Finn lies bleeding on the ground, the rest of the party scattered around the impromptu battlefield. Farraine notices the Elf flicker into sight at the base of the watchtower and quickly takes aim with his crossbow but the bolt ricochets harmlessly off an invisible magical shield surrounding her. Garrick glides over to the fallen Finn and casts a See Invisibility spell in the hope he can spy what took down the Halfling with such speed. Scanning the ground below he notices the beast shimmering in the darkness. Unfortunately the airborne Cleric is too far away from the bleeding Halfling to offer assistance at the moment so the focus returns to Sigrid who sees the Orc Chieftain thundering towards her. She quickly conjures 2 Giant Eagles, one of them carefully clasps her in its claws and the three of them take to the skies. From above, she sees Lucian muttering and a rather large and over-sized hand materialises in front of the Orc Chieftain, it balls itself into a fist and swings at the creature. The fist connects with the Orc's jaw and sends a tooth flying into the night sky, accompanied by a howl of pain. Blow delivered the Wizard slinks back into the shadows of a tree. From the base of the Watchtower the Elf casts a spell at Farraine but the fighter deftly dodges out of its way and smiles as the Elf once more disappears from sight.
Garrick moves closer to Finn and points his a digit at the demonic creature that felled Finn. The creature howls in pain as the sound of dolorous bell rings through it's ears, taking the opportunity the Cleric casts a beam of healing energy on the stricken Halfling. The wounds slowly begin to close and Finn begins to move once more. Farraine, seeing the Orc and the two Half Dragons heading towards Lucian, takes off through the treeline as Sigrid and her Eagles swoop down on the Orc Chieftain, there is a blur of feathers, claws and beaks as the birds slash and peck at the creature, it screams as fresh wounds open up on its body. Before it has a chance to figure out what has happened it is engulfed in a spray of poison, spurting from the Druid's hands, wiping the stinging liquid from its eyes it looks up to see Sigrid and her eagles soaring into the sky and out of reach once more.
Finn slowly manages to crawl over to the downed Wyvern and covers himself with one of its wings, reaching into his backpack he pulls out a flask and consumes its contents in long desperate pulls. His body fills with a warmth and renewed vigour but he still feels weekend by the savage attack he endured. From the shadows of the trees, Lucian once more unleashes an attack on the Orc Chieftain, magical missiles erupt from his palms and smash against the hulking form of the creature as the large fist rises ominously above its head. The hand comes crashing down but somehow the Orc manages to dodge out of the way and grins menacingly at the Wizard. Raising its Greataxe high above its head it swings at Lucian, the first two swipes bounce of the Wizard's magical shield but the third one is delivered with such forces that it penetrates the Wizards magical defenses. Blood begins to stain the robes of Wizard. One of the Half Red Dragons unleashes a foul breath attack on Farraine but thanks to his experiences in the sewers of Waterdeep the stench has no effect on our fighter.
Out of the darkness beside Lucian there comes a menacing growl followed by a series of swipes from a demonic paw. Somehow and against all probability the weakened Wizard is able to dodge out of the way of every single one of the blows, the sound of bells once more ringing in its head thanks to our floating Cleric. Farraine lets out a roar of his own and in a flurry of rage and anger unleashes blow after blow after blow on the Orc, blood oozes from the many wounds, the fighter adds insult to injury (quite literally) "there's plenty more where that came from". With the Orc distracted, Sigrid and her Eagles head over to Lucian and the Wizard is picked up in the claws of the winged rescuer and the four of them take to the skies, Sigrid taking the opportunity to unleash her own version of a napalm strike by showing the Demonic Cat with poison. Meanwhile Finn remains hidden under the wing of the Wyvern and takes another long draught of potion, he feels strength return to his muscles and takes the opportunity to survey the battlefield. From the skies above, Lucian takes control of the over-sized fist and it swings at the Orc Chieftain, a devastating uppercut worthy of the most brutal fighting pits of the Forgotten Realms takes the Orc's head clean of its shoulders, the body collapses to the ground followed several seconds later my its head.
From his now elevated vantage point Lucian, unsurprisingly casts a large ball of fire at the Demonic cat but is disappointed to observe the flames simply wash over the body of the creature. The two Half Red Dragons now surround Farraine, the only visible and reachable target, he manages to deflect most of the attacks but some are able to get past his defence. Garrick attempts to help his friend by shifting the moonbeam over the two Half Red Dragons and the Demonic Cat, one of the Half-Dragons lets out a scream of agony as the magical light burns at its skin and crumples to the ground, defeated. The Cleric, with a booming voice of authority commands the creatures to grovel and they unwittingly find themselves unable to disobey. With a grin Farraine turns to face the Demonic Cat and another blur of blades slice into the creature, dark welts appear across it's torso. Sigrid takes the opportunity to swoop in and a spray of poisonous liquid cascades over its flesh. Finn tries to make a contribution to the battle but is still dazed from his ordeal and his crossbow bolt flies past the damaged Demon Cat and vibrates as it plunges into the trunk of a nearby tree. Fortunately Lucian is able to channel his inner Palpatine and lightning bolts arc from his fingers and crackle over the body of the Demonic Feline, it lets out one final howl before it flickers out of existence.
The last remaining Half Red Dragon sinks to it's knees and surrenders. "Where's the Elf?" Garrick asks, "Tell us and we may spare your life". As the creature considers it's options the Eagles carrying Lucian and Sigrid swoop down and drop them lightly on the ground and then head toward the Watchtower, as they fly overhead they notice a small winged creature heading away, towards Phlan. Farraine and Garrick continue to question the captive enemy, demanding to know more about the plans of the Elf and Vorgansharax back in Phlan. In the hope of his life being spared the Red Half Dragon tells them that they were sent to retrieve a sample from the pool of restoration and return to Phlan to present it to Vorgansharax. As the prisoner is divulging this information one of the Giant Eagles returns to Sigrid's side, instantly she sends the Eagle and Oscar soaring off into the night as fast as their feathers can take them (it appears they have noticed the runaway Elf). The Half Red Dragon tells Garrick and Farraine that the Elf has the sample and that they should let him go. Unfortunately for the enemy it seems the information he has so freely given does not hold as much value to our heroes as he had hoped and as Farraine draws his sword one last time the final words to escape the captives lips is "You fucks".
Cutting to the pair of eagles, their wings beating in determination, eyes locked on the small dark shape flying towards Phlan the distance between them growing ever smaller. As they get within striking distance the dark shape notices them for the first time. In a sudden fluid blur the black Bat morphs back into the shape of the Elf which turns to face them and a beam of prismatic light erupts from her outstretched palm there is a puff of feathers, bone and blood. The Elf smiles and disappears into the dark night. Back at the Watchtower Sigrid suddenly drops to her knees, an overwhelming feeling of loss grips at her heart.
Despite victory on the battlefield the party can't help but feel that they have failed in their quest, beneath a cloud of disappointment they slowly make their way back to Grimshackle Jail. Dawn is breaking and rain falls gently as our group of despondent warriors approach the rundown jail house. They are escorted inside and taken to Glevith. The party explain the events of the last few days and how they managed to defeat their formidable foes on the field of battle but ultimately failed in their quest to prevent the delivery of the sample from the pool of radiance. Glevith is noticeably saddened at this news but tells them not to lose hope. The armies of Cormyr and the Dalelands are amassing and will aid in the recapture of Phlan but it is going to take time before they are ready to mount their counter-offensive. For now the party are to return to Waterdeep and speak with the Council. Lucian draws his magical sigil on the floor and with one final apology the group step inside and vanish from sight.
In the basement of Trollskull Manor there is an all to familiar pop and our heroes appear, stepping from the magical circle the basement door opens and the beaming face of Ozen greets them before heading off to the bar to pour 4 Ales and 1 tankard of water. The party make their way through the busy tavern and take their seats at their usual table. It seems that over time the barman has become a little less offended by Sigrid's drink of choice as he places them down on the table in front of them. The mood around the table is a sullen one as our soldiers of fortune come to terms with their first true failure, it seemed such a simple task, just stop the enemy from returning to Phlan with the sample but despite their best efforts they hadn't even managed that. Fortunately the consumption of ale begins to soften their feelings of sorrow and when Ozen returns to fill their tankards for a third time he tells them that they are to meet with Sister Garaele at The Yawning Portal tomorrow at midday. After a few more beverages the party retire to their bedrooms and sleep soundly in their own beds for what seems to be the first time in a long time.
Morning breaks and they make their way downstairs to find that Ozen and laid on a mighty fine breakfast. The disappointment of the previous days has dissipated and with each bite, a sense of hope starts to return. Bellies full, it is time to head to The Yawning Portal and Sister Garaele. Walking through the busy streets of Waterdeep it becomes clear that the exploits of our heroes have not gone unnoticed, the occasional nod from passers-by greets our heroes as they make their way to the Castle Ward. Standing outside The famous Yawning Portal Tavern Finn and Farraine exchange a knowing smile as they recall their first adventure at this very location. For them this is where their life of adventuring truly began and they have done so much since they were last here. Farraine pats the Halfling on his back as they make their way into the bustling Tavern.
Inside, the bar is filled with the sounds of raucous conversations, warm candle light illuminates tables surround by groups of people, in the centre, the infamous gaping hole and entrance to the Underdark. Stood behind the bar, polishing a tankard with a dirty cloth, the barman nods a welcome at our heroes and tilts his head in the direction of a darkened corner where Sister Garaele sits alone. As they take their seats at the table they notice that she has a worried look on her face, they all lean in as she engages exposition mode and whispers.
"Waterdeep is in trouble, a number of the elected nobles have been making some very strange and concerning decisions recently and it is my belief that they are either under the control or maybe even complicit with the enemy.
"Lord Malthos Roznar, Lady Ithana Irlingstar, and Lord Edgar Kormallis... they're the ones who concern me the most right now. Lord Roznar, for instance, has been advocating for relaxed trade regulations on magical goods—allowing dangerous and cursed artefacts to enter the city more easily. I can’t say whether he’s aware of the dangers or just blinded by his obsession with relics."
"Then there's Ithana Irlingstar, with her close ties to the trading guilds. She’s been pushing for new regulations that favour Half-Dragon traders. This could be a coincidence, but it gives the Cult easy access to Waterdeep’s markets."
Sister Garaele’s voice grows quieter - "Kormallis is the most worrying. He’s been pushing for the expansion of mining operations in the Sword Mountains and rerouting trade towards the Moonsea. The Sword Mountains are rumoured to hide ancient dragon lairs. And the Moonsea... well, some of it’s already under the Cult’s influence as you well know. These moves are too dangerous to ignore."
"We need you to investigate further, find out what they are up to and what their goals are."
Sigrid reaches into her pocket and holding out the sample asks Sister Garaele if she can find out some more information. Taking the vial Garaele promises to take it to Vajra Safahr at Blackstaff Tower.
"I have arranged for an initial meeting with the Nobles tomorrow at The Jade Jug from there you will be free to investigate them individually. Now go get some rest it's going to be a long day tomorrow and for God's sake wear something that isn't covered in blood stains"
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