Smoking Out the Snake

## **Synopsis**

In Chapter 96: Smoking Out the Snake, Erland spent some time at the bar of All Hands on Deck mulling over Shekar's riddle – which he believed had something to do with the now-abandoned residence of Sansa Doddle.  He shared this revelation with Safira, but tempting as it was to investigate the property when it was so close by – we feared another deceit would await us and decided instead to reconnect with the others in Fangull.

It was there that Orba and Graven had piqued Palomer's interest enough to get a look at his wares: an impressive array of magic items that were easy to envision being of use during our foray into the mountains.  By offering up the mask that she'd stolen from the genie temple, Orba was able to secure a 2-for-3 deal – netting us a mace, a sash and a set of gloves that all had exciting properties.

Palomer also had the necessary connections to refill our Invigorating Urn, so all-in-all it was a worthwhile detour during a time when we were loading up for what would perhaps be our toughest test in combat yet.

Out in the street, a heated debate over how to handle the Shekar situation was interrupted by one of the Advocates who bore a message from the wizard Selas – though Orba kept the contents to herself as we took a walk to the Steederway.  There we found some dockworkers having a mysterious conversation that we only picked up bits and pieces of – something about a traitor but evidently not referring to the Mollefaires, as our mention of them did not elicit a response.

By the time we reached Na-Upa, Graven was more than a just bit late for the joust – but he hurried off to Battle-Ready anyway to retrieve his armor, which had been outfitted with special padding free of charge.  Lawson Vernay even threw in a bonus bit of gold – compensation for being crowned the victor – and offered to teach Graven some mounted combat techniques if they ever crossed paths again later on.

The others had found a table at the Upa Alehouse, where we hoped to spend the night and perhaps rendezvous with Shekar if Villepont came through on getting him a message.  The Elatrian and Rudhiran elves had evidently finished their negotiations for the day but at the request of Sotiria, Dal-Dun stayed behind to reconnect with Erland.

Holding up our end of a bargain made long ago, we provided Dal-Dun with the names of those in Navika-Pura that might be able to get their hands on Myconid Extract – though Erland did his absolute best to talk the desperate Rudhiran out of resorting to such extreme measures.  Dal-Dun was grateful and promised to exercise caution – and in a show of appreciation gifted Erland an item that, oddly enough, helped connect some dots regarding Marvyn Bishop's diagrams.

When the group met back together, our attention turned once more to the finding of Shekar – and we hatched a plan to prey on his ego and vanity by spreading gossip around the place he frequented most.  Picking up a game of cards with who we thought might be some of his drinking buddies, we massaged the truth – but only a little – by calling out his cowardice and use of harmful traps rather than dueling with honor.

At one point while the seeds were being sown, Graven was approached by a burly figure who identified himself as the muscle for Mrs. Migalore in tomorrow's negotiations at Hwolod ess Afeeod.  He was looking for a fight, but not the kind one might expect – for there was a matching clause in his contract that guaranteed a better payout if the use of physical force was required.

Agreeing to instigate a tussle that would prove our worth as bodyguards, Graven returned to the bar where the rumor mill was beginning to churn – and we crossed our fingers that the bait was good and set.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: two natural ones were rolled in this Chapter. 1 each by Anthony and Riley.