RealmsToowoomba Recap # 88 [RPG]

[2 Eleasis 1372 Continued]

On the pathway leading down Startop Mountain, Jygil Zelnathra consults with her guards and the gnome cleric Ballisan Callushands. It is not yet dawn and it will be hours before any of them can pray for spells that will allow them to narrow down the location of the invisible kenku who has been relentlessly attacking their caravan.  Even worse, there seems to be no rhyme or reason behind the attacks, and no response to requests to negotiate.  Though the battle has thus far been a stalemate, with the kenku and several guards wounded, Jygil worries that their attacker will gain an insurmountable advantage once the defenders no longer have the protection of her dwindling daylight spell. Jygil decides that as long as everyone stays in one group, everyone is vulnerable: their only chance is to take advantage of their attacker’s one weakness: she can’t be in two places at once!  In order to give as much of the group as possible the best chance to survive, Jygil devises a desperate plan which she communicates to her allies in hushed tones. Moments later, they put that plan into action.

For her part, Shiro Bronzefeather suddenly sees the caravan boil over with activity. Three points of light, one far brighter than the others, peel off in different directions, as horses bearing cloaked riders break for the top and bottom of the mountain, respectively. The guards and refugees likewise split off into different directions, with some heading for the caldera of Startop, some venturing to clamber up and down the steep sides of the mountain path in search of hiding places, and most rushing headlong down the path to rejoin the four-fifths of the larger caravan that had already descended the mountain.  Shiro is unable to determine the location of her primary target, Jygil Zelnathra, in this sudden burst of activity, and nor can she catch up to the riders on horseback.  Instead, she focuses her flaming arrows on the easiest targets: the wagons bearing the sick and wounded refugees!  In the ensuing chaos she murders four of the Riders of New Nesme and several refugees before deciding to track the horse and rider who headed up the mountain.

Meanwhile, in Mellia’s conjured mansion, the breakfast table discussion has taken a serious turn. Ralkin, obviously strained and on the edge after his brush with death and his sister’s apparent betrayal, speaks bluntly and to the point. If the real purpose of the quest is to rescue Mellia’s kidnapped daughter, he says, perhaps that is what the adventurers should focus on. They could continue to do that by focusing on Startop Mountain and the Crown of Horns, but there is no guarantee that if they are successful in locating the Crown that Allia’s kidnapper will deliver on his promise to return her safely.  Instead, Ralkin suggests formulating a plan to rescue Allia directly.  This discussion obviously upsets Mellia, but she allows that he makes a very good point, one that her friend Gideon had suggested previously. She tells her companions that she is no longer sure which path is the best to take. They must deal with Nesme first, but after that, she does not know.   Markus points out that he and El Capitan (and Urist) would really like to kill some orcs. Mellia responds that with the rock in the way, they must abandon that plan for right now and focus on Nesme. El Capitan also speaks up asking for information about Allia’s plight and Mellia relates the tale of her daughter’s kidnapping. Markus inquires how much time they have before the world ends (alluding to the rise of the behemoth beneath Startop Mountain). Hearing this, a surprised El Capitan notes “You guys never tell me anything!”  Mellia is frustrated and upset and leaves the room so the others can converse amongst themselves. In her absence, Urist suggests that Mellia is delaying too much and that Markus could make a name for himself by saving the world. Markus dreamily notes that would make a perfect conclusion to his memoirs. Further conversation is forestalled when Cain loudly pushes back his chair and stalks off in search of Mellia

Outside, a galloping and exhausted Rider of New Nesme clatters onto the top of Startop Mountain and heads directly for Tunak.  The Rider, Lt. Jaspers, advises the hulking man of the caravan’s plight, says more refugees may be on the way, and relates that Jygil sent him for aid from the ‘adventurers’. Tunak directs the man to the entryway to Mellia’s conjured mansion and the soldier reluctantly approaches the magical portal, still wary of an invisible assassin.  Mellia and Cain are summoned by an unseen servant and head outside to speak to the Rider, and he passes on Jygil’s request for aid, relating the terror of the night-time attack. Mellia and Cain are surprised at Shiro’s cold-bloodedness insofar as she did not limit her attack to Zelnathra, or even her guards, but also attacked helpless refugees. Ralkin is likewise displeased with Shiro’s actions when he is summoned and filled in.

Standing in the mansion’s entryway to avoid the Rider’s ears, Cain, Mellia and Ralkin discuss what to do. Ralkin says that if it were not for ‘Muninn’ he would happily dispose of his sister in the most direct way possible because she cannot be reasoned with.  Instead, Ralkin shakes his head and says that as long as he doesn’t witness it, whatever the others choose to do to Shiro would be acceptable to him. Markus, Urist, and El Capitan, who admit to eavesdropping, are likewise frustrated and angry with Shiro. The group gathers arms and uses protective spells before heading down the mountain path to find Shiro and deal with her one way or another. Before leaving though, Mellia invites Lt. Jaspers and a group of refugees who have straggled up the path in the dark to take shelter in her conjured mansion where they can rest and find food and drink. Though extremely nervous, Jaspers eventually leads the people inside.

The adventurers make their way down the mountain path.  Markus confuses his friends by observing and commenting on the way that they each smell.  Shiro, flying invisibly up the path, spots the group and calls out to her brother, asking if Zelnathra came this way. Several of the adventurers bare steel.  Ralkin angrily confronts his sister about her attack on the refugees, her failure to attend to his poisoning by the swarm-assassin, and her destruction of his magical backpack. Shiro displays no concern or remorse for what she has done, explaining that she was planning on forcing Zelnathra to reveal other hidden entrances to the caverns within the mountain.  Still, Shiro gives her word to Mellia that if allowed to continue traveling with the group so she can protect her brother that she will not further harm the refugees or Zelnathra. Markus whispers that he doesn’t believe her.  Shiro drops Ralkin’s stolen bag of holding onto the ground and says that it is filled with enough valuable items to replace what was destroyed. The gesture does not appease her brother, as Ralkin pointedly turns his back so as not to witness what happens next. The others hesitate, apparently waiting to see what Mellia decides to do (with Markus whispering a suggested casting of fireball).  Mellia eventually says that Shiro is still Ralkin’s sister, and the most important thing is to get her away from Startop and the refugees. So although no one in the group believes Shiro can be trusted or wishes to travel with her, the kenku assassin is allowed to remain with the group.  

Leaving the others to walk back up the trail, Mellia teleports herself, Shiro, Ralkin, Cain and Cain’s new mephit to Nesme for a raid on one of the animal training sites.  This time, it appears as though their presence was anticipated as guards, animals, two priestesses of Auril, and an ice mephit stand ready. Though Cain, Mellia, Shiro and Ralkin remain invisible, Cain’s mephit can be clearly seen by the watching defenders of Nesme and that is enough to set off an alarm. One of the priestesses of Auril blows on a strange whistle and the others move in to attack.  Still, the adventurers have many powerful spells at their disposal. Mellia’s wall of fire catches the defenders squarely and though one of the priestesses is able to run for cover, the other is badly burned and falls unconscious from pain. Cain follows this with a powerful flamestrike spell that furthers the destruction.  The defenders’ armored bears and winter wolves scent their invisible opponents and close in to attack. One of the armored bears claws a deep gash in Ralkin’s chest, leading the kenku to call out to Mellia to get the group out of there. Mellia drops her invisibility spell so that she and her companions can grab onto each other, but as she begins intoning her spell, a nearby bear lunges in and bites her arm!  Fortunately, the diviner manages to concentrate through the pain and teleports herself and her allies away, appearing moments later in Waterdeep.

Having made their escape from Nesme, the adventurers quickly realize that it was not without cost. Ralkin remains injured, and worse, Cain’s new mephit was unable to grab hold of the group during the hasty departure and was left behind. Mellia apologizes to Cain and asks him what the mephit will do and he suggests that it may have died bravely fighting enemies in Nesme, or it may have headed toward Waterdeep to find them. Mellia speaks with Ralkin and confirms that he will wait while she and Cain return to Startop to fetch the others. Shiro asks Mellia about fetching her shadow companion, but Mellia says she doesn’t have the ability to bring the shadow and the other adventurers back at the same time.  The two begin arguing about the best way to proceed until Cain takes hold of his wife and uses his powerful word of recall spell to take Mellia and himself directly to Startop.

When Cain and Mellia have vanished from sight, Shiro turns her attention to her wounded brother. She suggests that Ralkin go to find a healer, but he refuses and states his intention to wait there for his friends. Shiro warns that another attempt could be made on Ralkin’s life, which leads Ralkin to respond that there weren’t any assassins after him until Shiro turned up.  The kenku female  volunteers to go and find a healer willing to travel to where Ralkin is, and he accepts. Shiro heads into the city and locates a place she’s been to before during past stays in Waterdeep: an innocuous-looking storefront selling pieces of stained glass.  Inside, Shiro is immediately recognized and the elderly storekeeper closes up shop, rolls up a carpet, and pulls open a hidden trapdoor.  Down below, in a hidden shrine to Shar, the Goddess of Darkness, Shiro obtains a potion to help her brother recover from the swarm-assassin’s poison.  Shiro tells the Nightsister on duty that she’s still working on turning her brother into being one with the shadows, and asks to be informed if there’s an interesting opportunities for work.

Meanwhile, with his sister out of sight, Ralkin decides to find someplace more comfortable to wait for his friends. He speaks to a guardsman near the distinctive incoming teleportation area and asks the man where he might find food, lodging, or healing. The guard recommends a traveller’s hostel and offers directions. Ralkin asks the man to pass the same directions along to his friends when they teleport in. Though the guard protests that with these crowds, it will be difficult to identify any group in particular, Ralkin insists that his friends are unique enough to be remembered and the man reluctantly agrees to try. Still feeling the effects of the assassin’s poison, the kenku slowly makes his way into the city proper. He finds it incredibly crowded, as the usual summertime influx combined with the dual holidays of Midsummer and Shieldmeet have swelled the city’s population far beyond normal, making cosmopolitan Waterdeep even more different than workmanlike Mirabar or the sedate beauty of Silverymoon.  At the indicated hostel, Ralkin learns that all the rooms are occupied and there’s barely room to stand in the attached tavern.   He settles for lurking in a dark corner, observing the crowd. However, it doesn’t take long for him to realize that a magickal scrying sensor is operating nearby--unable to ascertain whom the culprit is, he remains in place and waits to see what happens.

When Cain and Mellia arrive on Startop Mountain, they kiss while waiting for Markus, Urist, and El Capitan to reach the top.  The reunited group discuss Shiro and what to do about her. All are agreed that she is trouble and no one wants to travel alongside her since she cannot be trusted. For the time being, Mellia says, the important thing is that she is far away from Startop and if necessary, she can be abandoned along the way. Before the group departs back to Waterdeep, the adventurers seek out Tunak and ask him if he can help to guide the refugees back down the mountain to rejoin the caravan and make their way to safety. He agrees to do his best. Mellia speaks to Lt. Jaspers and tells him that for now, the threat has been removed and he offers his thanks. She asks him to pass along a message to Jygil Zelnathra, asking her to contact Mellia when she reaches Silverymoon. Mellia also offers the use of her mansion to the refugees until the time it naturally dissipates, but the guardsman is eager to get his people back on the road before dark. Wishing them luck, Mellia gathers her friends and they teleport back to Waterdeep.

Looking around, Cain and Mellia note that Ralkin is not where they left him. They decide that the wily kenku will surely be able to locate them and begin to head into the city. The guardsman that Ralkin spoke to is able to identify the group despite the crowds of people and passes along directions to the traveller’s hostel.  The adventurers begin the long and tedious process of making their way through the crowds, but a surly fellow on a wagon nearby loses patience and begins using his whip on passersby to get them to move faster.  When the whip cracks just inches from Mellia’s ear, her husband is unable to restrain himself: Cain summons a divine pillar of fire to incinerate the man and his wagon!  The crowd surges in panic as calls for the City Watch echo down the street.  Markus, Urist and El Capitan, not wishing to be caught up in the altercation, quickly fade into the crowd and disappear. For her part, Mellia appears quite speechless. Cain takes her hand and begins to calmly walk away, but they are quickly surrounded by a Watch patrol and arrested. The two are escorted to a nearby Watchhouse and placed inside a reinforced cell that features magical glyphs to prevent teleportation and other forms of magical escape. Although angry when told that it could be up to 24 hours before they are able to plead their case before a Magister, the two spellcasters refrain from violence.  With only one dirty bench to sit on, Mellia has Cain sit down and seats herself on his lap before mildly reproving him for using such extreme means to defend her honour.  Later, as they wait to see when they will have the chance to speak to someone or arrange a way out of this mess, Mellia takes the opportunity to cast two spells of sending.

Markus, El Capitan and Urist make their way to the traveller’s hostel and though they spot Ralkin, the kenku remains where he is. The three eager adventurers quickly obtain mugs of ale and wine and begin to plot their next move. Markus is most eager to explore the city’s drinking establishments, while El Capitan appears equally interested in companionship of the male or female variety. For her part, Urist suggests starting with drinks and then seeing where the day takes them.  In the early afternoon, the trio venture forth once again.  They pass by a shrine to Ilmater where long lines of people are receiving food and healing in a joint venture with priests of Sune.  In fact, the two faiths are working together to raise money for their good deeds by holding an unusual event: an auction of a night on the town with an eligible lady or gentleman.  The suave and fashionable Markus and El Capitan are immediately conscripted for the event, and told to make themselves as presentable as possible for the evening’s festivities.  The two are delighted to take part, and hurry away to primp and prepare.

Meanwhile, Shiro, having noted her brother’s absence in the teleportation grounds, has tracked him to the hostel. She offers him the vial as an antidote to the poison but, for now, he merely places it in his backpack. Ralkin then asks to borrow Shiro’s invisiblity ring, though when he places it on his finger he does not change his location. The two kenku watch as a riddler enters and briefly entertains the crowd.  Later, when Ralkin returns the ring, Shiro fills him in on Cain and Mellia’s predicament (which he overheard on his return) and offers to use her contacts to aid them.  Ralkin, however, says they can surely take care of themselves.