Date: 01/09/11

XP Awarded: 4,183 (Azaad, Laurrens, Memnon, Taark, Tilan), 3483 (Nather)

Start: The city of Tashluta, dry season (late Ches), 1369 DR.

Azaad discovers that several pieces of equipment carried by the defeated foes have useful magical enchantments, and these are distributed to the party members. The group decides to clear the manor house one floor at a time, starting at the top level. Nather volunteers to stay behind in the master bedroom, barricading the door and taking up a defensive position pending the return of the party.

The other bedrooms on the top floor prove to be empty of invaders, and the party descends to the first-floor landing. The guest bedrooms here are also empty of threats, as are an alchemical laboratory, a household shrine to Tymora, and a training hall - though several bullywug corpses lie here. Moving into the laundry, a large tub of water in the center of the room holds a surprised-looking bullywug. Several others are sprawled out on filthy sheets stained with reeking swamp mud, and they hurriedly grab their spears and scramble to their feet to confront the adventurers.

The party's warriors tear into their hastily assembled defensive line, and soon half lay dying in the bloodied laundry. The remaining frog-men turn to flee, and one is cut down by the adventurers' rapid strikes. The other makes it to a door in the rear of the room and throws it open to reveal a covered balcony that runs around the curved exterior corner of the manor. Below, the lush green carpet of the manor's gardens spreads below the fragrant boughs of a flowering tree, beyond which lies the stone wall and a throng of dancing revelers. The fleeing bullywug is run through by Memnon's doru, and the others charge out onto the balcony to engage the new foes. After a short and bloody battle the bullywugs lie dead, though no one outside the manor walls seem to have noticed.

Following the balcony around the curve of the manor, the party comes to another door that leads into a large kitchen. A set of stairs just inside the door descend to the ground floor, and movement below draws the adventurer's attention. At the bottom of the stairs, several bullywugs nervously stand holding wooden spears. Behind them, a mottled brown and green bullywug in mismatched leather armor reclines on a muddy overstuffed chair with a burning cigar hanging from her slime-drooling smile. She barks orders in a deep, gurgling voice and the bullywugs charge to the base of the stairs where they form a jostling mob, each trying to be the first up the stairs. Memnon takes up a defensive position at the top of the stairs while Taark and Tilan move to the balcony overlooking the stairway and ready weapons. The first bullywug up the stairs is hacked to bits before he reaches Memnon, but the next manages to get in a spear thrust before being cut down. Shrieking in rage, the sitting bullywug jumps out of her chair and barks what must be a set of orders to the others. Most run away from the base of the stairs out of the party's field of view, clearing the way.

The shrieking female draws a pair of gleaming handaxes and runs up the stairs to face Memnon, who backs up cautiously when he sees the fury in her eyes. Taark utters a hasty spell to bind her, but she resists the spell and hits Memnon with a powerful axe blow. Continuing to back up the stairs, Memnon manages to maneuver her into range of the waiting blades of Laurrens and Tilan while at the same time preventing her from bringing her full offense to bear. With a roar of frustration, she lunges past flashing blades up the few remaining steps and slams her shoulder into Memnon's chest, driving him through the open door and to the very railing of the balcony before he can regain his balance. With a chant to Moradin, Taark is enveloped in flames and he delivers a heavy blow to the bullywug, drawing her attention. Withdrawing deeper into the large kitchen, he allows Tilan room to strike while luring her into range of the others.

As the warriors surround her, the sound of webbed feet running on stone floor approaches. Nather runs to a long hall linking the kitchen to the training hall and Azaad readies his bow. When the first of a group of bullywugs appears, Azaad's archery and Nather's jambiyas make quick work of it. The two other bullywugs jostle for position and one pushes into the hallway to attack Nather. Behind them, a long battle continues in the kitchen. The bullywug's fierce handaxe attacks force the warriors to coordinate their defense carefully, but they slowly wear her down. By the time she's finally dropped, Azaad's arrows and Nather's attacks have disposed of all but one of the reinforcements. Taark charges into the battle and the last of the foes is soon on the ground.

Descending to the ground floor, the party explores the small dining hall, finding only swathes of mud covering the thick carpet and a discarded potion vial. The adventurers explore the perimeter of the manor, finding an empty ballroom, a series of empty servant's quarters, a grand but empty study, and a marble-floored room full of statuary. On the other side of the grand entry hall is a library with a bookmarked musty diary lying on a table in front of a fireplace that holds still-glowing embers. Next door is a mostly-empty gallery, and next to that is a grand trophy hall. Great saber-toothed cats, a crouching deinonychus, a bloated toad the size of a pony, and a strange badger-like creature with golden fur and eight legs round out a more mundane menagerie of leopards, wolves, and bears. The carpet is terribly stained with mud, and in the far corner stands an open door from which a group of bullywugs are in the process of emerging.

Azaad uses a spell to summon a cloud of glittering dust that envelopes the group, clogging their eyes. Most flail about blindly while rubbing their eyes, but the few that resisted the spell are soon surrounded by the party's warriors and cut down. Two of the blinded ones enter the stairway - the group hears a loud series of thumps as it goes tumbling down - and the party catch up with the second before it can follow.

Cautiously moving down the stairs, the adventurers find the basement is illuminated only by the feeble light filtering in through barred windows set high in the walls. The floor is covered in a deep layer of mud, and barely visible is a wide but shallow stream of water that flows through an iron grate high on the wall to the left, across the floor, and through another grate low in the wall that's almost completely rusted through. The elongated chamber is supported by stone columns and stretches out into murky dimness. The sounds of deep, slobbery laughter, a woman's cries of distress, and a strange trilling chitter can be heard from the far end, beyond where the chamber's walls narrow to form a choke point.

The party pauses for a few moments as Taark casts some defensive spells and Laurrens uses his magic to cause one of Tilan's arrows to magically shed light. Tilan readies his bow as the group move slowly through the sucking mud. At the edge of Taark's vision, he notes a large insectoid creature that seems to be the source of the chittering. It has two feather-like antennae that are waving around a woman who's clad in only a tattered sheet into which several pieces of cutlery have been threaded. As she dances to keep the cutlery out of reach of the antennae, Taark notes that she's covered in angry red welts that look like bite marks. Her attention is diverted to the party as she notices their arrival, and the creature's antennae find one of the few remaining pieces of cutlery - it's immediately reduced into a fine rusty powder that the insectoid hungrily laps up.

A cold sweat breaks out on Taark's brow as he shouts a warning to the party that they face a metal-eating monster. The creature now notices their arrival - antennae twitching in anticipation, it rapidly waddles and slips through the thick layer of muck towards the adventurers. Sensing her chance, the woman casts a spell and dashes through the mud in the party's direction, taking care to stay clear of the rust monster. Tilan looses the light-shedding arrow at the monster - it strikes, but the metal arrowhead immediately disintegrates into a shower of rust, extinguising the magical light.

The party's heavily armored warriors are uncertain how to handle this monster that seems to be immune to metal weapons. Taark uses another magical spell to ward himself against attacks by the creature and steps out in front of the rest of the party. Behind the monster, he hears a low voice issue guttural commands in the language of the bullywugs, and a group of spear-wielding toad-men appear at the edge of his vision. When Azaad sees them, he summons another cloud of glittering dust that blinds several of them. Memnon slogs through the mud back to the staircase to retrieve the wooden spears wielded by the defeated bullywugs.

Meanwhile, the creature has reached Taark and attempts to attack his platemail armor, but priest's magical warding momentarily stuns the creature. Laurrens steps up and brings his greatsword Errant Fang down upon the monster with a tremendous blow, only to watch in horror as his ancestral heirloom rapidly corrodes and decays into a fine red dust, leaving only the hilt. As Tilan struggles through the mud to reach the battle, the creature focuses it's attention on Laurrens and destroys his platemail armor with a stroke of its antennae.

Taark moves up to block the path of the approaching bullywug guards - the slippery mud doesn't seem to slow their webbed feet at all. The escaping captive begs the party to retrieve her magical wands - she says she can help the group against the metal-eating monster. Azaad moves forward and quickly scans the rear portion of the basement, spying a small pile of equipment next to an overstuffed chair in the corner that looks like it's been brought down from upstairs. He also sees a large bullywug with an enormous greatclub moving around the rear of the bullywug guard formation. As Taark holds the bullywug guards back, the escaping captive tries to lunge past the battle to safety with the rest of the party. She's caught in the back by one of the bullywug's spears and falls forward into the muck with a cry. Azaad's sleep spell is completed just a moment too late, and the bullywug guards slump into unconsciousness. He moves up to help the captive but is almost immediately cornered by the bullywug leader, who inflicts a devastatingly powerful blow on the mage, wounding him badly.

Taark sees that Azaad is in deep trouble and charges forward, mud spraying everywhere. As he's about to reach the club-wielding bullywug, he slips in the mud and goes sliding right up to its feet. The enormous frog-man grins wickedly as he prepares to bring his club down on the dwarf lying in front of him. Azaad slips to the side, then casts a spell that creates a pool of greasy slime underneath the bullywug. Just as he's preparing to deliver a crushing blow to Taark, his feet go flying out from under him and he lands heavily in the muck, a thick shower of mud spraying everyone.

Meanwhile, the only metal Laurrens has left is the hilt of his family's greatsword. Tossing it aside, he leaps onto the insectoid's muddy back, grabbing its antennae and wrenching its legs out from under it. Memnon has returned with two wooden spears from the stairs and tosses one to Tilan. Closing on the rust monster, he looks for an opening to attack it without injuring Laurrens.

Azaad runs over to the corner where the pile of equipment is and starts looking through it. He finds two wands - one is straight and made of oak with a metal tip and the other is carved from a twisting branch of reddish wood. While he ponders which one to use, the bullywug guards he'd blinded earlier recover their sight. One charges at Azaad and traps the mage in the corner, while the other goes to team up on Taark. Azaad is hit by a spear stroke and slides down the stone wall, leaving a bloody smear behind.

Fueled by anger at the loss of his family heirloom, Laurrens has wrestled the insectoid into a prone position that it's struggling wildly to get out of. Memnon runs through the muck to help his comrade before it can escape, but the thick mud trips him up and he goes sliding face-first into the melee. Fortunately, Laurrens is able to hold the monster in place against its struggles, presenting its soft underside to Tilan. Taking careful aim, the paladin drives his wooden spear into the monster's neck in a gout of rust-coloured gore. A shudder runs through its body, and the monster struggles no more.

On the other side of the chamber, Taark has struggled to his feet and slain the bullywug guard assaulting him. He returns his attention to the greatclub-wielding bullywug just as it climbs back to its feet as well, and they begin trading mighty blows. Laurrens, Tilan, and Memnon now race toward the combat in the rear of the basement to aid Taark and Azaad. The bullywug guard who had dropped Azaad moves to attack the now-unarmored Laurrens, and the two engage in a vicious battle. The magical healing aura that seems to follow the priest of Torm encompasses Azaad, stabilizing him and slowly healing the worst of his wounds. Behind the dueling couple, the escaped female captive recovers consciousness and flees through the mud to the staircase, vanishing from the party's sight. Memnon, Tilan and Taark gang up on the last bullywug - though it inflicts more heavy blows with its mighty greatclub, the trio's tactical teamwork overcome its defenses and a spear strike from Memnon send it reeling back through the mud to collapse against one of the stone columns. Laurrens races to Azaad's side to find that he's stabilised and recovering, and the party breathes a sigh of relief at the close outcome of the fight.

After washing off the worst of the mud in the shallow stream, the party trudges up the stairs to the top floor of the manor where they inform Nather and Lavinia that the manor has been secured. The two Jade Raven adventurers anxiously inquire about their comrades and head downstairs in search of Liamae and Kaskus. Tilan goes out in search of town guardsmen to take the captured Drevoraz into custody. After ensuring that Lavinia is alright, the other adventurers return to Nathers for a well-deserved cleanup and rest.

The following days see Tashluta return to normal after one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Memnon visits the House of the All-Seeing Orb with Azaad to get his strange infection cured magically. Taark enlists Nather's help to do some investigating of this 'Garril Copperbeard' referenced in the note found on Drevoraz. Tilan visits the shrine of Anachtyr where Vigilant Watcher Tokunbo Afua is very impressed by the young paladin's exploits. Tilan receives the title of Lawkeeper, effectively making his judgements equal to law in most civilized areas of Faerūn. Laurrens brings the damaged hilt of his greatsword Errant Fang to the mage Valyssa, who informs the sorrowful cleric of Torm that powerful magicks can be used to draw the weakness of the rust out of the remaining hilt, leaving it suitable for fitting with a new blade. She is surprised that even the hilt survived - normally such a weapon would have been destroyed utterly. Laurrens immediately commissions her to start work, though he doesn't know where the funds to pay her will come from. Though his brother Jeans is distraught at the destruction of the weapon, he remains hopeful that the restoration will be successful.

A couple days later, his answer comes. The party is summoned to Vanderboren Manor, which is still in a sorrowful state. A still bruised and limping Lavinia invites the adventurers to the funeral services for her faithful servant Kora Whistlegap, and presents each party member with a pouch of platinum coins as a reward for her rescue. She increases the retainer for each character to 200gp per month, and she asks the party to please forget any plans for finding Vanthus and exacting revenge. She says she's keen to put it all behind her and move on to something new.

Life settles down into a more predictable rhythm over the coming tendays. Nather re-establishes contacts with some of the merchants he had dealt with in the past, and sells much of the loot recovered from Kraken's Cove for a tidy profit. Azaad spends more time at the Library of Ultimate Truth attached to the House of the All-Seeing Orb, researching what manner of creatures the party encountered in Kraken's Cove. His efforts turn up no information, though tales of the party's exploits there have filtered out into the city, adding to the ill reputation of that place.

When Lavinia discovers that Errant Fang was destroyed during the party's attempts to rescue her and fight off the assassins, she pays all costs to Valyssa for the expensive magical restoration. Taark accompanies Laurrens to Elmrynna Redstone, the most famous weaponsmith in the Tashalar. Although she is very busy, Taark's influence helps to secure a promise to forge a new dwarven-crafted blade for the Knight Errant family heirloom. Taark also follows up on the progress of the warhammer he commissioned several tendays ago and is delighted to hear that it will be ready for him in another two tendays. Laurrens also spends more time with the mysterious Church of the Whirling Fury, and purchases a suit of magical full plate armor from the same armorer that Tilan got his from.

Taark and Nather's investigations soon reveal that Garril Copperbeard is a priest of Moradin visiting from Iltkazar. Nather spends several days shadowing the shield dwarf and finds that he spends most of his time in Shadowshore, dealing with questionable acquaintances. Taark is highly suspicious of the priest's unannounced presence, and confronts him one evening. Though Garril attempts to strike him down and flee, Taark's superior training help him easily defeat and capture the dwarf. Through interrogation, Taark discovers that he is actually a priest of Abbathor masquerading as a priest of Moradin, and deals with pirates (particularly the Crimson Fleet) on behalf of the Goldenshield Trading Consortium often. He doesn't know much details about his current assignment, since he has been instructed to wait in Tashluta until approached by a half-orc named Drevoraz.

Memnon spends most of his free time on the Sea Wyvern, carefully restoring it, training the party members on how to set sails and coil ropes, scrub decks and stow cargo. He also spends an increasing amount of time with Lavinia in Vanderboren Manor. It seems she's planning something big, but takes care to hide it from Memnon's eyes. Days pass and the manor fills with workmen restoring the building and grounds. Memnon continues the fencing lessons Lavinia had started, and these daily sessions gradually teach her to smile again. One day when Azaad stops by the manor to consult Lavinia on a matter, he notes that her table is covered in piles of papers, maps, and sea charts. Though he can't make much sense of the location, he does note that she seems to be planning a voyage to a distant tropical isle. When he casually asks Memnon about this, the flame-haired warrior admits that she seems to be up to something, but that he hasn't been able to determine what yet.

The answer comes a tenday later, when another summons to Vanderboren Manor arrives. The atmosphere is completely different from the last visit - the building has a busy, vibrant feel. A new staff of servants are attending to the manor's needs, and several workers continue to work on restoring the central courtyard. Lavinia smiles when she greets the party and looks up from the table full of sea charts and a large journal the adventurers recognize from the Vanderboren family vault under the House of the Warding Hand. She tells the group that the journal belonged to her mother, and reveals that four years ago, her parents undertook a risky endeavour. They sailed the Blue Nixie along with a ship full of colonists around Chult, south across the Great Sea to a place they referred to as the Isle of Dread.

It's apparent from her mother's journal that the place is aptly named. A jungle-covered hell infested with immense reptilian monsters, feral savages, and peril at every turn. Yet the western peninsula remains relatively sheltered from the menaces on the isle mainland, and it was here among the villages of several friendly locals that her parents founded the colony of Farshore. The Isle of Dread represents an untapped treasure trove of resources - exotic lumber, spices, animals, foods, and even minerals like silver and gold. Once Farshore was up and running, the influx of trade would have guaranteed her family a relatively uncontested flow of wealth. Yet before her parents were able to return with supplies and more colonists, Vanthus made his move and left her in the state the party met her a few short tendays ago.

She indicates her mother's journal and says that if Farshore fails, her parents' last legacy fails. Lavinia intends to carry on their work, and has planned for a journey south to the Isle of Dread to resupply and join the colonists at Farshore for the remainder of the year. She has the Blue Nixie readying in Tashluta's harbour now to take fresh supplies to the colony, but finds herself a vessel short. Her face breaks into a glowing grin as she continues, "You wouldn't know of anyone with stout hearts who might happen to be interested in helping me mount this expedition, do you? I fear the journey itself might grow dangerous at times, and there's no way of knowing what state or condition Farshore is currently in, but I suspect that danger is a vice you have."

Memnon immediately falls to one knee and vows his support, to the exasperated rolling of several eyes behind his back. Lavinia goes on to explain that the expedition will sail across the Shining Sea to resupply at Port Castigliar - one of the few harbours in Chult that isn't controlled by the Rundeen. From there, the ships will round the Horn of Chult and continue down the western edge of the peninsula, stopping at a few locations for resupply. The expedition will stop at the ruins of Shiliku on the southern coast for a day to allow their navigator Ulrimm Flammath to study the ancient buildings. The ships will continue to circle the Chultan peninsula to the friendly village of Renkrue on the Isle of Axuxal for resupply, then head south across the Great Current and around the Beacon Rocks to the port of Rauthaven on the nearly mythical island realm of Nimbral. From there, it's south across leagues upon leagues of featureless ocaan - among the least-known waters in all of Faerūn - to the Isle of Dread, where the colony of Farshore can be found on a peninsula in the southwestern corner. The entire voyage is expected to take several months.

During the first part of the journey, the Rundeen will be an ever-present threat. Once the voyage rounds Chult, the legendary Crimson Fleet becomes a much more dangerous menace. Another deadly obstacle are the Beacon Rocks that lie between Chult and Nimbral - countless ships have fallen victim to the enchantments that irresistably compel captains to dash their vessels upon these harsh crags. Lavinia has chosen perhaps the best time of year for sailing, but severe tropical storms are always a possibility in these equatorial waters - more so after leaving the port of Rauthaven for the last leg of the journey.

Taark and Laurrens explain that they need to spend a few more tendays in Tashluta in order to collect the items they have commissioned, and Lavinia says that she is happy to arrange the expedition to leave when the party is ready. As the rest of the group exit the manor to begin making their own plans for the journey, Memnon stays behind to excitedly go over the plans Lavinia has so far developed.

A few days later, the priest of Moradin Marag Dragonkyn arrives from Iltkazar as his letter to Taark predicted. He informs Taark that his orders to investigate evil in the Tashalar are to be updated, since further divinations have indicated that the unknown source of evil is to be found even further south. He goes on to explain that he's been sent to Tashluta to take over Taark's responsibilities in the area, though he doesn't seem particularly happy about the matter. Taark has been granted the title 'Forgesmith', somewhat unusual for a dwarf with a career in the priesthood as short as his. Taark spends the next few weeks introducing Marag to the dwarves of Tashluta, going over plans for the temple to the Morndinsamman (dwarven pantheon) that he's begun to develop, and learning additional interrogation and inquisitional techniques from Marag. Some of these techniques reveal additional information about Garril Copperbeard's contacts in Iltkazar, and Marag makes arrangements for the false priest to be returned to the Mithril Kingdom for punishment. When Taark finally recieves the dwarvencraft warhammer from Elmrynna Redstone, Marag blesses the weapon and wishes him Moradin's favour on what is likely to be a grueling voyage to come. Two tendays later, Elmrynna presents Errant Fang to Laurrens with the new dwarven mastercrafted double-edged blade of dark steel, and his brother Jeans is overjoyed at the result.