Session 03 Summary

General Summary

After a somewhat indecisive and retroactive short rest at the water fountain, the party arrived at the Skewered Dragon tavern, finding it to be a virtual ruin with smashed windows and an anchor stuck in the roof. The interior, which proved to be in no better condition, was populated by a barman and three fisherman patrons already deep in their drink.

To set the tone, Horus regaled the drunks and the barman with a riveting spring-shanty that seemed to elevate their spirits as well as loosen their lips. At Lunch’s prompting, they revealed they’d seen a man matching Floon’s description here in the tavern the other night. He’d been having drinks with a somewhat recognizable pseudo-celebrity, Volo, who left after a short while. Floon was then joined by another, similar-looking gentleman in fine clothing, with whom he continued to drink the night away. At last call, the tipsy pair left together but were followed by a group of five armed men, one of them visibly marked with a tattoo of a winged snake; the known symbol of the Zhentarim. The fishermen also shared that this group of men was known to frequent a warehouse down on Candle street; the door of which is marked with a flying snake.
After Hawthorne’s generous tip, the barman also suggested that they party speak to the owner of the shop across the way, as he may have seen what happened after the two groups left the tavern.
Visiting the shop proved to be a very odd experience. Everything in the shop was painted or dyed purple, and the shopkeeper, who sat cross legged on the counter, was a hairless old gnome in plum robes, smoking a pipe. After searching through the odd selection of purple curios, the party attempted to leverage a purchase to extract information from the old gnome. He ultimately shared that he’d seen someone matching Floon’s description, as well as another noble, get jumped in the street outside the tavern and then get carried off somewhere.
The party then navigated through the Dock Ward to Candle Street, where they initially planned a tattoo-based subterfuge. Hawthorne snooped around inside the gate, scratched some paint off a window, and spied a large room filled with a dozen or so bodies as well as three Kenku occupants.
After picking the lock (eventually), Hawthorne’s attempt at bluster was unsuccessful when it became obvious that the Kenku were no friends of the Zhentarim. A second attempt at deception at least delayed the inevitable conflict long enough to let Lunch and Horus close some distance.
During the ensuing battle, two of the Kenku were slain; one in spectacular fashion by Horus’s critical eldritch blast, and Hawthorne was also struck down, but kept his feet through the power of his relentless endurance. The third Kenku threw down his weapon and surrendered, and that’s exactly where we will pick up the story…

Report Date

21 Dec 2023