Back to the keep - let in as we're known as servants of Lord Komar. We're joined by Lord Komar. Ask about Lord Talkun - he's in town now, we get a location. Komar knows Seecas had friends in nobility, but doesn't know if Talkun was a friend or what.

Head over to Talkun's house - early afternoon. Classy butler opens the door. We explain our business, ushered in to the drawing room. We take a quick sniff, no scent of Erythnul incense - maybe a very faint smell... might be incense.

Lord Talkun enters. Ask about his meeting... Talkun says he had to cancel. Pire & Diren don't think he's being quite straight. Talkun was going to visit Seecas to play cards - low stakes. Did so about once a month, maybe a bit less. They both followed St Cuthbert. No common topic of discussion over their games. He doesn't detect as evil. No specific knowledge of who'd kill him - he'd retired and was doing special investigations. Ask if Lord Talkun knows about the cult of Erythnul. He looks nervous, but says he doesn't know anything. We duck out and swap information.

As Moth and Diren set up to watch the house, gnome approaches Diren. Warns him that the Family is after Diren. Diren says he's just in town a few days, not even doing any thieving. Though he is watching the house...

Pire and Spit head back to the Copper Tub to find Gnarsh... he's having a grand time with a dwarf. Spit asks if Gnarsh is planning on drinking the whole time. Uh... introductions are made; they're invited to drink. They chat about what the dwarf, Theldin, is up to. A bit of complaining about Gnarsh's drinking - Spit to Pire, "He's your acolyte."

Spit, "So, are you running from or running to?" Theldin, "Looking for something new." He's from the South. Explaining about the Temple of Elemental Evil - lots of loot. Pire interrogates him - not a thief, an assassin, an elf-lover? Explain about evil cult in town. A hire is made!

Meanwhile, the elves are watching the townhouse - Moth in back, Diren in front. Moth sees butler exit back door - goes down to the corner where there are street urchins, then comes back. An urchin later appears (sneaky) at the back door - hands the kid something, then kid heads off.

Moth hits him with a charm person. Then steps out from behind tree, shows off with cantrip. Asks about message from the butler - it's a whole silver this time! Going across the river to a sketchy area - get a route, across river, weird path - to evil templey place. Moth gets a look at the note (and encourages the kid to learn to read) - "Adventurers are investigating Seecas's death. Don't expect anything from me. You're on your own now." Gonna be OK on his own. Moth gives him a copper. Message to confer with Diren, can make the directions work.

We head over to the Copper Tub. Share info, grab a drink. Ask if Gnarsh is good to go, he vomits on the table.

After equipping, we head out across the river. Very bad part of town, some burned out. There are some squatters. Pass the burned out door of the old thieves guild. Into the catacombs and entrances to nearby basements. Theldin hears people ahead & light from under nearby door. No chanting, the dog does smell incense though.

We have a quiet talk, and then choose to kick in the door. Combat proceeds, Spit takes a good solid thwack and we all take some evil energy damage from an evil cleric channeling energy. Interrogation - these guys didn't murder Seecas. There's a freelance Erythnul "crazy little gnome" priest - he's working with a guy from Ull. These guys passes messages from Talkun to the gnome. The gnome shows up sometimes.

We check out the area nearby and have a few guys hide to prevent him running away. The elves discuss a lack of souls and "destroy the sanctity of marriage." We hear a clanging outside and cursing. Out in the hall, a gnome is picking up a lantern that fell down the stairs. As he goes by the watchers slide out behind him. He reaches the room, and runs back into Diren. He's intimidated, acts confused. Steps into a side door, Diren hits him with a sword, but he turns invisible. Moth stuns him with a color spray, he's eventually grappled.

Interrogation - the gnome's boss has dirt on Talkun. The boss is a guy from Ull - big, goldish skin - named "Lemon?" He had something to do with Seecas's death. Gnome has an Erythnul holy symbol. Seecas killed cause he was poking into the boss's business. The gnome tells us where he meets the boss. The gold skin is typical of a native of Ull, just a short boat ride away.

We tie them up, manacle the priest and gnome, and lead them back to the keep where they're taken off our hands by the guard. We brief Lord Komar on what's going on. He offers a troop of guards as backup, which we agree to, as long as they hang back and don't alert them to our coming.

We head out - it's the foreign quarter we're heading for. We're at some apartments, the guy from Ull is on the top floor. We put Moth and Spit in the back, guardsmen in the front, everyone else heads up the stairs. A firey glyph of warding explodes - Diren spiders on the ceiling and Theldin takes it in the face. We rush up and kick in the door.

Spit takes off around the block. Dance past, dwarf engage, elmo bullrush. Diren off balance, he's danced around and poisoned. Out window! dead. Elmo follows suit with barbarian. wounded til Moth & Lush finish him. Rush into apartment. Engage last barbarian, he can't punch through the steel wall that is Theldin and Pire. Diren circles him and stabs him in the back.

Searching the bodies we get some loot. Upstairs, we find some blackmail info on some of the Lords. Some papers that are cryptic - they were recruiting for the temple. No mention about the higher ups; they sent 10 guys in the last month to Nulb.

We take the letter to Lord Komar. He pays us a generous fee (TBD). Lord Talkun may not be a lord for very much longer. And we continue to receive the previous benefits - bunks, storage, library & librarian access.

We spend a few days relaxing, making donations to temples, and picking up our commissioned magic items. We hire a few more mercenaries in Verbobonc. We head back to Hommlet; rest in the rooms that are finished in the house. Resupply with rations and arrows, then head to Nulb.

In Nulb, the old woman throws a rock at us. People look at us warily, but don't accost us. Mother Scrang gives us a dose of anti-toxin. Spit spends time with her, talking shop about stuff. She tries to set him up with her daughter, a creepy witch too, but Spit is "not really looking, but thanks."

We then head to the Temple. We plan on taking on the tower full of bandits before we head in again.