VI. a. To Sneak or Not to Sneak?

General Summary

Vetharday, Midsky 6

You have lost track of day and night and only have the vaguest sense of time, down here in the ancient abandoned city of Yis'tilah'ste. But, you've found more than just a mysterious city seemingly waiting for its masters' return. Instead, you have been surprised to find a number of Black Hand agents and even an outpost of theirs. You have used the sewers to get as close as you dare to where you think they main constringent of Black Hand may be operating.

Having emerged from you secret high-way, you found yourselves in a large intersection, a crossroads for what you assumed to be four different neighborhoods. Tort quickly used his spell scroll of identify on another scroll while the group works out attempting to use the same plan you did with the Kobolds - impersonating Black Hand agents with prisoners. And so, you boldly walked down the road, your "prisoners" loosely tied, but looking secured.

Ash heard footsteps off in the distance, leading away from you, and you use that as an indication of the correct direction to go. And you follow them until the stop; halting, straining for the next sound. When Ash hears two sets of footsteps coming back your direction, you continue your performance. However, when you began to be interrogated, Boran doubled down on your charade. He insisted you were all well above their pay grade and your prisoners were none of their business, followed by an intense glowing in his eyes. This terrified the two Black Hand agents, who quickly let you go on about your way as they ran towards wherever it was they were going.

Once they were out of site, Ash carefully climbed the wall, nearly falling as she slid down at the top. Once she reached the top, she carefully observed dozens of Black Hand milling about on whatever nefarious deeds they were committing. As she relayed the severity of the Black Hand infestation in Yis'tilah'ste, you made the group decision to leave the underground city.

Unsure of where it would ultimately take you, only knowing it would take you to a temple of some kind, you used the Scroll of Recall you had found. In a mysterious fortune, you arrived at a temple Ash immediately recognized as that of her own deity, whom she told you was called Nyxari, whom you've only heard about in your recent discoveries of the stories of the Near-End War, almost six-thousand years ago.

Recognizing where you were, you were elated to realize that you were at the start, or end, depending on one's perspective, of the Labyrinth of Yis'tilah'ste. As you adjust the gate to the correct date, you open the Labyrinthian Gate once more. Although the walls have moved in a few places, you only got turned around a few times as you spent the next two and a half days weaving your way back out of the labyrinth.

It was another full day, however, before you finally reached the top of the stairs, finding the doors you shut behind you, locked. Ash kissed them out of desperate gratitude as the rest of you began searching for a way to open the doors from the inside. Tort was the one who discovered a special brick in the wall that required activation by magic to open the door.

You entered the cool autumn midnight air of the Kingswood. Before leaving, you closed the doors and pried out all of the arcane focus stones. Unsure what else to do in the dead of night, you attempted to locate the dryads by pulling out the seed. You even placed it on the ground momentarily, attempting to draw out the dryads. However, they did seem to hear nor heed your summons.

Confident in Max's ability to lead you out of the woods. For two hours you followed him before it was realized that you were headed in the wrong direction. Dreamhawk took charge for the next two hours. but fares no better. You are fortunate that at this point, with the sun rising and light beginning to take over the canopy of trees and bleed thru to your path, that Tort recognizes one of his self-combustion marks within a tree and immediately knows where you are.

Where will you go now? Will you resume your search for the dryad in the daylight, or pursue your return to Gravenholm? Who can say?