Calimport
Party: Brindle, Chunk, Coine, Dorian, Flynn and Urzein
Short Synopsis
They visit Omar’s friend, Khaleem. Khaleem looks pale and sick, and he claims to hear voices. When they take him out of the house, he becomes a giant slaad and attacks the group. The party engages in a desperate battle against the slaad. After taking a number of blows, the slaad disappears.
The party finds a homeless man infected by a slaad and take it out. They take the man to the Temple of Ilmaeter and learn that this is something that has been happening for a while. The party rests at the temple and plans to their next move.
Long Synopsis
Upon arriving at Calimport, the adventurers visit Coine’s family. The gnome’s family warns of the growing influence of the Veiled Knives throughout the city, especially with the pashas and among trade.
Afterwards, Omar takes the adventurers to the Wizard Ward. He introduces them to his friend, Khaleem, a specialist in magical items. Khaleem claims to hear voices and glances at a strange stone that is nearby. Urzein casts detect magic and sees that the same strange transmutation aura surrounds Khaleem and the stone. While chatting with Khaleem, Dorian deftly sweeps the stone into his backpack. Khaleem explains that he received the stone from the Red Palace. When Flynn briefly touches Khaleem, he sees a strange and horrifying vision. Urzein decides to take Khaleem to a cleric and he throws Khaleem over his shoulder. At that moment, he hears the words: “You are seen. You are known. You are next.” Urzein is horrified to see something crawling under Khaleem’s skin. They roll him up into a carpet and Urzein carries him out.
The bundled carpet on Urzein’s shoulders grows rapidly in size and tumbles to the ground. It rips apart to reveal a strangely horrific amphibious monster. Urzein and Chunk rage and attack the monster. Coine casts *aid* upon his companions while Brindle targets it with *hunter’s mark*. Dorian unleashes a *witchbolt* on the monster while Flynn casts a *phantasmal force* to create an imaginary serpent around the monster. The monster emits a foul-smelling cloud that chokes the adventurers with its noxious fumes. Two small creatures burst from the pustules on the monster’s body to latch onto Chunk and Urzein. Dorian blasts away one of the tiny creatures while Urzein hacks it to pieces. After enduring a sustained attack from the adventurers, the slaad escapes by disappearing.
Coine notices a homeless man watching nearby. He sees that there is something moving under the man’s skin, very much like the thing in Khaleem’s flesh. Urzein stabs it and pulls it out to reveal a creature similar to the ones that had burst from the slaad’s pustule.
They take the man and the small dead creatures to the Temple of Ilmaeter in the Faith Ward. According to the priests, many people have suffered similar symptoms of strange voices, horrifying visions and things moving under the flesh. Servants of various pashas, including the vizier of the Red Palace, had told the temple not to publicize this matter for fear of causing a panic. The priests identify the monster as a slaad and are very concerned. The party makes arrangements to stay overnight at the temple. They plan to see if any other victims arrive at the temple, and if not, perhaps go searching on their own for more of these things.
