The heroes of Baldur’s Gate continued to follow up various leads while The Guild continued to hatch its kidnapping plot – in every case making delivery of payment as difficult as possible for the excuse to exterminate their victims.

J’ah Kreature continued his campaign for office and the hearts of the citizens, learning that the workers of the Outer City were agitating for acceptance into the city proper, and were planning a protest to get the attention of parliament. Aldric Longbeard furthered his study of the mindflayer captive, and during an accident with its containment, managed to acquire one of the creature’s eyes, for which he fashioned a magical telepathic scrying device on the following day. Pelagornis Sandersi IV served as the spearhead of The Flaming Fist’s Inquisitor initiative, following up on the activities of his fellow Inquisitors to ensure the quality of their work and the preservation of justice. While Nibengîl “Nibs” Orchalion found great success in his artificing, even reactivating an Iron Defender once employed by Imbraylm Skoond, he and Aldric found pressuring the public press to be a more difficult matter.

Together, Alan Whitcomb and young Tellus Casavir kept an eye on a longtime foe – House Bormul. It was discovered that family patriarch Riordan Bormul had left the city under quieted circumstances. A visit to the next eldest of the family, Rexus Bormul in his plush cell within The Seatower of Balduran yielded little information, given the rift between the brothers. It did, however, mark an end to the uncle’s comfortable lifestyle, and information that the Guild’s infamous leader Nine-Fingers was indeed, a woman.

Our heroes learned that that the ensuing peaceful protest was a target of the Guild – its agents working like a cancer among the crowd to spread discontent and violence. In anticipation, Kreature sought the aid of loyal Flaming Fist soldiers who were off duty, as well as help from a small band of adventurers: a human mage named Hunley and his cousin Nelthrope, along with their childhood friend Gregemar. On the morning of the march our heroes joined the crowd, slipping across the protest lines to reassure Ulder Ravengard. Reluctantly, the Fist’s leader agreed to hold back his riot squads in order to permit the peaceful crowd to have its sit-in. With Tellus summoning Duke Belynne Stelmane to hear the people’s grievances, it seemed the march would turn from a tension boiler to a political success.

Then shots were fired. Given an order by an armor-clad Guy Bormul, retainers of the various Patriar houses (including, much to Tellus’ chagrin, house Casavir) as well as heavily armed acolytes of Gond fired into the crowd. They would later make claims that they were summoned there to protect the upper city from a mob bent on looting, and lack of evidence and bought judges would later acquit most of the men of their heinous massacre. But our heroes sprung into action, calling on the Flaming Fist to form a shield wall around the protesters, and calming the protesters lest they attack the innocent Fist in confusion and anger. Tellus, Alan, and Pelagornis slipped across the wall into the upper city while a vengeful Nibbs attacked the patriar murderers with his self-made munitions. After a daring ruse, the party managed to capture an unconscious Guy Bormul, spiriting him away to the Seatower and learning through magically aided interrogation that his father had sought the aid of Bhaal in destroying Pelagornis and reestablishing a status quo against the social justice wrought by the party. What the young Bormul didn’t know was his father’s location.

Concerned that his own father was involved in the nefarious massacre, Tellus marched home despite his father’s warnings to the contrary. He blitzed passed the storm of questions fired off by his startled mother and household servants and stormed into Quentin Casavir‘s solar. He learned that a handful of their house retainers had mislead their patron into thinking that a band of ruffians would be slipping into the upper city to stage a riot, and they were to join a coalition of men seeking to stop it. Though confused that this wasn’t a matter for The Watch, Casavir was distracted by his impending election and so acquiesced to the request. It wasn’t until the unexpected arrival of his younger son that he realized the extent of the ruse, and promptly released the involved retainers at swordpoint.

Politics moved ahead with reckless abandon. Having leveraged his good public image, and alliance with Belynne Stelmane and a grudging Quentin Casavir, J’ah Kreature joined the elder Casavir in taking two open seats in the Parliament of Peers. Kreature soon used his newfound political status, along with some help and ghostwriting from a thoroughly sexually satisfied Coran to put forward a bill detailing policy regarding opposition to the Cult of Bhaal.

Meanwhile, a riot was beggining to explode in the Lower City docks, and while a well heeled Flaming Fist responded with appropriate force, soldiers from the Watch had been called in without Ravengard’s knowledge to “assist” in containing the violence. What could have turned into another bloodbath was eventually calmed by the party, though the confusion and difficulty in communicating meant that this public disaster was much more destructive than the protest. Lives were lost, property damage, goods destroyed, and increased enmity between the Lower and Upper cities. What hand the Guild had in it was unclear, but chaos meant profit to the confederacy of criminals.

The next day a statement was to be made – criminals convicted of capital offenses (including the sneaky Imbraylm Skoond were to be marched to the fortress at Wyrm’s Gate bridge and publicly hanged. At the same time, our heroes had gathered signatories who agreed to denounce house Bormul for Guy’s part in instigating a massacre. It was agreed that executing the Bormul heir would be impertinent at this time, and so he was left in a sparse cell alongside his uncle. With half of the party’s present to oversee the proceedings, the lawful executions began without a hitch, much to the delight of the crowd. Rapists, murderers, traitors and pirates found a long drop and a short stop waiting for them.

But news turned grim as a bedraggled private in the Flaming Fist arrived with news: there was a prison break at the Seatower. When the dust had settled, several jailers and soldiers, and a few criminals lay dead. Many escaped, including Rexus and Guy Bormul, who commandeered a ship after their exit and fled south, before changing course for the north.

During the scuffle, Rexus got his hands on a crossbow (thanks to assistance from Guild agents) and facilitated the jailbreak by killing Casondra Fairweather before she could get a sleep spell off. While the man had crafted a grudging friendship with the arcanist prison guard, he did not hesitate to put a bolt through her head when it meant his escape.

The tension in the city, despite the Herculean efforts of our heroes, had reached a tipping point. Finally acknowledging how bad things had become, Duke Torlin Silvershield, Marshal Ulder Ravengard, and Guild leader Nine-Fingers agreed to a carefully coordinated peace summit.

A settlement was reached, and each faction eased their attacks on the others as the entire city held its breath. The Feast of the Moon, a festival honoring and celebrating the lives of the dead was at hand, and members of each power bloc agreed that facilitating this moment of mirth might be a good first step toward recovery. The party remained wary.

A few days of preparation for the festival went off without incident. Indeed, our heroes might have even been tempted to relax a bit after a full day of merriment. But it was as they feared: a ruse. On the second night of the weekend long festival, they gathered at the unveiling of a mobile sculpture in their honor, to be shared with all parts of the city. As Duke Stelmane read a not from the artist, it became clear that something was amiss – the note was a fake, slipped in by Rilsa Rael. It contained a threat and named her the Chosen of Bhaal! At that time a grim storm cloud hung overhead, and took the supernatural shape of Bhaal’s seal. In the same instant, screams were heard in the crowd as masked and cloaked guild assassins began slaughtering festival goers, and Rilsa Rael – the Chosen of Bhaal, appeared on a rooftop dressed in the scavenged armor of Viekang.

A vicious battle ensued in which the crowd, emboldened by our heroes, fought back! They grabbed at the assassins and held them steady for J’ah Kreature and his allies to strike down. Though Rilsa’s Bhaal-granted supernatural abilities gave her an edge, she was no match for the Heroes of Baldur’s Gate. Though apprehended, she was swiftly and summarily executed by Pelagornis Sandersi IV.

The festival ended abruptly for the night, and efforts were made by the Flaming Fist to recover some semblance of calm. With the heroes aid, the festival concluded with some measure of normalcy, and in the coming days our heroes found their efforts to restore peace and sanity easier to accomplish – noting that both Duke Torlin Silvershield and Ulder Ravengard had their actions significantly influenced by Bhaal’s evil presence.

Recovery began. Peace and progress were given a chance thanks to the triumphant heroes of Baldur’s Gate. Bhaal may be resurrected, but it would be a long time before he could threaten the world in earnest, and his efforts to re-establish worship of the murder God were entirely stymied.

But Bhaal was not the only Chosen walking Faêrun – and the champions of other evil gods were working to sew chaos along the Sword Coast. Our heroes had cut their teeth averting a citywide bloodbath, but could they weather the coming storm?

Day 1: It’s a late start for you, given the fact that you’ve been up the better part of the night detaining a horrifying Illithid. Duke Belynne Stelmane is a gracious host, offering you a hearty and exotic breakfast before you head out for the morning’s activities (though after those map,e pancakes, all you REALLY want to do is go back to sleep). Baldur’s Mouth does have “off-schedule” days, so there is no new broadsheet this morning.

Nibs: It’s a long day at the High House of Wonders, but you do manage to finish work on the Iron Defender and get it working and allied with you. You are surprised when one of the Gondar acolytes comes to you with thanks for your part in stopping the terror attack on the Ducal Palace. He explains that the acolytes and a few priests scraped together and got you a proper smokepowder tool kit. Using this kit, you can make x2 grenades per day of downtime spent working on munitions. Alan: Biri is eager to head back, and happy to get the order from you. She knows that the efforts of Neverwinter’s Oghmans can use her help, and she’s eager to share the word. She asks that you be sure to send a letter and let her know how things go. She has a line to the Harpers, so if need be, that’s an angle you can work (though she explains she prefers not to involve the nosey network.)

Following around Gran Duke Dilliard Portyr is an exercise in patience. As (technically) the most powerful man int he city, he sure seems to be in no hurry to do anything, and you spend a lot of time sitting around the corner from him at cafes and restaurants, listening to him prattle on about grandchildren or how his drawing room is too drafty. What’s noteworthy is that he seems to consult Duke Torlin Silvershield in almost every case. It’s clear that they rarely disagree, and Silvershield knows exactly how to push his buttons. They are both informed that day of Duke Stelmane’s recovery, and it takes some doing to evade being introduced to the two men by your well-meaning new “pet duke.”

Aldric: The Sage’s Guild sends for an expert interrogator from Mintarn Island, but decides to move forward with questioning the creature themselves in the meantime. Using some mental shielding spells and potions, you are present as they ply the slimy creature for information. It makes various offers to you if you release it, and comes up with a plethora of surprisingly well structured lies, but its desperation shows. What you learn is that it has been “topside” for a few years, and prefers living in the sunlit world, where it claims (you think truthfully) to have many contacts around Faêrun. Whatever it is up to, Baldur’s Gate is just a fragment of that. You are, however, pretty convinced it is unrelated to the Bhaal cult. That evening you have dinner with the Duke, who is still very grateful, to you in particular, for her rescue. (No! Not THAT grateful!) Tellus: Silvershield seems like a shady fuck, why not tail him? So you do. Silvershield seems pretty deflated. He’s very distracted during parliament meetings and doesn’t really push when his political opponents challenge him. What’s most interesting, is that he spent a lot of time in a private meeting room with Riordan Bormul – Parliament member and patriarch of House Bormul. You also can’t help but notice that toward the end of the day, you overhear some of the parliament lackeys speaking well of your father’s chances in the coming election – likely thanks to the influence of Duke Stelmane. J’ah Kreature: Your popularity continues to grow! The interesting thing you find is that all the uproar lately has put people on edge. They’re jumpy, anxious, and poorly informed. Rumors are rampant and few know what’s really going on. But the work you’ve done in being charitable and heroic has given you a real power over the masses. You even stopped an impending bar-brawl with just a few words – no violence necessary! It seems like your message of peace is getting through to people…but a lot of that has to do with your calming presence. There are a lot of questions regarding what the Sundering really means, but the rumors are out there. People are getting wary of potential Bhaal cultists, and are almost equally wary of the Flaming Fist for continuing to focus on the Guild when a greater threat is present (there’s also a lot of animosity toward the Guild for capitalizing on the chaos). Long story short, you are making a difference, but not everyone is completely zen yet. Pelagornis: Since I didn’t hear back from Jake on this yet, I’ll make the assumption that he takes up doing the Batman thing and patrolling the streets in his capacity as a Flaming Fist Inquisitor? If this is incorrect, lemme know what you would rather be addressing. That seems to help as well – focusing law enforcement on actual criminals and not jumping to conclusions is getting trouble off the streets and reducing civilian animosity. Furthermore, the other Inquisitors seem to be following your lead – a few have even sent criminals guilty of capital offenses to the Seatower for a last chance to confess (Which they don’t actually have to do). They’ve conferred with Ravengard and agree that publicly executing capital criminals, rather than hacking them down in the streets, might bolster the people’s confidence that the Fist’s new power isn’t being abused and to remain somewhat transparent in their operations. As far as you can tell, all the death-row inmates have earned their sentence in accordance to the law, (assuming you aren’t too rankled by the fact that BG has a death penalty on the books). Plus, medieval people LOVE a good execution.

Day 2: The most important thing to remember is that you are celebrities. Clothing, boots, artwork depicting you, songs in your name, puppet shows, food, food, food (a whole lot of pies) the common folk, outer city poor, and patriars all are heaping gifts on you.
_____________________________________________________

Nibs: Your choice – make 2 bombs or work on sweet Pelagornis’ new arm-gun?

Aldric: The brunt of your day will be spent helping the Sages. Interrogation isn’t getting them far, but research indicates there is some harvesting they can do while the thing is still alive, especially given your “special methods.” While Mindflayer brain juice is a potent poison, its a lesser known fact that their spinal fluid can be used to concoct a psionic truth serum. It’s iffy work, and you almost kill the thing twice, but you manage to “milk” spinal fluid from your victim, and wind up with x2 vials of truth serum (Lasts 10 minutes, victim has Disadvantage on bluff checks, and is in visible pain if it succeeds in lying).

Alan: Looking in on Duke Stelmane, you find that she’s in need of some assistance getting her bearings politically. You lend her a hand in negotiations and informing her of what has been transpiring behind the scenes. The duke is CERTAIN there is some link between her attacker and the cult (despite a lack of evidence) and is pretty aggressive in helping search for cultists. Some of her people figure out that there was indeed more Bhaalite paraphanellia in the city, namely in an old evidence lockup used by the Watch. It was collected shortly after Abdel defeated the Iron Throne and his half-brother Sarevok then mostly forgotten. Since Alan is also keeping an eye on things Dukewise, you eventually run into him, and share this information.

Tellus: It’s looking like there’s little more to be gained following the dukes (other than preventing any possible assassins who might show up). In the early afternoon, however, Alan tells you about a possible lead on some old Bhaalite accoutrements in a storage area of the Watch Citadel. A hastily scribed writ from Duke Stelmane is all you need to get in and poke around. You do indeed find two robes like the ones found in the old temple, as well as candlesticks, a bowl for containing…you assume blood during rituals. What is MISSING from the box, according to the evidence manifest is a holy symbol, and a Bhaal cult primer. The Watch officer on duty has no record of anyone entering that storage area in a while (indeed, he had trouble even finding the key). The only person who could have gotten in would need to be a ranking watch officer, or someone with a lot of pull – like a Patriar or a Duke.

Kreature: You keep up the routine of being the folk hero, and today it’s attracting lower ranking Flaming Fist soldiers. This provides you with an opportunity to preach a gospel of nonviolence and level headed crisis intervention. Clearly, some men are miffed at being excluded from the Inquisitors, and the career soldiers among them want to know how to get in (there is, after all, a substantial pay increase). It seems like you’re getting through to these mercenaries that being a police force and a military are two different things.

Also you keep pushing Kreature for Duke. Also telling bitches that the Sundering is all up in their shit.

Pelagornis: Same as before, keeping the streets free of scum. Today you come across an incident where a man with Guild tattoos is trying to ignite a tense but non-violent dispute among dockworkers. When he doesn’t get the desired results, he follows one of the men from the argument and stabs him a few times before you handily disarm the thug and drag him into custody. The victim survives, shaken but not mortally wounded.
Under questioning, the thug explains that Guild agents have orders to ignite the flames of revolution by sewing chaos in the city. He hoped the other sailors would seek revenge for a murdered companion. When you search the ruffian, you find that “igniting flames” makes for a good distraction to someone who wants to lift some merchandise from a ship’s cargo. Unless you choose to execute him, or free him, he gets locked up in the Seatower for attempted murder.

Towards the end of the evening, You are informed by Flaming Fist officers to keep an eye out for possible kidnappings. News was slow in getting to the Fist, (these appeared to be random murders at first) but two are already dead in seemingly related cases. The first was the son of a stonecarver, found two nights ago outside the harbormaster’s office, strangled to death with a garrote (His father scrambled to assemble the outrageous ransom ordered by a note slipped under his door. He was a minute too late). The following day one of the co-owners of the “Silky Boy” was found bludgeoned to death behind Elfsong tavern (His business partner closed the store early that day, and never found the kidnapper’s note until the morning). The Fist can’t ascertain who might be next, as there is no connection between the men. This is obviously part of the plot the Guild agents near the underground temple alluded to. Their target is under 24 hour surveillance.

In a flash of blades and grinding steal, the party leapt into action against Imbraylm Skoond’s mansion guards. Nibengîl “Nibs” Orchalion set aside his “eurekah” moment of inspiration long enough to attempt to disable one of the dog-like golems currently trying to shred his allies to pieces with their serrated steel fangs. While one of the house watchmen was battling the party, a second was activating a gift that Skoond had received from his patron Duke Torlin Silvershield: a ten foot tall ironclad golem with a wicked sword on one arm and a spinning sawblade on the other. The iron Eviscerator. A desperate struggle ensued as every man threw his all against this prototype Pelagornis.

Meanwhile, the actual Pelagornis Sandersi IV held up the rear guard against a fire mephit no doubt summoned by Skoond. The chittering elemental laid the bold paladin to waste with a deadly spell of scorching rays. Nibbs ran to his aid but was deterred when the mephit enchanted the iron man’s body – heating his metal frame to unfathomable degrees. With a splash of water and no small amount of courage, Nibbs grabbed hold of a steaming Pelagornis to cast a spell of mending that saved the Gondar warrior’s continued existence.

Alan Whitcomb was felled while boldly striking the eviscerator and the tide of battle seemed to be turning against our heroes. With his crossbow broken, nibbs saw little choice in defeating the mephit but to toss a small handful of smokepowder onto the creature – the resulting explosion destroyed the summoned beast and laid the hapless elf flat on his back, bleeding internally. Fortunately, the others had worn down the deadly golem, whose spinning and bloodsoaked blades finally stopped their terrifying whirr. Aldric Longbeard set to the task of sealing wounds and getting his charges back on their feet. Everyone was exhausted from their lack of sleep and their near shave with defeat in their toughest battle yet.

Barely on his feet, Nibbs launched into a fevered explanation of his plan to create and even more intensified cold-war between The Guild and The Flaming Fist using the recovered smokepowder to give the Guild a terrifying advantage over the Fist, and offering the Fist Rilsa’s identity as a bargaining chip. The plot was incredibly complex, and required a kidnapping, the moving of Smokepowder across the city, and no small amount of faith on the party of the other adventurers. Votes stood 5 – 1 against.

Investigation of Skoond’s mansion turned up no evidence linking him to the Bhaal cult, but did result in ample loot. A suit of magic armor and a wand (as yet unidentified), three extremely rare tomes of knowledge, Skoond’s own spellbook, and a cache of gold, gems, art, and other valuables.

The party was stalled in their exit as Nobbs continued to insist on his plan of “mutually assured destruction.” Through the distraction the sound of a creaking front door was heard, and soon, Imbralym Skoond himself was upon our heroes, demanding to know why they were intruding on his property. He attempted to flee soon after, seeing the odds against him, and failed to get off a spell before Alan Whitcomb’s magic put the treacherous wizard to sleep.

Our heroes spent the next few hours emptying barrels of smokepowder into the sewer and rendering the dangerous explosive inert. All the while, Skoond and his accomplices watched from where they were bound and gagged in the secret basement laboratory. Folk hero J’ah Kreature rushed off to share a message via catbowl dead-drop with Ulder Ravengard – they had cuaght Skoond as the mastermind of a deadly terrorist plot.

While Pelagornis stayed behind to aid the authorities, the rest of the party struck off for The High Hall’s cellars. With the expensive aid of The Fetcher (an ally who would no doubt be denied to them as soon as word of their betrayal of the Guild spread) our heroes found their way into the chambers beneath the palace. Quickly, Aldric spotted Newley constructed columns that hid the remaining barrels of smokepowder. In secret, and under the weight of sleep deprivation they worked, emptying barrels into the aqueducts below the city. Though there were a few close calls…none other thank their urchin guides were the wiser.

Back at Seskergates the Flaming Fist had begun a lightly manned investigation of the traitor’s estate. Marshal Ravengard was impressed with the heroes work, and extremely grateful (as much as the stern man could be) for their diligence in averting a catastrophe. Ravengard assured them that his men were lying in wait for the Guild arsonists who would be attacking the city later that day, and offered them ranks among the Flaming Fist, now that their tenure as the vice squad had necessarily ended. Reluctant to commit to this affiliation, regardless of its lack of responsibilities, our heroes shelved the matter, instead opting to testify alongside Ravengard in a private hearing with Skoond’s patron, Duke Torlin Silvershield.though bedraggled, Alan was quite pleased to see the plucky prison guard mage, Casondra Fairweather. Impressed with his part in the takedown, she offered to make him dinner that night, at her apartment in the Seatower District.

Skoond spoke little even behind closed doors, and though Silvershield was quick to defend his underling, it soon became clear that the depth of this betrayal was unforgivable, especially for a ruling member of the council of four. The resulting jurisdictional arm-wrestling was nudged in Ravengard’s favor thanks to our heroes input. It was decided: The Flaming Fist would hold Skoond until his trial – and a sentence of execution seemed very likely.

In reward for all their hard work – our heroes finally got the chance to crawl into bed and let their burdens wash away in the darkness of sleep.

Upon waking the news had broken: the Guild’s arson campaign was a flop. Guild agents scampered across the rainsdrenched cobbles attempting to break in and drop off Nibb’s sabotaged bombs. But eahc group found Flaming Fist soldiers either lying in wait or closing off their escape routes. Multiple areests occured, one agent escaped, and two died as they went through with their fire and were killed when they could not escape. It was a major victory for The Fist and the likely ending of any relations the vice squad might have with Rilsa Rael.

J’ah Kreature left the relative safety of the fortress at Wyrm’s Corssing to stop by the team’s former headquarters, The Blade and Stars Inn. Before entering, he was approached by a furtive guild agent who guided him to a secluded alley. The man, who’s name was Ditkin, explained that he and his guild cell had recently obtained a new safehouse, and discovered that the building’s had a mysterious basement floor. Further investigation revealed a passage to a strange underground section of the city that lay in ruins – all save for an intimidating temple. Ditkin assumed this had some connection to the Bhaal cult and decided to inform his “allies.” It seemed that the news of the afternoon’s raids failed to reach him.

Kreature recovered his gambling winnings, as well as a package that had been laid aside for Tellus Casavir by the young noble’s cook. Upon returning to his companions, Tellus gingerly opened the mysterious gift to find that it was not a baguette, but in fact, an enchanted rapier. The gift came with a note from his father, Quentin Casavir, explaining that while he could not publicly support his son (more for fear of his wife’s reprisals than political embarrassment) he was proud that the boy was following in his father’s footsteps – facing down peril and danger in the name of adventure. This sword had been with him during the early days of his time spent as a corsair of the Sword Coast, and would serve to protect his son as unrest in Baldur’s Gate heralded dark days to come.

REWARDS
MAGIC ITEMS: Wand of Enemy Detection (UNIDENTIFIED), Glamoured Studded Leather of the Chameleon (UNIDENTIFIED), Epee of the Duelist (+1 Rapier that grants +1 AC on any round in which the “Attack” action is not used).
EXP: 225 Each
Gold: Uhhh, relying on your character sheets on this one. A lot changed hands between fencing, paying off The Fetcher, and robbing Skoond.

Across the city our heroes were engaged in battle. Nibengîl “Nibs” Orchalion pushed through a crowd to discover that a Patriar Duelist from the venerated House Eltan had been stopped from skewering a lamplad in a one-sided duel by none other than the iron man, Pelagornis Sandersi IV. While the folk hero J’ah Kreature tried to keep the peace, Pelagornis squared off, seizing the initiative and skewering his foe to the spine. “First Blood,” in this case, meant instant death – a fate no doubt reserved for the terrified lamplad. While most of the young patriar’s friends were content to abate their bloodlust and take their friend for burial, a duelist named Percival became incensed. Agitated by Nibbs, he challenged the artificer to a duel after he had been deftly disarmed of his rapier. Nibbs attempted to lure the man into a trap that would cost him the duel with minimal bodily harm, while Kreature did his best to prevent the duel entirely. Amidst confusion and tear-gas the scuffle was eventually defused. Kreature and Pelagornis took the opportunity to work the crowd, speaking out against the violence and chaos erupting in Baldur’s Gate, all while furthering the legend of J’ah Kreature. The speech painted Kreature as an almost messianic figure, and word soon spread that the party was using a multi-pointed iron star, a caltrop, as their iconic emblem.

Meanwhile, outside the secret sewer entrance to the basement of Imbraylm Skoond’s manor Seskergates, another struggle was taking place. Aldric Longbeard, Alan Whitcomb, and Tellus Casavir squared off against the an ambushing were-rat and his horde of squeaking vermin. Thinking quickly, Aldric put most of the squeaking horde to sleep as the others sprang into action, flanking the were-beast and cutting off its escape. Some fine blade work and no small amount of help from combat-lamplass Tilda Dunbeigh saw their foes destroyed. Beyond the secret door was a mysterious lab, staffed by two robed alchemists. The party agreed to hold off the investigation until they could bring their full strength to bear under cover of darkness.

Both parties reunited at the Calimshan Jewel Emporium to meet with their Guild handler, Rilsa Rael. She had assigned Nibbs to work on several firebombs for her as part of a plan to drive business into the Outer City, and take revenge on guilds and merchants that discriminated against its citizens. The plot was to set fires in Lower and Upper city establishments in order to force a need for goods from outside the city walls – a plan Nibbs would facilitate by making small firebombs designed to minimize lasting fires and collateral damage.

Despite assurances, our heroes knew that setting fire in a city as dense as Baldur’s Gate posed too much of a risk. They agreed to confer, and then get back to Rilsa with their decision: whether to participate in the arson plan that Nibbs was overseeing or not.

Our heroes reconvened in the evening at the tea and herbalist shop “The Silky Boy,” enjoying the relative privacy of the establishments upper deck patio seating. Despite his efforts to contain the Guild’s penchant for destruction, and his conviction that appearing to aid Rilsa would yield further intelligence on her activities, the party ultimately decided that this was the last straw. The timely arrival of a snooping Coran brought further news – someone had been ordering vast quantities of components necessary for smokepowder production. Coran further offered to aid the party in resolving the ongoing sanitation strike if they would bring him a token from the suspicious Imbraylm Skoond‘s mansion – namely his pillow. Having put in his advice, and making several verbal advances towards J’ah Kreature, the nobleman scoundrel took his leave.

Nibbs left to sabotage his fire bombs and thus, the arson plan, while the others sought out caches of smokepowder that they feared were being used in conjunction with the Guild’s arson plans. Ultimately, there was no immediate link found between the plots.

While reporting in to Rilsa, Nibbs was informed that the Guild used secret messages encoded in Baldur’s Mouth to arrange meetings – one that party would be conspicuously absent from. He made the long trek through the night shrouded city and down into the sewers to join the others outside the secret door to Seskergates, with Tilda lighting the party’s way.

Busting through the door, our heroes apprehended two smokepowder makers – alchemists who claimed they were hired to produce barrels of explosives and then hand them over to hired ruffians who haul them away in wheel-barrows. The alchemists acknowledged that they work for Skoond; though Nibbs found incriminating documents concealed among their personal effects that tie them to the Guild. Satisfied with the interrogation, both were knocked unconscious and left bound and gagged int he secret laboratory. The party then proceeded to creep up the stairs to a concealed passage in a wall above.

They found themselves in the dreary, barely lived in manor called Seskergates. It was clear that at least one guard was posted, so with the utmost caution, our heroes investigated the estate – finding a map of the High House of parliament concealed in a chair that Skoond must have acquired from the High House of Wonders. The map was marked with red X’s.

As the party was about to slip into a different section of the manor, Alan Whitcomb peered around the corner at just the wrong moment – in time to be spotted by an iron-shod golem-dog, whose red eyes, alive with magical intelligence, focused on him, as the construct let out a grating, metallic growl…

REWARDS
EXP: 155 Each
GP: J’ah Kreature gets 125gp as the winnings of the wager he placed on Pelagornis’ duel (waiting at the Blade and Stars inn).

While Nibengîl “Nibs” Orchalion continues his work on the arm mounted crossbow and Rilsa Rael‘s special project, the rest of the party pursues other goals. Research at the High Hall, the seat of parliament and government in the city, reveals that Imbraylm Skoond has recently purchased the manor called “Seskergates” in the lower city. The family now defunct, Skoond bought the tall, garish manor which is full of secret passages and winding tunnels. It was here that the cultist Villiers discovered the Bhaalite primer. Research indicates that one of the Seskergates family was a member of the Iron Throne, and thus an ally and acolyte of the Bhaalspawn Sarevok. It’s possible the book was his.

The next day, new from Baldur’s Mouth announces the capture of the cultist, the return of Bhaal, and the threat of more worshippers. Almost missed in the excitement is an outrageous increase in taxes on luxury goods that presses hard against the finances of the patriars. A Flaming Fist representative makes claims that the Guild seems a likely ally of the Bhaalites.

Our heroes make arrangements to meet their “handler” Ulder Ravengard at the Hissing Stones bathhouse. When completely disrobed, Their disdain for him shows, and is not missed by Ravengard. A tense meeting ensues wherein our heroes chide the. Marshal for his inattention to the problem of the Bhaal cult in pursuit of lesser troubles – while Ravengard presses them for more details about the Guild the leads they have followed. He offers them an assignment to blackmail a political rival – but rescinds the request when they debate the merits of investigating the cult and scoffing at the idea of allowing the quest to be handled by others. With no small frustration, Ravengard takes his report and leaves them to their work.

J’ah Kreature continued his wandering life, righting wrongs and encouraging peace. He spoke to the people of the Seatower district and calmed their fears a great deal. You may not be able to squeeze blood from a stone, but you sure can drink it from a boot.

Pelagornis Sandersi IV sought out the right to enter the The High House of Wonders – a privilege granted by his station as a paladin of Gond and a creation of the artificers within. He had paid a pretty penny to take on the hapless male dwarf prostitute, Lustbeard, and hired him on as squire to house Sandersi. With no small effort, after a few days he managed to talk Nibbs way into the House of Wonders as well…with the stipulation that Nibbs was never to leave his side, and must be watched at all times. Given the improved facilities, his upgrades progressed much faster.

After returning from the meeting with Ravengard, our heroes found an invitation to attend a ball held by the retired adventurer Coran. This masquerade and costume party would be decadent and extravagant – a last hurrah before the taxation on luxuries went into effect. The party assembled their costumes, Kreatures, Artemis Entreris, Dragons and Elminsters alike.

Festivities increased in their debauched velocity as the party met their host. Though sly, pompous, frivolous and playful, Coran was genuinely interested in the heroes. He offered them his services, both as advisor and safe-house, and gave the, what clues as he knew. He expressed a distrust for the newly arrived Skoond, concerns about mysterious shipments to the harbormaster, advice on Kreature’s half-wrought notion of running for Duke (against Silvershield and his adversary), and intention to support the Casavir bid for a Parliament of Peers seat.

While at the party, Aldric Longbeard floored the members of the Guild of Sages, and easily earned a patron within the organization. Alan Whitcomb grudgingly missed an opportunity to reconnect with the arcanist Flaming Fist officer Casondra Fairweather in order to use his guile to embarrass the heir to House Bormul with an illusion that the party ate up. In the confusion, Tellus Casavir was spotted by his father, though not directly confronted. Kreature was asked to pilfer a handful of letters off of the arrogant noble, and did so at the beginning of the night, thanks to no small assistance from Tellus and the spectacle of a dragon vs. Elminster cosplay.

When the letters were returned to Rilsa Rael, they revealed a re-aligning of assets that denied the Guild their spies and influences over the Bormuls – a frustrating discovery.

The next morning, political news yet worsened. The Dukes had decreed that the formerly defunct dueling laws of Baldur’s Gate’s earliest years were reinstated as law. Duels were now declared until first blood – and could continue at the consent of the wounded party. Like wise, interference in a duel permitted a duelists allies to intervene. Our heroes saw this as a recipe for a bloodbath, thus playing right into Bhaal’s hands.

While making strides to push forward a political career for J’ah Kreature, and end the now untenable garbage strike, (which might require a hefty bribe…) he and Pelagornis Sandersi IV happened upon an incredibly one-sided duel about to begin between an Eltan Patriar and an outmatched lamplad. The paladin stepped in to intervene, challenging the haughty swordsman himself ……

……..meanwhile, under the streets of the Lower City, Alan, Aldric, and Tellus sought out an entrance into the mysterious Seskergates mansion with the help of the lamplass grifter, Tilda Dunbeigh no sooner had they done so, they were set upon by a suspicious man, who barely resisted Aldric’s “Sleep” spell. The man pulled back his cowl and was revealed to be a vicious wererat! He moved into striking position, his remaining vermin squeaking nosily at his heels.

REWARDS
Gold: Taken by Tellus
EXP: 50 each

Leaving the Seatower, our heroes decided to collect themselves and made arrangements at local inns before touching base with their “patron,” Rilsa Rael. While most of the party made their way to the Blade and Stars, Pelagornis Sandersi IV settled in at the violent, dangerous, and raucous establishment, The Blushing Mermaid. Rilsa was pleased with their actions, and made available to the party Guild contacts and the use of the Calimnshan Jewel Emporium’s upper floors as a safehouse.

Aldric Longbeard separated from his companions to handle some much needed legwork while the rest of the party tended to immediate threats.

During the night, Pelagornis found himself robbed by his (mandatory) bedmate, an unfortunate dwarven prostitute named Kerdrik Lustbeard (undoubtedly an assumed surname). After some negotiating, Kerdrik returned (most) of the gold, and would occupy the iron paladin’s room when he stayed.

The following days were awash with activity: Tellus Casavir, the Patriar prince, carefully extracted the note given over by the posh prisoner, Rexus of House Bormul. The letter stated his intent to serve as a spy and agent within The Seatower of Balduran for Duke Torlin Silvershield. The party agreed to pass this note along to Ulder Ravengardthrough the cat-dish deadrop.
Meanwhile, the party investigated leads into Bhaal cult activity, finding that Silvershield had already sent agents among the religious shrines of The Twinsongs District ostensibly to root out any supporters of the dead god – but more likely to spy on quite worldly opponents. J’ah Kreature made quite a name for himself in the Outer City slums, spending his wealth on the downtrodden and poor.
Alan Whitcomb joined Aldric at The Unrolling Scroll – Temple of Oghma to see what the Loremaster Most High Brevek had to say about recent goings on. The high priest had his own agenda: which included establishing a controlling share of space in the High House of Wonders. Alan was offered lodging at the temple, as well as a space on the crammed public forum schedule.

News began to filter in of petty acts of vandalism, and Tellus caught wind of a Guild plot to vandalize several of the statues around Baldur’s Gate. For the time, the party failed to deter their patron from proceeding with the citywide vandalism. Rilsa believed the incensed populous would turn on the patriars and Flaming Fist, and indeed, most of the Grafitti found int he city spoke out against authority. In response, the Fist began to abuse and eject outer city dockhands in suspicion that they were responsible for the destructive acts. Kreature, Nibengîl “Nibs” Orchalion, and Pelagornis confronted a patrol of Flaming Fist soldiers about to continue with these orders, but talked the overzealous mercenaries out of their abuse. When word of their disapproval traveled amongst the Fist, the practice ceased.

But the rash of vandalism spiraled out of control – this time with the defacing of the “Beloved Ranger” statue of the warrior Minsc. His hand (and hamster) missing, the citizens were furious. The party was approached by he man responsible for rectifying the situation: the Master of Cobbles and Roads, Esgurl Nerthammas. The up-and-coming young noble had a grim task: to find the culprits and put them to the sword to save the city the expense of a trial.

Consulting with Rilsa, the party discovered that Guild spies had a strong lead on potential culprits: a group of suspiciously missing Patriar youths, including the second son of House Bormul. Tellus Casavir followed the trail of the young vandals closely, and in spite of outrageous bribes to the lamplass kingpin Tilda Dunbeigh, he located the noble criminals at a potter’s shop on the south of Wyrm’s Bridge.

On the east side of the city, Nibbs and Pelagornis, hard at work on the second of three days developing a grappling hook attachment of the iron knight, received word from Tellus that the vandals were caught. On the other side of the city, a similar missive was sent to J’ah and Alan as the guarded the last remaining statue in that was yet to be harmed. While waiting for word, they attended a puppet show depicting the party’s heroics during the attack on Founder’s Day, and discovered that a posh elf named Coran had some interest in them.

Our heroes got the messages, and convened on the potter’s shop, deciding to rough up the rascally young nobles, fleece them of their valuables, and send all but Bryce Bormul home. Bormul was intimidated and blamed for the crime, threatened by the presence of his family’s old enemies, the Sandersis, and tied to The Beloved Ranger with his pants pulled down, make-up smeared on his face, and the missing hand tied round his neck. He was quickly found by the Watch, whose shouts attracted Patriar revelers. Though the crowd wanted blood, our heroes calmed the furious citizens, who settled for the boy’s public humiliation and arrest, much to Rael’s delight. Having essentially carried out the otherwise gruesome assignment of the Master of Cobbles and Roads, our heroes were richly reward for the completion of this duty and the return of the various statue’s missing hands.

Now called “The Heroes of Baldur’s Gate” by the local news outlet Baldur’s Mouth, our heroes began plotting their next moves while they waited to see what new disasters would befall the city. The possibility of cult activity un the undercity attracted our heroes attention. Meanwhile, a sanitation strike, and an outrageous Upper City curfew went into effect.

A note from Ulder Ravengard summoned the heroes to a discreet meeting at a Seatower district bathouse. What their vice handler wanted, the party could not say – but their conflicted loyalties and moral steadfastness made choosing who to aid a difficult task indeed.

While cult leads seemed cold, the political landscape -now including Ulder Ravengard vying for Dukedom and Tellus father campaigning for a place on the Parliament of Peers – was heating up. The city was far from free of danger.

REWARDS
EXP 55
GP 106