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Caer Dineval Investigation

Climbing the Shaft

Bragnar and Orion investigate the situation in Care-Dineval where the town speaker has not been seen for weeks. Roark Bodwin, a tavern keeper and potential trainer, asks them to investigate the castle in exchange for training. He informs them that about a dozen new guards in black cloaks have taken over, and the regular staff hasn't been seen since. Roark suggests three ways to enter: tricking the guards, climbing the walls, or going through the sewers. He provides details on the castle layout, mentioning a central keep and guard towers. The group discusses potential approaches and gathers information about the guards and the town speaker, who is a tiefling named Kadroth.
The group scouts the exterior of the castle, observing icy walls that will melt as the day progresses and a foul-smelling creek emerging from the southeast side. They decide to investigate a narrow tunnel that appears to be a waste drainage system. Bragnar and Orion cautiously enter the tunnel, which is about 30 feet long and leads to a vertical shaft with a toilet seat at the top. They consider climbing up the shaft, noting that it has some handholds but also poses risks due to slippery waste on the walls.
Bragnar climbs the toilet shaft, but at the top he encounters a guard sitting down. He spears the guard with a trident, causing them both to collapse onto Orion.

Bragnar and Orion climb back up and emerge from the outhouse. Orion attempts to talk to the cloaked figures burning people at the stake, but they react with hostility. They realize Dzaan is among the burning figures. Combat begins, with Bragnar hidden and Orion transforming into his necrotic shape to frighten the enemies. The group successfully defeats all the enemies they were facing in this encounter.

The group continues their infiltration of the fortress, attempting to escape after causing chaos. Orion and Bragnar disguise themselves in black cloaks taken from defeated guards. They dispose of a captured guard down a latrine shaft and try to bluff their way past another guard. The pair then stealthily moves through the fortress, checking rooms and corridors while avoiding detection. They decide to head south, carefully opening doors and ascending stairs to the second level.
The group enters the castle and encounters armed guards. After a brief skirmish and misunderstanding, they negotiate to see the speaker. They are led to an office where they meet Kadroth, who is posing as the speaker. Kadroth informs them that Dzaan was executed along with other criminals. Orion attempts to probe Kadroth for more information about the larger situation in Icewind Dale.
Orion and Bragnar investigate the situation with Speaker Crannoc Siever. They discover that he is being held captive by Kadroth and his associates. Orion casts Zone of Truth, compelling Kadroth to admit that they have kidnapped the speaker to gain influence in Ten-Towns. The group learns that Crannoc is not actually sick, but is being controlled against his will. They also discuss the potential involvement of Avarice, a member of the Arcane Brotherhood, in the larger scheme of events in Icewind Dale.

Avarice, a powerful magic user, is studying artifacts in the cistern in exchange for allowing them to live. Orion and Bragnar decide to confront Avarice, and Kadroth leads them to her study in the cistern. There, they discover a strange artifact: a black stone shard embedded in a half-melted mask, which they identify as having Netherese origins and potentially dangerous magical properties.
The group negotiates with Avarice and they agree to leave the spindle with Avarice and take the mask, but when separating the items, they trigger a magical effect. After further discussion, they decide to leave both artifacts with Avarice in exchange for her staff as a token of trust. The group plans to return later to study the artifacts with Avarice.