Chapter 5: Through the Moon Pass Gorge

The confrontation between the men is not something Imarra expected. Mr. Rhenwald might be the oldest and most experienced of the group, aside for lady Amra, but his words sound unneccessarily cruel to her.
Wanting to be a hero might be foolish for some, but Imarra aspired to become a Hathran one day, which are in some way heroes for her people. With Cyrus and Kardalis leaving to scout, Imarra steps next to the elf and tries to offer her condolences "I can't imagine the pain you feel after witnessing so much loss, but I promise I will do everything in my power to prevent more.".

Myrdin Doedance: "Thank you, Goodwoman. I am grateful that you are all willing to help me rescue the Legionnaires and labourers taken captive by the Urgruem orcs, your ranger as well, even though we started off on a wrong foot and might not get along so well. And thanks to you as well, fair cleric of Solonor for taking my side back there," he says to Nerea Maendellyn, looking directly at her, with a genuinely, appreciative glance. "What are your names by the way, and what exactly is the lot of you doing out here in the Moon Pass?"

"Avisis Strangelight. Sorceress," Avis answers simply. She doesn't look at Myrdin, but in the direction Ikkri flew. Her brow is knit as she concentrates on what little feedback she can feel from Ikkri's end. She feels no fear from him, yet still, her own worry pricks at the back of her mind.

Doing a slight bow she answers "Imarra Dyernina. I am a witch from Rashemen, traveling to see the world.". Then she adds "We were hired by Miss Amra to aid her in a different task." glancing around at the others and concluding "It seems everyone intends to let her decide if she wishes it shared or not."

Kardalis eyes the water uncertainly, looking back and forth between the river and the threatening sky.
"Damn it Rhenwald, I don't swim, but I fear if we waste too much time this river is just going to get angrier, let's see what we can see, but if we find nothing, you're going to have to drag me"

"I won't have to," Cyrus shakes his head as he keeps walking along the shore, his senses still sharp on the lookout for threats. "There's a more suitable ford nearby as far as I remember. If we're lucky we'll reach it before the rain starts and cross safely. We'll only get wet up to the waist."

He pauses and then looks back at Kardalis. "What, you really don't swim?" There is no sense of scoff or ridicule in his voice, but the hunter does seem slightly befuddled.

"Nerea Maendellyn," she responds, dipping her head in a quick bow. "As you said, I am a cleric of Solonor. It's good to meet a member of The Harpers. I've always thought your goals seemed admirable and worthwhile." She hesitates, glancing at Amra. "That said, I will let our employer tell you what she wishes, though I would dare to hazard a guess that we might be able to help each other further were we to share some information."

Kardalis responds to Rhenwald's question "I know how to swim, but it is far from a practiced skill. You don't need to swim in the Underdark and you don't need to swim when you're roaming city streets and alleys"
When Rhenwald points out a suitable location to cross Kardalis offers a suggestion. "Perhaps it would be best if you swim across first, and then pass me a rope. I'll tie it around my waist. I hope I don't need it, but in the instance that I do, I'll be glad it's there.

Amra considers for a long moment before taking Nerea's cue.

Amra Braegen: "Amra Braegen, priestess of Kelemvor. The half-drow and the mouthy ranger who went to scout ahead are Kardalis and Rhenwald. And to answer your inquiry, now that you have been so forthright with your own secretive business, we happen to be here for more or less the exact same reason as yourself it would seem. Thirteen days ago I ordered an agent of mine in Jalanthar, the ranger and Kelemvorite cleric Jarvin Gaurraven, to investigate the undead presence in the Moon Pass, as it falls within Kelemvorite jurisdiction to deal with matters pertaining to such unnatural abominations. A tenday ago word reached me that he never returned from his scouting mission after two whole days. I immediately began preparing for an expedition to retrieve Brother Jarvin's remains and I hired these fine adventurers to aid me. It would seem you know more about the situation here in the Moon Pass than us however. You mentioned earlier something about Shadovar agents and the Zhentarim?"

Myrdin nods



Myrdin Doedance: "I did. About two weeks ago a Zhentarim spy was captured in Yartar and upon interrogation he revealed that him and other Zhentarim agents were currently employed by a Shar devotee known simply as Master Nightclaw, and that several Zhentarim operatives had been sent to Whisperwind Keep to assist a couple of Shadovar allied with him, two former Zhentarim who had been held hostage in the City of Shade in the Shadow Plane for several years - Sarvoth and Salena Kreel. I am under orders to assess their defenses and hinder their operations, including capturing and interrogating any Zhentarim who might pass by the towing station where I was posted. That plan didn't last long however, thanks to the Urgruems..."

"Shadovar and people from the shadow plane. That definitely sounds ominous." Imarra says, having never really heard anything about either of the two named people. But it definitely sounds to her that there is more going on than they initially thought.
With a curious glint in her eye Imarra looked to Nerea, who seems to have heard good things about the Harpers. Unsure if she should ask the cleric about them or the Harper directly.

"Aye, that's what I thought, too," the ranger responds, biting his lip and looking hesitantly at the ford, considering. Finally, with a disgruntled sigh, he waves his hand at it and turns to Kardalis. "You know what? No dice. Not in the water this cold, and not with the coming rain. We cross it now - the rain swells the river when we return, and then we're fucked. I suggest we go along this bank and find a high enough tree to take a look. And gotta be sneaky, too, their scouts might be on the lookout. You up for it?"

Waiting for an answer, he starts walking north along the bank.

Amra Braegen: "Indeed." Amra concurs with the young Rashemi witch. "The picture being woven seems alarmingly more intricate than I had initially estimated. It would seem the Shadovar couple occupying Whisperwind Keep, the Kreels, have at least one Zhentarim mage and four Zhentarim troops under their command along with an unknown number of undead. Sounds like you and the Legionnaires decimated the undead numbers though, so that is at least a bit of good news amidst all the bad... It would also seem that the Urgruem orcs tribe might be working with the Kreels. Them showing up during the nightly undead assault on the towing station seems more than coincidental if you ask me... I mean it might just be their opportunistic orc nature, but I would dare say that evidence strongly suggests that the Kreels, and this Master Nightcrawl you mentioned they're working for, have made several dark alliances throughout this region to support their foothold here in the Moon Pass and ensure that their operations at Whisperwind Keep do not fail... All things considered, I'd say it'd be a very good idea for both us and you if we retrieved this portal key that you lost to the Urgruems. We'll need a quick gateway between here and Jalanthar, if we are to succeed with our mission to save, or at least retrieve the corpse of Jarvin Gaurraven, as it is the duty of me as his superior priest in the clergy of Kelemvor. Hopefully we'll save the captives that are still alive in the process..."

"Looks completely deserted," Rhenwald whispers, as he holds Lissie's collar sitting near the hound, observing the station. "Probably all left for the caves already." He points to the south-west, towards the clump of trees they bypassed. "Let's get through that grove and have a closer look at the cavern entrances. There's a ravine behind the trees leading to a pocket between the rocks. They might've left some force behind if they have sentries around."

Looking for the best way to move between the trees and remain unseen, Rhenwald starts crouching.

"We must," Nerea says. "If the orcs really are working with the Kreels, then we know what fate likely awaits their prisoners if we fail."

As the gravity of the situation makes itself known, the more she wishes she had followed through with sending her mother word of her location. At the very least, if something happened, her siblings would know where to look. Although...maybe denying them that knowledge could be its own blessing. At least they would remain safe enough in the High Forest.

Avis relaxes when she hears Ikkri's caw of greeting. She holds her arm out for him to land and rest. She scratches the top of his head, praising him for his safe return. "What did you see, Ikkri?"

Ikkri shakes his feathers. "Ikkri saw caves! One by twisted tree, two more hidden through secret path behind trees. Two caves up and down in a clearing down the path. Three orc-men wait in clearing. One of them waits on cliff near upper cave."

"Good bird." Avis looks over to her comrades. "It seems we've found a few entrances to the orcs' caverns. I expect the entrances through the ravine will prove most fruitful, though they sound as though they're under heavier guard."

Seeing Ikkri return from his own scouting job, Imarra gets an idea to make it easier for the bird to show them where he saw what. She looks quickly for a stick and asks Doedance "Could you maybe draw us a rough map of where you remember the caves were? Maybe we can already start planning while the others are still scouting themself."

"That's an excellent idea," Nerea says. "I actually have some parchment and ink--unless you'd prefer to draw it in the dirt."

Myrdin Doedance: "The cavern entrance I was being dragged into was the one by the twisted tree your familiar just mentioned... And I can do something better than that..."

The Moonstar produces a folded piece of parchent from his satchel and unfolds it to reveal a rather detailed map of the area, including an overview of the caverns.

Myrdin Doedance: "A copy of The Argent Legion survey map of the area surrounding the towing station, including an overview of the Urgruem Caverns. I made it the other night at the tower, when I was bored. I have a thing for cartography you see..."

Amra Braegen: "Why didn't you just show us the map immediately,  Moonstar?" Amra sneers.

Myrdin Doedance: "Look, as I said before, right before your ranger and half-drow took off to scout, we're in a rush if we want to save those captives, and then you asked about a bunch of other stuff I had to answer. If... Imarra was it, hadn't brought it up, I probably wouldn't even have remembered... And yes, I lied when I said I only knew of one of the hidden entrances, but only partly. The one I was dragged to is the only one I've seen with my own eyes, and it seems the best bet, considering that the other entrance is being watched from a lookout above, a lookout connected to the upper caverns where I suspect Orgashram the Cave Father resides..."

Avis eyes the elf warily. "Lied about something that could be crucial to our strategy? To what end? If you want us to save your friends and clean up this mess, you need to tell us absolutely everything you know. What else aren't you telling us?"