Session One: November 20, 2010 (A Gathering of Heroes)

We were each invited to dinner by Lavinia Vanderborn, a noble family of Sasserine.  We all show up, and meet each other for the first time.  Cora (the elderly halfling who delivered the invitations) shows us to a pretty fancy dining room, where we wait for our host.  As we're waiting, a rude guy sticks his head in the doorway and wants to know who we are (we later find out that he's Tolan, the leader of a group of mercenaries who have worked for the Vanderborn family for years).

Lady Lavinia's parents were killed when their boat was set on fire.  Lavinia is now in charge, since her brother is missing.  She was left with a fair amount of debt, and cannot access the family vault without her father's ring, which is on the family ship, the Blue Nixie.  Unfortunately, the Nixie is in lock down on the docks for past due docking fees.  She's already paid the fees once, but neglected to get a receipt, and now Vark (who seems to be in charge of the dock workers) is claiming not to have received the 100 platinum.  She wants to hire us to help get her access to the ship.

Bella and Arlanna try to dig up some dirt on Vark - find out he leads the dockworkers through fear, not respect, and that he's something of a loud-mouth and a braggart.  Lanrik and Andre go to the docks to check out the ship, only to find it's out in the middle of the bay.  We regroup at the docks, and go to the Drunk Bear to try to get more info.   The dockworker in the bar pretty much confirms that nothing happens on the docks without Vark's knowledge.  When we leave the bar, the ship is gone.

Next morning, the ship is back.  We go to the harbormaster's office, where the clerk tells us there is no way the ship was gone - according to the paperwork, it was moored to Pier 5 all night.  Vark won't be in till later, so we head to the home of Lord Kellar Islaran (the harbormaster), who is an older man, and has been sick.

After much discussion (including Andre's white-ish lie that we are looking to buy the ship), Lord Islaran authorizes us to investigate the ship (he seems to recognize Lanrik, and accepts his word that the ship was not at dock the night before).  Letter of authorization in hand, we go back to the harbor, where Cedric (the clerk at the office) sends us to Pier 5.  The guards initially stop us, but let us on board once they view the letter. 

Investigation uncovers that there was definitely cargo on board recently (as in the last day or two), and the ship has been seized for longer than that (so shouldn't have had cargo).  In the captain's cabin, Andre finds a bag with 100 platinum, and Bella finds Lady Lavinia's father's ring (with a note hidden in it).   Guard comes in - tries to confiscate what we've found.  Arlanna threatens to report him to Lord Islaran, and he backs down (though he puts on a tough guy act as he escorts us off the ship).

Pay the 100 platinum and get a receipt from Cedric, then head back to Lavinia to give her the good (and bad) news.  The bad news is that Andre is pretty sure that Tolan was on the Nixie when it wasn't at Pier 5.  Make plans to go to the vault, and we also go and report to Lord Islaran (and set him straight on the white-ish lie).

Get to the vault, where we have a bit of a tussle with the vault's guardian, then use the note that was hidden in the ring to unlock the real vault.  Lavinia is a bit disappointed - it appears money is missing.  On the way out, she asks if anyone else has accessed the vault recently, and is told that her brother has been here several times in the last month or so (which means he must have her mother's "lost" ring).


She hires us on as retainers, and that's where we left off....