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As the fresh air hits his face for the first time, Bruno stops a moment and takes a deep breath, smiling wide. He takes a moment to drop the manacles and affix the Flaming Fist badge to his clothing to try and deter any would be troublemakers. Before they head out into the street, Bruno looks to the group.
“We’re likely to attract attention lugging those chests around. We should make sure our badges are easily visible so everyone knows we are on official Fist business.” Bruno peers through the doorway into the darkening street beyond. “As much as I’m sure Dartan would love to head back to Nectar, I think we should make for the Elfsong Tavern. We already know cultists of The Dead Three frequented The Mourning Wood and there’s no guarantee we got all of them. That is unless anyone has a better suggestion?”
"Nobody stays in the same place twice when being hunted. you need somewhere with a back stair and a discreet proprietor. go towards and past the Elfsong to the third tavern on the left,. We'll find you there. Walter, keep them out of trouble."
**the rogue fades into the street and out of sight**
Bruno looks out after the rogue as he disappears into the shadows. Nodding eagerly after the rogue, Bruno reaffixes the wool wrap around his face.
"Well, that works too."
Bruno tucks the badge into his clothes so it can't be easily seen but can be displayed quickly if needed. Bruno directs Walter to hang upside down by his tail from his quarterstaff, playing dead. Stooping slightly, he tries to resemble one of the many sewer encrusted rat catchers around the city. Walter's little tongue lolls out of his head and the rat winks at the rest of the group before closing his eyes again.
"This is probably the best I can do to try and avoid attention. Hardly anyone wants to make eye contact with the filthy, shit-covered poor. Ready to move when you all are."
The party heads out of the abandoned building and walks several blocks, past the Elfsong tavern and beyond. Several flaming fist soldiers pass you, and nod as they see your badges. You are not questioned or stopped by anyone. You finally come to the place Jules mentioned after 20 minutes of lugging the heavy treasure through the streets. You don't seem to have attracted any unwanted attention.
The outside of the tavern is a rowdy bunch of men and women, you see a fight break out at one point and a mans throat is cut, and his body thrown into a back alley just as you arrive. The patrons of the tavern are a mix of humans, half-orcs, dwarves and a few Tieflings.
Before you can enter the tavern, you see through the door as Jules is talking to a Tiefling male. Jules presses a coin into the Tieflings hand and then he points in the parties direction.
The Tiefling nods and then waves you to walk to an alley in the back.
You only catch a glimpse of the tavern itself through the open door, and it is a very rough, dirty, smelly and smoky tavern, most of the patrons are very drunk, there are no flaming fist present at this particular tavern that you notice. After just a quick glance, the Tiefling quickly escorts you to the back alley and unlocks a very plain, drab door.. As he opens the door, it leads down a staircase, into a hidden underground dwelling area. The first thing you notice, is the pleasant scent coming from down the stairs.
Addressing the whole party as he leads you down the stairs,
"Jasper here tells me you're needing to lay low for a couple of days. 10 gold pieces a day, and you're not here. There is a private bath down the hall to freshen up, fresh linens in the closet. I am Kaarnth, if you need anything I will be upstairs in the Tavern. I'll send a wench down to fetch your soiled clothes, and have them washed for you."
He hands you a key, and takes your payment (I have added a tab for each of you to pay your share of the room) And then the Tiefling leaves.
"My Brother will have his spy network looking for you all, I don't know how long it will take him to figure out where you are, but he will find you if you stay in the city. That is guaranteed. I can't return home so I'll stay here with you until we go to kill my brothers"
Mortlock removes his dirty filthy shoes and goes over to one of the more comfortable looking beds and plops down to rest.
The room has sweet smelling incense burning, the bath area has soaps and towels, and everything you need to clean up. The entire room is well furnished, clean and comfortable.
The Tavern and Shops are now active - so feel free to buy or sell items - and if you have specific things you want to look for that you want added to the shop, let me know and I will let you know how difficult they are to find in the city.
2 Hours pass
Time: 10:19 PM
Date: Secondday , 22 , Tarsakh
Settling In
"Dirty Dwarf! Hah, aint that the truth Jules. I couldn't be any dirtier less you dip me in a bog and threw me down a hill! Bath it is for me then I'll take a look at cleaning up me bags."
Once Kaarnth leaves, Bruno relaxes slightly but still glances about with suspicion. He warily pulls out his spell book, flips to a well worn page and begins to cast Detect Magic as a ritual.
The ritual complete, he scans about looking for any magic auras other than the ones he expects to see. He steals glances at the chest with the black crown that radiated divination magic and forces himself to look away, muttering under his breath.
Glancing around the room, Bruno does see the magic radiating from the magical items in Tiamat's treasure,
“No good can come from a dragon cult‘s treasure.”
Bruno looks around the room itself, but does not see any other magical auras inside the room itself.
The party spends an hour or so relaxing, and cleaning up - the hot bath and comfortable beds and sofas are a welcoming change from the dank, smelly dungeon they spent the last 24 hours in.
Kova and Mortlock fall asleep right away, and start snoring away.
After another couple of hours, in the middle of the night as the party sleeps, you are suddenly awakened by the sound of someone picking the lock to your room door...
It happens very fast, as Bruno is keeping the first watch, he sees 5 human figures wearing strange masks quietly enter the room...
Jules hears the door open as well, and is awake to see the figures entering your room. They all have strange looking daggers.
As you see them all quietly enter the room, they have not noticed that Bruno or Jules is aware of their presence.
Dartan, Kaido, Bartok, Kova and Mortlock remain asleep
What do you do?
3 Hours pass
Time: 1:19 AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh
Cult of Tiamat
Bruno's eyes go wide as the figures begin to enter the room. Forcing himself to keep his breathing quiet, he slowly reaches into his component pouch and grips a small bit of spider web.
As the door opens and the intruders enter, the rogue quietly rolls off the sofa, hides in the shadows and heads to the wall on the right side of the door readying daggers along the way.
As the men enter the room, they notice Bruno on the sofa, and as much as Bruno tries to look inconspicuous, the intruders notice him reaching into his component pouch.
"Not so fast, let us see your hands. You have something that belongs to us, and we are here to claim it. You are in possession of Lord Tiamat's property."
Do you want to continue to cast web?
The rogue moves around agaist the wall in the shadows, however the room is very large, so you are only able to advance 45 feet closer to the men,
do you wish to remain hidden? or speak to them?
seconds pass
Time: 1:19 AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh
No good can come from taking a Dragon God's Treasure
Passive Perception used to determine if the sleeping characters hear the commotion. The noise level has been low, so the Passive Perception is set at DC 12. Anyone with a Passive Perception of 12 or better wakes up.
Those waking up: Dartan & Bartok only so far.
Dartan & Bartok both jump up at hearing some un-expected voices, and immediately move at maximum movement toward the main room. That puts them both near the back of the sofa as Bruno is speaking to the men.
As the men addresses him, Bruno’s hand stops moving towards his component pouch, but doesn’t move away either. He eyes the group warily as he tries to process what they’re saying.
“Lord Tiamat’s property…? "
Bruno’s smacks his head as realization sets in. “ANOTHER cult?! How many cults are in this godforsaken city?! First, we have to kill off most of the cult of the dead three and now these guys show up.”
Bruno takes a breath and pauses as he remembers Mortlock’s words.
“Easy now everyone… I don’t suppose your Lord Tiamat’s treasure was stolen by the cult of the dead three’s followers?”
"The treasure was stolen from Lord Tiamat several weeks ago, and was tracked to Baldur's Gate. We were unable to sense it's presence until hours ago, and we tracked it here. Hand it over immediately, and stay out of our business."
One of the other cultists looks toward the fireplace where the two treasure chests are sitting.
"Over there" he says to the lead cultists.
"That's where the beacon is"
Dartan hears Bruno and bolts upright and heads into the passageway leading toward the rooms exit and see the masked men.
"Hail, intruders. Forgive us for not being more welcoming. As you can see, we weren't expecting company at the moment. Haven't even had time to put the clothes on"
Dartan says with a yawn as he adjusts himself. "So what is it we have of yours, exactly?"
"Silence, mongrel. Stay where you are"
The men all draw their daggers and two of them begin walking toward the chest.
Jules is still hidden, as the two heading for the chests do not even notice the rogue.
1 minute passes
Time: 1:20 AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh
Not so fast
Bruno scrambles over the back of the couch and moves away from the men as they get closer. He stops and looks personally affronted when the leader insults them.
“Mongrel?! Without our help, you never would have been able to find it! Seems like you should be thanking us for getting your treasure back from the Cult of the Dead Three for you instead of throwing insults around.”
The naked half orc interrupts Bruno,
"Mongrel? I think you all need to put your tiny pricks away and get the hell out of our room. You wake us up, You can't tell us what we have, and you insult us? It's been a very long day and I hate the fuckin eagles, man. So why don't you take your floofy masked selves OUT of our room or start being a little more polite. We went through a lot to get what's in those chests and I'm not about to let some haughty twats disturb MY sleep and threaten my friends. At the MINIMUM you owe us gratitude. Now stop where you are or things will have to get messy. Do you really want to wrestle with a naked man who has nothing to lose?"
(Intimidation: 11 + 5 = 16)
Bruno folds his arms and glares at their leader.
The lead cultist pauses as he processes the sight of the Naked half orc, posturing and threatening the five armed and armored men.
"How dare you speak to me that way, you filthy half-breed."
The men advance into the room and draw their daggers
"I am going to cut that fancy dick off you, mutt, and force it down your throat!!"
As the man steps toward Dartan, there is a voice from outside coming into the room behind the cultists.
"Not so fast, gentlemen. I think you may have lost your way tonight. I don't take kindly to masked invaders breaking into MY establishment and threatening those under my protection."
The Tiefling enters the room with shortswords drawn, and behind him, a short gnome walks in behind them,
"Now unless you want us to carry your lifeless bodies out of here, I suggest you hand over your daggers as payment for your intrusion, and leave immediately."
The gnome raises his hands and they glow purple for a second in a show of magical energy.
Meanwhile, in the commotion, Kaido, Kova and Mortlock have heard the voices and are awake and head to the larger main room. The half naked Dwarf walks casually up behind Bartok, rubbing his eyes.
Quietly to Dartan looking at the masked men, and the Tiefling and Gnome in the doorway, in a whisper, "Who are these fools? What did I miss?"
"We will leave - but only with the treasure. "
The cultist turns toward his other men and gestures for them to hold position.
What do you do?
3 minutes passes
Time: 1:23 AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh
Rogues will be rogues
"You don't understand. I ain't scared of you motherfuckers. Tell us what you are looking for, how you lost it, and how you plan to help us enact revenge on those who stole it from you, or i'm going to see how my fancy dick looks wearing your mask."
Seeing they are outnumbered, the cultists all stop advancing and stand back to back.
"We want that treasure over there" points to the chests near the fireplace with his dagger.
"The property of Tiamat was stolen, and however you came to possess it is irrelevant to us, You will hand it over, and Lord Tiamat will spare you. If not, then you will stand before Lord Tiamat, and answer to her in the nine hells."
Bruno takes a step back and raises a hand in a gesture of calm.
“Easy now everyone. We’ve killed enough cultists in the past couple days and I’m not eager to add to our tally. It seems like this can be resolved very easily without anyone else meeting their god today.” Bruno turns to the leader and gestures towards the treasure chests in the corner.
“If that treasure was stolen from you, then by rights it’s yours and we’ll let you walk out of here.”
Bruno shoots a careful look to Dartan before turning back to the leader. “You just need to prove to us it’s yours. Tell us what’s in the boxes and we’ll know it’s your Lord Tiamat’s treasure. If you can’t prove that’s your Lord’s treasure, then I suggest you walk out the way you came in.”
Bruno stops and clears his throat.
“As my friend over there who is … *ahem* … probably dealing with some lower back pain mentioned, we went through quite a bit to secure these chests. A small token of your Lords appreciation for doing your task for you would appear to be in order. Seems to be the least you could do for us helping you in gaining your god’s favor.”
Bruno nods to the Tiefling and Gnome standing in the doorway.
“It also seems you have trespassed on this one’s property and a fee is due. Drop your daggers and slide them over to him. Whether you leave with the treasure and your lives depends on your next words. Choose them carefully.”
Before the cultist leader can respond, Jules appears from the shadows followed by the sounds of blades slicing.
His first attack pierces through the cultists back (6 damage + 7 sneak damage), followed by a second strike to his neck (4 damage), blood sprays all over the room and the cultist falls down dead
There is a thud as the body falls and hits the floor. Everyone freezes for a second to process what just happened.
The lead cultist looks at the rogue as he murders one of his comrades, and with an angry hiss,
"Stand down. We will take the treasure, and leave you...." grits his teeth as he looks at Kaarnth... and then nods at his men. The other cultists drop their daggers and kick them over to Kaarnth.
What do you do?
a: Roll for initiative and fight
B: Stand down and give up the treasure
C: Any other option you decide.
2 minutes passes
Time: 1:25 AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh
Handing over the treasure
Bruno mutters under his breath to Walter perched on his shoulder.
“We definitely are not getting our deposit back on this room.”
Dartan walks up to the leader and says,
"So let me get this straight. You break into our room, threaten us, claim you own ...something but can't say what, and want to take it from us, realize you bit off more than you can chew, and are trying to back down by saying you'll leave if you take our chests? I have a proposal for you. Its drafty and my dick needs a mask. Give me yours, turn around and leave, and pray you never come across us again. "
The cultist backs down as Dartan gets in his face, obviously humiliated and intimidated, just as Bartok comes and puts a hand on Dartan's shoulder and pulls him away, standing in between him and the cultist.
"BERONESS SAVE ME.... DEMONS AND UNDEAD I CAN SLAY WITH NO REMORSE, BUT THESE ARE OUR FELLOW MAN."
Looking at Jules,
"Please stop Lad... Me heart can't take it! Bruno has the right of it. If it's theirs, I have no problem giving it to them. Better that than more blood being spilled."
Tears appear in Bartok's eyes as he pleads with Jules and the Cultists. He grabs his holy symbol as he finishes and begins a prayer for the dead cultist. Bartok looks at the treasure and back at the cultist and nods.
The lead cultist looks at his men, and nods at them to go get the chest. They walk over and grab the boxes and carry them toward the door.
As they are getting the chests The rogue stares hard at the cleric and then the masked men; spits forcefully on the body in front of him and walks out the door.
Kaarnth stops the cultist and points at the chests
"Open them."
He says as he points to the chests
The cultist tries to resist, but being outnumbered, and unarmed, the leader nods and the other cultists open the boxes.
Kaarnth looks in the boxes and moves things around with his shortsword. He sees the black crown, and the mask, and all the gems and potions and coins... he keeps poking around with his sword until finally, HE picks up one of the Eye Agates.
"This belongs to me now. You can tell your god that I claim this as payment for damage to MY property." He closes the lid of the box and nods
"Go now, before I decide this isn't enough to cover it"
The cultists carry the rest of the treasure out quietly
They begin to carry the chests away from the building and down the alley.
Meanwhile - Jules is sitting in the Dirty Dwarf pub, and sees the four cultists carrying the chests down the alley away from the pub.
Does anyone want to take any action before the men are out of sight?
5 minutes passes
Time: 1:25 AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh
Nope.
Dartan looks around in disbelief.
"My fellow man does NOT worship an evil dragon that wants to destroy existence. If you'll excuse me. I don't know about the baroness, but Tyr would not be ok with his tribute going to the likes of Tiamat."
Dartan bolts to his rom, grabs his sword, and chases down the cultists yelling.
"You forgot to give me my mask"
The rogue slips off his barstool as the cultists pass by and begins following the dragon masked men…before they get out of the alleyway the rogue quickens his pace…
”Oi! Whoresons! Nobody‘s leaving! Drop it and live another day or die in the street!”
The rogue is now dashing to make up the space.
As the cultists see the Rogue coming out of the bar, they realize they won't be able to outrun him, and so they drop the chests and the body in the street, and the leader opens one of the boxes, and removes the crown
"Leave the rest, we can get it later"
The cultists run at full speed into the darkness leaving the rest of the chests minus the crown in the street.
By the time the rogue and Paladin reach the chests, the four cultists have fled into the dark streets. They have a very large lead on you.
Dartan is nude, except for a greatsword.
Jules is shirtless, but has his swords and pants on.
Do you wish to pursue the four cultists into the dark alleys or stay and gather up the treasure?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile - in the room: (Dartan and Jules do not see this conversation)
Seeing Jules and Dartan head out the door, Bartok stares down at the blood on the floor in remorse.
“I miss my village sometimes..”.
He mutters quietly.
“Bruno my friend, I feel the need for some meditation and peace. I must get to my temple, or at the very least a place of rest and health. I‘ll Probably not be back before tomorrow. if you want to come with, i‘m sure the clerics can find a place for ya. If not, tell the lads I’ll meet them here in the morning if they want to finish that nasty bit o work in the sewers.“
Bruno nods sympathetically at his dwarven friend and frowns. Placing his hand on Bartok's shoulder he looks into the dwarf's eyes and smiles weakly.
"It is a bloody, dangerous and regrettable path we find ourselves, my friend. I don't think either one of us thought this was where we would end up when we set off from your village. I will gladly accompany you to your temple, but we should do so after a night's rest. Our heads will be clearer in the morning and it should be easier and safer to find your temple in the daylight."
Bruno nods towards Mortlock.
"I also believe his warning about the Vanthampurs and the cult coming after us is real. We should be very careful about travelling about in this city, especially alone. Even though we may not see eye to eye with everyone in the group, I feel sticking together is the best chance we have to survive."
Kova shakes his head, and goes back to bed.
Kaarnth & Hippee steps toward Bruno, Bartok, and Mortlock.
"You're friend is quite the reckless one. I don't know what mess you are all in, but I don't want it in my establishment. You can remain here for the night, but first light I want you all out of here."
Mortlock sees Hippee and with a surprised reaction says,
"Hippee?, it's good to see you again. How do you know this gentleman?" gesturing to Kaarnth.
Hippee, with an equally surprised look on his face, responds,
"Nevermind how I know him. A better question would be, what in the nine hells are you doing here? Why are you with these men and why is Tiamat's treasure horde removed from the hideout?"
"It's a bit of a long story, but my brothers finally tried to kill me. These men are part of the Flaming fist, and were trying to destroy the Cult of the Dead Three and they rescued me. They claim Flennis and Yignath are dead, but Vaaz escaped. I mean to help them kill my brothers and then I am leaving this shithole of a city. "
Mortlock thinks for a moment,
"You wouldn't be interested in helping us out? we could use someone with your talents."
Waiting for responses from all party members before moving the scene forward.
20 minutes passes
Time: 1:50AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh
Can we rest now? Please?
(meanwhile in the street)-----------------------------------------
Dartan and Jules look at each other and the treasure strewn about the street.
"Well, I guess we can't just leave this laying around. I doubt we have seen the last of that cult. It concerns me that they got away with the crown, but we will have to worry about that later. Let's get this cleaned up and head back to the others."
Dartan cleans up the treasure and puts it into the chests.
(Back at the room)-----------------------------------------------------
Bruno nods to Kaarnth
“Fair enough. Can we assume you have ways of dealing with our friend here?”
Bruno asks, gesturing to the body.
"Yes, I will take care of the mess in the morning after you are gone."
Turning to Bartok, he again addresses his dwarven friend.
“At first light we should report in and tell Zodge what we’ve learned. Right after, we will find a temple to the Baronness or at the very least a spot she would approve of for you to meditate and contemplate.”
Bartok ponders Bruno's words.
"You are wise as always Bruno. No need getting mugged on the way to the temple. I'll rest for the night, but greater wisdom and peace I be needin on the morrow."
Bartok turns to Hippee,
"Welcome to ya!. Sounds like friends of yours be friends of mine, so that makes us at least road friends for now. Will be nice to have ya along. Me apologies for not introducing meself sooner! These last few days have tested even this dwarf's stamina. I've exhausted almost all me stores of healing for the moment, but once I've had a bit of a nap, I'm here to cure what ails ya."
Bartok smiles at the gnome and looks for a quiet corner to go back to sleep. Seeing an unused bed in the far corner, he drags his armor over there and crawls wearily into bed.
"I'll see ya in the mornin Bruno. I'm done with this Pit fire of a day!"
Bruno turns to Hippee and Mortlock.
“Since we seem to burn bridges as fast as we cross them, we’re going to need another place to lie low and hide out from the cult and the Vanthampurs tomorrow. Any suggestions?”
Hippee with a beaming smile looks up at Bruno and says
“I’m afraid the only connections I have here besides Kaarnth are only a dealer of herbs and several ladies who love said herbs…this one female orc does things only a gnome could appreciate…Graz’zt be praised…”
Bruno looks down at the gnome quizzically then shakes his head.
“I’m entirely too tired to unpack all of that right now.”
The rogue helps the paladin carry the treasure chests. As they walk through the door
“Nobody was hurt. Walter, count it up.”
The rogue crashes to the sofa he was sleeping on prior to the disturbance with daggers in hand.
"Nobody was hurt, except the man you murdered. I want you and your group out in the morning. I've taken my compensation for the damage."
Turning toward Hippee,
"You sure you want to join this group? I don't think they will live to see the end of the week"
Kaarnth says rhetorically as he drags the corpse out the door
Shrugs as Kaarnth drags the body out, and then too Hippee,
"All I know is they killed Vaaz's hounds, and claim to have killed Flennis and Yignath. They are more that meets the eye"
Making sure Kaarnth hears him.
Looking at Bruno,
"My brothers have spies all over the city. Any place that I know of, they will be watching. In fact, I am sure they have their spy network looking for us even this very night - they may even be aware of what transpired here this evening. I hope that rogue friend of yours has other connections, because I don't."
Begins walking to his room, but first turns around and speaks to Hippee,
"Hippee, meet us back here in the morning at 9:00 AM, we will figure out where we go from here"
With that, Mortlock lumbers back to bed.
Seeing Dartan and Jules return unhurt with the chests in tow, Bruno heads back to his couch and sits down heavily. With a small smile of relief, he lays out on the couch.
“We’ll figure out our next step tomorrow. For now, I need a nap.”
Summoning Walter, he scratches the small rat behind the ears.
“Help watch out for us tonight, eh? Wake me up if anything else tries to break in and harm us.”
The party returns to resting and successfully completes the rest of the night's long rest.
They awaken in the morning, and area all ready to go by 9:00 AM.
** Long Rest Successful **
In the morning, Jules heads out first thing to find some other viable places to stay, by using his criminal contacts trait.
Hippee joins the group as well.
"Thank you for your assistance in the dungeon, I have other business to complete for rok, so I will leave you now. Good luck on your future endeavors, and perhaps our paths will cross again one day."
Kaido leaves the party.
The party leaves the Dirty Dwarf Pub just after 9:00 am and heads into the city, first looking for General Zodge to report their findings regarding the Cult of the Dead three.
Upon speaking to General Zodge, He is surprised and angry to learn the Vanthampurs are involved with the Cult of the Dead three, and Purposefully trying to destabilize the city.
"This is grim news indeed. With Duke Ulder Ravengard gone and still missing in Elturel, Duke Thalamra Vanthampur is not going to stop until she seizes power. She can't be allowed to get away with this. My men are stretched thin dealing with the refugees. you have done well, but your orders are to end the threat, and until the Vanthampurs are out of the way, the threat is not ended. Go finish your task and you'll have your reward and my gratitude. Strike soon, the Vanthampurs are powerful, and have many eyes."
After the party speaks with Zodge and Kova tells him what he knows, Kova thanks the party and leaves the group.
Here are your options for places to stay:
You can return to the Elfsong Tavern or Mourning Wood Inns.
There is an upscale inn called The Kings ransom inn the Upper City that Jules has a contact at, the cost is 15 gp per night.
There is a Brothel called The Queens Nipple that Jules was able to also find, it's not as nice as the Kings Ransom Inn, but it's not a place being watched by the Vanthampurs.
You can leave the city and camp outside the walls, which may be safer than being in the city. As flaming fist, you have access to come and go without much issue.
There are other taverns and inns in the city as well, but you have no idea how safe any of them would be.
The temple of the Baroness is an option, the temple has a modest parsonage and Bartok has enough favor with his order that they would allow the party to stay up to 3 days for free a the temple parsonage.
11 hours pass
Time: 11:50 AM
Date: Thirdday , 23 , Tarsakh