17 Eleint 1789

You spent the next few days investigating Rexum’s estate and determining the best way in. With Bollabar and Atzlan disguised as one of Feint’s baseborn children and their tutor, you took their place returning from a lesson and got past the main defenses, but hit a snag when the house staff tried to dismiss you. You managed to lie your way into the library but things quickly broke down and the thugs on site were called in.

Thanks to some good strategy and quick thinking, Atzlan and Bollabar bought some time as the code sequencer went off but even with Riven and Mellos in the mix, the criminals in the house overwhelmed you and captured Atzlan, revealed from his polymorph, and Bollabar, still disguised as Netty, Rexum’s child.

“Netty” was taken to her room and Atzlan to the dungeon while Mellos and Bollabar work to figure out the next move.

A disguised Bollabar wasted no time in devising an elaborate trap that incapacitated the guards on Netty’s room and escaped into the house, getting on the Sending Stone to work with Mellos and Riven. Together, you decided to try and barter for Atzlan’s freedom by convincing Rexum that you had agents of your own in his network.

In the dungeon, Rexum spoke to Atzlan and revealed that he is need of someone to investigate a new player on the docks: Zarzod Zord, a merchant lord that manages a traveling circus which Rexum believes is a front for a smuggling operation, competing with him. He agrees to forgive Atzlan of this indiscretion, since nothing was taken from his house, if Atzlan researches and finds information on the operation that could get Zord arrested by the City Watch or, even better, shut down and hunted by the pirate leader, Jarlaxle Baenre. Atzlan will need to bring this information back from the flagship, the Eyecatcher, by dawn tomorrow, or the collar that’s been put on will explode and kill him and surrounding bystanders.

At the end of this conversation, Riven made the play to intimidate Rexum, who responded poorly when discovering that Netty was not returned. Rexum threatened to bring his entire network down on all of you to kill you and everyone you love unless you brought his daughter back, dead or alive. Atzlan managed to convince him that he could bring her and the information back tomorrow at dawn, prompting Rexum to release him. And then immediately begin to shutdown operations here, including burning the house down and moving all his valuables out. Bollabar stayed hidden in the house and watched Rexum pack up papers, documents and several magical objects from his office before teleporting away, leaving a strange ring on his desk.

Mellos and Riven returned to Netty, still held captive, who revealed that she’s a tiefling, half succubus, a bastard from a mistake of Rexum’s wild youth. Part of the curse that birthed her states that her mortal parent be responsible for her above all else, thus why Rexum needs her returned and probably wouldn’t mind her being killed. Coming with her own pocket demon, Netty proposed that you all get in good with her father and barter with him to allow her to live with you and work with you. He would pay her rent and for food costs, if you can get on his good side.

Meeting up, you all agreed that getting on Rexum’s good side is the best, even if Atzlan can dispel magic on the collar without issue, and headed to the circus to see what’s going on with the merchant ships.