The party decided that they wanted to get some old questions answered, and that step one in doing that would be to raise Elfrich from the dead. As doing so would take eight hours of Azeri's time, and it was already night, they found lodging and retired to tackle that project the next day.
Raising Elfrich was the work of most of the 8th day of Dravago. Edge kept watch while Azeri was casting the ritual. At long last, it was completed, and Elfrich opened his very surprised eyes. The party demanded to know if he had knowingly betrayed them, and if so, why. He hung his head, and said that, yes, he had done it all on purpose. Zelian had gotten to him, and forced him to do it. They asked why he'd activated the hidden bomb when he knew what would happen - he replied that by that point it was either they killed him or Zelian did, so it didn't seem to matter.
The party was not pacified by his answers, but wasn't about to kill him when they had just spent a great deal of time and money bringing him back to life. They informed him that he owed them for that; he is in their debt. And to repay that debt, they said, he will gather information for them now, and they'll call on him when they need him. Elfich was grateful, and said he planned to set up shop in Ghalt, a city none too far from Passage. After obtaining their leave to go, he fled into the waning light of the evening.
The party decided their next move was going to be to head to Tselem's
alma mater in Fairhaven, University of Wynarn, to meet with an old professor of his, and continue pursuing other unanswered questions. Thus resolved, they headed to the nearest House Orien teleportation station. On their way however, they were met by a Dragonborn male named Kriv. Kriv knew they had taken down Zelian, or rather Kriv's master did, and had asked Kriv to 'invite' them to meet with his master.
The party was naturally very guarded, especially since Kriv would not say who his master was (though it seemed pretty likely it was a dragon) or what exactly he wanted. Kriv made it very clear though that he did not intend to take no for an answer, but neither was he in possession of all the facts. The party debated for a time, and then decided to accept. Kriv led them down to the docks on the shores of Silver Lake, where they boarded a galleon going to Drum Keep on the far side of the lake. (Kriv insisted they pay their own way, which annoyed them, so Edge paid for everyone, including Kriv, as a nose-thumbing gesture.)
It was night by the time the boat set sail. The party bedded down in the passenger bunks (such as they were) below deck. The boat arrived at Drum Keep very early the next morning, but the crew did not ask the passengers to disembark until dawn arrived on the morning of 9 Dravago. Drum Keep was a busy though not particularly noteworthy fort, and the party did not really have any reason to linger, so they followed Kriv an hour's journey into the desert beyond.
At long last, Kriv stopped and declared they had arrived, then stepped to one side. A moment later, a great brown dragon emerged from beneath the sand. Kriv's master was indeed a dragon, and his name was Khamsin. Khamsin greeted the party cordially enough for dragon, but quickly made it clear he had a bone to pick with them. Killing the leader of one of the Dragonmarked Houses, at least according to him, was interfering with the Draconic Prophesy. The party asked to know how so, but Khamsin loftily refused to entertain such questions. To him, there was only one course of action - the party must leave Khorvaire entirely, so as to not interfere any further. The party was naturally reluctant, but they were also reluctant to take on a dragon of Khamsin's stature, so they agreed to his terms.
Khamsin opened a portal to Sarlona, the other great civilized continent of the world, and ushered the group through. They found themselves in the midst of swampy, humid forest. It had been morning in Khorvaire, but now they were literally on the other side of the world, and it was evening. The portal closed beyond them, leaving to wonder what was going to happen next.
They didn't have long to ponder. Through the trees a crashing was heard, and then a ferocious green dragon burst into the clearing where they stood. It wasted no time attacking them. The party fought back bravely, wondering if this was just bad luck ... or if they'd just been played.
Rewards
(Nothing yet, since the encounter is still on-going)
