make whispers wondering what your group has been arrested for or why the market district employs such "shady characters", likely referring to you and your group. But once you do leave the castle ward and were back on main street, it seems like the rest of the citizenry didn't really seem too concerned about your group. They were just going about their business as they were before. Once back at the Barracks, you could see that Atisha was still here along with Yorik and Kor, who were watching over the prisoners. Same as before, most of them were the knights and the one woman who was working in cahoots with Erandel. Shor returned to his desk and addressed the party.

"So, a lot has happened today. I imagine that since you were at the Windmill, either Aisha or Yorik gave you permission to get involved, despite my orders otherwise. But considering the circumstances, that's likely for the better. Still I need time to gather up the information we've collected, so for now, I don't have anything to lecture you for. I will ask that you all come tomorrow once I finish getting an idea of what just happened both below and topside. And obviously, keep your nose clean while you're here." Tapping his fingers against the table, Shor sighed and looked tired. He reached underneath his breastplate to take out a flask and take a quick swig. "I know you're all a good lot. My cousin Ferrick is too careful to befriend ruffians and the like who can't keep it clean. But the way things work here is a bit different from where you might've come from, or how you think things ought to work, and not knowing our laws don't protect you if you break them by accident. I say this because I know you all have the best intentions, even though those aren't things you're suppose to do in this city." Shor took another swig and sighed as Aisha brought some paperwork. He looked like a police chief who has to write up something about the cowboy cop's collateral damage report.

"Well, guess I lied about the lecture. But really that's all I got to say right now. Any questions?"

As they walked through the district, she could hear the whispers around them, and it was almost laughable how the people here honestly thought that they were being arrested right now. At the mention of them being 'shady characters', Sylvia muttered under her breath, "Rude!" The thought of her being 'shady', also almost made her laugh. If she was 'shady', then what would she think of some of the guys in the dock areas? Sylvia thought of them as much more 'shady' than herself.

Thankfully, they were not met with the same whispers when they got back to Main Street, and it wasn't long before they got back to the barracks. Thankfully it seemed to be obvious to Shor that a lot happened today. She listened as Shor spoke. When he mentioned that he didn't have anything to lecture her on, she thought about how quickly that sentiment will change when he hears about what happened to Erendal. When he finished and asked if they had any questions, she answered him, "None as of right now, Shor. We'll do our best to keep ourselves out of trouble for the rest of today,"

She looked to Aisha, knowing that the elf will tell him what happened today. She bid Shor, "Well, We'll take our leave, and we'll be here tomorrow. You know which inn we're staying at if you need us sooner," She then led her friends out of the barracks.

She honestly wouldn't be surprised if they heard Shor screaming, "ERENDAL DID WHAT?!" as they leave.

She asked her friends as they left, "Is there anywhere you guys want to go, or shall we head back to the inn to rest? That battle with the kobolds was pretty chaotic..."

Shortfang groaned a little as he rubbed his still fresh stab wounds. "Ugh... Shortfang wanna rest... But Shortfang worried about family. Wanna go into Underhaven and check on momma and them." Pylia looked wistfully up towards the castle ward, in the direction of the Temple of the Maker. "There's still some loose ends here I'd like to tie up. Mostly just checking on others. Though it's not critical, but I do plan to do them at some point. And I did promise to allow you all to tag along if you want to." Buddy wrote another note simply saying "Check on Ferric", without any other real explanation. May have something to do with helping him get in good graces with the merchant's guild. In the distance you could vaguely hear someone shout "what" in a rather angry tone.

Sylvia thought about what her friends' answers, and considered which people they should visit first. When she vaguely heard someone angrily shouting 'WHAT?!' in the distance, she took that as her cue to give her answer to her friends and get going. She told her friends, "OK. Let's visit the Sewer Dragons and check on them first. After all, they did help Shor's company against the assassins. After that, we can visit Shor and anyone you want to visit, Pylia," She then led the group towards the sewers.

Heading towards the sewers and the Sewer Dragons was mercifully simple. And for you, it could be either a good or a bad thing that the stench of the sewer didn't bother you as much as it did in the beginning, though Pylia still put on her mask as she entered. Once at Underhaven, things seem to be under control, though you also would've noticed one of the Giant Crocodiles seemingly eating an nondescript pile of flesh and gore. Perhaps best not to examine it too closely. Once in Underhaven, you were greeted by the merchant, Bonesaw, who sold you those tonfas, as it looks like he and a few other kobolds were carrying some raw materials back to his shop. "Aye! Hiya, what you doing here?"

"I've gotten used to the smell...That's probably not a good sign..."

Sylvia commented quietly as they entered the sewers. She honestly hoped that this didn't mean her sense of smell was completely shot. How would she be able to cook if that was the case?! Thankfully, they didn't run into any monsters on the way to Underhaven. She spotted the giant crocodile eating a pile of flesh. She didn't want to think about what that pile of flesh used to be.

Her attention was drawn to Bonesaw when he greeted her and her friends. She greeted back, "Oh! Hi Bonesaw! We came to check on everyone. We heard about what happened from Shor,"

"Oh yeah. Ugly business." Bonesaw said sadly as his helpers moved the materials back to the shop. "Kobolds not expect to see them so soon... Not sure what they wanted. Good thing Gray Guard was out, make short work of traitor scales." Bonesaw sighed quietly as Shortfang chatted with him in their native tongue for a bit. As usual, Pylia translated, though they were speaking oddly fast. "Um... Okay wow, Shortfang is talking fast. Ah... Basically, Shortfang wants to know who was hurt. Doesn't seem like any of the Sewer Dragons here got too injured, the other kobolds seemed to have been after Dimos the whole time. The traitors went down fighting." Eventually even Bonesaw tried to calm Shortfang down himself, going back to speaking common. "Shortfang, everything okay. No one hurt. We just need to focus on fixing home, okay?" Pylia squatted next to Shortfang and put a hand on his shoulder. "He's right you know? It's going to take time for the Sewer Dragons to rebuild. Don't go rushing to find more fights when they still need to heal." Pylia turned to you, motioning you to say something to encourage Shortfang, who seemed to be fretting.

Sylvia listened as Bonesaw answered her, feeling guilty when his tone turned sad. It wasn't long before Shortfang started talking to Bonesaw in Draconic once more. Like before, she's baffled by the combination of Latin and German coming from the two kobolds. Thankfully, Pylia translated for her despite how fast Shortfang was speaking. She was slightly surprised to hear that Bonesaw had gone back to speaking Common in order to calm down Shortfang with Pylia.

Sylvia noted Pylia's motion, and nodded slightly. She stepped up and kneeled next to Shortfang, offering her words to encourage him, "Shortfang, everyone is okay. There's no way a small group of traitorous kobolds would be able to take down the Sewer Dragons. I'm sure if they need our help, they'll let us know,"

I did promise them protection after all... Sylvia thought to herself.

Shortfang clenches his hands close, but than relaxes as he lets out a sigh. "Yeah... Yeah boss is right. Sewer Dragon strong." Bonesaw nodded, patting Shortfang on the shoulder before looking to you. "So! I see you still have Bone Clubs! They really good huh?" Bonesaw smiles as he points back to the shop. "Now that we have Dragon Watch again, we go fishing! Big big sea beast make great bone clubs. With new metal and stuff, hunters fight better. No more wood and stone." Indeed, it seems like opening Dragon Watch for the Sewer Dragons have increased Underhaven's standard of living. Though it still smelled like a sewer, there was also a slightly pleasant scent of the ocean as well. Which normally may be a bit gross, but compared to the scent of waste it was like sniffing flowers. Meanwhile a small gaggle of kobold children, creatures so tiny that you could balance one on your hand, appeared and began to swarm Pylia, seemingly trying to ask her a thousand questions at once. Pylia was surprised and quickly overwhelmed as Shortfang turned and chortled as her predicament. "Pylia popular!" But Pylia wasn't the only one getting swarmed by the little gremlins. Buddy was also covered in the little lizard people, though unable to express any concern as well as being far more physically bulky than the others, he was barely inconvenienced. And finally, many of the children began to gather around your feet as well, tugging on your clothes and chatting in draconic. They seemed to be very curious about you and your appearance, asking you questions in a language you're not entirely proficient with. "Hey Boss, they wanna know how you fight. They say you fight like Dragon Guards."

Sylvia felt a little bad. Shortfang listened, but she wasn't sure if her encouragement really helped. She smiled once again when Bonesaw mentioned her bone clubs that he sold her, and she answered "Yeah! The clubs have really helped out in a lot of fights!" She listened as Bonesaw brought up how the Sewer Dragons were able to fight better, and she took note of how this area definitely smelled a lot better than the rest of the sewers thanks to the sea breeze.

Her attention was then drawn to the sudden appearance of very very tiny kobolds! She couldn't help but chuckle when she saw them surround Pylia. After Shortfang made his comment, Sylvia joked as well, "I see your students have returned, Professor Pylia!" She couldn't help but chuckle when she noticed that the tiny kobolds have basically made Buddy their own jungle gym.

Then they were crowding around her. Unfortunately, she had no idea as to what the children were saying. She looked to Shortfang when he translated, and she mumbled, curious over the term, "Dragon Guard...?" She then told Shortfang, "I'll try to answer their questions. Can you help me translate, Shortfang?"
She then tried to tell the kobold kids that she learned martial arts and how to use ki during her fights. As for the clothes she wore, she told them that Skinwalker made the clothes.

"Dragon Guard, like kobold at Greyscale hut. They strong, worthy to fight with dragons! They also get to ride Sewer Dragons!" Shortfang explained. As for the little ones questions, they were mainly about her combat skills, names, origins, and a lot of silly questions like if you ate the trogs, why you smelled funny to them, and a lot of the boys boasted how they could beat you up and weakly punched your shins. Shortfang made sure to give those kobolds a soft bop on the head to get them to go away. Soon enough a few older looking kobolds came by, women apparently, to gather up the children. A few were holding and carrying eggs and stopped by to talk to Shortfang, who seemed to be speaking in hushed tones. Meanwhile Buddy was T-Posing so the kobolds could have more of an area to play on while Pylia managed to hand off her kobolds to their mothers. She reconvened with you while checking on her possessions. Fortunately, nothing stolen. "Little ones, honestly... So tiny. Anyways um..." Pylia looked to Shortfang, her brows furrowing before looking to you. "It looks like everything here is okay. If it's not too much trouble, there's still a few loose ends I'd like to try and wrap up today too. Don't worry, we won't have to go exorcise ghosts or anything. We'll be checking up on actual people this time."

Sylvia let out a quiet "Oh!" at Shortfang's explanation regarding the Dragon Guard. She must have forgotten that bit of information. She did her best to answer some of their questions. Some of the questions made her chuckle a bit. When the smaller boys started to try and beat up her shins. She just stood there and took the punches with a smile on her face, and she played along with a playful tone in her voice, "Oh noes. Mighty warriors, so strong," She watched as Shortfang simply bopped those little kobolds on the head to get them to leave.

She then noted the older female kobolds, and when she saw them speaking quietly to Shortfang, with eggs in their arms. At first she was about to shrug it off, before the memories of the celebrations after the trog war and a thought hit her.

"Hey...Wait a minute...
Is Shortfang...a Dad now?"

She didn't voice it for now and simply turned her attention to Buddy. She snickered as she noticed that Buddy was now T-posing for the tiny kobold children. She then turned her attention to Pylia as she reconvened with her. She answered her comment about the little ones, "They were cute," She noticed Pylia's brows furrowed and she wondered if Pylia came to the same conclusion as she did earlier.

After Pylia mentioned tying up loose ends, Sylvia answered with a smile, "Shouldn't be any trouble. Can't let you go wandering off on your own again, just in case there are ghosts to exorcise," She made the last statement a little jokingly. She then looked to Buddy and Shortfang and she asked them, "You guys ready to head out of the sewers?"

Pylia just rolled her eyes at your snide remark. Soon the children left, allowing Buddy to put his arms down and give you a thumbs up to affirm that he is ready to go. Shortfang still seems nervous about the situation here in Underhaven but he nods to you. "Yeah. Shortfang ready to go too." The trip back to the surface was again, uneventful. "I should really pack something to get this sewer stench off of us." Shortfang climbed onto Buddy's shoulder, pulling his hood up to keep the sun out of his eyes. "So, where to next?" He asked. Pylia turned to the group and tried to remember something. "Let's see... There's three people I want to check on, but I only know where one of them is at. He was a fellow orphan, his name is John. I believe last I remember he was adopted by someone in the craftsmen ward, which is at the castle town." Shortfang shuddered. "Okay, Shortfang will stay inside. If you need Shortfang, just shout!" Shortfang crawled into Buddy's backpack as Pylia turned to you.

"I'm sure you noticed it as we left, but we don't exactly fit in in the Castle Town. It's where the upper class live. While you and maybe Buddy might be able to pass off as wealthy travelers, I'm a bit too... Rustic, and Shortfang is a kobold. And suffice to say they have negative perceptions of kobolds." Pylia sighed deeply as she said this. "I had hoped that maybe since they expanded the temple, people would be more enlightened. But I guess as more things change, more things stay the same... Anyways I don't suspect that there'll be any trouble. Just ignore the stares."

Sylvia noted Shortfang's anxiety quietly before leading the way back up and out of the sewers. She listened as Pylia explained who she wanted to meet. Sylvia was a bit nervous, considering that Erendel did die this morning. What if they ran into his family or friends? Or the cultists? Sylvia pushed the hesitancy to the back of her mind. They should be okay...she hoped. She watched as Shortfang crawled into Buddy's backpack. She nodded in agreement with Pylia when she brought up how they didn't fit into Castle Town.

She gave a sigh and she answered Pylia's comment about progress and change, "I wouldn't say so. Progress in science, or magic I think, can be fast, but it takes people way longer to change ideas...and sociological structures. Hopefully, people will be enlightened in time,"

When she gave the advice to ignore the stares, Sylvia nodded and answered "Shouldn't be too hard. Alright, let's go find Jack," She then led the way to Castle Town, prepared to deal with the glares sent her way. She would let Pylia lead the search for Jack.

Heading back to the castle town, sure enough people were staring. More whispers and hushed remarks as you went pass. Some didn't even bother to hide what they were saying and made it clear they knew you were a foreigner and wondered out loud what you wanted. The way they spoke made it sound like they expected you to be begging for money or something. They also noted how badly the group smelled and their general appearance, which made them wonder if they're suppose to be adventurers or just homeless murderers. The guards notably kept their eyes on the group as they passed, though they didn't follow. Just watched.

Soon the stares would die down as the group reached a part of the town that looked like it had more workers and craftsmen around. Unlike the people of the market district, these workers weren't labors but crafters, blacksmiths, jewelers, and other tradesmen. They dressed nicer but still looked like they were hard at work with their crafts. They were also generally too busy to give the group any attention, simply moving out of your way as they go about their business. Soon Pylia stops at a workshop. It was a tall brick and stone building, with windows and marble columns. Apparently they crafted statues and were a mason's workshop. The sign on the top of the building said "Gels Marble". Pylia gulped. "Well... I guess we're here." She was holding her arms close to her body. You could hear the sound of hammers and chisels from within the building.

Sylvia didn't respond to the nobles as they whispered or wondered out loud about their appearance and why they were here. For those who wondered out loud, she simply muttered "High schoolers..." under her breath. She noted the guards were watching, but didn't follow them. Thankfully, the stares died down as they reached what seemed to be the artisans' district. She was glad to see that some of them at least moved out of the way so they can pass, even if they were busy. That was very considerate!

She looked at the workshop Pylia stopped at and she took in its appearance and the sounds coming from inside. She looked to Pylia and she noticed that she was holding her arms again. Just like back at the college campus like temple....

At first she answered, "Yeah...we're here..."

She then tried to reassure Pylia with a soft voice, "Hey, we're here for you, Pylia. If you're not comfortable visiting Jack right now, we can always come back another day,"

"No it's... I'm just not sure if he's really still here. I don't... I don't know if he's still here. I can't imagine he'll be anywhere else but..." Pylia took a deep breath, letting out an equally deep sigh. "I can't hesitate again. All my problems start because I hesitate, get scared, and run away. Let's go." Pylia walks into the shop, Buddy following up behind. Inside of the shop were various finely crafted stone, marble, and clay things. Pots, plates, statues, all sorts of things, delicately displayed on tables and stands. The room itself was illuminated with glass lanterns that hung from the ceiling, providing much more light that other buildings you've been in so far. A old balding man behind turns to the group and welcomes you all. "Hello, welcome to my store. Is there something you're looking for?"

Pylia approaches the man and tries her best to remain calm. "I... I'm looking for Johnathan. My name is Pylia, I'm an old friend of his." The old man raises his eyebrow, looking at her than the rest of the others. Then he looks back at Pylia. "He's not here right now. He doesn't work today, so I'm sure he's somewhere else in the city." Pylia seemed shocked to hear this, but then her shock turned to sadness. "I... I see. Thank you then." Pylia quickly turned around and walked back towards the others without any more fuss.