#46 It's the Door's Fault

Ghuldur thanks Party for their help and warns them to be careful if they're heading in the direction of Gracklstugh

Yantha strips out of the gem-studded robe, her dick just swanging, and asks for her things back
Party files out of the warehouse, and on the way Zaz spots & pockets a +3 all-purpose tool

Sylrien suggests checking on the deep gnome warehouse, since the duergar may still be attacking

the fungi in front of the warehouse is overgrown, and Party inspects several bodies

loud noises nearby are traced to the doors of the warehouse, where a group of duergar are trying to break in

Party speaks to what seems to be their leader and convinces him that they've spoken to Ghuldur and the situation has been handled

Party tries to speak to the gnomes through the door and reassure them that they're safe now, but the gnomes don't believe it

the barred door is a source of major frustration, and Zaz has an outburst and snaps at them: "then die"
the gnomes, feeling threatened, shoot a dart through one of the holes; it poisons Zaz, damaging him minimally
Dibrael moves Zaz to the back of the group to patch him up
- Dibrael is called back to the front to keep an eye on Skjorn, who is starting to say stupid shit and may be the next to be attacked

Off-Screen: Aerlian approaches Zaz and invites him to go on a walk and take a breather

once they're alone, he convinces Zaz to follow him to the next destination, saying the party will catch up

Party makes their way to the next area, where they expect to find Peebles

the drow territory is mostly empty, save for Zilchyn the friendly punk drow, who Skjorn immediately flirts with
everyone spreads out to look for Peebles and Mylz spots him first
- he rushes toward her, all worked up and rambling in Gnomish
- Thora and Mylz successfully persuade him to calm down enough to explain the current situation
Peebles explains that a gargoyle snatched the gem from him and he's been watching them from a safe distance ever since; they're perched above the drow warehouse

Mylz asks for Zaz to use his superior perception on the gargoyles, only for him to not answer

Dibrael starts panicking and attempts to cast Locate Creature; the spell fails
Party argues extensively about whether or not to abandon their current quest to hunt for Zaz
after much convincing, everyone reluctantly accepts that it would be better to deal with the gem first

the NPCs had the following opinions:

Thinks it would be smartest to deal with the rock right now. It's dangerous and could affect their dealings with the Zhentarim agent if left alone. Their greater purpose here is stopping the Demon Lords, and they can't afford for it to go wrong.
- Gaziel, Sylrien, Tamryn, Thora, Ulgreat
- Jorlan (While concerned by Aerlian and the way Zaz is around him, he believes that they likely just went ahead to the Zhentarim enclave; Aerlian WAS adamant about wanting to move on, after all.)
- Sarith (It would be dangerous to waste time wandering around with no leads; they ought to deal with this now and keep an eye out for Zaz simultaneously. They need the locals on their side, especially since Aerlian has passwords to doors they can't access.)
Believes the party should retrieve Zaz first. Even if they don't know just how dangerous Aerlian is, he is still unpredictable and unsettling, and this is hostile territory in the middle of the Underdark. Zaz isn't safe outside of the group.
- Elwyra (She's impulsive, and that's one of her kids now.)
- Shoor (Could not care less about the trading post. Cares marginally more about Zaz.)
Argues for both sides. Gives no indication of which they actually think is better.
- Elias, Jimjar
Thinks nobody should bother looking for Zaz because he's useless. And since you people clearly can't stay on track, the rest of the mission is hopeless, too.
- Aerlian

update quest: Wild Gem Hunt

begin quest: Where's Zaz?