The Sands, the Scales, and the City on the Shell
The Veiled Vanguard narrowly survives an encounter with Karakuris, the Amethyst Dragon, whose hunt for a stolen key leaves a caravan in ruins. The key’s owner reveals himself as Qurolgryth, a sapphire dragon in disguise, warning of a gateway to the Outer Realms. Journeying aboard a colossal tortoise to the roaming city of Nalthees, the party weaves lies, drinks potent liquor, and brushes with the Golden Chain guild, who demand a high-stakes heist or Naoki’s life.
The massive wyrm that swallowed the lead caravan cart revealed itself to be Karakuris the Psionic Fury, an Amethyst Dragon and Dragon Lord of Draelwyrm seeking the missing dragon Throllrymm. Pleading ignorance while Emelyne’s loud boots drew the dragon's interrogation, the party watched helplessly as Karakuris executed the Thri-kreen traders and obliterated their remaining cart before departing with a warning. Once the dragon left, their surviving companion revealed himself as the Sapphire Blue Dragon Qurolgryth. He unveiled a complex constellation-marked amulet stolen from Draelwyrm—a key designed to open the Outer Plane's "Prison of Prisons." Suspecting that the rival party who previously banished the Vanguard to the Plane of Earth were the ones trying to steal it, Qurolgryth directed the party to find him north of the Relamor River before flying off in a sandstorm.
To maintain Ro'Zaad's guild cover, the Vanguard bound Craum to a pack animal using Ro'Zaad's Bands of Binding, securing the command word in writing. While Valerie began teaching Emelyne to play the guitar during their trek, the earth trembled at the approach of a hundred-foot-tall wandering tortoise carrying the static city of Nal'thees on its shell. As a wooden lift lowered to retrieve them, the tortoise turned sharply, throwing most of the Vanguard into freefall before a blue Dragonborn wandslinger named Shasoth used magically controlled ropes to pull them safely aboard. Arriving in Nal'thees, a wild town of spell-slinging mercenaries, Shasoth bought them drinks and offered them the rooms of the slain Thri-kreen traders. Inside the tavern, Ro'Zaad explained "Whizz"—also known as Hekfis—a dangerous, highly addictive magical drug that temporarily boosts spellcasting power at the cost of potential permanent mental degradation. After a card game dispute ended in a lethal execution, Emelyne attempted a sloppy public dissection on the corpse, lost an arm-wrestling match to a drunk elf named Roy (allowing Valerie to pickpocket his elderwood focus wand), and watched the party gag on Wyrm Water. Despite Ro'Zaad's initial reluctance, Valerie purchased a 5-platinum vial of Hekfis from a purple-lipped Tabaxi for academic study.
Later, members of Ro'Zaad's guild, the Golden Chain, arrived at their quarters, demanding to know why Craum had not been turned in immediately. In a panic over family discussions, Valerie shapeshifted into the form of Emelyne's sister while they were escorted by Jim, a dim-witted seven-foot half-giant who morbidly reminisced about popping the eyes out of a doll. Guided into the guildhall, they found Burkell—the dwarf from the rival party that had banished them to the Plane of Earth—negotiating with Guildmaster Brightvein. Utilizing Thieves' Cant, Ro'Zaad informed Brightvein that Burkell's party had actively sabotaged their mission, prompting the guildmaster to dismiss the dwarf. Brightvein then demanded a 1,000-platinum bid or a high-stakes heist to match Burkell's offer. When Naoki mouthed off and insulted the guildmaster's intelligence, an enraged Brightvein threw an iron dagger to the floor and ordered Ro'Zaad to execute him on the spot.