“Have them on dock nineteen with the tide,” Vanthus ordered the clerk at the Black Shield guildhall. As he left, he hoped that sow Brissa was right about the Crimson Fleet using Kraken’s Cove as smuggling harbor. Fell right for him, she did. His smile had no mirth in it. She was no Rowyn. And Rowyn was no Lavinia. He scowled, still irritated that his parents had left her everything.

He put on his serious face as he approached the dock and the ship he had chartered to take him, Brissa, and the mercenaries to the Cove. In just a few days, he would be leaving Brissa, and her whole family, to take the blame for attacking and robbing Crimson Fleet operations while he brought back the plunder to Rowyn and the Lotus Dragons.

DM Note This is really late

The party explored the compound a little, stumbling across a few groups of thieves before realizing they had been awake for almost a whole day. They found a couple of rooms that seemed defensible and holed up for an extended rest.

DM Note We didn’t play last week as most of my group went on vacation at a rental house on a lake.

A quick look down to where they had moored their boat showed that the villainous Vanthus had taken it when he left. Another swim, and they had a boat to load the old treasure into and take home. The next morning, there was much buying and selling of equipment.

With nowhere to go but down a narrow twisting hallway, the group moved onward. They reached a door, and Leland attempted to hear if anything was moving on the other side. When he heard nothing, he pried open the stuck door with a crowbar. The light of Sparrow’s sunrod spilled into a wider hallway running east and west as far as Leland could judge. Sparrow chose right and they went east until coming to a pair of double doors which hung askew in their frames.

“But, sarge, I’m tellin’ you, I saw somethin’ out on that ship,” Ruden said again.

“An’ I’m tellin’ you, rookie, there ain’t no way you can see that far in the dark. You ain’t no elf or no dwarf.” The grizzled sergeant shook his head, then stopped in surprise when he spied the longboat being rowed by a solitary figure towards the pier seemingly in a direct line from the ship. “Well, I’ll be…Boys, we may be needin’ to call this rookie Owl or somethin’.” The group of four watchmen strode out on the pier to meet the rower.

Kora Whistlegap shuffled her old bones into the Empty Grave, suppressing a shiver at the name of the tavern. Her mistress had sent her here with an invitation for an old classmate of hers at Thenalar Academy and two of her friends. She peered around for a moment before spying someone that fit the description Mistress Lavinia had given her. “Excuse me, young miss, young masters, but are you Lily, Leland, and Seamus?”

At their nods, though a sour look did cross the young lady’s face, the Halfling went on, “My Mistress has an invitation for you.” She handed each of them a folded parchment sealed with the Vanderboren signet.

“Lavinia!” Lily exclaimed. “I haven’t spoken to her since I left Thenalar. Of course I’ll come.” The one Kora believed was Leland seemed ready to say no, but Lily added, “and he will, too.” Leland gave a tired sigh and agreed, as did Seamus.

Kora smiled slightly and bade them farewell, moving to deliver the other two invitations. At the Pearl and the Parrot, in the Noble District, Kora found the other two for whom she had invitations. A paladin of Heironeous named Desmond and his minstrel friend Rodric. “Sure we’ll go,” Rodric said before Desmond even finished reading. Thoughts of possible riches and adventure jumping through Rodric’s head. As well as a good excuse of escaping from his “night shift on the watch that Desmond had a habit of volunteering both of them for.”

Desmond turned and looked at Rodric, “Can you give me one second to finish?” After a moment Desmond turned to the halfling, “We would be honored, ma’am, to accept your Lady’s invitation,” and Kora went home to begin preparations for the next night’s dinner.