After the escape from the Maw Below, Vonara freed Jessamine and her fellow prisoners, and the group retreated to The Dead Fish, where Jessamine told how the Yuan-ti had captured her and what she meant to do next. The next day the party signed Antonio of SURE as its exclusive clothier, heard from Tyde Caller at Sorceries’ Sundries what the making of a golem required, and met the Merchant Prince Kwayothé, who agreed to be the primary buyer of the religious artifacts they recovered and bought the Statue of Acererak from them.
Recap
The uneasy alliance
It is the night of the twenty-fifth of Flamerule, 1492 DR. The party has just escaped the Maw Below after killing Ifan Talro’a. On their way out they discovered that the prisoners held in the Yuan-ti cells included none other than Jessamine, the Merchant Prince who fled the gala. The party is battered, exhausted and carrying the trauma of temporary death.
Vonara frees Jessamine and her fellow prisoners from their shackles. The group, now a strange mix of heroes and rescued nobility, retreats to The Dead Fish for safety.
Jessamine explains that her teleport from the gala, which was triggered by the party turning on her, was hasty and was intercepted. The Yuan-ti seized the opportunity to capture her, intending to remove the Zhentarim obstacle.
She intends to reclaim her position as a Merchant Prince and to re-establish contact with her Zhentarim agents. Her goal is to wrest control of the black markets back from the Yuan-ti. She is currently indebted to the party, though the tension of the accusation at the gala lingers.
Recovery
The party tends to their wounds. Taenae and Takhesis suffer from the lingering spiritual exhaustion of their resurrection.
The party spends the evening examining the stone golem core looted by Glade. They then retire for a much-needed night of rest.
The shopping spree
The next day, the twenty-sixth of Flamerule, the party uses its free time to sell goods and upgrade gear.
At SURE, a high-end clothier, the party places orders with Antonio for various new outfits. They sign a contract with him that makes him their exclusive clothier, which solidifies their brand in the city’s fashion scene.
At Sorceries’ Sundries, Glade presents the stone golem core to Tyde Caller. Tyde explains that the core is only the first step. Creating a golem requires a chassis, an animation ritual and significant magical resources. It is a long-term project.
The party arranges a meeting with the enigmatic Kwayothé, the Merchant Prince of Fruit and Wine. They negotiate an exclusivity deal: Kwayothé will be the primary buyer for all religious artifacts the party recovers in its travels. They sell her the Statue of Acererak, looted from the Maw Below. Kwayothé seems particularly interested in this dark idol.
Aftermath
- Jessamine was free and, for now, an ally of the party. She was seeking to rebuild her power base.
- Antonio of SURE was the party’s exclusive clothier by contract.
- Kwayothé had a trade agreement with the party for the artifacts it recovered.
- The party gained the proceeds of the sale of the statue. The sum was not recorded.
Appendix
Present
Taenae · Vogal · Takhesis Calva · Vonara · Glade · Inete.
References
People: Jessamine · Ifan Talro’a · Antonio · Tyde Caller · Kwayothé · Acererak
Places: Maw Below · The Dead Fish · SURE · Sorceries’ Sundries
Other: Yuan-ti · Zhentarim · Merchant Princes