Session 48
The following morning, the Party left Shroudwatch and continued on toward Silverward. The sun was getting low in the sky as the group approached the outskirts of the city. They could see the black and red colored roofs sticking up into the sky in the distance. And they saw the smoke rising from Silverward Keep. As they approached the city, they noticed a checkpoint on the edge of town where there had been none the last time they were there. From a distance they could see the black-clad guards roughing up a traveling merchant and rooting through his cart.
Typhon decided to cast disguise self and made himself appear as one of the female members of the Sisterhood of the Gentle Snow that they had encountered weeks before. Bloodbane pulled out his white uniform that he had gotten when the Party infiltrated Crotag's palace and put it on. They approached the checkpoint and the guards manning it ordered them off their horses. The guards questioned the Party, asking them what their business was in Silverward. Typhon, as a woman, said that they were there on a shopping trip and Bloodbane and the others were there as her bodyguards. The guard looked them over carefully but eventually let the group in and told them to keep out of trouble.
As the group continued through town, they noticed several wanted posters for the Party members, along with additional checkpoints setup along the main roads and major intersections. The Party decided to head to Creti's Enchanted Emporium for some quick shopping. The snooty high-elf welcomed them in, careful to hide the bruise on the side of his face. The adventurers took a look around the shop, examining Creti's wares. Creti looked at the Party and it soon became apparent that he recognized them. He greeted them warmly and Bloodbane tried to play down their identities. Creti told them they were wanted men in town and wondered at what they had done to deserve such a reputation. Bloodbane assured Creti that they got the wrong guys. Creti saw through the deception but let it go anyway. Bloodbane asked about the bruise on Creti's face, and the elven merchant declined to give too much detail, save for the fact that the men that had taken over had roughed him up the other day. He went on to describe how several days earlier there was some fighting in the keep that spilled out onto the streets and across the city. They set up checkpoints and established a curfew in the city. The group finished looked around the shop and as they were leaving, Creti reminded them of their 10% discount and to keep their heads down.
The Party made their way quickly to the Lush Toad Tavern as the sun was setting. They walked into the small tavern and saw their friend Zandriel Leorel sitting in the corner drinking. He looked up at the Party and smiled, beckoning them to his table to join him. They all exchanged warm greetings and Zandriel told the group that shortly after arriving in Silverward a few weeks ago, his captain, Merimas Stumbletoe, had gone to pay off the criminal Dormorn. Apparently Dormorn didn't care for the late payment and decided to take the halfling hostage instead. Zandriel had been wracking his brain trying to think of a way to free his beleaguered friend for weeks.
Just then, they heard a woman's scream outside. Zandriel looked up and looked around at the Party who was not reacting. He implored them to do something just as another scream came ringing through the window. Zandriel got up and headed outside to look for any signs of trouble. A moment later, Bloodbane and Typhon followed, but the three of them failed to find any signs of anything. The scream rang out again, this time in another location. Typhon sent up his familiar, Hootie, to scout the area. The owl failed to find anything, but did notice a shadowy figure darting into one of the alleys. The trio decided to head back inside, as it was past curfew and the situation did not seem right. They sat back at the table and began to attempt to figure out what to do...
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