Return to the Temple of the Drow

Revenge has been obtained! In fact it was all too easy. But with rescued innocents in tow and the resources of the Zhentarim thrown at them, not all of the party make it out out alive. And now it isn't just the Zhentarim that the party have to deal with. The War Wizards see all, a traveler from Hullack Forest seeks the return of her belongings, and none of the party can get a restful night's sleep in their bunk at Gravinda's. But then, who needs a bunk when you can slumber nestled in the arms of the oak father?

After detecting magical defences in the tunnels leading to the inner chambers and the temple of the lolth, the party decide to preserve their spells and leave the defenses in place. They proceed directly for the temple. In the cavern outside they encounter and quickly destroy some ruffians in the dimly lit cavern that were guarding the temple. From there, the party entered the temple, interrupted the drow priestess and her acolytes mid-sacrifice (her sacrifical dagger still embedded in the chest of sacrifical gnome) and easily exacted their revenge on the priestess and her acolytes (shout out to Tiaryn's clutch grapple to prevent the priestesses' escape).
  In the process, they found and freed three gnome children that were captives of the drow: "Badger" Hacklespur, Ellywick Berrymaster, and poor Alvyn Doublelock, the ceremonial dagger to Lolth now revmoved from is chest (shout out to a clutch heal by Lithh to bring Alvyn back from the edge of death, and to Tiaryn for neutralising the foul wine that had drugged Alvyn into a dazed, compliant state).
  Revenge extracted, Job done! Getting in was easy enough, but getting out alive (and escorting the children back to safety) will not be so easy.
  First there was the strange gumby-looking creature that appeared moments after the Drow Priestess died. It had a tree-like body made of slimy, moving goop with pseudopod-like appendages that emerged and then absorbed back into its body and a single large eye in the centre of its torso. the creature seemed oblivious to all attacks against it as it's single eye scanned the room and settled upon Tiaryn. The halfling druid felt her mind being probed. Able to resist at first, she could not withstand the sustained efforts of the invading presence and eventually the creature gained access to her mind. Tiaryn observed helplessly as the presence rifled through her mind until it located the memories of how the drow priestess had died just moments ago. Then all of the party members heard a warning from a telepathic voice inside their own minds. "The murderers of the Priestess Chen'zira of Lolth have been marked and will bear the consequences of their actions. The spider queen will have her revenge..." the creature then appeared to melt down into a gooey mess and disappear.
  That was just the start of things getting worse for the party. Next there was the Tiefling with the booming voice waiting with reinforcements outside the temple. When "Priestess Chen'zira" did not answer his calls, they warily entered the temple.
  These defenders were dispatched easily enough. The toughest opponent was the female half orc that Cavebird recognised from his half orc clan just as he struck the killing blow.
  Then there were Zhentarim scouts in the company of Ilena and Neshni (just like in the foothills of the Thunder Peaks). They started taking potshots at Cabaal's summoned scorpion and then other party members as they tried their fight their way through the cavern and out of the complex.
  Tiaryn burst into the cavern in tiger form to help drive back the reinforcement and clear the path for escape. The famed halfling luck was on her side at first, until Tiaryn ran right into the attack arc of a hitherto hidden female drow with tied back white hair - it was a painful surprise.
  Judging by her laughter, Neshni was enjoying herself as she repeatedly ducked "down" from the ceiling behind the eastern entry to the fungus cavern to pepper the party with her twin crossbows, then crouched "up" and out of sight behind cover while she reloaded.
  While not as vocal in her enjoyment, Ilena's accuracy with Eldritch Blast had not diminshed since the party first encountered her in the foothills outside the tomb of the ogre king, and she and Neshni added further torment for Tiaryn whose tiger form had been quickly slain and was now dangerously close to death as a result of the combined the onslaught.
  A bald-headed mage with a tendency for fire spells also joined the fray. Surrounded by swirling balls of fire, he proceeded to launch them at the party in combination with streaking rays of flame, providing a fiery deterrent to a quick escape through the southern exit of the cavern.
  More reinforcements arrived through the southern tunnels and arranged in formation to protect the fire mage and advance on the party, incluidng the new scorpion summoned by Cabaal after the first had fallen. The new reinforcements were immediately dispatched by Cabaal as his first ever cast of fireball turned almost all of the reinforcements to ashes, leaving just a single survivor dazed, confused and reeling from the explosive blast.
  While the foot soldiers fell easily enough, the more powerful defenders were well entrenched and had the party pinned down and were steadily wearing them down with sustained magical and crossbow attacks. At this time the on again off again voice in Thaylius' mind began to reach out to the "dark one", telling him of "another way" out of the cavern and urging him to retreat into the temple.
  Meanwhile Alobal had already withdrawn back into inner sanctums of the drow temple and was out of sight of the combatants. Kuyutha and Elli remained in the doorway to the temple where they had been picking off defenders with ranged spell attacks but with relatively little overall effect on the outcome of the battle to date.
  The white-haired drow had already put some serious hurt on Tiaryn and Kuyutha with her black blade while her ability to blink away after each attack made targeting her difficult and created uncertainty about where she would strike next. When she downed Lithh with a poisoned crossbow bolt from a new location near Neshni (and then subsequently blinked away again), it was clear that the battle was turning against the party.
  At this point the hawk-nosed man entered the fray. With a calm presence and resonant timbre, his was the voice of reason amidst the chaos of battle as he called on both sides to stop fighting and seek an alternate outcome that involved less risk of death and more benefit for everyone. With some magical influence backing his suggestion, Tiaryn, Thaylius and Elli could hear the sense in the hawk-nosed man's words and came forward to accompany him deeper into the tunnels to explore more productive mutual opportunities.
  The voice in Thaylius' head called out more with more urgency now to find "another way", but Thaylius could not resist the suggestion from the hawk nosed man that had taken hold and was now a compulsion. Those that resisted his influence tried to stop the hawk-nosed man and the sympathetic party members from leaving together. Cavebird managed to land a blow on the man, who responded by magically slowing down the raging half orc and two other party members (Cabaal and Kuyutha) who were not supporting his call for mutual beneficial outcomes.
  In their weakened and slowed state, the rest of the party were unable to stop the hawk-nosed man from leaving, the party tried to block the exit from the cavern to prevent the influenced party members from leaving with him (shout out to Cabaal for his scorpion doorbitch "you shall not pass" efforts to block the southern doorway and prevent the party members from following the hawk nosed man).
  While milling about waiting for the traffic at the southern edge of the cavern to clear so that he could follow the hawk nosed man, Thaylius casually healed Lithh, restoring him from death's door but with the drow poison still clearly flowing through his blackened veins.
  In addition to the effort of the more resistant (but slower) members of the party, the fates seemed determined to prevent Thaylius from following the hawk nosed man. First a raven flew out from the drow temple carrying an hour glass bottle that contained a dark liquid and, appareantly, the body of a small fairy trapped within. Thaylius drank the horrid mixture but it did not break the compulsion.
  Then Alobal emerged from the temple doorway and attempted to dispel the affliction that had overtaken Thaylius' mind. In the strangest spell that the party had ever seen him cast, a third arm emerged from Alobal's chest and extended its palm towards Thaylius while Alobal muttered the incantions of a spell. A large eyeball in the centre of the palm focused on Thaylius as the spell was cast and the compulsion was dismissed. Then, as suddenly as he arrived, Alobal again withdrew into the temple of Lolth.
  By this time, Tiaryn had already followed the hawk-nosed man out of the cavern into the corridor beyond. Elli then managed to dive past Cavebird and made it past the log-jam and out into the corridor beyond to follow the hawk-nosed man. Cavebird was not done though and, shaking off the magical slowness, he caught up to Elli and eventually grabbed hold of her and dragged her back to the rest of the party.
  After taking an eternity to cast his spell, the slowed Kuyutha finally got a fireball off in the area that Neshni had been firing from.
  By this time Thaylius had communicated to the rest of the party that there was another way out of here. Together they withdrew into the last temple. The white haired drow had been blinking around the battlefield, making it hard to hit her with any sustained damage. The party did not know that, after making her most recent attack, she had blinked inside the drow temple.
  When the party reached the first main chamber of the temple they found alobal but saw no sign of the gnomish children. Alobal was acting strangely. As the party entered he was clawing at the far wall as though attempting to climb it. His movement were jerky, and when he noticed the party and turned to face them they realised why. This was not the Alobal they knew... this was Zalobal. The elf formerly known as Alobal was now a zombie. The party had no time contemplate why, as Zalobal lurched toward them.
  With no other option than to defend themselves, the party had to fight back. Ultimately it was cavebird who finished Zalobal. Swinging mightily with the axe of fey slicing that had previously been used by the ogre king to end the lives of many elves, the axe tormented another elf as Cavebird sliced powerfully through the neck of Zalobal, sending its decapitated head flying 30 feet across the chamber.
  Cabaal went deeper into the temple to find the gnomish children (dead or alive). Finding them alive, Cabaal went to return to the rest of the party, and was promptly ambushed by the white haired drow. As Cavebird managed to land a grapple in a previously hidden section of the temple ("there is another way"), Kuyutha (still slowed) reached the main chamber and was dismayed to see the headless body of his closest friend. He fell to his knees, wailing over the corpse.
  Cabaal and Thaylius tied up Elli, who remained fixated on following the hawk-nosed man and therefore posed a risk to herself. When complete, they went looking for Lithh.
  Just as they left, Cavebird, having quickly scaled to the ledge where the grapple was secured, called out that there was a room with a glowing crystal inside, spikes that burst up from the floor, and with a rear wall that had been blasted out by some form of powerful explosion, exposing a passageway beyond. As Thaylius and Cabaal went to help Lithh, they did not know that the next time they would see Cavebird he would be lying in a pool of his own blood with a fresh crossbow bolt embedded in his back.
  Thaylius, Lithh and Cabaal soon found themselves in a life and death battle with the white-haired drow. She continued to blink around and attack by stealth and nearly overcame the trio several times. However, in a series of clutch moves, the three managed to wound the Drow enough to drive her off (shout out to Lithh for the timely hold person that saved Cabaal's life). When they returned to the main chamber with the gnome children in tow, they found kuyutha and elli hovering on death's door and cavebird nowhere to be seen. Both were alive. Lithh quickly healed Kuyutha and stabiised Elli.
  On low health and with a(nother?) killer on the loose, Cabaal activated the final charge of his staff of swarming insects. the harmless swarm did no damage to the party, but provided cover against would be attackers (leaving the party mostly blind as well). tying themselves together, the party worked their way out of the temple and into the cavern beyond, littered with the corpses of their fallen enemies.
  They made their way through the cavern, encountering no resistance. In the corridor beyond they found the still body of Cavebird. Using the last of his healing light, Thaylius restored Cavebird from the brink of death and he rose and exited the lair of Chenzira, fallen priestess of Lolth to head for the safety of town.
  The party travelled back through the winding tunnels toward the clock tower and the relative safety of the surface, under the cover of the insect swarm while it lasted.
  Eventually they reached the surface and peered out from within the clocktower. They waited for a time until a patrol of Purple Dragons passed out of sight. Then Lithh crept out and worked his way stealthily to the edge of the market while the rest of the emerged from the clock tower one by one.
  While waiting in his advanced scout position, Lithh saw two figures skulking in the cover of buildings outside of the "unnatural" streetlights invented at the temple of Gond (unnatural because they give a stable light that doesn't flicker like the flame of a candle or lantern). From his vantage point, Lithh determined that the skulkers hadn't seen him but had noticed the rest of the party as they emerged from the clocktower.
  As Cavebird worked his lockpicks to relock the clock tower door behind them, Lithh informed the party of what he had seen and they formed a plan to take an laternate route to avoid the waiting eyes (and knives?). They set out on an indirect route with the intention of moving around they skulking figures.
  Lithh stayed behind to stealthily observe how the watchers would respond. Their response was to head off in the same direction as the party.
  The party waited at their agreed position and Lithh again snuck up to update them. Both Cavebird and Lithh spotted the skulking figures lurking on the other side of a well lit street. While quietly discussing plans, the party saw the 3 figures run across a well lit intersection, probably still in pursuit of the party.
  The party hatched a plan - they would double back and circle around behind the market, then meet Lithh at the base of the Upper Tilverton knoll where he would take them to the relatively safe house of Bruenor (at least it would be less likely to be observed than their room at Gravinda's Revenge). Meanwhile, Lithh would stay behind and attempt to misdirect their pursuers by leading them in another direction.
  Lithh's misdirection worked - the dark-clothed human pursuers headed in the direction of a stone thrown by Lithh, gaining the party valuable time as they headed in the opposite direction. Satisfied that he had done his part to help the party succeed in their plans, Lithh headed for the rendevous point.
  The party encountered no further surpises as they headed north then east around the market and then south before they eventually reached the cliff face of upper tilverton and started heading west again. they stopped as the reached the stairs of tymora (where Thalius, Tiaryn and Kuyutha had emerged when they first arrived at Tilverton via the passageways below).
  loitering near the stair to upper tilverton was a(nother!) white haired woman wearing a blue cloak with a rather full hood pulled up over her head. in the background, in the shadows of the shrine, Cavebird spotted silhouettes of two other figures - human and possibly wearing helmets.
  When thaylius came to look upon these folks lingering at the stairs he immediately recognised the hooded woman - she was the same woman that thaylius, tiaryn and kuyutha had met at the edge of the spring to eldath in hullack forest. she had 3 companions with her then, all of whom were destined to die to a frenzied attack by one of the "blackbloods" - a wereboar follower of malar that tormented the inhabitants of hullack forest.
  the party decided they would not approach her. instead they backtracked and worked their way around the stairs of tymora. from there they again set course for the rendevous with lithh. they soon met up, with all parties satisfied they had not been followed.
  from there, lithh led the party to bruenor's house. bruenor was in a heavy slumber when the party arrived. after letting themselves in, they helped bruenor into his bedroll and set up their own bedrolls for some much needed rest. to ensure they were not interrupted, cabaal cast leomund's tiny hut. the six living members of the party and the three gnome children settled in for an unusal night's rest.
  meanwhile tiaryn was having an altogether different experience. she had been escorted by the hawk-nosed man, ilena and the fire-loving mage through the large iron doors at the end of the passage outside the cavern and the temple of lolth. inside was a solid platform held by large heavy chains - an elevator. despite the strange situation, tiaryn felt she was doing the right thing in seeking a peaceful resolution of the conflict that the rest of the party were still caught up in.
  the hawk-nosed man spoke to tiaryn while they stood on the platform of the elevator and gazed deep into her eyes. tiaryn's head began to swim and she felt groggy and lost some of her grip on reality. she seemed to experience two different journeys as the elevator started to move. in the the first the elevator rose but a short distance before stopping at a stone platform where tiaryn and her companions disembarked and entered a stone walled room with a simple table and chairs and a door in the far wall.
  in her second experience, the elevator rose for some time through a fog-filled shaft. the elevator eventually rose into a large storeroom or warehouse that was full of crates and building materials. from there she was assisted into an office that was nicely if modestly furnished. a large rug in the centre of the floor was rolled back to reveal a trap door. the fire mage opened the trap door and tiaryn was helped down a set of stair into a stone walled room with a simple table and charis and a door in the far wall.
  tiaryn experienced a cloudy mind and varying deegrees of coherence during both visions. it was feeling similar to being drugged and drowsy, like the effect of touching an unusual fungus back in the chondalwood that she had been warned against by her fellow barbarian tribespeople.
  the hawknosed man produced a wooden staff topped with a gem ranging in colour from blue through turquoise and into green with fractal-like distortions similar to that of a human eye when observed closely. still drowsy, tiaryn felt a wave of energy wash over her, which she shook off. in her drowsy state, she realised that the hawk-nosed man was casting a spell on her. she asked him what he was doing and he said he was tryinghep her feel more calm. tiaryn said nothing but decided she would resist the effects. the hawk-nosed man muttered and incantion to himself again and gently tapped the staff on the ground. as he peered closely at her, tiaryn felt another wave come over her. this one washed down all around and underneath her. the hawk-nosed man was right, she felt calm.
  the man then advised tiaryn that he was going to get his masters, and that they will help with finding mutually beneficial outcomes for all involved. tiaryn sensed that this involved some level of trust in her by the hawk-nosed man and was evidence of his intentions to find a 'win-win' for all of them. the hawk-nosed man then left through the door in the far wall. Ilena and the fire mage stayed in the room with tiaryn.
  tiaryn's head was clearing but she still wasn't sure exactly how much later the hawk-nosed man returned. when he entered he advised that his masters were ready to see her. he motioned for the others to stay as he escorted tiaryn through the door and into a room beyond.
  the hawk-nosed man activated a secret door in the mantlepiece of the next room, the fireplace swung open and revealed an elevator like before but about half the size. he and tiaryn got on the elevator and it lifted them up a short distance before coming to rest at another stone platform with a closed door.
  tiaryn and the hawk-nosed man disembark and after a brief pause the door opens to reveal a human female with resting-bitch-face dressed in dark blue robes that Tiaryn recognises as robes of the war wizards of Cormyr. The Hawk Nosed man says "send for him, we have a representative of some new allies". The lady looks them up and down and then leaves.
  Tiaryn and the hawk-nosed man wait in a small, cozy stoned lined room with a desk, several scrolls and ink wells, multiple books, a fireplace and two comfortable looking armchairs. After a few minutes the woman returns with a tall man also dressed in dark blue robes. He has heavy brown and grey-hair, a trimmed beard, heavy eyebrows and a penetrating gaze. He makes no introduction but motions for Tiaryn to sit in an armchair as he sits in the other. There are no other chairs so the hawk-nosed man must remain standing.
  The man asks Tiaryn how she came to know about the Drow Temple and why she and her party attacked it. Tiaryn shares the general story of Thaylius' dream but omits specific details (such as naming Thaylius). The man listens to what she has to say for a short time and then interrupts her.
  "Those Drow are helping Cormyr to maintain the security of the kingdom of Cormyr". He continues, "There are worse things in the Underdark than Drow, but while the Drow are allied with Cormyr below ground, the surface of Cormyr remains safe.
  He explains that Cormyr and the Drow have an agreement that the Drow have the underdark beneath Cormyr and the Cormyrean War Wizards have the surface. "The Drow recognise the power of the War Wizards and submit to our might".
  Tiaryn is struggling to make sense of this and asks some questions but the man cuts her off. "You and your party of adventurers must agree that you will not attack any more Drow or conduct any further invasions beneath the surface of Tilverton or beneath the surface elsewhere in Cormyr".
  Tiaryn doesn't want to lie but also doesn't want to commit to this.
  "It doesn't have to come to this, but if these adventurers do not follow this instruction then the War Wizards wil be forced to take action". He adds that, as this is a matter of national importance, Tiaryn and her friends must speak no further of this, saying "we do not want the common folk to get the wrong impression".
  He mentions that there are threats on the surface that adventurers can assist with. In particular, there are a group of elves in the Hullack Forest in Eastern Cormyr. They call themselves the Eldreth Veluuthra and they are the enemies of all humans in the kingdom. There are reports of other monsters in the area as well. The area is wild and needs taming. A druid circle would help to keep the peace and restore the "natural order" of things.
  Tiaryn doesn't want to lie but also doesn't want to commit to exactly this course of action. Not yet at any rate.
  She mentions that she doesn't know him. One's past or reasons for acting are less important than the actions that one takes.
  Stares at the hawk nosed man several times, including one quite intently when it seems that Tiaryn is asking a question that he doesn't care for.
  He ends with, "Remember girl, the magical might of the War Wizards is what holds the enemies of Cormyr at bay. You can help us by eliminating the threat in Hullack Forest. I pray that you do not hinder us by continuing to adventure in places where you don't belong, for those that hinder our interests are enemies of the king." He stares at her from beneath his protuding brows with those intense eyes. "You can return to your friends. For now." With that he stands and his dark blue robes swirl as he turns and strides out of the room.
  The hawk nosed man approaches. "I apologise that he is so direct. He is in charge of all the War Wizards in northern Cormyr and has great responsibilities that sometimes cause him to forget his social graces." He indicates the direction of the door and heads towards it.
  Leading Tiaryn out the same way they arrived, the hawk nosed man continues. "You see, it is the War Wizards that are the true source of safety for all of Cormyr. It is their power that keeps the realm of Cormyr safe. The common folk simply do not have enough understanding of magic, or trust in wizards, to accept this, so we keep it to ourselves".
  Stepping off the lift into the room with the secret door in the fireplace, "They would not accept that the Duke of Tilverton and the ruling council of 12, of which I am a humble member, are in fact directed by the War Wizards and are compelled to comply with all of their plans and machinations just as you are now tasked to do".
  While closing the secret door, "And they would not understand the levels of deception and intrigue that are required to maintain the peace of the realm". He pauses in front of the fireplace. "Imagine if it got out that the Rogues of Tilverton, the only thieves guild that has not been shut down or driven out of Tilverton, is actually controlled by the War Wizards and conducts its criminal activities at their direction". As if realising how that might sound, he adds. "For the national interst of course".
  He continues as he turns away from the fireplace. "And if a few magic items have to get stolen along the way to increase the power of the War Wizards and the security they provide to the realm, then so be it, for the sake of the realm".
  He crosses the room to the doorway leading to Ilena and the fire mage. "It is for this reason that the War Wizards conduct scrying all across this city, as do other War Wizards in other cities throughout Cormyr. The secrets they discover through their use of magic may be said by some to invade citizens' privacy, but it helps to maintain the peace. Truly Cormyr would be lost without them."
  The fire mage and Ilena rise from their seats as Tiary and the hawk nosed man enter the room. The hawk nosed man says "we are done here, we have achieved our objective". Turning to Tiaryn he says, "how we must help you catch up with your friends and tell them what you have learned, and what you must do."
  With that they escort Tiaryn to the stone landing she had seen in one of her earlier experiences, then onto the large elevator for a brief trip down a dark shaft before arriving at the large iron doors.
  As he opens the doors, the hawk nosed man reminds her, "remember what you have learned here today. now go and tell your friends." Tiaryn steps out and the iron doors grate into place behind her.
  Tiaryn explores the cavern outside the drow temple, where the fighting had been heaviest. dozens of bodies litter the ground, but her party members are nowhere to be seen. Tiaryn enters the fungus cavern to the side of the main cavern. She sees the dead bodies of drow and the strange beholder they had slain two days ago, but again no sign of her party. Ignoring the temple of lolth, tiaryn searches for signs of the passage of her party. Following the strongest indications of travel by the group, she follows the trail to the pool of blood belonging to Cavebird and then leading back along the path that was first identified in Thaylius' dream.
  She reaches the cavern with pools of steaming water dotted along the ground and the foul smelling hole to her right as she enters. Ignoring the unexplored tunnel exit to the left, she takes the passage on the right and eventually comes out at the ledge in the steam-filled cavern of the clock tower.
  Climbing down the ledge she approaches the large dome base of the clock tower. Continuing to search for signs of her party she notes another pool of blood nears the stairs leading up the outside of the dome.
  She heads up the stairs and finds the entry to the dome unlocked. Tiaryn climbs the stairs and reaches the top where she finds this door also unlocked. She opens the door and peers out, feeling the cool fresh air of Tilverton on her face.
  Apart from the distance clip of wooden wagon wheels on cobblestone, Tilverton is sleeping. Looking for more signs of her friends, Tiaryn sees some indications that the party headed northwest from the market, instead of south east in the shortest route to Gravinda's Revenge and the relative comfort of a bunk bed.
  Her mind still processing what she heard from the War Wizard and the hawk nosed man, Tiaryn feels there is little point in hiding given that the War Wizards are magically spying everywhere. She heads southeast through the market and to the street of the sorceress to take the most direct route back to Gravinda's.
  Waiting at the stairs of the Lady Luck Tymora, Tiaryn finds the white haired tiefling from the Hullack Forest waiting (as she was when the rest of the party spotted and snuck by them not so long ago). The Tiefling spots Tiaryn as well and they great each other.
  The tiefling enquires asks about the whereabouts of the rest of the party - both those that met her in Hullack Forest and the other party members that Tiaryn met when they arrived in Tilverton. When Tiaryn says she doesn't know, the tiefling reminds her that they snich out into the night toward the market together this very night. that knowledge doesn't change tiaryn's response - she genuinely doesn't know where the rest of the party is.
  The tiefling reminds Tiaryn that she and her friends found several belongings in the Hullack Forest - belongings that are rightfully hers: the dragon shield, the dragon ring, the spellbook, the large purple gem (the party know it as the dragon's breath opal). Tiaryn says she can't speak for the others, but she has the dragon ring. She found it on a dead body and did not know it belong to the tiefling. Tiaryn takes of the ring and gives it to the tiefling.
  The tiefling accepts the ring without thanks. she asks if tiaryn is going back to Gravinda's Revenge (she clearly knows where the party is staying). When tiaryn says yes then the tiefling says that they will come with her.
  Six seasoned looking warriors emerge from the shadows near the shrine of Tymora. They wear green tabards and medium armour and helms. large swords hang in scabards from their belt. they escort Tiaryn and the tiefling to Gravinda's Revenge.
  the group enter Gravinda's and make their way to the room Tiaryn shares with the party. The tiefling is annoyed to see that the room is empty. She decides that they will wait until the party return. They tie Tiaryn to one of the bed posts and settle in.
  After wmore than an hour, Tiaryn's escorts get more comfortable in their positions on the bunk beds and eventually fall asleep. At that moment a small bat lands on the window of the room. It latches onto the frame briefly, emits several clicking sounds, and then flies away. This is a moment of inspiration for Tiaryn as, with the guidance of Silvanus, she decides on the final details of her plan for escape.
  Bringing her attention to her connection with nature, Tiaryn focuses on the form of the pygmy bat and feels her own form change as she transforms. The ropes tumble to the ground and a small pygmy bat flaps its wings and flies up and out of the ropes, scrambles under the door, and flaps down the stairs to freedom.
  Finding an open window, and successfully avoiding any unfortunate incidents with cats trained to kill rodents, the pygmy bat flies out of Gravinda's Revenge and heads south to the grove of Silvanus. There, she spots a large branch with good cover to avoid being spotted from the ground. Shifting back into her halfling form, Tiaryn feels safe and protected as she settles into a halfling sized nook where the branch meeats the trunk of the tree and settles in for a long overdue rest in the arms of the oak lord.