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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Brakkart" data-source="post: 2040877" data-attributes="member: 19617">DM's Log of Session EighteenTrooping into the watchhouse, the grouping of Aeron, Zamtap, Elena, Jebodiah and Ki are shown to Lieutenant Ackerman's office. After a lolt of explaining, bringing the officer up to speed on what they know, they turn over the journal to her keeping, so that she can bring it to the Lords attention. She dismisses the group after taking down their names and where they are staying, telling them to wait to be contacted, and that it might take a few days. Elena deciding that she needs new clothing if she is going to appear before any Lords, asks the lieutenant for the address of a good tailors, and is given the location of the Morningstal Emporium, a tailors shop on the corner of The Street of Silks and Sevenlamps Alley. Heading there with Jebodiah, the lady pirates curiosity is piqued when the sign bears a stylised 'M' matching the one on her signet ring, that she has had as long as she can remember. Entering the shop, they are looked at down the noses of some of the well to do clients being measured for garments, and the proprietor approachs them, in troducing himself as Joach Morningstal.When Elena introduces herself he looks at her stunned, having though that his sister died years ago along with their parents during a pirate attack on the family ship. He quizzes her about her past, keen to find out if any others survived the attack, but learns nothing in that regard, save that his sister has grown up on ships. Embracing her, he asks where she is staying and is appalled to learn that she has taken up residence in a well known brothel, insisting that she move to his house above the shop at once, lest she drag the family name into disrepute. It is only then that he looks at her, and the grizzled dwarf warrior with her and realises that she is an adventurer too! Leaving the brother and sister to get re-acquainted, and for Elena to meet her sister in law and two nieces, Jebodiah makes his excuses and heads back to his Inn.Six days fly by, with nary a word from the Lords and upon meeting at The Yawning Portal on Uktar 2nd, around noon as the group always does, they decide to go and see the Lieutenant and find out what progress has been made, knowing that in the days they have been sat around waiting, the Yuan-ti will have completed another batch of Megalomen clones. Upon reaching the watchhouse though, they are informed that no-one has seen the lieutenant since she reported in sick, several days ago, a kid delivering the message. In the company of Sargeant Eckles, the group head across the city to her house.With no-one answering the knocks on the door, the Sargeant opens it and then deputises the group to investigate the property, as they know what it is that they are looking for. Heading inside, the first thing the group finds is the beheaded corpse of a small girl on the stairs. Heading upstairs, they quickly discover the bodies of Julia Ackerman and her husband in the main bedroom, and her other daughter in the bath. All four corpses have a design cut into the flesh, that of a pair of sabre-teeth. There is no sign of the journal on the premises, and the group quickly conclude that the Fangs of Sseth cell active in Waterdeep must be responsible for this atrocity.The party waste no time, then, heading directly across the city to Blackstaff Tower where they do their best to get the attention of the archmages within, the nature of the towers cloaking illusions making this hard, until eventually their perseverance pays off and Laeral Silverhand apears before them to ask what is the reason for the disturbance. When they explain what has happened, she calmly speaks "Khelben, come outside, some people need to see you" and within a few seconds the Lord Mage of Waterdeep himself strides out of the tower, the famous blackstaff for which he is named clasped in hand. After a brief explanation, he invites them inside, and the party head into the tower and up to a large comfortable study chamber, seating themselves. After a lengthy discussion and much cross questioning from Khelben, the group finish explaining what has transpired recently and the impending threat to Faerun from what the Yuan-ti are now capable of doing.While somewhat sceptical about their claims that the Yuan-ti have created a process that duplicates and improves upon the Clone spell using alchemy, he knows sincerity when he hears it, and is duly alarmed by the prospect of the Chultan peninsular falling under the total rule of the snakemen. He tells the group that he will put a fast ship at their disposal (the Tisiphone) and that he will alert his agents (The Moonstars) to what is going on, to see if any of them can further aid the group. Lastly he will bring this news to Lord Paladinson, as should the knowledge of the cloning process spread to the Yuan-ti of the Serpent Hills, then Waterdep itself will be endangered. He suggest that the group should make all haste south to Tashluta and from there head into the Black Jungles to find the Yuan-ti's cloning chambers and destroy them and the notes required to build more. With that he dismisses the group from the tower, telling them that the ship will be ready to sail in two days.On Uktar 3rd, each of the party receive a messemgber bearing a pouch containing 200 platinum coins and a very long winded letter from Lord Paladinson, praising the group for their heroic efforts to stamp out threats to life and liberty and how such was in keeping with Waterdeep's grand tradition of oppossing tyrany and lawlessness, citing recent examples of them battling the Phaerimm in the defence of Evereska and how Haedrak's army set sail from the city to liberate and re-unite Tethyr just a few years before that. Needless to say most of the group headed out to spend the coins, leaving the letters mostly unread in their rooms.On learning that to buy offensive magical wands, he must first join the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, Gylippus shrugs and stumps up the 50 gold coins, and then buys a Wand of Magic Missiles. Noob on the other hand, having purchased a box of Nexalan cigars from an Aurora's Whole Realms Emporium, pays a gnomish inventor by the name of Caractacus Okalthok to make him a cigar lighter, which he does, and then the ranger pays another artisan to have it decorated with fire and dragon motifs. Several other members of the group put the unexpected windfall of cash to good use also, purchasing various upgrades to their equipment, or simply stocking up on healing potions and anti-venom.DM's Notes:Yep, another no combat week, thoughafter the carnage of the past few sessions I think it was quite welcomed by everyone, as were the bags of money that I had Lord Paladinson send the partys way, which I figured would be pretty in character for him to do. I did my best to play Khelben as he is described in the various books and novels,. a bit gruff and taciturn, but intelligent and understanding. I hope he came across well.I also enjoyed a chance to use what is arguably my favourite book ever published for D&D, the Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog, which is brilliant for when players visit a big city or town and want to know what is for sale. you can just toss this out onto the table and let them, browse (with a few exceptions, like the DaRoni's Workshop chapter, though that would probably be quite apt for a city in say Lantan). I'm sure it got a little repetitive for the players to have to recite things over and over again to various people, but that was sort of the point. I can say that the roleplay this week was a huge improvement over last session.</blockquote>

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