The Council Quiet
The PCs spent the next few days in Waterdeep, shopping and keeping an eye on the Owlbear Inn with the help of the Order of the Gauntlet and the Harpers. Two days after their arrival, Atex recieved a delivery of his share of the proceeds from Samardag the Hoper's merchandise. The money allowed him to copy several new spells into his spellbook.
The evening of the next day, the group received a meeting request from Ontharr Frume. Carlon, the Harper whom they had dug out of the road near Daggerford was also there; he had taken to wearing a kerchief around his head to hide the scars where the word "oathbreaker" had been carved into his forehead. (Landin gave him some gold to get it healed at the temple.) Carlon had brought Remallia Haventree, an elf, who was the head of the Harpers in Waterdeep. Next to her was a mysterious, silver-haired young woman who introduced herself as Elia and said she had connections to "other interested parties."
At Ontharr's request, the PCs told their story to the newcomers. When they had finished, he rose and paced about the room. "It's clear that there's a grave threat to the entire Sword Coast, if not wider. These cultists appear to be well-organized and serious about trying to bring Tiamat into this world. We don't know how far advanced their plans are, but if they're already gathering a hoard, that speaks of their level of organization, given the distances they are transporting it."
After some discussion, Ontharr and Remallia jointly gave the following list of goals to the PCs in their factions:
* Continue following the trail of the stolen goods until you learn their final destination.
* Once you know the final destination, do your best to disrupt the delivery in any way.
* If you get the opportunity, hunt down and slay Rezmir. Do anything else you can to prevent the rise of Tiamat.
* Return to Waterdeep and report once you have done all these things.
The PCs decided to buy horses and leave for the roadhouse one day ahead of the supply convoy. They hoped to be able to convince Bog Luck that they were with the cultists and con him into giving them some information.
A Fatherly Chat
A couple of days later, Landin received a message from Ontharr Frume, asking him to come to the Jade Jug for a drink. A cup of punch and a plate of snacks were already waiting on the table when he arrived.
"Have a seat, Landin. I knew you wouldn't want anything strong, so I had them make it for you without the liquor," said Ontharr, gesturing at the cup.
"Thank you," Landin answered nervously.
"It's good to see you looking fit and healthy. No injuries along the way, I hope?"
"Nothing major, no."
"Good. I worry about you, you know, when you're not here. It was one thing when you were safe at the training hall in Elturel, but it's another thing now that you're actually out in the world. So, how do you feel about adventuring life?"
"It's interesting so far."
"And the ... reason you didn't want to be a paladin--is that still bothering you?"
"If you mean, am I going to be a paladin, I'm not."
"I didn't ask you that; I said, is it still bothering you?"
"Um ... not as much, I guess." Landin blushed and fidgeted.
Ontharr gave him a knowing look. "That girl you're traveling with--very pretty, isn't she?"
Landin blushed even deeper, if possible. "Yes, she is."
"If it's that way," said Ontharr with a chuckle, "then it's just as well you didn't take your vows."
"You never ... got married or had ... a girl?"
Ontharr set down his mug, and his face took on a faw-away expression. "There was a time I thought about it, yes."
"And what happened?"
"She died. She was--in my younger days, when I was adventuring, we had to pursue some elementals that had been possessed and corrupted into the region of Mount Hotenow, and--" He took a long drink. "Well, anyway, there was no body to resurrect when we came out."
"Wow. I'm sorry."
"Ah well, perhaps it's for the best. I am reasonably content with my life now."
"Were you a paladin then?"
"Oh yes. I seriously thought about leaving the order. But it's easier for you; you haven't taken your vows. And if you choose not to, then just be the best fighter you can be, and try to stand up for the good training that you've had."
Patron of the Arts
Atex also received a message, asking him to meet Radecere at the Yawning Portal. The famous tavern was packed with adventuring types drinking and swapping tales. A sign just inside the door gave the rates for passage to and from the Undermountain, but a second sign proclaimed that trips were temporarily suspended; the bartender was explaining to several disgruntled adventurers that the entrance was blocked by a rockfall.
Radecere motioned to Atex from a table in a side room. With him was another man whom Atex recognized immediately: Gedsel, the leader of the well-dressed phony adventurers from the caravan.
Gedsel stood and bowed as Atex approached. "Friend Radecere, you did not tell me that I already knew the person that was going to be meeting us today. That makes this a little awkward."
"Oh, c'mon," said Radecere, "I'm surprised you didn't think of it before! I mean, you guys fought together at that inn--you know, when there were those big toad-creatures?"
"It's awkward for me too, because I don't know why we're all meeting here," commented Atex. "So what brings us here, Radecere?"
"Ah well, my friend Gel here has a business proposition, and it sounded like a good deal. I thought I'd see if you wanted to get in on it."
Gedsel pulled nervously at his collar, but seemed to decide to make the best of it. He cleared his throat. "My colleagues and I--you remember my friends who were traveling with me?--were hoping to find someone who was willing to invest in an artistic endeavor. We were hoping to earn some money along the way, but that did not work out quite the way we'd hoped. As a result, here we are in Waterdeep and seriously short on funds.
"I suppose now that we are here, I can lay my cards on the table," Gedsel continued, warming to to subject. "We are, good sir, the finest troupe of thespians, acrobats, and entertainers on the Sword Coast."
Atex laughed. "During that row in the bar, I was quite entertained indeed."
Gedsel grinned in a frozen way. "Ah. Well, we were looking for someone to invest additional capital so that we can purchase costumes and supplies to put on our performances. You would, of course, own a share in our traveling company and be entitled therefore to a proportion of the profits. Friend Radecere has already invested in our company, I'm very pleased to say."
"Yeah!" said Radecere. "I think this is going to be a great money-making venture, and I wanted to get you in on it. I mean, you're my pal!"
Atex considered. "Tell me more about this troupe of yours," he told Gedsel.
Gedsel launched into an enthusiastic spiel about how they intended to perform all the classics, with juggling and light entertainment on the side. He capped it off with a sample of his art, bursting into a speech from
The Tragedy of King Uth, which attracted some attention and applause from the other taverngoers.
Atex let Gedsel buy him a few drinks while he deliberated, but he eventually decided to buy his way into the company. Gedsel pumped his hand and suggested that they name the company the Atex and Radecere players. They all drank to celebrate their new partnership.
Light Reading
The night before they meant to leave Waterdeep, Ariana returned to the inn to find her book lying open on the bed. The writing in it had become much clearer, with entire pages now visible. It seemed to be a history and guide to the Cult of the Dragon: their history, rituals, methods of identifying each other, and similar information. She shared the information with the rest of the group; they figured that they now knew enough to pose as low-level cult members if needed.
*DM note: The name of the Council Quiet came from Mike Shea's blog. I didn't call it that in the game, but I'm using the name in my summary here.
We had no idea whether paladins of Torm are typically celibate, but since his domain includes self-sacrifice, it seemed reasonable to think there might be at least one order that was.