High Harvestide, Eleint, 1373DR

I have enclosed in this letter a copy of a report regarding recent illithid activity outside Sanctuary.

Company Present:

Ordinant Greeves. Vengil A.K.A. “Shroom.” Constable Jabberdabby Kasin Moonsbane Simir Swift Edgar Decorona Cortyk Sheevs Walter Tensdale

A man announced in a sending today that kobolds had kidnapped his two children and requested that adventurers go look for them. He told us the kobolds had mentioned the Sand Caverns. The druid Vengil – whose actual identity, while I seemed to remember the name, did not occur to me till I had later returned to Sanctuary – being the only one who knew the way, lead us without much trouble.

After having descended the, it felt like, mile long staircase, a handful of formians were encountered and slain, after which we came upon three kobolds guarding a large hole in the ground. As we inquired into the slaves the kobolds quickly offered to sell us, they suddenly insisted there were no more slaves to be bought and we had no choice but to attack. The kobolds, which were discovered to be illithid thralls, and even possessed implants, were easily slain and the party forced the hole.

After yet again descending, we found ourselves in a cave and were quickly swarmed by more enthralled kobolds. After a time, enormously sized umber hulks, somewhere between 6 and 10 all in all, burrowed up through the ground and attacked. The party endured the hulks, still with no casualties, when our foe, accompanied by a dominated half-orc, presented itself. Before temporarily retreating further into its lair, the illithid noticed and recognized my uniform.

Moonsbane, Swift, and Tensdale, were quick to attack and bring down the half blood. The illithid reappeared briefly and engaged in melee combat, and retreated again. Constable Jabberdabby moved further into the cave in the direction the illithid had fled only to storm back with it right in his tail, screaming something about a golem. True enough, the illithid again moved to attack, a large golem of clay following shortly behind it. Somebody conjured a huge cube of slime to take the blows of the golem while mostly Moonsbane and Tensdale managed to bring it down. The illithid, which had meanwhile disappeared again, once more revealed itself to us and attacked. All this time it had been shielded by powerful, impenetrable wards, rendering every single one of my offensive spells useless. During this latest attack, Constable Jabberdabby fell, to what exactly I am unsure. His uniform was not recovered, but his citizen stone will be handed over to the Watch at earliest opportunity.

After attempting to extract Moonsbane’s and Tensdale’s brains, the illithid chased them, Tensdale, and Vengil back into the small cave just before the staircase to the Sand Caverns. Decorona and I set after them, invisible, and found that the illithid was frantically slashing into the air, hoping to hit somebody; all save the illithid itself had gone invisible by now. The monster cast see invisibility and pursued Moonsbane, Swift, and Tensdale back, far into the cave connecting the areas east of Sanctuary with the Windy Canyon where it was eventually slain.

Decorona, Vengil, and I backtracked into the illithid’s lair where we ran into Sheevs who had apparently been magically held deep within the cave. The four of us searched the cave and found a chest containing two weapons, a hand-and-a-half sword and a longbow, both obviously crafted by illithids. We were then taken aback by two massive cubes of slime and half-digested body limbs, formed from the contents of several tubes placed throughout the cave. They proved little challenge and we resumed investigation of the cave. Vengil now located a conveniently placed portal in the very back of the cave which Decorona, who was in possession of the weapons mentioned earlier, entered after having cast invisibility upon himself. Several moments later, when he had still not returned, Vengil and I left the cave and gathered the sorry remnants of the party, learning that Tensdale, during our investigation of the cave, had fallen in the Windy Canyon. Moonsbane, Swift, Vengil, and I returned home to Sanctuary. Neither of us had at this point seen Sheevs for a while, and we presumed he as well had entered the portal, failing to notify us before doing so.

Back in Sanctuary we met up with Decorona and Sheevs who related to us how they had suddenly found themselves within the Pyrimo Inn where they had been approached by Intryzz himself, demanding they turn over the items collected in the cave – Decorona insisted that they had done so and subsequently left for Sanctuary. Having briefly seen the items in question I did not believe this, but was unable to do anything about it. I confiscated a suit of armor from Moonsbane which, however, proved to not be organic; I still have it in my possession. Not long after this I noticed Decorona talking with the merchant Highill. When Decorona, encouraged by myself, left the building, I discovered he had sold to Highill the very items Intryzz had supposedly confiscated. The merchant, having honestly paid for them – though, arguably, he should have known better and instantly reported either to myself or a Watchman – would not hand them over, and the weapons are, at the time of writing, in his possession.

Edgar Decorona, a human sorcerer with orange hair tied in a ponytail, is to be strictly observed. I do not believe he has had any implants inserted during his short visit in the Pyrimo Inn, for I trust Sheevs enough to have then informed me. Decorona cannot, however, as proven by questioning Highill, be trusted.

Enemy Casualties: Worthy of mention, 6-10 umber hulks, 1 illithid, and roughly 1½ score of kobolds.

Friendly Casualties: Constable Jabberdabby and Walter Tensdale.

- Ordinant Greeves.

Much as I have recommended my colleagues I would recommend that the Watch keep an open eye on the man known as Edgar Decorona -- I believe you know him. I would also, well knowing that I have no real say in this, suggest that you confiscate and destroy, or turn into the Society that we might destroy, the two weapons possessed by Highill, provided he still has them. I would not personally reimburse him for his foolish greediness, but one could argue that it would be fair to let Decorona pay back to Highill what he originally sold the weapons for.

I trust that you will do what is best for this town, and I sincerely hope that we agree on what that is.

- Ordinant Greeves.