The Infiltration of Section

The Troupe found Section’s headquarters hidden beneath Helga’s home in Beregost. They begun their assault, taking care of the welcoming committee. Now they must descend into the base to find out why Section is after the Troupe and what, if any, connection they have to the Iron Throne.

20 Eleasias 1368

I move cautiously down the corridor leading from the stairwell chamber, only to reach a dead end. I notice something unusual about the floor, a faint outline of a hidden compartment. I step closer to investigate, but as I do, lightning erupts from the walls. My body convulses in pain, and I stumble back, crying out for Imoen.

While I tend to my wounds, Imoen inspects the room. She finds triggers for not one, but two traps. She’s unable to disable the intricate mechanisms with her skills.

She doesn’t want to give up, so she downs the Potion of Master Thievery, then reads from the Artifact she created by reading from Tarnesh’s spellbook.

With renewed precision, she disarms the traps.

Inside the hidden compartment, we find 500 gold and a gem that we cannot identify. It seems valuable, so we keep it in the Gem Bag.

There is also a Ring of Protection. Helga has a hand free so she slips it onto her ring finger.

There’s also an ornate necklace, studded with an unfamiliar amulet. Its purpose eludes us, so it goes in the Gem Bag for now.

Two more doorways lead from of the stairwell room. The first is empty of all but dust and shadows. In the second we aren’t as luck. Two Section operatives leap from cover and charge me.

I brace, holding them back just long enough for arrows and bolts to tear into their armor. One staggers, reaching for a healing potion.

But Helga is fast. A Fire Bullet smashes into him. His skull detonates like overripe fruit.

Before I can wipe the blood from my helmet, she hits the second with another Fire Bullet.Breagar follows it with a thrown axe, which lodges neatly into the man’s face.

I didn’t feel at full strength during the skirmish. So I send another healing spell surging through my hands.

I step toward the room the operatives had occupied, but Imoen stops me. She saw them step over the threshold, not through it.

Sure enough there’s a tripwire. Still boosted by her Potion and Artifact, Imoen disarms it with ease.

Inside, we find a barrel with a sunstone and a turquoise, plus five enchanted arrows.

Another barrel holds a massive, unwieldy sword. It’s clearly magical, but its nature eludes us. None of us can wield it, and we’d rather not guess how it works. Into the Bag of Holding it goes.

It seems we’ve explored the full extent of Section’s lair. It’s smaller than I expected. But something still feels off.

Then I notice it: a small, key-shaped indentation in the stone wall. I try the key we took from the operatives that attacked us on the Coast Way. It fits. The wall swings open with a groan, revealing a narrow stairwell plunging deeper underground.

As I stare down into depths a vision strikes. Visions of powerful mages and warriors, of blood and burning and death. Death awaits us below. I’m sure of it.

We must tread carefully.

I ask Skeezer to distribute the Potions of Invisibility. We’ll use stealth to get inside this place. One by one we all vanish and descend the stairs.

Below, we find another welcoming committee, only this one doesn’t see us.

We slip past into a wide, echoing mine shaft. My jaw tightens. Another mine? Right here beneath Beregost? Just under the Thunderhammer Smithy?

Yet this one lies dormant. No sounds of hammer or pick, only the creak of boots and murmurs of armed soldiers.

We scout until we find an isolated tunnel, far from the bulk of the patrols. Now’s as good a time as any to get things started.

I draw my Wand to launch a Fireball. The explosion lights up the mine. Shouts echo, followed by screams as the operatives burst into flames.

II unleash a second blast and charred corpses tumble to the stone. But my aim was poor. I’m caught in the flames and my skin starts blistering and bursting.

I use a Potion of Super Healing as the remaining Section operatives run away from the flames. My flesh starts to heal itself leaving barely a burn behind.

One surviving operative limps into view. Kieria drops him with a clean crossbow shot.

Breagar is impressed by our infiltration. He says it has been “educational“.

Gameplay Note
He gets another Weapon Proficiency, which I put into slings. His Saving Throws against Death, Wand, and Polymorph improve by 1 point each. His THAC0 is reduced by 1, and he gains 13 Hit Points as well as a single point of Lore.

We search the bodies of the operatives. They are heavily armed, with full plate mail, enchanted short swords, long bows, and arrows, as well as Elixirs of Health and Potions of Speed. Each also wears a ring in a style commonly found within a druidic enclave in Cormanthor.

Could Section be a druidic order? If so, why would they align with the Iron Throne? The Cloakwood’s destruction hardly seems in line with druidic values.

We find one of the wounded from earlier. His burns haven’t killed him yet.

Helga finishes what the fire started.

Kieria quietly speaks up. She says that she is learning a lot about stealth and infiltration. It is clear she’s adjusting to fighting with our Troupe.

Gameplay Note
She gets 15 Skill Points, so I put 10 into Move Silently and 5 into Hide in Shadows. She also gains 2 Hit Points and 2 points of Lore.

This operative was better armed than the others, with an enchanted long sword and composite long bow. He also carries some Arrows of Ice. Imoen takes them for her quiver.

While packing the arrows into her quiver, Breagar catches her staring at him. He doesn’t seem to like it much.

Breagar: I’ll be damned, what is it, girl?

Imoen: What do you mean?

Breagar: I’m asking you. Don’t you think I notice that you keep staring at me?

Imoen: Oh that. I’m just curious. Dwarves are rare in Candlekeep.

Breagar: Really? What about that noisy one?

Imoen: Reevor? Oh, he only cares about his recruits and his ale.

Breagar: If our kind, takes up a profession, we execute it diligently. And he does just that!

Imoen: Yeah, fine. I didn’t say anything. Oh my…

Her words bring Reevor to mind. It feels like just yesterday that fighting rats was the height of my training. Now I’m fighting heavily armed soldiers in some secret mine beneath Beregost.

I’ve come a long way.

We examine the ore in the nearbyminecarts. It is contaminated just like the iron ore in Nashkel.

I don’t understand. Has there already been an Iron Crisis on the Coast? Nashkel wasn’t the first time? Did Section develop the poison Mulahey’s kobolds were using? If they are a druidic order, would this be the method they used to shut down this mine.

I’m starting to wonder if we can really trust the druids of the Cloakwood.

We move deeper into the mine. More operatives appear

Helga kills him, but another operative spots us and attacks.

Helga kills this operative as well. She’s merciless in the dark.

These operatives have only some chain mail, long swords and some Potions of Healing. Less elite, but still dangerous.

I am still stinging from the burns I suffered before, so I take more time to heal my wounds before we continue exploring.

We find three operatives ahead and attempt to flank them.

We are forced to retreat so that I can try to hold them all back, and our party is backed into a dead end.

I hit hard enough to get all three of them swinging their blades in my direction. The others ready their missiles to support my efforts.

I hold them off, blades biting into my armor, drawing their attention as my allies rain death from behind.

Eventually all three lay bleeding out on the ground after Imoen ends it with a final arrow.

Helga steps in to heal me before the next battle. She’s concerned I keep rushing to the front in every fight. She says I’m pushing myself too hard.

Further down these corridors we find a chamber with some crates. Inside we find 26 gold and a Fire Agate Gem. Not much in value, but we’ll take it.

Another operative finds us on our way back. He dies quickly.

And yet, I’m still feeling vulnerable, so I heal my wounds again before we continue exploring.

It seems like Fate was speaking to me. Another operative rushes me, and despite the many bolts and arrows that embed in him he manages to thrust his sword into my gut.

I stumble back as I cough up blood, then reach for a Potion of Extra Healing. It’s difficult to drink mixed with the blood in my mouth, but it’s effects close my wounds and bring me back to the fight.

Breagar sends an axe flying past me that embeds into the operative’s chest and the fight is ended.

That was too close. I have to be more aware of my surroundings if we are to survive this place.

The next operative we encounter is dead in seconds. We give him no chance to use his blade.

Around the corner we find two of his friends. I focus on my defense, relying on the others to do damage with their missiles.

Kieria kills one of them, but the other sees an opportunity and viciously slashes at Skeezer. He screams as blood darkens his robe.

He retreats and drinks a Potion of Healing, as does the operative who wounded him.

Helga ends the fight once again.

We find the rest of the chambers empty, clear of Section operatives. We find only one way forward. A bridge across a deep chasm. The lack of guards here makes me suspicious. I call Imoen over to take a look before we cross. As I suspected, she tells me there are traps here.

Thankfully, she is skilled enough to disarm them. We can keep moving into the mine.

We do find another guard across the bridge. He doesn’t last long.

Of course, just like the others, he wasn’t alone. We’re going to have to keep fighting our way through.

We are getting used to their training now. But they won’t stop coming. We kill these two, and two more show up. It’s starting to feel like we’ll need to kill every last one of them before this ends.

I’m getting overconfident. I let my guard down for a second and an operative takes advantage of the opportunity.

Then a crossbow bolt pierces through his skull and I reach for some Potions of Healing. We have a lot of these now as every operative we’ve slain thus far has been carrying them.