
Yeah, your right Varram and his cultist friend will eventually, need to be handed over to our dragon friends. Maybe sooner than later, and we can't argue with them.
I'd be more than happy to take things to the Side Stories thread involving Zarra and Perry, that way we can more focus on recruiting. When Velon and Lia find Perry as well, they can of course join in there as well.
So Chassorth can take Varram, and his cohort off of our hands. But it will take a couple of days.
Thats one less problem to deal with. That's got to be a good thing. Close off one chapter, and move on to another.
I need to take some time off from playing for reasons that I will put into my own thread later. So my character will need to become an NPC for a while.
I am behind on reading what's been happening, but here are my thoughts on how we could write Nikolaos out for now. He could stay in the castle to keep an eye on the newly hired mercenaries using his high social skills to befriend and discourage any poor behavior. This downtime would also allow him to make sure his mother is settling into her new life. He would also spend time preaching the benefits of Lathander to the mercenaries, and spend some time daily getting a Wyvern to accept him as a rider.
He can hang onto one of the sending stones and give the other to someone in the group. That way if things change in my real life I can say the occasional thing.
If we're proceeding with the trip to Candlekeep, I think that's mostly Lawrance's show, (And Poppo's if we haven't lost him again.)
If not, let me know what people are up to.
Oh, also, I think I'm going to say that Lawrance found for his tribute a rare treatise by deepwardens on Intellect Devourers. It starts off with a rather chilling anecdote about how the author spent almost two hours adventuring beside his dead friend before realizing the man's brain had been replaced by an abberant creature.
Cratol does not care which way the others decide to go for now. He can be seen up on the battlements in the early morning and after dinner going through his paces as he continues his exercise regiment to keep his fighting skill top notch.
.
Perry still has a few things to resolve interpersonally, but those can be taken to side stories easily enough.
In the meantime, since Candlekeep is the "Stuck-up Wizard place" according to Perry, I think he would try to find something fun to do in the village surrounding the big library while Lawrance and Poppo do their thing. They would be the only ones allowed in anyway. If I'm remembering my Baldur's Gate videogame lore correctly, there is a Candlekeep Inn. I think he would go there to try his hand at some gambling, probably poker (Xanathar's guide rules?), drinking, and performing to try and make some extra money. Anyone else who wants to join him can of course.