Watchful Eyes Report

General Summary

The adventurers fought hard against their new adversary. Surrounded by cultists, conjured flame, and demonic thralls, the five of them slowly cut their way to the Warlock. While they were outnumbered, their force was bolstered by a surprise ally, Dreamstroke, who burst through the door that was blocking their escape. The party was able to slay the warlock with a blast of magical energy, but the walls of flame summoned by their foe threatened to burn the mayor's estate to the ground. Fighting through the smoke, and burning beams that fell from the ceiling, a few guards pulled them from the basement doors as the building began to collapse. The few guards there showered them with praise for freeing them from the warlock, as many of their family members had been held captive to ensure their compliance. The guard captain, who arrived soon after promised them the best food and drink the town could afford for as long as they planned to stay in town, and asked them by what name he should call their group. Since the six of them had never branded themselves with a name, they immediately gathered into a group huddle in front of the full assembly of the town guard to come up with one, deciding upon the "Grey Outcasts" after minutes of deliberation. After much celebration, the newly named Grey Outcasts settled down into a few weeks of rest, all taking after their own interests. As their rest came to an end, they received a couple of messages, some from nearby, others from far away. By the way of a Grey Carrier, they received two letters, one was addressed to Sylvan, another to the party. Another message was received on Kaizzt's "rocky-talkie". Sylvan's letter was from Dalatos, notifying him that a group of mercenaries were looking for work and heard that Sylvan had some territory that could use protection from rivals and thieves. Kaizzt was notified that a group of soldiers looking to fight for coin and land had shown up at Mountainhelm Keep.  But the more important letter, the one addressed to the party, came from the Mayor, the real Mayor, asking them to join him for a dinner at what was left of his estate.  Figuring they could at least use a good meal, they honored the invitation and made their way to the Mayor's manor (or the rubble of said manor), and were led to a small encampment of tents, where an injured, but lively Mayor Morris Eltonbrand welcomed them with the best food he could muster on such short notice.  After several minutes of dining and proper introductions, he offered the party a quest.  Young and budding spellcasters had been recently disappearing from the coast, with little to no trace of their disappearance.  Considering that the southern coast of the Nyr Dyv was known for its talent in the arcane arts, he had taken great pains to investigate before everything went south, but now he was far too busy to deal with the matter, and since Tenser had not been seen for months, he was not available to help.  Mayor Eltonbrand had little to offer the party in return for their assistance in this matter but solemnly swore to put in a generous word for them, not just for what they had already done, but for saving the next generation of magic users from potential doom.  The party, still feeling high from their overwhelming victory against Noroan and her lackeys, agreed to investigate and hopefully save some of the young spellcasters if they could.  Traveling eastward, the Grey Outcasts stopped first at the town of Undre, where they discovered a farmer's daughter, Meera, a young, but accomplished sorcerer, had gone missing.  The Outcasts quickly picked up her scent, and with Luka and Spike on her trail, they followed her scent to Eiren's Fall.  After mingling with the locals for a little bit, a group of children told the group about a strange creature they had seen under a bridge outside of town.  Seeing as the scent led that way, they figured that whatever this creature was might give them some insight or better yet, lead them to Meera and the other missing magic-users.  As they reached the bridge, Spike darted underneath, and after a scuffle and lots of screaming, the wolf returned with a wiry goblin that looked like he was about to bawl his eyes out.  Questioning the goblin, they learned that his name was Bizmo, and that he wasn't all that much of a threat.  He told the party about how his goblin tribe had moved to a nearby cave, and had been working alongside a tyrranical creature known as Isyptotrix, who had been orchestrating the kidnappings, murder and subsequent dissection of local magic-users.  This creature was highly paranoid, believing that these magic-users wished to do the same to it, and as a precaution, took preemptive vengeance for this imagined threat against its well-being.  Bizmo, wanted nothing to do with this creature or his tribe anymore and simply wished to live under the bridge in peace, eating fish and foraging for leafy greens.  However, Silvan, always the opportunist, offered Bizmo a job at Hell's Outcasts, which he accepted, since he much preferred a roof to a bridge over his head.  Taking directions from Bizmo, the party found their way to the cave, and made quick work of the goblin tribe, as their ramshackle defenses did little against the magical arsenal at the disposal of Martin and Naelen.  The Grey Outcasts moved in towards the cave, crossing its threshold, but not before being stricken with a vision from deep within the caverns of a floating head with sickly skin, ten slimy tentacles tipped with anxious eyes, and one central eye with a scilintating iris.  Opening its mouth full of needle-like teeth, it let out a hideous laugh that echoed within their minds, an ill omen of the creature awaiting them, plotting their doom...

Notes

• Began sometime before the 21st of Flocktime, ended the 24th of Flocktime
• This report combines the events of the last two sessions