Lair of the Red Wyrm

Before they leave, Soren receives a sending, and he tells them he won't be able to join them. He tells Leona that Zanelore is missing, and he must go try to find out what's going on. Arriving on the side of a mountain, they immediately come face-to-face with a Dire Troll.

They engage with the creature for a few seconds before Leona uses Hypnotic Pattern to charm it, and they all run as fast as they can. Once they get clear, they take a rest to heal up and look around, realizing that they're very near the Red Dragon's lair. They discuss their plan for talking to the Red Dragon while they rest.

After they step out of the hut, they find Deirdre's mother, Shavaun, there, waiting for them. She immediately recognizes Deirdre, and invites them all to come inside. She tells them that Deirdre's father was her watcher, but he left the Covenant along with her. She says that there's a lot of corruption and politics in the Covenant, and she met someone from the Silence. It turns out, that was Roman, and the Silence were the ones who attacked the night that Deirdre left. They took her captive, and Veros is the one who saved her. She also tells Deirdre that she has a crystal ball that she uses to check in on Deirdre and the others every once in a while.

Deirdre tells her that, now that she's seen her mother, she's satisfied and doesn't need to meet Veros. As they talk, they mention that Deirdre met her mother's brother, which shocks her mother. She says that, as far as she knows, he is dead. They tell her that Roman is associated with the Assembly, and she doesn't recognize that name. She leads them into a cave to talk some more.

There, they meet Veros, in elven form. They spill what they know about Asmodeus, and the Assembly, the imposter who is currently on the throne, the phylactery they found, Eachthighern, and Maudit. Veros tells them that Maudit is the product of an extremely dark ritual that was performed in Avernus. He tells them there are two ways to raise the dark queen: one requires incredible amounts of bloodshed and money, and the other was Maudit, as the chosen one, the descendant of Tiamat herself. They discuss potential next steps, and Deirdre reveals that The Whispered One is yet another enemy of hers.

Deirdre tells her mother the story about how she made an enemy of The Whispered One, and then steps out of the cave to get some fresh air, frustrated with her own mistakes. Aureo goes and sits with her, attempting to comfort and encourage her. He tells her that He, Leona, and Kesra are her family, and she should be kind to herself.

Meanwhile, Leona and Deirdre's mother go off on their own for a moment. Leona asks her about her time with the Covenant, and some of the people that she knew, including Zanelor and her brother. Back in the main room, Kesra and Veros chat a bit, with him sharing some fine dwarven whiskey with her. He admits to her that he heard a rumor about a woman whose beauty was unparallelled, and whose bloodline could start wars. As a collector of fine things, he felt that proving with this woman that Chromatic dragons can love was the greatest possible treasure.

Deirdre, Aureo, and Deirdre's mother return to the sitting area, to find Kesra feeling the whiskey quite thoroughly. Leona contacts Zanelor to try to find out where he is, but gets no response. She contacts Soren too, but he hasn't even left the city yet.

Deirdre gets her mother to show her around, and, when they get somewhere more private, ask her intensely if she is happy there. It's clear that she doesn't feel like she would be safe anywhere else, and that she has everything she could possibly need with Veros, though she doesn't seem completely in love with him.

Meanwhile, Veros has left Kesra and Aureo alone for a few minutes. They commiserate over how just how much information the group has let this dragon know. They re-assemble in the sitting room, and manage to get Kesra onto Red, and head out of the cavern. Veros comes and lands in front of them, bidding them farewell.

They begin to make their way in the direction of Quan'Mal. Along the way, Deirdre asks Leona to send a message to Maudit for her, telling him that Veros knows everything. As they're chatting, a hulking orcish form steps out in front of them, saying "Is that Kestra Stormbreaker?"