Session 28

* The Badger's Growl (a comfortable, mid-range inn owned by a friendly dwarf woman who sometimes sings for her guests)
* Temple of the Stormlords (Little-used and out of the way)
* Grenoble's (A small curio store run by an elderly human. He has a trained hog named Rex which he describes as a 'third-generation guard pig')
* The Golden Elephant (High-End Casino owned and run by Morgan)

Sunken Dwarven Water Temple

### NPCs:

* Amnir Stormborn (Dwarven Runic Wizard, Scholar and member of the Heirs of Timmoran. Husband of Dondras.)
* Dondras Stormborn (Dwarven Warrior. Husband of Amnir)
* Morgan (Well-to-do Orc Casino Owner)
* Calese (One of Morgan's two wives)
* Guildmaster Manuella (Head of the alchemists' and artificers' guild, one of the city's governing council. Vandimar's grandmother).
* Vandimar (Human Noble. Dabbles in alchemy and potion-brewing. Has a blase attitude to responsibility)
* Elios (Mysterious female agent, seeks out the PCs to destroy a chapter of a book at Greyhaven University)
* Jo'han (Mysterious male agent, colleague of Elios, Well-placed and influential in Tamalir)
* Cylian (Bard and author writing approximately 150 years ago. Renowned for keeping highly detailed notes)
* Silf (Wealthy elven nobleman, cheats at cards)
* Idzald (Gambler based out of Strangehaven. Friend of Goldie)

**Previously...**

## And Now...

   Goldie catches up with the others at the Badger's Growl. They've been plying their trade as an alchemist, making and selling potions. They've made a few hundred silver so far, but has taken a break while awaiting re-stocks of Manticore hair which they need before they can complete their latest project. Goldie accompanies Arik and Dandy to the meeting arranged the night before between her and the mysterious agent, Jo'han.

Arriving at the meeting place, they encounter a sour-faced woman with severe hair. She is accompanied by several attendants and a bodyguard. She identifies herself as ‘Elios’ and mentions she’s been ‘following’ Dandy’s activities since Vynelvale. She offers payment to pay Dandy to find a book at the Library of the GreyHaven University and destroy a particular chapter from it. She offers them a cart and horse as a good-faith down payment, and 300 silver upon completion of the task. The meeting concludes with the PCs giving no firm answer as to whether they'd accept the task.

After the meeting, they enter a nearby, little-used temple to the Stormlords to discuss what to do about the offered job. With a Lore roll, they determine the book and chapter are detailed notes of a Baronial conclave from 150 yrs ago written by the bard/author, 'Cylian'. Cylian is known for highly detailed notes, including detailed descriptions of inflection and underlying subtext. After considering the pros and cons, they came to the conclusion that they didn't have enough information to come to a final consensus. While they are in the temples tower, they hear a commotion in the street.

They emerge to see two men appear close to duelling over the love of a dwarven woman. The dwarfs' husband is rational, but the challenger is irrational to the point of mania. They immediately connect this incident to the rumours of cursed love potions making their way through the city and determine the man is affected by one. Arik tries to transmogrify the spell effect but ends up spreading it to two of the spectators. Goldie successfully dispels the magic and the crowd disperses.

Afterwards, they find the love-sick man sobbing in an alleyway, near suicidal. They manage to calm him down and find out where he got the potion. He leads them to a beggar selling them as well as a number of other odd bits and pieces from a ramshackle stall. The stall-keeper stinks of refuse but is dressed in recently purchased second-hand clothing. He’s selling the potions way under-price, turning a blind eye to the ‘potential’ curse on them. He claims to have found them, but knows another place that’s selling them. The group destroys his potion stash, and Arik makes ‘Stinky’ go to the river to wash off.

They investigate a merchant running a small curio store called ‘Grenobles’. It is run by an old man and defended by a trained hog named ‘Rex’ (a 3rd generation guard-pig). Grenoble tells them he bought the potions from a noble named ‘Vandimar’. As the others are talking with the owner, Dandy wanders around the shelves, adding some of the things she’s acquired over the last few adventures to the mans' inventory. The PCs not that he also sells some arms and armor.

Goldie spreads word amongst city vendors that cheap love potions are cursed.

When they return to the inn, they find two unexpected things waiting for them. The first is a new Cart and horse are waiting for them, presumably provided by Elios, or whomever she is working for. The second is a pair of dwarves; Amnir Stormborn (Runic wizard and member of the ‘Heirs of Timmoran’) and Dodras Stormborn (warrior). It will later be confirmed that the two are husbands, not brothers. Amnir is very open and tells them that he would like the PCs help to investigate a nearby sunken Temple. His preliminary investigations have let him know that he'll need a Fire Rune to access the temple and he wants to either have Goldie join them, or to borrow her Rune. Goldie is excited at the prospect, but worried they don’t have time since they have to help Chance.

The Dwarves offer to help with Chance if they can and after an exchange of information. Amnir has a revelation. He has info about the item trapping Chance's mind, and knows two ways to end it. One way is to hold the item and simply focus, the other is to perform a ritual using the blood of the victim (Chance) and the person who activated the item (Someone from the Silver Crescent Keep). The latter method can be done at range. The party decides they will need to return to the marsh keep and the Dwarves offer to accompany them.

As previously arranged, Arik goes to meet Morgan at his Casino, The Golden Elephant that night, accompanied by Dandy and Goldie. Everyone gets dressed up and looks fantastic. They are taken to the meeting by a Silver-haired orc lady named Sylvia. When they meet Morgan, he is in a VIP section having food with his wives and a guest, Guildmaster Manuella of the alchemists' and artificers' guild (one of the city's governing council). Manuella is the grandmother of Vandimar.

Morgan offers Arik some work. He needs a ringer to gamble against one of his wealthy guests, an elf named Silf. Arik gets to keep 20% of the elf's losses. Arik and Dandy join the table with Silf and quickly build up a powerful pot to Challenge Silf. Working as a team, they get him to make some ill-advised bets and under the pressure, he attempts to cheat. Dandy switches the cards Silf has concealed under the table so that, when the elf plays them, he implies his own deception and is forced to leave the table in shame.

Meanwhile, Goldie carouses, managing to see the mundane and magical security around the place. She looks out for cheaters bucking the system and spots a person using a cheat that an old friend from Strangehaven (Idzald) was known for. She suspects this person was taught by Idzald.

As per their request, Sylvia has found Vandimar at the casino and lets them know he’s in the games-of-chance rooms playing dice. He is slightly drunk and being reckless with his bets. He is attempting to impress women with his gambling, but it keeps backfiring.

Dandy leaves the casino, and goes to Grenobles to buy another cursed potion. When she makes it back they disguise the potions over-ripe strawberry smell with a cocktail and send it to Vandimar with ‘compliments’ from Morgans’ wife, Calese. He manages to spot the potion and refuses to drink it, but his drink-impaired judgment still manages to undo him. Thinking Calese had sent it to him on purpose, he confronts her right in front of his grandmother, openly confessing his own misdeeds in front of his grandmother. Manuella is vastly unimpressed and he is forced to leave and buy back all the cursed potions he distributed.

While he is being dressed-down by his grandmother, Dandy and Goldie act quickly to send word to Grenoble and the other merchants that this is going to happen. They reason that the merchants can make some extra money out of Vandimar's irresponsibility and tweak his nose a bit by manufacturing additional quantities of fake potion (made by Goldie) which Vandimar will have to buy back.

The party finish their night by having some drinks with Morgan. Arik makes a pass at Sylvia, and she implies that she might be interested. Goldie tells Morgan about the cheater on the floor and Morgan confesses he knows about the man. He suspects that it’s part of some larger move by Idzald, but is waiting to see how the situation evolves. He thanks Goldie anyway, and makes some minor inquiries about Idzald.