After some time lying low from the chaos caused at the auction hosted by Jolgar Tarkonan (KA15. Trust No-One), the party received a letter from Lhara of the Clifftop Adventurer's Guild, offering them some work. They proceeded to the guild, and met Lhara, who led them to a dark corner. There were two people there with her; a woman that she introduced as Miira, and a man in a burgundy cloak that went unamed.
Lhara explained that she had a job for them; Miira had escaped from Riedra, on the continent of Sarlona to the east. She was looking for help rescuing her lover, Shiaali from the oppressive system that existed there. Shiaali was one of the Chosen, and therefore sometimes manifested one of the spirits that ruled over Riedra. Lhara indicated towards the unnamed man, and suggested that the Breland government also were interested in intelligence from the secretive nation.
A plan was presented to the party. They would be taken aboard the Wayward Cuttle to Dar Ulatesh, a port city. There they would pose as archaeologists, and make their way through the Iron Gate to the interior of Riedra, before proceeding on foot to the village of Borutesh. As they would be unable to sneak Shiaali back through the busy port, instead the Wayward Cuttle would sail to meet them at a point further down the coast, before picking them up and returning them to Sharn.
They agreed to the job, and immediately headed to the docks to find the Wayward Cuttle. Selene d'Lyrandar took a quick detour to the House Lyrandar enclave to explain her forthcoming absence; this was accepted, as the House of Storm was also interested in learning about Sarlona and any opportunities for trade that there might be. The Wayward Cuttle departed, and the next four weeks were spent at sea. Along the way, the first mate Jez Dovetail filled them in on what he knew of Dar Ulatesh.
They arrived safely at Dar Ulatesh, and the Wayward Cuttle pulled into dock beside a large crysteel ship that Jez Dovetail told them was part of the Harmonious Sail, the navy of Riedra. Disembarking, the party were discussing their cover as archelogists, when Selene d'Lyrandar suggested that they pretend to be from Morgrave University. They were overhead by a woman, who introduced herself as Chandra Thane and explained that she was also from the university. She explained that she was a member of the Historical Society of Lhazaar. She offered them each a crystal that they could focus on to produce a light of the colour of their choice. She also invited them to the local Golden Dragon inn, run by House Ghallanda. The party agreed, but decided to first head to the Iron Gate, to see if they could officially get out of the port. Selene d'Lyrandar was accosted by Sarun d'Sivis. He offered her a copy of the guide book that he was writing on the language of Riedra. He also showed her that there were no road-signs; instead there were crystals embedded into the ground that would show you where you wanted to go.
The party debated on their next action. Elias Minch took the opportunity to purchase some of the local fruit, while he argued for exploring more of the jhodra. Selene d'Lyrandar and Arc both thought that they should proceed to the Iron Gate; they should at least try the official method of leaving the area before they sought out alternative routes. They entered the Iron Gate, and were immediately transported into separate rooms. In front of each of them was a changeling, who introduced himself as Ilir. He asked them each several questions. To Arc, he asked why she served Karrnath; Arc explained that it was where she was born. To Selene d'Lyrandar, Ilir asked if she thought that the peace would last, and what her purpose was. Selene d'Lyrandar expressed her belief that the peace would indeed last, and said that they were exploring. When Ilir pressed her on this, Selene d'Lyrandar referred back to their cover story as archaeologists to explain that they were here to explore the past. Ilir asked Elias Minch to share his religious texts, but the monk did not carry anything that wasn't in his head. And finally, he asked Smith if he had fought in the war, and if he still fought; Smith confirmed that he had fought, but did not any longer.
These answers apparently satisfied the changeling, and they were escorted from the Iron Gate by soldiers to the edge of the city itself, with the interior of Riedra in front of them. They were each given a crystal which would act as their visa. They set out on foot, knowing that it was several days walk to Borutesh. They met several groups on the road. The first was a set of soldiers, who seemed satisifed when Selene d'Lyrandar offered them the visa crystal as proof of their identity. The next was a dwarf chained up and working on a monolith, with several humans working nearby. Elias Minch approached, and was able to discern that the dwarf was effectively a slave; the monk wanted to free him, but the dwarf did not want assistance. Selene d'Lyrandar was able to persuade Elias Minch that they needed to move on by pointing out that the dwarf was enslaved in his mind rather than the chains that he wore, so they would not be able to free him without overthrowing the whole of society. They also met two teenagers walking on the road; one was happy to talk to them, but the other got frustrated at his friend for talking to outsiders.
They camped next to the road each night. On the first night, Smith's watch was interrupted by an attack from some strange insectoid humanoids foraging for good; they quickly charged at the party, with two of them shifting positions constantly. The battle was swift and furious; but the combined efforts of the party prevailed in the end.
After three days on the road, they finally arrived at the entrance to Borutesh, ready for their rescue of Shiaali.