17 Eleint 2993
Arriving back in Gosterwick in the middle of the night and desperate for aid to rescue Černoboš and retrieve the bodies of Fernweh and Huzzah!, the party heads to the Grain Hall in search of Fael Valdorsdot. They are greeted there by a janitor who informs the group that she will return in the morning. And so, early on the 17th of the Fading, the party returns to Grain Hall to meet Fael as she arrives.
Fael seems surprised to learn that the Higher Committee for Natural Equity and the Protection of Greenspaces indicated that Gerrilad the Grey was to blame for the orphans’ abduction, and dismayed at the fate that has befallen Čer, Hu, and FW. Pressed for assistance, she offers funds to hire help to go back to the Ruby Throne Room.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the party, Fernweh has escaped the Ruby Throne Room with the help of his new Ring of Invisibility and made his way back to Gosterwick, were he first gave thanks for his survival at the temple before reuniting with the party.
Together the group heads to Twyla’s Temp Service. They pass on the paladin Keledon aka “The Wall”, but do hire Aenery, a druid who may be able to help infiltrate the Ruby Throne Room and whose knowledge could be useful in a confrontation with another druid. Twyla also points the party towards Aemilia, an assassin belonging to the secret Vengeance Factor guild. Negotiations with Aemilia prove fruitless, however, as she quickly recognizes that the mission is more dangerous than Fenpenny lets on.
The party heads to the plateau, planning to enter the Halls of Arden Vul via the lab entrance. Axle sends out Mr. Beaks to do recon, but he doesn’t return. The group does, however, encounter Kerbog Khan‘s clockwork dragonfly and successfully negotiates the purchase of information. To their shock, the group learns that Gerrilad the Grey is almost certainly not behind the abduction and planned sacrifice of the orphans from Little Acorns Orphanage, as he doesn’t leave the halls (and thus wouldn’t have performed the ritual the previous year in the Old Forest), and is more interested in capturing and questioning adventurers who intrude on his domain.
Stunned, the party realizes there will be no rescue for the orphans this night, but they press on all the same in the hopes of rescuing or recovering the bodies of their comrades. At Khan’s advice, the group decides to wait to make their move until the middle of the night.
In the meantime, they poke around in the crypts, finding a platinum holy symbol of Thoth worth 250gp as well as a number of skeletons drawn to Callum Rivers by his black light torch.
It’s just then that Gregolas happens upon the party. Unable to see them due to the torch, Fenpenny calls out to him as combat breaks out. “Oli” explains how he found the group while they fend off the skeletons, though not before Callum is rendered unconscious. Fenpenny revives his faithful companion, the group takes a short rest to catch up and recover.
Shortly after 10pm, the group hears voices and footsteps and elects to take cover in a room hidden behind a secret door. Between Fernweh’s efforts to spy on the approaching strangers through a peep hole and overheard snippets of conversation the group is able to surmise that it is the Bad Neighbors Company passing by outside.
Once the Bad Neighbors have gone, the party makes final preparations. With Aenery scouting ahead as an insect and finding a number of cells housing living prisoners that include Huzzah! and Čer, Fenpenny disguises himself as Gerrilad and is accompanied by Fernweh, who has made himself invisible with his new ring. They confront Nyal Oakheart, the jailer, a man clearly charmed by Gerrilad and desperate to please him. He releases the prisoners to “Gerrilad”, among whom are also Samantha, Gwelf, and a few others.
With time running out to rescue the orphans before the Feast of Mabon the group hurries back to Gosterwick, arriving by 10am on the morning of the 18th.
