14. And the warehouse slips away...

And the warehouse slips away…

Encounters

Summary

Aradaine and Hamidal were thrown off guard by Footsteps’s disappearance Kael’s sudden exit. Hamidal gave Aradaine the Paper Bird sheet that Footsteps had left and asked him to write a note to Footsteps telling him of this new development, figuring that Footsteps would be more amenable to a message from Aradaine rather than Hamidal (seeing as he pre-signed the paper “Asshole” for him). The bird on its way, the pair also decided to leave the Portal to return home and deliver the news of the last night’s events to poor Grick, who awaited the party’s return.

Grick did not take the news well - at first not really taking it at all. Knowing that Kael had gone down the portal, he suggested they follow in order to reunite the team. After some convincing and detailing of the previous day’s events it started to dawn on him that his perfect party had maybe fallen apart. He despaired some over this, but wasn’t given too much time to sort it out before the Watch arrived and scared off the morning’s customers. Saeth Cromley and Barnibus Blastwind, the investigators who appeared after the fireball exploded in the alley, paid them a visit, asking if they knew the whereabouts of their friend Kael. It seems that he’d been identified as one of the malefactors who killed a number of people at the Gralhund Villa and was furthermore suspected to be the assailant behind a grisly massacre that took place in the Alley itself just the night before. They let the gentlemen know that he’d last been seen at the Yawning Portal. The detective let them know that they should alert the Watch immediately should he be seen again.

Footsteps, without information on his own quest, decided to circle back to the butcher’s shop in the Field Ward. He was there when he received Aradain’s note. He arrived back at the tavern shortly after the Watch’s departure, finding the party still mulling over recent developments. He agreed to rejoin the party, but only so long as Kael was not in the picture. He let it be known he would disappear the second Kael poked his head up from the portal. Together again, they decided to venture out to finally track down this “Crimson Brush” they’d uncovered from the clues found via the treasure map.

A few blocks into the Southern Ward, Hamidal noticed someone trying to pick his pocket - their hand reaching for the treasure map he’d placed there. He whirled on the thief only to find a frightened human female. She told her sad tale that her and her love had been ambushed by a group of thugs. Judging her the better thief they’d beaten her lover and gave her the description of the party, telling her that if she didn’t return with the map, they’d kill her lover. They were holding him captive in a warehouse nearby. Fearing for her lover’s life and seeing no option of obtaining the map from the party, she led them to where he was being held.

Footsteps scrambled up the side of a nearby warehouse and saw a number of humans and a dwarf waiting inside. They decided to split up, with each pair taking a set of doors to prevent their escape. Kicking open the doors, the party attacked. The human thugs bandits started going down fairly quickly, but the dwarf turned out to be a duergar. He used his ability to grow to a larger size, and so proved a bit more of a formidable foe. Partway through the battle a group of thugs started rushing into the fray. It was at this point that they learned that they’d be tailed - as a drow holding two swords crashed through the skylight and cartwheeled around the warehouse swiping at their attackers. The party was wary of this newcomer, but glad for the help.

Once all of the foes were defeated, the drow introduced himself as Veldrin. He said he’d been hired by Lord Cassalanter to ensure the team completed their task of investigating the treasure map. It seems he heard of their recent troubles and hired Veldrin as an insurance policy on his investment. But they didn’t have much time to discuss the details, as a squad of City Watch stormed the warehouse.

As they were standing amongst a pile of corpses with their weapons drawn, the situation didn’t look good. The captain of the patrol questioned the party and looked around at the scene. He seemed to take especial note of the duergar, calling over his valabrar to confirm that it was someone they knew. The Watch captain told the party that killing was not acceptable in Waterdeep, no matter the circumstances. But instead of rounding them up, he had his valabrar take down the names of the party. Footsteps tried to tell the Watch that his name was Marnius Quiggleberry. Hamidal insisted that it was Twinkletoes, and Grick was confused as to why either would say that when everyone called him ‘Footsteps’. Footsteps retorted that those were only nicknames and that Marius was his true name. Grick was flumoxed by this situation. That they told the Watch that Veldrin’s name was actually Stephen didn’t help. People usually only had one or two names in his reckoning - maybe three if they had a middle name.

After assurances to the party that the Watch would see to the thief and her lover’s health and well being, the party was let go. They left with haste, but Gozrien stayed and was able to overhear from the Watch guards that the duergar they’d defeated was someone named Ravik. The Watch captain assigned the guards to stay and watch over the scene while he gathered backup to help deal with the cleanup. That little distraction dealt with, the party headed onwards to finally find the Crimson Brush.