Castle Maerimydra -- The Two Towers -- November 18th, 2012

For further work against the castle's defenses you each received 23,000 experience points

You are once again safe in the great city of Waterdeep. Having faced harrowing danger and with perhaps even greater odds soon ahead as your quest draws nearer a confrontation, you feel a sense of both trepidation and angry excitement.

Feeling a sense of both trepidation and angry excitement, D'yb reminds his companions that time is of the essence and while they spend the day in Waterdeep, they should take care to complete all tasks in a timely manner.

"Let us sell our various acquisitions and re-equip ourselves proper... we should perhaps check in with our employers. It's not every day that you bring down the forbiddance spell guarding your enemy from your other enemy."

He flips open his spell book and almost instantly finds what he's looking for.

"Also, if you don't mind... I'd like to take the Phantom Steeds instead of the usual teleport. I'd like to feel the fresh wind on my face before heading back down into that smokey old cavern full of dead things and sweaty giants. I'll just be a moment... enjoy a beverage or something."

D'yb flies up a ways, finds a quiet spot, and starts to prepare a Communal Phantom Steed spell. Moxie floats nearby; strumming on her lyre.

Eleven minutes later a number of quasi-real horse-like hoverbikes idle a few inches about the ground, awaiting their riders. D'yb whispers and you hear it in your ears as if he were right next to you:

"Let's ride."

Before we head off I seriously need to buy some things so we don't have a repeat of our last encounter. Potions of see invisibility is a must. But I need to ask all of you for ideas on upping my defensive capabilities on a short time. Any advice would be appreciated. I know we have a short time here in waterdeep, so upgrading my armor is definitely a no go. Also wouldn't mind stopping in to the Tavern for an ale or two or three......

You fly through the skies of the city, taking in it's great expanse as you soar towards Castle Ward and the inn of the Yawning Portal. D'ybb is somewhat distracted as he flies over the city for the first time and takes notice of a strange but extremely powerful magical field that seems to permeate the entire area of the metropolis, which has the appearance of some permanent effect encompassing multiple schools of magic created by arcanists of epic power sometime in the distant past.

Taking care to skirt around the curtain walls of Castle Waterdeep in respect for the archers mounting it's battlements, your phantom steeds alight in the street out the inn of the Yawning Portal, the establishment of Durnan, one of your high-ranking Harper associates. Entering the spacious but roughly decorated taproom, the gruff, burly suspected Lord of Waterdeep (Durnan) sends a mousy young serving girl to direct you to a curtained booth in the secluded second floor of the Inn and provides you with two jugs of a local dark ale and a bottle of fine Calashite red wine. Under one of the jugs you find a note informing you that the lady paladin Eather Heilean will be along shortly to confer with you on matters of import.

Before the serving girl leaves I order a jug of ale and a hearty meal.
I then get down to business asking the man if he can offer us anything to help with our return and continued fight in the underdark. Whether it be items he can give us or discounts on things that could be useful. I will leave the explaining of the situation to one of the others who have more details then I do.

D'yb pulls out a parchment and quill and passes the time making a list of equipment that the party should consider investing in as he waits for Eather Heilean to make her appearance.


-=-=-

Scrolls:

More heal...
Mass Fly...
Mage's Disjunction...
True Seeing...
Invisibility Purge...
Mage's Magnificent Mansion...
Shrink Item...
Treasure Stitching...
Control Undead...
Greater Dispel Magic...
Displacement...
Time Stop...

Wands:

Knock
Stone Shape
Good Hope
Wind Wall
Gust of Wind
CLW


Potions:

Fly
Haste
Invsisibility
See Invisible
Countless Eyes (cannot be flanked 5hours duration)
Displacement (5 rounds? ick.)
Blur (20% miss chance, 3 minutes)

Other:
Pearls of Power

-=-=-=-=-

Moxie shakes her head and takes a swig from her tiny cup. "Wizards," she smirks. "Always the life of the party."

While drinking my ale I look at d'yb shaking my head incomprehensibly. Knowing only that his pondering could make things a lot easier.
"Where is this woman we are meant to talk to? Running low on ale and itching to get back into the fight. Time for some payback." I say to no one in particular

After about half a jug of ale there is a slight pop of displaced air outside your booth and the newly teleported Eather Heilean stomps in, her boots covered in mud and chunks of dried gore and blood still stuck to her dented but still shining (and to D'ybb's eyes highly magical) armor. "War with the Phaerimm aint' goin so well.' She helps herself to a mug of your ale and downs half of it in one pull. "Got us pinned down with our backs to a flooded river east of the Serpent Hills. Would of gone worse if it wasn't for the Help of Storm and Laeral."

"How goes things down in Maerimydra. You make it in that castle yet?"

I explain things the best I can letting the others elaborate where needed and add information that I may have missed. Especially the parts after my death. I'll leave the talk about the magic up to my friends. Since running low on ale I'll order a few more jugs to share around. I also restate the request for any help that could be offered. Information or otherwise.

Last post was me.....forgot to log in

D'yb lifts his head from the paper and releases the quill which somehow continues to create a list of potential purchases.

He fills the paladin in with all strategic and magical details in a way that is brief and to the point. He is respectful of her time, knowing full well that while she might appreciate a break from combat, her allies would no doubt appreciate her continued assistance.

"The weave is getting worse by the day down there, and we were forced to bring down the forbiddance that protected the castle from the army of fire giants. The giants have no way of knowing the forbiddance is down, but I fear it won't take long before one of the lummoxes decides to test the defences again."

The quill stops, dips itself in the inkpot, and returns to work.

"Kiransalee's minions can no doubt put up another forbiddance, at great financial cost and may require some time to create enough unholy water to cast the spell... but, I believe that in a ressource war, we can win over any forbiddance with some scrolls of Mage's Disjunction."

The quill pauses for a moment until D'yb looks over at it. It scribbles a few more words and lays itself neatly beside the parchment.

"That said, we thought it best to report about the likely turmoil down there before it escalates... our plan is to return tomorrow better prepared for the formidable opposition found in the underdark and castle."