"I had kind of thought our large silent brother here might want the guards armor.. assuming it would fit anyway.." Drax would say looking from the goliath to the other prisoners quickly collecting the equipment. "Pledging your loyalty to Asmodeus is not without benefit... there are rewards you cannot imagine and no need to fear death when you warship him... for there is no soul that he cannot claim..." The old man would say casually.. still leaning against the tree.

Matteo gives Korven a respectful bow, but remains quietly in the background as the others deal with the situation.

Anders steps forward opening his hands to his sides.  “You heard the gentleman, there will be a spot for each of you after you take the oath.  Promises of strength, order, and power will come to you.  Follow in the footsteps of Asmodeus and you will not follow another in your lifetime.  Glory leads the way.”  There is an awkward moment when the prisoners don’t know how to react or to give their equipment.  Then Anders follows up.  “If you are worthy, find your own way to Calimport, our temple is there.”  With that the prisoners make their way away down the path heading North.

Anders turn his attention to the group.  “We have some researchers back at our chapter.... they may be of use to you.  Shall we travel together?  I’m sure Korven wouldn’t turn down the chance to walk in the presence of the Hand.”  The Goliath nods his head down as he snaps his axe away.  

The honour is ours, sir, says Matteo to the goliath.  He falls into line, escorting the holy cleric of Asmodeus to his destination.

“Wonderful!  We will allow you to lead the way.  I would be remised if I didn’t ask on his behalf, if any of you were capable of a dispel magic by any chance?”  Anders asks with a hopeful smile.  You find a spot to make camp for the night.  Black clouds roll overhead and begin to rumble.  It looks to be a downpour for the night.  Your bedrolls are thick and you don’t have to worry about illness or disease (the other two don’t have any) but it will be a miserable night unless you plan on anything to prepare.

Aether

”Unfortunately I do not. Though it is one I plan on learning. Luckily I will at least be able to give us a comfortable rest out of the rain.”

Whenever the group gets ready to camp for the night Aether will ritually cast Tiny Hut

You spend the night in the warm and dry comfort of the tiny hut.  Just enough room comfortably.  Waking up as the spell ends.  The rain falls on you, just a light sprinkle at this time though, not the soaked to the bone rain that poured through the night.

Anders asks in the Morning “So I take it, we get a ship in Ankhapur and ride it to Calimport? We had contacts in Ankhapur, the ones I hired for escape.  Turns out we didn’t need them after all.  We might need some help finding a ship though, Ankhapur has been a let’s say a tough nut to crack.”

Risha looks thoughtful. "How do you mean?"

Matteo also shakes his head in response to Anders' question about Dispel Magic.  Our Lord has not yet granted me that ability.

For the later conversation, Matteo tries to recall what he knows about Ankkhapur:  History 11

Anders continues as you walk. “Well Korven is the head of the Calimport chapter.  The church always trying to expand its grasp on this world, has had some.... difficulties in Ankhapur.  It’s very religious and conservative in its views.  It’s not illegal but non divine magic is frowned upon when used out in the open.  The people there are very hesitant to accept our Lord, and their are several groups in the area that seem to take pride in the hunting of our people.  Ankhapur is a mission for another day, let us get in and out quickly if we can.”

Matteo History Check- Ankhapur was once ruled by a king named Manferic.  Manferic was a cruel king that lead with an iron fist over his people.  Behind closed doors he secretly worked to find everlasting life.  Becoming a Lich only twisted his views further into depravity. Eventually being overthrown and killed by a man named Jovan “Pinch” Corlas, who would end up being king.  Pinch was once a crimelord before becoming king.  Even though this was generations ago, it seems the distrust of magic and the darks arts remains.... as well as the lessons Pinch provided to help the guard eliminate the criminal underbelly.  It seems the history of Ankhapur is quite detrimental to the Church’s goals.

You make your way to the outskirts of town.  Standing on top of a hill you look down towards a rather large port city.  Banners of red and gold fly in the sky and you can see various rooftops that have tarps to hide from the bright sun to match the city’s colors.  You can see docks stretching out into the sea like fingers spreading out in the water.  Ships and boats of many sizes and flown flags.  While not to large as in land, it appears the citizens have begun building upwards, not just towers but abodes look to be built on top of each other as staircases run like a three dimensional maze.  
There is one tower that stands higher than the rest.  A large blue crystal as it’s peak.  Looks to be a temple of some sort.

You can walk into the city, if you would like to circumvent and go straight to the docks, you may.  

 To tell the truth, I would like to take a few days in this city.  I cannot justify it - it brings us no closer to our mission.  But to hear of our brothers and sisters hounded by the Faithless in this foolish city makes my blood boil.  I would find them, and offer them our aid, at least for a short while.  Perhaps there is little chance we can make a difference.  But as the Hand, we are also the heralds of our Lord and His return to this world - we should spread His word and His will where we can.  The paladin looks at the others.  That is my plea, but perhaps I am not wise in this.  What say you all?

Drax would look to Matteo and shrug. "I imagine that once we  bring about the return of our lord... recruiting people to serve him will be...... considerably easier" The Yuan-ti would say with a small grin. "But I have no problem spending a bit of time here... any additional favor we could earn with the dark lord will only benefit us..."

Aether

”That would be fine. I may need to have some of you run to get me some things. I do not think I would blend in very well with in the city.”

Petmorn shrugs. "I blend in nicely, and I don't mind hanging around some civilization for a while."

Risha grins. "I'm not too shabby at blending in myself either, I'm happy to stick around for a bit."

Anders asks after the group decided.  “Then it is settled then, you lot will stay in the city for a certain amount of time, we will get a ship back right away, make sure you visit before you go island hopping.  We will get the researchers started right away.  Maybe Aether, would you like to join us?  You said it yourself, you will not be welcome here either.

Aether

”That would be good. I would enjoy getting some extra time in for research. I would like to grab just a couple of supplies. Do you know where they might sell incense, herbs, and charcoal here?”