The group scouts the area surrounding Grafika and manages to get a partial picture of the workings of the ‘town’. It appears divided into four main camps, and there appear to be two small standing armies to the north and south of the area. A temple complex devoted to Unklar teems with orcs and ungern, and the streets are a mix of races. Despite the racial tensions, an uneasy peace seems to be in effect. Towers are spotted that host roosting vultures similar to those found in the swamp tower and the group is encouraged that this may be the place where the Vessel of Souls was brought.
The group enters the area and no one really seems to play any mind to them as they move into the town center which is full of traders and vendors of various wares, many of which were clearly in the possession of others who may have only parted with them by virtue of excessive blood loss. There are taverns and streetwalkers and soup shops of dubious hygiene. The group splits in two with the cleric and paladin taking the lad and going to investigate what appears to be a row of temples in the eastern portion of the town. The mage, elf and rangers stroll about and keep their ears peeled for any clues about the workings of the town.
Information gathered from the priest of the Tyr temple gives them a sense of the town’s districts and they gain valuable information as to the disposition of the troops gathered to the north and south. It appears that these are the seeds of a vast force that the Unklarians are assembling pursuant to their goal of conquering the lands and re-establishing the empire of the Horned One.
The group concocts a cover story and begins making inquiries, aided by a painting of their quarry made by the mage. Along the way they stroll through seedy areas and encounter some horrific sights of depravity and cruelty. The importance of their mission curbs the paladin’s natural impulses to put half the town to the sword and to save the other half. Instead they meet with the leader of the ‘merchant’s guild’ – a collection of peddlers, tradesmen and cart drivers that bring goods into the area. The discussion with the leader enriches the leader by several thousand gold coins and enriches the group with the information that their quarry is still in town, along with a probable location.
Without delay, the group springs into action, knowing full well that information is only good as long as you are the only ones that know it. They expect that the information that someone is asking about the Vessel will be sold as well, so they are determined to stay ahead of any pursuit.
They enter the vast tavern that reportedly houses their quarry and spend some time blending and observing before climbing stairs that bring them to the upper levels of the place. There they find a quartet of guards that bar passage to ascending staircases. For the price of four fistfuls of gold they learn that the upper floor is private rooms of the owner. The group retreats and plots, then the mage becomes invisible and spiderclimbs past the guards and up the stairs. He discovers a pull-down ladder that leads into an attic and decides to bypass a door in order to investigate. There, in the dark, he discovers a bound, gagged and blindfolded woman who closely matches the painting of their quarry. He exits the attic and uses a wall of ice to seal off the doorway, then creeps halfway down the stairs and casts a sleep spell upon the guards.
As the guards crumple, the group charges past them up the stairs, and as the alarm is raised they pile into the attic while Goldpiece and the Lad send a few arrows down the stairs just to delay pursuit. Once all are assembled in the attic, the scroll of teleportation circle is used and the group returns to the temple of Torm in Impiltur. With the aid of the church, the Vessel of Souls is masked again, though she remains in chains for the moment. The group waits while she is questioned. Who knows what direction her answers will take them, but for the moment they are comforted to know that one of the Horned One’s pieces is off the chess board.
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