Part 34

"That… uh.. that might be a problem. We threw away some of them after we were done fixing them."

"Don't worry, we've got multiple copies of some of them. We'll just dump 'em out in a pile and make sure they only read the first couple."



Mirabar is at the northern end of the map, to the east of Luskan. It's pretty remote, and seems to be kind of a hole. In more ways than one.



"Yes, we're exactly who you think we are. And we're not in a mood to be delayed."

"Yeah, it's a frozen wasteland up here. Who decided to have a peace conference in this city?"

"Go to the meeting of the council. Head east - you'll see the sign above the big double doors."

"That probably was the safest course of action, yes."



"They can't be very good spies if you know that they're there."



"Hopefully this goes better than the last hall of justice we visited."

"Last two, if you think about it. Before Lord Nasher there was that whole business with Luskan."



"Hey, no matter what Alaric says we don't have any connection to Waterdeep!"

"Oh come on, I hadn't even said anything!"



"This has all been a plot decided by the Zhentarim, the Krakens, and the HostTower of the Arcane! They have been seeking to divide the Lords' Alliance so that Luskan and Ruathym could wage war, and conquer your cities one at a time."

"Strong words… and I presume you have some proof of this?"




"Do you think it's because they're shocked that a paladin is actually reading?"



"And that our historic friendship should continue. Allow me to present you with a small token on behalf of Mirabar and its people."

"Heh… worked like a charm."

"I think I might have identified the next threat we need to protect the Frontier from."




"Gentlemen, we'd be delighted. To simplify matters, we'll call on you in the order of your invitations."




"Wait, you mean you guys didn't even check for secret tattoos before you started the meeting?"

"Considering some of the people here, would you want them to strip down?"



"You guys are going to owe us SO big for this."




Relatively speaking this is a huge set piece battle, and easily enough people to wipe out the council if we weren't here. There's no less than a dozen spell casters and fighters involved, and if you don't do something quickly the air's going to be full of lightning bolts. Luckily the enemies are in three groups and the group directly facing us has their sorceresses right in front of our fighters.



And with that, the council is complete and we head over to Raurym's mansion.



"Thank you. It seems we're about in time for dinner, and Raurym seems to be a man who enjoys his food."




"I.. I think I just lost my appetite."

"You and me both."

"I think that makes three of us."






"Wait… dragon? Gem? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, the dwarves will happily tell you more about it but the main point is what you're going to do about it."

"Well, I mean, we've dealt with a dragon before, but…"

"I'm still lost as to what the Krakens have to do with this. Are they after the Gem and the dragon?"



"Er… sure, I guess? You still haven't answered that question."

"The really important part is my treasure. If you're able to foil some plots in the meantime, consider it a bonus."



"There's still something shady about this whole thing, but…"



Kriiador is some additional muscle for our team, and he's not bad muscle at that. He's a bit lower leveled than most of our people, but his gear is enchanted and he makes a decent meat shield. He's also the reason we went here first… if you visit the dwarves first they also offer a fighter, but they'll give you an enchanted weapon if your party is already full. Raurym will make no such alternate gift. Of course, there's also a few things to find near Raurym's house...



"It looks like the miners went ahead and built themselves a secret door."

"If anybody would have the skills to do so, it would be miners… one must try and be fashionable."



"Somehow these guys don't strike me as the mining type."



"I know where that line leads! That's Hellgate Keep!"

"Never heard of it."




"Wait, how long ago was the gold rush?"

"I should prefer not to answer that question. Hey look, a building!"





"Once again, never heard of it. But I'm sure we will."



"That may be the most half-assed escape attempt I've ever seen."

"Considering how the river looks, we could save ourselves some work if we just helped them get into the boats."



Instead, we murder them with their backs against the wall. It's tight quarters for fighting magic users, but nothing a couple of stinking clouds can't help with. Afterward, there's nothing left to see here except the dwarves quarter of the city.



"Honestly, we're just thankful that you make your doors more than five feet tall."







"We've learned through considerable experience that it's just best to go along with these things."

"We'll leave any discussions about the ownership of the gold and treasure for you and Raurym to decide."

"Receive this gift of the dwarves of Mirabar, and their king."



"We just had dinner with Raurym… I don't suppose you guys would have a keg open?"

"No. No we do not."






"We've done crazier things… but do you think the fact that you're sending them in copper armor instead of bronze, iron, or steel might be part of the problem?"

"This shaft right here?"



"I think they got indigestion from the snacks you were sending them."



Big, poisonous bags of HP with lousy armor class. Nothing to see here.



"They certainly seem to have considerable problems just outside the walls."

"And somehow, the kings and lords don't seem discomfited in the least."



It's quite a mess here, and there's enough spell casters that they're likely to get a spell or two off before you can do anything. The shamans are particularly troublesome, since they have hold person spells. They're the reason I had a couple of characters knocked unconscious in this fight.



"Then again, if this is their reaction to people who help them I think I can understand how Raurym and Steelfist can sleep at night.

Character Snapshot





No really large changes in our characters for this one, other than Siulajia becoming our highest level fighter. The gift from the dwarves was a +3 battle-ax, which I handed to her so that she can have a melee weapon. Fireshear and Ice Peak mark the end game, so we're closing in on the final battle… don't expect to see much more in the way of change.

Next Update: Fireshear, a quite literal festering hole in the ground.