Upon entering Lusteris, the party aided Lieutenant Marvos in holding off a line of sandwalkers on the outskirts of the city. Marvos tasked the group with slaying the sandwraith leading the undead. Despite ineffective early strikes (Ferinthria’s fire magic, Dravencoles’ radiant smite, and Momeline’s poison) the party discovered the creature was vulnerable to water and ice. Lirielle’s lightning attack weakened it; Ferinthria exposed its aversion to moisture; and ultimately, Leonard Chesterwolfe delivered the killing blow. With the sandwraith dead, the remaining sandwalkers crumbled. The Obsidian Army suffered minimal losses, and the party was awarded a Token of Obsidian Valor, given to Ferinthria.
Inside the city, the party found the Solara Embassy burned and located Velara Kael at the Whisper & Oak Tavern. After a brief (and awkward) reunion (including a suspicious encounter involving men’s trousers in Velara’s room) the party was invited to the Silver Chair Gala by Lady Serin, an ambassador from Solara.
At the gala in the ethereal Silver Palace Gardens, the party encountered each of the five major factions of Lusteris:
- Yuki Song of the Silver Chair warned them of scrutiny.
- Ithilwen Galandel of the Sapphire Temple confided in Dravencoles about missing priestesses and gifted him a medallion that detects divine corruption.
- Zahir Tariq of the Obsidian Army requested help investigating a string of high-profile murders potentially linked to thieves’ guilds.
- Eirik Ravenskald of the Emerald Bank spoke in veiled threats and asked the party to report any sightings of Lyrian Brightwind, an embezzler.
- Tilly and Finnathan Thistle of the Marble Academy expressed concern about Velara and cryptic instability in divination magic. The party also learned to search the library for more information about Bixby Wizzlethorpe’s expulsion.
Momeline identified Starlit Fern Fronds, a rare alchemical reagent, growing in the garden. Ferinthria skillfully manipulated Eirik into believing she was politically aligned with him.
During the event, a bandit incursion disrupted the gala. The masked thieves demanded the wealthy guests surrender their valuables, claiming to represent the forgotten poor. The party chose to stand down. Eirik was visibly irritated, and the leader publicly mocked him.
Later that night, the group decided to investigate one of the suspects in the murders: Black Thorns. They located a warehouse and launched an immediate and violent assault using fire magic and close-combat strikes. All present were killed. Among the wreckage, they found a note bearing the signature of Lady V, suggesting the guild followed strict, nonviolent ethical guidelines:
“No blades unless they’re drawn first. No fire unless they strike the match.”
The message’s tone and the signature, Lady V, immediately raised suspicions in Momeline and Lirielle, who speculated that Velara may be entangled in the city’s underworld, either as an ally or manipulator of the Black Thorns.
The party claimed 400 gold from a hidden stockpile in the warehouse and returned to the Whisper & Oak, leaving behind smoldering ruins and a growing unease about whether the Black Thorns were truly the threat they appeared to be, or merely pawns in a larger game.