Revenge

Summary
Having escaped Queg aboard the Crying Moon, Zinnius notices the ship's flag is a blue and white banner like the one on his mysterious letter and the ship's emblem is a crying crescent moon. The letter's wax seal was marked with a crescent moon. He decides to speak to the ship captain and show him the letter. Captain is Bayat is shocked, he says the handwriting looks like that of Lady Amara beni-Qamar, head of the noble house he serves. He offers to speak to her on Zinnius' behalf. When the ship makes port in LiMeth, the adventurers should remain below deck until nightfall, and he will go speak to Lady Amara. When the ship docks, the captain heads off in a hooded cloak. A few hours later, the captain returns in an enclosed carriage with an invitation from lady Amara. The party agrees and they are taken from the docks, through the Merchants' Quarter and into the Nobles' Quarter, to a very large and expensive mansion. The carriage comes to the rear servants' entrance and the gate guards watch the street as the party enters under the cover of a thunderstorm. They are escorted to a large audience chamber and upon the throne is a middle aged Arabian woman in blue and white robes with silver jewelry and a large gold moon pendant, but she is a midget, which explains the small handwriting in the letter. She welcomes them and questions Zinnius, did he rescue his family, did they kill Lydia Lysander? Zinnius answers truthfully and asks how she found him and why. Lady Amara says it took a great deal of money and magic to locate him after he escaped from Queg. She had to make a sizeable donation to the temple of Ka-hooli. As for why, al-Beshara is her rival. beni-Qamar ruled LiMeth until al-Beshara overtook them in power and the Council of Noble Families transferred rulership to him. Lysander may assume al-Beshara sent Zinnius to attack her again, so she will cause problems for him. She also asks what Zinnius plans to do about al-Beshara and Zinnius admits he plans to kill him. Lady Amara is pleased, as al-Beshara's downfall will allow her family to regain control of LiMeth. Zinnius wants more, and agrees to assassinate al-Beshara if Lady Amara will guarantee the safety of the Kenku tribes. Lady Amara agrees and gives them some information, helping Zinnius recall some of his lost memories. She offers the party rooms in her mansion and sends them off to rest. The adventurers are shown to a fine guest suite and are served food and provided baths and clothes. In the morning, they make some plans and head into the city to shop for some items. They want some poison for the fight against al-Beshara, but that would be hard to find. Jace is uneasy about using poison. They find a Potion of Invisibility for Flynn. Gala turns down a potion that would boost her charisma. They decide to head into the hills to check on Zinnius' family and see what they may be able to provide. They come to the old village, which was mostly destroyed when it was raided. But new huts have been built from salvage and there are more kenku here than escaped with Sasha. The kenku welcome the party, the additional kenku are members of neighboring tribes who are helping make a new village. The party hunts vipers in the hills and Raaha kills one with Eldritch Blast and they take it to a kenku herbalist who is able to get three doses of venom from the snake. Zinnius speaks with his daughter and promises to return, she tells him he must because she is pregnant!
The adventurers return from the mountains and make camp near al-Beshara's fortress and begin spying on it. They discuss using Stone Shape to penetrate the outer walls and the palace so they can capture al-Beshara. Zinnius explains some of what he remembers and mentions al-Beshara's "left hand man" and murderer, Iago Berhaba, a skilled bowman and killer who is equally at home in the wild or a city.
They make plans and Zinnius takes the Ring of Spell Storing. Once it is ready, Raaha turns Gala, Jace, and Zinnius invisible and goes into her genie ring and Jace picks it up. Flynn drinks his Potion of Invisibility and they all head off to the fortress. Jace casts Silence on a copper piece and Flynn holds it. Zinnius uses the ring to cast Stone Shape, opening a hole in the side of a tower, since the main wall is too thick. Gala casts Major Illusion to cover the hole and they move into the tower. But the first floor is a bunkroom with four sleeping guards! One sits up, disturbed by the spell, but doesn't see the invisible party and the illusion covers the hole, so he goes back to sleep. But as the party moves across to th door, the Silence area of effect brushes the guards and one wakes up. Disturbed by his sudden deafness, he wakes up another and the two yell soundlessly at each other. While the party hesitates, they wake up the other guards and one runs upstairs and the other runs outside. The party rushes through the open door and the first guard talks to a guard on duty at the mansion's back door. The party slips around the corner and Jace and Gala step outside the Silence and do another Stone Shape and Major Illusion combo on the side of the palace. The party steps through into a servants' kitchen, then moves through into a servants' common room and out into the hallway. The hallway leads them to the main hall, a two story arched great room with the main entrance at one end and a dais and throne at the other. Two guards are on duty by the main door. There's another door in the corner behind the throne and they head that way. Behind the door is a short hall with stairs leading up. Zinnius thinks this will take them to al-Beshara's quarters.
Climbing the steps, they come to a luxuriously furnished hallway. Trying the first door on the right, they find a sitting room and library with a set of stairs leading to a roof access door. They think the next door is the master bedroom and Zinnius tries the handle. But the door is trapped with a Glyph of Warding and lightning arcs through the party and the building shakes. The door is locked but Flynn smashes the handle off with his greataxe and smashes the door open. Inside, al-Beshara has climbed out of bed and thrown on a robe. Zinnius shoots him twice and Flynn charges him and grapples with him and TRIES TO SHOVE THE SILENCE COIN DOWN HIS THROAT!! Jace grabs al-Beshara while Zinnius stabs him with a poisoned arrow and then draws his poisoned sword and stabs him again. al-Beshara tries to cast a spell from a ring on Flynn, but he resists. Flynn gets the coin in al-Beshara's mouth, then tries to cut off his hand with the ring on it. Raaha emerges from her genie ring. Gala is moving up in the hallway when she is brutally hit by two arrows fired from down the hall. Enraged, she hurls a Fireball spell around the corner. The enemy, an Arabian man with a short bow, quiver and sword belt strapped on over his night gown shoots back, hitting her twice more before ducking around the corner again. Gala casts a quickened Dimension Door to come out in the hallway near the archer and shoots him with Firebolt, but he dodges the worst of it. Flynn continues trying to cut al-Beshara's arm while Zinnius continues attacking him. al-Beshara pukes up the coin and casts a spell with a quick hand gesture. He glows with a fiery aura for a moment, then flames shoot from his feet and he flies out into the hallway and runs towards the stairs down to the entrance. Jace pursues and blocks him with a Wall of Fire. Raaha runs to help Gala while Zinnius and Flynn follow Jace. The archer drops Gala with two more arrows, then dodges Eldritch blast from Raaha. Away from the Silence coin, al-Beshara teleports in a puff of smoke. Jace drops the Wall of Fire and they peek through into the throne room. The main doors are open and guards arecomi ng inside. Jace goes to help Gala and heals her with Healing Word, then casts Toll the Dead on the archer. He fires two arrows that turn translucent as they fly. Jace throws up his shield to block the arrows, but they pass through his shield and chain mail and rip through him. Gala and Raaha finish the archer, who is Zinnius' old trainer Iago Berhaba. Zinnius takes his bow. Flynn and Jace have decided that al-Beshara probably fled to the tower on the rooftop where his lab is located. They run up the stairs in the library. As they charge across the roof, they see the lights are on in the tower and two guards run to block them from the doorway.
Flynn and Jace engage the guards. Raaha and Zinnius run up to the roof to help. Gala hears guards below her in the great hall and hits three of them with Shatter. A fire elemental comes out of the tower and attacks Zinnius but misses. Gala is caught by the guards as she is trying to get upstairs. She Firebolts one, then uses Dimension Door to teleport to the roof. Two green bolts shoot from the tower doorway and hit Flynn and Jace. Jace resists the spell, but Flynn is polymorphed into a sheep! Raaha slams the elemental with two Eldritch Blasts and Zinnius stabs with his rapier. The guards from downstairs pour out on the roof, Gala is right in front of the door and they charge her. Gala uses Firebolt on a guard again and drops the two guards facing Jace with another Shatter. Raaha helps Gala with the guards. The elemental knocks Zinnius out and Gala returns Flynn to human form by "killing" the sheep with a Firebolt. A Fireball flies out of the tower, killing the last guard and hitting Jace, Flynn and Raaha. Flynn charges into the tower to attack al-Beshara. Gala kills the elemental with Ray of Frost and heals Zinnius. al-Beshara casts Wall of Fire, hitting Flynn and Raaha and knocking Jace out, then he teleports away again! Gala heals Jace, then heads downstairs to search for treasure. But Gala finds al-Beshara in the library getting a staff and she kills him with a last spell. Hearing more guards coming, Gala retreats upstairs to warn the party. The rest of the party is searching the lab. Raaha's genie tells her it wants al-Beshara's large crystal ball, he will take that as payment for his aid on Queg. They take al-Beshara's spell books.
The guards coming up have found al-Beshara's body. They decide to flee and start looting the house and spreading the word. Zinnius casts Pass without a Trace so the party can escape. They stop by al-Beshara's body and take his staff, ring and his Robe of Protection. As the party sneaks out, the fortress is in chaos as fleeing guards and servants grab anything valuable to carry off. They spot a tall warrior woman leading a group of harem girls to safety. She walks up to a cart some soldiers are loading with loot and waves her two handed sword at them. They fall back and she loads the girls on the cart before driving it out the gate. The adventurers sneak out of camp, get their horses and ride back to LiMeth to resupply before heading south to look for the dragon's cave.

Silly Quotes and Smart Remarks
Discussing the geography of the Trollhome Mountains and where Zinnius is from
Sam "Tell me of your homeland"
Jim "Tell me of your homeland, Usul"

The beni-Qamar merchant family ship lumber, spices and food to Queg
Brittany "He who controls the spice…"

Talking about ideas for the next campaign, and having lots of bards
Sam "Everyone but Jack could be a bard and we could have a barbershop quartet"
Jim "A BARDershop quartet"

Describing the intricate and baroque Arabian architecture in LiMeth
Stacy "If it's not baroque, don't fix it"

Talking about what to do with one of the guards they have to take out to get in
Nick "We're going to have to Weekend at Bernie's him"

How smart are the guards?
Sam "This is the night crew, though"

Describing the poor cookware in the servant's kitchen
Brittany "There's no salt in the box" referring to the crappy apartment Jim rented on vacation.

al-Beshara pukes up the coin with Silence on it
Brittany "You'll have to find another hole to put it in…"
Nick "That's the only hole I want to shove it in"

The fire elemental hits Zinnius with three attacks
Brittany "I'm going to be Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kentucky Fried Kenku"

Flynn is polymorphed into a sheep
Jack "Is he an angry sheep? He went from barbarian to farmbarian"