The raging fire engulfed Frederick's former mansion. Neighbors and their staff started arriving to try and help contain it while the firefighter's guild was being summoned. Naivara , Halle , and Titus suggested that Varis leave the scene before authorities showed up. Rhogar left with him so he wasn't going alone. Magistars and town guard arrived with August Sutcliffe , the noble who ran away. He accused the group of starting the fire and killing the other nobles but the group quickly turned the conversation around and got August to confess their plan to scare and embarrass Halle's brother Fredrick by selling him a "haunted house" for an exorbant sum of money. Fredrick's to him debt was publicly declared cancelled, and the Magistars led August away in disgrace. Halle offered to employ the Halfling twins Shellby and Wellby at his manor. They enthusiastically accepted. Halle begrudgingly suggested Frederick stay at the manor too, temporarily. While volunteers and the fire fighter's guild handled the fire, the group left to return to their homes. That night at Halle's house, Titus, Halle, and Rhogar heard a chorus of voices whisper telepathically to them, "Thank you for freeing us." In the morning Halle tried to talk some sense into Frederick. Naivara offered to help him learn the value of money and how to relate better to people by letting him work at her Library. His grand failure weighing heavily on him, Frederick declined and left to continue to find his own way. While preparing to head south Lady Blossom Snobeedle arrived to the manor, very annoyed they were going to leave without checking on their Wyvrens. Naivara helped smooth things over by setting up to purchase a respectable amount of product from their orchard and meadery. Halle, Titus, and Naivara went to check on the Wyverns and found a very exasperated Edhelri Lewel tending to them. She had been so busy keeping them in line this whole time that she hadn't been able to figure out how to communicate with them like she could with the beasts of the wilds. Furgus slipped away to visit a friend, and was dropped back off by Loska , the awakened winter wolf who accompanies Delaan Winterhound . Naivara and Halle spent some time getting two of the Wyvrens to warm up to them, in the processing naming them Aráto and Pelecta . Together with Titus they decided to fly south using the Wyvrens and Titus' giant eagle, Aquila , to try and search for the demon Lord Volmer . They left a message for Rhogar and Varis to head south towards Boarskyr Bridge with the cart they previously set up, and they would meet together on the road. The journey south along the Trade Way took about 5 days. Along the way ruins of caravans were discovered, burned by dragonfire. Weary travelers warned them that paying protection money was the only safe way to avoid a similar fate. Halle, Naivara, and Titus managed to miss whoever or whatever was behind this, and on the fifth day of travel discovered a tent at a crossroads. Cultists outside the main tent informed the group that Lord Volmer had been expecting them. As they confronted the Bone Fiend he indicated to them he had knowledge to give them, and would gladly do so for a price. He insinuated that Titus' mother made a similar deal. He claimed that his death here at their hands would be little more than a minor setback to him - his master, the Pit Fiend Bel , was opposed to this plot to free Tiamat from Avernus since Zariel was in favor of it. Lord Volmer professed to be able to tell them any of the following: How the necromancer that killed Naivara's sister is working to return to life. Where the Yajerit Clan survivors can be found. What danger Titus' sister is being led into by a Celestial and members of the church. What spy exists in the midst of the Council of Waterdeep. What deal was made with Titus' mother. All it would cost them was a signature on a piece of paper, forfeiting their souls to him and his master upon their death, or other payments as negotiated. As a "show of good faith" he offered to answer one of those questions for free. After much deliberating, the group decided to learn about the danger Titus' sister, Livia, was in. The Bone Fiend was glad to inform them the celestial Valandras was working with a sect of the Church of Lathander to turn Livia into some sort of weapon against the Cult of the Dragon - a weapon that they believed would end the threat of the cult, but would in reality only accomplish her death and little more. When the group resolved to tell her the truth of this, Lord Volmer asked with a smile, "But with what proof will you convince her?" Talks broke down from there, and a fight broke out. None of the combatants targeted Titus, and the physical attacks he made against others with his mother's glaive, the Dawncutter , were observed to heal the fiend. Once the Dawncutter was turned on him, only the radiant energy the weapon produced caused him pain, and eventually appeared to discorporate him. The Wyvrens fed happily on the bodies of the cultists, and Halle, Titus, and Naivara were left to ponder these developments. Meanwhile, when Varis and Rhogar fled the burning mansion they returned to the Xanathar Guild , where they relayed the events of Rhogar's partially successful mission to the Mind Flayer Nihiloor . He remained unimpressed with their efforts, but for half a job done he let them keep the half-payment he had provided. Rhogar and Varis encountered members of the Zhentarim meeting with The Xanathar , and were surprised to see Farideh among them. Eavesdropping, they heard a bunch of business transactions being discussed - among them an old house in the Sea Ward which the Zhentarim sold on The Xanathar's behalf to a bunch of doddering nobles for a large sum so they could prank someone with a "haunted house." The meeting concluded with a split of the money from all these business transactions. Farideh saw Rhogar and convinced him to talk with her in private, where she confessed to being a Zhentarim agent and part of a partnership between their organization and the Xanathar Guild. She offered membership to him and to Varis, but Rhogar declined for the time being. Rhogar asked Farideh about other survivors of their clan, and she said she had heard rumors of them to the north, but never followed up on it. She said the Zhentarim might be able to learn something, and estimated the cost for that information to be around 200 gold. Rhogar paid, and they parted with a kiss. Varis tried to shadow one of the other Zhentarim members as she left - a Tiefling who did most of the talking in the meeting. She easily noticed him and confronted him in the arena. She introduced herself as Rian Nightshade , and told him she was impressed with what she had heard of Varis and Rhogar. She said the offer Farideh made would see both of them welcome - and safe - in her organization. Both Varis and Rhogar were given a way to contact them again if they changed their minds. The following morning Rhogar and Varis received the note Halle left for them and began traveling south along the Trade Way with the prisoner carriage the Harpers acquired for them. Along the way they also spotted the remains of burned caravans, and fellow travelers suggested they pay for safety if given the chance. During their travel they were accosted by a red half-dragon riding a red dragon. The half dragon with red scales, Emberrin , charged them 50 gold for "protection" from dragons on their journey. The red dragon Chemricranth impatiently stepped forward to interrupt his bother and amend the price to "50 gold per person ." The young dragon seemed disappointed when they paid. As the two flew off, Chemricranth re-ignited some old remains of a past caravan and was heard telling Emberrin he did that "to make sure there were no survivors." At game start it is 4 Nightal in the Year of the Warrior Princess . Each group of the party has traveled for five days along the Trade Way, though at different speeds.
