Lita Cassalanter crept quietly around the warehouse. Lukan was a few feet ahead of her, and looked back to catch her eye, pointing up at the window on the second story. She nodded and slowly padded back to where the rest of her companions waited.
"There's a window, but will mean scaling the wall to the second story. Otherwise the only entrance is the front door. There's noises within, but nothing to indicate our man is inside, no screaming or fighting. Lukan thinks we should attempt the window, get the jump on them."
Itri and Beatriss nodded, and the three of them headed back to the side of the building where Lukan waited. The halfling swiftly scaled the building, and opened the window, slipping inside. Lita watched him with admiration, before attempting the climb herself.
The group had been hired by the famed author Volo to rescue his friend Floon Blagmaar. It hadn't been hard to track him, a few silvers loosened the tongues of the patrons in the run down tavern he'd last been seen in. Floon had left the tavern in the company of another young nobleman. The two of them had drawn attention, they weren't the usual clientele of the rough tavern in the Dock Ward. Fortunately this meant that they'd been seen as they were grabbed by a gang of humans dressed in black, and taken into this warehouse.
Lita carefully climbed the wall, taking her time and looking for careful footholds before moving. Itri and Beatriss both passed her, climbing with greater ease, though Lita winced slightly at the noise they were making. Distracted, her hand slipped and she narrowly avoided falling. Taking a breath, she resumed climbing slower than before, and eventually made it to the window and climbed inside where the others were waiting for her.
"Thanks for joining us milady. Two rooms up here, no people, I already looted them of valuables while waiting for you to get here." Lukan spoke in a low, sarcastic voice, and Lita flushed in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry my childhood wasn't spent breaking and entering, I was being given an education." Lita retorted.
The halfling raised one eyebrow. "You were sent to a school for sucking cock then? I assume you were top of the class?"
"No, I was terrible at my lessons, that's why I became a paladin instead of a cleric." Lita replied instinctively before she registered what he said.
"Wait.. I mean... I AM good at sucking cock. I mean. No, I didn't... Oh, Siamorphe's tits! You know what I meant Lukan!"
"Lita! Mind the blasphemy!" Beatriss interjected through her barely concealed laughter. As a cleric of Siamorphe, the goddess of nobility, Beatriss took a dim view of her cousin's irreverence. Lita didn't really think that her goddess would mind the odd curse word, as long as she was doing Her work. Siamorphe was the goddess of 'Noblesse Oblige', the duty and responsibility of nobility, and Lita took that seriously.
Itri leant against the wall, arms crossed and spoke dryly. "Have you cock-suckers finished fucking about? In case you forgot we got a guy to save, 200 gold to collect and most likely a gang of thugs waiting for us below. So unless you're going to distract them all with your oral skills, can we please focus on the job at hand?"
Lita flushed red at her party leader's scolding. Itri was her best friend, and she hated letting him down. She just couldn't prevent Lukan getting under her skin with his taunts. Most people liked Lita, her guileless charm winning them over quickly, but Lukan seemed to blame her entirely for her being born into wealth and position compared to his own lowly beginnings. However Itri liked the young halfling, and so Lita endured him being part of their adventuring group.
Tonight was their first real adventure. If Lita was honest, they got lucky in the Yawning Portal defeating a troll that had climbed up from the Undermountain below. That had drawn the attention of the famous author Volothamp Geddarm, who had hired them. It would be terribly embarrassing to fail on their first real adventure.
Lukan opened the door, and they all slipped out into the hallway. The floor opened up into a gallery looking down over the interior of the warehouse, with a set of steps leading down. From this vantage point they could see four kenku - raven like humanoids - wearing dark clothes, their beaks peeking out from their hoods . Around them were scattered humanoid bodies.
"Xanathar sends its regards." One of the Kenku spoke, in a deep voice with an orcish accent. Lita was confused that a bird like creature could sound orcish, but she had no time to ponder.
Lukan and Lita took the lead, stealthily sneaking down the stairs, until they were close enough to act. A blast of green light burst from Itri's hand, striking a kenku from behind. The bird creature spun around to come face to face with Lita's piercing rapier.
The battle was short and fierce, two of the kenku fighting with a pair of daggers, while the other two stepped back and used short bows. Lita and Lukan took the most damage from the scrap, but the kenku were no real challenge for the adventurers, with three of them lying dead and the fourth taken captive.
Itri took charge of interrogation while Beatriss bandaged her cousin's bleeding arm.
"Xanathar sends its regards." The kenku repeated in the same orcish voice, before switching to a nasally voice. "Tie up the pretty one."
"I'm confused. Why is it speaking so oddly?" Lita asked.
Beatriss smiled at her confused cousin. "It's a kenku, Lita. They can only mimic sounds they've overheard."
"Stupid to use them as henchmen, they'll give away all your plans." Itri added. "But then the Xanathar's guild isn't known for its smarts."
"Maybe you should apply to join them Lita? You'd fit right in." Lukan smirked as he searched the various bodies on the floor. "Anyone recognise this tattoo? All the humans have them."
Lita looked at the winged snake tattoo and felt a vague sense of recognition, but she couldn't quite place it. Itri however had no hesitation. "Zhentarim. The Black Network. Mercenaries, not always on the right side of the law. Here in Waterdeep the Zhent's tend to be mostly law abiding, they want to make money anyway they can. More like organised crime than street thugs like the Xanathar's guild. Can't think why they'd kidnap Volo's friend, but it looks like they did, and then the Xanathar's Guild attacked them and took their prisoner. See that other tattoo on that one? Circle with the radiating spokes, symbol of the Xanathar."
Itri kicked the kenku and the bird spoke again. "Follow the yellow signs in the sewers. Tie up the pretty one in the backroom."
Lita looked to the back of the warehouse where a broken door led to a storage closet. The door itself was almost falling off its hinges, and as Lita pushed it open it squeaked loudly. The closet was filled with broken barrels and old tarpaulins. Listening, Lita could hear ragged breathing coming from underneath one of the tarps. She stepped over to it and lifted it up.
Suddenly she was slammed to the ground by the man hiding beneath, as he launched himself at her. She managed to grab the man as she fell, pulling him back with her.
Lita looked up at the man lying atop her, his blue eyes gazing back at her in shock. He was covered in dirt and his red hair was a mess, but she could see beneath the grime he had handsome, distinguished features. This man could definitely be described as "the pretty one".
"Well, hello handsome! I don't object to you on top of me but you could at least introduce yourself first." Lita drawled. "Floon Blagmaar, I hope?"
The man blushed a bright red, and scrambled to his feet, offering her a hand up. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were one of those awful kidnappers! I'm not Floon. They took him! I'm Renaer Neverember."
"Delighted to meet you Renaer. I'm Lita Cassalanter." She replied and his face lit up in recognition.
"Oh Cassalanter! Your father was Open-Lord before mine! But I don't believe we've ever had the pleasure before? I have met your brother however."
Waterdeep nobility was exclusive, only around seventy-five families held noble titles, and they almost at least knew of each other, and importantly, they knew where their family stood in relation to the others. The nobility did not rule Waterdeep, that was reserved for the Lords of Waterdeep, an anonymous council whose identities were not even known by each other, only to the Open-Lord. The nobility however held extensive privileges.
Even as a younger daughter who would not inherit, Lita was expected to know the basics of the other noble families of Waterdeep. Even had that not been the case, as Open-Lord for a decade, Dagult Neverember had made an impression on the city. Three years ago he had been ousted from power by the current Open-Lord, Laeral Silverhand. Lord Dagult was disliked by the nobility of the city in general for many reasons, not least that he allowed impoverished noble families to sell their noble titles to wealthy commoners, considered to be a pollution of their ranks.
Before Lita could respond to Renaer, Lukan interrupted poking his head in the room. "Hey! If you two have finished hob-nobbing about, get out here. I found a secret room full of silver. So let's grab the silver and Volo's friend here, and leave before either the Watch or more thugs show up."
As if summoned by his words, there was a loud knock at the door. "Open up in the name of the Watch!"
"Hrast!" Lukan cursed, and finished grabbing the silver, then ran up the stairs to escape the way they came in. "I'll meet you back at the Yawning Portal first thing in the morning!" he yelled behind him as he fled.
"Wait!" called out Renaer, but Lukan didn't stop.
"They took Floon! They must have thought he was me. You see, they're after the Stone of Golorr, and the fortune that my father embezzled while he was Open-Lord. Poor Floon! He doesn't know anything, and they'll kill him once they realise they have the wrong man!"
Itri's ears perked up at the mention of a fortune. "Don't worry, we'll help, but first we need to deal with the Watch."
The officers of the Watch were suspicious of the adventurers at first, filling their notebooks with all the information provided. Lita saw no reason to lie, explaining why they were there and what they found with ease, only omitting the silver Lukan stole. Renaer backed them up, and begged the Watch to help find Floon.
"They won't though." Beatriss stated matter of factly after the Watch had left. "The Watch couldn't find a beer in a brewery. They'll make their report and that's that."
Lita nodded in agreement. "So keep looking for him now?"
"We wait until morning. Lukan's gone. Beatriss is out of healing. It's late, a few more hours won't make a difference." Itri said decisively.
Lita looked at Renaer's distressed expression. "But, but, they could kill him before morning."
"They won't. And we won't be able to rescue him if we go up against the Xanathar's Guild ill prepared."
Beatriss nodded her agreement. Lita was uneasy at the delay, but it seemed there was nothing more to be done tonight.
Renaer bowed towards Lita. "May I escort you home Lady Cassalanter? It's the least I can do for the one who rescued me."
