Cat, here's the next of the updates you asked for. Hopefully one of the runners picked it up from whatever drop site I end up using. If you remember, this group decided to head out to that haunted mansion on Baker street, in search of a rare book they needed to gain entry to Candlekeep, where a book they needed was.

First thing the group decided to to after leaving the house was to split up and visit the merchants districts. The Paladin and the wildman headed off to the Waterdeep embassy, and I followed after the two mages. Aparently, they'd been bandying quite the collection of rare scales around previously, and one of the rare item factors (not one of ours) had managed to secure the services of the local artificiers in making a suit of armour outta them. They wanted to speak to the smith himself though, who turned out to be one of the more influential members of the Dwarven smithing guild. Somehow Athon, the mage with the swords, managed to rankle the dwarf so much he all but threw her our of his shop. I wasn't gonna get involved in anything like this, so I waited outside with her while the other mage, Belgarath had a go at bargining with the smith. I'd guess he did well though, as he looked fairly pleased when he came out a few minutes later.

From what I can gather, the other two managed to get a meeting with that old sot of an ambasador in the Waterdeep embassy, where he spun his usual tales of conspiracies. Not sure where that lead, but Delamor seemed impressed at least. I know they managed to shift a quite conciderably valuble magic item though, and used it to barter their way to a different one and some extra coin.

While this was happening, I was checking in with the local guildhouse, where I picked up some more healing potions (following this gorup around seems to be hazardous) and updated instructions. After that, the group saddled up and headed out to candlekeep.

The journey was uneventful and, once there, they used the book they'd aquired with my help from that haunted mansion on Baker street to parlay an entry. We'd barely entered the courtyard when a group of what I'm told were troglodytes burst from the ground and attacked us (hazzard, you see? I better be being compensated for all this). All I know is they were ugly as all hells, and their stench was even worse.

We made short work of them, but I'd guess they were just a diversion, as it turns out that someone was murdered while it was happening, and the book that had brought us here had been stolen. Obviously, the fact we were up to our eyeballs in foul smelling tunnel lurkers ruled us out of the assasination of the monk, so Delamor, the groups leader, offered to investigate for the abbot.

A quick glance at the body made me think this wasn't a professional job, at least I hope it wasn't one of ours, very messy work. Interviewing the monks revealed that someone in a dark hooded robe was seen leaving the room but nothing much else. Aeron decided to make use of one of Candlekeep's rituals to actually talk to the dead body. Freaked me out, but we didn't learn much past the fact that the dead monk didn't see his attacker. We then decided to bring the three other visitors to the keep, a traveling halfling, a priest of Amauntor and an old scholar to the sight of the murder and interview them one at a time.The priest seemed on the level to me, but Delamor didn't seem to believe him, and was suspicious of the fact the priest was all interested in Kord and the other less socially acceptable gods. Some kinda religious third eye I guess. None of us could pin anything substantial though, so we sent him back to his room.

I'd been meaning to scope out their rooms anyway, so I acompinaied him back and had a quick look round. Didn't see anything noteworthy, but it was a different story in the Hhalfling's room. He was still absent, so I could have a more thorough look round. Where I actually found 2 expensive looking books hidden in a leather bacg under the mattrass. He hadn't made any of the normal guild signs when I met him, so I didn't have any real problems turnting the two books over to the monk with me, who ran off with them looking ofr the abbot. That was fine by me as it left me alone to make a more thorough search of the room, where I turned up a couple of nice items.

I missed the next bit, but aparently the halfling was in the room with Denethor and Belgarath when the monk arived at the Abbot. By all accounts thte thief took off like a jackrabbit and was only stopped when Gregg ran after him, through any monks and tables in the way, and bodyslammed the poor sod into the door to the courtyard.

More updates later, assuming this damnfool mission you've got me on doesn't get me strung up, gutted or eaten, Garad.