Further Insight Into Ardgan's City Council

Lumunkulin "The Bold"

One of Ardgan's most unconventional councillors, Lumunkulin "The Bold"is an erudite gelatinous ooze who first came to prominence working in the city's sanitation services before unexpectedly entering public office following the infamous Teah-luhigha Incident. Rarely seen without their loyal familiar, Fast-hands - a remarkably dry and misty Black Crested Warbler - Lumunkulin has become an instantly recognisable figure within the council chambers.

Away from politics, Lumunkulin is Ardgan's longest whittling enthusiast and an enthusiastic inventor whose creations often blur the line between genius and absurdity. Their most celebrated work, the Crown of Unnecessary Laughter, is a trowel-powered contraption regarded by many as one of the city's strangest engineering achievements.

Council meetings involving Lumunkulin almost inevitably end with an impassioned speech advocating for the legal protection of pantoast under Ardgan law. When asked why they chose to enter politics, Lumunkulin offers only a simple explanation: "I was feeling bashful, and I wanted to do something about it."

A Five Year Old Callback

Damthus and Rae continue nursing their drinks inside the Crested Clockmaker, piecing together everything they know. Lucius. Gregor. The missing children. The Gronan League.

Rae eventually grows tired of waiting.

Excusing herself to use the bathroom, she slips upstairs and quietly winds a small Noisematron before hiding it amongst the upper floor. With only moments before it triggers its loud alarm, she returns downstairs and steps outside, pretending to be violently sick.

Hans watches Rae stagger into the street and comments that she had looked perfectly capable of handling her whisky. Damthus explains that she suffered a serious liver injury during the fighting at Karma Hill - a classic lie.

Before the conversation can continue, the mechanical alarm calls out from the upper floor, sending Hans rushing upstairs to investigate.

The Basement of Secrets

The moment Hans disappears, Damthus vaults effortlessly over the bar. Together, he and Rae hurry into the basement and towards the curious empty chamber Sparky had discovered earlier.

The basement is as expected: rows of kegs, wine racks, broken clocks and abandoned furniture. A room at the back, however, remains completely bare.

Damthus adopts Galmar Stramm's form before searching the chamber. Rae, standing slightly taller, notices a section of loose grouting between the bricks. Pressing it causes a neighbouring stone to rotate, revealing a crafted recess designed to house some kind of device or key.

Take Your Pick

Unable to find the mechanism, Rae lifts Damthus onto her shoulders, allowing him to manipulate the hidden lock.

A quiet click sounds as Damthus works his tools.

The doorway slams shut behind them as a green mist begins flooding the tiny chamber. Realising they have sprung a trap, Damthus desperately casts Knock upon the sealed door. A loud knock echoes through the basement as the mechanism releases, allowing the pair to stumble back into the cellar coughing as the poisonous vapour dissipates.

Above them, someone has heard the disturbance.

All Hans on Deck

Thinking quickly, Damthus commits fully to his disguise.

Still appearing as Galmar Stramm, he strips off his oversized clothing before Hans arrives, claiming he has escaped some hidden torture chamber beneath the tavern. Furious and demanding answers, he lashes out at the barkeep.

Hans catches his wrist effortlessly. The sheer strength in the innkeeper's grip baffles Damthus for a moment.

Calmly warning that any further violence will end poorly, Hans instead retrieves fresh clothes from the tavern's lost property before inviting the distressed "Galmar" upstairs for a drink - three generous tankards of ale - Galmar's usual.

Spinning a Web of Lies

Inviting Hans away from the remaining patrons, Damthus begins weaving an increasingly elaborate story. He claims confusion, memory loss and magical interference, insisting he has no idea how he reached the cellar.

Rather than interrogate him, Hans explains his role in the operation - he is paid not to ask questions.

For years, influential figures have passed quietly through the Crested Clockmaker and into the basement. He has always been paid simply to look the other way. The doorway itself, Hans explains, is an arcane doorway and usually leads directly into Gronan territory.

Assuming the mechanism has malfunctioned, Hans suggests that he should arrange for someone to inspect the device.

Meanwhile, Rae quietly searches the cellar for whatever device might fit the hidden recess but discovers nothing beyond old clocks, barrels and broken furniture before returning upstairs unnoticed.

There's Truth in the Whisky

To support the deception, Damthus introduces Rae as his adoptive step-sister, Nina Stramm. Although Hans notices a few inconsistencies in their stories, he appears willing to overlook them.

Drinks are poured, and conversation continues.

Although Rae notices something unusual. Her whisky tastes wrong.

Before Hans can ask his next question, she excuses herself in search of another drink. Unknown to Damthus and Rae, Hans had laced the drink with a truth serum.

As Hans instinctively rises to follow, Damthus catches his arm. In one fluid motion, the barkeep's fist blurs through the air, striking the chair hard enough to leave a deep impression where Damthus's head had been only moments before. The warning is clear.

Damthus manages to calm him, and persuades Hans to remain upstairs whilst Rae quietly disappears downstairs for another drink.

A Loss Shared is a Loss Halved

Whilst Damthus continues his conversation, Rae finds herself sitting beside a weary man named Klavan.

He admits that his life has fallen apart. His daughter disappeared whilst the pair were visiting the market. He had stepped away only briefly to buy a bottle of liquor, leaving her beside a toy stall. When he returned, she was simply gone.

Rae shares the story of Sophia, speaking openly about their life together before she disappeared. Even the smallest memories return: Sophia never being particularly detail-orientated, always leaving little tufts of wool behind after shearing the llamas.

For a brief moment, two complete strangers simply mourn together.

Klavan thanks Rae for being someone to talk to, and for listening to his woes.

A Sense of Comfort

Back upstairs, Hans grows steadily more comfortable in Damthus's company.

He reveals the names of those who regularly pass through the tavern unnoticed:

• Lucius.
• Galmar Stramm.
• Dani.
• Ponn.
• Thrumley Skorn.
• Ernest Trawlee.
• A mysterious gentleman carrying a cane and walking with a pronounced limp, known only as Mr Strauss.

Hans also admits that children occasionally pass through the tavern, but they rarely come back.

When Damthus asks how Hans became such a formidable man, the barkeep reminisces. Running the Crested Clockmaker is retirement. Once, long ago, he travelled the world as an adventurer.

Some Magical Nonsense

The conversation eventually turns back towards Lucius. Hans recalls seeing him race through the tavern shortly after the Meeting of the Clans, looking genuinely frightened. It was the last time he saw him.

When Damthus describes his supposed magical affliction, Hans suggests the symptoms resemble Modify Memory, offering to introduce him to someone capable of reversing such magic should he ever wish.

A Genuine Connection?

The conversation drifts away from the mission at hand. Eventually, Damthus asks about the countless clocks decorating every wall.

Hans smiles softly. "No matter what's happening," he explains, "time ticks on."

Then each clock in the tavern begins chiming the hour together. The moment hangs in the air until Hans decides another drink is probably in order.

Finally Face to Face

Rae returns upstairs just as Hans heads back towards the bar.

A few moments later, he reappears. This time, he is not alone.

Following him up the stairs is an elegantly dressed gentleman carrying a finely crafted cane. A long coat conceals much of his frame, while one leg has been replaced by an ornate golden prosthetic.

Rae freezes. She has seen this man before.

The mysterious visitor known only as The Man with the Limp.