Welcome back to another Tallavanor’s Tales! In today’s session, Tallavanor gets to meet some bosses, and some bosses bosses, and for once, isn’t filling out the paperwork! Yippie!
The room stank of death and despair. The vampire was dead, but our party had barely survived the experience. The slowly smoldering form of the creature that used to be Prince Erik Ramfk. We pull back to the main room, dragging the unconscious form of Gregario behind us. Claudia falls back with us, while Maxwell crawls into the main room. We sit there for a while, healing up some of our wounds and bringing Gregario back to consciousness. Slowly but surely, we make for the river, hoping to get back to our safe house before encountering any reinforcements in the night.
We made it to the ferry in one piece – well, mostly one piece – and the city around us was quite as dawn approached. Our travel across the river revealed a surprising new development. Several war galleons bearing the symbol of the Golden Dragons, high-priced and well-equipped mercenaries for hire, were setting off into the river. Nearly a thousand or more soldiers dispatched again so recently was certainly suspicious, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the new treasurer had something to do with this.
Stumbling back to our safehouse, we sleep deeply and awaken the next morning, feeling much better. At this point, we weren’t sure what the best course would be. Both Maxwell and Gregario needed to report in to their superiors. I chuckled at the thought of meeting them, considering my own lord was many hundreds of miles away, and likely not even sure where I was at this point. Of course, I’m sure my earlier reports were somewhere on the ocean. Perhaps the first had even reached Tres Abellies by now.
The party decided to visit the Hammerstein group first, followed by a visit to the Black Lotus. I thought I’d seen it all. But considering that I’d be in two, much less one, of the largest criminal (Black Lotus was negotiable about whether or not they were a criminal organization – murder and espionage for hire aren’t exactly the most lawful of careers) organizations in the city. We stepped out the door, and there was a letter on the floor for Claudia. I had long since figured that Claudia had further resources than she let on, and this letter was obviously from one of her contacts. It seemed we had a shipment of great interest to the Zhentarim arriving at the docks this evening. A situation I was very familiar with.
We travel back to the docks, where Maxwell led us on a merry exploration of the docks, one I wasn’t eager to revisit, on our trip to the headquarters of the Hammerstein Group. Eventually, we gain an audience with Yakkob and Stavos. These two, well, gang leaders, of this establishment was certainly a den of vice and danger, smeared over with a thin veneer of business and legitimacy.
Upon making his report, Maxwell revealed all that we’d learned during the last few days. In return, Yakkob and Stavos actually share intelligence. Shocking, to be sure. Most normal criminal overlords would have kept silent about whatever different pieces of information they had gathered, or charged a price for such information. Turns out, my suspicions this morning about the Golden Dragons being connected to the treasurer were correct. Prince Ramfk, as the new treasurer, had signed for and sent off the Golden Dragons company to Apamea. While we debated whether he was a thrall of a vampire, or simply being black mailed, we also learned that the Hammerstein group has heard of Count Magnus in connection with Ramfk.
While this actually sent the group into a tizzy, I was more concerned about the future threats we would face. We’d barely survived a run in with a single vampire. I couldn’t imagine we’d be successful against a future one if we didn’t develop our skills and abilities. Or more precisely, purchase a few much needed upgrades. After the visit to the Hammerstein group, I went shopping at the docks, locating and securing several vials of Holy Oil. I even dipped a few bullets into the oil in order to create HOLY BULLETS.
Yes. Holy Bullets.
I would be prepared.
But in the meantime, Claudia had an errand for us. The Zhentarim ship beckoned.
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Modern Papyrus 