Though the adventurers have retrieved a dragon mask, none of the Council's agents in Waterdeep have the expertise to determine how to use or destroy it. The Harpers have a possible solution, though - they have been approached by an agent of the Red Wizards of Thay named Ilmicch. She has brought an invitation, specifically addressed to the adventurers, to come to Thay and discuss a possible alliance. If the Red Wizards can be convinced to help, perhaps they can determine what to do with the mask. Ilmicch teleports the party to Nethwatch Keep in Thay, a stronghold ruled by the vampire Tharchion Eseldra Yech. They are brought to an audience with the Tharchion, and after verifying their identities, she proposes that Ilmicch be assigned as liaison to the Council. The Red Wizards wish to find traitors, exiled wizards who have abandoned their fellows to work with the Cult. When the Council finds word of these traitor wizards, particularly their leader Rath Modar, Ilmicch will report it to Thay and action will be taken. This seems a bit one-sided to the adventurers, so they request that more substantial help in the form of military aid also be provided. The Tharchion is willing to consider this, but needs to consult with her superiors. The party is given rooms for the night, and she will have an answer in the morning. Induris investigates the rooms and determines them to be safe, and the party settles down to pass the night. While sleeping, everyone except the cleric is wracked with nightmares. Each dreams of being put to the question by Red Wizard torturers, pushed to reveal everything they know about the Cult's plans, their own pasts, and their motives in coming to Thay. By the end of the night, they are exhausted, feeling the aftereffects of the nightmare as painful headaches. Ilmicch and another Red Wizard comes to their quarters as they are finishing breakfast the next morning, but the news is not good. The Red Wizard leadership does not trust the Council, and has decided not to provide their assistance. As the adventurers absorb this news, the other wizard casts a spell and they are instantly transported... The party appears in an abandoned farmhouse and is immediately under attack! Cultists, red-robed mages, and even a red dragon surround them, clearly having been waiting in ambush. They shout support for the Cult, Tiamat, and the traitor Red Wizard Rath Modar. The initial attack fells Shazz'm the cleric, but the rest of the party is able to regroup, revive him, and defeat the ambush. In the middle of battle, Ilmicch teleports in and shouts a warning, but seeing the raging battle realizes that she has come too late. She assists in finishing off the attackers, then deals with the traitor mages in Red Wizard fashion - stripping secrets from their dying minds, then raising the corpses as servant wights. From this she learns that the Cult leader, Severin, is with Modar at the Well of Dragons and is preparing to begin the ritual that will bring Tiamat back into this world. The party returns to Waterdeep, a short trip from the ambush site. The Council are happy to see the adventurers returned safely, but disappointed to hear that no alliance with the Red Wizards was negotiated. Despite this, Ilmicch offers her own services to the Council, saying she feels personally honor-bound to assist after her failure to protect them from the traitors. She is able to analyze the captured dragon mask, but unfortunately finds that it is a sophisticated fake - probably intentionally given to the traitor Iskander. It seems the Cult has all of the masks after all, and the return of Tiamat is only a matter of time, unless the Council can stop it!