The Hand of Destiny split up to go to their respective meetings. Kaladrax and Aleera went to the Yawning Portal to meet up with Joldrass and see if he had any new information on the compass they were looking for. Kariss, meanwhile, took Milo and Hepolita with her to attend the government meeting among the Masked Lords and the Open Lord. Both groups were looking to find answers and they were going to get them tonight.
Kaldrax and Aleera walked through the streets towards the Yawning Portal when he asked if they could stop at one of the shops for a moment. Aleera agreed and they detoured to the shop. Kaladrax picked up a small, intricately carved wooden box from the smiling shopkeep. They exited the shop after paying for whatever was in the box. As they walked, Kaladrax explained what was in the box. He had commissioned a ring to be made. When Aleera jerked back in surprise, he calmed her down.
He reassured her that it was nothing crazy, just a small token for protection. Aleera visibly relaxed now that it was clear he was not going to be proposing. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, it was just a little too soon and they were too busy to think of anything close to marriage. She placed the ring on her finger, it had two stones embedded in the delicate setting. A diamond and a pearl. As long as she wore it, she would be somewhat protected from death.
They arrived at the Yawning Portal and made their way upstairs to the booth Joldrass had mentioned he would wait for them in. He was already seated and had a drink in hand as he waved them down. Aleera saw the man they had been assigned to watch by Force Grey and told Kaladrax that she would be back in a bit. She followed the man’s progress through the bar and saw that he sat down at a shadowed booth on the first floor. She watched him for an hour or so but noticed nothing dangerous. The only thing she noticed was that no matter how much he drank he never seemed to get drunk or even tipsy. He drank like it was water and didn’t show signs of stopping.
After the hour was up she went back to Kaladrax and Joldrass. They had finished speaking as well. It turned out Joldrass had located the compass they were searching for and handed it over to the shocked Dragonborn. They had not noticed, as they had been speaking, that their drinks had been brought over by a human woman with pink hair. Kaladrax thought he recognized her but did not remember the succubus of the Oasis and so she went unnoticed. No one saw her casting long glances at Kaladrax. Aleera and Kaladrax said their goodbyes to Joldrass and headed home for the night. They were eager to hear how the meeting of the Masked Lords had gone for the others.
For Kariss, Hepolita, and Milo it was a more eventful night. The trio arrived at the Open Lord’s office and made their way into the meeting chamber. There they saw three rows of identically dressed people. All looked to be the same build and height. No one could be distinguished from the others. At the front, also in similar robes but no mask, was the Open Lord, Laeral Silverhand. With a bang of her gavel on the old wooden pedestal, the meeting began.
Laeral outlined the reasons for this last minute meeting. She revealed that someone was in violation of their rules. The Masked Lords were stewards of the city, they were supposed to protect the citizens and the interests of the city. They were supposed to be bastions of the rule of law in Waterdeep. She asked that the person in question hand themselves over. There was a moment of silence and then nothing. Not a single person moved to reveal themselves. With that Laeral turned to Kariss and let her know that she could do nothing to reveal the culprit. If there was a way to do so, Kariss had to do it now.
For a second Kariss had no idea what to do but then she looked at her snake, Kess. Kess could sense the beings around her and Kariss wondered if she would be able to pick out the culprit. The robes did provide a measure of protection from detection so this was still a long shot. She sent Kess to weave among the seated guests. She slithered along the floor feeling for strange or out of place vibrations. She wasn’t having any luck and was almost to the end of her search when there was a small shift to her left. It was minute but plainly visible to Kess’s sensitive senses.
She wove around and wrapped herself around the Masked Lord. Laeral had one of the guards approach and remove the mask. It was indeed Mirt. He laughed and tried to deny any charges brought about. The others were shocked. Mirt, seeing that his luck was up, began to fight the snake. Chaos erupted as they fought. The other Masked Lords cleared out of the room in a hurry and left them to fight Mirt. It was a desperate fight with Mirt escaping the clutches of the snake, only to be felled by Milo from the shadows.
Laeral was both impressed and upset. Corruption had been revealed within the government. It was good that the culprit was apprehended but now they were left to wonder how many others might be corrupted as well. There was nothing to do about it tonight. Everyone had left and there was no other evidence of misconduct from the others. They would have to be satisfied with their small victory. The trio of adventurers left the offices, after giving their statements, back home to rest and check up on the recovering Zenriel. It had been a long day for everyone.
The Adventure Begins: Stories from the Wife of a Dungeon Master 