After much deliberation, our adventurers decided the best course of action was to toss Vindrex’s charred lump of a body into the darkness of the elaborate stone archway in the cellar to test out how dangerous it might turn out to be. Along with the haunting scrape of Vindrex’s charred vocal cords complaining at his treatment (but still alive), they heard a plea for help from a soon-to-be fast friend.

It took some time to decipher the puzzle above the archway:

Paint your promise

In life’s ink

Then let moonshine

Dry its stink

But eventually, Tenli painted the ornate bat heads with her blood and Sven figured out the polished steel circles hanging beneath the batheads could be positioned from the entrance to the cellar such that the moonlight reflected down the hall and ignited the blood. It went up in a glowing flash, unlocking some enchantment which caused the stone bats on the carved arch to fly off into the walls of the cellar, and the darkness beyond to dissipate.

They entered the ornate marble chamber to find half a dozen people passed out on cushions, bite marks in their skin. One of the sucked men was Uncle Iroh, glad to find other hearty adventurers in Dingle.

Next to a large stone coffin, they found a chest. Sven ripped that sucker open, and inside the party found:

* 50 gold

* Ring, +1 int

* Necklace, +1 wis

* Toe ring, +1 str

* Potion of healing (2d4 + 2)

Along with the treasure, they found a message that read:

Your reports trickle in with the speed of a frozen stream of night mud. Both slow and stinking. By now, the bank should be established and handouts been made to both gentry and peasants of Dellin’s Southern Tip. We have not heard from our investor in some time. Has your disgusting affliction robbed that woman of her life and you of all senses? Consider the coinpurse strings drawn shut until we hear from her. Your counterpart in Daros is excelling. We judge you by his curve. Our next communication will come at the end of a stake. Support must be shored up for the Reagent, whether you live to see the benefits or not.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

As well as a map:

High on their newly acquired loot, Tenli decided to amputate Vindrex for easier carrying. Sven then hoisted the bloody torso over his shoulder, and the group made their way outside.

By this time, morning crept from beyond the horizon, and the fisherman they met the day prior ran across them as they left the cellar. He gave them his gratitude and tried to sell them his wife for 1 gold piece.

While the party spoke with the fisherman, Vindrex died in the sunlight. They barged their way into Tissera’s tavern, and tossed the ashy remains at her feet. She was super bummed. They totally foiled her spy mission, assigned to her by Bastard Nigel’s corp of intelligence. The party gained a whole lot of information from Tissera, including her suspicion that Lord Reed Rehrgin, a known vampire sympathizer in his fief of Durbin, was involved in the assassination. Though, Beorn never quite seemed to trust her. She packed up her shit and left Dingle to return back to Thad for new orders.

With their loot in hand and a tavern at their disposal, the party rested up and get ripped. In the early morning hours, they got up and stole some horses from the one stable in Dingle (which provided all plow animals for the town… good luck getting a world famous Dingle Carrot any time soon) and made their way for Daros, where they expected to find a vampire operating some shady business.

On their journey, they spotted a group of 3 vagrants. Tenli and Uncle Iroh snuck up on them and decided they were no threat, so the party continued their ride. They made camp for the evening, and during the night’s watch, somebody spotted the 3 vagrants looking at them. After utterly failing to intimidate the vagrants, a fight seemed inevitable.

That is, until an arrow flew from behind and pierced one of the bandits in his chest, felling him on the spot. The other two pissed their pants, then ran off into the night. Behind them, the party found Tissera leaning against her bow. The party agreed to let her join their group on their way to Daros, and she shared a horse and some light sensual touches with Sven.

They bribed the Daros gate guards with a cask of ale and entered the teeming city. Without even brushing the travel off their clothes, they immediately found a tavern and got to drinking (and gathering information). They heard from a servant, Regus, that Lord Duskfallow was a popular mayor, having lowered the crime rate, the pestilence, and even the poverty in the city. However, many of the nobility in the city resented Lord Duskfallow since he took power a year ago. Although his family name can be found in city record for centuries, nobody remembers him being in the city more than a year ago.

Lord Tergid Vexman was chief amongst the opposition, and Regus let the party know they could find Tergid in his estate near the city’s center - the one with the gaudy balustrades, impossible to miss it.

Regus also informed the party that as tourists in the city of Daros, they wouldn’t want to miss seeing the canals, or partaking in the psychedelic scorpions and mushrooms available in the night market. Following his advice, the party had a nice gondola ride up the lock system of the canals, and found the location of the night market.