Orphans & Organizations: session 14

To the summit

While going about some errands, Zephyr couldn't find her regular contact (Merrick) and people who know him say they haven't seen him since the night before. Since Merrick is the central hub for the few Shadow Thieves in Waterdeep, she was concerned that it looked like he just disappeared. She left a note for him (in thieves' cant) at a dead drop at a nightclub. Zephyr recalled that even if in disguise, Merrick wears a blue orchid in his lapel.

When Vivi and Zephyr returned, I informed them the payment from the Zhentarim Doom Raiders wasn't coin but instead a powerful restorative ointment. It seemed curious that the payment wasn't in coin but it would likely be very useful. Since it wasn't coin though, we pooled our purses to collect the funds to open the Tavern for Brightswords.

Zephyr used Vivi's other sheet of magical bird message paper to send a message to Merrick while Vivi told Lif everything she knew about the gryphons on Mount Waterdeep, and the rumors of the fledglings raised under the mountain itself.

While they did that, I went to the Bookwyrm's Treasure, hopeing to find a map of Mount Waterdeep's paths. Rishall's map collection was hopelessly disorganized and as an apology, gave me a four hundred year-old map of Baldur's Gate. It wasn't in any way useful to our current situation but could make an interesting decoration for Trollskull Tavern.

We gathered some basic rations from the tavern and left to climb a mountain. On the way through the city, Vivi practices her piece about Lif the ghostly bartender. I used minor illusions to create spectral images to accompany the music and Zephyr tried (unsuccessfully) to hype the crowd. Luckily, by Vivi's third take, we settled into an effective performance.

Night hiking

We found a path up Mount Waterdeep and started climbing without much of a plan for finding this rumored monk.

As the sun set on a mountain path, two winged and antlered creatures swept down at us from above! Vivi was almost immediately dangerously wounded by a surprise attack as was Zephyr. Vivi's wounds put her in danger of dying until I stabilised her with a panicked spell.

The next morning

19 Eleint

Zephyr lead us further up the path and noticed smoke coming from a cave. We decided to take a closer look, thinking that it was a more likely place for the monk in the note than at Peaktop Aerie.

The cave had bodies posed in - at best - uncomfortable positions:

• two wearing purple
• one in primarily black and red
• one with pointed ears, black skin and white hair

While looking at the bodies, we were stopped by the light of a fire and a voice coming from further inside the cave:

One eye
Four eyes
Ten eyes
Borrowed eyes

There was a figure seated by the fire, facing toward the fire while reciting the chant. With Guidance from my cantrip, Zephyr crept closer to the figure and saw they were wearing brown robes with a shaved head.

Vivi created a gentle illusory sound to see if the person was trying to finish a ritual or just meditating. It turned out that he was just meditating and after opening his eyes, invited us to sit and talk since it seemed that we had questions.

After we sat down, his eyes went white, his head snapped backs and said no matter good deeds or evil, innocent blood shall spill.

That's probably fine.