Jinn, Bart, and Micah made their way to the Taznix estate to speak with the head of the city,
Grez Taznix. The structure was a simple, but imposing, two-story affair with moderately kept gardens. After convincing the gate sentry to allow them passage, he lead the group through the property to the main entrance. On the way to the main building Jinn noted several additional guards hidden within the grounds.
Once inside, the group was led through labyrinthine halls lined with portraits of the Taznix house and decorated with terraria full of all manner of strange and exotic plants. Inside the receiving room sat with an enormous portrait of Grez Taznix himself. The portrait greeted them hello, much to their surprise, and inquired as to the nature of their visit. The Dragon Punchers quickly dropped their false identities and disclosed their true purpose: an offer of help in determining the cause of the city's increased mobility. After a fair amount of flattery and bribery, including an expensive bottle of brandy, Taznix agreed to set up a meeting with the Oracle of Zaratan.
Meanwhile Chari and
Al’ethera decided to stake-out a space for their as-yet-to-be-named crime syndicate hideout. The two wound their way down to Togs Street, a place notorious for its shady dealings. There the pair discovered a shop run by a urmahlullu and, after some skilled negotiation, found themselves with use of the hidden back room. Feeling quite accomplished, Chari and Al'ethera returned to the Scarlet Inn in to meet up with their companions.
After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, the Dragon Punchers, joined by
Emlyn Varg, made their way to the Lucent Grotto to meet with a Taznix contact, Joki. Joki guided them below the shell into the heart of the grotto to meet with the Oracle of the Zaratan. Inside a tiny home they found the Oracle to be a young firbolg, no older than five or six. The Oracle greeted them sleepily and answered their questions as best he could. He explained that the Zaratan was lost, and that there was something within the creature itself causing it to relocate more frequently than usual. More troubling, perhaps, was the assertion that "something bad" was growing in the North.
The group thanked the Oracle for his time and went on their way. However, there were still misgivings. The situation in the north was escalating, but the Zaratan needed help. Bart consulted
Lliira for answers. The response he got insinuated that, while the situation with the Zaratan was not directly a result of a plot by Messeneth and the dragon cult, they
were related. It seemed the Dragon Punchers would find answers deeper within the belly of the beast.
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