A New Hope

An alternate cover edition can be found here.Things are good. Real Good. The trio bent on killing Grimbledung and Drimblerod have made amends and are now living peacefully in town. Corporal Colossus is even working as a deputy for Constable Akita. Everything is nice and peaceful. To celebrate, Julesville holds a Victory over Halflings celebration. Hoping to avert an Aution-eque disaster, Grimbledung is ordered not to have any part in the planning or execution of the event. With things calming down- love is in the air! Akita and the mysterious owner of 'Herbs and More. Much More' become the most talked about secret in Julesville. Less secretively, Colossus and Cheri work on building a home someplace in town that isn't too close to Second-Hand Sorcery. Even the Gnomes are caught up in the romance when a couple of Dwarfesses show up and take a keen interest in them. And their shoppe. Is it love or something else?? Meanwhile, at the School of Magic, Big Julie has a theft problem and and even Akita can’t seem to find the culprit. At wit’s end, Big Julie hires Grimbledung to go undercover as a new transfer student to solve the mystery. Little does she know she has hired Grim Noir- private detective! Can Big Julie’s school survive Grimbledung’s antics? Will the culprit be found? With Grim Noir on the case, the odds are about even that things will work out. Well sure, but as usual not as one would expect. The V-H Day celebration begins after Julie’s mystery is solved. See? It goes off without a hitch. Until. Until Castor inadvertently mentions visiting the Lost Picman’s mine- a fabled mine filled with gold, gems, and an untold number of wands. Grimbledung develops avarice with a capital AHHH! After haranguing Drimblerod unmercifully, the pair head off in search of assured fortune, leaving their beloved wand shoppe in the capable hands of two hopefully reformed, Magician’s Guild Enforcers. What could go wrong?Cover illustration by Sara Allen