The job
Cisco told Elijah he should get a disguise — but luckily we have a job now. (No, Elijah cannot fit in Lorien’s helmet.)
Thrain walked back in. He’s suspicious of the wood yard — this is the third occurrence. He laid out the offer:
- 50gp / person.
- Free room and board for the duration of the investigation.
- First pick of recovered goods.
- Personal endorsement of any of the party to the other Greyhaven guilds.
- The mandate: find the who / what / why behind the wood yard.
What we know:
- Drogon has been reliable for years.
- Something changed recently — three bad shipments.
- Go through the back and follow the rotten trail.
- Drogon has an inner circle, given the size of his business and the meetings involved:
The party confirms they’ll look into it.
Final preps
Adrik tells the party to get some food and rest before they go.
- Introduces them to various guild members at the Brotherhood.
- Adrik brewed the ale.
Back in the room, the party makes final preps with trying to disguise Elijah and Fernie.
- Fernie isn’t having any of it and snaps at Cisco.
- Adrik ties his hair back with rope and pulls out a large carpentry axe.
Warehouse #17 — first approach
The party arrives at Warehouse 17.
- The canal at night is a different beast — quieter.
- Still work going on at the warehouse.
- The party sneaks around the outskirts.
- Main doors are closed.
- Through a window? Top floor?
They go around back and stumble into a guard.
- Cisco feigns being a drunkard looking for a tavern.
- Adrik pretends to be his friend.
- The guard is confused — Adrik would know there are no taverns nearby.
- Cisco is “super drunk” and the dock workers stare in confusion.
- The party convinces the guard they were just walking Cisco along the docks.
- A second guard follows the party off the property.
Waiting for the lull
The party loops back around to the front. Adrik is mildly amused and annoyed at the antics, and suggests waiting a few hours and going for a climb.
- Peak activity comes later — last rush, busy guards, a final barge.
- Eventually most workers leave, with some bustle remaining.
The party sends Fernie up to scout the dock status.
- Nat 1 — oops.
- She snags into the roof with a loud bang.
- The party dashes into a neighboring alley as lantern light approaches.
- The party hides in barrels with Fernie on the roof.
- Lorien also rolls Nat 1 — either doesn’t understand or can’t hide, and just leans against a wall.
Adrik waves everyone to hush — and waves Lorien toward the noise.
The blessing
“Who goes there? — Adrik, is that you?!”
Adrik starts bluffing — he and Lorien were inspecting the noise. Lorien is an apprentice.
- The guards buy it and tell them to make themselves useful.
- Adrik pushes Lorien forward and tells him to help.
- Adrik slips south to the docks.
Lorien plays distraction.
- He starts a Ceremony and asks the guards if they want to call upon the divine for help.
- Lorien calls on Ilmater.
- Cisco, unseen, casts Minor Illusion to make angelic sounds emanate from Lorien.
- The guards weep. They realize this dedication is their true calling.
- Lorien blesses them, and they leave to go spread the word of Ilmater.
Lorien looks at his hands and himself, extremely satisfied and further enraptured by Lorien. He does not know Cisco helped.
Adrik to the docks
Meanwhile Adrik heads to the docks and notices unguarded areas. The party meets up with him.
- Adrik halts the party and sends Cisco and Lorien to deal with the other guard.
- They go around and toss a rock to distract the guard.
- The guard goes over with his lantern: “Hello?”
- The guard leaves; Cisco tosses another stone.
- When Cisco tosses the second stone, Elijah, Adrik, and Fernie dash to the doors.
- The guard is extra nervous and bangs around the corner — the party scatters.
- Fernie is sent up as a watch.
The hat of rats
The party can’t open the door. Fernie opens a window and Elijah throws up a rope.
- Elijah tells Fernie to brace so the party can climb up.
- Adrik starts climbing; Fernie slips — but monk stuff means he’s fine.
- Meanwhile, the guard is fed up.
Cisco casts Minor Illusion to create a swarm of enormous rats — and pulls out and throws three hats of rats at the guard.
The guard throws his lantern away and sprints into the darkness, howling while swinging his sword frantically.
Fernie opens a second window above a large loft of debris.
- Adrik deftly scampers up the debris and heads to the balcony.
- He drops some rope and braces with Fernie.
- Cisco climbs first.
- Lorien goes second, with his heavy chain mail.
- Elijah is last.
- Adrik rolls his eyes.
The party is on the second floor.
Inside
A large open, dim space. Rows of crates and barrels along the wall.
The party hears a heated conversation behind a wall:
“Stamps, contracts, the courier, the ledger, the contract!”
“Get out and I don’t want to see your face again!”
Cisco urges the party to go down for a better look. Adrik drops down and motions where it’s safe.
The party joins him and hides. They hear two voices — Drogon and a woman, close to tears. It’s Seris.
The disappearing ledger
Drogon is pissed since Seris apparently didn’t fill out the ledger.
- She is shocked — the whole page is blank after she wrote 14 entries this morning.
- He wants her to write them again.
- Turns out: every time Seris writes someone’s name in the ledger, it disappears the next morning.
- Drogon apologizes a little and says he doesn’t know what’s happening either.
- Seris wants to stop. Drogon says they only need to do one more shipment for a mysterious man — and then they’re free.
Footsteps come from the third floor, all the way down the same ladder near the party (still hidden).
- Tull arrives and says it’s quiet enough but the new lot are slow.
- Guards are bored.
- Tull remarks that Drogon needs sleep.
- Tull leaves for the main door.
The party waits and keeps watch.
- Time passes; Seris is having trouble keeping her composure.
- “The letters come every day but the next day are blank.”
- The courier never recognizes her.
- The ledgers keep disappearing.
- Drogon remains silent.
Adrik makes his way to the personnel entrance on the other side.
Cisco escalates
Meanwhile, Cisco casts Minor Illusion to make the ledger words disappear while Seris isn’t looking.
- Seris freezes, her hand shaking when she sees it.
- She tells Drogon it is happening right now.
- He doesn’t really believe her and says to wrap up soon.
- She breaks down a bit and Drogon hugs her.
- They put the ledger away — but do not lock it.
Outside, Tull notices the missing guards. They all leave. The party is alone in the warehouse.
Discovery
Cisco and Adrik move to the room, along with Lorien.
- Adrik rifles around and finds normal stuff — plus a lockbox.
- Cisco finds records related to other guilds.
- Books aren’t coded. They’re plainly written, with items switched.
- Clear fraud evidence.
Adrik feels and hears something vibrating — either the lockbox, or something inside.
- Cisco checks Arcana and notices faint magic before the drawer was open, and now the room feels larger than it should.
Something is awake now
The box hums stronger now.
Meanwhile, Elijah and Fernie sneak upstairs and find bedrooms.