Boom!

The recent explosions heard throughout the world had begun to fade from memory. The wounds had healed, and the city of Shallam had removed the rubble from its streets. When exploding mice were the furthest thing from anyone's mind, ticking rang out through the streets of Ashtan, and the citizens of the Bastion of the North scrambled as though they knew what was in store for them.

The question upon most lips was, "Where is the mouse, and where did it come from?" All shops had been scoured, and every corner of the city had been searched so many months ago when the first rumblings were heard. Constantine the jeweller, an unlikely source, yelled in shock at a rodent crawling about his robes, and the citizens of Ashtan pleaded with him to leave the city. In his panic, Constantine fled to seek the assistance ofIkant the philosopher, shrieking in horror.

Clamoring for Constantine's attention, the many citizens and curious onlookers who had gathered around him drove the jeweller to act. He located the mouse in his pocket, clutched at the vermin, and tossed it with all of his might towards Lake Balaton. The mouse sailed overhead and landed in the lake, and those gathered seemed relieved. Several began to search around the lake, perhaps in hopes that they would find the last mouse. A short time later a great rumbling was felt, and the mouse detonated below the surface of the lake. Suddenly the ground beneath the lake collapsed, revealing a sinkhole upon which the city of Ashtan had apparently been built. Several roads and bridges were collapsed, and the water from the nearby sea began to pour into the wide hole. The entire northeastern section of Ashtan now lay in ruin.

Meanwhile, the flowing water dislodged the guildhall of the Shadowsnakes from its location in the former lake, and the deepened lake and widened access to the sea offered an escape. Assembling quickly on board, the guild floated off on their ship, sailing out of the grasp of the city to parts unknown.

Again, the question rang out, "Where did the mouse come from?" Truly, who had been hiding the mouse, and how could he or she keep it from sight for so long? Whether a random tragedy or a deliberate act of malevolence, or perhaps an ill omen, the city of Ashtan will never be the same again.