Original game date: August 25, 2018
The game resumes with the party still in pursuit of Dragon Cult activity in Baldur’s Gate. An assault is being planned on the Greyfriars Shipping Warehouse.
More Arrivals
Delaan Winterhound, a half-elf ranger, battle leader of the Emerald Enclave (he wears their symbol on a tabard) has taken up residence in The Three Kegs and is spotted in conversation with an older wizard, being watched by a crowd. Saul approaches and pushes his way into the conversation, claiming to be a member of the Emerald Enclave. Delaan does not take him seriously and does not believe him. His wizard companion, who is introduced as Elminster Authar, is amused and explains that Saul is a member of Fortune’s Irregulars, the adventurers they’ve been hearing so much about.
Aesar learns that Remalia Haventree, a leader of the Harpers has arrived accompanied by several others including Zora Fel and are staying at the Elfsong Tavern. He heads over there to speak with her about the letters he found in Roark’s cane.
What Zora Knows
Zora seems pleased to see Aesar when he shows up, having heard of the party’s further exploits since they last saw each other in Greenest. He brings up Roark again and shows her the love letter.
Roark was a Harper for much of his life, but never a particularly dedicated one, he always seemed to crave adventure over the ideals of the Harpers. Forever delving into dungeons, seeking treasure.
He always liked to have an apprentice, a ‘sidekick’ of sorts. Some lasted longer than others, but they all left in the end. Roark could be… challenging, back then, at least. But none lasted longer than Maximillian. Max was brilliant, passionate, verbose. And he had exotic friends, a dark-skinned elf with a crafty mind, and a sultry tiefling songstress… And we all loved puzzles. Vosz (Draken) would create these ingenious puzzle boxes and Roark and Max would have competitions to see who could solve them the quickest. They frequently treasure hunted together, toward the end, even when Harper duty called you could not pry them away from their excursions.
I went to confront him about it, but when I found him he was enraged and in a lather. Max had betrayed him, he said. He’s taken it, he kept ranted. But no matter what I said, he evaded telling me the heart of the matter. We argued, and I left. He became more withdrawn and disappeared for a time. When he came back, he was the man you knew – a tribune to the little people, celebrant of the salt of the earth… Oh I think he was trying to be a better person, but even then, when we last spoke on the caravan, I could sense the yearning in him that my mere presence was stirring in him, a remembrance of youth and adventure. He was a complicated man.
She knows little of what went down between he and Max, only that clearly Max had taken something. Vosz killing Roark shocked her, and she has no idea why. Vosz was a silent type, reluctant to share his thoughts except when talking about his mechanical creations. Despite her best efforts to form a friendship she can’t say that they ever really did.
If not for Max, we’d not have known each other. I suppose I was a bit jealous, in the exotic friend sweepstakes, drow beats tiefling. When they went to Herald’s Holdfast, Vosz got work in Silverymoon at a magic shop, The Shining Scroll.
She is reluctant to say much more about Max, it seems to be a sore subject for her, or at least one that stirs up complicated emotions.
Back in Iriaebor, before we headed off to Herald’s Holdfast, Max liked to host salons of interesting people, that’s where we all met. A brilliant, often frustrated mind who loved to torment his Oghman teachers with meticulously argued philosophical questions. But walked away from that to study the arcane for a time. Had a love for scoundrels, and parlor tricks, especially puzzles. Learned some ‘nighttime activities’. Then, suddenly, he was obsessed with storytelling, and history, leaving one’s pattern on the skein of ages, as he put it. I still don’t remember how he convinced us all to journey all the way to the north and Herald’s Holdfast, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me – it’s where I found the Harpers.
Greyfriars
Again making use of their ties to the Flaming Fist as backup, led once again by Captain Brian, the party attacks the Dragon Cult compound in the harbor district.
This team is run by a green dragonborn assassin named Silanar, with 4 Dragonfang cultists, and 6 Thugs. The enemy sounds a gong to summon the help of a second dragonborn assassin (Klthor), and 4 Merrow who launch harpoons from the water. A sewer pipe, waist deep with water, leads off from within the Greyfriars.
The party finds a torture victim on a rack kept in a gas filled vault, her skin being eaten away by a slow-acting acid. Despite being kept in a state that must enduce agony, she appears calm, as though meditating.
The party is able to overcome their opponents and safely free the prisoner, who appears to be a female elf. She cautions them away from a quick healing. She knows she must heal slowly or be left a scarred ruin. Despite the pain and her nakedness her demeanor remains one of poise. She says little else but request to be taken some place to rest.
The party is eager to pursue the cult down into their subterranean lair but realize they must rest before doing so.
Third Sword of the Autumn Court
The party returns to The Three Kegs and Vorai turns his room over to the mysterious woman they have rescued and takes up watch outside.
In the morning she emerges and is revealed to be an eladrin with autumn colouring. She introduces herself as Ellesee Naido, Third Sword of the Autumn Court of King Melandrach the Fair, sent to Baldur’s Gate as an agent of Prince Alagarthas of the Mistry Forest, hunting agents of the one who styles himself The Green Wyrmspeaker – an ally of the old green dragon, Chuth, all tied to the Dragon Cult.
The two join the others for breakfast where she offers an alliance, if the party can help equip her with some armor and a sword she will fight by their side and end The Emerald Talon. She tracked them to the Greyfriars warehouse, but was betrayed a gang of human children (The Bloody Urchins), and led into a trap (surprised by their Merrow allies) and captured. They have taken her sword and armor and will retrieve them no matter the cost.
She has met The Admiral but knows only that he is a green dragonborn who likes fancy dress and does not seem like the assassins in nature; she suspects that he’s a magic user of some kind. Dragonborn are often known for their command of sorcery… He did not question her long, deciding she was unlikely to talk unless… thoroughly convinced.
Return to the Sewers
The party returns to Greyfriars and explored the underground abandoned sewer system that connects to it. There are a number of poisonous traps that are mostly evaded and they must fend off the attacks of more Merrow, including a champion.
Eventually they fight their way through to The Admiral’s lair, having to swim through to get in. Inside they find a beautiful man dressed in a ridiculous uniform that seems to have more medals, badges and epaulettes than fabric. There is a beautiful standing mirror and a number of oil paintings of himself around the room. An unfortunate painter is kept chained to the wall.
As he catches sight of the party emerging from the water, he is shocked and enraged, quickly dropping his form to reveal his true nature – a young adult green dragon, Sharinthar.