Coia: 07 - An Encounter in Calimport
General Summary
Drows Go Down in Calimport
The following morning, the Horizon Reacher arrives at Calimport around breakfast time. Capt. Rondak Svatomir notes that they need to re-stock and re-supply and he plans on leaving port around lunchtime. Part of him wants these troublemakers off of his boat, but he's also down some crew members, so the group negotiate voyage to Tetbury in exchange for helping out onboard.
Kelro bids us adieu and we decide we'll do some window shopping until lunchtime. We pick up a few things at some local shops and overhear a conversation about slave traders and a mysterious woman in town who's offering a bounty for information on Drows. They were looking for anyone or anything related to a group of scattered drow that escaped through the Wormwrithing tunnels. They wanted these Drow to be enslaved and brought back to the Underdark. This makes Sszarden concerned.
Upon entering the local tavern "Whelan's Watering Hole" we spot a young red-cloaked girl sitting alone at a table. Seeking some more information on the red-cloaks, Nym tries to hit on her but strikes out hard. Sszarden disguises himself as Dannish and approaches her, upon which she reveals that she has a message for him. Soren had to leave Calimport early and has changed the meeting place to the northern town of Aveton. She nervously flees from the tavern afterward.
The group decides to head back to the ship, but upon exiting the tavern find themselves face-to-face with a well-dressed woman of high-society. Szarden dropped his Dannish disguise to reveal his true Drow self. The woman then drops her disguise to reveal herself as Masral Rife, a Drow Mage. She along with her elite warrior friend and a couple bugbears battle the group, but they are quickly overpowered, and Retta delivers an Eldritch blast kill shot on the mage.
We got back on the Reacher just as it was departing. During our 2 day voyage to Tetbury, Sszardan shared his concerns about their encounter with the Drow. They were working for Lady Alyonia Torath of House Dhunnarn, a lead house in the Drow city of Menzoberranzan. A house that had built their wealth on the slave trade. He told us the story of the "Night of Shattering", the night that House Dhunnarn made him the last living member of House T'Sarran. Fortunately the rest of the voyage was uneventful.
Tetbury Tales
We reach the city of Tetbury, the capital city of Coia, home to nearly 40,000 residents, the largest on the continent. We are quickly directed to the Library of the Shimmering Elm where we are introduced to Yaldra Bretik, the mage historian of Tetbury. We tell her of the portal in Altherstab and the demon we encountered there.
She tells us about the Bukhara Spires; portals erected by the Imaskari during their Early Dynastic period at a time when they had mastered trans-dimensional magic. Each was etched with an intricate runic design. These permanent, two-way portals allowed the rapid transportation of whole legions over vast distances in the blink of an eye. This allowed the Imaskar Empire to rapidly expand across the continent.
They have not been active for ages to her knowledge. If they have been reactivated, and are connecting Altherstab to the Shadowfell, there must be some powerful demon behind it.
She knows of a book in Candlekeep, ‘The Spires That Started a Race’ that details the connection between the Imaskari and the Mulan culture. Thinking it may hold details to the locations of the spires, she sends us to Candlekeep to retrieve the book.
Sszardan T'Sarran
Emis Faralei
Retta
Nym Lenore
Moose Knuckle
Report Date
10 Oct 2023