6 Flamerule, 1502 DR**
Loudwater Caravan Duty
My first official assignment with the Syndicate was significantly more eventful than advertised. Lucky me!
Our party was dispatched to Loudwater to assist the city watch with inspecting caravans entering through the southern gate. We were met upon arrival by Watchman Volantis, a no-nonsense silver dragonborn captain who assured us the work would be uneventful, then immediately handed us a pair of manacles and instructed us not to kill anyone.
The work itself was straightforward enough. Our job was to examine travel papers, compare them against the contents of each wagon, and ensure nothing dangerous found its way into the city.
Our first inspection was, thanfully, ordinary. Two harengon merchants, Buggs and Judy Hopps, were transporting chilled produce and barrels of mayonnaise in an insulated wagon. Their paperwork was in order, and the cargo matched their declaration. The blast of cold air that escaped when their wagon was opened was almost refreshing in the afternoon heat.
The next wagon belonged to a halfling family relocating to Loudwater. Their documents accounted for seven travelers, (2 parents plus 5 children) yet nine sat in the cart. For a brief moment I thought we had uncovered our first deception, but the explanation was considerably more wholesome: Newborn twins, Saturday and Sunday, born after the original visas had been issued.
Both parents looked utterly exhausted, and I suspect neither had slept properly in weeks. Lady Valentina conjured a small illusion to entertain the children while we sorted out the discrepancy. The relief on April, the mother's, face was immediate. We chose to admit the family despite the outdated paperwork. Bureaucracy has its place, but compassion ought to have one as well, right?
The following wagon was less ordinary. Two dwarven “painters”, Vincent and Picasso, claimed to be transporting artwork. Their wagon's rear wheel had broken, forcing one of them to support the cart by hand while traveling. Everything seemed in order until Aber attempted to inspect a wooden chest. The chest objected, rather forcefully. It revealed itself to be a mimic and promptly adhered itself to Aber's arm with alarming enthusiasm.
Almost simultaneously, the cart waiting behind the dwarves erupted into chaos as several travelers revealed themselves to be wererats accompanied by swarms of ordinary rats. Lady Valentina and Jueinuma prevented the two dwarves from escaping, then the group dealt with the considerably more pressing matter of not being eaten or turned into rats.
I remained well behind my companions for most of the fighting. There seemed little wisdom in placing myself within reach of either the mimic or the wererats, so I contributed where I could, distracting our opponents with cutting remarks while Aber and Snap bore the worst of the assault.
Aber underwent a startling transformation once battle began. Whatever power fuels his rage altered his form, sprouting monstrous claws that proved remarkably effective against our attackers. I would like to learn more about that phenomenon, provided it is not considered an impolite subject.
In the end, the rats and their apparent leader were slain, the mimic destroyed, and the dwarves captured alive. Several of us were bloodied, but thankfully none were lost.
Curiously, the city watch arrived only after the fighting had concluded. Watchman Volantis seemed less interested in the successful defense of Loudwater than in reprimanding us for killing the creatures involved, citing his earlier instruction not to do so. I argued that giant rats, wererats in beast form, and carnivorous chests hardly qualified as "people" in the context of his order. My reasoning did not appear to influence his report, however.
Our payment was reduced accordingly. Each of us received twelve gold pieces and a potion of healing. I shall be interested to read whatever account the city watch records of today's events. I suspect mine is the more accurate of the two.
