Duo Episode - Shadows and Shady Dealings

General Summary

Nimue's eyes flickered open for only a moment before shutting tightly again, she'd regained consciousness but remained in a vegetative state. Through the darkness behind her eyelids she heard a strong voice beg, "they never awoke madam. We didn't know who to turn to."
"So naturally you turned to the evil tiefling recently moved in to town. I understand, just count yourself lucky that you're considered one among them, orc."
"I do madam but let there be a bond between us, if nothing but unspoken. I will owe you for saving these goodly townsfolk and likely you can have them owe you as well. They are capable siblings, stood at the very doorstep of becoming adventurers."
"Very well," she snarled. "Leave me be and I'll awaken them. They will owe my guest as well."
The sound of the door opening creaked into Nimue's ear. Light and heavy footsteps could be heard across the floor to their bedside as the door was pulled closed behind them. She heard the ruffling of leather and then nails taping on metal.
"Use a localized charge, reverse their time."
"I think its done," a light dwarven voice remarked after a pause.
"It is indeed," she added. "They owes us both, bring them to me when you have your half of this venture settled. We still have business to attend to."
After her footsteps waned behind a closed door, both siblings suddenly felt well again and awoken in the Witch Room. Before them stood a Dwarf. He had an orange-brown beard, a helm with two horns, one of which was broken, leather armor, and a stout build. Hung at his side were two axes and hung on his face was a look of certainty.
"My name is Binwin, I am of clan Bronzebottom and you lowly folk have a debt to pay."
Nimue and Sylas being the lowly townsfolk he called them, agreed to the debt and he offered not to collect on it until after their business with Lynx Creatlach was concluded. It was then that they asked for his help recovering the girl and he told them that they would owe him more but accepted. He gave them two potions of vitality and then shared a large potion of sleep with them. As they drifted off, he informed them that their total debt would be about 42,000 gold with an extension of 100 per head he took for them.
Inside The Dream, just after Nimue saw a great beast from the window, Binwin charged out of the room singing, "double axe to the face!"
He killed one of the larva and cut into another as Sylas drew his crossbow with his off hand and shot the very same being. He and his sister watched Binwin fall to the floor as they themselves had before as Nimue charged in and killed the larva. Binwin then awoke as Sylas charged the last Larva and stabbed the beast with his rapier hand. With his two axes, Binwin then cut the larva in half.
Downstairs, they tried to reason with the witch but when the negotiations broke down, Sylas fired first. His bolt struck the witch just as Binwin charged and cut into the she devil. A rat with a human face then appeared, called Drace Lobo, and Nimue shot a Firebolt at it. Sylas dexterously stepped around the witch and budged axes at the rat, cutting off its tail, just before Nimue burst the creature into pieces with a Mind Sliver.
After the battle concluded, the three strayed away from a shadowy figure that had been watched them in the corner. Nimue recovered the girl as Sylas looked in the back room. There Sylas realized that the witch's bones were connected to that location in the real world.
When they awoken, having saved the girl, on the 10th; they rushed off to meet the captain of the guard before the hanging. The captain agreed to let Walabras go and went with Sylas to free him while Nimue kept the girl in the yard. At the cell, Sylas witnessed only horror as he watched Drace Lobo burst from Walabras' lifeless body. The creature was quickly slain by the captain but the image would stick in Sylas mind forever onward.
After the siblings returned the girl to her family, whom offered gold that they rejected, they met with Déulara, the tavern owner. Though they spoke at length with her, she offered nothing but Sylas still suspected that something was in the chest in her office, perhaps the bones of the witch. Out in the Eastern Tap Room they asked Estra Bloodoak, the manager, about the group she'd mentioned staying in the room before them and she told them that one, named Arion, had punched Lukas Gramlich in the face. She also told them that Walabras took the room right after them.
From there, the siblings headed to Lynx's house to sort out their debt. Let inside, they spoke with her and learned what she wanted, she also offered to heal them and patch their armor. In exchange, the siblings would track down some components for her in the Tomb of Horrors, some time in the past. Come the morning of the 11th of Tarsakh their note to their aunt and uncle had been delivered, as well as a letter to Kirtsker from Sylas, apologizing for not being able to attend his daughters' performance, before they were sent by Lynx to the past and the legendary Tomb of Horrors.
Making their way beyond the workers, the two spun lies to Moghadam before he offered to trade. Eventually they agreed to help him by going into the tomb and assisting with an ongoing ceremony. After speaking with a Tsculptorfailed to charm them but Moghadam teleported to them and hypnotised them. Sat in place among a chapel of prisoners, they were locked into a dark ceremony to capture a balor.

Rewards Granted

317xp

Missions/Quests Completed

Quest Dreams in the Witch Room Completed, Sidequest Infernal Machine Rebuild Failed.

Notes

Notable Party Damage:

• Nimue saw a Great Old One and became paranoid.
  Noted Effects: Indefinite Madness. “I am convinced that powerful enemies are hunting me, and their agents are everywhere I go. I am sure they’re watching me all the time.”
• Sylas is prestine.
  Noted Effects: None

Report Date

01 Jan 2021

Primary Location

Faerûn