Sparlock's Hoard of the Dragon Queen

As the lemures "flesh" is rent, Darvin breathes a sigh of relief and then says, quietly, "Poor creatures. What must that life be like? If you can call it that."

Then, after a moment of silence, he returns to his typical if sometimes inappropriately cheerful demeanor, and says, "Well, let's see what other secrets you were hiding, whoever you were," walking over to inspect the tiefling's corpse for valuables.

While saying as much, Darvin reaches into the tiefling bag, and finds a journal written entirely in Infernal sitting immediately on top of an odd collection of clothes and 10 sp. It seems to be a personal journal or diary. The clothes are fairly common, but the haversack seems extraordinarily well made. Grabbing the sword, Darvin feels an uneasiness about the blade, as if it were forged in the bowls of hell itself. It seems to resist his will as he swings it idly. A cough escapes from the bleeding tiefling. 

As the creatures surrounding them erupt, Skiaceq tenses and prepares for the worst. When they disappear, he casts around for the creatures until he realizes they’re gone. Still, he remains close to Valji for the time being in case something worse turns up.

Eadyan’s gurgles draw his attention. He gives the bastard a long stare, feeling much of the day’s tension recede despite all this misfortune. He is surprised to hear the half-formed thought from his own mouth. “Should we revive him?”

Darvin startles, jumping backward as the tiefling coughs, unexpectedly alive. "We should bind his hands and gag him. If he comes to who knows what magic he can do. Quickly, does one of you have rope?" he says, tearing a piece of cloth from one of the spare articles of clothing in his bag to create a gag.

OoC: Darvin speaks infernal! Does anything jump out at him from his initial quick skim over the journal? He will take a closer look at it later once the current situation is under control.

Skiaceq quickly removes a coil of rope from his pouch and passes it to Darvin. Human fingers are more adept for this particular task. “He cast several spells before we entered the cave. He may have been sincere when he said his magic was dry... save for that one.”

Afterward, he returns to Valji’s side, though there is nothing in particular he can do about the gnome’s wounds.

"Yes, it could be he's spent, but best not to take the risk." When the gag is in place, Darvin takes the rope from Skiaceq and begins binding the unconscious tiefling's hands behind his back.

"Before we revive him, let me take a closer look at his journal. At the least it will help us figure out what to ask him."

Then, turning to Valji, "Valji my friend, are you doing alright? If you're up to it, do you want to take a look at this sword? It gave off a strange energy when I held it."

Flipping quickly through the journal, Darvin finds consistent references to a "Master" whom the tiefling serves. Earlier parts of the journal refer to this Master as Zariel. It seems the tiefling was following the Cult of the Dragon for some time, hoping to find one of the magic artifacts they were searching for. Apparently he had spent some time in Waterdeep searching for another of the artifacts, but, unable to find the where it was hidden, he took to shadowing the Cult of the Dragon in hopes of beating them to it. 

One passage briefly catches Darvins eye. "The Master has gifted me a sword. It seems connected to me... as if carved from my very soul. It comee to me whenever I call for it, and disappears from whence it came when I do not feel the need for it. A finer blade I've never seen... no other man may wield it's power."

The battered gnome gratefully stands and pats his feathered friend's side. "Thank you, my big bird friend, for saving me from that awful creature! I forgive you for startling me in the cart when we first met. You are useful and observant and I think I'd like to keep you around! But I think I'll leave the actual melee to you from now on!"

Moving over to where Darvin is inspecting the tiefling's possessions, he carefully inspects the bag and sword, using his arcane knowledge to determine any magical properties.

Arcana: 22

Normally such gratuitous praise would embarrass him. The day has worn down any barriers Skiaceq might otherwise maintain, to the point that this brings honest comfort. “Thank you,” he says. “I think you would be unharmed had I not lost my focus. But I appreciate the kind words.”

His nerves are winding down, yet still he wants nothing more than to be out of this hole. This tiefling needs to be dealt with swiftly.

Moving hastily, Skiaceq rips Eadyan’s clothes and staunches the bleeding with loose fabric. He is as unsure of this decision as with his triage attempt, but somehow feels obligated despite this man’s sinister affiliations. “I can carry him,” he says to Darvin. “Put an arrow in his back if he tries anything.”

Medicine: 8

Death Saving Throw: 9

As Valji grasps the sword, he feels an infernal energy coming from it, and it feels as if it originated on another plane. You recall legends of warriors who made pacts with powerful demons who gifted them infernal blades. Such swords will disappear upon the death of their owner.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I got this from Gertrude back at the keep," Darvin says, pulling out his healer's kit.

Darvin uses the kit to stabilize the tiefling.

"We should get some rest before we move on, don't you think? Most of us are pretty injured."

OoC: There's still an unexplored passage ahead of us, right? Can we back up a bit and take a short rest, maybe with an alarm in the corridor ahead for a bit of extra warning (Valji)?

Skiaceq feels his shoulders slump. The suggestion makes him aware of the fatigue in his bones.

”I am uneasy leaving the guards outside. I think we should press on, or rest at the surface. One of them is still unconscious.”

There is something ahead of you still, yes. If you were to use Alarm you'd have to specify that spiders don't set it off or it would be going off constantly. The place is still lightly swarming, though they're leaving you alone.

Prisoner wakes up in 3 hours.

Valji drops the blade as if it were a snake, a look of disgust on his face as he tells the others what he felt from the sword. He then examines the bag, noting how it seemed to hold more than its size would indicate. Once his inspection is complete, and in response to the others' comments, he would speak up. "Whatever is ahead of us can wait. I need rest and to study my spell book. We could all use the time to bind our wounds. Best head back to the surface and meet up with the town guards - that way if the cultists come along we'll have more combatants on our side... Plus, the bird needs to see the sky, I think." 

OoC: Theoretically does the path ahead lead to the main entrance where the guards are? Isn't it a bit of a ways back the way we came to get above ground, plus however long it takes overland to get back to the guards?

The map would imply that this room is a dead end. It's safe assume there isn't more than a chamber ahead.

Valji recognizes the bag as a handy haversack.

It occurs to Skiaceq that in the time it takes them to rest, some of Eadyan’s magic may recover. He takes a minute to describe to Valji each spell the false priest cast before entering the cave. If anyone can make an informed decision about how to handle a dangerous caster, it’s him.

Meanwhile, Darvin relays to the group what he learned from the tiefling's journal, in particular the references to "Master" Zariel, the apparent nature of the flaming longsword, and the group's agenda in following the dragon cult. "We need to keep him bound. I'm not sure how easily he can summon the sword to his hands, but if he can do it with bound hands, then even that may not be enough."

When the two of them have finished passing on information to the rest of the group, Darvin adds, "We should get out of here soon, deliver our prisoner to the keep and get some rest and heal up, but just in case there's something else important here, why don't I try to sneak into the next chamber and take a peek around? With luck there's nothing nasty waiting for us in there, but if there is, I'll do my best not to be spotted."