5e: Journey's Six

From: Fulhoff of Clan Balderk
To: Helja and Adrik of Clan Balderk

Mother & Father,

Sometimes I don’t even know where to begin. Our time in this river town has been eventful… And while I don’t see this excursion as getting us any closer to dealing with the giant situation, it has at least been entertaining.

We split up after breakfast to take care of various activities around town. Journey and I went shopping, although neither of us was very successful in acquiring what we were looking for. Thorin, and the rest of the party went off to learn more about the Hands of Yanda (the all-female thieves’ guild) and any connection they have with the Zhents. To that end, he also sent Bidet out to go do some recon on her own.

In an exciting development, Journey and I witnessed Joda being kidnapped, though to be fair, he was going off with the woman rather willingly. We followed them to a bar, the local hangout of the Hands. Journey was welcomed in and offered a free drink. I was… clearly not welcome. In an even more exciting development, do you remember Kella and Zopin from Nightstone? It turns out she survived the fall, and she’s a part of the Hands. Also, her lover is in town, and wearing one of those ridiculous bat cowls, or so Thorin reports. I wonder if there’s a tower we can shove them both off of?

Journey was given provisional membership in the Hand, and assigned to try to get the Lady in Purple (aka the Lady Italia – she’s got great boots, fyi) to join the hand.

That evening, we pick up our fancy clothing, get dressed, and stash everything else in our bag of holding, then off to the riverboat. Journey bluffed her way aboard as a servant, while Bran bribed the captain to get the rest of us aboard.

Mingling and drinking was the start of the fun. I mostly kept to the dining room, allowing my familiar the opportunity to scurry about. Bran flirted and gambled with the Lady in Purple. Thorin, Rin, and Not-Flint hobnobbed, and tried to figure out where the money was. Journey thought she figured it out, but the hold didn’t actually seem to hold a vault. I’m curious if the pit boss, Paw Ming, had a bag of holding that contained the casino’s coin.

Journey and Rin did manage to rob the captain’s quarters, so in the end it wasn’t a total waste. Apparently one of the sailors was used as a decoy, so suspicion wouldn’t fall on us. I don’t know if that qualifies as robbing the casino though… A good chunk of my share is going to go to charity.

Upon leaving the boat, we caught up with the Lady in Purple, and she admitted her part in the disappearance of the young scions, saying that she was forced into it. I’m… not convinced, not 100%. But Journey brought her to the Hands, and we’re heading into the sewer to go try to find the mastermind behind all this… and his fish-men allies. Still no sign of an aboleth yet. Maybe it was just aboleth poison? Or maybe there are just more layers to dig through. I have the feeling we’re going to find out soon.

Outstanding Rumors/Plot Points
Hand of Yatara - All-female Thieves Guild - Journey has made contact, and performed 1st quest
Golden Goose - Gambling boat - Robbed
House Nustrio - enemy of House Rosilio
Evil Sorcerer Whosith in the sewers
Aboleth?
Kella and Zopin and the Bat Cult
Eye of the Allfather in the Valley of Kadroon
Frost Giant w/ White Dragon Helm
Harthos Zymorvan, retired adventurer with giant slaying greatsword in Silverymoon
Fire Giants attacked Tribor and took a rod from the center of town.
Gua - Hill Giant Matriarch - Grug-Hug Village location generally described

When was the last time we checked in with Hilda?