How to Catch a Castle

"**How to Catch a Castle**" (2x16) is the sixteenth episode of the second campaign (part 1) of *Plan B*.

## **Synopsis**

### **Previously in the *Forgotten Realms***

* *After reaching a tenuous agreement with Cult of the Dragon leader Talis the White, Plan B settles in for a night at her lodge to recover. During their rest, they discover that Talis has prisoners locked in the basement, among them a centaur barbarian named Brynhui. After sneaking into the basement and conversing with the captives, the party pledges to set them free at nightfall. However, when Mekssa is caught investigating the armory, she is apprehended and taken to the basement as well.*
* *Meanwhile, Skaus leaves the lodge unnoticed by his companions and ventures into the forest, hoping to locate the unicorn and obtain its horn for the Hooded Woman. Finding the creature in a dying state, Skaus manages to save its life, only to attack it shortly after. The unicorn pursues, but is waylaid by Skaus's summoned demons and eventually disappears and escapes.*
* *In the lodge basement, Brynhui springs to action, setting into motion a fierce confrontation that ultimately leads to the deaths of the other three captives as well as three of Talis's guards. After a fierce one-on-one battle with Krisella on the upper level, Talis surrenders.*

### **Episode Recap**

The heroes renegotiate their deal with Talis: stop the Cult's treasure hoard, which is being transported by a flying castle belonging to a cloud giant named Blagothkus. Talis hopes this act will help tarnish the reputation of her rival Rezmir the Black in the eyes of their superiors, while simultaneously assisting Plan B with their goal to track the hoard and determine its purpose.

Talis informs the party that the castle docks in a small town called Parnast, about a half-day's travel to the southeast. Upon arrival, the townsfolk are all fascinated by the visitors, but remain tight-lipped about the castle itself. After spending a couple of hours in the local tavern, the castle lifts off and begins its departure, leaving Parnast — and Plan B — behind.

A local wheelwright notifies Mekssa that the stables hold several wyverns which they can steal and use to pursue the castle. While the heroes rush to get their mounts bridled and under control, the stable is surrounded by a local retinue of cultist guards. Plan B bursts through the stable doors and takes to the skies just in time.

They catch up to the castle quickly, learning that it is covered in ice and shrouded in mist. While inspecting the exterior for a means of entry, they notice a small hole in what appears to be a large iceberg extending downward from the castle. Landing on a small platform of snow, they venture into the tunnel. Just moments into exploring, they come to a spacious cavern holding a massive amount of treasure encased in ice — and an enormous white dragon clinging to the ceiling above it.

### **Notes**

* As part of their renegotiation, Talis provides several new pieces of information to the party, including additional details about the hierarchy of the Cult and more of its signs and signals.

* The Hooded Woman appears and asks Skaus for a report on the task of retrieving a unicorn horn. Upon hearing about the infected pool and the unicorn's corruption, she mutters to herself, "They're moving faster than expected." She then transports herself and Skaus to a expansive space that appears to be outside of the Material Plane. She explains to him that the devils and demons of the Lower Planes have been battling against one for millenia in a conflict that has been dubbed the Blood War. She mentions that both her and Skaus will need to make a choice, and muses that she hopes they make the right one. She then disappears, placing Skaus back in the same spot outside Talis's lodge.

* While conversing with the locals in Parnast, one individual mentions that a recent murder has left the community shaken. He quietly adds that the oddest thing about the incident is that the victim's fingers had all been cut off, immediately reminding the heroes of Abel.

## **Featured Characters**

### **Plan B**

* Brynhui
* Krisella
* Mekssa
* ~~Patrick / Patka~~
* Skaus
* Wilnan

### **New**

* Captain Othelstan
* Glazhael
* Gundalin
* Jiffen
* Pog
* Raggnar
* Strozia

### **Returning**

* The Hooded Woman
* Talis the White
* Trepsin
* Wessic

### **Mentioned**

* Abel
* Blagothkus
* Brother Caemon
* Craggnor the Dwarf
* Ehlonna-Vassorum
* Gren
* Miresella
* Wyrmspeakers of the Cult of the Dragon
	+ Galvan the Blue
	+ Neronvain the Green
	+ Rezmir the Black
	+ Severin the Red
	+ Varram the White