Session 86 - Flight of the Neverember

9th August 2024

In-game timeline: Start of session: 1490DR Ches 30. End of session: 1490DR Tarsakh 18

After a long out-of-game absence, there was a lot of catching up to do, and reminders of what had happened to the characters to get them where they are now.

During the time it took for the group to level up to level 8 in Settlestone, the party did some "stuff":

Karoshi did some asking around about an Eldritch Claw Tattoo, which it turns out is a bit of a taboo subject, as are most things "eldritch" in respectable cities like Settlestone. However, Karoshi thinks that there may be information available somewhere about tweaking such magicks to make them more "acceptable", and will be on the lookout for such in the future.

Iwee earnt some welcome gold playing to the very receptive dwarven crowds, pretending to be the charming bardish gnome, whilst in the background learning spells to grind her opponents into the ground by twisting their minds and screwing with their thoughts. Iwee is becoming very scary.

Jaxii benefitted from her ancestors' goodwill and was able to train up for little or no cost, and also was grateful for finally discovering that the wooden bracers that she had been diligently carrying around for the last couple of months, and generally ignoring, were actually magical, and would have proved very useful in recent battles. She sheepishly paid the money needed to adapt them to fit her arms, and started to wear them as if they had been part of her outfit all along.

Derrick was in his own world, musing about almost killing a dragon, almost becoming king of the werewolves and almost being respected within his own party. The others, seeing him often talking to himself, worried for his wellbeing. Or rather, they worried for their own wellbeing in his company.

Once they were fully rested, fully trained, and Iwee had acted once more as general postmaster by sending messages to all and sundry, they set off back to Neverwinter. Jaxii had heard from her mother than things were afoot within the city, and not very nice things at that. Derrick had received the offer of some work from the Little Fingers, and Karoshi wanted to revisit Kalten's notebook, which he had left in the temple of Moradin in Neverwinter for safekeeping.

Upon arrival back at the city, after a long, but uneventful, overland trek, they discovered a city in some turmoil. Neverember had fled the city, along with many of his top guards, leaving both the city and the surrounding lands, unguarded and unpoliced. He also had taken with him most of the city's wealth, and the group of dragonborn from Jaxii's clan whom he had previously had locked up. The sea hag, Kell Findra, had also escaped during the turmoil, helped by someone, or something.

Our "Heroes" spent some time discovering what had happened, and trying to avoid trouble themselves. Derrick, after realising some of the downsides of heavy armour on city streets, spoke to Devon from the Little Fingers and found out that the LF were in fact responsible for the downfall of Neverember, after using the information recovered from the lockbox obtained from the Emperor of the Waves, and the code cypher that Iwee found in Neverember's secret room, to expose Neverember as a crook. However, they did not expect Neverember to make off with the city's wealth, and want to know where he, and the wealth, has got to. They attempted to pay for this information from a generally reliable informant that they use from time to time - "Lord" Graysing who lives in the town of Helms Hold about a day's travel to the south east of Neverwinter. However, the two envoys they sent to get this information have not returned, and the LF would like to hire the party to try again - and if possible to find out what happened to the envoys.

Meanwhile Iwee and Jaxii did some general digging for information around town about what had happened, discovering that prior to his fleeing the city, Neverember was visited by an incubus, whom they suspect was Castellan. Iwee suddenly recalled all the information that she had blurted to Castellan whilst under his influence, and realised that Neverember is likely to know all that information now, too. Iwee was a little embarrassed. It also seems that Nevermber took around 50 of his top "Embers Watch" guards with him - a quite considerable force.

Karoshi visited the temple of Moradin to pick up his mail. He had received a message from Kaster about the Kovacs tome that was being restored. With Iwee's help, channelling Kardreth, they managed to make more sense of Karoshi's mentor, Kalten's scribbles in his notebook. It turned out that Kalten was a member of the cult of the one-winged demon, and was on his way to finding the "golden born" - Iwee - in order to capture or kill her, when he was unexpectedly killed by orcs in a minor battle along the way. Karoshi was taken aback by this information, though the rest of the party were unsurprised - having seen numerous mentions of a "K" in relation to a one-winged demonic spy. Karoshi has been rather quiet since this revelation - even more so than usual.

With Derrick keen to earn some money from the Little Fingers and help them on the job they want him and the group to do, and Jaxii wanting to learn the same information about the whereabouts of Neverember, as he has taken her ancestral clan members with him for some reason, they all want to head to Helms Hold to speak to Lord Graysing. Still being very careful in this currently somewhat lawless city, they prepare to set off on their travels once more… 

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