Mowenites Unite - Episode Five

## Summary:

Mowen had granted individuals the experience needed to hone their skills. In exchange, these people were called to begin their charge. Whether the agents attended the once secret but prestigious academy or were in service to the empire or owed them, six people were sought out and called into service to work the lines of diplomacy, sometimes within the shadows, getting done what needed to be done. Safety was not guaranteed. Mowen was working on a new defensive construction that the world had not seen since the Golden Age of Magic. The six were required to engage in skullduggery, cloak and dagger diplomacy, and questionable missions in service to the empire, all in an effort to build something important.

## Agents:

* Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" - Lizardfolk Wizard
* Gobin Glowstep - Halfling Druid
* Krixx Sharptooth - Kobold Artificer
* Merdaer - Drow Rogue
* Tar'ren r'Eehp r'Eehp - Frogfolk Warlock
* Xilon Harkus Starrati - Half-Elf Wizard

## Adventure:

Back in Abishot, Krixx asked Xilon to go buy him some armor and then talk to his noble friends. The group went to House Stars to catch Iron Boar.

Iron Boar had a few sets of half plate in small size ready, though adjusting it for Krixx would take a week. Xilon offered to work the adjustments himself, but Iron Boar said he had people to work on it. Iron Boar was surprised that the group could afford the cost of half plate. Xilon said that talk would have to be done in private. That piqued Iron Boar's interest. Iron Boar said they could discuss it later. Krixx got measured and someone ran out a starium longsword for Xilon. Krixx also got a starium warhammer and Tar'ren got a starium sickle.

Asher went into the magical parts of the market and bought a *My Second Wizard Book*, as did Merdaer. Gobin bought a Cloak of Billowing.

The group met with their handler. She tried to pressure them to give the red corundum to her, but they bluffed that it was connected to Wizards' Coral and was needed to find it. Krixx asked her to find them a loyal crew to bring them through the ocean to the Wizards' Coral. She said it wasn't her problem.

Asher had a serious discussion with the group about what they planned to do about the items Mowen requested in light of Nightseer's warning. Krixx said that Mowen hadn't done wrong by him and his family, so he was on the whole still wanting to complete the mission.

Gobin said that if they had issues, they could have Dean Cacian erase their minds.

Asher, XIlon, and Krixx were confused.

"Who is Cacian?" Tar'ren asked.

"What?" Gobin said.

Gobin took Asher, Xilon, and Krixx aside and told them that Billy ben-Rubie had implied their minds had been erased by Cacian. This shocked them.

Krixx moved the conversation back to withholding items from Mowen. He said it would be treason. He would need proof that it would be for the absolute good of Mowen or to save the world to commit treason.

Tar'ren's take was that they could study the stuff they collected and gain insight into what Mowen was planning. They would still turn in the items, but they would be better informed.

Asher thanked the group for their candor and felt assured that the party was on the same page.

The group stayed in Abishot for a week for Krixx's fitting. Krixx bought black paint to disguise his starium half plate.

Concerned that Gobin was some sort of duplicate, Asher cast Detect Thoughts while Xilon cast Sending to ask Gobin a question. Asher dug deep into Gobin's mind, but he couldn't hear a response to Xilon. Xilon didn't receive a response. Asher said to Tar'ren telepathically, "I do not think this is the real Gobin. We may need to abandon him."

The group, without Gobin, discussed and decided that they would ask Harrint to divine who and where the real Gobin was. She agreed to help them in exchange for a favor. She would update them when she found information.

Krixx changed his infusions, taking a Ring of Water Walking instead of Enhanced Defense.

The group took the boat and crew chartered by Stefarni and went southwest to find the Wizards' Coral. The captain became antsy, knowing that there were pirates and sea monsters in the waters. Xilon assured them that they were where they needed to be and that the ship could keep moving; Xilon would magically contact them when they were ready to come to the surface. That said, at the mention of pirates, Xilon also went on-edge. Krixx said he'd never met a pirate so he didn't know if they were nice.

The group saw a bit of land. The captain said that land should not be approached with the big ship, but they could use a dingy. Xilon pulled out his Broom of Flying and took an aerial view with Krixx. The island had a crumbled tower with a tunnel going down. Xilon wondered if it was where Qajiotha lived.

The two returned. Xilon told the captain to keep the ship at a distance in case something went awry while the agents checked it out. The group except for Tourmaline went to the island on the dinghy.

Xilon put his Manifest Mind into the tunnel while Krixx peered into the hole. Gobin started tying a rope around his waist. The Manifest Mind went down sixty feet, then hit a watery bottom.

Gobin handed the rope to Asher, then jumped into the hole. Krixx tied his rope to Gobin's rope so that he could be lowered further. Gobin reached the water, but as Asher went to pull him back up, a slimy hand grabbed Gobin and yanked him under.

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