The Quest Begins

Dinivan the gnome, Ellaran the elf, Vaegar the dwarf, and I (Zed the
Invincible) journeyed to the lower quarters and a less reputable area
of Sharn. We were to meet someone there about the Journal
discovered the night before.

I was on point. Before long we saw the man. He wore robes and
held a stick in his hand. To each side of him stood a warrior. Each
had a green claw symbol on chest and shield. Their leader, this man,
demanded that we give him the journal. We did not answer.
His patience quickly wore thin, and he ordered his men to attack.

They closed the distance, while their leader remained far back
behind. One attacked Ellaran, and the elf was able to counter strike.
I stepped forward and chopped the other one in two, with one mighty
swing of my Great Sword.

Then their leader used his magic-stick and fired a burst from it at
me! It hurt slightly, but then I recognized him as the attacker from
the lightning rail. Meanwhile, Vaegar attacked the remaining guard
as well.

The leader shot me a few times with his stick, but one time he looked
surprised when no magic issued forth. Dinivan was somehow able
to get close enough to heal me, and he countered the magical
wounds from the leader. Finally, we were able to finish the second
guard. I charged the leader and killed him, with the aid of Vaegar's
and Ellaran's blades.

We collected what we could for selling, leaving the items with the
green symbols on them. I carried the two suits of chainmail over my
shoulders. Then we left the area for safer quarters.

We secured another room for rest, which Dinivan kept insisting
upon. The dwarf wanted to stay up to guard, and so I watched him.
After Dinivan fell asleep, something was slipped under the door from
the hall.
I opened the door and looked in the hall, but nothing was there. The
dwarf had the item: an envelope. There was a strange red C sealing
it shut. We were both suspicous, and so I woke up Dinivan, since
the gnome seemed to be experienced with letters.

He was not happy to have his rest interrupted, but I gave him the
document nonetheless. He opened and read it. Then he passed it
around for all of us to see. I noticed, too, that Ellaran the elf did not
seem to sleep. He merely sat in a chair, staring out into nothingness.
Strange creatures whose company I now keep.

The letter said that we had possession of the writer's journal, and he
wanted it back. There was mention of compensation and details for
a rendezvous. We debated our options of what to do with the
journal. Dinivan said that the letter must be genuine with the House
Courrier's seal, and that the author likely belonged to House Canith.
We could potentially make a dangerous foe or a grateful ally, in the
person who signed the letter only as, "E."

Dinivan returned to sleep. In the morning I hired a coach to take us
across town, to the Inn named in the letter. A halfling bartender
greeted us, and we asked her where, "E," could be found. She
motioned to a corner of the empty bar, where sat a cloaked woman.
Ellaran talked to her, with some input from Dinivan, while I stood
guard at the door. There was some bargaining, and the woman
insulted me, calling warforged, "property." But we returned her
journal, which she then unlocked. She offered us a quest: to find an
item before anyone else. She would pay us. Then she told us where
to go and gave us back her journal, since it was the map as well as
the key.


We had barely time to sell the items from last night's encounter,
although E had agreed to grant us a House Cannith trading
preference. I also bought a longbow and arrows for Ellaran.
Dinivan went to study somewhere, and when he returned, we were
ready to embark.

Again we traveled to the lower quarters, with another obnoxious
coachman. There was a market, and I bought some rope from an
angry little rat.

We descended into the sewers, looking for a certain numbered pump.
Vaegar went ahead to search. I could hear the different pumps
opening at various intervals and spilling their waste into the tunnel.
Ellaran remained in the back on the stairs, when he was suddenly
attacked from behind! I could not approach through the narrow
tunnels to help. It was another of the brethren: a mithral clad
warforged. Ellaran was able to defeat it in time, and then Dinivan
tended to his wounds. Then from around the corners down the
tunnel, two large hairy shapes charged forth.

Vaegar and I were able to defeat them. One of them tried to scratch
me with its claws, but I remained unhurt: it could not penetrate my
adamantine skin. Then I chopped it in twain.

We were able to regroup and then headed down the tunnel to the
intersection. Turning right, we finally came upon a deep narrow
chute descending into black darkness.