8/12-8/19 - Anubian Inquisition
General Summary
The party tracked down the mysterious, hooded figures asking questions around The Faerunian Wilds, finding them upon the mountainside to the West of the former domain of Undrieg .
Darnath was sent ahead to scout the strangers' camp before the party decided how to engage. Sneaking into their camp, he was able to identify a clear command structure between one of the men and the other three. By sliding into one of their tents, Darnath was also able to raid a small lockbox and locate a number of logbooks written by the commander. Though he could not read the script in these logbooks, he was able to discern that they contained dates, coordinates, and results, as if the group were scouring the lands between Tradefront, Stonehearth, and Skagi in search of something specific. After Darnath scanned through the logbooks, he spied on the leader of the group until discovering that the four men had fur and dog-like heads.
Upon returning to the group, Darnath shared his findings and the group decided their next moves. Thovak recognized the dog-headed warriors as likely being Anubians, jackal-headed warriors in service of Anubis. As Anubis was the god and protector of the dead, and the party were intimately involved in a plot to dismember and reuse the corpse of Moander, they decided to approach the group cautiously at first.
The party met with the Anubians, revealing themselves at a distance before approaching. The lead Anubian introduced himself as Inpu. After being welcomed into the group's camp, the party began to question the motives of Inpu and his group. Both parties spoke in circles as they ate together, attempting to glean more information than they revealed while also rustling minimal feathers. The party finally offered to help the Anubians locate what they were looking for, an "out of place" entity negatively affecting the local area (what the party clearly knew to be Moander's corpse), given roughly thirty days.
Regrouping nearby, the party discussed what they had learned and how they would proceed now knowing that Inpu and the Anubians were on the hunt for Moander's corpse, and Anubis rarely smiled upon those desecrating the remains of a god. The party decided to contact Geryon and Has to discuss the presence of the Anubians, finally coming to the conclusion that they would broker a talk between the Devils and Anubians to uphold their contract. In case the plan fell through entirely, the party also contacted Lady Timber for help transferring a soul from the "Nine Lives Stealer" into a portable vessel, so that they could use it to pay for a broken contract with the Devils.
With a plan in place, the party approached the Anubians to inform them of their contract with the Devils and escort them to the meeting site. Inpu and his warriors followed the party towards the digsite of Moander and the group met with Has and Geryon. A tense negotiation ensued between the Devils and the Anubians, with the party regularly chiming in as arbiters. Eventually after much debate, and some lightly-veiled threats, Inpu and Geryon came to the agreement that the Anubians (and by extension the watchful eye of Anubis) would remain at the digsite and oversee the disposal of Moander's corpse, ensuring it is treated with the necessary care and dignity that the corpse of a god deserves.
The party, with both their flesh and contract left intact, breathed a sigh of relief.
Darnath was sent ahead to scout the strangers' camp before the party decided how to engage. Sneaking into their camp, he was able to identify a clear command structure between one of the men and the other three. By sliding into one of their tents, Darnath was also able to raid a small lockbox and locate a number of logbooks written by the commander. Though he could not read the script in these logbooks, he was able to discern that they contained dates, coordinates, and results, as if the group were scouring the lands between Tradefront, Stonehearth, and Skagi in search of something specific. After Darnath scanned through the logbooks, he spied on the leader of the group until discovering that the four men had fur and dog-like heads.
Upon returning to the group, Darnath shared his findings and the group decided their next moves. Thovak recognized the dog-headed warriors as likely being Anubians, jackal-headed warriors in service of Anubis. As Anubis was the god and protector of the dead, and the party were intimately involved in a plot to dismember and reuse the corpse of Moander, they decided to approach the group cautiously at first.
The party met with the Anubians, revealing themselves at a distance before approaching. The lead Anubian introduced himself as Inpu. After being welcomed into the group's camp, the party began to question the motives of Inpu and his group. Both parties spoke in circles as they ate together, attempting to glean more information than they revealed while also rustling minimal feathers. The party finally offered to help the Anubians locate what they were looking for, an "out of place" entity negatively affecting the local area (what the party clearly knew to be Moander's corpse), given roughly thirty days.
Regrouping nearby, the party discussed what they had learned and how they would proceed now knowing that Inpu and the Anubians were on the hunt for Moander's corpse, and Anubis rarely smiled upon those desecrating the remains of a god. The party decided to contact Geryon and Has to discuss the presence of the Anubians, finally coming to the conclusion that they would broker a talk between the Devils and Anubians to uphold their contract. In case the plan fell through entirely, the party also contacted Lady Timber for help transferring a soul from the "Nine Lives Stealer" into a portable vessel, so that they could use it to pay for a broken contract with the Devils.
With a plan in place, the party approached the Anubians to inform them of their contract with the Devils and escort them to the meeting site. Inpu and his warriors followed the party towards the digsite of Moander and the group met with Has and Geryon. A tense negotiation ensued between the Devils and the Anubians, with the party regularly chiming in as arbiters. Eventually after much debate, and some lightly-veiled threats, Inpu and Geryon came to the agreement that the Anubians (and by extension the watchful eye of Anubis) would remain at the digsite and oversee the disposal of Moander's corpse, ensuring it is treated with the necessary care and dignity that the corpse of a god deserves.
The party, with both their flesh and contract left intact, breathed a sigh of relief.
