Back in business

Thay

Invigorated by the new sponsorship,the household journeys to the makeshift town that has sprung up near the wall of mist surrounding the missing province.

Once there, Zárisse causes a slight stir by refusing to be baited by the protests of her opponents from the earlier Hearings.

The household appropriates the local barracks and induct a dozen or so of the soldiery.

A local talent, the bounty hunter Darya, is enrolled into Zárisse's entourage for her knowledge about the local community. She has some trouble adjusting to serving directly under a Red Wizard but so far has managed to remain alive and unpunished.

Nestor and Darya are sent to recruit a proper cook and an order for suitable household slaves is placed as well. [Angus] the cook is employed.

A Thayan Knight, Kzain, courts Nestor and seems genuinely attracted to the handsome, young catamite. Varadíya seems to have some sort of history with Kzain and the two Knights obviously do not get along at all.

As time passes, the mighty ex-general and skilled summoner, Anekh arrives. In a meeting he scolds the assembled lesser Red Wizards for their inefficiency and assumes total command for the operation of retaking the missing province from the deities who stole it from Thay.

Zárisse is tasked with going to the temple-fortress of the Black Cell Templars and request access to their vast hoard of knowledge on all matters.

As preparations are made for the main entourage to move into hostile Rashemen, Darya and Adventure Kids are sent in advance to reconnoiter the easiest way to their goal.

During preparations for departure Lothar and Nestor find that prices are unusally high when they purchase supplies. Only the intervention by Tubby and intimidation from Lothar brings the pricing to normal levels. The high pricing is the result of other Red Wizards who are hostile to Zárisse and has pressured the local merchants to be uncooperative.

Zárisse responds by sending the competition letters telling them to stop "acting childish". Although justified, the criticism is not well received...

The plan is to cross the border as nondescript merchants and the first week or so it seems successful. A local barbarian is tailing the jolly band and receives some unfortunate injuries from a more or less deliberate misinterpretation by Lothar of the order to "deal with him". The savage is kept from expiring however, in an attempt to enhance the image of harmlessness of our bold protagonists.

Soon, however, Fandamm notices that they are being followed by strange, putrescent wolves and just as a band of Blightspawned Wolves attacks the retinue from the rear, a cry come from the front: "Ambush!" Darya and the Adventure Kids have turned back from their scouting and spotted a band of Rashemi berserkers about to attack from the front.

Battle ensues...