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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Morrow" data-source="post: 4016435" data-attributes="member: 301">There is No Honor Part 1 (Garnham)The following is translated from the Vallosan.From the Journal of K. Garnham Apprentice SeekerThis may prove to be my first entry in this blasted thing that is, in any way, interesting.A few days ago I received a the following message:Greetings, and I trust this missive finds you in good health. My name is Lavinia Vanderboren, and I humbly request your attendance at dinner at my estate on Festival Street and Blue Skink Lane tomorrow evening. I think that I can present you with an opportunity uniquely suited to your skills. Please inform the carrier of this letter of your response to this invitation, and I hope to be speaking to you soon.Lavinia VanderborenIt was delivered by an elderly halfling woman named Kora.I accepted.I made the usual inquiries, but had no luck in finding out anything about Lavinia Vanderboren or why she would need the services of a small time crook such as myself.I hadn't even entered the house when I came across my brother Dexter entering through the same gate having received the same message.My brother believed he was being called upon for carpentry work. I do not think that he is aware of just how deadly he can be. He is, in many ways, so much better a person than I am.The pair of us were brought into a sitting room by the same elderly halfling lady who had delivered our invitations. Already present was a young woman in the priestly gear of Aster. Dexter lit up at the sight of a priest of his favorite faith.Her name is Maggie Teach. Looks to be sixteen. Idealistic. Very... earnest. Still, she saved my life later that night, so maybe there's a place for earnest in the world.We were next introduced to Aliosha. An elven woman of good bearing with foreign accent and clothing. She was introduced as Lady and preferred to be called that when I asked for a shorter form of the 20 or 30 syllables that seem to form her name. Her bearing suggested dignity, but her clothing was not in proper repair. She has a wolf named Bolk as a traveling companion.Before our hostess arrived a group of four adventurers passed by the room we were in. One of them looked us over and said "So you're the help Lavinia's hiring to do the chores." or something close to that. I instantly disliked that man. Were they another group who turned down the offer we were about to hear? Or something else? Time will tell.The only servant visible was Kora and it was obvious that the room was underfurnished. Signs of poverty in a prospective employer is never good. We were than introduced to our hostess. She is slightly older than I and Dex with excellent bearing. Quiet beautiful.After dinner we were told that Lavinia's parents had died recently. Her inheritance was in a magically locked vault under the palace. The only keys to the vault were a pair of magic rings owned by her parents. Her mother lost hers before the accident (!!!) and her father left his aboard the family's ship the Blue Nixie.The family owed docking fees for the Nixie in the amount of 500 platinum. The harbor master was(is) too old to do his job, so he'd hired on some outside help. One of those persons was Solar Vark. Vark was the person that Lavinia gave the fees to. He pocketed the money and told her to shove off. She wanted us to reclaim the money, ring and teach Vark a lesson.We accepted.We bought a few drinks and some information. Vark had a bad reputaion. He also had moved the Nixie from it's usual berth to a point a bit further along the docks. There were reports of people moving about on board. We also discovered the circumstances of Lavinia's parent's deaths. A new ship they had purchased had burned to the waterline with them on board.We made our way to the docks. A borrowed rowboat got us to the Nixie.  I scouted ahead. There were three guards on deck. It was a quiet night and I could make out the sounds of a couple having sex in a cabin towards the rear of the ship. Also the sounds of snoring. A creaky set of hinges gave me away as I entered the antechamber outside a pair of rooms. While the guards came closer I entered the snoring filled room.My companions, having heard the guards take notice, climbed up and confronted them.I managed to sap one of the sleeping thugs before the other woke. I then drew first blood on the other thug forcing him to surrender.It turns out that Vark was one of the sex partners that I had overheard. By the time I finished with the two thugs he and his woman had joined the battle against my teammates. Vark had joined in hand-to-hand while the woman was further back using a light crossbow.In retrospect I should have used my bow from cover, but I moved forward to engage her with my rapier. I managed to sneak up on her, but missed my shot. She, on the other hand, hit one of my favorite arteries.By the time I came conscious, thanks to Maggie's magic, my companions had beaten or driven off the remaining force. Vark was captured alive. Another guard who was in the hold had tried to start a fire and was killed by the cargo. Vark was using the Nixie to hold contraband animals. A giant spider-thing had gotten loose and killed the woman as she was setting the blaze. We killed the spider before it could eat Bolk.They took Vark back to Lavinia while I got in contact with R about the animals.We were offered longer-term employment by Lavinia. She asked us to join her when she went to the vault. In three days we were patched together and went to the vault. There I noticed her house symbol. It was on the vault door-the Seeker symbol. So many questions.In addition to the rings there was a guardian construct resembling a snake. We, mostly Dex, beat it down.Then there was a very large locking mechanism. Aliosha figured out the trick to the lock and we were in the vault proper.  Which had, of course, been ransacked.Lavinia spent about an hour going through what remained. Afterwards she tore somebody a new one. He claimed that the only person to be in the vault since her parents had died was Lavinia's brother Vanthus. He had the ring and was known to be a member of the family so he was allowed through.  It turns out that he's been "missing" for about a month. She said that had been acting differently, even hitting Lavinia before his vanishing.  She wants us to find him and bring him to her. She hopes that she can find out what's going on. The only lead we have right now is an unknown lover that Valthus has in Azure district.More later.</blockquote>

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