Session 15: Investigating the Serpents Report

General Summary

The party seeing the Verlaine guards out front decide it would be best to try an sneak in thinking that they might not be able to talk their way past given their apparent alliance with the messenger boy. Diala and Ganbold sneak onto the roof and climb down the chimney while the rest use a silence spell to remove the boards on the window and slip in. They arrive inside the temple with no problems. They are quick to notice that the temple has been cleared out and that there is no one present whatsoever.   As they continue to explore they end up heading into the secret tunnel that runs parallel with the temple, as they approach the water in the far back they are ambushed by a group of Snake Person as well as the messenger boy, and a female humanoid wearing splint armor and wielding a spear herself. The battle is quick and the party is reminded of the dangers of the Snake Person. However they begin to get the upper hand. Seeing this the woman uses magic to escape, as well as the messenger boy being quick and agile escape pass the party and rush down the cave system in an attempt to escape. The woman is unsuccessful however the messenger boy is able to escape.   With the snakes and the woman defeated, and the messenger boy no longer able to be found. The party investigates the chest they left behind. They realize the chest is marked to an address within the merchants district. Diala remembers the address by chance is owned by Verlaine as his personal mansion. As they investigate within they find 6 golden goblets, and 6 masonry bricks. As they look them over they realize their is a seem running through the center of the brick. Carefully prying it apart they find that the bricks have the symbol of the Unspeakable One drawn on both half of the bricks in gold shimmering ink. They quickly realize Verlaine might have his hands further into this plot then they may realize given he owns all the masonry businesses within Freeport. Also being the head of the Captains' Council and effectively the head of the Freeport Guardsmen. The party realizes they may not have a way to report his possible misdeeds to the authorities.   They decide it is probably for now best to take it to the Freeport's Shrine of Otarr in hopes that they might be able to help them. They successfully sneak out of the abandoned temple and begin making their way to the Temple District. However they are quickly found by one of their crew members. He reports they found someone going through the parties belongings aboard the ship, they tried to apprehend the individual but the individual drew a kukri and killed one of their elven crew. They report as the blade was being driven into the heart of the elven member it flashed with light and the crewmate died instantly. The individual had little to no problems escaping the slightly stunned crew and disappeared into The Docks district.   Ganbold hearing this runs back to The Rancor while the rest of the party feels it would be better to get this chest to the Shrine for safekeeping. Ganbold finds the elven crew member laying on the deck with a sheet placed over him, while Green Pate hands him the blade that killed his crewman, he realizes their is nothing special about the blade.   Meanwhile the party arrives at the shrine and brings them up to speed on what the found, they quickly check the chests for any traps and begin to monitor it, however the Freeport's Shrine of Otarr might have some different plans in mind...