The bandit captain captured in session 4 turned out to have been hired by Air cultists to hunt down the traveling Benedictines, who had been carrying five individual pieces of what turned out to be a divine amulet. The bandit's name is Garry, and now he does contract work for Viktor. He led the party to his riverside hideout, which was well-stocked with supplies and a moderate amount of loot. Except for healing potions he needs for personal use due to the dangerous nature of his work, he opened his supplies for party use within reason. While Garry and a shady but un-named (hey, nobody asked or seemed interested) friend slept off a night of drinking and tabletop gaming, the party went to Bargewright Inn to connect with Viktor's local Zhentarim contact. There they found some common ground with the Zhentarim, who have offered logistical support in exchange for the party pursuing the common goal of dealing with the cultist menace (which is bad for business). Rested and armed to the teeth, they departed on horseback to find the monastery from which the Benedictines had set forth. Along the way, they encountered a party of Neverwinter warforged cavalry engaged in battle with hippogriff-mounted Air cultists. One warforged soldier survived the encounter, and one cultist flew off in the direction of the Sumber Hills, which is generally believed to be the location of the four elemental cults, who the Zhentarim suspect to have taken over ancient dwarven strongholds. The warforged Corporal Jenkins recognized the name of the individual Faeron has been tracking, promising to send back any information he can obtain to Red Larch. He then departed via magic portal with what the PCs wouldn't have recognized as a primitive musket. Without further incident, the party arrived at the monastic community at the edge of the High Forest. Upon paying respects and passing along what information they had about the ill-fated Benedictine travelers, they were given information about the amulet, as well as a working amulet, by Brother Georgian. He had spent decades in mystical contemplation and knew the secrets of harmonizing the elements for Good, which he considered a religious duty. He suspected that the Air cultists either wanted the mystics murdered or to take possession of the amulet for Evil, but could not guess which. Abbot Whelan then intimated that he had dispatched the murdered priest and monks with an unfinished amulet in hopes that it might be used for Good in ways that the monks could not. The amulet was presented to Garrick, to whom the monks had taken a particular liking. Whelan suggested that he either attune it to himself and use it in the cause of Good, or to get it into the hands of the Harpers for their use.
