Deciding
that the secret cupboard didn’t make a great hiding place, Tay Vorn collected
evidence from the sacks in the room and Na’zel pocketed the magical helm. Then looking out into the room, Gith’orl puts
the two maids to sleep with her magical staff. Unsure of how best to get away, the rest of
the group escape through the barred window while Tay Vorn heads outside through
the kitchen, completely failing to bluff the servants but still managing to
escape with the entire cart load of wine!
Heading to
the Miyori house, the gang present their evidence about Selra’s extra-curricular
activities but by the time they can get the merchants moving and return to her
mansion, Selra has fled taking with her the contents of her bedroom safe. A body, probably the original Selra, is discovered
buried in the cellar. In return for not
revealing that the Merchants Guild had been duped, Talum negotiates a six month
free lease on the house in Westcarlham and, pressing his luck, also gets the
Guild to agree to paying a 30,000 gp bonus, payable in six 5000 monthly instalments.
Deciding to
do something for the people (and taking advice from Gith’orl about Sarenae’s
preferences), Tay Vorn organises the group into building a public baths for the
poor of the town and Sarenae blesses the group for their acts. Talum pursues his ideas about recovering the
gold from the lake, cast there by the Rhenee tribes, despite a mini tidal wave
that damages the docks of the town. Gith’orl
casts a spell to allow her to possess a stone image and Talum and the gnomes
lower her into the lake. Beneath the
waves she makes several important discoveries:
there are fish people farming and living below the surface of the lake;
the fishfolk are collecting the tribute of the Rhenee and surrounding an
undersea hill with a circumference of gold; finally, the hill is no hill but a
behemoth buried under the muck. The
tidal wave was caused by the great beast stirring in its sleep and possibly a
prelude to it awakening.
Partially prompted
by this discovery and partly by a message from Nerith Alia, their Shadows
employer, the party set off to find the rest of the cairns and, not incidentally,
the rest of the Doomheart device. The
journey goes well up until the party are ambushed by gnolls but they deal with
the cowardly creatures quite smartly.
Following the escaping gnolls, the group come to a hill overlooking the
gnoll village but they have a extra couple of surprises; one of the cairns they have been looking for
stands on a hill overlooking the village and the gnolls are lead by the
crippled beholder of whom Sarenae had blessed Gith’orl with a vision of.
