As the adventurers go about town, upgrading their equipment and replenishing supplies, they are surprised by an old friend - Jamna the gnome rogue! Through her underworld contacts, she has received a note from a cultist named Iskander. He claims to know where the green dragon mask is being studied by a group of mages, at a magical tower built by the great mage Xonthal. Iskander fears for his life if Tiamat should return, and so wishes to defect. He will help retrieve the mask in exchange for his own safety. The party speaks with their contacts on the Council of Lords, where the mood is somber. Dragons continue to ravage the lands, ever more widely. All their gathered intelligence points toward the Cult nearing their endgame - the summoning of Tiamat at the Well of Dragons. The Council lords are gathering their armies, preparing for an assault on the Cult's stronghold. But this defector Iskander provides one slim hope of disrupting the Cult's plans, before being forced to wage a costly battle at the Well of Dragons. Though it seems unlikely that Iskander can be rescued, the Council feels that any chance to gain an advantage against the Cult must be investigated. So the adventurers are sent to Xonthal's Tower, flying in on their wyvern mounts. Villagers near the tower report seeing lights in the tower at night, and some even claim to have seen a dragon, but none of this can be confirmed. The tower is surrounded by a magical hedge maze. From above, it appears completely overgrown, but from ground level it seems like a pleasant, well-tended garden with many paths. Avoiding the maze seems impossible, as magical defenses defeat any attempt to go over or around. As they are investigating the area, a man appears on the tower and shouts a warning...the cult has discovered Iskander's plans to defect! The man yells something about meeting them in the dungeon below the tower, but then he is set upon from within the tower! A flash of steel and spellfire ends with the attacker toppling over the tower ledge and falling to the ground, while the man who spoke disappears back inside. Unable to find another way in, the adventurers enter the maze, hoping to find their way through. The first intersection has eight identical paths leading in all directions, with a sundial in the middle. They attempt to move quickly toward the tower...but unfortunately, the maze does not cooperate. The sundial shadow points in odd directions, the tower itself seems to grow no closer, and they encounter a hazardous section occupied by an angry gorgon! They are able to escape this encounter when the ranger picks up a gem that allows them to return to the sundial intersection. As they move along, the shadows on the sundial change over time...perhaps they are making progress!