Equinox Ball - Upstairs Overlook

Johan ascends the stairs to the overlook, passing a few partygoers up the sweeping staircase. The music is more muted and echoing up from the grand ballroom floor, and from the large open balcony behind the distant music and cheering from the commoner's parties filters up.

He takes a glass from a passing butler, not bothering to drink it as he wanders around, his eyes scanning the much sparser crowd up here to see if anything catches his eye.

Not sure if Insight or Perception is more relevant for noticing people of interest in the overlook/balcony:
Insight(+6): Rolled a 9, so 15.
Perception(+11): Rolled a 1, so 12.

Questions, Shadows, and Singing Elves

Johan made his farewells for the night from Odin's, following Nym's slightly overdramatic exit in a cloud of magical sparks. He followed his feet, enjoying the cool breeze ruffling the edges of his coat as the sky continued to leech the leftover light and fade to a deep blue-black. He could feel a chuckle escape his lips as the faint sounds of singing caught his attention, and looking up he saw the sign for the Elfsong Tavern again looming overhead.

"Seems I liked this alehouse a bit more than I had previously thought. Well, the Syndicate dropped me off here before, and they doubtless had some eyes watching us all day before, so what more harm could it do?" he thought, before pushing open the door.

Inside the crowd was much more substantial, a particular group of mercenaries taking up the largest tavern, and looking around aimlessly with stunned expressions as the notes of the ghost's song echoed around the rafters.

Johan made his way over to the bar, and when the half-elf bartender was free, he caught her attention, and said "Lady Elandara, might I trouble you for a question for a moment?"

She cocked her head in curiosity, smiling and nodding, and after she finished drawing the set of thin beers for the table of mercenaries, she made her way over to his booth. He gave her a thin smile, and said "I wonder if I could trouble you a question about an individual I've seen a few times around the...less savory sections of Baldur's Gate; He, or it rather, is a shadowy figure, humanoid in general shape but impossible to clearly make out. Sound familiar by any chance?"

Diplomacy(+16): Rolled 19, so 35.

Day One Evening Reconvening

Nym was tired. This had been the longest day she'd had in some time, and she was glad it was at least mostly over. She slowly made her way back to Odin's shop in the dark. The shop was dark, and the door locked. Nym shrugged and teleported into the shop to unlock the door and light a few lanterns. She then unlocked the stable and helped Nesme settle in before re-locking the stable and returning to the shop interior.

Nym sat down behind the counter and counted her earnings for the day. "176 gold. Not bad," she said to herself, putting it in a small sack on her belt. Pipper was smelling all the unique smells of the shop, and Nym was quickly becoming bored alone in the shop. For a bit, she wandered around the shop looking at the various odds and ends before she noticed Violet's pile of papers from their meeting aboard the ship the night before. A plan slowly began to form in her head and she sifted through the pile looking for the parchment with the information about Baroness deHaville's missing husband and child. When she found it, she read it thoroughly, and whistled in happiness at her plan. "Now I just have to wait for the others to get back to see if they know where I can get a copy of a sending ritual," she murmured, wiggling with impatience. She pulled out her ritual book and turned to the blank pages. "Hopefully one I can copy and use repeatedly!" she added, slamming the book shut and standing up triumphantly.

Alas, Nym was still alone, so she sat back down and tapped her finger on the nearby display case impatiently.

What does the Baroness deHaville's request say? How much is the reward and is she in Baldur's Gate?

A Lien, Mean Syndicate Machine

The next morning when Johan arrived at Odin's Fine Provisions and Sporting Goods, Odin was already pacing back and forth and making Violet nervous as they tried to think about what to do to pay off the lien on the Lady Narath. Violet was sitting at a table with a small stack of paper and a piece of charcoal taking notes and trying to use the paper to help her think.

"So what do we have? Well, this shop is just about breaking even, so that's out," Odin said. "And I'm not willing to give up everything I have for a group of people I just met yesterday, even if they are your friends. No offense. I just have a lot invested in this place."

"I know, dear. It wouldn't be enough to pay off the lien, anyway," Violet replied, "The loans you had to take out to get your materials would take out most of the value that you could get from a sale like that."

"Well, I suppose there is more than one way to harvest a Boola Blossom." Odin said as he continued pacing. "Option 1 could be to try to pay off the lien straight out. Option 2, get it fixed up and take off before they can stop us?"

Violet snorted, "I think they'd see through that. There's no way we could get it seaworthy without them trying to repossess the ship early when they realize what our plan is. Plus, I'm not sure we could get it all done in a week."

Odin shook his head, and said, without turning, "Johan, do you have any ideas?" causing Violet to start and look up from the paper she was staring at, "I suppose we could try to strongarm them or something, but I don't know any leverage that would make them feel threatened by a small group of adventurers that includes at least one half-elf with a reputation for drunken slovenly behavior."

Restless Ghosts

Alternate narrated song

Johan threaded his way through closed market stalls and the occasional late-night merchant before finding himself in front of a tavern. Despite himself, he smiled as he stepped through the threshold under the wood sign that read Elfsong Tavern.

He had heard the stories of the tavern, and suspected the echoes of those stories had taken advantage of his distracted mind to guide his feet towards the establishment. The lilting sound of the unseen ghost wafted through the air, like an intoxicating perfume; It was unexpectedly empty inside, with just a handful of patrons at tables that could seat twoscore more. Apparently the songs of the dead that provided the tavern's namesake were offputting to actually hear.

Johan smiled, unconsciously rubbing the scar that encircled one finger, and listened for a while.

The candles had burned far lower when he stood again, although the witching hour was still some ways off. He strode to the bar, catching the attention of the half-elf bartender. She strode over, and racking his mind Johan finally said "Lady...Elana?"

She smiled, and with a little chuckle shook her head. "Elandara. What will it be, traveler?"

Johan scanned the menu carved into the bar, before one item caught his eye. A plan that had been formulating in drips and drabs in his mind suddenly came into sharp focus. "I'd like to rent one of the rooms upstairs, for, eh, four candles," eyeing the engraved message on the bartop that read

 Meeting Room - 1 candle for 1 gold
Loiterers after the last candle has burnt down will be thrown out.
Candles good for about an hour.

She nodded, pulling a quartet of thin beeswax taper candles from a wooden box below the counter, and lighting one from the torch sconce on the wall. She passed him a thin silver key, and nodded towards the upstairs room as he passed her the coins in payment.

"Room is the one on the left at the end of the corridor. Will there be anything else?"

He nodded as something his father had mentioned once floated to the surface. "Are you carrying any coin for House Riopel of Thay?" he muttered. She nodded with a little smile, but he just nodded and returned the smile despite himself.

The ghostsong must be getting to my mind too. He shook his head as he made his way to the meeting room. He lit the lantern on the small room's equally-small table; His darkvision meant it was a waste of good lamp oil, but he'd rather someone saw the light and didn't barge in before his hours were up.

I have to find that bastard earlier; He knew me, recognized me, and if word gets back to the rest of house Riopel, father will send every damn vryloka hunter coin can buy to bring my head back in a sack.

He clicked open the tiny window, careful to oil it with  a drip from the lantern so it merely whispered open. Catching sight of the thin sliver of moon overhead, Johan grinned, no humor in this sharp-toothed smile.

Gods be damned, wherever they are: It's about time for a hunt.

He slid through the window and onto the roof, before making his way to an adjacent alley, and melting into the city to find his quarry.

OOC: Alright, Johan's going to try and track down the little smarmy guy from earlier. Going to do a Streetwise and Perception, but let me know if there's a different check that would be appropriate to find the debt collector guy:

Streetwise (+17):  Rolled 17, so 34.

Perception (+11): Rolled a 3, so 14.

Stealth while doing so (+12):  Rolled an 11, so 23.

Ruffians in the Dark!

"Oh, Darvin are you planning on leaving Baldur's Gate tomorrow?" Came an oily voice from the gangplank. "If so, we'd love if you'd remove all the garbage and refuse from our ship before you go." He said stepping onto the deck of the Lady Narath. The man scowled at the group assembled before him. "Well, what a freakshow..." He said stepping toward the table around at the assembled crew. "Is this the going away party you're hosting, Captain, before you finally remove yourself from our ship?" The man grinned and showed a set of stained and yellowed teeth.

"Hmmm..." Beranhond said standing and glaring down at the man. "Please explain yourself."
The man looked Beranhond up and down. Beranhond easily towered a foot over the man and the silvery armor under his cloak glinted in the lantern light. He changed his tone quickly as his eyes adjusted and noticed that none of the women at the table seemed remotely perturbed by his presence. Like most bullies they are quick to change their tone when confronted.

"Don't get all pissy with me." He said quickly. "I'm here for legitimate reasons on behalf of the Waldorf Syndicate - we have purchased the lien on the Lady Narath and are technically owners of the vessel. I was sent here to remind Darvin that he only has a short amount of time to repay the lien to use before we reclaim the vessel in the name of city of Baldur's Gate." He dropped a scroll on the table quickly before slinking back. Beranhond glared at him once more as he picked up the scroll and opened it up. The man cowered a bit before continuing, "You can argue it all you want, but the syndicate is short tempered with you!" He turned his head and caught a look at Johan and gave a very slight grin, before returning to his soured expression.

"So, if you're leaving town you might as well clear out, or you can visit the syndicate tomorrow with the cash." The man took a look over Nym, Violet, and Evelaen and realized that none of them seemed at all perturbed. Realizing that his usual ability to crudely intimidate people was wasted here he scampered back and across the gangplank into the darkness Beranhond watched the man run away and then handed the document to Evelaen who quickly poured over it.

"Alright, it looks like a standard legal document. It just states the dates of which The Lady Narath was passed into our company, which dates it returned, the bounty, and the syndicate which purchased the contract." She said reading over it quickly.

Beranhond sighed and rubbed his temple. "It looks like we might have to meet with them, or the city, or both, before we go off seeking treasure. Otherwise we might not have a ship at all when we return." He turned to Darvin. "What do you know about this syndicate?"

This will probably be a brief party split time, so use the comment section here to figure out the plan and then let us know who is going where and we'll handle the next part.

Skills to use:
Streetwise or history about the Waldorf Syndicate. Only Darvin, Johan, Violet, and Odin will really have anything to add here as Nym, Talathel, Evelaen, and BH are out of the loop.
Nature, while wonderful, isn't useful inside the city. Streetwise is the way to go.
Diplomacy works within conversations and for gathering info. Otherwise just RP the situation.

Dan, would you mind handling the syndicate?

Dinner Party - Evelaen's Story

All of stories are occurring at the same time, so feel free to continue to message/comment on the previous posts.

Evelaen took a drink of water and then smiled around the room. "I know we only met each other today, but I feel like I know all about you. Beranhond's stories about you were quiet in depth and detail. After all, we had a long time to talk on the journey back here from Saerloon. She took another sip.
"I was born to a wealthy family in Saerloon. My father served as a legal adviser to the merchant and mining councils. I naturally was heavily involved in the upper crust of the city. It might surprise you, as Saerloon is known for its thievery and dark underbelly, but the upper crust of the city, though not that different in many ways, loved their over the top festivities. At the age of thirteen my family put together my cotillion where I was shown off of to the noble classes and my family prepared for my marriage."
She caught the surprised look in Nym's eyes.
"I was married by fourteen to a wealthy family in the city. My husband is nice enough, but honestly, an arranged marriage to a man who is mostly concerned with making moe money and having more stuff isn't exactly what I was looking for in my life."
She shifted slightly, starting to draw vertical lines on the piece of paper she had kept in front of her for notekeeping.
"Needless to say, my marriage was a bit of a sham, partially because I was keeping a second, much more private life, as a sorceress. I took to haunting the streets at night after my husband fell asleep fighting with the local brigands and crime elements. It was late one of those nights that I met Etheldred, though, at the time he was going by the name 'Iacobes' which really didn't seem to fit."
She bit her lip, drawing the liens a bit nervously.
"Well, to tell that part of the story quickly, he was trying to provide medical aid to a fallen comrade, and I helped him to fight off the local brigands. On the way to my home we got to talking and telling stories... to make a long story short I left my husband at our house a week later and took to ship with him."
"Beranhond still has some nervous moments about the fact that I'm married, but I try to tell him that my husband probably doesn't even notice that I'm gone. Besides, I know that if I wasn't around he'd probably wind up going back to being a farmer."

Dinner Party - Violet's Story

As Beranhond finished his story, Violet began to fidget a lot, obviously not sure exactly how to tell her story. Odin patted her knee and stood up, nearly banging his head on a beam before sitting back down again and beginning to talk.

"I was in my armorsmithing apprenticeship on Llewellyn when the druid temple was destroyed. In fact, I was working the forge that day when Master Aerilon, my mentor, started hearing the destruction and rushed in to tell us that we needed to flee. I quickly and efficiently banked the fires and put all of my tools in order before grabbing the small bundle of things that was my belongings. I expected that whatever was happening would soon be over, and I hoped to return and help rebuild as soon as possible."

He gave a chagrined smile to the group, "Of course, my decision to spend time packing up meant that I was one of the last to leave the village. As I walked through the door and started toward the water, I heard cries of anguish coming from the direction of the druids' meeting hall, and saw what looked like a small bundle of dark purple cloth until it moved. It was Violet, dragging herself across the ground out of the tunnel. One of her legs was not working correctly, and was causing her extreme amounts of pain."

He put his large hand back on Violet's knee, "I picked her up as gently as I could and carried her out of the town and into the jungle to a small cabin where she could recuperate and heal from her wounds."

Violet added in a haunted voice, "That was the most frightening and painful day of my life. My leg was badly infected, and I was forced to use my magic to remove my leg and cauterize the wound so that the infection wouldn't spread and kill me." She shuddered and withdrew into herself.

After another squeeze of her knee in support, Odin continued, "Once she was stabilized, I crept back back out to check on the village, but didn't get far before I saw the smoke billowing above the jungle canopy. Realizing there was nothing I could do for Llewellyn, I foraged for foodstuffs and firewood, and took care of Violet for a week before she was able to travel. I had studied medicine in Evermeet several years, and I was able to put some of that training to good use."

"We traveled slowly overland to Caer Calidyrr, where we were able to find passage back to Baldur's Gate. I was able to set up this shop and start anew with my tools and inventory after losing everything at Llewellyn. And I have been here ever since," Odin finished.

He looked at Violet questioningly, "Violet, I'm sure your friends would be interested in your story, as well." 

Violet responded to his prodding by laying her much smaller hand over his hand and giving it a small squeeze. She gathered her courage, and went on from where he left off, "With Odin's help, I was able to get an first artificial leg made and begin my rehabilitation. Of course, after my failure to stop the high priest of the Dark God, word began to spread that I'd lost my touch as an assassin, and work began to dry up. It didn't help that I walked with the help of a crutch and had to rely heavily on magic to see the job done, where before I'd been able to count on a quick stab if everything else fell through."

Violet sighed, "I took a series of small jobs, and though I was successful in them, it was obvious that I would not be able to return to my former renown. I began looking for alternative sources of income. I eventually settled on treasure hunting, as it uses a large cross section of the skills needed in my former profession, and have been happily building my new life here with Odin ever since."

Violet continued, "I kept an eye on the events here as I could, and sent what information I found to Beranhond in an attempt to give the party a chance to reconvene, but mostly, I've just tried to get the edge back in my skills and be prepared for whatever comes."

Dinner Party - Beranhond's Story

Beranhond was surprised at the variety of journey's that his companions had taken. Darvin's story hadn't surprised him too much as, sadly, much of the evidence of his last few years remained scattered around The Lady Narath.
Talathel's journey of renewal was uplifting and reminded him of a fervor that had wandered away along with the voices of the Gods.
Nym's story of finding peace, and perhaps a bit of reprieve from the darkness that had followed her, gave him a bit of hope as well. Yet, all too soon he felt it was time for his turn to share his story.
"Well." He said clearing his throat."I can fill in a few gaps that the rest of you don't remember..."

Beranhond stepped away from the attack, the swing of the sword missing him, and he slipped aesahaettr deftly between the guard's ribs.
"Darvin, Johan, we need to advance." He yelled to the two who were fighting rear guard. A sudden blurry shape charged forward from where Johan had once stood.
"What the..." He said, blocking another strike with his shield. Darvin stepped forward and attacked with his swords, disarming one of the guards.
"Well done Darvin!" Beranhond said encouragingly. "We just might win this yet and see what is hidden..."
Beranhond's words were cut off as a large black shape moved down the stairs started chanting.
"Retreat, get out of here!" Beranhond yelled, shoving another guard aside with his shield and then starting to move back toward the entrance.
Before he could move too far toward the exist the chanting stopped and the room filled with darkness and a sharp shock of pain ran through Beranhond's body. He dropped the ground screaming and saw that the other two were also collapsing to the ground in pain.
Beranhond raised up his symbol of Narath, hoping to shield the attack, or at least to minimize some of the pain.
Eth... the darkness is making it's move. Came Narath's voice into his head. He pushed up the symbol again the waves of pain emanating from the darkness. The symbol cracked and broke, and a flash of light exploded out from the light.
Eth, I'm buying you a few moments of escape by distracting the darkness. Return to Baldur's Gate and get the Paladins out of the region... all those relying on divine powers are likely to fall under the sway of the rising darkness. A shimmering wall of light emerged from the broken holy symbol, and Beranhond quickly ran over grabbing Darvin and Johan and dragging them to safety.
The ride back unlike any experience that he had experienced. Darvin and Johan rode as in shock, before Johan suddenly peeled off and rode off in silent, unresponsive to Beranhond's calls.
Beranhond returned Darvin to the Lady Narath, leaving him in the same unresponsive stupor that had overtaken him since Candlekeep.

"At that point, I knew that I needed to find Ceilith. Yet, I was completely unprepared for what was to have occurred. I made my way to the front and found the Tormish Paladins over confidently involved in an assault on the forces of darkness. I assisted them as much as I could, but..." Beranhond swallowed. "My divine powers had failed me and I could cast no spells, call on no abilities, and serve no divine healing. The paladins too suffered similarly. In fact, as the battle went on more and more of the forces turned sides, becoming zombie's and ghosts and ghouls, until Ceilith and I stood at the rearguard, a few paladin's who had once had training as soldiers and warriors the only remnant of the expeditionary force." Beranhond took a heavy sip of the wine. "I thought we might have a chance to escape, but a massive dark shape burst through the line and slammed Ceilith to the ground." He looked down at the oaken table. "I managed to fight off the shape for a moment and to hoist Ceilith up onto a horse. We escaped, along with a few of the paladins, to south of the battlefield. When we stopped and I checked Ceilith's wounds I found that it was beyond my non-magical aid.

"It's alright Eth.." She said coughing up blood. "I'm going to go and join the fight in heaven at Torm's sides."Her hands going up to his face. "I adored every moment I had with you even if I could never understand why you fought against contentment with every fiber of your being.
Beranhond couldn't hold back his smile. "Oh stop... I wasn't that bad." He say ruefully.
"Yes you were." She said before coughing again. "But, when I die, make sure I'm dead... I don't want to come back as one of them. I know what I'm asking you might be morbid, but please, take me back to Tantras and bury me in my family's plot.
Beranhond eyes shot open. "I can't..."
"Please..." She said coughing. "Even if it's just my head. I don't want to come back as one of them." She looked up into his eyes one final time. "Fight the good fight Ethelred. I'll give your parents your best..." she said before sliding into death.

"After her death, I followed her wishes, building a pyre and burning her ashes before leaving Baldur's Gate and returning to Tantras and her ancestral land. I held a small funeral with her family and then attempted to give my report to the Tormish command." He fiddled with his fork, trying not to dwell on the memories.  "Yet, although they politely listened to my report on the destruction of the druids, the vunerabilities of divine energy, and the rise of the darkness they seemed not interested. Apparently since my previous visit a new faction had arisen that decided to refocus on the war with Thay. The incidents out west were deemed unimportant and I was politely thanked but summarily dismissed."
"I returned to my family's land, tilling the land for a season as I reflected on the new reality of the world. Although I prayed and sought conversation with Narath she was absent. Word soon flooded into the Citadel that Gods and Goddesses across the world were seemingly absent from the world. It was at that moment that I realized that I was once again needed out west. My journey back was smooth..."
"Really, smooth?" Evelaen interjected. "That's how you are describing us meeting?" She rolled her eyes. "Beranhond can tell an epic story quite well, but I fear he will mangle the story of our meeting with a lot of unnecessary 'thee's and 'thou's." She laughed heartely. "I don't want it sounding like something that came out of a chivalrous court. So, let them ask their questions and then I'll finish up the story of our journey."

Dinner Party - Talathel's Story

Talathel cleared his throat and began. "There is not much to tell, for I don't believe I have been adventuring. When our group disbanded those years ago, I did not know what to do. So, I set off in search of Kalael. Of course, I had no leads, no ideas. So, I wandered. I would stop at monasteries of the Old Order, but many have been slow on getting information since Kalael has gone missing. In some places, I fear the Old Order may become absent all together.

"I found myself without a purpose, and so I sought one. I traveled throughout Faerun, doing the occasional good deed.  I tried to join with other companies, but apparently elven monks are not in high demand. Eventually, it was probably around the Bloodstone Pass that I realized that I was a purpose in and of myself. My purpose was to connect to Faerun. And so, I continued to wander. I lived off the land. In Mulptan, I sold what I could. I found my pleasure not in a wine cup, not in riches, not even in the helping of others. I found pleasure in simply being.

"This is not to say that I neglected my fellow beings. I would stop in villages and help the needy. In Skuld, I helped in the search for a missing child, for instance. But, I did not want to stay in one place long. Doing so would seem to deny me the pleasure of existing in this realm. There is much to experience.

"I continued along until I reached the coast. To be honest, I was not sure what to do. I could continue along the same path as before. I could try and find passage to the Moonshae Isles. I may have been leaning that way. I had seen Faerun, and maybe could return to my home and live out my days content. But then, I spied The Lady Narath. I am so grateful to see all of you again. And grateful for this stew! Hot meals have been few and far between for me. But, like Nym, I have found myself content, even if not comfortable.

Dinner Party - Nym's Story

When her turn came, Nym smiled down at her wine, swirling it gently as she began, "Since we last were together here, my life has been quite quiet... which is how I've liked it." She looked up at the group, and continued, "I was burned quite badly in Llewellyn, so I went home to heal..." "In more ways than one," she finished in her mind. 

Her eyes glazed slightly as she stared into the middle distance remembering her life over the past three years. A soft smile spread across her face as she continued, "I've been able to rekindle friendships from my childhood, and... other times." She blushed slightly, thinking if Illuvaen and how their relationship had deepened and intensified in the last few months. Her hand absently went to her necklace, a simple silver chain decorated with a small moonstone, which had been a gift from Illuvaen shortly before she left for Baldur's Gate.

"Do you remember when we were sucked into the Dream Plane?" Nym asked, looking at Darvin and Talathel. "We were attacked by that monologuing purple worm? ...I am sad to say the entire plane collapsed roughly two years ago. Luckily, many of our friends escaped before its destruction. By happy chance, Illuvaen found me in Silverymoon just this last fall." She blushed a deeper shade of red and tucked her messy, long hair behind her ear. 

"Apparently, when we returned here, Illuvaen's mother took control and ruled the land as ruthlessly as the shadowcasters." Nym frowned, feeling guilty that they hadn't been able to destroy the crystal. "Along with Illuvaen, about 100 members of the resistance survived the collapse and now live throughout the Silver Marches. Dohn Aeskmi, the ex-monk, lives in Silverymoon, as does Miss Stake." Nym looked thoughtful for a moment, adding, "You know, they have very strange names. I never thought about it before..." She shook her head, laughing, and added, "I even received a letter over winter from Druuv, the arctic goblin who helped us, telling me she and some of her people had escaped the collapse. They're living north of the Marches in the Spine of the World mountains near Mithral Hall." Nym's brow furrowed, and she added, "I'm not sure what happened to the shadowcasters or the half elf queen, though... They could be in Faerun as well."

Nym was quiet for a moment before adding, "I've been happy. Truly happy." She smiled, thinking of Illuvaen, her father, her friends, and the forest all waiting for her in the Silver Marches. Pipper scratched on Nym's leg, stretching and yawning to get her attention. She picked up the fox and set him on her lap, rubbing her fingers through his soft, white fur.

Dinner Party - Johan's Story

Johan sips again at the wineglass, the tasteless fluid seeming like colored water rather than priceless Elven spirits. He leans back, rolling his shoulders in a broad shrug. "Well, after we parted, I traveled south, to Beregost. Slunk around for a bit, until I had a bit of a run-in with the local watchmen after a stretch of being quite...parched. Their leader, Captain Kerp, took a shine to my fighting spirit, and offered me the job. The pay was shit, and the position was as plain and boring as goblin snot, but it meant I spent quite a bit less on sun balm, and, well..."

He chuckled, gesturing with the glass without taking a drink. "I never had a problem with energetic and boisterous prisoners once they'd spent a night in the cells under my watch, and good old Kerp either didn't notice, or didn't care."

Johan fished into a pocket of his coat, pulling out a rough map of the Sword Coast. On it were dozens of scratched circles in ink, dotting all over the coastal waters and coastline itself. "I've been keeping my ear out, as rogue and rowdy undead tend to mean suddenly everyone's wearing as much silver jewelry as they can steal or buy, and buying holy water phials like they're proper healing potions." He shook his head, throwing the map onto the table with mild disgust. "I can't make rhyme nor reason to the attacks; From what I've heard, the pirates have neither a base nor a target that can be made out from their attacks alone."

He leaned back, his grin showing the glint of slightly-too-long teeth, and reaching under his coat, withdrew a small hip flask. Johan took a single bracing swig, before recorking it and stowing it away again.

Dinner Party! (On the Lady Narath)

Darvin's suggestion that they retire to the Lady Narath was met with some amount of support and/or enthusiasm from Nym and Johan, (who had not seen the ship recently) and some reticence from Beranhond, Talathel, Evelaen, Violet, and Odin (who knew that the ship was somewhat in disrepair). Eventually, Darvin's pulling and prodding was able to get everyone to the ship, and as they ate the native food of Thindol, which was a fish stew with carrots and a thick broth served with crackers and bread.

Violet and Odin arrived shortly after the rest of the group, having spent several minutes gathering up a bundle of maps and other materials to help show what they were after. Once they were all ensconced below decks and eating, Violet began by laying out a very old wanted poster.

"You may remember stories of the Pirate Queen Jennah the Bold?" Violet looked around the room, seeing some nods. "Well, as you may remember, she's been dead for about 70 years, and all of her various treasures have been found, so it's not her treasure we're seeking."

Violet continued, as if this were all very necessary information, "She had a long list of associates that supported her, hence her title Pirate Queen, as you all know. I have learned that one of Queen Jennah's wealthiest supporters, known as the Earl of Lush, was sold out by one of her crew mates, named Eelskin Jack. Eelskin Jack thought he was extremely clever to hide out in the cliffsides near Secomber, but was found and killed for his treachery. Of course, as soon as he was sold out, the Earl of Lush moved his vast fortunes elsewhere, so Eelskin Jack was also a dead end. It's too bad, too, because I was really excited to head up to Secomber and dig around in his old hidey hole before I found that out."

Violet shook her head and took a bite of soup before continuing, "No, the Earl of Lush was able to die a wealthy man and pass along his considerable fortune to his illegitimate son, Conner. Conner had been raised to be extremely careful with money, but never knew how to handle it, so soon after he was gifted the money he disappeared with it. Rumor has it that he fled with the treasure to a remote island far to the west, but before he escaped, he said goodbye for the last time to his childhood sweetheart, Amelie, who lived in Daggerford."

Another gulp of soup went down the hatch before Violet continued, "Of course, as soon as he sailed away, a group of brigands tortured and accidentally killed Amelie, trying to get the location that Conner had sailed to. It couldn't have been easy tracking this stupid treasure down, could it?"

At this point, Violet tore half of her slice of bread off and doused it thoroughly in stew before gesturing very seriously at the rest of the crew, "I have learned that before he left, Conner gave Amelie a keepsake to remember him by. If we can get that keepsake, I have a way to use it as a locating beacon and it will lead us to Conner, and therefore to the treasure."

Violet stood and swallowed the hunk of bread in one bite, "So all we have to do is go up to Daggerford and dig up a poor girl that's been dead for 30 years and hope that the small carved turtle carved from shell that Conner gave her is buried with her or at least nearby."

The Beregost Watchman

Baldur's Gate was as ripe as ever, as the wind brought the smell of the day's catch to blow past the watchman. He was escorting a man in shackles, several weeks of scruffy growth on the hair of the manacled criminal as he was steered by a cold, firm hand towards the Harbormaster.

After nearly shoving the grouchy and ill-tempered bandit into the waiting hands of the Harbormaster's guards, Johan leaned back into the shade of the awning over the door. His wrist burned where he had missed a spot with his sun balm, and the thick wool cloak was giving him a frustrating itch on his neck. A flash of color and movement caught his eye, and he started, drawing back slightly into the corner of the entryway as he saw the unmistakable lines of the Lady Narath in port.

When he'd last seen them, before running to hide in Beregost, Johan's companions had...mixed reactions during that particular fight. He wasn't at all sure which of them would welcome the sight of the creature that had been in their midst, or send him away with curses. Living as a watchmen in the southern town had its perks, especially since few there noticed how tired the prisoners were after a night's stay in the cells, but this trip north had suddenly become a great deal more complicated than he originally had predicted the escort duty to be.

So, full disclosure, Johan is a Vampire class, not a Rogue, and was the whole time last game (I decided having him "revealed", at least OOC, would make it easier on everyone, the DM especially, rather than playing basically 2 characters at once). My thoughts were that Johan had accidentally outed his status in some sort of fight or encounter, and fled shortly thereafter. Whether you saw the vampireyness or not and how you reacted or would react I wanted to leave completely open.

Spiral Battle in Candlekeep

Here is the map of the area for the battle. Once we get everyone's initiative, the conflict will continue here.

You can access the combat spreadsheet here. 

The order of combat will be as follows:

1. Johan
2. Beranhond
3. Ceilith
   
4. Darvin
5. Ragnar
6. Baddies

I have shifted Ceilith and Ragnar's turns to be right next to the people controlling them in order to speed up combat a bit. All of the enemies will take their turn at the same time.

Candlekeep Quandary: Beranhond, Darvin, and Johan Investigate (Part 1)

May 22nd, 1373
After a night of light drinking, as befits adventurers about to set out on a quest, Beranhond, Darvin, and Johan set out the next morning from Baldur's Gate with Alixondra and Ragnar tagging along.

They set out at a reasonable hour, and Beranhond set a moderate pace for the horses, allowing them to travel without dawdling and taking more than two days to get there while not jeopardizing the horses and allowing the riders to be alert and not too tired when they arrive at Candlekeep.

The beginning of the first day is mostly uneventful. They see small groups of refugees streaming toward Baldur's Gate, as well as several small groups of bandits that make themselves scarce as soon as they realize how well armed the band is. As they travel, they begin to discuss where they will camp and how they will approach Candlekeep.

The two most common ways to travel to Candlekeep are to either camp on the plains about halfway between or to push through to Beregost the first day to find an inn and then leave a bit later in the day for the shorter journey from Beregost to Candlekeep. 

What I need: 

1. Please decide whether you will camp on the plains or stay in Beregost.
2. Please give me a perception check.

Candlekeep Quandary: Beranhond, Darvin, and Johan Investigate (Part 0)

I assume that you are traveling together to Candlekeep and that you are going to be riding down together by horse. That is the usual way of getting there. I also assume that you will bring Ragdar, but Ceilith will stay behind to help with the city.

Please let me know if you would like to bring anyone else, travel in some other manner, or change anything from the above plan, and I'll start writing up your journey.

City Council Meeting Summary

It is at this point that I would urge you to all start taking notes. I have started, because there is WAY too much information that I'm sharing here and in emails to you individually to be able to keep track of it without some sort of notes. :)

The group ate their exquisite salads, followed by a cheese plate with raw sheep's milk Roquefort Coccinelle and toatsted hazelnuts. The third course consisted of a Gorgonzola and Pancetta pasta dish with orecchiette, fresh red bell pepper, scallions, walnuts and gorgonzola cream sauce. The meal concluded with small trays of sea-salt caramels.

Small talk continued throughout the meal. Once the plates had been cleared, Georgia asked Jeeves <i>(the servant)</i> to invite Ragnar and Ceilith to join them.

Under his breath, Jeeves whispered, "My vast knowledge is wasted here!"

Once Ragnar and Ceilith had entered and taken their seats, the meeting and strategizing began.

Georgia begins by giving everyone a bit of the recent history, to make sure everyone has the same information to start from.

• Georgia begins the breakdown in a very businesslike manner. Ishmael and his false Lathanderian priests have done quite a lot of damage through both direct and indirect assaults on Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate. It's suspected that his lot are the reason for the silence from Candlekeep and Luskan.
  

Tarryn Kallis (formerly known as Councilwoman 2, sitting between Johan and Councilwoman 3)

• She explains that the City Council has not been idle, and has spent the past year working to formed an alliance with several other cities in the area, including Candlekeep, Scornubel, Athkatla, and Murann, as well as several smaller towns. They were starting to try to raise an army to defend themselves, but about six months ago, their emissary to Candlekeep stopped writing, and none of their attempts to contact them have been successful.

Evelia Hutchcraft (formerly known as Councilwoman 3, sitting on the end next to Councilwoman 2)

• Evelia adds that they she had even begun having some regular, if rather tense, discussions about mutual defense with the druids of the Moonshae Isles, but that Algor, the leader of the druids, had not been at the agreed upon meeting place for either of their last three meetings. The next meeting is scheduled for less than a week away, but they're beginning to lose hope.

Delilah Dynamo (formerly known as Councilwoman 1, sitting between Beranhond and Talathel)

• As if reciting a long-worn argument, Delilah brought up the undead and how to ensure they would be able to protect the city against them. She mentioned a city watch and armed guards patrolling both the city and the sewers, but warned that the watch was stretched extremely thin with all of the refugees pouring into the city. If an attack comes, they will have to cut back somewhere, and that means they will be exposing themselves to an attack somewhere. They just don't have the resources to do everything at once.
  

Abarrion Bort Garther Regginold Dartherson III (formerly known as Councilman 1, sitting between Talathel and Darvin)

• Abarrion stood up with a really big gesture to draw attention to himself and said, "Things are bad!" Having said his piece, he promptly sat down and tried to continue staying awake. 

At this point, please roleplay any questions and comments you'd like to make. This is the background for what's going on in the world, but it is up to you to decide where your responsibilities lie and what you want to do to change things.

The City Council

At 6:00, Beranhond, Darvin, Johan, Nym, and Talathel arrived at the City Hall, where they found Violet waiting for them.

"Dinner and the City Council are waiting inside," Violet told the group, "They have been growing nervous with all of the bad news that has been coming in recently about the other cities along the coast. I would recommend calming their fears as much as you can." 

As Violet led them into a modest sized building, past several artistic renderings of the city and the surrounding countryside, she continued, "The last they heard from any of you, you had just encountered Methasse at Waterdeep and were traveling to the Shaar to try to raise troops to help you fight him. They are hopeful that you've been successful, because they received word this last week that Methasse is considering attacking here next." 

The group came to a medium dining room with a door on each side. In the center of the room was a round table and fifteen chairs spaced equally around it. Each chair had a table setting with a generous salad, several bottles of assorted dressings, and a few small bowls of toppings for the salad. As they approached, a servant who had been standing the door opposite the one they entered from quickly ducked into the door she'd been standing next to. Several moments later, the servant reappeared and took up her place beside the door as the 7 members of the City Council came through the door one by one.

As the council came out, the members of the group that had been in Baldur's Gate at the beginning of their adventures recognized both Arngrim and Hring among the seven. Apparently, they had both become more of a political fixture in the city since the last time Kilink had visited.

One of the women that nobody in Kilink recognized raised her arms in greeting, "Welcome, Kilink. I see your group has changed a bit since last we met. I am Georgia Stourm, the leader of this council. Please, sit and join us for a dinner, and we will bring each other up to date and strategize how to stem the tide of the darkness that sweeps over the land." Georgia motioned everyone to sit, and the council spread out to put themselves next to and between the members of Kilink. 

The final seating arrangement was in this order: Georgia, Beranhond, Councilwoman 1, Talathel, Councilman 1, Darvin, Hring, Nym, Arngrim, Johan, Councilwoman 2, Councilwoman 3. 


Are you thinking you'd like to roleplay this dinner, or would you prefer to just do more of a rundown of important information and such? Please vote.

Another Familiar Face

At this point in the conversation, there came a knock on the cabin door. "Rat-a-tat-TAT."

"Enter," Darvin called.

 And on his command, a  somewhat tall woman with dark brown hair and dark clothing with a deep violet cloak walked in. Darvin, Nym, Talathel, and Beranhond recognized Violet, though it took a moment before Talathel and Beranhond remembered exactly who she was, as she had only traveled with them briefly. She has a morningstar at her hip, and walks into the room with a very quiet though purposeful stride.

She said, in a low alto voice, "My bold adventuring group has returned at last. Welcome back to Baldur's Gate!" With this, she came in and gave Darvin a big bear hug and went around the table trying to do the same with everyone but Johan. As she came to him, she asked, "Hello. Do I know you?"