The Jealous Alliance

(Scroll for tl;dr)

The party emerged from the tomb and healed the fallen Balderpoor.  Across the graveyard they could see the old man from earlier.  He began to straighten up from his hunchback stance and called over, “Give me the orb, or die!”  Then he lifted his hands above his head and bellowed, “Rise!”  Four flameskulls now floated above the ground and a revenant clawed its way out of a fresh grave.  The flameskulls shot rays of fire at the party while the revenant protected the necromancer. During the battle, Aubrey was cursed with a Crown of Thorns spell and forced to fire a spell at the party.  Luckily his Wand of Wonder only cast Slow but no one was affected.  The flameskulls and necromancer were defeated and the revenant was slowly beaten down.

Nareen Dhest emerged from the shadows demanding payment now that the Orb had been recovered. The party felt inclined not to pay considering that getting the orb had not been entirely straightforward. Dhest wasn’t happy with this but agreed on a fee of 2000gp.  The party returned to the Pearl-Handeled Pipe tavern and stayed for the night.

The next day they decided to set out for Triboar to return the orb and claim their reward.  As they left the inn they overheard a some patrons discussing a boat that had been moored at the docks but only a dead body had been found aboard. Worried the boat might be the keelboat Jarlier and Smiley were last seen on, they decided to investigate.  The boat was indeed the party’s keelboat, so they boarded it immediately.  Below decks they found their friend Jarlier dead.  His mouth was filled with dirt and the symbol of the Black Earth cult was carved into his forehead.  The Adventurers™️ looted Jarlier’s corpse and found his belonging had been left on him so they split them amongst the group.  They searched the ship but there was no sign of Smiley anywhere.  

Vowing to avenge their fallen comrade, the party decided to go to Triboar and return the orb.  They flew via hippogriff and landed in the centre of the settlement next to a large fortified manor house.  Inside they found Lord Commander Gilan Wrarde who led them into a large well furnished hall. The Adventurers™️ handed over the orb and Gilan opened a secret storeroom and placed the orb inside, next to dozens of similar looking orbs.  He then asked them to join the Lord’s Alliance on the condition that they renounce membership of the Feathergale Society and Emerald Enclave and discard any outward sign of belonging to them. The Adventurers were reluctant to part with their magic featherfall and elvenkind cloaks.  Balderpoor managed to slip his elvenkind cloak into his pack without Gilan noticing.  Aubrey and Skonn started arguing and almost came to blows. Sorin scowled in the corner while Arnogall asked what the benefits of joining the Alliance were.  Gilan explained that the Lord’s Alliance was a powerful organisation with influence in all major settlements in the area and many others further afield.  He also offered a signet run, a ring of mind shielding and intelligence on the Black Earth cult.   The group eventually agreed and exchanged their cloaks for the rings and documents.  

Gilan explained that the Black Earth cult have been using a place called the Sacred Stone Monastery as a front for their activities. He went to mark this on the groups map but found it had already been noted.  He also gave them a full floor plan of the monastery and a partial map of the lower hidden sections.  Gilan explained that he had been informed of two possible ways to infiltrate the monastery.  Either to pose as monks, wearing the order’s black hooded robes and gilded tin gargoyle masks or by stating they had business with the Abbess Hellenrae or the leader of Black Earth, Marlos Urnrayle.  All paths posed different risks.

The party left the manor house and headed to the monastery.  Sorin asked that they stop at a sacred forest called Gwaeron's Slumber on the way as it was close to Triboar.  The group agreed.

(TL;DR Fought undead, went to Triboar and joined the Lord’s Alliance.  Now heading to Sacred Stone Monastery to take on the Black Earth cult.)