We need to make our report. Also, we need to gage the seriousness of this current threat. I will return to give the report, visit the Temple, and attempt to gather any information, concerning this plot.
The Knight looks to the others.
I feel that we will need to confront it before we venture back out. Anyone get a hold of Azarra? Ishta, perhaps, we would be better served by staying together for this return? It seems that the folks here are in good hands.
Ser Armithia looks to Zane.
We need to find out more information. Can you divinely perform any way of finding out information?
Theses thoughts and others churned in whirlpool as you slipped into the city apparently unnoticed. You were so engrossed in your cares that the changes to Phlan had initially passed you notice. But then observing the fish market below from the dockyard roofs it struck you that the town was fuller than you'd ever seen it. Moreover judging by the thin trails of chimney smoke warding the homes from the coming autumnal chill that Civilized Phlan had grown significantly. This out to be a cause for celebration but the mood was febrile.
There was dark talk in the taverns of Zhentish agents and battles in the dark but no details. Your need to find Talia was stronger than ever and so hoping from roof to roof you found yourself approaching the secluded alley with dead drop. Behind an abandoned cart there was and old red brick wall. One brick in particular high up on the wall was loose and behind it there was a little cubby hole where small things could be secreted.
The occasional passers by hurried heads down to their destinations. It seemed simple enough to check...
"I'll escort Ishta, in so much as she needs one. Just as Phlan needs help, so too do these people, and they've gone through hell and back to be where they are now." That, and Kardas honestly enjoys being out and about. The city, if Phlan can be called that, makes him feel claustrophobic. There are too many people there. Especially people who he feels he cannot trust.
Ser Armithia nods to Ishta and Kardas.
Very well. I shall go to the city and make our reports. I will also ask about concerning more plots. I shall meet you at their camp in 2 days.
The Paladin will continue on to Phlan.
[spoiler=Karsas & Ishta]The journey to the Twilight Marsh is relatively uneventful. The Phlan way was las repaired about five years ago and was still in respectable condition so the tribe where able to make good time.
The marsh has spread its boundaries slowly over the years as vegetation from the Quivering Forest met with the seasonal floods of the Stojanow and Trask rivers. Several old keeps, castles, and manor houses stand flooded in the marsh, with only their spires and battlements jutting above the fetid waters. Long abandoned by their owners, these sunken dwellings are often warded by powerful, lingering magics and the fell beasts of the swamp. Persistent rumours in Phlan claim it was home to evil liches, plagues of undead, bandit gangs, and monsters of all stripes.
Of these you saw nothing, although the local variety of midge was perhaps vicious enough to warrant its own entry in the bestiary. The tribe where really glad for your presence as they where somewhat nervous about the journey. Once you where a few miles inside a halt was called upon a rare patch of dry ground, an island inside a huge stinking are of reeking vegetation. It was something of a trial for you but for the lizardfolk it was literally like coming home.
The journey had been hard on elder Estrassa, "My bonesss have reminded me every day of my age as we walked..." She inhaled deeply and smiled beatifically, "I know now my time here is coming to an end, but I am home. My life has come full sss-circle, it is fitting that my bonesss shall nourish the ground where I was born."
Smiling at you she says, "Our gratitude knows no boundsss. We can never repay what you have done for us and I know now that you'd do it all again none the less. Still there are sssecrets here, come back and visit usss in the ssspring and gods willing we will be able to ssshare them with you."
Forgot to roll for gathering rumors before this... so ret-con roll:
The place is guarded, but Azarra isn't sure what else to do, because she doesn't know how to contact Talia other than this dead drop, even though it is obviously compromised. She decides to go for it... carefully approaching as silently as possible while the watcher is distracted, and reaching up for the brick of the dragon's eye, moving it very quietly, and reaching in for a message from Talia, she hopes.
After retrieving whatever is there, she replaces the brick and backs off again, not wanting to be shot.
If she makes it out of there, she stops in an alley to read the note. (If there was a note of course.)
Zane said his good-byes to Ishta and Kardas, sure that the duo were in good hands and would return to Phlan shortly. Gathering up his belongings, he joined the gold elf for the trip to New Phlan, hoping Azarra didn't encounter any troubles. Answering the paladin's question on the way, he said, "I can ask the Morninglord and his agents questions and seek their advice. The answers are often cryptic, and typically just point to the best way forward, not necessarily a definitive answer."
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Not exactly endowed with gifts and presents, Kardas nonetheless presents a potion of invisibility versus undead and a potion of cure light wounds to the lizardress elder. "When the world is wrought with wrongs, it is up to us to hammer it back into shape. I hope you and your tribe can find peace here, but just in case, please do take these two. One cloaks you from the gaze of the undead, which I think your scouts might need in these parts, and the other is a simple but effective healing potion. May peace accompany you in the days to come, Estrassa."
Ser Armithia--grateful for Zane's company--will be firstly visiting the Temple of Helm. He will ask Zane to meet him at the Councilors' offices in 3 hours time. While at the Temple of Helm, the gold elf will give his report to the Priest Commander. He will then meditate, pray, commune for 1 hour. The final time spent there he will perform any duties required of him for the Temple.
At the Councilors'' Offices, the Paladin will invite Zane to offer their reports to the council.
As they draw close to Phlan Zane and Ser Armithia note the river running clear and something remarkable in it's ordinariness, teenagers messing about in canoes. This would have never been possible before with the taint but now the river was safe enough to bathe in.
The guards on the gate saluted when they saw you approach and you where ushered past the customs line. Inside Phlan heads turned as you walked and there where spontaneous bursts of applause and people coming up to thank you. At first this was novel but it started to grate before long and although the pair where far too well bred to show it.
Still there wasn't quite the level of excitement you'd expected at the news. It seems the recent assassination attempts had thrown a dampener on things and all sorts of wild rumours swirled around.
Perched high in the gables of the Church of Tymora you open the pouch to find a neatly folded letter with the faint scent of lavender.
[i]Azarra
The river changed color this morning, for the first time in decade poison was no longer pouring into The Moonsea. I am immensely proud of what you have achieved. This is something that should be celebrated but alas when one problem is solved another rears its ugly head.
I am still being hunted, oh and you won't hear this publicly but the assassins tried to kill Eberhard and darn near succeeded. I shot several of them and Braccio and von Urslingen are no slouched in combat but Eberhard is in his eighties and he was run through. Braccio's magic saved him but Eberhard hasn't been the same since.
Speaking of changes Cardona has been acting strangely too, I haven't been able to get close enough to witness this myself but he's said to be a changed man. A ten day ago he threw out the prostitutes and drug pedlars from his compound and went running every morning. He's said to be taking his council duties seriously for the first time ever, wearing sober clothing if you'd believe it. I don't know what to make of this.
We should meet soon, there is much to discuss.
Talia
They found me. Killed several. Poisoned arrow in thigh, wound wont heal. Hurts soo badly. Only place to hide is where they'd never look. Over the gate into the old city.
Heading inside the gates, Zane was all smiles as the duo were greeted with the good cheer of the citizens of Phlan. Surely the cleansing of the river would increase their good fortunes, since now the fledgling city would be even more accessible to trade with other cities and nations. As they worked their way through the town, the priest asked random people what had happened in their absence.
Not hearing anything coherent in the various stories, Zane shook hands and waved with/to all the folks in their path, making sure the rosy disk of the Morninglord was prevalent on his person at all times. When he parted ways with Ser Armithia, the priest made his way to the Temple of Tymora, hoping to catch Bishop Braccio there.
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As you enter you brush past the faithful who started filing out, evidently the service had just concluded. An older female acolyte in white robes with laughter lines on her face and a twinkle in her eye whispered into your ear, "This way please, the Bishop is expecting you..."
You are ushered inside what must be Braccio's private church study. He has an excellent selection of books, the walls are covered with surprisingly tasteful religious iconography. His desk is practical oak and likely older than many elves. The leather chairs are comfortable if nearly as old as the table. There's a neat stack of unread correspondence in on corner of the table and another stack of read correspondence and a third what appears to be replies next to a quill pen and blotter.
Braccio invites you to take a seat and smiles, "Well we've had an interesting few days... More on that later, first I'd like to congratulate you on your success. Stopping the pollution that was poisoning the river is the best news we've had in years! How did you manage to do it? Something about Sorcerer's Isle blocks divination..."
Azarra debated what to do for only a moment. It was up to her. This is what spies do, she thought, and she needed to help Talia. She started towards Talia's position, casting invisibility again right before she ventured into disputed territory.
Ser Armithia will assist Zane in his diplomacy endeavors.
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Zane gladly took the seat offered by the Bishop, worn out after the days of travel after the furious fight at the ziggurat. When the older man congratulated the team on the job well done, the priest smiled, then answered, "There was a strange mechanism inside of a pyramid structure that was producing some kind of waste the alchemist was dumping in the Stojanow. Azarra managed to shut off the contraption after we slew the alchemist. He had also enslaved a conclave of lizardfolk, who we have freed and are finishing escorting them to their original home. Hopefully they will make good allies to our fledgling town."
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Braccio pours himself some tea which had been steeping in a ceramic pot and offered you some before continuing, "Rather more disturbing has been a plague of Zhentish assassins. So far we've been able to deal with them but they only have to get lucky once. Cardona is convinced that the Zhents can be reasoned with. 'All they want is gold' or so he claims. He's agitating to send a trade delegation which rather sounds like inviting a rattlesnake into your home. But without a proper army we where always going to have to come to some sort of accommodation with them. Better trade than war, I suppose, although it does leave a bad taste I can tell you.
You might be heartened to hear that Cardona has seen fit to fire that toad Morven. The wretch was las two weeks ago seen scurrying away with his tail between his legs on a sloop headed to Mulmaster. Honestly I don't know what's come over with Cardona, all of a sudden he's taking things seriously. He's even been helpful, actually I'm not sure that's the right world. Let's just say he's been actively engaged rather than daydreaming in council meetings.
Another strange thing happened a week ago, there was a targeted theft from Mantor's library. Apparently only one tome was taken, a recent acquisition: Volo's The Weave and Nodes of Power.
One final thing, Delenn Moonbean has been asking to see you upon your return. I understand she has taken lodgings at The Cracked Crown."
With the lizardmen situation resolved and, quite literally, settled, Kardas knows there is nothing for Ishta and him to do but return to Phlan. "Do you have any means to make us travel faster than our legs can carry us? Alas, all I know are combat spells and magics. Heh, it only now dawns upon me that the women of my tribe keep the spells that can support and grant comfort to themselves. Can't blame them, given how impatient we Raumathar men are."
"Sure! Let's have a flight!"
"Fly? Hrm," the swordmage grumbles as he ponders the implications. "We best stay low in case the dragon is out and about."
Cloaked by your art and by your skills as a secret agent you get closes enough to take a good look at the gates and the wall. Climbing looks to be rather difficult, although you note one could simply fly over. However the walls well maintained are manned by by roving groups of monstrous hounds with hulking orc handlers. Each of the towers have archers.
If Talia truly came this way she must have had a plan.
Ishta and Kardas make good time arriving a couple of days after Zane and Ser Armithia. Of course as you approach the city gates from the south you currently don't know where any of your friends are...
Ser Armithia nudges Zane during the meeting.
I wonder how the others will find us?
"You've seen that trick before, remember?" Ishta taps from her magical energies, casting a divination spell while thinking about Ser Armithia's characteristic armor.
"Trick? It's as my grandma used to say: tricks are for witches, spells are for casters."
Azarra, still invisible and moving stealthily, moves closer, looking closely at the gate, trying to imagine where there could be a hiding place up there. She also looks for telltale traces ... since Talia is weak and injured, she might not have been as fastidious as usual.
She also makes sure she isn't near any roving bands and tries for a miracle. She points up at the top of the gate and casts message, whispering
Talia? Are you there?
"Hahaha!" Ishta laughs, genuinely. "And what's the difference, Kardas?" she says, winking.
The swordmage's reply is rather deadpan."I do not know for I've never been to a witches' hut. Heh, you best not repeat these words around devout Rashemen."
The troops above seem vigilant and their patrols regular, you're not sure if you'd want to linger here without your art to hide you.
When you ask how the others might find you, Braccio replies evenly that "We can leave a message with the guards on the gates, perhaps directing them to meet here or at your inn."
Ser Armithia looks to Zane.
That is quite the new laundry list. And, we still need to make that trip into the mountains.
Azarra climbs the tree beside the wall, very carefully so as not to shake the branches and alert the guards.
She then takes a look to see whether she can jump from the tree to the top of the wall, since she knows that she is much better at jumping than climbing.
If she thinks that the jump is doable, she takes the chance.
Your heart pounded, had they seen you? A cold sweat trickled down your back and your stomach tied itself in knots as one hound barked loudly and stared sniffing the ground. To your horror the hound followed your trail towards the tree but merciful gods, rather than barking it cocked a leg and did its business. The orc handler snarled and roughly dragged it back into line by the chain. With a foul sounding word of command the patrol set off apparently intending to circumnavigate the island.
The gates thundered shut, but surely they'd open again to readmit the patrol. It seems you have a chance! It can't take them longer than ten minutes to go around the castle...
Zane had been busy absorbing all the new information, processing it as Ser Armithia took over the conversation. Retake Stojanow Gate, Zhentish 'trade' meeting, Cardona's increased activity, a stolen tome from the Library, and a meeting with the elven wizard who had guided them through the Library. Quite the laundry list, indeed!
"Quite right, Ser Armithia, though I feel the trip into the mountains might have to take a back seat for a time. Do you feel we can go ahead and accept the commission for the Gates?" If the gold elf agreed, Zane replied to Braccio, "Go ahead and count us interested, though it might be a couple of days before we're all present and accounted for. Hopefully that fits the time frame..."
If there was nothing else, the priest excused himself and Ser Armithia and started heading towards the Cracked Crown and Miss Moonbeam. While the woman had been deceitful in their last adventure together, the cleric understood her motivations and was at least interested to hear from her once again. "Quite a busy time since we've been away, don't you think? Cardona's sudden interest in governance is concerning." He turned to glance at the paladin as they walked, interested in his take on the matter.
Feeling like a failure at being a spy, Zamanda heads back towards the shadows of the gate, waiting for the patrol to come back to try to sneak in when the gate was open. It might not work because there were dogs, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to climb the wall, so it was her only chance.
She stays hidden and still, then when she hears the patrol coming back, she softly casts Summon Minor Monster and conjures
a skunk in the direction of the patrol, telling it to spray the patrol dogs, and then it was free to run.
She then recasts invisibility for the third time, moving towards the actual gate and waiting for her chance... hoping the skunk would negate or at least distract the dogs' ability to track her.
When the gate opens, she is ready and tries to slip in before the patrol, and then get out of their way.
Ser Armithia agrees with Zane's assessment of priorities.
I am thinking that he may have found a benefactor who needs a puppet. We will need to be even more wary; now that he has someone pulling his strings.
Then hidden by a fresh veil she risked moving to within striking distance of the massive metal gates and waited. A few minutes later the now very smelly and visibly angry patrol stomp up to the gates which swing open. Quiet as a mouse, Azarra slips in behind them and it seems the patrol was none the wiser.
The interior of the fortified compound is a nightmare of streets haunted by monsters, piled high with trash. Ghosting around Azarra takes stock, a demihuman would stick out like a sore thumb, where could Talia hide? After a while she narrows it down to either a rather disreputable looking flop house with a battered sign labelling it as Hallah's, or perhaps the one rather rough looking orc infested inn Yoshuma's Pit. Either way Talia must be in disguise, so finding her was going to be tricky.
Azarra breathes a sigh of relief at getting this far, but to be able to complete her mission she was going to need a disguise.
As she is looking around to find out where Talia could be, she keeps her eyes open for what kind of creature she could pass for and for opportunities to pick up things that might aid her in a disguise, also setting her traveler's translator to learn whatever language is the most common here that she doesn't know.
Then, before her invisibility runs out again, she ducks into an alley, putting all of her clothes on at once under her cloak so that her elven frame looked a little more bulky, pulling up her hood, applying a bit of garbage greenery to change the skin tone on her face and hands, tucking some cotton from her grooming kit into her lip so that she looks to have some vestigal fangs, and changing her clothing to match the theme of the people around her .
Once she feels like she can walk down the street without immediately being pegged as an outsider, she walks into into the flophouse and tries to melt into the crowd, sitting at a side table and just observing... trying to spot Talia.
At first the conversation started with small talk and reminiscences of the shared adventure in Mantor's Library before Delenn spoke of her her reason for asking to see you, "The not-people from the Keep, the Zhentarium have my brother Lenior captive in that outpost of theirs to the north west. They gave me six weeks, unless I can provide a kings ransom in that time they intend to ritually sacrifice him in the name of Bane.
Whatever am I going to do? They want a hundred thousand in gold!" Looking aghast she whispered, "Surely not even the Suzerains of Suzail have so much coin?! Of course this is just nonsense, what they really want is that damned book! The one from the library. They don't deserve either, I'd like to hire you to bust Lenoir out of there and if possible slay Malik Rel the local leader of that rabble!"
Nobody pays you any attention as you slip inside the dank flophouse. You blend into the background as you go from grotty room to grotty room searching for any sign. In many you hear grumbling about the lack of food and pay. Other rooms there are tough but thin looking groups of warriors leaning over their steaming kgannt bowls. An orkish drug that induces a state of violent euphoria. The sound of fighting that ensures blocks out most other sounds, however from several rooms the sounds of rhythmic grunting and lewd comments leaves little to the imagination! Most other rooms are empty or locked.
Having made your way to the roof you have a good view over the rear of the building where there are many small balconies which tend to serve as drying stations for clothing. While you don't find anything so obvious as flowers your sharp eyes notice an interesting belt buckle among other clothes, embossed silver in the shape of a tree, this could well be a harper sign. The room below is locked although you could climb down easily enough onto the balcony.
Ser Armithia's blue eyes tighten the longer Delenn speaks. The Gold Elf sits stoically, listening to the woman's tale. The Paladin of Helm waits for her to finish, before replying
Madame, it pains us to hear of your brother's capture. It is regrettable. We are able to hear your request and we will be conferring with our companions your plight.
Ser Armithia nods to Zane; as if to say, anything else? The Paladin looks as if the meeting is over.....
Zane listened to the elf's tale, growing angry as the woman spoke. He had heard many tales of Zhentil Keep and the fiendish rulers of the city-state, but this seemed ludicrous. Why not just outright demand the book? These 'not-people' delighted in their intrigue and cruelty. The priest's eyes narrowed at the mention of Bane, the Morninglord and The Black Lord not having much in common. "What was the name of the book in question, again?"
When the gold elf replied, Zane nodded in agreement. "Ser Armithia tells it true. We will talk with the other three when they arrive in the City, but hopefully Phlan's interest will calm down enough to allow us to help with this endeavor."
While Zane wasn't too sure about agreeing to kill this Malik whatever, the mission of saving the elven woman's brother seemed to be a blessing in disguise. If this outpost was the source of the Zhentish agents in the region, they could potentially take care of two birds with one stone. Giving the woman a small wave, he rose with Ser Armithia and made his way to the exit.
"Let's see if we can find Azarra...she should be here. Maybe she has some insight's on Delenn's situation and the trade delegation Cardona is itching to send."
Before trying the balcony route, Azarra tries her message spell again, pointing into the locked room and whispering
Talia? Are you there?
You didn't need any further prompting and dropped down onto the balcony like a cat, landing soundlessly.
Cautiously you checked the window, there was an improvised crossbow trap which proved to be rather awkward to disarm without making a whole lot of noise, but you managed it in the end - just.
It was a simple matter to open the sash window and slip inside into the dark room. Immediately a sickly sweat stench assaulted you and your movements disturbed flies which buzzed around. On the bed was a female half orc surrounded by dried blood, her hands covering an awful stomach wound. At first you thought she was dead but then she coughed weakly and blood dribbled out of the corner of her mouth. She appears to be unconscious. Perhaps this was Talia, if so the disguise was excellent...
The rest of the room contains low quality furniture which has seen a hard life, bloodstained clothing, a discarded sword, a crossbow (broken) and a nearly empty purse with a smattering of low denomination coins. There'e a number of empty vials that might once have contained potions or perhaps whisky.
Azarra casts Delay Poison on Talia , then cleans the wound as thoroughly as possible with Prestidigitation, trying to get rid of anything foreign around the wound, then casts Cure Moderate Wounds.
She continues using Prestidigitation afterward, not just cleaning any remaining wound but also her clothes, skin, and hair so she doesn't smell anymore (although she tests this first to make sure she won't be removing her disguise, and if it does affect that, then she stops doing that part of it), then looks her over to see if there is anything else she can do.
but she really has no idea.
She straightens up the room, using prestidigitation to clean things as she goes, worried about Talia and hoping that she will wake up.
--If the spells bring Talia back to consciousness, Azarra is careful to give her name right away so there are no misunderstandings, and then asks if she is well enough to walk so they can go to a real healer.
--If the spells did not bring her back to consciousness, Azarra casts cure mod again.
Again attempting to get her conscious and communicating, and cleaning in the meantime to allay her nervousness.
Her eyes flutter open there is a moment of recognition and she gaps as tears well up. In a voice barely more than a whisper she croaks, "H-how?" You assume she meant how you found her.
Relieved, Azarra reaches out and tucks a stray lock of hair behind Talia's ear.
I learned from the best.
Seeing that her spells weren't working very well, and that Talia still needed more healing, she casts Cure Light Wounds on her a couple of times as well.
Can you walk? We need to get you to a temple with some real healers. I could only delay the poison, not cure it.