*Season 1, Module 8* -- “Feuds and Intrigues” (8 days later, early Eleasias, 1358 DR)

[Featuring: Alimas (Chris’ final module), Fury (human specialty priest of Hoar-Scot, Kohira, Clamus, & Maxolt)

 

            Finding their horses slaughtered by the Red Wizard’s forces, the party makes an 8-day hike to Iriaebor, arriving early in the evening.  The guards especially search and watch Kohira.  Maxolt steers the group to The Wandering Wyvern, an inn and tavern.  En route, they here the following two-week old news: Shadowdale has held off a massive attack by the Zhentarim, during which the avatar of Bane was destroyed and Elminster was murdered.  With the death of the archmage, the number of outer planes beasts is expected to increase along the Sword Coast

 

            The Wandering Wyvern is packed, inside and out, with people.  Something major has happened here.  A man pushes his way through the crowd, proclaiming something about “official clerical business.”  He enters the Wyvern and the party follows his lead.  Maxolt says, “To not help would be a dereliction of our duties as adventurers.”

 

            Inside, seven bodies (4 human and 3 elf) lie on the tavern floor.  All bear some kind of wounds.  A dozen armored men examine the bodies and take statements from eyewitnesses.  The cleric that pushed ahead of you receives no attention from the city watchmen (a.k.a. “Shields”) and stomps over to the group.  He introduces himself as a priest of Hoar and is trying to find out what happened so vengeance can be meted out (as per his deity’s dictums).

 

            Maxolt flashes the group’s seal from King Azoun and learn that the humans and elves got into an argument that quickly escalated into a violent, merciless fight.  Each group seemed repelled by the other’s presence before the melee began.  A tall, longhaired human disperses the crowd with his bellowing voice and obvious authority.  This is Lord Bron, leader of the ruling council.  He is shown the party’s Cormyrean seal and asks their aid in finding out why this senseless fight took place.  He also tells the Shield not to allow anymore “Eastern visitors” into the city (looking at Kohira).

 

            The party is then affected by a familiar urge to slay other races and quickly locates a Krie’lat statuette hidden inside the fireplace.  They take the wretched object outside, only to be confronted by three elven warriors, each bearing the harp-moon pin of the Harpers.  They demand the statuette and the party’s reasons for having possession of it.  As the party explains their innocence, a third group joins them.  This one wearing loose black face masks with no eyeholes.  Their leader demands the statuette before there is “an incident.”

 

            Before open conflict ensues, the statuette inexplicably appears in the masked speaker’s hand.  “Uh, thanks,” he stammers before fleeing.  The elves, convinced of the PC’s guilt, attack everyone.  One of the Harpers and several masked men are slain but the statuette escapes.  One of the masked men bears the tattoo of the Night Skulls.  The elven Harpers apologize for their behavior and decided to search separately for the statuette.  In light of the events, the PC’s decide not to stay at the Wyvern and are escorted by Fury to his “temple”.  It is nothing more than a niche in the cliff that separates the lower halves of the city.  Here, they rest and get to know Fury and his acolyte Peppy.

 

            The following day, the party (now joined by Fury) is picked up by a coach and taken to the plush estate of one Nalamar Windglass, a merchant rich from the city’s horse trade and beer industry.  The images of basilisks are common in the home.  He comments of the beauty of the basilisks before getting down to business:

 

            “I know of your search for the Oriental statuettes.  As we both know, the Night Skulls have the one you encountered.  And although I can’t tell tell you where it might be now, I do know where it will end up.  You see, the Skulls are secretly sponsored by the Zhentarim and there is nothing that would please them more than to see our own Lord Bron fall from his position so they might take over.  Bron has held the city’s many factions in check with the help of his own 40-member council.  Now, Bron is a fair man above all else.  His council reflects a balance of the city’s sexes, professions, and races.  If Bron, and subsequently, the council, were to leave the picture, the city would be plunged back into the armed rivalries that it knew before Bron came to power.  And as we all know, conflict is bad for businessmen like me.  The monthly meeting of the council is tonight.  I’d bet my fortune that the statuette will also be in attendance.  Now, I will provide you the means to get inside the High Tower if you will take care of the rest.  Without proper authority, no one can enter the council’s vicinity without being arrested, especially outsiders.  My coach will be waiting for you at thirty minutes past six at the west side of the High Altar of the Moon.  For your services, I am prepared to offer you 1,000 gold pieces each.  Will this be satisfactory?”

 

            The party accepts the generous offer and meets the promised coach at the appointed time.  The driver gives them a wild ride and, as Fury notes, it is in the wrong direction!  When the coach does stop, the door flies open and the driver says, “I’m sorry.  You’re regularly scheduled driver couldn’t make it tonight.  Now get out!”  The party is then entangled by a magical rope and their weapons stripped by the skinny abductor.  PC’s and weapons are deposited in a small shack nearby and then left with the parting words, “…be good while the experiment is being completed.”

 

            It doesn’t take long for the adventurers to escape and head to the High Tower.  Before reaching it, they are stopped short by the appearance of an unusual creature.  The 6’ tall, bipedal being has a snake-ish body and thin, flexible arms each ending in a hook-like claw.  Between its arms and legs are wingy membranes.  Its head is bald and earless, with large round eyes containing cat-like pupils.  Its hide is leathery tan right down to its long tail.

 

            “Your interference must now stop,” is says in perfect Common.  “I allowed the statuette to enter this city and gave it to the Night Skulls out of your grasp.  I wish to study its effects on a large population from start to finish and you must not interfere in the natural progression of events.  My species is not hostile but you will be harmed if you continue to the Tower.”

 

            Naturally, the party fights past the odd creature (which escapes).  Several guards halt the party but are struck down by sleep darts from behind.  A pair of halflings provided by Nalamar flee the scene.  Inside, the party is again halted by guards.  There seems to be no way to get past until one PC notices a Night Skull tattoo on one of them and realizes the deception.  Slaying the “guards”, the party rushes into the council chamber to find a spasming dwarf being yelled at by an elf.  Other council members keep the two separated as Lord Bron demands to know “just what in the Realms is going on here?!”

 

            The inside man for the Night Skulls stands and points at the party.  “Don’t believe a word they say, my lord!  They’re with the Krie’lat.  Look, there is an Oriental.”

 

            Bron backs away from the party but then recognizes them from the other night.  He is about to dismiss the councilor’s accusation, when the Night Skull pulls back his sleeve to reveal a mini-crossbow on his wrist.  Pointing it at Bron, he says, “All right, nobody move or you’ll have to find a new lord and judge for Iriaebor.”  When two humans begin to quarrel with some of the demihumans about who is to blame for this situation the Night Skull just laughs, saying, “We’re leaving now.”

 

            As the party plans their attack, they are hit from behind by the deranged man who captured them with the magic rope.  He cries out, “Interference brings death!” and “The master won’t be happy!”  In the melee, both the Night Skull and the crazed man are killed and Lord Bron saved.  After the fight, the lizard creature appears.  “You have ruined everything,” it says.  “My experiment is a failure.”  The councilors stop fighting at the lizard’s sudden arrival.  When it moves to reclaim the statuette and continue its experiments elsewhere, the councilors heap their hatred on the beast and slay it themselves in vengeance.

 

            Lord Bron gives the party his thanks and vows to bury the statuette.  When the group goes to receive their reward from Nalamar Windglass, he claims (from behind locked doors) that he never promised such a thing and that they “would have a hard time proving that I did.  Have a pleasant day and don’t forget to recommend Windglass beer to your friends.”

 

DM Note: Perhaps a bit confusing, here’s the cliff notes.  As stated, the lizard creature (a dimensional warper) wanted to see the effect of a statuette on society.  It introduced one to Iriaebor through the unnamed man, who was driven crazy by the statuette magics.  The statuette was placed by him in the Wandering Wyvern, then given to the Night Skulls by the dimensional warper (who used its ability to timestop) when the PC’s discovered it.  Having his finger on the city’s pulse, Nalamar Windglass had the PC’s take care of his problems without getting his organization’s hands dirty.  Nalamar was a member of the Men of the Basilisk, an organization that thrives within/at the expense of organized society, and who would have lost big had control passed to another shady organization like the Zhentarim.  The rest is pretty followable.

 

            As far as these power group modules go, I rather enjoyed constructing it.  With the added dimensional warper element, I thought I had a particularly enjoyable module.  The main plot of statuette proliferation was now dangerously apparent and the PC’s knew that something had to be done soon.

 

            Also note the entrance of Fury, another core member of the future Protectorate.

Module Rating:  **1/2