The 6th Column – 11&18.07.2023 – Delilah

The following report is written in a mix of common, symbols, elvish, infernal, goblin and draconic, and is kept secured in an Infernal Puzzle Box.

ASSIGNMENT REPORT #44

People of the Dawnlands:
Carnán – nature holy warrior, firbolg, male; mount/pet: Ulfr (dire wolf, celestial)
Celina Zabinski – “apple shop owner” with roguish tendances, tiefling, female
Calla Prim – scholarly disposition, mage, (seasonal) eladrin, female; Mal (horrible creature, familiar)
Jenna Archelson – human, draconic mage, Fort Ettin proprietor, female
Kurtz – mage, adult shadow dragon (was once green), male, father

The Notice:

The Coded Message:
Author: Tamaraa – administrator of the Temple of Night, elf, female

• Written on parchment enchanted to reveal its true meaning when held by the right person only once the sun has dipped below the horizon – at twilight.
• Tamaraa has become the interim Leader since the Temple Master, Holkor was slain
• The Prime Suspect: Rarder Horne, silver dragonborn
• Tamaraa suspected Horne of being a pawn of Ankaa, a sleeper agent
• Attached a list of 12 other disciples who have gone missing over the last year (see below); her belief is all of them have become corrupted by Ankaa, set to do nefarious tasks
• Inquires if the goal is still to find and undo victims of Ankaa’s work, offering assistance if desired though Tamaraa cannot leave the Temple unguarded/without support

The List:
Organised based on location, from nearest to farthest.

1. Hosbo Cottunn – investigating ruins of the Clockwork Keep since Gith attack.
2. Unknown – a blademaster, entering tunnels below Port Ffirst.
3. Alareeh – a monk, heading towards the moving mountain of the Feythorn.[/]s
4. Mora Maeko – an ‘acquisitions expert’, scoping out noble homes in Neverwinter.
5. Dorba – an assistant to Tamaraa, began displaying occult powers, rumoured to have bought passage on a ship to the Isle of Gundarlun.
6. Joyce Flesalt – a bard working in high class establishments in Waterdeep.
7. Unknown – an orc cleric, seeking secrets within Candlekeep library.
8. Unknown – a tiefling drakewarden, ventured into the cursed and sealed Fort Morninglord.
9. Nada Yuken – not a field agent, creator of poisons, in the forests of Cormyr.
10. Mice Keni – a drow, fake mission documents sent her to a mindflayer colony
11. Idrith – an archer, seeking something in Mithril Hall west of Menzoberranzan
12. Tane Ghoststep – investigating the powers of the chaotic plane of Limbo

The First:
Hosbo Cottunn

• Deep gnome
• Weapon of choice: psychic blades
• Had sought refuge in the ruins of the Clockwork Keep, located in the Angelbark Forest
• Initial investigation shows Cottunn’s footsteps shrinking down to a tiny size
• Calla proved invaluable by use of her cartographer’s tools and familiar, Mal

Cottunn was distrustful of myself at first. He seemed to have sought refuge in the ruined Keep to hide from Ankaa, who had allegedly been hounding him in his dreams. He had an Ioun Stone of Sustenance so he would not starve but it was only a matter of time before he gave up or madness took him.
Offered the use of my Twilight Ensemble and told him where to find refuge – Fort Ettin. It was risky, giving him the item that would allow me to stay hidden from Ankaa but the olive branch of trust needed to be passed. Further questioning upon our return to the Fort will prove if what he spoke of is true – his fear of Ankaa seemed real enough, and his desire to not be found by her – or if he is a sleeper agent. Either way, it is one lion brought into the den…

The Second:
Marrow

• Sea elf
• Weapon of choice: longsword
• Sought the old tunnels Tim the wizard had used in his failed attempt to destroy the Dawnlands
• Had last been seen in Port Ffirst 5-6 days prior; no indication of resurfacing from tunnels

Marrow’s case was different from Cottunn’s in that his confinement to the riddle in the tunnels was not self imposed – he was enchanted to be there. The riddle — I’m difficult for you to hear, say my name and I disappear — was not the answer he sought to free himself, but rather the disappearance of the dripping water that he was barely surviving off of.
Once Carnán freed him of this compulsion, Marrow revealed it was Tamaraa who had told him to come to Port Ffirst initially. The first seed of doubt. What exactly was I doing gathering these “previous disciples” of Ankaa? Was I truly going to try to attempt to save them? Or was I gathering them closer so it would be easier for them to destroy the things that mattered most? Answers I could not find there, and still do not have. So, yet again, another lion brought into the den of my possible undoing…

The Third:
Alareeh

• Air genasi
• Weapon of choice: fists
• Last seen heading towards the Moving Mountain in the Feythorn

It was Carnán’s turn to shine. His roving oaken tree house marched us to the base of the mountain, then he carried us up and around the mountain as we searched for Alareeh. This Moving Mountain is huge, larger than even some of those of the Sunset Spine. We had not found them anywhere by the time Carnán’s wildshape had ended. Which meant we had to continue up.
One spell later that allowed us to become the clouds themselves, we were zooming up to the top. That was where we found Alareeh who was just… meditating. It wasn’t until we each had become ourselves again that we realised how dangerously cold it was. An excruciatingly slow conversation later – with Zabinski passing out from lack of oxygen – and Alareeh agreed to head towards Fort Ettin.
Another “disciple of Ankaa’s” whose only desire was to stay hidden from her, to not let her mind games, her psychic attacks, her dream walks over take them. Now, I have three lions in the den…

The Fourth:
Shakhil

• Orc
• Weapon of choice: unknown
• Sought secrets in within the Library at Candlekeep

The suggestion to go in a random pattern was taken into hand and so instead of continuing down the list in the order devised, we found ourselves just south of Baldur’s Gate.
The library was massive. The thought was it might be best to split up to cover more ground. It was Carnán and Calla who found the target, who spoke and said… too much. Or not enough. It does not matter. Shakhil teleported away.
My fault. My failure.

The Fifth:
Joyce Flesalt

• Halfling
• Weapon of choice: music/spoken word
• Working as a bard-for-hire in high class establishments in Waterdeep

The place we found Flesalt made me think of my love, and I missed her something fierce the moment I thought of her. Upper class, pretentious, exclusivity, and everything else a good establishment should have. At least, until Felsalt fell to a deadly attempt of poisoning.
It is unclear where or how the poisoning came about. Perhaps she saw us and did it to her own cup, thus ensuring we would save her – which we did. Or maybe it was true that Ankaa was hunting her just as much as she was attempting to find the others. Either way, her value increased when she revealed she had a letter from Rarder Horne himself – the very same dragonborn who allegedly murdered the Master of the Temple.
Curiosity or not I chose to have us pursue this unexpected lead, taking Flesalt with us to Galavir…

The Patzy:
Rarder Horne

• Silver dragonborn
• Weapon of choice: shortsword
• On the run, hiding outside the elven village of Galavir
• Framed for a kill he did not commit?

Horne had laid out all the traps an acolyte of the Temple would do when trying to keep themselves safe from less savvy hunters. Lucky for us, being well versed in their ways meant getting past them was a breeze.
Talking to Horne was not a walk in the park. Much like the others, he had the look of a man who was scared and tired, ready to jump at any shadow carrying steel. He told a tale of how Master Holkor was slain, one that painted Tamaraa to be more than what she seemed. Not having gotten to Tamaraa’s assistant there is no way to corroborate these claims. Either they are all so perfectly coordinated that even Horne himself is convinced of his innocence to the point of forgetting to do the deed, or I have been led on a merry chase across the lands to gather one final lion into the safe haven of my home.

But as a great sage once said, Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.