The Troupe have finally solved the Troubles in Restenford and have been returned to the Song of the Morning Temple in Beregost. It has been a few days since the last assault on the Bandit Camp, so now Aegon seeks to gather a party and finish what he started.
16 Flamerule 1368
We find ourselves back in the Song of the Morning Temple. Back in the Sword Coast. Home. Or, at least, closer to Candlekeep.
It’s been a few days since our last visit to the Bandit Camp. My visions told me we need to be better prepared. Xan, Viconia, and Mur’Neth will rest in the temple. They don’t need to go through more deaths and Raises for a while.
Viconia is grateful for her time with us. Perhaps her time at the temple will make her feel more welcome in the overworld.
Mur’Neth is less pleased to stay in any temple not dedicated to the slime god.
Aegon: Having a creature like you around makes me uneasy. I think it would be best if you left.
If we are going to assault the Bandit Camp again, we will need to rebuild our Troupe. To do that we must first head to Nashkel. Rose and I leave the temple and start the journey south.
After almost a full day’s travel we arrive in Nashkel. We find the monk we are looking for outside of the Nashkel Inn.
Rose: Sure.
As a monk Rasaad is light on personal possessions. He still carries the Wardstone given to him by Mopap the Squirrel.
He also covers his feet with his Moonlight Walkers. Monks don’t usually wear armour, but these boots provide him with a small amount of protection.
Monks usually prefer to fight with their fists, but Rasaad takes a liking to the cutlass I have been carrying around. I tell him I don’t know what enchantments lay on it, but he says it feels comfortable enough in his hands.
Rasaad noticed that I am not altogether after we give him potions to place in his belt.
Aegon: I want to know more about you. How did you become a Sun Soul monk?
Rasaad: It seems so long ago that I first joined the order. Thinking of those days revives fond memories, even as it reminds me of the precious things I have lost.
My mother gave up her own life to give life to me. Without her help, my father struggled to raise me and my older brother, Gamaz. Life in Calimport is hard for those not born to wealth and privilege.
When he could no longer pay his rising debts, my father was condemned to the Arena Efreetum, where he fought and died for the entertainment of the people.
His death left me and Gamaz to scratch out a life upon the streets. We helped each other as best we could, begging, serving, and yes… sometimes stealing.
One day, Gamaz was caught with his hand upon the purse of a Sun Soul monk. Rather than punish us, the monk brought us to the monastery, where we were bathed, fed, and clothed as initiates.
From that day forward, we learned the mysteries of Selûne and trained our bodies, minds, and spirits to spread her light to others.
Aegon: You were lucky. Many are not so forgiving of pickpockets.
Rasaad: Indeed. Selûne blessed Gamaz and me the day we met that monk. From that day forward, the light of the goddess brightened our existence.
How may I enlighten you?
Aegon: Why did you come to Nashkel?
Rasaad: While divided by distance and allegiance to three different gods, the various sects of the Order of the Sun Soul cooperate across Faerûn.
When the sect in Athkatla ceased responding to my messages, my masters in Calimport sent ten monks to investigate. Gamaz and I were among those chosen to set sail for Amn.
We found the monastery abandoned. The nearby residents we questioned about the mystery changed the subject or fled. For weeks, we continued to investigate.
At last, through stealth, subterfuge, and patience, we began to overhear rumours that agents of Shar, the Mistress of the Night, had murdered all the Sun Soul monks in Athkatla.
The local residents feared Shar too much to speak with us. But again and again we overheard one name uttered in fearful whispers: Alagorth.
Aegon: Who is this Alagorth?
Rasaad: Who he is, what he did to the monks in Athkatla, or where he has gone, I cannot say. The trail is lost, unless I stumble across the name Alagorth again one day.
Aegon: That’s enough reminiscing for now. We’ll talk again later.
Shar. The Mistress of the Night. The goddess whom Viconia has taken solace in. She’s a good priest and a better fighter, but it’s probably for the better that she’s not travelling with us right now.
We go into the inn and find our dwarven mercenary sitting at a table with a flagon of ale.
Aegon: You’ll not “suffer” long if you keep up that attitude. Get in step Kagain, we’ve business to attend to.
Kagain: Straight to the point, I respect that. Let’s go.
Kagain is well equipped, but we have enough in our Bag of Holding to do better. We give him Duragon’s Power, the axe we took from the duergar in the Nashkel Mines.
We also give him a heavier shield, which is also enchanted to offer him more protection.
We have another Light Crossbow of Speed for him. It doesn’t pack as much of a punch as his heavy crossbow, but it is much faster and can be fired with one hand.
The Mail of the Dead that we pulled off one of Molkar’s crew of assassins fits him well.
The mercenary dwarf is ready to fight in our Troupe once again. We find Minsc playing with his miniature giant space hamster in one of the rooms. If it wasn’t for the rodent we may not have noticed him under his cloak.
Aegon: It has been quite the boring trip without you. Welcome back.
With his Ghost Stone, Minsc is already a stealth barbarian. With the Boots of Stealth we have for him he should be able to sneak up on his enemies before he goes berserk.
Given his sword is made from ore that came from the Nashkel Mines, he takes one of the enchanted swords the giant skeletons in Bone Hill wielded. I’m surprised a human is even capable of holding such a large blade.
He replaces his armour with some lighter leather armour. It won’t absorb as much damage, but it gives him more freedom to move around.
We also have another Light Crossbow of Speed. Minsc prefers to get in close, but I suggest it’s a good idea for him to be able to hurt his enemies from a distance as well. He likes that idea.
As we leave the inn, Kagain complains about us turning Prism’s emeralds in for a reward.
Of course, he’s a businessman. But I’m learning that adventuring is no business.
We find Morwen outside the barracks. She’s a little upset that we left her here.
Aegon: We can get you new stuff if you join the party again.
Given the rules I established for this playthrough, this joke doesn’t work as well here. She’s still got all the equipment we left her with.
She isn’t naked. In fact, with her wealth of equipment, she doesn’t need much more to be better equipped. The only thing we have of value for her is the sentient sword we found in Bone Hill Castle.
Our Troupe is assembled. The eight of us; cats, hamsters, and all; will return to the Bandit Camp and destroy their leaders.
Before we leave, we restock on bolts and bullets.
We return to the inn, and I heal everyone back to full strength before we rest.
17 Flamerule 1368
After we rest I am able to use the Weave to Identify the helmet we found in Bone Hill Castle. It’s a Helm of Mind Warding, able to protect the mind of the wearer, as well as to reveal hidden secrets. If we encounter the Shadow Thieves again, this should come in handy. For now, Minsc takes the helm and gives his Watcher’s Helm to Morwen.
We set off on our journey north. It will take us over a day to get to the camp. The first day is mostly uneventful, though we do scare a pack of dogs that were blocking the road.
18 Flamerule 1368
The next day we are targeted by an assassin on the road.
Whoever he was, he is no more. On his corpse we find a potions of Speed and Extra Healing, as well as an enchanted short sword.
There is also a letter in one of his pouches, but it doesn’t give us any clue as to why he tried to kill us. Calimshan? Could Rasaad know anything about this?
We make it to the part of the road where the Bandit Camp lies. We can still see the smoke from behind the treelines. We are tired from travelling so we decide to rest before we enter the camp again. We don’t know what kind of welcome we will get, if any at all.
During the night, Morwen asks about the spellbooks I’ve been carrying. I let her take a look to see if there is anything she can use. Studying the books she is able to learn how to grant Luck to an ally.
She learns how to create an area obscured by mist that can both hide and hinder those inside.
She also learns to create a cloud that will make those inside feel nauseous.
Our studies are interrupted when an oversized barbarian starts getting on Kagain’s nerves.
Minsc: Sorry, Kagain, sometimes Minsc forgets to look down.
Kagain: I bet there are a lot of things ye forget to do, like puttin’ on yer head in the morning under yer helmet! Although I don’t even want to know what ye were like when you could manage to form a thought.
Minsc: Minsc and Boo don’t understand.
Kagain: Do you ever understand anything, ye fool of a human? Ye can swing that big sword of yers well enough, but apart from that, ye are a full lout, who uses that lump on his neck only to hang his helmet upon!
Minsc: Minsc has a lump on his neck? Must be a scar, aye? There is so much of Minsc that healers oft miss a wound or two.
Kagain: Ye son of a drunk orc! I’m going to lose all of my wit, if I take it as habit to converse with ye.
Minsc: Whenever Minsc loses something, Boo finds it.
Kagain: Gah! Get away from me, before I plant me axe into ye!
This could be a problem, but I can’t help but find the exchange amusing. I return to the scrolls and I recognise that one of the Protection scrolls can protect us against magic users.
We rest for most of the day. After a while I am able to use the Weave to Identify a suit of leather armour we have been carrying with us since Restenford.
We all have better equipped armour for now so we place it in our Bag of Holding. Meanwhile, I prepare my Mage Armour for the day.
We approach the bandit camp to see what kind of welcome we will receive. It isn’t a welcoming one. The half-ogre Brotus Bloodthirsty doesn’t like the look of us and draws his sword.
Rasaad asks Selûne to strike him with a Sun Soulray. I throw Melf’s Fiery Missiles at him. Rose summons the power of the Weasel God.
The half-ogre is hurt, but isn’t slowing down. Rose and Cat charge the bandit, and I prepare a Battering Ram.
My Battering Ram hits, but Brotus shrugs it off. A curse then. I ask Corellon to place Doom upon him.
The sun sets as we fight. I light up the woods with some Magic Missiles.
Wounded and stumbling around, Rose is able to force her spear through his chest. Brotus coughs up a small amount of blood, then collapses to the dirt.
Brotus’ sword is of dwarven design. Though a powerful blade, it causes those struck by it to fly into a berserker rage. I wonder if the half-ogre nicked himself? Minsc likes bisg swords, so naturally he takes it.
Brotus also wore gauntlets that help in melee combat. Minsc also takes these as well. He’s almost big enough to be a half-ogre himself anyway.
He also carried a potion that could induce a rage in anyone who drinks it. This could be useful in the right situation.
Warily we continue into the Bandit Camp. We quickly learn that Brotus was acting alone. We are still free to move through the camp, though the welcome is far from warm.
The hobgoblin bandits are especially dismissive.
We are still considered members of the Talons. They still don’t like having to work with the Chill hobgoblins.
We check in with the Blacktalon leader again before we approach the leader’s camp.
Rose: Sir, yes sir! It’s an honour to be here.
Taurgosz Khosann: Don’t whimper when you speak! Blacktalons do not whimper! Ye stand up straight when Tazok get here and show no fear! We work for his Iron Throne bosses, but we are not weak!
So Tazok is coming back soon. But Taurgosz may have revealed something else. What is the Iron Throne? Are they the people behind all of this? I don’t remember coming across the organisation in my studies back at the Keep.
We approach the leader’s tent once again. We’ve come full circle. Time to end this. When Tazok comes back, we’ll be the ones waiting for him.
