Editing Path of the Harper (section)

===24th Flamerule===

I entered the city of Iraebor proper and spent some time exploring. There is a quaint little teahouse on Windermere's Walk whose cinnamon buns reminded me of your husband. For the most part, the lower city is in disrepair and cast in shadow by the towers on the tor - this is two cities in one place. The city is ruled by Lord Bron, but I gather that power is increasingly held by rising merchants, who fight over the limited real estate in Iraebor. Building vertically has opened doors to greater profit, at the risk of collapse.

A self-styled nobleman, the merchant Osmond Osvectar, recently threw elite cliques into disarray by mocking local nobility with a farcical play at a gala he held. I secured an invitation ''(from Mira D'Camp, a merchant lord's daughter; and Elva Deskarsun, a petty lordling's niece)'' to his next party tonight.

Supposedly a sorcerer resides in an abandoned tower on the tor, and the city worries about their workings. Their lackey, a well-dressed and silver-haired man of elven stock, has been buying occult oddities at sunrise from local vendors. I intend to follow him tomorrow and find this tower for myself.

In a chance encounter, I rescued a bloody and frightened young girl of about 10 from the city watch when they would not listen to reason. Her name is Aime, and she accidentally killed her adolescent half-brother, Lord Antoine Amberyl. It became clear to me that her home situation is abusive, and her half-brother was involved with powerful benefactors in extremely shady business, possibly trafficking. Her absent father perhaps lives in Berdusk, her mother died when Aime was very young, and her older sister fled a year ago. Antoine was sometimes visited by a well-dressed man who traveled with bad company, giving him counsel, money, and abuse. Antoine was killed with his own dagger, a personalized instrument reflecting status and expense, which I have confiscated. I plan to return to the late Lord Amberyl's estate in the western half of the tor to recover Aime's locket and stuffed bear, and perhaps some other things which I may put to better use.

I am trying to send Aime to Twilight Hall, where the Harpers can help her in ways that I cannot. To do this, I will need money and trustworthy accomplices. We are currently staying at the Hanging Heron on Pigeon Swoop Way, a respectable inn near the gate in the lower city overlooking the river. The owner, a halfling named Mabel, is a friend of the Harpers and in fact knows you by name, dear one. She has sheltered us from the city watch and wishes you well. I have once again benefited from your unusually kind and benevolent spirit in far-reaching ways. When I see you again, I will tell you this, and you will wave it away and say you're only glad that Aime and I are safe, but I will see the usual self-satisfaction in your smile.

There is a white-haired luthier on Bon's Lane named Olo who is a friend of the Harpers, to the extent that he calls anyone a friend. He will help me find accomplices, but told me that trust is in short supply in Iraebor these days. The sorcerer in the tower, or at least their silver-haired lackey, covertly commissioned him to make some curio whose details Olo did not share. He also told me that Thargas is a new arrival in Iraebor and an unusually violent and ambitious crook. Rumor says he represents some criminal mercenary outfit, and his protection racket is just the beginning of their plans. I wonder whether he is connected with the man who visited Lord Amberyl?

I spent 1 gold crown (a worse haggler would have spent 2!) on moderately fine clothes with a sharp and masculine cut for Osvectar's party tonight.

At the party, I saw Osvectar with Thargas in his shadow, clearly in conspiracy together. The local nobility knows that something great and ominous is looming in Iraebor and all through the West, but they will not rise against it. After much posturing and mutual suspicion, I made allies of Sabra and Sir Tremblay, who are investigating rumors that Thargas is aligned with the dreaded Zhentarim, the Black Network. I have agreed to stake out Dora's to find evidence of an upcoming meeting between Thargas and an agent of the Zhentarim, and bring it to them at the 'Morning Blessing,' the temple to Lathander on the east side of the tor. We discussed having a brother of Lathander escort Aime to Berdusk, but I am unsure that Sir Tremblay will share my reluctance to involve the authorities. 

I also pilfered several treasures from guests who surely will not miss them, which I have recorded in my ledger.