HotDK 41: “Learning to Fly”

Having assessed the treasure horde, and putting what you could into the bag of holding, you realize it’s probably time to find an escape route. In fact, you start to hear sounds and what seems like shouting and unrest echoing down the tunnels from levels above.

As you make your way down what appears to be the larger of the tunnels as you begin to hear footfalls coming down tunnels leading from the lower courtyard of the castle. You round a corner to find a huge porch that leads to open sky and as you do you hear a shout of “They’ve killed Glazhael! Stop them! Don’t let them get away!”. You turn to see several cultists come out of a side tunnel as you step off the ledge.

You begin a free fall through the air the ground like a model below you as you pick up speed. Malice, scroll already in hand, calls on Pubert’s survival skills to judge the distance – this has to be timed just right or you could all have escaped the castle only to die from hitting the ground at terminal velocity. Pubert yells out “Now!” but Malice hesitates, waiting just a few more seconds before speaking the words on the Scroll of Featherfall, and whoosh! You decent slows and you begin a more reasonable falling speed alighting on the ground some 1500 or more feet below the castle like birdy on a branch.

Pubert figures you are somewhere several hundred miles south of Parnast , near a place called The Hill of Lost Souls. The closest town he knows of is Darkhold which is easily a couple hundred miles to the south. Elturel is farther still to the east. Tired and battered, Malice casts Leomund’s Tiny Hut so you all can get a solid eight hours of rest in relative safety until you can figure out how to proceed.

The next morning you begin walking south toward Darkhold, since it is the closest town. As you walk you begin to notice what appears to be a dark speck in the sky coming toward you. As it gets closer you realize it’s a raven and it is indeed coming toward you. The raven lands a dozen paces from you, then boldly hops closer, a flat parcel wrapped i n oilskin strapped to its belly. It eyes you enigmatically for a few moments, then speaks i n a familiar voice. " Leosin Erlanthar sends his heartiest congratulations! Please use the gift this bird brings to meet me in Waterdeep as soon as possible."

The parcel contains a carefully folded spell scroll of teleport and the sigil sequence of a permanent teleportation circle in Waterdeep. Malice reads the scroll aloud and in a blink you find yourselves in Waterdeep near The Open Lord’s Palace.

As you arrive in Waterdeep there is a sudden shift in the wind which brings with it a strange sense of unease. The feeling is akin to the drop in air pressure before the approach of a deadly storm, or faint tremors felt from a landslide or earthquake far away. You're not the only ones who have noticed. The city around you goes u n naturally quiet suddenly. No dogs bark, no birds squawk. Even the street vendors have gone silent. The silence lasts only a moment before the normal sounds of Waterdeep return to mask the unexplained sensation.

As you start to make plans to get food and find Leosin you hear a voice behind you, “Excuse me, are you the Iron Company?” You turn to see a well-dressed woman approaching you. She introduces herself as Dala Silverhelve and that she was dispatched to bring you to the Open Lord’s Palace. A council of leaders from all across the Sword Coast is being convened. Lodgings have been prepared for you in the Palace and the council intends to meet tomorrow.

"You felt it too didn't you? The earie feeling?" she asks. "The disturbance that's been sensed across the Sword Coast is the Draakhorn - an ancient device whose sounding alerts dragons across Faerûn that great events are unfolding. It's i m possible to say what the sounding means, but the dragons hear it clearly and will eventually answer its call. It's why the Council is being convened."

You follow her to the Palace to get some rest and will soon find out what the Council of Waterdeep knows and why it wants the Iron Company to be present.