Freeport Campaign

Rewards Earned

• Experience Points: 675
• Treasure: gold tortoise-shaped paperweight (100 gp); set of ivory false teeth (150 gp); salve in a copper flask; ring of freedom of movement; flask containing viscous magical liquid; 3 potions; immovable rod; folding boat; bag of holding (type I); 3 magical pressure capsules; continual flame torch; several nets; 500 feet of weighted hemp rope; Archais’s journal; 2500 gp; brass mug (350 gp); black silk glove containing numerous emeralds (2500 gp)

While making a final sweep of the monastery grounds, the party was attacked by a pair of massive crustaceans similar to the chuul that nearly swallowed Balama back in Rana Mor. This time around, the creatures burst up from the water on either side of a beached rowboat and quickly incapacitated Spike and Chow, much to the dismay of the other group members.

Richard used his divine power to negate the effects of the chuul’s paralytic tentacles on Spike, but the creature struck Spike again almost immediately. The priest then attempted to destroy the beast, but instead became the next target for the creature’s tentacles and chitinous mandibles.

Balama expended most of her offensive magical capability on the creatures, but she succeeded only in hurting them enough to make them flee back into the water with the paralyzed rogue and priest still in tow. Thus spent, she changed tactics and attempted to levitate Chow’s form out of the water enough to prevent him from drowning. Carmina slew that particular chuul with a good hit from her crossbow, and Isaac used some fancy ropework to lasso Chow and drag him back to shore without strangling him.

Meanwhile, the paralytic effect on Spike dissipated enough for the ship captain to swig a potion of flying and take off after the chuul that was dragging Richard to the depths. Balama summoned several mirror images of herself, used a dimensional door to place the numerous Balamas close to the chuul’s last known location, and then transformed herself into a mermaid in order to hasten her own pursuit.

When she caught up with the creature half a minute later, Balama used one of her few remaining spells to attempt to diminish the chuul’s cognitive capacity, perhaps to make it flee with greater alacrity. Unfortunately for the mage, the change seemed to transform the chuul from an injured beast into a frenzied killing machine, as it released Richard’s form and turned on the numerous mermaids that had suddenly come into range. It had just finished off the final image of Balama when Spike arrived. His rapier made quick work of the chuul, but not quickly enough to save Richard or Balama.

Cursing his foul run of luck, Spike hauled his friends’ inert forms to the surface and flew with them back to the monastery. Still under the effects of the fly potion, he settled his companions on the shore and took off to search for the chuuls’ lair.

The rest of the party prepared Richard and Balama for the journey back to Mavinar, and then investigated the shore more closely. They saw now that the rowboat they had noticed the previous night was riding low in the water for a couple of reasons. First, the hull had been smashed on the rocky shore. Second, a large fishing net, seemingly full, was tied to the back of the boat. When they hauled the net up, the group was horrified but unsurprised to see that the net contained the remains of a dozen hermitage residents. The humans, half-elves, and lone dwarf seemed to be newly dead, but the bodies at the bottom of the net were already chewed and slashed, presumably by the chuuls.

After consulting with Kumar, the leader of the Rangsten monks, and Janore, the priestess of Shalimyr, the group decided that, given the circumstances, ceremonially burning the remains on a funeral pyre would be preferable to the traditional burial at sea or leaving the bodies atop the island’s hills for nature to reclaim.

As they set about preparing the pyre, the group noted a seagull perched on the shore a few paces away. Noticing that the bird seemed to eye them with a bit more pointed interest than was usual for such a creature, the group offered it some food. After it gobbled down the tidbit, the bird dipped its head in a distinct imitation of a human bow. The bird repeated the gesture when one of the party asked it, “Can you understand us?” When Spike returned with the bit of treasure he had found in a nearby sea cave, the group followed the strangely communicative bird up to the abandoned quarters near the top of the hermitage’s western tower.

A more concentrated search of the room uncovered a hidden compartment in the stone wall. While removing the various boxes, bottles, and bags from the compartment, Chow happened to notice a false panel at the top of the compartment. He removed the panel to reveal a leather backpack containing a waterlogged journal. A few minutes’ reading and consultation with the seagull revealed that the bird, whose name was Virgil, had been the familiar of Archais, the garrison wizard who had lived at the Firewatch keep when the installation was first built, fifty years ago. Astounded at the bird’s age, the party continued communicating with Virgil, verifying that Archais was indeed dead, and that his spellbook was not in the keep.

Virgil then gave the group several helpful pointers regarding the equipment they found in the wall compartment, most of which related to Achais’s hobby of exploring shipwrecks. Indeed, Archais had written the names and presumed locations of three dozen ships inside the front cover of the journal. A couple of shipwrecks appeared to be relatively close to the Serpent’s Teeth archipelago where Freeport was located, and there was also mention of the Flying Cloud, the war galley that the sea hag Black Molly had sought near the fishing village of Poisson.

Most of the journal related Archais’s exploits in the Ashindari military and his expeditions to various wrecks, but the last several entries detailed the construction of the Firewatch Island fortification. Given the war-like nature of the Crescent Empire across the bay from the Spice Coast, the Ashindari government feared an eventual seaborne attack or even a full-scale invasion. Thus, they created the keep on Firewatch Island to act as an early warning measure. Unfortunately, necessary materials had been diverted to elsewhere in Ashinda prior to completion of the keep’s wall, so the garrison leaders feared exposure to attack from the sea on the southern approach. Their fears seemed to be realized when Virgil reported a “war galley fully loaded with soldiers and monstrous slaves” approaching from the northeast.

According to the journal, the garrison’s chaplain, a follower of Zaha (the Matyanist face of Shalimyr), beseeched the Stormlord for aid. Whether true divine intervention or mere fortunate happenstance, a sudden, fierce storm blew in and sent the Tammeraut to the sea floor with all hands aboard. The ensuing celebrations were short-lived, however, as Archais suspected that the ship had sunk near Dagon’s Maw, an “ill-starred undersea chasm” a few miles to the north of Firewatch Island. The wizard feared that the ship may have breached the wards laid on the rift by sea elves in the distant past, and, according to his final journal entry a week later, planned to set off to inspect the wreckage and the rift. Further “conversation” with Virgil revealed that Archais never made it to the Maw. Late in the night before the planned expedition, a mass of reanimated drowned sailors and soldiers had attacked the island, leaving no one alive. Virgil confirmed that the creatures were at least the same sort as those that the party had fought the previous night, and may even be the same drowned ones from a half-century ago.

Uneasy, the party mulled over their options. After some discussion, they decided to finish canvassing the former keep, lay the slain hermits to rest atop their pyre, drop off their passengers (the Mavinari investigator and his assistants, Kathkallan, the three monks, and Janore) in Ashinda, attempt to procure diamonds in order to raise Balama and Richard, and return to investigate Dagon’s Maw. When asked, Virgil agreed to accompany the Primrose and the Sea Wind for the time being.

A couple of hours later, Janore and Kumar delivered their benedictions for the dead and lit the pyre. The rest of the group transported their fallen comrades onto the ships, warning the respective crews that Richard and Balama had been greivously injured and required quick attention in town. With that, the ships set sail for Ashinda.

Within another few hours, the city came into view. However, the city was the only the second thing the lookouts noted. From the center of the city rose an immense, twisted tree whose upper branches seemed to brush the clouds far above Ashinda. Spyglasses revealed smashed buildings, raging fires, and numerous pitched battles between the city guard and squads of orcs and trolls. As the party watched, the tree seemed to expand and reach higher into the sky. A foul, diseased jungle had sprung into existence around the base of the tree, and seemed itself to be spreading while the ships approached.

When asked, the Mavinari investigator talked the situation over with his assistants and asked to be put ashore with them so that they could assess the situation and make a report to Governor Johar. After coming to an agreement with his officers and the rest of the party about heading back west to Mavinar, Spike gave orders for volunteers from his crew to take one of the ship’s boats to the docks and return immediately after dropping off the Mavinari contingent. He also agreed to take a written report and a copy of the investigative team’s last wishes to the governor in Mavinar.

With that, the Primrose and the Sea Wind set sail for Mavinar.

Rewards Earned

• Experience Points: 2150
• Treasure: +1 light crossbow; +1 breastplate; potion of cure moderate wounds; potion of cure serious wounds; potion of fly; divine scroll (CL 3rd): aid, bull’s strength; silver holy symbol of Shalimyr; two blocks of amber (50 gp each); Quaal’s feather token (bird); divine scroll (CL 7th): cure critical wounds, flaming sphere, speak with animals, bull’s strength, cure light wounds

The ships circled the island while Balama made herself invisible and flew over the hermitage. Finding no one moving, Richard and Spike ordered their ships anchored at an angle so as to have a pair of broadsides covering the north side of the island.

(Quick version: the group circumvented a pair of assassin vines, talked their way out of a fight with a pair of sea hag sisters, checked out the kitchen and larder, found a frightened priestess of Shalimyr and a pair of diseased hermits, talked the priestess into accompanying them to the ships, ran for the dock as the sun set, fought off two dozen sea zombies, got back to the ships, and sailed around for the rest of the night.

The next day, they checked out all the rooms in the hermitage, verified that Aaron the hermit had been killed by the winged creature in the belfry, verified that the two diseased hermits had been ripped to pieces, and destroyed the stag-headed eagle-bodied creature in the belfry.)

Rewards Earned

• Experience Points: 800
• Treasure: None to speak of

True to his word, Mantatlus contacted Richard again the next morning with a brief magical message: “Never mind. Divinations inconclusive. Keep the books. Spells expensive, but less than bribing the Boatman. May keep an eye out, and would expect likewise. Mantatlus.” After a quick discussion with his comrades, Richard responded to the mage with an agreement to break off any hostilities between Mantatlus and Four Gulls. Richard then sent a message to Governor Johar in Mavinar, who thanked the group and informed them that Anteashara was no longer available to use as a bargaining chip. After communing briefly with one of Harrimast’s heavenly host, the group decided not to pursue Mantatlus for the time being. With that issue settled, the Primrose and the Sea Wind turned around and headed toward the hermitage on Firewatch Island.

A bit after midnight, one of the crewmen stationed on the port side of Sea Wind’s sterncastle heard something scrabbling below him on the hull and sounded the alarm. About the same time, numerous crew members broke and fled to the starboard side of the ship or into the water. Within seconds, the lantern sea serpent about which the group had been warned slithered onto the deck and clawed its way through several of the ship’s crew.

Richard, hearing the commotion above and guessing at its cause, used the magical bowl the group had retrieved from the sea witch, Black Molly, to summon a water elemental to combat the creature. The priest ran onto the deck just in time to catch a lightning bolt from the serpent’s mouth, along with nearly a dozen of his crewmen. Richard ordered the crew to steer toward the Primrose, and then called holy fire upon the serpent as the elemental bashed it. In return, the creature grabbed the priest and began to squeeze him in its coils.

Meanwhile, the alarm on the Sea Wind and the subsequent light show had attracted the attention of the Primrose’s crew. Chow gave orders for the ship to turn about and head for the Sea Wind. Now awake, Balama endowed Spike with the magical ability to fly, and the two took off toward Richard’s ship.

A few tense moments later, the water elemental had smacked the serpent enough to gain its undivided unattention. As a result, a nearly unconscious Richard dropped into the water just as Spike and Balama arrived. Spike snagged Richard and deposited him on deck, while Balama peppered the serpent with magic missiles. Suddenly much less comfortable with its condition, the sea serpent splashed into the water. Much to the captains’ consternation, instead of diving immediately into the depths, the creature headed back to the waters where the Sea Wind’s crew had jumped overboard. Trying to ignore the distant screams, the crew and officers of the two ships tended to their wounded and fallen comrades.

After a night of mourning, the crews buried their comrades at sea, and Richard said a benediction for the deceased. Assigning the remaining crew members as evenly as possible between the Primrose and the Sea Wind, Spike and Richard gave orders to set sail toward Firewatch Island.

The ships arrived at the island in the late afternoon. As they approached, a bell in the hermitage tower tolled five times, and a large winged figure swooped into the belfry from above. Unsure of the bell’s portent, the ships continued toward the island.

Rewards Earned

• Experience Points: 800
• Treasure: From Mantatlus’s manor: Bronze scroll case (150 gp); gilded plate (750 gp); matching gilded chalice (750 gp); Mantatlus’s spellbooks; 2200 gp

Reward from Kathkallan: 2000 gp each (including Balama, Camina, and Isaac) from the proceeds of the executed contracts, plus 5000 gp worth of diamonds to aid in raising Balama

Reward from the Provincial Governor of Mavinar: 250 gp each; small enameled badge depicting the sword-and-axe symbol of Anjeeti, the Matyanist god of justice.

While the respective crews prepared the ships for departure, the party accompanied Kathkallan through the Waft to execute his freshly recovered contracts. The merchant followed through on his plan to use the proceeds from the royal jelly to purchase a large quantity of vanilla beans from Greater Galleon at a steep discount, and then turned a healthy profit when he immediately sold the beans elsewhere in the trade district. Once he and his loot were safely ensconced on one of the ships, Kathkallan awarded each party member a portion of the profits as a reward for cooperation and support in the recent unpleasantness. He added a sack of diamonds to Balama’s share, to be used in raising her from the dead as soon as possible.

During Kathkallan’s business trip, the party had received invitations to meet the provincial governor for tea the next day. The captains admonished the crews to behave themselves in port for one more night, and set about securing appropriate garb for tea with the governor.

The next morning, Ivan Blackfathom used Kathkallan’s diamonds to restore Balama to life and soon returned to his berth on one of the ships. Balama compared notes with Spike and Chow, both of whom had met the Silent Boatman on the Dark River as a result of prior bad fortune. They all agreed to try to help each other avoid further contact with Mormekar for as long as possible.

As tea time approached, the party made their way toward the Provincial Palace in the center of town. Attendants checked their weapons at the door, and then escorted the group to the governor’s tea room. After a ceremonial welcome, Provincial Governor Anavati Johar thanked the party for their assistance in the investigation into Galliad’s disappearance, and for participating in the raid on Mantatlus’s manor. He then presented each member of the group with a sack of gold and a small badge bearing the symbol of Anjeeti, the Matyanist god of justice. He also returned several of the items seized in the previous day’s raid, including the wizard’s spellbooks. In addition, Kathkallan and Nashafeen received tokens of the governor’s regret for their lost friends and associates.

With the ceremonial presentations concluded, the governor requested stories from the group’s homeland, and seemed genuinely interested in an offer to visit Freeport at some point in the future. As the stories wrapped up, he informed the party of the possible fates for Anteashara, Mantatlus’s captured associate. If possible, depending on the nature and true extent of her crimes and her skills, she might be pressed into service for the Empire in some capacity. Otherwise, she would probably be exiled, executed, or punished in some other manner decreed by the Matyans.

Before the party left, the governor requested a couple of favors from them regarding their impending trip to Ashinda. First, he hoped that they would be amenable to transporting an undercover Imperial investigator and his two assistants to the independent city-state, so that they could continue investigating Mantatlus and his cronies. He assured the party that the fellows would be unobtrusive during the trip, and would not be tied to Four Gulls except as paying passengers after being put ashore.

The governor also made the party aware of reports of some sort of sea monster attacking trading vessels between Mavinar and Ashinda, and informed them that he, and by extension the Emperor, would appreciate any concrete information regarding the monster, or preferably its demise.

The party agreed to both requests after some polite discussion and clarifications. With that, the governor thanked them again for their service to the city and to the Empire. The group in turn thanked the governor for his hospitality, collected their weapons, and departed the palace.

As the party approached the ships, one of the Primrose’s officers hailed Spike and called him over to talk to a trio of halflings who were seeking passage on the ship. The halflings introduced themselves as Rangsten ascetics on a pilgrimage from one of the monasteries in the spiritual kingdom of Laodeng. They sought passage to a small island hermitage a few miles from the coast near Ashinda, where others of their order occasionally traveled to commune with the sea. When asked about payment, the halflings scraped together a few coins, but not nearly enough to cover the standard rate. Spike was unsure about taking the fellows aboard for a trip that would be somewhat out of the way, and so asked them to return in an hour or so to give him a chance to discuss the matter with Richard. The monks agreed and set off to seek other accomodations.

While the party discussed the karmic implications of transporting the monks versus leaving them in Mavinar, they also asked around regarding the recent sea monster sightings. As it happened, the harbormaster knew a good deal about the reports. Apparently, this particular sea monster was a relatively young lantern serpent, a variety rarely seen near the surface. Lantern serpents generally preferred to hunt in the deeps, using their distinctive red-glowing tentacles to lure prey into their gaping maws. The harbormaster wished the party luck and expressed an interest in hearing about the encounter, if they survived and returned to Mavinar.

The halflings returned at the appointed time, calmly reporting that most of the other captains they had approached had merely laughed at them. When Spike and Richard agreed to take them aboard in exchange for whatever work they could perform on deck, the halflings agreed and thanked the captains for their generosity. That settled, the crew made their final preparation, and the Sea Wind and Primrose set sail for Ashinda.

The next morning, Richard was surprised to hear a voice in his head state, “Sorry for your associate’s death. Improvised plan went pear-shaped. Let’s avoid further conflict. Talk with friends, I’ll send tomorrow for details. Would like spellbooks. Mantatlus.” Familiar with this type of magical communication, Richard responded briefly that he would indeed talk with his friends before tomorrow’s contact. After stopping the ships, the party discussed the message and used some divinatory magic to try to clarify their potential plans. The results were ambiguous regarding Mantatlus’s motives and possible intentions, so Richard sent a similar communique seeking guidance from Governor Johar in Mavinar. The governor responded that he’d prefer to avoid staging further confrontations in the city if possible, that the party was authorized to offer up Anteashara if necessary in any negotiations, and that he’d see what strings he could pull in the University to procure some reinforcements. He also offered the services of the investigator and his assistants, if they could help in any way. With that, the party continued discussing how they should respond to Mantatlus’s next message.

Rewards Earned

• Experience Points: 8000
• Treasure: Recovered from Mantatlus’s manor (and subject to the Imperial “ownerless property” laws): Statue of an efreet (3300 gp); statue of an ancient general (1500 gp); bronze dagger used to assassinate ancient general (1000 gp); illuminated Matyanist religious text (700 gp); bronze scroll case (150 gp); ancient clay water jug (50 gp); painting of a Mavinar street scene (1500 gp); gilded plate (750 gp); matching gilded chalice (750 gp); Mantatlus’s spellbook; 2200 gp; 3 rubies (700 gp each)

Still convinced they were missing something important to tie all their clues together, the group followed up on their remaining leads. First, they questioned Mossan Zahad, head merchant of the Greater Galleon trading company, after he finished auctioning a single vanilla bean for an exorbitant sum of money. (The party had learned in previous conversations on the street that a large shipment of Maztican vanilla beans had been sunk by pirates a few weeks ago.) Zahad stated with a smarmy smirk that Galliad had indeed arranged a meeting with Greater Galleon, but had not shown up at the agreed time. He then smiled and excused himself to begin another auction.

Irritated with the merchant, Chow and Spike headed off to surveil the house that Richard had seen the messengers enter. On the way, the two sailors strolled down the Path of Silk Flowers, the red-lamp district whose courtesans tended colorful gardens of silk vegetation during off-hours. The manor house sat at the end of the Path, at the intersection with the Avenue of Chimes. Chow and Spike learned from their conversations that the fellow who lived in the house, apparently an art collector and dealer, tended to keep to himself, and rarely enlisted the ladies’ services. After an embarrassing unintentional double entendre, Chow also arranged a meeting for later in the evening with Nashafeen, whose talents reputedly matched Chow’s perceived tastes.

Still chuckling, Spike and Chow approached the artfully carved front doors of the manor house. A couple of unanswered knocks informed them that the manor’s owner was either away or not amenable to guests. Disappointed, the two headed back to the inn to meet up with the rest of the group.

From there, the party went to the Silent Siren, the bar just outside the Atrium, to look for any further clues before calling it a night. The proprietor, Able Yaleen, confirmed that Galliad had been in the bar the night he had disappeared. The young fellow had enjoyed many drinks with a black-haired woman who wore an orchid brooch. Chow remembered that the ladies from the Path of Silk Flowers had been wearing similar brooches, so he was unsurprised when Yaleen mentioned that Galliad had left with the young lady.

The barkeep said that the group’s description of a fat, sweaty man did match that of a fellow who had been to the tavern several times. He remembered the man both because of his size and the fact that during each visit, the man left the bar numerous times, only to return an hour later.

During the group’s conversation with Yaleen, Carmina noticed a heavy drinker scowling at Kathkallan from a corner table, and surreptitiously brought the burly fellow to the group’s attention. Spike sent the guy a drink, and then went over to introduce himself. The party recognized the man’s name, Bernal, as that of the fellow who had hired the thugs to attack Kathkallan. Bernal chatted for a bit about his work as a porter, but got more belligerent as the conversation turned to Kathkallan and the fat man. He finally had enough, stood up, and weaved his way through the bar and out the door. Chow followed Bernal and watched him fall to the ground a dozen yards from the bar. Recognizing an opportunity for further questioning, the party paid their tab, thanked Able Yaleen, and left. Richard and Spike dragged their stumbling “comrade” back to the Sea Wind, while Chow went back to the Path of Silk Flowers for his “date,” and the rest of the group reconvened at the inn where they were staying.

A few splashes of water to the face awoke Bernal, but it was the realization that he was tied up in the hold of a ship that seemed to sober him up. Spike and Richard asked him again what he knew about the business between Kathkallan and the fat man. He told them that the fat, sweaty guy had paid him to recruit some sailors and send them to the Silent Siren. Spike looked carefully into the porter’s eyes, didn’t like what he saw, and mentioned to Richard that they should try throwing Bernal overboard to try loosening his tongue. The porter howled that he couldn’t swim, but Richard just slapped him on the shoulder and said, “Sorry.”

They dragged the fellow to the deck, tied him securely, and dumped him unceremoniously over the gunwales. Richard estimated the time remaining on the waterbreathing spell he had cast on Bernal, and helped haul him back up after what they deemed a suitably frightening interval. After Spike told him that next time he wouldn’t have the benefit of magical protection, Bernal repeated his story, along with some additional information about Anteashara, the female porter who lived with Catellion at the Platinum Quill. Apparently, she worked for a secretive client near the Path of Silk Flowers, and frequently used her knowledge of the city to dig up information on sculptures and other artworks for him. Bernal also mentioned that he hadn’t actually met Kathkallan before tonight, and only knew the mechant by sight after the thug who escaped the ambush in the Waft had hunted Bernal down, kicked him in a rather sensitive area for signing him up for that “clusterfuck of a job,” and then sat drinking with Bernal and regaling him with the details of the fight.

Satisfied with Bernal’s story, Spike suggested that the porter stay on the ship for the evening, so as to avoid any further repercussions from his involvement in the current mess. With that, Richard and Spike went back to the inn to meet up with the rest of the party to discuss how to proceed.

Meanwhile, Chow’s “date” with Nashafeen went well until he started talking afterwards. After a few statements that, depending on context, could be construed as bashful compliments or cold insults, the courtesan snapped at him and asked him to leave. She then apologized and said that she should have been more professional, even given the conversational pit he’d dug for himself. She admitted to being somewhat out of sorts since Zinni, her best friend, had gone missing recently. Zinni had been visited frequently by a fellow from Meghani lately, who had hired her a couple of days ago to meet a friend of his at the Silent Siren and take him to a nearby garden for a “surprise.” She wasn’t sure which garden the man had meant, but she knew that there were only a couple of nearby houses that had gardens, including the manor house about which Chow and Spike had expressed an interest. She agreed to let Chow drop by the next day to look through Zinni’s apartment for any clues as to her disappearance. With that, Chow said goodbye and headed back to meet up with the rest of the group.

The group talked and planned with Kathkallan well into the night. The next day, Richard used divine magic to ascertain that Catellion, Anteashara, and the mysterious art collector, whose name they discovered was Mantatlus, were in fact involved with the deaths of Galliad and Zinni; that the two bodies were still on the manor premises; that the contracts were also still on the premises; and various other facts regarding the case. Rather than risking their lives in what would probably amount to an illegal assault on private property, the party decided to give their information to the proper authorities and see what happened.

Before doing so, though, Spike, Chow, and Carmina went to investigate Zinni’s apartment on the Path of Silk Flowers. They didn’t find anything, but had a strange encounter on their way out of the building. On the front steps, a man and his escort bumped into Spike and dropped some money on the ground. When Carmina pointed out the coins, the fellow grabbed them, thanked her, and tossed the coins to her. Suspicious, Spike advised her to be careful handling the coins and give them to Chow or Richard later for further investigation.

Finding nothing of note in Zinni’s apartment, the group asked Nashafeen if she’d be willing to gather a couple of trusted friends to act as lookouts in case somebody tried to sneak up the Path while the party raided the manor house. She agreed and wished them luck.

The party then took their information to the city judges, who confirmed via a zone of truth spell that the party had cast the divinations and received the results they reported. The judges then deputized the party to assist in bringing the suspects, including Mossan Zahad, to the Pillar of Truth near the dockside entrance to the city for questioning.

They apprehended Zahad without incident and captured Anteashara after a brief struggle, but did not find Catellion. The lead investigator then took the party and a squad of guards to Mantatlus’s manor house and demanded entry. The combined forces took out several low-level thugs, but a couple of stouter individuals and a quartet of summoned gorillas killed Balama and several guards, including the head investigator, while fighting their way from the garden out the front door. Kathkallan and Bezzem dispatched the pair of gorillas that attacked them, but took some wounds in the process.

Meanwhile, Chow kept watch on the manor garden from an adjacent rooftop, and Richard staked out a position in the alley beside the manor house. Shortly after the fight in the house started, Chow suddenly jumped into the alley and began attacking Richard. The priest managed to dispel the magical domination, dodged a sickly green ray from above, and then created a hole in the garden wall. Chow entered and fought off a couple of thugs, but winced as another thug ran between the two lemon trees and quickly fell to a pair of ghasts that had emerged from the ground beneath the trees. Trusting Richard to be able to handle the undead, Chow retreated back out of the hole in the wall.

Out front, Carmina had seen the green ray in her peripheral vision and spotted what she assumed to be Mantatlus flying a hundred feet above the manor house. She shouted a warning at about the same time that a nearby group of guards fell to the effects of a confusion spell, fleeing or babbling or just standing around. Richard emerged from the alley next to the manor house and summoned some mist to obscure himself and Carmina from the flying mage. While they made their slow way to the front door, Carmina heard a voice in front of her say, “Gil, Holm, to me.” Richard dismissed the mist to discover the crumpled forms of Balama and a couple of guards, but saw no signs of their attackers.

Spike and Isaac, having taken out several thugs in the house, helped the city guards mop up the stragglers and dispatch the ghasts in the garden. While clearing out the rest of the ghasts and zombies that emerged from the garden soil, the party and guards managed to avoid succumbing to the alluring scents of the vines growing on the lemon trees. Further research in Mantatlus’s library revealed the vines to be Pillars of Umisavi, the berries of which, when consumed, could both poison the eater and compel him to ingest more berries. The speculation was that the vines were the “surprise” to which Zinni had been paid to bring Galliad. Indeed, to their horror, Kathkallan and Nashafeen identified the first two ghasts as the reanimated corpses of the courtesan and the merchant’s assistant. The rest of the undead were too decayed to identify.

With the opposition dead or fled, the remaining guards and party members methodically searched the house. They discovered Kathkallan’s contracts hidden behind the descriptive plaques for a couple of Mantatlus’s collected art pieces, and found the wizard’s spellbook and some gold in a chest in his bedroom. The guards cautioned the party not to take anything yet, but let them know that, as the owner of the manor seemed to have left the property, the judges and the governor would probably consider the loot “ownerless” and return at least a portion of it to the party with the city’s compliments, and more importantly with the Emperor’s thanks.