The next session started with the group taking the thugs/lords/truemen to an abandoned house in the Warrens. Coravel led the way to a house by the swamps that had been empty for several weeks due to the stench of the sewers draining nearby. The prisoners were placed in the house with the troll hounds set to guard them. There was then discussion of what to do because the group realized that they could cause problems for the Patriarch if they did not handle the situation well. In order to help their situation, Aramil would cast a Charm spell while Quis'Ari healed the prisoners and they prepared them to return to their homes, after some questioning. The Charm spell was successful and the group let Lord Dawson know that they would be let go. They found out that the group had been trying to hurry things along with a riot. They had planned to knock the young man unconscious and then drag the young woman off use her to cause a riot in the Warrens. They had dressed down in order to look like refugees so the action would be blamed on them.
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They also found out that Lord Dawson's father had been killed on the borders of Morrain when defending against the armies down south. Lord Dawson had witnessed the death two years before and blamed the upheaval and the refugees for his father's death. He was also impatient with the leaders of the Truemen and he and his friends were trying to force something to happen. The group counseled them to have patience and perhaps some change would occur. Lord Dawson seemed influenced by their words and he and his friends left peacefully.
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Immediately after that the group went to the Patriarch, who saw them as he ate his dinner at his desk. They told him what had happened, he thanked them for the help. He was also glad that someone had perhaps found a way to contact the Truemen. In order to try and get support for the Patriarch, the group asked for a letter of introduction to Lady Ilrien Talbusk, who sat as a neutral lord on the council. They had heard she might be interested in what they found at Castle Whiterock that might help her find out what had happened to her father. The Patriarch agreed to send a letter so that the group could call on the Lady in the next few days.
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The group did some final shopping in town over the next few days and also spent some time cleaning up for their meeting with the Lady. She met with them in the temple of Iomedae and provided information about the Sundered Scale and her's father's missions. She gave The Strangers information about how the group got started.
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The Order of the Sundered Scale is a cabal of paladins of Justicia dedicated to hunting evil dragons and using their hoards to recompense those victimized by the dragons. Thirty-five years ago, a woman calling herself Lady Chauntessa approached the order with proof that the red dragon Benthosruthsa was still alive. Six members of the order undertook the mission to dispatch the wyrm: Knight-Commander Usila Fairglade, Knight-Arcanist Argent Theophal, Knight-Chaplain Benden Talbusk, and the Knights Lorio Ranither, Ancival Dupre, and Felgin Forgefire. They infiltrated the dungeons beneath the Castle and established a small fane to use as a staging point for raids below.
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The fane has remained a secret for thirty years. The Lady Talbusk said the camaraderie felt by the paladins during the five years of their quest was supposed to resonates in the very stones of the fane, and will aid the cause of good. She also told the group that she felt confident that they might be able to find something, she had heard of their adventures and felt confident that they would prevail against the evil denizens beneath the Castle. The group also asked her about her interest in quelling the dissent in the city of Cillamar and suggested that perhaps some of the refugees in the Warrens might be interested in helping out at the Keep. The Strangers mentioned that they had a halfling woman helping them out and that perhaps others could help them out with farming and maintenance of the Keep. The Lady was interested in the idea and said she would see if she could find refugees who could be trusted to help out. She then gave the group the blessing of the temple and wished them the best in their adventuring.
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The Strangers talked with Hugin and Nora to let them know some refugees might be sent their way. They also talked with the Hofer brothers who said they could help in planning for more farming to occur around the Keep. The group finished getting outfitted then headed up to the Keep with Thera and Katana back to the Castle. After a half day of travel they made it to the top level of the Castle. While Thera and Katana setup the wagon, along with the troll hounds for guarding, they noticed signs that someone had been in the area. The group continued to notice signs of others passing through and while going to the second level Coravel noticed that an old trap had been reactivated. The group snuck down and found a group of duergar guarding the entrance to the rest of the level. One of the guards ran off while The Strangers took out the other guards and left one alive to try and get them in past any other guards. The duergar agreed and led them to the secret door to an elevator down to the other levels. The also found out that he was part of the Bleak Theater which existed below and helped to bring slaves in for the games.
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When the group came in they found the other guard with an Ettin and an ogre guarding the elevator. Aramil used the spell Detect Thoughts and found that the guard with them was betraying them to the others. The situation was quickly fixed by Kaylord and the Ettin, Ogre and other guard proved to be no match for The Strangers. The group also put out the fire around the elevator from Aramil's fireball and save the structure from being destroyed.
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After examining the two baskets, the group went down about a 100 feet to the bottom of the cavern. There was no light present, so Kaylord went scouting to see what he could find. He heard water in one cavern and then found a being in another cavern who was unafraid of him. She appeared to be like a surface dryad but suited for underground. There was a large crystal formation that she did not stray far from. The group joined Kaylord and they found out she cultivated fungi that could be used in alchemical mixtures. However, she was upset because she had lost some green slime that day that she had been cultivating for 3 years. Aramil spoke with her and sympathized and she proved willing to sell some of the fungi, some Crimson Shelf fungus. Vulgaris creates a paste from the poisonous spores which causes Dexterity damage and unconsciousness. Coravel bought some of the poison from her.
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The group noticed two exits from her room, one was to her main work area, the other went off into some part of the Castle. She said that people had gone that way before and hadn't come back. She didn't know where the stairs led and didn't remember when someone had last gone up the stairs. Since the stairs went off in the direction the group wanted to go they decided to investigate to see if they could avoid the water.
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The group made their way up the stairs and found a secret door with another large stone door behind it. As they approached the inner door, they saw a detailed, closed mouth in the middle of the door. The door spoke when they got within 5 feet but they could only make out part of the message. The message seemed to be in multiple languages. After searching around the chamber they found Dwarven writing that gave them a riddle. After much pondering, Aramil, Coravel and Kaylord felt that putting something of knowlege in the mouth might open the door. Aramil placed a scroll in the open mouth, which closed and the door then opened.
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The room beyond was made of marble and finely constructed stonework. As the group started to look around, a human figure in brown robes came up a staircase. As the figure approached they could see that it was some kind of undead, with a skeletal hand and dried skin over a skull. The group went on alert and the session ended here.
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