Talum...aka The Negotiator!!

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.