Session 5: The Plot Thickens Report

General Summary

Having dealt with the Reaper of Bhaal, the party shortly consulted the information they had gathered so far before continuing down a cavernous passage behind a hidden door they had found. After a few moments, the sounds of fighting could be heard from further up in the cave. The party emerged to find a brutish man fighting a sleek and powerful cultist whose head had simply taken on the form of a skull - with the latter in a very advantageous position. From the shouting, it was clear that the two knew each other, calling each other by name when they came to blows. Their relation became clear when the cultist fled upon seeing your presence, and you persuaded the man to tell you what he knew - immune to his erstwhile attempts at subversion and fast talking. The man, whose head was horribly scarred on one side, introduced himself as Mortlock; later confirmed to be Mortlock Vanthampur, son of Duke Thalamra Vanthampur of Baldur's Gate.
Mortlock was able to share the following information:

• Duke Vanthampur is using the Cult of the Dead Three to murder specific targets. Mortlock’s brother, Amrik Vanthampur, is responsible for identifying these targets: He provides the names to Mortlock, who passes them along to the Dead Three cultists.
• Duke Vanthampur is working in coordination with a powerful cult leader that escaped from Elturel just before its fall. The Duke is protecting this cult leader in the basement of Vanthampur manor.
• The cult leader brought two powerful artifacts with him from Elturel, one of which was a shield in the likeness of a demonic face. Mortlock’s other brother, Thurstwell, was fascinated by these artifacts.
• The Cult of the Dead Three was persuaded to work with the Vanthampur family when they were given this temple, which was found a few decades ago during sewer renovations. The Vanthampurs and the cultists are the only ones who know about the temple, since Vanthampur had everyone involved in the excavation, and the erection of the bathhouse thereafter, killed and placed in the dungeon.
• The Vanthampurs are Zarielites. Mortlock is not a true believer, but he’s loyal to the family.

In return for their help, he has promised the party to bring word to his mother, who will surely invite the party to dinner for rescuing her son. He has also agreed to work with the party to kill his brothers, who had conspired to have him killed, as the party soon found out.
The Death’s Head of Bhaal had hidden in the sanctum of the Dead Three; a half-collapsed wine cellar that had been converted to a proper sanctuary dedicated to the glory of Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal. After a brief investigation of the statues, the cultist surprised Richard by finding purchase with his curved dagger, and two strikes were enough to knock him out. An exchange of blows and magic finally led to the cultist’s defeat, and the group was in dire need of some rest. However, one of the letters recovered from the dead cultist mentioned an assassination attempt on this current day, so no time was lost exiting the dungeon.
As soon as they had the chance, the party traveled back to the entrance to the bathhouse, and started tending to their wounds. Mortlock noticed a pair of raven spies, and told the group that they were being watched. As if on cue, a fivesome of cultists from The Cult of the Dragon leapt down from the bathhouse roof and demanded that the party return the treasure of the Dragon Queen, which the Dead Three had stolen away from them and which the party had encountered deeper in the dungeon. Through the use of deception and subversion, the cultists were given their Black Dragon mask back, and left none the wiser where the rest of the treasure had gone (Artena had emptied the cult’s chests into the Griffin’s Saddlebag, and Patience had enchanted one of the chests to sprout legs and follow along, but had told it to hide around the corner).
Not much later, the party was hailed by a single Flaming Fist, and asked for their assistance in a murder investigation: the Fist had been posted after (nosy!) neighbors had reported that they had seen a number of dead bodies through the open doors, and the Fist immediately recognized the cultists by their garb. Whoever had single-handedly defeated four of these guys was sure to be helpful in the murder investigation elsewhere in the city, they thought. The party was to report to Flame Zodge at the Seatower of Balduran for more information, and were warned that Zodge is not a patient man.
Finally free to take their leave of the bathhouse, the party and Mortlock went their separate ways, returning to the Elfsong Tavern for a much-needed rest and a hearty meal. Mortlock would know where to find them.

Rewards Granted

• Dragon cultist's treasure

Missions/Quests Completed

• Cleared out the Dungeon of the Dead Three

Campaign

Descent into Avernus

Protagonists

Artana Dryl

Fenrir Firecam

Patience

Report Date

26 Oct 2022

Primary Location

The Frolicking Nymph

Secondary Location

Elfsong Tavern