Wandering Wolves: Lure of the Ancient Spells (1)

Dravago 16 - Dravago 17

Part One - Action at the Auction House
After a somewhat eventful stay in Stormreach, the next quest for the Wandering Wolves began at an auction held at Von Ruthvek's Splendors of the South Antiquities Boutique on the evening of Dravago 16.

Using the disguises that they had adopted for all of their time in Stormreach, the Wandering Wolves approached Von Ruthvek's boutique as the sun began to fall. They were asked to surrender any weapons, and asked if they wanted to bank any money to bid on the auctions. Lysander gave a small sum to a House Kundarak dwarf, who immediately placed it in a secure carriage that shortly carried it away with other moneys to a Kundarak bank in Stormreach. In exchange, he was given a wooden paddle with his name on it and a letter of credit for the money.

A sign cautioned "By Order of the Storm Lords, there is no unauthorized magic use inside the walls of Von Ruthvek's Establishment." The security seemed relatively light to Pel and Lysander, a half-dozen members of the Stormreach Guard and a couple Medani sentries, as well as a half-dozen dwarves from House Kundarak. They soon discovered that each auction item was held inside a glass case with a glyph of warding, and that the most valuable items were stored in a Kundarak vault at the back of the shop, which seemed impressively impregnable.

The event was catered by House Ghallanda, who served fine cuisine from all of the Five Nations, as well as a few spicy (and borderline dangerous) treats from Valenar and Q'barra and plenty of Kuryeva, the trademark berry gin of Xen'drik. While they waited for the auction to begin and kept an eye out for Kalibar Jenks, the Wolves mingled with a couple dozen people there for the auction. In terms of folks they knew, they spotted Halas Martain, who was representing the Wayfinder Foundation, but went out of their way not to talk to him. They also spoke with Caius d'Lyrandar, the lieutenant of a Lyrandar wind galleon who turned out to be much more than he appeared.

They also met the guest of honor, Professor Greyare, the only surviving member of the original Yaoteco Venta expedition. He was a man in his early fifties, and was clearly a bit paranoid and unsettled after what he had been through in the wilds of Xen'drik. He was quite friendly with Sithov Nagel, the Aundarian sorcerer who had rescued him, and his standoffish half-orc bodyguard Tellus.

There were a number of bidders there for the auction for Seeker's journal, including Sithov, The Library of Korranberg's gnomish bard Gorenof Vanetos, Lord Dassix d'Cannith and Lady Vanessa d'Cannith, representing different factions of the splintered House of Making, an Aundarian wizard named Weldon Noveq and an art dealer named Melveris that many assumed was a Sea Baron of Lhazaar in disguise. The Wolves had seen Lady Vanessa at Lady Elaydren's wedding, but they didn't speak to her in particular during the auction.

While everyone circulated, Pel and Lysander in particular spread their particular charms around looking for information. They found out details on a number of the bidders, including a private confederation of mages headed by Weldon Noveq, and Pel detected some friction between Sithov and Melveris, but was unable to ferret out any further information.

After about four hours of auction on antiquities from throughout Xen'drik, including a 3-foot tall obsidian statue of Vulkoor, the drow scorpion god, Alexa Von Ruthvek came to the stage and asked the bidders on Seeker's Journal to come forward, while asking the remaining, thinned crowd to be quite while the event of the night took place.

The auction began at 25,000 gp, and began as a contest between Sithov and Melveris, until Weldon and Vannessa d'Cannith joined at about the 60,000 gp mark. Lord Dassix d'Cannith joined in at 75,000 gp, and Gorenof entered at 80,000 gp.

At 95,000 gp, the private mages confederation was outbid, and Weldon left the building. Vanessa d'Cannith, who had outbid him, quickly hit her own limit, however, when Lord Dassix bid 115,000 gold, causing Vanessa to curse and storm out, and causing a bit of a stir amongst the crowd. Alexa Von Ruthvek suggested a small break to calm things down, and when the auction resumed, it was clear that Melveris had also been outbid, as he had slipped away during the break.

With only three bidders remaining, Gorenof picked things up at 120,000 gold, and that was too rich for Sithov Nagel, who graciously excused himself and left with Tellus and Professor Greyare. The crowd had thinned out considerably at this point, down only to those who had won an item in the prior auction and the two bidders remaining in the larger auction.

Lord Dassix and Gorenof exchanged bids one more time, and then Dassix extended his hand to congratulate Gorenof on the winning bid of 130,000 gold. The Library of Korranberg had won the journal and all of Seeker's notes, and would be the ones mounting an expedition to the lost giant city of Yaoteco Venta.

While Alexa Von Ruthvek was settling accounts and making sure everyone got their goods, however, some uninvited guests showed up. A band of drow burst in, taking hostages including an heiress who had won a valuable item and Caius d'Lyrandar. Pel managed to turn invisible before he was noticed, and the rest of the Wolves waited, unwilling to risk the hostages.

The drow demanded that Von Ruthvek open the vault, and when she hesitated, they stabbed the heiress severely wounding her. This was enough to push Von Ruthvek to open the vault, and two of the drow rushed inside. Before anything else could happen, Caius d'Lyrandar did something that provoked his drow guard, who promptly stabbed him and left him on the floor. With the hostages out of the equation, Luggoth went into action, and when he shifted forms, he frightened several of the drow. Pel moved to heal the heiress while remaining invisible, and as the drow and the Wolves jockeyed for position, Brand realized that all they wanted was the idol of their god back. He yelled out to them in drow to take the idol and nothing else and go, and they wouldn't be harmed, and they took him up on the offer.

Pel moved over to try and heal Caius d'Lyrandar, but right before he placed his hands on him, the fallen man transformed into a cloud of mist and flowed through the cracks in the floor.

With the drow gone, Von Ruthvek offered some valuable rings to the Wolves as a token of gratitude. However, the Wolves were hoping for a different form of gratitude, namely a place on the Korranberg Expedition. Gorenof Vanetos was sympathetic, but explained that the decision rested with his superiors, and he would message them and ask for permission, and get in touch with the Wolves in the morning. Since they couldn't use their true identities, they couldn't use their reputation, and thus Gorenof was not optimistic about their chances.

Fortunately, being a part of the auction was not the only way for the Wolves to find their way to Yaoteco Venta and a spell that might cure their old friend William. As they left the auction house, a voice called to them from a nearby alley. He presented himself as a follower of the Traveler, and gave Pel sheafs of paper that were clearly copies of the text in Seeker's journal, before disappearing into the night.

Though lacking the maps and context of the journal, these would provide clues that would lead the Wolves to a Giant laboratory in the jungles that promised to have further clues to Yaoteco Venta.

The next morning, Gorenof came to the Ship's Cat to tell them that the Library had refused him permission to add anyone to the auction. However, he did exchange a song of his with a song of Lysander's, explaining that such a thing would make it easier to find each other, if that turned out to be helpful to either of them later.