Sometimes You Use All The Hooks

Our Intrepid Party:
From L to R: Scruffy the Dragonborn Paladin, Grags the Half-Orc Fighter, Stephen the Hobb Bard, Peter the Thief, Harrod the Half-Elf Paladin and Azok the Dragonborn Barbarian. 

The characters names and pictures are not the ones the players are actually using, but since this not a strictly a private game between friends, I will have to to alter a few things.

*Ahem* THE FIFTH EDITION DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS CHARACTER CREATION SYSTEM IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. I got so fed up with flipping around in the PH trying to figure out what equipment the characters got during creation vs what they needed to buy that I abandoned the whole thing. Each PC got a starting weapon and armour of their choice, plus things like Thieves' Tools and instruments. What I may have to do is go through the PH for each individual character and make a list of what each character starts with. Lots of needless, detail oriented busy-work for the DM, just what every game needs.

But we finally managed to wind out way through the heaping piles of owlbear shit that they pass off as character creation (well over five hours spent on six characters) and we finally got into the game:

The moons were rising above the city of Carathon, the largest and oldest city in the Westlands when six young adventures arrived in port, each looking to make his fortune. Warned that the city Watch was hard on those who were out alone at night, they found themselves in a crowded tavern not far from the docks called the Storm Crow. The small space was already crowded when they entered and the each spent an hour or so leaning on the bar if they could, or standing awkwardly between the tables when they couldn't. When a large group exits the bar leaving a long table momentarily free, the six strangers each grab an empty chair, each unknowingly binding their destines to the others. Such is the way of  things, sometimes.

Scuffy the Paladin: A good natured fellow, who's greatest love comes from killing monsters.
Grags the Fighter: A strong, silent warrior, who's background and history has taught him caution and care.
Stephen the Halfling: Always looking for a good food, good wine and a chance at gold.
Peter the Thief: On the run from the Thieves' Guild, he is looking for a way out of the city.
Harrod the Paladin: Intelligent, observant and careful, he is always for as much information as he can find.
Azok the Barbarian: A wild and impulsive, but loyal and brave brute.

It began when a small figure brushes against the Peter, releaving him of his coins and a set of lock picks, but was spotted by the sharp-eyed bard who stopped the cutpurse with a well aimed Sleep spell (any patrons nearby who may have suddenly taken a quick nap could easily have been explained by an excess of alcohol).

The cutpurse was Chem the Gnome, who was deliberately trying to get caught and would have been if Peter's player hadn't rolled a 1 on his opposing Perception check. Luckily, the party didn't hurt the gnome and they woke him by emptying a beer over his face (after taking back the lost coins and items, plus any few extra coins that might have fallen out of the little thief's pockets when they were shaking him out). It was then that Chem was able to interest at least a few of the party members in his plan to break into a nearby Judge's house to steal the warrant of his friend, who is 'really, 100%, completely innocent, I swear'.

It was a this point that I realized that at least one of the Paladins was going to have a problem with this plan. He decided that he needed a second opinion about Chem and went to talk to the Dwarf bartender. Peter also got up and stalking stalking around the bar, looking for loose talk and loose purse strings.

Back at the table, Azok, Scales, Grags and Stephen were getting more details about the job, when a barefoot, young girl in sackcloth clothes and threadbare red blanket appears at the end of the table. 'Please sirs! My brother is gone. The monsters took him. They almost got me, I remember running away, but they were so fast sirs. Please help me. I can pay. I remember running away ....' she then dropped a coinpurse on the table.

Meanwhile, Harrod learned from the bartender that Chem is a career criminal and his 'friend' is worse. He also learned that the basement of the bar recently had an infestation of large spiders. For a few coins, the barkeep said that he would  appreciate if Harrod and a few others could go into the local sewers and clear out the crawlies.

At the same time, Peter struck up a conversation at the bar with Grixby, an apprentice warlock and amateur alchemist who was upset because something had stolen his master's Amulet of the Yellow Sign, needed for the upcoming lunar event known as the Chaos Configuration. He had traced the amulet to an nearby abandoned well nearby, but he did not want to enter the sewers alone, if at all.

Peter and Harrod each returned to the table at about the same time, when Peter asked about the coinpurse. The little girl had disappeared. Inside the coin purse were six old copper pennies. Just through the layers of heavy green patina, the coins are marked with sign of a crown. A King has not ruled in Carathon in 400 years.

Had four plot hooks to get the party into the sewers, ended up using three. Next week, Finally, monsters!