Garrius collected his Strange Toolkit…
He left the sewers with Addie. As they passed through a gate, they saw Egos running off into the distance. “Got something to take care of!”, he yelled.
Fed up with being divided, the remainder of the party decided to head back to the inn. They found Augustus slumped under a table…
Garrius dragged Augustus to his feet and slapped him awake. “We could have used your skills for what we just did”, he glared, “and here you are snoring on the floor!” Once Augustus was back in the party, they met up with Lis. She approved of the party’s methods in the prison. “Ah, chaos – my favorite!” She led them once again to Gustav’s basement.
Gustav was pleased with the party’s success. As agreed, he directed Sylas to a meeting with the Sultan. Sylas was suspicious he was being led into a trap. However, Gustav insisted it was all just business – and a fair trade. The Sultan would meet the party in the Canal District. A purple hat and robes would mark him out. But they had only until daybreak to find him. After that, the Sultan would move on.
Some exploration led the party to the Sultan. The area seemed like a normal neighborhood. One couple were sitting in their forecourt enjoying lunch and discussing the weather. No obvious signs of a trap could be seen, so Sylas approached the Sultan.
But the Sultan had no words. He refused to answer simple questions. All he did was sip from his teacup. Sylas grew frustrated and smashed the cup into the cobblestones – or tried to. His hand passed through. The Sultan was fake.
Much worse was to come. The Sultan trap triggered the spawn of a gigantic phase spider. Rapidly, it webbed Sylas and Garrius, and assaulted the others.
The beast was a real challenge. It flipped between an ethereal state, where it could not be harmed by weapons and other solid objects, and a corporeal state, where it could be struck but reflected spells and magic effects. Augustus quickly freed Garrius and Sylas by shooting off a couple of crossbow bolts. The spider was eventually destroyed, but Sylas was gravely wounded and fell in the melee. With a flick of her hand, Addie restored him to full health.
Perhaps the only good thing to come out of this battle was a surprise for Calarel. She obtained a small Phase Spider Egg that later hatched into a baby phase spider. She decided to name it Eggos – and Egos immediately declared himself a co-parent of their strange “child”.
Sylas was furious. He and his friends had done what was asked of them and in return, they had been led into a deadly trap. He was no closer to getting the answers he sought. The party discussed the situation – including their suspicions about the reasons for Gustav and the Sultan occupying dark, shady basements and corners and refusing to be exposed to sunlight. It was time to get some information.
The party returned to Gustav’s basement bent on vengeance. However, all they found was a note…
