Ze Plot Thickens

Summary:

An hour later, a crossbow bolt came whizzing past the party, clattering harmlessly against the hold's stone wall. The Bloodreavers agreed to the Victor's terms, though amended the time it would take them to vacate to a week. Gilic spoke for the party, finalizing the deal, insisting the Bloodreaver send over the slaves immediately. A sorry pack of humanoids trudged into view soon after, three humans and a goblin. The goblin wasted little time asserting himself, gesturing widely and chattering in his native tongue. As no one spoke goblin, Cedric conjured a spell and began translating what proved to be mostly incoherent babbling. The goblin suddenly shrieked and pointed! All eyes looked as the goblin moved to grab Cedric's sheathed dagger. Taegahn almost yawned as he emptied two arrows into the wretch.

The other slaves, human Cormyrians, stared in abject horror, though they were assured the same fate did not await them. One of the slaves, a weathered miner, reported that the Bloodreavers has been particularly active lately, gathering more than twenty slaves the past week alone. He and the others knew little else, but assured VoSFK an award awaited them if they provided safe passage back to the Seven Pillar Halls and the Deep Gem Mining Company.

The party gathered their gear and set out back to the Halls. Along the way, a mob of monsters slid out of hidden panels and attacked the adventurers. A fire drake and three bugbears attacked from the front, an ettercap from the back. The latter spewed warm webbing all over the tightly bunched party, immobilizing Shava and Queequeg and making movement more difficult for everyone else. Cedric sprayed sizzling acid on the drakes and bugbears, while Taegahn fired into the chittering ettercap. Gareth absorbed three separate mighty blows from blunt bugbear weaponry and then returned as good as he got. The slobbering monsters fell dead like dominos in a parlor game and the party traveled the rest of the way unmolested.

The Victors first stopped at the Deep Gem Mining Company office. Rejoiced at the return of his employees, the old dwarf Uthlin gave each party member a heavy amethyst gem. As the adventuerers made to leave, Uthlin asked that they keep their eyes open for his prized boar, Uthlik, who followed some of his miners out into the Underdark, but never returned. Taegahn snickered when Uthlin proudly intimated that Uthlik meant "little son" in dwarven. The elf muttered under his breath that the name more likely translated into "pig-fucker."

"Eh, what's that you say elf?" Uthlin bellowed.

"Oh, nothing!" chimed Taegahn musically.

Uthlin glowered, sure he'd been insulted but uncertain what was said. Cedric, meanwhile, shook his head and said, "A boar roaming the tunnels of Underdark? Let me stop by the nearest butcher and bring you back a rack of ham for surely the denizens of Underdark feast well on bacon this night."

"Why you little bastard! Uthlik's alive I tell you! He's a smart pig, smarter than you I dare say! Smells better too!" Uthlin hollered, lunging a hard right hook that landed heavily on the side of Cedric's face. The rest of the party quickly ushered out its two diplomats before more could be said, assuring Uthlin they would look for his lost pig.

On the way out, the drow merchant Gendar motioned to Shava. The cleric warily approached. Gendar intimated that he knew the party recently acquired a skull-tipped scepter and that he would pay 200 gold and some information for it. Shava nodded curtly and his terms and said she would get back to him. Upon hearing the drow desired to purchase the scepter, Orchid plotted that the group sell it to him, kill him, then take the scepter back.

The party next visited the Mages of Saruun. As always, the mage representative appeared after uttering the word "justice," hidden behind a golden mask and flanked by a bronze minotaur. The mage nodded acknowledge that the Bloodreavers had been dismantled but indicated that a new problem had emerged: the Black Fang gnolls. Reaching deep into a small bag, he withdrew a robe covered with alternating blinking eyes and offered it as a down payment for an assault on the Black Fangs. The party agreed. Cedric donned the robe, with Queequeg trying to poke out some of the eyes. Shava asked the mage to examine the skull-tipped scepter and he agreed.

Queegueg broke from the party, making his way to the Halfmoon Inn. Inside, he once again procured the map drafting skills of Rendell. Rendell agreed to make the map, but cautioned the dragonborn not to find the Black Fang lair, ominously known as the Well of Demons. In his many studies, Queequeg had read of the Well. In the days of old, an order of monastic monks tested applicants at the well; success welcomed them into the fold, failure embraced death. History told the minotaurs worshipped Baphomet.

Later that day, Cedric performed a ritual, summoning the Hand of Fate. He asked three questions of it, one concerning the skull-tipped scepter and the other about the singularity the party was sent to investigate. The Hand provided little helpful information. At the same time, Shava returned to the Mages of Saruun. The masked mage returned the scepter, now thoroughly cleaned and polished. The dirt and grime peeled away, the trinket appeared to be made out of ivory. He said the scepter was nothing extraordinary and could likely fetch no more than 10 gold to the right bidder.

With the support of the rest of the party, Shava traded the scepter to Gendar for 300 gold and some stunning revelations. Gendar told the group they were pawns of a larger plot they knew nothing of. He told them they were really sent to find the disenfranchised Cormyrn noble, Paldemar Spellkeeper. It seems Paldemar seeks to destroy Cormyr and has allied with the Black Fangs to plot against the kingdom. Gendar said that Cyric also backs Paldemar and has promised to aid him when the hour is at hand. Finally, Gendar revealed the most stunning news of all: Paldemar recently visited the Mages of Saruun. A battle ensued for unknown reasons and Paldemar slew all the mages. But one. Before the party left, Gendar requested the adventurers look for a statue of Baphomet and the Eyes of the Broken Dragon.

On his way back to fetching the contracted map from Rendell, Queequeg was approached by a fellow dragonborn named Surina. She told the warlord she had been tracking the party and that she knew they meant to assault the Well of Demons. She seem consumed by rage and hatred for the Black Fangs, making Queequeg wary of her. Nevertheless, she told him she would meet the party at the entrance to the Deep Stairs when they set out.

TO BE CONTINUED

Phat Lewt(z):

+2 Robe of Eyes

Line(s) of the Night:

"He may not have to suffer your ass." - Craig, misspeaking "acid damage" for "ass."

"I'm only slow when I want to be." - Sean, in his best Barry White voice.

"Sounds like my kind of man!" - Megan, on a potential male prospect.
"What, breathing?" - Simon, in response.