TROUBLE ON THE BLUE NIXIE (days 3-8)

Grunk wakes to find himself locked up in the City Watch Garrison of Sunrise District. After he gives the Watch Captain his version of what happened on the Blue Nixie and assuring him that they were not Vark's allies, the Captain informs him that if Lady Vanderboren corroborates his story he will be free to go. Lavinia does, and all our heroes are released, even though they are still unconscious from their wounds. The priesthood of Pelor takes care of Haerld, while Lavinia makes arrangements for Graim and Pillboxer to be cared for at her manor.

When all our heroes recuperate, Lavinia informs them of what transpired on board the Blue Nixie after they lost consciousness. The gondoliers that took our heroes to the ship ended up calling the Watch after the fight started. Apparently, Vark was using the Blue Nixie to smuggle animals, but during the fight one of the giant spiders they kept in the hold escaped from its cage. The spider killed one of Vark's thugs, along with a watchman who boarded the ship. The watch arrested Vark along with several of his men, and out heroes were transported to jail to determine their relationship with Vark. Vark admitted the animal smuggling charges and to stealing Lavinia's money, which he claims is still in her father's cabin. The Watch though refuses to deal with the giant spider, and if Lavinia could not convince them to give her some time, they would have burned the ship along with the spider. Lavinia wants the heroes to return to the Blue Nixie, kill the spider and find her money and her signet ring. She also informs them that she hired a little extra help to reclaim her money and her ship, in the form of another young adventurer named Vicros.

Our heroes return to the Blue Nixie and manage to slay the spider. A search of the captain's quarters uncovers a large trunk, within which is a leather pouch with Lavinia's missing payment to the harbormaster. Lavinia's father's signet ring is hidden in the headboard of the captain's bunk, in a secret panel. A scrap of rolled-up parchment has been threaded through the ring. Written on it is a list of monsters, from which Graim and Vicros only recognize chimeras and medusas. Graim thinks that this is a combination for the Vanderboren Vault.