Session 9: Let Them Eat Cake Report

General Summary

The party found themselves in the aftermath of a chase through Eastway  as they attempted to escape the chaos following their meeting with Amrik Vanthampur. Happening upon a warehouse with the door ajar, the majority of the group decided to hide there and wait out the cultists and their new followers. Patience took it upon herself to hide in plain sight in order to conjure up a few more distractions in case their chasers got too close to the warehouse. A few close calls followed until Patience finally decided to hide in an unlocked hovel, and the party bided their time until Artena, who had an excellent view from the top story balcony, could affirm that the last of the cultists had left. The party regrouped in the alleyway and thought long and hard about their next steps. As a clamor started to develop in the neighboring streets, and what looked to be a bonfire was started near the harbor, they decided to go in for a closer look. However, a duo of thugs from The Guild  blocked their way forward and demanded payment for their passage. When Patience mentioned her background in the Guild, and named her Kingpin (Straightstick), the pair grew more hostile, claiming that Straightstick should keep his agents in the Outer City where they belong. The party parted with a number of gold coins and some materials before the thugs let them through.
Investigating the bonfire, the party saw that a group of about thirty members of the Cult of the Dead Three were handing out robes to the townspeople, and the Carpenters Crew seems to have publicly pledged their allegiance to the cult, as evidenced by the many burly individuals present with sharpened saws, whittles, and other woodworking tools. When Patience and Artena decided that this was too hot an area to stay in, they quickly made their way back to the Elfsong Tavern, finding the alleyways of the district blocked by several makeshift barriers, erected by members of the Crews surrounding the area as well as some Carpenters who didn’t want to side with the cult. Some Flaming Fist soldiers quickly interrogated the party before letting them pass, and Richard, Artena, and Fenrir helped erect a sturdy wooden palisade while Patience and Reya Mantlemorn helped the Fists keep the cultists and their recent converts inside.
At the Elfsong, Bimbur the barkeep handed over a letter, inviting the party to a dinner at the Vanthampur manor. The letter was obviously written by a servant, and did not mention anything specific other than the date: two evenings from today. Heading upstairs, the group was confronted to Alan, the half-elf proprietor of the Elfsong, and he kindly requested them to keep whatever shady business they have going on (as evidenced by the ongoing violence, letters, and visits from whatever factions are active in town), outside the inn. The following morning, the party split up in order to cover more ground. The Griffin’s Saddlebag spoke to Artena with a new delivery request, stating that a Ring of Protection was to be brought to Duke Belynne Stelmane, the last remaining Duke of Baldur’s Gate other than Thalamra Vanthampur. Their interest piqued, the party exited the tavern with a clear idea of what to do. However, those plans changed slightly when they came across a town crier who had the following bits of news for them…

• Bloody fights between Elturian refugees and Outer City residents have resulted in the arrest of a twelve year-old boy who is to be executed following the death of a Flaming Fist and the assault against another.
• The lower parts of the Eastway neighborhood have turned into a nightmare of violence as the Flaming Fist and the Watch were once again nowhere in sight. Friendly crews of neighboring areas have isolated the area with makeshift barricades. Any help that can be given is appreciated.
• As Baldur's Gate faces the biggest refugee crisis it has ever seen, Duke Stelmane remains absent at Council meetings, leaving the goings-on of the city in the ice-cold hands of Duke Vanthampur.
• Another body has been found at Insight Park this morning, and a second body has been found near Hamhock’s Slaughterhouse up in Sow's Foot. The total amount of related murders is now at 14.

With that in mind, the party first made their way to Candulhallow's Funeral Arrangements. As Artena almost closed on their prized necromancy insurance©, Patience became impatient and disturbed the ritual of conservation for the newest victim, whom they found out was Iolanthe Oshrat… or was it? The individual had several patches of scales on her skin, and the pupils of her eyes were strangely slitted, unlike her sister Wemba, who was among the first victims. Patience also found another refugee passport on Iolanthe, who like the other victims was covered in small cuts and post-mortem tattooed patterns of the Dead Three. A discoloration on her shoes gave another clue: a tanning liquid had been spilled on some of the bodies, so a tannery was the most likely place to stake out. Taking their leave, the party asked the moon elves working at the funeral home if they could “Speak with Dead,” and that was indeed how they found out details about the deceased: their name, the location of their relatives, how they wished their bodies to be treated.
With their newfound insights, Artena and Patience went to Insight Park and inspected the terrain. They reacquainted themselves with the druid Torimesh, who was livid that the Flaming Fist did not start their investigation sooner. He led the pair to the place where the body had been found, leaving them to their investigation. Patience and Artena found that two people had carried the body up the hill to Insight Park, and they were able to trace their footsteps back to the harbor district of Brampton, where it didn’t take them long to find a tannery that had been established in the old abandoned building of the Poisoned Poseidon. Patience met the stare of one of the leather workers, who eyed her very uncomfortably until they left.

Finally, the two walked to the Manorborn district in the Upper City to make their delivery. They saw that many patriar houses had upped their security level, with many of them having Watch soldiers stationed outside of their houses. Like the others, the Stelmane manor had a large group of guards standing outside the house. Upon inspection, Patience and Artena were allowed an audience with the Duke, and they were escorted into the seating chamber. About ten minutes after they arrived, a stately, thin woman in her sixties met them, and without exchanging pleasantries, received her commission. Duke Stelmane looked as if she was on a different plane of existence, from the way one of her eyes always seemed to be looking into the distance to the ghostly wail of a voice that she spoke with. The servants reassured the party that the Duke had been suffering the effects of a stroke for five years, and that while her manner is a little strange, her brain still functioned very well, and she still made frequent appearances in the Council of Four.
As another day comes to an end, Artena and Patience made their way back to the Elfsong Tavern to reconvene with the others and restructure their plans for the night and the next day…

Campaign

Descent into Avernus

Protagonists

Artana Dryl

Fenrir Firecam

Patience

Report Date

10 Dec 2022

Primary Location

Eastway

Secondary Location

Manorborn