Disclaimers: Same thing that everyone else says applies here. Language, Violence, Naughty Bits, blah blah blah.

Chapter 1

I paused outside the tavern door. "You sure this is the right place?"

The horned woman standing next to me stepped forward. "Yup, The Sunken Flagon, this is where you wanted to go right?"

Looking around I gave a shrug. The building did look sort of… out of place for the rest of Neverwinter. There were flowers outside of the windows of all things… flowers! The other buildings all had the drab worn look I've come to expect from a port town, with the wind and water constantly battering at their walls. This place looked fresh and almost whimsical compared to the rest, its walls decorated in a cheery red.

"Well," Neeshka said helpfully, "you did say your uncle was a half elf right?"

"Come on lass, ya jes gonna stand out here in the dark, or are we gonna get some ale?"

Shooting the stocky dwarf next to me a look of amusement I headed to the door and slipped inside. A blast of warm air hit me as soon as I was in, taking the chill of the night off my skin. Glancing around, I noticed there weren't very many people in there, despite the evening being still young.

Khelgar headed to the bar with more speed that I would expect from one so short and Neeshka promptly headed to the fire to warm up. I hung back by the door for a moment, wary from all the recent attacks on us. A soft voice floated over my shoulder. "Kathrynn, are you sure this is where you want to start? I really feel we should go to Neverwinter Woods and find the elders of the circle and ask for their advice."

I closed my eyes to hide my irritation. Elanee had not been traveling with us long, but long enough to be getting on my nerves with her constant passive aggressive statements. I swear, we should have dumped this girl in the woods, no one would ever know…I thought briefly as I tried to swallow my annoyance enough to speak with her. "Yes Elanee, I'm sure this is where I want to start." Oops, was that sarcasm slipping in? I know she is just trying to help, but does she have to be so bleedn' annoying about it? After a deep breath I was able to continue a bit more kindly. "Why don't you see about getting us some rooms for the night? Even if we can't find what we need, we will at least be able to sleep in a bed for once."

Elanee wandered over to an older man behind the bar, muttering something about the peace and solitude of the forest compared to the city. Oh, that's it. Next log large enough I come across, the elf is getting stuffed in. Amused by that image, I continued my scan of the tavern. A few patrons were littered among the tables, some laughing loudly with their friends, others quietly nursing their drinks. My eyes flicked to the final corner and I noticed with surprise a man that I initially wrote off as a drunk was staring keenly at me. Even from across the room I could tell he was scruffy, although not in a bad way. He was even sort of cute in an 'I've been on the road for a week and haven't washed' sort of way.

Sometime during my appraisal of him, he was taking his own of me. Eyes rudely scanning my form, he took no pains to hide that his gaze lingered on my chest. When his eyes finally met mine, they held a challenge. So that's how you want to play this hmm? Meeting his look with a bold one of my own, I held my arms out to my sides and made a slow spin, making sure to pause long enough that he could get a good view of all of me. Finally completely the circle, I gazed back at him, one brow quirked in amusement. A calculating look flickered over his face before being replaced by a mocking smirk.

With a snort, I shot him a dismissive glance and looked around for someone who didn't look like a patron. Normally I would look for the only sober person in the room, but from things I hear Daeghun say in the past, I wasn't sure that would be the best indicator. Spotting a worn looking man with slightly pointed ears and a dirty towel over his shoulder by the bar, I decided to start with him.

As I walked up to him, he looked at me and pasted a fake proprietor's smile on his face. "Well, now, what can I do for you? Bit of venom for the belly, perhaps? Or maybe a tankard or two to shave the edge off your day?"

I shook my head. Tired as I was, I wasn't in any mood for small talk. "Who's the owner of this inn?"

A wary look crossed his eyes, "You mean old Duncan? Well now, if you're looking to collect on some debt, I'll tell you that he's a drunk and he hasn't got two coppers to his name."

"I'm his niece, I'm related." By the Gods, he is the exact opposite of Daeghun.

"Niece? And what branch of the family tree did you fall off of?"

I sighed. I hoped he isn't planning on being cagy with me the entire conversation. "Daeghun sent me." There, straight and to the point. Hopefully he gets the hint.

"Daeghun, eh? So the time's come, has it? Troubles chasing on your heels, and you barely know why... Suppose Daeghun told you less than half of what you need to know, then sent you packing. Don't take it hard, done it to me twice in my life, all for good reason. I can probably guess why you're here, but why don't you go ahead and tell me anyway."

"Daeghun told me to seek you out, that you might know something of the silver shards recovered from the battle at West Harbor."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, did he? Nothing more than I did years ago, plain silver near as we could tell, you and those shards were all that were left of that West Harbor battle."

An older man behind the bar spoke up in slight confusion. "Duncan... I thought you said that shard was magic - didn't you?"

Duncan frowned at him. "Trace of an enchantment on it is what that eel Sand said, but nothing of importance. Probably residue from demon's fire, or maybe wizard magic."

"Demon's fire? Sounds important to me," the barkeep muttered.

"And that, Sal, is why you are cleaning tables, and I own this place. Those shards were magic, yes, a "trace," but again, it was Sand, and he's a fool." Duncan's tone changed suddenly from irritated to one of forced casualness. "Anyway, barely worth mentioning - more sentimental value than anything else. That really why you came all this way, to hear about your mother?"

I knew he was trying to throw me off, but still I couldn't help but ask, "My mother? What does she have to do with this?"

"Yeah, your mother - Esmerelle, since you were asking about the shards. What, Daeghun still keeping that inside? It's a wonder he doesn't crack down the middle."

Ain't that the truth, I though while asking aloud, "How are the shards and my mother related?"

Duncan heaved a large sigh. "I think you might have been better off being raised by wolves if Daeghun didn't share that. There's a lot I'm sure he never told you, but listen - it's his place to tell you, not mine."

Seeing that he wouldn't be giving me any more information right away, I switched subjects. "Can I see the other shard?"

Thinking he would need to go get it, I was surprised when he pulled it out of his pocket. "Here... I've always kept it close, for some reason, didn't want to leave it out of my sight. Seemed unremarkable, but I find that sometimes time will tell. Had Sand examine it a long time ago, but he turned up nothing."

"Who's Sand?"

"A hedge wizard, somehow set up a shop in the Docks, but it's telling enough he can only run a business down here in the crack of Neverwinter. Got a dry wit, and he'll always rub you the wrong way, so his name's well-chosen." He gave a shrug. "Still, I suppose I trust him enough, and having a wizard close by certainly tends to keep fools from causing too much trouble. Anyways, me and Daeghun took the shard to him, back when he lived in the Merchant Quarter. Before his run of bad luck. But he couldn't get much from it, just faint traces."

"Can he look at these again?"

Doubt crept into his voice. "Well, it's worth a shot - but don't pay him any coin in advance, that's all I'll say. In fact, that viper would be best o-"

Duncan was suddenly cut off when a silky voice came from the behind me. "Ah... it seems I have arrived just in time to deflect the usual barrage of slander from the local innkeeper."

"Sand." Duncan's voice radiated dislike, and… was that an edge of competition I heard?

"Yes, it is good to see you're still sober enough to recognize me, Duncan - " the elf paused and sniffed the air, "past the stale beer, vinegar, faint sweat, failed aspirations, unwashed tunic... I thought perhaps you had already had one tankard too many for the day. But..." again he paused as if scenting the air. He turned towards me with a slightly curious look on his face. "Why, your guest here has the smell of a Harborman about them. Faint, but there."

I looked at him for a moment, trying to decide if I should be offended or not, when he continued. "I thought Duncan was keeping company too good for him, now I see I was right. Duncan, you could learn a few things from your guest."

Duncan gave a grunt. "Still passing off those two-copper fair weather charms to the locals, Sand?"

"You have no appreciation for my talents - and after all I've done for you." Sand sniffed disdainfully, "To think you could survive a fortnight without my ale purgative - why, you would be buried in the tombs with the rest of the Neverwinter traitors - a betrayer of barkeepers everywhere. But enough about you and your "adventurous" exploits on the tavern floor. I heard my name mentioned, and oddly enough, almost in a tone that suggested I could help." I couldn't help but notice that towards the end, the elf sounded almost… intrigued.

Duncan gestured at me, "This here's kin..." I rolled my eyes, irritated at the introduction.

He looked at me, an amused smile on his face. "I'm not really seeing the family resemblance."

Ignoring him, Duncan continued, "and we need your help concerning the shard. Both of them."

"Shard?" Sand began to tap one elegant finger against his chin. "That chunk of silver you showed me so long ago? I do hope you're not going to try to pawn it to me again, I am no longer interested. Besides, as I recall you said the piece of junk had sentimental value - " I stopped listening to them bicker at this point, having had enough of that on the boat from Neeshka and Khelgar. Turning my attention to the newcomer, I gave him a stealthy once over.

He was tall and wiry, even for an elf. He couldn't have weighed more than twenty pounds more than me and considering most people called me petite, that was saying a lot. He wore mages robes that while somewhat drab, did actually work nicely with his slightly bluish skin tone. Hmm, must be a moon elf, I thought, taking in his green eyes and long brown hair. He appeared to be about the same age as my foster father, Daeghun, so I put him at somewhere around four hundred years. While not young, he was still in his prime, for an elf anyways.

Tuning back in, I heard confusion in Sand's voice. "Are you sure these are the same shards? The power in them... why, it's definitely stronger than last time... much stronger."

Clearly irritated, Duncan shot back, "Oh, so now they're magical? I'm not paying you for two failed divinations, you charlatan."

Confused, I cut in. "How could you not sense the magic in those shards? I can tell just by holding them."

"Because he's incompetent?" snorted Duncan.

After giving me an approving glance, he turned to glare at my uncle. "Duncan, the more I speak to your kin here, it's evident where the sense in the family went." Looking back at me, he continued in a more honest tone. "Since you seem to have been given all the brains of the family, I'll be honest with you - I don't know. But I do know the shards did not have the same strength the first time I examined them. There could be something about you that causes them to resonate - but I have no idea why that would be."

Once again turning to Duncan, he gave him a contemptuous look. "And it's not a matter of divination, you one-tankard drunk. There is something about these shards - without knowing their history, even my considerable talents cannot unlock their mysteries."

Rubbing at the headache starting to pound at my temples, I broke in. "Look, stop arguing. We need to focus on the problem at hand."

Having the grace to look slightly ashamed, Duncan managed to squeeze out am apology. Sort of. "You're right. Sorry I pointed out the fact you were a charlatan, Sand."

"And I didn't mean to bring up your excessive drinking, Duncan, and your long list of failed aspirations." I quickly smothered a snort as he continued. "It was uncalled for, especially when the mystery of these shards is before us. Taking them to any other wizard in town would be useless until we learn more about their past... you need a sage and you need them examined quickly, so..."

And once again I hit a wall. "So who would know the shard's history?"

Sand shrugged and sounded doubtful. "You could try and speak to Aldanon... but I don't think you'd have much luck reaching him, the Blacklake District is closed down. Aldanon lives in the Blacklake District, you see - and now he's trapped there. The Watch has it locked tight, no one going in or out, no messages in or out, even for the nobles that used to live there... quite cryptic, really."

"Why?" I asked with a sigh. Oh look there's another damnedable wall. Maybe if I find two more, the world with just leave me alone.

"I heard about that... Lord Dalren was killed, wasn't he? I've heard rumors, but no official word of what happened."

"As have I. Not only are the Watch not talking about it, but they even called in the Cloaktower mages to investigate... which means sorcery - or demons - were at work."

Duncan scoffed at that idea. "Demons? Closest I've ever come to demons is Daeghun's tales about the battles down south, near West Harbor... when there was that trouble with the King of Shadows."

Deciding to find out later about this King of shadows, I jumped to the point. "So how do I meet with Aldanon?"

"Well, if you're not a member of the Watch... or know a secret route into Blacklake, then you're out of luck."

Duncan thought about that for a moment. "Wait... Watch or secret route... not bad ideas, either way the coin lands."

Sand continued almost as thinking out loud. "Well, there's Marshal Cormick, he's currently at the City Watch Post, and I know he's in bad need of an extra swordarm down at the Docks."

"And if I don't want to join the Watch?" I really don't see myself as a rank and file sorta gal, I thought to my self. Let's shoot for option two.

Reluctantly Duncan broke in with the other route. "Then you need to find another route into the Blacklake District, and that means dealing with other folks that try to control the Docks - Moire and her gang."

Heaving yet another sigh, I weighed my options. Rank and file or dagger in the back? Hmm, I have no problem with a dagger in the back (gods know I've done that enough in the past), but I don't like doing it on anyone's orders. At least maybe with the Watch I can scout some marks while I'm at it. With a sigh, I signaled the bartender to draw me an ale and settled in for a long night.