The party lounges about a bit and considers options. It looks like they’ve been put into play on the chessboard, but for whom and to what end…none can speculate. Well, they all can speculate, but choose to avoid that line of conversation. By and by – as they pass another evening in the tavern next to their flophouse – they are contacted by the armorer’s apprentice. It seems he is upset and wants to piss off the lover that jilted him. Saif lover is involved in a fencing and smuggling operation, and the blacksmith’s buddy tips off the group as to a chest being moved through the sewers by ogres, on its way to the docks. The ogres are supposed to bring the chest to a wagon that will be parked in the alley down the street from the flophouse (how convenient!).
The group spends the next three days plotting, scoping, scouting and spellcasting. When the evening in question rolls around, the group is arranged around the manhole cover, spread out and ready for anything.
Shortly before midnight, a wagon pulls into the courtyard and turns around. The teamster is accompanied by two armed and mailed guards.A few minutes later, the ogres remove the manhole cover from below and heave themselves out of the opening. They use a rope to raise the chest above ground, and as the rain patters down around them, they hoist the chest and walk towards the wagon, accompanied by a halfling that seems to have been traveling with them.
Fingers starts the attack, casting color spray. blinding the halfling and stunning the ogres. As Rusty charges, Zaal follows up with a sleep spell and the battle is joined. The wagon guards attempt to intervene, but Kegdrain has a sleep spell ready as well and he and Digin move to neutralize the wagon.
In the battle that follows, the wagon guards are swiftly neutralized and the driver is reminded of his terrible amnesia and forgetfulness before he is allowed to flee the scene. IN the interim, the ogres have been slain, rendered inert by combinations of spell and swords.
With the last ogre beginning to cool, the bard makes a floating disc, the chest is manhandled aboard, with the halfling’s body tossed on top. The ogres are searched and dumped down the manhole, and the wagon drove off with the other two slain guards. While the bodies are being hidden, the floating disc crew casts a sleeping spell on the front desk and sneaks the chest and body into their room.
The chest is remarkably durable and seemingly impervious to lockpicking and magical opening attempts, so the next few days have the group visiting libraries and sages alike, trying to find a clue about the key required to open the chest. One lead leads to another and soon enough the group is investigating an old manor house on the edges of the old portion of the city. It is rumored to have been a cult-fueled demon brothel – or something – but the cult of the crimson coil was said to have the key in question.
They recon the scene and plan to return under cover of darkness a few days hence. to see what can be seen…
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