Lost Lab of Kwalish

Where should we rest?  I need to rest as well.

Tetrevess makes a quick copy of the map with his quill, and then goes to the barracks as well to rest.

Resting at the Dwarven camp should be pretty safe if you have the tokens from Moghaddam.  I never actually mentioned that they were, but I originally described them in a manner suggesting they are feather tokens but they have additional properties used by Moghaddam.  They have always appeared magical to anyone using detect magic.  If you want to choose a particular token, just add it to your sheet.

(Cool). Ok we go to the dwarves camp,  and find a place to rest. 

The dwarves, noticing your badges, decide you must have signed a contract with Moghaddam and lewve you alone.  They're pretty surly.  You can see that they're divided into two main groups, the spike leather clad umber hulk handlers forming their own clique distinct from either.  They don't seem terribly eager to converse with outsiders (non-dwarves) but they're not openly hostile. 

You set up your bedrolls and whatever other amenities you travel with a little ways apart from either group as the sun starts to set.  After a nice meal you take a well deserved long rest.  During the night, Tetrevess stirs and wanders over to the bushes on the east slope to answer nature's call.  As he turns to head back, he hears a trickle of water from the bushes, not unlike the one that just halted moments prior.  At first confused, he looks around and sees through the bushes a humanoid figure pouring water from a witnessing over her own blue skin.

At the first utterance of a sou d from Tetrevess, she takes notice and gestures for silence as she locks eyes with the wizard.

<we have a new player, guys.  Welcome 'Kilis' (Triton Cleric) to the campaign.>

A young man with brown hair and a beard, he has an intense focus about him.  Clad in scholars robes, With a long staff, he gestures to the Triton to follow him to where they can talk without waking the camp.    

“and who are you, and why are you here?” He asks her, once they are away.  “I will start-  I am Tetrevess, wizard and scholar of ancient arcana, here to learn what I can.   And you?” 

The stranger wanted her to follow him. She hesitated for a short while. Then her curiosity overtook her and she followed him. Trying to place her blue bare feet with caution not to make to much noise. She didn’t succeed as well as she had hoped and the glittering chain mail that was draped around her like cloth made a soft sound as she moved.

”My name is Kilis. A scholar you say? How exciting to meet a fellow lover of knowledge here of all places. What is your area of research?” 

“Well, initially Lum the Mad,  but also Kwalish, and their and other arcane and mysterious items and magical things of great power…. I am a bit of an academic I’m afraid and not very good at adventuring,  which is what I’ve been trying to do recently.  What brings you here?” Tetrevess says, as matter-of factly as if you were scholars conversing in a lecture hall not on the outskirts of the dwarves encampment. 

“That sounds fascinating” she said looking at him with big eyes. “I would love to hear all about it” then remembering where they were ”but maybe not right now. I have Eden travelling around, studding dryfolks. You are very fascinating. But then a couple of days ago a … friend asked me to go look for … a friend of a friend of hers. You haven’t seen any halfdragons on and about by any chance?”  

“No half dragons, I’m afraid.   I’m new here anyway.  We just barely escaped from our latest explorations, and are resting up and deciding what we should do next-  actually we are looking for adventurers- if you have any useful skills and are interested?.  “ Tetrevess says. 

<Still doing some recruiting. Thanks for your patience.  Goa head and continue play and we'll drop them in once we figure out how.  The tomb of horrors is a busy construction site with many types of artisans and it should be easy enough to plop them in here, plus with the exception of Kilis, things wont openly attack you here if unprovoked.>

Kilis would know the Paladins were looking for a Balor in this area.  It is known that there is a great construction taking place here, and she might well know that there are rumors that the well paying construction work in these desolate hills is supposedly for some Necromancer's tomb or some such.  With enough investigation, I think she'd eventually have heard the mage in question was a tiefling and with a decent religion check suspect at least the possibility that the tiefling and Balor are linked.  So, She probably thinks her friend of a friend came this-a-way a tenday past or more.  You can finish the long rest before sunrise as you sat idle before sunset, so ahead and play that.  Mind that while 3 of you are wearing badges to identify yourselves as contractors of Moghaddam's, one of you is not.  SO, keep that in mind and maybe work on a plan.  

Kilis looks the wizard up and down.

”I am quite handy whit healing, and I can hold myself in a fight. Do you think your group would help me find my half dragon paladin and his company? I have searched around for a while but I dare not go to close to the construction site. I do stand out a bit and my skills at sneaking is not the best” she said gently tugging her scale mail so that it made a soft metal sound.
”I would be grateful in any assistance that you could offer.”

“Well, come with us back to camp.  Here-  put this around your neck.  The guards know me, but I’ll make a fake one for myself  when I need it, with a cantrip.  We can see about getting you your own badge tomorrow.  Let’s meet the others and try to find your friend.” Tetrevess passes his badge to her, and practices making one using prestidigitation.  

Kilis nods and place the badge around her neck and the follows Tetrevess.

Samogri who’s been looking a far making sure everything is running smoothly on the edges on the camp will go to tet “everything good” looking at the triton who has join them “who are you lady from sea” 

“Good evening, I am Kilis and who might you be?” She said whit a bow of her head as greeting 

Quick and quiet introductions ensue, courtesy of Tetrevess, as you try to maintain a low profile.  

<The sun will be coming up soon.  You may act before hand, otherwise the sun rises and I assume you go check out the tomb.  You are near the dwarf camp North of the map's top edge.  In game, Tetrevess has seen this map briefly.  She may have recognized the writing on it as undercommon, but probably cant draw the characters accurately, especially since she was looking at the text upside down.>

<The others will join shortly.  You can just go in.  The west room is Moghadam’s office.  The umber hulk you saw earlier came from the east entrance.>

((Should we stop by his office and get a badge for the newcomers?)

((as I understand it the idea is for us to already be a group and be together. I wrote this with the assumption that we would be starting a new day but if that doesn't work she could just be reminiscing as we arrive))

The man leered down at her as she made her eyes widen as though in awe of him. She raised her left hand to a lock of hair at her shoulder. Though several times older, she knew she looked just like a naïve young girl to him, and she played the part perfectly. She made her voice quaver as she looked away, feigning shyness she did not feel. He said something about helping her get back to the Feywild -if… This was the perfect time to cry and she contorted her face briefly as her eyes filled. Every girl benefits from being able to cry - or at least to appear to be crying - but for a spy sent from the Unseelie Court it was doubly important. This way, fools like this man could have things both ways - they could feel powerful by taking
advantage of her while also soothing their conscience about it. How many such "benefactors" has she used in the course of the ongoing mission on behalf of the Queen of Air and Darkness..?
This time, though, she wasn't there to get information or references or contacts from this human. She wasn't even there to set him up as a sort of "ongoing" benefactor which could easily have him unknowingly carrying out the will of the Queen. No, this time the Queen wanted his life.
They were alone in his bedchamber of course - because a shy young thing like her simply must have privacy. She made herself to tremble as though cold or overcome and, like clockwork, he moved in with his hands stretching out toward her. As he closed in, she raised her arms toward his neck as though to rest them on his broad shoulders, giving him a better view of her body - but shaper her right hand into a circle as though grasping a hilt. Shadows flowed out of her right hand, driven by the power granted the her Queen through their pact, and formed into a very solid blade.
A flick of her wrist and both his vocal cords and jugular vein were severed. He made hardly a gurgling sound as he collapsed...

...Ana opened her eyes. Her trance had ended and she felt renewed. Idly, she wondered why she would recall that particular assassination. I guess the first time really is special, she thought wryly. It was time to resume her mission, her double life. Today, she would just be Ana, dancer, archer, scout, adventurer in search of a way back home.