Chapter 1: A Friend in Need

"Oh, dear! My lovely Prince, do help me up won't you? I'm afraid I've ruined yet another blouse with all of this unpleasantness."

Butler goes over to the remaining Kenku, still with his crossbow pointing at it and gestures to the where the party are gathering "Move over there and no funny stuff"

"No funny stuff" the Kenku parrots back at Butler as he obeys.

Quick recap of things of interest in the area:

1. There are some unexplored areas in this warehouse. The top floor had a closed door, and under the stairs is a storage space of some sort.

2. The parts you have explored are littered with corpses and crates which may also be of interest.

3. You have a Kenku prisoner to talk to.

Prince helps Xelia to her feet, and supports her down the stairs.

"Tsk tsk tsk, my poor dear! This will not do. Come now, let’s get you up." Xelia walks with a purpose towards Alastriona, fussing over her.

Alastriona gasps, startled and disoriented by the shift in scenery. Upon realization of recent events, she gives a solemn and apologetic nod to Xelia, clasping her arm in gratitude and sending a brief wave of healing energy through the tabaxi.

"This party blows! Whatever shall we do to liven it up?" Prince picks through the crates, wrinkles his nose at the corpses, wanders over to the under-stairs storage.

As Alastriona guest urges towards Butler he shakes his head, still not taking his eyes from their captive "I’m fine, one of the others could use the pick me up more I think". He stares hard at the kenku "Anyone want to ask this guy any questions before I put them out of our misery?" he says trying his best to sound like he means it.

Alastriona hands pulse with additional magic, sending the remainder of her healing energy into Xelia. With another nod of gratitude to Vatra, she steps away from the gathering around the kenku to investigate the human bodies in the foyer. She checks the bodies for anything that might identify them, and compares their faces to the image of Floon.

Butler finds the surviving Kenku eagerly cooperative. He blurts out "Please don't kill me! Nooo..!" followed by the sound of a stab wound, which sounds like might have been a plea from his own victim.Prince and Alastriona walk back into the warehouse. Alastriona finds that the non-Kenku bodies appear to all be Zhents, or at least wearing Zhentarim-issued gear. Floon was described as very handsome, but all you find are the dirty faces of hard men and women who lived and died in the gutter.

Prince pries open a few crates and find all sorts of junk, including:

- moth-eaten bolts of cloth
- bottles of spoiled olive oil
- hundreds of pairs of wooden-soled sandals that were all the rage last summer but are now out of fashion.

Certainly, nothing that appears to be of much value, which might make one wonder why the Zhents would bother storing it at all.

Prince makes his way to the storage closet under the stairs. The door to this room hangs loosely on broken hinges, and the cramped chamber beyond smells strongly of sour fish and vinegar. It is filled with discarded ropes, canvas tarpaulins, and splintered wood from smashed barrels. Passed out behind one of the barrels is a badly bruised but still breathing young adult human male. He is unconscious.

Alastriona sheathes her falx and stows her shield. Clasping the symbol of Kelemvor in her hand, she closes her eyes and begins to hum a somber tune, one that she has heard the priests and acolytes recite in their respects to the deceased. No words are spoken, only the melody of passing.

Once her ritual is complete, Alastriona reaches down and tears a symbol of the Zhentarim from one of the bodies. She brings it to the others to show them the results of her investigation.

Butler blinks in surprise. Can't believe that worked! he thinks to himself before resuming a stern expression and addressing the Kenku again. "Make yourself useful and we might just let you go. Why did you lot kill all of these people? What were you looking for when we arrived?"

Prince drags the smelly, unconscious human out into the warehouse where there's more air. "What do you make of this?" he asks the others.

Alastriona wordlessly hands the symbol of the Zhentarim to Butler, then steps to the unconscious human to inspect the man's face to see if she can identify him.

Xelia carefully looks over the man’s injuries before shaking her head. "Oh dear Renaer. What have you gotten yourself into? I hope your father’s mistakes haven’t cast their shadows on you too." She stands and tells the group "Let him rest. We’ll ask him what happened once he wakes."

The Kenku struggles to answer the question. It opens it's beak and gives its best account despite the language barrier.

First, in a deep voice with a thick Undercommon accent it speaks "Xanathar sends its regards" followed by the sounds of battle. In a thin, nasally voice: "Tie up the pretty boy in the back room!" and "Follow the yellow signs in the sewers." Finally in a scratchy voice: "No time to loot the place. Just get him to the boss."


Alastriona recognizes the features in the boy's face from the Skewered Dragon, when the ghost-handed man Samir used illusions to render both Floon and Renaer on the night of Floon's disappearance. This is definitely Renaer, although a little worse for wear.

As you stare over him, he comes to. He sits up and winces in pain, but his manner is nonchalant, even relaxed.

"Let me guess, you're here for the "Stone of Golorr." Well, you're wasting your time. I don't know anything about it. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a friend to rescue."

He rises to his feet unsteadily and starts limping back toward the warehouse.

Alastriona reaches out to assist Renear in standing, but keeps her hands upon the lad to prevent him from leaving. At least until the others have had their say.

"Don’t be a fool, child. We’re here to help you so it would behoove you to tell us what you know. Who attacked you? Did they take Floon as well?