Rewards, Bane Sightings, Deals, Catacombs - Sixth Session

Recaps from the last week

The Brigade reconvened at Nok & Nak’s Brewery to catch up with each other before heading to Silverymoon.

Logan the Huge, which he had to repeat several times, told that he had spoken to Tain Bravis again, the ward rep from Elmshire. He had work for the Brigade. Bravis had discovered the location of the Stormcrow Company’s final resting place. The Stormcrow Company was an infamous adventuring band from years ago who experienced a good deal of success. Later, when they spoke to Damakos the tiefling of the Rock Hammer Reclamation, he had this to say about them:

Quote :

“Illugi Swordbreaker, the Emerald Warlock, and Agera of the Shadow Face led a mercenary group called Stormcrow Company. Each had a storied adventuring background before they joined their strengths, but those stories are as nothing compared to the tales of the exploits of Stormcrow Company. The mercenaries made their base in old tunnels they found beneath a rocky tor in the wilderness.”

The deal with Tain Bravis was as such; he will give the Brigade the location of the tor where they are welcome to take any and all treasure from that location with the exception of an items called a “Wraithstone”, that is to be given to Bravis. In addition, Tain Bravis would give his vote for Nok & Nak’s Brewery to get the license they had sought.

Damakos was also asked of Tain Bravis:

Quote :

“Strange tiefling that one. He used to be the president of Rock Hammer Gold & Trust up until about 10 years ago, they he was suddenly pushed out of office. The Rock Hammer Trade Coalition is a powerful entity, even enough to force the bank president out of office. I guess he couldn’t have taken it too hard, he always votes in favor of Coalition interests since he became ward rep of Elmshire.”

Xune was up next and she told a story of how a good portion of the community, including priests from several different faiths, had come together to pray for the safe and swift return of Troy Percival, High Priest of the Temple of Torm. He had left Rock Hammer weeks ago to attack a Banite outpost high in the mountains with the help of the weapon-master tiefling, Dajanni.

Un’goro talked about a strange chill that is appearing in Rock Hammer. However, only a very, very few people are feeling it, but they feel like they are frozen to the core. While no one is seriously injured, some sense it is a signs of things to come.

Baern introduced Homba, Lendri Bologard’s brother, to the group. The dwarf explains how Lendri was being sent away to live with his aunt in Waterdeep for a time, and that the mage Homba would be taking his place. Baern also spoke to Lucky about the meteorite, and he had the unique item appraised at up to, 20,000 gp. Lucky floated the idea that they should look for buyers outside of the three major cities he informed (Waterdeep, Arabel, and Baldur’s Gate), perhaps even taking this as far as the Planes. Last, Baern also echoed talk of the Chill experienced by some in Rock Hammer.


Rewards for Heroes

The first reward was a dwarf scout that arrived from Citadel Felbar with a reward for rescuing the dwarf masons from Tower Vanamere. He brought them magical bracers as well as a personal item for Baern. An everfilling stein of dwarven ale.

The next reward was collected at Rock Hammer Reclamation and since Terios the minotaur was out, it was given to the group by Damakos. A reward of 100 gp for each PC that helped in the apprehension of the convict Larash at Tower Vanamere. Damakos also mentioned that the group had gained some renown in Silverymoon now.


Eye spy…a banite!

Homba and Logan, while stepping out for a smoke, noticed a gal who seems to bare the mark of Bane on her arm. They informed the others and Xune taled her back to the Amyria Ward were she lost her. The rest of the Brigade assisted in a search of the businesses and it was Un’goro that found her in Adelwood Alterations, where she (Rose) appears to work and own the shop.

The group staked her out for the rest of the day. After most of the shops closed, she went back to her house in the Blackstone Ward, ate dinner by herself, and then went to bed. Knowing that priests of Bane pray for spells at midnight, Xune waited up to see if Rose did this. She was sound asleep at that hour.

For now, the group has marked her, Adelwood Alterations, and Rose’s home for later.


Forgotten Crypts, Hidden Dangers

The following day the Brigade headed off to Silverymoon to follow up on a tip from Halaskar, to assist the Vault of Sages deal with some recent openings to some catacombs below them.

They met with the eladrin Yluandrial, the Mistress of Secrets at the Vault of Sages. She introduced them to the surveyors, Gervard, and Amra Drohmburg. The Brigade had three tasks to perform:

• Protect the surveyors
• Assist them in preventing further collapses
• Investigate potential threats in the catacombs

Yluandrial told them they should speak to the person who “found” the collapse, Aryande Rygis.

The goth spellcaster, “Ande” was a wealth of knowledge of the catacombs and had spent a great deal of time in them. Baern hired her to act as guide.

The following day, the Brigade, Ande, and the surveyors entered the catacombs, and thanks to their guide the Brigade found a recently opened new area. In this library that contained a strange magical box, the group assisted the surveyors stabilize the room. Once that was down, they were set upon by kobolds.

Each time the kobold wide mage cast a spell, the magical box would open slightly. By the time the encounter was over, the magical box was completely open and inside it was a magical construct named Coura.

She is an intelligent and free-willed magical construct and is tied to the Vault of Sages and has knowledge of all that goes on around her. She was able to tell the Brigade the following:

• With the recent collapses, this room became accessible once again. A group of kobolds discovered it about a month ago.
• From here they found a way to the Vault of Sages, where they stole books, and later returned them.
• Blaynden Darhunson, a librarian, discovered a particular book went missing, and investigated the catacombs.
• That book was “Asterwun’kaseel” which is drow for “Truth in Names”.
• Blayden was captured by the kobolds.
• Coura suggested two routes to the kobold hiding place, one through guards, the other sneaking around them

The group also found a tome called “Descend to Dark Turrent”. While it appeared very old and about to fall apart, magical wards prevent that. The book describes how a party of adventurers wandered a distant land named Abeir. It describes a location named Dark Turrent, a prison of a powerful extraplaner being. The story seemed oddly familiar.

The Brigade opted for the stealth route and faired very well, effectively sneaking up on the hideout, as Xune quickly took out a kobold guard.

Then the fight was one. The Brigade rushed forward and defending the hideout was a kobold war priest, a kobold trapmaster, and a shadar-kai mage.

The Brigade worked effectively and cooperatively and quickly took down the war priest before he could even use his encounter power. The shadar-kai, and trapmaster were more difficult as they positioned themselves on the other side of the Ward of Tiamat trap.

At the end of the fight, the Shadar-kai mage (Xorval) made a break for it and exited the room to the main streets of Silverymoon. He detonated a fireball in hopes of slowing down the pursuing Logan, and killed three bystanders in the process. Seconds later he was dead himself.

The Brigade learned that the shdar-kai mage was Xorval, who was Keira’s contact in Silverymoon that expressed interesting in purchasing the Meteorite.

In the hideout on the desk, the Brigade found some great clues:

Quote :

• It identifies the books that were stolen, and a list of clients for those books. Some books were specifically requested.

• None of the clients are directly named, but the shadar-kai made notes on three of them.

• One client was a drow whose house insignia identified his as a scion of House Faen-Tlabbar from Menzoberranzan. The drow showed interest in a tome on true names, titled ‘Asterwun’kaseel’. The kobolds managed to locate and steal it, but all efforts to copy the tome failed. In the end the original was sold even though there was a risk its disappearance would be discovered.

• Another client was noted that he would “pay dearly” for a recently uncovered meteorite that possessed strange arcanic properties.

• The last client asked for a decades-old logbook containing specific reports. The reports detail the locations and methods used for the seals with which portal in the catacombs, leading to lower and dangerous locales, were closed.

• All the books in the log that were requested were already sent on their way to the clients

The Brigade also found Blaynden Darhunson trapped inside one of the barrels. He was bruised and battered but alive. He expressed gratitude and says he has “friends” who will be happy to reward the Brigade’s aid in the future. He is particularly concerned about the loss of the Spellguard reports. He asked the Brigade to keep this information quiet while he reports this to the proper authorities. He asks if they will help him track down those reports as knowledge of the portals could severely weaken the defenses of Silverymoon.

For whatever reason, Blaynden seems more than just a librarian and occasional instructor at the Vault of Sages.

Last, Logan went back to Coura to ask if she had any knowledge of the Wraithstone.

Quote :

“The exact and full nature of the Wraithstone is unknown to all, even the bearer of red gem on an iron chain necklace. It is known to grant the wearer a buffer to attacks (temporary hit points) when the wearer has suffered substantial wounds (bloodied). The Wraithstone seems to more powerful than this, but it is not known how. It has been referred to as the “Gem of the Last Man” but again, that meaning is unknown.”