13th July 2021 - Session 19 - Welcome to Yartar - Lisa

Graupel, Bearnabus and Dunbarr head to see the Water Baron of Yartar, who is called Nestra and is the mayor of the town. 

The Water Baron's house has high vaulted roofs and guards. When the party arrives, the Water Baron’s guards announced their presence. Upon entering the house the party can see large meeting halls, statues and tapestries upon the walls. The staff in the house escort the party to the Water Baron’s grand chambers.

“Who are you?” proclaims Nestra, the Water Baron. 

When the party tells Nestra that they’re here on behalf of Lady Dezhia and Lord Artane, Nestra appears to know nothing. She wasn’t aware that Lord Artane had returned after his disappearance. She tells the party that there have been 3 missing nobles. Lord Artane, Jacob Donflower and Timothy Salsburg. 

Nestra states that there were no reports of attacks, only missing nobles. 

She points the finger at Lord Drylund who is a great rival of hers. He runs a casino on the Grand Dame boat. 

Nestra also talks about the hand of the Yartar. The hand of Yartar are a female-only thieves guild in the city.

She asks the party to investigate and she rewards the three members of the party with 100 gold pieces. She also requests that while the party investigates the case, they don't interfere with the workings of the Shield, who are her security and bodyguards.

Nestra tells the party that all the disappearances happened at night, potentially in different locations and there's no discernible time pattern.

After Nestra tells the party where to find the casino, Graupel, Bearnabus and Dunbarr head to meet up with the others at the Poison Dagger Inn. 

Meanwhile Dipple and Kin are at the Poison Dagger. The Poison Dagger Inn is long overdue for renovation.  There are lots of suspicious types in the bar. 

Dipple approaches the stern woman at the bar and orders two of her finest beers.

“Here are two ales. That will be two copper pieces.” says the bartender, giving the distinct impression that fine beers are not to be found around these parts.

Dipple tries to bribe the barkeep with a silver coin but the barkeep will accept nothing less than gold to talk about the hand of Yartar.

Dipple proceeds to try to spot the hand of Yartar by looking around at the patrons of the inn. 

There is a rowdy group in the inn. It includes a group of sailors, a woman beggar in the corner, a few down on their luck Nobles and a set of bards at one table.

Dipple and Kin chat to the group of bards who’s town, Goldenfields, was recently destroyed by giants. Their names are Strog, Lorg, Miras and Naxnip. The bards mentioned that the giants seemed to be running away from something and mentioned talk of a dragon. Kin takes pity on the bards and hands them 10 gold pieces. They tell the party that they’re suspicious that the beggar lady in the inn isn’t all that she seems. 

The beggar woman tells Kin and Dipple to get the answers they seek they should talk to Scimitar Sally in the back of the inn. 

Kin and Dipple knock on the door at the back of the pub and enter. Scimitar Sally is a dusty blonde woman with a large facial scar. Kin and Dipple offer Sally 30 gold pieces for information. 

Sally tells the party that she’s suspicious of the Zhentarum and that the nobles that went missing had all been on the Grand Dame boat. The party realise the casino is on the same river as the one in which they found Lord Artane. Sally says it’s possible the captain of the casino, Nelvin, is Zhentarum. There’s also a mage called Pow Ming onboard. She believes that the Nobles who went missing were all on the Grand Dame boat recently. Sally mentions that the casino is only for nobles. 

After Sally has given all the information she is willing to share, she requests that the party leave her bar, this is when the party realise that Sally owns the Poisoned Dagger inn.

The party meet back up outside the Poison Dagger bar and decide to head to the Gand Dame boat and scope it out. 

As Beanabus is a noble he can enter via the main entrance but the rest of the party must sneak on board. Kin climbs into the water and starts to sneak up the rope connected to the anchor and onto the ship. Kin takes Graupel’s maul so she can sneak it aboard the ship.

 

Graupel enters the ship pretending to be a bard from the destroyed town of Goldenfields and is sent to the dance hall. 

Dipple convinces the captain he’s a great server and is sent to the kitchen. 

Dunbarr convinces the captain he is a great rower and is sent to the lower deck. 

Bearnabus enters the casino, inside it's lavish and decorative. When he arrives on the main casino floor, he notices a large golden goose on a pedestal. It reminds him of the one Lord Artane mentioned. Bearnabus buys one casino chip that’s worth ten gold pieces. Bearnabus discovers that the casino is called ‘The Golden Goose’ *shocked pikachu face*

Dunbarr heads to the lower deck, investigating subtly as he goes. He arrives downstairs at the back of the boat. Small cubbies line both sides. Nelvin's favourite deckhands are present and start to bark orders at the rowers. Dunbarr gets in a position to start rowing. 

Dipple heads to the kitchen and manages to convince the staff that he’s been asked to serve the special guests upstairs. The kitchen worker tells him to ascend the spiral staircase at the front of the ship. 

Graupel is told to head up the spiral staircase to the dance hall. There are other musicians there. Graupel gets a lend of a flute and starts to practice desperately. 

Kin manages to climb into the boat via an open rower slot. He has a scuffle with the actual rower and knocks him unconscious and takes his clothes.