Session B16 — True Orders

Summary

The party spends their final morning in Luskan securing Kelvin's daughters from Throa Taerl's compound. Roland and Haldak broker the deal — 30,000 gold, a bronze dragon's tooth, and Roland's sworn oath on behalf of Kelvin to find Throa's murdered daughter's killer. In exchange, Kelvin's daughters Olga and Kethra are released. The wife (one of Throa's captains) remains. The daughters depart south on the sloop Silver Stallion toward Saltmarsh while the party sails north. Meanwhile Drizzt continues training Othorion below decks before departing Luskan, and Kavu grows increasingly alarmed that his Sending spells to Phandalin are going unanswered.

Three days into the voyage, the party's orders from Vajra Safahr transform. The escort of Nezznar to Revel's End is revealed as cover for the true mission: infiltrate the prison, locate Prisoner 13 (Korda Glintstone, exiled Clan Axebreaker dwarf), and extract the location of a key hidden in Gauntlgrym. The session ends on two unresolved crises: Phandalin's silence, and the approaching prison.

Key Events

Morning Aboard Ship — Final Luskan Preparations

The party rests and regroups. Gerald Pennyweather of the Luskan Bank of Commerce had visited at 3 AM the previous night while most were asleep — Kavu took his card ("employee of the month, Marpenoth 1502 DR") and relayed the bank's offer of secure gold storage and armored transport. The party notes the Bank of Luskan for future use but doesn't engage them now.

Gum-Gum returns Kelvin's golden tooth — still wrapped in black cloth. The party consolidates roughly 34,000 gold in the party wagon. Roland draws 600 platinum and 24,000 gold for the negotiation; Haldak accompanies. Kelvin is instructed not to come.

Kelvin attempts to demonstrate he can project confidence for the meeting. He fails the performance check entirely — a 0. He toots quietly, begins giggling, and develops an icicle mustache from the snow accumulating on his beard. The party's collective decision is unanimous:

"Okay, he cannot go."

Kavu and Kefkas — Gilded Trident

Kavu and Kefkas return to the apothecary to restock before departure. The proprietor mentions she makes fresh tea every morning for someone who never arrives. Kavu gives her a "hot cup" — a small item that keeps beverages warm indefinitely:

"This will help out... now you don't have to heat it up again. It's a hot cup!"

She responds with genuine warmth: "That's actually kind of sweet." Kavu buys four standard healing potions and the remainder of her rum-infused healing drops. She confirms she heard about the previous night's fights — news had spread through the docks by morning.

Kavu also asks about the Ocean's Whisper Ring delivery ("our mutual friend") — confirmed received and well.

Roland and Haldak at the Fairlight Compound

The compound is heavily guarded. Roland announces himself as a representative of High Admiral Kelvin Fairlight and a member of Force Grey. The gate guard demands his orders. Roland presents them — signed at the bottom by Vajra Safahr, Blackstaff of Waterdeep. The guard reads to the last line, stands aside, and grants entry. The Guard sells Haldak six ounces of Dwarven Moss for 800 gold (80 platinum) along the way.

They are made to wait three hours in the room where the confrontation with Throa occurred the previous night — beneath a portrait of Kelvin in full High Admiral regalia, projecting the authority he could not summon this morning.

High Captain Throa Taerl enters flanked by fifty guards lining the corridor in ceremony. She is taller than Roland by a head. She stands uncomfortably close and speaks into his ear about what she wants.

Roland presents the tooth and 30,000 gold. She notes she already knew where the gold came from — and tells Roland directly that his decision not to lie is the reason he isn't dead. She asks what he expects in return.

Roland offers the oath that Kelvin will find her daughter's killer. She goes still. The negotiation completes:

"I will take your money and the bauble, and I will give you the daughters. The mother stays with me — she is one of my captains, but you have my word that she will be safe until the moment of your failure."

She adds: if they fail and return in chains without the killer, she will execute everyone except Roland, who will make "a wonderful servant."

Three minutes after she leaves, a young woman and a small girl with a white weasel on her shoulder are brought into the room.

Kelvin Meets His Daughters

The older daughter, Olga, quickly determines from Kelvin's expression that this is not her biological father. She handles this with dry composure — giving Kelvin a light pat on the cheek and filing the information away. She is not warm, but she is not hostile.

The younger daughter, Kethra, is initially terrified. Kethra's weasel — Slinky — is apparently capable of speech and wastes no time:

"Now listen here, you fucking forest-rambling dilettante. There's a young mind at stake, and if you so much as breathe irresponsibility in her direction, I shall personally crawl up your ass and set up permanent residence."

Kelvin, speaking to the weasel in the language of beasts, manages to make a genuine promise — he'll come back in a few months. The weasel grudgingly accepts this as a start: "Well, don't you dare come half-cocked making promises you ain't got the steel to keep."

Kelvin makes a pinky promise on Slinky's soul. Kethra decides to call him "Uncle Calvin."

Before the daughters leave, Kethra finds Roland, puts her arms up, and when he picks her up, whispers in his ear:

"I wish you were my daddy."

Gum-Gum, who has been listening from the aft hallway, covers passage for the daughters: she hires the sloop Silver Stallion to take Olga and Kethra to Saltmarsh, where they will be transferred to a carriage bound for Phandalin.

Drizzt's Departure

While Roland was at the compound, Drizzt continued sparring with Othorion below decks. Robert Hidswell, descending to retrieve Kelvin, steps through the infirmary and emerges muttering "good show" at the volume of bloodshed. When Drizzt comes topside to leave, most of the party sees him for the first time in daylight. Gum-Gum watches him go with open appreciation.

Drizzt's final words to the party about Othorion: "He's got a lot of potential. He just has to learn how to use it." He notes he will not be able to follow the party north of Luskan, and promises to find Othorion a new trainer when they return.

To Kefkas and Kavu, passing him on the dock, he says only: "I'm not talking to you." — and keeps walking.

Othorion begins a stealth training downtime with Roland as his student. Roland trades in his plate armor for a breastplate as a first step. The DM confirms this will require two stages: Roland earns half-proficiency first, training with Othorion as mentor. The final price for stealth proficiency is described as "obtainable and hilarious."

Kavu also receives a Healy Healy Downtime for his role in the final fight.

Kavu Searches for a Scrying Scroll

Before departure, Kavu and Kefkas visit One-Eyed Jacks. Kavu privately tells Kefkas he has been unable to get any response from Phandalin contacts via Sending — no response from Sister Garaele, Sildar, Daran Edermath, or the Stonehills. Only Pip and Drizzle have responded, and they're still on the road.

He approaches Zilnath (Xioneth) asking about a scrying scroll. Zilnath explains: the Arcane Brotherhood has a near-monopoly on magical goods in Luskan through the Host Tower of the Arcane. Buying a scrying scroll there would require either membership or a sum the party cannot practically raise quickly. He suggests Bryn Shander in Icewind Dale as a likely alternative source.

Zilnath offers to send Bregan D'aerthe operatives to Phandalin to get eyes on the situation: "Friend of our mutual friend is a friend of mine." Kavu accepts. They depart.

Haldak's remaining Dwarven Moss is dumped overboard before departure. The Ice Serpent leaves Luskan.

Three Days at Sea — The True Orders Revealed

Three days into the voyage north — Gum-Gum counting down from ten with her sextant — Roland's Force Grey orders transform magically in his hands. A complete map of Revel's End appears. Gum-Gum confirms she has known for some time.

Roland reads the new orders aloud to the assembled party:

The true mission, from Vajra Safahr, Blackstaff of Waterdeep:

"Your official objective to escort Nezznar serves as a pretense to gain access to Revel's End and mask your true objective. Your true mission is to infiltrate Revel's End and retrieve critical information from a high-value prisoner known as Prisoner 13. This dwarf, once known as Korda Glintstone, holds the key to a treasure of great significance hidden within the depths of Gauntlgrym."

Background on Prisoner 13 / Korda Glintstone: formerly an agent of Clan Axebreaker who betrayed her kin, stole their fortune, and has since maintained a clandestine network of operatives from within the prison. She will not part with the information easily.

Engagement options per the orders:

• Offer resources, communication with her network, shelter for her information, or other leverage
• If necessary, orchestrate a partial breakout as a demonstration of capability and seriousness

Once the key is obtained, the party must travel overland to Bryn Shander in Ten-Towns and meet Varan Axebreaker, a contact of Clan Axebreaker, for the exchange and payment. The ship will not be available for the return journey.

After reading, the orders revert. The map remains.

Infiltration Planning

Gum-Gum lays out the operational framework she's been preparing:

• Several of her crew are already in prison-guard uniforms; they will rotate in as replacement staff, giving the party allies inside identifiable by a small red sash on the right arm
• Othorion enters as a prison doctor, using his Hat of Disguise; Gobbo produces a doctor's smock in his size
• Haldak enters as a prison chef; Gobbo produces a white chef's coat and tall pleated hat with a poof at the top
• The remainder of the party escorts Nezznar as the official cover team

Notable constraints from the map: the prison cells have an anti-magic field. The rest of the facility is magic-accessible.

Gum-Gum also reveals a personal interest: she knows a prisoner named Hailey (a tabaxi, Prisoner 41) from prior dealings. She asks the party to see what they can do for her, though it's not part of the official mission.

Kavu's Crisis — Phandalin Silent

Kavu has been unable to reach anyone in Phandalin via Sending for three days. He names them: Sister Garaele, Sildar Hallwinter, Daran Edermath, the Stonehills — all silent. Only Pip and Drizzle respond; they are still four or five days from Phandalin and report they fought bandits on the road.

Kavu sends Pip another message warning of possible danger ahead and urging caution. Pip responds:

"From the content of your message, I can only assume Phandalin is in danger. You know that I laugh in the face of danger... We'll report back as soon as I have an update. We'll be careful."

— and cuts off. Kavu notes she doesn't understand how Sending's word limit works. The party discusses possible resources: Caladorn (wizard), the Valelance nobles at Helm's Hold, Armin Koth (Red Wizard). No consensus before session end.

Zilnath's Bregan D'aerthe operatives have been dispatched to Phandalin but will take time.

The DM names this the second of two existential crises delivered in the session's final thirty minutes. The party has two weeks until the next session to discuss a response.

NPCs Encountered

Loot / Discoveries

Threads Opened / Advanced

• Kelvin's Daughters — Safe but Separated: Olga and Kethra sent south on Silver Stallion to Saltmarsh → carriage to Phandalin. Kelvin has made a pinky promise to return in a few months. Kethra calls him "Uncle Calvin." Kerr (the wife) remains with Throa's fleet.
• Roland's Oath — Find Throa's Daughter's Killer: Roland swore on his paladin's oath that Kelvin (acting through the party) would find who murdered Throa's daughter. This is binding. Failure means execution.
• True Orders — Revel's End Infiltration: Extract Prisoner 13's (Korda Glintstone's) information about a key hidden in Gauntlgrym. Deliver key to Varan Axebreaker in Bryn Shander. Travel overland; ship not available for return.
• Hailey (Prisoner 41): Tabaxi in Revel's End that Gum-Gum knows from prior dealings; non-mandatory side objective to extract her.
• Phandalin — Total Silence: Kavu cannot reach anyone in Phandalin via Sending over 3 days. Pip is 3 days out and investigating despite warnings. Zilnath's Bregan D'aerthe operatives dispatched but slow. Phandalin's status unknown.
• Othorion's Stealth Training: New downtime underway; Roland is his student; will achieve half-proficiency at stage 1; "obtainable and hilarious" final price hinted by DM.
• Scrying Scroll: Needed for Phandalin intelligence; unavailable in Luskan (Arcane Brotherhood monopoly); Zilnath suggests Bryn Shander in Icewind Dale as a likely source.