Shadows in the Harbor Session 35
General Summary
The Reunion
Natalya Danamark leaned back in her chair and dropped the point of her dagger into the table. The thud was jarring. She joked about him costing her quite the small fortune and quipped about how her reputation had taken a bit of a hit. She smiled, her bright eyes lighting up the table otherwise, and asked for a fresh adventure story from Malark. He didn't have any. He was getting noticeably uncomfortable sitting at the same table as the woman who, when they last they met, had plunged a dagger into his chest. Malark noticed a raven-haired elf bard strumming her lute growing ever closer. Natalya didn't. She continued to poke fun about the situation they found themselves in, adding that she intended to collect her bounty. Malark tried to deflect and tried to convince her to buy him off and betray his party. But Natalya was a woman of principle! She couldn't be bought by a tart like Malark. As Natalya began to close up the conversation, the bard approached their table. She strummed her lute and suddenly Natalya seemed to fixate on her. All else had seemingly disappeared. Malark, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, took the opportunity to escape The Plain Jackal Inn. He quickly began to make his way back to his new residence, careful not to draw too much attention to himself. He soon heard a pair of footfalls trailing him, but distinct from what he had come to know as Natalya's. He quickly hid in an alleyway and watched to see who would come out. A moment later, a confused looking elf bard appeared with a searching on her face. Malark stepped out, relatively confident that he would not be attacked. The bard stepped forward, grinning, and introduced herself as Lyra Flynn. She told Malark that she and the Velvet Veil had been following Natalya's movements for some time and that he had a friend in them. With that, she turned, pulled out her lute, and walked into the crowd past the alley. Malark continued heading home, confident that he was safe. However, he soon heard the familiar footfalls of Natalya Danamark trailing him. He ducked into a shadowy corner once more and watched as she passed by. He could see that she was clearly searching for him but hadn't found him. She continued down the street, occasionally stopping to check the cross-streets and alleys. Confident that he had lost his pursuer, Malark headed back to his house.Here Kitty Kitty
Meanwhile, back at the house, Tim the Not-so-Tiny had decided to join Keck in a survey of their new property. Walking up and down the stairs, they noticed the arm of the couch in the living room had been shredded. Clearly there was some kind of creature in the house. They found no food in the kitchen, but found a library, multiple rooms, a rooftop cupola, and a mostly-stocked wine cellar. Keck headed to the library first. Looking around, he found a plenty of books, including collections of rare books, several magic scrolls, and various documents such as the deed to the house. He also found a small, ornate key tucked away inside a book. He took it, figuring it might be useful. Keck investigated the wine cellar next. The first thing he noticed was that it was mostly full with wine bottles laid carefully across racks lining the walls and in the center of the room. He could hear a hissing coming out of the darkness in the corner. Turning his gaze to meet it, he carefully drew his sword. A wretched-looking cat looked up, blood dripping his fangs and onto the body of a freshly killed rat. It hissed at him at him and darted past into the main floor. Tim, who was in the living room resting a bit, saw the creature come running around the corner. Tim approached the cat in a friendly fashion, but the cat hissed and meowed at him, running past but taking a swipe at Tim's leg at the same time. It stung, but thankfully Tim got past it and complained about the cat as he went to bed. Keck had a feeling there was something more in the basement. He investigated the walls carefully and noticed a small crack in the wall. Taking out the key he found in the library, he slowly inserted it into the crack. Click! He pushed the door open just a hair, finding a writing table with several documents on it. He found a journal, which he decided he'd come back to later. Malark entered the house just then. As he walked in, the cat raced past him upstairs, hissing and meowing the whole way. He looked thouroughly perplexed. He headed down to the wine cellar, where he found Keck about to leave. Malark decided to take a look at the books for the next few hours. Keck headed upstairs, finding the bedrooms and a music parlor. He also found the stairs to the cupola which opened up to the town at the top. A telescope sat up top which keck used to peer halfway across town. Satisfied with his exploration, he headed down to the first floor to coordinate the watch for the night. Keck decided he'd take the first watch, and did so upstairs. While gazing out upon the sleeping town, he could hear a crash! downstairs. He headed down to investigate, hearing strange murmuring and noise coming from the kitchen. A pot went flying across the floor and the mangey cat came crashing past his feet next. Keck checked for any food, but found little more than flour. The cat hissed at the orc and charged back upstairs. Curious, Keck followed the cat into a bedroom at the end of the hall. The room was the largest in the house, likely serving as the previous owner's primary room. A mirror rested at the corner and a small painting depicting a town set among the hills with a river running through it hung on the wall. The cat hissed at Keck from under the bed. He turned toward the closet, finding a nightgown belonging to the previous owner. He took it out and dropped it on the bed. The cat carefully left the safety of under-the-bed and hopped up on top. Taking a smell of the nightgown, the cat began kneading on it before curling up and purring itself to sleep. Malark took over the watch next. He went up to the cupola and watched the town. He peered through the telescope, noticing a faint and unusual star pattern. He took note, fearing it may be a portent of dark tidings. Little else happened during the rest of his watch, but in the morning he headed into the secret room in the wine cellar. He poured over the books in there, but found no reference to the celestial phenomena. Instead Malark found drawing after drawing resembling a set of concentric circles along with the word "O'rivin'dar" again and again. Could these be the ramblings of a mad woman? Or could this be a version of "Rivendale," a ruined town he knew of from back his time in Arrowport? Keck joined him in the morning, learning what Malark had found. Malark commented that the circles resembled the painting of the town in the bedroom - a town nestled among the hills, a river running through it, the buildings arranged in growing concentric circles into the rough shape of an eye. What did this woman know of "O'rivin'dar" now possibly known as Rivendale?Rewards Granted
- 1 inspiration for Keck
- 300xp for advancing the plot
Report Date
04 Oct 2024
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