Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Episode 4, Round 1 - Following the Cultist Loot

The rat pack is back in full. In which they had their fill of the cultists raiding camp. They go back to Greenest with the loot they found at the 5 Headed Dragon Shrine. Governor Nighthill is very apologetic to the group. They receive gold pieces for the items they retrieved from the camp.

Then he tells them that Leosin Erlanthar has given them horses and riding gear. Asking that they meet him in Elturel. The group grudgingly goes to Elturel and meet with him.

Once they get to Elturel they meet Ontharr Fume, in his large tavern 'A Pair of Black Antlers'. He acts like Benny Zadir from the movie 'A Night at the Roxbury'. Always asking 'Did you grab my ass?' to Shae and Cory. He is the life of a continuous party at the tavern, in which he hosts a slew of fun activities all day long. They party attends the events and has a good time. Even though Crosis isn't happy with being around so many humans. Brynn finds a cute 'Order of the Gauntlet' paladin to sneak off with and have some fun.

That evening they meet in Fume's private meeting room. In which he offers them to join The Order of the Gauntlet. Erlanthar is there as well, offering the party to join 'The Harpers' as well. Crosis and the party don't seem too interested in being coersed into such rogue factions, so they refuse. Ontharr leaves the meeting upset, stating "This isn't the group I thought they were..." Leosin then begs the party to at least continue to follow the cultist wagons, offering a 1200 gp large ruby if they do the job. Which they grudgingly accept...

Map showing tavern and were the other events take place

The following day their horses and gear are put onto a ship that is headed to Baldur's Gate. They then head to Baldur's Gate. Told to meet Ackyn Selebon in the northern Blackgate region of Baldur's Gate. The name is a hard name to pronounce, so they just call him Mr. Cinnabon. The group has a quick trip down the river to Baldur's Gate.

Old map of the sword coast

They finally find Selebon's large estate, which is filled with scruffy looking vagabonds looking for work. Selebon asks them to privately meet him in his meeting room. Which is lavishly ornamented with carpets and tapestries from all over the Sword Coast. Crosis isn't happy with being forced to support these anti-cultist groups, so he proceeds to urinate all over the nice rugs. A small girl that was hiding being a tapestry is shocked and runs out of the room after seeing what he did.

Selebon finally enters the room after commanding his employees to coordinate the next group of wagons to leave the area. He ignores the smell of dragonborn piss to inform the group that he will contact them as soon as he sees any cultist wagons planning to leave Baldur's Gate northward.

The group hangs out in a bar across from Selebon's estate waiting for the cultists.

Map of Baldur's Gate, which shows the north part called 'Blackgate'

Finally the cultists arrive at Blackgate and Selebon's estate. A squire of Selebon goes to the dive bar the group has been waiting at and tells them to come back to the estate. They come back to the estate and see the cultists, as well as the finest palanquin they have every seen. Which has ornately carved dragons on the corners of the palanquin.

There are 3 cultist wagons, as well as 3 regular travelling wagons. Each of the party members are hired on to be elite bodyguards, getting paid 10 gp per tenday for escorting their wagon to Waterdeep.

Badger and Crosis is assigned to Achreny's wagon, who is a unfriendly, smelly, vulgar man. Who isn't nice to his horses and other hired staff.

Cory is hired by Noohar and Selvek Serelim. Who he later finds out are Moon Elf merchants from Cormyr. They are exporting a large collection of wooden carvings made by the elves of Cormyr.

Shae and Brynn are hired by Lasfelro the Silent, a human male merchant. He appears somewhat senile because he will sometimes break into merry songs and short stretches of joke-telling. No one knows what he transports in his wagon, which is guarded by a gargoyle. that is tethered to the wagon by a slim, silver chain.

The six wagons head off immediately for the 40 day trek to Waterdeep. The first two days are somewhat uneventful. Then on the third day they fight two large spiders and three Ettercaps.