- The party was back in the Scarlet Shield Tavern after the Queen was found innocent. The queen told them a General Landor Vess would be going with them and 200 troops to Southaven. Before leaving, Momeline sent a note to Tilly and Finn in Fadrín using their secret code to encrypt it. The message said “Going Home”.
- Landor Vess and his squire Seren Valewyn entered the tavern and met the party. Landor didn’t seem too pleased about being ordered to go to Southaven right after getting back from defending the Elfwood against Sandwalker attacks in the north. Lirielle introduced herself to Seren Valewyn, commenting that she liked her blue hair. Momeline noted that they were like opposites! Lirielle has blue skin and white hair and Seren Valewyn is white with blue hair!
- They party left for Southaven in the morning. It would be a 4-5 day journey. The first few nights they felt uneasy, like they were being watched. Lirielle saw someone spying on them and run through the tall grasses. She tried to hold him with Hold Person but he got away. They were on their guard and Momeline decided to sleep in a tree instead of her tent. Landor sent Seren Valewyn with scouts ahead in the night.
- Night came no the fourth night, just a day away from Southaven and the party was asleep. Lirielle, perhaps due to with her divination abilities, awoke to an unnatural silence. She couldn’t even hear herself breathe. She awoke Ferinthria who was sleeping next to her and they decided to inspect what was going on. Ferinthria made her tent glow with Light to raise an alarm, which awoke Landor Vess, who awoke Momeline by throwing a rock at her in the tree (he was sleeping under the tree). Ferinthria woke up Dravencoles in the next tent over.
- Momeline, high up in the tree, saw a cultist casting a spell and two Berserkers guarding him. She shot an arrow at him but he kept casting.
- Ferinthria and Lirielle ran around the tents to get into position to attack them, after seeing Momeline fire an arrow in that direction. While running, Ferinthria saw blood splatter on the inside of a tent she was passing and made a sign to Dravencoles to look in that direction. They both released effective chromatic orbs at their enemies, but didn’t bring any of them down though.
- Dravencoles, blinded by fury at the cultist, ran past the tent Ferinthria signaled him to investigate and toward the enemies. While doing so, he cast aid to bolster his allies. The Berserkers attacked him, but did little damage.
- Then, Lirielle felt a devastating knife in her back out of nowhere, taking her almost down. She turned around to see the assassin with his other hand fire a black magic crossbow bolt directly at Momeline, who took the hit and felt an incredible surge of pain.
- Landor Vess ran over and took out two of the berserkers. The cultist attacked Dravencoles with a dark necrotic ray of energy.
- Lirielle used Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere to trap the assassin in a bubble. the assassin was visibly frustrated.
- Dravencoles used Divine Smite and with Landor’s help brought down the cultist.
- After the fight, the guards surrounded the assassin so that when the sphere faded, they grabbed him. He almost slipped through their fingers, but Ferinthria’s bend luck came into good use here.
- Dravencoles cast Zone of Truth, but The Assassin refused to talk, and Landor quite quickly turned to torturing him by almost drowning him in the nearby stream.
- They searched him and found a note that mentioned a hideout.
- Finally Momeline, Lirielle, and Ferinthria bargained with him to show them where the hideout was and they would let him leave with 10 gold. Landor wasn’t happy about this deal.
- The assassin also mentioned Tessa Durn was at the hideout, her skin all burned.
- Momeline took two remaining dark magic black crossbow bolts.