Adventure 1 -- Coming Together

15, Andorus Month, 753 YA (Year of Andorus)

1
Airk hears rumors that giant cockroaches have been seen down at the docks. He sets off to investigate. Airk remembers the cockroaches. They inhabited graves from where he came. Their bite could cause tremors – convulsions – in someone because of the pain. So he has a “professional” interest in these pests.
He makes his way to the Silver Star, a tavern on the eastern end of the docks. There he finds a relax clean atmosphere servicing mostly captains just in from their recent voyages. Realizing that he is not going to find any information here, he makes his way down to the Silver Rat.
The Silver Rat seems a nice enough place with a rowdier atmosphere. The bartender says he knows nothing of giant cockroaches, but encourages Airk to take part in the patron singing – only a copper piece. Airk observes the cleaning methods of the bartender and is repulsed. Before he can move, though, Clelie, a young bossomy mistress, makes her way over and asks if he’ll sing with her. He does. She sings ok, but he doesn’t, and then he rebuffs her advances, so she leaves him. Finally, Airk makes it back to the bartender who says that he heard that Jeb, at the Solver Head, was attacked by these critters. One bit Jeb and hand swelled up to twice its size.
As they are discussing this, a fighter looking character introduces himself and wants to know about the bugs.

2
Khylsen is just returned from a mission investigating Stickl in the north-eastern empire, where he, in fact, witnesses one of the vile creatures. It is six feet tall – a human cockroach that wields swords in two of its hands. Khylsen is called aside by the Captain of the King’s guard – a very unusual circumstance. The captain sends him to check out these giant cockroaches.
Khyslen finds a man talking about them at the Silver Rat. He introduces himself and they agree to work on the problem together.

3
Dernon, a Halfling monk from Westle Abbey, is new to the city. He finds out about these cockroaches and wants to investigate. He finds himself at the Silver Head where a patron asks about Jeb’s hand. Curious, Dernon walks over to the patron and asks about the issue. The patron, a lanky man with a srawl, tells him that Jeb was bitten by a large cockroach, and his hand swelled up to the size of his head – well Jeb’s head not a Halfling head. Dernon talks to Jeb and asks to go down in the cellar to see. While down there, he sees one of the cockroaches and attacks it. The cockroach escapes through a hole but several more pour out.
Dernon escapes and tells a guard about the cockroaches. The next day, Dernon is arrested and taken to prison.

4
Gacokia is recently in the city from Ligot. He is sleeping on the beach when something wakes him. Next to him is one of the vile fat cockroaches that accompanied the Stickl that killed his mistress. He kills it.
The next morning, at the druids grove in The Company Garden, he hears someone scream. He runs to help and sees another giant cockroach. He kills it. Then he is arrested and led off.

16 Andorus Month, 753 YA

5
Khylsen is told of the prisoners. He decides to work with them and secures their release. The Captain of the King’s Guard wins him that any misstep is on his and his family’s head.
The group head to the Silver Head and secure passage to the cellar. There they encounter five giant cockroaches. They attack and kill several but within a minute, the cockroaches swarm. In a desperate attack, Airk throws a flask of alchemist fire at the cockroaches. They catch fire and the Silver Head catches fire. Someone yells fire and panic ensues. The group escapes, though they are almost arrested.
Later they regroup and decide to explore the sewers where the cockroaches seem to live. They select the Eastern sewars and follow them almost to their end. Gacokia sees along the way sign of Stickl. Then they hear a voice singing an old child’s tune
Ole Andorus was a bright soul
A Bright ole soul was he
He called for his flute
He called for his sword
And he called for the world to come down

They realize that the last line has been changed. They follow the voice to a tunnel dug out away from the sewers. There they come upon a beautiful human looking woman, naked and chained, back bleeding from being whipped. And four Stickl.