RoT 26: "Offers and Opportunities"
Diplomatic action
The flight back to Waterdeep from Xonthal’s Tower is uneventful – peaceful even. You spend the time discussing your retirement plans for branding “The Iron Company” into inns & taverns, clothing shops, training dojos, furniture, and a variety of other projects.
Upon your return you even ask Chauncey, your ever diligent chamberlain at Piergeiron’s Palace, if he has managed to find any leads on real estate here in Waterdeep. Alas, there is both a lack of available space (at least in terms of an entire city block as you were hoping) not to mention that has has interviewed a few folks that were clearly more interested in meeting (and possibly bilking) the famous Iron Company than doing legitimate business.
Malice is able to pick up his new Green Dragon Scale Cloak of Mending & Protection from Frederick's Fabulous Haberdashery & Clothier while simultaneously dropping off the blue dragon hide recently procured and commissions a Blue Dragon Scale Vest of Mending. He also advises Frederick to proceed with Pubert’s kilt using blue and black rather than black and red as originally designed since you have yet to obtain any red dragon hide.
You are informed by Chauncey that The Zhentarim agent, Lian Nightshade, has requested an audience. Being that she was the one that brought the note from Iskander to you to begin with, you agree and invite her to have tea. Her reasons are made quite clear – she believes that you, The Iron Company, by right of conquest now are the rightful owners of Xonthal’s Tower and offers you 50,000 gold pieces plus a greater healing potion, a potion of frost giant strength, and a spell scroll of earthquake to sell those rights to the Zhentarim. She points out that the Council of Waterdeep will likely expect you to hand it over to them free of charge. You politely but firmly tell you need more time to think over and discuss her generous offer. Ultimately, though, you all decide that keeping the Tower as a home base for yourselves (and setting up Rikon to replace the mayor of the adjacent village) is the better course of action.
As per usual, upon your return there are many who wish to speak with you but you always make time for certain people, such as Leosin Erlanthar your long time friend, council, and contact within The Harpers. This time he brings to you news of a possible, if unexpected and possibly controversial, new ally in the efforts against the Cult of the Dragon. The Red Wizards of Thay have sent an envoy named Nyh Ilmichh to invite you to Thay for a diplomatic meeting. It seems that the Red Wizards that you have encountered that have been assisting the Cult are outlaws and exiles from Thay and their government is interested in punishing them. You need only accompany Nyh back to Thay via teleportation and meet with her Tharchion.
While at first intrigued, Malice’s compulsion to destroy the undead has him quite perplexed at this offer. Thay is known to be populated not only with powerful wizards, but ruled by a Lich! In fact, when Brehanna asks Nyh if she can guarantee there will be no undead presence during the meeting, she admits that is impossible as her Lady and Tharchion they are going to meet is herself a Vampire.
You have her assurances that you will be safely returned after the meeting and Leosin states that Nyh has been carefully questioned and subjected to a zone of truth, and that all she said has been confirmed. Brehana even uses detect thoughts on Nym; even when doing a deeper probe, the Thayan envoy does not resist and allows the detection of her thoughts thus confirming she is being truthful.
Malice, though still needs time to meditate. Nym is able to give you up to forty-eight hours to decide, then she must return to Thay. Leosin asks Chauncey to find her lodgings and then they both excuse themselves for the evening. Pubert and Brehana go off to relax in their own way while Malice seeks the council of his patron – if possible.
---
After some time passes, Malice finds himself in what at first seems like a dream but may be another plane. He sees a familiar form approaching him – the fiery red wings and armor can only be one being, the Celestial Raziel, the Crusader. The converse but Malice seems hesitant to outright ask for permission to not attack the undead if he travels to Thay. Raziel reminds him he was given a compulsion to destroy the undead, not a mandate and a compulsion does not negate wisdom and the ability to know when an action is foolish – and then he leaves Malice to ponder his words and make the decision on his own.
The flight back to Waterdeep from Xonthal’s Tower is uneventful – peaceful even. You spend the time discussing your retirement plans for branding “The Iron Company” into inns & taverns, clothing shops, training dojos, furniture, and a variety of other projects.
Upon your return you even ask Chauncey, your ever diligent chamberlain at Piergeiron’s Palace, if he has managed to find any leads on real estate here in Waterdeep. Alas, there is both a lack of available space (at least in terms of an entire city block as you were hoping) not to mention that has has interviewed a few folks that were clearly more interested in meeting (and possibly bilking) the famous Iron Company than doing legitimate business.
Malice is able to pick up his new Green Dragon Scale Cloak of Mending & Protection from Frederick's Fabulous Haberdashery & Clothier while simultaneously dropping off the blue dragon hide recently procured and commissions a Blue Dragon Scale Vest of Mending. He also advises Frederick to proceed with Pubert’s kilt using blue and black rather than black and red as originally designed since you have yet to obtain any red dragon hide.
You are informed by Chauncey that The Zhentarim agent, Lian Nightshade, has requested an audience. Being that she was the one that brought the note from Iskander to you to begin with, you agree and invite her to have tea. Her reasons are made quite clear – she believes that you, The Iron Company, by right of conquest now are the rightful owners of Xonthal’s Tower and offers you 50,000 gold pieces plus a greater healing potion, a potion of frost giant strength, and a spell scroll of earthquake to sell those rights to the Zhentarim. She points out that the Council of Waterdeep will likely expect you to hand it over to them free of charge. You politely but firmly tell you need more time to think over and discuss her generous offer. Ultimately, though, you all decide that keeping the Tower as a home base for yourselves (and setting up Rikon to replace the mayor of the adjacent village) is the better course of action.
As per usual, upon your return there are many who wish to speak with you but you always make time for certain people, such as Leosin Erlanthar your long time friend, council, and contact within The Harpers. This time he brings to you news of a possible, if unexpected and possibly controversial, new ally in the efforts against the Cult of the Dragon. The Red Wizards of Thay have sent an envoy named Nyh Ilmichh to invite you to Thay for a diplomatic meeting. It seems that the Red Wizards that you have encountered that have been assisting the Cult are outlaws and exiles from Thay and their government is interested in punishing them. You need only accompany Nyh back to Thay via teleportation and meet with her Tharchion.
While at first intrigued, Malice’s compulsion to destroy the undead has him quite perplexed at this offer. Thay is known to be populated not only with powerful wizards, but ruled by a Lich! In fact, when Brehanna asks Nyh if she can guarantee there will be no undead presence during the meeting, she admits that is impossible as her Lady and Tharchion they are going to meet is herself a Vampire.
You have her assurances that you will be safely returned after the meeting and Leosin states that Nyh has been carefully questioned and subjected to a zone of truth, and that all she said has been confirmed. Brehana even uses detect thoughts on Nym; even when doing a deeper probe, the Thayan envoy does not resist and allows the detection of her thoughts thus confirming she is being truthful.
Malice, though still needs time to meditate. Nym is able to give you up to forty-eight hours to decide, then she must return to Thay. Leosin asks Chauncey to find her lodgings and then they both excuse themselves for the evening. Pubert and Brehana go off to relax in their own way while Malice seeks the council of his patron – if possible.
---After some time passes, Malice finds himself in what at first seems like a dream but may be another plane. He sees a familiar form approaching him – the fiery red wings and armor can only be one being, the Celestial Raziel, the Crusader. The converse but Malice seems hesitant to outright ask for permission to not attack the undead if he travels to Thay. Raziel reminds him he was given a compulsion to destroy the undead, not a mandate and a compulsion does not negate wisdom and the ability to know when an action is foolish – and then he leaves Malice to ponder his words and make the decision on his own.