The royal steward grants the Quastarte Delegation lodging for a few days while Osvoril regrows his face and Tenrath, at the Halls of Inspiration, regrows his feet. Grateful Osvoril gifts magical weapons and armor from his stash and offers officially sanctioned anti-scry tokens in exchange for their collected black market versions. The party offers him the ledgers from Tenrath, the darkling house, and the hag tent to help the city watch roll up the last vestiges of the crime syndicate. They exchange information regarding the Quori incursion from Dal Quor. The relationship between Quastarte and Silverymoon is off to a fine start.
Relentlessly following up on Tenrath’s suspicious trepidation for returning to his family from the Halls of Inspiration, the party deduces that Osvoril is actually a pretty nasty character who attempted to poison his own wife, Charlotte, when she disapproved of his significant involvement acquiring underground anti-scry amulets for the syndicate. Briar cajoles Tenrath into writing a letter that directs his son Elrith to turn over the planar map fragment to them. Professor Steele authenticates the map retrieved by Elrith and produces a personal copy before the map is later surrendered to Master Brand. The party finks on Tenrath once the deal is done.
With a little time remaining before the arrival of the caravan, the party adjourns to the Vault of the Sages where they prevail upon the librarian to gain access to non-public VIP areas of the great library. Hops researches their destination, the Firepeaks, and learns the region has some affiliation with dwarven forebears known as the Siremun, the Iron Men. Ash researches Dal Quor, aka the Plane of Dreams, inhabited by the evil psychic symbiotes known as Quori. Seems as though they broke their own planetary rotation to defend against an otherworldly invasion. GG heads to the gift shop for a copy of the regional map. Briar marvels at the asking price of 50 gp for a map copy. GG offers to wager for the map instead, but the proprietor insists on his nice new ring of spell storing for collateral. GG borrows 30 gp from Briar’s mission fund to buy the map instead.
The party returns to the caravan to report to Portent Order and Master Brand. The map is turned over, and diplomatic progress with Silverymoon is presented. Just as Master Brand is heaping praise on the delegation’s efforts, a portal opens in his wagon. The upper half of Professor Steele drags itself out of the portal and shouts a warning that Cohoreth the Herald is coming!
A giant worm bursts through the ground, disturbingly close to the vis tanker wagons. Cohoreth, as promised, rides the emerging worm. Ash fires off a couple of slayer’s prey shots from his new [+1] longbow. Ander pops off protection from good and evil onto Briar from his new, unwagered ring of spell storing. When Ander summons and fires his force ballista turret, something goes “wrong” and he is showered by 200 magical gold pieces. Watc flexes her new immolate spell on the worm and sets it afire. Hops aids Barika, Briar, and Sqyylarr as they run into Cohoreth’s cold cone which is defeated by layers of paladin auras and flashes of genius. The ring-borne protection spell prevents Briar from being eaten by the worm.
The flaming worm and irritated herald retreat back into their hole. Barika observes the withdrawal and shouts a warning that the menace is heading south. All hands charge south and prepare for the re-emergening. Unfortunate Ander leads with a ready firebolt that goes horrifyingly wrong [crit failure]. The firebolt backfires [100 on the d100 magic botch table] and frags Ander unconscious, profusely bleeding, and significantly older. Cohoreth’s followup magic missiles slay him before the bleeding can do so.
The worm goes for Ash who ducks for cover behind a rocky outcrop and puts a couple more arrows into the worm. Cohoreth counterspells a fireball from Watc. Briar critically and thunderously smites the worm. Barika has some difficulty connecting her strikes, dropping her axe into the wormhole, but at least avoids being stung. Sqyylarr surges a couple of maul smashes and indomitably avoids being swallowed. Hops dashes for crumpled Ander and considers for only the slightest of moments before imploring help from Barronar Truesilver to relight Ander’s proverbial inner forge, purchased with a handful of diamonds dropped on him. Longbowing Ash and fireballing Watc keep focus on the worm and slay it before it retreats again. Angry Cohoreth, deprived of his sweet ride, falls to the ground.
Briar strikes Cohoreth ensnaringly leaving him no choice but to misty step away rather than lightning bolt Ash, which is what he really wants to do. Ash, entirely not lightning bolted, gives chase. Briar, Sqyylarr, Barika and Watc join the chase. Hops slows eager Ander’s precarious roll long enough for a bit of wound curing. Ander flies toward Cohoreth, no longer visible, and casts shatter at his last known location. A wild shot from Ander’s force ballista catches a piece of Cohoreth. Sqyylarr takes note of the firebolt’s impact and makes a wild hit on Cohoreth herself.
Cohoreth appears atop the nearest vis tanker and throws open the top, envisioning a massive vis-fueled fireball that destroys meddling Charlie Company aka Hag Slayers aka Coven Busters, and probably much of adjacent Silverymoon, once and for all. Cohoreth, peering into the open tanker, appears puzzled and disappointed just before teleporting harmlessly away.