Tyranny of Dragons, Session 13 - The City of Splendours

Again, this is a summary of a session in which your humble blogger did not participate.  For those following the story, these notes are cribbed from those of the DM.

The chapter begins deep within the heart of the great northern city of Waterdeep. The party was residing at Carlon Amofel's warehouse , HQ of the "Great Northern Equipment and Portage Co."  Earlier in the day they had tracked and tailed the Dragon Cultists and the treasure stolen from the village of Greenest to a similar warehouse across town owned by the treacherous (and now very dead) Aravan Foxtraveller.  They learned that Foxtraveller had recently acquired a building contract with the Lords of Waterdeep to re-build the Great Northern Highway between Waterdeep and Neverwinter. This highway has been abandoned after years of disuse and neglect.  In the last few years it had been swallowed up massive coastal swamp lands, collectively known as "The Mere of Dead Men."  As its name suggests, a area with the reputation for being haunted by dead men and other ghastly things, and that's not mention the ancient Black Dragon known as EbonDeath who calls the place home.

Spreading inquiries around town, and lubricating tongues with gold, the party learned that the Cultists were once again disguising their stolen treasure and hiding in plain site...only this time as road laborers hiding the loot inside crates marked "ACME Road Building Supplies".

Before anyone could make any major decisions, the party was paid a visit by a mysterious and gruff dwarf claiming to represent none other than Lord Arthagast Uhrilbinther, a migh mucky-muck within the city political scene. As it turns out, he is the very man Grim rescued from the slave pens of the Dragon Cult outside Greenest. Arthagast had long been a member of the Lord's Alliance, a secret political group run by wealthy merchants all across Faerun, whose goals and agendas are probably for the good and protection of all society.  This group is backed by large, powerful and sometimes ruthless private militias that "help and assist" in carrying out the Lord's Alliances decrees.  Also present at this gathering was Arthagast's wife, the Lady Remila Haventree, head of the Waterdeep cell of Harpers, her second lieutenant, Lady Elia and the party's old friend Leosin the Monk. Also present were a few other familiar faces...including the Paladin Ontharr Frume, representing The Order of The Gauntlet and The Ranger Stannis Longstepper representing the Emerald Enclave.

Long story short:  Arthagast proposed an alliance among the groups, "The Council Quiet", dedicated to stomping out the Cult of the Dragon.  Said proposal was readily accepted by all present.  And so as the first meeting of The Council Quiet got underway, it's first order of business was to induct everyone present - even the party - with full voting rights! The second order of business was whether or not to include Jamna Gleamsilver, a member of the Zhentarim, in the Council.

To secure the vote in her favor of inclusion within the council, Jamna told the Council of two of the identities of high ranking members of the Cult of the Dragon.  This council, collectively known as "Wrymspeakers", consists of five members (each representing the five colors of the evil chromatic dragons) who run the day-today operations of the vile Cult of the Dragon.

Achievement unlocked!  The party now uncovered the three out of five identities behind the leadership of the Cult of the Dragon.

Your first mission as field members of the Council Quiet was to continue following the Cultists and the stolen treasure to the Cult's final hoarding lair, and if given the opportunity, determine the identities of the final two members of the Cult's leadership, AND...if at all possible eliminate any of the Wrymspeakers as opportunities avail.

In order to carry out this mission, the party donned guises as hired guards "protecting" the road laborers transporting their construction and road building supplies north. And so once again the group found themselves on the road...only this time travelling through a known haunted swamp land hundreds of leagues round.

Over the 10-day trek through the swamp, this new caravan was constantly bombarded by the ever-present threats of the haunted mere. They were nearly overrun by an ancient army of the undead, stopped to parley with a group of lizardfolk slavers only to be ambushed by a massive force of vile bullywugs and their man-swallowing giant frogs...all the while ensuring the safety of the stolen treasure AND protecting the very cultists the party had sworn an oath to destroy! Oh, the irony of it all!

Where o' where can this crazy caravan of stolen treasure be headed?  Stay tuned...