The party have decided to head to Balic to seek contact with The Veiled Alliance to try and discover whether the creature they are in contact with truly is an Avangion and whether they should use Key of Darkness to release it from the dark plane.
At Last Port they are impressed by the size of the silt schooners. The place has a party atmosphere as they enter. There are rumours about the strange carvan that past through. With lizard men and a strange and powerful figure leading the wagons and a broad mighty war wagon at that pulled by Kanks that looked strange. They were undead. The soldiers where pale and diseased. They paid everyone a ton of gold. Many of the labarours got over paid and are now drunk - causing a delay in their journey as the cptain tries to find sober replacements for their crew. They are decribing Dregoths emissary that they will learn more about in Balic.
That travel to Balic. Gengar will remind the party that he intends to kill Gethin the owner of The Black Jug. The man that killed his brother.
On their journey approaching Balic they pass grain fields, vineyards and olive groves.
They will discover that Gethin is protected by a defiler called Bhurk who is a member of a secret cult of defilers known as the Dead Snakes. One of their leader is Archmare a defiler on the Sea of Glass that the party will encounter once they have been sent there later in the game. Bhurk wears a ring with a black snake in a circle on it - this symbol must be discovered by the party. If the party kill them that could lead to contact by The Veiled Alliance.
If they seek The Veiled Alliance in another way they discover that one crosses ones left hand under ones chin and goes to a market saying they want fruit but not too sour, pottery but not too expensive, drink but not too strong etc.
The member agrees to little at the first encounter and
arranges a follow-up meeting within a few hours (if
the situation permits).
Then, by regular or emergency channels, the member calls in several others, usually the rest of that members cell. One, the spotter, can detect lies either
magically or psionically. The spotter accompanies the
member at the next meeting. Other members offer
back-up, hiding inconspicuously with weapons ready
or surveying the scene clairvoyantly.
The Alliance will offer them membership and protection. They know they have the Key of Darkness and they want it back. They ask where the Avangion is and try to discover their aims. They will also tell them that since learning from them that Dregoth lives they have discovered he has sent an emissary into the dead lands.
They want the party to stop the emissary but first to find out where he is going.
Otherwise the emissary request could be given by Vosdra returning on her Cloud Ray. Telling them that Nibenay demands they follow and then stop the emissary.
