Shadowport! In the perpetual shade of the cliffs that are all that remains of the Brittle Peak, this island port's people are as shadowy as the streets they walk on. All manner of activity is performed in Shadowport that would be criminal elsewhere in the Empire, and the only real rules are don't get caught, and don't cross the city's unofficial ruler, the Prince of Shadows.
Having long journeyed overland from Greenvale to perform a mysterious service for the Prince of Shadows, the party was relieved to find themselves in able to get a drink at the Dark Jester tavern. No sooner had they sat down, however, than they were approached by a purple-skinned woman with a row of tiny spikes across her brow. She introduced herself as Samara Dirrell, the Prince of Shadows' representative, and gave them their mission - to retrieve a mysterious owl statue, known as the Winter Seal, from the vaults of Morgan Navale, a local merchant prince and braggart. Lancaster attempted to mark her with his arcane power, but she rather casually brushed away the effect. Before leaving, she offered them the name of Lars Redfist, Petty King of Valegate, as a possible source for deeper information on Navale. The dead cleric, Valencia Harcourt, reacted oddly to the name, implying some connection.
Encouraged by this lead, the heroes quickly sought out Lars Redfist at his personal fort. Wooed by money, the chance to show up a rival merchant, and the tantalizing possibility of reunion with Harcourt, Redfist provided them with a summary of Navale's defenses and invitations to the gala he was throwing that very evening. There followed a shopping expedition to find suitably fancy clothes for the grand gala, before the unusually chatty session ended when a gang of toughs attempted to cut themselves in on the Winter Seal heist, and were left scattered across a back alley for their trouble.
