Finding the Missing Fool

The party came together in the afternoon back at the Yawning Portal. With a mission at hand, they headed out to the Seaward to investigate the mystery of the missing Floon. On their way towards the Skewered Dragon, where Floon was seen last, they passed the sight of a terrible crime scene. There were dead bodies on the street. Blood was splattered on the smooth city stone. 

They entered the Skewered Dragon to the sight of three or four regulars stationed at the bar itself. There were a few tables with one or two drinkers but otherwise the bar was still on that afternoon. It was run down. A long cry from the cheery, lived-in feeling of the Yawning Portal. The man at the bar was a skinny, white haired human man. He told the party in a nervous tone that  he had seen a man fitting that description and that he had been with another man that night. The last thing he remembered was that they had been followed out by five people. 

The bartender had caught sight of a tattoo on the forearm of one of the pursuers. It had been a winding snake up and down the arm. Aleera, having a hunch, sent her sprite to turn invisible and check on the crime scene down the street. After waiting for a few minutes she heard back from her ethereal friend. The bodies had lots of tattoos on them. There was a really scary one that was a circle with legs sticking out and a dot in the center, but no snakes. 

They were about to leave the run-down watering hole when a merchant spoke out from the corner of the bar. He told them that he had left that night to see the five pursuers grab the two men and take them towards the Candle Inn. They thanked him and left to find the Inn. After walking for a few blocks, through the slums of the Seaward they came across the Candle Inn. it was a dilapidated looking place just like all the other buildings around. The group spread out and took up different positions to survey the place and act if they needed to. 

Aleera and Milo headed for the roof. Aleera easily floated herself up the wall face of an adjacent building until she reached the top and settled on the sturdy wooden beams. Milo used a series of jumps and kicks to climb up the face of another building to cover another side of the Inn. He made it up in no time and settled into the shadows of an eave to watch. Even Aleera lost track of him when he stepped into shadow. 

After a few hours of watching for any suspicious activity the group spotted some movement inside. Karriss, Hepolita and Kaladrax broke into the Inn through the front doors to surprise whatever moved inside. It was a Kenku. Behind the first was another and another and another. A flock of dark clothed Kenku’s swarmed within the Inn. On the floor were bodies that they had been picking over. There was a quick fight and thanks to the surprise that the three had, they were able to overpower the group. Aleera and Milo dropped in through the glass skylight on the roof and dispatched some of the remaining opponents. Only one Kenku was left alive by the end of that battle. 

The party tied up the Kenku and left it under the watchful eye of Hepolita and Kariss. Upstairs the others found Renard Nevermember, the second man that had been with Floon that night. He told them that he had come to consciousness before Floon and seen the mess they were in. He knew that people were searching for him and he didn’t want to die. So he had searched for a good hiding place and had found the chest the party had found him in. He was pretty sure he had heard someone come into the room and take Floon out. 

He told them that it was the Zhentarim who had kidnapped them and that they had taken Floon, thinking he was Renard. He hoped they would release Floon after seeing that he was not who they wanted. He was still tied up at the ankles and wrists so he had only been able to fall into the chest when he had managed to open it. They turned to go back down and interrogate the Kenku when they heard a noise. 

They looked over the railing and out of the windows to the street only to see the City Guard coming to investigate. They had to leave the Kenk. Kariss and Hepolita ran up the stairs to meet the party and together they fled up through the break in the skylight. Kaladrax cast flight on himself, Renard, Hepolita and Milo while Aleera flew up with the air and Kariss flew up with her tattoo wings. They landed on one of the adjacent roofs and kept jumping buildings until they were far enough from the commotion to land on the streets. 

Once they were back on solid ground Milo handed Renard his hat of disguise and pulled his cloak over his face to hide it from sight. It might not have been such a good idea but it was done. Renard pulled the cap over his head once he had learned how to use it and transformed into a normal looking, boring guy. Once he was adequately disguised, the party walked towards the Yawning Portal to rest for the night. 

When they arrived, they quickly paid for a large suite to hold all of them and hunkered down for the night. They made Renard take the bed and set themselves up for the night. They had a nice soup of mushrooms and cream before laying down for good. They warned Renard to stay in the room and to wake them in case there was any problem. Renard agreed with a pout on his face because he couldn’t go out to drink and the party passed out from a long day of running and investigation.