Previously: Chapter 25: The Non-Lethal Option
The Flail Snails
As the party approaches the cave with the flail snails, they try to sneakily approach it as quietly as possible. It seems to go well, but alas, Kal’s armor yet again proves the parties downfall, as her heavy footfall attracts the attention of a curious Flail Snail, approaching the party slowly. Fie can see that the snails have no visible eyes, so deduce that they should be able to use light without problem, so Kal comes close to the front of the group. Seeing the large elemental slowly approaching, she decides to make the first strike against it, trying to ward it off.
The rest of the party quickly joins the fray, deciding to get it over with, apart from Willowbark who stands back, not wanting to hurt an innocent creature unprovoked. As the party manages to get in a few hits, the snail desperately tries to get away, further into the cave, but doesn’t manage to get far before all its flails are chopped off or destroyed, causing it to retreat into its shell, wailing an awful, sorrowful screech. Kal tips over the snail, exposing its weak spot, and Granny finishes it off, squelching the scream.
Further into the cave, the party encounters two more flail snails, one larger than the other two, who approaches the party having heard the wails of its companion, trying to defend it. They too however are quickly dispatched and silenced, with Willowbark joining the battle in black bear form.. The battle over, the party takes a look around the room, finding little of value, apart from a chest in a corner, covered in some sort of salty goo, which Theren cleans up with prestidigitation. Inside they find a wizards cap with a “D” in a rune on it, some supplies for maintaining the flail snails, a small bag of a powder that appears to have been taken from a flail snail shell, and a tarot card. Identical to the other cards they have found previously.
As they study the tarot card they realize that the symbol of Shehemis has gotten slightly more visible. Before, only barely being able to be made out, now it is actually much more protruded. They know Shehemis is a trickster god, who resides in the plane of Pandemonium, but is also one of the few gods who still has a presence on the material plane from time to time.
With a little help from Willowbark and Penny, Theren manages to successfully harvest the two flail snails without harming the shells, allowing the party to bring back them for sale. Granny, Kal and Willowbark easily carry out the shells to the cart. Waiting for them, three Stone Giants can be seen talking to Verkenner. Willowbark reads on their lips that they seem to not be hostile, talking to him in a calm manner. As the party approach, they thank them for clearing out the goblin menace, as they have been killing some of their livestock, and harassing the giants for some time, before returning to their lands to continue their work.
Granny remembers that the goblins seemed to disappear underground, so they all look for where the entrance of any cave could be. After a little bit of searching, they manage to find, hidden behind some boulders, the entrance to a cave that leads east. Preparing for the journey, they strap themselves in, fastening the flail snail shells, and venture into the cave.
The Journey Back
As they travel through the system, they are luckily guided by the signs the goblins used to navigate the cave system. In the distance, lit by natural glowing stones and the occasional opening into the world above, they can see flail snails, spiders, stirges, and other curious monstrosities they have not encountered before. Luckily, none seem to heed the party.
After traveling for a full day, they eventually find an opening in front of them, where the last of the daylight can be seen shining through. They spend a while carefully leading the horses up the narrow walkways, as they carry the cart and its treasure up the cliff by hand, managing to make it through without harm. They can see a small hamlet in the distance, next to the road, and throughout the night, they can see heavily armored trade caravans traveling from Jasperpost to Thielheim with supplies. Little do they know that the roads are much safer now. Penny has decided to try on the wizard cap they found, and discovers that it seems to mess with her intelligence, and she is unable to take it off. It takes a few days, and a couple of attempts to dispel the magic to remove it again, and the party teaches Penny a lesson never to put on something without Theren identifying it first.
As they enter Thielheim a couple of days later, their horses are over the moon to have the party return. The farmer is a little disappointed that they managed to survive, but assures the party that the horses have been taken care of to the best of his ability. Diamond is extremely happy to have Penny back and wants to get back on the open road as soon as possible. They spend the night in Thielheim, setting off towards Tempervale the next morning, after saying their goodbyes to Verkenner. Verkenner goes over to Granny to kiss her, thanking her for the journey, and expresses his joy of having met the party. Maybe they will see him again some time.
The journey back to Tempervale goes without much of a hitch, having learned now what to look out for, and at times spending time traveling with other wanderers heading the same way. As they reach the city gates after four days, they are stopped by a couple of guards, who points to Kal, and asks the party to approach. They assure them that they aren’t in any trouble, but wants them to know that Captain Kirrus Mericious is requesting to speak to them the following morning.
The party checks out the Tranquil Eye, hoping to offload the shells to Arha Perry sooner rather than later, but finds the establishment empty and nobody home. They decide to guard the cart for the night, trying again in the morrow. Willowbark and Granny sleep among the horses, while the rest of the party go to sleep near The Transcendence Theatrer, at an inn called The Proud Tower Tavern. A tall tower, with at least 15 floors, an open plan so one can see to the roof from the bottom, with a massive hearth in the center, and a big bar at the opposite side, with a small redheaded elf greeting the party. They check in, taking two double rooms, before settling in for the night with some drinking. Kal asks the barmaid and owner, Lily, about any Temples of Shehemis, but she doesn’t know if they have any. She also asks about where to get paid the transfer from Gundren Rockseeker, and is told that The Tempervale Bank is the one and only place to go, as that is the only financial institution in the city. She also warns her to be careful not to cross the owner, Kali Merit, as she has a reputation for being… ruthless. Or bitchy, as Penny helpfully points out. Kal thanks her for the information, and gives her a tip.
The Departure
The next morning, Theren emerges from his ring, noticing that Demetrius is not in the room. On the nightstand, he can see a letter waiting for him:
Dear friends and party
By the time you read this letter I will have left Tempervale. I have received a message that I can not ignore and must treat with the utmost haste. An old friend has called upon me for action and assistance. Due to the sensitive nature of this call, I can not disclose any more information.
As the sun sets in the West, be aware this is not a final farewell, and I shall return when my mission is complete. We shall be reunited once again when the sun rises to the east. .
May Kals strength protect you all
Theren bring the darkness to furious fire and clear the path of the evil lurking.
The curiosity of Willowbark will lead you to new treasures and friends,
and may Granny give you wisdom while Penny inspires you all to fight on.
I am
Demetrius Archangel Esquire.
You are the lucky Five.
Theren shows the party the letter, and they are saddened by the fact that Demetrius has left, but hopes he returns soon. Kal sends him a message wishing him luck, but reminding them that he owes them money. Demetrius happily responds that he will bring more money after doing the job he has been set out to do.
Buying and Selling (and Reporting)
The party first of all goes to The Tranquil Eye to offload the shells, managing to get the armor that Theren was looking for, as well as 7000 gold in payment. Theren is very pleased by this, and happily accepts his armor. Kal asks about shields, but Arha says this is not really her speciality, but if they are looking for armor, then Pijjirik Skaarzborroosh is the best person to go to, as he is the best blacksmith in town. She doesn’t want to buy the dragonscales or the ogre hands, but will happily take the Stone Giant Molar they have been dragging around.
Penny goes to give her report to Hamil Fatrabbit about the Potion of Spirit (Experimental). He is a bit disappointed that there was so much problems with the side effects, but is happy that the potion at least does what it’s supposed to. He has to work out a few kinks, but thanks Penny for her help. He is however not interested in buying her molar.
Back at The Molten Gauntlet, Kal and Willowbark is asking Pijjirik about a new shield. He has loads of different ones for sale, but considering Willowbark is a druid, he knows that she would be opposed to anyone with metal in them. So he goes to the back of the shop, coming back with a beautiful ebony shield (+1), that he has for sale for 450gp. Kal helps Willowbark count out the money needed to buy the shield, hoping to teach her a lesson about money at the same time. Pijjirik is happy to take the dragonscales off her hands, and promises that once he has completed the armor that it can be used for, they will get a rebate on it (13000gp instead of 15000gp) if nobody else has bought it before they do. It should take about 6 months to complete. He can also make the severed ogre hands into a set of Gauntlets of Ogre Strength in a couple of weeks for a little bit of gold, but nobody has any use for them, so he takes them off their hands for 5gp.
The Shape of Things to Come
Penny is getting really impatient about the potential other “Penny” being around with her Morgan, so she decides to go over to the Theater whilst the rest of the party go talk to Mericious. At the guard barracks, Kirrus greets them, welcomes them in and gives them the rundown of the situation. Over the last few months, people have been disappearing whilst wandering the docks. They have managed to keep a lid on it, but Akadio Zetterlund is breathing down the city guards collective necks, hoping to put an end to the disappearances. All he knows is that the ones taken are either alone or walking in pairs, never more than that, and sometimes, a body might float down river, with its jaw removed, preventing them from speaking with the dead to find out what happened. Mericious have been checking out the party since last time they met, and knows about Phandalin and Wave Echo Cave. He also drops the bomb that Phandalin has been taken by the undead, much to the parties shock and surprise. In either case, he hopes that the party is what they need in these trying times, and offers them either a monetary payment or maybe some property in the city if they manage to put an end to the disappearances. The party tells him they will see what they can do, and Mericious tells them to visit the Morgue to check out the body that was found this morning for clues.
Meanwhile, Penny walks straight into the Transcendence Theater, and requests to be guided to her room by Lady Kree. Kree suddenly remembers that Penny came by a few weeks ago, and uses her magic spyglass to confirm that it is the true Penny, having seemingly forgotten to check the other one. She tells Penny where the room is after accepting a small bribe, and asks her to “please do not wreck the room”. Penny says she won’t.
Walking up the stairs, down the hall, to a room marked with “Performers”, she senses two minds on the other side. She tries to listen to the door for voices, but can only hear mumbling. She wastes no time, opening it and walking in. There she can see a silver haired man, looks like Morgan Lowblade, lying with his back towards her on a futon, whilst “Penny” is seen with a drink, sitting at a dressing table. She looks up at the mirror, sees Penny, turns around, and starts running towards her…