===== Chapter 1 =====

Home, Sweet Home

It had been many years since I had last smelled the familiar aroma of ocean breeze and salted fish. Such scents were well known to me while growing up in the town of Saltmarsh, a small fishing village on the coast. Unfortunately, I didn't intend for my brief visit to see my hometown once more to become so… complicated.

My name is Cassidy Seabreeze and I once called Saltmarsh my home. I left the town a long time ago to forge my own path, unable to find a place there that suited me. After saying goodbye to my father, I left to seek opportunities in the bustling city of Neverwinter to the north. There, I joined up with an organization called the Order of the Sacred Fire, or OSF. They were a para-military group with the sole focus of protecting the world at large from evil. A motley bunch with a particular fondness for fire. Anyway, I remained a member of their organization for many years and rose through the ranks.

I started out as a member of their marine regiment, stationed on ships to protect them during transit and while they were abroad at foreign ports. I already had experience with amphibious combat from my old job, so I fit right in. I remained with the unit for a good number of years, eventually earning the rank of Senior Sergeant. When it was time for a promotion, I turned it down, saying I didn't want to be in an officer's leadership position. I didn't want to be in-charge of large numbers of knights and be responsible for their well-being. Instead, I just wanted to do my job and only worry about myself. My superiors were disappointed but understanding. They didn't want to put someone into a position that they didn't want to be in. Taking advantage of a member's full potential was one of the OSF's strong suits.

Needing to free up my position for someone new to fill and grow in, my superiors negotiated with me and found me a new position elsewhere within the Order. Due to my excellent record and years of distinguished service, they promoted me to the rank of Specialist and reassigned me to the scout regiment. There, I was free to act as an independent member, only having to report to the regiment commander every so often. My job then was to travel and scout the world, taking out threats as I encountered them and collect intelligence to send back to the Order. It was a perfect fit for me, and I quickly fell in love with my job as a member of the scout regiment.

I had just finished up official OSF business at the liaison office in Neverwinter, the very same one where I first heard of the OSF. I hadn't been that close to home in a while, so I figured to pay my father a visit since I was around. He was the only family I had, and I was sure he missed me. Since my mother had passed away and my departure from his side, he didn't have much left to keep him company. You see, he was an elf yet my mother was a human, so her longevity was far less than his own, and mine as well. Since he'd probably outlive me, I thought it was a good idea to pay him a visit whenever I could afford to.

#

In the distance, my childhood home came into view as I walked down a path much traveled in my youth. Even though it had been more than a decade, things looked more or less the same. As I drew nearer to Saltmarsh, things began to look more differently yet still recognizable. I entered town and began heading towards my father's house until an unexpected person crossed my path.

Before I knew it, a young man came waltzing up out of nowhere and began talking to me. He was a red tiefling with dark, long hair and the scent of alcohol on his breath. He knew my name, and he was quite happy and surprised to see me. I was confused at first, but then it started to make sense to me. The more I looked at the boy, the more I began to recognize him. The last time I had seen him was when he was yet a young boy, and his name was Octavious.

Our initial meeting was quite the tragic tale. It happened long ago when I still lived in Saltmarsh with my father. At the time, I was a member of the local marine regiment. I was assisting the City Watch on a mission to stop a slaver who was conducting business in the area. The Captain of the City Watch, Eliander Fireborn, organized a raid to storm the slaver's ship when it was off the coast. Him and I, along with a few other watchmen and marines, stormed the slaver's ship and managed to secure it before the head of the operation got away.

Among the slaves onboard the ship was a group of children who were all orphans; Octavious was one of them. With nowhere to go, Eliander adopted them and raised them as his own. Since that day, Octavious seemed to take a liking to me after seeing me amongst those who had saved him. He used to follow me around town when I was off-duty and even sometimes while I was working. It was kind of cute, and he was always full of energy.

Now Octavious was all grown-up, perhaps in his mid-twenties. I guess it was easier for him to recognize me, since I more or less looked the same, despite the lengthy time we had been apart. Once I had remembered who he was, I greeted him and told him how nice it was to see him again. Wanting to catch up on things, Octavious suggested going to the tavern for a drink so we could chat.

I hadn't visited my father yet, but I figured he was still busy working the fish taco stand. After catching up with Octavious, I figured I'd pay him a visit. As far back as I could remember, he and my mother ran the well-known eatery. My mother did all the cooking while my father did all the fishing. He'd wake up early and go out on the water, using his trusty bow to catch some fish. When my mother died, he continued to run the stand on his own, but eventually, he hired someone to help him man it.

Since it was still early in the day, I followed Octavious to the local tavern which was called the Snapping Line. When we entered, we were greeted by the barmaid, a girl named Merandi, who instantly recognized Octavious. I supposed he was a regular there based on the way they were talking to each other. After exchanging some brief words, Octavious went over to an empty table, and I followed after him. Merandi brought over a couple of drinks while Octavious and I caught up on life. The ale the tavern served had a unique taste to it, one that instantly reminded me of Saltmarsh.

During our chat, Octavious spotted a couple of out of place gentlemen sitting nearby at another table. They seemed to be from out of town, and Octavious was curious to learn more about them. Octavious then shouted over towards them to come join him and me at our table. The two men looked over their shoulders at Octavious with a confused expression. Octavious continued to heckle them, so they eventually relented and came over to see what he wanted. I wanted to calm him down and not let him bother the other patrons, but Octavious was a bit rowdier than I had expected.

The two men that Octavious were disturbing came over and sat down with us. One of them was a pale-skinned water genasi with a sort of bluish tint to his skin. His name was Destan Fjord. The other person was a wood elf by the name of Riardon Shahalie. The two of them were traveling companions who happened to be passing through town.

While we were all talking around the table, a man pushing a wheelbarrow came into the tavern. The wheelbarrow was full of fruit, and the man was handing it all out to the patrons. The haul of fish was a bit light that day, so one of the town's wealthy merchants wanted to help out by passing out excess stock. Octavious recognized the man and the person he worked for, giving a slight grimace. I was curious but didn't push the matter with him. After the patrons had all gotten some fruit, the man with the wheelbarrow left the tavern.

Shortly after we had resumed our social banter, we were yet again interrupted by a commotion occurring outside. We heard the shrill sound of a City Watch whistle being blown, something I was familiar with. The others, including Octavious, were curious to see what was going on and got up from their seats. I reluctantly followed after them as they made their way outside. Just as we left the tavern, we saw Captain Eliander and a few other watchmen on horseback heading out of the city.

Octavious was curious to see where his adoptive father was going, so he ran off in the direction they went. I followed after him as did Riardon and Destan for some reason. By the time we reached the front gate, the men on horseback had easily traveled a good distance away from us; there was no way we were able to catch them on foot. I told Octavious it was no use and he ceased his pursuit, then turning his attention to the watchman stationed at the gate.

Octavious asked the watchman if he knew where his father was going, but the watchman wasn't sure. Instead, he told Octavious not to worry about it, and if he wanted something to do, he could check the job postings on the nearby bulletin board. Octavious said he just might, so I followed him over as he went to check it out. Riardon and Destan continued to follow us, also curious about the possibility of potential work. I had no use for the job postings since I was just visiting, but it was nice to see Octavious again, so I continued to follow him.

Looking at the bulletin board, Octavious spotted one job that interested him. It involved a bunch of missing people and a supposedly haunted mansion. He recalled a local drunkard telling ghost stories about the mansion and such, so he figured he might have more information about it. I wasn't in any rush or had anything pressing to do, so I decided to accompany Octavious on his little adventure. Someone had to make sure he didn't get hurt or into any trouble. Riardon and Destan also wanted to tag along, so we all followed Octavious as he began heading towards the docks.

The man we were looking for was a town drunk nicknamed Stumpy, at least, by Octavious anyway. When we arrived at the docks, Octavious easily spotted Stumpy and went over to him, exchanging a few words. Stumpy then got distracted by his crippling alcoholism and said he wanted a drink, refusing to continue until he had one. Octavious suggested heading back to the tavern, so we all went back there to satiate his addiction.

We arrived back at the Snapping Line and found ourselves a table. After Stumpy had his drink, which consisted of a small keg of ale, he began telling us about the haunted mansion. It was more of a fable than anything, but he at least knew of the mansion's location and was willing to lead us there. The other patrons in the tavern were also curious about the mansion and were discretely listening in on Stumpy's tales.

I, on the other hand, wasn't as impressed. I had been all over the place and seen all sorts of things in my tenure as a member of the OSF's Recon Regiment. Stumpy's over-exaggerated tales seemed to be just that- pure fiction. Whatever was behind the missing travelers, it was most likely something that could be explained by simple investigation. One would think that the City Watch would've looked into it already, but I guess things hadn't changed all that much in that regard. Instead of trying to protect the citizens of Saltmarsh, they were probably still shaking down honest-working people and serving as the King's personal lapdogs.

Once Stumpy had his fill of drink, he offered to lead us to the mansion when we were ready. Octavious said he was ready to go if we all were, and I gave him a nod. In case things got dangerous, I needed to be there to look after him; however, he'd fared well enough without me, so I guess he was capable of taking care of himself. I was ready to go as were Riardon and Destan, so we all followed Stumpy out of the tavern.

During the hike to the mansion, Stumpy remained out front with his small keg of ale under his arm. I stood by Octavious, but just far enough behind him to remain out of his sight. I didn't want him to catch me checking him out and seeing how much he had grown. We continued through the forest until we finally reached our destination.