A Whole Lot, But Condensed to Essentials

Carnath Roadhouse

Since the group had learned from Larion Keenblade about the Carnath Roadhouse on the coast road, they decided to get out ahead of the caravan and leave Adelstad immediately along the Coast Road northward.  After several uneventful days' journey, they discovered the roadhouse, which was being used as a waystation and materials depot for the construction workers rebuilding the road between Adelstad and Neverwinter, through the Mere of Dead Men.  There they encountered Bog Luck, the manager of the operation.  Investigations during the night led them to the discovery of a secret tunnel under the locked storage room, and several Lizardfolk moving loot from the storage room to someplace else.  The STU engaged with combat with the Lizardfolk - along with Bog Luck and some cultists - and defeated them.  One of the Lizardfolk -- Snapjaw -- was impressed with the party's fighting acumen and surrendered, telling them that his people were being oppressed by the cultists and Bullywugs at a castle (to which the loot was being transported).  Snapjaw offered to help the Party sneak into the castle as cultists, in return for the party creating an opportunity for a Lizardfolk uprising.  Snapjaw led them through the swamp to the castle.  On the way, the party had a distant sighting of the famed black dragon Voraghammanthar, master of the Mere, flying overhead.

Castle Naerytar

The STU arrived at Castle Naerytar to find things as Snapjaw described them -- a hierarchy of cultists, led by Rezmir, the black wyrmspeaker, and the high-elf castellan Dralmorrer Borngray (who was apparently a rabid elf supremacist), under which were Bullywugs, led by their shaman king Pharblex Spattergoo, and - at the bottom - Lizardfolk laborers and guards.  Borngray did seem more favorable to the Lizardfolk, and was trying to teach them metallurgy, but he could not do much against Rezmir, who apparently had made the deal with the Bullywugs.

The group spent some time pretending to be cultists and investigating the castle, especially during one nighttime escapade by Flippy.  On the second day, however, they were recognized by Azbara Jos, who had been a magic-using member of the caravan.  He asked some of the group to join him in his rooms for a conversation, where he admitted to being a Red Wizard from Thay.  He described how his homeland was being ruled by a Demilich and hordes of undead, and that he was part of a faction trying to free Thay from the undead yoke, and that this faction was trying to forge an alliance with the Cult of the Dragon in the hope that with the aid of dragons they could successfully rebel.  He seemed to be seeking to learn what information the STU already knew about the cult and its activities.  After the conversation he let them go in peace.  The STU also discovered that the cult was taking the treasure to an observatory at the top of the keep, from which it was apparently teleported somewhere else.

The next morning, however, the STU were awakened by Borngray and a group of cultists trying to take them into custody.  The party decided to fight, and engaged in a mobile battle with cultists.  Meanwhile, the Lizardfolk saw this as the moment they had been awaiting, and launched their own uprising against the Bullywugs.  During the chaos and battle, Rezmir was able to flee into the observatory.  Flippy - evading several fireballs -- managed to take down a fleeing Azbara Jos, and part of the group got into a deadly fight with an Otyugh, which was hiding amid the castle sewage.  

Once the fighting had died down (or moved outside the castle), the STU had time to investigate.  They made several noteworthy discoveries in Rezmir's chambers, including the activation word to a teleportation circle located in the observatory, as well as several treasures.  They also came across Larion Keenblade, who had apparently snuck in and was looting the leftover treasure in the Great Hall.  The STU relieved him of his portable hole, but otherwise let him go unscathed.  Larion expressed an intention to get himself settled in Neverwinter, but looked frightened when the party mentioned the name of Malgitor.  

The STU found their way into the observatory blocked by magical doors.  The party was able to deduce that some kind of code word or phrase was needed to open them, aided by an entry they had found in Rezmir's papers.  The party found old statues around the castle that seemed to be related to the doors, with words in different languages.  Battling giant spiders and specters along the way, they managed to find all the statues and, using a scroll of comprehend languages they found, figured out the pass phrase.  

Inside the observatory, they found a type of magical telescope, which was currently aimed at the lair of Voraghammanthar, several miles away.  Curiously, there appeared to be two lair entrances, fairly close to one another.  Using the activation word they had found, a teleportation circle formed, and the party was whisked away to a new location.

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