Session 28

Ou Est La Bibliotheque?
7 Eleint(morning) - 11 Eleint(evening)

During the night Ralkor has a vision of the future--Demogorgon has learned of the gem and is on his way to get it. He will arrive by mid-afternoon. Ralkor shares this information with the other Young Adventurers, who are a little doubtful but ultimately decide they need to take precautions (DM aside: I’m pretty sure last session they would have dismissed this out of hand but between sessions they forgot how obviously cursed and lying Ralkor was despite my recap emphasizing it. At least they still absolutely refuse to touch the gem). They discuss precautions with DuLoc and Lorthuun, who station scouts on the Darklake shore and move the Young Adventurers’ troops into the Zhentarim compound.

The party decides they need to warn the other compounds and return Yantha to the svirfneblin. There is a long, drawn-out debate over whether or not to return the gem, which seems to be the easiest way to secure Yantha’s release. On the other hand the gem is obviously cursed and the cause of all sorts of chaos. Ultimately they decide to return the gem.

At the duergar compound the party speaks with Ghuldur and Krimgol again, warning of the danger of the gem and suggesting that Krimgol let it go. He is, however, insistent. The party hands over the black gem, careful to give it directly to Krimgol so nobody new touches it. The duergar release Yantha, who tells obvious lies to the party when they ask her various questions. The party passes on a warning about Demogorgon’s imminent arrival which the duergar seem very sceptical about.

At the svirfneblin compound Yantha is returned to her people, who are grateful, but confused by her behaviour. Gabble Dripskillet gives the party a black sapphire pendant as a reward and tells them it is worth 5000gp. Sebastian is finally able to obtain some diamond dust and casts greater restoration on Ralkor, dispelling the gem’s enchantment. Ralkor now remembers that he never did actually identify the gem, he just touched it and made up the details about the visions it caused. Demogorgon is (probably) not coming. Sebastian similarly dispels Yantha, who returns to her normal behaviour but is horrified that the Young Adventurers let Krimgol have the gem back. She thinks it should be destroyed or hidden away or something.

The afternoon passes uneventfully, no sign of Demogorgon. DuLoc considers their bargain to have been met and supplies Ralkor with a copy of the Gauntlgrym teleportation circle. The Young Adventurers tell their troops that they are free to go their own ways if they want; they are continuing on to the Gravenhollow Library. Thora Nabal and the rest of the veterans of the Order of the Gauntlet elect to continue with the party, the rest have had enough. Nero and the Zhentarim decide to stay in Mantol-Derith while the rest travel back to Gauntlgrym with the party. Ralkor casts the teleportation circle and the party leaves Mantol-Derith with the black gem still in Krimgol’s possession.

In Gauntlgrym the party is allowed to stay in guest quarters and spends a day doing some shopping and preparing for another journey. They attempt to sell the pendant at Dara’s Fine Wares but can’t get an offer higher than 3800gp. Stronerd, who has again been escorting them around the city, suggests having the crown try to sell it while they are travelling. She figures an object that valuable will take time to sell at full price. The party meets with Sonnlinor Reddiger who agrees to front them 3800gp and pay the difference if she can sell it higher later on.

The Young Adventurers depart Gauntlgrym the following morning with the five veterans, their lizard mounts, and Rory the Shield Guardian. The first couple of days are uneventful, except that Elias Drako, one of the veterans, has a terrible vision the first night. He starts to rant about “approaching doom” and “a hideous pile of ooze with madness in its wake.” The party seems to believe that Juiblex might be in their path. The second day they pass through a tight squeeze. Ralkor is forced to make the trip several times to shepherd the lizards after he shrinks them and is exhausted by the hard work. The group settles in for the night in the next cavern.

We leave the Young Adventurers there for now. Tune in next time to find out if Juiblex eats them in the night.