Session 1: Sloop Group - Arrival in Bard's Gate and first few days

General Summary

On stepping through the warehouse door our heroes looked out upon Bard's Gate for the first time…
  As they took their first steps into the city an urchin approached them and thrust a scrunched upon parchment into Dinglepop's hand. It was from Rurik and read…
 

  Whilst Golden Member formed his dastardly plans for domination of this new city, he sent Prik and Testiclies out into the city on a series of bizarre seeming errands….
  They found themselves in an area of the city called 'Turlin's Well'. During these early investigations they came across a local newspaper called the 'Lyre Valley Beholder'. This was useful material for learning about the culture and news of the city. Several stories stood out, the disappearance of a young girl called Uelle Grouse, who lived with her parents in the Outer Quarter and the disappearance of about half-a-dozen people from Tent City, an area outside Bard's Gate where refugees from the Huun invasion three years previous now lived….
  Without any real idea of the layout or dangers to be found in the darker parts of Bard's Gate, Prik and Testiclies set off loyally to search for the most dangerous-sounding part of Bard's Gate and made their way to the Thieves' Quarter just beyond the Bridge District. They stopped here and, in the middle of the street, loudly announced to no one in particular, that the venerable Golden Member had now arrived in the city and was planning to turn it to evil (as soon as he could get his shit together). This seemed to be ignored by the few shabby individuals lurking in the area and the bored-looking guards yawning whilst they lent on their spears. However, their announcement had not gone unnoticed and they were later waylaid in a back alley by three swarthy, cloaked men who ambushed them. Prik and Testiclies fought them off bravely, capturing one during the fracas….
 
  Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, Prik and Testiclies later attempted to kidnap a Noblewoman from the Motley Theatre, (the current home of 'The Maiden's Kiss' play), with no success. It seemed The Maiden's Kiss was extremely popular as they had to literally fight their way through the crowd/mob gathered outside demanding tickets!
  Due to another seemingly random request from 'The Boss' they purchased a coffin from Zedicha, the coffin maker at the 'Box of Bones'. She mentioned bitterly that she was struggling due to a very expensive commission she had been requested to undertake. A tall, cloaked stranger had asked her to make six very special caskets inlaid with 'lapis lazuli, ivory and other rare gems'. After labouring for a month on the caskets Zedicha awaited the stranger's return but alas, the caskets was stolen from her shop and the stranger never returned. Zedicha would be extremely grateful, especially to Testiclies whom she seemd rather fond of, if the party could track down these caskets and possibly the stranger too.
  On returning to the warehouse the group were approached by a hooded figure, a Tiefling named Zakila, who worked for Rurik and who had come to aid the party in their adventures. She had a task for them…
  Later Golden Member himself ventured out into the city attended by his faithful henchman and Zakila….
  The happy threesome made a visit to the 'Auditorium of the Silver Harp' in the Bridge District, the foremost religious building in Bard's Gate and set up by it's founder many hundreds of years before. Zakila remained outside whilst Golden Member and Prik entered.
 
  High Harpist Jared Strahn himself was in attendance on this occasion and playing a concert to the devoted and admiring throngs of noblewomen gathered there. Golden Member and Prik saw this as the perfect opportunity for a little pilfering and set about collecting purses from those who's eyes were averted. Unfortunately, due to the nuisance they were making, the guards soon became aware of them and they were forced to vacate the auditorium in haste. Prik however, decided to relieve the guard captain of his purse as he was being man-handled out (goblin-handled?).
  The valiant two-some retired to the rear of the Temple to check on their ill-gotten gains whilst Zakila remained hidden, wondering slightly as to why Rurik had picked this band to aid her?
  A noise from the front of the Temple soon made clear that their thievery had not gone unnoticed and a search had begun. Golden Member decided to draw suspicion away from himself by approaching the guards and claiming to have seen Prik making his escape. Alas, the guard captain recognised the ignoble gnome and he was arrested. Fortunately, or perhaps the Lady Tymora heard his calls, a little gold exchanged hands and the captain decided that perhaps this was not the gnome he was looking for.
  Whilst Prik made himself scarce by scaling a wall onto a roof (a theme that would later be replayed under more tragic circumstances} Golden Member, being both the celebrated party leader and holder of the shared purse, decided to dabble in a little roulette at the Fortune's Fool Casino on the edge of the Thieves' Quarter, across the square from the Silver Harp Temple. Being temporarily abandoned by Tymora, the Goddess of Luck, Golden Member lost over 1000 gold on the tables. Perhaps his calls for Lady Luck's aid could not be heard so far away from the Realms after all?
 

Character(s) interacted with

Zedicha, the coffin maker Zakila High Harpist Jared Strahn