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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Brakkart" data-source="post: 1842956" data-attributes="member: 19617">DM's Log of Session TenMarpenoth 16th saw the group waking up to a rainy day in Waterdeep. As with yesterday they met up at the Yawning Portal near noon, and as they were drinking their first round and debating who was going to do what that day, they watched as a city guardsman entered, conferred with the barman and then tacked up a notice on a message board, which they (and many other adventurers in the Inn) duly read. The notice read as follows:"Sir Justin Melenikus, a renowned knight of Helm, needs brave and hearty adventurers to help slay monstrous threats from the dreaded Mere of Dead Men. Fell creatures have been attacking caravans on the High Road, slaughtering travelers, and endagering Waterdeep's trade with its northern neighbours. Unless the monsters are defeated, all trade to the north could be halted. Sir Justin and his watchers have made camp in the ruins of Iniarv's Tower, located four days' walk toward Leilon. Interested parties should meet with Sir Justin in person.""Rewards for slain monsters shall be authorised by Sir Justin. Gold shall paid by the Free Merchants' Guild upon presentation of a stamped writ from the knight himself."The group decided that they should set off for Iniarv's Tower tomorrow. In the meantime, they split up. Noob and Jebodiah elected to remain in the Portal and sink a few drinks, as well as be present should any of the rest need to leave a message for the rest of the group when they got back. Aeron mentioned something about a family matter, and headed off across the city to his family's home. Zamtap and Ki took it upon themselves to try and find out more about Esau Enoch, whilst Elena and Gylippus headed to the Waterdeep branch of Buckman, Brintle & Mite.Reaching the store, the pair were annoyed to find it very busy, with a long queue at the counter, and since both needed some new clothing after the past month (especially Elena who needed something less piratey to wear), they decided to come back in a couple hours and go clothes shopping first! Zamtap & Ki headed to the headquarters of the Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors to ask to check their records, but with neither of them able to cast even an arcane cantrip, they were soundly refused entry. Not giving up easily, they headed to a nearby watch station, and asked to see the criminal records. Caught off guard by the bluntness of their request, not used to such, the desk sargeant asked why they needed to see such, to which Zamtap mentioned that they were engaged in hunting Esau Enoch. The sargeant grimaced and pulled out Enoch's file... a tome thick enough to club a giant senseless with!!The sargeant showed them artists impressions of the grisly findings at several of the scientists laboratories, and mentioned that he had not been seen in some years. Also that he had a habit of always writing a personal journal in which to record his genius. Asking whether they were serious in hunting him down, the pair nodded and mentioned that they had good reason to believe he was in the area. The sargeant rang a bell, summoning a colleague and assigning him to join the pair in the hunt. Sargeant Thols Peredhel, a half-elf paladin of Torm, and city watchman was tasked with bringing Enoch to justice, and with ensuring that his new companions stayed within the law, and refrained from engaging in vigilante activity within the city.On returning to Buckman's store, Elena and Gylippus asked whether stock has started to vanish, and as they suspected, there have been thefts. the same list of supplies missing is related to them, and as tallied with Enoch's letter they found at Broca House, the amounts are much smaller, and the thefts less common, occurring every other week or so. The store manager informs them that the cost of the goods is so little that he has all but written the losses off as "the cost of doing business".Aeron checks in with his father and the two talk about Esau Enoch being back in this part of the world, a matter of grave concern for both of them. They decide to keep this information from Aeron's mother, even as Aeron announces that he has gathered a band together and they will be going to hunt down the villain on the morrow. His father wishes him good hunting.Meeting back at the Portal, the group catch up on each others doings, and Thols is introduced to the others, much to Aerons annoyance, as Zamtap has filled the paladin in on what the group are up to, and his duty to tell the truth, conflicts with Aeron's desire for secrecy when an elf sat at the next table inquires about the groups destination, with Aeron stating that they are headed south towards Baldur's Gate, while Thols calmly insists that the party are bound for Wolfhill House to the north. Somewhat bemused by the squabble, the elf introduces himself as Craulnober and suggests that he might be interested in hiring them if they ever get back from wherever it is that they are going.Bored by the others discussions, Elena made her excuses and left, heading back through the streets towards her inn, but after a short while she realised she was being followed. Ducking into a doorway, she waited and then spied her tail, a young man with a shaved head. She stepped out and confronted him, and was attacked. Though her opponent went first, the lady pirate easily outclassed him and swiftly cut him down, though she used her healing magic to save his life. Searching him, she pocketed some gold coins, and also saw a familiar sabre-toothed snakehead tattoo on his back. Starting to drag his comatose form through the street towards the nearest watch house, she was stopped and arrested by a watch patrol, and taken to Watchhouse Nineteen. An officer was sent to fetch Thols when she mentions him by name, while the injured man was taken to a nearby temple to be healed, a guard being placed on him.The next day, Marpenoth 17th, saw Elena and the rest of the occupants of the watchouses's cells herded into a waggon and taken to the ward magistrates office. The rest of the group made their way from their inn's to the courthouse to hopefully help to get their comrade acquitted as she had been charged with brawling and grevious bodily harm. The hearing however, was abandoned before it really began as the court was informed that the injured man had vanished, leaving a dead priest and guardsman at the temple. Not wishing another pitched battle with the cultists in the midst of the city, the party grabbed their mounts from stables and headed out of Waterdeep, riding north along the High Road. They made camp that night beside the road, but other than other travellers on the road and farmers working the fields and orchards on either side of it, they encountered no-one.The party rode hard all day through Marpenoth 18th and by evening had made their way to the fortress trading post of Thornhold, a few miles south of the Mere itself. they paid for rooms, food, ale, and stabling and rested in safety behind the thick walls that used to be home to the Knights of Samular (an order devoted to Tyr), but was now run by a woman named Bronwyn and her dwarf allies.At noon the next day (Marpenoth 19th), after a hard mornings ride along the High Road beside the vast Mere, the group arrived at Iniarv's Tower and were shown into Sir Justin's  map room, inside the tower which he and his companions were clearly in the process of rebuilding. After briefing the knight of Helm on their situation and intention to explore Wolfhill House, they were given some information on the area. They were told that the house is not on the list of the Justin's targets in the Mere, as he had thought it home to nothing more than large insects. Their information that the Yuan-ti and Esau Enoch are there, was a shock to him, and he gifted the party with some healing potions and offered them stabling for their mounts at the tower. He updated their map, as well as letting them know that the house lies within the territory of a tribe of lizardfolk who call themselves the Poison Dusk. "Damnably good archers the lot of them!" he states.Elena suggests the group should take boats to get to the house, but none of the others agree, preferring to take the only land route to the site, a narrow causeway through the swamp, miles in length. Bidding Justin goodbye, the party set out and headed down the High Road to where the causeway starts, electing to make camp there for the night and enter the Mere in the morning. The night is uneventful apart from one slightly worrying occurance on second watch when the croaking sounds from the swamp frogs are disturbed by a single very loud CROAK, the swamp then falling silent. Elena and Ki on watch, looked at one another uneasily at that...DM's Notes:Well thats two sessions with only the barest trace of combat, so the next few sessions will make up for its lack, as the group are about to really go through the grinder. I think the group needed a couple "easy" sessions, to get them more into character, and some of the groups personalities are really starting to show through (hopefully I'm doing a competant job as chronicler in showing that in these logs). Also added in the eighth player, and had a few of the group complement me on how I introduced him, as getting a new PC into a party is never easy.Ohh yeah, and apologies for taking so long to post this!</blockquote>

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