The first glimmers of dawn crept over the dock ward as a disparate band of adventurers began to gather outside the ramshackle Cracked Crate. Impatience furrowed the brow of Thalmiir, an elderly dwarf with braided white hair and weathered robes. He had arrived early, grumbling audibly and refusing to budge from his spot before the door.
In contrast, the young dwarf Pebblesong bounced energetically alongside her oversized feline companion, Bartholemeow. Their unlikely friendship had blossomed over the past months as outcasts finding home together. Pebblesong chattered brightly as Bartholemeow clung to her shoulders, nose twitching at the pungent smells of the ward.
By the first bells of morning, the rest of this motley crew had assembled. The drow warlock Weardara shuffled uncomfortably, shrinking from the rising sunlight. Beside her stood Bhakris, an earth genasi paladin nervously eyeing the cutpurses haunting the crowded streets. Last to arrive was the exuberant goblin artificer Hat, hair bursting wildly from a colorful patchwork hat. They startled a pair of urchins by offering up a hand-carved nutcracker.
But as the bells finished ringing, the mysterious Patron who had summoned them here was nowhere to be found. Thalmiir snatched up the only thing that waited for them - a weathered parchment note tacked to the door. It tersely redirected the group to the Knotted Rope, deeper in the dock ward’s winding alleys. Incensed at this wild goose chase, Thalmiir refused to surrender the note to the others.
After much griping and a few wary introductions, the adventurers reluctantly set out for the Knotted Rope. They followed the dubious directions of a filthy urchin child, whose ulterior motives were unclear. As they navigated the busy streets, Bhakris and Hat soon realized their purses had been lifted by nimble fingers. Spotting a pair of hooded thieves scurrying away, the enraged Bhakris gave chase with the others quick behind him.
Steel flashed in the morning light as spells were frantically readied. Initiative rolled just as the first blows were struck, heralding a bloody battle to come. United by anger, the unlikely comrades were eager to unleash vengeance upon those who had deceived them this day. The promise of violence crackled in the air as the motley crew prepared to confront the dangers of Waterdeep head on.
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