Kano gives a little half-smile to the halfling, "Thanks Pim. It worked out alright in the end... perhaps. Hey listen, I'm hoping to stay healthy and safe for as long as I can; this adventure seems bit too much for me to handle." He looks to everyone, "I'm catching a wagon to Baldur's Gate tomorrow morning." He slowly nods.
Tengar looks in surprise at Lesona, her having beat them all back to Greenest in good time. The half orc snorts at Kano's talk. "Perfect. Well, it's not like we're up to here in dragons and dragon's champions anyways. Merry travels." A quitter's soul, Tengar ruminates to himself. Not worthy of the Queen in any case. He turns back to Lesona, asking her: "Well, Master Lesona? Did you find out why the cult attacked this quaint little town?
Lesona's eyebrows flick up and a sly smile appears on her face as she notices Tengar's surprise.
But she stands straight and eyes you all up, "if all haven't been informed, I'm Lesona Erlanthar. The 'Master' title is more my monastery peers and students." She ruffles Nessim's hair, who looks playfully annoyed but does not react and simply pats his hair back back down.
"Do I know why they attacked this quaint little town? Of course - they have been raiding hamlets and farmsteads all over The Green Fields; but never openly as the Cult of the Dragons or with a fully-grown dragon aiding them. Greenest is a sleepy place and was bound to be resting some riches. With such power behind and from what I have studied, it would have been rude not to. Like the dragons they praise, they're hoarding quite an amount - and this town was, unfortunately, near camp. But, unfortunately for them, the town wasn't just housing precious possessions or small gatherings of gold; and for that add my thanks to this town's also." Lesona gives a purposeful half-bow to you all.
"Gathering that amount of treasure by a dragon-worshipping cult can't be good..." Pim mutters. "We've seen that most of the group is only interested in their portion of that loot, but the cult members were the most serious, and dedicated, of the army. Are there any other dragons around they may be courting?"
Burra angles his head, similarly confused with Lesona’s words and the stated motivation of the attack. “If all they wanted was gold, they would not have been taking hostages alive, which leads me to believe they were seeking something else in Greenest. I had assumed it to be you, though clearly I am wrong.”
Lesona nods at Pimster's words, "Very much so - the bulk of Cult's army are sellswords and mercenary groups. Committed to coin they are, and morally bleak... Wouldn't be surprised if they were outright bandit groups, if you ask me." Her brow deepens at the Halflings question, "Other dragons? Gods, I only hope not. I cannot say I know of any. The dragon didn't make an reappearance at the camp last night."
She raises an eyebrow to Burraand the human though, "Kidnap me? Hostages?" Her face holds before snapping in realisation, "Ah! Nessim here may have thought the worst. And, uh, it was quite a snap plan..." She taps her student on the shoulders before beginning to pace back and forth in front of you all. "So, we fell under attack, and I look to defend my friends, the Calstons'. Their home were quickly targeted and we defended best we could by allowing time for the Calstons to flee to the keep, but Nessim here fell after a foul blow to the leg."
"I bargained with them; simply take me instead with the promise of greater treasure, and to leave this house alone. In the moment they thought about was the opening I needed to get rid of them. I found a small group of Greenest guards to take Nessim back to the keep, while I snuck into the Cult as one of them. I got rid of my dragon necklace, it was a giveaway. Under the cover of night, and a hooded cape, managed to slip into the Cult and their camp with the early returners. I learnt... quite a few things I don't really want to say here," Lesona's eyes scan to the keep's staff flittering around.
"But, I was eventually caught out; spotted by the camp's leader. If it wasn't for the victory high the Cultists had that night, I most probably would've been killed that night. The other prisoners there were sellswords who were playing up or broken the rules and been made into slaves. Not wanting a fate like that, I looked to break free but then a well-timed incident happened and bumped in you, and here we are." Lesona ends with a matter-of-fact tone.
"So what's next, then? While driving the cultists from Greenest was right and a good thing, this does not fulfill my destiny. Perhaps we should seek more secure quarters to discuss our next steps..." the druid states.
"Aha! The halfling has fire in him!" Lesona sits on the bench close by and asks, "care to share what you think this destiny of yours - "
"Apologies! Apologies!"
The doors to the dining hall heave open to reveal Castellan Escobert rushing over, "the Governor's buried in it today, as you can imagine, and - oh! The rest of you made it! Bless Moradin's anvil, I told him you were made of strong stuff! Right, we're back up in the study, if you don't mind."
With that, Castellan Escobert is looking only slightly more refreshed from when you saw him last, but just as busy. The dwarf guides you all up the populated flights of stairs.
Up to the broad study, alight by the near-wall high window letting in the sun, overlooking the Greenfields and further south. This time all scholars are no longer present; just Governor Nighthill sitting at the desk arranging an array of papers in front him on his desk. Four rows of three chairs, two on each side, remain empty in front of the large desk of dark wood. You enter and catch one of the keep's staff replacing one chair in the front row with a smaller one, another member of staff wheeling in a tray of small steaming pots and covered plates of food.
As you approach, the Governor stands looking very tired. But you all with your keen insight notice, the mask of the host appear as he smiles with little cracks if any, "Welcome back, and well done to you all. We have been blessed with a successful mission, I assume?"
Lesona leads the informing to the Governor of what happened at the camp and the pieces of information she managed to pick up:
Smaller raids across villages and farms dotted all over the Green Fields and Greenest was targeted due to proximity with the power the Cult had at the time.
The entire operation here is organised by Lady Rezmir, the camp is under Lady Mondath and her blue-scaled right-hand Langdedrosa Cyanwrath.
Any clues of where the loot was going or what it is being contributed to is surmised be in the cave at the back of the camp as it was highly guarded. While there were hushed talks of the amassed treasure being in that cave, there were also talks of something 'far more valuable' residing within in that cave.
While the monk outlines all of this, she gives you all plenty of room to contribute if you so wish.
After Lesona mentions the cave, Pimster pipes in. “I was able to search some of the cave in the cultist camp. Inside the cave it was pitch black, but I was able see well enough. It was a natural cavern, with an uneven ceiling and stalactites about 15 ft. up. There was an unpleasant smell of faint decay and lots of dampness. Apart from a few naturally occurring pillars, there was a vast 30 ft. wide path that veered slightly to the right and further into darkness...” Pimster pauses to take a sip of the mug at his side, letting the tension build slightly. Perhaps he should have been a bard?
“I continued on into the darkness - the humidity and stench increasing as I went, but not to the point of repulsion. After the cave veered slightly, it took a sharp left and the corner of the floor suddenly dropped a few feet! It’s a good thing that the form I took allowed me to see this hazard clearly! Next to this ledge I saw stairs leading down Of course, that’s when I heard the scraping of claws on stone, huffing, and Draconic grumbles!” The Halfling pauses again, looking around the room to meet everyone’s eyes and ensure they were all eager to hear what happened next!
After another long pull on his mug, Pim continued. “Well, I hid in the corner, recognizing a few kobolds who must have finished doing some work and were heading towards me, but quite slowly. With my exceptional insight, I deducted their lack of speed was due to fatigue. The kobolds marched right by me, complaining about how sore their arms were, while others griped and moaned in their language. They were completely unaware of me as they headed on out of the cave! As they passed by, I heard one of the kobold ask another something along the lines of,‘How much do you think they're going to eat?!!’Well, that really peaked my interest, so I had to go further in!”
“As Iwatched the small dragonkin leave, I noticed a glow I thought may have come from a kobold's torch remaining in the direction they all came from... I followed the crudely made stairs further into the caves, and came upon what seemed to be a garden of a small array of mushrooms; most even bioluminescent with soft green, purple, and blue light. They varied in size wildly, but most were brownish-grey with the caps being stodgy and roughly the size of my halfling hand and the stalk being equally stocky and round. There were three large mushrooms whose caps had large, gently pulsing, purple swellings on them and a veiny colorless glow going down their bendy stalks. And that’s when I decided not to let curiosity kill this cat! I quietly exited the cave before I set something off…I wish I knew what was further in, but I’m grateful nothing awful happened to me!”
((Aha! Excellent use of the copy & paste function 😉 - I would give Inspiration, but it seems you already have it! You can gift it to Tengar or Burraif you wish!))
Lesona listens intently; tracing the scar on her face in thought. She speaks; seemingly aloud rather to anyone in particular, "What could the kobolds be working on in there, you think?"
She snaps out of it, but eyes you all steadily. "What I will ask of you is no surprise. I - "
"Ah, excuse me, Master Lesona." The governor gently interjects as the Castellan comes over with a fine bright wooden chest, framed with copper, "you can explain further, and even remain in the study at another table if you wish to retain secrecy. But first I must stick to my word." He opens the chest and reveals five sizable leather coin purses. The castellan hands one out to each of the party, including Kano.
Inside each purse holds a collection of gold coins; some dull with age and other glisten with newness. Every bag contains 250 gp!
"The town's resources are in good enough shape to supply a moment to enjoy oneself. However, the time to work is now and getting Greenest back up and safe is my biggest concern; I do apologise for the abruptness and I hope you can understand. If I can be of further help, please do not hesitate to let the Escobert know and we can work something out. Of course, if you plan to stay here long I can request bedrooms to be arranged within the hour and the study provides a wonderful quiet for deliberation: be our guest." With that, Nighthill gestures to any of the nooks in the raised areas with desks surrounded by bookcases containing books and scrolls of dark, muted colours with shelves rising well over Tengar's head.
A space is picked with plenty of chairs for everyone, but ends up a little tight squeeze. As Lesona sits she lets you all settle before simply stating, "I would very much like it for definite what is in the cave that requires so much attention. I am hoping they have up and left with the disappearance of a prisoner," She gestures to herself, "I think that can give us time to scour in relative safety and piece together whatever next stage they have planned next. Please, share your thoughts."
The half-orc grins and snatches his purse from the chest.
He listens in surprise at Pim's description. "Hmm, interesting." Looking at the others, he asks, "Did you already know this? This is the first time I hear about this. Sounds like a dragon in the cave to me. We could go back and watch from a distance, or see if there's an entrance to that cave on the other side of the ravine? The camp seemed fairly permanent but who knows. With an intruder and murder in the camp, it will likely be more difficult to enter it again, unless we again rely on our shapeshifting friend. If they move camp, it should be easy to follow them." Tengar hefts the coin purse again, "In any case, if there's more of this to be had, I'm in."
((Aha! Excellent use of the copy & paste function 😉 - I would give Inspiration, but it seems you already have it! You can gift it to Tengar or Burraif you wish!))
I'll give the Inspiration to our eyes and ears, Ka'Burra. Thanks!
"I'm willing to go back into the cave to find what lies deeper within. Perhaps I can do a little research here on the fungi that I saw...proper prior preparation weighs nothing but can be more valuable than pearls or platinum pieces! After that, I think some hearty food, a little liquid courage, and a good night's rest will set us up for a successful return to the cultist camp. I like Tengar's idea of looking for another way into the caves - perhaps I will uncover some reference to this cave as I research."(Pimster wants to hit the books and find out about the 'shrooms - can he identify what they were, and any properties or dangers? He figures they had some function to guard the caves...so there must be some way to bypass it. As a player, I think these were Shriekers, but my grasslands druid probably doesn't know that off of the top of his head =)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Karib shakes his head at Tengar's question. "First I've heard of it."
(( I hope that's correct! Though I can't imagine we didn't talk of it on the many hours we took to get back to Greenest ))
He takes the bag of coins with a nod, stuffing it inside his jerkin under his armour, then turns to Lesona. "You seem more than capable of exploring the cave by yourself. What exactly do you need us to do?"
If anything, he seems distrustful of the woman. The ease of her escape and the speed of her return make him wonder if she is an impostor. He looks closely at her, shaking his head "Gond, give me patience to understand this" he says.
(Tengar - Also I would've allowed, as Ereshion pointed out, on the few hours walk back to the Greenest was a great time for very much the sharing of everyone's information they found on the camp between each other! :P)
Lesona smiles at Tengar's words, "Going by what our halfling friend has described, I would say that cave sounds too small for a dragon. Not due to being impractical, but more to the size being an offense to a dragon's self-worth. Trust me, you will very much know when you are in a dragon's territory. That all said, I do not have the funds of the town's governor, but I can coin for incentive... let us one-hundred and fifty gold pieces?"
(Pimstermost certainly can hit the books the Governor has here! Please roll an Investigation check for me, please. And as a DM, I will not confirm nor deny your player speculation on the 'shrooms. ;) )
"Gond, eh?" Lesona gives a nod, seemingly of approval. She holds Karib'sgaze, but not for long as she sips on her beverage before talking, "we're stretched thin, my allies and I. And I need to report to him in Elturel in the north on what has been found to apply the pressure of urgency, as the Cult are moving fast. But what I do need you to do is find information within that cave; their loot from all these robberies cannot just be sitting still for a grand collection, there must be a use for it. At very least find out what that cave was holding, so we can know what they are working with."
From what Karib can tell, Lesona is being honest. You have noticed, even previously in the dining hall, she is quick and sharp to notice opportunities when she sees them taking into account her retelling of how she ended up in a prisoner in the camp. Your party's presence and competency is proving another opportunity she wishes to utilise but not abuse, as well any information she would be refraining would be just to keep things simple rather than purposefully trick you all.
Karib grunts, "Might be better to track them, while the tracks are fresh. They will take what they need from the caves when they move on, and there was talk of moving to a final destination soon. I think the gold was for the mercenaries, though why they didn't sack the whole town is beyond me." He pauses, his mind moving slowly but inexorably. "You say capturing you was not their plan. If that's true, then what was? They didn't sack the town, they barely scratched the surface. We were no match for them..." again he pauses, gears moving and grinding.
"You spoke of allies. Who might they be?"
(( Sorry, can't turn off the bold!!! Looks fine in editor ))
(I was having the same error when I was trying to post - bold everywhere! Hence two deleted posts!!)
"They was, was there? Interesting. Of course, no hint of where this destination was?," Lesona sighs and shakes her head.
She does watch Karibfor a second at his remark, "'Barely scratch the surface'? Would you repeat that to people who have had their life's savings taken? Their gold for food next winter? Or families who had marital heirlooms snatched from their very hands? People were robbed in the very places they thought to be the safest, and you are talking as if the Cult didn't do much. Yes, the royal coffers were untouched," she gestures to your recent rewards, "but surely you can work out what that would have granted the Cult: attention. If that dragon had singed Greenest off the map, the eyes and blades of the Lord's Alliance would have turned this way, scouring for justice, and that would have made things far too difficult for operations of the Cult to run as normal. As of now, they have taken what they wanted and sown the things that linger; fear and confusion. And let us not even begin to start with the strong wane of credibility once the tale of just two nights ago reaches its what... 2nd? 3rd pair of ears?"
From this, Karib you can tell this has struck a nerve with Lesona. Clearly this sense doubt and questioning must have happened more than a few times prior...
Lesona sits back, raises a hand to her necklace, and easing a tension that arose, "This way of thinking has cost us time and denied us resources. But, I think things are beginning to change. My ally is Ontharr Frume, an established member of the Order of the Gauntlet. For those who don't know, they're a structured order of mostly religious and capable individuals who champion faith, vigilance, and uphold the constant struggle against the threats of evil. I feel you may like him, but we shall see once you all, well," she looks to Kano, "once you make to Elturel after you have been to that cave. Can I say have all your words?" With this Lesona looks to everyone.
Pimsterit does take you a little while, a lot of the books here about relatively recent human history. There are some hobbyist books, and you find a few on botany. Even fewer mention a selection of mushrooms but one specific book titled The Marvel of Mushrooms by Tetlus Ampleoak, and the sizeable book has the most wonderful selection and depictions of toadstools that can be found across Faerun and beyond. And you come across the brownish-grey mushrooms and discover they come from the Underdark but, according to the book, grow at least 5 ft. in height and similar in width; much larger than the ones you encountered. The book goes on to describe how edible these mushrooms are with little to no sideeffects and supplies a few simple (but delicious!) recipes. Apart from that, there does not appear to be any reference to the other mysterious, yet colourful fungi he saw in the cave.
(Very much open if Tengar or Burra have questions or contribute!)
(Did Pim find anything on the three large mushrooms whose caps had large, gently pulsing, purple swellings on them and a veiny colorless glow going down their bendy stalks? =)
All the talk and exchange of coins left Burra clearly perplexed. The cleric claimed to have little use for material wealth - and, evidently, even less grasp of the concept of coinage. His head angles slightly to one side at Lesona's outburst; were the people of Greenest not happy to still walk the ground following the attack? Certainly, gold could purchase paltry conveniences, but to the unaware Burra, coins are a fickle commodity compared to lives.
"I would imagine directly launching another investigation into the cultist's base would be made difficult. They are likely on high alert, considering a prized prisoner has escaped their clutches - and I could imagine them drawing the parallels between our arrival, the prisoner's escape, and our group fleeing shortly after," Burra suggests, always one to advocate for caution. "If they are on the move, as you say, it may be worthwhile seeking for where they are headed. I have no qualms with heading to Elturel, though some part of me hopes the cultists may have moved on from the cave already and left behind enough clues to gain some information about their motives."
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Kano gives a little half-smile to the halfling, "Thanks Pim. It worked out alright in the end... perhaps. Hey listen, I'm hoping to stay healthy and safe for as long as I can; this adventure seems bit too much for me to handle." He looks to everyone, "I'm catching a wagon to Baldur's Gate tomorrow morning." He slowly nods.
Tengar
Tengar looks in surprise at Lesona, her having beat them all back to Greenest in good time. The half orc snorts at Kano's talk. "Perfect. Well, it's not like we're up to here in dragons and dragon's champions anyways. Merry travels." A quitter's soul, Tengar ruminates to himself. Not worthy of the Queen in any case. He turns back to Lesona, asking her: "Well, Master Lesona? Did you find out why the cult attacked this quaint little town?
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
Lesona's eyebrows flick up and a sly smile appears on her face as she notices Tengar's surprise.
But she stands straight and eyes you all up, "if all haven't been informed, I'm Lesona Erlanthar. The 'Master' title is more my monastery peers and students." She ruffles Nessim's hair, who looks playfully annoyed but does not react and simply pats his hair back back down.
"Do I know why they attacked this quaint little town? Of course - they have been raiding hamlets and farmsteads all over The Green Fields; but never openly as the Cult of the Dragons or with a fully-grown dragon aiding them. Greenest is a sleepy place and was bound to be resting some riches. With such power behind and from what I have studied, it would have been rude not to. Like the dragons they praise, they're hoarding quite an amount - and this town was, unfortunately, near camp. But, unfortunately for them, the town wasn't just housing precious possessions or small gatherings of gold; and for that add my thanks to this town's also." Lesona gives a purposeful half-bow to you all.
"Gathering that amount of treasure by a dragon-worshipping cult can't be good..." Pim mutters. "We've seen that most of the group is only interested in their portion of that loot, but the cult members were the most serious, and dedicated, of the army. Are there any other dragons around they may be courting?"
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Karib looks from Lesona, back to Tengar then back to Lesona. "Colour me confused."
"They went to all this trouble to kidnap you, and now...you just say they wanted gold?"
Burra angles his head, similarly confused with Lesona’s words and the stated motivation of the attack. “If all they wanted was gold, they would not have been taking hostages alive, which leads me to believe they were seeking something else in Greenest. I had assumed it to be you, though clearly I am wrong.”
Lesona nods at Pimster's words, "Very much so - the bulk of Cult's army are sellswords and mercenary groups. Committed to coin they are, and morally bleak... Wouldn't be surprised if they were outright bandit groups, if you ask me." Her brow deepens at the Halflings question, "Other dragons? Gods, I only hope not. I cannot say I know of any. The dragon didn't make an reappearance at the camp last night."
She raises an eyebrow to Burra and the human though, "Kidnap me? Hostages?" Her face holds before snapping in realisation, "Ah! Nessim here may have thought the worst. And, uh, it was quite a snap plan..." She taps her student on the shoulders before beginning to pace back and forth in front of you all. "So, we fell under attack, and I look to defend my friends, the Calstons'. Their home were quickly targeted and we defended best we could by allowing time for the Calstons to flee to the keep, but Nessim here fell after a foul blow to the leg."
"I bargained with them; simply take me instead with the promise of greater treasure, and to leave this house alone. In the moment they thought about was the opening I needed to get rid of them. I found a small group of Greenest guards to take Nessim back to the keep, while I snuck into the Cult as one of them. I got rid of my dragon necklace, it was a giveaway. Under the cover of night, and a hooded cape, managed to slip into the Cult and their camp with the early returners. I learnt... quite a few things I don't really want to say here," Lesona's eyes scan to the keep's staff flittering around.
"But, I was eventually caught out; spotted by the camp's leader. If it wasn't for the victory high the Cultists had that night, I most probably would've been killed that night. The other prisoners there were sellswords who were playing up or broken the rules and been made into slaves. Not wanting a fate like that, I looked to break free but then a well-timed incident happened and bumped in you, and here we are." Lesona ends with a matter-of-fact tone.
"So what's next, then? While driving the cultists from Greenest was right and a good thing, this does not fulfill my destiny. Perhaps we should seek more secure quarters to discuss our next steps..." the druid states.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
"Aha! The halfling has fire in him!" Lesona sits on the bench close by and asks, "care to share what you think this destiny of yours - "
"Apologies! Apologies!"
The doors to the dining hall heave open to reveal Castellan Escobert rushing over, "the Governor's buried in it today, as you can imagine, and - oh! The rest of you made it! Bless Moradin's anvil, I told him you were made of strong stuff! Right, we're back up in the study, if you don't mind."
With that, Castellan Escobert is looking only slightly more refreshed from when you saw him last, but just as busy. The dwarf guides you all up the populated flights of stairs.
Up to the broad study, alight by the near-wall high window letting in the sun, overlooking the Greenfields and further south. This time all scholars are no longer present; just Governor Nighthill sitting at the desk arranging an array of papers in front him on his desk. Four rows of three chairs, two on each side, remain empty in front of the large desk of dark wood. You enter and catch one of the keep's staff replacing one chair in the front row with a smaller one, another member of staff wheeling in a tray of small steaming pots and covered plates of food.
As you approach, the Governor stands looking very tired. But you all with your keen insight notice, the mask of the host appear as he smiles with little cracks if any, "Welcome back, and well done to you all. We have been blessed with a successful mission, I assume?"
Lesona leads the informing to the Governor of what happened at the camp and the pieces of information she managed to pick up:
While the monk outlines all of this, she gives you all plenty of room to contribute if you so wish.
After Lesona mentions the cave, Pimster pipes in. “I was able to search some of the cave in the cultist camp. Inside the cave it was pitch black, but I was able see well enough. It was a natural cavern, with an uneven ceiling and stalactites about 15 ft. up. There was an unpleasant smell of faint decay and lots of dampness. Apart from a few naturally occurring pillars, there was a vast 30 ft. wide path that veered slightly to the right and further into darkness...” Pimster pauses to take a sip of the mug at his side, letting the tension build slightly. Perhaps he should have been a bard?
“I continued on into the darkness - the humidity and stench increasing as I went, but not to the point of repulsion. After the cave veered slightly, it took a sharp left and the corner of the floor suddenly dropped a few feet! It’s a good thing that the form I took allowed me to see this hazard clearly! Next to this ledge I saw stairs leading down Of course, that’s when I heard the scraping of claws on stone, huffing, and Draconic grumbles!” The Halfling pauses again, looking around the room to meet everyone’s eyes and ensure they were all eager to hear what happened next!
After another long pull on his mug, Pim continued. “Well, I hid in the corner, recognizing a few kobolds who must have finished doing some work and were heading towards me, but quite slowly. With my exceptional insight, I deducted their lack of speed was due to fatigue. The kobolds marched right by me, complaining about how sore their arms were, while others griped and moaned in their language. They were completely unaware of me as they headed on out of the cave! As they passed by, I heard one of the kobold ask another something along the lines of, ‘How much do you think they're going to eat?!!’ Well, that really peaked my interest, so I had to go further in!”
“As I watched the small dragonkin leave, I noticed a glow I thought may have come from a kobold's torch remaining in the direction they all came from... I followed the crudely made stairs further into the caves, and came upon what seemed to be a garden of a small array of mushrooms; most even bioluminescent with soft green, purple, and blue light. They varied in size wildly, but most were brownish-grey with the caps being stodgy and roughly the size of my halfling hand and the stalk being equally stocky and round. There were three large mushrooms whose caps had large, gently pulsing, purple swellings on them and a veiny colorless glow going down their bendy stalks. And that’s when I decided not to let curiosity kill this cat! I quietly exited the cave before I set something off…I wish I knew what was further in, but I’m grateful nothing awful happened to me!”
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
OOC:
((Aha! Excellent use of the copy & paste function 😉 - I would give Inspiration, but it seems you already have it! You can gift it to Tengar or Burra if you wish!))
Lesona listens intently; tracing the scar on her face in thought. She speaks; seemingly aloud rather to anyone in particular, "What could the kobolds be working on in there, you think?"
She snaps out of it, but eyes you all steadily. "What I will ask of you is no surprise. I - "
"Ah, excuse me, Master Lesona." The governor gently interjects as the Castellan comes over with a fine bright wooden chest, framed with copper, "you can explain further, and even remain in the study at another table if you wish to retain secrecy. But first I must stick to my word." He opens the chest and reveals five sizable leather coin purses. The castellan hands one out to each of the party, including Kano.
Inside each purse holds a collection of gold coins; some dull with age and other glisten with newness. Every bag contains 250 gp!
"The town's resources are in good enough shape to supply a moment to enjoy oneself. However, the time to work is now and getting Greenest back up and safe is my biggest concern; I do apologise for the abruptness and I hope you can understand. If I can be of further help, please do not hesitate to let the Escobert know and we can work something out. Of course, if you plan to stay here long I can request bedrooms to be arranged within the hour and the study provides a wonderful quiet for deliberation: be our guest." With that, Nighthill gestures to any of the nooks in the raised areas with desks surrounded by bookcases containing books and scrolls of dark, muted colours with shelves rising well over Tengar's head.
A space is picked with plenty of chairs for everyone, but ends up a little tight squeeze. As Lesona sits she lets you all settle before simply stating, "I would very much like it for definite what is in the cave that requires so much attention. I am hoping they have up and left with the disappearance of a prisoner," She gestures to herself, "I think that can give us time to scour in relative safety and piece together whatever next stage they have planned next. Please, share your thoughts."
Tengar
The half-orc grins and snatches his purse from the chest.
He listens in surprise at Pim's description. "Hmm, interesting." Looking at the others, he asks, "Did you already know this? This is the first time I hear about this. Sounds like a dragon in the cave to me. We could go back and watch from a distance, or see if there's an entrance to that cave on the other side of the ravine? The camp seemed fairly permanent but who knows. With an intruder and murder in the camp, it will likely be more difficult to enter it again, unless we again rely on our shapeshifting friend. If they move camp, it should be easy to follow them." Tengar hefts the coin purse again, "In any case, if there's more of this to be had, I'm in."
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
"I'm willing to go back into the cave to find what lies deeper within. Perhaps I can do a little research here on the fungi that I saw...proper prior preparation weighs nothing but can be more valuable than pearls or platinum pieces! After that, I think some hearty food, a little liquid courage, and a good night's rest will set us up for a successful return to the cultist camp. I like Tengar's idea of looking for another way into the caves - perhaps I will uncover some reference to this cave as I research." (Pimster wants to hit the books and find out about the 'shrooms - can he identify what they were, and any properties or dangers? He figures they had some function to guard the caves...so there must be some way to bypass it. As a player, I think these were Shriekers, but my grasslands druid probably doesn't know that off of the top of his head =)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Karib shakes his head at Tengar's question. "First I've heard of it."
(( I hope that's correct! Though I can't imagine we didn't talk of it on the many hours we took to get back to Greenest ))
He takes the bag of coins with a nod, stuffing it inside his jerkin under his armour, then turns to Lesona. "You seem more than capable of exploring the cave by yourself. What exactly do you need us to do?"
If anything, he seems distrustful of the woman. The ease of her escape and the speed of her return make him wonder if she is an impostor. He looks closely at her, shaking his head "Gond, give me patience to understand this" he says.
Insight: 14 + 3 = 26
(Tengar - Also I would've allowed, as Ereshion pointed out, on the few hours walk back to the Greenest was a great time for very much the sharing of everyone's information they found on the camp between each other! :P)
Lesona smiles at Tengar's words, "Going by what our halfling friend has described, I would say that cave sounds too small for a dragon. Not due to being impractical, but more to the size being an offense to a dragon's self-worth. Trust me, you will very much know when you are in a dragon's territory. That all said, I do not have the funds of the town's governor, but I can coin for incentive... let us one-hundred and fifty gold pieces?"
(Pimster most certainly can hit the books the Governor has here! Please roll an Investigation check for me, please. And as a DM, I will not confirm nor deny your player speculation on the 'shrooms. ;) )
"Gond, eh?" Lesona gives a nod, seemingly of approval. She holds Karib's gaze, but not for long as she sips on her beverage before talking, "we're stretched thin, my allies and I. And I need to report to him in Elturel in the north on what has been found to apply the pressure of urgency, as the Cult are moving fast. But what I do need you to do is find information within that cave; their loot from all these robberies cannot just be sitting still for a grand collection, there must be a use for it. At very least find out what that cave was holding, so we can know what they are working with."
From what Karib can tell, Lesona is being honest. You have noticed, even previously in the dining hall, she is quick and sharp to notice opportunities when she sees them taking into account her retelling of how she ended up in a prisoner in the camp. Your party's presence and competency is proving another opportunity she wishes to utilise but not abuse, as well any information she would be refraining would be just to keep things simple rather than purposefully trick you all.
Karib grunts, "Might be better to track them, while the tracks are fresh. They will take what they need from the caves when they move on, and there was talk of moving to a final destination soon. I think the gold was for the mercenaries, though why they didn't sack the whole town is beyond me." He pauses, his mind moving slowly but inexorably. "You say capturing you was not their plan. If that's true, then what was? They didn't sack the town, they barely scratched the surface. We were no match for them..." again he pauses, gears moving and grinding.
"You spoke of allies. Who might they be?"
(( Sorry, can't turn off the bold!!! Looks fine in editor ))
(Once the conversation is over, Pimster will start his investigation in the library. Investigation - 6)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
(I was having the same error when I was trying to post - bold everywhere! Hence two deleted posts!!)
"They was, was there? Interesting. Of course, no hint of where this destination was?," Lesona sighs and shakes her head.
She does watch Karib for a second at his remark, "'Barely scratch the surface'? Would you repeat that to people who have had their life's savings taken? Their gold for food next winter? Or families who had marital heirlooms snatched from their very hands? People were robbed in the very places they thought to be the safest, and you are talking as if the Cult didn't do much. Yes, the royal coffers were untouched," she gestures to your recent rewards, "but surely you can work out what that would have granted the Cult: attention. If that dragon had singed Greenest off the map, the eyes and blades of the Lord's Alliance would have turned this way, scouring for justice, and that would have made things far too difficult for operations of the Cult to run as normal. As of now, they have taken what they wanted and sown the things that linger; fear and confusion. And let us not even begin to start with the strong wane of credibility once the tale of just two nights ago reaches its what... 2nd? 3rd pair of ears?"
From this, Karib you can tell this has struck a nerve with Lesona. Clearly this sense doubt and questioning must have happened more than a few times prior...
Lesona sits back, raises a hand to her necklace, and easing a tension that arose, "This way of thinking has cost us time and denied us resources. But, I think things are beginning to change. My ally is Ontharr Frume, an established member of the Order of the Gauntlet. For those who don't know, they're a structured order of mostly religious and capable individuals who champion faith, vigilance, and uphold the constant struggle against the threats of evil. I feel you may like him, but we shall see once you all, well," she looks to Kano, "once you make to Elturel after you have been to that cave. Can I say have all your words?" With this Lesona looks to everyone.
Pimster it does take you a little while, a lot of the books here about relatively recent human history. There are some hobbyist books, and you find a few on botany. Even fewer mention a selection of mushrooms but one specific book titled The Marvel of Mushrooms by Tetlus Ampleoak, and the sizeable book has the most wonderful selection and depictions of toadstools that can be found across Faerun and beyond. And you come across the brownish-grey mushrooms and discover they come from the Underdark but, according to the book, grow at least 5 ft. in height and similar in width; much larger than the ones you encountered. The book goes on to describe how edible these mushrooms are with little to no sideeffects and supplies a few simple (but delicious!) recipes. Apart from that, there does not appear to be any reference to the other mysterious, yet colourful fungi he saw in the cave.
(Very much open if Tengar or Burra have questions or contribute!)
(Did Pim find anything on the three large mushrooms whose caps had large, gently pulsing, purple swellings on them and a veiny colorless glow going down their bendy stalks? =)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
All the talk and exchange of coins left Burra clearly perplexed. The cleric claimed to have little use for material wealth - and, evidently, even less grasp of the concept of coinage. His head angles slightly to one side at Lesona's outburst; were the people of Greenest not happy to still walk the ground following the attack? Certainly, gold could purchase paltry conveniences, but to the unaware Burra, coins are a fickle commodity compared to lives.
"I would imagine directly launching another investigation into the cultist's base would be made difficult. They are likely on high alert, considering a prized prisoner has escaped their clutches - and I could imagine them drawing the parallels between our arrival, the prisoner's escape, and our group fleeing shortly after," Burra suggests, always one to advocate for caution. "If they are on the move, as you say, it may be worthwhile seeking for where they are headed. I have no qualms with heading to Elturel, though some part of me hopes the cultists may have moved on from the cave already and left behind enough clues to gain some information about their motives."