Session 1: The 13th House

General Summary

On the Lightning Rail between Starilaskur and Wroat, Rasp and Marcella Moreau sat in the passenger car and soon met Yelena, who was being held in handcuffs by a half-orc and brought from the steerage car by a train attendant. They were then joined by Balarath, Dax Shepherd, and Dr. Bartholomew Turk from the sleeper car. Turk is a gnome academic heading back to Sharn from Korranberg, Zilargo. After exchanging pleasantries, they were locked in the passenger car by the attendant. In a few minutes, the train was accosted by Rail Raiders.
The half-orc holding Yelena broke out of the car and headed towards cargo, but soon stumbled back having been shot. He collapsed on the floor dead. The leader of the raiders came into the car. Two of her lackeys came crashing through the windows and a third stayed on the roof. They proceeded to hold up the car, but everyone refused to give over any valuables. Finally, as Marcella refused to give over her dress or anything she might be hiding, the leader shot at Rasp.
The fight that ensued was easily fought. Bal broke Yelena out of her handcuffs to allow her to fight. Marcella dealt the final blow to the warforged who came crashing into the car. Notably, Dax Shepherd did not fight, but stayed seated and waiting throughout and Yelena took the rail raider’s revolver from her corpse.
After, Dr. Turk offered the group a job with his division of Morgrave University, the Phaeros Foundation. He explained that they research myths and legends that many consider to not be true, including the University itself. He can pay 100 crown a week per person at the end of each week. The group agrees and they moved to the sleeper car, where Dax manages to convince the attendant to comp them food and drinks for the remainder of the trip.
In the sleeper car, Turk explains that they are putting together an expedition to follow a lead on the mythical House Vol, a supposed 13th Dragonmarked house that died out 1000 years ago and once held the Mark of Death. Supposedly, this House came from Valenar, but this is speculation. They recently caught a lead on a physical seal that belonged to House Vol and may contain what Turk and others believe to be their insignia: a three headed snake, one of which is a skull.
In this car, Dax also reveals that he has been in disguise this whole time and is in fact Vax the Valorous, a former circus ringleader in training and con artist.
The party reaches Sharn and travels to the Lower Menthis district, a run-down district of alleyways and dark twisted streets. The Phaeros Foundation turns out to be little more than basement-level offices and closets. There, they meet Karkhan, a bugbear and Turk’s research assistant. The group is assigned academic “titles” so that they can be on the University payroll (listed below) as well as three dorms to share (Vax takes his own room). They then decide to go out and get a drink and convince Karkhan to come with them.
They go to a cabaret called the Velvet Curtain which is in Lower Menthis. There, they share some information and talk to Karkhan where he tells them that he used to be a waiter, met Turk, and decided to work for him. Vax meets a cabaret singer and shifter named Arianna and reveals that he is also a shifter, making a friend and contact in Sharn. Balarath gets to know the bartender, Jarreth.
While there, Karkhan introduces another member of the Phaeros Foundation, Major Lee Hackett, who tells the group that he retrieved the lead from the Foundation’s contact in Sivis Tower. The seal was sold at auction in Zilargo and is shipping out with the rest of the sale to Valenar at dawn. Once the shipment reaches Valenar, it’ll be out of their reach. They need to hire a ship, a fast one, to take them on an interception mission.
The party goes with Hackett to a dive bar called Gargoyle’s in the Cliffside district. There, the party ends up meeting a ship captain and his first mate. Argo Zun, a blue-skinned tiefling with filed horns, captains a ship with his green-skinned troll first mate, Biggin’. They hire the captain for 60 crown who tells them that his ship, the Leveebreaker, will be ready by dawn and docks at the far end of Cliffside and they “can’t miss it”.
Marcella, Rasp, and Bal head back with Hackett to the Foundation to go to sleep and prepare for the morning. Yelena goes in search of a House Sivis office to send a message. She finds her way to the Middle Dura district and a Sivis Office where she sends a message to Passage, AU. Vax sticks around and ends up having to use his sorcerous abilities to make his way back to the Foundation without paying for elevator or gondola transit.

Academic Titles

• Yelena, Graduate Student
• Vax, Field Expert
• Marcella, Research Assistant
• Rasp, Field Reporter
• Balarath, Financier

Character(s) interacted with

Dr. Bartholomew Turk
Kharkan
Major Lee Hackett
Jarreth
Arianna
Argo Zun
Biggin'

Report Date

24 May 2020

Primary Location

Sharn