Episode I: There Is No Honor
The city of Bloodcove is one of the few bastions of civilization along Garund's western coastline. It borders both the trackless Fever Sea and the vast Mwangi Expanse—two huge wildernesses at the very edge of civilization. Its nearest neighbours are hardly much better: To the south there is the former Cheliaxian colony of Sargava; beset on all fronts by its former owner Cheliax, the greedy Shackles pirates who protect it, and its own rebellious Mwangi population. To the north lies the pirate haven of the Shackles, an island chain filled with pirates and the remains of whatever cannibalistic society dwelt there before them.
Bloodcove is unique in appearance as the entire city is built into and around the roots and trunks of one of the gargantuan mangrove trees that are found only along the Mwangi coast. The whole city is perched atop boardwalks and scaffolding that keep it out of the Fever Sea.
Through one route or another you have all found yourselves here. Tonight at different points in the evening you are all visited in your rooms by a wizened-looking halfling woman who introduces herself to you as Kora. She hands each of you a folded letter.
My name is Lavinia Vanderboren, and I humbly request your attendance at dinner at my estate on Festival Street and Blue Skink Lane tomorrow evening. I think that I can present you with an opportunity uniquely suited to your skills. Please inform the carrier of this letter of your response to this invitation, and I hope to be speaking to you soon!
-Lavinia Vanderboren
As you finish reading the letter, Kora smiles up at you and asks in a soft voice, "What response shall I give to Lady Vanderboren, dear?"
Lerith smiles to the halfling woman when she knocks on the door, giving her a small polite bow as he takes the note. "Greetings, Kora. Let us see what Mi'lady has in mind, shall we?"
Giving the note a quick skim, Lerith folds it up fastidiously, treating any paper with care even one that holds so simply a note. He considers the words upon it, even as he gives the messenger a nod of his head. "Of course, Kora. If the lady of the house requires my assistance in some way it would be terrible form for me to turn her down, wouldn't it? I shall be there as requested. Also, do please offer my condolences to the family. I do not often move in the same circles as they, so I have been unable to give them myself."
"Morning, dear," Uraisa greets the halfing. After a bit of idle chit chat as she skims the note, she definitively respponds. "Please tell Ms. Vanderboren I will be more than happy to attend."
After the halfing leaves, Uraisa gathers her belongings, including her rapidly shrinking change purse. Hopefully this opportunity comes with a bit of coin attached, she muses. Using one of her waterproof bags, she carefully wraps up her spellbook, before placing the bag-encased book gently into her backpack. At the very least there is a free dinner to be had.
Dot. Will post later :-)
Asfer stares down at the piece of paper and turns it over a couple of times. "Wait please."
Before getting up and going to the next door along and banging on it. "Lilly got words on paper from halfling. Need help with long ones." The brawny warrior smiles down at the wizened halfling as she pokes her head round the door to see what is going on.
Asfer adds to Kora, "Lilly knows more words than me. She clever. I not big on words."
Then the half-elf picks his nose and rubs a finger down the leather studded tunic to clean any bits off.
Lilly moves in from the back room adjusting the patch over her right eye. "So who's this here"? she inquires of Asfer, taking the piece of paper. After reading it for a bit, she turns to her comrade with a crooked toothed smile.
"Well it seems our little deed of helping that ships master round up his escaped hyenas will pay off after all". "Somebody must have noticed, and we've been invited to some Lord Vanderboren's estate for some kind of meeting".
"Thank you for the message small one". "Tell your masters that we shall attend"
"I know you don't want to hear this Asfer, but I think we need to bath for this meeting". "Might be a chance to make some coin here, and the gods know we could use it".
If Kora is taken aback at all by your gruff demeanors, she doesn't show it. The little halfling woman thanks you each and departs into the night. One final letter in her pouch waiting to be delivered...
dotting
Nimwi answers the soft knock and quirks his eyebrow at the diminuitive halfling. Accepting the proferred letter, he opens and reads the missive. 'I will attend Mistress Vandeboren at her convenience. Thank you.' Hmm, this should prove interesting at the very least
Asfer has to have two goes at washing his skin and three at his hair so that everything meets with Lilly's approval. Totally out of his depth, the half wildling keeps pulling at one sleeve, feeling naked without a layer of grime.
"Hyenas bring us letter. You said that was right. Is good for coins? Lilly, you say Van-burens want us clean like this. I can have pie again? Is good pie."
The warrior finishes by re-tying his hair into five long tails with the pieces of old leather.
The day passes uneventfully as you all make your preparations and once evening time rolls around, make your ways to the home of Lavinia Vanderboren.
Vanderboren Manor is located in the eastern section of town; the seven-foot-high stone wall that surrounds the estate is impossible to miss, as is the towering gothic, three-story house that dominates the grounds within. Leering gargoyles and capering nymphs festoon the eaves of the manor's roof, and several trees give the manor grounds a nice buffer from the bustle of the city.
The front gates have been left open, but no one greets you until you reach the front door and knock. After a few moments, the same wizened halfling woman from last night answers the door. "Thank you for coming so punctually dearie. Please follow me to the atrium until the rest of tonight's guests arrive. Lady Vanderboren shall be with you all shortly."
She leads you into an enormous great hall with smooth white stonework. Two oak stairwells with burnished brass railings ascend to an open first floor landing. Tapestries depicting a beautiful and savage frontier of sprawling jungle landscapes and an eerie shoreline hang from the upper landing. A glass chandelier hangs from the atrium's cieling. After making sure you are all comfortable, Kora excuses herself and exits through a door on the south side of the room.
Very tall and whipcord thin, a very peculiar elf stands before you. Wearing a mask of wood so dark as to look black with eight small pale blue stones set in a line on either side framing the carved likeness of some kind of fey-like face with holes for the eyes, mouth and nostrils. You only feel certain he is an elf by the points of his elongated ears rising out of his hair. As if the mask itself were not enough to grab your attention, he is wearing a very flamboyant set of clothing. A tunic of that same pale blue as the stones in his mask with breeches striped alternatingly of royal and navy blues, he has large black leather boots folded over at the knee with a wide matching belt with a large silver buckle at his waist. From his neck hangs a navy blue cape with that same pale blue underlining. Altogether, he looks like a mockery of a pirate.
The features carved into the mask seem to be those of a nereid, a sea nymph, of great beauty.
'Hello.' Comes his cheerful voice. 'I am pleased to meet you. I am Nimwi. Are we all here at the behest of a letter?' He asks.
This tall slim half-elf follows the halfling in, with all the grace and languid motion of a jungle cat. But his face is slightly hidden by the lengths of black hair and the eyes dart about trying to take in any signs of danger. The eyes are arctic blue with little friendship.
Eventually he will take a drink of sherry with a sniff and sip, "this warm and good." He adds to Lilly. Then he slowly paces round the edge of the room, looking at pictures and other finery, not comfortable at all.
As the others speak and move, he assesses their ability to handle themselves in a fight. Who is dangerous and why are part and parcel of his life.
The pretty young human girl enters the room. "Sorry, I was running a bit late. I took a wrong turn..." her voice trails off, looking at the strange humanoid in the mask before her.
Without saying another word, she flops down on a chair, pulls out a piece of paper, and immediately begins making a sketch on one of her pieces of parchment. Closer inspection reveals it to be of the fascinating mask that one of the collected group was wearing. "Those stones are a beautiful hue," she softly speaks in the direction of the elf behind the mask. After finishing her sketch, she rolls up her parchment and stows it her in satchel.
Turning to look at the rest of the room, she nodded at the collection of adventurers. "I'm Uraisa. Nice to meet you all."
Entering the grounds cautiously she turns to Asfer, "Not a bad retreat for being in the middle of the city huh"she questions, looking at the well landscaped lawn.
She nods and acknowledges Kora's greeting, and grabbing Asfar's arm, after he takes his drink, drawing him closer to the tapestries. She attempts to capture his attention and direct it to the murals, but gives up after a moment as he seems to be more interested in the other arrivals.
"Look at this would you". "I've never seen ankle biters growing in the same environment as cloud root". "And who ever saw a Purple hooter that big". "While the quality is good, this is obviously some persons imagination to include all this in the same tapestry".
She turns at the greeting, with a toothy smile. "Hi". "I'm Lilly, and Mr. talkative here is Asfar".
Lerith watches the others as they introduce themselves, studying them carefully as he does with every aspect of his life. He's a bit older, certainly more so than the rest of the group but he seems to have kept himself in reasonable shape anyway. A bit of grey has begun to show itself in his blond hair and well kept beard, though his steely grey eyes are still sharp.
As the others speak, he helps himself to a drink. When he sets down the glass he seems to instinctively grab it for a moment as it rattles before going still and he pulls his hand away, the act not seeming to be something he even thinks about any longer.
"My name is Lerith. I suppose that you could say I am a diplomat and scholar, but my studies have led to experiences that are a bit more... Wide ranging than that. I had assumed Mi'lady had summoned me here to translate some polyglot for her or to find the history of some Mwangi relic her family business had uncovered. Such tasks wouldn't require such a... diverse skill set however. Perhaps she is planning an expedition, the jungles around here are filled with ruins and ancient sites. Very exciting."
The older gentleman stays silent.
After some time, the door to the dining hall opens and four figures emerge, heading in your direction. Kora races behind these figures which include a jaunty male half-elf dressed in leather armor and armed with a half-dozen daggers of different shapes, a dark-skinned dwarf with a sour expression dressed in green and brown robes and clutching a large curved spear, an attractive but haughty looking woman dressed in dark purple robes and with a tattoo of a crescent moon on one cheek, and lastly a tall and handsome man dressed in polished breastplate carrying a bastard sword.
They walk past you towards the exit, but on their way past, the tall armored man pauses and looks you over for a moment before announcing, "Hmmm. You must be the help Lavinia's bringing in to do the chores. Best of luck to ya!" With a grin, he turns and makes his way to the exit.
After he passes, Kora, looking somewhat flustered, smiles at you all, says, "Lady Vanderboren will see you now. Follow me please," and motions towards the dining hall.
The pale haired masked elf follows Kora into the next room to meet his hostess.
Lerith is an older gentleman, at least physically, than the rest of the party. His blonde hair and beard are neatly trimmed but starting to show the first hints of going grey. His steely eyes are still sharp as he listens to the others introduce themselves, studying them as he does all things.
When they speak he helps himself to a drink, as he sets down the glass he instinctively grabs it for a moment and it rattles against his fingers before going still and he lets it go, the action looking like something he doesn't even think about anymore.
"You can consider me a scholar and diplomat by trade, I suppose, though some of my studies have led to the acquisition of more practical skills. I had assumed, Mi'lady wished me here to translate some polyglot or offer the history of some Mwangi artifact she had uncovered, but that certainly wouldn't require those with such a wide ranging skill set. Perhaps she is planning an expedition. Exciting either way."
He goes quiet as the group of obviously hardened adventurers approach, staying so until the one speaks. Obviously unphased by the clear insult and showing no fear of the man who could likely pound him into pulp he quips back. "Indeed, sir, and with such skill do we accomplish them. It seems the trash is already being removed. A good day to you, friends."
Turning to the halfling he gives a partial bow "Of course, Kora. then follows after to see what awaits them in the dining room.
Dwarf Sense Motive:
Man Sense Motive:
Elf Sense Motive:
Woman Sense Motive:
The tall man doesn't seem to understand the meaning behind your words, but you notice the woman snickering a bit and casting a smile in your direction.
Asfer manifests a larger, stronger figure and almost growls at the quip from Mr Bastard Sword. The half-elf's eyes flash anger and he prepares himself for battle.
Can I beat him?
Then they are gone and he feels a rough hand on his arm. Then Asfer smiles at Lilly, "him trouble with big boots."
Eventually he follows the others after Kora, still holding the half-drunk glass of sherry. Which he puts on aside table as he passes and remembers.
You've heard of a few religions involving moon-worship, but none of them are very major and you can't remember any specific names.
However, from the style of the woman's clothing and her features you mark her as Varisian in origin and you have heard tales of Varisian magic users often tattooing themselves both for fashion and to empower their natural spellcasting abilities.
As the assumed-to-be intrepid adventurers walked out, Uraisa doesn't respond to the bait put out by the armored figure. She does pull out a piece of parchment and sketch a copy of the mark that was tattooed on the woman's face. "How interesting...Varisians do love their tattoos.," she says to no one in particular, trying her best to shade in the drawing to match the one etched on the lady's skin.
She slowly follows Kora down the hallway.
Know. Arcana
Kora leads you down a hallway and stops in front of a set of doors, which she opens for you and motions you in.
The private dining hall is comfortable and cozy, softly lit by wall-mounted lanterns. A window overlooks the manor's central courtyard and the carpet is thick and soft. A large portrait hangs on the wall, a fine work depicting a handsome young man with a short beard. Standing before the portrait is an attractive human woman wearing a long, flowing blue dress. She smiles as the PCs enter, introducing herself as Lavinia Vanderboren. As you take your seats, she begins to speak:
"As you may have heard, I recently inherited my parents' estate. Along with this fine house, unfortunately, came a fine amount of debt owed the Grand Admiralty, the harbor-master, and quite a few guildhalls. It seems my parents, for all their success as adventurers, were not as skilled at finance as one might expect. If I'm to get these taxes paid, I'll need to access my family's vault.
And that's the problem you see, the vaults are magically locked - keyed to special signet rings. Both of my parents had these rings, at least, until recently. My mother lost hers a few months ago; she arranged for a replacement, but it won't be done for another month - too late for me. Which leaves my father's ring. He never wore it - he had a thing about men wearing jewelry. He kept it hidden somewhere on his ship, the Blue Nixie. The problem there is that the harbor-master's seized the ship until someone pays for the last four months of mooring. I've paid the fines to the man the harbormaster's put in charge of my ship, a brute named Soller Vark. Yet when I went to claim my ship, Vark's men wouldn't let me board, claiming that I hadn't yet paid the fines. I spoke to Vark again and he denied ever receiving my payment. My complaints to the harbormaster have fallen on deaf ears - he's a doddering old fool who trusts his man and won't relent.
Vark and his men are up to something on my ship, I know it. What I need is to find out exactly what they're up to. Unfortunately, Vark's not the type to react well to diplomacy or logic. I need someone who speaks his language... which is where you come in. If you can find out what he's using my ship for, or even better, recover the money I paid him, I'll pay each of you 200 gold in return once I've access to my vault. Will you help me?"
"First, I think your dress is a very pretty color of blue. I love it! More relevant, I suppose, where exactly is the Nixie moored at now? We could set up a bit of surveillance, find out when the ship is empty, sneak on, find the ring, and get back here," Uraisa suggests.
And I could refill my coin purse, and maybe have money for a nice new dress myself...
Lavinia smiles graciously at your compliment and replies, "Thank you Uraisa. The Nixie is docked at pier five in the Merchant District. Your plan seems sound, but I fear that time is of the essence so we can't wait and watch too long lest my family's creditors take action."
'When we're caught and claim that you sent us to retrieve this ring on your behalf, who will believe it?' The elf asks.
"Why would you be caught? You're doing nothing wrong, it is my boat after all and anyone who asks me will be told that I sent you there. Do your best to not throw the first punch, but really, why would Vark's men put up a fight unless they are up to no good?"
Sense Motive
Lerith considers the offer, casually stroking his beard as he thinks about it. "It is a bit outside the purview of my normal experiences, but I may be able to help ensure that things remain non-violent should things turn sour. If this is what you require, Mi'lady, I would be glad to assist."
'You've already told us that you paid Vark the moorage fines and then he later said you hadn't paid him. If that's true, there is no doubt he's up to no good. If getting aboard were no trouble, you would have done so yourself. Your boat is impounded by the harbormaster. You are offering me 200 gold pieces to break into the harbormaster's property, subdue his duly, if not honest, sworn men and retrieve an item for you so you may access untold riches.' The elf pauses, tilting his head to the right to regard Lovinia Vandeboren for several seconds. 'I believe 500 gold pieces would be appropriately commensurate to your request.'
Lavinia nods solemnly at your request, "I can go as high as 300 gold each. Until I find out just how much my parents stashed away in the vault, I truly cannot afford any more than that at the moment. However, if you prove to be trustworthy and complete this task for me, I would be open to considering you all for ongoing employment, if you have a taste for gold that is," she says with a wry grin.
Asfer looks at Lerith, Lavinia, Nimwi and the rest as they speak. He nods agreement at the extra gold and frowns when anyone mentions no violence. The half-elf wanders up and down behind the seats listening as he pads.
"Me can sneak and watch well," he mutters out loud. "Grab one of Vark's men and beat words out of him if he has shut mouth." He says it just loud enough for Lilly and then the ones further away.
Head still cocked to the side, the elf remains silent for nearly a minute before stating, 'I accept. I will retrieve my equipment and meet those of you who also accept the job on the docks near the Blue Nixie.' He turns away and begins walking toward the front doors without waiting for responses from the others.
"Gold is gold", Lilly says with a wry smile and a wink at at Asfer. "I'm in".. Are we planning on going tonight, under the cover of darkness"?
"Always," with a sharp-toothed grin.
"I agree. Let's approach tonight. We can come up with a plan after looking at the scene. That lady with the tattoo that just left would be helpful in a mission like this. Enchantment spells would be just the thing."
At this, she looks up at her now employer. "The last group that just left...are they helping you as well? Is there a chance one of us might step on the other's toes?"
"The Jade Ravens? No, I've sent them on a different sort of mission. They're travelling to Eleder to contact my aunt and uncle for aid. I hate to ask for their help, but I'm having a difficult time dealing with all of this alone," replies Lavinia with a sigh.
Lerith nods his head at the others. "Darkness would be most beneficial in moving without being seen, and there will certainly be less dock workers around at that time to draw attention from. I am sure the guards will still be ready, however. We will need to be cautious."
He glances a bit purposefully at the large half-elf before speaking to everyone. "This situation does require some tact. We may be recovering illicitly taken funds, but truthfully we have no proof of that. Its unlikely we will retrieve a coin purse from this Vark fellow that has a note that its full of Mi'lady's money. Any damage done could well have consequences."
At the woman's mention of the Jade Raven's Lerith can't help but chuckle a bit. "They were so condescending about us performing chores when we are bypassing guards and breaking and entering while their task is to take a note to family. If this whole thing works out, we may need to think of a flashy name so that we too can be full of ourselves."
Lavinia lets out a chuckle of her own and replies, "That was probably Tolin. He can be a bit of an ass, but he and the Ravens have served my family for years. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if he feels threatened that you'll take their place as my new favorite adventuring company. And who knows, if you can prove your mettle on the Nixie, you just might!"
"Me keep Tolin name for next time. Owe him punch. In face. See if he still standing then."
Asfer waits for the sign to leave from Lilly. He tries to relax and rests his hip against a thin quality chair but feels it sliding across the wooden flooring under its rug.
So he simply stands, arms crossed and folded, his large curved sword poking over one shoulder like a parrot.
Weak seat here.
Nimwi heads out from the Vandeboren house back to his room. There he changes out of his entertainer's outfit and carefully folds it up around his periscope, compass and a smaller mask before placing them all back into a waterproof bag along with his flotation device and swim fins. He then places this bag head down into another waterproof bag as an added precaution. Nimwi puts on a pair of knee length shorts with draw strings at the waist and legs, straps a pair of sandals on his feet and throws on a lightweight shirt before donning his wooden armour and weapons. Carefully folding his net, he hangs it from his belt opposite his scorpion whip. He makes sure the spring loaded wrist sheath is still firmly secured to his arm and loaded with his dagger. Slinging his waterproof bag over his shoulder, he grabs up his trident and heads out to the docks to find whoever else took the job.
"Come on Asfer". "We've got time to go feed Eyeball before we meet up with the others". "You know how he is if he misses his feeding time".
"Feeding eyeball? Uraisa asks in spite of herself. "What in the heavens does that refer to, if you don't mind my asking," the mage asks, clearly intrigued by the possibilities.