They told me I was born there, but came to the Uthgard as a small child, abandoned by city folk who had lost their way in the wildernis. Now I am to return, to report back to the tribes about the foul alliance of city dwellers calling themselves the "Lords Alliance." Curse them and their stinking walls, blackened soot, tanneries and other foul alchemical perversions that encroach upon the wild lands of my people. I am Largo Deathfell, druid in the service of the Wild Hunt of Malar, god of beasts and the raw, savage power of nature. Now that my mission--to spy upon the enemies of my people--has been revealed to me, I understand why I was taught to read and write like a scribe when I was young. I resented it then, but see the usefulness of it now.
The spies the tribes have normally sent have all fallen. Some have died trying to uncover the secrets of the city, but others fell victim to their own weakness. They have laid down with the harlots of civilization: whores, wine, lotus...they are the swine of the Earth and I shall wreak clawed, bloody vengeance upon them. My loyalty to the Hunt is well known to the tribal elders, who asked me to find out if it is true that the Lords' Alliance plans a spring war upon my people to cleanse the roads between them and Citadel Adbar, the gaping cleft of dwarven mining and a tear in the heart of Malar's mother herself.
"The Uthgard disrupt trade. Their warriors demand tribute from us and steal our horses," say the fat city merchants, whose pockets are lined with blood-crusted gold, crusted with the blood of the Uthgard and the blood of many animals of the forests. Oh, they shall see more blood, when Malar himself tears their bowels from the inside!
After saving my animal companion Barggh, a 12' tall prehistoric feeding machine from certain death at the hands of elves and humans who had hunted it into a corner (they screamed and wet themselves when I changed into dire lion form and shredded their soft bodies) I ventured to the the city called Waterdeep from Shining White, flying as a majestic eagle, running as a boar and tearing the throat out of a young logger who cursed Malar's name as he swung his axe into a birch tree. Barrggh, my reptilian friend ran alongside. It seemed the very trees parted at his savage anger. We came to the City several days ago. I left Barggh behind in a nearby copse of trees, to hunt and roam and claim a new turf, while I approached the open, dripping, stinking canker sore that is Waterdeep, the City of 'Splendors.' I call it Waterdeep, the city of odors. By Malar's tusks, the odor of so many people huddled together behind stone walls, trembling in the night, fearing the death that would await them should they venture forth into the gloriously dark forests around them, the odor...it is offensive.
The Chief of the Griffin tribe sent me here. His tribe tolerates the Malar disciples. I will report back to him and what I find. On my last report, he told me that his tribe needed a permanent agent in the City and he asked me if I would do it. I would have said no, but a remarkable thing happened to me. One night, I swam in shark form into the grotto beneath Waterdeep to find another city beneath the one on the surface. Called "Skullport", this seedy nest of thieves was the literal underbelly of the city. I changed into my normal form and climbed into the underground city to find wondrous creatures of legend walking side by side with humans, elves, dwarves and other demi-humans. I saw mind flayers, dark elves tainted with the power of their foul spider goddess Lolth, githyanki warriors carrying greatswords across their nearly skeletal backs. Long cave passages stretched towards a place called Undermountain. This was the most alien place I had ever been to. The rock above my head and the lack of light made me feel dizzy and I ducked into a tavern to get a drink.
Sitting at this bar was a person who would change my life forever--my previously unknown to me twin brother Xendrik (Xen). I thought at first he was a doppleganger but we spoke and it was obvious we were brothers and twins. He didn't look exactly like me, as he wore only a light moustache and I sported the full beard and head of hair befitting a disciple of the Hunt, but I knew who he was. He was a priest in the service of Mask, the goddess of trickery and thieves and was working with a organization run by an unscrupulous but fair trader lord who was building a network of agents himself.
We ventured back to the surface through a hole in the floor of a bar called "The Yawning Portal" and spent the next few days talking day and night it seemed about our respective lives and childhoods. I revealed to him my mission from the Uthgard and he said he had no problem with seeing the towns and cities of the North burn, for Mask would find her shadows no matter how the dice of warfare were cast. We met his contact working for this trade organization (I'm thinking newly emerging thieves' guild), a human woman named Liandrin. She was very young, but had obviously seen much in her few years, for she carried herself and her shortswords with a deadly competence that simmered just below a smiling visage of a woman. She said she was putting together a team of associates who would work together to accomplish jobs and mission for her patron. She said the rewards would be great, but that we would also learn much about the nature and structure of the human dwellings in the North. While coin is always welcome for the things it can provide, the information and contacts I might make convinced me to agree to this association. Liandrin said my abilities as a shape-changer and caster of nature magic would be a welcome addition to her group.
I met my associates a few times before we actually got commissioned to perform a job. Liandrin was our chief contact with our patron, although she said that we were all equals and were not bound to the jobs we were to perform. Her skill at moving unseen in darkness and striking suddenly with her deadly blades indicates to me that she is some sort of assassin or deadly scout. My brother Xendrik Voll, a warrior priest of the city goddess of Mask I've already mentioned as well. Our group was rounded out by a female of most agreeable appearance, Brehnna Stormwind. She was a sorceress, a beguiling female of prime breeding status, but she carried a greatsword slung across her back. Were it not for her habits of scented soaps and perfumed ointments, she would make an Uthgard warrior a fine wife, although he'd have to fight every day to keep her. The most curious member of our band was a most intriguing woman named Myia. She was a sun soul monk, a hunter of the undead (I agree with that quest most heartily, as undead are as foul an affront to nature as ever created by the arcane) but her obsession with right and order were most upsetting to me, as she seemed to advocate that man could, through law and reason, gain power over nature and thus thrive. I'll have to watch her closely to ensure she doesn't become a threat to me. She wields two sais (a short bladed weapon of curious manufacture) and is strangely silent and stoic. She also appears to be a complete master of her body and very disciplined, so while her philosopies may offend me, it appears she would make a deadly enemy.
Deepwinter, Year 1373, Month of Hammer, 1st day:
As the chill of winter swirled through the noxious streets of Waterdeep (which I'm told is one of the cleanest cities in the Realms--I'd hate to see the not so clean ones), our band, named the "Inquisitors" by our patron, went to a bar to meet Liandrin, who told us she had a mission for us. She opened a sealed envelope from our patron and said that we were to learn the fate of a infamous blackguard of Bane called "Sir Sedakis Crane" and a mysterious person known only as "The Old Man." Both were to be disposed of, hunted it seems. This was a mission I could sink my teeth into, even though gathering information is not yet my strong suit!! A hunt!!
We quickly learned that Sedakis Crane was imprisoned in Blackmaw prison, near the town of Dramis, about 50 miles north of Waterdeep along the road to Neverwinter. Brehnna gathered information by using her female charms upon bar patrons (but she ended up losing her coin purse, as some pickpocket snatched it from her unawares while she told sob stories to loosen the drink buying grips of the males seeking to mate with her). Liandrin and Myia went off to check their sources while my brother and I tried to learn what we could. I did what I do best. I took action. I changed into eagle form and flew north, reaching Dramis and the lit up Blackmaw prison by early morning. Lit up like a holiday feast, the prison sat in the hills a few miles east of Dramis. I settled into a tree and watched. A U shaped building surrounded by four guard towers sat near a dark hole in the ground that appeared to be the entrance to the prison. I waited for guards to come back from their debaucheries in town along the road, but no one ever came. Near dawn, I flew back to Waterdeep. While in flight, I saw a young adult red dragon hunting in the forest below. Nature most glorious...the order of things as it should be.
Hammer 2 1373
I landed in the woods near Waterdeep and found my loyal companion Barggh. I told him we'd soon head north. My brother contacted me via a magical sending and let me know that the Inquisitors were heading north towards Dramis. I told him that I would catch up with them after I got some sleep. I settled down in some moss in the boughs of an ancient oak tree and went to sleep.
By evening, I had caught up with my companions and we compared notes about what we had learned. Sedakis was definitely in the prison, caught with some fanfare a few years ago by a group of law-enforcing monks called the "Sentinels." More answers we would find in Dramis, hopefully. Even though they had met Barrghh before, my companions still didn't appear quite comfortable about bedding down while a 24' long, 12' tall killing machine scratched his back on the bark of a tree nearby. Nevertheless, we arranged a watch schedule and after a quick dinner of road rations, we bedded down.
Near midnight, Myia awoke us, stating that four large flying creatures were approaching at low altitude. Midnight hunters....we were the hunted!! Glorious! A test of natural selection was to follow. We all awoke and readied our weapons. I cast "bear's endurance" upon me and Barggh so we could boost our health prior to the fight. I recognized the four hunters approaching as chimera, unfortunate arcane experiments gone awry. Squat bodies, goat head, dragon head, lion head, the experiment had managed to gain acceptance by mother nature and now breeds true. Four male hunter chimeras were approaching.
Barrghh roared a challenge into the night and concealed himself as best he could, ready to pounce. Brehnna fired off a "fireball" spell at the first chimera, scorching it. I followed that up with a "flame strike" spell, bringing the creature down. I thank Malar for giving me this power, to match the chimera's fire breath ability with boons of my own.
Then they were upon us, claws and fire breath and ice breath and butting goat horns, rending claws, hunting as they would. My companions, soft city dwellers as they were, acquitted themselves well. Myia lept like a gazelle, slashing and kicking with an artist's display of martial prowess I had never seen. Brehnna readied her greatsword but kept firing spells into the hunters. My brother fortified us all with a spell that gave us great heart and courage and Liandrin came out of the shadows to gut one of the beasts with her lightning-fast bladework. I changed into wyvern form after preparing a spell to enhance my natural form selection and flew into battle. I grappled with a chimera and stung it with my poison tail, but it resisted the poison and clawed and bit me in defense, causing some injury. Soon we had won the battle. Barrghh was slightly injured so I called upon the power of Malar to heal him. My brother healed the wounds of the others while I cast a cure moderate wounds spell upon myself to close my cuts and claw punctures.
Hammer 3 1373
We arrived in Dramis at dusk, a town of about 1800 people and much more agreeable to me than the huge monstrosity of Waterdeep. We settled into a tavern/inn and learned that "The Old Man" was some sort of mysterious figure within Blackmaw Prison and possibly a member of the "Covenant of the Knife," an organization of assassins, thieves and killers that our patron apparently had a problem with. We also learned that these killers had framed up the son of a local textile merchant named "Gregor Manderhome." Our patron and Manderhome had also been in contact about this very issue, Liandrin revealed. Liandrin approached Gregor and asked him if he had any information about Sedakis, the prison or "The Old Man." Gregor revealed that he had been beaten regularly by thugs working for the Covenant so that he would help them smuggle contraband into Waterdeep using his textile business. He had refused so a few days ago they had framed his son for a murder of a visitor to Dramis and his son was now imprisoned in Blackmaw, with the Covenant threatening to kill him if Gregor didn't agree to participate in their smuggling operation. He offered 10,000 gold dragons for the rescue of his son, but he also wanted the "Old Man" and the Covenant members destroyed. We asked about Blackmaw prison and learned that it had been built twenty years ago as a prison mining operation by the "Sentinels" a law-enforcing order of monks made up primarily of reformed convicts. Gregor said that the Sentinels were being corrupted from within by someone or some organization, probably the "Covenant of the Knife." Gregor complained that the last two nights he had been beaten up at his warehouse by Covenant members. We set up a watch at his warehouse that night, with my brother Xen using a spell to make himself look like Gregor.
Hammer 4 1373
However, no attack came and by dawn we all went back to our beds. I went into the woods to find Barrghh, of course. My brother came with me. While I changed into brown bear form to sleep comfortably in the cold weather, he used an "endure elements" spell to provide himself the same comfort.
Hammer5, 1373
My brother and I discussed ways to get into this prison. We decided that we should get arrested, but not all at once. I would go first. I'm not familiar with towns or how people get arrested, but I knew that the city guard would be the ones to get me into this prison. I found my raptor and awakened his intelligence with my "awaken" spell. Thus, I freed my animal companion, for I didn't want him to suffer if I didn't come back from the prison. I gave Bargg to Malar as a gift. I turned the primitive animal hunter into a sophisticated creature, able to reason and hunt with deadly efficiency--a gift worthy of Malar. Barrghh spoke: "You have given me a great gift, Largo, and I thank you." I took off all my gear and gave it to Liandrin to take care of while I was in prison. Unfortunately, I knew little of towns. Hunting townsfolk in their stinking holes was not my idea of sport. I took 10 gold coins and walked into town with only the clothes on my back. I went into a bar and ordered a drink, but no town guards ever came in. I went outside and found a patrol of town guardsmen. I ran up to them and they thought I was a wild-eyed crazy person and asked if I needed to be escorted to a healer. I yelled at them "you killed my brother" and ran up to the first guardsman, who swung his club at me. I took the club away from him and the six guardsmen attacked me, trying to beat me with clubs and halberds. The one whose club I took away drew a shortsword and tried to stab me with it. I took that away from him as well. I yelled "Don't you have something bigger?" The rest charged me and tried to pummel me down. I took away another guards halberd and they tried to wrestle me into the dirt, but couldn't hold on to me. No wonder Malar despises these city folk--they fight like children!! Not even Uthgard children! I ran down an alley with the guards in pursuit. When they struck me with their clubs, I pretended to fall down and they slapped the manacles on me. I was taken before Magistrate Lucius Devries, who sentenced me to 30 days in Blackmaw Prison's hole. I was thrown into a dark cell with nothing but a bucket. My brother Xen contacted me with his magical sending and I replied to tell him what happened to me.
Hammer 6
I was led in shackles to a wagon to be taken to Blackmaw Prison, four hours. Karl Vanderhome was the name of the son of the textile man. Our mission was to protect him from assassination, free him, clear his name, show that the Sentinels were being influenced by the Covenant of the Knife, uncover the influence of the Old Man, kill Sedakis Crane the blackguard, and get us all back out alive. I was very unprepared for this mission. This prison underground was as far away from the dark primeval forests as could possibly be.
I arrived at the prison. Four towers surrounded a U shaped building and a steel elevator that led into a hole in the ground. I was searched and they used a magical wand to check me, I'm assuming for magical powers. One of the half-orc "sentinel" monks threatened me for wising off to him. I was lowered down into the ground, into a 4 wheel spoke type constructed cavern, with a central area and 4 spokes radiating outwards. I was put into a cell until dinner time. At dinner time, I met the other prisoners in the large central room, where the Sentinels passed out a not too bad smelling stew. I was checked out by the other prisoners. I kept my ears open and found out some information. I also saw Karl Vanderhome, who looked a little worse the wear, but was still alive. I overheard several conversations and gleaned the following:
· Jarrett, the original "old man" was killed five years ago
· The new "old man" is actually a woman named "Midnight" who "runs the prison " and has a bodyguard who is a giant turned into medium size permanently
· The former warden Varden Kiang is now a prisoner, because he is a werebear. He killed a werebear prisoner years ago, but was injured during the fight and turned into a werebear himself.
That evening, the rest of the Inquisitors tried to get itself arrested by starting a bar fight in Dramis. They succeeded, arriving in Blackmaw Prison that afternoon. We were rejoined at dinner, where we interacted with the other prisoners to try to figure out how we could succeed at our mission. Of course, I didn't let on that I knew the other party members. During dinner, we obtained the following information:
· Talorn is a cleric of Bane and in general population
Hammer 7
At breakfast, an elderly prisoner whom Liandrin had befriended the night before tried to poison Karl's breakfast surreptiously. I noticed and went to eat the food plate, which had been knocked aside in a scuffle that the elderly inmate had used as a distraction to poison the food. I am immune to poisons, but pretended to get sick to try to elicit reactions and identify factions. Some quick hand signals indicated that the elderly inmate and Midnight knew each other and this incident may have messed up their current assassination attempt.
Myia tried to ingratiate herself with Midnight, but she sent her off after Myia refused to sleep with Gogos, Midnight's bodyguard.
My attempts to call attention to the poisoning attempt of Karl by acting like I had been poisoned were discarded by the guards, who told me to get up and knock it off. Soon after breakfast, all the new people, us and Karl Vanderhome were put on the elevator shaft to go the 2nd level. While descending the elevator shift, we heard a sickening grinding of metal on metal and then the elevator floor tilted and we fell. We all managed to hold on except Karl, who fell down the shaft. I tried to grab him, but failed. I quickly changed into dire bat form and dove after him. I tried to cast "baleful polymorph" on him to change him into a raven so he wouldn't fall to his death, but he shook off the spell. Karl saved himself by landing on the 2nd level landing, cracking ribs in the process. I landed next to him and changed back into human form. I felt like I had to get him out of there, though. They were trying to assassinate us and it was time to act. I cast fog cloud on the landing and then changed back into dire bat form, grabbed the semi-conscious Karl Vanderhome and flew out of the mine shaft. One of the guards hit me as I flew past the first level, but I kept going through the pain. I was outside, free, with the bright light of daylight piercing my batform’s vision.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party tried to get to Sedakis Crane on the third level, but were driven off by a werebear and another guardian.
From the personal thoughts of Xen'Drik Vol...
Darkness. All my life I have followed the ways and the deeds prescribed first by my Uncle Hogin and then by the Order.
"Darkness is our friend. It is the tool through which we bring for terror in those who must cling to the light."
The weak need the light to reassure themselves that they are in fact still sane in this World of insanity. By clinging to this empty promise that is the light, they deny both the true nature of the World and that of themselves.
The World IS darkness. That is proven by the fact that even with the cursed Sun high above at its nooning, there are still shadows to be found... And they sit and wait patiently for the blessed expansion that is but a few hours away for them to grow and dominate the lands and the hearts of men.
This comforting darkness wraps around me like a warm blanket and when at rest in my dark blanet of the mind, I can always feel the darkest presence. The cold ever looming presence of death is always there in the darkness.
But not today. For the first tie in my memory, I am surrounded by an unfamiliar darkness that does not surround in a comforting veil with the patient malice of death looking over your shoulder... no, this darkness is as a cold slab of ice. There is nothing in the background, there is nothing on the ice's mind. There is nothing but chilly solitude and the non-silent silence of a cell deep within the Earth.
Without thinking, I allowed myself to be captured with a magical aura about me. My intention was to get arrested and sent to this prison to aid my brother and our employer, Liandrin in accomplishing a number of missions within the prison. We left our magic behind in a safe hole, in the hope that we could pass ourselves off as just a bunch of roughnecks looking for trouble.
So, we went to a rough looking tavern and immediately began to tear up the place. i jumped the bar and decided to compound our sentence for bar fighting to robbery to ensure that we were placed into the prison with the more serious crimes population (in case they separated the prisoners in this fashion).
They do not, but all that is irrelevant to me as I was detected to have a mgical aura and I do not think that the guards bought my explanation that I purchased the spell earlier in the day.
So, the remainder of our little band was probably placed in the regular population area while I alone was sent to the very bottom of the complex.
For a moment, I heard Liandrin outside my door. I tried to warn the girl of the stone golems guarding me and the others down here; but, then she began to whisper loadly to whoever is with her, causing the constructed muscles to move and attack. I disticntly heard Liandrin say to "f@ck this Sh%t" followed by the pitty patter of her little feet.
I do not expect rescue.
Since I have been down here, I have not felt the presence of the Goddess at all. She has abandoned me to a slow and painful death for my stupidity. So be it. I will die here and she will torture my soul for a year and a day for my idiocy. I will revel in the pain of every stroke for I deserve no less.
I even atempted to cast some of her power to aid Liandrin in getting into my cell. Nothing happened. I do not feel that I can communicate with the Goddess at all. What can block or eliminate the power of a Goddess?
I am indeed in the clutches of some rather powerful forces if they can do that... In fact, I must be in the hands of some of the other Gods! Those who would be most jealous of the Goddess's great power over the light. But who?
While time passes in expectation of this answer that will never come, I await patiently in the dark of my cell for the divine guidance and the rescue that also will never come... It is my hope that my brother gets out of here somehow and enjoys every copper that my gear will get him. I just hope that he has enough sense to take off with rest of their gear instead of trying some damn fool kind solo rescue attemt!
Well, either he will get away from this place or he will die here with me. Either is all right with me.
Darkness. I plead for Mask to hear my prayers I am repulsed by the silent cold nothing that answers me. I have to wonder whether or not I will be drawn to my final destination should my soul pass here. Will I end up wondering the darkness of death along and in the cold without her lashing whip to guide me?
What would be a more cruel fate... having to stand before the Goddess and confessing my mistakes, or having to meander about the Universe with no guidance or purpose... Unable to die?
I will no doubt find out soon.
Darkness. My friend. My enemy.
I dropped the whelp off about 500 yards away from Blackmaw Prison. I wasn't about to waste a shape change to explain to him what he needed to do, so I just left him in the woods.
I flew back to the prison. The monks in the guard towers threw their curious metal stars at me. I prepared myself for the battle below by casting "greater vigor" on myself and descending into the shaft. A huge riot had broken out on the main level and I spotted the Sentinel guards fighting Golos, Midnight and several knife wielding members of the Order of the Knife. I kept going down and found the rest of my group still trying to figure out how to get Sedakis Crane out of his cell. Brenna indicated to me that she wanted to go up and so I picked her up and flew back up to the main level. I dropped her off and she started casting spells at the enemy while I flew to engage Duncan Devries. He dealt me serious blows with his flail thing, but I cut him up, using a "bear's claws" spell to enhance my dire bat shape's natural fighting ability.
I ended up badly hurt, however, as Golos beat me with his fists and my greater vigor spell could not keep up. I tried to retreat, but Brenna went down. That woman's good breeding stock, even if she smells of the city, so I went to save her, but the monks saw that we were helping them and gave her a potion that restored her. Instead, I cast a healing spell on myself and then a "sudden stalagmite" on Duncan Devries, which killed him.
Brenna went down again, backstabbed by the "old man." I tried to help her, but Golos' fists closed in on me and everything went black. I saw the great hunting grounds of Malar and joined in the great pack...the pack of dead wolves that perpetually stalk their prey in Malar's realm of glory.
I woke up in the textile warehouse in Dramis. My brother Xen cast "raise dead" on me. He told me that Golos had been killed and Midnight was back in her cell. The "Old Man" was nowhere to be found, but that the others did manage to kill Sedakis Crane when Liandrin snuck past the clay golem guards in shadow dancer form to pick Sedakis' lock. The golems smashed him to bits.
I can appreciate prisons as part of civilizations natural attempt to keep their foul depraved persons in check. Xen told me that I still owed the party 3000gp because the diamonds to raise me had cost 5000gp and my share of the loot had only been 2000gp.
7 Hammer 1363
We went back into the wilds, to travel back to the stinking cesspool of
Waterdeep. But for now, the dark forests beckoned me, for even though I would be
without my trusted friend Barrgh, whom I set free and who was now striking fear
and terror into the hearts of all the paragons of civilization. My companions wanted to find the lair of the chimera who had attacked us previously. Find it we did, indeed. We entered their cavern lair and found almost a dozen of the foul creatures. The fighting was tough, but we defeated them. We found a secret door that descended into foul smelling dwarven tunnels, where a demonic guardian of fearsome power dwelt. We fought the beast and fought it until I could no longer draw breath....and then it fled, teleporting magically away from our grasp.
Rememberances of Xen' Drik Vol
Liandrin summoned us together again for what she called a "rush job". Filling us in a little as we approached a restaurant in the sailor's quarter. I have been there several times and find their food to be unremarkable enough that I can't seem to retain the name of the establishment in my mind.
After entering the establishment, Liandrin made contact with the owner (a halfling whom I have seen on previous times while eating here). He seemed wuite nervous. Using my Hat of Disguise, I made certain that he would not recognize me and we listened to his sad little story..
Normally, I have a healthy respect for the little people. They are sly and one undersestimates them at one's grave peril. However, this particular example of the race was little more than a frightened little temple mouse expecting the house cat to scoop him up at any moment.
He took us down to his vault and opened the room for us. It appears to be quite imressively protected with some powerful magic spells. However, once opened, the room was indeed empty. The entire group used our personal resources in searching the room (to detect invisible or otherwise magically hidden things). I thought this wise since I have now on several occasions seem Liandrin vanish from sight right in the middle of a passage ans even during the day with sunshine beating down upon her person! I have seen the "Invisibility" spell used and she is not casting that spell when she does this. If a normal sized, woman can be concealed in this way, so could a chest or other treasure... With the task at hand, my curiosity regarding our boss must await another time...
The owner told us that the missing item was very small in an equally small chest. We found only one thing in the 10' by 10' vault. A scale that obviously came from a Water Naga. A particularly nasty beast.
And, then there was the drain. I am no expert on the protection of treasure (magically or otherwise); but, even I know that a vault should not have a drain in the floor that leads right out into the sewer systems! This poor little fellow has been fully taken in by the evil men who sold him on this vault.
I hope they got thousands of gold pieces out of him for it! Anyone who is that stupid with his security deserves to be raped a few times. This chain of thought brings an involuntary smile to my face. My internal amusement of furthered when Bhrenna and I cast magic to see the aura of magical devices and spells. The room is heavily protected except for the drain!
After fighting down the urge to ask the owner if he enjoyed being bent over the bar on this deal, I noticed the remnants (and Bhrenna saw it too) of the aura of an article of extreme magical power. Whatever it is, it is so powerful that its dewoemer seeped and infused itself in the surrounding rock! I have never witnessed power on this scale before. And the trail was clear having been moved about half a meter to the drain and then right down into the sewers.
Without hesitation, my brother used his powers to change himself into a small mouse. that is so clever (and not nearly as smelly as when he turns into a dire bat). He crawled right through the grate and into the pipes beyond with littel trouble. The halfling knows of magic, as he showed little surprise at Largo's shape shifting or our casting of spells. I am no longer amused by this idiot. After some time, Largo comes back to us in human form having added a bit to his reek at some point on his adventure in the sewers. He informs us that they lead to a sewer intersection a few blocks away and he knows in which direction the powerful stolen item has gone.
So, with noses wrinkled in objection, we head into the sewers at the junction several blocks from the restaurant. He lead us to a 5 foot diameter tunnel that lead off into the deep darkness. My spells ran out and Bhrenna had to cast several so that we could stay on the trail of this powerful magic.
It seemed that we trudged on for hours and hours. Finally, we came to a promising intersection and we changed our direction. Liandrin was first and we eventually came to the end of the tunnel. It opened up into one of the largest underground cisterns I have ever seen. The big aqueduct that takes all those smaller ones in that gather the snow melt from north of the city must empty into this. The room was simply vast. However, we would not have to search this vastness for our quarry as she was neeling on a small platform barely 10 feet away on the surface of the water. She looked like a robed and hooded girl in chains. However, this did not seem right.
Liandrin exited the tunnel and moved onto the wall while taking out her Bands of Bilarro in case we needed to restrain her further. Instead of just leaping down to unchain the girl, Liandrin began to speak to her and asking leading questions. I have learned already that when the boss starts doing that, it's time to start deploying for a fight! Either she suspects that whoever she is talking to is a foe, or she simply talks them nearly to death and they attack in defense.
However, conversation was not on the robed woman's mind as she was indeed not what she seemed and looked up to Liandrin and attempted to kill her with her eyes. As all sailors before me, I have heard the legends about the Gorgon witches also called "Medusa" and their terrible abilities. Somehow, Liandrin survived the attack and was able to respond with her Bands of Bilarro successfully binding the terrible creature. However, the Medusa had already cast a flying spell upon herself in preparation of our arrival.
My brother changed into a Dire Bat (adding considerably to the already rank smell of this entire foray) and began to fly after the fleeing Gorgon witch. Miya ran and leaped onto his back, landing as light as a feather. I wonder if Largo even knew she was there...
Bhrenna began to add her unique specialty to the combat as she rained fire spells on the fleeing monster to great effect. Those iron bands of Liandrin sure saved our asses (if all the legends of the Gorgons is true). As we moved out into the chamber, the Naga began cast its own spells and, in general, making itself a nuisance. It was perched on an catwalk above us. I leaped out over the water and cast "Updraft" to raise myself to the walkway in order to engage the Naga. I mis-estimated the distance and ended coming up directly beneath the ledge. Grabbing the side, I ended up in a rather vulnerable position far different than the position I intended.
I finally got onto the ledge to attack it. However, Miya had apparently done some damage to it already from a distance and I hit it but once before it fled right past Liandrin who once again, appeared right in front of me from thin air. Whatever it is she is doing, it is NOT a spell.. She caught the serpent unawares and dropped it with but a single blow. This too is worthy of note and of caution in exploring anything about Liandrin...
While we were dealing with the Naga, Bhrenna (I think) killed the Medusa and sent its crispy corpse to the bottom of the cistern.
I must remember not to drink of the water in the this quarter of town ever again.
We retreived Liandrin's Iron Bands and numerous other magical items and some coin as well as the stolen chest.
What I learned in this encounter:
Liandrin is not using normal spell work to do her vanishing act.
Largo can indeed smell worse than he did yesterday.
Like his food, this particular halfling is not to be trusted.
Miya can bend and flex in ways I never thought could be associated with a human being. There's nothing more attractive than a woman who can kick you ass and your head with the same foot in the same round.
And I need to really look before I leap...
All of this action has made me long for a few hours in the deepest shadow basking in the presence of impending death and the slow sure whisper of the doom promised by Mask...
We emerged from the cistern and sewers and sold some of the magic items we found on the naga and medusa. My companions seemed unhappy that the halfling didn't pay us outright, but those things don't matter as much as the hunt. Hunting the medusa and the naga was glorious, a fitting combat and test of mettle for a servant of Malar. My claws rended....my fangs sank deep....and life ebbed away.
I took my share of the treasure, mostly gold coins from the sale of magic items that no one could use, such as metal armor (shudder). I gave Liandrin 250 gp to buy some magic items I could use, such as a stone that enhanced my connection to Malar by floating around my head. I didn't want to spend any time in the City, since the rest of the Inquisitors wanted to take at least five days to "go shopping."
I went into the dark forests and found another megaraptor to act as my guardian and friend. We spent several days hunting and rending together.
I returned to the dank cesspool of humanity that is Waterdeep in time to find my companions had taken on another job--get paid 1000gp to protect a man named Lord Orlpar for one night. Apparently someone wanted him dead and would probably try to kill him while he was inside a tavern called "The Grinning Lion."
I can't stand entering places like that without being tempted to rip the throats out of everyone there, so I turned to raven form and sat on the roof, watching the alleys and streets for suspicious activity.
My companions were downstairs in the main tavern room. A few hours later I heard growling and howling of wolves!! Now there's a language I can appreciate, but judging from the hasty exit of most of the tavern patrons, the song was not appreciated by them as much as me.
I flew down to investigate and found the tavern room under full attack by werewolves and an attractive Calimshite-looking female vampire. Interesting. My companions were battling them. I was reluctant to go after the werewolves, since they are kin to my lord Malar, but undead are an affront to the Beastlord and all of nature. Savagery in nature should not be enhanced by permanent life. Death should be embraced when it hunts you down and rips your chest out with yellowed claws, not cheated through foul pacts with the underworld.
I tried to engage the vampire in combat and turned into human form again, whipping at her with my scimitar, but she was chasing someone out the door and I was soon distracted by the fact that our gnomish sorceress Vikna was down and bleeding and about to be eaten by a werewolf. Vikna has helped me before and she was a member of my group (and I was supposed to stick with this group to spy on the intentions of the Waterdeep government)....so I helped her, striking down the werewolf with an "icelance" spell.
By the time I got outside, the vampire and werewolves had chased Orlpar down a sewer hole (again, sewers!!--could anything be more offensive to someone like me???). My companions battled the wolves, who turned gaseous to escape? (Now I knew we were not dealing with regular werewolves, but some undead vampire abomination perversion of the true noble savagery of a werewolf)
We tried to kill more of the wolves and determine where Orlpar went, but instead stared down empty sewer passages full of more questions than answers....
I have taken my leave of the Inquisitors of Waterdeep. I cannot stand the stink of the city any more. I am leaving back for the deep forests, to hunt and to run and to sink Malar's claws into the backs of those who deserve them!!!
(I retired my druid character--the campaign wasn't much fun to play a druid in and I'm going to run a fighter now)