The Keys of Telku / Into the Fire pt. 11 / Von the 21st through the 24th, 3593 CE / 10-24-21 Report

The Adventurers stand assembled with their allies, the surviving retainers of Tarrus the One-Eyed, at the base camp for their assault on Kragarak and the dragon Brazzermal. Two of their allies, Argent and Dhakab, have been lost in battle, and a third, the gnome Sultar, has not regained consciousness since Baijao performed an exorcism on him. The Amita K'un ninja Night, de facto leader of the retainers, attempts to mend fences with the party, assuring them that she never would have betrayed them, even when Tarrus ordered her to kill them, Adrienne offers the ninja women a swig from her flask as a conciliatory gesture, and surprisingly, the stoic Night agrees. She then tells the party that the surviving members of Tarrus's militia force may have knowledge of this campsite, and that it is best that the party move on before resting, despite their exhaustion from the battles they've already faced that day. The rest of the Adventurers agree, and as they leave the path up Mount Galadea and head into the wilderness, John and Stele are able to use their skills at survival to find the a spot in the mountain woods where they can construct a hide to rest and wait out the day. Despite some distant voices carried on the wind, the party's watches are uneventful, until Rados, who unsuccessfully tried to outdrink Adrienne, suddenly wakes from an intense dream of his homeland. Not sure who can best help him interpret the strange dream, he rouses Baijao from his rest as a tiny fox. However, the best the faithful kitsune can recommend is to pray to his own goddess Vespera. When Rados does so, he is rocked by a new vision, a mysterious dark woman who chastises him for praying to the wrong deity! The party decides to travel by night and sleep during the day as they make their way down the rest of the mountainside. Sultar eventually rouses, and is startled to discover that he no longer has the power to control fire, but is nonetheless thankful to be free of the demon who possessed him. It is revealed that the gnome is an unrepentant gambler, and that the gangs of Liem are fearsome enough that he felt compelled to strike a dark bargain with the demon Onaida in order to protect himself from them. Rados uses his magic to summon horses, scattering them in all directions in order to mislead anyone who is trying to find the party, but there are no more signs of activity until the team reaches Fort Silan at Mount Galadea's base. There they are questioned by the fort's commander, Sir Yuri, who, after hearing the full tale of their adventures, especially the part where they found evidence of the pirates who may have slain the king's uncle years ago, determines to send the party back to Lidea in order to report directly to the king. It is another day's travel back on the Lystra River, but when they dock in Lidea, the Adventurers are quickly ushered off the ship and into a boathouse by Dorian Swifthand, the royal spymaster. Dorian tells the party that due to their wanted status in the Seven Kingdoms, their presence in Lidea must remain a secret. They are all given disguises to pose as visiting monks of Ciril (John's disguise being helped by the magic wand that Rados recovered from Brazzermal's hoard) and soon they find themselves in a secret dungeon of Castle Lidea, the seat of power in Amarath. They are visited there by King Tharin, and once more relate the details of their adventurers, including finding the Key on the pirate ship and the fact that two knights of Amarath are still missing, Night tells the party she believes their next journey should be to visit the Overlord of Pandona and warn him against lending any more aid to Tarrus, lest he recover the last Key from beneath the Temple of Baal in Baali. Shadolok offers to let the party stay at the estate of his father, Lord Argaine, but is disheartened to hear from the king that his father has died and his brother, Rickard, has taken over his father's land and title. The ranger also muses that if Tarrus had ordered their own deaths in order to maintain the secret of his quest to gain the Keys, perhaps other former companions of theirs may also be at risk. Marrow notes that one of those companions, Nari Ashida, now resides in Cauldron. The king offers the party sanctuary in the secret dungeons beneath the castle so that they can rest and train before venturing forth. He also says that as thanks for their efforts in recovering the knights and finding the truth about his uncle, as well as alerting him to the possible threat that Tarrus the One-Eyed may pose while in possession of the Keys of Telku, each party member may request a boon, either one that was already promised or a new request. The party settles in for the next fifteen days to prepare for their next adventure.