Same in-game day as Session 33 and Session 34 — the day the party split up after the morning debrief. Three threads run in parallel through the afternoon: Adrik re-engages Polder at The Saddler’s Rest and follows the lead back to Warehouse 17; Cisco and Elijah hunt safehouse leads in the Lower Ward; Lorien is still at the Collegium with YGOR — that one’s burning the whole day.
Polder, vetted
Adrik sat down at The Saddler’s Rest a few stools away from Polder. Polder was nursing his ale and looking lost, maybe trying to remember what he was doing here.
Adrik waved the barkeep over and bought Polder the next round. Polder shook himself to alertness, surprised at the free drink. The barkeep credited Adrik. Polder, looking glazed over, turned to thank him.
Adrik asked what was up — was he alright?
- Polder deflected, but genuinely thanked him and asked what brought Adrik in.
- Adrik said he was looking for a courier; noticed Polder was out of sorts and asked if he was new in town.
- Polder has been here all his life — born and bred just down the road.
- He’s part of the messenger service. Dull job, honest work.
- He couldn’t really remember much of the day; probably just flustered from the heat and the difficulty of the work.
- Licensed with the Canal District Municipal Messenger Service. Asked what Adrik needed from a courier.
- Adrik mentioned his guild needed a new messenger. A glint in Polder’s eyes — first real sign of life in him.
Adrik wanted to vet him personally — asked about Polder’s day, whether he’d be imposing. Polder looked at his docket.
Polder's docket
Adrik noticed every page of the booklet corresponds to a specific day. Polder’s workday hadn’t started yet but he had a few deliveries later that afternoon.
Adrik laid out the test:
- Sometimes his guild has sensitive information that can’t be committed to writing. Could Polder handle a discreet message — and picking up a package?
- Adrik claimed he had friends at Warehouse 17 and that his “friend” Drogon was expecting a letter delivered that morning. Going through a rough patch in their business relationship.
- If Drogon had a letter delivered, then retrieve it for Adrik.
- Polder recognized the name — but admitted it was an odd request to take back a package from one of his peers.
- Adrik understood if he was uncomfortable, but he was hoping to find a courier who could be “accommodating” for more lucrative business.
- Polder weighed the prospect — flustered. Ultimately said he didn’t understand what help he could be when Adrik could go ask about the letter himself.
Adrik adjusted. Got Polder’s name, asked for a quill and inkpot, and penned a letter to Drogon himself:
Adrik's rescind letter
“My apologies — the letter I sent this morning was premature. Please don’t be too offended at our rescinding of the letter, and we will resend it when it is complete and ready.”
He set the letter on the table with a big shiny gold piece, asked Polder to deliver it and bring back any reply (or the original letter). Polder asked about a return address; Adrik wanted it taken care of right now. Polder remained nervous — the missive isn’t legally binding, can’t guarantee he’ll get the letter back.
Adrik convinced him to deliver it posthaste. Thanked him for taking on such an unusual request, and hoped it would be the start of a long and fruitful relationship.
Polder bid Adrik farewell. Adrik left shortly after, tailing him from a distance.
Letter to Yort Li
At some point in the day, Cisco dispatched a letter back to Brackenford:
Yort Li,
It’s been a few days and I hope all is well with you and your boys. How is Hal? How is young Dear Li?
It’s been quite the battle to get into Greyhaven, but we’ve made it inside and are comfortable thanks to new friends. A friendly dwarf named Adrik has helped us find a place to stay — a refreshing change of pace given all the life and civilization. Ruasar has departed without a penny to his name, wandering off to the Collegium. We’re sending Lorien to inquire there about relics.
We’ve taken residence in a guildhall whose people talk about wood nonsense — and we have a job: investigating who replaced the good wood with bad wood. Finally getting close to being paid for once.
We snuck into a warehouse last night and uncovered a new arcane plot — hag trickery, no doubt. Arcane energy is rife in this wretched place. We’ve found yet another box with a cursed item in it, but this time we aren’t going to touch it.
Bounty hunters are after Elijah and Fernie. We don’t know much, but they are quite scary. We’re trying to keep the scaly safe by finding him new garments.
Dear Li — (four paragraphs of bashing, omitted for the wiki’s sanity) — anyway, hope to see you safe again.
— Cisco
Cisco and Elijah head to the Lower Ward
Time to find a safe house. Cisco and Elijah (with Fernie) headed toward the Lower Ward — the seedy area of the city.
The transition was abrupt:
- Clean cobblestones turned into packed dirt.
- Buildings crowded together.
- The very air soured.
- The people were unclean and filthy.
- Law was not readily enforced — only inklings, with lone Grey Wardens walking to and fro in pairs.
A painted sign read Lower Ward / Canal South. Scratched underneath, in graffiti no one had bothered to remove:
“The Ledger doesn’t reach here.”
Cisco told Elijah to keep a low profile — hood up, Fernie please don’t fly.
The Lower Ward was a mirrored reflection of the city above:
- Same marketplaces, but in dim alleyways and broken stalls.
- Lively despite the squalor — beggars and children running everywhere.
- Many more people than expected. The Lapsed and the Unaccounted.
The Slums Tavern
Even early morning, people were stumbling out of one building, noticeably drunker than those entering — a beacon in a downtrodden, dimly lit area.
Cisco and Elijah entered what they hoped was a tavern.
- Pale candles. Bar on two barrels. Seating on crates and containers.
- Packed to the brim with barely any room to move.
- People gave them a fairly wide berth.
They shuffled toward the bar. Most everyone watched them approach, then turned back to dice and cards.
A tall woman polishing a mug with a dirty rag stood behind the bar — the Slums Tavern Barkeep. Severe, 50–60 years old, thin as a whip, dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Grizzled, veteran look. Not to be trifled with.
“Drinking or gaming?”
“Both. Two pints of ale.”
Uninterested in the spiel Cisco was about to spin, she asked for coin. Cisco paid two silver. She snatched them up quickly.
Cisco urged Elijah to sit and let people go back to their drinks. While waiting, he could feel eyes on his coin purse after flashing money — blood in the water. He adjusted his crossbow strap as an intimidation move. Most people had nothing more than the clothes on their backs, but a few groups were heavily armed and given a wide berth.
Cisco downed his ale to bring the barkeep back. She returned with a raised eyebrow.
- Asked for two more pints and information about housing.
- “You’re in the wrong place.”
- Cisco tried charm — saw a lovely barkeep, had to spend his coin here. The city doesn’t suit our needs as well as this neighborhood.
- She apologized and asked if he took her for a fool:
“No one comes in here with this money asking for housing. Must be a trail behind us.”
Cisco acquiesced and motioned Elijah to follow.
Followed into the alley
Outside, Cisco pulled them into an alley to watch for tails — and found a weirdo merchant trying to sell them a broken locket. Cisco told him off.
They waited. After a beat, a stocky dwarf with bright red braided hair and a mohawk walked out of the tavern:
- Dressed well; wielding a battleaxe.
- Looked up and down the alleyway.
- Picked a random direction and walked off.
They followed him — not really trying to be stealthy. A few alleyways later, he entered a tannery, quickly shut the door behind himself.
Did we see the glow of a forge?
Through the gap as the door swung shut.
It was their only lead. They walked up to the front and knocked. The smell was overwhelming — leather, lye, and the tannery industry. A man inside told them to come in.
The dwarf at the tannery
Cisco slowly opened the door and cleared his corners — paranoid. Once inside, the smell hit them full in the face.
The dwarf told them to really come in. Cisco said he was in the area, saw the place, and needed his armor repaired. Asked the dwarf his name.
“What’s in a name? I’m a simple dwarf running a business.”
The dwarf told Cisco to give him the armor and let’s see what we’re working with. Patches were doable. Prompt job.
Cisco let him work, and asked if he could pick his brain about other businesses in the area.
- Looking for housing — just a bed to sleep on.
- Many places ripe for the picking. But for a price, he could find something a little more discreet.
- The dwarf noticed Elijah and Fernie hadn’t stepped forward yet. Asked them to come closer.
- Elijah moved — but Cisco interrupted with a cover: “This is James and his dog Ella.”
- Cisco walked through what they needed: size, off the beaten path, suitable downpayment.
- Half a day after the downpayment, they’d be given directions.
Cisco gave him the armor, paid the downpayment, and motioned Elijah to leave. They headed back to regroup — Cisco feeling naked without the armor.
Adrik to Warehouse 17
Meanwhile, Adrik watched Polder approach the warehouse. He looked for a cracked window or somewhere to eavesdrop, and instead bumped into two off-duty Grey Wardens around the corner.
- Adrik claimed a business arrangement with Drogon. Could they grab him, or let Adrik through?
- No meeting on the docket for Master…?
Adrik's alias to the Grey Wardens
“Swiftboot. Adrik Swiftboot.”
Adrik apologized about the last-minute order for the lumber. Highly irregular — but he was here yesterday, so why not. The Grey Wardens let him in.
Adrik entered right behind Polder. Polder was already delivering the missive to Drogon:
- Drogon looked at it confused. “The courier wants a letter back? Unsigned. Very irregular. Who was it?”
- Polder wasn’t at liberty to say — “just the messenger.”
- Drogon had no reply. Said Polder had wasted his time.
Polder spotted Adrik on the way out. “Delivered the missive, but there was no reply.” Adrik gave a nod of thanks.
Drogon, questioned
Adrik blended into the warehouse hustle. He glanced toward where Drogon had placed the letter — but unfortunately not within reach. Drogon was operating like any other warehouse manager.
Adrik strode up confidently and asked for a minute of his time.
- Drogon was surprised — two meetings in one week.
- Asked if anything was wrong with the latest shipment. Adrik reassured him: all great. He was checking in about a rush order coming up.
- Drogon was happy to take it if there was space.
- Before leaving, Adrik mentioned overhearing the messenger being confused — anything to help with?
- “Nothing to concern yourself with, Master Swiftboot.”
- Adrik pressed: the issues are starting to look like a pattern.
- Drogon went confident — checking entries to make sure nothing like this happens again. But Adrik gleamed it was a facade.
- Adrik came right out and questioned Drogon’s integrity. Drogon shifted from relaxed-fake to forceful.
- Adrik said he’d ask about the legality of all this, thanked him for his business, and left.
- Drogon muttered under his breath as Adrik walked out.
Regroup at the guildhall
Sun setting. Adrik and Cisco (with Elijah and Fernie) wrapped up their threads in the afternoon and met up in Adrik’s room at the guildhall. Lorien arrived last — YGOR had taken the entire day.
- Cisco mentioned they’d made progress, though he felt naked without his armor.
- Asked Lorien about the Collegium:
- It was far grander than expected. He spoke with a wise (if slightly crazed) member named YGOR.
- YGOR was not so helpful with the chest — preoccupied with inspecting the heart.
- Lorien also got lost.
- He’ll return to find someone else, but YGOR could still be helpful with the heart given his apparent sense for it.
- The party should return together — but be wary that YGOR may have an interest in their body parts.
- Adrik is not convinced Lorien spoke with a real member of the Collegium.
- Cisco asked Adrik about the courier:
- Adrik relayed the trance state at Saddler’s Row Bridge from Session 34 and the subsequent waking-up.
- It’s probably not the same courier every time — they’ll need to be there in person.
- They discussed next moves: get the letter and the lockbox back from Drogon, then take the box to YGOR.
- Cisco mentioned picking up the disguises tomorrow and seeing the safe house.
- Adrik said the party was welcome to stay at the guildhall as long as the Brotherhood could keep them safe.
Plan for tomorrow
- Tannery — pick up Cisco’s armor and the safe-house directions.
- Find lodgings.
- Wait for the lull.
- Back to Warehouse 17 — steal the lockbox.
- The Boutique — pick up disguises.
- Collegium — bring the box to YGOR.