(12th level)
At the start of this chapter, the characters are summoned to a secret meeting by someone they trust on the Council of Waterdeep. At the meeting, they learn that the council has been approached by one of the Red Wizards of Thay named Nyh Ilmichh. Ilmichh has extended an invitation to the council to send an envoy to Thay, to discuss ways in which Thay and the Lords Alliance might aid each other during the current crisis. The adventurers have been specifically requested to represent the Sword Coast at this meeting, after which the characters will be returned to Waterdeep unharmed.
The visit to the embassy will last only a few days, but the location of the meeting is not negotiable. The duties of the tharchion (a Thayan governor) the characters will meet precludes her leaving her post. The characters' council contact tells them that Ilmichh has been carefully questioned and subjected to a zone of truth, and that all she said has been confirmed. The characters should understand that without the Red Wizards, Severin Silrajin's plans are severely compromised. Moreover, it is common knowledge that Szass Tam wants all exiled Red Wizards dead in the worst possible way. Despite reservations from some on the council, most believe that since the factions and Szass Tam have a common goal, the invitation is worth accepting.
The final decision is up to the characters, of course. No one will compel them to go to Thay. But in the council's estimation, the potential to delay or even undo Severin's plan at a single blow is too much to pass up.