Barty's "Tyranny In Phlan" (DDEX1-10)

Carl waits to see what the Lord Regent suggests, looking to have a short rest whenever it is feasible.  He's glad to be away from Spernik's body.  He waits to hear how they could be of use, volunteering his help whenever he can be useful.  

"Shouldn't we bring these people," he adds, gesturing to those who were captive along with the Lord Regent, "to the Laughing Goblin so we can take them all out?"

"You are correct," The Lord Regent says. "Our priority right now should be getting as many civilians outside of Phlan as we can. There will be another day to take back what is ours. It will do us no good to take on a dragon with no plan."

He speaks with confidence, the steady voice of a man used to making decisions that affect tens of thousands. He looks over to the body of Aleyd, and adds, "And Aleyd is coming with us. Not only should her body be given to her family, Wylan Burral is a cleric of Tymora who lives in Mulmaster. If Phlan is ever to rid itself of the Maimed Virulence, it needs a symbol - and I have no intention of allowing death to give Aleyd leave from her duties. She is one of the most dedicated knights in my command. If you can aid our escape from the town, I will take Aleyd's body to Mulmaster and plead for her return from death."

Auriel reaches for his holy symbol. "I pray that Lady Luck will hear your plea, my Lord. I do not know which entity chose to grant such a blessing to one as unworthy as Spernik, but Aleyd would be far more deserving of it."

As he speaks, a faint glow of divine energy gathers briefly around his hand as he draws upon it to mend his own wounds.

Since the Lord Regent has already organized the group of captives, there is little left to arrange. Auriel looks around, searching for a way to build a makeshift bier to carry Aleyd's body. He would offer to help carry her, but feeling he would be better used protecting the captives in case they encounter danger on their way to the Laughing Goblin, he instead moves to the front of the group.

All that remains now is to traverse the city, meet the rest of the survivors and Glevith, to make it out of Phlan.

"Ready when you give the order, Lord Regent."

(ooc: Auriel heals himself for 10 HPs with Lay on Hands)

OOC: Each character has earned 250 XP for freeing the Lord Regent and the prisoners.

The rescued prisoners wander behind you and the Lord Regent as you lead the exodus from the Stojanow Gate. The streets of Phlan are increasingly more unrecognizable. The merchant stalls you saw mere hours ago are overturned, doors to shops and homes busted down. The Lord Regent keeps his gaze steadily forward, his jaw set. There are still the sounds of fighting in certain streets, but the city is otherwise quiet enough that you are able to move through alleys and narrow streets where necessary to avoid the source of the sounds.

When at last you turn the final corner into Scholar's Square, you can see the Cracked Crown ahead, the tavern standing like a beacon, the only structure nearby with glowing lamplight coming through its windows.

Hildigrim moves in tandem with the others, slinking from shadow to shadow with an arrow at the ready before him. He isn't about to let someone or something catch them off guard. The Lord Regent, Phlan, and the Moonsea are at stake.

In the back of his mind, the Watcher reviews the previous half hour, trying to organize what they learned from Spernik.

The Cult of the Dragon did not act blindly. The attack was timed for when the nobility had gathered. The strike was deliberate, not opportunistic.

The corruption runs deep. The followers of Bane within the Black Fist are not fringe sympathizers — they are organized, coordinated, and capable of acting from within.

Spernik was a facilitator, not a mastermind. The true architects remain unseen. Perhaps Severin, Spernik's resurrector?

The dragon was not his to command. He enabled the timing, not the attack itself. The creature acts on a will beyond him.

The Lord Regent was meant to die. His survival is an error in the Cult’s design — one they do not yet realize.

That thought lingers. A flaw in the plan: An opportunity.

And somewhere beneath all of it, one question refuses to settle: What's next? Spernik said Phlan — the Moonsea — is "just a taste."

The weight of Spernick's severed head jostles as the halfling moves along. Perhaps there will be time to burn it in the Cracked Crown. Perhaps he will toss it into the Moonsea. He isn't squeamish about the head, but he is ready to be done with it.

(ooc: Oops, it was the Cracked Crown instead of the Laughing Goblin!)

Auriel walks in silence with the rest of the group, not wanting to look around at the state the city is in, yet unable to ignore it. He is relieved to find that, contrary to his expectations, they encounter no trouble on their way to meet Glevith and the rest of the refugees. But that does not mean he feels at ease.

When the familiar shape of the Cracked Crown comes into view, he quickens his pace, moving ahead of the Lord Regent and his people to make sure everything is secure.

He approaches the front door and takes a careful look inside, checking the state of the tavern. If nothing seems amiss, he signals the others to come forward before stepping inside, expecting to find Glevith, Aya, Imizael, and the rest waiting within.