05.20.18

Session Outline
The party arrives in Waterdeep, the so-called City of Splendors. The caravan guards are paid and wander off into the city, though obviously some of them are coming back to report for the southbound caravan in a couple days. The various carts are taken off through the wide, but crowded, streets after being claimed by their recipients. The cult wagons, however, stay together and head north immediately before coming to the High Road Charter Company.

The High Road is being rebuilt, even though the Mere of Dead Men continues to encroach upon it, due to the commitment by Lord Neverember to rebuild the great northern city of Neverwinter. It was previously destroyed by an erupting volcano. Neverember promises to return the Northland to its glory.

High Road Charter has been contracting the road builders, and the cult hires out to have its carts transported to the road head at Carnath Roadhouse. The party can easily be hired on to escort carts northward through the mere. Robert Meadfellow runs the hiring and can answer questions. There are at least 8 known cultists working as laborers with the caravans, and the characters may notice that they are chummy with others who arrive with carts of their own.

This is a tenday journey, though nothing much happens. They increase elevation and the weather turns colder, with frost and ice commonplace in the mornings.

The arrival at the roadhouse and subsequent unloadings will go as written in the book, and the characters must find the tunnel through which the cult is moving its goods. The one exception: the Strong Room is trapped by a crossbow trap, 2d10 damage from each of the two bolts.