Standing before the living mechanical creatures of the plane of the Modrons, Twitch reflected on the words of a sad and soulful sea shanty popular among the pirate sailors on The Heartbreaker: They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king You know to deal in this game you gotta make the queen disappear, it's done with a flick of the wrist What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this? Indeed, the recent events within Stormreach had seemed to prove those words prophetic. After preventing the assassination attempt against Lance Dutane by a killer named Ghost Moon whom Storm Lord Baron Lassite had hired, the Outcasts had returned to Dutane's bar to warn him--only to quickly be engulfed by a massive assault on the city by Slaads and Yuan-Ti emerging from below the streets! The Outcasts fought valiantly to protect the civilians in the neighborhood around Dutane's bar, but the onslaught was occurring throughout the city, and hundreds of civilians were killed. Worse still, the Slaads infected hundreds more with tadpoles and a disease that would soon prove fatal to the infected and cause the birth of more Slaads from their infected hosts. While Sh'Nezz'Tar used his divine powers to heal as many of the infected as he could, the efforts were paltry compared to the overwhelming number of those affected. In the meantime, a stranger who identified himself as Ariah fought alongside the Outcasts and proved himself very capable in the fight. Ariah claimed to want to protect Lance Dutane and offered to join the Outcasts. He told the group that he had been watching them for some time, which quickly led to accusations that Ariah was a stalker. With some reluctance over that creepy behavior, the Outcasts allowed Ariah to accompany them in their efforts to help the city. After discussing their options as a group, the Outcasts split up: Twitch, Envy, Yipping, and Ariah went to visit Storm Lord Lassite to plead for assistance in helping the wounded, while Sh'Nezz'Tar continued to heal as many infected as he could and Lukar continued researching the Almanac that the group had recovered from the giants (apparently, it enabled arcane casters to learn and copy druidic spells). Baron Lassite thanked the group for their information that the wounded would hatch more Slaads, and then, in a directive that the Outcasts overheard, told one of his lieutenants to round up and kill all the infected. Envy and Ariah protested the Storm Lord's strategy, but Baron Lassite defended it as a necessary evil; no known healers existed anywhere in Eberron who could cure all the wounded in the city. Without comment, Twitch privately acknowledged the wisdom of Lassite's position, harsh though it might be. Not for the first time, Twitch wondered if perhaps Lassite's ruthlessness was necessary in a leader for Stormreach; by contrast, the bartender Lance Dutane had proven ineffectual in responding to the Slaad attack. However, after failing to convince Baron Lassite either to spare the infected, or to pay the Outcasts to investigate and put an end to the Slaad menace, the Outcasts left the Storm Lord to regroup and discuss their next steps. Chief among the questions in the Outcasts' discussion was whether to abandon Stormreach, given that the city appeared doomed to fall to the Slaads. Seeking counsel, the Outcasts turned to Glitz, the brewmaster of the Dragon Inn, who had displayed unusual abilities and foresight in their past dealings. Glitz invited the Outcasts to join him in passing through a magical portal; once they did, the Outcasts found themselves in a pocket dimension alongside Glitz, who had now revealed his true form as a golden-scaled dragon! As the Outcasts dealt with the shock of Glitz's true identity, Glitz explained to the group that the dragons had long ago placed a curse on the continent of Xen'drik to prevent any civilization from forming there. As a consequence of that curse, Glitz explained, even a modestly civilized outpost like Stormreach was doomed to inevitable destruction from one calamity or another. Glitz was a scholar of the Dragon Prophecy, which purported to tell the future of Eberron, but the prophecy was cryptic and unclear. Glitz felt certain that a war was soon to come to Xen'drik, but he was not certain whether the fiendish Overlords whom the dragons had imprisoned beyond the realm of Eberron would cause the war, or whether army of dragons called the Light of Siberys effectuating the consequences of their curse on Xen'drik themselves would be the cause. Glitz said that he had not foreseen or expected the Slaads and Yuan-Ti to attack Stormreach. But Glitz had more information to impart. Glitz told Sh'Nezz'Tar that the Magic Sword--the ancient artifact of which Sh'Nezz'Tar was gathering the scattered shards--was meant for use in this coming Final Battle. And, Glitz told the group that Neglith, the aboleth the group had encountered in its dealings with Lady Avalera of the Yuan-Ti, was an agent of one of the Overlords--and that Neglith was seeking to destroy Stormreach in order to help bring about the release of its Overlord master. Glitz described many uncertain conditions--destroying Stormreach might provide a door to release the Overlord, but it would take a certain individual to unlock that door; the army of dragons called the Light of Siberys might destroy all mortals in an effort to prevent the Overlord's release, but perhaps that would not come about if civilization did not emerge on Xen'drik. If Twitch's head had been spinning previously, now it was in full scale tilt. I'm naught but a simple pirate , she thought to herself. All this talk of end-times, armies of dragons, and fiendish Overlords is far beyond me. When Twitch asked Glitz for his guidance, Glitz said that he could offer none. That brought to mind another shanty--far more spirited than the first, but no less prophetic in its words: Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble And if I stay there will be double So you gotta let me know ... This indecision was bugging Twitch. The Outcasts again debated whether to stay to help Stormreach, or leave for faraway ports on the continent of Khorvaire where they could put their skills to self-interested, piratical and mercantilist use. Finally, the group decided at least to explore one of the passageways they had identified from which the Slaads and Yuan-Ti had emerged. Ariah scouted ahead and returned to report that there were a group of Yuan-Ti deep below the city guarding a magical portal of some kind. Together, the Outcasts descended, located the portal, and dispatched the Yuan-Ti with brutal and vengeful efficiency. It was then that another inter-dimensional door opened, through which emerged the Modron, Z-29, and a larger construct of his kind. The Outcasts had encountered Z-29 while searching for the Dragon Prince. At the time, Z-29 had been studying the Slaads' emergence in Eberron. Now, Z-29 asked the Outcasts to accompany it back to its home plane for a matter of some urgency. Intrigued, the Outcasts sent word back to Baron Lassite of the existence of the portal that the Yuan-Ti had been guarding, and then followed Z-29 back to the home plane of the Modrons. When they emerged, however, what they saw was not some master construct but a kobold--Keh're Fopdoodle, Yipping's long-lost father! Keh're pleaded for the Outcasts' help to save Yipping's mother. Twitch stood transfixed with surprise. What new Path have You chosen for me now? she asked silently of The Traveler.