The party looted the warehouse in the Harbor Ward and learned that poison was being funneled into the city’s water supply and that a ritual using Aasimar blood was under way. That evening Vogal and Vonara went to the Grand Colosseum, and Alice showed Taenae, Glade and Takhesis a poisoned well and lent them two of her animals. The next day Vogal defeated Tharn in his duel with the help of Vonara and Glade. On the same day Taenae and Takhesis went down into the Maw Below beneath the warehouse and found Ifan Talro’a overseeing a ritual that drained the blood of Adani.
Recap
The warehouse
It is the afternoon of the twenty-fourth of Flamerule, 1492 DR. The party is in the warehouse in the Harbor Ward and has cleared its second floor of cultists. They mean to investigate the smuggling operation and to prepare for Vogal’s duel with Tharn, which is set for the next day. Inete is at the Temple of Savras, performing divination rituals to determine the exact location and wellbeing of her grandfather Zitembe.
The party loots the facility and uncovers disturbing intelligence. Poison is being funneled into the water supply. A ritual using Aasimar blood is under way to break a seal related to the Night Serpent and Ubtao. The absence of Jessamine, who fled the gala, has left the Zhentarim scrambling, which destabilizes the city’s underworld. The party also finds a key to “The Maw Below,” a locked door in the basement.
The notable loot is the Viper’s Veil, a variant of an eversmoking bottle; Acid Spitter Grenades and Black Lotus Poison; a Serpentine Sack, which summons a snake ally; Chameleon Dust and a tattoo kit; an Emerald Serpent Idol, which is valuable; a stone golem core, whose use is unknown; and 650 gold pieces, which are pooled for betting.
The party boards up the warehouse and posts signs warning of a “Bird Infestation” to deter snoops.
The evening before the duel
That evening the party splits up.
Vogal and Vonara go to the Grand Colosseum. Vogal signs a guard’s knee with his knife, which marks the rise of his popularity in Port Nyanzaru. He meets Kragga, the Half-Orc he beat at arm wrestling, who teaches him to cleave, and the openers Urzok and Drakar. He gets drunk with the gladiators.
Taenae, Glade and Takhesis return to Critters, Creepers & Crawlers, Alice’s shop. Alice leads them to a residential well, and Taenae confirms that the water is poisoned. Alice lends them Iggy, a fire beetle, and Kivuli, a baboon, for the dungeon to come.
The party reconvenes at The Dead Fish. Vonara hedges her bets and places money on both Vogal and Tharn. Vogal returns incredibly drunk, but bonds with the group before passing out.
The duel
The next day, the twenty-fifth of Flamerule, Vogal, Vonara and Glade are at the duel.
In the undercard Drakar defeats Urzok in a clash of speed against strength, and Kragga decimates a gauntlet of monsters.
The main event is Vogal against Tharn. It begins as a brutal slugfest. Then quicksand, darkness and a tiger appear. The tiger ignores Tharn and targets Vogal with unnatural focus. Vonara casts dispel magic on the tiger. The beast turns on Tharn, who crushes its skull in a rage.
Tharn’s gauntlets, with which he has been healing himself, glow with magical power, and Glade casts a spell that renders them inert. Vonara bolsters Vogal by inconspicuously working up the crowd. Bolstered by his “warband,” Vogal headbutts Tharn and sends him toppling. Vogal wins.
The Maw Below
On the same day Taenae and Takhesis, with Iggy and Kivuli, enter the dungeon beneath the warehouse, the Maw Below.
They disarm a glyph that is poisoning the waterway. They ambush a Yuan-ti patrol, which includes the Gnome thief. Taenae summons eight giant owls, which make short work of the patrol.
They find a blind Human, a chanter, who controls a seal, and Takhesis beheads him. As a consequence the door seals and explodes, which forces them to find another route and costs them ten minutes.
In the room of the ritual they find Adani, the Aasimar from the gala, suspended over an altar. Her blood is being drained for an Eclipse Ritual. Ifan Talro’a, the Merchant Prince of Beasts, is overseeing it. Taenae uses her owls to shield Adani. They kill most of the cultists. Only one chain is left on Adani, and Ifan Talro’a still stands strong.
Aftermath
- Vogal had won his duel and was the Champion of Nyanzaru. Tharn, called Tharn Bloodfist, was defeated and humiliated in the arena.
- Ifan Talro’a was revealed as a cult leader in the Maw Below and an enemy of the party.
- Adani was in the middle of being rescued, with one chain still on her.
- The warehouse was boarded up, and the party held the key to the Maw Below.
Appendix
Present
Taenae · Vogal · Takhesis Calva · Vonara · Glade. Iggy and Kivuli, two of Alice’s animals, were present as companions in the Maw Below.
References
People: Inete · Zitembe · Jessamine · Tharn · Kragga · Urzok · Drakar · Alice · Adani · Ifan Talro’a
Places: Yuan-ti Warehouse · Harbor Ward · Temple of Savras · Grand Colosseum · Port Nyanzaru · Critters, Creepers & Crawlers · The Dead Fish · Maw Below
Other: Ubtao · Zhentarim · Viper’s Veil · Yuan-ti