Journal Entry 13: 2024.2.18

Cufeb 527 to Stiirs 528: Winter in Detroit
 
I missed out on some things that happened in the dungeon, including the attack on the temple of Lolth and rescue of Herbert Ward – or at least they got his body. We returned through the dungeon back to Detroit. I helped deliver Herbert’s body, and made sure he got raised from the dead. Galadan was satisfied enough to agree to train me again, and finally taught me the new spell I’ve been waiting for – Dragon’s Breath. Fun, oh so much fun. Feels good.
We spent a couple weeks training, shopping, and such. Riventide seemed a bit annoyed that I’m more excited about my new spells rather than fighting. Spent a lot more time reading than warrior training, which only annoyed her more. Told her that based on the guys I was adventuring with now, I needed to be smarter. She conceded.
Flush with money and tired of sleeping in Ryker’s mom’s basement, we (Me, Darien, Ping Pong, All The Light Touches, and Grasshopper, 3000 gp each) bought a tower and had it renovated. It has two floors and a basement, ramps for Onslow to get around, a hot tub, a sound-proof music room (for bagpipes and snoring dwarves), and a portal to somewhere in the basement idk?
Winter fell, and we stopped adventuring for the time being. All the religious types had ecclesiastical duties and were busy. I spent some time with Tokar and Kerius, told them everything that had been going on. Tokar says he’s confident the Steel Hand has beaten back the Grants for now. He also said he had talked to Arthur Dale and he said, essentially, ‘don’t worry about it, it’s under control.’ Good enough, nmp.
Ferzith’s mentor wanted him to check on a friend of his, Ulvira Snowveins, last known to be in Skullport. He arranged passage with a smuggler they had saved before I knew them. Ferzith, Grasshopper, Ping Pong, ATLT, and I went to Skullport. We found Ulvira – she was running a pet store called The Feathered Rat. She told us the Grants have pretty much taken over the town. The flaming ‘skull lords’ that float about the town used to police ‘the code’ but since the Grants showed up the skull lords now act senile. Ferzith promises to get Ulvira teleported back to Detroit; she has been trapped there for 5 years and is eager to gtfo.
J’aboc sees a grey gnome, yells "GREY GNOME" and chases; it disappears. A passing dwarf offers him a certificate of proof that grey gnomes exist. He buys it for an exorbitant amount of money. At a noodle shop he overhears a couple people talking about Kroth, a name he knows (another valaraukar), and yells "KROTH" at them; they say they saw him, something about him getting spell components or something, I dunno.
Grasshopper sees a Noldar elf bearing a large sword. Build and face resemble Grasshopper’s. GH loses sight of him before he can approach and talk. He gets a name from a shop owner – some cult outside of town.
We pay Tass at The Poisoned Quill for passage back to Detroit via teleport (50gp each, I pay for Jaboc since he spent all his money on the certificate).
We pay our dues to the Adventurers Guild for 528 (14 gp).
Winter passes.
 
15 Stiirs 528
We get a message from Halastar to ‘Contestants’ about The Masked Priest being on level 2. We proceed. We find a large area filled with cultists (Darien sez they are ‘Masters of Lore’) and angry commoners, probably controlled but still attacking. We attack. I get to try out my new spell and breathe acid on the cultists. It works great. Ferzith suggests to the cultists they tell us where The Masked Priest is and one points to the northwest. Clive gets to throw in a BF fireball. Grasshopper finishes off the commoners. Clive gets another fireball. Hilarity ensues. We finish off the cultists. A couple fang-faced assassin types and a gaunt skull-faced long-tongued weirdo were left and we finished them off.
 
Much more here to explore and probably kill. No sign of The Masked Priest yet.