The emissary marched down the hallway, the light from his torch scattering shadows on the walls as he passed. The dungeon had been largely been looted and plundered but he held out some slight hope that the leader of the newly revived Red Hand would still be alive.

His hopes were misplaced.

The body of the unusually large and brawny goblin had been mutilated and positioned in ways too offensive for words to describe. Stuffed inside his mouth was a sheet of paper, obviously left by whomever had killed the Red Hand leader and plundered the dungeon.

To whom it may concern,

We regret to inform you that the person you are seeking is unavailable at this time to continue on his half-witted campaign. As you may have already realized, there is also vacancy at this dungeon that you would be ill-advised to re-fill, unless of course, you have magical artifacts that would be of use to us. In which case, we strongly encourage you to find some more dupes to set up camp in this dungeon and be slaughtered helplessly before our blades.

In all seriousness, please let this be a reminder to you that the city of Brindol does not take kindly to attacks on its territory. If you continue your provocative attacks we assure you that we don't have money, but what we do have is a particular set of skills, skills honed over relatively long careers, skills that make us a nightmare for people like you. If you disappear now that will be the end of it, but if you don't, we will hunt for you, we will find you, and we will kill you.

Good luck.

Cendrianne says 'hello'.

Signed,
Those whom you should fear the most.

The emissary crumpled the paper and tossed it to one side of the room. These fools did not know who or what power they were challenging. But they were a threat that must be dealt with. If you kill the head of the snake, the body will die, and these adventurers were the head of the Brindol snake. Next time, they would not settle for a 'demonstration' of their power but would need a more forceful action that would kill the adventurers and break Brindol's spirit. But first they would have to find these adventurers...

"Sir, we found one alive," the emissary's escort said, bringing him back from the abstract future to the present. "He was tied to the altar in the chapel."

In was dragged the barely living body of a beaten, starved and diseased gnome who looked almost as bad as he smelled.

"Bring him with us, I may have use for him," the emissary smiled thinking about the pain he would make these impudent adventurers feel for their defiance. "They have taken their revenge, but it is we who shall emerge victorious."