Still the 17th of Growth
Barbatos looks into the ownership history of Pythoness House a little more deeply. He learns that an elf named Naelyn Blueflight currently owns it; he lives north of the city in the Moonsilver Forest. The records are old, though — is this guy even still alive? Did he know that Maquent and her girls turned it into a brothel a few years ago?
18th of Growth
We got some good loot from the safe house: a charm person wand for Barbatos and some two-in-one potion admixtures. Mavoy helps us out with some information on where to find Korben the Keeper.
For some reason, we decide to do nothing but wait for Celdore’s reply as to whether he can “broker” a treaty for us with the Killraven league. Bored with the shop, I put in some hours at my Delver’s Guild job. Meanwhile, Archinemus and Tharn go to ask Shim to watch Nerlene and the secret trap door by the Shuul warehouse, perhaps reconnoiter the place a bit.
19th of Growth
Archinemus and Tharn tell us that Shim will do the job in exchange for a magical ring from our shop.
20th of Growth
Celdore arrives at our shop today with some news. He can indeed broker a deal that will get Killraven off our backs. If we refuse this deal, Sorn assassins will hunt us in our homes (apparently we’ve only had thugs after us before, not the mage-assassins of the Sorn). Korben likely won’t obey the cease-fire, due to his need to avenge the death of his brutal thug pal Durg, but the crime league is willing to concede him to us, Celdore says. Nice loyalty in this group.
However, as part of the deal, we have to tell them what we know about the Balacazars, and we have to tell anyone who asks that we pay Killraven protection money, so they can save face. We agree to the second point only, because our info on the Balacazars is the only card we have to play against them.
Celdore’s fee as mediator is 1,000 gp. He agrees to take our reply back to the crime league and cautions us to be thorough and discreet about our hit on Korben. If we are, then offing him should not violate our truce period.
With that in mind, we head over to Korben Trollone’s office. I’m invisible, which is a new thing for me. We have to fight our way through the loan office he uses as a front for his criminal operations. “You shall all die for this affront!” cries a large woman in plate armor. “So says Kevris Killraven!”
What? Ah, this isn’t really Killraven, we discover — it’s an illusion created by a desperate mage, who in the end directs us down a trap door to find Korben’s lair.
Downstairs is a menagerie of fierce creatures that come after us. We meet Korben and a great winged cat in an office down there. A dire lion bursts out of its cage at us; it’s two tons and thirteen feet long. Arghh! It takes me down with its first attack! Just as I’m revived, a swarm of shock lizards erupts from the last cage. I slay two of them, but then I’m down again.
Ultimately we are victorious, but sadly I was out for much of the fight. I hate that. Diethan has to stabilize me twice during this engagement, and Archinemus revives me with a wand to get me back on my feet. Thank Teun for healing magic!
As we search Korben’s office, a snake attacks Barbatos. Of course, he acts as though it’s the worst wound anyone has ever suffered. But soon he abandons his pity-party of one to browse the books in Korben Trollone’s library. Volumes include “The Basilisk’s Hunting Habits,” “Centaur Migration Patterns,” “Dietary Habits of Goblin and Ogre,” “The Giant’s Skeletal System,” and many books on dangerous beasts. He has some religious books too. Korben also has a parrot in the office.
In the next room we discover a torture chamber that leads into the sewer. An armored reptilian beast with a huge mouth is still left out here — it seems to be a crocodile that can spray poison! We leave with our chosen books and papers and three iron chests of coins. Not too shabby!
Back at the shop, we sift through the papers. They show a transfer of 40 gp to the Shuul for the purchase of merchandise from Ammel Dar. Included in these papers is also a contract for the slaying of … us! (The signee is named Zorin Sar — he’s the one who sent us those troll fingers a while back, because he wanted Myraeth’s and didn’t want us to buy it.) There’s also a contract to dispose of a Forsaken cell in Oldtown.
21st of Growth
I read some of my new beast books from Korben’s office and attend a litorian gathering today. The gathering is a great feast at the Mane. Tharn tells the story of freeing the slave city and finding Norba (who’s still ailing, sad to say). Still, everyone seems to like the story pretty well. He makes us sound like heroes!
Seanus decides to keep Korben’s parrot and teach it to say stuff.
22nd of Growth
Today I work down at the Delver’s Guild and spend a little time reading the basilisk book.
Diethan proudly announces that his wolf is all trained now. (We found this creature, Lunes, in a goblin warren down in the Halls of Cordaris a while back.)
26th of Growth
Barbatos, Diethan, and Archinemus go to Castle Shard today to talk with Shilukar regarding Zorin Sar and House Abanar. The latter has offered a price on Shilukar’s head as a penalty for his robberies of them. Shilukar says he doesn’t know Zorin, but he has heard that you can buy a “blood revenge” policy with House Abanar if you’re a member.
Recalling the demons’ taunts of Nerlene on the street a week back, we ask Shilukar whether Doctor Feegus has tentacles; the demons had referred to Nerlene’s “tentacled master.” However, the dark elf seems taken aback by the suggestion that such creatures may be involved. He says the Killraven clan has a new scheme with the Shuul that makes it easy to bring someone back from the dead (they have machines to raise their own high-ups).
Before departing, an eager Barbatos offers Shilukar a few copies of the latest edition of the Midtown Partisan. Will he ever stop sucking up to this dark elf?
Back at Myraeth’s, we realize that Shim was supposed to check in with us last night but never did! Tharn and I visit Skulk Alley to see what is up, but the other skulks don’t know anything. One of them, named Nos, agrees to go with us to look for him.
Friends of mine at the Delver’s Guild tell me about some new Shuul-built blockages in the tunnels leading from the Tower of Science all the way to the Foundry. What are they transporting so secretly, they have to do it beneath the city? Whatever it is, they don’t want anyone to see.
Later That Night
Later we head over to the Swordthrower’s Club and show our invitation at the door. We also have to check our weapons at the door — and in this case, that also means “checking” Lunes, Diethan’s newly trained wolf companion.
Peliope Erthuo is among the famous people here at the club tonight; she’s the half-elf head of the noble House Erthuo. At the club we hear that people are blaming Korben’s murder on the Balacazars. I’m not sure if I should be offended or not. It seemed Killraven decided to cut him loose from her organization. A member of House Abanar named Mallorn tries to interest Barbatos in investment opportunities. We learn through all this conversation that Zorin Sar, our apparent nemesis, has a manor in Oldtown and has bought guardian devices from the Shuul. He also has some sort of big deal in the works.
Later Still
Tharn and Calista go over to Danbury’s this evening. It’s a mages’ bar in Delver’s Square. They order a magic enchantment from a wizard elf named Lavaen Whisperblade, as well as a cloak of charisma. Lavaen calls our quest to free the litorian slaves from the Shuul a noble one. He is apparently a member of the Knights of the Golden Cross, a group interested in righting wrongs throughout the city. He makes magic items because his organization needs the money. For ten thousand years, he says, the Knights have been doing good and operating under wraps. Tharn and Calista tell him about the Slave City. He’s interested in helping. The Knights of the Golden Cross serve the Elder Gods, they learn. The Knights apparently suffered a great loss when their leader Kaira Swanwing was murdered not long ago. They desire the assistance of like-minded people, but I don’t know if we’re ready to join them. We have enough on our plate right now.
Enough of this gathering of information! I’m ready for some action!
