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20 Tarsakh, 1471 (Day 25)

Morning

Neverwinter

• Mosely "Mo" Moonstone , Erynn Haldwynn, Verna, and Raemund Faeton stand in a broken street of Neverwinter with Tomlin Helder as if waiting for something
  • Tomlin : 83 yr old Illuskan human male, impeccably dressed considering he lives in a recently decimated city
  • Tomlin met The Party members at an inn in Neverwinter and hired them to help him find Vala Silverton
    • Tomlin  doesn’t know that she is alive but someone has recently opened a secret door at the Everfall Manor, and he only knows of a few people that would know how to do that
    • He promised 50 GP to each of The Party members, payable even if no one is found alive, to locate who has come out of Everfall Manor
  • Tomlin  removes a spell scroll and a Pocketwatch from his waistcoat - the pocket watch has a painting of Vala on it
  • Tomlin  informs The Party that he is scrying for someone and intends to teleport The Party…. Somewhere, but he’s not entirely sure it will work
  • Tom and The Party vanish into thin air
• The Party experiences the side effects of teleportation - a feeling of absolute disorientation and disequilibrium, as if one were wildly  tumbling through zero gravity

The Lost Hills

• The Party arrives in the Lost Hills and sees smoke from a large fire streaming into the air about an hour walk to the west
  • Tomlin  seems somewhat surprised the teleport worked and tells The Party that getting them to wherever they are is about all the help he can provide at the time
  • There are obvious tracks from multiple humanoids and a cart heading in the same direction, so The Party follows them
• Approximately ¼ of a mile from the Old Owl Well The Party finds the source of the smoke: the smouldering remains of a massive bonfire with 40 - 60 of burnt corpses in it
  • Verna asks Tomlin  if he can identify anything/one in the ash
  • Tomlin  mentions that he is no novice around bodies and begins searching
  • The Party is slightly disgusted at the sight of Tomlin  digging through recently burn bodies
  • Verna pulls out her short sword and begins poking around in the remains to see if there’s any loot about, but she finds nothing
  • Tomlin  mentions that the fire seemed to have been built quickly and hastily as an efficient means to protect against the many ills that can come with a large, stinking pile of corpses
• The Party hears confused and flabbergasted voice coming from the top of the hill
  • Tomlin immediately begins running to the top of the hill and loudly beckoning, inquiring if one of the voices is Lady Vala - The Party casually follows behind him
    • Tomlin  finds Vala and Orthanc having an animated conversation near the cookfire in the Old Owl Well
  • Tomlin  is amazed that he found Vala alive and that the spell scroll he used to teleport worked, for he paid very little for it. Vala seems elated to see Tomlin, running to him and throwing her arms around him in a familiar hug.
  • Tomlin  asks Vala about Orthanc, with a leading question as to whether he is her “consort”
  • Tomlin  introduces Vala to Mo, Verna, Raemund, and Erynn as Vala Silverton of the Neverwinter Silvertons, the High Oracle to King Bann Alagondar II, Grandaughter of the esteemed Edda Everfall, who was High Oracle to all of the Alagondar Kings.
    • Tomlin  and Vala briefly catch up, Vala explaining how she was still alive, and Tomlin  that all of the Silvertons were killed and Everfall Manor, her estate, is in ruins.
      • Vala expresses her sadness over their shared home and her mother Amafrey Silvertons death, if not her father Landers. 
• Mo Moonstone , Erynn, Verna, and Raemund survey the scene at the Old Owl Well, determining that the place had recently seen a massive battle and had been subsequently ransacked
  • They also take note of Meilu, who is standing next to the horse cart giving an air of guarding it
  • Vala introduces Meilu and explains how “unique” she is
  • Mo has an immediate affinity for Meilu and succeeds on an Animal Handling Check, to  expertly introduce himself to Meilu and give her a carrot to eat
• Slûûp suddenly comes bounding out of the entrance to the massive red tent
  • Slûûp is momentarily frightened by the unexpected arrival of new people
  • Slûûp gains confidence when Vala informs him that they are friendly and he introduces himself
  • Slûûp then notifies Vala and Orthanc that he looked everywhere but could not find Rig or Persi
    • When Slûûp inspected their sleeping areas, he found that the bedding was rumpled as if someone were still sleeping there
    • When Slûûp went to touch the bed,  it magically smoothed as if it instantly made itself
    • The magic looked familiar, having the same visual effect as the disappearing text when Morthos disappeared
• Vala explains to the newcomers that she and Orthanc are heading back to Phandalin to settle up some rewards that were promised to them
  • She invites them to travel with them and that she will pay out their owed 50GP from the Silverton Estate once she gets the money
  • Two parties are joined to become The Party!
• While the rest of The Party discusses their recent histories and next destination, Verna uses the distraction to poke around a bit, inspecting:
  • The excavated pit and finds that it has recently been refilled with a massive amount of dirt
  • Hamund Kost’s work areas, finding that every material of any value had been stripped
  • The massive red tent, finding Hamund Kost’s archeology workshop in disarray and the sleeping quarters, which are lavish and tidy
    • Verna steals a Red Wizard of Thay Robe
    • Everything else of valuable and that could be carried has been taken
• Erynn approaches Vala, when the group disperses to prepare for travel, for a personal conversation
  • Erynn introduces herself and expresses condolences for Vala’s loss of her family
  • Erynn explains that she lost her mother, Kasha, who was a well-known knight in The Order of the Gauntlet
    • The two women pledge to defend and fight for one another, with Erynn offering her sword and Vala her healing.
• Vala and Raemund have a personal conversation about why Hamund Kost was at the Old Owl Well and what he found there. Vala informs him about:
  • Hamund Kost’s Field Journal, which she can’t read because it is written in Thayan
  • Netherese Ring of Protection with the seal of Mystryl emblazoned on it
    • Verna is very interested in the ring, which Vala allows her to inspect
• The Party organizes themselves and begins traveling east through the Lost Hills

Next Session → Session 013: Escape from the Lost Hills