Janky picks open a treasure chest in the defeated gibbering mouther’s lair and liberates a scroll of darkvision and a compelling beholder pendant with little jeweled eyes. Smoll, lover of trophies, keeps the pendant but resists wearing it.
Absolutely convinced that there are no secret doors anywhere in the lair, Togy crosses the sewer back to the dwarf room and interrupts three duergar working on a mechanical beholder. After a brief disagreement on who owes whom the passphrase of “half ogre bath time”, Janky takes a shot at the boss duergar, Kordstraudt. Despite a sincere effort, the ensuing battle goes poorly for the party. Togy blinds a troublesome pet gazer and Janky calms emotions of two duergar and charms the third.
Calmed Kordstraudt indicates he alone liberated the oblong, gray, triple black striped Stone of Golor from Fenerus’s house, and he alone will render it to Xanathar for full credit. Unless, of course, Kordstraudt can attune the stone himself. Luth hatches a plan to blind everyone in the room and snatch away the stone. Janky hatches a plan to flatter Kordstraudt’s taste in item pouches to talk him out of possession. Togy hatches a plan to abscond with the stone while “helping” Kordstraudt attune to it. Smoll hatches a plan to try and barter for the stone and pulls out the beholder pendant. The pendant has the unexpected effect of immediate and absolute deference from the duergar who regard Smoll as a surprise justicar. Kordstraudt surrenders the Stone of Golor and regrets any recent violence. Smoll promises due recognition for Kordstraudt’s leal service.
The party, promoted by Smoll’s pendant, departs by way of the street for a change and makes straight for Ye Olde Majick Shoppe where Janky purchases a scroll of identify. Back at Lif’t, Janky reads the scroll and they learn that the Stone of Golor is a fake.
- Chain of custody of the Stone of Golor:
Dalakhar, faithful friend of Degalt Neverember, attempts to deliver the stone to the party at Lif’t for safekeeping.
Urstul Floxin is dispatched by the Zhentarim to capture the stone before delivery, but he gets caught up in the fireball by Lady Gralhund’s nimblewright.
Lady Gralhund betrays her Zhent associates by kidnapping Urstul and sending the stone out with her nimblewright. Or did she?
The nimblewright delivers the stone to Fenerus Stormcastle. Or does it?
Fenerus is arrested and the stone is found and taken by Kordstraudt to the Xanathar underground. Or is it?
The party liberates the stone from Kordstraudt and discovers a fake. Is Kordstraudt wily enough to swap a decoy? - Assuming Dalakhar possessed the true Stone of Golor, the real stone may have been swapped by Urstul / Zhents, or by Lady Gralhund, or by Fenerus.