Moth Eggs and Sand

*Hired by*: Captain Valentin Aguilera

*Mission Request*: Find the murderer of all the drug runners in the Uqhesh

*Rewards/Loot*: A batch of Shiasin moth eggs, a new friend in Pete Moss

*Discovered Places*: The Kalahari (bar), Random Hookah Lounge, Random Laundromat

*Caravan Allies*: Gromlo (antiquarian), Caliban (cook)

*Monsters Encountered*: Shiasin Moth, The Crippling effects of Drug Addiction

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## Summary

Eira, C2, Raxis and Arco went to the Azure Ziggurat and made an appointment to talk to Arch Docent Livalia, head honcho of SPARC under our new group name the **Dziyiri Nakkar Consortium** (DNC). They had to wait 45 minutes. During 45 minutes before our meeting, gang went to potion shop called Tunguska's Potions where we met big hulking half-elf man named Tunguska who sold us 5 potions (with a special of buy 4, get one free!) Arco also bought a potion of friendship. The DNC then went to a food truck and grabbed some pangolin sausages to eat.

After their lunch break they headed back to Azure Ziggurat to meet with Arch Docent who was a Tiefling in a pretty dress and a peacock on her shoulder who just watched. She knew of Onema so she was obviously very cultured. She shared the info she had of the robberies that have been happening at various temples. There had been 8 break-ins in total and the last break-in occurred a week ago.

After that meeting, the gang went to the Calahari bar where Raxis and Arco tried to get some info from the dapper mustachioed gnome bartender, Kit Ansible. Eira intervened and sweet talked him into helping us with our investigation. Gnome-man pointed to a shady figure in the corner of the bar as a potential source of info. Raxis and Arco approached with the latter standing for menacing effect and the former doing most of the talking. Raxis was able to convince this mysterious human woman that he was tough enough and the connection between the robberies and deaths of the drug runners were confirmed. We also learned about a bunch of drugs especially the new hit hallucinogenic, Shiasin Moth eggs.

The sandy four wondered to a nook under the Transients bridge to find a drug runner to use as bait to catch the killer. They met a gaunt, emaciated looking fellow named Pete Moss. Raxis tries to say a few words to the guy but when the fellow rejects any conversation, C2 shoots him with a fire bolt. The gang roughs him up pretty good and drags him to an alley. This is where the interrogation of a lifetime starts. Arco tries to be threatening but it doesn't work, C2 picks up the slack tho. Arco casts zone of truth to learn where he gets his supply. After learning that the strange fellow will pick up a batch that night, the Consortium takes him out for some pangolin sausages and Arco gives him a crash course on his religion.

The stage is set. With a spider C2 on his shoulder and Eira and Raxis trailing him, Pete goes to meet up for a resupply of Moth Eggs at another empty alleyway. A Kenku appears with the goods and C2 reverts to his mechanical form and summons ~~two~~ one gross giant spider. Pete faints from the shock and Raxis acrobatically jumps down from the roof and one-shots the Kenku. Eira leaps down from the rooftops as well as the DNC realizes that there is an invisible entity in their midst. Christopher Clarke sends his nasty pink spider to tackle the unseen being but is pushed aside. The invisible life form reveals itself to be a huge Moth glowing blue and white in the sandy night. At first the party is able to resist the dazzling essence of the moth and C2 commands his spider to web up the Kenku. However, the luminescence of the strange creature successfully penetrates the resistance of C2 and Eira who both fall unconscious. Desperate, Raxis tries to pull C2 out of the alleyway before deciding to finish off the dying Kenku. This enrages the moth who gives chase to a scrambling Raxis fleeing into a crowded street. People in the street begin fainting one by one and the moth kills a dragonborn it mistakes as Raxis in a burst of radiant damage to it's forehead with it's murderous proboscis. That's right. The moth is the Drug-Runner Killer. Raxis runs through a hookah lounge into a laundromat and buries himself deep in a pile of dirty clothes. The Moth searches... and searches... and enters the laundromat. Fortunately, the moth does not see the sneaky dragonborn so it vanishes into the night. Raxis, having been exposed to the soporific brilliance of the creature, falls unconscious at the bottom of a stacked hamper.

Arco arrives late to the scene because he is so damn slow. He wakes his companions and together they decide to get information from the Kenku. The dead Kenku. Eira casts speak with dead. She interrogates the soul of the dead creature:

"What is the moth?"- the diasporan cleric asks.

“They are beautiful” - the languid voice replies.

"Where can we find the Moths?" Eira asks sternly.

“Larvault” is all the wonderstruck soul answers.

"What do the eggs do to people?" Eira pleads.

The deathly voice releases a contented sigh and says in a hurried anxious voice, “I need it, I know it's just not enough, please”

"What is the stolen holy water for?"

“Make sure they’re all submerged, they’re thirsty” The voice replies having regained it's composure.

"Why were you serving the moths?"

The voice emits some confused noise before sayinig, “Ride this, it will protect you from prying eyes.”

Also Pete is still there. We give him his gold and take his drugs (as in confiscate not use). Then the party sleeps.

***A new evil has revealed its face. Who are these mysterious enemies? And do the Dziyiri Nakkar Consortium stand a chance? The answers to these questions will be be revealed next time on Xeric- Campaign 3!!!!***