Return to Restwell Keep

The adventurers who had stayed conscious by the end of the battle with the Kobold Verminpriest quickly got to work tending to the wounds of their compatriots who had fallen during the battle.  After making sure that everyone was still alive: Helja, Raven, and Taeja got around to searching the Sanctum.  The Kobold must have been attacking various travellers in and out of the scar with the amount of magical items that were found, as well as the missing cargo that Bosco had tasked them with finding.  Upon the unholy altar was a man, dead and crawling with vermin in and out of his body, behind the altar was a small tunnel that led to the outside which the adventurers used and quickly returned to Restwell Keep with the missing Cargo.

Returning the cargo to Bosco who was still upset that his merchant had gone missing and was now dead.  He then asked if those who had worked for him already would be interested in another business proposition.  Sensing that they would be, he said that he couldn't discuss it right then but asked for them to return at sundown, when it would be more conducive to talking freely.

Sundown was a ways away and after a long visit to the Chaos Scar the adventurers chose to relax a little at The Stumbling Giant.  The Stumbling Giant was full, members of the mercenary guards who kept tabs over the outer bailey filled a few tables, and most other tables were full as well, only leaving a small table for the adventuring gang.  A Halfling stood up on his seat, obviously drunk, proclaiming how powerful the elements are.  Mercenaries complained about the monotony of the job.  And a woman wearing a holy symbol of Sehanine walked in and sat down at the table with the adventurers.  She told them that her master, Benwick, would like them to join him for dinner at his apartment.  And abruptly left.

Raven chose to confront the halfling who couldn't contain his love of the elements.  The halfling was more than happy to discuss the elements with Raven, telling him that they were more powerful than the gods themselves.  Raven tried to bluff his way into getting more information out of the halfling, by saying that he was also a disciple of the elements, but the halfling called his bluff and then dejectedly sat down and went back to his ale, without continuing the fanaticism related to the elements. 

Helja had chosen to approach the bartender and ask question about the acolyte who had entered the bar and Benwick.  The bartender said that Benwick was a travelling priest who had arrived at the keep a few months ago and has quickly made himself popular with most people in the outer bailey as well as the surrounding area.  Benwick is generally regarded favorably in the keep.

Taeja thought that she could use her feminine wyles to get some information from the mercenaries.  They didn't pay much attention to her until she offered a small game of chance that would cause the loser to buy drinks for the rest of the table.  Little did the mercenaries know, Raven had stolen a few coinpurses.  Eventually it was time for the mercenaries to leave and pay their tab.  Obviously upset that their money was gone, the mercenaries quickly guarded the door and started to make a scene about getting their gold back.  Raven, trying to save his own skin, confronted the head of the group, offered to purchase him a good time in the rooms upstairs and defused the situation.  With a small prick of a poisoned shuriken, the mercenary quickly went crazy, jumped over the balcony and tried to run out the door with his friends following behind. 

By that time the sun had gone down and the group went back to Bosco to find out what the new job was.  Bosco wanted them to travel to The Crossroads, where it is said that a Tiefling by the name of Millen Silvereye ran a Black Market of goods and wanted to offer him the opportunity to expand his business into the Keep by using Bosco as a fence.  The adventurers said that they would sleep on it and get back to him.

They then travelled across the keep to Benwick's apartment.  They were quickly welcomed in and invited to seats at the table that was lavishly furnished with a fine cooked meal.  Benwick then arrived and quickly dove into his own premade plate.  He discussed how he had seen adventurers come and go to the Chaos Scar, never to return.  It was only the brave and strong who had the will to return, and with the many connections that he has in the keep he knows that the adventurers at his table fell into that group.  He needed them to search for a cult to the Elder Elemental Eye that might be gaining members in the keep.  He didn't want them killed, but only wanted information.  He couldn't offer them money but he had skills related to potions, herbs, minor magic, and as Raven asked, poisons. 

The next morning the group chose to take Bosco up on his offer and travel to the crossroads.  As soon as they got to the area that matched the description given, the adventurers found themselves confronted with a large steel tree that had cages extending from its arms, one of them filled with a human crying for his release from a few hobgoblins that stood guard.  Helja went to confront the hobgoblins who told her to get lost and that it wasn't any of her business what they were doing.  As Helja had them distracted, Raven sent his raven to the cage to try to pick the lock which it ably did.  Realizing that he could escape, the human ran into the forest, away from the adventurers and back towards the Chaos Scar.

Near the gibbet tree was a dirty shack of sorts, which was the place of business of Millen Silvereye.  The group went into the building, interupting a business transaction between Millen and a few dwarven adventurers.  The group talked their way into Millen's good graces and he finally opened up to the fact that he ran a black market and Helja was able to convince him that it would be in his best interest to make a business deal with their contact back in Restwell Keep.  Millen agreed and said that he needed to make arrangements with their boss back in Restwell.

The group made their way back to Restwell Keep.  As soon as they arrived they could tell that something wasn't right.  They heard comments such as "Grelda couldn't have done that!"  "I don't believe it."  "He got what was coming to him." and the like.  By the time they arrived at the trading store, they had to fight their way through a growing crowd.  Once they had bullied their way through, the found Bosco laying a pool of his own blood with an arrowhead shaped knife, carved with a spiral shaped rune on it, sticking in his chest.