2. Wyrm's Rock

Stella frowns and watches sympathetically. There wasn't much she could do here, she decided. She politely stands and follows the crowd to get refreshments, gently takes a few, then returns to her seat and continues to take notes.

As the discussion of which group Aldous will attend, Stella's mind goes back to Ajantis and others' comments on how much Aldous seemed to be swayed by her influence. If she didn't say anything, it might be hard to change his mind. She hated the idea of having so much sway on him...but if it helped everyone, then she'd use her influence.

"Aldous' arcane aid proved extremely valuable when we infiltrated the Iron Throne's mine," she begins.

Stella really wanted his support...but he did keep throwing himself into danger. And it was probable they would get distracted for fear of each other. They still only had a small amount of experience working together.

And she trusted Aiwë. She understood people better than Stella did and had supported her throughout this entire journey. If Aiwë thought Aldous work with his father, even if Aldous found it tedious or hard.

"If we're doing a stealth operation at their headquarters, however..." Stella continues tentatively and meets Aldous' eyes. "...a smaller group is likely better," She thinks to Duke Eltan's earlier comments. He did have a good mind for this kind of thinking. "Additionally, your insights could also be valuable for the dukes, as you have much firsthand experience with the kinds of mercenaries they hire and have seen their operations firsthand," she smiles reassuringly.

Mollified, Aldous settles back to listen to the rest of the discussion.

Duke Jannath continues. "Then the next point is to decide the ruse our lure team will be employing." She looks to Entar. "Have you decided, Duke Silvershield?"

Entar nods sharply. "I have. The Knights of the Shield have the most to offer Anchev in his desperation. He won't be able to pass up the opportunity to at least hear them out."

"Very well," Liia says. "Is there anybody who wishes to play a direct role in luring Anchev out? A spokesperson, to reach out to him. Or anyone willing to don a disguise, mundane or magical?"

Khalid and Jaheira immediately raise their hands.

"We have experience participating in these sorts of ruses. If you need a message discreetly given to Anchev, we can manage that. In addition, we can be on-site to support whomever will be taking point in actually speaking with him."

A pale hand rises from the back row. Xan speaks out for the first time in the meeting. "I volunteer to be the one to meet with Rieltar Anchev. With a magical disguise from Duke Jannath, I can look the part." He gestures to himself. "I am also accounted a talented wizard in my own right, and so have a reasonable chance of standing against Anchev should things turn violent, which they very well may. I might also be able to keep him occupied for a short time in the event that the infiltration team sets off any alarms. Any extra time we buy them may be crucial."

Duke Belt speaks up. "I am hardly the person you'd want to involve in anything requiring subtlety," the dragonborn acknowledges. "But I can be of assistance in planning and overseeing affairs. I can also use Sending spells to help coordinate between the groups of our operation."

He inclines his head toward Duke Jannath. "Do we know where we want to lure Anchev to?" He gestures to the illusory map. "Perhaps Beregost, or the Friendly Arm?"

Eltan shakes his head. "We don't want a possible confrontation with Anchev to happen anywhere close to innocents. A wizard of his power could likely level a small town." He puts a hand to his beard. "Are there perhaps some known ruins around we could arrange to meet him at? The old Firewine Bridge, perhaps?"

Liia's eyes narrow as she considers the possible locations. Eventually her eyes turn to Koveras. "What say you? You know the man best. What location might he agree to?"

The half-orc's throat rumbles in a slight growl. "I do know him best."

Koveras nods toward Duke Eltan. "Given the chance, Rieltar absolutely will use innocents to gain an edge, either in battle or negotiation."

He looks at Xan, unfamiliar with the elf and his skills. "I advise against matching spells with him, unless there is no other recourse. Rather, meet with him in a neutral place where he won't want to engage, but he also feels reasonably safe." He points up at the map. "Like Candlekeep. I have been to the library-fortress, and while its guardians may take no issue with using their halls for negotiations, they will absolutely brook no violence there. Rieltar respects the combined power of the mages and priests that guard the place."

"I agree it should be away from civilians, even if we have allies in those locations. But doesn't he have allies in Candlekeep?" Stella asks.

"An assassination attempt was made on one of my companions a few days after we arrived there; they planned an ambush after we left for fear of further attacks." She flips a few pages in her tome. "We found confirmation it was all orchestrated specifically to kill Keggruk Cagebreaker. By my best estimations, only someone high-up or with access to their communications would have had such information. If they remain in an open space, perhaps there's nothing to fear, especially if Elminster is present or nearby...but I do worry it may not be as neutral ground as it seems."

Jaheira leans forward. "Orchestrated to kill Keggruk Cagebreaker? For what purpose? Why him?" She frowns. "You asked us the Harpers to look into those assassins, but we weren't told this."

Stella's eye-stars shift pink. Had she said too much? Stella glances at Aiwë. Should she mention Viconia and the geas placed on her?

She closes her eyes for a moment and returns them to her neutral violet. "It was a recent discovery, shortly after our incursion at the secret mine. We've...had a much going on; I apologize...we should have tried to reconvene about this sooner."

Aiwë's expression becomes stormy as the conversation turns to the assassination of her uncle. "This was the soonest we could tell you. We also learned that for their purposes, his resurrection was irrelevant. They didn't need him to stay dead. I don't know what that means. Our informant was under gaes, and couldn't expound on that or anything else. Something to do with god of murder rites, I wager. He sacrificed himself for us, if it means anything."

"As for Candlekeep, Rieltar's informant who told him of our arrival has been taken care of, but I imagine Rieltar has placed another. I'm not sure if he had advanced notice we were coming, but if so, it may not have come from Candlekeep." She looks at Dieter.

"I imagine you told some people you were coming to meet us? It wasn't a secret we were coming. Why would it be?"

"Well I woke up, did my chores, then Tulfgar told me to put my maille on. He said he had a job lined up for me with a merchant travelling to candlekeep and from there I would escort some family friends on a vacation" Dieter shrugs. "Tulfgar must have let it slip or could have been listened in on"

Koveras frowns as he thinks. "A informant under geas... Rieltar probably has at least a handful of spies and other assets who would merit geases. Which one did you meet?"

His frown deepens. "I am no spellcaster, but Rieltar occasionally spoke about rites having to do with Bhaal." He looks at Aiwe. "Is there any reason Keggruk might have been marked for death by the Lord of Murder?"

Stella looks to Aiwë, who was the one to hear confirmation from Viconia.
"'The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sewn from their passage. So sayeth the wise Alaundo...'" Stella recites, eye-stars a solemn indigo. "The Avowed in Candlekeep recited this prophecy while we were there. It's possible his influence may be deeper than just a few spies..." She pauses. "Perhaps Candlekeep would be a good meeting place, as it could open up opportunities to learn more about how this all connects. Double-purpose. That could be risky, though."

"Viconia Devir. She helped kill Keggruk and was involved in the kidnapping of you and Aldous. She's some kind of cleric, I think."

Aiwë folds her arms. "Your guess is as good as mine, Blood. You've read his book which sounds like it contained his life story. He's incredible. A hero! He's a paladin of Torm and Chieftess Cagebreaker's right hand, second only to her in the Order and the Tribe." She tosses up her hands, trying to think. "In context with Bhaal, maybe that prophecy... He's an orog and followed Gruumsh once. There were plenty of murders on his hands before he renounced him and convinced Chieftess Alalla to fight against Gruumsh. She'll tell anyone that after the Triad, Gruumsh's fall was thanks to him."

She looks around the room as though they might give her ideas. "A murderer changed? A threat to a god?" Aiwë frowns, her orcish accent heavy. "It all seems like a stretch, but Viconia said if we figured it out, we'd figure out who was next."