Session 1

Brabara stood at attention beside the Day Watch Commander’s desk, while the commander, Sergeant Kevori, explained the mission to her new squad.

This was her team’s first real assignment and Brabara’s first time as squad leader. She couldn’t help feeling happy that her period of penance as an instructor was finally being rewarded with a team of her own.

Brabara hoped her promotion signalled the end of a dark time in her life, but deep down she knew that wasn’t really the case. As soon as she received word her immediate first thought was to tell Tiny about it, and she cursed herself for needing his acknowledgment.

She had to do better. Be better. Tiny was part of her past, and this new team, they were her future. Except she wasn’t convinced that her new teammates were truly ready to enter the field. Ebyn, entirely too cautious, Xalen, entirely too reckless, and Seknafret, entirely too cultured. Still, Brabara had assisted in their training, and she agreed they’d met the requirements for active duty, but she never expected to be the one leading them.

Brabara’s self-doubt was relentless. What if I lead them to their deaths? Am I good enough? Will I let them down? Will they like me? ... Oh, gods, will they like me?

Brabara had little choice in the matter. Refusing a promotion simply wasn’t an option. To do so would be to imply that her seniors were poor of judgement, not a smart move if one hoped to remain in the watch.

Sergeant Kevori nodded to Brabara once her team had noisily taken a seat. The watch commander dramatically cleared her throat and spoke.

“We have been given the location of one Tarkin Hatwood,” Kevori began. “If you’ve been keeping up with the latest broadsheets you should know that Tarkin and his crew have been responsible for several bodies down by the docks, but we’ve so far been unable to pin him down. Until now.”

“If I may ask,” Ebyn said and cleared his throat. “How did we come by this intelligence?”

“The Neverwinter Thieves Guild provided us with the location,” Kevori replied, giving Xalen a quick glance. “Murder is bad for business, you see, and Tarkin’s actions have caused him to fall out of favour with the guild.”

“And we can trust that this is not just some kind of ruse?” Ebyn persisted.

Brabara shook her head. “The watch and the guild have a complicated relationship.”

Kevori nodded. “We exist to keep the peace, Ebyn. We’re not here to prevent crime. As long as the guild doesn’t go too far, we let them do what they do, but if a line is crossed then we will step in.”

“Hard,” Brabara added, earning her a look from the Day Watch Commander.

Ebyn appeared to consider that for a moment. “I see,” he said though his body language suggested he did not in fact ‘see’.

“It’s in their interests that we stay out of their way,” Kevori continued. “So, whenever someone becomes a problem, the guild will tell us where to find them.” She looked at Xalen. “Xalen, if you please.”

“Tarkin is holed up in a small warehouse by the docks,” Xalen said, reciting the information his guild contacts shared. “He knows he’s been burned so he has arranged for a ship to take him to Waterdeep and is hiding nearby to make his escape.”

“Will he be alone?” Seknafret asked.

Xalen shook his head. “Unlikely. According to my source, Tarkin will be with his crew.”

“A crew,” Kevori interjected, “that includes some muscle, at least one spellcaster, and a knifeman. It’s why I decided on you four to handle this job.”

“I don’t follow,” Ebyn said. “This seems a job better suited to veterans rather than newcomers, like us.”

Kevori nodded. “I know you three are new to the watch, but none of you are exactly babes in the woods. As you no doubt saw during training, most of our recruits have little to no experience. And even long-term watch members like Brabara here aren’t equipped to go up against magic on their own.”

“Like most of us in the watch, I’m pretty good in a fight,” Brabara added. “But we have precious few with the skills that you bring to the table.”

Brabara was getting into the swing of things. She found that by imitating Sergeant Kevori’s manner and tone she might sound confident enough to fool the others into thinking she knew what she was doing.

Ebyn nodded. He’d seen for himself the quality and nature of the handful of recruits that they’d been training with, and it was difficult to find fault with Brabara’s assessment. “Go on,” he said finally.

“Your goal is to arrest Tarkin and his crew,” Kevori continued. “Obviously you are expected to defend yourself if attacked but this is intended to be an arrest not an assassination. Lord Neverember is working hard to restore the reputation of our city as a place of law and order, not some petty dictator’s realm.”

“It’s likely he hired some local kids to keep watch over his hideout,” Xalen said, recalling a time when he’d been one of those kids. “What do we do with them?”

“We have no interest in arresting children,” Kevori said. “Just bring Tarkin and his crew to me in chains.” She looked the four of them over. “Any questions? No? Then happy hunting.”

Brabara gave Kevori a quick salute and nervously led her teammates out of the office and into the city.

Xalen guided the newly minted squad through the busy streets of Neverwinter and down to the docks. As a member of the city thief’s guild, Xalen was familiar with the ins and outs of the city’s numerous lanes and alleyways. By contrast, Ebyn and Seknafret were both new to the city, so Brabara had to ask Xalen to stop several times to let the pair get their bearings. A member of the watch had to know the streets like the back of their hand and just because they had completed their formal training, the learning would never stop.

As soon as their destination was in sight, Brabara called a halt and brought the group together.

“The warehouse is just up ahead,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Xalen, why don’t you scout ahead and get a sense of how things stand.”

The young thief nodded, and darted off, melting into the shadows. He returned a few minutes later. “Tarkin has men guarding the entrance, heavily armed, and I spotted at least a couple with bows up on the roof. Will be tough to get close with those two up there shooting at us.”

“We’ll need a distraction,” Brabara said. “Something to keep them busy.”

“I can create an illusion to grab their attention,” Ebyn said. “While they’re distracted, the rest of you should be able to take down the guards at the door.”

Brabara nodded, her hand tightening on the haft of her glaive. “Right. Let’s bring this murderer to justice.”

Ebyn edged closer to the warehouse. He spied the two men standing either side of the wide wooden doors, and the pair up top at each corner of the roof. With a deep breath he forced his mind to calm and began speaking arcane words.

The spell was cast, and a massive spider appeared clinging to the side of the building above the two men guarding the door. He made the illusory beast chitter once before it began to climb, causing both guards below to look up and gasp in horror.

“Where did that come from?” one of the men said as he fumbled for the sword at his belt.

The spider skittered up the wall and onto the roof, the two watchers up there now acutely aware of Ebyn’s arcane creation.

“Go!” Ebyn hissed.

Brabara sprinted forward, tackling the nearest of the two guards to the ground. Xalen stopped a short distance away and brought his bow up, sending a shaft into the leg of the other and causing him to stagger back.

Brabara’s fist slammed the first man’s head with two quick jabs, his head snapped back, and he stopped moving. She sprang at the second man, agile despite her considerable bulk, and wrapped her thick arms about his neck, holding him tight until he too fell limp.

Seknafret stepped forward, yanked the warehouse doors open and darted inside.

Up on the roof, the two watchers wasted their arrows shooting at Ebyn’s magical creation letting the three of them enter the warehouse behind Seknafret.

Inside, the warehouse was dimly lit by flickering lanterns. Crates and barrels were stacked high, creating a labyrinth of shadows. At the far end, Tarkin Hatwood stood with the rest of his crew. The spellcaster’s eyes glowed with magical energy, and the knifeman’s blade gleamed menacingly.

Brabara’s voice rang out, commanding and fierce. “Tarkin Hatwood, you are under arrest in the name of the Neverwinter City Watch.”

Hatwood turned, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “So, the weaklings at the guild finally gave me up.”

The spellcaster began chanting, a fiery orb forming in his hands. But Ebyn was ready, countering the spell with a wave of his hand and the magic dissipated into harmless sparks.

The knifeman sprinted forward to attack. Brabara moved over with her glaive extended to cut him off. The knifeman tried to dodge around her weapon but the narrow space between the crates worked against him.

He feinted a few times, short blade slicing nothing but air before Brabara landed a solid blow with the butt of the weapon, and he dropped boneless to the ground.

Tarkin’s eyes widened, his look of smug confidence vanished to be replaced by fear. His spellcaster’s magic countered, his knifeman downed. Tarkin could see what was coming. The rat faced man turned and ran.

Seknafret stepped forward and pointed. A gob of thick web flew from her fingers to strike the man entangling him in thick sticky strands and holding him fast.

Xalen held an arrow knocked and aimed toward the spellcaster. “Hold still,” he said, “and you won’t get any new holes.”

The man looked around, saw he was alone and raised his arms.

Brabara took three sets of manacles from her pack and used them to secure the fallen knifeman, the mage, and the murderous smuggler. “Well done,” she said as she snapped the metal cuff around Tarkin’s wrist.

“A good first day on the job, I reckon,” Xalen said.

Brabara chuckled. “I’ll say. Now, though it’s time for the best part.”

Seknafret raised an eyebrow. “The best part?”

Brabara nodded. “We bring these three back to the watch house and get started on the paperwork.”

“Fantastic,” said Ebyn with genuine joy. “I love paperwork.”