...they examine the spear

Their trip back to the Stone Egg was uneventful. The tavern was mostly deserted when they arrived; the lunch rush was over, and overnight guests had not started to trickle in yet. Aliara flopped onto a well-stuffed chair near the fire and sighed. "That was a waste of time. What now?"
"I dunno, Li." Teysa was barely listening. She turned the spear over and over in her hands. Something felt off about it. The spear wasn't her weapon of choice, but this one seemed unbalanced, poorly made. Maybe the driders just had a strange grip to their weapons. She toyed with the blade, turning it over and over. The steel was extremely fine: a deep, oily grey that seemed to drink in the light rather than reflecting it. The blade had an asymmetrical curving leaf shape that she had never seen before. It was razor sharp-- she pricked her thumb and winced as blood welled up out of the tiny cut. There was something about it... she rotated the spear to see it from all angles.

There! That was what was bothering her. As she turned the spear, the tip wobbled slightly. Just slightly-- the tiniest slip-- but it set off alarm bells in her head. The head was not tightly fitted to the haft. She gripped it gingerly around the base and applied pressure. The spearhead rotated. Aliara had noticed her fascination and was craning her head to look over. "What's going on, Tey? What have you got there?"
Teysa wiggled the head, then turned it a fraction more... wiggled, and turned... she moved it carefully, trying not to cut herself. One last turn and it separated from the shaft entirely and clattered onto the floor.

Where the tang should have been was a hollow cavity. Teysa turned the haft upside down and shook. A tiny scroll tumbled out into her hand.

"What in Quz's name?" Aliara was leaning over her shoulder now. "Tey, what's it say?"
Teysa unrolled the scroll and squinted at the tiny text. "I can't read it, Li. Can you? Looks like Elvish..."
Aliara took the paper in one hand and scanned it carefully. She shook her head. "Nah, it's the same characters, but it's not elvish. I don't know what it is. Maybe a code...?"
Teysa considered this. "Well, if the driders left it in here, they must have meant for whoever found it to be able to read it. That means someone probably knows how. Let's show Dom."

They crossed over to the bar. Dom was next to it, mopping industriously at a sludgy puddle on the ground. He looked up at their approach. "Greetings, ladies. How'd you make out? Mind your feet, we had a bit of an accident earlier."
Teysa held out the scroll. "Can you read this? I think that our... mutual friend... left it for us to find."

Dom leaned the mop against the bar and pulled a pair of half-moon spectacles out of his apron pocket. He looked up at his guests. "Don't tell anyone you saw me in these, now. Ol' Dom has a reputation to uphold." He pored over the scroll, then crumpled it between his fingers. With a nod of his head he gestured that they accompany him.

Dom led them through the swinging door into the kitchen. Inside, a pair of elves and a human were chopping vegetables. Dom whistled to get their attention and waved an arm. "Out, all of ya. Take five." Giving the women curious looks, the staff filed out.

The drow waited until they were gone, then beckoned Teysa and Aliara closer. "This is a drider code," he began. "Very old, very secure. They try not to use it often. Where did you get this?"

Teysa explained about their trip to Quorling and Parr and the spear. Dom nodded along. "Yes, sounds about right. I know about that lot by reputation-- honest enough, but they'd sell their own grandmother her teeth back for a couple of coppers, and they'll deal with anyone. Wouldn't surprise me if they know exactly what's happened to our friend, but good luck getting it out of them. If Siri'ka left this with them, she must have known she was going into a bad situation and might not make it out. She wanted someone to know how to find her."

"What does it say?" Aliara asked impatiently. "Enough beating around the bush."
Dom held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Apologies, miss. I was getting to that. This says to seek out Mish'li at the Chapel of the Vale of Sorrows."

"Where's that?" asked Teysa. "Chapel? That doesn't mean-"
Dom nodded gravely. "Afraid so. Right in the middle of the temple precinct. I guess you're going there after all."