Idolators Under Inzet - Episode One

== Synopsis: ==
Inzet, the capital city of Mowen's Borderlands province. The city had welcomed labor and entrepreneurship from all walks of life, and as with any large undertaking, unfavorable individuals came to cause trouble. Local authorities believed a cult of idolators of Veyis, the first Lich, had set up in the sewers, with a horde of undead reportedly gathering in the undercity.
Dushah Uloreen's attention was ever-focused towards keeping external threats at bay, such as the Dread Hounds from the east. With no help from him available, officials sought a small band of mercenaries to discreetly assess and handle the situation. The Whispering Cutlass answered this call.
This is the first adventure in the Idolators Under Inzet Arc.
In this adventure, the party met each other and travelled from Abishot to Inzet. Along the way, they faced a band of children, a druidic ambush, and an unexpected delicacy.
== Client: ==
Inzet
== Mercenaries: ==
* Bandin Volward Deepburrow - Deep Gnome Rogue / Wizard (Sponsor: House Stars)
* Elric Dawnflame - Kalashtar Bloodhunter
* Kiwarden - Firbolg Paladin
* Nwalmë Shadhavar - Shadar-kai Rogue (Sponsor: House Shadhavar)
* Ro'Keer - Tabaxi Ranger
* Tar'ren r'Eehp r'Eehp - Frogfolk Warlock
* Xeithne Aladur - Bugbear Monk (Sponsor: House Stefarni)
== Adventure Summary: ==
=== The Party Meets and Greets ===
Seven mercenaries had taken the job posted in Abishot's Whispering Cutlass headquarters, a job authorized only for those with a high amount of experience. They were to go to Inzet to handle a rumor of idolators, cultists of Veyis. The job offered to pay thirty gold pieces per person. Some degree of discretion was requested, and the person to whom the party would report was a gentleman by the name of Baldrick, the constable of Inzet. They would not report to Uloreen directly, nor were they guaranteed to meet him at all.
Posted alongside this job offer was a flier from a Mr. Essecher, who was searching for Dread Hounds upon which he could experiment to discern weaknesses. It was certainly a below-the-board job, but it paid twenty gold pieces per live specimen and five gold per dead one, so the party decided that they would consider it.
The journey from Abishot to Inzet would take some two weeks, so before setting off, the party met to get to know each other.
==== Bandin Volward Deepburrow ====
Bandin was a Gnome, a roguish archaeologist who liked visiting ancient sites. His previous mission to cross the Endless Divide was a dream job, since he got to explore Perlin, a city no one had seen in centuries. He liked money, liked getting stuff, but he didn't consider himself greedy or unable to share. He did like to swing trades towards his benefit. His lifestyle had become quite lavish since the Endless Divide, given that the pay rate had been extraordinary. He had the hobby of map-making and planned to create a map of everywhere he went.
He knew that in Inzet, he had a contact already by the name of Norwin DeepDiver, Bandin's archaeology mentor. One thing Nowin hadn't yet done was tell the story of how a civilization is built, so Norwin went to Inzet to write a book about the real-time progress of the city being built, a sort of modern historian's take.
==== Nwalmë Shadhavar ====
Nwalmë, son of the Most Esteemed Xekral Shadhavar, was a Shadar-kai rogue. There weren't too many places in Embrel Nwalmë hadn't visited. In fact, he'd even left Embrel entirely, traversing the Shadowlands on a quest to save an ally and even taking a brief jaunt to the Astral Plane. He was a daredevil, and he didn't do it for the money, no; prestige was what drove him, that and seeing the edges of his own capabilities. Nwalmë had a penchant for riding things, and also for getting in over his head. He was always there to help his friends, teammates, or fellow mercenaries when he could. He wasn't afraid to trust his life into the hands of others. His long-term goal for going to Inzet was to spread his renown and infamy.
Nwalmë's contact in Inzet was a Githyanki known as Drake "The Blade," an exotic weapons dealer who collected rare weapons. He didn't sell weapons so much as trade and collect them, more a museum than a shop. Nwalmë also had the goal of meeting Roni Wusah, an artificer and custom arrow fletcher who had moved to Inzet.
As a fun fact, Nwalmë showed off some of his tattoos, namely the sleeves on his arms, which individually depicted waves cresting in a storm. When he placed his arms together, the tattoos formed a skull.
==== Kiwarden ====
Kiwarden was a Firbolg with the coloration more often linked to Drow: dark grayish purple skin with bright white hair. He was both a paladin and a whittler, specializing in cute figurines and trinkets. He also had an Inzet associate: his cousin Yendell, a Drow with scale-like features on his face and hands. Yendell was the scholarly type, more the brains than the brawn between himself and Kiwarden.
==== Ro'Keer ====
Ro'Keer was a Tabaxi ranger whose fur coloration was orange with white stripes. He was an experienced game hunter who also desired to become a travelling merchant, selling furs and pelts from a wagon. His short-term goal was to track down a Kenku who had stolen something from him a few years back, and he hoped to find more information on the Kenku's whereabouts in Inzet.
==== Xeithne Aladur ====
Xeithne was a Bugbear monk from Kregia who had spent plenty of time on the sea. She didn't have any piercings, but she did have a small collection of the Kregian earrings used to mark voyages. She identified with Kiwarden as she herself was a whittler and enjoyed the feel of wood. Her contact in Inzet, Efrain Peloni, was a carpenter with whom she had a friendly rivalry, so she was eager to connect with him again.
==== Elric Dawnflame ====
Elric was a Kalashtar bloodhunter. In Inzet, he knew Lucian Stalkman, a fellow member of his order, a senior apprentice who also acted as Elric's mentor. He was hoping to meet up with Stalkman in Inzet, with the goal of getting an upgrade to his armaments so that his weapons would better suit his abilities. Elric's long term goal was to advance his abilities to be closer in power to Lucian and perhaps to even surpass him. Elric had perked up at the notion of purging undead from the area of Inzet and looked forward to the job. As a fun fact, Elric showcased how one of his eyes was solid black and hard as a rock. He could still see through it, but the bloodhunter process had permanently changed it.
==== Tar'ren r'Eehp r'Eehp ====
Tar'ren, a Frogfolk warlock, had limited knowledge of the world in which he resided, coming across as mysterious and holding a thousand-yard stare. His skin was black and without any sheen, unusual for a Frogfolk of his species. He had the goal of acquiring as much knowledge as he could, discerning the secrets of the universe. As a fun fact, Tar'ren shared that his favourite food was—actual food. Travelling with the group would be an indulgent luxury, something Tar'ren hadn't experienced in ages.
=== An Ambush of Children ===
It would be a long journey from Abishot to Inzet, around 520 miles. Before heading out, Bandin hired two skilled hirelings to help drive his vardo and cart. He also stocked up on some lead-based ink while Nwalmë bought some salt-iron ink famous for its ability to repel spirits.
Kiwarden joked about selling his arm for a vorpal sword, and couldn't find any takers.
The caravan set out, with Nwalmë and Ro'Keer taking the positions of scouts. They would ride ahead on Nuckelavee, Nwalmë's alce, going off the roads somewhat to not draw too much attention. The rest of the party would generally stay with the vardo and wagon, though Xeithne planned to hunt for herbs along the forest walls, and Ro'Keer would hunt while scouting.
On the way, Tar'ren asked if there was anything the experienced mercenaries like Nwalmë, Xeithne, or Bandin could tell the others about Inzet. Nwalmë shared that Dushah Uloreen was charge, and that Nwalmë's father hated Uloreen. He added that the people in Inzet were very work-centric.
Bandin let the group know that the city was growing faster than it could handle. There was a shortage of guards and people kept coming in for work. The money was great, but the price on goods was high as well. Crime was also an issue, so everyone needed to be on guard while in the city.
The first two days of the journey took them northward to reach the main road. Once they hit Ivaio, it would be a straight shot through Midwind to reach Inzet.
The party made camp a half-day's ride from Ivaio. At midnight, Nwalmë noticed a group of seven children, perhaps eight-to-ten years old, trying to sneak into the camp.
Nwalmë quietly looked to Bandin and Ro'Keer, laying out cues to warn the group silently. Both understood and disseminated the information.
Elric, standing by the cart, saw that the children were carrying wooden weapons. They weren't doing anything particularly threatening, just sneaking up. Nevertheless, Elric shouted at them. Three kids immediately scurried off, but the other four charged. They yelled things like, "Charge!" and "We're going to test these adventurers' mettle."
Bandin put out a hand and used Prestidigitation to cast a shower of sparks above one child's head. The kid put up a sword to block while the others darted around him.
Xeithne rolled her eyes and bemoaned the annoyance of children. The next moment, however, she yelled "Charge!" and charged them herself, play-wrestling them. Nwalmë did similar, running serpentine towards them, but right before plowing into a kid he teleported behind them and whispered "Boo!" in their ear, bopping them on their ears. The child dropped the sword and whirled around with a sheepish grin.
Kiwarden pushed the blunt end of his glaive to let the kids hold onto it like monkey bars, spinning them around. They act like they were disarming him, though one kicked the steel plating on Kiwarden's shin quite hard, bouncing away in pain immediately afterwards.
Elric saw the straggler kids and made a mind link with one. He looked directly at her and without moving his lips said, "Hey, ever had nightmares for years on end?"
The child looked quizzically at the Kalashtar. She got a small glint of fire in her eyes and said, "Yes."
Tar'ren hung back by the cart, propping himself up with a staff. This kind of encounter was foreign to him, so he spent the time observing, head tilted. His critical observance noted one sneaky future rogue child with a long fake snake. The child was about to toss the snake near one of the wagon's nasuses.
Without hesitation, Tar'ren lashed out with his tongue at the child. Just as quick, the child whacked the snake against the tongue, causing Tar'ren to taste gravel, but the kid was spooked and ran off.
Just then, a whistle signalled the approach of Ivaio's town guards.
The mischievous Bandin cast Gust at a guard to prevent him from grabbing one of the children. The gust blew the whistle into the guard's throat, but he coughed it up. Bandin immediately mentioned the odd weather and how the gust came out of nowhere.
The other guard patted the first one on the back. The children scurried off and headed back to town.
The guard who wasn't choked up asked if the travellers were alright. They stated that they were fine, unsure what could be the issue. The guards explained that another caravan had gotten their nasuses spooked, which left someone injured. Nwalmë lied about how the kids had been helping them all day, so it couldn't have been them.
The guards, simply glad that the travellers were unharmed, shrugged. "If you see anyone trying to spook animals, be careful." With that, they went on their way.
The rest of evening continued without further incidents, though Ro'Keer checked the snares he had set out during the day. He caught two nice rabbits, a good supplement to the rations.
=== Brambles on the Road ===
The following morning, the group arrived in Ivaio, the last hub before Midwind. Most caravans looking to reach Oldirin by land passed through there, and due to the constant flow of people, it was still a centralized cultural location even if it was somewhat isolated in the Mowen plains. It also had a buildup of militia districts since members of the Vanguard were permanently stationed there.
Bandin looked through the town's shops, searching for anything that looked expertly crafted, top-of-the-line weaponry. Unfortunately, though the craft was good, it was certainly no Ylan market. Worse still, the oddity shop that had been passing through Ivaio on Bandin's last trip there had departed. Bandin left disappointed.
Knowing that the adventure in Inzet might be rough, Xeithne offered to spot money to anyone who needed to upgrade their equipment. However, she warned that they had better repay her, or their souls would never find rest.
Superstitious, Ro'Keer decided to buy arrows out of his own pocket. Nwalmë checked the black market and saw a few interesting items, but didn't have the money to afford any of them. He kept a quiet eye on the location, then returned to the group when the caravan was ready to roll out.
Ivaio to Midwind was a fairly long journey, though without much rough wilderness. It was mostly a well-maintained travel road that got a bit bumpy near the Sorrowood. The first two days after Ivaio were no issue. Halfway through the third day, however, Nwalmë and Ro'Keer faced a tangle of trees and brambles that had formed over the road, blocking the way. They alerted the party the moment they saw this, and Bandin called out to the coachman to halt the vardo.
The party remained a good twenty yards from the brambles. It looked like they could cut through them if they so desired, but all were wary of the unnatural amount of growth on the road. Kiwarden cast Detect Magic and could clearly see tendrils of magic trailing from the brambles. He visually tracked the magic up an eastern cliff, and at the same moment Nwalmë's trouble sense alerted him to the cliff as well. Both paladin and rogue saw a pair of wolves with a robed man—the druid caster—between them. Looking back at the brambles, Nwalmë also noticed a figure in the bushes to the west of the trap-brambles.
Nwalmë noticed that Kiwarden saw what he saw and nonchalantly tried to get rest of group to look. He pulled back with his alce and spoke in a Thieves' Cant to Bandin: "Well, is it possible you talked to the wrong person and got the wrong directions? Should we turn back or should we fight through the brambles?"
Bandin said he would check his maps. As he moved to his vardo, he whispered to the group, "Don't look to the cliff, we've got company."
Nwalmë did give one glance near the cliff and saw that a wolf had raised its hackles, but the man on the cliff waved it back. They suspected nothing.
The party sprang into action. Elric's crossbow was out in the blink of an eye. He sliced into his own finger and drew a sigil with it on the crossbow, which crackled with lightning. He shot at the man on the cliff, but the bolt clunked against a tree. Elric cursed and hid behind a different tree.
Ro'Keer pulled his longbow off his back and took aim at the closest wolf, though his strike also hit a tree. He followed Elric's lead and hid in the foliage.
Bandin looked at the caster and gave an arcane gesture. Three arcane bolts shot from his hands, homing missiles that sank into the robed man. Bandin called to the coachman to take shelter, himself hiding behind the vardo.
Xeithne flitted through the forest to the base of the cliff, tossing a dart at the man. The surprise attack met its mark, stinging his ankle.
Nwalmë atop Nuckelavee charged the woman in the bush, trampling her and knocking her prone. The Shadar-kai then leapt off his mount, drawing his short sword and dagger.
From his sleeve, Tar'ren retrieved a wooden dowel with a circular hole at the end, a bubble wand. He blew into it, which caused an Eldritch Blast to shoot from the wand towards the druid on the cliff. Unfortunately, the blast missed. Tar'ren remained in the safe shadow of the cart.
Kiwarden stepped behind Ro'Keer and cast Heroism on him, bolstering his stamina.
Elric again attacked the person on the cliff, and again missed. Ro'Keer did the same, and though his arrow seemed to be falling short, it corrected itself midair and plunged into their foe.
At that moment, a wolf snarled and ran down the cliff to attack Xeithne. She could see that it had glowing fungal veins covering it. Though this both fascinated and disgusted her, she kept her focus and dodged the wolf's fangs. In retaliation, she drew her spear and attempted to skewer the wolf, but it was too quick. As her hands approached the coat, however, the fungal tendrils lashed out at her. She gracefully stepped back, untouched.
Bandin pulled out his shortbow and tried to nail the caster, but missed. He yelled to the party to keep their guard up.
Nwalmë prepared to attack the woman, but shouted over his shoulder at the druid: "I'm going to kill her if you don't call off your wolves right now."
The intimidating challenge shook all the assailants, and the robed man held up his hands, dismissing the spike growth that covered the road. The wolves backed away, the woman in front of Nwalmë dropped her daggers. Nwalmë manacled her unaggressively.
The robed man offered that the caravan could pass, but Nwalmë said, "I don't think you realize how this is playing out."
"I don't think you want Skaxes knowing we didn't return," the man responded.
"For the first time this encounter," Nwalmë said, "you have me at a disadvantage. Who is Skaxes?"
Another round of negotiations created the offer that the assailants would tell what they knew of Skaxes and let the caravan go without issue, and the caravan would leave them alone.
Nwalmë looked to the group, gauging whether these terms worked. Elric shrugged. Xeithne said, "These are small fry, we may as well take the opportunity to learn who's in charge." Kiwarden agreed with the logic.
Bandin reminded everyone that there were other caravans besides them. If they let the assailants go, they might be endangering others.
Tar'ren looked about, confirming that no one else was lying in wait. He then added his opinion that they could make the information trade. Ro'Keer also was willing to let them go, but he eyed the arrow still in the robed caster's shoulder. He added that he wanted to make sure the party got their ammunition back.
Nwalmë cuffed the woman to himself, then put his weapons away and slowly walked her back to the caravan. "Gather around here," he said, "and let's discuss this like civil adults."
The druid agreed, and as he trekked down to meet them, the party quickly saw that the man and woman also had veins glowing with a green luminescent fungus.
Bandin asked why Skaxes wanted to waylay caravans. The caster wasn't too certain, just that Skaxes hired them to stop the specific caravan headed to do the job at Inzet. The party asked how Skaxes got such detailed information about the caravan—such as the vardo and the amount of people accepting the job. Again, the caster didn't know. He'd simply laid out thorns on the road, waiting for a caravan that matched the description to run into it. He'd then try to attack them from behind while they cut through the brambles like mercenaries were prone to do, but obviously that plan had failed.
Bandin said that the druid must have been fond of his abilities if he was willing to take on a group of mercenaries. Either that, or he'd been paid real well. The man agreed that it was a little of both.
Nwalmë asked how the duo planned to get paid for the job. The man stated that a mutual contact would provide payment. Bandin asked if such a meeting would take place in Inzet or before, to which the caster replied, "Both."
Elric rolled his eyes. "Stop being vague," he mentally told the man, "before I decide to dig around in your mind myself."
To this threat, the druid smirked. "The Syndicate doesn't want the Inzet job happening, is all."
"Which syndicate?" Bandin asked.
Xeithne grimaced. "The Gilded River?"
The druid shrugged. "Oh, you know. Some syndicate."
Nwalmë subtly asked the group if they thought the pair of assailants might be flipped, perhaps hired to feed this Syndicate a lie. Xeithne, however, said that such tactics wouldn't work if it was the Syndicate she was thinking of, and Elric said he didn't want a war on two fronts.
Bandin asked the druid if Skaxes was in Inzet.
"He's in multiple places," the man said. "Inzet, Zachalas, maybe Abishot a bit."
"We need to know more," Bandin said. But the druid was unperturbed. He didn't know much more than they did.
Bandin looked to the group and asked if they should really let the assailants go. Ro'Keer repeated the question, nocking an arrow.
The druid held up his hands and said, "All I know is that Skaxes is paying five gold per each of your heads." If the party valued their lives, it might be better to turn back.
Bandin scoffed. He gestured to the party. "Do we look like we came just to turn back now? Yeah, nah. I don't know what this Skaxes person was thinking, sending the likes of you. Whether you return to him or don't, it'll be the same result for us either way."
"Okay, that's enough of that," Nwalmë said, gesturing for Ro'Keer to lower his bow. "Maybe you could say you got us to turn back? Or, maybe the info you got was bad, and we passed by before you could ambush us?"
The druid said the latter suggestion sounded reasonable to him.
With that, Ro'Keer lowered his bow, and the druid backed off the road so that the caravan could pass.
Bandin asked one more question: "What's the deal with you and your wolves?" He gestured to the fungal veins.
The druid seemed quite proud. He had some skill with cultivating nature, he said. If one of them went down, the spores would do a bit of damage on the way out.
Nwalmë asked the woman shackled to him if she really wanted to go back with a guy who made her a walking mushroom bomb.
"Oh please," the woman said. "Don't be so dramatic. It'll wear off in an hour."
The caster cleared his throat. "If you'll excuse us, we've got an ambush to set up down the road." He winked.
Nwalmë wasn't so certain, saying that he needed a few more assurances. He had the druid hand over his quarterstaff and kept the woman's ritual daggers. When that occurred without issue, he released the woman and both parties went on their way.
As they departed, Xeithne waved and hollered, "I don't suppose you'll tell us your names?"
She supposed correctly.
=== A Night in Midwind ===
The road towards Midwind was clear, but knowing that someone was trying to stop the party caused them to make haste. Along the way, Nwalmë gave Tar'ren and Elric each one of the ceremonial daggers he had taken from the previous assailants.
Ro'Keer and Xeithne continued to hunt. Xeithne found a decent amount of herbs while Ro'Keer came across a 14-point buck. He crouched low, engaging his stealth, and shot it with such a perfectly glancing graze that he damaged neither meat nor hide. The party would be supplied with venison for the rest of their journey, and the Tabaxi also had an excellent pelt he planned to sell. That said, Kiwarden revealed that he was a vegetarian, so he would not partake in the deer meat.
Eventually, the group reached Midwind, the great Crossroads of Mowen, and took a day to refresh themselves. Xeithne spent the time at her mortar and pestle, creating three Wounded Poultices for a source of backup healing. Nwalmë was impressed, swapping techniques that he'd learned from a fellow mercenary. As for Elric, he spent his entire savings to gather the components to create a rare Smelling Salts of Detect Magic. When he finally completed the concoction, he burst from the bunkroom with a shout of "Eureka!" His hope was to sell the item in Inzet for a sizable profit, giving him more funds with which to upgrade his equipment.
Later in the day, both Nwalmë and Bandin said in unison, "I'm gonna go shopping." Both froze, looked at each other, and realized that they were both planning to do the same black market bargain hunting. They proposed going together, and together they left in search of an oddity shop.
They found one shop selling potions. Most were snake oils, but a few of the smaller vials seemed legitimate. Bandin purchased a Potion of Bouncing for thirty-five gold pieces.
Nwalmë said that potions were nice, but he asked if the merchant had any of those "opposite potions" to use against opponents.
"Ah, poisons?" the merchant clarified.
Nwalmë backed up. "Hey, you said it, not me." He leaned forward. "But if you're offering…"
The merchant tapped his nose and reached under a table. He brought out a few poisons, but none that seemed to entice Nwalmë. "However," the merchant said, "if you're in the market for something not above-the-board… I'm going to need you to not ask where I got this, but—" A whip oozing green poison plunked onto the table. "This is the Poison Strand, a little nasty brought straight from the Mouth of Chaos in Sunward."
Nwalmë was highly interested in that. After admiring it for a moment, he asked if the merchant might be willing to trade. Something more discrete, less hot, but still valuable. He pulled out a shortsword in excellent condition that was clearly magical. What Nwalmë didn't mention was that the sword itself was not magical, but rather the sheath in which he held the sword. But the merchant was none the wiser, and the trade went off without a hitch.
"Remember," the merchant said, "we never traded."
"What trade?" Nwalmë asked. "We've never even met you before. We just got lost looking for sandwiches."
"Pancakes," Bandin corrected.
"Exactly." Nwalmë winked.
On the way back to the group, Bandin asked about Nwalmë's magic weapon, surprised that he was willing to let a rare item go so easily. Nwalmë said that he wouldn't worry about that, he'd have a replacement shortsword probably by tomorrow. He wanted to check out the armory, but before he had finished suggesting it, Bandin offered to give Nwalmë his own shortsword, a spare he rarely used. Surprised by the offer, Nwalmë agreed, and also gave Bandin the straight truth: The Blademender Sheath he wore made weapons temporarily magical, and he had hustled the merchant.
"When does it wear off?" Bandin asked.
"Sunset." Nwalmë looked up. Dusk was coming on. The two rogues made eye contact and hurried back to the party, saying that they should leave as soon as possible.
Their worry was unwarranted, however, because the merchant had closed early and gone out for drinks, pleased with the trade.
=== Foraging Foibles ===
The party set out on the last leg of the Great Road of Mowen. Once they passed the Weeping River, they would find only forests and dry plains all the way to Inzet.
Ro'Keer switched his hunt to a forage, aiming to gather provisions that could be used by Kiwarden. On the first day he gathered merely a few wild radishes, which Kiwarden accepted with appreciation.
On the second night, the party made camp at the edge of the Bluwood. Returning from scouting, Nwalmë saw Ro'Keer coming from the wood with a grin on his face and a fair deal of mushrooms in his gathering sack. Having sniffed the twenty-nine large shrooms, Ro'Keer was assured that they were vittlebox sorrels, a rare delicacy.
This knowledge excited the party. Kiwarden declared that he would make a stew with the mushrooms and radishes, setting out venison on the side for any who desired it.
The cooking went well, as did the feasting. The hirelings enjoyed the sumptuous food; Xeithne declared that she'd always try a delicacy; and Tar'ren particularly enjoyed the luxurious meal, practically swallowing his bowl-ful in one gulp. Bandin, however, stuck to the venison and rations, wary of wild mushrooms.
Minutes after the meal, the group began to hallucinate. Save for Nwalmë, who thought the shrooms were rather weak, all who ate the stew saw the heads of those around them grow, then shrink. Sparklers filled the air.
Xeithne laughed and started to dance, saying, "Aw yeah, this is fire." Ro'Keer chased his tail, then ate grass so that he would vomit. Elric messed with people by mouthing one thing but speaking in their mind other words. Tar'ren looked like a cat on catnip, eyes dilated.
Nwalmë dubbed himself the group father and went around making sure everyone was hydrated and corralled, preventing them from wandering into the Bluwood. He held back Ro'Keer's whiskers so that he wouldn't get any vomit on them. Bandin tried to cast Sleep on the group to help contain them, but he only succeeded in putting Ro'Keer to sleep for one minute. Elric drank coffee in an attempt to undo the mushrooms' effects, but all it did was make him wide awake. He laid in the cart, asking if this was what it was like to dream. If so, he didn't really like dreaming.
After a couple of hours Tar'ren suddenly popped out of existence. Only the water bottle he held remained, floating in the air. Xeithne pointed at the floating bottle and vibed with it.
By dawn, the party was exhausted and hungover.
=== Reaching Inzet ===
After debating pros and cons of sleeping during the day or taking shifts to rest on the road, they chose to push on. The road was bumpy and the driving was slow, so they made less distance than they planned. The journey completely drained Elric and Kiwarden.
But the group did pass the Bluwood, and as Trinity Lakes came into view, Nwalmë had brief flashbacks to a massive galestorm, something he remembered from his journey to the Shadowlands. After a second, he shook it off, but a chill continually climbed over his spine as he helped make camp that evening.
After a full night's sleep, all exhaustion was gone. However, a hailstorm storm was forming over Trinity Lakes. Bandin had knowledge of how these storms usually went near Inzet, recalling that the hail could do damage, but it wouldn't likely break a structure.
The group decided to take shelter and wait out the storm, hiding in the cart and vardo. Their animals hunkered against the cart, weathering the storm. Nothing got broken or punctured, though the animals were a little spooked, but Nwalmë and Ro'Keer worked together to comfort them.
It took half a day for the storm to pass through securely. As such, the party only got in a half-day's travel before stopping for the night, with their plan being to reach the gates of Inzet the next day.
After setting camp, Tar'ren took a quick look at the cart and vardo, using Mending on any damages. Bandin joined him in the endeavor. Xeithne, left with only her knowledge of carving wood, called them cheaters and tried repairing the cart herself, but she didn't have the stamina to keep up with their pace. She scoffed and blamed the arcane magic that Tar'ren and Bandin had, saying that they didn't have to rely on their bodies.
In the early afternoon of the following day, the party arrived at Inzet. Two other caravans were in the queue ahead of them, but guards checked their papers and waved them through quickly enough.
When the guards reached the party, Bandin stated that they were mercenaries there for a job. The guards accepted the answer and gave obscure directions to the local Riot House, adding a quick note to be mindful while in the city and to keep their weapons sheathed, bows unstrung.
Ro'Keer respectfully unstrung his bow, though given the information he'd learned about Inzet, he realized that he could probably restring it in a pinch if necessary and no guards would probably see him.
When the gates opened, the party realized why the directions to the Riot House had been obscure. The city was a maze and a mess. People flitted about everywhere, with incoming caravans and various bazaars. The bazaars in the eastern district were almost like a city just by themselves, given how crowded and noisy the area was.
Passing beyond the bazaars, the party saw construction smithies, the more structural parts of town. At the center of the city was makeshift infrastructure rushed due to the rapid progress, implements hammered in place and haphazardly spread out. The central portion was five times taller than the outer buildings. The group supposed that those towers were where Uloreen and the other leaders would reside. The outer buildings showed signs of fortunes being won and lost rapidly, with plenty of freshly painted and torn down signs.
Eventually, the party veered towards the local Riot House, a makeshift collection of tents put together with a solid roof built over their tops. It all looked a bit out of place. The Riot House featured a bounty board crammed with bounties, people racing to grab the good bounties before rushing back out.
A Halfling stable hand greeted the group, asking if they planned to stable their mounts there. Bandin affirmed this, adding that their wagons needed securing and that the group consisted of mercenaries. They flashed their mercenary seals, which granted them a discount on stabling. Bandin chose to cover the fee.
Before leaving them, the stable hand said that they were free to use the Riot House bunks. "But don't just wander in," he said. "Make sure it hasn't been claimed first!"
== Conclusion: ==
Having arrived safely in Inzet, the party took the opportunity to rest at the Riot House before casing the city.
== Adventure Rewards: ==
None.
Arc Overview < - - - > Next Episode
Idolators Under Inzet - 01