Date: 10/31/10

XP Awarded: 2,300 (Azaad, Nather, Taark, Tilan), 1,975 (Laurrens, Memnon)

Start: The Lotus Dragons thieves' guild stronghold, under the city of Tashluta, dry season (Ches), 1369 DR.

As the green mist that was formerly guildmaster Rowyn flows into a drainpipe, the party is forced to return its attention to the zombie draconic creature threatening them. The party members who had been piled atop Rowyn before she drank a potion and escaped scramble to their feet and ready weapons to attack the creature formerly known as Gut Tugger. The undead monstrosity shambles forward to snap at Memnon, and it is quickly surrounded by the party's warriors who proceed to beat it down. Though it moves much more slowly than when alive, its toughened undead flesh withstand the slices and cuts and it takes some time before the zombie is destroyed.

Once it is, the adventurers explore the two opulently decorated rooms more carefully while Laurrens leaves to find Azaad. Nather finds a cache of letters hidden under the bed and distributes them to the group to scan through. The pages are revealed to be exceptionally racy love letters to Rowyn Kellani by Vanthus Vanderboren dating back several tendays, and they contain a few pieces of interesting information. Taark notices that a section of the brick wall in one corner of the room doesn't 'feel right', and when he looks more closely he discerns the outline of a door. With Nather's help, the pair find a hidden catch that releases the secret door, revealing a short, unlit brick passage with a wooden door on the right at the far end. Azaad returns alone, having left Laurrens to guard the two remaining prisoners (having killed one when he refused to cooperate).

Nather investigates the door and doesn't find any sign of traps, but even though he works the lock for ten minutes, he can't figure it out. Memnon, Taark and Laurrens take over with a crowbar, and after a half hour of weakening the doorframe, there is a crack as the door comes loose, almost immediately followed by a series of percussions within the brick wall at the end of the tunnel. A volley of long metal bolts shoot out of hidden holes between the bricks, impaling the warriors in the hall. Though coated with a tarry substance that looks poisonous, the adventurers don't seem to suffer any ill affects from it.

Behind the door is a small room with three large iron-bound wooden chests against the walls. Nather and Taark carefully examine the room from the doorway and notice a number of tiny holes scattered across the floor. Suspecting a trap, the adventurers remove the heavy wooden door from its frame and lay it across the floor with a resounding crash. Standing carefully on the wooden door, Nather inspects the wooden chests but doesn't note anything that might indicate it's trapped.

Nather pulls out his tools and gets to work on the lock, but isn't able to open it. Taark and Nather use the crowbar to pry the chest open while standing on the door, and with a final push, the chest's lid bursts open. The heavy wooden door jolts upwards by several inches as dozens of thin iron spikes burst from the floor, but the two adventurers keep their balance and don't topple onto the suddenly hazardous floor. Though the chest proves to be empty, the next chest contains a mound of burglered loot and the third chest contains several silk sacks marked with the Vanderboren family crest full of gold, platinum, and gems.

Dragging the heavy chests, the party return to the meeting room with the map of Tashluta and slate covered in writing. After reading through the notes, it's apparent that most track the comings and goings of ships in the harbour as well as notations of which ones have been (or are scheduled to be) 'holed'. In the upper corner is a box listing the names of the party members alongside a note in big letters that reads 'VANTHUS! FIX THIS NOW!'. In the lower corner is another note written in a flowing script that nobody recognizes. Azaad carefully copies the characters into his notebook before the party leaves.

The group meet up with Laurrens and the two prisoners while Taark and Nather return to the kitchen where the kobold is tied up. They find a pile of loose rope in the hammock where it was left, and they call Memnon to see if he can find any trace of where it may have gone. Memnon carefully searches the floor and finds a clear set of reptilian footprints in the grey sludge that covers the floor of the dining hall. The tracks lead out into the long hall next to the barracks but gradually disappear before Memnon can determine where they lead.

The adventurers ask their prisoners what is behind the door Memnon secured with spikes. Upon hearing it's the prison, the party pries the iron bars free and proceed down a hall to another door. Behind the door is a room cluttered with clumps of wet fur and gnawed bones, some of which appear to be human. Through another door is a long hallway with prison cells along one side, though all are empty. At the far end of the hall is a door that leads to a torture chamber, and behind that is a small sleeping room.

When asked what their companions were headed for when they fled this way, the prisoners reply that there is a secret door that leads to a series of halls surrounding something called "The Crucible" where a hungry crocodile awaits. Since there are several secret exits from these halls to the abandoned buildings surrounding Dead Dog Plaza, the fleeing guildmembers probably exited the underground complex already.

After some searching, Taark finds a secret door that opens into a darkened tunnel, and the party cautiously enters. Another secret door is found at the end of the tunnel, and on the other side is a large, circular room with a ladder leading up to a trapdoor in the ceiling. Two other doors lead on, though the prisoners warn the party not to go through the right door, since it leads to The Crucible. The adventurers follow a series of tunnels and rooms that form a rough ring - at one point there are narrow slits in the brick wall overhung with dripping moss and vines through which a murky pool of water can barely be seen.

In one of the circular rooms with a trapdoor, Azaad asks Taark to check a section of the wall and the dwarf discovers another secret door. It opens into a deep alcove the party had found earlier, and the party exits back into the lit halls of the main complex. Taark brings the group back to the last set of unexplored doors, which lead to a pair of chambers that appear to be a resting area for visitors. Near these, another door leads through more brick-lined tunnels and chambers to a hall carved from stone. The sound of lapping waves comes from beyond a twist in the passage that blocks sight. The prisoners warn the group that some kind of fish allied with the guild may be in the area, and they are reluctant to go any further.

Rounding the bend, the party finds itself standing on a sandy beach within a darkened sea cave. On the far side of a sloshing tidepool is another narrow beach seething with brightly coloured crabs. A short wooden pier juts out into the pool, with a small rowboat tied up next to it. The cavern wall opposite the party turns into a wide, flooded passage that ends in a pair of heavy wooden doors barred on the inside, daylight shining under the bottom of the doors that just clear the waterline. Around to the right, the flooded seacave winds further back into darkness. After debating for a minute, the group decides that some of the party will return through the guild complex back to the cavern they first entered through, to see if the water in that cave joins up with this one. As Memnon, Azaad, and Nather climb into the rowboat to set out, several party members catch a glimpse of something dark and fast moving passing under the rowboat.

The tidepool explodes in a shower of water as several creatures that look like a cross between a shark and a manta ray leap through the air to attack. Snapping with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth and raking bonespur-studded tails across their target, they inflict deep wounds on the unprepared adventurers. Memnon quickly recovers and runs his spear through one before it disappears back below the waves. Tilan wades through shallow water to attack one near Nather, and Laurrens stands at the end of the dock with his greatsword at the ready. The party's prisoners cry out in fear and run back into the tunnel leading to the guild complex while Taark is busy beating one of the creatures down with his warhammer. Azaad uses magic to transpose himself from the rowboat to a safer location on the dock, and Nather throws himself to the bottom of the rowboat to take cover from the boat's sides for firing his crossbow.

The party soon learn to time their attacks against the leaping creatures, and the four initial attackers are almost all dispatched before another group arrives. Half a minute later, the last wounded survivor races through the water under the wooden doors and out into Tashluta's harbour. After Laurrens finishes binding wounds, Memnon guides the boat with Nather and Azaad rowing through the narrow seacave while Tilan and Taark walk through the deserted complex to where the party entered. At the end of the winding cavern, they find a much smaller tidalpool that leads to two other narrow caverns. The boat with the other party members enters through one, and they report that the other passage holds a small sandy beach that looks like it opens into a small chamber. Dropping off Taark and Laurrens on the tiny beach, Memnon ferries the rest of the party over.

Once reunited, the adventuring group cautiously explore the cavern and discover a cramped crevice that winds into the rock at the rear of the beach. With Tilan in the lead, the party squeeze through the crevice and into a larger cavern where the walls glisten with thick, transparent ooze. Small mushrooms protrude from the slop on the floor here and there, and a viscous pool of green goo lies near a large patch of mushrooms that seem to contain a set of bones.

A flicker of motion above draws the party's attention a moment before a trio of giant insects skitter down the walls to attack. Tilan is hit by one of the creature's forelimbs, but resists being stuffed into the oversized, deadly mandibles. It's difficult for the party to fight effectively in the cramped crevice, but the warriors are soon able to dispatch one of the insects and create more room to maneuver. The rest of the insects are destroyed before any manage to get a solid bite of anyone.

Once the threat is dispatched, the party explore the stinking cavern in greater detail. The bones protruding from the mass of fungi prove to be those of a halfling encased in rotting leather armor. Nather finds a couple of rings and a brooch on the remains, and Azaad determines that the brooch and one of the rings are magical. Having now explored just about all of the Lotus Dragons complex, the adventurers return to the ladder that leads up to the Taxidermist's Guildhall, but when they arrive at the bed where they'd left Nemian tied up, only a pile of severed ropes remain. The adventurers guess that one of their escaped prisoners rescued Nemian, and return to the tunnels below to gather any treasure left behind. After an hour of carting goods to the underground dock, the party send Memnon and Nather out to fetch their larger rowboat 'Old Salty' and transfer the loot to Nather's home in the Merchant District.

The next day, after a thorough cleanup and rest, the party visit Vanderboren Manor and present Lavinia with the sacks of money bearing the Vanderboren family crest. Delighted, their patron says that the party will receive a rich reward once her accountants finish reviewing what they've found. The party also informs her that while they haven't captured Vanthus, they have found new information that she would be interested in. When she hears the news that Vanthus is responsible for their parents' deaths, Lavinia Vanderboren turns ashen and almost falls into a nearby chair. Grimly setting her jaw, she resolves to put the whole affair behind her and asks the party to continue their investigation into Vanthus' whereabouts.

Nather cautiously starts probing for information about the meeting in Kraken's Cove referred to in Vanthus' letters to Rowyn Kellani. While nobody seems to know where Kraken's Cove is, he does find out information that the pirates bringing 'a valuable treasure' have been delayed and there is no word on when they may be arriving. Content that the party has more time to spend in Tashluta wrapping up business affairs, the party spends the next few days resting and attending to other business. Tilan spends more time at the shrine of Anachtyr, Memnon spends some time with a few of the members of Zelkarune's Horns, and Taark spends a lot of time tracking down and meeting the dwarves of Tashluta. Azaad pores over his spellbook, and makes a visit to the House of the All-Seeing Orb to commission a sage to research the location of Kraken's Cove referenced in Vanthus' letters to Rowyn. Nather keeps busy with his mercantile contacts, seeking ways to sell the party's large amount of captured equipment and treasure. It quickly becomes common knowledge that the Lotus Dragon's thieves' guild has been smashed and the leader Rowyn Kellani fled. The Kellani name is cast into disrepute, with matroness Heldra Kellani forced to publicly disown her daughter's (and intended heiress!) activities.

Two days later, Lavinia summons the party members back to her manor to present each with a very decorated envelope with their name embossed in curling script. They are invitations to a banquet and ball to be held in Lidu Manor - the home of the Dawn Council's ruling president - in two day's time. Lavinia explains that the Dawn Council is very pleased with the party's actions, given the extent of the threat that the Lotus Dragons posed to Tashluta's harbour. She briefs the party on expected dress and behaviour - something that Memnon and Taark have a difficult time understanding - and sends her halfling servant Kora Whistlegap to assist the adventurers in selecting suitable clothing for the occasion. She also presents each party member with a small silk bag of 100 platinum pieces in thanks for restoring the portion of her family's wealth that hadn't already been spent.

With his newfound wealth, Taark realizes that he can now afford a magical suit of dwarvencraft plate mail that fits him perfectly, and commissions the dwarven mastersmith Elmrynna Redstone to create a dwarvencraft warhammer for him as well - a process that is expected to take several tendays. After a few days of shopping - including the purchase of fancy sets of clothing picked out by Kora - the party has fitted itself out with new weapons, armor, and equipment. On the eve of the banquet, the adventurers gather at Vanderboren Manor where they meet with Lavinia and ride in her covered coach to Lidu Manor.

The manor house is a very large, classic Calimshan-style palace decorated with slender columns and deep verandas. Lush gardens surround the curved carriage path that loops in front of the grand entry, and the scent of evening flowers is heavy in the air as the adventurers leave the Vanderboren coach. Lavinia gives a few final words of encouragement and says that it's the party's night to shine, and that she'll be joining the party a bit later. Taark and Memnon look particularly ill at ease without their ever-present armor and weapons, and the pebbly-skinned dwarf continues to mutter about 'human foppishness' in regard to the clothes he's been forced to wear. He reluctantly hands his treasured warhammer over to the guards Lavinia has hired to look after it before the coach leaves and the party enters the manor house.

Inside is a brightly lit, dazzling hall decorated with exotic potted plants, mirrors, chandeliers, and polished marble floors. An army of well-dressed servants offer the adventurers drinks, and another loudly announces their names as they arrive at the top of a grand staircase. Below, a grand ballroom holds several clusters of richly dressed nobles that look up and applaud the party. The president of the Dawn Council, Worrin Lidu, introduces himself to the party and escorts them down the stairs into a group of eager well-wishers. There are drinks for over an hour while what seems like an endless array of faces are introduced to the party and congratulate them on their hard-won victory over a grave threat to the city of Tashluta. There is much light talk, including discussion of the upcoming Serpentfall festivities that mark an ancient victory against the yuan-ti.

Amongst the party goers are all seven members of the governing Dawn Council, representing the city's seven districts. Isiman Tilesha, Abbot of Anachtyr and head of the city's shrine spends much time conversing with Tilan, Laurrens, and Taark. Anwyn Arabani, representing the Merchant District, strikes up a long conversation with Nather while Memnon and Azaad are cornered by Worrin Lidu who seems keen to be seen with the heroes. Heldra Kellani, the head of the disgraced Kellani family even approaches the party, but instead of offering any congratulatory message she says "You've certainly made a name for yourselves. I am very interested to see what deadly dangers you may next encounter in your adventures" before stalking off. Lady Doom Thalaera Indlerith of the House of Night's Embrace also visits the party, dressed in a slinky black gown studded with metal spikes that may or may not be decorative. She doesn't wish the party well, but makes some noncommittal remark about the party's fame before drifting off and leaving the party.

Dinner is served not long after, an enormous selection of fine foods including game, fruit, and several varieties of delicious pastries. Wine flows freely, and after dinner are more drinks. Lord Lidu and his wife make their exit before it grows too late, and many of the older nobles exit as well, leaving a core of the younger nobles to continue the party. Zebula Merevanchi becomes the life of the party at this point, a young and handsome lad with a scandalously dressed woman on each arm. When two drunk youths get into an argument and declare a duel, Zebula suggests that all follow him back to his manor to continue the party.

While Tilan, Taark, Nather, and Laurrens decide to call it an evening, Azaad and Memnon decide to go along. They get a ride in a very drunk noble's carriage and soon find themselves in the nearby Merevanchi Manor where scantily clad servants keep the alcohol flowing. The adventurers see signs of illicit drug use, and there is much carousing between the partying nobles and the Mervanchi's pleasure servants. Seeing which direction the party is going in, the two adventurers decide they don't want to stick around and leave, eventually arriving at Nather's home late in the night.

The next day is spent recovering for several of the late partiers, and the following days pass while the party is busy training, studying, shopping, or bartering. Azaad's sage comes back to him with information on Kraken's Cove. While the name is well known as a den of wickedness, the location was surprisingly difficult to discover. The sage explains that the cove is on the eastern side of Blood Bay, an indentation in the coastline almost 100 miles southwest of Tashluta. Surrounded by trackless swamp and ringed by the mist-cloaked jungle peaks of the Hazur Mountains, it's a remote and dangerous location.

The bay's proximity to Cape Talath means it is avoided by shipping, since the waters there are thick with uncharted reefs, strong currents, and unpredictable winds that have led to scores of shipwrecks. Memnon recalls having heard of Cape Talath from some of the crew he's sailed with, and confirms that the area has an ill reputation indeed, one that surely no reputable captain would want to test. The party begins to debate on how to proceed...