The Battle Of Mara

The adventurer's have hired a carriage from Waterdeep to take them out on the road towards the town of Amphail. Once outside the walls of the city, the cold early winter air strikes them hard within the open carriage. So Princess Elora, grows a carriage cover made of twisted vines and green leaves. They ride in comfort for sometime until it becomes close to sundown.

Into The Wildlands

The carriage driver, shouts back to them whether or not he should be turning around. He is definitely not comfortable remaining outside the protection of the city walls, in the wilds over night. He stops the carriage and the group discusses their strategy. It is perhaps too far to the nearest town of Amphail, which they deduce that Lady Mara will probably target in her quest for a child sacrifice, to her demon benefactor. Perhaps she has already got there and chosen her victim. Rushing there might not be helpful. Better to cut their losses and lay in ambush, for Lady Mara on her return to Waterdeep, where they are sure she will want to watch her conquest over Messick and Azula.

The carriage driver has already turned his carriage around and is heading back, at speed, for the safety of the walled city. Only fools and protected caravans remain in the wilds for too long. The group decides to lay in ambush.  They find among the rolling hills of the surrounding landscape a nice spot and Messick orders his dog, Justice, to start digging. In no time, the dog has excavated a comfortable cave with a small mouth looking across a small valley in between the rolling hills.

On the other side of the small valley, they have Justice once again, excavate a small alcove, making it appear to be another cave. To complete the illusion, Azula stone shapes a statue of Messick, posed, as if in prayer and contemplation before a fire, which they set. They retire back to the other side of the valley and keep watch from their darkened cave.

A Decoy Messick

The night passes until eventually, the Messick and Azula are aware of several shapes crawling through the tall grass towards the decoy cave. It is too dark and the creatures too obscured by the grass to determine exactly what they are but they are definitely closing in from multiple angles towards the statue of Messick. From the safety of their cave, Azula summons several small gnaw demons to attack the creatures. The demons glow a bright blue, illuminating the grassy area, making them extremely noticeable.

The fight is quick, with spears thrown and the demons, dying with small crackling sounds and flash of blue light. During the fight a lone stalker approaches the decoy and throws a spear. It hits the statue with a metallic clang, and the spear drops to the ground. Now that the illusion is found out, the lead creature makes a noise and calls to the others and they quickly retreat away, stalking through the grass the way they had come. Done with the ruse, Azula dismisses her demons, telling them that they are free to do as they wish. The demons skitter off in an excited ecstasy. That is until the spell wears off and they are drawn back into the abyss. Azula, smirks at her cleverness.

The next morning, the group decides that whatever they do, Lady Mara will definitely be sending her envoys of demons to enact her revenge. After some debate, they decide they much rather face Lady Mara and her patron demon, on their own terms.

Demanding A Duel

They find a large hill with very little surrounding it, affording it a good long line of sight. They stand upon it's peak and, through the sending stones, call out to Lady Mara. They tell her that they will no longer run. They will no longer hide. They will stand here until they are met by her and her demons. Here they will take their stand and whatever happens they will accept their fate.

They stand there, each taking a portion of the horizon to scan. They wait until it seems perhaps that Lady Mara will not take their challenge.

That is until, there begins the lightest of rumblings below the hill upon which they stand. Gunter is the first to feel it. The rumbling grows into a shaking. Gunter decides perhaps being on top of the hill is a bad idea. He runs down the hill just as two massive creatures come up out of the ground at the top of the hill. The elemental demons are part earth and stone and part elemental energy. They immediately grab for the group, capturing Azula.

Azula is smashed repeatedly into the ground, as the drow falls unconscious.

Gunter, who had run off of the hill, smiles slightly at his own wisdom of not staying on a rumbling hilltop. But his moment is short lived as several small demons rush along the ground towards him. They spark with electricity as they begin to surround him. Gunter is able to hit them and eventually kill them, but with each hit they spark electricity back to him and soon he is felled by the demons.

Princess Elora is able to summon faeries and the faeries are then able to polymorph the group into a herd of tyrannosaur rexes. Now, as massive creatures they begin holding their own in the battle while Princess Elora also plants a totem and begins her healing power for the group and at the same time summons her giant wolves to aid in battle.

Death Comes For The Group....Several Times

Each of the group has a moment where they are close to death, some several times.

Finally, when the group seems to be running low on their collective health, the tide of battle seems to turn as one of the massive earth demons is felled. Seeing this though, Messick sees in the distance, Lady Mara demanding something of her demon patron. She points to the group in anger. The demon takes flight and with one swoop into the battle decimates the giant wolves.

It would seem the battle is not won yet.

Seeing Lady Mara in the distance, the group decides that their dying acts should be the death of Lady Mara. Each begin to make their way to the, now undefended, Lady Mara. But none of them get their before Princess Elora's massive parliament of giant owls.

The owls approach a clearly panicked Lady Mara. She holds an amulet around her neck towards the fast approaching owls. The ground opens up underneath them and tendrils of dark energy flow up and grab 6 of the owls out of the air and they are pulled down into the dark earth below. The ground closes back up, sealing the dead owls inside...but they are summoned creatures, so don't feel too bad for them.

The Death Of Lady Mara

The remaining giant owls descend upon the screaming Lady Mara. The group pauses as they can only see a flurry of feathers, claws and blood. The screaming abruptly stops and the owls separate and fly back into the sky, leaving only scraps of material which used to be Lady Mara.

With that they turn their attention to the late Lady Mara's pact demon. Gunter throws a hex at the demon but the demon easily avoids the spell.

They are in trouble.

But the demon simply stops, smiles at the group and slow claps. "Thank you. This has been very entertaining. This has worked out much better than I could have hoped for." The demon vanishes.

With all the demons vanquished and Lady Mara killed, the Messick calls for the giant owl with Lady Mara's head. The badly mauled head is given to Messick and he casts speak with the dead. He chastises Lady Mara.

Messick stuffs her head in a sack. He will have more to say to her yet.

Tracking Down Lady Mara

The group stands among the toppled chairs and tables of the Yawning Portal Tavern. They have finished off the last of the stirges and pushed the troll back down the hole that plummets down into the depths of Undermountain. They are quick to grab the promised reward of 25 dragons each for protecting the Yawning Portal from further damage from the escaping troll.

A Good Deed Rewarded

The young man who was hurriedly climbing the rope up out of the deep hole, pursued by the troll, thanks the group profusely. He is Floom. He had only meant to "ride the rope" to the bottom and back up again. The ride is famous and he didn't think there was much danger to it. How wrong he was.

A short stout gentleman in fine clothes approaches them. His voice is loud and bombastic and he thanks the group for saving his companion, Floon. He is Volothamp Geddarm. The one and only. He offers the group a drink and they all settle in at a large table. He is in debt to the group and his "pappy always said" never be in debt to someone.

Volo offers them a deed to a property in Waterdeep. It is a old tavern, the Trollskull Manor. It has not been lived in for some time but it has good bones. It just needs a bit of care and attention and it will provide not only a home but a possible business. No more moving from city to city, inn to inn. They can set down roots and have a place to call home.

The group is wary. It is rare to be given such a gift, without strings or complications attached. But Volo seems honestly to feel indebted to the group for saving Floom. He offers a carriage ride to estate. They drive through the cool early winter air passing from the more affluent parts of the city to the more middle-class area. The houses are smaller and less impressive. The people no longer dressed in finery but in more practical clothes.

Trollskull Manor

They finally arrive at a corner house which stands out among the shorter smaller houses. It stands three stories tall and is a prominent feature of the street. The windows are broken and the doors boarded up but the roof seems intact and the foundation sturdy and even. Messick asks about the history of the building. Who was the previous owner? Why is it for sale? Why is it still unoccupied?

Volo tells them that the previous owner, Lif, a half-elf, loved the tavern. He prided himself own running the most welcoming tavern in the ward. It was a safe and warm place. People felt a part of the family. He had not been the best business man and his profits dwindled until could barely make ends meet. Many times people had offered to buy the tavern from him and many times he had rebuked the offer. This was his place and he would run it until the day he died.

Well, he got his wish. One morning, the found him dead, his table rag still clutched in his hand. He didn't have family so his place went up for auction by the city. Volo was the successful bidder.

The group looks at it in the fading light of the setting sun and decide, perhaps returning to Trollskull Manor during the day.

Back at the Yawning Portal, as the group files in, a barrel-chested gentleman wearing a breastplate approaches them. Clearly he has been partaking in the revelry of Durnan's birthday as his speech is slurred and his manner is exaggerated. But never the less, the group hears him out. He has seen them in action and he believes they are just group he has been waiting for.

A Criminal Offer

The city's criminal factions, as well as some reputable ones, have been tearing up Waterdeep searching for some sort of treasure buried underneath Waterdeep. There has been violence and blood shed but no one has found anything. Nothing worth a guild war over anyway. But Meloon Wardragon has a plan. Search smarter. He believes that the treasure everyone is seeking is Neverember's treasure. Rumored to be buried under Waterdeep and only able to be found with a special map. He know where the map is. He just needs fresh faces to Waterdeep to be able to get it.

It resides in the Palace Of Waterdeep and the perfect night to get it comes in three nights. On Liar's Night, the palace will be holding an invitation only ball. If the group is up to the task he is willing to let them in on the caper.

But as the group discusses the matter, a couple of City Guard approach the group. Admonishing the newcomers to the city for hanging out with such a person of ill-repute is quite unwise. He advises them to steer clear of such filth. The group decides to let this lie for a while, since Liar's Night does not occur for another 3 nights.

A Visitor To The Room

Eventually, they each find rooms for the night, Messick being offered a free room by the now fairly inebriated waitress, Bonnie. Bonnie soon finds her way to Messick's room and is greeted by the sight of the half-orc in the rooms brass bath basin. She intends to join him but is soon pulled out by Mattrim, the local bard and finally Durnin, the proprietor himself. Messick decides a bit of privacy might be safer and pushes a dresser in front of the room's door.

Finally alone, Messick relaxes in his hot bath. The steam filling the room. His relaxation is cut short when something hidden hits him hard. Messick bolts from the tub grabbing for his sword as he makes his way to the door. Putting his back against the wall, he looks through the steam filled room using his magical lantern of revealing. He finds his attacker.

The creature is made up tendrils of condensed air, to make a crude humanoid form. It slashes and crushes with the tendrils of solidified air. It utters an odd language as it attacks. Using his sending stone, Messick calls to the others for help. Eda and Princess Elora bolt from their shared room to Messick's room on the other side of the tavern. Shirley and Azula are out exploring the docks looking for Azula's drow contact, Jarlaxle Baenre.

Jarlaxle's Ship

Shirley and Azula move through the dark and dreary dock ward. Most of it's street lights are broken leaving only pockets of light revealing broken down warehouses and shops. One shop that is noticeable is a shop with, what looks to be a stuffed beholder in its window, lit by purple light. They enter and find a gnome with silver hair. He welcomes them to Xoblob's Curiosity Shop. He welcomes them to find any curiosity and he will tell them it's story.

Eventually, they move on to the docks where they find a rowboat waiting for them. They are taken to a large sailing vessel. Aboard they meet a flamboyant drow, dressed in dark robes and large hat with a large feather sticking out of the side of the hat. Azula tells him he is to return to the drow house and help in transporting the army and supplies to Daggerford. He is hesitant. It has been many years of which he is not under the thumb of the drow matriarchy. He enjoys his life of travel and entertainment. Azula, though reminds him of his place and the consequences. Jarlaxle reluctantly agrees to disembark as soon as possible.

An Envoy Of Lady Mara

Meanwhile, back at the Yawning Portal, Messick is trying to fend of the attacks of the creature while Eda and Princess Elora are trying to get through the blockaded door. Messick is pummeled again and again until only his orcish half saves him from unconsciousness. Princess Elora is able to rip a hole in the door large enough to allow her to fly through and she quickly summons a pack of wolves to begin shredding the air-like creature. Eda meanwhile blasts at the door until it shatters and shortly the creature is vanquished but not before Princess Elora hears its unearthly cries and understands it as "You shall pay for your betrayal".

They know the creature is from Lady Mara.

The next morning they head out to the Trade Ward in search of magic items and weapons. They take in the sights and smells of the city. It is a bustling and vast sprawling city. In several wards they can see towering over the buildings, off in the distance, colossal statues of humanoids wielding weapons. Frozen in various fighting poses, they stand in among the buildings of Waterdeep. Finding many of the stores affordable they finally decide to revisit the Mage's order back in the Castle Ward. There they may be able to use Eda's new membership into the guild to their advantage.

They find the short elderly man, again at his desk. They ask if they can purchase the scrying spell. They are asked to fill out various forms and finally ushered into a small room. Soon a young wizard enters the room. He asks, looking very bored, if they have the proper forms. The group produces the forms. The wizard glances through the paperwork making sure of its completeness. Finally he produces a crystal globe and begins the spell ritual.

They begin their scrying on Lady Mara.

Looking For Lady Mara

The image shows a young woman in the woods tending to a fire in a small camp site. She is talking to someone the crystal ball does not show. The group tries to get a sense of where Lady Mara is. It is difficult but they do narrow down that is must be a bit east of Waterdeep. They begin addressing Lady Mara through her sending stone. At first she is reluctant to respond, lest she let out too much information but soon she is goaded into talking.

They use the fact that she doesn't realize they can see her and try to trick her into thinking that Messick's patron, Lady Sirius, is more powerful and omniscient. Finally, Lady Mara begins to get frustrated with her demon patron. She starts demanding that it do something to the group. They must be punished. The demon tells her that she will need to perform another sacrifice. An infant might suffice. Lady Mara asks angrily where she might find in infant in the middle of the woods. The demon tells her a town is but a days travel south.

That narrows down the search for the group.

They plan to have Princess Elora summon her giant owls and they can find Lady Mara and put a stop to this dangerous girl.