Session 1: Gathering the Group

Griffinsday, 13 Seeding, 998 Y.K.   The late morning started when the steamship Polished Patina slid into one of the largest berths at Dura Port, part of the oldest and least maintained sections of the city. Zeratæsh got an invitation to head to the docks to greet Feladan, a fresh arrival from Adar and mid-ranked member of the Order. However, his meeting was interrupted by the sight of a unicorn and a gryphon also debarking. The two--Millimax and Medya--had taken a weeks-long journey from Double Deal's boat out of the Everglow to a small island, where she caught a sailing ship bound for Shae Cairdal, then on to Sharn. The unlikely pair made for the most interesting thing coming down the gangway.   At the docks, Rellick had been people-watching and drawing, and the two made interesting enough subjects that the monk followed them as they explored their new surroundings. The gryphon, Medya, took off in search of lodging. Milli, however, was intrigued by the sounds of combat inside the city limits, and she followed the commotion to Spark having a spectacle fight on the docks. Spark caught sight of the unicorn watching, and their presence distracted the forged enough that their sparring partner, Bruno, landed an unblocked punch which cracked one of Spark's faceplates and split a small hydaulics pipe. Gears declared the match over, and Spark stumbled out of the fight to Bruno's apologies.   As the forged approached, Milli asked them if they knew a forged named Ploughshare, as she had only a name and a city from which to work. Spark agreed to introduce her to their friend Bellows--Bell for short--and they took off for Dura Central Market, a blast crater in the center of the district where a fireball had once gone off, reducing much of the space to glass, wihch had long-since been pounded to sand by the feet and wheels of many travelers. Bell's blacksmithing shop sat in a tent near the center of the district, where a fancy buyer from House Cannith was asking about an order for sword blanks for some of the smithies in the Central Plateau. Bell had enough steel for half the order, but was short enough iron and coke to complete the transaction. Spark agreed to procure the rest of the metal for Bell's work in exchange for the repairs to their face. That request took Spark and the crew to meet with Tharashk Krayg.   Krayg of House Tharashk met with the group and agreed to get Spark the metal they needed, but in exchange, Spark needed to run a simple delivery for them. A pallet of livewood--something not known to grow around Sharn--sat waiting at the dock for someone to deliver it to the Mid-Tiers of the Central Plateau. Krayg asked Spark if they wanted to know more about the delivery, but Spark refused, and so Krayg passed over only an address and a name: Alora. Krayg agreed to pay half in advance, and half on delivery, and passed Spark an enchanted iron key. The crew traveled back to Dura's docks to the warehouse in question, to find that the key granted access to a suite of shipping crates actually bound for House Cannith. Zer forged a shipping label for one pallet of livewood and then obscured it from view to permit Spark to abscond with the stolen livewood.   Back at Krayg's, Spark turned over the key and asked for the use of one of Tharashk's lifts to get the crate up to Middle Dura. Krayg agreed but suggeseted the group take the route through Middle Menthis, the entertainment district. The only paths to Central by bridge are through Menthis and Northedge, and getting to Northedge would take them through Tavick's Landing, home of the most competent members of Sharn's Watch. At the intersection of an alley with the main path to the Central Bridge, the crew encountered a small pack of punks with nothing better to do than shake down wealthy tourists for money, and they saw in Spark's crew an easy fight. They cost Bell a few scales, and they broke a plate in one of Milli's boots, but they broke ranks and ran when the group aggressively fought back.   Mid-Central had far too many active Watch patrols for anyone's comfort, but the group appeared to be delivery agents, and the counterfeit shipping label bore a stamp of sanction from the warforged guard at the Central side of the bridge. They acknowledged the group with an admonition not to stay too long, and the crew agreed. Alora's place turned out to be near the edge of the district, on a tower open to the sky. A fence surrounded the property, with tall shrubs forming a twisted labyrinth to reach the door. The orc who opened the door said she was Alora, and she signed for shipment of the livewood. The crew took their receipt and returned to lower Dura, to the basement of House Tharashk's hall, to Krayg who turned over the second half of Bell's needed iron so Bell could complete their sword-blanks for a contact from House Cannith, so Spark could have a nice new face.   Back at Bell's shop, as Bell finished up the first round of sword-blanks, Spark retrieved their payouts from Gears, and returned back to the others just in time for Ploughshare to come through the front, asking for repairs....