Kerwyn's plan works. The evil warriors agree to his suggestion. Kerwyn travels with the three minions of the Old One towards Verbobonc without incident.
Once they near Verbobonc, Kerwyn separates from the three evil warriors.
Kerwyn goes and informs the other members of the party of the evil warriors he met in the Temple of Elemental Evil. The party, including Belaver and Craven who have returned from their trips, leave the city of Verbobonc to go to the meeting place that Kerwyn specified.
The three evil warriors are not at the meeting place. After waiting several hours for Kerwyn's new friends, the party gives up and returns to the city of Verbobonc.
Their preparations complete, the party follows their remaining clue to travel to the Orcish trading post of Rastor in the Lortmil Mountains.
The well-armed party scares bandits away, two wagons and two armored mounted warriors are more than most bandits dare to attack.
The party takes a longer route to Rastor, traveling through the Kron Hills. The Fog plays strange tricks on the party. Fantastic Castles and strange creatures appear and disappear before your eyes.
The party members visits several gnome villages, inquiring as to whether any of the gnomes have found the legendary mineral known as mithril. The gnomes are wary of outsiders, and accuse the party of being tax collectors. The party denies the charge of being tax collectors, but the gnomes only seem to accept Craven, Lylmawyn, Toriah, and Xaod's protestations of innocence, the rest of the party receives distrustful glances and many accusations of being "revenue agents" (Diplomacy: Craven 14, Raner 5, Toriah 17, Kerwyn 5, Belaver 1, Lylamwyn 20, Lenya 9, Xaod 26).
After talking to many merchants, (Gather Information: Lenya 10, Lylamwyn 12, Belaver 5, Kerwyn 20, Raner 13, Craven 15, Toriah 20) Kerwyn and Toriah find a merchant named Bink who knows a merchant whose cousin claimed he knew a merchant who once bought and sold some mithril. The gnome, Bink Veriusius ("My friends call me Binky"), claims he was bankrupted by taxes from the Viscount of Verbobonc, otherwise he would love to obtain the mithril for you. If you are willing to invest in his business activities and give him an upfront order for the mithril, he is willing to track down the alleged cousin and see if mithril can be obtained. He reckons it might take months to purchase a mithril chain shirt.
A gnomish girl warns Lenya to beware of the Wicked Witch of the West.
The party leaves the gnome settled lands, and approaches the Orcish Trading Post of Rastor.
Belaver flies over the Trading Post in the form of an Eagle, scouting. He sees three large wooden buildings (of appearently human construction) and one small stone building. There are at least thirty crude huts and lean-tos and tents scattered around the main buildings. Many animals. Wagons of trade goods. There is also a pen that contains half a dozen large boars, boars large enough to carry an armored orc warrior.
Belaver estimates the size of the settlement as having roughly two hundred inhabitants. Belaver sees many Orcs, as well as some humans and members of other races.
