Waterdeep: Camel Heist (2020)

Incantis takes the necklace. "I'd advise you to tell us more in the next ten minutes, our default has been the town's law in the past." To the party, "Truth be told I don't know what more she can tell us, but I don't know what to do with her." He walks a ways away and begins to cast identify on the necklace.

Varinth, you whistle outside the keep and, perhaps ten minutes later, Soodi ambles into view, plods up to you, and gives you a headbutt.  

Incantis, yes, you can make an Insight check on Vyerith if you wish.

Scupper, Vyerith ignores Incantis but responds to you.  He is a user of magic.  I have seen him cast spells that froze his enemies solid, and I have seen him turn invisible.  That is all I know.  As for his defenses, I am sure they have improved since I left him, but he is fond of poison traps and makes good use of them.  Weaknesses?  Like any other drow, he dislikes the sunlight and avoids it.  I know of no other.  And I have said all I shall say about your new toy.  Are we done?

Incantis, you take the amulet and the gem it contains, and you feel its magic pulse slightly.  Vyerith hisses as you take it from Scupper, but says nothing.  Looking at it closely, you realise that you have seen this gem before in a dream.  You cast Identify but it doesn't reveal anything about the gem; you've never felt this with your spell before, as though it is somehow being blocked.

Scupper stops in the doorway. 

Good. See this is parlay. We're getting along now. Making strides and all that. (Insight for honesty?)

What's he expecting from you...now that you've lost? I'm guessing he knows by now. Much te your surprise, I'm sure, we've been as merciful as I've been cruel. Tell me the things I want te know and you'll walk from here, free te hide from this spider til we've dealt with him or til you find a better master.

What's with the spider moniker? Is he jest out te piss off Lolth with his ego or somethin' more. What kind o' monster does he keep? More orcs? More drow? There's traps I'm guessing that you know about. Maybe they've been changed but tell me jest the same...

I would imagine he's expecting me to die, or not return.  If he blames me for the location of the mine becoming known widely, then perhaps he will attempt to have his revenge.  It therefore benefits me if you kill him, I suppose. 

I do not think he is devout; he likes to be known as the Black Spider because it is a sinister name to your kind.  He brought bugbears with him, perhaps six, and one other drow, a warrior.  When I left, he had not yet decided upon a base of operations, so there were no traps laid.  I doubt that will still be the case.

Insight: 13

Incantis reels both as he remembers his dream and as he encounters a seemingly arcane object unyielding to his magick. At the same time, he is pleased to see Scupper making progress with Vyerith. He is silent, thinking. What could this be..?

Incantis, whatever the truthfulness or otherwise of Vyerith's answers to Scupper, you know one thing - she hates you.  You personally.  You're not sure you've ever been hated as much as this by any single person before.  

Strix grows weary of trying to find a firm that works with the feathered staff. He's a creature of habit and habit dictates he return to his trusty maul handle. The feather staff he leaves for the others to pick over.

Once morning calisthenics are complete he whittles at the flute (scrimshaw 22 ) while Scupper whittles away at the drow's resolve

Insight 19

Scupper, you get the feeling that she has no loyalty left to the Spider, if she ever had any at all.  She seems to be telling the truth, and not avoiding any particular topic.

Strix, the flute is garbage.  Utter trash.  A personal and professional disaster; if anyone were ever to see it, you would be overcome with such shame that your brain must surely explode in a great gooey mess.  You are on the verge of throwing the damned thing away, when...  Yes.  Yes!  Now you see it.  It's missing... something.  Something vital.  Something that brings the whole piece together.  It's... elusive.  You can't quite grasp what it is.  But the bone will reveal it.  The bone... understands.  You set to work.  Where before, you had made swift progress, now you are tentative, cautious, listening to the material, letting it speak to you, telling you what it needs.  Progress slows to a crawl, yet your heart sings.  This will be a triumph, a masterpiece, a thing of legend.

When you finish for the moment, you put the flute away.  You dare not look upon it.  Yet you know, in one more night's work, it will be complete.  And it must be at night that this creation is born.  You wrap it up tightly, so no-one can see it until the moment is right.

Varinth will pop his head in the door of the prison with two plates of cheeses and dried meats.

Hungry anyone? he says with a levity that totally contrasts the room.

Far as I'm concerned, that's all I need. (Under his breath) Although, ye seem to have a bit o' history with our young man, Incantus. Fer that matter, he seemed pretty intent on turning you to arcane ash as well. What's the story there, love. Should I be worried about ye trying te off us before Black Spidey gets his chance?

(Then louder) I've no reason te keep her. I've no reason te turn the screws. She's not lying and she's given me what I need. She's not even the one that took these two dwarves. Bit of a shite second te the Black Spider if I'm being honest but no worse, morally, than many a pirate I've worked with...and trusted at their word. Much like gobos doing wrong as the only ting they know, this lass jest needs guidance...and focus. You'd do well te look up Al Shaddad on the Sea Witch. If nothin else, you got the sneer down and I can personally vouch that yer awful good with the stabby bits o' the job.

Ah Vaz. Thanks lad. Eat up Vye.

He'll set down and eat with her. Whatever she has between the elf seems serious...but unrelated and Inky hasn't said much about where he gets his powers...which are phenomenal...and kinda dark.

Incantis blinks at Vyerith, and the level of animosity radiating from her. He was always warned about the drow, cursed abominations of elvenkind, but truth be told Incantis had always harbored similar thoughts about his own people; it had been generations (long generations, mind) since elven blood had any semblance of purity in Incantis' tribe and his own crooked nose and jaw had always seemed testaments against his elders' assertions of their genetic superiority. The warlock wonders whether Vyerith's icy countenance is simply intersylvan xenophobia, something he said or did, or something much deeper. She did despise his mental communication..? He's rattled by the level of personal hatred Vyerith seems to have for him, but he's never met her before...

I hope I don't regret this, Zhudun show me the way...

"Vyerith, thank you for sharing with us," he croaks awkwardly. "I said we'd let you go and we will." He leaves to perform a ritual.

Did you need me to pack you some rations for the road Miss? Varinth asks Vye.

In truth he's hoping for the kindness to hit a nerve somewhere deep in the Drow but he's not that naive that he believes she would turn. In essence, he can't help but play to his Mothers advice;

It's nice to be nice.

If she agrees, Vaz will wrap up a couple of days of rations from Soodi's saddle bags and give them to Vye.

Munching on breakfast, intoxicated with success, Strix leans his spear against the wall, well away from Vyerith, but inclines his head towards it, suggesting "take. Danedruss out there. But not raise gainst Strix. Strix had breakfast now. Strix danedruss gain."

Dekhan stares at Vyerith, lost in thought for a moment. Who do you serve? Why come to the surface? Why work for the Spider? What is your connection to this cave? And what will you do when we set you free?

Incantis comes back into the room, a spider perched on his shoulder.

Keepin' in mind we're not really making moral judgement on anyting and everyting ye do...my being a pirate and a thief and a torturer don't mean I ain't good at heart deep deep deep deep (eyeballing Dekhan) deep deep down. Took a bit o' seeing the world on land fer me te get some perspective. Dekhan's got concerns but he's open to perspectives.

Vyerith refuses any food you offer her.  

Dekhan, when you ask your questions, she stares at you intensely, frighteningly so, as if she is trying desperately to avoid looking at something else.

I serve myself.  I have little interest in the grand machinations of my people, and have other plans in mind.  The Wave Echo Cave offered one way towards a thing that I want, so I allied with the man who calls himself Spider as he sought and claimed it.  But that path is now closed to me.  So I will seek another.  No, I will not tell you what I seek, only that it is unlikely that I will remain in this part of the world.  There is nothing more for me here.

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Incantis comes back into the room, a spider perched on his shoulder.

 Seeing Incantis, Strix can't help but rub his hands in glee in anticipation of the soon-to-be-completed masterbone-flute, but tries to style it out as working up some palm-sweat to tame his unruly head-crags. The flute itself he swiftly hides in his pack.

"Inky - Alert! Got dandruff! N' dandruff got legs! "