Morally Grey

### Request

Rescue Minna, a Shade Sworn operative, and try to kill the Grey Merchants holding her. If that is not possible, to kill Minna before she can reveal Shade Sworn secrets.

### Rewards

4400gp, divided evenly between participating members

### Discovered Places

Gilded Claw (tavern), passage under Stormwarden belltower

### Unfinished Business

We unleashed an undead cronenberg-like monster.

Marwyn is currently most intrigued with...

## What Marwyn Saw

Dhalia Thoravine is a very well-dressed tiefling. I like her. Her favorite colors mostly match my own. She also gave me a moon touched rapier, a marvelous weapon. Someday I would like to know its provenance. Howell is a philosophical fighter. His hair must have a story behind it. Someday I will find it out. Rosalyn... I must talk to more. She is silent, and strangely uncomfortable about touch. The Gilded Claw is a seedy looking bar. The barkeep is a person missing his right ear. He says it was a shaving accident. I do not trust that this is the true reason for his loss. Someday I will journey back and find out how he lost it. There is another middle-aged woman snoring in the corner, but though her story must also be fascinating, I unfortunately must set aside her tale for that of the BARNACLE GANG.

Wyx is an intriguing halfling, working for The Shade Sworn as an very important person. Her shadow lags behind her movements. I would like to know more about this. Though Wyx only wants to offer us 4000gp, Dhalia and I manage to convince her to raise our reward to 4400gp. Wyx tells us that the Grey Merchants have captured Minna, a short, twitchy gnome with very pale skin and bright white hair, alive. Perhaps to combat the brightness of her skin, she normally wears black. An intriguing character. We are to access the cell of Grey Merchants currently holding her by going through the Undercity (a valuable opportunity to learn some secrets!), and going through a passage in the basement of a Stormwarden belltower located in the Inner South Docks. Wyx also warns us about night dust, which has necromantic properties and animates corpses nearby, in a powerful way.

Once we reach the Inner South Docks, I sneak ahead and slit a guard's throat, then everyone else finishes him off. This team seems to have gears that are well-oiled. I am happy to be a part of it. I would also like to mention that I jumped the guy from a rooftop. The moon touched rapier is very helpful in creating light. Also I saw a cat scurry away as I killed the guard. I enjoyed this. The guard was carrying a crossbow inscribed "To Jimmy, my favorite grandson," and crossbow bolts and 30gp.

I was able to disable the door, and we were able to sneak past two people having a conversation in Gnomish, down 327 steps. Inside the chamber are two boilers full of coal, swarms of black and white beetles encased in glass cases, six Grey Cloaks, one very tall non-human humanoid also cloaked, and a cocoon creature that seems to take half of the Tall Guy's pain and damage whenever we hit it. This proves to be rather frustrating. Minna is tied to a chair. There are two crates we later find are full of night dust spheres.

As we fight, we realize that we cannot kill them off and kill Minna. Dhalia dies but Howell manages to give her a healing potion. See Encounter rundown.

## Encounter rundown

**Round 0 (Surprise)**

* Marwyn heads forward, uses her shortbow against Tall Guy. Flash of yellow light on both him and the cocoon creature. The cocoon creature begins to unfold. As a bonus action, I use insightful fighting on Tall Guy, which doesn't work.
* Howell casts Ray of Frost on one of the Grey Cloaks, then shoots his crossbow at the same person.
* Rosalyn moves up a little then takes two shots at Tall Guy, the second of which does not hit. He moves up to another Grey Cloak and uses Flurry of Blows against him.
* Dhalia casts Storm Sphere around most of the Grey Cloaks, Tall Guy, and Cocoon Creature.

Blasts knock the cloak off Tall Guy, and reveal that it is a Thri-Kreen. The Cocoon Creature seems to be of Vrintish technology and takes half of the Thri-Kreen's damage, however this is a one-way street.

**Round 1**

* Marwyn uses Insightful Fighting on the Thri-Kreen again (now successful) and uses her shortbow again.
* Howell moves forward, touches a Grey Cloak with Shocking Grasp. Then he yeets his wolverine tooth sword into existence and swings it at the same Grey Cloak, then continues moving forward.
* Rosalyn attacks a Grey Cloak and manages to get sneak attack, killing it, then moves away again, attacks the same Grey Cloak Howell had attacked, but does not manage to kill that.
* The Thri-Kreen grabs a night dust sphere and throws it near the corpse of the previous Grey Cloak. It becomes an animated corpse. The Thri-Kreen then thrusts its short sword through one of the glass cases, releasing a swarm of beetles which have skulls on their back.
* The Shield Guardian (cocoon creature) unfolds completely and moves outside of the sphere.
* Dhalia tries to use the lightning in the Storm Sphere but does not succeed. She casts Lightning Bolt and hits two Grey Cloaks, which use their Evasion to avoid most of the damage.
* The Grey Cloaks still in the Storm Sphere use their cunning actions to dash out—one heads toward Dhalia. All of them move around. Some attack Dhalia. One misses, three hit. Dhalia takes 54 damage. Those next to Roz also attack. Two hit, two miss. 45 damage to Roz. Another one fires a crossbow at Marwyn, who dodges and takes 6 damage.
* The undead monstrosity gives Howell a Dreadful Glare. Howell fails his check and is Frightened. The undead monstrosity makes a Rotting Fist attack at Howell, but Howell uses Shield.

Roz suggests we kill Minna now and escape.

**Round 2**

* Marwyn uses Feline Agility to rush next to Minna and drags Minna away, then fires her shortbow at the Thri-Kreen. She misses.
* Howell casts Warding Wind on himself. Still Frightened, he moves away and must fend off an attack of opportunity from the the undead— 9 points bludgeoning, 12 necrotic.
* Rosalyn Shadow Steps to better range. She attacks one of the more damaged Grey Cloaks and kills it.
* Thri-Kreen directs the swarm of insects to Marwyn and attack for 24 points piercing damage. He throws another night dust sphere at a corpse but it is deflected by Howell's Warding Wind.
* Shield Guardian stomps over to Marwyn and tries to attack her, but fails.
* Dhalia casts Lightning Bolt on corpses to incinerate them. She casts Shocking Grasp on one of the Grey Cloaks.
* A Grey Cloak tries again to hit Howell, which misses because of his shield. One critically hits Dhalia, who passes out. Another hits Rosalyn.
* The undead monstrosity attacks a Grey Cloak and paralyzes it into fear.

**Round 3**

* Marwyn kills Minna, disengages from the Shield Guardian, and runs toward the door.
* Howell autocrits against the paralyzed Grey Cloak's feelings, then gives Dhalia a healing potion. He uses his Action Surge to cast Ray of Frost on one of the Grey Merchants. He takes out his sword and misses one of the Grey Cloaks.
* Rosalyn kills another Grey Cloak, then hits another one and kills it. He walks over next to some of the corpses to block night dust spheres.
* Thri-Kreen tries to throw another night dust sphere but fails to impact on a corpse.
* Shield Guardian is hanging out for emotional support.
* Dhalia, now relatively awake and functional, casts another Storm Sphere to hit the Thri-Kreen and as many Grey Cloaks as possible. She then tries to hit the Thri-Kreen with lightning.
* The paralyzed Grey Cloak fails a wisdom save and is near death due to the Storm Sphere.
* The undead attacks paralyzed Grey Cloak and kills him. The undead uses its Dreadful Glare against Marwyn, who becomes Frightened, then starts moving closer to her.

**Round 4**

* Marwyn uses her rapier against the undead, then disengages and moves closer to the Thri-Kreen.
* Howell uses Ray of Frost toward an indeterminate point. Howell cuts up one of the corpses.
* Rosalyn hits the Thri-Kreen after teleporting.
* The Thri-Kreen upends a crate. The dust envelops all the corpses and drags them inward, creating a writhing black cloud of roiling flesh.
* Shield Guardian rolls up again.
* Dhalia grabs Marwyn and Dimension Door out.

**Round 5**

* Howell holds his turn until Roz goes.
* Rosalyn downs a health potion, then dashes out.
* Howell then Misty Steps out and dashes.

We all run out and meet up outside, then relock the door.