After turning in Captain Helmut Hookhands to the city watch in the early morning light, the party found a brief moment of rest.
That night, Mayla once again communed with Sindatari, the new God of Death. He warned her:
“The Muse must be kept safe. It will predict where the Mask will fall.”
With this cryptic warning fresh in her mind, the party gathered the next morning, sharing breakfast and recruiting Jofire, the Ocean’s Oath guild wizard, for their next mission:
Find out who could fence a painting as priceless and controversial as The Muse.
Their first destination was Queen’s Plaza, Rosenhall’s art and culture district, in search of Eran Serederias. They found him doing a book signing at Tomes, a high-end bookstore for collectors and nobles, promoting his new memoir, Me and The Hero. The line was seventy minutes long, so instead, they spoke with a nearby noble:
Dr. Sydney Cauldwell Jr., an Azmarian investor and backer of the Azmar Express, who hinted that the only gallery with the means to handle art like The Muse was The Golden Frame.
At The Golden Frame, four exquisite portraits lined the walls, and an illusory elf greeted guests. But Mayla noticed something others might miss: thieves’ cant scrawled on one of the paintings. She used it to reveal a hidden stairwell leading deep below the gallery.
In the underground vault, they found a trove of stolen art and jewelry, guarded by two humans and a goblin, Golden Rat Syndicate members. Thinking fast, Saratuc posed as an agent of the “Ruby Rats,” a rival faction, and intimidated the crew into fleeing without bloodshed.
Deeper still, they found a private office, and within it: a Githyanki Bandit Captain, armed and dangerous. A fierce battle erupted, leaving the office in shambles and the captain dead.
Mayla cracked the hidden safe, uncovering:
- 1,000 gold pieces
- A +1 rapier
- And, most disturbingly: blackmail notes
The documents implicated city officials, guards, and port sheriffs, all compromised by the Golden Rat Syndicate. Every note was signed with a single letter:
“H.”
Saratuc quickly deduced this referred to Hardin Tomcat, the criminal mastermind behind the Golden Rats, and the brother of the disgraced Duke Ondor Sev.
With the Muse, the Dragon, and the Syndicate all pointing back to the Sev family, the truth is undeniable:
The Sev brothers must be found.
The conspiracy must be shattered.
But with so many hands dirty, who can still be trusted?
The Guild? The Watch? Even Captain Monsterblade?
As the walls close in, the party descends deeper into a city rotting from within.