Our brave, or perhaps simply lucky, adventurers spend the week in Kracken’s Fall investigating leads, training and pondering the sudden disappearance of Durn. The city was sombre, yes expectant, with Baron Montoya due to give a speech the day following their arrival.
Hurn and Amon visit the Headtaker’s Guild to find Tam regaling the members with tales of her single-handed prowess versus the most mighty troll, and they sign up to become members so that they can take part in Bounties for Cash. They then sell the spices, silk and cloth Orc loot for a very excellent price. And Hurn commissions a custom-made assassination bracer. Amon takes Lady Elenna to Morack and Sandy’s safe house in Down Below and she is very grateful for his help, even going so far as to say she had misjudged his character in their earlier meetings.
Sur Albert takes Sir Mooney’s armour to the Broken Tooth Bastille headquarters of the city guard, but was unable to see Baron Montoya himself. He explained to squire Talbert how he had found him slain in the wilderness and hoping to pass the armour to his family. The squire said the family were busy and he’d make sure the armour was cleaned and presented to them. It was unclear if any suspicions were raised at the sudden appearance of this armour, but he did seem evasive.
Sarin, with Mandark in tow, visits Memento to sell off the books they found in the Obsidian Sanctum. Lucien happily takes them off her hands for large sums of gold and sells Sarin a map of the Sanctum showing the hidden gardens, an area they didn’t find, should they wish to return. He also offers her a job – the raiding of the abandoned Dwarven city of Bor Kaltan on the edges of the Shadowlands and gifts her a book on the practices of the Dawn Singers, Emperor’s Mengsk’s personal and magical High Elven guard! Sarin pockets the money from the books and drags Mandark to the Floating Market in Down Below to speak with the information broker Trent, who they believe sold Travis (Mandark’s former companion) the location of the Sanctum. Sarin gets high on magic mushroom tea and special brownies, but manages to discover that Travis was meant to meet his employer at the Docks of Narn via the magical Sanctuary gateway door.
The day of the speech arrives and the party await Baron Montoya’s appearance. Sur Albert uses his frame and force of will to push near the front, but the crowds are too dense and numerous to get very close to the stage so he is unable to use his magic to detect anything untoward. Many guards keep a watchful eye on the people. Baron Montoya appears and gives a truly inspiring and rousing speech declaring he is taking leadership of Kracken’s Fall in the absence of the rightful heir and will work tirelessly to re-build and protect it in the wake of the assassination and the loses experienced at the Whispering Crag. If Lady Elenna should return he will work with her to restore the city to its former glory. He intimates that young people will be requested to join the military forces. The party are genuinely impressed with his oratory, but naturally suspicious of his intentions. A familiar voice appears magically in Sarin’s ear requesting their presence at Manastorm’s tower, which rises impressively above the city, how did he build it so fast? They wonder.
The party meet Millhouse in his “tower”, which turns out to be a tiny bedsit situated in the narrow space between two houses. He requests that they help collect materials so that he could build a gate, or skyship, for his return to the great Centauri Republic, where he intends to prove to his people that he isn’t mad and that people do exist beyond the Skyreach Mountains. They are to meet a merchant in Naggaroth, in Duke Sliscus Ironheart’s territory, who has the details and in return they’d receive gold and magical enchantments. The party raise their eyebrows and say they’ll think about it.
Everyone takes a few days to reflect and hone their skills. Amon discovering the ways of the Quincy by finally finding a bookshop “Boundless Possibilities” run by a fellow drow named Ferrus, his magical short bow now transformed into a majestic long bow. Mandark and Sarin exchange nerdy wizard notes. Hurn seeks more ways to earn money to pay back his debt. Sur Albert visits Lady Elenna to offer his support for her rightful place as the city’s leader, she asks that he carry news of these recent events to Lady Di’marco an ambassador of sorts for Duke Blackhand in Naggaroth and gifts him a pendant by which Lady Di’marco will know her.
Sur Albert, not immediately revealing this conversation, persuades the party to head to Naggaroth as it aligns with Millhouse Manastorm’s bizarre request, and so chosing to find an ally for Lady Elenna rather then chase after the thief Travis they gather their things and head off on the road to Naggaroth…
“Oh, and by the way” says Sarin casually, “There’s a bounty on our heads”.
So the party arrive near Naggaroth to save some terrified local from being killed by Demon creatures, hellish hounds, boars and bears.