117. Always have a contingency plan

Summary

• The party, minus Dax, begin heading towards the gate to Dancing Shadows whilst they discuss (in the mindlink) what to do. Dax stays behind and fights zombies.
• After some discussion, they decide to head back to Dax. They don't want to hand Richtus over to the Sharn Watch, they don't trust that the watch can hold him.
• Dax finds another, empty, crate of blast disks beneath the rear bench of the Emerald Claw's skycoach. That's concerning.
• Warden removes Richtus' mask, revealing that he is undead. Lozaal can't help himself, and asks him when he died. They learn a little about Richtus here, that he died during the war, and that he has some vendetta against Kaius III of Karrnath. He also reveals that Mabaran undead, if they retain their sentience, gradually lose their empathy.
• Leonus and Lozaal take Richtus down into the sewers, and go to the Citadel of the Closed Circle. They begin to interrogate him, but he explodes. What a dick.
• The others all flew to the gate and began to help the watch to evacuate survivors, and hold off the undead. Leonus and Lozaal head back after a short rest.
• The group re-group and then talk to the Blackened Book. Lozaal reveals that Richtus is dead (and naked).
• The cops request the blast disks, to be continued.
• Next stop, Fallen

26th Olarune, 1000 YK

• The party (minus Dax' Athla) is flying towards the gate to Dancing Shadows, ushering anybody they see in that direction ahead of the incoming zombie horde.  Dax is staying behind to thin the zombies numbers.
• Warden, looking at all the zombies, comments to Richtus that there's no way this was worth it, haven't these people suffered enough?
• Richtus replies that there is no suffering too great, and that Warden doesn't know what he's talking about.
• Lozaal, via the mind link, asks Leonus what to do with Richtus. Leonus doesn't want to hand Richtus over to the watch, he thinks that Richtus is too dangerous. They need to get him to a secure location where he can't hurt anybody. Lozaal is concerned that the Sharn Watch have ways of tracking them down if they wish. Leonus comments that they'd need to know what was going on first.
• They decide not to take Richtus to the Dancing Shadows gate, to avoid the Sharn Watch finding out that they have Richtus. Ideally, Leonus wants to take Richtus out of the city.
• Lozaal mentions a secluded lab beneath High Walls. Kalshana and Warden freak out, saying it's a bad idea. They met Dyrrn, the Corruptor down there!
• Now Lozaal definitely wants to go. Dax' Athla points out that the orrery was dismantled, so there shouldn't be a portal down there. Dax is actually wearing some of it!
• Kalshana suggests the arena in Malleon's Gate, but the others point out it's owned by a gang (Daask).
• Kal ushers everyone close, as if to avoid Richtus hearing her, even though they're using the mind link. She suggests they could take Richtus to Greykell's old apartment in High Walls, but Lozaal points out that an apartment tower is going to have other people.
• Lozaal U-turns just like the UK government and suggests they go back to Dax, actually. No one has an argument against this, and Kal and Warden want to help thin the zombies.
• Richtus leans forward as they turn back, and they all freak out. Lozaal tells Warden to push him back, but Leonus does it with his mace, pushing Richtus back into the bench.
• Warden takes Richtus' mask off, revealing a gaunt, deathly face with greying hair and baleful green eyes. He's definitely dead, or undead. Lozaal thinks he's a Karrnathi Undead.
• Leonus had no idea, he'd never seen Richtus without the mask.
• Lozaal cranes his neck from the drivers seat, unable to contain himself, and asks Richtus when he died.
• Richtus reveals that he died during the war, and then Lozaal asks if he's Karrnathi Undead. Richtus doesn't think so.
• Richtus leans forward again but Leonus pushes him back down.
• Richtus says that those animated by Mabar are eaten away just as the plane eats everything else. The older ones completely lack empathy. Lozaal says that sounds useful, Richtus agrees. Warden thinks this explains a lot, actually. Lozaal points out that the war is over, to which Richtus replies "is it?"
• Kalshana points out that Khorvaire isn't the only place to have a war, to which Lozaal replies under his breath "not this again." Kal's like "you got something to say??"
• Lozaal states that Richtus is fighting a war of his own making then. Richtus says no, he didn't start this war. Kaius did. He's a dark and evil man.
• Leonus really wants to bash Richtus' head in, but he restrains himself.
• Lozaal asks what Greykell has to do with a war started by a Karrnathi king. Richtus states that Greykell stole an artifact from them in Droaam, which controls a vault of ancient dead. Lozaal says that she doesn't have it, but doesn't elaborate. This confuses the others, but Lozaal asserts in the mind link that he's fairly confident she doesn't have it.
• The others arrive within sight of Dax, and she flies out to meet them. She asks why they came back?
• Lozaal explains that he wants to take Richtus to the Citadel of the Closed Circle and he wants her to back him up. She says "that is a place of darkness".
• Richtus points out that it's disconcerting how they all stare at each other in silence and perform mannerisms as if they are speaking to each other. Lozaal says "oh we are."
• Dax states that she doesn't care for talking to Richtus, he should be dead. Lozaal explains that they came back because they didn't want the Sharn Watch to get Richtus.
• Dax suggests asking the rats about a secluded location. Lozaal questions why they are all so opposed to taking him to the Citadel of the Closed Circle.
• "Showing Richtus the manners of another unstable man does not seen like a good idea" argues Dax.
• Warden looks for rats, and spots some zombie rats. That's a disaster, they'll spread everywhere. Warden points them out to Dax, and she shoots them. He helps with Produce Flame. She expresses that they need to warn Zae somehow, to keep the living rats away.
• Dax suggests they just hunker down in High Walls and interrogate him there. 
• Lozaal is worried that they appear indecisive in front of Richtus, it's embarassing.
• Lozaal shows everybody else how to fly the other skycoach. Leonus just stays with Richtus though.
• Dax points out the empty disk crate she found under the rear bench of the Emerald Claw's skycoach. There's another 16 disks out there, somewhere.
• Lozaal gets out a rag and stuffs it in Richtus' mouth to gag him. He also suggests putting a bag over his head to blind and deafen him.
• They consider that, because Richtus doesn't need to breathe, they can put him inside a Bag of Holding. The only problem is they wouldn't be able to watch him and make sure he doesn't get out of his bindings.
• They decide not to put him in a bag of holding, due to the previously mentioned risk.
• They fly both skycoaches to the sewer entrance they used previously, killing zombies (prioritising the rats) as they go.
• When they arrive, Leonus checks Richtus' bindings and notes that they seem to be rusted slightly. He asks Lozaal why they used rusting cuffs, which confuses them. They all examine the objects they used to bind Richtus, and see that they seem to be degrading.
• That's weird.
• Lozaal thinks they can handle it. Kal gives him some holy water, "grandmother's recipe". Dax also gives Lozaal her last pair of magebinders.
• Kal uses Turn Undead to clear a landing zone, destroying a bunch of the undead. Richtus also fails the save, and starts frantically trying to escape. Leonus restrains him.
• Leonus and Lozaal go down into the sewers, whilst the others remain up top to further combat the undead. Lozaal follows the instructions to the Citadel of the Closed Circle.
• They find the abandoned lab, including the skeletons of Teral ir'Soras and Chyrassk. Lozaal points out that Richtus is definitely going to get out of his bindings, so they should remove his ability to walk. Lozaal breaks his legs. Richtus watches dispassionately.
• They ungag him, and Leonus asks where the other 16 blast disks are. He laughs and says he always has a contingency plan, detonating the 8 disks embedded in his coat. Leonus and Lozaal are almost taken out by the explosion, and Lozaal reflexively finishes Richtus off as Leonus shouts "no!"
• Leonus heals himself using Cure Wounds. Lozaal is put out that Leonus healed himself first. Leonus then heals Lozaal, but it seems like it's a concession now?
• Lozaal points out that Richtus always has a contingency plan, he's gonna have some way of coming back from this. He then searches Richtus whilst mumbling to himself that he can't believe no one searched him.
• Lozaal takes some of Richtus' hair and some teeth, for use in Scrying later. Lozaal then strips the corpse to make sure there's no more tricks. They also take the body, concerned that Richtus might regenerate or something.
• Lozaal thoroughly searches the body.
• Leonus examines the body to try and identify the kind of undead that Richtus was. Physically it's hard to tell, he is similar to a Karrnathi Undead, but based on what he did during the combat, he might be a Wight. There's also the possibility he's a revenant. 
• "Necromancy is stored in the balls, we all know this" - Warden, who isn't even here.
• Lozaal inspects Richtus' weapons, and identifies them as Alchemy Blades.
• They put Richtus' corpse into Leonus' bag of holding.
• Lozaal also grabs Chyrassk's skull. Warden is not here to protest. Lozaal then goes and looks around the lab, finding Terfel's arm. He takes it.
• The others flew both skycoaches to the Dancing Shadows gate, to inform the Watch of the situation and also about the undead rats, and that they can spread.
• Leonus and Lozaal take a short rest in the Citadel of the Closed Circle.
• Dax also suggests that the Watch contact the Church of the Cleansing Flame and ask for assistance.
• They join the defense of the gate, and help to contain the outbreak.
• Dax and Warden take one of the skycoaches and go back into the district to rescue people. Over the next hour, Warden rescues 61 people and Dax manages to rescue 89.
• Leonus and Lozaal emerge back into High Walls and make their way to the Dancing Shadows gate. Lozaal fights some zombies on the way.
• Kal explains to them where the other two are, rescuing people, whilst Kal stayed here burning up zombies. Lozaal says it's a good use of her talents, and she makes a show of accepting the compliment, which confuses Lozaal.
• After around an hour, the flow of zombies slows to basically nothing and the Blackened Book detectives beckon the group over to discuss what happened.
• Lozaal informs the others, via mind link, that Richtus is dead. He explains what happened, and that he's concerned Richtus will have a way of returning. Dax listens to Leonus' theories on what Richtus was, and hopes he was a wight and not a revenant. A revenant is so much harder to deal with.
• Lozaal thinks he's a revenant who needs to kill Kaius. Though Kaius likely wasn't born when Richtus died the first time.
• Leonus gets Richtus' mask off of Warden. Warden mentions he was making a collection of the masks of terrorists, and gets the Red Owl's mask.
• Dax gets a couple guards to take over rescuing with the coaches while she talks to the investigators.
• Warden Balan Cord leads the conversation, and tries to ascertain what went down in High Walls. Lozaal explains that blast disks were detonated by the Order of the Emerald Claw, and Leonus produces the corpse of Richtus. Lozaal explains that they captured Richtus, but then he detonated more explosives and they had to put him down.
• Lozaal informs Balan that there are 8 more disks unaccounted for. He has no idea where they might be.
• Warden searches the skycoach, and finds someones luggage. Warden laments that they must've killed someone and taken the coach.
• Lozaal reveals that they have roughly 55 blast disks in their bags of holding. Hasal Dalian swears. Lozaal also tells them that there was an elf there who escaped, he doesn't think they were part of the Emerald Claw. Leonus thinks they might be a Bloodsail.
• Hasal asks if Richtus gave any information about what this attack was about, and they say he was searching for Greykell. They gave him misdirection, but he also seemed to have a bone to pick with Kaius. As news of this attack spreads, it might lead to a rise in anti-Karrnath sentiment.
• Lozaal mentions the Voice of Breland, and that they should be destroyed. Balan explains that Breland has free speech enshrined in law, the government can't silence a newspaper for saying things that they disagree with. Lozaal thinks it's stupid that he can't punch them in the face for spreading misinformation. They get into a discussion about the Voice of Breland and what they can do, and Balan informs them they can sue for libel.
• Dax and Leonus question why they're discussing this now, they have bigger things to worry about.
• They go to leave to Fallen and try to find housing for those people. As they try to take the coaches, Hasal stops them and tells them that the other skycoach belonged to someone, and they are going to try and find the owner. Lozaal convinces them to let the group borrow it to help the people of Fallen, but they'll need to return it if the owner is found.
• Balan Cord and Hasal Dalian request the blast disks from the group. They don't want to hand them over, we'll have to resolve that next week.
• Those who didn't already take a short rest whilst the others drive. They're going to ferry people up to Clifftop Adventurer's Guild and pay for rooms for them for now, but we'll do that next week!
• 8 hours until Dax's wings recharge.