The grand three sail ship had limped into port well into the night and while the plan had been for the passengers to disembark in the morning many had surged off the ship despite the late hour. Behind them they dragged, wheeled and carried their boxes, bags and trunks. All of them eager to be on solid land after the harrowing storm. The proprietor of the nearby inn, the Beached Leviathan, had woke first with confusion, then excitement at the prospect of so many guests, and finally irritation as all their rooms filled up. Soon places on the common room floor were being rented out for a silver piece for a parcel of floor. The alternative was to go hunting for another inn in a city that was entirely strange for the passengers, or sleep on the streets.

That was a week and a half ago. Since then the passengers of the Sword's Edge have dispersed. They still hear talk about the ship and the repairs its undergoing, the locals gather around drinks in the evening and talk about 'the storm' but life is returning to normalcy for the citizens of Neverwinter. For the new immigrants, this week and a half has meant trying to find how they fit into this new world. There was work to be found, certainly there was work. If one was willing to haul, hammer or transport they could run themselves ragged all day and get a handful of copper to keep their belly filled. For more meaningful work though... that took more doing.

But Neverwinter is a town in a renaissance and opportunities are just as likely to find a soul as they are to be found. And that is how it was for you. At your current lodging, be it an inn, a halfway house, a rented room above a shop, you hear a knock at the door during one of your hours between odd jobs. Outside is a street urchin, the unofficial couriers of Neverwinter for those who prefer value over reliability. The grubby child sticks out an arm and offers up their goods. A letter of surprisingly fine quality given the nature of the deliver.

A yellow wax seal ensures the contents of the letter have remained unread. Three towers are impressed into the hardened wax. Breaking the seal, you find the following letter:

Hail and well met to the hero of the Sword's Edge,

The story of what unfolded in the last hours of the Sword's Edge's arrival have circulated the streets of Neverwinter and having pieced together these events from first hand accounts, your name was mentioned. A soul so willing to jump into the unknown and face danger is inspiring and -more importantly- rare. My employer could use just that sort of intrepid spirit. They are beginning a new undertaking and we would like to extend to you the opportunity to be part of the foundation for this grand new project.

If you're interested, please be at the Winged Wyvern two evenings from receipt of this letter.

Warmest Regards,
Sinceno

It seemed opportunity had come knocking.

OOC: In your response include what your character has been up to for the week and a half as they've familiarized themselves with Neverwinter! (It'll be assumed you're attending the meeting you've been invited to, so most of the post will be a writing exercise on your part. Have fun with it!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:27, Fri 02 Apr 2021.

The first thing Saulucian did upon arriving in Neverwinter was find a weaponsmith and purchase a new rapier. He knew his way around the shortsword just fine, but he strongly favored having the extra reach that a longer blade provided. They had rapiers available, but all of them were simple and rather boring in design. It only took a few extra gold to convince the craftswoman to build him one with a custom design. The only drawback was that he would have to wait for over a week before it would be ready. She offered to rush it for him for twice the price, but that was a price he was unable to afford. Technically, he could afford it, but he wouldn't have been able to afford the cost of living even for those few days.

Saul was a humble enough man, he didn't mind having to take on a more meager cost of living while he looked for more work. For the first week he did just that. Work was hard to come by here, for there were far too many other people doing the very same thing. He made a few meager copper and silver from performing the blade dances for others, but that was not terribly thrilling or unordinary in such a large place. He tried gambling, and only managed to loose slight more than had gained, which in hind sight was about as close to a win as he could have expected.

At the end of that first week, his comrade in arms from the squabble on the ship came by to give him his share of the earnings from the sale of the goggles they'd found on the dead wizard. It was enough for him to buy that custom rapier nearly seven times over.

~The timing...~

That set him up for the rest of his wait, at least, and also gave him the coin he needed to afford the inks to scribe that scroll into his spellbook. The scroll itself crumbled to dust, which was mildly unfortunate, but now gave him indefinite access to its use. Overall, a more than fair trade.

There was no sense in him paying off the craftswoman for hurrying at this point. He still hadn't found any work, so having her rush it would have been a waste to begin with, so he had saved a fair amount of gold. He gave himself a figurative pat on the back for good decision making skills.

On the morning he went to go pick up his new rapier, he found a messenger boy at his door with a letter from someone Saul had never of before, who had apparently heard of him. Saul shooed the kid away, not bothering to give him any tip. He hadn't asked for this letter, so he certainly wasn't about to pay for it to have been delivered. The letter contained an offer of work though, ~Gods! Finally.~ Two more night? That was no problem. Not after the windfall from the glasses, at any rate.

He did feel a little bit uneasy at having his location known so well. Sure, he'd earned some amount of reputation from the boat, but were people really that interested in such an event that they would track his movement afterward? It seemed suspicious, and Saul was not a fan of suspicion. He was a fan of getting paid, though, and if this Sinceno person was looking to give him some coin, Saul was interested in hearing about the pay. And the job, obviously. That was important too.

Iclos had not been in as much of a hurry to leave the ship as some other passengers. In his eyes, his duty was to make sure everyone got to land safely. That meant disembarking last, with the rest of the crew. He walked the deck, thinking; confident that it was the Queen of the Depths that had tested them. They had passed this time.

By morning, he gathered his things and exchanged a few quick words with Captain Fairwind. After a shake of hands, Iclos finally disembarked and found himself in Neverwinter. The City of Skilled Hands. The Jewel of the North. Once he got a little familiar with her streets, Iclos located someone of authority to report a certain crime. He gave names and description of the robbers and murderers from the ship, including victims and witnesses. The local authorities would have to take it from here, unless they crossed his path again.

For the next few days the cleric of Umberlee was probably the prime source of the story as it spread across Neverwinter, although it changed somewhat with each telling. In every tavern he visited or in conversations with sailors, traders and fishermen along the waterfront, Iclos told the story. His primary motivation was to give everyone a healthy fear and respect of the ocean. One could never be too scared of venturing out to sea.

"The thunderous waves swept over the heroes of the Sword's Edge! It washed away the defeated ghasts and ghouls, as they faced the final monster; an undead Red wizard of Thay, with bubbling blisters on his sickly skin that glowed with ancient magic, and the gaping maw of a white shark---"

When the invitation to employment had come, at the Inn where he bunked, Iclos wondered for a moment if he had been stretching the truth too far. He hoped nobody expected him to perform quite like in the story. Not that he would accept any old job. It would have to be something appropriate. He was curious though, and mulled over possibilities over strong drinks at the dockside taverns and bars. To be fair, Iclos drank quite a bit other than seawater.

Not being held to superstition or fear of what was on the ship, Jaryn didn't try to rush along and get a room at the inn that first night. He'd simply stayed and slept on the ship instead. Iclos had apparently had the same idea, and Jaryn had nodded at them and limped off to rest and heal.

The next day he had parted ways with the captain and ship, and had gone exploring in the new and unfamiliar city. He fairly quickly purchased a quiver of arrows so that his shortbow would be useable once more. And then he searched for good food and a decent but fair-priced inn to stay at for the foreseeable future, a place to venture forth from for his searching.

He spent several days looking to see if he could find a suitable spot for a new, but small, monastery outpost in the city. Obviously, an already-built building that might be useable would be the best, but he wasn't picky. Just finding a good spot of land would be a good start. Somewhere that might be a little out of the way of the main thoroughfares, but not then in to a bad neighborhood of squatters and crime or anything. It would require a delicate balance, and a keen eye.

It had taken some time for him to feel like himself once more, but finally his body slowly returned to it's former heath and vitality. Every day he felt a little better, and he was soon able to return to his exercise regimen, though he hadn't faltered in his meditation techniques. He had wanted to work during his time, but had to get his body back in to normal form first.

When the letter was delivered, it was a surprise as was the message bearer. He regarded the child a moment and then handed a silver piece over in exchange for the letter. He had money and even if it was more than the child might normally see, it felt good. He tried to do charity when he could. He might find a soup kitchen to work at soon if he had time.

He opened the letter and read it, his eyebrows immediately raising upward. Being known as a 'hero' wasn't exactly what his mission was, but it might not hurt either. Grand new project? That sounded intriguing at least. And if the employer was a person of power and influence, it might not hurt to have them as an ally for the monastery in the future.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:58, Sun 04 Apr 2021.

Naim had settled into a comfortable life in the time since they'd arrived in Neverwinter. The gold from the sale of those wizard's glasses meant that he didn't need to find work right away, so he spent the time calling spirits of air and land to help him learn the lay of the land in the city and the dock areas as he explored and relaxed at the inn.

He went to the docks daily still looking for a ship that called Neverwinter home port so that he could maybe sign on and become a first mate or some such. He needed to learn the traditional navigation techniques, and eventually he might be able to buy his own ship and captain it...

The note had come as a surprise for sure. He didn't think that incident made any impact on anyone outside of him and the crew. It was weird for someone to label him 'hero'.

So he followed its instructions and followed to the Winged Wyvern, armor and equipment on as he didn't know what to expect from this. It could be a trap after all...

Two days later the sun had just set. The letter had been vague on when precisely in the evening the meeting would take place so the attendees trickled in gradually. They found the Winged Wyvern sitting on the southern bank of the river in the shadow of Castle Never. So close to the seat of power for the city the streets were clean, shops were prosperous and guards regularly patrolled by, it was certainly a respectable place for a meeting. The Winged Wyvern itself was a large single story building, it had several large windows that would let in the light during the day and glowed merrily at night. Above the door an intricately carved wyvern loomed down at those entered the establishment.

Inside the tavern was much like any other. Wood floors and walls, oil lanterns were hung at even intervals and the black soot stains above them said they were rarely moved. Tables crowded the room and even this early in the evening a handful were full. The clientele at this establishment looked to be tradesmen, they wore dyed wool that was clean, so a far cry from the workingman's bars found closer to the docks. Mainly human, a few halflings and dwarves were also amongst the crowd. The more rarely found elves were not to be seen. At least not till the first of the invited attendees arrived.

Saul got there first. His appearance drew a few quizzical stares, elves were less common, but far from unseen, though the tattoos on his arms were more exotic. The attention passed though. This was a city full of uncommon sights. A halfling server hurried over, "Hello! Are you part of the Sinceno party? He'll be joining you at the table by the fire." It was empty at this time.

Iclos and Jaryn were the next to arrive, their arrival went largely unnoted by the crowd. They too were intercepted by the halfling and directed toward the table Saulucian now occupied. The three recognized one another, it was hard not too after sharing the tight confines of the Sword's Edge for several weeks. Next came Naim and the bar patrons again shared a few looks. Half-elves were even less common than elves. When he too join the table by the fire the patrons of the Winged Wyvern started to speculate amongst themselves. Last to arrive was Faith and at the sight of a tiefling all conversation in the bar stopped and for several long moments there were open stares. But when the congregation just sat there interest waned.

The group had several long minutes to themselves. They were familiar with one another, but hardly on regular terms. The results was several halting silences. Thankfully, that was when their host arrived.

Another half-elf, the man who approached their table and took an empty seat was well dressed in bright blue silks. The graceful way he moved and his delicate features, he seemed to favor his elven heritage. Sitting down with practiced ease, he folded his hands on the table in front of him and looked over those assembled. "I'm glad to see everyone here. No doubt you're wondering what exactly you've been invited to, so I'll cut to the heart of the matter." Sinceno was brisk, all business. "I represent the interests of my patron. A wealthy noble of Waterdeep, he'd prefer to remain anonymous at this time. The reason for this you see, is that my benefactor sees an opportunity here in Neverwinter. This city is rebuilding itself and is ripe for new business. My employer has a bit of a romantic streak and he would like to affiliate himself with a business with more spice to it then just trade goods or tailor shops."

"My employer, you see, would like to establish a new adventure guild."

"But that's an end goal. Firstly, a guild requires a base of operations. My employer is frugal and rather than spend a large sum of money, he wanted to take advantage of the unique opportunities that Neverwinter provides. You may have heard of the Chasm? No? A few years ago the south east section of the city had a great ravine open up. Terrible creatures came out. It has been sealed now, but that part of the city still lies largely abandoned. As it stands, anyone may simply find themselves a property and claim it. My employer sees a unique opportunity to start his new guild with relatively low initial investment costs. That's where you come in."

Sinceno brought out a tightly rolled parchment and spread it across the table. It was a large map of Neverwinter. The half-elf liason jabbed a finger into two spots in the lower corner. "My employer has expressed interest in two possible buildings that will serve his purposes. He leaves it at your discretion which you claim, either will do."

Options

The Riverside Quay - The build in question itself is humble. A former merchants home it was nice, it boast of eight bedrooms and comfortable surrounding lands. The main reason your employer has taken an interest in it is that this property sits along the river itself providing easy means to the rest of Neverwinter, or easy access to the sea or traveling further inland east.
The Complication: This property buts up right against the sealed chasm. There have been credible reports that several unsavory beasts still make a nest within the home. They would need to be cleared out.

The Rellington Estate - Abandoned even before the chasm opened, the Rellington Estate is a great manor located not far from the House of Knowledge, and thus the heart of Neverwinter. With more than two dozen rooms, two lounges, a sizable basement all of which are built of fine craftsmanship, your employer sees the location and providing immediate prestige and legitimacy, not to mention lodging for future guild members.
The Complication: The estate is famously and violently haunted. Securing this property would require putting a permanent end to the ghosts that roam these empty halls.

"For your services, you would be compensated with two hundred gold for each of you, but perhaps more tantalizing, you would be able to keep whatever spoils you found during the securing of these properties. Finally, my employer would extend to you invitations to be founding members of his new guild. That would grant you a level of influence on its growth and contracts undertaken and in turn open up doors within Neverwinter by your affiliation. Of course, if that does not interest you, your share can be bought out as well."

Rolling the map back up, Sinceno regarded the gathered group. "That concludes my portion of affairs. I'll let you discuss the matter. Those who are interested in the job can meet me here tomorrow night and let me know which property you would like to stake claim." With a polite nod, the half-elf rose to his feet and departed, clearly not one for small talk.

OOC: I'll let you discuss which property you'd like to undertake. Whichever one gets the majority interest, in this case 3 votes, will be the one undertaken!

"Unless you have pressing matters to attend to elsewhere, I don't see that there's any reason you would need to wait an entire day for our decision. I'm sure we can settle on that within the hour." He left it to the man to decide for himself, it mattered not to Saul.

"Undead do not frighten me, however, they are known to have superior defenses to many other creatures. Many of us have access to magic, and so they should pose no particular problem in that regard. Some of their defenses, however, extend beyond just having to damage them, and onto things that can force their spirits to rest or else they simply reappear after some time."

"With that in mind, even if the monsters of the chasm are potentially more formidable, I think they are ultimately 'easier', so to speak, to deal with on a more permanent basis. As such, I tend toward that. Also, if the chasm presents a continual threat from beasts within, we would eventually get sent there to clean it out anyway. Might as well get it down now and save us the hassle later."

Naim was surprised and yet not to see who else had been summoned. They were the ones of the passengers like himself who'd do the most to help stave of disaster that night afterall.

It was always interesting hard for Naim to make friends or relate to others. In a way he was very glad for Faith's presence, as she took almost all the stares of the other patrons away from him which was nice. He was used to spending so much of his time on ships or alone that it was an interesting thing to sit in a bar with non-shipmates waiting on a meeting.

When their contact arrived and was another half-elf he was even more surprised, but pleased in a way.

He listened politely to the presentation and said little other than slight exclamations of surprise at different points.

When the Sinceno left, Naim stood, and then reseated himself as he thought about the offer on the table and the options presented.

"I'm of two minds. On the one hand, it would be more personally satisfying to remove the threat of ghosts from the land. On the other... if we're talking about a base of operations or a home. Well... I'd much rather live on a river or adjacent to the seas if possible."

"A former wealthy home may have more wealth to find for our own taking than a riverside merchant's home too. But I'd rather live riverside than smack in the heart of Neverwinter."

"There's nothing stopping us from doing both, either. If we have rights to claim what we find either way..." Saul left it hanging, there.

The dwarf nodded as each argument was laid forth. "I too am attracted to the river and access to the sea." His voice was slightly skewed on account of having had a couple of ales. "Yet I seek the destruction of vengeful spirits and undead creatures as much as the next priest. Once we've seen the properties, and eliminated the problems, we can weigh our options. Still, I vote for the riverfront first."

Jaryn had figured correctly that with the letter sent to him, it would have been sent to the others who had helped with the chaos on the ship. They were all a recent story, and one likely retold a bit in the city as the latest gossip. He had given a nod of greeting to them all and said, "Good evening. It is agreeable to see you all again under better circumstances." He was content to sit and wait for their host to arrive, sipping tea sparingly in the meantime.

Once Sinceno had arrived, Jaryn had looked less relaxed and laid back. He sat up a bit more, listened to what was said, looked at the map that was rolled out. He was VERY interested to hear about the ability to claim land. He made a mental note to find something suitable and do so for the monastery very soon.

To the matter at hand, he listened to the others speak and gave a small shrug. "I am not certain of my ability to harm ghosts, nor lay them to rest properly. So I agree with the Riverside Quay instead."

Naim nodded to the response and said, "sounds like we have a decision then already. Sauluian, Icloos, and Jaryn are all in favor of the Quay house first. I am swayed by both locations, though I do think we should perhaps seek out the manor house after we have secured the Quay house."

"The manor house could be the primary guild location once cleared, while the Quay house could be a sort of secondary or chapter house. Having access to shipping private for the guild will be useful. Iclos and I can abide there while the rest of you reside in the manor house down the road timewise."