Tag: Descent into Avernus

Coming Soon!

After meeting up at the north-east gate and dividing their new loot, the Dickbags begin their 5-day trek to Candle Keep. Ser Nedir gives the guards at the gate their writ of passage from Commander Liara Porter and they are allowed to exit the city. As they make their way through the sea of refugees camped outside the city gates, they eventually make it to Little Calimshan where Falastar stops to pick up supplies from his residence.

While in Little Calimshan, Ser Nedir finds a local jeweler in hopes of acquiring platinum rings for the party. Feeling the Jeweler’s prices were a bit high, Elder Storm offers to share his epic tale of how he (and the group) managed to infultrate a cultist lair beneath a bath house and expose the Vanthamper family of their evil dealings with the cultists and demons. Although a little sketchy on some of the details, the Jeweler is still impressed and agrees to a discounted rate for the rings. Once the rings are fitted and handed out to the group, Ser Nedir explains that he needed them in order to provide everyone with some extra resistance, should things get dicey in a future encounter.

The Dickbags proceed southward along Coast Way towards Candle Keep. On the second day, they see a farmer heading northward pulling a wagon full of hay. Elder Storm greets the farmer and learns that he is heading towards Baldur’s Gate to deliver the hay to those who may need it. As the conversation continues, the farmer notices the shield that Ser Nedir is carrying. He inquires how he came to procure such an ornate shield and Ser Nedir informs him that he acquired it in Baldur’s Gate. As the farmer continues to prod about the shield, Ser Nedir grows suspicious and casts Divine Sense, picking up a fiendish presence from the farmer. The farmer asks if he could inspect the shield more closely. Ser Nedir and the farmer both get down from their horse/wagon and Ser Nedir allows the farmer to look at the shield, but from a distance. Ser Nedir inquires with the shield as to the nature of the farmer and the Hidden Lord indicates that he is “one of them” and that the individual seeks to reclaim him.

The Dickbags then hear a whistle coming from the farmer and find three men jump up from the hay, armed and ready to attack. Seeing the aggresive action being triggered by the farmer, Liam reacts by jumping off his horse and attacking the farmer. As he strikes with his bo there is a small crack of thunder and the farmer is left with an unusual aura around him. Toph follows suit and attacks the farmer with her Spice Flick, but finds the farmer is somehow resistant. The farmer then reveals himself to be a demon in disguise. He stares at Ser Nedir and commands him to hand over the shield and Ser Nedir finds himself unable to resist. The demon steps forward and as he does the mysterious aura releases another crack of thunder upon him. Determined, the demon takes the shield that Ser Nedir hands to him.

Not liking how things are playing out, Elder Storm conjures forth a storm cloud above them and uses it to call a bolt of lightning down upon the demon and one of the veterans. He hits both, but finds the demon seems to shrug off some of the damage (resistant to poison AND lightning?!). The battle continues until the Farmer looks at Ser Nedir once more and tells him to hold down Toph before flying away. Still under the demon’s charm, Ser Nedir proceeds to try and grapple Toph but is somehow unable to overpower her. As the demon flies off, Elder Storm pursues and casts a 3rd level Shatter (amplified with his Channel Divinity: Destructive Wrath). A massive blast of thunder damage erupts, crippling the demon but it still manages to hang on. Liam then disengages from the two veterans that have him flanked and chases after the demon as well. As he runs, dark energy starts to coalesce arounds his hands and he launches two bolts of eldritch energy at the demon (WHAT?! Isn’t he a monk?). One of the bolts just barely manages to connect, finishing off the demon and causing it to fall to the ground.

Elder Storm retrieves the shield as Ser Nedir and Toph continue to endure the onslaught of the hired veterans. Ser Nedir, now free from the demon’s charm, is so furious that he lops the head off one of the veterans with his longsword. The two remaining veterans focus their attacks on Toph, who defends herself by casting Pebble in Water which blasts away Ser Nedir along with one of the veterans. Toph runs back to Falaster and jumps on the horse. the two ride away towards Elder Storm, leaving Ser Nedir to fend for himself. Ser Nedir holds firm,but inevitably gets overwhelmed and falls to the ground unconcious. Liam rushes over and revives him with a healing potion. Toph circles back and rejoins the fight along with Elder Storm and the Dickbags finish off the remaining veterans.

With a moment to breath and collect themselves, Ser Nedir takes a moment to cast Zone of Truth in order to get some honest answers out of his shield. The Hidden Lord is vague with his responses and dodges questions about his origins, but assures Ser Nedir that he will help the party by guiding them through Avernus in order to save Elturel. Toph takes the opportunity to ask Liam about the shadowy energy the group saw from him, but he just indicates it’s a long story.

The Dickbags continue their journey towards Candle Keep and finally arrive on the fifth day. When they arrive, they are greeted by two monks who inform them that they must provide a unique book (one they don’t already have in their archives) in order to gain entrance into the establishment. Falastar provides a cookbook of Calimshan recipes while Liam offers one of the spell books they found in the cultists lair. The group is allowed entry. Falastar leaves to report his findings while the Dickbags find the local tavern.

What will they learn from the mysterious puzzle box? Will Ser Nedir get more answers about his possessed shield? And what is going on with Liam and his new powers?

After completing their investigation of the Vanthamper estate, the Dickbags prepare to rest for the day at a nearby tavern. Liam takes a moment for himself and steps outside the room. He removes his handwraps, revealing a tattoo on his left forearm depicting a raven carrying a human heart. He passively speaks to the tattoo raven asking why he’s being kept alive and if it has something to do with someone/something named Fang or the devils they’ve been encountering. Fearing his luck may be running out, he asks if there’s anything else that can be done to help him out. After a few minutes, he notices a raven at the nearby window. When he approaches the raven he hears a voice tell him that he’s not dead because it is not yet his time. They go on to say that power can be granted, but at a price. The heart on his tattoo begins to bleed. Knowing the price, Liam accepts the boon (whatever it may be).

After finishing their long rest, the Dickbags decide to head straight for the Flaming Fist outpost to turn Thurstwell Vanthamper over to Captain Zodge. When they arrive at the outpost, they learn that Captain Zodge is investigating something in Upper City near the Vanthamper estate. After explaining that they have one of the Vanthampers with them for questioning in relation to what Captain Zodge is investigating, the guards send out a runner to retrieve the Captain. When he arrives the group relays their findings of the Vanthamper’s involvment with Thavius Krieg and the devils. They display the head of the devil jailor, the etchings from the obsidian shrine, and Thurstwell admits to his mother’s involvment with the devils.

Before they can discuss their payment, a woman barges through the door demanding to find Captain Zodge. She identifies herself as Liara Porter, Commander of the Flaming Fist, and that she’s here to take command. She pays the Dickbags for their service and they inform her that they plan to head to Candle Keep to pursue a lead regarding a puzzle box that may link Thavius Krieg to this whole devil conspiracy. Encouraging their efforts, Liara provides them with a letter that will allow them to safely exit Baldur’s Gate.

The Dickbags leave and decide to restock some supplies before they depart from the City. Elder Storm, Falastar, Liam, and Toph decide to head to upper city in search of diamonds and gear, while Ser Nedir tracks down a temple of Bahamut where he hopes to find more information about his possessed shield.

As the group heads to upper city, they manage to pass through the guard station with a little bribery (and a lot of awkwardness!). In upper city, they manage to come across three shops that sell magical items. “Baubles & Bits” owned by a strange gnome by the name of Olivia, “Venthir’s Vainglorious Vestments” owned by an elven man, and “Wondrous Procurements” owned by a dwarven man named Helmut.
The group peruses the items in each shop before deciding to purchase anything.

Meanwhile, Ser Nedir is unable to find a Temple of Bahamut, but manages to find a temple of Helm. He speaks with an elder priest who examines the shield. The Priest is unable to determine the shield’s origin/alignment. They discuss possibly dispeling the magic on the shield, which would release whatever being is trapped inside. Feeling that he wasn’t strong enough to control the powerful being, Ser Nedir votes against it for the safety everyone around. Nedir thanks the Priest for his help and proceeds to wait for the group near the East Gate.

Back with the group, the Dickbags decide to purchase some items from Wonderous Procurements. They trade in the Pipes of the Sewers (which nobody can use) and Elder Storm trades in his Javelin of Lightning with an extra 100g in order to acquire the Staff of Thunder & Lightning, Bracers of Defense, and the Goggles of Night. At Baubles & Bits, the group purchases the Insignia of Claws, Necklace of Prayer Beads, a Spell Gem (Bloodstone), 4 potions of healing, and 300g worth of diamonds. Lastly, they go to Venthir’s Vainglorious Vestments and purchase the Elven Chain for Toph.

Having completed their shopping, the group heads back to lower city and meets up with Ser Nedir at the East Gate to discuss the next stage of their journey.

After taking a short rest inside the Vanthamper vault, the Dickbags continue their investigation. Now looking for the puzzle box, held by Thurstwell Vanthamper, the group makes their way back to the main floor of the estate along with Falastar, Satir, Reya, and Thavius Krieg. Liam begins checking doors leading out of the kitchen, finding the pantry (where he snags a bag of flour), the servant’s quarters, and eventually the main entryway. Slobberchops (the winged house cat) seems to take a liking to Toph and begins following her around.

The group quietly makes their way upstairs where Liam spots an armored guard near the top of the staircase. Focusing his Ki, Liam casts a sphere of silence around them. The guard notices Liam coming up the stairs and a battle ensues. Due to the narrow stairwell, most of the group is unable to lend aid leaving the fight to Liam, Ser Nedir, and Elder Storm.

Unable to get to the top of the stairs, Toph gives some attention to Slobberchops, first petting him and then offering him some of her dried rations. The guards are eventually disposed of allowing the group to continue to the 2nd floor. Still within the silent sphere, Liam begins scouting through the various rooms. The first room appeared to be a powder room. Inside was a door to a bedroom which turned out to be that of Duke Thalamra Vanthamper. Inside the bedroom Liam finds a chest that he is able to open with one of the keys he acquired from the Duke. Inside he finds some ledgers (written in infernal), a set of caligraphers supplies, a coin purse made from sheep’s bladder, and a strange set of musical pipes. As Liam begins removing the items from the chest a hidden trap is set off, sending out a blast of poisonous gas. Liam manages to duck out of the way and avoid any damage. After allowing time for the gas to dissapate, Liam grabs the remaining items from the chest.

Returning to the main area, Liam continues to the next door which turns out to be Thurstwell’s room. They find Thurstwell sitting in the corner, unaware of their presence. Slobberchops walks near the party and begins lowly growling at something inside the room. Elder Storm gets Thurstwell’s attention and immediately met with a sacred flame attack from Thurstwell. Liam rushes into the room to find Thurstwell now cowering on the other side of his bed. As he moves through the room, Liam gets attacked by an imp that was previously invisible, but the attack misses. Liam continues towards Thurstwell and tries to attack, but finds that he is unable to do so (Thurstwell casted sanctuary!).

After making another attempt at attacking Liam is able to make contact with Thurstwell, delivering a weak front kick that still manages to cause Thurstwell to fall and hit his head. He lies unconcious on the floor. Elder Storm then enters the room and is able to stabalize Thurstwell, saving him from impending death.

Ser Nedir and Liam finish dispatching of the remaining imp in the room. Ser Nedir then uses his Lay on Hands to revive Thurstwell. They retrieve the puzzle box as well as acquire a few supplies from another chest that Thurstwell had in the room.

They soon hear Falastar (still outside the room) inquire where Reya and Thavius went. It seems they snuck out during the comotion! Focusing on the matters at hand, the Dickbags realize they still need to get out of the house safely. They decide to take Thurstwell with them by Ser Nedir throwing him over his shoulder. They make their way downstairs and head back out through the kitchen. When seen by the guards posted outside, Thurstwell instructs them to stand down. Elder Storm collects 4 steeds from some stables they have on the property and the group makes their way out without incident.

As the group makes their way to lower city, they drop off Satir at the gate/guard station and ask that one of them escort Satir back to their home. After the Dickbags present their signets of the Flaming Fist, the guards hesitantly agree asking that the Dickbags let them know the next time they are pursuing business in upper city.

The Dickbags continue into lower city and decide to rest at a nearby tavern before heading to see Captain Zodge. As they enter the tavern, they speak with the bartender about getting some rooms. When the bartender inquires about the man drapped over Ser Nedir’s shoulder, the group convinces him that he’s a friend that just had too much to drink (despite Thurstwell stating otherwise).

They all head upstairs to one of the rooms where they inspect the puzzle box. As Liam starts to attempt opening it, he is warned by Thurstwell that he may want to reconsider given the box is infernal in nature. Not wanting to push his luck more than they already have, Liam sets the box aside and instead takes a look at the 3 ledgers he acquired from the Duke’s bedroom. The ledgers contain the actual business dealings of the Vanthampers. Though written in infernal, the information contained actually appears to be legitimate and there is no connection with the Cult of the Dead 3 that Liam can find.

Meanwhile, Elder Storm examines the needle that he acquired from the Vanthamper vault. It appeared to resemble a tattoo needle. As he held it near his skin a magical tattoo began to appear, covering his chest and arms. The tattoo depicted moving tornadoes with lightning and forest fires (very tempest!).

What could this tattoo be and what will happen to Elder Storm now that he has it?

Still in the sewers beneath the Vanthamper estate, the Dickbags collect themselves after defeating the Jailor fiend. They immediately turn their attention to the two prisoners being held. The first is a human male who introduces himself as Falastar Fisk. He works for Sylvira Savokas at Candle Keep. Sylvira believes that Thavius Krieg has made a deal with devils and sent Falaster in search of a certain puzzle box that they believe holds the proof of Thavius’ alterier motives. In another cell, they find an elderly human female who introduces herself as Satir Thione-Hhune. She’s part of an aristocratic family and believes she was kidnapped as a form of blackmail to keep the Hhune family from opposing Thalamra Vanthamper stepping as the new Grand Duke.

With Falastar’s similar motives and Satir being a key witness to the Vanthamper’s dealings with devils, the Dickbags agree to let release them. For good measure, Ser Nedir removes the head of the Jailor fiend to take with them as additional proof. They make their way out of the jail. Uncertain of the direction Liam took, they follow the path that Toph sensed Amrik running along.

Meanwhile, Liam continues his pursuit of Amrik. Having checked the stairway they took to get into the basement, he’s certain that Amrik is still somewhere in the sewers. He resumes his route, retracing the steps they originally followed only this time he’s checking rooms that they initially passed before. The first room he checks ends up being for cold storage. With no sign of Amrik, Liam proceeds to the next room which has a set of double-doors across from the dining hall they checked previously. As Liam approaches the door, he can hear soft voices inside. Quietly opening the door he finds 4 cultists performing a ritual and a 6ft tall barbed devil staring straight at him. Liam quickly retreats and hides just inside the dining hall. The barbed devil rushes out of the room followed by the 4 cultists just as the rest of the Dickbags turn the corner. A battle begins. The barbed devil launches a flame at Ser Nedir who easily deflects the attack with his new shield. Liam downs his potion of fire breathing just before Nedir (who is unaware of Liam’s location) retaliates with a Fireball of his own. The massive explosion incinerates the 4 cultists and takes Liam down as well in the process. The Dickbags focus their fire on the remaining barbed devil. Toph lends her crossbow to Falaster while she holds Satir, who is determined to avoid combat at all costs due to her age.

After succeeding on one death saving throw, Liam rolls for another. ANOTHER NATURAL 20!! With a surprising cough/exhale of smoke, Liam regains consciousness with 1 hit point. He limps his way out of the dining hall and towards the continuing battle, being sure to stay as far away as possible. He unleashes a series of fire breaths, the last of which manages to ignite the fiend and burn it to ash.

The party regroups as Elder Storm casts a prayer of healing, giving everyone some much needed hitpoints. Believing the explosion of fire came from his potion, Liam warns the rest of the group about the potions of fire breath indicating the potions might be defective. After collecting themselves once again, the Dickbags head into the room that the devil/cultists came out of. In the room they find 9 tapestries depicting the 9 layers of hell as well as a 7ft tall statue of an angel with glowing eyes and holding a sword. The group inspects the statue more closely and (eventually) finds the source of the glowing eyes to be coming from a mace that is lodged inside. After a few failed attempts to remove the head of the statue carefully/cleanly, Ser Nedir gets flustered and pushes the statue over causing it to shatter. Toph grabs the mace which is still emitting the soft glowing light and puts it in her bag.

A moment later they hear a hidden door open nearby. They look to find Amrik standing in the doorway. Ser Nedir senses another presence inside the room and alerts the group. Toph casts mage armor on herself and rushes in. Inside she sees Amrik as well as Duke Thalamra Vanthamper herself! The Duke immediately attacks Toph with two eldritch blasts (she’s a warlock?!) and Amrik follows up with his dagger (dagger, dagger). Toph falls to the floor unconscious, but is soon revived by Ser Nedir’s Lay on Hands. The battle continues with both parties trading blows. Toph then casts Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp and twins it to ensare both Amrik and Thalamra. Though restrained, Thalamra manages to open a yet another secret door behind her, but is unable to escape. Amrik, on his last leg, does another series of attacks on Storm, Nedir, and Liam. Missing his first two attacks Amrik tries his last stab at Liam, but critically fails by stabbing his mother before hitting his head on the floor killing himself. Ser Nedir is then able to deliver the killing blow to Thalamra, cleaving her in half with his long sword.

Once they are able to look around the room they find a large obsidian shrine with flames that resemble the same fallen angel statue that they recently destroyed. Toph takes some of the Duke’s cloak and gets a rubbing of some of the infernal runes depicted on the shrine. Meanwhile, Liam takes a couple keys he finds on the Duke’s remains and learns that one of them opens the vault. With Amrik and the Duke now dead, Liam helps himself to the remaining platinum in the coffers. Ser Nedir informs Reya and Thavius Krieg that Amrik and the Duke are both dead and that they still need to find a puzzle box before they leave. At the mention of the box, Nedir notices that Thavius tenses up with uncertainty.

It seems there’s a lot more going on here than what meets the eye….

The Dickbags continue their search through the Vanthamper estate with their host(age) Amrik. After leading the group to the vault, Amrik uses a combination to open the door. Inside they find a number of tables with coffers on top, and an elderly man who identifies himself as Thavius Krieg, the Leader of Elturel. The group also notice’s that Thavius’ shadow does not match his form, but rather that of a pudgy fiend with small wings. Ser Nedir uses his divine sense and determines that there is a fiendish presence, but it’s not coming from Thavius. The presence is actually coming from a shield on the back wall. Upon closer inspection, Ser Nedir sees that there is a slight celestial nature to the shield in addition to the fiendish aura.

Ser Nedir touches the shield and immediately begins to hear a voice in his head. After a brief mental discussion, Nedir informs the group that the shield is possessed by an entity that refers to itself as the “Hidden Lord”. When asked about the shield and his shadow, Thavius acknowledges that he sensed the fiendish presence, but had not communicated with the shield. He also noticed that his shadow changed as soon as he was brought to the estate by the Vanthamper guards.

Meanwhile, Liam hears a group of guards approching and quickly gets everyone into the vault before shutting the door. The wait quietly inside for the patrol to pass by, but they seem to stop outside the door. A moment later the vault door opens revealing two cultists, two fanatics, and two ravens that look very similar to those the Dickbags saw at the Low Lantern. As the ravens fly into the room, they drop their disguise revealing their true Imp form. Amrik knows these to be from his brother Thurstwell and proceeds to hide in the corner.

Ser Nedir grabs the shield from the wall and proceeds to use it to block the attacks of the cultists and fanatics. A battle ensues. Elder Storm takes out an Imp and Cultist with his javalin of lightning, while Ser Nedir finds that the new shield allows him to cast wall of fire, taking out the fanatic at the vault entrance. The group makes short work of the remaining cultists.

Thavius states that he would like to get out of there, but the Dickbags first need to find some physical evidence that ties Duke Vanthamper to the cult of the dead 3. Before leaving the vault, Liam takes a peek in each of the coffers. He finds a large quantity of electrum, gold, and platinum as well as a tattoo needle and broken dagger. Elder Storm takes the needle, Liam grabs a bit of platinum, and Toph grabs the two dagger pieces (useing mending to repair them). Reya and Thavius decide to stay in the vault and hide while the group continues their investigation. Thavius also tells them that he overheard the cultists taking about a shrine that was somewhere in the basement. If they could find the location of this shrine and relay it to Captain Zodge, then the Flaming Fist could return and verify. A cultist shrine in their own establishment may be the proof they need.

Unsure where to go, the Dickbags lock Reya and Thavius in the vault (to keep them safe) and continue wandering the halls. They eventually make their way to the prison, where they find a jailor that has a tentacle-like beard. The group swoops in to attack. For a moment, the group is not focused on Amrik and he takes the opportunity to flee down the hall and around the corner. Liam takes off after him while the rest of the group finishes off the jailor.

Will Liam catch up to Amrik before he escapes? If not, how will they get Reya and Thavius out of the vault? Things are quickly spiraling out of control….

Having completed their day of shopping and getting food at the Full Aweful, the Dickbags get ready for the next phase of their journey. They approach the Low Lantern, a merchant ship that is no longer sea worthy and has been permanently docked with large chains. As they step onto the deck of the ship, they find a number of dead seagulls. Ser Nedir takes a closer look and finds they were all stung multiple times by some unknown source.

They proceed to the lower deck and find the tavern. Several patrons are spread throughout and engaged in various drinking and gambling. Elder Storm approaches the bar and sees a kenku (Gary) bartending. As he proceeds to order some ale, the kenku begins repeating back what Elder is saying. Ser Nedir moves out amongst the patrons to see what he can observe while Liam and Toph approach Laraelra, the ship’s captain. Toph explains that they are looking for work and heard they could find something here that may or may not be “legal”. The Captain acknowledges their offer, but indicates that she runs her business “above board”. What her patrons do, however, is not of her concern. She further explains that they are welcome to partake in any drinking/gambling that occurs and can see a gentleman further below deck if they are in need of some coin.

The Dickbags regroup and head down another level, where they find another bar with yet another kenku bartending (also named Gary). They find Amrik near the aft, sitting at a table. They all approach and indicate that they’ve recently spoken with his brother, Mortlock. Taken aback by the group and their involvement with his brother, Amrik throws a smoke bomb and proceeds to run away. The Dickbags pursue. Ser Nedir is able to cast Champion Challenge, preventing Amrik from willingly moving too far from Nedir. Liam gets ahead of Amrik to block his path and ends up taking the brunt of Amrik’s attacks (dagger, dagger, dagger). Nedir then has to square off with a guard and accidentally smashes his sword into the floor, causing the wood to break. Nedir and the guard both fall through to the deck below. Nedir just manages to stay within range of Amrik to maintain his tether. Elder Storm and Liam continue their pursuit of Amrik. Through a surprising display of acrobatics, Liam is able to get ahead of Amrik on the stairs and block his escape. Unable to run, Amrik proceeds to give up.

They all return to the table to proceed their discussion of the Vanthamper family and its ties with the Cult of the Dead 3. While Amrik denies any such involvement, Elder Storm is able to intimidate him enough to at least cooperate with them. He offers to escort the group to his family’s villa, providing them safe passage into upper city in the process. He agrees to help them get by without being noticed so that they can look around and do any investigation they need. Amrik also points out that his mother, Thalamra Vanthamper, has recently had a guest that she doesn’t want anyone to know about. The group decide that this “guest” may be just the leverage they need to prove the Vanthamper’s involvement with the cult.

The Dickbags proceed to leave the Low Lantern with Amrik, when they encounter a cloaked figure on the main deck. She identifies herself as Reya Mantlemorne, a Hell Rider from Elturel. She explains that she witnessed the light of the companion turn black. It was then that the city of Elturel started to crumble and disappear. All that is left now is a crater. She came to Baldur’s Gate because she heard rumors that their leader, High Overseer Thavius Krieg, was escorted here by Vanthamper guards. Reya asks if she can join the group as they search the villa in hopes of finding their leader. They agree.

As they make their way to the villa, they pass through a number of guards at the gates to the upper city. Amrik informs the guards that the party is with him and they are allowed to pass without question. When they get to the villa they find three sets of guards patrolling the parimeter. Per Amrik’s recommendation, they find a section on the north-east side that they can climb over the wall and hide behind some bushes unseen. They quickly make their way into house by way of the kitchen, managing to avoid the patrolling guards. Amrik leads them to the basement and through a series of tunnels. He points them to the room where the “guest” was likely staying. The group searches the room and while it does appear to have been occupied, there is nobody present. Liam picks the lock on a nearby chest and finds a symbol of Thorm, something Reya confirms the High Overseer may have had. They backtrack and check the nearby kitchen/dining hall only to find them empty as well.

Amrik informs the Dickbags that the basement tunnels are also patrolled by guards so it would be in their best interests to either stay in the guest room (waiting for the guest to return, hopefully alone) or make their way to the family vault, which guards are not allowed to enter. Though reluctent about Amrik’s sudden enthusiasm about their family vault, the group decides it is best not to hang around for too long. They make their way through some more tunnels until they reach the vault door. Amrik enters the combination causing the door to slide open. Inside they see several coffers as well as an old man holding a candle. As they look past the old man they notice that his shadow does not resemble an old man, but rather that of a horned fiend.

Did Amrik just lure the Dickbags into a trap or is there something to be learned from this mysteries creature?

After regaining their strength from their adventure in the cultists lair, the Dickbags prepare for what lies ahead. They have a light breakfast at the Elf Song (basically just breads and cheeses) and Toph has Allan make her a bloody mary, which ends up being high proof wine with fresh squeezed tomatoes and a lot of pepper. They inquire with Allan about the Low Lantern. He indicates that Laraelra is the propietor and it handles its share of shady business.

The group heads out to Master Thunderstone’s Saving & Deposit (a local bank). They inquire about exchanging some coin and discover there is a 5% convenience fee (or 2% if they have an account with at least 100gp). Elder Storm hands over 10 platinum and opens an account. The rest of the group proceeds to exchange their coin by piggybacking off of Storm’s new account.

The Dickbags then head to see Captain Zodge. They inform him that the cultist lair has been cleared out and all but one cultist eliminated. They also indicate that the Vanthampers were being the cult’s activities. Zodge asks for any proof in these accusations, but the group only has the lead of finding Amarik Vanthamper at the Low Lantern tavern. Zodge tells the group that they are officially conscripted and asks that they continue pursuing this lead. If they can find proof that Duke Vanthamper was indeed involved, he will award them some magical items that they have confiscated. Given the choice of continuing their mission or being thrown in jail, the Dickbags have little choice but to agree to the mission.

Before heading the to Low Lantern, they decide to visit the Trade District. Ser Nedir finds an alchemist (Terry Sprigleaf) who is able to identify a couple of vials that they found in the lair as potions of fire breath. Elder Storm purchases two healing potions and Liam/Toph barter to procur an Alchemy Jug. Liam then heads out to find a nearby Blacksmith (Glen Sootfoot) and commissions him to craft some new shurikens. Ser Nedir trades in his chainmail armor and some gem stones to get some heartier splint mail armor.

Continuing their journey through the trade district, the Dickbags stop by the “Full Aweful” for some falafels, which are actually pretty good. Elder Storm runs back to the blacksmith a purchases a copper cup so that he may utilize Liam’s endless supply of alcohol. The group then heads to the Low Lantern, a tri-masted merchant ship. It is in clear need of repair and no longer sea worthy so it has been permanently docked with large chains.

What awaits the Dickbags in this shady tavern? How will they prove the Vanthampers are involved in this crazy conspiracy with the Cultist of the Dead 3?

Having saved Mortlock Vanthamper and uncovered the purpose behind the Cult of the Dead 3, the group continues their pursuit of the remaining cultist (the Death Head of Bhaal). They find the Death Head in the adjacent room with along with 3 status depicting Myrkul, Bane, and Bhaal. The group manages to flank him and a battle ensues. The Death Head soon finds himself in need of an exit. He attacks Liam twice with his dagger, causing Liam to fall to the floor unconscious once again. As the Death Head begins to flee, Elder Storm seizes the opportunity and delivers the killing blow.

With the cult now eradicated (mostly), Elder Storm performs a prayer of healing bringing Liam back to consciousness and providing some aid to Mortlock. They inspect a couple of the nearby statues. As Ser Nedir approaches the statue of Bane, he quickly finds himself kneeling in front of it. Perplexed, the group asks what he’s doing and he tells them that something is forcing him to kneel. He eventually overcomes the aura and backs away from the statue.

Now cautious of the statues, Toph uses mage hand to grab the out-of-place harlequin mask from the statue of Bhaal. Nothing happens when the mask is removed so Toph puts it back. Liam decides to grab the mask and feels the same urge to kneel for Bane’s statue, but manages to shrug it off.

After searching the nearby storage room, the group begins making their way back to the surface. Mortlock points out what was behind the various doors the group passed on their way down (mostly traps). When they get back to the stairway leading to the bath house, Mortlock indicates that he will be leaving Baldur’s Gate for good. He advises the group that if they wish to get the attention of Duke Thalamra Vanthamper, their best bet would be to get some “leverage” by capturing his brother Amrik who could be found at the Low Latern.

They make their way back into the bath house, where Mortlock proceeds to tell one of the masseuses that the party is now in charge as he makes his way out of the establishment. Taken off guard by this news, the masseuse indicates that she’ll send a runner to consult with Duke Vanthamper. Toph gives the masseuse a gold piece in exchange for her discretion. The party quickly leaves and heads back to the Elf Song Tavern.

In celebration of their recent victory, the group orders drinks for the other patrons and get 3 rooms for the night (a grand, a medium, and a small room). Allan (the tavern owner) warns them not to step on the carpet in the medium sized room due to it being enchanted.

Elder Storm begins regaling everyone of their recent adventure at the bath house. Nedir, Liam, and Toph sit back and listen as Storm twists and stretches the events of their adventure into a truly epic tale where he alone saves the day at every turn. The patrons cheer as the story unfolds. Storm pauses as the Elf Song begins to sing, this time singing her usual story of a lover lost. After the Elf Song concludes, Elder resumes his enchanting tale.

The party goes up to the grand room and divides up their loot. Everyone then disperses to their respective areas (Ser Nedir in the grand room, Toph is given the medium-sized room where she barely manages to avoid stepping on the rug, Liam takes the small room, and Elder passes out at a table downstairs). They all take a well deserved night’s rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?