Session 27 - Zoyana to the Command Tent (recap)

In this session, Zoyana split from the party and investigated the command tent…

• After leaving Aegar, Pliny, and Fang at the watchtower, Zoyana, in the form of a spider, scurried her way to the camp floor.
• In the fading light, she avoided dangers big (humanoids, kobolds, drakes) and small (scorpions, crows) to approach the command tent.
• She crawled through the small gap between the tent and the ground, and her eight eyes blinked in the bright torchlight. From the legs and she you could see, there were 5 humanoids around a table. One in purple robes with its back to her, a black lizard-like tail hanging out the back. Two humanoids flanked each side of the table, one in red robes, another in purple, and two in black leather trousers.
• The tents were almost teepee style, with 8 poles along the inside of the canvas. She skirted along the crack/space between the pole and the fabric, and began to climb.
• As she cleared the height of the table, every hair on her spider body stood on end and she freeze. Along with the books and papers on the table sat a scorpion. [Shawna: “Fuck”]
  • The scorpion was of normal size, but still much larger than Zoyana’s spider. It was facing away as the humanoids were talking, and she was sure it didn’t see her (yet), and wouldn’t if she stayed out of sight and quiet.
• On the table, she saw a map, [much like the Sword Coast ones we’ve discussed] and a handful of books.
• Zoyana stayed still, hoping to hear some of their discussion, and inspecting the maps from afar for anything identifiable, like markings that may show where they are heading next or anything.
  • There were a handful of rocks on the map.
    • One where the party as at the raider’s camp.
      
    • One to the east and south of Greenest (a little below the “N” in “GREENEST” on the map).
      
    • One to the north of Greenest and a bit West, about half way to The Wood of Sharp Teeth.
      
    • And one between Waterdeeep and Neverwinter over the “Mere of Dead Men”.
      
  • The books and papers obscured other parts of the map, but they appeared placed haphazardly, rather than as markers.
  • As she looked a little closer, Zoyana noticed a number of Xs marked across the map.
    • <DM to provide snapshot of the map with what Zoyana remembers of the locations of rocks and Xs>
  • The scorpion was the only other thing of note on the table.
• Now that she was higher, she could also see the humanoids better.
  • Those in black trousers, one man and one woman, were wearing blue cloaks and large emblems of Tiamat around their necks.
  • The woman at the side of the table wearing purple robes was the same black-haired woman the party saw in
  • The man in the red robes, Zoyana had never seen before.
  • The half-dragon with its back to her turned, and she see the same black half-dragon face she saw in Greenest. Flash. It’s night. You are a child. Your left hand hurts. You look down, it’s bleeding. “Well done young one,” she says, as she takes the knife from you. She hands you a white cloth to wrap your palm. “And Thank You,” she says with a sinister grin, as she puts a comforting hand on your shoulder. Flash.
• Zoyana blinked. The black half-dragon was looking at the black-haired lady to her right as she turned.
  
• Zoyana realized black half-dragon had been talking:
  • “…hang him in the morning…”
  • “Yes, a dragon who flies away and a headless champion with more ‘honor’ than brains.” She looked to the the two in blue in turn “please thank Galvan for me when you see him.”
  • They clenched their teeth, silently.
  • “This was too early. Severin was a fool.”
  • “I don’t like it. The monk knew too much. He says he’s here alone, but even with magic I don’t trust him. Meddling Harpers.”
  • “If we had waited, we could have gone directly. Now, we split the carts, at least to Baldur’s Gate.”
  • Zoyana realized that they were almost certainly talking about Leosin, both as the one they were going to hang and the monk who knew too much.
  • The black half-dragon looked to the black-haired lady, and got a wicked twinkle in her eye. “Frulam, I wish I could stay to see the two promoted, but the brew wont be ready until at least tomorrow night.”
  • She leaned over the map. “Our scavengers are already out. We wont be too far behind those who went North, and might meet the band that went East before they get to…”
  • Frulam: “I agree on you going, but at least let us keep some”
  • “Why?”
  • “I don’t know, and that’s why.” Frulam continued, “the clutch isn’t ready. What if defenses do come? What if we need to take the hatchlings to Th<mumbles/whispers> W<mumbles/whispers>?”
• Zoyana didn’t move a spidery-muscle.
  • The half dragon slammed her palm on the table “You will NOT! But you’re right. Fine. You can keep some baubles…”
  • The blue-cloaked male interrupted: “In the Shrine to the Dragon Queen, Rezmir”
  • Rezmir continued, “…In the Shrine to the Dragon Queen.”
  • She squinted and idly tapped the rock on top of the Mere of the Dead Men as she said, “And bring them North with you to Castle Naerytar when the time comes.”
  • “In the meantime, you have more kobolds now. Set them doing what they do. In a week or two, you’ll have all the defenses you’ll need to hole up in there as long as necessary.”
    • Zoyana, not knowing anythign else they could be talking about, assumed they were talking about the cave at the back of the camp.
  • Rezmir looked to the man in red, who hasn’t spoken: “You Jos? What about you?”
  • “Rath Modar will consider this a success I think. The town fell with ease. No one has any reason to suspect who or why, let alone where we’re going. I stay with you, I think.”
• Zoyana, getting the sense that they were wrapping up, began to climb down to try to intercept Aegar & Pliny before they got to the prisoners.
  • As she started to climb down, she heard the half dragon: “Agreed then?”
  • Rezmir put one black-scaled hand down flat on the table, fingers splayed, and everyone followed.
  • They nodded and said “Hail Tiamat” in low tones, and then started wiggling their fingers and sliding them forward toward the scorpion in the center.
  • (the man in red noticeably kept his hand flat, unmoving.)
  • The scorpion struck Rezmir, the half-dragon, first, and she only smiled a wicked grin.
  • It spun and struck one of the blue cloaks, who screamed and grabbed his hand, which immediately started to swell. The women in purple laughed, and Rezmir says “looks like you chose the wrong color”
  • As Zoyana snuck her way back out of the tent, she hear him reply “All colors have strengths under Her gaze” as he cradled his hand.
• With about 15 minutes left on her Pass Without Trace, and in the faded light, Zoyana moved toward the cliff that she knew Aegar & Pliny would be heading down…

NPCs Interacted With

• Rezmir, the black half-dragon in purple robes
• Frulam, the black-haired lady in purple robes
• Jos, the red robed human
• A woman and a man wearing blue cloaks, black trowsers, and large emblems of Tiamat around their necks.

Locations Visited

• The Raider’s Camp Command Tent

Experience Per Character