The Troupe has explored the island around Restenford and come across many troubles. Bandits to the north, ogre mages leading gnolls, hobgoblins led by a wraith. They’ve fought a lot, become stronger, and defeated these evils. Now it is time to return to Pelltar and return to the Sword Coast.

14 Flamerule 1368

We go to Pelltar’s home and finally find the elusive wizard teaching his students.

Aegon: We have found some weird problems, as well as the normal run of the mill bandits and others attacking your merchants.

Pelltar: Well then, it sounds like you have been very busy. Please tell me all that has happened since we last met.

Aegon: We talked to the townspeople and heard all sorts of gossip and stories about strange occurrences near here. So we decided to start investigating these stories.

Pelltar: Good decision, it is amazing what the common folk know about the area. Sometimes I think they know more than the rest of us so called “educated” people.

So what did you find?

Aegon: We found out that bandits were attacking the merchant caravans coming in from the east. So we went out to Bald Hill and were attacked by them. Turns out it was a band of orcs with a half-orc cleric leading them.

Pelltar: Hmm, well organised and well lead. I hope that leader wasn’t under someone else’s control.

Aegon: We didn’t find anything indicating that. He made it sound like he was a “liberator” of goods or something.

Pelltar: Hopefully it was just that and nothing more sinister.

Either way, the town is safer because of your heroics. Thank you.

Aegon: We also heard about the gnolls attacking the town. So we went out to Tri-Top and found their whole tribe. After a long battle with them, we found their leader was an Ogre Mage. It was bloody, but the gnolls won’t be bothering you anytime soon.

Pelltar: An Ogre Mage leading the gnolls? That is really strange. I have never heard of gnolls allowing another creature to lead them. They will work with orcs and others but never actually have one as leader. Very strange… I assume you investigated other rumours and gossip?

Aegon: We went out to Bone Hill and looked through the ruins there.

Pelltar: And?

Aegon: We found a wizard and a wraith. The wizard was leading a band of hobgoblins and the wraith was controlling some undead. They were working together to build an army. Restenford was going to be their first attack. We destroyed them and their followers. The wizard had a journal explaining their plans. Here you go. He won’t be needing it.

Pelltar: Good heavens! We were going to be attacked? This is terrible. I am so glad I found you in time to help us. I really need to let the baron know about this.

Aegon: I think our work here is finished. Could you send us back please?

Pelltar: Very well. You have done a great deal of work here of which I am eternally grateful for. If you are ready, I will send you back to the temple.

Aegon: Yes, please do.

I have edited this conversation a little to avoid repetition. You have to talk to him and go through the same dialogue for each adventure you tell him about.

I’m not sure he’s right about the gnolls. They seemed to be subservient to the bandit leaders in the Sword Coast, though they didn’t seem happy about it.

Before Pelltar can start his spell, Gelpas bursts through the door, hand on his sword.

Aegon: What is the meaning of this?

Gelpas: You are all charged with the murder of several civilians and the theft of numerous homes.

Aegon: What?

Pelltar: Aegon, please tell me this is not true.

Aegon: It isn’t true. I have no idea what Gelpas is talking about.

Gelpas: The guards have found two homes burglarised and the owners murdered. Welcar informs me that some items are missing from the warehouses also, in particular a black pearl.

Aegon: I know nothing about a black pearl. Go ahead and search me. You will find that I am innocent of these charges.

Gelpas: Well then, we have a serious problem here. Something that I hate to admit, but my guards can’t handle this.

As much as I hate to ask this, will you please stay and help us?

Aegon: Yes. I would be honoured to assist.

Gelpas: Thank you. Please check with Welcar about the warehouse issue. There isn’t much to tell you about the murders. The houses were not broken into. It is as if the thief had a key. There are no signs of a struggle either. The victims had their throats slit where they stood or in their beds. It looks like they never saw the thief or thieves.

Please report to Pelltar with your findings.

Well that deescalated quickly.

Gelpas leaves, presumably to update the Baron. I almost want to tell him to shove a gnoll’s halberd up his arse, but we came here to help. Pelltar sends us on our way.

Aegon: Very well, I will go talk to him.

We turn to leave, when another member of the guard rushes through the door. He seems distraught as he yells out.

Pelltar: Yes he was, he just left. Thank you for this information.

Bandits? Aegon, I thought you said you took care of the bandits?

Aegon: We did. This must be another group. I will go there and find out what is going on.

Finally, we are able to leave Pelltar’s home. That was a lot to take in. More bandits, thieves and murderers, and warehouse robberies. We follow our first lead by finding Welcar on his usual patrol near the warehouses.

Rose: Gelpas told us to talk to you. It is about the theft from the warehouse.

Welcar: Yeah. Don’t know how someone got past me ‘n the dogs. There’s usually a guard in each buildin’ also. It happened last night. From what I figure, some food, a couple a’ swords, and some silk were all taken. And if that wasn’t bad enough, in another buildin’, someone stole a black pearl that the baron had shipped here. ‘e’s gonna be hot when ‘e finds out.

Rose: So they hit two buildings in one night? You didn’t hear anything?

Welcar: Not a sound. Figure it had to be one person.

Rose: Huh? Why just one?

Welcar: Cause the thief only took what one person can carry. If there were more, wouldn’t more stuff be gone?

Rose: Good point. We will have to think on that. Thank you.

Welcar: You know, several years ago, we had lots of thefts. Turned out some thieves from Garotten had moved into town and set up shop down in the sewers. The baron had to hire some mercenaries to clear them out. Gelpas was the leader of that band that fought the thieves. He lost most of his team. I guess that was what made him retire from adventuring. At least he caught the bastards in the end and strung them up from the “Hanging Tree”. That’s quite a sight to see if you care to check it out. It’s out past the temple near the western gate on the road to Garotten. I bet the guards there could tell you some stories to make your hair stand on end… Brr!

Rose: Sewers? We haven’t found any sewers in this town.

Welcar: Oh they are here. They are not really sewers, they are meant for drainage when the river overflows. The older ones are over on the west side, down near the burnt out guardhouse. As I recall, that was where Gelpas and his band found the thieves. Matter of fact, there was another entrance up in the graveyard north of the temple, too.

Sewers? We saw the burnt out guardhouse but couldn’t find an entrance to any sewers. Perhaps it is worth another look. First we decide to follow up on some of the other clues.

We find the Hanging Tree to the west of town. Several ropes hang from it, some already rotting. The ground beneath the ropes is a different colour to the grass around it.

There is nothing here that gives us any more clues, only a reminder of the town’s morbid history. We look around for a nearby guardsman. Unfortunately, they have nothing to say other than the usual speech.

We decide it might be worth paying Gelpas a visit. He is glad to see our collection of bandit scalps and offers to reward us for them.

We hand him the 24 scalps we have collected so far, and he rewards us with 1200 gold. He isn’t interested in talking about anything else.

Before we leave the castle, Mur’Neth remembers a chest he couldn’t get into. It believes its figured out a way to beat the mechanism now. Its hands morph into some sticky thieves tools and the chest pops open. Inside is a small collection of gold and a gold ring.

We go to the burnt out guardhouse to the south of town. Nearby is another abandoned house that we ignored last time. Could this be covering the entrance to the sewers below?

We clear away some of the weeds and find a hole large enough to pass through. Inside we surprise a man who immediately draws his sword.

Before I can ready my sling, Rose puts a bolt through his neck. Viconia searches the body and finds a Potion of Invisibility among his equipment. This must be how he got past the guards and snuck into people’s homes.

As soon as we walk through the door we realise the thief wasn’t working alone.

One of the thieves manages to drink a potion and turns Invisible. Rose tries to detect him with her Truth Perception.

We kill his friend, but now we have an invisible opponent with no way to defend ourselves. We flee through the only other door in the room. Following the dark staircase down we end up in what must be the sewers Welcar was talking about.

The thief has also followed us but we can see his feet splashing the water now. Viconia’s mace connects and we hear his skull crack, followed by his body splashing as it hits the sewer floor.

We search the bodies. Alongside their Potions of Invisibility, they also have Potions of Master Thievery that Mur’Neth takes.

They also have a Potion of Regeneration, which Viconia takes, as she’s the most likely to get hurt.

One of the thieves, presumably their leader, carries an enchanted dagger. It isn’t useful to us now, so we store it in the Bag of Holding.

We don’t find any of the equipment Welcar described, nor is there a black pearl. If these are indeed the thieves, they must have stashed the good somewhere in the sewers. We’re going to have to trudge through them. This isn’t how I wanted this day to end.

As if the smell and the damp wasn’t enough, these sewers are rat infested.

Mur’Neth is able to hit the rodent from afar. I feel a light shock in the water as it dies.

This isn’t the only one. We are cursed to fight rats while moving through this filth.

We continue to the north and are surprised to find an exit. Just as Welcar says, it leads to the graveyard.

Mur’Neth gets its itch again, these tombs were full of locked chests and tombs. It insists on using one of its Potions of Master Thievery and unlocking them all.

It is able to break into them all and we find some treasures within. One bodies was buried with a scroll inside its tomb. I attempt to copy the spell, but I fail once again.

The rest of the chests contain gold and various pieces of jewellery, as well as one necklace that could be anything.

Now that Mur’Neth’s cravings are satisfied we return to the sewers. After getting our feet wet for a short while, our ooze detects signs of a secret door.

It’s locked, but Mur’Neth is able to pick it with Cat’s help.

As soon as we open the door a giant rat charges Cat. Xan burns it to death before it can get close.

As soon as we think we are safe we see a giant maw surrounded by tentacles lumbering toward us on four stumpy legs. I think it’s an otyugh, which would make sense as they literally eat filth.

Now it wants to eat us, and it has a friend.

Viconia moves in to keep them busy and is rewarded with a poisonous bite.

Xan an I start to support with Magic Missiles from his wand and my spellbook.

The poison is eating away at Viconia, so she swallows the Potion of Regeneration, hoping it will keep her alive for the fight.

Xan continues his barrage of Magic Missiles.

Fabio manages to hit the aberration in the back of its throat, and it collapses, struggling to breathe.

Viconia’s Potion isn’t keeping her alive, so I rush in to heal her.

This gives her enough time and strength to hold the otyugh at bay as we finish it off.

Both poisoned and regenerating, Viconia searches the skeleton nearby. In its ribcage she finds several scrolls. One that can be used to hold a monster in place.

One that could be described as conjuring an acidball.

And one that can protect from the undead.

There is also a note here, or at least a fragment of one.

On taking one look at it, Fabio immediately realises what it must represent.

Aegon: A map? Yes, it is possible, isn’t it? There are three bigger boxes near the line which could represent the river. Two of those boxes have checkmarks. There are three large warehouses near the river. So why are only two of the three marked?

Fabio: Well, maybe because two of the three warehouses had items stolen from them?

Aegon: Maybe. Perhaps we should talk to Welcar to see if he agrees with you.

So this was organised, by multiple people. Perhaps they went in one at a time, which would explain why Welcar thought there was only one culprit.

Viconia is still struggling with poison, so I attempt to Slow it down.

Inside a cupboard at the back, Viconia finds the stolen goods. Well, most of them. There is still no black pearl.

She also finds an Amulet of Protection. Mur’Neth decides to wear it, pushing the necklace through its “neck”.

We also find 600 gold, some gems, and some jewellery. We pocket these for now, hoping they weren’t part of the stolen goods.

We explore the rest of the sewers that prove to still be rat-infested. It’s disgusting, but we have no choice. That black pearl must be somewhere.

We find a pit with two more otyugh. Luckily they can’t climb out, so we are able to keep out distance and kill them from afar.

Are the thieves actually breeding these creatures? And if so, for what possible purpose?

Rose says she has learned a lot about fighting these aberrations.

She gets an increased Breath saving throw, access to level 2 mage spells, 4 more Hit Points, an another 6 Lore.

With her newfound abilities she’s able to study from my extra scrolls, learning how to cast both Mirror Image, and Luck.

Amongst the pile of bones in the otyugh pit, we find 700 gold, a suit of armour, and several valuable gems: a diamond, a moonbar gem, an emerald, and a Star Sapphire.

We’re not sure how much of these goods come from the warehouse, or maybe stolen from the other houses. What we do know is that these men were organised and not alone. We can return the stolen goods to Welcar, but we still don’t have the black pearl. There must be someone else involved in these robberies and murders.