Upon their return to Red Larch, our heroes receive a small reward of pig jerky from the town constable for routing the troublesome local bandits. The constable also tells them that there is a new guy in town who is heading to a location that supposedly has some priests from some cult there, so maybe they can find that rock cult priest they are looking for if they join him. He is staying at the inn. Without waiting for any further description or information, they take off to the inn to find this stranger. At the inn, a shifty looking one-eyed guard tells them that the stranger is over at the tavern drinking and warns them that the guy "has a mouth on him."
They can hear bad singing coming from the open door of the tavern and lots of laughter. Upon entering they find a handsome, though somewhat stupid, half-elf bard playing the cowbell and singing a ridiculous song to the tune of a human children's song. (This is Bob, who is played by our kids' former babysitter, Luke. He is joining us for just this one day of adventuring.) He tells them that he has been sent by a rich lord from Waterdeep to find the lord's missing young bride. Within a very short time of their arranged marriage, for some inexplicable (to him) reason, she abandoned her wealthy 60ish year old morbidly obese husband to join a cult. She ran off with a priest. Bob has followed her trail to here and is heading to Feathergale Spire tomorrow where he hopes to find her. Savra Belabranta is her name.
The four adventurer's arrive at Feathergale Spire late the next evening and ring the bell near the closed drawbridge. They are welcomed warmly by a young woman who is a knight of the spire. She takes them up through the lofty white stone spire that is perched above massive steep chasms. They see other knights riding giant vultures and hippogriffs and other creatures in the sky. Also strangely thin priests and acolytes trying to become one with the air. At the pinnacle of the spire they meet Thurl Merosska, a handsome blonde human commander of the air worshipers. They tell him that they want to learn more about the group and he invites them to join him and his people in their 10th anniversary celebration and feast. During the feast they ask about the missing rock cult priest. He promises to discuss it more after the meal. They also learn that the female Knight may be the noblewoman, Savra, that the bard has been searching for. She seems very happy here.
Then an alarm is sounded because a vicious manticore has been spotted outside. It's a misty night outside. Our heroes decide to join in the manticore hunt, riding hippogriffs loaned to them. They encounter the monster before the knights can find it. During a brief fight the bard is injured by a tail spike shot at them like a porcupine's quill. Then the bard and the ranger become lost in the mist. The dwarf paladin and the druid fight on alone. Although they manage to severely injure the beast, the dwarf is knocked unconscious and the manticore tries again to escape into the mist. The druid keeps chasing it and Lilly, the ranger, runs into them in the dark and joins the fight. She manages to strike the killing blow. On the ground, the druid decapitates the creature with his scimitar and they return to the spire in triumph. For a reward they receive a beautiful expensive ring from Commander Thurl. But the druid keeps whining about wanting a long sword. The bard asks if they can have Knight Savra as a reward, but she refuses to leave and Thurl says it's not his decision to make. Instead he tells them that they may find the priest they are looking for at the Sacred Stone Monastery where he believes evil people are doing evil things.
The dwarf, Kyle, is taken to a knight's quarters to be healed and rest. His friends visit him and see Commander Thurl leaving his room next door. Since they were invited to stay the night, Lilly goes down to the Acolytes dorm to sleep. Josh and Bob sneak into Thurl's room to investigate. They find a message from Queen Aerisi Kalinoth congratulating Thurl on kidnapping the Waterdhavian noblewoman and brainwashing her and also for a successful skirmish against the Black Earth Cult at the Sacred Stone Monastery. They also steal a potion and scrolls from a chest in his room.
Then, they heal the dwarf and sneak up to the pinnacle of the spire. There they capture Thurl and cast a truth spell on him and learn much about his air cult, the Cult of Howling Hatred. Knowing that Savra's room is one floor below with an open window, Josh, the druid, levitates down, casts confusion on her while she's sleeping and lifts the bolt from her chamber door. The bard disguises himself as Commander Thurl and convinces her to come with them. They escape on the same hippogriffs they rode earlier that night (while almost accidentally leaving the sleeping ranger, Lilly, behind.) Josh lights up his magic dagger so they can see, thereby alerting an airborne guard to their presence. Bob, the bard rolls a crit (20) and completely convinces the guard that he is Commander Thurl and leaves the guard in charge, telling him not to let anyone up to the pinnacle of the spire (where they left Commander Thurl bound and gagged). He salutes and leaves them free to escape. They deliver the girl to the obnoxious Waterdeep noble and receive gold (and a long sword for the druid who just won't stop asking) and permission to rest there that night. They sell the ring, learn what spells the scrolls have on them, and get a map of the Sumber Hills so that they can travel to Beliard the next day. Beliard is the last known location of the delegation from Mirabar. The bard thanks them for their help and chooses to stay behind in Waterdeep.
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