4. The Friendly Arm Inn

The sun's just beginning to peek up above the horizon when the party arrives at the Friendly Arm Inn. The structure stands tall and steadfast, a bastion against the surrounding frontier. Even this early in the morning the walls' portcullis has been raised, and people are already beginning to bustle in the courtyard within. The place is practically a small town unto itself.

The group's reminded of several things they intend to do in this place:

- rendezvous with Khalid and Jaheira, inform them about the goings-on in Nashkel and the mine
- enlist the help of the handful of Flaming Fist soldiers here against the bandit camp
- ask Bentley Mirrorshade to scry on Aldous
- collect a reward from the spider house lady

Ida and Dieter find, as per their last visit, a couple Flaming Fist mercenaries at the door to the keep's common room. The men are about to ask for the party's weapons (and, as a recent precaution, to tie a couple of their spellcasters' fingers together to discourage magic), but recognize the uniquely-dressed fighter.

"It's them!" one of the guards exclaims. "We've been expecting you. Come this way, if you please..." They politely shepherd Dieter and Ida inside the keep and into a side room, which seems to be the Fists' makeshift office.

A tall mercenary with a badge of authority immediately stands from where he'd been sitting behind a desk and salutes crisply. "We hear you're going to take on the bandits. We are at your disposal, sir."

Bentley prestidigitates a blue line onto the map that splits off from the road north out of the Friendly Arm Inn and runs east between the Chionthar River and the Wood of Sharp Teeth. "There used to be an old road hereabouts that ran all the way to Elturel. And about here..." He marks an area on the south side of his drawn road with a circle. [b"...was the village where that Sharran cult sprouted up. Nasty business, that. It's better that most folks don't remember much about it."[/b]

All told, the marked village is on the northern edge of Peldvale, where the bandit camp is supposed to be hidden.

Stella keeps an eye out for any would-be eavesdroppers, but everyone seems to be minding their own business. Except for a pair of new arrivals, who head straight toward Stella and Aiwe...