A NOBLE IN NEED...
Rubbumba and Zhandlegarrii easily found Vanderboren Manor in the eastern section of the Merchant District. The seven-foot high stone wall surrounding the estate was impossible to miss, as was the towering, gothic three-story house that dominated the grounds within. Leering gargoyles and capering nymphs festooned the eaves of the manor's roof, and well-placed trees afforded the manor grounds a pleasant buffer from the bustle of the city. The front gates had been left open. A human woman waited at the gates, surveying the manor house and grounds. She was rather tall and stood with a proud, noble bearing. Her skin was somewhere between black and bronze, and her wild, dark hair was highlighted with glints of copper and bronze. She wore very minimal hide attire and a tall wicker shield strapped to one arm. A scimitar was slung low on her other side. A necklace of fearsome-looking teeth strung on a hide cord decorated her neck. Rubb guessed that she was a native of the Amedio Jungle, that wild inland beyond the city proper and outlying plantations of Sasserine.
“This must be the place, dear heart. Come, let us enter.” Taking Zhandle by the arm, Rubb strode up to the tall woman and presented his invitation.
The woman looked down at the halflings, her smoldering dark eyes flecked with copper. After a moment, she produced a similar invitation from a hide pouch at her side. “Well met, then, friends. I am Johari. It appears we are all guests of the Lady Vanderboren.” Her voice was throaty and her accent exotic.
“Well,” called a salty voice, “look who be comin’ ta dinner!” Jouko half-walked, half-stumbled towards the party assembled at the gate.
Rubb put a protective arm around Zhandle’s waist, his other hand edging toward the hilt of the dagger he wore at his side. “More pirates,” he said, gritting his teeth and ready for danger.
“Pirates?! Where?” bellowed Jouko, looking about in feigned surprise.
“He does look rather … piratey,” whispered Zhandle.
“What are you about, scoundrel?” challenged Rubbumba.
“Well, I’m about three sheets t’ the wind, wee lass!”
“Lass? LASS?! Why I … you … I am Rubbumba! Slayer of werebeasts, master herbalist, and protector of maidens fair!” sputtered Rubb. He looked quickly about, cheeks flushed, until his eyes fixed on Zhandle. He tightened his embrace and kissed her dramatically.
“Oooohh.” It was now Zhandle’s turn to blush mightily.
Jouko chuckled, a sound that was somehow both jolly and menacing, and punctuated with the odd hiccup. He pulled a slip of paper from within his sweat-stained shirt and waved it before him. “This here writ says I be dinning with the lady of da manor.”
“Very well then, scoundrel” said Johari, with only the slightest hint of humor. “Tonight, we dine in Vanderboren Manor.”
Johari turned and strode purposefully to the front door, the sailor and halflings in tow. Jouko grinned broadly down at Rubb, displaying his gold tooth along with the gummy spaces where teeth had been. Rubb wrinkled his nose, clenched Zhandle’s forearm tightly, and quickened his pace.
Shortly after knocking on the imposing front door, the party was greeted by a wizened halfling woman -- the same one who had delivered their invitations. “Greetings! Thank you all for joining us this evening. Please, step inside the atrium. The Lady Vanderboren shall be with you shortly.” The halfling woman gave a sly wink and smile to Zhandlegarri, and patted Rubbumba proudly on his upper arm as she ushered the party inside.
Inside, Jouko let out a low whistle. “Fine digs,” he muttered, though he frowned at some of the paintings of exotic ports. One painting in particular raised the gooseflesh on his arms, though he couldn’t say why. He took a shot from his flask, wiped his mouth with the back of his filthy hand, and promptly forgot about the paintings.
Rubb scowled at the smelly pirate and guided Zhan past him. However, she had soon disengaged herself from Rubb’s embrace for a closer inspection of the atrium’s décor. Zhandle turned in place, gazing up at the art, and knocked a potted fern from its stand. Rubb barely caught it before it hit the floor. He quickly ushered Zhandle to a bench, where he hoped she would cause less damage.
As they waited to be summoned, four figures emerged from the dining hall and headed their way. Kora raced behind the figures, which included 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. The mercenaries seemed to have little time or interest in the band assembled in the atrium, although the tall man did stop to size them up for a moment before announcing, "Hmm. You must be the help Lavinia's bringing in to do the chores. Best of luck."
After the mercenaries had gone, Rubbumba pulled Kora aside. “What was that all about? Who were those people?”
“Those are the Jade Dragons, the Vanderborens’ regular help. Never mind them. The Lady will see you now.” Kora opened the door into the private dining hall. The hall was comfortable and cozy, softly lit by wall-mounted lanterns. A window overlooked the manor's central courtyard and the carpet was thick and soft. A large portrait hung on the wall, a fine work depicting a handsome young man with a short beard. Standing before the portrait was an attractive human woman wearing a long, flowing blue dress. She smiled as the party entered, and introduced herself as Lavinia Vanderboren.
Jouko gave the portrait a double-take – he had seen the man before, perhaps as long as a year ago. It had been in a seedy tavern in Shadowshore. The man had bragged about his noble birth, mentioned something about the family fortune being his someday, and then ordered several rounds of drinks for the bar. As Jouko recalled, the man had later slinked away without paying his sizable tab. Jouko quickly pushed the memory aside, however, as he feasted his eyes upon the Lady Vanderboren.
“Welcome, and thank you for accepting my invitation.” Lady Vanderboren and Zhandle exchanged pleasantries, while Jouko ogled the Lady and hiccupped a greeting. Unused to so much public interaction, Rubb fidgeted nervously and clung to Zhandle’s arm. Though the gesture was meant to appear protective, in reality Rubb was comforted by having Zhandle near.
“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 Dawn Council, the harbormaster, 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 under Castle Teraknian.
“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 or so, too late for me. Which leaves my father's ring. He never wore it -- he didn't believe men should wear jewelry. He kept it hidden somewhere on his ship, the Blue Nixie.
“The problem there is that the harbormaster has seized the ship until someone pays for the last four months of mooring. I've paid 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.”
Jouko scratched his head, then examined the grease and dandruff beneath his nail thoughtfully. Soller Vark was known in the harbor as a pompous braggart, but a man of some skill with the blade. “I hear o'this man, Vark.”
“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.”
“What language does this Vark speak?” Zhandle inquired. Jouko interrupted before anyone could respond.
“Two hunnad ye say, how much ye pay Vark?”
“I paid the swine 100 platinum.”
Rubbumba coughed, and Jouko grinned brightly. “We just have ta see 'bout finding that purse now, won’t we?”
“I assure you, Lady, my wife and I will do our best to retrieve your purse. And,” Rubbumba scowled at Jouko, “it will be just as full as it was when you last saw it.”
Zhandle tugged at Rubb’s sleeve. “You remember I get seasick, right? And we still don’t know whether we speak the same language as this Vark character….”
Johari spoke for the first time since entering the manor. “This Vark sounds like worthless scum, typical of so-called ‘civilized’ humanity. But what has this to do with Johari?”
“I have reason to believe that Vark is involved in the smuggling of exotic animals, though I cannot prove it to the satisfaction of the watch.”
Johari’s jaw tightened at the mention of smuggling, and she nodded slowly. “I will do this.”
“Thank you all. I knew I could rely on you. Serve me well, and there may be future work in it for you.”
Jouko cleared his throat loudly. “Yer note mentioned dinner....” Rubbumba perked up, and Zhandlegarrii nodded enthusiastically. Lavinia Vanderboren apologized for placing business before the meal. Soon, servants had filled the large table with spiced meats, cheeses, freshly baked bread, exotic fruits and fine wine. It was the grandest meal Jouko had ever seen. Before long, Rubb had consumed more than he ever had in one sitting, Jouko was deep in his cups, and Zhandle wore a broad array of stains in various shapes, sizes and colors.
Through a mouthful of cheese, Rubbumba asked, “Who'f the guy wiff vuh friwwy collar?”
Lavinia followed his stare to the portrait on the wall. After a long pause, she sighed. “That is my brother, Vanthus.”
Jouko raised his goblet, spilling wine on Rubb. "To yer brother then." Lavinia smiled, but it was a mirthless gesture. Jouko didn’t seem to notice, as he drank deeply from his cup, and then cried, “Splice t’ mainbrace!”
Jouko asked how long ago Lavinia had paid Vark. “Over a week ago. I approached the watch and the government with my complaints, but unfortunately I have no proof of wrongdoing. It was foolish to hand over the money to Vark without allied witnesses.”
“Wouldn't help ya none anyway, sweatheart.”
Soon after it was decided that the party had enjoyed too much food and drink to pay a surprise visit to the Blue Nixie. Kora Whistlegap showed Rubb and Zhandle to a luxurious room in the manor. Jouko declined the invitation to sleep at the manor, referencing some business in the harbor he needed attend. Johari elected to make camp on the manor grounds, beneath sky and stars.
That night, Jouko hit the harbor in search of information about Soller Vark and the Blue Nixie. He learned that Vark was a disagreeable bald man with a jagged scar running down one arm, a wound he sustained in a bar fight but which he claimed was gifted to him in a battle with a hook-handed pirate. He also scouted out the Blue Nixie. According to Lavinia, the Blue Nixie was docked at pier five in the Merchant District. Alas, it became apparent to Jouko that the Blue Nixie was not docked at the pier at all, but was in fact moored to a float about 100 feet from the pier's end. After watching for a short while, he observed at least three different thugs patrolling the main deck. None of them appeared to be Vark. Jouko finished the night passed out beneath a table at a nearby tavern.
