Session 7: Waves, Waves in the Deep

Downtime

After spending day after day unable to crack the code hidden in Iarno's research notes Immeral calls in a favor from the goddess Tymora, hoping that some luck might help guide his way. After a gentle helping of divine guidance the code clicked, and all the information remaining in the notes revealed itself.

1. A heap of communications between the Black Spider and Iarno. Notably the Black Spider was incredibly concerned with information about Halia, and equally concerned with not harming her. This is a strange amount of attention for someone who is apparently a simple shopkeeper.
2. A recipe for a Potion of Heroism! Brewing it will take 1 full downtime week and 250gp worth of materials.
3. The last known location of the Orb of the Restless Dead. Glasstaff had heard stories of an orcish shaman using foul magics to resurrect dead tribesman at Raven Rock. These feats should be far out of an orcs capabilities, but there are also rumors that this shaman carries with him a jet black skull wherever he goes, and some say they swear that they could see burning red eyes, deep in the obsidian recesses of the skull. The inhabitants of the area are fighting against this Shaman, but the might of the orcs, combined with the risen dead, is proving to be difficult to defeat. The cities of Luskan and Miribar are both threatened by the encroaching horde.

The Mute spends another week honing his cooking skills, and is now only 2 weeks away from gaining a new proficiency.

Darakar spends some time laboring at The Engorged Serpent, raking in a modest haul of 25 gp for his efforts. He also labours for the Temple of Tymora, and his hard work earned him 2 favors from the Goddess, to be called in at a time of her choosing...

Adventuring

The party immediately sets about looting the chambers of the dead King Grol. In these chambers they find 50gp, a curious white bag, a statue of a silver raven, and a map outlining the location of Wave Echo Cave. Having thoroughly investigated this area they proceed to explore the rest of the castle. After encountering many unfriendly beasts and goblinoids, and very little in the way of loot, they decide that their time would be better spent elsewhere.  An exploding rain of masonry and goblin guts punctuates their departure.

They spent the better part of the day returning to Phandalin, where they are struck with a curious sense of Deja Vu. Once again thuggish looking men are roaming the streets and extorting the merchants, only now they wear green armbands instead of red cloaks. After a short conversation over beers the adventurers find out that an old friend has returned to town, Venomfang has taken up residence at Tresendar Manor and is accompanied by a group of religious fanatics from the Cult of the Dragon. These cultists have been riling up the townsfolk and driving out any non-humans from the town. Seeking more information, the party heads over to Halia's shop to speak with this supposed merchant. As they enter they see her conversing with a finely dressed wood elf who is accompanied by a very familiar looking horned owl...

The elf quickly departs and the party manages to trap Halia in a Zone of Truth, during which they find out  that she is a member of the Zhentarim. They obtain a great deal of information about the Zhentarim and their plans for Phandalin and Wave Echo Cave before Halia manages to dart out the back door. The party also returns Sildar's arms and armor to him, an act which earns them the favor of the Lord's Alliance. They then return to the Engorged Serpent for the night where Darakar, worried about his halfling friend's safety, sends Cedric North to Luskan to scout for information, and hires Brent Stonehill to run the bar.

In the morning the party makes a point to inform the townsfolk that they are heading to Neverwinter, and each of them departs down the Triboar Trail. However, they meet up and continue on to their true destination, the legendary Wave Echo Cave! Immarel quickly finds the entrance to this lost cave, and once inside they are greeted by an unsettling sight. Gundren's brother, Tharden, lies dead in his camp and the third brother, Nundro, is nowhere to be found. The party does find a journal, detailing Nundro's exploration to the North of the cave, but the last entry was nearly a week ago. Undeterred, the party sets off into the cave, leaving Gundren to his grief. 

After overcoming a wandering ooze the group comes up behind five bugbears watching a barricaded door. In the ensuing combat the largest bugbear is magically commanded to open the door and call for help, a task that the creature succeeds at just as the last of his comrades fall to the fearless adventurers. The sound of shuffling footsteps echo in the cavern, and a faint green light begins to flicker in the darkness. The bugbears determination turns to horror as the effects of the spell wear off, and the party waits with baited breath to find out exactly what type of "help" was summoned....