The jewel of the Menagerie Coast was anything but a treasure to you for the 18 months and five days you desperately fought off mental and physical destruction. Every day was a battle to survive, whether it was escaping turf wars, hiding from the massive Zeheelo (police of the Clovis Concord), or attempting to keep your soul from the countless temptations ever present in this diverse and dynamic port city. 

While there, you gained a reputation for a hot-headed scrapper who would put up a fight to defend what few possessions you had from all but the most dangerous foes. That temper and those fists got the attention of an upstart gang that called themselves, The Silver Bandits, most of whom were no more than 16 years old, about your age at the time.

The Silver Bandits were friends of yours, but rarely would you see them do anything significantly sinister. Theft was their game (and yours) but were more apt to steal food and sellable goods from corrupt merchants than anything else. Francis Kess, a 12-year old, freckled kid with moppy red hair and insisted he be called, Falchion, took a liking to you, and you developed a rapport through a game you’d both play a game called, “I Once”, where you’d attempt to one up each other with one-line claims of heroism or unique experiences, most of which were usually made up. But it took your mind off the hunger or the desperation. He often attempted to act older and tougher than he was, getting himself into trouble, but you looked out for him, defended him or ran away with him, usually laughing.

The other founding members:

Strobik Flaskbuster, a stout and bold dwarf who was on his way to becoming a local sports champion until he lost to a low-ranked competitor and couldn’t get sponsors and turned to the streets.

Celwyn Vocci – a gnome with an unstoppable mouth, lost her house and her family when it was eaten by a purple worm outside of Hupperdook. Clever, but quick with a quip, which has earned her more than her fair share of beatings.

Trizfiz – a scrawny runt of a dragonborn who looks more gray than silver but is the clear leader of the gang out of sheer boldness. She is no fan of the gods or their clergy, and believes it is the individual that make or breaks destiny.

Geerax – known as the “goblin of Meek Street”, and is only accepted by his neighbors in the Tumbledowns because of his witty sense of humor, quick hands, and typically helpful demeanor, especially if it means humiliating the wealthy.

Whenever you had spare coin, you and your mates would spend time at the Rusty Whistle, a tilted, should-be-condemned tavern but popular among the Downers, the residents of Port Damali’s ramshackle district, The Tumbledowns. Known for its cheap libations and particularly pleasant bardic entertainment, it was the Silver Bandits’ “safe house” after a job went awry and everyone needed to scatter and reconnoiter. You’d count heads and coppers and attempt to sweet talk the bartender, Julianna Jilts, a stocky goliath woman with a shock of long red hair and seemed to embrace the underdog. Especially if the underdog was biting the ankles of the stuffy elite. Juliana was always good for a bit of news or info, far more than she’d let on to a low-level crew like you, and you were always impressed how she seemed to never forget a face.

You were content with this crew, perhaps even happy, though you knew there was no future in the petty grind of low crime, and you were uncomfortable with anything else.

Then, Triz brings the gang together and says, she’s got the big score. The job that will “change our destiny.” If they do it right, the payoff was enough to get them a real place. Maybe even real beds for the six of them. Stealing from the those that steal from the poor first, is just fine with you, you think.

And then she tells you what the job entails. The Exalted Collection Auction House. Triz tells you that they’ve been hired to steal one of the pieces up for auction. In exchange they’ll split 3,300 gold.

Triz didn’t know what the piece was, only what it looked like: a gray crystal ring. There was a drop off, and the gold would be delivered. And, she said, pulling out a leather pouch, they gave her a 100 gold in advance.

And, the best part, she said, if we succeed, we’d be in.

In what, you asked.

In the Myriad.

You knew immediately that the “silver bandits” were not up for the challenge, and that the Exalted Collection Auction House was one of the most guarded properties in the city. Zeheelo would be all over the place. Triz pulled out a blueprint of the building, and precise instructions on when and how to get in.  Still, chances were, whatever you were meant to steal was worth far more than the gold they offered, and would warrant a price on the thieves’ heads.

But getting into it with the Myriad, that was never an option for you.

You knew that the Myriad was a secret mafia organization and was THE force of crime in Port Damali and in many other cities along the coast and beyond. Though you didn’t know their goals or anyone who worked for them, the rumors would ripple through the Tumbledowns whenever there was a hit on a prestigious member of society. Or an immediate reversal of a political position, or a theft at the Auction House.

Triz said that the job will take five people, and if you leave, they won’t have enough. And then they’re all dead.

After a lengthy debate, the final vote was 4-2, with you and Falchion voting against, until they offered Falchion your cut of the prize.

You warned your friends that if they go through with this, you would leave. They didn’t budge. And even as you saw both heartbreak and betrayal in his eyes, Francis Kess wanted to stay with the group, you along with him.

A couple of days later, you made the decision to leave. Leave the “gang”, leave the city. Only Francis said goodbye. And not in a happy way. Mostly to yell at you for leaving.  Still, You knew, should you start down the path of real crime, it would not end well for you.

Through your journeyings, you never went back to Port Damali to learn what happened, even whether there were any reported thefts from the Auction House. You attempted to leave it all behind…not even knowing if you’re on someone’s list for deserting–either the job or the gang…