The hunt got off to a fast start in Northfrost. Sylas immediately started asking questions about the Sultan. No one had heard of him, but then, this was a huge place. The party headed deeper into the city in their search.
Sylas had not forgotten the guards’ interrogation at the docks. Although they were just doing their jobs, Sylas didn’t like their attitude. He found a local ruffian. One gold piece changed hands and secured some minor humiliation.
It wasn’t long before the party came to the attention of certain forces within the city. They were accosted in an alley by a group of armed men in brown leather jerkins. Speaking for them was Lis Kjeldrun. She was pale of hair and skin, as though she spent much of her time underground. And underground was where she “invited” the party to go.
Lis took the party to another district. They entered a nondescript tavern. Without asking permission, she stalked into the kitchens, ignoring the chef. There she lifted a hidden trapdoor and ushered the party down a ladder. What they saw was a hive of activity. Dozens of brown-armored thieves and rogues were at work cataloging stolen goods. This basement was awash with diamonds and gold and weaponry. At the heart of the operation, all pale and gaunt, stood the man in charge: Gustav Kass.
Everyone was tense. Gustav wanted to know why the party had been asking questions about the Sultan. And Sylas wanted answers. He was prepared to use force to get them, he explained. But Gustav held his ground: only he could provide a connection to the Sultan, and only if he believed Sylas meant no harm.
An arrangement was made. The party would somehow find a way into a local prison. Their task: to pass a ruby ring to a contact. This trade would complete an important deal for Gustav.
In return, Gustav promised to arrange a meeting between Sylas and the Sultan. But only after the prison job.
The party scouted out the prison district. It seemed like several nearby sewer entrances were promising options. However, they were guarded. A distraction was required. Egos approached a couple of noblewomen who were shopping in the market. He offered to show them a “magic trick”. One of them tried to shoo away the “beggar”, but the other was charmed. She watched, fascinated, as Egos made flames rise higher and glow brighter. She laughed and graciously tossed him a coin. Then things got out of hand.
With a flick of his fingers, Egos “accidentally” lost control of the flames. The market was all wood and waxed canvas. Soon, smoke was billowing out of the stalls. Merchants panicked and tried to save their goods. And crucially, the guards rushed over to help. This left Garrius free to smash his way into the sewer entrance. The party descended on the back of Tenser’s Floating Disc, using it to block the tunnel behind them.
Deep in the sewers, the party followed the flowing waste to its source: a giant tunnel heading upwards into the prison basements. The path was barred by a steel gate. They cursed Augustus’s name, for he was still sleeping off his heavy buzz from the night before. His lockpicking skills would have come in very handy. Still, the party eventually got past the gate. A ladder led up into the darkness… so they climbed as prisoners’ waste fell past them, and in some cases, onto them. Garrius was protected by his pristine white armor and shield, Addie by her parasol. The rest of the party just had to deal with it!