Post by hubertbartels on Mar 22, 2020 15:12:23 GMT -5
After four weeks later, Phlan’s Dock Ward was under the control of the Town Council. Barricades and walls guarded it from the forces still in the rest of the city. As the heroes, we had been given a street of townhouses to use as our own. Elathrion had sent for his grandchildren to come join him. I (Sunny) rarely used mine, preferring to just crash out wherever I happened to be.
Today marked the arrival of three boatloads of colonists. It’s the reason for an ox feast in the makeshift town hall. We are at the high table along with the rest of the town council. Ulrich Eberhard, an aged man and the leader of the council is giving a speech when Elathrion noticed that he’s also coughing blood into a handkerchief. When the elven paladin offered to help him, Eberhard mentioned that many have tried but no one has been able to lift his curse. Elathrion signals to Sunny and she tries to cast Remove Curse. The curse is strong and bounces onto her. She’s left injured and short of health. Elathrion promises to use his paladin powers to cure Sunny – tomorrow.
Bishop Braccio leaned over to talk to us – she wants us to free the Temple District. In the Temple of Lathander’s vaults, there was an artifact called the Eye of the Dawn. The priests of Bane currently occupying the temple must not discover it. We promised her that we would help her but first, we need to take control of the Slum District. Looking over the district, Randall can see lots of ghosts rising from the area. We can’t see them – but Randall was using the Gem of True Seeing.
In the morning, we set out for the Slum District. A group of ten dwarves from the Dales has gone ahead of us, claiming that Bloodhawks will get to the loot before we will. As we enter the district, we notice that it is not completely empty; there are a few people on the street. One of them, a pie vendor, was willing to talk to us. He also sold us several meat pies.
The pie seller, Hiram, didn’t know about the conditions or the ghosts – but his children might have. We arranged to talk to them tomorrow. Then we push deeper into the district.
Suddenly, crossbow bolts slam into and around us. It’s an ambush. Dwarves hidden among the rooftops are shooting at us. Their rabbit pelts at their belts show that they belong to the Dead Rabbit gang. Elathrion takes the fight to them, using his misty step to close with one, then dispatching him. The dwarf dissolves into a puff of ectoplasm. These Dead Rabbits were ghosts. As we destroy the rest, we smell heavy smoke.
Coming around a corner, we find a building completely engulfed by flames. Before we can take another step, Randall used his Gem of True Seeing to detect that the fire is another haunt. The flames fade leaving the burnt out shell of a building.
There’s a scream coming from another direction. We ran over to find a narrow alley where a woman was being threatened by orcs. As we were about to step in to help, more Dead Rabbits step in to drive off the attackers. The Dead Rabbits then walked off, headed to their headquarters, a place known as the ‘Warrens’.
At a ramshackle warehouse, one of the Dead Rabbits knocked at the door. Then they faded away. We entered the warehouse, seeing the building become what it once was. At the center, we entered a council chamber in which 6 spectral figures were talking. One of them gets up and leaves. Suddenly, a wall of spectral flame envelops the room. The council was betrayed by one of them.
In the now ruined council chamber, the remaining 5 spectral figures rise up and attack us. We destroy them and leave the ruins.
Returning to Hiram who seems to know something of the area’s history, we ask about the Dead Rabbits. Hiram doesn’t know but his grandfather would know something. Hiram’s grandfather ran with the Dead Rabbits long ago. Hiram’s grandfather recognized the 6 ghosts from Randall’s descriptions and identified the betrayer as Stannis. Then he wondered if the Dead Rabbit’s treasury was still there.
We thanked him for his help and hurried back to the ruined building. But the treasury vault had been emptied – all the locks forced open except one.
Disappointed, we went back to our homes in the Dock Ward. Sunny would do a Divination in the morning to learn more about Stannis.
The next morning, rhe divination having been cast, Sunny learned that ‘In a cave, on the coast, you will find a cause, the cause of the ghosts.” We gathered and returned to Hiram’s grandfather for help in deciphering the clue. He mentioned that the pirates of the Moonsea had a smuggling cave, underneath some white cliffs.
We took our self-propelling launch and set out. It was fairly early in the evening because Hiram’s grandfather said the caves could only be approached at low tide.
In the darkness, off the cliffs, we spot the lights of a sailing vessel. Launches were leaving the ship and entering the cave. Jaggard reported that the ship was a pirate vessel, sailing out of Mulmaster. Kelric opened up with a fireball, clearing the decks of the ship. Then we took out launch into the cave while the sailors were busy trying to put out the flames.
The cave was well lit with torches. On the sands inside, we found ten thugs and a red-haired woman. The woman was inspecting slaves while at the back, an old man was watching. Jaggard charges the old man, killing him outright. Aaleya, Elathrion and Randall took care of the pirates and their leader while Sunny has to save the old man’s life. For only by bringing Stannis to justice, can we lay the ghosts of the Slum District to rest.
With the slaves freed and sent out to salvage the sailing ship, we take our prisoner and head back to Phlan. In the next day, there’s a quick trial and Stannis’ life is ended. The ghosts of the betrayed Dead Rabbits no longer haunt the district and other adventurers can be sent in to finish the task of retaking the area.
Now, with Bishop Braccio’s warning in mind, we’re ready to go into the Temple District.