Adventure 58

**Real World Date: 5/3/2020**

**In Game Dates: January 2nd, 5002 M.E. - January 3rd, 5002 M.E.**

**XP: 13,400 (Total: 281,718)**

## NPCs Met This Adventure

* Gaul Snowsprinter - Goliath ranger mercenary, ally of Velcora Shadowblade, has Polar Bear animal companion
* Emmitt Felroth - Gnome knight mercenary, ally of Velcora Shadowblade
* Wendel Hightower - brother of Talis Hightower, less successful brother, used as decoy

## Summary

### Scouting Ahead

Leaving behind Rabbit at the inn, the party make their way to the warehouse where their meeting with Talis Hightower will take place. They are invisible and use the portable hole to sneak in. They rearrange the crates and barrels in the seemingly abandoned warehouse, setting traps for their meeting. It is then that Dhamon notices a trap door. When they open it they discover a tunnel.

The tunnel leads under the back alley to a neighboring warehouse that is currently in use. The party assume that the trap door was going to be used to sneak up on them during the meeting. Wrax rearranges the traps around the trap door and they decide to come back a couple hours before the meeting the next day to make sure they can see whatever Talis is setting up.

### Friends of Your Mother

Upon getting back to the **Young Chimera Inn**, the party encounter two mercenaries. One is a massively tall Goliath named Gaul Snowsprinter, who has a pet polar bear outside named **Yaril**. The other is a short Bravulian Knight named Emmitt Felroth. They were both former employees of Talis Hightower but they are current friends of Velcora Shadowblade. They are worried for her safety as Talis is going slowly insane and Velcora has no choice but to follow him wherever he goes.

They tell them this meeting with Talis Hightower is most likely a trap. They offer to be nearby during the meeting to help and make sure no none escapes. They are not powerful enough to survive a trap designed for the **Wizlocks**, but they can try to help. They thanks them and agree to meet them tomorrow a the warehouse. Aust verifies that the Shield is just outside of town still. He and Dhamon both attempt to scry Velcora and Talis, respectively, but their divinations seems to be blocked. They head to bed.

### Am I Early?

Wrax draws up a legal document for Talis Hightower to sign over all his possessions to him, intending on getting him to sign it after their meeting. They all agree to head to the warehouse several hours early to scout ahead. Dhamon sneaks into the warehouse to hide, invisible, in the corner and wait. It is then he notices on the table they set up, a note. It is addressed to the **Wizlocks** and states that the meeting is taking place in the OTHER warehouse.

The party scouts that warehouse again, only to find it locked up, with the windows blacked out with shades. They ignore the tunnel completely and head to the side of the building, using the portable hole to sneak in invisible. As they get into place, they notice a lot of sand on the ground and a large Clockwork Wolf on a platform above them, waiting. And a makeshift throne is set up near the locked front door with Talis Hightower sitting on the throne. As Aust gets closer, his vision sees through the illusion and he can tell that this is not Talis Hightower, but his brother Wendel Hightower, in disguise.

### Fire Fight

The party drops their illusion and attacks. The Clockwork Wolf, who Wendel Hightower calls **D'Hiib**, attacks and breathes toxic fumes. Suddenly the sand forms into four humanoid creatures called the Harsaff, who attack with their sand and fire abilities. Several braziers get knocked over and a fire starts in the warehouse as they fight. They knock out Wendel Hightower and take him out back. They slay the Harsaff and the Clockwork Wolf. The later explodes as it's destroyed, causing the fire to spread even more.

They all escape out back of the warehouse as the fire cosumes the warehouse, with Rabbit stabilizing Wendel Hightower. Aust makes him a thrall and they wake him up to interrogate him. He doesn't know much, but he does know that the meeting was a decoy. Talis Hightower knew they wouldn't go looking for him if they knew a meeting was coming up shortly, which gave Talis a few days to finish what he wanted to do. Wendel Hightower doesn't know his plans, but he does know that if they showed up to the meeting, Talis has already gotten the time he needed.