After the nightmarish battle at the cemetery, the party trooped back to Moonbright. Along the way, they identified their reward from Chief Shov’rakh as a Ring of Deceiver’s Warning. This magical piece of jewelry glows red in the presence of shape-changed beings. Perhaps the chief didn’t have a use for it, but the adventurers surely would.
When the party reached town, they immediately headed to Mayor Yara Ranit’s office. The mayor received the news regarding the kobolds with skepticism. Still, she accepted their one-week departure time as acceptable… with a caveat. Pets and livestock were still disappearing in the area, and she wanted that stopped.
As proof, she put a gnawed dog collar on her desk. Yannick successfully identified the bite marks as canine. So the kobolds weren’t responsible, but if not them, who? She paid 25 g.p. to each party member as agreed in their contract, with the condition that they seek out the animal-killer.
The meeting ended when screams sounded from the street.
A flaming barge threatened to plow into the docks, where a number of helpless workers stood. Thanks to some creative problem-solving involving a bat shape-change, a rope, and the anchor-drop lever, the party prevented any severe damage.
Back at the mayor’s office, she impressed several things upon the party:
- She wanted the group to investigate the captain and crew’s fate. Mayor Ranit offered 750 gp for the task, which is the estimated value of the impounded barge (minus repairs).
- This incident wasn’t good for Moonbright’s commerce. She worried whether the barge was attacked.
- The barge was expected for a routine visit. An elf named Blanquard Urhanroot) captained it. It traveled from the south on the Northcord River.
- Mayor Ranit can arrange for the loan of mules to make regional travel easier.
At the end of the meeting, Yara Ranit strongly suggested that Captain Cristof of the Triolo’s Sorrow might be a pirate. The Triolo’s Sorrow is the very ship that delivered the party to Moonbright. Before visiting the Sorrow again, the group first investigated the damaged barge.
Above decks, Daegon found signs of a struggle; something attacked the ship up top and then headed below. Mortimer found a ledger, but it looked sanitized to remove evidence of smuggling.
Below decks, the party found three animal cages, each with a hole melted through its door. Careful investigation revealed canine bite marks similar to those on the pet collar. With a little deductive reasoning, everyone guessed the ship’s covert cargo: hellhounds. Hellhounds which now roamed the area.
Curious to see how the kobolds were faring and whether they’d seen the hellhounds, the party returned to the encampment. When they arrived, a colorful new kobold met them — one Cliff didn’t seem to like. It was a polymorphed Photothrax, and he revealed Astrid is his daughter. With Luna dead, he’s unsure how to meet her needs. He cannot remain long in the same place, or he’ll disrupt weather patterns and cause a drought. Taking her into the Astral Sea with him isn’t an option, either.
Everyone then met with the chief and Meepo. Meepo knew nothing about the hellhounds, but he did know something else. Somebody was scrying the party nonstop. It seemed The Umbral Dragon kept a much closer eye on them than imagined. Worried, the group returned to Moonbright so they could consult Theonius at the Triolo’s Sorrow.
Daegon spoke with Captain Cristof on arrival. Cristof confirmed both he and his minotaur first mate formerly lived the pirate life, but that unfortunate circumstances in Triolo forced them to flee. As for the flaming barge, Cristof relayed a rumor about the crew being smugglers.
Below decks, Theonius offered a solution to the scrying problem: a prototype mechanical bird in the shape of a raven, capable of navigating The Labyrinth, blocking scrying, and discovering Labyrith-related anomalies. Its name was Tok, and its companion bird, Tik, would allow for two-way communication at a distance.
The first thing Tok reported was a Labyrinth Walker within ten to fifteen miles: Mossbeard. Tok could take the party to him whenever they liked. But first, another pressing issue called in town. Ebril found them and complained about her missing boyfriend again. Then the foreman of a woodcutting site ran into town, reporting that something flattened his camp and took his men. Oh, and there were reports of people vanishing at Mossbeard Mill.
Problems seemed to stack up faster than the group could clear them…